Happy Gay Friday

I’m always so happy when it’s Friday again (who isn’t?). It not only means a few days without work related pressure but also (for me) the possibility to look at my collection of boyz kissing boyz and pick one to put up at my blog :) And today I’m picking one with my friend Chris in mind, because she needs a little cheering up! She does that for me a lot too, if it were only for her fun blog, go visit her if you haven’t before. She also has the cutest kittens: Chaos and Mayhem, who do the cutest things of which she takes the cutest pics!

I’m also happy that it’s Friday because I finally may have some time and the right mindset to write a few reviews this weekend. I still want to write one about Sloan Parker’s More (the M/M/M romance I raved about before) and another one about the ARC I finished this week of Michelle Hauf’s My Vampire Husband (a paranormal M/F which was pretty good).

Another book that I finished this week and is worth to write a review about is a paranormal M/M romance by Ally Blue: Oleander House. This book had me on the edge of my seat during the complete second half. It has thriller elements as well as a sweet gay for you romance. It's the first in a series and I really need to read the second book now. :) I have to know how this group of people is doing after what they experienced in Oleander House, especially the fragile love couple Sam and Bo. This promises to be a wonderful paranormal M/M series for me to discover yet. Of course I immediately bought the second and third book, What Hides Inside and Twilight! I have no self control ;)


And then there are a few M/M shorts I read last weekend that were all three very enjoyable.

The first was Only Yours by J.R. Patrick, a Dreamspinners Nap-Size story. It’s about Dre and Nate and starts with Dre asking his boyfriend Nate to move in, and Nate leaving in the night without a word. Dre is hurt and learns only six months later why Nate left, and so do we. It’s a well written short story that packs quite some emotions and action in the limited amount of pages. I really enjoyed reading this! I rate it with 3.5 stars.

The second one was Dangerous Distraction by Mia Watts that I received from Mia herself and which she also offered for giveaway when she was here at my place for an interview. You can also find a sexy excerpt from it here. This story is about two hot cops that meet in a bar when an afterhours dare challenges Detective David Rook to kiss ATF Agent Nate Giamanti. Rook didn’t expect to kiss the sexiest pair of lips he's seen in a long time. He didn't expect it would shake his closeted lifestyle to the core. Short after that Nate is working with him on a case and Rook can't avoid his forbidden desires. Nate and David are very likeable characters, good-looking and sexy, but I wished we could have been given a little bit more background information. It would've made their attraction even better. Now their romance developed a bit too fast imo. But this still was a fun read with great scenes when the guys were together! If only this short story would've been twice as long! Nevertheless I enjoyed Dangerous Distraction a lot! I rate it with 3.75 stars.

The third short story was Two Steps Up by Sean Kennedy. Although short, this was a really cute story about a first gay kiss. The main characters, Russ and Brian, are two 17 year old skate boarders and one of them is trying to find the courage to come out as being gay and to join a young gays group. It’s not a full blown romance, there’s only one meeting, but their story is sweet and endearing. I give it 3.5 stars.

Last but not least
Remember today’s book at All Romance eBooks is a gay romance! It’s Love Means No Shame by Andrew Grey. Once you add it to your cart it’s free. Here’s the link.

I hope you all have a happy Friday!

Interview & Giveaway with Lorie O’Clare

I’m pleased to have author Lorie O’Clare here at my blog today! Her latest book Strong, Sleek and Sinful was released at St. Martin’s on March 30 and in April her Men In Danger Anthology and in June The Bodyguard Anthology will become available.
Lorie is the author of many different books and series in all kinds of genre. At her website you can check out the first chapters of her books to get a little taste of her writing. Today I like to learn a little bit more about her and about her new fund raiser she launched: Keep the HEA in our lives.


Hi Lorie, let’s start with what do we absolutely need to know about you?

Well, let me think. I’m a really nice person, a mother of three incredible teenage boys, and friends to very good people who love me in return. But I think the best thing to know is how blessed I am to share my stories and have so many people be able to read them. I’m truly a very lucky lady.


Your latest release is Strong, Sleek and Sinful. Can you tell us something about the series that it’s part of?

Sure. Strong Sleek and Sinful is the third, and last book in the FBI Sex Crimes Series. These books are all about FBI agents who work undercover and become involved in the community where they’re trying to solve a case. In each book we have two law enforcement agents who meet, work together to find the perp, and wind up in a torrential love affair. There is passion, a spine-tingling adventure, and a good mystery involved in each book.


Can we read the three books in this series as standalones?

Tall, Dark and Deadly, Long, Lean and Lethal and Strong, Sleek and Sinful are all books that stand alone. You don’t need to read one before reading the other. In fact, the only connection between these books is that a minor character’s story is told in the following book. Otherwise, each of these books are stories on their own. My publisher referred to them as a series because they are all FBI stories.


What was your favorite scene to write in Strong, Sleek and Sinful?

I think my favorite was the scene where they catch the bad guy. I was right there on the edge of my seat typing away as fast as I could to learn if I was right. (Yes, my books tend to take off in a different direction than where I thought they would go.) With Perry growing angrier and angrier because his woman is facing a killer, and Kylie’s heart pounding a mile a minute while she faces a man so evil she can see the cruel coldness in his eyes, until the moment when she takes him down, it’s definitely a scene I’ll never forget.


You’ve written a variety of genres. Is there a genre you would like to write but haven’t yet?

I don’t think so. I can’t get enough of historical romances, but I’m not sure I could write them. I think there are some books I should just enjoy reading. And I do love to read!


What is your favorite genre/book as a reader?

As a reader, historical are probably my favorites right now. Not the ton. I lean more toward lords and ladies of the castles of Scotland, Ireland and England. Although I’m reading one right now that takes place in the new colony of Massachusetts. I’m really enjoying it. Although, you can’t go wrong with Hannah Howell. :)
I do love a good contemporary romantic suspense as well. I think there is enough of a student always in me that I get off on a book that teaches me something. There is the story of man and woman falling in love, but learning what it’s like to own and run a candy store, or be a firefighter, or a rancher—and the stories that really get in to the details of that characters line of work—that appeals to me most.

Does everybody know you write erotic romance?

Everybody? If you mean my family, then yes. My boys know. All of my friends know. My Mom and Dad know. They are all proud of me. I tried for so many years to get published so they are all very proud of me today. I’ve got a wonderful family though. None of us are perfect but all of us support each other in whatever it is we want to do with our lives.


Which one of your books/series would you like to see turned into a movie?

Honestly, I’d love to see either the Nuworld Series in a movie or the Lunewulf Series. The Nuworld books have always been my favorites and in my mind I’ve always seen these books on the big screen.


Is the Nuworld series one of your paranormal series? What is it about this series that makes it perfect for the big screen?

First of all I have to say the Nuworld Series is not currently in print. Unless you can find one of the first two books of that series used somewhere, you can’t buy them. Although, I do offer the entire series for sale on ebay.
With that said, the Nuworld Series is hard to label into one genre. It was labeled as science fiction romance by one publisher, although the entire series takes place on earth. It has been called futuristic romance. There are some slight paranormal elements in the books but nothing strong.
The Nuworld Series has always been more vivid in my head than any other series I’ve ever written. There are those who say an author has one great masterpiece. So far, I would have to say the Nuworld books are it. I’ve been offered contracts on them several times but each time with the editor wanting some changes made. I just can’t change how the series is right now. So for now, I sell them on my own. But, I think the series would make such a great movie because of the romance, the intense action, and the rather taboo topics touched on throughout the series.

Any actors in mind?

No…lol. I don’t know enough about actors. I don’t watch enough tv or movies.


If you could be any of your heroines, who would it be, and why?

That is a tough one. Honestly, I’ve fallen in love with all of my characters and while writing their story have felt their happiness, their pain, their daring and their fears. I keep struggling, trying to find an answer for you. There are many heroines I respect so much because of their strength and willingness to take that extra step a lot of us would be afraid to take. I would love spending more time with them but not sure I would want to be them. They have a lot more guts than I have. :) I guess if I could be one of my heroines and have all the strength and convictions they have, I would probably choose to be Kylie in Strong, Sleek and Sinful. First of all, she gets Perry, and he’s so perfectly yummy! But as well, she willingly goes after monsters who pretend to be teenage boys in order to get teenage girls to meet them. She’s brave, aggressive, honest and pretty. And she’s a super FBI undercover agent, too.

Who’s your perfect hero?

Oh man, all of my heroes are perfect…LOL. You’ll never know how many nights I lie in bed and get lost in a scene I’m working on with one of my heroes. I change and alter it, replay it and have these gorgeous hunks right by my side the entire time. Did I mention how incredibly blessed I am?? :)


What quality is a must for a hero but one you don’t want to see in a real life partner?

I tend to write characters who are very “real”. What I mean by that is that they aren’t perfect. As gorgeous and powerful and intelligent and caring as each of them is, they also have their weaknesses. I’ve never been able to write a larger than life character. So I guess what I’m saying is I would love to have a real life partner who is just like any of my heroes.


Can you tell us something about your fund raiser Keep the HEA in our lives?

I instigated the launching of HEA because of a situation that happened and came very close to my heart. I haven’t disclosed all the details yet. If and when I do it will be on my HEA site. But my point is I learned how frustrating and challenging it is to come seriously close to losing your home. I also learned that the humiliation and guilt are so overwhelming it is harder to ask for help than any other predicament a person can find themselves in.
HEA is an effort to raise money to turn over to individuals who need help in keeping their home. I want to find those willing to donate items we can sell or auction to raise money. Of course cash donations are also accepted. As much as we need to raise money we’re also interested in any candidates who are in need of help. The money we raised would be given to them. You can learn more about HEA at my website.

What book(s) of yours can we look forward to?

I am in two anthologies coming out soon, Men Of Danger at the end of April and The Bodyguard Anthology, which comes out in June. The last book in my owl series with Ellora’s Cave, Feather Torn, comes out April 9. This fall my brand new bounty series begins. The first book, Play Dirty releases in October. Also, my brand new black jaguar series is coming soon from Ellora’s Cave. Black Seduction releases early this summer. There should be a total of five books in that series, I think.


Wow! You’re quite a busy bee! How can you keep up with this speed? Do you ever sleep?

I sleep every night. LOL. I try to get about 7 hours of sleep but sometimes it’s only 3 hours. If I can, I’ll take a couple of hours during the day after I’ve finished a chapter.


But seriously, why do you want to write? What’s so fun about it?

I’ve never thought about “wanting” to write, I just always “did” write. For me, a writer is who I am, not what I do. And what is fun about it? Well I get to stay home all day and play and get paid to do it. I have so much fun creating worlds then stepping into them and existing among my characters. There really is no better life—at least not for me.


That sounds wonderful! Thank you very much for visiting my place today, Lorie! I look forward to all of your new books! They are certainly going to keep me busy for a while!


~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway:

Lorie O’Clare has generously offered a paperback copy of her romance Strong, Sleek and Sinful for giveaway.

This giveaway is open to everyone, I will announce the winner on April 13.

To enter the giveaway, follow my blog, leave a comment on this post and tell me what you think of a FBI agent being the hero(ine) of a romance.

Good luck to you all!

~~~~~~~~~~

Back blurb Strong, Sleek and Sinful:

Special Agent Kylie Donovan knows the evil that men do. After her sister’s murders went unsolved, she decided to work undercover for the FBI. Now, posing as a college student, she hopes to track down an Internet predator who is murdering teenage girls. Using herself as bait, Kylie is sure she can lure the killer out of the shadows…until her fascination with a drop-dead gorgeous cop threatens to blow her whole case.
With a rock-hard body and seductive smile, Lt. Perry Flynn is a hard man to ignore. He makes it very clear that Kylie’s fierce attraction is mutual. But Kylie can’t afford to let Perry cloud her judgment, especially when she begins to suspect that his dark obsession with the case runs deeper than it should. Then, when disturbing new evidence points to a cop, Kylie wonders if her sinful thoughts about Perry have thrust her into the strong, sleek arms of a killer…

Click here to read an excerpt from Strong Sleek and Sinful.

Mondays Hot Couple & Sexy, Smutty Scene

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This week’s sexy smutty scene is from Kamikaze by Moira Rogers. It’s the first of the Last Call series and today it’s the free download over at All Romance eBooks. You can find Kamikaze here.
From April 1 - 21 ebookseller All Romance eBooks is giving away 21 ebooks that are the first of a series to celebrate Earth Day on April 22. The discount for the free ebook will automatically apply after the book is added to the cart.

This is the complete list:
April 1 – Wild Within by Mima
April 2 – Slave by Cheryl Brooks
April 3 – All Play and No Work by Carol Lynne
April 4 – The Arrangement by Cat Grant
April 5 – Kamikaze by Moira Rogers
April 6 – My Deepest Love: Zack by Marie Rochelle
April 7 – The Edge of Morning by Desiree Holt
April 8 – My Soul To Keep by Dianna Hunter
April 9 – Love Means No Shame by Andrew Grey
April 10 - Pentacles of Magick: The Bonding by Eliza Gayle
April 11 – Seduction by Aubrey Ross
April 12 – One Night In Boston by Allie Boniface
April 13 – Untamed Hearts: Feral Heat by Jenna Byrnes & Jude Mason
April 14 – SEALed With a Kiss by Mary Margret Daughtridge
April 15 – Regina in the Sun by R.G. Alexander
April 16 – The Third Wish by K.F. Zuzulo
April 17 – Truth or Dare by Leigh Ellwood
April 18 – My Heart is Within You by Marguerite Labbe
April 19 – Unholy Night by Candice Gilmer
April 20 – Play With Me by Leslie Kelly
April 21 – 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom

This week’s very smuttalicious scene is from page 8-11 from Kamikaze. Meet werewolf in heat Zoe and her mate to be Connor:


“
She stepped back against him, molding her body to his. Her ass rubbed against his cock as she shimmied a little in time with the music. “Dance with me.” Her hand came up and snatched the key away, and she shoved it into her front pocket this time as she ground back against him.
He set his beer bottle on a table at the edge of the dance floor, not caring that it was occupied, and wrapped his hands around her hips. “What’s your name, Kamikaze?”
“Zoe.” She hitched in a breath and slid her hands over his, and he could feel the barely leashed need in her, already threatening to boil over. She gasped as she rubbed back against him again, and when she spoke, it was low and breathless. “What’s your name?”
“Connor.” He thrust against her ass and she drew a sharp breath. “Do you really want to dance?” He trailed his lips over her neck and nibbled at the soft skin.
One of the men to the left growled a soft challenge. Zoe twisted in his arms and pressed against him, and he felt those gorgeous breasts rub against his chest. “Three days,” she panted in a hoarse voice. “It started three days ago. Can you make it stop?”
“Jesus, sweetheart.” Three days of the kind of clawing desire that would accompany her heat cycle? He shook his head and squeezed her ass with both hands. “Might take a miracle, but I will do my level best.”
She whimpered and stretched up, trying to rub her hips against his. “Take me upstairs. Take me.”
He kissed her, hard, for just a second, ignoring the whoops and whistles from the crowd. “Give me the key.”
Huge, glazed blue eyes stared up at him as she fumbled at her pocket. She pressed the key into his hand with another soft noise, half-plea and half-command and not the least bit human.
He tried not to breathe through his nose as he dragged her off toward the elevator. Her scent, especially now that she was fully aroused, scrambled his brain, making rutting sex on the floor of the hallway seem like a good idea. “Hold on until we get up to the room,” he muttered, but he wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or himself.
She was on him before the dull metal doors of the elevator slid shut. Small, surprisingly strong hands dragged at his shirt as she pressed him back against the wall and rose up on her toes. She was short, too short to really reach his mouth, but her lips landed on his chin and she licked it with a low moan.
He snatched her up and turned at the same time, pinning her against the wall. “I said to wait.” He bit her chin and growled a warning.
Her body melted against him, all soft submission that was a thousand times harder to resist. Her head tilted to the side, revealing the smooth, vulnerable line of her neck, and she moaned. “The only way you’ll get me to sit still is to tie me the fuck down.”
Connor bit her neck. “Our room should be well-stocked for that.”
She moaned again, the noise nearly drowning out the sound of the doors sliding open. “Just make me come. God, God I need to come… I tried by myself, I tried and I tried and it just made it worse…”
Which showed how little she knew about things. He fought down a surge of conscience as he walked out of the elevator and headed down the hall with her still wrapped around his body. “Are you new at this or something?”
He had to repeat the question before she looked on him, obviously struggling to focus. “I -- It’s the second time, but last time I had -- had a boyfriend who knew how to help…”
Connor nodded absently as he shifted her weight to one hand and slid the electronic key into its slot. “I know how to help, too.” He shouldered open the door, then kicked it closed behind them.
The room was one of their most basic, not much more than a luxurious bed and a heavy cabinet in the corner. Not many of the werewolves in Zoe’s position really gave a damn about the bells and whistles that came with some of the other suites.
Shit. Neither do I right now. Her scent filled his nostrils, wet and musky, and he nearly stumbled as he crossed to the bed and dropped her on it.
She twisted as soon as her back hit the bed, wiggling onto her stomach and then pushing up to her hands and knees. “Now, now --God please --”
Connor clenched his jaw and reached around her to yank at the button on her jeans. Her desperation fed his, and his hands trembled. He could get her off and ease some of her need, but he knew that only having him deep inside her would really satisfy her. “Everything? Now?”
Zoe rocked backwards with another desperate noise. Her ass rubbed against his cock and she dropped her head. “Talk later. God just… just fuck me so I can think --”
He dragged her pants and underwear down at the same time. Slow down -- Once she was bare to his view, most of his brain shut down, leaving only instinct to guide him. He tore at his own clothes, finally grasping her waist and thrusting inside her in one rough snap of his hips.
”

Moira Rogers’ weblog and website

Backblurb:

Zoe Bennett is an inexperienced werewolf in the grip of her mating cycle. With no pack and no mate, Zoe must brave the supernatural crowds of Last Call, the bar where your drink order tells everyone what you need.
Kamikaze: Werewolf in heat, looking for a temporary mate.
The chase is on, and security specialist Connor O’Malley intends to win, if only because the sweet young woman at the bar looks unprepared for what the night might bring, in and out of the bedroom. Little does he know that, when he catches her, he may not be satisfied being just a temporary mate.

Happy Gay Friday & Stealing My Heart

The combination of water and boys kissing boys is a guarantee for wet dreams! At least I think so ;)

And since it's a nice and long Easter Weekend I feel generous and share more than one Happy Gay Friday cookie today :). I don't know if next Monday is for everyone a holiday or if this is a Dutch thing only (we call it Second Easter Day), but I hope you all have a nice relaxing Easter break! Me and hubby don't have special plans, just spending some time together and relax. How about you?

When I was over at All Romance Ebooks today I decided to add the Stealing My Heart Anthology to my cart. Not because of the cover, because that's not really doing it for me *g*, but because all proceeds will go to help fight ebook piracy.

It's a collection of m/m stories. Stephani Hecht, Jambrea Jo Jones, A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly, Carol Lynne, Jaime Samms, and Serena Yates, have all contributed their talents and their time to make this anthology of male/male erotic romance possible. You can find the Anthology here.

Have a great Easter Weekend!

Reading List - March 2010 & Man Candy

March has been a weird month for me with losing our baby Binny right in the middel of it (the 17th). It damped my enjoyment in bloghopping and writing reviews. Only this week I started to pick up where I left a little bit. I certainly want to bloghop and review much more again in April!
Luckily, it didn't diminish my reading a lot, although I started reading a few books that I haven't finished yet. Somehow I couldn't stay focused and left them to pick up another book. But I definitely will finish them soon (among them J.R. Patrick's Only Yours, Lorie O'Clare's Taking It All, Joey W. Hill's Natural Law (almost finished) and Rachel Vincent's Shift).
I still managed to read 10 other romances in March, that brought some wonderful distraction from my grief.

This is my list:
1. Midnight Dalliance by S.J. Frost, 3.5 stars
2. Conquest by S.J. Frost, 4 stars
3. Catch Me If You Can by L.B. Gregg, 4 stars
4. The Darkest Fire (Lords of the Underworld, #0.5, Prequel) by Gena Showalter, 2 stars
5. The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, #1) by Gena Showalter, 4 stars
6. Issue of Trust by Lorie O'Clare, 3.5 stars
7. Rope Dreams by Eliza Gayle, 3 stars
8. Somebody Killed His Editor (Holmes & Moriarity, #1) by Josh Lanyon, 4 stars
9. More by Sloan Parker, 5 stars
10. Freeze Frame (Faerily Imperfect, #3) by Mia Watts, 4 stars

I'll write some reviews later and post them in April!
 
Blog wise March was a friendly month for me. I received quite some blog awards. One of them I haven't even mentioned yet. It's the Love Your Header Award from Leontine. Thanks hon!
 

 
And what would a monthly wrap-up post be overhere at my place without some yummy man candy, right? So, one delicious, hot, playful guy coming up! Enjoy!