Link Party!

In case you missed it, the pre-order link for Hunting Astrid is up now. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, and officially releases on the 20th. Tons of action here, both in and out of the bedroom, and I honestly had so much fun writing it. This might turn into one of my favorites in the long run!

But wait, there's more! The TBR Pile kicked off their I Heart Romance Week this morning, where you can win all sorts of fun prizes, like Amazon gift cards and other bookish stuff. I've got an excerpt from Closing Montage featured today—all you have to do is leave a comment on the post to be entered into the drawings. Good luck and happy reading!

Seductive Suspect Virtual Tour!

The Seductive Suspect virtual tour kicks off tomorrow, with interviews, guest posts, and fun new material at every stop - how exciting! The full schedule is below. I encourage you to check out all these great sites, show some love to the hosts, and enter to win the giveaway!

October 23: Erotica For All
October 23: Fabulous and Brunette
October 24: The Reading Addict
October 25: Up 'Til Dawn Book Blog
October 26: Long and Short Reviews 
October 27: Lock That Door!
October 30: Books, Dreams,Life
October 31: The Avid Reader
November 1: Deal Sharing Aunt
November 2: Wendi Zwaduk ~ Romance To Make Your Heart Race
November 3: Romance Novel Giveaways

Spring into Romance Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Spring is here! What better time to share our favorite reads for the season? Join in and tell everyone about what new reads you're excited about!

For my stop on the hop, I'm giving away an e-copy of Elysium. The book takes place in the spring, and for good reason—themes include new beginnings, taking a chance on a new romance, and all sorts of other ideas we associate with the season. (Heck, the heroine's name is even April!) All the participating sites are hosting giveaways, so be sure to check them all out!

 

And here's the blurb and giveaway for Elysium. Good luck, and happy spring!

Two years have passed since April Patterson’s husband was shot and killed in the line of duty, and she’s trapped in a haze of grief and uncertainty. Having grown frustrated by all other efforts to engage her in activities where she could meet new people, her cousin pays for a date via 1Night Stand. Not thrilled with the idea, April nevertheless contacts Madame Eve and requests the impossible: a date with her deceased husband.

Brilliant software engineer Drew Monroe created his company, Elysium, to help give closure to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, through the use of virtual reality. Though passionate about his work, being constantly surrounded by heartache and death has taken a toll on his mental health. When he accepts the case of a young widow referred to him by Madame Eve, her tragic tale depresses him further, but he commits himself to programming April the romantic date she desires.

April arrives at Elysium and prepares to enter Drew’s virtual realm. Will she find the solace she seeks within? Or will she discover she doesn’t need a fantasy world to discover happiness again? 
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Well, February totally snuck up on me. It's hard to believe the first month of the year is over already! There's snow over here on the ground, so let's think warm thoughts and prepare for Valentine's Day with some free stuff! Follow the directions below, and then keep scrolling for my own giveaway - a free e-copy of what's probably my most traditional romance, Second Skin.
 

We're spreading some Valentine's Day love with a giveaway full of chocolate, books, and pretty things! 

To enter fill out the Rafflecopter then hit the comments and tell us about something YOU love. Your favorite author, book, or blog. Tell us about your true love, your kids, your best friend or your pets. Anything you love. We want to hear about what makes your heart full or just makes you smile.

Enter the Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now for the blurb for Second Skin, plus another Rafflecopter. You know the drill by now.

Anna’s career as a high-level CIA operative is put on involuntary hiatus. When a trusted colleague passes along the information for the 1Night Stand service, Anna decides to take the plunge against her better judgment and seek some intimate company. But her CIA instincts can’t be ignored, and when she contacts Madame Eve, she uses an alias.

Brendan owns a lucrative manufacturing company, but he’s yet to achieve the goal of finding a woman with whom he can share his successes and joys. But beneath his polished, capable exterior hides the painfully shy teenager he’s never been able to escape. When his own efforts in the dating scene fall short, he turns to 1Night Stand.

It would be so easy to fall in love with Brendan, and Anna’s protective mask slides away, piece-by-piece, revealing more of herself than she should dare. Before she can slip away with the sunrise, Brendan shows their encounter in a new light. Will Anna take a chance on their future, or will she choose to return to her undercover, but lonely life? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Hop (and Giveaway!)

October is a busy time for blog hops! This time we're all talking about our favorite spooky movies and books in preparation for Halloween on the 31st. I'm glad that's the topic, and I will neither confirm nor deny already having eaten a bunch of Halloween candy....

ANYWAY! I'm not really a big fan of "scary" movies, per se, but as regular readers have learned from my recent posts and my current WIP, I do love mysteries and suspense/thrillers. If I have to pick a favorite creepy movie, I'll go with The Silence of the Lambs. I hate violence and gore on screen, so I appreciate that all of the suspense and nail-biting and general feelings of unease are all psychological. Combined with the expert acting and plotting, there's a reason why it frequently makes lists of the best movies of all time.

In addition to the fabulous prize package giveaway for this hop, I'm giving away two e-copies of Elysium. True story - many, many (many?) years ago, when I first had the idea to write a romance about a grieving widow encountering her dead husband, it was originally going to be a ghost story. Obviously the circumstances of the plot changed a lot by the time I finally wrote the story, but there's a fun bit of trivia for you! Tell me in the comments, if you could spend the day with the ghost/spirit/whatever of any one person, who would it be?

Two years have passed since April Patterson’s husband was shot and killed in the line of duty, and she’s trapped in a haze of grief and uncertainty. Having grown frustrated by all other efforts to engage her in activities where she could meet new people, her cousin pays for a date via 1Night Stand. Not thrilled with the idea, April nevertheless contacts Madame Eve and requests the impossible: a date with her deceased husband.

Brilliant software engineer Drew Monroe created his company, Elysium, to help give closure to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, through the use of virtual reality. Though passionate about his work, being constantly surrounded by heartache and death has taken a toll on his mental health. When he accepts the case of a young widow referred to him by Madame Eve, her tragic tale depresses him further, but he commits himself to programming April the romantic date she desires.

April arrives at Elysium and prepares to enter Drew’s virtual realm. Will she find the solace she seeks within? Or will she discover she doesn’t need a fantasy world to discover happiness again? 


Follow the directions below for the games and giveaways! Good luck, and happy reading!

It's that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and the nights are getting spookier. Yes, it's time for tricks and treats, goblins and ghouls, chills and thrills and huge amounts of sugary sweets. But at the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog it's also time for the 5th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Join Laughing Vixen Lounge and our bewitching co-hosts The Kids Did It, The Mommy Island, Herding Cats and Burning Soup, The Hopping Bloggers, Mama Smith's Reviews and Women and Their Pretties for a spooktacular Halloween event.

Enter to win a $250 Prize Pack filled with goodies from 10 wickedly fabulous shops. All shops are offering Gift Cards or your choice of item(s) so there will be something for everyone. Many of the shops have items perfect for any book lover along with lots of unique, handcrafted and custom designs to choose from.

Visit the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog daily during the giveaway for the Halloween Movie Marathon. Test your movie knowledge with the Guess the Movie Game. Then try to solve the Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt, if you dare! Each event will get you daily entries in the giveaway plus a special giveaway for the Scavenger Hunt. Find full details for these events HERE.

 You can start by entering the Rafflecopter widget below. To experience all the games, movies, shop features, giveaway info and all around awesome fun make sure to stop by the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog HERE. 

The giveaway runs October 18th - November 1st and is open worldwide to anyone 18+. 1 winner will win the Prize Pack and 1 winner will win the Scavenger Hunt Prize Pack. Laughing Vixen Lounge is responsible for all giveaway details. Click HERE for full details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall into Romance Giveaway Hop

After a hot and humid summer (that stretched well into September and even a bit of October), I'm thrilled to finally surround myself with sweaters and soup and other fall things that don't necessarily begin with S. And at the risk of sounding like a stereotype, I do enjoy pumpkin spice. To celebrate, I'm participating in the "Fall into Romance" blog hop - be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of this post and visit all the other stops!

I first became interested in the romance genre when someone gave me a copy of Obsidian Butterfly, from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, for my 16th birthday. (We will not talk about how long ago that was.) Truthfully, out of the whole series, it's probably the lightest on the romance, but I liked it enough that I picked up the next book. *That* one was a bit steamier, and I was hooked and went back to the beginning.

It's hard to say how much Anita & Co. influenced my writing, as I didn't start writing my own stories until many years later. Also, the paranormal genre isn't really my thing. I have nothing against vampires and werewolves and the like, I've just never felt compelled to write about them myself. On the flip side, though, we all know how much I adore a strong heroine, so maybe Anita's creeping in a bit there.

On the topic of my own writing (excellent segue, no?), for my stop on this hop, I'm giving away two copies of Second Skin, my first 1Night Stand book. Anna and Brendan's date takes place in the summer, but they dream of meeting again in the fall, getting cozy in front of a fireplace and admiring the changing leaves in upstate New York. Read on for the blurb, and follow the Rafflecopter instructions to increase your chances of winning! I can't wait to hear about your favorite parts of fall. Good luck and happy reading!

Anna’s career as a high-level CIA operative is put on involuntary hiatus. When a trusted colleague passes along the information for the 1Night Stand service, Anna decides to take the plunge against her better judgment and seek some intimate company. But her CIA instincts can’t be ignored, and when she contacts Madame Eve, she uses an alias.

Brendan owns a lucrative manufacturing company, but he’s yet to achieve the goal of finding a woman with whom he can share his successes and joys. But beneath his polished, capable exterior hides the painfully shy teenager he’s never been able to escape. When his own efforts in the dating scene fall short, he turns to 1Night Stand.

It would be so easy to fall in love with Brendan, and Anna’s protective mask slides away, piece-by-piece, revealing more of herself than she should dare. Before she can slip away with the sunrise, Brendan shows their encounter in a new light. Will Anna take a chance on their future, or will she choose to return to her undercover, but lonely life?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Out of Orbit Interview (and Giveaway!)

It's August, and I promised exciting Out of Orbit-related things! For the entire month, my featured interview will be up at The Romance Reviews. In addition to some excerpts and fun behind-the-scenes details, there's also a giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card! So pop on over and leave a comment to enter!

The Smexy Romance Blog Hop and Giveaway

 It's blog hop time again! Welcome to my spot along the Smexy Romance Blog Hop and Giveaway! We're all posting super-steamy excerpts today, along with offering opportunities to win some great books.

Elysium has been out for about a year now, and it still remains one of my favorites of all my book-children. To celebrate my bias, I'll be giving away an e-copy to one lucky reader. Enjoy the smexy excerpt, keep scrolling down for the giveaways, and don't forget to visit the other stops on the blog hop!

Excerpt:
We became trapped in a vicious, glorious cycle. With every nip and nibble of mine, she responded with a breathy moan or a roll of her hips. It was all the motivation I needed to further incite her pleasure. My erection swelled so heavy and hard it hurt, but her velvet skin tasted so good, I wasn’t ready to let her go yet.

Sliding my hands into her jeans, underneath the elastic of her panties, I groped her ass. She hooked one leg over mine, slamming our bodies together and trapping my engorged shaft between us. Even through multiple layers of fabric, I felt her blossoming heat, and it drove me crazy with lust.

I let her breast fell from my mouth and struggled for air. She pushed the scraggly hair from my eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Every drop of blood had rushed between my legs, erasing the ability to formulate coherent thoughts. “I…I want you,” I ground out between pants. My cock bulged against her as the words escaped and I bit back a groan. “I need you.”

April’s fingers skated down my chest toward the top of the khakis. She made quick work of the button and zipper and her hand slipped inside. “Say it again,” she murmured.

A flimsy piece of cotton separated me from paradise. “I want you.”

She pushed the pants and boxers down several inches, freeing my erection. The brief shock of cold air was replaced by her fingers wrapping around the shaft, and I shuddered.

“One more time. I need to hear it.” As she spoke, she gave me a deliberate squeeze.

I couldn’t take any more torment. The dam broke, and I launched another assault on her mouth. She eased her hips back just enough to grant me access to the front of her jeans. I wrenched away the last of her clothing and cupped her mound with a palm.

“I want you, April,” I said in between frenzied kisses. One finger skimmed the length of her dampened cleft. “I want to be inside you so bad.”

Blurb:
Two years have passed since April Patterson’s husband was shot and killed in the line of duty, and she’s trapped in a haze of grief and uncertainty. Having grown frustrated by all other efforts to engage her in activities where she could meet new people, her cousin pays for a date via 1Night Stand. Not thrilled with the idea, April nevertheless contacts Madame Eve and requests the impossible: a date with her deceased husband.

Brilliant software engineer Drew Monroe created his company, Elysium, to help give closure to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, through the use of virtual reality. Though passionate about his work, being constantly surrounded by heartache and death has taken a toll on his mental health. When he accepts the case of a young widow referred to him by Madame Eve, her tragic tale depresses him further, but he commits himself to programming April the romantic date she desires.

April arrives at Elysium and prepares to enter Drew’s virtual realm. Will she find the solace she seeks within? Or will she discover she doesn’t need a fantasy world to discover happiness again?
 
Buy Links:

Amazon

Kobo

iTunes

Google Play

Barnes &Noble

All Romance

DecadentPublishing

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entry-Form

Promo - Feline Valentine (A Witch's Night Out), by Tara Quan

Valentine's Day is less than a month away, and to celebrate, I'm featuring Tara Quan's new 1Night Stand release, Feline Valentine. This time around, the matchmaking involves magic and shifters. Fun!

To celebrate her new book, Ms. Quan is giving away a $15 gift card, so don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Blurb:
Under magical house arrest in her great-grandmother’s suburban cottage, college graduate and reluctant earth mage Shelley Dupree whiles away most mornings spying on the warlock next door. Though erotic daydreams offer some distraction, she faces long working hours, cash flow problems, and a repeat burglar. On Valentine’s Day, she sets a trap for the mysterious intruder, intent on ending his crime streak once and for all. But her scheming cat familiar foils her best-laid plans, and, with a little help from Madame Eve’s 1-Night Stand service, she discovers a far more dangerous species of magical feline.
 
After moving in next to a ramshackle building on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., pastry chef Adrien Chatdurois is plagued by repeat sexual fantasies starring the same curvy brunette. In a state of constant arousal, he devotes his early mornings to grueling exercise and spends the rest of his day handcrafting the city’s best chocolates. When his younger brother stirs up trouble on the shop’s busiest day, the frustrated shifter is forced to pay a surprise visit on his reclusive neighbor. He soon learns not all witches are wart-covered hags, and one in particular might prove the most delicious of desserts

Excerpt:
Her doorbell rang.

An ominous crack followed the box’s impact with her yellowed kitchen floor. Sweat dampened the back of her neck. She must have imagined the sound. Her doorbell had been broken for weeks—months even. She’d taped a scribbled sign telling food delivery people to leave items on the porch. No one other than her family ever visited.

Everything, including the array of curiosities in front of her, must be part of a hallucination brought on by prolonged celibacy. Sweets wouldn’t dare sic Madame Eve’s service on her. Everyone Shelley knew who’d used it had—

Ding dong.

Okay, she could fix this. She’d meet the guy and tell him to scram. No way could the matchmaker’s mojo work in less than five seconds.

Muttering curses under her breath, she marched past the counter, through her makeshift office, and across the small living space, to stop in front of the thick wood barrier. Peepholes hadn’t been in vogue back when this place had been built. Since she hadn’t bothered to switch out the bulbs after the porch lights died, she couldn’t have discerned more than shadowy shapes regardless.

Pulling her shoulders back, she summoned her inner bitch. She had to run the guy off. Failure would end in disaster. Acting rude and obnoxious was a matter of determination, persistence, and effort.

She swung the door open.

The warlock next door stared back at her.

Her next breath erupted as a cough. “F—udge cakes.”

As opening lines to Shelley Channeling the Shrew went, she could have done better. She blamed her parents. No matter how many times she’d thought, read, and heard four-letter expletives, she couldn’t shake the ingrained childhood habit of modifying them for polite company.

It didn’t help that the man had a brown cake box sandwiched between his waist and left arm. Responding to the stimuli, her stomach had short-circuited her brain and demanded sustenance—ideally, in the form of fudge cake. Her gaze dropped to the bottle clasped in his hand. She’d had a champagne craving since this morning.

Her hunky neighbor’s green eyes had widened to a comical degree. Perspiration beaded his forehead. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. When his mouth opened, no sound came out.

What did he have to be shocked about?

Of course, only now did it occur to her she could have pretended not to be home. Just because someone rang the doorbell didn’t mean she had to answer.

It would be so rude not to, her goody-two-shoes inner voice who sounded suspiciously like her mother countered. I raised you better.

As she contemplated slamming the door, an act that met with immeasurable resistance from the metaphorical angel on her shoulder, her neighbor croaked, “It’s you.”

As first exchanges between potential soul mates went, this might be one for the books.

At least the guy came with more than one bribe. A covered plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries balanced precariously on his other palm. Her gaze drifted over his bare forearm and along tensed biceps. The short sleeve of his red T-shirt accentuated his muscle definition.

Her mouth watered. Her gluttonous heart did a little flip. She couldn’t settle on what tempted her more—the food or the warlock.

Buy Links:

Amazon | ARe | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | GooglePlay | GoodReads

Check out the rest of the series here!

About the Author:
Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Her characters, armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. To receive updates about her new releases and get a free sexy read, subscribe to her mailing list at www.taraquan.com/newsletter.


Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon

  a Rafflecopter giveaway