Wicked Indiscretions

It's here: Book Five in the Wicked Affairs series. Release day is February 18th!

Marriage is fraught with emotion and I love writing about this bond. This is Book Five in the Wicked Affairs series and in it, we meet David and Juliana Abernathy. David is the strong, silent type and a reluctant marquess, titled after his brother died. He is married to the beautiful Juliana (sister to Clarissa Dunnaway from Wicked Desires and sister to Audrina Paquin that you met in Wicked Secrets) Juliana is vivacious and chatty, the perfect foil to David's seriousness. And his dogs love her.

They are madly in love and welcome their first child - only he dies in his infancy. David and Juliana are heartbroken and grief destroys their loving relationship.

Grief is a dark, debilitating emotion and has many facets, affecting one physically, socially and spiritually. It tears David and Juliana apart. This might be the most moving story I've written.

So here's the blurb:

David and Juliana Abernathy’s marriage is unique in the ton—they have real love. That is, until the loss of their only child shatters their short-lived happiness. Despair and anger drives David into the arms of countless paramours and Juliana into the arms of a notorious Italian Lothario.

When David realizes what he has lost, he arrives in Italy with one goal and snatches his wife from the bed of her lover, intending to bring her home. Could their situation be worse?

They are no longer the innocent, loving fools of their first year of marriage and they demonstrate that each night they are alone together. Beneath the hurt and betrayal, they can hide their love but their passion burns hotter than ever.

Romanticon 2014 - Enter to WIN

Yes, we are partying at the McKinley Grand in downtown Canton, Ohio until Sunday, October 12th.

Leave a comment at this post between now and Sunday night to win a chance for a FIRST AUTOGRAPH print edition of my new book WICKED SECRETS along with your choice of conference t-shirts:

Green - EC for Men
Black - Got Sex
Blue - Hoedown/Throwdown

These are size XXL

In your comment, tell me what you are doing between now and Sunday that is more fun than dancing with a Caveman (and don't forget your email address.)

Oh and please follow along here or on Facebook at Eliza Lloyd Author.

The Best Words

We write. You read. But there are some words out there that can make a writer's heart sing.

Sold!

I can’t be the only one who has experienced the stratospheric thrill that comes with those words. Many people will have read your book prior to getting the sale, but when that one person, in a position to make or break you, agrees your book is worthy of publication, well, let’s face it, some of us cry. Affirmation is a powerful drug. Someone has read our words and understood our message. For me, this feeling hasn’t change with any of the sales that have come along.

The end.

Pounding away at the keyboard for weeks and months can seem like a mind-numbing exercise in futility. At some point you just close your eyes and type, wanting to reach the final scene and pronounce your book complete. It’s not perfect. It’s not edited. But, thank God, it is done. If you are like me, you don’t want to read it again in this eternity. At least I can sleep at night now, knowing the characters I created have said their imperfect piece. Of course, I go back and talk to them during edits…

 

I loved it.

Yeah, it’s cool when Mom said she loved it. But when someone I don’t know and will probably never meet takes the time to send me an email or message to say that my story is great, well, yes, the best words ever. I guess we writers have borderline personality disorder – not me, of course, I’m perfectly fine - because the need for positive affirmation can give even the hardest of hearts a burst of cosmic warmth when a reader reaches out.

I bought your book.

Some of us write because it is in our blood. We must write. We must tell the story burning a hole in our stomach lining. We must shut those characters up! But we can also admit we write because we need to make a living. We have hungry children. A mortgage that must be paid. (Oh, I once heard Stephanie Bond say, there is no such thing as a muse when there is a mortgage to pay. That was free.) So back to money. We want to be paid. We want to get a royalty check. Please buy our book. Most of us aren’t making a lot of money and by most, I mean nearly all except James Patterson and JK Rowliing.

I left you a review.

Did you love my book? Am I your new favorite author? Please leave me a review. Maybe someone else will like my style too! With the advent of ebooks and the shift in attitudes with regard to self-publishing there is a huge selection of books you might choose to read. Did you like my book enough to encourage another reader to pick it up? Most writers will self-confidently proclaim they never read reviews. They are lying. We all read reviews. We peek at our newest ratings on Goodreads. We secretly login to Amazon to see what’s new. A 5! Oh, what did they say? Oh, they are so right! Oh, they get it. I feel warm. Faint! Oh, so happy! A 1! What? Are they kidding? This is a masterpiece. And they gave so and so a 4! OMG!

You are my new favorite author.

Yes, more affirmation here. But can you imagine… You, a writer of suspense, being told this when there are writer’s out there such as Stephen King? Or a writer of romance (me) being compared to Eloisa James or Mary Balogh or Nora Roberts? What a lift! And it may be true only in the moment but still… It is okay to tell a writer this now and again.

You have got to read this book!

After you have left me a review, I hope you also tell everyone standing at the water cooler and near the coffee pot. When I think of the number of books I’ve sold compared to the population of the world, I hope you’ll take a bullhorn to the water cooler when you make the pronouncement about the greatest of my books.

When are you going to write the sequel?

Now I know you not only loved my book, you loved my characters. Isn’t that part of why we read? To find friends, to explore new worlds or to explore familiar worlds in new ways? If you want to come back into my world, then I have succeeded.

So thank you! For reading my book, writing a review and telling your friends. The best words ever can come in a variety of ways but they always come from you!

Photo: Flickr Commons, State Library Queensland

and Flicker Commons, McKalls Style and Beauty

Goodreads Giveaway and RELEASE DAY!

Congratulations to Sarah H of Knoxville, TN for winning print copies of Wicked Desires, Wicked Temptation and Wicked Lord (the first three books in the Wicked Affairs series.) Wow, nearly 600 entries. Thanks for all those readers who entered.

And in even bigger news: It's Release Day! From Now On, Book Two in the Mad Duchesses series hits the shelf today. Of course, you can always buy my books at Ellora's Cave (and btw, I get better royalties there so thank you for purchasing direct,) and the Kindle version is already up at Amazon. B&N usually takes several days longer but it will be up eventually.

I hope this doesn't sound douch-ey, but on release day, I like to reread the final version of the book. As an author works through edits, the manuscript is always full of redlines and comments, so it is a thrill to see a clean novel, ready for the reading masses. I told someone this morning (Cathie - one of my WWF buds) that this novel is beautiful sexy. I hope when you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Release Day for From Now On, Book Two in the Mad Duchesses series.

Great news. The second in the Mad Duchesses series will be available on January 29th from Ellora's Cave.

I love this story - I know I say that about every story I write! Well, this is one of the best and most used plot lines - lost love.

This story plot is  number 35 on Georges Polti's 36 Dramatic Situations list - recovery of a lost one. I don't claim to write original plot lines, I just put my own twist on the story. I love this list. It's a great resource when identifying the single thread of a story.

Sebastian and Grace were once close friends - he the second son of an earl and she the ton beauty, betrothed to the Duke of Hammond. Young Sebastian enjoyed his life too much to worry about marriage while Grace loved him deeply.

When she was gone, when he realized there wasn't another woman such as Grace, he understood the depth of his mistake.

And then the shocking news - the scandal of the last Season in London - Grace had been horribly scarred by her drunken husband, and then in the space of a week she was left a widow.

He was not going to waste another opportunity. From now on, he would be the man she needed.


Book One, One Last Night

Wicked Releases

First off, thanks readers for the wonderful response to Wicked Secrets, Book Four in the Wicked Affairs series. Alizabet is one of my favorite heroines. I write a certain kind of heroine and she is one who appears to be the weaker sex but has a hidden strength. In other words, she is a lady.

Rule's restaurant, London

So the heroine I'm writing now, Viviana Love, is completely different. She was introduced in Book Three, Wicked Lord and will have her own book, with a working title of Wicked Heart, which will be the sixth book in the series. (I'll talk about Book Five shortly.)

If you'll remember, she is an opera singer. She gave birth to Redding's illegitimate son, Teddy who later died. At the end of Book Three, she is leaving Glen Arbor, escorted by the staid and proper Baron Alexander Preston. Needless to say, Viv has a way with men and Alex doesn't stand a chance.

So you know Wicked Affairs is about married couples. Viv and Alex are caught by the oldest trap of all. We call it knocked up. Viv finds herself with child and they find themselves married. Each to a complete stranger.

Viv tries to get past the baron's properness. Alex just wants to know her. But Viv is determined to be her own woman and will not allow Alex to be part of her life, other than meeting their physical demands and she refuses to give up the opera.

Drury Lane Theater, 1794

Alex falls hard. Viv finds him attractive and is slowly won over by his deep-seated kindness. The boring baron is truly a once in a lifetime man.

But Viviana Love isn't who she claims to be and Alex will go to any lengths to keep his most unconventional wife, including accepting the aid of his two least favorite people in London: The Duke of Pelham and the Earl of Redding.

What do you think?

Well, back to Book Five, Wicked Indiscretions. This book is already contracted and written and is with my Ellora's Cave editor awaiting edits. Here's a copy of the cover, completed by the lovely and talented Dar Albert.

This book is probably the most emotional one I've written.

David and Juliana Abernathy are truly in love but grief rips them apart. Five years into their marriage, they live in different countries, each determined to forget the past and forget their pain. But David wants his wife back and he wants his heir. Their only secret is that they are both still deeply in love but they don't know how to get past the hurt and betrayal.

Stay tuned. I'll let you know when there is a release date from Ellora's Cave.

It's release day! Wicked Secrets... Available Now!

For a writer, there are few days as wonderful as RELEASE DAY! On this day, a novel we've slaved over many months is finally born. Yes, we are psyched to get a contract. We adore getting the cover - the first visual representation of our hero and heroine. We say we dread edits but we don't really. It's just a stepping stone closer to the grand finale.

Our stomach quivers when our editor gives us a release date. Is the book as good as I dream? Is it as bad as I fear? Should I have included more back story? Is my hero too much of a jerk?

Will this be my lightning in a jar? Will it catch fire?

Who's to know... I do know that when I deliver a novel to my editor, most of the time I tell her this is my favorite novel so far.

So why is Wicked Secrets my favorite so far? Well, the start of this novel paints my hero in a very bad light so it was a challenge to redeem him. I hope you'll forgive both of us for our bad choices.

I also loved the very sweet heroine who has overcome so much but still finds a well of forgiveness and happiness that is believable and beautiful.The sex is different in this story too. It is a progression of ugly and uncomfortable giving way to unsteady yet trusting. And finally, fulfillment and understanding for both.

Buy Wicked Secrets here: http://www.ellorascave.com/wicked-secrets.html

Upcoming Release for Wicked Secrets

It's here! Book Four of the Wicked Affairs series, titled Wicked Secrets. Oh, I love this story. Well, the whole series really. But this one has an added layer of emotion and heartache.







Release day is September 6th!

Here's the a little blurb - and remember I did warn you about the affair!

The Earl of Archer, Charles Standifer’s infatuation with his wife has turned into the cold reality of marriage misery. Vows are not so easily broken but when he gives into temptation all the secrets of the past threaten to destroy them and their marriage. He would give anything to have his wife, but she will have none of him.

The reserved and compassionate Alizabet, Lady Archer knows she will never please her husband in ways that matter to men yet she cannot deny the love she has for him in spite of the heartbreaking betrayal.

He has never doubted her affection for him, but that has done nothing to assuage his sexual need. When Charles discovers the revelation of Alizabet’s shocking past, can he be the man and husband she needs? Or will he forever be denied his rights to the alluring yet unattainable woman he calls wife?

My Writer Friends: Restrained and Willing by Tiffany Bryan

I just got off the phone with one of my Ellora’s Cave pals, Tiffany Bryan.

After we caught up, we got to talking about her new book, Restrained and Willing. Please note that WILLING is in all CAPS AND BIG BOLD RED LETTERS.

You don’t want to miss this one.

Here’s the blurb:

Heather has met every personal goal she’s ever set. Except one. To make all the sizzling erotic fantasies she penned in her diary a reality. And the only man who can make that happen is the handsome, dominant hunk featured in every one of those thong-soaking scenarios. The only thing standing in her way is Pierce himself and his convoluted views on commitment.
Pierce loves women, but he’s never been in love. Everything changes when he finds and reads Heather’s diary. Page after page of raw, hot disciplinary sex between the two of them starts his lust raging. She’s the one person he shouldn’t want, but he soon discovers she’s the one he needs.

And here’s the buy link:

http://www.ellorascave.com/restrained-and-willing.html

Bucket Lists and Writing Goals

I was just staring at my keyboard when a question popped into my head. What would I like to be doing right now if there were no obstacles to the doing? You know, like money, time, family intrusions, job…

I’ll answer that later.

But it did remind me of another time when I asked the same question. It was several years ago when I asked myself, “Why aren’t you writing?” I was home alone (my husband was traveling,) and the stir of feelings about writing the great American romance swept over me again.

It had always been my wish to be a romance writer. I blame Kathleen Woodiwiss. She wrote the most stirring romantic epics. I know some readers think she is overblown and prosy but something about her writing spoke to me. Every time I cracked open Ashes in the Wind, I could see Cole Latimer with his Hardee hat and long sideburns. And of course, the street urchin coming off the steamboat that we would learn was our heroine.

I read Ashes in the Wind and the Wolf and the Dove at least once a year. I would love to write like her. Or Mary Balogh. Or Eloisa James. Or Loretta Chase. Wow, am I off subject.

So it really came down to having a dream and then having the will to go forward.

The first year, I started my own story with a dashing sea captain and the former whore he had purchased at a slave market. Sadly, that book will never see a publisher’s emblem. But my goal wasn’t to actually get the story published. My only goal, and I repeated it to myself nearly every day for a year, FINISH THE BOOK.

No matter what it took, I knew I had to get through it. I had to write THE END.

So it took me a full year and 112,000 words, but I got it done. At the time, there wasn’t a better feeling. It was the feeling of accomplishment. Since then, there have been better feelings – contracts, book covers and release days.

Oh and by the way, today is release day for One Last Night – go check it out at Ellora’s Cave.

So my point is, if you want to write you have to write. Just like if you want to win Powerball, you have to play. Writing one chapter won’t cut it. Writing one book probably won’t cut it either. I have started sixty-six stories and of those, I’ve only finished nineteen and they aren't all published yet.

Some people say they have to write or they would die. If I didn’t write, I would find something else to do. But I must admit, there is nothing more satisfying then penning a tale, exciting readers and knowing that I finished what I started. Oh, and the sweet feeling of knowing that IT IS GOOD.

So why am I asking the same question today? I just marked a big thing off my bucket list last weekend. I now have to add something to it. So what should it be?

One Last Night purchase link: http://www.ellorascave.com/one-last-night.html

One Last Night: Release Day Coming Up

One Last Night releases on April 10th from Ellora's Cave Publishing. This is the start of a new series currently called Mad Duchesses. Each story features a duchess facing a changed future and a surprising (and sometimes inappropriate) love interest.

A dark past and unrequited love make John’s life difficult until he is offered the chance to spend one night with sensual, widowed duchess Lucinda Aversham. Pleasure he can provide, but one night with the woman he loves won’t be enough. Neither will living a half existence as he watches her from afar.

Lucy wants to experience a night of exquisite passion. She doesn't want to know the man’s name or see his face. She wants to know pleasure—in any way her mysterious lover can provide.

When an unwelcome note from her one-time lover arrives, Lucy knows she must have him again. But she could lose everything if she is exposed.

Here's the link:

http://www.ellorascave.com/one-last-night.html

Cover by the wonderful Dar Albert.

One Last Night: A Blurb

As requested by Janemary, a short tease of a blurb from One Last Night:

The Duchess of Wallingford waited a year and a day before she threw off her widow’s weeds, dressed in a simple gray muslin gown with a humble neckline and arranged for an unmarked carriage, which would take her to Madame Dupuis’ whorehouse.

She was going for the oldest reason of all.

Preparations for such an affair were more difficult than she had imagined because one didn’t ask gossipy friends how to arrange such a liaison—one asked the discreet, worldly friends but in such a way as to imply shocked curiosity rather than an unwavering fascination and a determination to partake.

When Madame Dupuis had inquired as to the type of man Lucinda would like to engage, the Abbess had mistakenly believed she wished to entertain certain passions with a man similar to her departed husband. While the Duchess of Wallingford was married, she had been the envy of her friends, a perfect example of how to marry properly.

Wallingford was handsome, charming and wealthy with only six years between them, but none of that mattered or changed the fact he was beyond cruel and believed that the one person in this life to whom he should have been devoted was the last person for whom he held any regard. She did not want a man with golden-blond hair or piercing blue eyes. She did not want superficial appeal.

She’d requested a man—any man—who had brown hair and soft brown eyes, though she could not risk a liaison with a noble. Other than that, his station did not matter, only that he was clean and would treat her with tender regard in the bedchamber for this one night—a guarantee considering Madame Dupuis’ reputation for sensual entertainment. And for what the Duchess was paying…

Coming soon from Ellora's Cave.

Oh, and did I tell you about...

Hey gang!

I had just an awesome week.

Firstly, thanks to writing bud Shannon K Butcher, I was invited to Rose's Bookhouse Naughty and Nice book signing last week in St. Louis. The turnout was great and I couldn't have asked for better reader support as well as earning a few new fans! Thanks to Regan, Shika, Laura and April. We had great conversations!

Barbara Vey of Publisher's Weekly was at the book signing since she had relatives in town. She mentioned the event in her blog and even showed off the t-shirt I was giving away in my drawing. See her and the blog here. http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?p=7226

Then my editor posted a link to the USA Today's Happy Ever After section and my newest release On Thin Ice was one of the books featured, along with the cover. Thank you Dar Albert for making such spectacular cover art for me.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2012/11/29/elloras-cave-erotica-new-releases/1735515/

My Writer Friends: Lily Harlem's Teamwork

I'ts here. Lily's latest in the Hot Ice series. And who doesn't like the excitement of hockey?

 

Teamwork

Book four in the Hot Ice series. (Can be enjoyed as a stand alone read.)

What I know about hockey could fit on the back of a stamp. So my latest patient may be one of the NHL’s hottest defensemen, but I’m not exactly blown away by his stardom. Add in the fact that he’s a surly, growling grump, and I’m more than happy to work my magic on his battered body and then hot-foot to my date with his teammate, Todd “Pretty” Carty.

Todd is sex on a stick, a slice of man heaven and I want a bit of the action, preferably of the bedroom variety. But when Raven emerges from his bad mood and throws his energy into blowing my mind with just one kiss, I find my head spinning and my libido raging.

What I didn’t bargain on is these hard-training, hard-playing hockey players working as efficiently off the ice as on it when it comes to getting results. But who am I to complain when satisfaction is their ultimate goal?

Reader Advisory: Contains m/f/m. Go on, you know you want to indulge!

Buy - http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10517-teamwork.aspx

Excerpt - http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419939792.htm

 

And check out this cover:

 

Release Day: On Thin Ice

I love release day! It's time for Book Two, in the Cold Play series.

Keefe and Evan are back and hotter than ever.

Dr. Keefe Pearson knows what she wants. He’s hot, he’s sexy and he’s available anytime she wants sex and trouble. But what if she wants more?

When things heat up with the discovery of a rare Mayan urn, Evan Jahnning is tasked to retrieve it from the formidable Pearson Institute of Antiquities. A few dead bodies later and Evan is convinced he is doing the right thing—protecting Keefe and keeping the urn safe. Now if he can only prevent Keefe from finding out.

While Evan has Keefe hot and bothered between the sheets, she has her own plan to discover the truth of the elizurn—is it a treasure or does it portend the end of days? There is no convenient time for the truth but one thing is clear. Evan has to keep Keefe safe without committing the ultimate betrayal. Because she’s the one woman he can’t live without.

My Writer Friends: Smuggler's Blues by Cindy Jacks

Here it is: Cindy Jacks' Smuggler's Blues, Book Two in the Pirates at Heart series. Available November 16th from Ellora's Cave and other major retailers.

The year is 2017 and all is quiet on the eastern front. Good news for the war-weary Republic of Texas…bad news for weapons smuggling–pirate Captain Brett Logan.

Logan’s been a surly handful since war’s end—not to mention a rather perfunctory lover—and his wife Kate has had about enough. When an illicit business venture falls in his lap, Logan is eager to get back to outrunning and out-gunning the enemy navy.

Kate becomes an unwilling participant in Logan’s criminal enterprise, but in his element of excitement and danger, he’s the roguish daredevil she fell in love with. Their passion for each other burns hotter than ever—spurred on by the thrill of the chase. As she learns more about Logan’s wild side, Kate finds herself craving him body and soul as love, sex and adventure finally rid Logan of those pesky smuggler’s blues.

 

An Excerpt From: SMUGGLER’S BLUES

Copyright © CINDY JACKS, 2012

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

The familiar ping of rain falling onto a tin roof startled her. Thunder rumbled, louder this time. The storm had begun.

“What’s wrong?” He tilted her head up to look at him. His brow was furrowed, gaze studying hers. The concern in his expression disarmed her. Heavy raindrops beat a tattoo on the tin roof, adding to her fear and exhaustion.

She shook her head. Everything was wrong.

Seeming to read her mind, he nodded. “Stupid question, huh?”

Kathryn nodded and sighed. She wanted nothing more than to collapse into his arms, to fall into a dreamless sleep until this was all over. But it was nowhere near over. This ordeal continued to get more and more complicated.

Leaning her head against his chest, she listened to his strong heartbeat. “Do you—do you really think Dale killed someone because of my mistake?”

“No, not if he didn’t have to. Have some faith in basic human greed.” He jostled her.

The remark struck her as funny. She gave a weak smile. Maybe Brett was right. Or maybe he was trying to make her feel better.

“I really screwed up.”

“I screwed up. You’re only here because I… I should’ve stayed home when you asked me to pass up this deal.”

Home. It was all that she longed for, but the thought only brought on another wave of anxiety. Her chest grew tight and his words from the night before flooded back. He’d stolen the comfort of home from her too. Silent tears dripped down her cheeks.

“But you’re bored with me.” She huffed.

Lightning flashed outside, the wind picked up force. It swept through the poorly constructed shack, the oil lamp light flickering.

“Kate.” He smoothed her hair and pressed her into a hug. “Kate, I didn’t mean that you bore me.”

“Don’t try to sugarcoat it now.”

Tilting her chin up, he cupped her face in his hands. “I’m not. I bore me when I’m at home. This life—” He motioned to the shelter and the storm outside. “This is all I’ve ever known, and I just don’t know how to entertain myself otherwise.”

“I know I’m busy with the boys.” She went on as if she hadn’t heard what he’d said. “And I’ve never been the kind of woman who gets all dolled up—”

He cut her off with a kiss, his hand sliding around her waist.

“Stop.” She turned away.

Tangling a hand in her hair, he exposed her neck and planted a trail of kisses.

“You are—” He kissed down to her cleavage. “The most exciting woman I’ve ever known.”

His growing erection indicated the truth in his words.

“And that’s saying a lot,” she teased, his affection chasing away her self-doubt little by little.

Her pulse and respiration quickened, her sex grew warm and tight. He slipped a hand beneath her shirt, letting it roam over her bare skin as if it had a mind of its own.

“It’s not every woman who’ll assault me with my own wallet.”

Kathryn chuckled, holding back a squeal as he stroked the ticklish spot at the cleft of her ass.

“We can’t do this here.” She tried to extricate herself from his embrace.

“Why not?” Skimming his lips over her jawline, he pressed her closer.

“Because we’re fugitives.”

Oh God, they were fugitives. Strangers in a strange land. Well, it didn’t seem all that foreign to Brett.

Hand to his chest, she stopped his advances. “I didn’t know you could speak Reformlandish.”

Eyes heavy-lidded, he grinned slowly. “I speak a couple Reformlandish dialects. And Spanish. Some Cajun French.”

She arched an eyebrow, shaking her head. “How is it I didn’t know that?”

“Not much cause to use my language skills around the house.”

“What else don’t I know about you?” She leaned forward, inhaling his musky scent and the sweet whiskey on his breath.

His lips were so close that hers tingled, but he didn’t move for a kiss. Not yet. “I couldn’t say. You’ll just have to find out as we go.”

Running her fingertips up his arm, she imagined the landscape beneath his clothes. Since the day they’d met she’d made a road map of his body in her mind. The tattoos and scars, each ripple of muscle, every freckle, the tantalizing trail of hair that led from his bellybutton down to his cock.

Yes, she knew every inch of him. And she knew just how her body would react to his touch, his scent—her pulse pounding, her pussy swollen and wet. It was all delicious, but predictable. Even the routine they’d gotten into, making love right before bed. The song he’d sing her as she fell asleep.

But here, in the one place she never wanted to find herself again, she’d learned something new about her lover. She’d gotten to see the part of him he kept separate from their comfortable life at home. And though some of it shocked her and threw her off balance, there was something intoxicating about the outlaw whose arms wrapped around her.

Heat flared inside her, licking at her cheeks, her nipples, her sex. She surged forward, kissing him hard, her tongue invading his mouth. Caught off guard, he tumbled backward, chuckling, but spurred her on, his hands stripping off her sweater and shirt.

The cool evening air swirled around her breasts, her nipples drawing painfully tight. He leaned forward, capturing a bud between his teeth and rolling his tongue over it.

She gasped, pleasure rippling through her. Since they’d come ashore, he’d been in command of the situation, never once losing his cool. Now she wanted him in command of her body. She longed for him to tease her, overwhelm her and take her. Own her.

Buy-it link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10505-smugglers-blues.aspx

All About Wicked Affairs Four: WICKED SECRETS

I had a blog comment asking about the next in the Wicked Affairs series and promised a post regarding the plot.

For those of you who have read Book Three, Wicked Lord, you'll remember that Edward Chase, Lord Redding, has a sister Alizabet Standifer, Lady Archer. She has been married less than a year to Charles, but alas, there marriage is not made in heaven.

So here is the blurb with which I enticed my publisher, Ellora's Cave.  The title is WICKED SECRETS.

The Earl of Archer, Charles Standifer’s infatuation with his wife has turned into the cold reality of marriage misery. Vows are not so easily broken but when he gives into temptation all the secrets of the past threaten to destroy them and their marriage. He would give anything to have his wife, but she will have none of him.

The reserved and compassionate Alizabet, Lady Archer knows she will never please her husband in ways that matter to men yet she cannot deny the love she has for him in spite of the heartbreaking betrayal.

He has never doubted her affection for him, but that has done nothing to assuage his sexual need. When Charles discovers the revelation of Alizabet’s shocking past, can he be the man and husband she needs? Or will he forever be denied his rights to the alluring yet unattainable woman he calls wife?

So I must warn you now, if you didn't pick it up in the above blurb: There is an affair - a no excuses, out in the open affair. We all know this happens but the real trick is the attempt to redeem the hero. I know some readers think that this is very unheroic to portray such an event but for those who have read the Wicked Affairs series you know that all of the books involve the troubles of marriage. And we know that institution is far from perfect. 

What do you think? Is it impossible to write a true, fulfilling romance when an affair is a large part of the story?

New Covers

There is only one thing I like in my in box more than a contract and that is the resulting cover art for a new book.

So, folks, here is what I have coming up in the next several months. Check out these awesome covers for upcoming releases. No dates available yet so just keep a look out at the Ellora's Cave Coming Soon page. And, of course, I will post on Facebook as soon as I hear.

On Thin Ice, Book Two in the Cold Play Series

Courtesan's Passion, Book Two in the Birds of Paradise Series

Wicked Secrets, Book Four in the Wicked Affairs Series

One Last Night, the first of a new series (I hope,) but hasn't been named yet

What do you think?

And I mustn't forget to mention that these covers were all designed by Dar Albert. I LOVE the distinctiveness of themes within each series.

  

 

On Thin Ice

Woot! First round revisions are done and back to my editor along with the blurb and excerpt.  Yes, release day for On Thin Ice is fast approaching.  This is Book 2 in the COLD PLAY series.

Here's the great cover designed by Dar Albert.

For those of you with a sharp eye, you'll notice the Mexican ruins of Chichen Itza are in the background. In Book 1, you'll remember that Dr. Keefe Pearson is an archaeologist and director of the Pearson Institute of Antiquities.  In this book, her PIA team finds a rare Mayan urn with glyphs that portend the end of days. Trouble starts when former boyfriend Rafe Mederios shows up wanting the urn for himself.

For Evan Jahnning, what follows is a race to find the urn, protect Keefe and make sure his betrayal doesn't completely destroy their relationship.

Courtesan's Passion

Great news! The second book in the purchased woman series is titled "Courtesan's Passion."

This is the story of the depraved Lord Dane, first introduced in the novella, Another Lover. This is a full length novel instead, as Dane is a dark and complicated character who is daunted by the light of his new courtesan, Christina Turnbow.

Dane capitalizes on Christina's desperation, turning a single opportunity into a chance to have the beautiful but reluctant woman who fascinates him. He is willing to go to any lengths to keep her when all she wishes is to protect her family from financial ruin.