Author Archive
From Karen: I’m excited for our guest today at the Smutketeers. I’ve been reading historical romance author Jenna Petersen/Jess Michaels for years! So without further ado, let me introduce to you Jess Michaels, erotic historical romance author extraordinaire. And make sure you read the interview till the end because there’s a contest!
Welcome to the Smutketeers blog Jess! First of all, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Thanks so much for having me. I’ve written over 30 books under three different names for both mainstream publishers, small presses and self-publishing. I live in Arizona with two cats and my husband. We have two nephews we adore. I enjoy reading, travel, video games and MMA.

Please tell us about your new book with Samhain, AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE.
It’s the first in a three-book series about a Regency-era mistress who is a matchmaker between gentlemen and mistresses. In the first book, an innocent young woman is forced into a life of a courtesan and asks the mistress matchmaker to arrange a lover for her. She puts her with a broken man who was a once a great rake. And the training begins…
Oooh, sounds delicious. Is this book a part of a series? And if so, how many books do you have planned?
The series is Mistress Matchmaker and there are three books. AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE (June 19), FOR DESIRE ALONE (November 6) and HER PERFECT MATCH (March 5). All from Samhain.
Any behind the scenes secrets about AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE or the series? We’d love to hear the juicy details. *winks*
Well, this series is something I pitched years ago when I was still with Avon Red. At the time, EVERYTHING FORBIDDEN had just come out though and they wanted to have more stories in that series, so I put it aside. I kept revisiting it, though, and when I decided to resurrect Jess Michaels it was the first idea I wanted to pursue. So this series is 6 years in the making.
(Karen: I really loved your Avon Red titles so I’m excited to read this new series! Whee…ahem.)
You have a few pen names – can you tell us more about them and what you write?
Sure! As Jess Michaels I write historical erotic romance. As Jenna Petersen, I write historical romance set in the Regency period. Hot but not erotic per say. You can find both of them online together at www.jennapetersen.com As Jesse Petersen, I write urban fantasy, a lot of it monster related. My zombie series “Living With the Dead” is complete and I just sold a new project, though I can’t talk much about it yet. You can learn all about me at www.jessepetersen.net
You’re a very busy lady! Tell us something about you we’d be surprised to learn, something not many people know about you.
I just opened my own store at etsy for jewelry design. I started to do glass pendant jewelry of a bookish/geekish bent and now I sell that on the side. It’s been tons of fun and I love using my creativity in other ways. http://www.etsy.com/shop/ByTheBookDesigns
(Karen: How cool! Can’t wait to check out your shop.)
What can we look forward to coming next from you?
The rest of the books in the Mistress Matchmaker series are coming this year and next (see above). Hopefully Samhain will want more Jess Michaels works. Jenna has bunches of stuff circulating at publishers and Jesse is also busy, having just sold a new book. So there will hopefully be plenty of work from all three names for readers. The best place to keep up with all my news is my Facebook accounts, which I update regularly. I have one for Jenna Petersen, where I also discuss Jess Michaels work and one for Jesse Petersen, as well.
Okay, here’s the infamous quick and dirty questions we like to ask our guests:
- Tropical island or mountain cabin?
Mountain cabin. I live in Arizona and it’s hot, so somewhere cool is very appealing.
- Vampire, shifter or cowboy?
None of the above. Zombie.
- Boxers or briefs?
Boxers. Briefs are weird. Glad I write regency.
- Handcuffs or scarves?
My regency people would use scarves. So i’ll go with that.
- Quiet dinner in front of the fire or hot night on the town?
Quiet dinner. I’m a homebody.
AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE can be found at Amazon | B&N | Samhain
You can read an excerpt of AN INTRODUCTION TO PLEASURE here.
Contest Time! Jenna/Jess was generous enough to offer a print copy of A RED HOT VALENTINE’S DAY (a four author anthology featuring Jess Michaels, Lacy Danes, Megan Hart and Jackie Kessler) as a prize to one lucky commenter (US residents only please)! Just leave a comment and you’re entered! Contest closes Wednesday, June 27th and winner will be drawn Thursday, June 28th. Good luck!
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 25 Comments »
Thanks everyone for the awesome turnout – and a big smutty thank you to Tiffany Reisz for being a guest here at the Smutketeers! Now let’s announce the winners:
Hanna Martine & Beth Wharton!!!
Congrats ladies! Tiffany will be in touch and get you your prize – her latest Spice Brief, Submit to Desire!!!
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Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Read THE SIREN by Tiffany Reisz
Thank you, Smutketeers, for letting me come smut up your smutty blog.
**We’re so glad to have you Tiffany!!**
Hi Smutsters!

The Smutketeers asked me to stop by this week to talk about my new book series, The Original Sinners. Book one, THE SIREN, came out May 1st in ebook and will release on July 31st in paperback.
When an author hops on someone’s blog to talk about a new book, you know it’s because the author is trying to get you to read their book. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to give you all the reasons why you shouldn’t buy my book. Why would I tell people not to buy my book? THE SIREN isn’t for everyone, certainly not for the faint of heart. You don’t want to waste your time and money. I don’t want another one-star review from someone who thinks BDSM is abuse.
Fair enough?
Reason #1 – You only like romance novels.
People like this exist. I met one. She asked me what I wrote and I said “literary erotica.” She shook her head and said, “Nope. I just read romance. One man, one woman. Happily ever after.” Well, that’s fine by me. I was one of those readers once. Back in middle school I devoured regency romances. I loved the chaste heroines and the restrained heroes and the sweet sex than only happened after a weird provision in the uncle’s will forced them to get married or whatever. Then I read Anne Rice’s The Sleeping Beauty Chronicles and never went back to romance novels again.
The thing is, THE SIREN is not a romance novel. It’s romantic, yes. People are deeply in love in this book. They think about love, long for their lovers. Some hearts mend. Some hearts rend. But THE SIREN is no one man, one woman, happy ever after. How can it be? It’s got three sequels. If everybody rode off into the sunset at the end of book one, I wouldn’t have anything to write about in book two.
Reason #2 – You don’t like reading about BDSM.
The main character in The Original Sinners series is a woman named Nora Sutherlin—Mistress Nora if you’re one of us. That’s right, my female lead character is a Dominatrix. She’s also a Switch which means she not only tops (for money), she submits (for love and pleasure). If the thought of a woman with a riding crop or a man slapping his love during sex freaks you out, then move along. Nothing to see here.
I’m kinky and have done BDSM for years. There’s almost nothing that happens in THE SIREN that I haven’t done or seen or had done to me. BDSM is a game, a sexy game where everybody wins. But it’s a rough game and people do get hurt playing it. If that’s not your thing, then this is not the book for you.
Reason #3 – You don’t like tough women or female Dominants.
Mistress Nora is a lot of things. She’s funny, irreverent, smart, and sexy. She’s no bitch by any stretch of the imagination, but she doesn’t have to be. She dominates a whole room with her wit and smoldering sexuality. She’ll hit on you one minute, threaten your life in the next, and she’ll smile the entire time she’s doing it. In most novels, the male lead character has all the answers, all the secret knowledge, all the dark connections in his mysterious past. In THE SIREN, my male lead Zach is a man very much out of his depth with this wild child of a writer/Dominatrix. Mistress Nora is the swashbuckling hero. Her sexy editor is the bluestocking who must face his fears to survive the adventure.
Reason #4 – You’re very Catholic.
Let’s just say that the unofficial tagline of The Original Sinners series is, “This ain’t your momma’s Thorn Birds.” If you’re a devout Catholic, this book will offend you. I’m Catholic and it doesn’t offend me. But then again, I’m a really bad Catholic.
Reason #5 – You want a sex scene on every page.
Calling THE SIREN erotica is something of a misnomer. Porn is not the plot of this book or any of my books. Yes, there are sex scenes and quite a few of them. The BDSM content in them is explicit. The sex…not so much. No “dripping pussies” or “bulging cocks” in THE SIREN. You’ll get more pure smut in a Harlequin Blaze than in one of my books.
And yet my sex scenes still manage to shock people. That’s either a very good reason to read the book…or to not read the book.

Reason #6 – You want a neat and tidy ending.
THE SIREN is book one of an eight-book series. Two sequels to THE SIREN come out later this year (THE ANGEL in September and THE PRINCE in November). The ending to THE SIREN was designed for one specific purpose—to bust Mistress Nora’s world apart so it’ll take at least three books to put it back together again. If you need everything tied up in a neat bow by the last page, you’re sniffing around the wrong book. Nothing gets tied up neatly in these books except the characters.
Reason #7 – You don’t like complicated books.
THE SIREN is not an easy book. My agent describes the book with “one heroine, one hero…another hero, another hero who may not be a hero, and another heroine.” Love Triangles are so 2005. THE SIREN has Love Polygons. One reviewer said he hadn’t read a book as “dangerous and subversive” as THE SIREN since FIGHT CLUB. The world of The Original Sinners is Fight Club if women were involved. That’s why the outfits are better.
So those are my Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Read THE SIREN. If you’re curious why you should read THE SIREN, here are six easy answers:
1- Zach
2- Wesley
3- Kingsley
4- Griffin
5- Michael
6- Søren
Oh, and a bonus reason #7 to read it.
Mistress Nora.
You can find THE SIREN at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin
Now that you’re compelled to go read THE SIREN, let’s talk about a CONTEST! Miss Tiffany is generous enough to give away TWO COPIES of her latest Spice Brief, SUBMIT TO DESIRE. Doesn’t that sound delicious? Just leave a comment and let us know what you think about THE SIREN. Entries must be received by June 15th and the winner will be drawn and announced on June 16th – good luck!
Praise for THE SIREN:
“Tiffany Reisz is a smart, artful, and masterful new voice in erotic fiction! An erotica star on the rise!”
Award-winning author Lacey Alexander
“Tiffany Reisz’s The Original Sinners series is painful, prideful, brilliant, beautiful, hopeful, and heart-breaking. And that’s just the first hundred pages.”
Courtney Milan, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Duchess War
“The Original Sinners series certainly lives up to its name: it’s mindbendingly original and crammed with more sin than you can shake a hot poker at. I haven’t read a book this dangerous and subversive since Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. The most shocking thing, however, is how much you’ll feel for the characters. If your heart doesn’t break at least ten times over the course of The Siren, check yourself into a morgue.”
Andrew Shaffer, author, Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 46 Comments »
Please everyone, let’s give a hearty and smutty welcome to the lovely and talented Sierra Dean!
Where do you find the time?
If there’s any question I hear most as an author, this has got to be it. Last May my first published release came out from Samhain, Something Secret This Way Comes. I was SO EXCITED to finally be a published author, but there was something else to consider:

When was the next book coming out?
By the time Something Secret debuted, I’d not only already finished writing the prequel novella, I’d also finished writing the second full length book. I did all of this while working a full time job in retail AND working as a wedding photographer.
Now, as we approach summer, my fourth full length novel is due for release in July. I’m still working a full time 9-5, and I’m still a wedding photographer. So, as always, people ask: Where do you find the time?
To be honest, I don’t know.
I know that sounds goofy, but it’s the god’s honest truth. On any given day, my to-do list will contain a dozen different work related tasks, social engagements and the ever looming deadline of my next book. Recently at RT I listened to other authors talk about their “method.” The process every author has that helps them get their work done. Kelley Armstrong writes every morning religiously. I am a little less… structured.
When I’m motivated there are days I will write EVERY day, at least 1500 words a day. But it can be tricky to find the time for that sort of commitment. With Keeping Secret, my July release, I did something entirely different. Parts were written in the 1500 words a day method, yes. But I also took a long weekend and wrote a full 30,000 words in one sitting. And two weeks later wrote the final 20,000 words. That kind of output is exhausting, and draining. I’ve written very little since.
But you do what works. You do what you have the time and drive to do, and that’s how you get it done. Maybe it sounds a little madcap, but what are authors if not all a little crazy?
(We can all attest to the above statement, LOL)
Contest: Want to win a print copy of Sierra’s book Something Secret This Way Comes? Just leave a comment and you’re entered! (Contest for North American residents only please)
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 13 Comments »
So excited to introduce our guest today. Not only is Elle an amazing author but she’s also an old friend of mine! Plus, she’s talking about one of our favorite topics: smutty, dirty words. *winks* Take it away, Elle!
Keeping Track of the Smut
First off, I wanted to thank the Smutketeers for letting me stop by today! Karen and I used to be on another group blog before life got in the way (as it always does), so it feels fantastic to reunite with her once again via the blogsphere.
Now, today’s topic: dirty words. I think one of the biggest challenges of writing for more than one publisher is remembering which dirty words can go into which books. I know, that sounds totally bizarre, right? But it’s a problem I’ve been having this entire week, as I attempt to write 3 different stories in 3 different genres for 3 different publishers.
I still remember the first time I used the p-word in a sex scene (hint: I’m not talking about penis here—think the lady equivalent LOL). I was blushing like crazy and giggling like a preteen. Now, I’m dropping p-bombs all over the place, along with all kinds of other bombs. In erotic contemporary, this is perfectly acceptable. In category romantic suspense? No way.
My brain knows which books get to have f-words galore, and which ones need “craps” and “darns”. The p-word in some stories, “aching core” in others. Anything-goes-sex in some, don’t-even-think-of-bringing-a-third party-into-this-sex-scene in others. But see, sometimes I forget—which is why I spent almost three hours yesterday cutting f-words out of one book and sticking them all in the other.
What I learned from this experience? Writing erotic romance is way more fun! Romantic suspense and sexy contemporaries are my genres—they’re what I love to write, and I do enjoy them both. But sometimes it’s nice to let the p- and f-words fly and not worry about the consequences!
So…Born to Be Wild. P-words? Check. F-words? Check. This is my latest red-hot contemporary from Samhain Publishing. It’s the 3rd book in my Welcome to Paradise mini-series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, and it features a bad boy hero who comes home to seduce his former high school fling.
You can find it at Samhain or Amazon.
And…Midnight Rescue. Dark suspense? Check. Kickass heroine? Check. This is the first book in my new Killer Instincts series with Signet Eclipse, which features a team of sexy male mercenaries and some kickass heroines. The series launches on May 1.

Preorder Midnight Rescue at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Contest time!! I’m giving away one copy of each book – one winner gets BTBW, the other gets MR, and all I want to know is: how dirty do you like your books? Are you all about f-bombs and p-words, or do you prefer more conservative language?
(Karen: Ha! You’re with the Smutketeers – we like ALL the dirty words!)
Comments close at the end of the day on Thursday, April 26th and will be announced here. Good luck!
Also, if you want to know more about either of these books, stop by my website (www.ellekennedy.com) to check out some blurbs and excerpts.
Elle
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 32 Comments »
Let’s welcome our lovely Smutkedette Nancy Gilliand to the spotlight! Nancy is a lovely and loyal member of our Smutkedette bunch and we feel honored she took the time to answer a few questions and offer us a glimpse into her private life.
Thanks so much for joining us Nancy – so let’s get to the good stuff!

Hey Nancy!
1. How long have you been a romance reader? Do you remember the first romance book you read?
I started reading romance stories back when I was a teen (the Dark Ages) and started with romance magazines I ‘borrowed’ from my aunt-there was True Story, True Confessions and Modern Romance, and they were short romances, with happy ever after most of the time, and when I was young, that was scandalous. Probably the first ‘romance book’ I read was Anya Seton’s Green Darkness, a huge paranormal romance (although they weren’t called that then-it was actually billed as SF/F)
2. Do you read other genres besides romance?
I love true crime stories, murder mysteries and science fiction-I’ve read many of the Star Wars books that are out there. I will read just about anything, but I’m not fond of war stories, because there is enough of that in real life, I’d rather not read about it. I like to escape when I read.
3. When did you first discover the Smutketeers? Who was the first one you read?
I think I started with R.G.’s books, and I’m not sure if there even was a Smutketeers then. If so, they were early on. As soon as the Smutketeers were introduced, I grabbed every book I could from all of them.
4. Tell us: Who is the smuttiest Smutketeer? ;)
They all have their moments, but I think R.G. gets ‘down and dirty’ more often with her books. *heh heh no surprise*
5. Have a favorite romance hero or heroine? Tell us all about him/her.
I think my favorite hero has got to be Roarke, from the In Death series by J.D. Robb. Tall, dark, sinfully sexy and rich beyond imagining, and he is strong, attentive and extremely loyal to and devoted to his wife Eve. How hot is that-and he’s Irish, too! What more could a woman want?
6. What is something about you we’d be surprised to learn?
When I was younger, I was a real tomboy, and that lasted well into my adult years. I was in my thirties, pregnant with my youngest, when I was checked into the boards during an ice hockey game, and ended up with a broken knee. There is nothing more entertaining than morning sickness when you can’t get off the bed/couch/chair to run to the bathroom…NOT!!! That was the end, finally, to my active sports participation-I’m just an observer of the games now.
7. Do you have any hobbies? Collect anything? Besides books that is. *winks*

Nancy’s six foot dragon
Hobbies…when I’m not reading or writing reviews, I create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry; earrings, necklaces, bracelets or whatever tickles my fancy at the moment. I also design beaded book thongs for friends. Collections…besides books, I collect anything ‘dragon’ from the tiniest ceramic one (1/2 inch) to a six foot long stuffed one that my cat and I share, and everything in between.
8. In your opinion, what’s the best thing about being a Smutkedette?
The friendship and support of so many good friends. I may not have met them in person, but I still feel like I’ve known them all forever, and I know if I show up and rant about something, they will listen and offer support, and make me feel better. And the hot books and fun and laughter.

Nancy and her cat Purrsephone (love the name!)
Quick & dirty questions:
- Tropical island or mountain cabin?
Mountain cabin
- Vampire, shifter or cowboy?
Dragon shifter
- Chocolate martini or champagne?
Chocolate martini
- Boxers or briefs?
Commando
- Jeans or stilettos?
Why not both?
- Quiet dinner at home or night on the town?
Dinner at home (clothing optional)
- Handcuffs or scarves?
Silk scarves of course
- One partner or…three?
The more the merrier. *Naughty Nancy!*
The Smutketeers will be donating to Nancy’s local food bank (http://www.stlfoodbank.org/) to celebrate her visit…if you would like to join us, you can find your nearest food bank at feedingamerica.org
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 19 Comments »
I meant to post this earlier but the day got away from me! Without further ado, let’s get to the winner of the $10 Samhain gift card!
Congratulations StacieD!
Email me at karen.e.erickson @ gmail.com (without spaces) and I’ll get your gift card to you!
And a big thank you to everyone who stopped by and commented! Y’all made my release week a lot of fun!
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I am so excited that today is finally here. Worth the Scandal is out! And I’m curious to see how my regular readers will react to this story. What’s so different about this book compared to my other stuff, you ask? Well, let me tell you.
First, it’s longer, at approximately 220 pages, which is a good thing. I knew from the beginning the books from the Worth It series would need to be longer. Each Worth brother has a complicated story. Not only about finding the women that they fall in love with, but also exploring the intricate relationship between the brothers. The dynamics are different between each brother and there are, of course, built up resentments, disappointments and anger. What family doesn’t have those kinds of problems?
Second, these books aren’t erotic. No red hot rating from Samhain for this series — shocking, I know. Though please be assured, this isn’t a closed door sort of relationship. As if! I like the spicy, sexy stuff just as much as my readers and no way could these books not be sexy. But I knew they weren’t erotic in nature. They’re very sexy though, I can guarantee that.
Third, I went sort of old school with the plot of Worth the Scandal. I call this series ‘Samhain meets Presents’. Each book is loaded with plenty of sophisticated glamour, exotic locations, alpha males, misunderstandings between lovers…the works. I have a few secrets up my sleeve too. A big one I don’t want to reveal but if you read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about. **yes I’m a tease**
With a new type of series, though, brings worry. Did I carry this off? Will the readers like it? Will they want more? Could I sound more like a neurotic writer (I sound like Chandler Bing)? You know what I mean…

Strictly business? Try telling that to her heart…
Worth It, Book 1
Alexander Worth, President and CEO of Worth Luxury Goods, is a man never to be crossed. His unwavering sense of responsibility to the family business requires him to always be in complete and utter control. Until it comes to Tessa Crawford.
She’s quietly professional, shy, voluptuous…and she works for him. Which means she is the one woman he must never touch, no matter how hard his gut twists with need for her.
After rising above her disadvantaged childhood, Tessa knows the last thing she should do is risk throwing it all away by falling into bed with her sexy boss. But on an extended European business trip, all self-imposed barriers burn away in the heat of their sizzling chemistry.
Once back home, though, whispers of corporate espionage turn into full-blown scandal—and Tessa finds out the hard way where Alex’s loyalties lie. Determined to soldier on, she picks herself up and carries on with a secret, yet welcomed burden. Never guessing that Alex will make a reappearance in her life, ready to show her once and for all that family does, indeed, come first.
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Samhain | iBookstore
CONTEST: To celebrate the release of Worth the Scandal, I’m giving away a $10 Samhain gift card! Just leave a comment and I’ll draw one lucky winner. Contest closes end of Wednesday (March 21). Good luck!
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 35 Comments »
I meant to post this sooner – shame on me! We’ve drawn the winners for this weeks’ guests and here they are…
Winner of Melissa Schroeder’s contest (digital copy of her newest release Callum) is:
DEBRA G!!
Winner of the Crave the Heat blog tour (choice of book by either Stephanie Draven, Laura Kaye or Leia Rice) is:
SHARON BUCHBINDER!!
Ladies, please email me at karen.e.erickson @ gmail.com (minus spaces) and I’ll get you your prizes. Thanks so much for hanging out with us at the blog. Happy weekend everyone!
Other Posts by Karen Erickson 3 Comments »
Give a big smutty welcome to our lovely guest authors Stephanie, Leia and Laura! Plus, they’re having an awesome contest here on the blog so make sure you check out the contest details at the end of the post! Take it away ladies!
Which Hero Is Most Likely To Seduce You?
While Harlequin is known primarily for romance, they also offer hotter fare. Today, authors Stephanie Draven, Laura Kaye and Leia Rice are here to share excerpts that show off their heroes. Which one is more likely to seduce you? You decide!

Stephanie Draven: The Fever and The Fury:
Her honesty hit him somewhere deep. It made him want to lay out his own desires like mission objectives. “I want to see you naked, Phaedra. I want to touch you everywhere. I want to nudge your knees apart and bury myself in you. I want to stroke deep, until you’re writhing and your sweat-soaked belly is sucked tight to mine. Until I’m ploughing you into the bed and you’re crying out my name in the dark.”
She responded beautifully to this kind of talk. A sigh escaped her lips and a flush crept up her neck. The tables had turned and he liked it.
“And then I want to come inside you, Phaedra. I want to come inside you, enjoying every wet pulse. I want to come inside you hot and hard, jerking with satisfaction…and you know what else? I think you want to let me.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want,” she whispered. “Athena wouldn’t condone it.”
“But you do want to go to bed with me, don’t you?”
“Yes.” It was just the one tremulous word, but it was all the permission he needed. He drew her palm to his mouth. Her hand was damp, her pulse leaping beneath his lips. She was so eager. So wanting. But still she resisted him. “Luke, I can’t give you pleasure.”
“Then stop me from taking it,” he said, dragging his teeth up the pale underside of her arm, kissing the soft spot inside her elbow. She seemed entirely undone by this tenderness: she succumbed to it with a helplessness he’d never seen in any woman. It was unfair, some part of him thought. He was taking advantage of her innocence and inexperience. Someone should stop him, because he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
“Luke,” she whispered in warning.
“Stop me,” he said, his lips working up her shoulder and fastening at the pulse just behind her ear, the silk of her dark hair tickling his nose.
When her mouth fell open to speak, his thumb traced her lips and he was rewarded with another moan. His muscles tightened, every part of him straining with the thrill of torturing her for a change and in such a delicious way. “Stop me from kissing you, Phaedra…if you can.”
Leia Rice: I’ll share my hero through another excerpt from The Revolutionary Mistress because I think it speaks volumes to how sexy he really is:
“Jean, you have to believe me. He looked like an angel.”
“An angel? In all of this shit?” Jean dragged a damp rag over the top of the bar, wiping away the rings of water from glass mugs that once rested there. “I find it hard to believe.”
Mariette laughed at Jean. She tiptoed and pulled herself up to sit on the ledge, watching the door for patrons. “Yes, Jean. An angel. His hair, his hands…”
“His hands?”
Before Mariette could talk any more about this man of her dreams, the chimes above the door sung as it opened. Without paying much attention to who came in, she slid back down off of the bar, grabbing her tray.
“Like him?” Jean nodded his head towards the door. Standing there, the very same man glanced about, and when his kind eyes found Mariette, he smiled charmingly
Mariette’s breath escaped her. She imagined one of those new hot air balloons she heard about falling to the ground, deflated and limp — this is how she felt. Or did she feel like a balloon rising and rising?
Laura Kaye: I love a hero whose strength is so implicit he can extend some of the power in their relationship to the heroine. Here’s Kael the Fair, Warrior King of the Vampires, from In the Service of the King:

“Shayla, look at me.”
As much as she’d been waiting for his voice, it still startled her. His use of her name. His tender, regretful tone.
She knew she must obey, but was afraid if she did, she’d lose control of her emotions—and she wasn’t sure whether hurt or anger would win out. Neither was appropriate to show, and both were likely to result in tears.
The king stepped toward her until he was easily within arm’s reach. “Shayla,” he whispered, coaxing her. A long moment passed. And then he fell to his knees before her, his face tilted upward so their eyes could finally meet.
She gasped and her mouth dropped open. He was more fascinating, more gorgeous, than she had even fully recalled. Fire danced behind his eyes, and flashes of gold shined out through the emerald. He was smiling, and it highlighted the strong masculine angles of his jaw and cheeks so vividly it stole her breath. A reaction amplified by the appearance of the sharp tips of his fangs. Shayla licked her lips.
Despite being on his knees, he radiated such palpable power she could feel it jangling in the air between them.
Oh, God. He’s on his knees. A throaty sigh escaped her as she dropped to her own. She was always to be below him.
“Now I can’t see you again.” The warm, amused tone was back. “Please look at me.”
Taking a deep breath, Shayla finally obeyed. Her gaze raked over his intricate tartan robes before finally settling on his handsome face. When their eyes met, the smile he let loose dazzled her, and she smiled back. His playfulness, the incredible sense of ease now possessing him, made it harder to hold on to her anger.
“Thank you,” he said. She nodded. “I have some things I’d like to say to you. Are you willing to hear them?”
Soooo, which hero do you most want another taste of?
Answer the above question in the comments — one lucky winner will be drawn and will receive their choice of one of the authors’ books featured! Good luck!
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About the Authors:

Stephanie Draven is a multi-published award-nominated author of myth-inspired paranormal romance. Writing for HQN Nocturne, Stephanie’s Mythica series asks the question: What if the monsters of ancient mythology still walked the earth…and what if you found out that you were one of them? Currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies, Stephanie lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books.
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Laura Kaye Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of a half-dozen books. Hearts in Darkness is a finalist for the EPIC eBook Award for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
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Leia Rice is an avid lover of everything Parisian, Ancient Grecian and Ancient Roman. She wishes that women would still wear the pretty dresses and petticoats that they did back in the 18th century, but she’s well aware how much of a pain they must have been. Leia writes historical fiction, romance and erotica in these areas, because she cannot get enough of each respective time period.
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