Deliza Rafferty's Blog

I realize I've been away for a long, long time.  Unfortunately, that's what happens when "real life" gets in the way, you begin a new job, you get stuck in the middle of your W.I.P. because you've written yourself into a corner and then you get your heart broken and find that the last thing you want to do in the world is write about the sex and romance you're NOT having. 
That said, I am going to try and pick myself up here. I think I am taking a break from my darling Savannah for a hot minute, because I think I have another story to tell with a new character. As I stew on that, I am going to at least try to get this blog up and running again in the meantime, if for no other reason than I need to keep myself busy and find my inspiration again. 
Thank you for bearing with me.  Hopefully processing my 2014 will turn out to be a creative wildfire that will be of benefit to us all in 2015. 

Love and luscious kisses,

Please welcome Sarah Daltry and her Flowering Series to the blog today!


18+ New Adult romance


These aren't sweet and innocent coming of age stories. If dirty talk, bedroom toys and threesomes offend you...these are not your books. There are also no billionaires, strippers or virgins. These are just the stories of typical college kids trying to connect to each other. 



Forget Me Not


Synopsis:
“No one tells you when you start school just how homesick you will be, or how hard it will be to start life over with no direction and no friends or family. No one says that becoming your own person is terrifying.”
Lily had a crush on her brother’s best friend, Derek, for years – which led to their steamy night ten months ago in her bedroom. Now, she’s off to college and she and Derek are still going strong. However, when school starts, Lily realizes it’s hard to maintain a relationship, while also trying to live her own life. She and Derek find themselves falling apart and she has no idea where to turn.
Enter Jack. Everything about him is wrong for Lily and she knows it, but she can’t stop herself from being attracted to him. When things implode with Derek, it’s Jack who’s there to pick up the pieces – and to show Lily an entirely new set of experiences she didn’t know she was missing. Of course, Jack has his own problems and once Lily gets to know him better, she starts to wonder if she can handle all of Jack.
When Derek reappears on the scene, Lily is forced to decide between two guys and herself. Can she find herself without losing the people who matter in the process?
Excerpt:
“Is it bad? Is something wrong with Derek?” Abby knows better than anyone how much I obsessed over him for years. She’s the one who bought me the vibrator last year for my birthday that ended up being the catalyst for my entire relationship with him. Four years of high school and three of them consisted of me whining about how badly I wanted to be with him.
“No, he’s okay. But, well, I have only seen him once since school started. We don’t even talk every night lately because our schedules are so different.”
“Are you having a lot of fun at school?”
“Not really,” I admit. “I’m just so sad about Derek. I feel like he doesn’t even care about me anymore.”
“That’s weird. You guys were headed for marriage when we graduated. What happened?”
“I don’t know. When he came to visit, it was amazing, of course, but now we are both so busy, and I don’t know.” I break down, crying for real for the first time since school started, because I know she’s right. It is weird and something must be wrong. I just don’t know what it is. It isn’t just Derek, either. School isn’t what I thought it would be. I feel like I am alone most of the time, even with my small group of friends. Everyone has his or her own schedule and it’s tough finding time outside of meals to talk. On the weekends, we usually try to hang out, but someone is always missing for work, a home visit, or just because something else came up.
“Maybe you need a break,” Abby suggests. “Not like a break up, but just time for you to get settled. I mean, he’s been with you since last year and he also had time to settle in first. You haven’t even found your own way around school. I know how you are. You probably just pine over him and act antisocial, aren’t you?”
“I have friends,” I argue.
“You’re in college. What do you do every night?”
I’m about to argue again when I realize that what I do mostly is stay in and work on homework, or go to the library to work on homework, or talk to Derek. Yes, I go to meals and hang out with Kristen and the others, but I don’t take part in most of the events or activities on campus. I can’t claim that the environmental club is a happening social life. I honestly can’t say I know anyone outside of the group of people that Kristen hangs out with – and Jack.
“You’re right,” I say. “I love him, Abby. But I don’t even know who I am.”






Lily of the Valley (Jack's Story)
Synopsis:
“No one tells you about pain. They tell you that it hurts, that sometimes it’s consuming. What they don’t tell you is that it’s not the pain that can kill you. It’s the uncomfortable numbness that follows, the weakness in your body when you realize your lungs may stop taking in air and you just can’t exert enough energy to care. It’s the way taste and color and smell fade from the world and all you’re left with is a sepia print of misery. That’s when the shift starts – the movement from passive to active. I fall asleep, hoping that the morning will bring back the pain. At least the pain is a thing.”
Plagued by a dark past, Jack sees college as a way out. Desperate to escape the area where he grew up, the people who know his secrets, and his own family, he deals with his problems through alcohol and meaningless sex.
When he first sees Lily, she’s the epitome of everything he hates. Yet something about her makes Jack rethink everything he knows and assumes about other people. Now, with the help of his best friend and lover, Jack has to decide if he wants to pursue something that he knows will only end badly.
Can Lily be one of the few people who can see Jack for who he really is – or will his darkness be too much for her to handle?
Excerpt:
“Did you go see your Mom today?”
I nod. Before moving in, I made my regular visit to the cemetery. Nothing there ever changes. It’s both a relief and a constant reminder. Even my grandmother stopped going, but I can’t. I can’t just not go. Someday, I’ll be ready. Someday.
“You don’t have to say it,” I tell Sandee. “I know she’s not there.”
At one point, during my father’s trial, when I refused to take his side on the stand, he nearly kicked me across the lawyer’s office. “Your mother was a fucking junkie, and you meant shit to her. Driving up there every weekend, eaving flowers on her grave? You’re wasting your time. She’s dead and good riddance to her. There’s nothing in that grave because even if there is a soul, that bitch didn’t have one.” The lawyers later came to work out guardianship one afternoon when I was home and shook their heads when they saw me. Was it guilt? Irritation? Something else? I don’t know, but fuck them. That’s what I know now.
“You do what to need to do, Jack. She’s there if you want her to be there.”
“You know, they spelled her fucking name wrong. Right there on the tombstone. E-V-E-L-Y-N. It was Eveline, with an I-N-E. And no one even bothered to fix it. I remember being led to a plastic folding chair out on the cemetery lawn, the gaping hole my last physical memory of my mother, and looking up. That fucking Y. By the time we noticed, it was done and they said it would cost us several hundred dollars to change it. Like it was our fault.”
“Shit. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It doesn’t matter. They couldn’t really change it, even if they had put up a new one. They did it and you can’t fix something that deeply ingrained, can you? It’s been dug in too far. That Y is not going anywhere, no matter if I cry, punch something, or just give up.”
“Things can always be fixed.” Sandee’s a regular source of inspiration, but her optimism wears me down right now. I don’t get how some things can be fixed. Whenever I think of my family, either then or now, all I feel is rage. Rage at my mother for turning out like she did, rage at my father for what he did, rage at the way the world shits on your dreams, and rage sometimes at myself. For existing.




Star of Bethlehem
Synopsis:

“With you, Jack, it was the first time I ever felt real. It was the first time anyone looked at me and saw substance. It was the first time I wanted to make someone see me.”
Jack and Lily have navigated his past, her desire to move on from her family’s demands of her, his depression, and her loneliness. Now, on New Year’s Eve, they have an entire year laid out ahead of them. First, though, Jack needs to meet Lily’s family, to be welcomed into her life. It’s intimidating, but with a sweater that is way too hot and his grandmother’s ugly car, he arrives at Lily’s gleaming house on a hill, ready to open himself up completely to her.
Inside the perfect, sparkling house, Lily waits for the boy she has come to love. But Lily’s house and family are a lot like her – shiny and pretty on the outside, with a sad emptiness on the interior. Lily wants to give Jack the one thing he has always dreamed of – family and love – but can she keep him from seeing how hollow a lot of the picture perfect life he fantasizes about really is?
This is a novella length work that follows Forget Me Not and Lily of the Valley.

Excerpt:
I take his hand and pull him down beside me on my bed. I feel so complete in his arms, as if nothing can go wrong when he holds me. It’s all the other stuff. The world, people, pressure. Maybe it’s a little fear that things just ended with Derek. That one day, as quickly as I fell for Jack, I also fell out of love with Derek. I don’t have enough experience to know if that’s normal. What if it happens again? 
“What? Tell me,” Jack whispers.
“Have you ever felt like your entire life is some surrealist’s joke? That you think you’re in control of it, while really, you’re probably just…” 
“A melting clock?” he finishes and laughs. I look at him, disappointed that I can’t explain it, but also relieved that he doesn’t care.
“All the fucking time,” he says. “I know you’re scared. I know I’m scared. But I seem to remember you telling me that I should remember what matters. I made you a promise, princess. Yes, your house intimidates me. Your life intimidates me. Hell, loving you intimidates me. But I’m in this. I’m here. Present. Entirely. I’m looking only forward. And all I see is you.”
“Take the damn book,” I tell him. “I just wanted to show you that I have faith in us. It was a conscious decision to give you something that was a very special gift to me, to tell you that I trust you with it, because I trust you to be there. Long term.”
He takes me in his arms and kisses me. I decide I won’t stop him if he goes further, but he doesn’t. Our bodies crackle with the energy between us, but as much as the sex thrills me, Jack does so much more for my mind than his body could even do. I can’t believe how alive I feel when he’s near me. Perhaps it’s selfish. Perhaps it’s desperate. But I want him here in my life; I want him with me, because I love being this aware. 
I speak against his cheek, while his hands slowly explore my body. It’s sensual but not sexual. He’s studying me like a work of art. “I don’t want to fall out of love with you. I thought Derek was all I ever wanted. I don’t want to be in the same place with you a year from now.”
“You won’t be,” he tells me. 
“How do you know?”
He kisses along my face, brushing his lips against my cheek, my forehead, my nose, but never reaching my mouth. “I don’t know how. But I do.”
I love that he can put aside his doubts to ease my own. I know Jack’s had so much trouble in his life, and the fact that he can comfort me, when my problems are so petty and stupid in the scheme of things, is one more thing I love so much. “I know I’m shallow. But I don’t want to be, Jack.”
“You’re not shallow. You’re not empty. Anything you think of yourself – it’s crazy. If you want to talk about surreal, it’s the fact that you think you’re less than something. Maybe you didn’t get shit on the same way I did in high school, but clearly, people have underestimated you. They missed out on you. And you have every right to be hurt. But, Lily? No one will ever hurt you again.”
I smile. “Thanks. I’m sorry I’m being so moody. It’s probably hormones or something. I think I’m just frustrated.”
“Yeah?” He laughs. “Well… I mean… I can help you relieve some of that.”





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Meet the Author:
Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who populate our lives. She's written works in various genres - romance, erotica, fantasy, horror. Genre isn't as important as telling a story about people and how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she's been known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships - romantic, familial, friendly - because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It doesn't matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a fantasy world in the future - human beings are most interesting in the ways they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah's stories.
Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because learning is fun. 
When Sarah isn't writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.  
Ten Favorite Books:
The Sun Also Rises – Ernest HemingwayThe Catcher in the Rye – JD SalingerJane Eyre – Charlotte BronteWuthering Heights – Emily BronteDandelion Wine – Ray BradburyThe Great Gatsby – F. Scott FitzgeraldClockwork Angel – Cassandra ClareLola and the Boy Next Door – Stephanie PerkinsDays of Blood and Starlight – Laini TaylorRed Moon – MA Grant

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Delighted to be a part of Jessica Gibson's blog tour for her new novel, Dressed In White. Check out the excerpt and be sure to enter the giveaway below! Also, you still have five days to enter my Little Drummer Boy Book Blitz Giveaway here. Enjoy and as always, thank you for stopping by! I hope you will leave a comment before you go. :-)






Gorgeous cover, huh? :-)



Synopsis
Lorelei Peters had everything she had ever dreamed of. Amazing friends, a sexy boyfriend, and a job that she absolutely loved.
Dillon Brockwell was all she had ever wanted. Handsome, successful, and he loved her as much as she loved him. Life was going along the way it was supposed to, until someone from Dillon’s past shows up and shatters everything to pieces.
Can Lorelei and Dillon get through all the craziness and make it down the aisle? Or will lies of omission be enough to derail them forever.

Excerpt:

Just as I had predicted, I fell asleep as soon as we got moving. The next thing I knew, Dillon was lifting me into his arms and carrying me off the bus.
“When did you get on the bus with us?” I slurred.
He laughed and planted a kiss on my head. “You’re home, baby, let’s get you out of these slutty clothes and into some pajamas.”
He carried me through the house and up the stairs.
“Wait, wait.” I called when he deposited me on the bed and went to get my pj’s.
“What?” He stopped and turned toward me.
“You look nice.”
He smothered a laugh. “I do? You like my sweat pants and ratty t-shirt combo?”
“Mmmhmm. Except you could lose the pants, if you want.”
“You, my love, are very drunk.”
“Uh-uh, I’m just the right amount of drunk.” I shook my head and the world spun a bit.
“Be right back.”
I watched him go, my eyelids getting heavier.
The next time I opened my eyes, light was streaming in through the curtains and my head felt like it was going to explode. True to his word, Dillon had gotten me out of my slutty dress and finagled me into my pj’s.
The man in question was lying next to me on the bed, working on his computer. I rolled toward him and covered my face with a pillow.
“Morning, sunshine, how are you feeling?” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“All things considered, not as bad as I should. I think I consumed all of the alcohol in San Diego.”

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Meet the Author

Jessica Gibson is a recovering bookaholic, she's down from four books a week to a more reasonable one. It was that love of words and creativity that made her dream about writing her first book. That dream was hidden for years,always put on the back burner, filed away in the "someday" section, until her husband Matt gave her the kick in the pants she needed to actually get off her butt and write. Jessica and Matt live in Southern California and have a serious addiction to reality tv shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration. They have one son and hope to add to the family in the near future. Aside from writing, she runs an online event planning business called the Release Day Diva. In addition to novels, Jessica writes and maintains the blog Book on the Bright Side. Keep up with Jessica and her latest releases and events on her blog.

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Heat up your holiday for only 99 Cents
with my smokin' little Christmas tale!




Little Drummer Boy - Vol. 3 of the Savannah Rossi ChroniclesPublished Dec. 16, 20125,837 wordsErotic Romance

Synopsis:
It's Christmas Eve and sexy singer/songwriter Savannah Rossi has plans to spend the evening at a local jazz club sitting in with a friend's band. After months of flirtation with the smouldering drummer, Jesse Bauer, she's also got plans to light his yule log after the gig. Oh cum all ye faithful, it's the most wonderful time of the year! *Contains graphic sexual content and strong language.*
The Savannah Rossi Chronicles are a series of stand alone short stories/novellas preceding an eventual full length novel that follow the steamy adventures of sexy, independent, musically-gifted singer/songwriter Savannah Rossi, who is teetering on the verge of national success. This is no spoiled brat pop princess looking to be saved. Confident, driven, intelligent and unabashed in her sexuality, Savannah has created her own success and enjoys a vibrant sex life on her own terms with men of her choosing. Is it possible that any one man could tame such an independent free spirit? Who says she even needs to be tamed? Join Savannah on her erotic musical journey to find out! 
Ten volumes total are planned, to be followed up with a full length novel. So don't worry; Sav will get her HEA!

Visit the MUSES page to see what Jesse looks like!





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COMING IN EARLY 2014:










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Stalk Me!!!




Read my bio here.

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Thrilled to be part of my friend Susan Thatcher's blog tour forAt Last, the sequel to These Foolish Things!
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Title: At Last (sequel to These Foolish Things)
Author: Susan Thatcher
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release date: December 1, 2013


Synopsis:

These Foolish Things is a response to all the love stories that begin with young lovers and end immediately after mutual declarations of love. Life continues after youth and love can happen anytime, anywhere.
At Last picks up where These Foolish Things leaves off. Elizabeth Gardner and Ty Hadley seem destined for “happily ever after,” but fate has challenges in store that could tear them apart. Is their love strong enough to survive?

Excerpt:
“Well, this afternoon promises to be a good time,” Liz commented as she rinsed her hair.
“Why’s that, Babe?” Ty asked over the hiss of the shower.
“OB-GYN visit and mammogram, so much fun. ‘Mrs. Hadley, good to see you. We’ve devised some new tortures to visit upon your body in the name of practicing medicine, beginning with a nicely chilled speculum and ending with the pressurized fun of a mammogram. Welcome to your mid 40s, Elizabeth,’” Liz answered.  "‘By the way, did we remember to recommend that you have a colonoscopy, too? Just a thought.’”
She heard Ty chuckling.
“You make sure that prostate stays in good working order, Ty. I’m not done with it yet.”
“You got it,” he said laughing.
Liz raised her left arm over her head and began making firm circles on the skin of her left breast with her right hand, feeling for irregularities underneath. “Okay, so far, so good.”
“What’s that?” Ty asked.
“Breast self-exam,” Liz answered. “Every month, like clockwork, haven’t missed in 9 years.” She put her right arm over her head and repeated the procedure on the right breast.
“Want me to do it for you?” Ty asked. “Be no trouble at all.”
Liz laughed, “Thanks for the offer, but it’s not really all...that…ero…tic…” The circling stopped and she returned to the spot and felt again.  No, she hadn’t imagined it. “No. Oh, God.”
The shower curtain snapped aside.
“What just happened?” Ty’s eyes were fixed on her hand. He reached out to touch, imitating Liz’s hand and circling, pressing her wet flesh. “You found something?” Liz heard the fear in his voice.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted, “Could be my imagination. Could be a cyst.”
“Could be cancer,” Ty finished hoarsely. He yanked a towel off the rack and wrapped Liz in it, sarong-style, then pulled her close. They stood there for a minute, Liz holding as tightly to Ty as he held her. He was only wearing a towel around his waist and Liz needed the intimate contact of skin to skin.
“God damn it,” she heard Ty growl, “God damn it.” She could feel the anger in him beginning to build.
Liz put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. She slid her hand up to Ty’s face and looked into his eyes.
Quietly, she said, “Look. This may be nothing, okay? Let’s stay calm until we know for sure.” She brought Ty’s face down for a kiss that took on more urgency the longer it lasted.
Ty broke off first. “I love you, Liz. I don’t want to think about losing you.” He kissed her forehead and left his lips pressed to it. “Ever.”
He kissed her again. “That’s it. I’m coming to the doctor with you.”
Liz buried her face in his shoulder, smiling. “No, Counselor. I can handle this. Besides, if there is a lump, the doctor will refer me to someone else for a biopsy and that will take a few days to schedule, so you’d be terrorizing the doctor today for no good reason. Take it out on opposing counsel instead, okay?” She kissed Ty again, deeply. “I love you.”
“I love you, Liz,” Ty said. “Sure you’re okay with doing this by yourself?”
“Done it before, remember? I know the drill.” Liz felt him relax slightly.
Luckily, Liz thought, she’d done pretty good job of hiding her own terror.

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READ MY REVIEW OF THESE FOOLISH THINGS HERE.

My Thoughts:

So At Last is considerably shorter than These Foolish Things, and it absolutely picks up in the middle of nowhere, so if you haven't read TFT, you'd better. Here's the good news: this book delves into the "happily ever after" part of romance novels, which frankly, doesn't exist - either in romance novels or in real life. That's not to say Liz and Ty's love fades and they get a nasty, bitter divorce, because they don't. But some rough shit comes down the pike after they marry. Like seriously rough. Like life-threateningly rough. But they are realistic issues that real people have to deal with in real life, as opposed to someone being kidnapped by a jealous ex or something soapy and silly. While I appreciated that there wasn't any noticeable fluffing out to make the sequel longer, I actually wished there was a bit more, because I very much enjoyed the comfortable ease and warmth the relationship exuded in this part of their story. Long past the butterflies and batting eyelashes stage, they settled into their real relationship and I would have liked Susan to have explored that in more detail. She makes significant time jumps in the story that in the hands of a lesser writer probably would've ripped you out of the moment, but fortunately she makes it work. I do happen to know Susan personally, and that means I also happen to know that These Foolish Things and At Last were originally one novel, so I highly recommend if you haven't read TFT yet, get both of them at the same time and read them back to back, because while both are good reads, I do happen to think they would've worked better as one cohesive work. But alas, we indie authors in particular are living in the world of The Almighty Trilogy and I understand why it is what it is. Still a well written novella and worth it. But again, you'll be lost if you don't read TFT first. Up next, I believe, is the prequel, which I'm looking forward to. 
I have to make note of one little thing that made me a little nuts: the very last sentence of the book. Without giving it away, I have to give the author crap for writing a cliffhanger that's not a cliffhanger. Seriously, woman???  *throatpunch*
Get this book. Get both of them. 
Rating: Four smooches (out of 5):    





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Meet The Author



Susan Thatcher was born in New Hampshire and raised in Vermont, graduating from the University of Vermont (including a stint in Salisbury, South Australia as an exchange student starting in January 1982. She hates winter that much). She contributed occasional articles to UVM’s newspaper, the Vermont Cynic. Susan has also contributed to Morning Edition on NPR (they read her letter on the air.), the Boca Raton News and ww.dognewsteam.com, a news parody website. Susan also earned a Juris Doctor from Franklin Pierce Law Center.  
She presently lives in Southern California because the climate and topography suit her.  And she is writing more material.
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This Sexy Sunday I'm happy to welcome C.A. Szarek to Deliza's Dirty Dramas for the first time! Below is an excerpt of her latest novel Collision Force (Book One in the Crossing Forces series), a giveaway AND a link to download her FREE Christmas book featuring the stars of Collision Force, A Cole In Her Stocking. Check it out!

Thank you for visiting! Please feel free to leave a comment and subscribe if you haven't already! (over here →)




Synopsis:
Book One in the Crossing Forces Series
Bad boy FBI agent and feisty widowed police detective collide pursuing a human trafficker in small town Texas on their way to true love. 
Bad boy, married to his job FBI agent Cole Lucas always gets his man. So when the unthinkable happens and one gets away, Cole grits his teeth and hunts human trafficker Carlo Maldonado all the way to Antioch, Texas, where he collides with Detective Andi MacLaren. 
Cole doesn’t do small towns and doesn’t get involved with women he works with, but Andi tempts him in ways he doesn’t want to acknowledge. 
Two murders, her partner shot and leading the investigation on her own, the last thing Andi needs is a cocky FBI agent who sees her as no more than a tagalong. 
Widow and single mother Andi is used to being on her own. When Cole gets stuck without a place to stay, crashing on her couch puts them in dangerous territory. 
Attraction and passion bring Andi to a place she’d left behind when her husband died. Her three-year-old son quickly wiggles his way into Cole’s heart, and he starts contemplating things—family, love—that he’d never planned for himself. 
Can being forced to work together make them stronger or will their differences jeopardise their case and their hearts?




Excerpt:
She was at the sink scrubbing her electric skillet. Cole pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, then nuzzled the hollow of her ear, nipping her earlobe. He watched the shiver travel down her spine and slipped a hand around her waist, settling it low on her stomach. He pulled her bottom against him.
His cock shot from six o’clock to midnight in two seconds flat.
“I thought he would never leave,” he whispered against the baby hairs at the back of her neck. Her ponytail brushed his cheek.
“Cole…”
“Stop thinking, Andi.” He nuzzled her again, rocking against her firm bottom. “That’s half your problem.”
Cole whirled her around and covered her mouth with his. She yelped, but he smothered it with his tongue, exploring her sweetness. Kissing him back, she moaned after only a moment, shooting her arms around him.
He pulled back, staring into her half-lidded sapphire eyes. Warm, probably soapy water sank into the fabric of his pale blue button-down shirt—the only non-tee with him in Texas.
“You got me wet,” Cole said, his lips hovering over hers.
Andi bit her bottom lip, but she couldn’t hold back her giggle. “You grabbed me. It wasn’t my fault.”
After pressing a quick kiss into her lips, he took a step back. “Then I guess I just have to take it off.”
“You won’t need it,” she whispered. Her tongue shot out to moisten her kiss-swollen lips, and Cole bit back a groan.
She reached for a dish towel and dried her damp hands. After tossing it back on the counter, she stepped towards him, leaning up and touching her lips to his while her deft fingers worked his buttons.
He took control, cupping the back of her head to bring her closer. She whimpered, but he deepened the kiss.
Andi pulled away, face already flushed pink. “You’re distracting me from getting you naked.”
He laughed, caressing her cheek with his thumb, tracing the freckles along the bridge of her nose. Thank God she quit thinking.
“By all means, continue. We can’t have that.”
She flashed a smile that made his heart thud and his cock throb. When she got his shirt open, Andi placed both palms flat to the hard planes of his chest. She stroked him, following his defined lines. Cole gasped. Her touch made his blood boil.


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Meet The Author


C.A. Szarek is originally from Ohio, but got to Texas as soon as she could. She is married and has a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. 

She works with kids when she’s not writing.
She’s always wanted to be a writer and is overjoyed to share her stories with the world. 


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Today I'm thrilled to welcome back Elodie Parkes to the blog and spotlight her new novel, Swoop on Love, from Evernight Publishing. Scroll on down for an excerpt AND a giveaway for a $10 (or £10, depending what side of the pond you're on) Amazon giftcard! I'm also excited to unveil a new feature for my Author Spotlight, "20 Questions With Deliza," which will give you a little personal insight into your favorite authors featured here. Elodie has graciously agreed to be my guinea pig for the very first one. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and of course, we both welcome your comments below - in fact, that's how you enter the giveaway, so chat away! 






Synopsis:
Lured to the place by its intriguing name, Jeanie was to find no owls lived there, but someone or thing does…will she realize before it’s too late?
Suspense…shifters…sex…and love...
Jeanie explores her new neighborhood and finds a strange little road leading to a place with an intriguing name. Owlswick. It’s Saturday and she has no plans, as usual, why not drive down this road? What she finds there is even more fascinating than the place name, and to her delight, a very attractive man lives there. Too bad he’s furious with her for taking a photograph. Why is that? What will Jeanie find when she checks the picture out at home later? 
A love story, graphic sex scenes and a twist of fantasy suspense, 18+

From Elodie:
"Thank you for inviting me to the blog to celebrate the release of Swoop on Love from Evernight Publishing.
I loved writing this story because of the inspiration behind it. Like my heroine, Jeanie, I found a sign post to a strangely named place and followed the country road that took me there. I didn’t find the two shifter heroes Nathan and Reed, but I did find the country restaurant that is mentioned in the story, and I passed the Christmas tree plantations that also feature in the scenery of the book.
Nathan and Reed are special characters for me. They are similar in looks but so different in personality. Nathan is alpha and the enforced restrictions on his life in recent years have taken their toll. He’s reckless, risk taking and that’s how Jeanie uncovers his secret. He inspired the title since he saw Jeanie, wants her and love, and so he takes it. Reed is gentle, sensual, and giving, but he’s also very sexy."




Excerpt:

He gave her a fright when he leaned around and opened her car door for her. She jumped away and he laughed.“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”Jeanie took hold of her car door and turned to him. “Thank you.” She was about to get in when he touched her lightly on the arm. It sent a shock of sensation along to her breasts. She shivered.“I’m Nathan, by the way. I’ve been hostile and rude. I’d like to remedy that. Could I offer you a drink? There’s a restaurant further along the road, they have a great garden bar. It’s still a lovely evening.”She stared up into his face, overcome with longing to be with him in this restaurant garden. He looked hopeful and interested. Loneliness made her reckless. She nodded, casting aside suspicion and taking a chance. “Okay, yes that would be nice.” She didn’t add that it would be the first Saturday night in more than eighteen months she wouldn’t spend alone.“I can go get my truck if you’d like me to drive us.” His voice gave away his happiness at her answer.“No, I’ll drive us. You can give directions.”He smiled and little lines appeared next to his eyes. They were endearing.Warmth spread through her as she imagined hugging him.He went around to the passenger side as she got into her car and started the engine.When he settled next to her, she looked at him. “Which way?”“Go left, and follow the road.”****The restaurant was visible for a long distance on the straight road before they reached it. Lit up in the summer evening, fairy lights twinkled in the trees out front, and strings of them attached to the building looked like a sparkly fringe, even in the remaining daylight.It was unexpectedly exciting to be next to this man. She felt a wave of pleasure that he’d asked her out. “It must look so pretty when it’s really dark.” Jeanie smiled as she glanced at Nathan.“It does. It’s always full, too. It’s a happy place to be.” He sounded wistful.She looked his way again. He stared out the side window, so she couldn’t see his expression. Suddenly under a strong wave of need, she wanted to hold him, kiss his incredible lips, snuggle against that muscular chest, and then… She sighed.“That was a big sigh. You know you haven’t told me your name.”Surprised that it hadn’t occurred to her to tell him her name even when he told her his, she answered. “It’s Jeanie, sorry.”“A pretty name for a pretty girl.” His tone was tender.She was tired of her solitary life. A spark of hope flared that maybe she’d met a man interested in her, even if he was involved in some kind of strangeness.They reached the restaurant and Jeanie parked her car. Nathan got out of his side and swiftly appeared at Jeanie’s door to help her. He smiled at her as she thanked him. He didn’t move away from her and they stood so close to each other, Jeanie yearned to kiss his perfect mouth.He bent toward her and whispered, “You’re so pretty. I’m very glad you came back. Why did you? You never told me.” His breath teased her ear, and her nipples peaked against her T-shirt. She slowly moved her head until her mouth hovered a centimeter from his. She closed her eyes, captivated by his nearness. He kissed her then, softly. His lips explored hers, firm, then soft and moist. A simple touch of his tongue against her mouth sent her into a spiral of desire. Her whole body responded to the kiss.
Copyright Elodie Parkes 2013


BUY SWOOP ON LOVE NOW:
http://www.amazon.com/Swoop-on-Love-ebook/dp/B00GBPT1CG
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swoop-Love-Elodie-Parkes-ebook/dp/B00GBPT1CG
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-swooponlove-1334831-340.html
http://www.evernightpublishing.com/swoop-on-love-by-elodie-parkes/
http://www.bookstrand.com/swoop-on-love-mfm



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Meet The Author
*** 20 Questions with Deliza ***

1) Elodie, where were you born and raised? 
I was born in the United Kingdom and raised mostly there.
2) If you could live anywhere in the world other than where you live now, where would that be and why?
I like where I live but wouldn’t mind living further down the coast, maybe the surf coasts in Cornwall.
3) If other than being an author, when you were a child you wanted to grow up to be a    vet   . 
4) If writing isn’t something you’ve always done, what made you decide to start and when?
I’ve always written something and had things published in magazines as well as books. I do have a day job and work in an antiques emporium.
5) What genre(s) do you write?
I write contemporary romance, erotic romance, paranormal erotic, romantic mystery
6) Is there any genre you wish you could write but don’t feel you could do justice? Or do you feel you are capable of writing anything you set your mind to?
No I do have limits. I can’t write horror or anything violent. 
7) Share some of your favorite authors and tell us what it is about their writing that keeps you going back.
I read so much and always have done. I have so many authors I like to read. I read Christine Feehan for paranormal romance. I like the mix of story, and sex. I especially like the Dark series. I read Robert Goddard for mystery, as his plots are so creative. Sometimes I read reference books too. I think I’ve read everything by some of the classic authors such as Dickens, Hardy. I’ve read all the Tolkien. You know it would take me weeks to list the books I’ve read.
8) Share some of your favorite books and tell us what it was about them that moved you.
N/A
9) Is there a book you’re just dying to see turned into a movie? Who would you cast?
N/A
10) What is your favorite food(s)?
Fruit.
11) What is your favorite color?
Purple and Blue vie for my affections
12) What/where would be your dream vacation?
I think driving across Europe with some hunky guy in my jeep, we’d stop at all the historical sights and beaches.
13) Name one thing on your bucket list.
I don’t have a bucket list, for me that would be a massive tease.
14) Is the glass half full or half empty?
Half-full 
15) Name one of your guilty pleasures.
Roast potatoes
16) I can’t stand it when a person/people     smokes near me    .
17) I love it when a person/people      are kind to each other     .
18) I am very much looking forward to the day when        marketing my books isn’t such a huge part of my life      .
19) Can you see dead people?
Happily, no
20) Name five things you couldn’t do without.My laptopMy smart phoneMy jeepMy iPadMy moisturizer



Elodie Parkes is a British author writing romance, erotic, contemporary, and often with a twist of mystery, paranormal or suspense. Her books are always steamy, cool stories and hot love scenes.
Elodie lives in Canterbury with her two dogs. She works in an antique shop by day and writes at night, loving the cloak of silent darkness that descends on the rural countryside around her home.
Elodie writes for, Hot Ink Press, Moon Rose Publishing, Eternal Press, and Evernight. She has also released titles as an individual indie author.

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Author: Monica Garry-Allen (also writes under the name of Siren Allen) Book Title: Christmas ConfusionGenre: Contemporary Romance/ New Adult/ Romantic ComedyRelease date: December 13, 2013Publisher: Front Porch Romance

Synopsis:
Can two people be any more confused than Bailey and Max?
Bailey Cooper is very much attracted to her neighbor Max Davis. Unfortunately for Bailey, Greg – Max’s lover is slowly becoming one of Bailey’s best friends. Bailey’s emotions are torn; she adores Greg’s friendship while at the same time she craves Max’s touch. What is a girl to do when she ‘thinks’ the man she's in love with is in love with someone else? 
Max Davis and his baby brother Greg Davis are co-owners of the apartment building they live in. Max has fallen for his tenant, Bailey, but she avoids and ignores all of his advances. Max becomes suspicious of the friendship blooming between Greg and Bailey. He believes Bailey has a crush on his brother but Max wants Bailey all to himself. Now he has to think of ways to keep Bailey and Greg apart. 
Will a holiday weekend full of chaos, confusion and a little bit of charm finally get Bailey and Max on the right track? 
Or will a few innocent caresses lead to more Christmas confusion?

Excerpt:
Max scooted back on the couch, he reached toward Bailey, eyes straying to her legs. Even though she wore jeans, he stilled pictured her legs bare, like they were when she jumped on his counter.
Her eyes widened as his hand came closer and closer. Max leaned forward, stretching his arm even closer to her body, he ached to touch her. His fingertips itched for a chance to slide down her body. As he moved closer he heard her inhale deeply and he couldn’t escape the erotic images that flowed through his mind.  
Oh the sounds I could cause her to make if she would give me the chance. 
Max continued edging forward, until his fingers wrapped around what he was reaching for. He picked the remote control up and moved back to his side of the couch. His hand shook slightly. Bailey exhaled. The sound sent chills over his body. Max pointed the remote at the television and pressed play.
He cleared his throat. “Do you want to start from the beginning or do you want me to find that last scene you watched?”
Max waited on her to answer but all he heard was the sound of breathing. He kept his eyes straight forward, fearing the sight of her chest rising and falling would be his downfall. She took so long to answer that he forgot what his question was.
“Whatever you want,” she whispered and his gut clenched. Max pressed pause.
What was his question? For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he’d asked her. But her answer ‘whatever you want’ was the answer he craved. A thousand questions raced through his head, ‘Bailey, what do you want me to do to you with my tongue?’ her answer of ‘whatever you want’ would be perfect for that question. ‘Bailey, what do you want me to do to you with my hands?’ Whatever you want would be the perfect answer to that question. But none of those were the question she was answering. What had he asked her?
“Or we could just watch television,” she said. “We don’t have to watch the movie, I know it’s a chick flick and you may not like it.”
Oh yeah, the movie. “No, no, we can watch the movie.” Get it together, Max.
“Okay,” Bailey smiled and snuggled further into the comforter. His comforter, the one he would sleep under later on tonight. The comforter that would have her sweet scent on it until he decided to wash it, if he decided to wash it. Get it together, now, Max.

Character Meet-n-Greet:
Christmas Confusion is a fun novella full of surprises and charm. Let’s take a moment to get to know the characters that make up this cute gem. Each will share one interesting fact about themselves.  
Bailey – My name is Bailey Cooper and I’ve just moved into my first apartment. Living on my own is kind of scary. But not as bad as I thought it would be thanks to the big hunk of a man living next door to. His name is Max and he’s extra yummy. He’s also extra gay and his boyfriend, Greg, looks better in skinny jeans than I do. How unfair! Anyway, one interesting fact about me is, I play in stool, urine, blood and any other fluid the body can excrete, on a daily basis. I’m a Medical Technologist, so I get paid to be gross. Oh, one more fact: I’m in love with my neighbor, yeah, the gay one. Have I mentioned how unfair life is?
Krista - Hi, my name is Krista. I’m Bailey’s best friend and play cousin. There are a ton of interesting facts about me, but if I have to pick one to share I will share this one, I have always been and will always be a daddy’s girl. I love my dad with all my heart and I think there is nothing more special than the bond between a father and his daughter.  Can I give one more? I’ll be quick. Another fun fact about me is that I when I’m tipsy I like to dance, but who doesn’t?
Max  -  I’m Max Davis. My two brothers and I own and are currently renovating, Lake Teresa apartment complex. It needs a lot of work but we are managing to get it done in a timely manner. I have a new tenant, Bailey Cooper. She’s the most frustratingly sexy woman I’ve ever met in my life. And she keeps ignoring my advances. My brother, Greg, is driving me crazy with his attempts to get Bailey and I together. Maybe we just aren’t meant to be. Damn shame though, because I know I could make her happy if she would give me a chance. 
Greg – Hey, Y’all. I’m Greg. The youngest and most fabulous of the Davis brothers. One interesting fact about me; hmm let me think. I’m a great listener…. I bet you thought I was going to say something else. Okay, I’ll say it. I am homosexual and I’m proud of it. Oh and I’m also a part-time deejay. Just ask my new tenant and bestie, Bailey. My goal this Christmas is to get her and my brother together. I swear straight people can be so obtuse sometimes. Just call me the Christmas Cupid. 

~ GIVEAWAY TIME ~
"My favorite holiday is Christmas. Not just because of the presents but because I love the look on my nieces and nephews faces when they unwrap their presents. I love sitting around the dinner table with family I haven’t seen in a while and catching up over turkey dressing. What’s your favorite holiday and why? Comment below for a chance to win a Christmas Confusion Christmas ornament." 
~Monica



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Meet The Author


Hi all, my name is Monica Garry-Allen. When I am not writing I am working as a Clinical Laboratory Technician. Since I am a part of the medical field a lot of my characters have jobs as Doctors, Nurses, Laboratory Scientists, etc.
I enjoy reading, writing, and shopping. Cooking however, is not one of my hobbies. But thankfully my husband enjoys creating tasty meals. My hubby and I have no kids yet, but we do have nieces and nephews that we adore.
I enjoy traveling. I'm not much of an outdoors person. Give me an air-conditioned room, a good book, a cup of coffee and I'm in heaven.

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Title: At Last (sequel to These Foolish Things)Author: Susan ThatcherGenre: Contemporary RomanceRelease date: December 1, 2013


Synopsis:
These Foolish Things is a response to all the love stories that begin with young lovers and end immediately after mutual declarations of love. Life continues after youth and love can happen anytime, anywhere.
At Last picks up where These Foolish Things leaves off. Elizabeth Gardner and Ty Hadley seem destined for “happily ever after,” but fate has challenges in store that could tear them apart. Is their love strong enough to survive?


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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!Susan's giving away copies of These Foolish Things AND At Lastto THREE lucky winners!

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Meet The Author


Susan Thatcher was born in New Hampshire and raised in Vermont, graduating from the University of Vermont (including a stint in Salisbury, South Australia as an exchange student starting in January 1982. She hates winter that much). She contributed occasional articles to UVM’s newspaper, the Vermont Cynic. Susan has also contributed to Morning Edition on NPR (they read her letter on the air.), the Boca Raton News and ww.dognewsteam.com, a news parody website. Susan also earned a Juris Doctor from Franklin Pierce Law Center.  
She presently lives in Southern California because the climate and topography suit her.  And she is writing more material.
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