by Sarah | Feb 12, 2014 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Writing
Chaste is currently the #1 Bestseller
on the publisher’s site,
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
| Amazon | BN | iBooks | Kobo | ARe | SCP |
Blurb:
Kelly McCullough has always gotten every woman he’s wanted. Of all the McCullough men, his charm and magnetism is unmatched. However, there is one woman he cannot have.
Ashlynn Fisher is everything Kelly McCullough is not. She is quiet, shy, and—above all—virginal. After losing her heart to Kelly in grade school, no other man compares. Paths cross and temperance is put to the test when Ashlynn decides it’s time for her to find love. Kelly offers Center County’s sweetest brown-eyed girl all the guidance he can, but finds himself in a situation he never expected to face. Through chaste kisses and stolen secrets, his virility is tested and he must learn what love truly means as his selfish ways are transformed in the face of a selfless need to give her everything she wants.
*~*
Excerpt:
His body nudged closer. She sucked in a breath and tried to focus on speaking, but the press of him was incredibly distracting.
“That’s the…um…” She caught her breath. “Um…” Her eyes shut. What was the question? “I can’t concentrate when you touch me,” she blurted.
He didn’t move. His breath tickled the back of her neck, as the soft press of his tongue traced over the curve leading to her shoulder. Her spine stretched as her skin drew tight. His lips made a smooching sound. “Mmm, you taste like hard work and sunshine.”
“Kelly…” she rasped, silently panting. Her insides vibrated so rapidly she worried she’d shatter into a thousand pieces of flesh and bones. Never had anyone aroused her the way he did.
He nuzzled her ear with his nose. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are? The glasses make me crazy. And I love the way your hair looks different every day. You remind me of a little garden nymph.” The weight of his palms closed over her baggy overalls, low on her hips, and she grew aware of every part of her body.
His lips sealed over her ear and she quivered, her body tightening and trembling. Her hands gripped the edge of the worktable with her leather-clad fingers, her knees turning unstable, as he proceeded to do wonderful things to her earlobe.
It amazed her that he found her hair nice. She’d cut it off after she graduated, finding the long locks dreadfully annoying. When her hair had been long it was always in her face. And she wore glasses because contacts were too much trouble with the dust from the gardens.
Oh my goodness! Is that his tongue in my ear?
Her knees buckled as he kissed over her racing pulse. Strong fingers dug into her hips, massaging beneath her overalls deep into her flesh. His hands had slipped into the gaping sides of her clothes where her tank top met the waist of her panties. No one had ever touched her so intimately.
“Let’s go inside,” he whispered.
Somehow she managed to shake her head. “I…I need to finish this.”
“Ashlynn…”
His mouth. He had a wicked mouth. She formed some sort of response in her throat as the tip of his finger toyed with the hem of her tank top next to her navel.
“Please…let me in,” he whispered as his tongue traveled over the slope of her shoulder, each word an erotic tattoo on her flesh.
Her feet shifted and his grip tightened. She whimpered. “Kelly, please…”
His whisper had faded to a breath of words. “I want you.”
Her hands closed over his, tightening, stilling his progress. Those last uttered words returned some of her common sense. “If we go inside my work will never get done.”
His fingers squeezed. “Do you know how many fantasies I’ve had about you? The things I could do to you without breaking your vow…” His touch never traveled, but the teasing chills escaping his whirling fingers seemed to go right to her breasts.
Baiting temptation, she breathed out a question she had no business asking. “Like what?”
“Mmm. I could spend days stripping you, unveiling every bit of flesh, anointing each square inch of skin with soft kisses. Only kissing, Ashlynn, but I’d kiss you everywhere.”
Holy Hannah, she needed to put some space between them. They hadn’t discussed boundaries and the line of her virtue was becoming more blurred by the second. Her breath stuttered out of her lungs as his mouth teased over her pulse. She wanted to know what such kisses would feel like, but feared her control would break.
“No naked.” Incapable of forming complete sentences, it was the best she could do.
“Touching?” he whispered.
Oh, God. She wanted to feel his touch, know what it was to be caressed by those strong fingers holding her now. She whimpered. Her promise had never been this difficult. There had never been such a temptation as Kelly and, now, with his hands playing over untried parts of her body, came a nagging desire for relief. “I should say no.”
“But?”
“Maybe.”
His front pressed into her bottom and her neck gave out, drooping her head to his broad shoulder. He growled and his mouth sealed to her throat, his hand sifting under the front of her overalls and holding her stomach, fingers splayed wide, pressing her into his hard form. “So fucking sexy, Ashlynn.”
“Kelly…”
“I want to go inside.”
He was already inside, inside of her head, in her blood, thrumming through her veins, inside every breath filling her lungs. She worried she could die from such over stimulation. She’d never survive sex, at least not with this man. But that was off the table.
Her muscles contracted and strange urges had her body fluttering in unfamiliar ways. It was too much. “No more,” she pleaded and he froze.
It took him a second to answer. “Okay.”
His hand slithered out from under her overalls and he stepped away. She caught her breath and wiped the back of her glove over her heated cheek. She was probably as red as a bell pepper.
She desperately searched for her bearings, but Kelly seemed fine. From the corner of her eye, she watched him slip his gloves back on and pick up the sanding block as she quietly panted. The longing inside of her had transformed into a painful ache. Her throat was thirsty, parched. Yet water did nothing to quench her yearning.
Kelly worked with precision and efficiency. Her concentration was crap. Every move she made was deliberate and clumsy, but Kelly proved to be a master carpenter. She suspected he wanted to be done with the chore and that scared her, because the moment they finished she’d have to come up with another distraction.
The echo of the nail hammering into the wood rattled through the air. “How far can we go, Ashlynn?”
Her hand stilled. Her gaze focused on the head of the nail she’d been about to hammer into the wood. Swallowing repetitively, she struggled to find the honest answer, but the truth seemed to abandon her in that moment. “I don’t know.”
*~*
Author Bio:
Award winning author, Lydia Michaels, writes all forms of hot romance. She presses the bounds of love and surprises readers just when they assume they have her stories figured out. From Amish vampyres, to wild Irishmen, to broken heroes, and heroines no man can match, Lydia takes readers on an emotional journey of the heart, mind, and soul with every story she pens. Her books are intellectual, erotic, haunting, always centered on love.
Lydia Michaels loves to hear from readers! She can be contacted by email at Lydia@LydiaMichaels.org
Webpage: www.LydiaMichaels.org
Other Titles by Lydia Michaels:
Falling In
Breaking Out
Coming Home
Sacred Waters
Skin
Chaste
Faking It
Forsaking Truth
As Tears Go By
Simple Man
Breaking Perfect
White Chocolate
All 4 You
To Catch a Wolfe
Chasing Feathers
Called to Order
Calling for a Miracle
Destiny Calls
Call Her Mine
by Sarah | Feb 12, 2014 | All About Erik, All About Indiana, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Indiana State Museum
This weekend the Indiana State Museum is hosting their 11th Annual Art Fair!
And the best part, is preview night is on Valentine’s day!
I’m not usually a big hearts & flowers – “I LOVE Valentine’s Day” type of girl. In fact, Erik knows that if he gets me something on Valentine’s I’m more likely to be annoyed than all lovey-dovey about it. I don’t like to make it a “thing”.
However, this year? When I got the option of going to an Art Fair filled with art by 60 Hoosier Artists representing 21 countries, along with some cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on this big romantic day – I was all over that. Erik and I are going to make a date of it.
I love that we can view, and even buy, beautiful pieces of work from local artists. You can preview some of the artwork now on the Indiana Art Fair Facebook page. I, personally, would rather spend the night enjoying beauty and supporting local artists, than worrying about flowers and hearts. It’s the ideal compromise for me – it’s a date, without the pressure of the label the day brings. It’s a total win-win.
The Indiana Art Fair Preview night is on February 14th from 5:30 to 8PM. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for non-members (as a bonus, your admission ticket to the Friday evening reception can be redeemed for free admission to the Indiana Art Fair on Saturday, Feb. 15).
If you can’t make it on Valentine’s Day, you can still see the Art Fair from 10AM-5PM on Saturday the 15th – and the cost is included in the regular museum admission ($10 adults, $9 seniors aged 60+, $5.50 child aged 3-12).
Have you been to the Art Fair before? Do you plan on going again?
*~*
*Disclaimer: In exchange for this post I was given two tickets to the Indiana Art Fair. All opinions are my own.
by Sarah | Feb 10, 2014 | Guest Authors, Top Ten Tuesday, Writing
*Today I’m pleased to have Allison Knight on the blog talking about her top ten research books!
When I started thinking about this blog. I considered talking about the top ten things I’ve learned over nearly thirty years in this business, or the top ten things that bug me the most. Making it more about me was also a choice, like my personal goals. After a lot of thought, I decided to make it about my top ten favorite research books and why. I prefer to write historical romance and words become very important, so most of my favorite books have to do with words.
My top favorite is a book called ‘Reverse Dictionary”. It’s a Readers Digest book, it’s illustrated and I love it because I can work backwards. For example, I don’t know much about horses, but with this book, I can look up the word horse and the dictionary details each part of the horse and what each part is called. Want to saddle a horse? There a start to finish with each part named. The same with a sailing ship, or different kinds of plant parts. Look up plant and you get a biology lesson. A neat book.
My second favorite is from Random House. It’s called ‘Word Menu’. Look up the sound and it lists all of the different kinds of sounds, buzz, burp, scream, hiss. Emotion? Walk? You get the idea.
Next would be an old Readers Digest book called ‘Use the Right Word’. With this book, I can look any word, let take the particular word greedy, and it gives me half a dozen different kinds of greed. Yes, I want the right word for my greedy land owners.
Number four would have to be my ‘Webster’s ninth Edition Dictionary’. This simple Dictionary not only give the word’s definition, but it dates the word. In other words, it gives the approximate time the word shows up in any recorded writing. As a historical author, I don’t want to use a word that didn’t exist say in the 14th century if I’m writing a Medieval tale.
My fifth research book is another Readers Digest book, this one is ‘The Family Word Finder’. I like it because each definition begins with a sentence using the word. It gives synonyms and antonyms and tells you what the word is, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.
My wide World Atlas is next because it not only give me maps, but information about weather, different crop regions, mineral deposits, age, important dates. Unfortunately, It’s a big book and rests of the top of the book shelve. It doesn’t fit on any of the shelves. It also requires the whole top of my desk when I open it up.
Roget’s Thesaurus is next. A thesaurus is must for the writer and Roget’s is considered the best.
Number eight is a trade paperback I’ve had since I started to write. The title is Writing Fiction, Nonfiction, and How to Publish by Pat Kubis and Bob Howland. It a basic how to, with things like plotting, dialogue, and style. Much of the publishing information is outdated, but the basics are still excellent and I still find myself referring to it once in a while.
Because I write historicals and don’t know much except the basics of England’s history, I have a little book by Dorset Press, which gets a lot of use. It’s called “Atlas of British History” and is a book of maps detailing points of history over 2000 years. I love the map of the railroads. It dates the route and time it took to go from point a to point b, the same for important battles, canals, for all of England and Scotland.
My last Book is another small volume that I use as a historical author writing about the British Isles. This one is called “The Castle Explorer’s Guide.” It alphabetically describes everything there is to know today about the castles of England, Scotland and Wales, including all of the different methods of construction, their locations, and the people who in worked in and around the castles. It also contains information about all know ruins, very important if you are writing about the medieval ages.
There you have my top ten research books, books I’d find hard, no make that impossible, to give up. I’d love to discover another fabulous book so let me know if you have one you can’t live without.
*~*
| [amazon_link id=”B0064XIPIG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] |
Alwyn ab Brynn Ffrydd wants revenge against a powerful Baron without losing his king’s support. What better way to exact revenge than to kidnap the Baron’s long time mistress. But she is not what he thinks she is.
Shy, unworldly Milisent Mortimore has been confined for nine years by a brother who now demands she agree to wed a cruel, heartless man. Thanks to her father’s will, she has the right to chose her mate or her spouse will lose her inheritance.
When Alwyn kidnaps her desires flares and together they must struggle against the treachery of Alwyn’s current mistress, her brother and the man he wants her to marry.
In defying all three, Alwyn places his life at risk. Milisent saves him from certain death and together they celebrate their life of love.
EXCERPT:
Milisent’s breath caught as she stared at the sight before her. A chill shot through her. She gazed at the most magnificent warrior she had ever seen. The deep melodic voice carried a twinge of a strange tongue, but the most arresting thing was not his voice. Nay, it was him. This man radiated strength and power, and although his face was grim his countenance was
most pleasant.
He had a blade of a nose, a square face bare of hair, and a firm jaw.When a smile of satisfaction graced his face she shivered. If she were not so terrified, she would have called him a handsome man. He was big, aye, but his soft brown eyes softened the sternness of his face. His jaw, clenched in anger, spoke of the ability to command. Shoulder length hair, the color of
new sawn wood, waved around his face and curled under his chin. She noticed a touch of silver at his temples. Heavy, straight eyebrows accentuated those eyes. He stared at her as if he could see within her soul.
Something about him demanded to be obeyed, and with a control that would spell her doom if she allowed him to take her from FentonCastle.
Her heart pounded and a strange sensation gathered in her arms, her legs, her stomach. The blood in her veins surged with an unknown heat and tremors raced through her. Fear—it had to be fear—coursing through her.
The sound from the hall below faded as this new feeling took its place. One thought surfaced. Where had Baldwin Stanton de Bain found such a man? Or had he come from de Bain? Surely this warrior took orders from no one. A sudden thought struck. What of Gilbert’s acquaintances? Who among them had conspired to help de Bain, by seeking this man to take her
from here?
“Mistress, you will come with me.” He directed his words toward Ella.
“Nay, I cannot. I will not leave her,” Ella shouted, shaking so badly Milisent wondered if her companion would remain on her feet.
The man looked surprised for a moment and brought his gaze to her. “Your name?”
Milisent glared at him and sealed her lips. She would tell this man nothing.
*~*
by Sarah | Feb 7, 2014 | Book Spotlight, Guest Authors, Saturday Spotlight, Writing
| [amazon_link id=”B00GXJCJ8S” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] | Melange Books | BN | Smashwords | Kobo |
In the northern Maine woods, a wolf pack unlike any other reigns the landscape. With the ability to shift into human shape, they are the supreme rulers of their territory. Until the real humans threaten their secret realm…
Ken Rickey is one of those humans. Until he’s entrusted with the secret of the wolf-people, an honor he’ll do anything to uphold. For among the wolf-people, Ken has found loyal friends in Armand and Eaen, two of the younger wolves in Luna’s pack who share his sense of adventure.
Welcoming them to his human world and keeping them safe isn’t going to be easy, especially when there are those who suspect the truth.
An intuitive woman, Naomi Foss is quick to unearth the mystery of Ken’s two friends. Human they may seem, but there is a wildness about them which is fast consuming Ken, altering him in extraordinary ways.
But the acceptance of Naomi plunges Ken and his wolf friends into dangerous territory, where the exposure of Luna’s pack becomes a lethal reality. Can these young lovers and friends stand against the threat while keeping their secret from those who hunt them?
*~*
EXCERPT:
We cavorted for quite some time—chasing, snatching, biting. Armand, once he’d gotten over his initial fear, darted around just as uninhibited as the rest of us; although he and Eaen were careful about shifting in front of Naomi.
I, on the other hand, shed all of my inhibitions, and the mock hunt for Nae escalated seriously. I wanted her bouncing ass all to myself, and her playful screams were jabs of electricity to my groin.
She didn’t run very fast once she caught me ogling her like she was an entrée. Good ol’ Nae. She even feigned a limp so that I could corner her in the living room. She darted her eyes around like a trapped deer, and wedged herself into the corner by the book shelf, protecting her back. Then she lifted her upper lip in a warning snarl, even as her hazel eyes glistened and her pupils stretched to turn her eyes almost black. Her blonde hair was tousled and sweaty, and I’d never seen a creature more inviting.
My mouth found hers before I could say no guts, no glory, and sweet living jackrabbits, she opened herself to me. It was all I could do not to slide Mr. Plucky into home once the ump signaled for me to steal. Her tongue teased, tasted me, then retreated maddeningly, and I withdrew just far enough to clamp my teeth across her windpipe and cup her ass in my hands. She gasped, and my groin ached as it grew more swollen.
The ringing of her cell phone was like the screech of a car crash, and we both flinched at the intrusion of it. Naomi groaned as she slid away toward her pile of clothes on the living room floor. Eaen and Armand stood with their legs splayed, sides heaving, and wore tendrils of frothy spit on their fur. I stood with my need so obvious my balls hurt.
Christ, guys.
Eaen winked, the teasing turd. He saw. He’d noticed we’d all gone a bit nuts, and he loved it. Armand’s waving tail gave him away, too, but the three of us paid more attention to Nae’s cell phone call.
It was The Bear, and he wanted her and his car. She’d been gone too long already, judging by her end of the conversation. She’d promised to be back before lunch and it was past that. My, how time really does fly when you’re having fun.
She told him she’d be right there, then snapped the lid shut on her phone. And I got an unexpected explosion of jealousy in my guts.
“Don’t go, Nae. Stay with us,” I offered, and fought like hell to keep my anger from boiling over into my voice. A feat beyond me, I wasn’t exactly successful. “Tell him to fuck himself.” Oh, yeah, I was really trying.
“I can’t, Ken. Not yet, anyway, but soon,” she promised.
Was she crying? “Aw, Christ, Nae, don’t cry.” She effing leveled me. I was a mud puddle waiting to catch her tears, and before I knew it, my feet crossed the room and my arms were wrapped around her. I’d have sacrificed daylight for her.
“Come back later, then, huh?” I pulled her away to lose myself in her shimmering eyes, which had turned green because she cried. “I’ll come get you. Just call me, and I’ll come, okay? Whenever you want.” My fingers combed her tousled bangs, tucking their length behind her seashell ear.
She nodded and sniffed, and my heart cracked. Jee-zus, how was I letting her leave?
I wiped her tears with the pad of my thumb, pulled her warm body close, then ripped myself away and edged a fair distance back to stand between Eaen and Armand while we watched her dress. Weren’t we the gentlemen? When she finished donning her clothes, the four of us huddled to say good-bye.
“We really have to talk, Nae. Soon,” I said, before she slipped out the door and into the Yeti’s car. Within moments, she was gone, but even I could still smell the snowy day in our house.
| [amazon_link id=”B00GXJCJ8S” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] | Melange Books | BN | Smashwords | Kobo |
by Sarah | Feb 6, 2014 | Blog Hops, Books, Holiday, Writing
It’s that time of year! Romance is in the air, chocolates are everywhere, and roses are now three times the cost all because of one little day!
That’s right, it’s Valentine’s Day!
Rather than emptying your wallet for pricey roses that’ll just fade off and die…why not use those funds to stock up on sweet, romantic reads?
Or even better?
WIN THEM!!
In honor of my first Valentine’s themed story, Deep Fried Sweethearts, and the “Love is in the Air” blog hop, I’m having a fun little giveaway! Best part? There’s not just ONE prize, but THREE!!
FIRST PRIZE: An ebook copy of both my holiday stories – Deep Fried Sweethearts & Santa, Maybe – Plus, a $10 gift card to your favorite ebook retailer. (Only those that take part in 2 out of 3 entries are eligible for the First Prize Package)
SECOND PRIZE: A $5 gift card to your favorite ebook retailer & a copy of Deep Fried Sweethearts
THIRD PRIZE: An ebook copy of Deep Fried Sweethearts
There are three ways to enter.
- Leave a comment telling me what you love about Valentine’s day!!
- Go to my Facebook page & “Like” it, then leave a comment on this post saying you did & your FB name.
- Follow me on twitter, come back here and leave a comment with your twitter name!
That’s it! Easy peasey!!
Giveaway will close at 11:59PM on February 14th. Winners will be drawn at 8AM on February 15th and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected in their place.
Disclaimer: Giveaway is open internationally. Participants must take part in 2 out of the 3 possible entries to be eligible for first prize. This giveaway is in no way affiliated w/ twitter or facebook.
| Amazon | SCP | BN | ARe |
Michaela O’Keefe is in over her head with her restaurant, The Midway. Her ad for an assistant manager brings Owen “Tag” Montague to her doorstep. With an impeccable resume and dozens of letters of recommendation, she has little choice but to give him a chance. Ten years her junior, Tag sets her long-dead libido humming, but she gave up on love and her instincts on men years ago.
Tag has had a crush on his new boss since his youth, but he’s determined to prove he can do the job. Still, he can’t resist the urge to make her blush down to her toes as often as possible. He knows her rough past in life and love makes it hard to trust, and he’s wary of crossing the line he so desperately wants to.
Just when they manage to figure out how to work and play together, Michaela’s ex does all he can to destroy their budding love. When push comes to shove Michaela’s inability to give Tag the benefit of the doubt might destroy everything.
Learning to trust herself again is the hardest lesson Michaela will ever have to learn – and by the time she does, it may be too late for love.
| Amazon | SCP | BN | ARe |
5* Goodreads Revew:
This is a well written, sweet read about loving and healing. Owen is loving and dedicated to healing Michaela’s damaged and battered heart. Michaela’s walls are no match for Owen’s patience and understanding.
| Amazon | BN | iBooks | Kobo | ARe | SCP |
Author Bio:
