#NewRelease Spotlight - Hot #Holiday Treats by the #Romance Authors of @SilkenSheets (with an Excerpt from @Eva_Lefoy)

November 04, 2014/ Layla Tarar

The ladies of Silken Sheets and Seduction recently put together a compilation of smoking hot holiday stories. It's definitely worth checking it out. And since Eva Lefoy has been dropping hints about her yeti romance for what seems like forever, here's an excerpt!

8 Sexy Holiday Stories to keep you warm on cold winter nights

Cozy up with eight complete novellas full of love, lust, and winter magic by award winners and the ladies of Silken Sheets & Seduction. From cowboys to demons, we’ve got hot holiday treats to warm you up.

A Cowboy’s Christmas Wish by Sorcha Mowbray

When rancher Ford Grayson saunters out of Melissa Adams’ past and into her bar, she’s determined to take him for a ride and kick him to the curb. Payback’s a bitch. But, the cowboy is determined to make his very own Christmas wish come true.

Sorcha Mowbray is a mild mannered office worker by day…okay, so she is actually a mouthy, opinionated, take charge kind of gal who bosses everyone around; but she definitely works in an office. At night she writes romance so hot she sets the sheets on fire! Just ask her slightly singed husband.

She is a long time lover of historical romance, having grown up reading Johanna Lindsey and Judith McNaught. Then she discovered Thea Devine and Susan Johnson. Holy cow! Heroes and heroines could do THAT? From there, things devolved into trying her hand at writing a little smexy. Needless to say, she liked it and she hopes you do too!

sorchamowbray.com | Tweet @sorchamowbray | Sorcha’s Fan Page | Sorcha’s Goodreads | Sorcha’s Amazon Author Page

Just’s Desserts by Rachel Kenley

Dessert as foreplay? Justine saves her passion for the desserts she creates. Adam pours his focus into work. Together, something is going to melt.

Rachel Kenley is a multi-published author who loves reading, coffee and chocolate, and considers herself an excellent retail therapist. She believes in embracing the power of passion and the part of a woman’s power that lies in her sexuality. She writes in a variety of genres, including contemporary, paranormal and retold fairy tales, depending on what suits the characters who live in her head.

The characters in her life include her husband, two sons, family, and a group of writer friends she would be completely lost without. A Jersey girl at heart, she now lives in New England where apparently spring is a myth and winter lasts too long. She is grateful to be living the writer’s life that has always been her dream.

rachelkenley.com | Tweet @rchelkenley | Rachel’s Facebook | Rachel’s Goodreads

A Demon’s Gift by Jocelyn Dex

Cordelia, a demon hunter trainee who daydreams of Christmas, fights to resist Argoth, the sex demon, who inflames her desire and reveals a truth that turns her world upside down.

Jocelyn was born in Iowa and currently resides in hot-as-hell Texas. She shares her home with her very own 6’4″ alpha male and varying numbers of spoiled cats and dogs. Teaching one of her dogs to file his nails is one of her all-time favorite accomplishments.

She thinks dragonflies are awesome, spiders are creepy and it’s rumored that she sleeps with a machete by her bed in case zombies attack in the middle of the night.

Jocelyn loves to paint, loves to read, and loves to write sizzling erotic romance about yummy demons that would make your momma blush.

Website | Facebook | Twitter @JocelynDex | Blog | Goodreads

Furry Christmas by Sotia Lazu

Alice’s lonely holidays take an interesting turn when a stray dog walks into her life. Little does she know he could be her Prince Charming, if only she believed in magic.

Sotia loves romances with a twist and urban fantasy novels, always with vivid erotic elements. Her favorite characters to write are not conventional hero-material at first glance, and she enjoys making them fight for their happiness.

Sotia shares her life and living quarters with her husband, their son, and two rescue dogs, one of which may be part-pony. Sappy movies make her bawl like a baby, and she wishes she could take in all the stray dogs in the world. Also, she hates mornings!

sotialazu.com | Tweet @justsotia | Sotia’s Fan Page | Sotia’s Goodreads | Sotia’s Amazon Author Page

Holiday Bliss by Leigh Ellwood

Two years after Hurricane Sandy, panther shifter Sheila Houlihan has finally rebuilt her home in the shore town of Bliss, New Jersey. She looks forward to her first Christmas there, if only Jonah will finish with the interior painting. Jonah, however, is interested in being more than Sheila’s handyman.

Leigh Ellwood is an award-winning author of erotica and erotic romance fiction. Following the release of her first novel, Truth or Dare, in 2004, Leigh has since written several novels, novella, and short stories. She is an EPIC Award winner and has been nominated for many reviewers awards for her works.

Leigh writes M/M, F/F, and other pairings of erotic and romance, and also writes mystery under another name.

Website | Tweet @LeighEllwood | Facebook | Blog | Leigh @ Amazon

To Capture a Yeti by Eva Lefoy

An ambitious reporter is determined to prove to the world Yetis exist, even at the cost of her life. But when she’s confronted with the truth, will she choose fame and fortune or keep the secret and the man she desires all to herself?

Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.

Eva’s Website | Tweet @Eva_Lefoy | Eva’s Fan Page | Eva’s Goodreads | Eva’s Amazon Author Page

Longest Night Loving by Daisy Banks

Cursed elf Miles has waited for centuries in the hope a woman will free him from the curse binding him to this house. Will his beautiful visitor pass the test and prove she is the one who he can love?

Daisy Banks writes sensual and spicy romance in the Historical, Paranormal and Fantasy genres. An obsessive writer Daisy is passionate about her stories. Her focus is to offer the best tale she can to readers. Daisy is married, with two grown up sons. She lives with her husband in a converted chapel in Shropshire, England. Antiques and collecting entertain Daisy when she isn’t writing, she has also occasionally been known to make a meal that doesn’t stick to the pan.

Website | Tweet @DaisyBanks16 | Facebook | Pintrest

Caging the Wolf by Sofia Grey

Jessie has fallen in love with the perfect guy, Levi, but there’s one tiny problem. The blue-eyed hunk only exists in her dreams.

I’m a 40-on-the-outside / 20-on-the-inside girl with a passion for the simple things in life. As long as they include wine, chocolate and rock music, I’m good. When I’m not either herding project managers (at work), cats (at home) or cub scouts (in what passes for spare time…) I’m curled up with my Kindle or my laptop. To me, writing is as addictive as reading and I can’t manage unless I have both.

sofiagrey.com | Sofia’s GoodReads | Sofia’s Facebook Page

Excerpt: To Capture a Yeti by Eva Lefoy

“I saw one, you know.” When he made no reply she added, “A Yeti.”

Pete’s back went stiff and he put down the stick he’d been using to poke the fire. “No you didn’t. Theydon’t exist, Kaylee.”

“Yes I did. He rescued me from the avalanche.”

Pete swiveled on his toes, turning halfway toward her. “That was me, Kaylee. You were hallucinating, that’s all.”

Her mouth fell open. Of all the nerve. Lying right to my face! “I know what I saw, Pete. It wasn’t you.”

He rose, shaking his head. “You’re lucky to be alive right now, Kaylee. Give up this fantasy of yours and get some sleep. Things will appear more rational in the morning.”

Was he telling her to shut the fuck up? So he does think I’m crazy? Asshole. What a jerk. I’ll show him. I’ll… She swept the covers off and plunged her feet toward the floor. Caught in the heat of the moment, her adrenaline spiking, she shot to standing with her fists out and fury close to the surface. I’ve had enough of these non-believers. She took a step and teetered. The room did that spinny thing again and she sank into a downward spiral.

Pete appeared from nowhere, his arms circling her waist and shoulders. “Easy now.”

“You take that back. I did see a Yeti. I did!” Her hands were still fisted, but her voice lacked venom. She sagged into the comfort of his embrace again, telling herself this was the last time she would let this man hold her. But when she looked up at his face, all her anger melted.

The searing intensity of his eyes shot sparks of green and amber toward her. His arms clutched her tighter than necessary, crushing her body to his. She had no way and no desire to escape. Every place their bodies met, hers heated, and his hardened cock pressed into her thigh. Already primed and aroused, a thundering wave of desire crashed over her, causing her to let out a breathy moan.

“Kaylee,” he groaned. “Please, don’t do that.”

August 11, 2014

Guest Blog - Men Who Cook by Sotia Lazu (feat. The Tenant, a contemporary romance)

August 11, 2014/ Layla Tarar

Amazon | B&N | AllRomance | Smashwords | Taliesin

I'm delighted to welcome the inimitable Sotia Lazu here today. I'm more familiar with her paranormal works, but today she has a brand new contemporary romance from Taliesin Publishing to show off. Since she's a much better blogger than I, I'll let her take over.

Giveaway

Sotia is giving away an ecopy of her new book and some other cool swag, so don't forget to leave a comment here (with your email) AND enter your info. into the Rafflecopter widget at the very bottom of this post.

Image Copyright: wrangel / 123RF Stock Photo

Men Who Cook

Hi Tara! Thank you for having me.

I love a man who cooks, do you? (As it so happens, I married one...)

I love the thought of a guy taking the time to prepare a meal for the woman he loves, lusts after, or just wants to impress. I don’t know if it’s seeing his nurturing side that gets me, if it’s his creativity, or if it’s purely esthetical. I believe a sexy man looks even sexier when he’s wearing nothing but an apron. Can you blame me? (Nope, I really can't...though one who cooks in the nude might give that image a run for its money).)

I tend to sneak a food preparation scene into most of my books, but with The Tenant, I took things a step further. Derek is half Italian and a former restaurant owner. His father is a restaurant owner, and Derek was brought up with the love of good food ingrained in him. When he makes pasta Bolognese, Amanda drools. I want the reader to drool with her, almost as much as they would when Derek struts his half naked body around the apartment.

Like Amanda tries hard not to, when she first meets him.

~Sotia Lazu

The Tenant by Sotia Lazu

In hopes of getting her fiancé to consummate their relationship before the wedding, Amanda convinces him they should check out the apartment her father gave her as a gift for their upcoming nuptials. Darkness and privacy are supposed to work in her favor, but there is one parameter she doesn’t know about: the apartment is not empty yet, and the current tenant has no plans of moving.

Derek has had a hell of a few months. His girlfriend turned out to be a cheater and then stole his restaurant. He's not about to also give up the place he's called home for three years—even if his hot but infuriating landlady threatens to move in by the end of the week.

When her own lease is up, Amanda is forced to make good on her threat. As if life isn't already hard enough, her tenant-turned-roommate is as sexy as he is annoying, and her fiancé is caught with a half-naked woman.

Now she and Derek need to find a way to survive their forced cohabitation. They soon discover sleeping with the enemy can be fun.

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | AllRomance | Smashwords | Taliesin

Excerpt

Hushed voices. There were people whispering inside his home, and—

Something crashed.

It might have been fury at whoever dared vandalize his home that drove his feet from bathroom to bedroom, naked as the day he was born. It could have been hope he’d finally get out some of his frustration that curled his fingers around the baseball bat lying beneath his bed and led him the rest of the distance to his living room in the pitch black.

Weighing the bat in one hand, he pressed the fingers of the other to the light switch he knew to be at his left, and took in the lit room.

A couple was making out on his floor. By his overturned table and his smashed lamp.

He scowled so hard his forehead hurt, but it was all he could do not to charge them and bash their heads in.

“What the fuck are you doing in my place?” he asked the kneeling hulk. He’d heard about people making out in parks, playgrounds, even cemeteries, but breaking into someone’s home to get some was unbelievable.

The small blonde lying on the floor sat upright, eyes blazing. “Your place? My father gave me this apartment!”

Her boyfriend simply blinked at him.

Was it Derek’s imagination, or was the blonde having a hard time looking him in the eye? He was tempted to mention his face was an entire torso—and then some—higher than what she was staring at, but his ego needed some stroking, so he let her take all of him in, while his mind caught up to what she’d just said.

“You’re Kenneth’s daughter?” he finally asked, the bat only slightly lowered. Alice’s sister. This one was shorter, and Alice dyed her hair dark brown these days, but Derek could see the resemblance.

She finally lifted her gaze to meet his, and her eyes were the same bright green as her sister’s. “You’re the guy who’s supposed to be gone?”

He could apologize and say he’d forgotten because of the rain of utter shit falling on him lately.

He could ask for a bit more time until he’d found a new place.

Or he could be an ass. Nobody else seemed to think twice about being an ass to him. “Hardly,” he said with a snort. “I’m supposed to be right where I am. You, on the other hand, are trespassing. Or is it breaking and entering?”

The young woman scrunched her nose, which was adorable in a snooty, bratty way. “No breaking. I’ve got a key.” She narrowed her eyes. “When Mason and I were first engaged, Dad said he asked you to move. That was three months ago.”

Mason. That was the silent brute’s name. “I remember no such thing, and” —he looked pointedly at the remains of his favorite lamp— “there has definitely been some breaking.”

Blondie bounced up and glared. Funny, but she was intimidating despite her small stature. Maybe that was why Mason stood back and let her handle things. “Dad bought the place for me, to begin with,” she said. “You knew when you first moved in that I was eventually going to be needing it.”

That was true. Derek had heard all about how this was one day going to be a wedding present for Kenneth’s oldest daughter—and what was her name, again?—though said daughter hadn’t even been dating back then. Kenneth said his daughter was picky and needed a man with serious backbone before she settled down.

Things had apparently changed.

Derek considered waving the bat to see if the big guy would flinch, but decided to be the bigger man—and wasn’t that ironic, when Mason had at least four inches on him? “Kenneth mentioned something, but he didn’t give me the sixty days notice he was supposed to.” Blondie opened her mouth, probably to repeat her father let him know three months ago. Now was time for the coup de grace, and Derek somehow knew he’d love watching her squirm. “As you know, the notice is supposed to be in writing or it doesn’t count,” he said.

And smirked.

And winked.

Mason grabbed Blondie’s shoulder, flexing his arm in the process. The look on his face indicated that Derek’s nudity might have offended him more than Derek’s intention to not vacate the premises for at least two more months. “Let’s go, Mandi.” Ah, that was her name. “We’ll talk to your father. He’ll know what to do.”

Her gaze said she knew what to do too, and it involved the painful insertion of the baseball bat in Derek’s most private orifice.

Derek’s smirk widened into a grin. “And now get out of here, before I have to call the police and report you for harassment on top of everything else.”

Mandi stared him down for a split second, but when Derek swung his bat in the air, her overly inflated toy boy all but dragged her out the door.

Derek propped his weapon on his shoulder, grabbed a bottle of scotch, and went to bed. He sensed his swagger had returned. Maybe that was because he’d actually felt he had balls, for the first time in days.

Odd way for his day to improve, but it had. He would give anything for another opportunity to bait Mandi Murphy. If he couldn’t torture the woman who’d hurt him, he’d torture the one who wanted to evict him. He had to be subtle about it, though. He didn’t want to make Kenneth mad at him.

About Sotia Lazu

Sotia’s making do with Greek reality, while writing and mostly thinking in English.

She loves romances with a twist and urban fantasy novels, always with vivid erotic elements. Her favorite characters to write are not conventional hero-material at first glance, and she enjoys making them fight for their happiness.

Also, she hates mornings!

Sotia’s books: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Apple | Kobo

Contact Sotia: Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Email: author@sotialazu.com

Giveaway

So would you take the free pass for a sweaty, steamy night with an incredibly sexy jerk you seriously dislike—but turns you on immensely—or wouldn’t you? Tell me in a comment (don’t forget your e-mail address), and make sure to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway at the very bottom of this post for a chance to win an e-copy of The Tenant or some Author Swag!

NOTE: The giveaway is for Adults Only. Please do not enter if you’re below your country’s legal age.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL!

Until the 11th of the month, you have the chance for several more entries. Just stop by the following blogs, and leave me a comment: