Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Romance Weekly: What am I grateful for?


I'm back--after a long hiatus brought on by my failure to remember to sign up for the blog circle by the Monday deadline each week. This week, I didn't forget, and I'm so glad because this week, being Thanksgiving and all, the theme is gratitude. What am I grateful for? Where do I begin?

I don't pause often enough to think about all I have to be thankful for. It's so much easier to focus on problems and the lack we feel in the daily grind, so I welcome this opportunity to remember what's good in my life. It's been a tough couple of years for me and my family. I lost my business and, unable to find a job, was forced to sell my house at a sizable loss. I also sold or gave away approximately half my worldly possessions, including some of my prized collections. We needed the money to survive. Our savings was in that house, so, it was a painful thing. With no income, buying another was virtually impossible, so, there were times in the past two years when I wondered if I'd have a roof over my head or enough food on the table.

So, I'm grateful I have a house--a considerably smaller one, but I'm satisfied--and food on the table. After we finish dinner every night, I think (and sometimes say aloud), "Well, nobody's going to bed hungry tonight." We're better off than lots of people, sure. And for everything I have, I am grateful.

I'm grateful for my mother, who's generosity made it possible to buy my house and pay the mortgage when we couldn't otherwise. I'm grateful for my husband, who contributes more than I give him credit for most days, and I'm grateful for my daughter, who's brilliant and funny. I'm grateful for my dog, who keeps me company all day when I write, and I'm grateful for my Facebook friends, who support me and bolster my spirits and are just there when I need someone to talk to.

I'm grateful for my talents, mediocre though I think them, but the drive to create burns within me and I'm glad to have different vehicles for its expression. Otherwise, I'd be bored to tears.

Well, that's probably enough for this week. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Now, off you go to see what Xio Axelrod has to be grateful for.  http://www.xioaxelrod.com

Monday, November 24, 2014

Blog Tour: Damned Sinner by Jami Denise


Damned Sinner by Jami Denise
(The Jayne Series), Book Three,
can be read as a stand-alone
Woo-hoo!! It's release day for Damned Sinner by my dear friend Jami Denise. Book Three of her Jayne Series, but can be read as a stand alone. Buy it right now, ladies, or at the very least, get it on your TBR shelf.

Here are the links: 

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/lyIEBv6
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1s5MfgV


Here's the blurb:


Vince Donovan has lost a lot in his life. He has lived life under a code of greed, lies and crime - never allowing anyone to get too close. After losing the empire he fought to build at the hands of a psychotic man in pursuit of revenge, Vince vows to rebuild what he once had. Along with his once protege and now partner, Jayne King, he sets out to create an empire that is based on beautiful women, sex and sin.

Kelsey Franklin is young, beautiful, sexy and should be forbidden. Kelsey is also the one woman that Vince has vowed never to have and yet is the one woman he wants and needs.

When love happens in the unlikeliest of circumstances Vince must ask himself - Is love fit for the damned and the sinner?




Here's an excerpt:
Her lips were glossy and covered with a thick sheen of red. I stared at her mouth while dragging a finger across them and let the paint follow a path down her chin, over her neck, and down her chest. The stain coated the light fabric of the white dress—spoiling it, just like I was spoiling her.
“You can see right through this,” I said roughly and dragged a finger underneath the neckline of the dress. Your little pink nipples are pushing right through it—aching and ready for someone to bite them.”
I let my teeth snap in her ear and then sucked the soft skin into my mouth. “A man like me sees a woman in a dress like this, and that’s what he wants. To touch the nipples you so willingly show off, to bite, pull, tug, and suck on them. He wants to pull those sweet little tits into his mouth, let his tongue run over them until your nipples are so hard they hurt.
She was shaking, but I wasn’t going to stop there. As if to show her exactly what I was talking about, I moved the palm of my hand over her shoulder and down to her chest. I cupped one of her ripe tits in my hand, squeezing softly at first, and then wrapped my fist around it tightly and pulled.
She whimpered, and her knees shook. I was testing her, and so far she failed. As badly as she thought she wanted what I had to give, she had no fucking clue what it meant. She wasn’t ready.
I released her from my grasp and ran my hand over her clavicle, smearing the rotten red mess all over her chest and the top of the dress before moving it down over her belly.
“I could see the valley between your legs when you walked down the hallway,” I growled in her ear. “I could see your little pussy, the sweet V where I’d sink my cock. All I could think about was your long, skinny legs wrapped around my back while I fucked you right there in the hallway.”
She whined. “Please, oh God.” She grabbed the collar of my shirt and tried to pull me closer. “Fuck me, Vince.”
My cock jumped in reply, but I ignored her and went on with my ministrations. I reached the hem of her skirt, and with a swift rip, I yanked it up over her hip. There wasn’t much of it there in the first place, so it was no big task. That pissed me off even more. There were maybe three inches of lift and I could see her pussy.
Rubbing my coarse finger over her soft, silky mound, I stood back and watched her face. I was testing her, but I wasn’t going to push her. If she showed an ounce of regret, I was done. But I had to see where she stood once and for all.
Her eyes fluttered open as if she could read my thoughts. They were as wide as a newborn chick, scared and astonished, but surprised and exhilarated.
But definitely not ready to leave the nest.
I gave her pussy one more swipe of my finger and then a light slap. The shock showed clear in her eyes, and her mouth fell slack with pleasure. I could feel that she was into it, slick and warm and malleable in my hands.
“That’s right, baby,” I said gruffly. “I want to tear this pussy up. I want to make this pussy cry. You have no idea what I want to do to you, and if you don’t stop teasing me, you’re bound to find out.”
She bucked her hips stubbornly, and I narrowed my eyes. Folding my fingers, I gave her clit a hard flick with enough force to knock a dog on its ass.
“You’re not ready for this—or me,” I said, lowering my voice. “I want to defile you in so many ways, but that’s not what you want.”
“Yes,” she said. Her voice shook, and I could feel her heavy heartbeat through her dress.
“I care about what happens to you, Kelsey,” I said as evenly as I could. “That’s why I took you home—where you belonged. If you think walking around in Jayne’s clothes will do you any good, you’re completely wrong. What I want to do with your body is the same thing every other man out there wants. The only difference is, they won’t stop.”
“Don’t stop,” she said weakly, tears sprouting from her eyes. “I can handle anything from you. I love you, and you damn well know it.”
She dropped to her knees abruptly and raised her hands to undo my fly. I had a brief moment of euphoria. This was a regular fantasy of mine to have her on her knees with her mouth on me. It was too fresh and way too clear for me to think straight.
I jerked her up by her shoulders and pinned her back against the wall. “Stop!”
She snarled and fought against my hold on her. “If you don’t want me, why do you care if someone else does?”
I slammed her lightly against the door and leaned forward again so we were eye to eye. “I do want you—that’s not the problem. I want to fuck you. There’s a difference.”


Here's the Jayne Series reading order:

See Jayne Play (The Jayne Series, Book One)

ONLY $0.99







Queen of Hearts (The Jayne Series, Book Two)







Damned Sinner (The Jayne Series, Book Three)


And last but not least, here's the author:


Jami Denise
Jami Denise is a romance writer from Southern California. While she waits for the next felon to come along and sweep her off her feet, she writes about swoony bad boys and sassy gals that make them squirm. She also loves cats, cars, cupcake flavored lip balm, and cherry limeade.



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