**** I have not updated links since switching from fictionalcandy.com to fictionalcandy.blogspot.com The best way to review old posts at this time in in Desktop View (link at bottom of this page) and then using the post archive located on the right-hand sidebar of the page***
Title: Full Throttle
Series: Fast Track #7
Author: Erin McCarthy
Published: December 3, 2013 - Berkley Publishing
Format: Print copy received from Berkley for review (Thank you!)
Easing into the turns… As one of only two girls on the tween racing circuit, Shawn Hamby has always run with a fast crowd. But now at thirty-two, she doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. And she definitely doesn’t need a man bossing her around off of the track… Putting the pedal to the metal… But after a silly girls’ night at a fetish club, Shawn can’t get Rhett Ford out of her mind. He’s younger than her, and he’s her best friend’s brother-in-law, which should be red flags. Rhett is looking for someone to lead in bed, but he can’t imagine that Shawn would ever submit to him. Boldly surrendering is more her style. And with Rhett behind the wheel, it’s going to be one wild ride…
If you’ve ever read an Erin McCarthy book, you are probably an Erin McCarthy fan. I’m sure of it. I’ve read a couple of her books now, and she’s one of those authors that I don’t even have to read the blurb, it’s just an automatic read. So when the opportunity to read Full Throttle came up, I was ready. Full Throttle is part of the Fast Track series. It’s a series about hot men, hot women, and something that I love – racing.
After an explosive night of passion during a scenting ceremony, Karla Alves is sure she was just a one night stand for the man she'd been crushing on for years. She teased him and pleased him, and Nate hasn't been around since. Her fear of becoming clingy kept her from risking her heart and asking for more than a few hours of skin sin.
Mission: Crack her walls
She. Is. His. Nathan Wolfe marked Karla. His mate. Deeply involved in pack politics, Nate has had to stay away. When his sister warns that Karla needs him more than he thinks, he'll discover a bundle of secrets only his wolf can sniff out. But getting the woman he cares about to let down her guard may prove to be his undoing.
Mission: Embrace the bite
With Karla's wayward sister wreaking havoc and friends needing more of his time than ever, Nate will have to rearrange his priorities if he ever hopes to earn Karla's trust. But will time with her be enough? Only true love and a wolf's promise can hold together a relationship created with a bite, a scenting, and a hope for tomorrow.
Title: How Zombies Stole Christmas
Series: No
Author: Sidney Bristol
Published: Dec 5, 2013 Taliesin Publishing
Format: Ebook provided for review
Every creature in Haven snuggled down in their beds, ready for another Christmas, they liked it a lot. But not everyone in this magical land shares their holiday cheer. . . Evelina Frost is a woman used to staying in the shadows, but this year Christmas needs a hero, and with Santa away, it’s up to her to save the holiday from ruin. A figure dressed in white cast a spell and from the frozen land, ghastly zombies appear. Kameron is a creature out-of-place in the frigid land, but he’s carved out a life, away from his Highland moors and pastures, happy to live alone. Until a woman barges into his life, and awakens urges he hasn’t known in centuries.
“I’ll take their Christmas, their cheer and their hope,” the figure says, as zombies descend on the Snow Palace, ripping the trees and presents from the hearth.
Together, Evelina and Kameron delve into the history of their land, fighting a magical blizzard, ice zombies and an all-consuming lust for each other as magic seeks to create another fairy tale from their lives. They must fight together against the odds and save Christmas, though they might lose their hearts in the bargain.
What a crazy and fun and interesting book this was! I suppose I should have gotten the review out a bit earlier, but as it goes with the holidays, time just went too fast. But once I got the chance to read this book I went through it like a blow torch through ice!
According to Hayley love is a subject of ridicule, a myth created by hopeless romantics.
When Hayley makes a resolution to declare her loose lifestyle era R.I.P, it’s all good in theory… That is until she meets Daniel Stark, a well-respected, mid-thirties business man who is known for his short temper, lack of steady relationships as well as his strict preserve of his private life. Opinionated, sharp tongued Hayley accidently steps into his office leaving Daniel resolved to put Hayley in her place and have her in his bed.
Both Hayley and Daniel can’t avoid the immediate instigation of the attraction between them. In a unanimously agreed upon verdict by Hayley and her two best friends, Ian the gay self-absorbed, aspiring model and Natasha the witty, borderline neurotic soul mate, Daniel Stark is to be Hayley’s pure physical attraction, emotions aside era closure. Will it indeed be a closure, or a beginning to something neither Hayley nor Daniel ever bargained for…
A couple weeks ago I reviewed this book (link below) and I absolutely loved it. I gave it a five star rating, actually. The author, Sigal, is such an awesome and nice person that I also consider myself lucky that I got an interview out of her, too! So here is the interview today - along with a giveaway Sigal is offering. There are two prizes, and both are international!! Enjoy the interview, and good luck everyone!
Title: The World Without A Future
Series: it looks like it could be one....
Author: Nazarea Andrews
Published: Dec 3, 2013 - A&A Literay
Format: Ebook provided for review
She was born the day the world ended… Nurrin has lived her entire life with zombies—trapped behind walls meant to keep them safe. She’s mostly happy there. But when a zombie horde breach the walls of her Haven, she has to trust her brother, Collin, and his best friend to keep her alive. He just wants his past to die… Finn O’Malley has given up on voicing warnings that are ignored. No one cares that the zombies are changing. Now all that matters is keeping Collin and Nurrin safe from what’s outside the walls of a Haven. But when Nurrin’s best friend picks up a contact infection, he agrees to get the medicine needed to save his life. Forced together, relying on each other in a strange Haven, zombies aren’t the most dangerous thing they’re facing.
In their world, only one thing remains true: everything ends in blood.
I don’t even know what category to put this book in; it would fit so well in several. Zombie, dystopia, new adult, romance… it’s got it all. The World Without A Future has raced onto my favorites list (which includes a five star rating) and has me clamoring for the next book (which I’ve heard there will be one, but that’s all I’m saying!)
Delilah “Doll” Reklinger never imagined her life with anyone that wasn’t a Hellion. She never imagined a Hellion would come along and prove himself worthy enough to her father, Roundman, Hellions Club President. Content in living in the bubble of safety the motorcycle club family has always provided, Doll never thought that danger surrounded her.
Roundman has kept the Hellions contained for the last thirty years by controlling the chaos surrounding their lifestyle. When the dangerous side to their business comes knocking on his door, he realizes his precious Doll isn’t safe. The Hellions code may be that women and children are off limits in any altercation or dispute, but that doesn’t mean their enemies follow that same moral compass.
His only child, now in danger from the association to him and his club, Roundman makes a decision. He sends her away to a charter club, in hopes that the trouble won’t follow.
One ride across the country. One simple ride. Talon “Tripp” Crews has been ordered to take Doll on one ride away and to keep her safe. She’s off limits, his head knows this, but his body can’t deny the sparks between them. She’s feisty, fierce, and fearless. Constantly in close confines together, can they deny the chemistry? Will they give into the attraction between them? Can one ride turn lust into love?
He’s been her ultimate untouchable desire. Nothing says happy birthday like a rock god flying thousands of miles to surprise a woman he's never met. But that's exactly what happens to Gabi Smith when she gives her long distance best friend a flippant invitation to her laid back girl’s night out. She never expected to turn on the dance floor and find Blake Kennedy’s gaze holding her body captive. She’s his everything and he’s never laid eyes on her. Gabi means more to Blake than life itself. She’s his strength, his savior, and the only person who helped to vanquish his demons. No one means more to him than his angel. So when things between them start to sizzle, he's ready to fight for the future he never thought he would deserve.
So Sharonda at Salacious Reads created this meme to have some fun with music. Got a song stuck in your head? Got a favorite you want to share? Grab the graphic, go to youtube, and share!
Today I chose Feel So Close from Calvin Harris. No reason, I just love it. It was between this song and Gnarls Barkley, and Calvin won out :) It makes me boogie in my seat (cause I am usually in the car or at work when I hear it...)
So Sharonda at Salacious Reads created this meme to have some fun with music. Got a song stuck in your head? Got a favorite you want to share? Grab the graphic, go to youtube, and share!
Title: Kissed By A Dark Prince Series: Eternal Mates #1 Author: Felicity Heaton Published: Nov 30, 2013 Format: Ebook received for review
Olivia thinks it’s her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae ends up on her inspection table. He’s her chance to redeem herself with her employer, the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for…
Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is the pulse ticking in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood. One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them that will leave him weakened until it is complete… or broken, and pulling Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud. To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break the bond blossoming between them. But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others—his eternal mate? And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them and the temptation of her dark prince’s kiss?
With so many of Felicity Heaton’s books, I’ve hopped in during the middle of the series. So when this series, Eternal Mates, came along, I jumped on board. And now, I am so glad I did. This book packed a lot in during a couple hundred pages, that’s for sure. We start with Olivia, the heroine. She’s a scientist for Archangel, a group that does a variety of things with the paranormal beings in the world. Olivia’s part is studying them. I really enjoyed Olivia’s character. I found her to be caring and sympathetic, generous and a person I would want to be my own friend. She’s had some issues in the past with demons and such, and that totally led her to her present. And when circumstances collide, she finds a super hot and sexy man on her table. This man turns out to be Loren.
Loren, we find out, is an elven prince, and he’s over 50 centuries old. I really loved Loren. Let me say this again, I really loved him! He’s got magical abilities, which include masking his true looks, transporting anything he owns from and to anywhere, and a myriad of other things. Pointy ears, fangs, and naked under his armor – this is not a man to be messed with. And then when he bites Olivia, and he realizes she is his ki’ara (true fated mate) all bets are off. Both of them pretend to themselves (and each other) that they are going to find a way to break the bond, but come on – you don’t mess with fate.
In this book we meet several other awesome characters too; Sable, who is a hunter at Archangel, Bleu, Loren’s right hand man and friend, Vail, Loren’s evil brother, and a few others. If you’ve read Felicity’s books before, you know she has a real talent for making the secondary characters all shine, and giving you a chance to get to know them. Personally, I am very interested in Bleu. I think there is a lot going on there, and I definitely want to get to the bottom of it.
Kissed By A Dark Prince has tons of action in it. We are talking bombs, fight scenes, bar brawls, kidnappings… oh, and some mega watt sex that made me want to reread a few pages just for pure fun! Everything is this book is hard hitting and qualifies it as a page turner.
Her feet tightened against his backside, a silent plea for more, and he clutched her hops, dragged her to the edge of the black-rubber-topped table and pumped her harder, thrusting as deep as he could go. She tipped her head back, causing the soft waves of her chestnut hair to spill around her shoulders, a beautifully wanton and wild look in her rich brown eyes. Loren growled and took her harder, driven by a need to claim all of her. He grunted with each thrust, each meeting of their hips, lost in how warm and wet she was, tightly gloving him and driving him crazy with a need for more.
Yeah, there’s some sex in this book. And yeah, it’s freaking fantastic. You know when you pick up a book of Felicity’s there will be some scorching heated scenes, and Kissed By A Dark Prince does not disappoint at all.
This book has a lot to offer. Demons, elves, shifters, humans, hunters, scientists, good guys, bad guys, and centuries worth of war among brothers. I definitely recommend this book to all of you!
About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton writes passionate paranormal romance books as Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, Felicity Heaton’s best selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series she writes as F E Heaton or any of her stand alone vampire romance books she writes as Felicity Heaton. Or if you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try Felicity Heaton’s new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.In 2011, five of her six paranormal romance books received Top Pick awards from Night Owl Reviews, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews, and many of her releases received five star reviews from numerous websites.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Title: Kissed By A Dark Prince
Series: Eternal Mates #1
Author: Felicity Heaton
Published: Nov 30, 2013
Format: Ebook received for review
Olivia thinks it’s her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae ends up on her inspection table. He’s her chance to redeem herself with her employer, the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for…
Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is the pulse ticking in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood. One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them that will leave him weakened until it is complete… or broken, and pulling Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud. To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break the bond blossoming between them. But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others—his eternal mate? And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them and the temptation of her dark prince’s kiss?
With so many of Felicity Heaton’s books, I’ve hopped in during the middle of the series. So when this series, Eternal Mates, came along, I jumped on board. And now, I am so glad I did. This book packed a lot in during a couple hundred pages, that’s for sure.
He wants to know my name. I have to answer, have to obey, but I can’t. I am plaything, a possession. And slaves don’t have names. Why is he tormenting me like this? I need to please him so that I can get my reward. God, I need a fix. I’ll die if I don’t get one. Lydia Chase has been abducted and broken. Her only escape from the pain is the sweet high of the heroin that her sadistic Master gives her as a reward in order to control her. She is found by FBI agent Smith James, and he is determined to help her heal. But she becomes dangerously dependent on him, and his brand of rescue might just leave her more broken than ever. How can she ever become whole again if she can’t learn to let him go and take control of her own life? Does she have a hope of finding freedom when Smith refuses to release her heart? Or is this new form of captivity just what she needs to survive? WARNING: Given the nature of this story, this book contains graphic violence and references to sexual assault, which some readers may find upsetting. It also contains sizzling scenes of (consensual) BDSM! NOTE: Knight is part of the Impossible series, but it can be read as a standalone story without spoiling the other books.
As a lover of dark books, I'm super excited for today's post and giveaway. I can't wait to get started on this series myself, and I hope you will be as interested as I am! Let me know what you think, is this for you or no? Have you read any of the books in this series?
My Twisted Little Heart
Writing Dark Romance
Julia Sykes
Firstly, thanks so much to Liz for inviting me to ramble on her blog! I’ll be sharing some of my experiences and motivations when it comes to writing dark romance.
I’m really in to rescue fantasies. But what fun is a rescue fantasy if you don’t put your characters through horrible, horrible trials first? I’ve always loved erotic romances where the heroine is put in real peril before all is said and done. However, as I amassed more and more of these books over the past several years, I began to wish that the envelope would have been pushed a bit more. I found myself re-envisioning the climax to these stories, only with a much darker twist.
At first, I kept these thoughts carefully guarded, concerned that if people found my private erotic short stories, they would be disturbed. But then I stepped into the world of self-publishing. I was terrified to share my dark stories, but I discovered that other people liked them too. It was incredibly freeing to realize that I wasn’t alone in my messed up fantasies. As I’ve continued writing, I’ve really let my dark flag fly.
My anxiety ratcheted up a notch when I released my new book, Knight (An Impossible Novel), which is my darkest work yet. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t tone down the story. Doing so wouldn’t feel genuine, and I have to be okay with writing what I want to write.
That being said, writing Knight was a more harrowing experience than I expected. Actually putting the words down on the page to give form to the images in my mind was difficult and disturbing at times. As were the results of my research. While my findings often enriched the story in ways I hadn’t imagined, it was all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of the darkest corners of the internet. Finding out more about PTSD, heroin withdrawals, psychological torture, whip scars, and the fact that your Smart TV can spy on you was downright scary.
I also put a lot of myself into this book, which – while upsetting – was extremely cathartic. No, I haven’t experienced anything like what I put my characters through, but a lot of the themes in the story definitely come from a very personal place. The beauty and promise of first love, the indelible grief of losing that love, watching someone close to you die, and the realization that you can’t take responsibility for other people’s happiness were very emotional elements to explore through my writing. I cried quite a bit while working on this story, but in the end, I felt better for it.
The BDSM elements to my work are actually the most positive, hopeful aspects of my stories. BDSM can be incredibly healing, and that is at the heart of all of my books.
While my Heroes often blur the lines of morality, at their core they are all “good” guys. Just as much as my heroines need help dealing with psychological scars, my alpha males need to learn to lean on their women just as much.
Ultimately, my stories are one dark, twisted ride. But in the end, the message is hopeful, even if it’s not completely, perfectly happy. Love can heal even the most flawed, broken people, but it will never erase the past completely. To me, that makes my characters’ love all the more enduring; they need each other on an obsessive level in order to maintain the mental balance that they have achieved through their relationship. And that conclusion holds a darkness of its own.
I used to think pain wasn’t real. At least, not in the sense of being a tangible thing. It was just the result of my primal brain’s in-built response to inform me that damage was being inflicted on my body. If I trusted the person who was giving me pain, then I knew he wasn’t going to damage me. If I understood my pain, it stopped being something to fear and became something… interesting. I could master the hurt and ride the high of the adrenaline that flooded my system. I could enter subspace, that gloriously blank place where nothing existed but the sweet endorphins released by the pain that I embraced.
But then He came along and turned that all on its head. He enjoyed administering pain to torture, not to pleasure. And I couldn’t trust Him not to inflict damage. He claimed He didn’t like it when I forced Him to damage me; He didn’t want to mar his property. But that didn’t mean He wasn’t willing to do so in order to get what He wanted.
I had tried to fight the pain for so long, to hold on to my conviction that it wasn’t real. It couldn’t hurt me if I didn’t let it. But He gave me so much that it overwhelmed me, claiming all of my senses until my whole world was agony. I was perpetually trapped in some twisted, inverted form of subspace where nothing existed but the pain, but it gave me no pleasure.
My only reprieve was the sweet reward that came with the merciful sting of a needle. If I was good, if I obeyed and screamed prettily enough, then He would give me my reward. I lived for it; that was the only time I was alive.
But I had become so dependent on it that now the denial of my reward was just as terrible as the agony He gave me. It had been so long since I had gotten my last fix.
Tonight, Master was testing me. He wanted to see just how obedient I was. He wanted the satisfaction of seeing just how thoroughly He had broken me.
I was broken. And I didn’t even care. All I cared about was my reward. Right now, my need for it was so acute that my insides were twisting and my skin was on fire. I was desperate to give Him whatever He wanted so I could get my fix. If He hadn’t ordered me to stand in the corner quietly and wait for Him to return, then I would have been curled up on the floor sobbing.
But I wasn’t ensconced in the stark loneliness of the pitch black dungeon that had become my home, and I didn’t have the luxury of going to pieces. His order for my silence denied me even the right to voice my agony. He had brought me out in public for the first time, and I recognized the place where He had brought me as a BDSM club. He would be able to torment me here in front of dozens of strangers, and no one would stop Him.
The thought of shouting out a safe word or screaming for help didn’t even cross my mind. All I could think about was when He would come back and doing my best to please Him so that He would grant me my reprieve. He had been gone for so long, and I was starting to panic.
And now a strange man was talking to me, threatening to hurt me if I didn’t tell him my name. But I didn’t have a name. If I did ever have a name, I didn’t remember it now. I was a slave, and slaves don’t have names.
You can find Julia lurking on the internet in the following places:
He wants to know my name. I have to answer, have to obey, but I can’t. I am plaything, a possession. And slaves don’t have names. Why is he tormenting me like this? I need to please him so that I can get my reward. God, I need a fix. I’ll die if I don’t get one. Lydia Chase has been abducted and broken. Her only escape from the pain is the sweet high of the heroin that her sadistic Master gives her as a reward in order to control her. She is found by FBI agent Smith James, and he is determined to help her heal. But she becomes dangerously dependent on him, and his brand of rescue might just leave her more broken than ever. How can she ever become whole again if she can’t learn to let him go and take control of her own life? Does she have a hope of finding freedom when Smith refuses to release her heart? Or is this new form of captivity just what she needs to survive? WARNING: Given the nature of this story, this book contains graphic violence and references to sexual assault, which some readers may find upsetting. It also contains sizzling scenes of (consensual) BDSM! NOTE: Knight is part of the Impossible series, but it can be read as a standalone story without spoiling the other books.
As a lover of dark books, I'm super excited for today's post and giveaway. I can't wait to get started on this series myself, and I hope you will be as interested as I am! Let me know what you think, is this for you or no? Have you read any of the books in this series?
Title: Unrestained Series: no Author: Joey W Hill Published: December 3, 2013 - Berkley Trade Format: Print copy provided by Berkley (Thank you!!!!)
Athena is an accomplished businesswoman in control of every aspect of her life. But since the death of her husband, she’s had the desire to explore submissive cravings she’s had for some time. Unfortunately, Athena is known as a Mistress, because that’s the role she’s always played. Her type A personality was strong enough to serve her husband as a Domme because that’s what he needed. It’s not until she meets Dale, a retired Navy SEAL, that she attempts to discover what her own submissive desires are. But letting go of her control is not so easy. Fortunately, Dale is an accomplished Master who can help Athena live out her fantasies. And as she slowly surrenders to his touch, both of them will learn more about the nature of love between Dominant and submissive, and how it defies all expectations.
This week I had the awesome pleasure of reading an author I hadn’t yet read before. Joey W Hill wrote Unrestrained, and it was really a fabulous book. Athena is the heroine. She’s a widow in her forties, a business woman, and until her husband’s passing, a Domme. Lately she has had submissive feelings, and luckily she meets Dale, who she can explore those with. I liked Athena overall. I really loved having an older heroine to read about, rather than someone who is in their early twenties. There were times when I just had enough with Athena’s insecurities, but the overall picture of her wouldn’t be complete without those insecurities. It’s funny, Athena is such a strong name, it just evokes strength. Athena in the book was really stronger than she gave herself credit for. The woman lost her husband after twenty years, and was starting over with love. It is definitely not an easy road that she's got ahead. Dale is a Dom who is relatively new to the BDSM club that Athena and her husband attended. He’s a retired SEAL. He is also in his forties, and that was wildly appealing to me. Yes, I love them young men with their chiseled bodies and shit-eating grins, but there is definitely something very good to be said for an older man who has been around the block a time or two, and knows who he is beyond the shadow of a doubt. And that is just how Dale is. He is a magnificent Dom, sensing and knowing Athena’s needs well before she even realizes what those needs are. He’s a punisher when he needs to be, and when he needs to be loving, the man is all heart. I think any woman that reads this book will swoon for this man, and ultimately be insanely jealous (and happy for, at the same time) of Athena. This book was really fantastic, I’m not even sure where to start. Most of it takes place at either Athena’s house or Dale’s, with bits and pieces here and there. Everything about Athena and Dale is opposite from each other, but when they comes together it is perfection. This is an erotic BDSM romance, so of course there are sex scenes in this book that would peel the paint from the walls. It is really that sensual and hot! But there are so many other scenes that are just touching or heartbreaking, you feel like you aren’t just there with Athena and Dale, but rather, that you are Athena and Dale. Ms. Hill totally transports you into their life and definitely bares them open to you.
“I’m sorry. I know you think I’ve lost my mind. I’m not – “
“Shut up.”
She shut up, pressing her face into his shirt, her shoulders quicering against the strength of his arms around her.
“Shh. Easy girl. Shh.”
“I wasn’t trying to be adversarial. I – “
“The last thing you are is my enemy, girl. I’d cut out my tongue if I could take back anything I said that made you think that.” He muttered a curse, brought her closer. “Damn it. Fuck. Just… be quiet a moment. Let’s both breathe.”
Joey W Hill creates such a special relationship for Athena and Dale. It is a slow build to what feels like real true love, not lust disguised with a wedding band. They are there for each other in every sense of the word, and each milestone their relationship passes feels as good as conquering a mountain. Singularly these characters are pretty awesome, but when they are together they create this wonderful feeling that carries and resonates through the entire book. They have hurdles to overcome, but their love is based completely on emotion and honesty. The truthfulness in which they fall for each other is beautiful. So, like I said. This was my first book from Joey W Hill. It definitely isn’t my last. I am instantly a fan, and I think I need to scour through my kindle to see what else I have from her. I would love to hear suggestions from you, if you have a favorite book from her. But guess what, I have more to this post. Joey wrote a bit of a guest post to go with some excerpts she picked out. I read it, it’s pretty amazing. So I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you get to read Unrestrained soon. I’d love to hear what you thought of it – and what you think of the parts I’m leaving out of it!
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The Hook Is Not Enough… Joey W Hill
Authors are always very conscious of those first few paragraphs of a story, what we like to call “the hook”. While every BDSM story I write draws in certain ways upon my own psychology as a submissive, I was able to put a personal experience into the hook that opens Dale and Athena’s story, Unrestrained. I’m going to give you the first little tidbit, and then explain, then give you more (because more is better, just like they say in the commercials – grin).
The first time Athena stepped into a BDSM club, it felt like home. Surprised wasn’t the right word for her reaction. Surprise was what one felt toward a party thrown in one’s honor, planned on the sly by someone else. When she stepped into that dim environment, inhaled the intangible layers of want and need intertwined with the surface scents of tears and sweat, perfume and leather, her unconscious revealed the secret it had kept for so long. This was where she belonged. It rose up into her chest, an unexpected comfort and validation. Ironic, given that she hadn’t been there for herself. Not essentially.
Royhad talked her into giving it a try. He wanted to take the play they did in the privacy of their home into a discreet but more populated world. It had mattered to him, so she’d prepared herself to accept it, no matter how sordid it might end up being.
Everyone knew New Orleans had a seedy side. No one bothered to call it an “underside,” since it was broadly displayed in the French Quarter at all hours of the day, and it had worsened since Katrina, when more of the city’s criminal element shifted into that section. But then she found there was an actual underworld, and the darkness there was heated, welcoming. Not seedy at all. The perspiration gleaming on marked skin, the cries of pleasure and pain, the glitter of eyes in the dim light, the energy that pulsed in Club Release like its own power source . . . it reminded her of what she’d felt in some of the old churches in the city.
I started writing BDSM erotic romance back in 2000—by accident. I had no knowledge of the BDSM world. I live in a small town and the Internet wasn’t a part of our lives yet. The unappealing caricatures they often use to mock BDSM on TV had never caught my attention. However, the signs were there if I’d known what to notice. For years I worked as a secretary because I was happiest when I was helping others shine. I loved my 80s bodice ripper novels and any movie or TV show with heroes who demonstrated thinly masked Dominant traits (in some of those bodice rippers, there was virtually no mask at all – lol). I devoured 9 ½ Weeks despite its regrettable quick retreat from portraying BDSM as a healthy sexual lifestyle. So when I started my first erotic romance, Make Her Dreams Come True, what was going to be a spicy romance turned into a Dominant/submissive relationship, complete with commands, restraints and spankings. I’d unlocked a submissive/service part of myself that had always been there, just waiting.
For the next ten plus years, I wrote D/s romance and loved exploring all permutations of it for both personal and professional interest. As I wrote books, I made contacts in the lifestyle and did more direct research on mechanics, but I’ve always relied on my innate understanding of the D/s psychology to guide my stories, with good results. Until 2010/2011, however, I’d never stepped foot in an actual BDSM club. Thanks to the wonderful Kallypso Masters who organized a field trip for interested authors at an author-reader conference in Chicago, I finally had the chance to do so.
So, long story short, when I wrote that opening paragraph above for Athena, I was pulling right from my own memory. It did feel like home.
Now, you can have a great hook, but the book has to move you pretty quickly into a compelling reason to stay past the opening. For me, the key to that is giving you characters with whom you want to spend time. Athena drew me in with her deep love for her late husband, Roy. This part picks up right after the above, continuing the thought about New Orleans’ churches…
That connection [between churches and club] had come much later, when Roy got sick. Occasionally there would be things at the company she had to handle in person, so she’d leave him with his nurse for the bare minimum time necessary. One day, on the way back home, she obeyed an impulse driven by simple weariness of spirit and allowed herself a fifteen-minute detour into a small Catholic church. It had a trio of archways beckoning the faithful, and the smell of stone and wood over a hundred years old. She’d sat in the sanctuary, stilling her mind, letting everything go for those precious few moments. She realized the ambiance that compelled hushed voices, a still soul, was like what she felt in the club. There was also euphoria, a contained joy, the best kind to feel. Things always felt more intense when restrained. She’d seen it in how Roy reacted to it, though she’d never experienced it firsthand.
Though she didn’t share why she’d stopped at the church, not wanting him to worry about her, she’d shared that comparison with Roy. He smiled at her, nodded, his eyes still bright in the gaunt face. They remained bright until the last few days, when he slipped into that pre-death, morphine coma so common to cancer patients. At the end, she’d whispered in his ear, commanded him to let go. She told him that she’d be all right, that his Mistress would always love him. He would like her putting it in those terms, she knew. So his Mistress let him go, even as his wife sat at his bedside, clutching his hand, the loneliness closing around her when his breath stopped and he obeyed her.
When I did a research trip to New Orleans, I sat in one of those churches. Again, that personal touch contributed to bringing Athena’s journey to life. I’ve always liked to explore the topics of loss and love, sex and healing, and Unrestrained has all of these features. As well as a really hot hero. You were wondering when I’d get to him, hmm? Dale Rousseau is a retired Navy SEAL and through-and-through Dominant. When Athena realizes she wants to explore submissive cravings she’s always had, Dale is the one who understands that Athena served her husband as a Mistress because that was what he needed. In short, she was and is a deeply service-oriented sub. One he wants to help embrace her sexual identity fully, even as he falls in love with her.
I know I’ve given you somewhat of a poignant excerpt, but if you’d like the sexier side of Dale and Athena (wink), you can read the blurb and entire first chapter here(or click the link in author info below). You’ll get to share Athena’s reaction when she sees Dale at the BDSM club they both frequent. Hope you enjoy their story!
Title: Unrestained Series: no Author: Joey W Hill Published: December 3, 2013 - Berkley Trade Format: Print copy provided by Berkley (Thank you!!!!)
Athena is an accomplished businesswoman in control of every aspect of her life. But since the death of her husband, she’s had the desire to explore submissive cravings she’s had for some time. Unfortunately, Athena is known as a Mistress, because that’s the role she’s always played. Her type A personality was strong enough to serve her husband as a Domme because that’s what he needed. It’s not until she meets Dale, a retired Navy SEAL, that she attempts to discover what her own submissive desires are. But letting go of her control is not so easy. Fortunately, Dale is an accomplished Master who can help Athena live out her fantasies. And as she slowly surrenders to his touch, both of them will learn more about the nature of love between Dominant and submissive, and how it defies all expectations.
This week I had the awesome pleasure of reading an author I hadn’t yet read before. Joey W Hill wrote Unrestrained, and it was really a fabulous book.
Many Thanks go to Sidney for this awesome post! I hope you all enjoy it, and good luck on the giveaway at the bottom! Both books look terrific! And check out my site soon - I'll have a review of How Zombies Stole Christmas!! *liz
Thanks so much to Liz for hosting us!
Lea and I are making it one big party, touring the blogesphere in celebration of the release of The Winter Realms, a loosely related collection of books set in a magical bubble where magic and fairytales are real.
Lea and I put our heads together and we thought, you know, we could tell you all about our books, the neat history we wove in, how we tricked out some typical Christmas mythos with some all new, blingy original stuff—but that’s kind of normal. What if—and stick with me here—what if we let our heroines talk about it for us?
I’m sure this sounds kind of odd, so let me explain a bit more. You see, Lea and I wrote sisters. Half sisters, both of whom are the daughters of Jack Frost, and that’s where it gets interesting…
Evie: Alright, I’m here and I even managed to find something to wear that doesn’t have baby puke on it. You guys, you’re special. This doesn’t happen for just anyone. Do you know how much puke babies can make? Talini: That’s…lovely?
Evie: Sorry, it’s just a big deal to be out without the kids. We’re supposed to be doing something here, aren’t we? I guess they don’t roll us out for just any reason.
Talini: Ha! You mean you don’t know?
Evie: Not really. I missed a snow-mail, didn’t I?
Talini: Oh god, yes, yes you did. You’re supposed to be interviewing me. Do we need to take two while you get your shit together?
Evie: No, no. I can do this. Just ask you a few questions?
Talini: Yes.
Evie: That’s not hard. Okay, what’s your favorite color?
Talini: I’m pretty sure they meant serious questions. But it’s chestnut—like my man’s skin. Yummeh, delicious chestnut. Can we hurry this up?
Evie: Is chestnut even a color? Oh for fuck’s sake, it doesn’t matter. Do you know how little sleep I got last night? Fine. *sigh* Real questions. Okay, so, how do you like being a Frost? Oh, and chestnut? I ask for a color and you give me a tree?
Talini: Bite me. Being a Frost? Well, it’s gained me sisters I never imagined having and it’s better than being the offspring of the Unseelie King—talk about the devil…
Evie: Are we supposed to?
Talini: No.
Evie: Oh. Okay. Also, our family’s pretty big. I’m fairly certain even I don’t know how many sisters we have. Moving on! What’s your earliest memory of Dad?
Talini: Seeing as I didn’t even know about him until I was twenty-one or so, I’d have to say seeing him with the Unseelie King’s Banshee Blade at his neck in the middle of the Unseelie Court. Evie: Nice. How did I miss that? Right, I live in Baby Land. I know we haven’t had a lot of time to talk, but why don’t you tell me a little about this guy you’ve been shacking up with lately?
Talini: Shacking up? Wow—you’re so, what’s the word? Yeah, that. We need to work on your interpersonal skills. My guy is HAWT. He’s thoughtful, stubborn, good in the sack…so actually, now that I think about it he’s a lot like me, LOLOL!
Evie: My interpersonal skills? You’re the one who was stranded and went nucking futz on a deserted planet. Anyway, where’s your mutt? I know I saw that little trouble maker around here somewhere. What is he? Where did you get him?
Talini: He’s not a mutt—he’s a fucking FOX! Say it with me Vie—FOX! An arctic blue to be precise—geebus—you and Kian always fucking with my fox. I got him where all arctic blues come from…the arctic. I visited the North Pole a few hundred years ago and his mama was caught in a trap. She’d died and he was left alone. He was mine from that point on. Wish my mom had been caught in a trap. Poor TikTok…I’m his mama now so it’s all good.
Evie: Got any big plans for the holidays this year?
Talini: Sun, sex. Sex, sun. Beer—by the way who the hell knew beer tasted so good? They even make those little thingies on them so they pour in your mouth even FASTER. So yeah, sun, sex, beer, maybe a trip back to our ice planet for a little getaway.
Evie: I miss beer. Kameron drinks weird, ancient kinds of stuff. I get—water. Anyways. What kind of underwear do you wear?
Talini: What kind of question is that?
Evie: I’m scraping the barrel here. You only get so many coherent sentences from me at a time, so that’s my question. What kind of panties do you like to wear?
Talini: I think you’re pushing the boundaries of sisterly-love. But because you asked, I don’t wear panties. I’m commando all the way, Vie. ALL. THE. WAY.
Evie: I don’t think I needed to know that…
Well, that’s it for today. The Winter Realm is waiting for you, are you ready?
Do you have a question for Sidney or Lea? Two random commentors will win copies of either How Zombies Stole Christmas or Starry Night.
It can never be said that Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing. Website | Release Announcements | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | YouTube | Pinterest
Lea Griffith began sneaking to read her mother’s romance novels at a young age. She cut her teeth on the greats: McNaught, Woodiwiss, and Garwood. She still consumes every romance book she can put her hands on, but now she writes her own.Lea lives in rural Georgia with her husband, three teenage daughters, two dogs, a cat, and a Betta fish named Coddy George. When not working at the EDJ, she’s usually at her keyboard writing. She loves romance and nothing is off-limits when it comes to her muse. Website | Twitter | Facebook Fan Page | Goodreads
Every creature in Haven snuggled down in their beds, ready for another Christmas, they liked it a lot. But not everyone in this magical land shares their holiday cheer. . .
Evelina Frost is a woman used to staying in the shadows, but this year Christmas needs a hero, and with Santa away, it’s up to her to save the holiday from ruin. A figure dressed in white cast a spell and from the frozen land, ghastly zombies appear. Kameron is a creature out-of-place in the frigid land, but he’s carved out a life, away from his Highland moors and pastures, happy to live alone. Until a woman barges into his life, and awakens urges he hasn’t known in centuries. “I’ll take their Christmas, their cheer and their hope,” the figure says, as zombies descend on the Snow Palace, ripping the trees and presents from the hearth. Together, Evelina and Kameron delve into the history of their land, fighting a magical blizzard, ice zombies and an all-consuming lust for each other as magic seeks to create another fairy tale from their lives. They must fight together against the odds and save Christmas, though they might lose their hearts in the bargain.
Three hundred years spent on an ice planet has not broken Talini. As a daughter of the Fae, Jack Frost, she is made of all things ice and snow. But then she meets a man who warms her as no one ever has and she is set adrift with desire.
He has contracted to find a woman lost for three centuries.
Kian has searched for a long time. Jack Frost has agreed to pay him a lot of money to find his daughter and he’s determined to see his goal met. Then he meets a woman who makes him shiver and shake, thawing his cold heart.
She has been lost but now he has found her.
Together they will set on a journey that will lead them down a perilous road. They will forge a bond as fragile as a snowflake but as strong as forever. Together they will prove that love can bloom amidst the frost.
Hope flares each morning in the tiny flash of a second before Lette touches that first thing. And destroys it.
Her online journal spans a decade, beginning with the day a thirteen-year-old inherits an extreme form of the family ‘gift’. Every day whatever she touches converts into something new: bunnies, bubbles, bombs, and everything in between.
Lette’s search for a cure leads her to Stefan, whose fairy-tale looks hide a monstrous legacy, and to Rag, an arrogant, crabby ex-angel with boundary issues. The three face an army led by a monster who feeds on children’s fear. But it’s their own inner demons they must defeat first.
Adonia has been isolated from society her entire life. Banished from her pack for crimes committed before her birth, she lives a solitary existence with her mother in the wilds of Siberia.
Zephyr has been sent by the ruler of winter, Jack Frost, to find a daughter he just found out existed. When Zephyr finds her, the storm that erupts is both literal and figurative.
Fated to mate, Adonia and Zephyr must find a way to put an end to the blizzard burying them in snow. Battling forces of nature neither of them understands, they are trapped inside Adonia’s small cabin, waiting for…the inevitable.
