CHECKING IT TWICE, a fake-dating, close proximity, small-town, holiday hockey romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, Kendall Ryan, is out now! Sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree—they’re standing right in …
JUST BREAKING THE RULES, a sexy new single dad, opposites-attract, workplace hockey romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Blakely, is coming January 21st! Check out this cover! Title: JUST BREAKING THE RULES …
THE FLIRTING GAME, a new sexy, revenge fake dating, neighbors-to-lovers, workplace hockey romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Blakely, is coming to Kindle Unlimited on December 26th! Check out this cover! …
THE EXCEPTION, an all-new billionaire, forbidden workplace romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Vi Keeland, is coming on January 11th! Check out this cover! Title: THE EXCEPTION Authors: VI KEELAND Genre: STANDALONE …
Stella Mulroney had been getting an education, with Lawyer Gabe Gregory teaching her The Alphabet Game, a sexual exploration from A through to Z, so she could infiltrate the sex clubs owned by her stepfather. After the restaurant debacle, Stella now has more to learn. Can Gabe be trusted, or is her stepfather no longer the enemy? Stella hires a Private Investigator to help her track down her stepsister Isabel, who might hold some of the answers. Or then again, maybe Isabel has secrets of her own …
Review
This is book 2 in a series. This book picks up right where book 1 left off. Stella was advised not to trust Gabe because of things he did in his past. This information came from a source that is even less reliable than Gabe is being presented as. Her friend Ronnie hits rock bottom and is in rehab. Stella feels like she can’t trust anyone.
The book is well written, with good grammar and spelling. I’m sorry to say, that it just isn’t grabbing me as a book should. I was hoping Stella would grow on me but she doesn’t. She just annoys me more. And Gabe, well, it was sexy in the beginning, his alpha, dirty mouths actions, now its just get crude and crusty. The author really did a fabulous job on this book as well as the first book, she is definitely good at the “cliffy”, but its just not a story that is going to grab me and reel me in and I apologize for that, but I guess as an author you cant please everyone.
I wish the author well, and I praise her writing in general, and I would absolutely give something else she wrote a try, I’m just not really that into Gabe and Stella.
New York Timesand USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover returns with a heart-stopping new series… Welcome to the Point.
There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.
Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.
Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.
Bax terrifies her, awakening feelings she never thought she’d have for a guy like him. But it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize . . . some boys are just better when they’re bad.
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She will also be introducing the dark and sexy world of The Point in a new series this summer starting with Better When He’s Bad. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.
There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.
Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.
Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.
Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.
Review
“My name is Shane Baxter, Bax to most people, and I’m a thief.”
Better When He’s Bad is the first book in a new series, Welcome to the Point by Jay Crownover. Can we just say how completely and excitedly giddy I was to get this book! OH MY, a Jay Crownover man who is actually a bad guy, Yes for sure I needed this immediately. This was a departure from the normal male in her other series, Marked Men, who are all unique and different from the norm of society but all truly good guys who work at making the right decision. Shane Baxter is not a good guy and often chooses the easy decision not the right one and oh boy did I love him.
“Some boys . . . they are just better when they’re bad.”
So not only is Bax not a good guy he is proud of this fact and points it out often. So how bad is Bax . . . well he did just get out from a FIVE YEAR stint in prison. Why does this excite me so much, I mean really I might need mental help because Bax just did some crazy things to my lady parts. Now that Bax is out of prison he has two missions, 1. find and pay back those who put him there, 2.find his only friend, Race, who is missing. It is this second item on his short to do list which lands him in a seedy apartment with a frying pan wielding red headed Dovie.
“I had to hide an amused grin as she glared at me. That red hair wasn’t a lie. She was all kinds of fiery and full of fight.”
Much like Bax, Dovie grew up in the slums and her childhood was nowhere near picture perfect. Unlike Bax, Dovie is a good girl and is working hard to support herself while she goes to school and tries to constantly make the right decision and be a good person. So how do these two very different people get involved . . . well for that you will need to read the book but lets just say Dovie in interested in locating Race too and does not mind that she might be in Baxs way and even a little unwanted in the search. It doesn’t take long once these two are around each other for things to go from awkward ( he thought she was too innocent and like a plain farm girl) to OH MY steamy. Things heat up fast and these two have some crazy undeniable chemistry.
“You going to go to bed with me?” I sucked in a hard breath through my nose. I wanted to look away but he wouldn’t let me. “Probably.”
The part that I loved the most in this book was how accepting of Bax Dovie was. He was never going to be a straight laced guy who takes the hard road and made all the tough choices. While she wanted him to stay safe, she also wanted him, the him she met, the him she cared for and the him who was fiercely caring and protective for those who mattered. Better When He’s Bad was a much grittier and heavier book than Jay’s other series, and while I will always love my Marked Men and desperately need more of them, I am so glad that Jay decided to take this leap out of her comfort zone and prove she can wrote a different kind of hero who is still incredibly appealing.
“She was right. Bax was nothing but bad news, but Shane . . . well, Shane could be sweet, thoughtful, and there was more going on with him than met the eye.”
I loved how this story proved that no one is fully good or fully bad. When you live a poor and hard life sometimes doing the wrong thing is not really wrong or at least it somehow becomes more understandable. Bax was not a good guy, he fought, stole and mostly just looked out for himself but we also got to see him grow and become caring for another and so protective that there was literally nothing he wouldn’t do to keep Dovie safe, including keeping her away from him and the trouble that follows him around. The storyline in this book was intricate and exciting and while Bax is not a good guy we quickly find out there are much worse ones out these and at the moment they do not like Bax and Dovie. This book was much more action packed than her other series and I loved the whole mystery element. While the characters and great sex hooked me into this book it was really the incredibly well written and thought out story line that made it a 5 star read for me.
“The only coherent thought I had after that, as the very edge of her teeth scraped over my most sensitive flesh was oh fuck. I prided myself on keeping it together no matter what the situation was, and she had just undone me.”
Starting this book I was worried, how could I love a self proclaimed “bad guy.” I knew it was possible, I’ve fallen for them before, but still writing a character who is bad enough to earn the title and still someone people can fall for is a tough job and not a ton of authors have done it so successfully. Better When He’s Bad was for me equal parts gritty, suspenseful, wicked, fun, sexy and just down right a great story. The plot was exciting and constantly had me wondering how it would all turn out. By the end of the book all I could think about was how I wanted to see more of this side of Jay’s writing personality!
Life is all about the jigsaw, right? Finding the different puzzle pieces to complete your very own picture. A career you love, a house to make a home, a lover to complete you, and keep you warm at night.
Danielle Renton has a life, and she loves it. A recent law school graduate, she’d been floored when her boyfriend, Nate Lewis, enlisted during their sophomore year of college. At the time, she’d been concerned with what that meant for them as a couple, but in the years that followed, they’d learned to adapt to the logistics of an army relationship. But when life throws her a curveball, how will she cope? Can she pick up the pieces and make her picture beautiful again? Or does she realize that, sometimes, the pieces can be too broken to fit back together…
My heart beats for you and you alone. I know there will be hard times, times when you’re away and I wonder how I’m going to do it, but I promise to always let my love for you help me through those times—knowing that while I’m here missing you, you’re somewhere missing me.
The kiss seemed to last forever, but it came to a point where I had to end it for fear of never wanting to leave. The tears in her eyes as I stood up to walk to the door broke something inside of me, something that wouldn’t be fixed until she was back in my arms again.
His tongue parted my lips and slid into the warmth of my mouth.
Testing.
Tasting.
Teasing.
My feet shuffled backwards until the back of my legs hit the bed but Nate didn’t stop moving. It wasn’t until he’d pushed me down onto the bed and covered his body with mine, did he lift his lips.
Rebecca Brooke grew up in the shore towns of South Jersey. She loves to hit the beach, but always with her kindle on hand. She is married to the most wonderful man, who puts up with all of her craziness. Together they have two beautiful children who keep her on her toes. When she isn’t writing or reading (which is very rarely) she loves watch SOA, TrueBlood, and The Walking Dead. She is also the author of the Forgiven Series.
Life is all about the jigsaw, right? Finding the different puzzle pieces to complete your very own picture. A career you love, a house to make a home, a lover to complete you, and keep you warm at night.
Danielle Renton has a life, and she loves it. A recent law school graduate, she’d been floored when her boyfriend, Nate Lewis, enlisted during their sophomore year of college. At the time, she’d been concerned with what that meant for them as a couple, but in the years that followed, they’d learned to adapt to the logistics of an army relationship.
But when life throws her a curve ball, how will she cope? Can she pick up the pieces and make her picture beautiful again? Or does she realize that, sometimes, the pieces can be too broken to fit back together…
Review
I want to start by saying that I am a huge fan of Rebecca Brooke’s books and Letters Home is by far the best yet. Not only is this a beautifully written story that will have you guessing where it is going but it will tear at your heartstrings so hard you won’t know how to continue. I do want to mention that this story does have an HEA and does not involve any love triangle or cheating but also let you know that their are some major twist that happen and I do not want to give any spoilers away.
This story revolves around Danielle, a recent law school graduate who is embarking on a new career and a new life with her long term high school boyfriend, Nate. Nate is everything a boyfriend should be. He is kind, considerate, and gentle. He melts your heart with his words and actions. When women fantasize about wanting men who do amazing things for them and are always looking out for them it is a man like Nate that they are dreaming of.
So far this sounds like an easy sweet romance, right? Well, here is where it gets hard, in order to provide the best future he can for Danielle and himself Nate has enlisted and is being deployed. War is hard. Hard on those fighting and hard on those left at home. I believe the books tagline says it all, Is there life after war? Without giving anything away I want to tell you that war is difficult and sad so have a box of tissues ready and be prepared to work hard to get to the HEA at the end.
Rebecca Brooke wrote an amazing story that took me on a roller coaster of emotions and although the content was difficult at times the story was so beautiful and well thought out that I am so happy I read it. If you like books that touch your heart and take you on a emotional journey than this book is definitely for you!
New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy wraps up her sexy Billionaire Bachelors Club series with a wedding to remember. But this time, they’re not bachelors anymore, and the groom … is one of them.
It’s Gage and Marina’s wedding day, but wedded bliss seems a long way off: Ivy’s just gone into labor. Marina’s missing her matron of honor. And Bryn’s giving Matt the silent treatment.
It’s up to Archer, Gage, and Matt to make sure this day goes off without a hitch. But between brides and babies, there’s the not-so-little issue of the million-dollar bet to attend to. If only they can figure out who won … and who’s paying up. Is everyone a winner? Or will someone leave broke—and brokenhearted?
Excerpt
“Let’s sneak off for a quickie.”
Her jaw drops open. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.” Just thinking about it has me hard. “I want you, Marina. It’s been too long. I don’t know if I can wait another two or three hours or whatever it is before I get you naked in bed.”
She glances down at herself, then up at me. “It’ll take twenty minutes just to get me out of everything I’m wearing.”
I can only imagine what she’s wearing. I bet every bit of it is sexy as fuck. “Can’t I just toss up your skirt?”
Her cheeks go the faintest shade of pink. “God, Gage you’re awful.”
“You love it. It’s why you married me.” I kiss her, letting my lips linger on hers. She needs to know how much I want her. A quick grope and fumble will at least take the edge off. “Come on, baby. Let’s sneak off somewhere. We’ll disappear for ten minutes tops. No one will notice we’re gone.”
“You’re only giving me ten minutes?” Her eyebrows rise.
I laugh. “So greedy. How about you get five and I get five.”
“Now only five?”
Lowering my voice, I brush my lips against her ear. “I can make you come in less than five and you know it.”
She shivers and I smile. “You’re awfully confident in my skills then, giving me only five minutes.” Still, she doesn’t deny that I can make her come in less than five because she knows it’s true.
“I’m already half cocked. Emphasis on the word cock,” I whisper, making her laugh.
“Fine,” she says but she doesn’t sound put out. She’s just as excited as I am. “Let’s go.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.
At twenty-eight, Matt Sky has the perfect life. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers — all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.
At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano is a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.
Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent…
Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah. Hannah’s picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that’s passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable.
From bestselling ebook author M. Pierce comes Night Owl, the first novel in a provocative erotic trilogy where an anonymous online writing partnership turns into an uncontrollable, passionate obsession.
Review
Ahh! I am really trying to think of where to begin. I read this book months and months ago. It just really stayed with me and left me with the worst book hangover EVER! It is rare that I am left speechless. In this case , it is mostly because I have so much to say.
Night Owl is Matt and Hannah’s story. Their story of lust, love, addiction and all the angsty bits in between. Matt meets Hannah through an online writing forum. He simply wants a writing partner. Nothing more. He wants their relationship to remain strictly professional with no personal information being divulged but by pure accident Matt sees a picture of Hannah on her online profile and things quickly escalate.
“Night.Owl: So what are you wearing? Little.Bird: Lol! All the walls are coming down tonight… Night.Owl: Haha. God, sorry. I have no idea why I just typed that. Ignore that. Such a creeper right now.”
Matt cannot stop thinking about Hannah. He becomes obsessed; addicted to her. Online chats become phone calls and phone calls become a relationship. He cannot stop.
“I felt a throb between my legs. I glared down at my Cock. Hold your fucking horses, I muttered. God…fuck was this seriously my life? Stalking a girl I’d met online, parked outside her house at midnight, speaking to my dick?”
I love Matt Sky. No, seriously, I LOVE him. He is the ultimate book boyfriend. He is damaged, and real, and gritty, and he talks dirty, and he is simply magnificent! His neediness, social awkwardness, and filthy mouth make for a heady combination. He just felt so real to me. How can he be so much a little boy and an alpha dominant at the same time? It just melts my heart. Sighs. M. Pierce, you wrote Matt beautifully. I found my most favorite book boyfriend ever. Lets not skip over Hannah, though, because she makes Matt who he is and I almost love her with as much fervor. Hannah is strong in the wake of Matt’s weakness. She makes Matt better and let’s face it; she is the heroine of this story. I think after maybe my tenth read of this book, I finally stopped focusing so much on the delicious Matt and really zoned in on Hannah. She builds Matt up and she brings him low. She really is the master of Matt’s fate. Her character made me feel proud as a woman; taking what she wanted from Matt but not settling for less than what she deserves. Then her rescuing him, saving him from himself, really sealed the deal. She is the ultimate woman lead; strong, stable, kind, and loving.
“You are always deceiving me. Always, Matt, always speaking to me from any mouth but your own. Don’t you know that I love you? I see under all your lies, and I always find you.”
I feel like I need to touch on Matt and Hannah’s sexual chemistry for a bit. It was a huge part of this book and not like you think. There wasn’t tons of sex just for the sake of having a sex scene. Matt and Hannah’s raunchy and emotion provoking sex was written to make you feel something. To make you connect and understand these characters and their needs. To make them understand each other. Don’t get me wrong, this book was dirty but the way it was written was erotic and sensual. It didn’t feel gross or crass. Matt demands and Hannah obeys and all through the filthy talk and kinky sex all you feel is strong passion and love.
Night Owl was my absolute favorite book of 2013. If you haven’t noticed from this review, I would give it a million stars if I could. Few books have the ability to reach in and touch me so deeply. The characters are likeable, yet flawed. The writing is emotional, erotic, and thought provoking. This book will have you entranced; turning the pages in a lustful and romantic haze, and leaving you wanting more, more, more.
“Tautly written, complex, and vibrating with a dark sensuality that will have you at once blushing and anxious. You’ll think you have this book pegged . . . but you’ll be wrong.”—Christina Lauren, New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors of The Beautiful Bastard series
From bestselling ebook author M. Pierce comes the first novel in a provocative erotic trilogy where an anonymous online writing partnership turns into an uncontrollable, passionate obsession
At twenty-eight, Matt Sky has the perfect life. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers — all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.
At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano is a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.
Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent…
Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah. Hannah’s picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that’s passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable.
M. Pierce is the bestselling author of Night Owl, book one in the erotic Night Owl Trilogy. The author lives in Colorado and owns a rabbit named Laurence.
Matt’s cool, clear voice swirled in my ear. It was distantly accented—New Jersey, maybe New York—and a little husky.
He sounded sleepy.
He sounded sexy as hell.
I had the overwhelming urge to ask him to keep saying my name. Hannah, Hannah, Hannah. Help me come. Warmth bloomed between my legs.
“Okay then.” He laughed softly. I felt my reason melting at the sound. “We’ll play the one-sided conversation game. I’m Matt, it’s nice to—” Again, he broke into quiet laughter. His voice was rich with amusement, but not warm. He sounded contemptuous. He sounded ready to laugh at anything, simply for the pleasure of laughing with his silky voice.
I couldn’t help but picture the devilish eyes that must have accompanied that voice.
Green eyes, I decided. Dark green, secretive and deep like a forest.
“I was going to say it’s nice to meet you,” he went on, “but I guess we’ve technically met online. Now we’re meeting on the phone. Maybe…” He trailed off. I heard some shuffling. “God, if this is you trolling me Nate, I swear I’m going to break your fucking—”
“Hey! Sorry, I—” I scooted over to the bathroom door, opened and closed it, then sat back against the wall. Brilliant. Sorry, I was soaking my underwear while I listened creepily to your voice. “—sorry, yeah. I had to go in the bathroom. My sister is asleep.”
Matt was silent for a moment.
“Is that why you’re whispering?” he said.
“Yeah. She’s really tired. We’re at a motel, we just stopped. Pretty sure the wall between this bathroom and her bed is a piece of plywood, so.”
“Well… damn. I wanted to hear your voice. I mean, your regular volume voice.” He chuckled. “Do you think you could risk a few words? I’ll deal with your sister if she wakes up.”
I smirked, imagining a conversation between my hotheaded sis and this glib personality.
“I think that would be a bad idea. But, um. Sure. What should I say?”
“With your normal voice? How about, the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
“Okay.” I cleared my throat. I was suddenly painfully self-conscious about my voice. “Um. Okay. The… the quick brown fox—”
Laughter exploded on the line. It was loud and sharp, nearly cruel.
“Oh… my god Hannah.” I heard a clatter, then some scuffling. “Oh fuck. You were really saying it. The quick… brown fox… oh god.” Matt dissolved into laughter again.
I glared at my knees.
“What’s so fucking funny?” I whispered.
“Hannah. Hannah, I’m sorry.”
I heard him take a few calming breaths.
“Okay,” he said. “I’m sorry. Ignore me, seriously. I have a weird sense of humor. That… that struck me funny. You have a lovely voice. Go figure.”
Go figure? What did he mean by that?
“Look, is there a reason you wanted me to call, or were you just looking for some late night entertainment?”
“Pretty sure this classifies as early morning entertainment, Hannah.”
“Okay. Well whatever. Look, I’m not sure why I—”
“I can’t stop thinking about you.”
His words stopped me cold.
His words, and something in his voice. Honesty.
“What we did,” he continued. “Or what you did to me…”
My throat went dry. What I did to him. It should have grossed me out, the thought of a stranger beating off to a few details about my body, but it didn’t. It intrigued me. The heat between my legs pulsed.
“You know what I’m talking about,” he insisted. An edge came into his voice at the slightest provocation.
“Y-yeah,” I managed. “Yeah.”
“You enjoyed it.”
“Yeah.”
“You said you wished I were pounding into you.”
“Yeah…”
I couldn’t believe this smooth-talking stranger was dictating to me how I felt.
I couldn’t believe I was blindly agreeing.
And I couldn’t believe my considerable vocabulary had suddenly been reduced to “yeah.”
“Hannah, you made me come so hard. And I did it again, thinking about you. Let me return the favor.”
His words hung in the silence between us.
Return the favor. Help me come.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Playlist:
July Flame — Laura Veirs
Blue Caravan — Vienna Teng
Body Electric — Lana Del Rey
The Ghost On the Shore — Lord Huron
A Message — Coldplay
A Love Song — Amanda Blank
Blinding — Florence + The Machine Dog
Days Are Over — Florence + The Machine
In the Sun — Joseph Arthur
Not Dark Yet — Bob Dylan
Ride — Lana Del Rey
The First Days of Spring — Noah & The Whale
Flowers in Your Hair — The Lumineers
Oh Take Me Back — M. Ward
10 Mile Stereo — Beach House
Blood — The Middle East
Man in the Long Black Coat — Joan Osborne
Damnit Anna — The Morning Benders
Jigsaw Falling Into Place — Radiohead
Billie Holiday — Warpaint
Civilian — Wye Oak
Love Is Blindness — Jack White
Only Now — JBM
Born to Die — Lana Del Rey
Gods & Monsters — Lana Del Rey
Burning Desire — Lana Del Rey
Blue Jeans — Lana Del Rey
When I Grow Up — First Aid Kit
[Notes: July Flame — Chapter 16, M & H on The Fourth. Blue Caravan — Ten Thousand Nights. The First Days of Spring, Oh Take Me Back, & When I Grow Up — Matt in Geneva. Only Now — Chapter 19, M. Pierce’s Identity Unveiled. Beach House, The Lumineers, & Warpaint — songs M & H listen to in the car. Love Is Blindness — Chapter 21, trying to get Hannah back. Civilian — Hannah going to NY. The Ghost On The Shore, Not Dark Yet — Hannah’s hollow life, Chapter 22. Jigsaw Falling Into Place — Dancing at Lot 49, Chapter 6. Gods & Monsters, Blue Jeans, Ride, Born to Die — M & H getting it on. (Unspecified songs contributed to or relate to themes and atmosphere throughout the book.)]
M. Pierce did an exclusive interview with Red Cheeks Reads! We decided to ask the important questions!
RCR: Just as your book inspires authors, what authors have inspired you to write?
M. Pierce: I love this question. As an author, it’s an honor to “consider my betters.”
The first books I read that inspired me to write novel-length fiction were in the Dragonlance series – and before you judge me too harshly, remember, I was twelve to fifteen at the time! Nothing seemed cooler than knights, wizards, and epic quests.
High school introduced me to the classics – The Scarlet Pimpernel, which blends the excitement of genre fiction and the style of literary fiction, The Great Gatsby with its fine writing and compelling plot, Shakespeare’s unparalleled storytelling and panache, Chaucer’s colorful, bawdy characters, the captivating quality of narrative nonfiction that we see in Never Cry Wolf, the commanding pleasure of a good story well told (Mrs. Mike, My Antonia), not to mention what the poets taught me – the power of simple words in the best order (Robert Frost), how to layer allusion and personal experience (T. S. Eliot), and where religion dovetails with the creative life (John Donne).
In college, I like to think I took a master class from the 18th century authors, some of the first to attempt and experiment with the novel form. I discovered my love for translations. I read short stories that changed the way I approach my own fiction (“Pet Milk” and “A Bullet in the Brain” – plus my favorite short story, “The Dead” by James Joyce). I read the strong styles of Kerouac and Bukowski, which prompted me to consider my own style. I bought more books than I could reasonably read.
And all this just scrapes the surface of books and authors that inspired my writing. I owe a huge debt to many, many artists. (Smarty pants.)
RCR: If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?
M. Pierce: I’m not sure who I’d want in the role of Matt, but a brunette Scarlett Johansson would make a hot Hannah, or maybe Jennifer Lawrence. (Everyone loves Jennifer, even M.)
(OK enough Book questions let’s get to the juicy stuff ;))
RCR: Do you write naked? (Don’t look at me like that, inquiring minds want to know, M!)
M Pierce: Haha. Damn. This made me laugh.In the summer, I sometimes write in partial states of undress. Do I sit at my desk in the nude? Hahaha. That’s a negative. Occasionally, I answer e-mails in my towel or a bathrobe, so there’s that.(I like to think that M. answers all of my emails and personal messages in the buff.)
RCR: What’s the biggest lie you have ever told?
M Pierce:I once told someone I was single when I wasn’t. Bad lie, didn’t end well. I’m not proud of that. (Reminds me of a certain fictional character I know.)
RCR: If you had a super power, what would it be?
M Pierce: When this question comes up lately, I find myself wishing I had the power to write bestsellers overnight… in my sleep. Probably this stems from the pressure of writing on deadline. (We wish that was your super power too, M! Because we simply cannot get enough of your writing,)
RCR: Thanks for answering all of our crazy and inappropriate questions today, M!
M Pierce: Thanks for these fun, thoughtful questions. I thoroughly enjoyed answering them and being here today.
Giveaway:
M. really wanted to go all out for the blog tour since it’s been a long time coming – we have 20 awesome prizes! If you could please include the list of prizes in your post, that would be greatly appreciated:
Take a girl like Columbia, put her in a vastly different life with a man unlike anyone she’s ever known. Throw in Dimitri’s nightmares, the Concierge’s disdain for Dimitri’s new house guest and a few hundred people looking high and low for the both of them…and it makes for a very interesting read.
Picking up at the end of the last chapter, this novella covers the time until the Epilogue from the first bestselling novel in this series, The Beast.
Two twisted and imperfect beings must adjust to their new lives together while avoiding detection from authorities and an international crime ring.
***As with the first novel in this series, this story covers dark themes with graphic sex, murder and violence.
“I don’t see how we can expect to travel around and not change my appearance,” Columbia said for the hundredth time since they returned from their horrible encounter.
“I will not have you destroying your hair because of that monster you killed,” he replied. His voice let her know he wasn’t in the mood for argument. “It’s bad enough he drove you to destroy your body and almost destroyed your soul.”
“I just think it would be better if I tried it for a year or two. I could cut it short and go blonde. Maybe get contact lenses?” she asked, trying to get him to think about this from a logical standpoint. She knew he loved her hair, but if she was going to be recognized then it made sense to change something. She thought about Eden’s pink locks and added, “I could go pink even,” and smiled.
He looked at her, smirked and said, “You would not look good in pink, little dove.” He reached for her and pulled her towards him on the chaise.
“How do you know?” she asked, “pink might be my colour.” She wiggled up to snuggled into the crook of his arm. She loved him more for standing up against the stranger earlier.
“I think red is your colour,” he said and ran his hand along her back. She shivered at his touch, still in awe of the effect he had on her.
“Red?” she asked. “I never wear red.”
“I was talking about your ass,” he replied and chuckled, a low mirthful noise that rumbled in his massive chest. “The stripes I lay on it with the crop. Or the marks I leave with my bare hands.”
“Oh…that,” she said and squirmed against him, thinking about the crazy sensation of being held down and punished. How pain, being her constant companion, had finally become her closest ally under his care. When she had been alone, pain had been a release from her misery, and escape from the anguish she carried with her at all times. With Dimitri it had become a way to lose control, let go of the misery and let pain guide her higher. It enhanced her pleasure in ways she never thought possible, so much so that she almost couldn’t remember what it felt like to loathe the pain she had once inflicted on her own body.
His hand trailed down to cup her ass; she tilted her pelvis and gave him a handful of flesh. She pressed against him and felt him bring up the hem of her dress. She closed her eyes and rested on his chest as he said, “Yes, that…your ass, your body, it’s mine. You belong to me. I will not have you cutting your hair or changing the colour, or did you already forget your place with me?”
I’ll be honest with you—I’m no hero. Sure, the media tries to brand every Navy SEAL as some kind of Batman dressed in cam-mies. There’s even a line in one of our cadences: Superman is the man of steel, he ain’t no match for Navy SEAL. You’ve seen the movies—we’re infallible, invaluable, invincible. But that night, the one you read about in the papers … all I really wanted to do was get laid.
One harmless fuck with a Aruban whore, no strings attached. I picked her out of a lineup—wild, dark hair, long legs and a crook-ed smile. After she sucked me off, I relaxed back onto the creaky, cum-stained cot, thankful for the blissful moments she gave me when I actually forgot for a second the faces of my buddies who died because I made the wrong call, the tears of the children I couldn’t save, and the eyes of the enemies I slaughtered during their last seconds of life.
But before I left, her hazel eyes peered into my soul. She whis-pered in a distinct Californian accent, “My name is Annie Hamilton. I’m an American citizen. I was kidnapped on spring break five years ago. You’re my last hope. Please save me.”
One desperate plea. This wasn’t a Hollywood blockbuster or a New York Times best-selling thriller. I knew this time there was no room for excuses, no margin for errors. I had one chance to put on the cape and be her hero.
Alana Albertson is the former President of both Romance Writers of Americas’s Young Adult and Chick Lit chapters and the founder of Academe Advantage, a college admissions & test preparation company. Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, Alana currently writes contemporary romance and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and four dogs. When she’s not spending her time needlepointing, dancing, or saving dogs from high kill shelters through Pugs N Roses, the rescue she founded, she can be found watching episodes of House Hunters, Homeland, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
I’d fulfill my duty to her, keep my promise. But after that, she was on her own. There was no other way. She had a family and a boyfriend waiting for her anyway. I could never fit into her life and she could never be a part of mine. She’d have to forget she ever met me, just like I hoped she would forget all the torture she endured. And I could go back to living my life the way I liked to.
