Today I'd like to welcome the AWESOME Stephanie Tyler on my blog, my romantic little corner of the web. I am really honored that she made time to write a truly wonderful post about her view on multiple POVs. And with this post we discovered that we "get" each other and that, to me was the best discovery -related to my reading- of 2010!

So, please welcome Steph and make sure to check out the giveaway information at the end of the post to see how you can win a (signed) copy of LIE WITH ME! And a chance at the grand prize at the end of November.


When Pearl graciously invited me to guest blog, she gave me a few questions she had and one of them centered around my view on the power of multiple povs in romantic suspense. I mean, obviously, I love multiple points of view – in all books – both when reading and writing. But exploring the reasons why was really interesting and it was hard for me to try to articulate it.

And then, when I read Pearl’s fabulous review of LIE WITH ME, she gave me an aha moment of my own when she said:

“I had several aha-moments where seemingly unconnected things clicked together, linking the plots and offering deeper knowledge and understanding for events earlier or later in the book. Awesome how Stephanie Tyler does this with all her military romances. And I’m a big fan of the "come full circle" feel her suspense plots have.”

Larissa always used to laugh at me when we’d talk about themes in the Sydney books – because my thing was always, and then it comes full circle and I love full circle!

See, when I’m writing, I picture a big circle – and then all the other circles are inside the big circle, getting smaller and smaller, like pulling a drawstring until that final moment when it’s all pulled tightly together.

And I honestly find that multiple povs are the perfect way to achieve this in an RS. First of all, I’m nosy – I like to be inside of everyone’s head, hear their thoughts. But beyond that, each character’s thoughts / pov has to advance the story along. They have to contribute something that no one else could. It’s an ensemble cast supporting the main hero and heroine – it’s showing you a larger glimpse into their world. And I want to know about the whole world and how it affects the main characters – no one lives in a bubble. I also like the complications different povs bring – I like juggling them when I’m reading and writing.

See, my favorite way to get into a new TV series or continue an old one is to wait for the DVD of the season to come out – it’s so freakin’ satisfying to watch all the episodes in a row, so to speak, and watch how the writers tie in all the threads from all the episodes.

When I’m putting together my books, I like to think of them as if they’re a season’s worth of shows packaged into one book – you’ve got all the ups and downs and I think sometimes, that it’s okay to have questions, to not understand….but you’ve got to trust that the author will get you there. And I think that’s hard in today’s world of instant gratification. I’m just as guilty of it – I love spoilers and before I see a movie, I need to know the ending. But I also love looking for the clues along the way – because a good writer won’t put anything in a book or movie that won’t be important at some point.

So, to that end, to me, the points of view of the characters who speak in my books are your clues. How they feel, what they do…what one character tells you in their thoughts can’t be told to you by anyone else but them. And to me, the switching back and forth helps with the tightening of the noose, so to speak.

Now you’ve got a small glimpse into my (scary) mine. Sorry you asked?


GIVEAWAY
Over the course of about a month (from October 24 until November 30), Stephanie Tyler and I are giving away:
- 2 copies of LIE WITH ME
- 2 copies of PROMISES IN THE DARK and
- a grand prize of a signed set of one of her trilogies (either the Hold trilogy or the Blaze trilogy).


All you have to do is leave a (meaningful) comment with the reviews and/or the guest-posts and you are entered. Each comment is entered for the grand prize in the end.


Up for grabs with this post is a 2nd copy of LIE WITH ME , provided by Stephanie Tyler.
This giveaway ends November 2 (winner announced November 3) and note your comment will be entered for the grand prize.


Make sure you come back on November 23rd for my review of PROMISES IN THE DARK and a chance to win a copy of it, provided by me.

Katie Long was supposed to be undercover. She was just supposed to watch Deputy Prosecutor Eric Kimura at his ex’s wedding and gather intel on his campaign for prosecutor. But he’s a lot hotter in person, and the kind of intel they accidentally shared in the hotel bathroom might lose both of them their jobs. Especially since it seems to be a recurring incident. Is it possible for a one-night stand to last ten days?

Kimura isn’t usually the impulsive type. He’s driven, he’s ambitious, and he knows what he wants—a respectable future in Hawaii politics. Which means wild half-public sex with a beautiful stranger in a short little caterer’s skirt is just tabloid fodder waiting to happen. Conveniently, just as his campaign is coming under attack. Sabotage, media gossip, and an insatiable desire for a woman he just met? If he’s not careful, Counselor Kimura might lose all control…

Title: Impulsive
Author: HelenKay Dimon
Series: Men of Hawaii, book 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Brava
Year of release: 2010, October 26
Format: Tradesize Paperback, 320 pages
Source: Received a digital copy from author for review

First line: Katie Long wasn't sure how they'd gone from "would you like another drink" to crawling all over each other half-naked in the oceanfront estate's hall bathroom, but that's what happened.
Memorable Scene:
Katie surprises Eric in his office scene > HOT! no desk smexing but office chair also definitely works for me!

Eric Kimura is still hung up on his ex and at her wedding to another man, he has sex with a stranger, a waitress, in a bathroom stall. At least it’s better than getting drunk and making a scene. But what he doesn’t know is that the waitress is not an ordinary waitress. Someone hired Katie through an old acquaintance to spy on Eric at the wedding. I was utterly surprised to find out who it was and outraged on Eric's behalf.

Katie Long is an impulsive young woman with a penchant for getting in trouble. She really tries to stay out of trouble and behave but it seems like it just follows her wherever she goes. She’s sassy, vibrant and a wild child with a heart of gold. And while she didn’t plan to fall in love with Eric, she does and once she finds that out she jumps in with both feet.

Eric is the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, about to campaign to be elected Prosecuting Attorney. He’s strait-laced, ambitious and a workaholic. He’s also fair and conscientious. Katie’s zest for life and her spontaneity make him open up and live a little and she’s also that last push he needs to get his ex out of his mind.

As for secondary characters, I loved seeing Deana and Josh from HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO again and must also praise HelenKay Dimon for not cluttering the book with too many secondary characters but instead using the amount needed to support and complement Katie and Eric and the plot. The political intrigue plot that accompanies the romance was subtly written into the rest and, like the secondary characters, never took over. Yet it was a plot that kept me on my toes. First with the who, then with the why.

The first page of IMPULSIVE is the perfect example of a beginning that immediately hooked me. It was hot, with just enough information to make me very anxious for the rest of this story. And the title is absolutely fitting. Eric's behavior though, was also very unexpected and out of character for the Eric I got to meet in HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO so I was curious to see how it all was going to be played out. And I can say now that it played out great. I loved this Eric, who truly and pleasantly surprised me by being more playful and less of a the cool politician than he appeared to be.

HelenKay Dimon writes awesome banter and dialogues. I noticed this in HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO and in IMPULSIVE it continued right from the start with Eric and Seth and later with Eric and Katie. Seriously! HelenKay Dimon takes dialogues to a higher level and this puts her on the top of my favorite contemporary romance authors. Her dialogues are a mix of witty banter and humorous fun and a way of showing her characters' personalities and at the same time creating depth in them. I almost salivated reading them and must admit that while reading IMPULSIVE I would regularly go back to certain dialogues and read them a second time, just to experience the joy of awe-inspiring dialogue again.

What more can I say about IMPULSIVE? It's contemporary romance and then some! It has fun, passion, arguments, chemistry, trust issues, commitment, love and a little bit of suspense. It's delivered through excellent and smooth writing, witty dialogues, serious dialogues, strong main characters and interesting secondary characters. The ending was so sweet it's good I have a major sweet tooth and therefore loved it.

With HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO and IMPULSIVE HelenKay Dimon has written herself straight on to my favorite contemporary romances list and made a new fan for life. If you love contemporary romance and you haven't read HelenKay Dimon's Men of Hawaii books, please remedy this because they're an addition to any lover of contemporary romance’s bookshelves.

Favorite Quotes:
He mumbled the denial right before his head lowered and his lips brushed against hers. For the second time, an engulfing heat swept through him. He'd had sex before. Hell, he'd had great sex before, but there was something about Katie that rubbed him raw and sent a blast of want shooting through him.

Seth and Eric
"You poor bastard."
"What?"
"You're about to get your ass kicked in the female department and you don't even know it."

Just when she wanted to bonk him in the head for being clueless, he said something sweet enough to melt her bones.

Katie's stomach dropped to the floor. Went right through her pantyhose and smacked the space between her feet.

Score one for the underdog…er…wolf.

TJ Lynus is a legend in Granite Lake, both for his easygoing demeanor—and his clumsiness. His carefree acceptance of his lot vanishes, though, when his position as best man brings him face to face with someone he didn’t expect. His mate. His very human mate. Suddenly, one thing is crystal clear: if he intends to claim her, his usual laid-back attitude isn’t going to cut it.

After fulfilling her maid-of-honor duties, Pam Quinn has just enough time for a Yukon wilderness trip before returning south. The instant attraction between her and TJ tempts her to indulge in some Northern Delight, but when he drops the F-bomb—“forever”—she has second thoughts. In her world, true love is a fairytale that seldom, if ever, comes true.

Okay, so maybe staging a kidnapping wasn’t TJ’s best idea, but at least Pam has the good humour to agree to his deal. He’ll give her all the northern exposure she can stand—and she won’t break his kneecaps.

Now to convince her that fairytales can remake her world—and that forever is worth fighting for.

By popular demand: Clumsy sidekick wolf grows up, sarcasm reigns, and the wilderness gets wilder. Includes hot nookie in places you expect—like a remote cabin—and places you don’t.

Title: Wolf Tracks
Author: Vivian Arend
Series: Granite Lake Wolves, book 4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2010, October 26
Format: eBook
Source: Received digital ARC from author for review

First line: Pam let out a long, slow whistle and stared out the window to admire the scenery one more time.

Memorable Scene:
- TJ singing a-capella to Pam > so lovely

TJ is the younger brother the Granite Lake Wolves’ Alpha and from the moment he appeared in WOLF SIGNS and WOLF GAMES I fell for him and his klutzy, clumsy ways. He’s a wilderness guide and has the keenest and best sense of smell in the pack. His clumsiness makes him prone to accidents. TJ is a sweet, cute combination of lighthearted and goofy with protective, calm and reassuring. His boyish charm and confidence come across very clearly and he has many hidden talents. When I read TJ sang I got a little giddy, when he whipped out a guitar I positively swooned.

Pam is a dog handler for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Maggie's (heroine WOLF GAMES) best friend. She’s a little cynical and very outspoken. She’s competent and doesn’t hesitate to say what’s on her mind. The last thing she’s looking for is a relationship, let alone a life mate but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that when you’re the mate of a wolf shifter like TJ.

The chemistry between Pam and TJ is strong and palpable. It carried the story wonderfully next to the witty bantering between them. There were moments it seemed Pam would outshine and predominate TJ but those moments were rare.

Pam took the news of TJ, Maggie and the others being wolves better than I thought. The being mated to TJ was more difficult for her to come to terms with but eventually she took that in stride too. I thought it was very refreshing and inventive of Vivian Arend to pair TJ with a full human, this was new to the series as previous pairings have all been werewolf with werewolf (full-blood and half-breed). It just fitted TJ and the set-up for his character perfectly. Why take the easy road when the hard road is so much more likely to trip you up?

While my very high expectations for TJ's book were definitely met in terms of heat, chemistry and humor I did miss some sort of conflict in the story...expected something like TJ having to make a choice between Pam and his pack or Pam resisting more. However, I understand that with the low page count (in other words WAY too short) there was no room for a conflict to be set up and resolved without sacrificing the strongpoint of the story.

I would have liked a more elaborate epilogue though, especially after finding out this is the final book in the Granite Lake Wolves Series. But...as I also found out there'll be a spin-off series (Yay Shaun! Yay Jared?) I'm hoping for glimpses of the Pam, TJ and the others of the Granite Lake Pack.

Having thoroughly enjoyed reading this series I know that if you loved the previous books in the series, you shouldn’t miss WOLF TRACKS. It’s a worthy last installment of a lovely and humorous set of books and I’m glad I won’t have to miss the wolfies forever as there is more coming from the same world and setting.

I was all hot and bothered and laughing at the same time. I really like this combination in Vivian Arend's writing that never fails to please me. The humor, her signature humor was there in full force from the start. The smile that leeched itself on my face from the second sentence stayed there throughout the entire book. Another great read from one of my favorite Samhain Publishing authors.

Favorite Quotes:

He leaned forward and kissed her knuckles. An icy chill slipped up her spine and oh my God, her body grew instantly wet. Damn! Did he just lick her skin? She knew she was staring, but there seemed to be no way to tear her gaze from his. Even after he straightened, he refused to let her fingers drop and she stood there like some freaking garden gnome statue with her hand limp-wristed in his, hoping by some weird circumstance they’d magically turn out to be standing alone in a bedroom with a mattress on the firm side bumping the back of her knees. Lust stole her tongue.

It was a good thing Maggie had warned him, because incredibly his first impulse upon laying eyes on the beauty was to shift and bury his nose in her dark brown hair. He wanted to sniff her all over, then change back to human form to lick her, starting at her toes and getting delightfully distracted long before reaching anywhere near her throat.

This was driving him mad. He smelled her skin, the natural perfume of her body. Her arousal. His heart pounded, and he strove to keep his face neutral and not pant like a dog.

“I can feel your heart in my soul.”

==================
Make sure you stop by Vivian's Blog to check out her 'Fans and Favorites'-week in honor of WOLF TRACK's release. Just click on the image below to get there.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT…
Deana Armstrong needs a hero—not for herself, but for the nephew all her moneyand time can’t seem to get out of jail. Unfortunately, the best hero in all the
Hawaiian Islands is set on turning in his badge and getting his excellent butt into
another line of work. If that wasn’t enough, Josh Windsor also has a big-time
grudge against Deana herself. But if there’s anything being rich, smart, and
stubborn has taught Deana, it’s never to settle for second best…

Josh has had it with saving people. He’s had it with getting
hauled into court. And boy, has he ever had it with Deana. Or well, he hasn’t had it.
Yet. But the more she pops up sounding infuriating and looking good enough to eat,
the more her hot bod and her cold case wriggle into his mind. And there’s only so
much even a hero can resist…

Title: Holding Out for a Hero
Author: HelenKay Dimon
Series: Men of Hawaii, book 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Brava
Year of release: 2009, October 1
Format: Tradesize Paperback, 320 pages
Source: Received this book from Fatin (@mad4rombks) as a gift in 2009.

First line: He sensed her before he saw her.
Memorable Scenes:
- any scene with Josh, Kane and Annie > awesome banter

Josh Windsor is a federal officer with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). Who decides to quit after his boss sacrificed him to save his own position. He’s blunt, uncompromising, strong and confident. Money is a big deal for him, people who use money and power to their advantage earn his disdain. After a crappy childhood he doesn’t want to be used or taken for granted ever again. Oh and HelenKay, I think Josh has a pen-tapping problem ;) And I wrote this down way before I read page 266...

Deana Armstrong is serious, tenacious, smart and strong-willed. She keeps a tight reign on her emotions, which is why she comes across as cold and in control. She does this with a reason however. A tragic incident in her past triggered it. She’s also wealthy, a fact that on its own earns her the disapproval of Josh Windsor.

Josh and Deana have a past, a past where Deana did some not so nice things, but now she needs help and he's the only one she's willing to ask. Understandably saying Josh isn't forthcoming with his help is an understatement. I loved seeing the tension build between Josh and Deana as they both fight not to like each other. I was immediately getting ready for the inevitable climactic erruption of the chemistry that was building.

Their backgrounds couldn't be any more different. They aren't perfect, have their flaws and hang-ups but HelenKay Dimon wrote a wonderful couple that had depth and were extremely likeable even if they were stubborn (Deana) and acted like an ass occasionally (Josh).

While reading my mind was working overtime. I was wondering about the things going on and a few questions popped in my head. These questions were all answered and satisfyingly so as little by little things from the past were explained and unraveled an intricate backstory. The murder-case plot was important for the romance and the external conflict between Josh and Deana and I really liked the resolutions for both the plot and the conflict. No magical, perfect solutions in order to get a HEA.

The dialogues are just awesome! Quick-witted, sharp, functional and never redundant. Oh how I enjoyed the dynamics of fun conversations filled with jabs and quips between Josh, Kane, Annie and Derek.

After reading an Harlequin Intrigue and an ebook novella by HelenKay Dimon I suspected I was going to love her full-lengths, as the only thing I found lacking in the aforementioned shorts was the length, and I was right. I loved HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO and can't wait to read IMPULSIVE [note from reviewer: In the meantime I’ve read IMPULSIVE and I loved it!] and the other full-lengths and up next is the first book in this series, because I just have to read YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY soon as reading HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO made me want to read Kane and Annie's story asap.

Favorite Quotes:
She [Annie] rapped her fist against the table. "Don't make me get up and smack the crap out of you."
"For the record, I'd like to see that," Kane said.

Annie shook the receiver in his face. "Then I will climb over this table and beat you to death with this phone."
Kane laughed. "That's one of her favorite threats."

Then he was kissing her, deep and long. The kind of kiss that turned a woman's knees to liquid and her common sense to mush.

"How about a round of mind-blowing sex?" Before the words left his mouth he treated her to a long , hot kiss.
The man excelled at kissing. Curl-your-toes, hide-your-daughters kissing. The kind where short breaths lingered long after his lips left hers.

Today I'm happy to welcome Dee Tenorio to my humble little World of Romance. Make sure to answer her question at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy SHAKEN, her awesome and heartbreaking novella, that came out October 19th! My review of SHAKEN can be found HERE

Many Shades of Love


I've had a lot of time to think about love over the years of my writing. Love is supposed to be my topic of expertise, but you know, it's not as simple as studying a topic and knowing all the right answers. At any point of my life, I thought I knew what love was. Thought I understood it, only to discover that what I knew wasn't complete. Love changes.


When you're young and have yet to truly learn the value of anything, love is so easy to feel and understand. You love mommy and daddy and brother and sister and puppy and kitty and teacher and friends... The list is unending because if it makes you happy, it's love. And that isn't wrong.


Get a little older and love gets a little more complicated. There's different kinds now. Some like roots that are just a part of you. Some that are new and exciting. You find out that what you love, you might not always get. Love isn't always fair. Sometimes, even if you do get it, it's not going to stay. Love can hurt and those first, wrenching slices of loss can cut deep. While memorable, you also discover that you can recover. Learn from it. And that's not wrong either.


When you're grown, love can be consuming. Blinding. Destructive. It can be exhilirating and fulfilling. It can give you a connection and ground you when your life is upside down or up in the clouds. You've learned what it is to love deeply and give a part of yourself away, fully accepting that the part you give isn't coming back. But new parts come along to take it's place. Love from others—the ones you choose and the ones who choose you. And sometimes, the hardest lessons are how to recover when the pieces of our hearts are taken away.


I always thought of love as a feeling. An emotion or a connection only. But it continually surprises me. Love is all those things, but it's also a comfort. A choice. A gift. A joy. Love is what's left when we're gone. What gives us a reason to keep going when we're here.


I know that in my field, I'm supposed to have answers or insight, but the truth is...I'm still learning. I'm still figuring out the ways that love grows and changes. I'm still trying to understand how it scars and heals, how it makes a better person out of me.


So take a moment to help me learn. Tell me how love has made your life better and I'll enter you into a drawing to win a free copy of my latest novella, "Shaken".


Hope to hear from you,
Dee

Bio:
Dee Tenorio has a few reality issues. After much therapy for the problem—if one can call being awakened in the night by visions of hot able-bodied men a problem—she has proved incurable. It turns out she enjoys tormenting herself by writing sizzling, steamy romances of various genres spanning paranormal mystery dramas, contemporaries and romantic comedies. Preferably starring the sexy, somewhat grumpy heroes described above and smart-mouthed heroines who have much better hair than she does.

The best part is, no more therapy bills!
Well, not for Dee, anyway. Her husband and kids, on the other hand...

If you would like to learn more about Dee and her work, please visit her website at http://www.deetenorio.com or her blog at http://www.deetenorio.com/Blog/.

Or check her out at on of the following Social Networks:

This review is the start of a series of posts surrounding the releases of Stephanie Tyler's first two Shadow Force books, LIE WITH ME and PROMISES IN THE DARK. There are books to win and a grand prize at the end of November. More information after the review.

Forced together by fate, bound together by desire.

Framed for a double murder, Delta Force operative Cameron Moore is given a new lease on life by the CIA—provided he pays them back by doing their black ops dirty work. Now Cam is ready to renegotiate their deal, and he thinks he’s found the perfect bargaining chip: Skylar Slavin, bestselling author of espionage thrillers and the daughter of the CIA man who saved him from a prison sentence.

Skylar has been living in anonymity, never suspecting that someone so dangerous—and so desirable—would plunge her into a world as treacherous as one of her spy novels. But how can Cam go through with his plan to kidnap Skylar when just the sight of her sets off an explosive attraction he’s never experienced before? And when Skylar falls prey to an even more perilous threat, this special ops soldier must call upon all his combat skills to protect the one person who can help him win his freedom—and the only woman he’s ever loved.

Title: Lie With Me
Author: Stephanie Tyler
Series: Shadow Force, book 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Military Romance
Publisher: Dell Books
Year of release: 2010, October 26
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Source: Received digital ARC from author for review

First line: The sleek, dark bitch tailing him over the crest of the mountain was definitely not standard Army issue.
Memorable Scenes:
- Riley and Dylan by the pool scene> dampen-the-panties hot!
- Zane contemplating taking coffee through IV > funny
- Car chase scene > I was literally holding my breath

Cameron 'Cam' Moore is Delta Force. Hard, proud and honorable. Thanks to things in his past he’s indebted to Gabriel Creighton and forced to do black ops for him as it's either the black ops or 2 consecutive life sentences in jail. Easy choice. There’s no love lost between them and Cam wants out. He’s had enough and is going to use Gabriel's only daughter as leverage to get out of from under the man’s thumb.

This only daughter is author Skylar 'Sky' Slavin, who writes thrillers. She recently (5 months earlier) had a kidney transplant, donated by her father, after which he’s disappeared of the grid. With both parents in the CIA she’s been taught to distrust military types and knows her way around explosives, firearms, self-defense and locked places. As all Stephanie Tyler's heroines, Sky is tough and resilient, having survived stuff she’s determined to hold on to her strength, yet she has a vulnerability that makes it impossible for me not to like or admire her.

I love enemy's daughter tropes, and LIE WITH ME has that trope written all over it! But it's so much more too: it's intricate with complex and characters that are fleshed out well with back-stories that delve deep under the surface. The romance did feel a bit rushed in the beginning, relying very much on instant attraction and sexual chemistry. Though it was really hot I expected a little more build-up there. That being said, the love scenes are awesome and beautifully written, rough, raw, intense and fitting the characters and the story. And I liked that the characters themselves (Cam and Sky) were questioning the speed with which their feelings were developing.

Next to Cam and Sky there are two important secondary characters that are also the couple having the secondary romance in this book. Cam’s best friend Dylan Scott is a former fellow Delta Force now turned sort of a rogue spy-for-hire. He’s paired up with Riley Sacadano, former Navy now on her own, a private contractor and in search of what happened to her dad, a CIA agent who was murdered in the line of duty. Both Dylan and Riley play crucial roles both the main plot and a few subplots.

When an author writes a villain that I feel tempted to sympathize with for his crappy childhood while at the same time despising him for what he puts other the people in the book through, you deserve my praise! Also when you give me a semi-villain with so much back-story delivered gradually enough to slowly come to the conclusion that even though he's not a good or honorable man, he would go through fire for his loved ones.
And this is the kind of characters Stephanie Tyler gave me in LIE WITH ME next to the awesome main and secondary couple. How can I not love her books?

There were quite a few plots going on in the book and the common factor in the different plotlines seems to be Gabriel Creighton, actually he was an element in all the plotlines except for the romances. It was fascinating to slowly figure out how everything locked together and find out what was going on and working towards the inevitable and climactic conclusion where all loose ends get tied up and the separate threads come together.

I am not telling anything more about the plots than I already did as with romantic suspense, you need to find out and put things together for yourself when you read it. Suffice to say that I love the multiple plots that come together approach that is familiar in romantic suspense and which Stephanie Tyler takes on splendidly. I had several aha-moments where seemingly unconnected things clicked together, linking the plots and offering deeper knowledge and understanding for events earlier or later in the book. Awesome how Stephanie Tyler does this with all her military romances. And I’m a big fan of the "come full circle" feel her suspense plots have.

Romantic suspense books are filled with characters; primary, secondary and walk-ons, however Stephanie Tyler keeps it very manageable, only introducing characters that are necessary for the plots that are unfolding. And those characters all contribute with their own POVs, some –understandably-- more than others.

I must also include a warning that I don't think LIE WITH ME is for people who didn't like Stephanie Tyler’s first trilogy. I know there are people who didn't like the many POVs Steph uses, I however love that. To me they give insight and depth to the suspense and the characters. LIE WITH ME is written in that same style with multiple storylines and POVs and the occasional flashbacks. I loved the tiny reference to HOLD ON TIGHT, no matter how small if you've read HOLD ON TIGHT you'll pick up on it.

I adore Stephanie Tyler's writing and her brand of romantic suspense. Her men are capable, unapologetic and ruthless, yet tender and passionate with their woman. The women are vulnerable yet strong and independent. The suspense in LIE WITH ME is thrilling, intricate and awesomely put together including some kick-ass fight sequences. I was jumping from one speculation to the other. The romance is poignant and intense, the love scenes fog up will your glasses and an added treat was the secondary romance and the way she set up the next book's couple without giving away too much.

If you like a romantic suspense with several subplots coming together from different angles combined with a touching and complicated romance, you'll love LIE WITH ME as much as I did.

Favorite Quotes:

She raised her chin defiantly, her voice shook hadn't held her against him and let her take a piece of his heart, when he hadn't thought he had anything left to give to anyone.

Sleeping with Sky now would be wrong. Cam knew that and somehow couldn’t shake the ridiculous notion that she could somehow heal him. Fix the pain inside. Unbreak him.

“I can forgive a lot, Cam. But don’t keep up the charade if you don’t feel anything.”
He dipped his head and kissed her neck, letting his lips linger on the soft skin there before he responded. “You melted me, Sky. I was fucking ice before this. Before I met you, things were just getting worse.”
She wanted to ask him why, but the need to kiss him, to succumb to the seduction, was stronger. The brazen, open lust she felt showed in her face, she was sure.

Dylan and Riley (secondary romance)
“Feel good?” he asked.
“I thought . . . you wanted me . . . to shut up.” The words were punctuated by moans, and he smiled, a lopsided grin, his eyelids heavy. His voice was thick when he spoke. “I want you to scream my name. Long and loud. […]”

“Because I love you, Riley. I goddamned, no holds barred, can’t not admit it any longer, love you!” he yelled. Probably wasn’t the most romantic declaration ever uttered. But it had been honest.

==============================


GIVEAWAY
Over the course of about a month (from October 24 until November 30), Stephanie Tyler and I will be giving away:
- 2 copies of LIE WITH ME
- 2 copies of PROMISES IN THE DARK and
- a grand prize of a signed set of one of her trilogies (either the Hold trilogy or the Blaze trilogy).


All you have to do is leave a (meaningful) comment with the review and/or guest-post and you are entered. Each comment is entered for the grand prize in the end.


First up to win is a copy of LIE WITH ME , provided by me and anyone can enter, provided you reside in a country where The Bookdepository delivers.
This giveaway ends November 2 (winner announced November 3) and note your comment will be entered for the grand prize.


Make sure you come back on October 28th for Stephanie Tyler's guestpost and another chance to win LIE WITH ME, provided by Stephanie.

Ten years ago, Rori Simon left town shy, unattractive and with zero self-esteem. Now she’s back, older, stronger and finally loving herself—and it shows. Hot men are soon knocking at her door, including Jude Callahan, the bad boy who starred in her teenage daydreams…and her adult fantasies.

Jude can’t believe the sexy, confident woman before him is actually Rori! She’s gotten under his skin like no other woman has…and brings out secret desires he can’t resist. He wants to dominate Rori with every fiber of his being. Wants to own her and pleasure her. To cherish her as he makes her his.

Rori discovers she likes being controlled. She also knows Jude is not a one-woman man. Everything changes when she meets Zach Helm. Edgy, sensual Zach knows just what she needs, and before long, she’s in love. Jude watches them together and wonders if he’s lost his chance forever…

Title: Second Chances
Author: Lauren Dane
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Year of release: 2010, October 25 (this is a revised reprint of an earlier title)
Format: eBook
Source: Requested and received digital ARC from publisher through NetGalley

First line:
You can come home again.
Bittersweet memories overwhelmed Rori as she pulled her packed sedan up her sister’s the tree-lined driveway.

Memorable Scenes:
- Restaurant scene with Zach > OMG! Scorching!
- A scene I cannot reveal much about but it was the pivotal scene of this book and made me cry like a baby, sobbing and all.

As far as summaries go, you'll have to do with the blurb because I can't say anything more without spoiling and this is a book best read without spoilers that would ruin a lot of pivotal emotional moments in the story. SECOND CHANCES touches subjects as D/s and bondage but also emotional stuff as family bonds and a tense mother-daughter relationship, loss, grief and a bunch of other stuff I can't mention for fear of spoilers.

This story has three main characters and I'm not talking ménage here. It's a complicated love story filled with heat, emotions and struggles.

After a break-up with her cheating ex-boyfriend, Rori Simon leaves the life she's build in Paris and moves back to her hometown and her roots after ten years. She re-connects with Jude, the town’s bad boy, womanizer and her friend whom she had a crush on when she was a young. She also decides she's not going to chase after Jude him because no matter how much she wants Jude she's also realistic enough to realize exclusiveness is not in his vocabulary. Though she is falling for him, and has fallen for him she demands respect and will not taking his crap.

Throughout the story I couldn't fully connect with Rori. She was too fickle for me at times but I can't say I didn't like her. I liked her as a heroine because she was strong, self-confident and realistic. I just had trouble with some of her decisions and I never quite felt her emotionally except during a pivotal emotional scene where her hurt broke my heart.

Jude Callahan is a commanding charmer and a commitment-phobic, skirt-chasing womanizer. He’s not the one-woman type but rather juggles multiple women at the same time, enjoying them but never committing to one of them. A fact he openly admits to and doesn't pretend he's not. And it's been made easy for him with the women falling at his feet so he doesn't even have to make an effort.

Until Rori's return changes things and he finds himself doing the chasing instead of the other way around and he starts feeling things (jealousy, possessiveness) he's never felt before. Rori calls... no, screams, to his urge to dominate. Deep down he's not the carefree bachelor he seems to be. Opening up and making himself vulnerable because of how he's starting to feel about Rori scares him to death, which is why he inadvertently pushes her away as he doesn't open up to her other than sexually.

This drives Rori to Zach Helm, her best friend’s brother. Zach is the total opposite of Jude. He is ready to commit and so the focus of hero shifted to him, another Dominant but very openly so. He fills the emotional void that Jude left. Though both Zach and Jude are Doms Zach is more sure and comfortable with his mastery, which made him come out on top and made the sex scenes with him and Rori hotter to read.

Jude really started to get on my nerves with his petty jealousy over Rori once she's with Zach. He came across as a petulant child stomping his foot because he didn't get what he wanted but only wanted it after he threw it away and someone else grabbed it. Still, as much as he got on my nerves and as much as I wanted to smack him for being an ass to Rori, Jude was the character I clicked with the most.

Zach to me was kept on the surface as a character, understandably once you get to the heart of the story and I couldn’t completely click with Rori. Jude was the one who made a significant enough character development for me. Then something big, significant and heartbreaking happens and Rori and Jude grow close again and at the start of that development in the story my feelings about it were ambivalent.

I admired how Lauren Dane tackled the situation and the romance in this novel but I wasn’t sure if I was going to love it in the end. It's definitely not your run-of-the-mill romance novel that you just go through the motions with. It made me stop and wonder what I would do in Rori's place faced with the situations Lauren Dane put her in.

There were some things I liked less in the story.
One thing that bothered me a bit was the flashbacks during sex scenes. Rori and Jude and Zach had them and they took me out of the sexy times mood, even when they were flashbacks with a sexual tone. Also Rori attracts dominant men but I didn't find a foundation in her character to suggest she's a sub other than both Zach and Jude saying she was "the perfect sub". The "something clicked into place inside her" didn't completely work for me either, as it was sudden and left too unfounded for me to truly accept it.

However there were so much more things that I did like about this story and they made the above little issues pale in comparison. I loved the quick alternations between Rori and Jude's POVs, which gave the story a very fast-paced, feel and kept it moving forward.

The characters and their emotional development were also pluses for me. This goes for Jude especially because he could have been a character easy to dislike, even hate, but the way Lauren Dane portrayed him you just can't because he's very unapologetically upfront about who and what he is, he learns from his mistakes and his redemption is believable and heartfelt.

The story at a swift pace and a lot of things were happening yet it never felt rushed. SECOND CHANCES is emotional, witty and super hot. The emotions make it honest, genuine and realistic. The romance that is not of the flowery, all sunshine and roses kind touched me deeply. I cried through the last 4 or 5 chapters and had to put it down a few times just to get a grip.

Lauren Dane ripped my heart out with this book but she also put it back, whole and rich with a new emotional reading experience. This shouldn’t surprise me because it's Lauren Dane. Need I say more? I love her writing whether it's contemporary, futuristic, full-out erotic or just sexy. She writes, I love!

Favorite Quotes:

The men pulled up chairs and sat. It was simply not a chore at all to look at them there. Like a box of chocolates of male beauty. A little of every type and she liked them all.

Tonya Big Boobs came back with their drinks and gave Jude another facial massage with her mammary glands. So conscientious, that girl.

The part of him that wanted to gobble her up and binge warred with the part that wanted to draw it out, fully taste every single moment they had, including the build up to what he knew would be explosive and very hot sex.

And just to be clear, there is no me and Rori. I just took her for a drink, a dance and a ride on my bike.”
“And a tonsillectomy on the front porch.”

“You know, I can think of a lot better ways to spend this evening. There are just so many things I’d rather be licking than this spoon.”
“Oh yeah?” His eyes darkened. “Please, feel free to elaborate. In great detail. With your tongue in my ear if you wish.”
“Show me,” he said, a slight tremor in his voice.
“Can’t here, you’re a cop, you’d have to arrest me. Although the idea of you putting me in handcuffs does have its appeal.”

“This is like a symbol that I’m yours? Not as in, you own me, though, right? Because I am not down with that, mister.”
He smiled at her sauciness. “I don’t own you, you’re a human being. So beautiful and perfect. The collar is a symbol that you are mine emotionally and physically. But I’m yours, too. You won’t lose yourself to me, Rori. I don’t want your independence, your spirit. I just want your obedience in bed."

One sub to please the Master…in any way he wishes.

Victor Connagher is no stranger to the Dallas BDSM scene. As CEO of a risqué cable channel that caters to adventurous adults, he ensures the lifestyle is portrayed in a positive light. He even supports a local bondage club. Yet behind the cool, confident mask, Victor lives in fear.

Once, and only once, he lost control of his inner Dom—and it cost him his fiancée. Now, no one knows how hard he works to keep his darker appetite for pain buried. No matter how much his saucy, confident associate producer makes his fingers itch to once again take up his riding crop.

Shiloh Holmes is a sub, but she’s no doormat. She’s always suspected Victor has the skills to feed her insatiable need for pain, and now she’s found the perfect way to crack his formidable control. Develop a new reality show, America’s Next Top sub…and dare him to compete.

Week after week, as Shiloh fearlessly challenges the real Victor to come out of hiding, he realizes his past mistake was only a blow to his pride. If he loses Shiloh, he could lose his heart.

Warning: Explicit sex, BDSM, reality television, a very reluctant Dom, an audacious sub willing to do anything to win for him, and one very wicked riding crop.

Title: Hurt Me So Good
Author: Joely Sue Burkhart
Series: The Connaghers
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2010, October 5
Format: eBook
Source: Received from author for ARC-review, due to circumstances I unfortunately couldn’t post it as an ARC-review in the week of release.

First line:
Dear Blogland:
The last thing the internet needs is yet another anonymous sexy blog detailing a submissive's journey to complete and utter surrender to her Master, but I promise you, this blog will be different.
Memorable Scenes:
- First kiss scene > goose bumps
- Victor and his mom > emotional and pivotal scene
- Taping of the final episode of the show > breathtaking

Victor Connagher is a former star quarterback now CEO of Dallas cable channel VCONN, Victor is commanding, fierce, outwardly calm and collected, inside a volcano of intensity on the verge of erupting, which made him an intriguing character that demanded my full attention, whether I was ready to give it or not.

His darker sexual needs and urges, a nasty experience with his ex-fiancée and the subsequent difficulty to find the woman who accepts that side of him and is able to handle him and his vicious needs when he's on the edge, have made him weary of dating or frequenting the BDSM scene. He needs a woman who can handle the Master and love the man.

Shiloh Holmes is an associate producer at VCONN. She’s saucy, bubbly, submissive yet defiant, open and energetic. Shiloh knows what she wants and goes for it, fully aware that there’s a chance of getting hurt but she doesn’t let that stop her. She’s undeniably drawn to Victor's dominance and the reality show she's developed is her means to secure him as her Master.

HURT ME SO GOOD starts with copycat TV channel stealing their concept for a show and the search for the mole/spy within VCONN who is selling them out to the competition. They need a new show to save the season and Shiloh pitches her idea for a reality TV show on BDSM, America's Next Top sub. For her the show is her final chance to obtain Victor as her Master, something she's craved from the moment she laid eyes on him and saw the one and only man who can give her what she craves.

Victor and his crop had me in his thrall from the very first chapter and I felt like pushing Shiloh out of the picture (think stairs scene in Showgirls) so I could take her place. And this is me talking! Whimpering wuss of the century who doesn't tolerate the faintest hint of pain without curling up into a ball of misery.

Victor's need to hurt and Shiloh's need for pain are very in tune and it makes their chemistry smoldering and intense. But both of them are also hindered by feelings of insecurity as to how they can truly give the other one what they really need without causing irreparable damage

Victor was so hard on himself, so afraid to hurt Shiloh and so filled with guilt, yet not seeing that what is truly hurting Shiloh is his guilt, him shutting her out every time he uses his crop on her and not giving himself completely. I was truly wondering how this was going to change and what was needed for him to let loose and embrace himself and accept what Shiloh was offering him in terms of love and submission.

All the characters in this book are utterly fascinating and anything but cookie-cutter lift this contemporary erotic romance to a high level. This goes for both Victor and Shiloh but also for secondary characters like Malinda, Patrick and Victor’s mother. Without them this book wouldn’t have half the impact it had on me now.

And Joely Sue, I think the m/m romance readers would love a Leon-Brandon story *wink*

With HURT ME SO GOOD Joely Sue Burkhart has combined two things that utterly fascinate me: reality TV and a D/s relationship and she gave me a deeper look into the sadist/masochist aspect of BDSM instead of the Master/slave relationships I've read about and don't really feel comfortable with.

The way Joely Sue Burkhart describes the feelings and the dynamics, the hunger and need, is mesmerizing. The way she describes insecurity, vulnerability and pain is simply out of this world. I have no words to do it justice with a description. I had the pleasure and honor of proofreading HURT ME SO GOOD many months ago and was utterly impressed with the way Joely Sue Burkhart wanted to bring Victor's story to her readers. Now having read it with a reviewer's eye I can only be even more impressed. From the first to the last word she reeled me in with a poignant and emotional story within the realm of D/s that is a more than worthy successor of DEAR SIR I’M YOURS!

Thank you, Joely Sue, for another great installment of the Connaghers, a family that has found a firm place in my reader’s heart and on my (digital) shelves. I can’t wait to see what Vicki will bring to the table.

Favorite Quotes:

Shiloh Holmes shook Mal's hand and with a bright smile, turned to him. He felt the impact like a quarterback sacked from his blind spot. She was one of those people who managed to brighten up the room as soon as she entered. Literally, it felt as though someone had yanked open the blinds and let the Texas sun come pouring into the darkened, cavernous room.

He eased her back to the mattress, settling his weight between her thighs. "Where does it hurt, baby? I'll bite it and make it hurt better."

The exquisite pain blended with that sweetness, an agony of need that twisted her mind and clawed her heart to ribbons.

Losing Kimberly had been a blow to his pride. Losing Shiloh would rip his heart out of his chest and leave him gasping his last breath on the floor.

Thirteen stories up. Two broken hearts. One last chance…

Surgeon Grant Sullivan’s once-perfect life lies in ruins. His daughter is gone—lost in a tragic accident he dare not allow himself to remember—and his beautiful wife now stares at him from across a legal table, insisting she wants nothing from him.

Julia Sullivan lost everything, especially her illusions about her marriage, after the accident. Her grief only seemed to drive Grant further into his emotional shell—except for the nights he turned to her in silent, furious passion. Unable to live like a ghost in her old life, she’s packed up what’s left of her broken heart and is ready to move on. Alone.

Determined to break their stalemate, Grant follows Julia onto the elevator just in time for an earthquake. Trapped for hours in a building pressure cooker of unspoken pain, he’ll do anything to remind her what she’s leaving behind, as deliciously as he can. But giving her what she needs to save their marriage is the one thing that could destroy his soul.

Title: Shaken
Author: Dee Tenorio
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2010, October 19
Format: eBook, short novella
Source: Received for review via author
First line: God, she’s beautiful.
Memorable Scenes:
-The first sexy times scene in the elevator > hot with a hint of emotional urgency
-The flashback to the accident scene > so heartbreaking and awfully sad I was sobbing while reading it

A car accident that cost them their daughter left Grant and Julia Sullivan devastated. When Julia doesn't find the emotional support she needs from Grant she files for divorce as she can no longer live with a man who seems incapable of mourning his daughter and only interested in the sexual side of their relationship. Grant does mourn the loss, however he's not one who expresses his feelings easily and prefers to use his desire for his wife and the solace he finds in their physical bond to push away the pain. Now at opposite ends of the negotiation table they seem further apart than ever, until an earthquake not only shakes up the building they're in trapping them in an elevator but also they are forced to face their emotions and grief together.

Normally I always tell something about the main characters and though this story was centered on Grant and Julia, the real focus was on them working through their traumatic experience and trying to save their marriage and the feelings that bind them together. And while their personalities play a big part in that, they were not what caught my attention while reading this book, at least not as much as the effect of their emotions did.

My heart broke for Grant and his loss, not only the physical loss of his child but also the emotional loss of the woman he loves profoundly. It also broke for Julia, a woman alone in her pain and grief, desperately trying to find an emotional connection over their mutual loss with the man she loves deeply.

SHAKEN is an emotional powerful novella in which Dee Tenorio delves into feelings of loss, guilt and grief which such rawness and sincerity I was truly moved, not to say shaken, by this short story.
And next to the emotional punch this story also more than delivered in the erotic department with some hot and sexy love scenes.

From the very first page this book put a lump in my throat with its intensity, heartbreak and emotional need that spoke from every word, sentence and page. If you’re looking for a read that touches you in that deep, dark place in your heart where loss resides once you’ve suffered losing a loved one, this book is it and you should definitely read it, and make sure you keep the tissues close by.

Favorite Quotes:
She shook her head and looked away. “Why can’t you just let me go?” (...) Because he needed her, because his entire world failed without her. Because being with her was the only way he could keep the pain at bay, even if he didn’t deserve a single minute in her presence. He’d failed her when she’d needed him the most. He didn’t deserve to be in this room with her right now. But still, all he wanted was the chance to—if not make it right—make it better.

Her hands found purchase on his shoulders and their gazes locked. Everything locked. Neither of them moved but for their panting breaths. His need was raw in his eyes. More than sex. He needed her. To touch him back. To give as much as he was giving to her. To make this more than an act of desperation; two bodies meeting while their hearts took different paths. As if he had no idea that her heart beat in his chest.

“I need you, Jules. Every minute of every day, I need you.”
“No you don’t.” If he’d needed her, he wouldn’t have pushed her away when she tried to comfort him. Back when she’d thought his silences held secrets and pain instead of indifference.
“Yes, I do. I can’t even breathe anymore without you.” Down. She felt him drawing them both down to the floor. She went, her body flowing into his, over his. He lay back on the carpet, pulling her with him, fitting her mouth to his, not to kiss, but to breathe her in. “You’re air to me, Julia. You’re the f#cking air.”

Make sure you come back Friday (22nd) when I welcome Dee Tenorio as a guest here on Pearl's World of Romance

New York lobbyist Michael Davoli feels like he’s been sucker punched when he meets Anne Miller at a concert. When fate leads him to move into same Albany apartment building where Anne lives, Michael falls hard. After all, Anne’s hot, his dog likes her, and she’s catnip to the senses after she picks a lock faster than Sydney Bristow can disarm a nuke.

Always fiercely independent, Anne’s crackerjack reporting skills and keen intellect are no match for the chemical reaction she has to this man with electric blue eyes. But while Mike effortlessly holds her with his gaze, he withholds the embrace she longs for. Why is he so distant? Has Anne misread his signals? When he finally confesses that he suffers from a neurological disorder that he’s learned to disguise from others but could keep him from ever holding her through the night—she makes a choice that changes the rest of her life.

Anne isn’t about to let anything like Tourette’s Syndrome keep her from the man of her dreams. But Mike has a second secret. Will this secret be the one that even a grand passion cannot survive?

Title: Hard To Hold
Author: Julie Leto
Series: True Vows, Reality Based Romance ™
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: HCI Books
Year of release: 2010, September 14
Format: Tradesize Paperback
Source: received e-copy for review from Publisher as part of a blog-tour from TLC
First line: "Your problem is that you're too picky."

Anne Miller is a journalist, a crime reporter. She’s witty, bubbly, cheerful, and open. She’s in a knitting-group and an avid fan of Jack Bauer. The moment she decides that she’s quite happy being single and not going to search after love, fate bumps into her in the form of Mike Davoli at a music concert. Mike is a campaign coordinator for the Quality Education Initiative. He has Tourette's Syndrome. He’s organized, sweet, honest and a very big fan of a band called Phish.

I really like this concept of romance novels based on reality. Reading romance in various genres has made me believe in easy, almost magical solutions to hurdles that inevitably surge in a starting relationship and HARD TO HOLD made me see again that building and maintaining a relationship is hard work and the road to a Happily Ever After is paved with struggles, disappointments, conflict and challenges to go with the chemistry, sexual attraction and soul-mate kind of love.

There was one minor thing that bothered me reading this books and that was the conflict/argument between Anne and Michael and Michael's reasoning. This felt a little forced and didn't quite work for me, but I did love that it wasn’t brushed over or easily solved, which made the romance that much stronger in my opinion.

The second half of HARD TO HOLD tells the story where other romance novels end and to me portrayed the real story after the Happily Ever After where most romance novels end. Reading this book was refreshing and I heartily welcome this new brand of romance.

A sweet, warm and funny contemporary was just what I needed and just what I got from HARD TO HOLD. This book proved to me that you don't need hot and heavy dirty sex scenes to write an excellent and poignant contemporary love story and make me a fan. Don't get me wrong, I like hot monkey sex scenes, a lot, but they are not obligatory for me to thoroughly enjoy a book as reading HARD TO HOLD definitely proved to me.

Seeing the attraction build, slowly but intensely was just delightful to read. I smiled and grinned numerous times at the subtle humor that was delivered as easily and smoothly as the love story. And the wedding put the cherry on the cake by making me tear up.

I highly recommend HARD TO HOLD if you love subtle humor, sweet romance dosed with a healthy bit of reality and a HEA that is just perfect. And I am also definitely going to read more of Julie Leto's work as I do have some on my huge TBR and this first encounter with her writing has definitely left me wanting more.

Favorite Quotes:
There was a special place in hell for people who insisted on fixing up their friends--a place only slightly less horrifying than the dungeons reserved for those who sprang arresting-looking guys on their neighbors with no advance notice.

"You like dogs?" he asked.
Okay it was a stupid obvious question, but with moisture absent from his mouth and his bloodstream pumping with the kind of powerful attraction he hadn’t felt in a very long time, he was lucky to form even three words of coherent conversation

One of them shut the door, probably with a foot since both arms and hands were engaged in the finest make-up kiss ever shared between a guy who’d temporarily lost his mind and the woman who had the amazing capacity to forgive.