Review of First, I Love You by Genevieve Dewey
Title: First, I Love You
Author: Genevieve Dewey
Genre: Drama with romantic subplot
Star: 5
Synopsis:
One part Godfather, two parts Emma and a dash of Casablanca mixed together, “First, I Love You” isn’t a detective novel, a gangster novel, a mystery, a romance or a family saga. It’s a little of all of the above.
Imagine being a detective with a mobster for a father, or a mobster with a straight arrow, good cop for a son. This is a relationship that is tricky on its best day. Add in some well-meaning meddling from a mob princess sister, an arrogant DEA agent, and gangsters running a human trafficking ring and you have a recipe for a book that refuses to follow the rules. Told from the perspective and point of view of each the six main characters this is the first novel in a trilogy about love, loyalty, revenge and redemption.
Omaha Detective Tommy Gates has kept his gangster father at arm’s length his whole life. Mickey Downey has spent the better part of the last two decades trying to find ways to get back the son he lost through Witness Protection. Now Tommy has taken an opportunity to work on a Federal Human Trafficking Joint Task Force in Chicago where his father lives. Tommy’s sister Kiki and his mother Mary see this as an opportunity to build a relationship between the two. Tommy’s new DEA partner James Hoffman sees it as an opportunity to gain leverage over Mickey Downey. Tommy’s other partner, FBI Agent Ginny Sommers wants to keep Tommy’s family as far from the case as possible. When Kiki and James join forces, sparks fly and it sets fire to a maelstrom of unexpected consequences for everyone involved. Read More…
Review ~ Mafia Captive by Kitty Thomas
Title: Mafia Captive
Author: Kitty Thomas
Genre: Dark Erotic Romance
Rating: 5/5 Star
Synopsis
Faith Jacobson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After witnessing a mob hit, she’s only moments from death when Angelo Raspallo decides to give his brother an unlikely gift.
Leo has avoided involvement with the family business, but it doesn’t make him a saint. He’s troubled and ashamed by his darker sexual desires, one of which is to own a slave. But when his brother throws Faith at his feet, repainting the scenario to make Leo the hero rescuing her from certain death, his moral fortitude will be tested. If Faith were kinky, it would be easy to live out his fantasy, but she’s not—not even a little bit. Even the mildest spanking sparks terror in her that Leo can’t bear.
The gift soon becomes a burden as he fights with himself over how to handle the addition to his home. He could release her, but his brother doesn’t do loose ends. The only thing keeping her out of the bottom of the harbor is Leo’s mercy. She’s like a beautiful piece of art he keeps in a glass case but can never touch. Is possessing her enough?
Author’s Note: Mafia Captive has more of a love theme than many other Kitty titles, though the work is still quite psychologically dark. Readers may also notice a “new adult” flavor as Faith is just out of college and trying to find her place in the world when she is thrust into Leo’s life and home. Read More…
The Demon’s Song by Kendra Leigh Castle
Synopsis of The Demon Song
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. At least, that’s how it seems to Sofia Rivera when her attempt to help a friend ends in a blood-soaked confrontation with creatures that aren’t even supposed to exist. With a group of rogue vampires determined not to leave a single witness to their violence hot on her heels, Sofia finds herself saddled with an immortal bodyguard—Phenex, the fallen Angel of Song.
While the vampire king roots out the corruption threatening to take down his underworld kingdom, Sofia will have to deal with a fallen angel whose dark beauty is often at odds with his ornery nature. Slowly, Sofia and Phenex give in to the strange attraction neither can deny. And as the darkness closes in around them, Phenex begins to wonder whether even the wickedest Fallen might find his own happy ending…and his heart.
Excerpt Teaser
“We need to talk,” Sofia said.
Phenex raised his eyebrows and said nothing. He hadn’t expected her to be so direct. Probably he should have.
“About this morning,” she added.
“What part?”
Sofia’s mouth tightened ever so slightly. “You know what part.”
“Maybe.” He plucked out a melody absently, watching Sofia try to figure out how to deal with him. “There were a number of parts to this morning.”
“Only one part involved you almost biting me.” She paused, and then her voice dropped. “Among other things.” Read More…
The Warrior’s Code Cover Reveal by David James
Live by the Code.
Die by the Code.
Official Synopsis: “In the magical world of the Order, Warriors fight for justice, freedom, and peace. Becoming a Warrior is an honor given to few, and twelve-year-olds Zackery Solts and Kate Black will do anything to have a place among the elite. Zack and Kate must compete against eighteen others and pass three deadly tests of courage and skill. Above all, they must be strong because while the dangers of the tests are unknown, one thing is clear: not everyone will survive.”
Available 5.14.13
The Warrior’s Code (Book 1.2) is an e-format prequel short story in the Legend of the Dreamer series that can be read before or after Light of the Moon (Book 1) and The Witch’s Curse (Book 1.1).
David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer series, as well as the companion novellas, THE WITCH’S CURSE and THE WARRIOR’S CODE. The sequel, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in late 2013. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. He enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Be sure to visit David’s blog and facebook to learn more about his various addictions and novels.
First, I Love you Cover Reveal by Genevieve Dewey
If Mario Puzo and Jane Austen crossed the time-space continuum and mated, FIRST, I LOVE YOU would be their literary baby.
Imagine being a detective with a mobster for a father, or a mobster with a straight arrow, good cop for a son. This is a relationship that is tricky on its best day. Add in some well-meaning meddling from a mob princess sister, an arrogant DEA agent, and gangsters running a human trafficking ring and you have a recipe for a book that refuses to follow the rules. Told from the perspective and point of view of each the six main characters this is the first novel in a trilogy about love, loyalty, revenge and redemption.
Omaha Detective Tommy Gates has kept his gangster father at arm’s length his whole life. Mickey Downey has spent the better part of the last two decades trying to find ways to get back the son he lost through Witness Protection. Now Tommy has taken an opportunity to work on a Federal Human Trafficking Joint Task Force in Chicago where his father lives. Tommy’s sister Kiki and his mother Mary see this as an opportunity to build a relationship between the two. Tommy’s new DEA partner James Hoffman sees it as an opportunity to gain leverage over Mickey Downey. Tommy’s other partner, FBI Agent Ginny Sommers wants to keep Tommy’s family as far from the case as possible. When Kiki and James join forces, sparks fly and it sets fire to a maelstrom of unexpected consequences for everyone involved.
One part Godfather, two parts Emma and a dash of Casablanca mixed together, FIRST, I LOVE YOU isn’t a detective novel, a gangster novel, a mystery, a romance or a family saga. It’s a little of all of the above.
FIRST, I LOVE YOU is available in print and digital format at all major eBook retailers.
Excerpt
“You don’t have much respect for me do you?” Kiki asked.
“On the contrary, if I ever need to know which shoes to wear to match my tie, you’d be the first person I call. If I had your number,” James said, trying to temper the sarcasm with a charming smile.
“I’m sure you already have it, along with all the other boring background check facts you recited earlier,” she rejoined, still making no move to retreat.
James admired her nerve. Maybe this princess had a bit of her father’s steel in her after all.
“That would defeat the purpose of you giving it to me,” he said.
“What purpose would that be? And you still haven’t answered my question,” she retorted.
“How about you answer one of mine first?” James asked then chuckled as she raised an eyebrow in a pretty good impression of her father. “Why would you invite your father’s old mistress to your party when she is not related to you, was no doubt the source of great pain and embarrassment for your own mother, and her presence, youhad to know, would be unwelcome with at least a few of your guests?”
“I already explained my reasons to my brother. And his opinion is the only one I care about; certainly not a rude, presumptuous, party crashing boar like yourself. You don’t know a damn thing about me,” she answered, dark eyes glittering with anger.
“What I know is there’s a lot of big important grown up things going on and the last thing Tommy needs is his spoiled little sister playing games with his family, and distracting him from this case,” he said with perhaps a bit more heat than he meant but the smell of her hair and the glittering of her lip-gloss with the hall lights was distracting him and he was trying to keep his mind on the task at hand.
“How dare you? You’re the outsider here! It’s you who should butt the hell out of my family’s private issues! And you’ve the nerve to say we can be of use to each other? Why the fuck should I help you with anything?” Kiki ground out.
“Tisk, tisk, such language, little girl,” James said with a smirk. By God, she was beautiful, he couldn’t help but think. “How about we go back to your place and discuss this like rational adults,” he finished in a playful yet suggestive tone.
She let out a huff, clearly nonplussed by his forwardness. Then something flashed in her eyes, a sort of calculating, cynical and predatory look that had him feeling momentarily nonplussed himself.
“Alright. Let me say good bye to my guests. You obviously already know where I live. I’ll meet you there in a half hour,” Kiki said, cool and collected once more.
It was more like an hour when she arrived at her door, but who was counting? They said nothing to each other as she let him inside. James looked around her one bedroom apartment and thought it was nothing like he’d expected. He’d expected lots of pink or maybe something trendy with splashy colors. It was all cool metals, finished wood, and retro 50’s style furniture. Frank Lloyd Wright stills peppered the room and books lined the entirety of one wall. Her windows were left uncovered and the city lights cast interesting reflections in the room. She threw her shawl and little clutch purse on the butterfly chair by the bookshelves. Then she walked up to him and grabbed his holster. He stopped her hand.
“What are you doing?” James asked, his discomfort at having underestimated her twice in one evening making him irrationally angry.
“You should make yourself more comfortable,” Kiki said seductively.
“I thought we came here to talk?” he prevaricated, as he took his jacket, gun and badge off.
He could tell she was playing some sort of game and it spiked his irritation up a notch. His mood was all over the place, actually. There was frustration at the blocked opportunities by his partners and Downey to further the case tonight, mixed with his desire for her, the self-disgust that that brought, the irritation with her childish interference, the discomfort of knowing she was right that it wasn’t his business what went on between her and her family.
But now she had decided to take his sexual sparring and call his bluff. Except he wasn’t bluffing. Did she think he would be scared off from her family this way? Maybe that would work with her usual limp wristed boy toys or the gumbahs who were probably too afraid of her Daddy to actually make a move, but not with him.
James hooked an arm behind her back and yanked her towards him. She gasped and put her free hand on his chest, but she didn’t push him away. She kept looking at him, eyes still full of challenge and no fear. It was like something snapped in his brain and all he wanted was to wipe that look from her eyes, to make her realize lives weren’t to be played with, manipulated. To give her a taste of her own medicine.
He gripped the back of her neck with his other hand and crushed his mouth to hers. She met his kisses with equal fervor, pressing up against him. He let go of her waist and neck and began a rough exploration of her body, not bothering to be gentle. She sunk her hands into his hair and gripped painfully. Whether to give as good as she got or from passion he didn’t know. All he knew was his body was on fire for her and all he could think about was sinking into her.
Author Bio:
Genevieve Dewey is the author of The Downey Trilogy (First, I Love You & Second of All) and the short stories Bird Day Battalion & V-Day Aversion. She is a wife, mother, sister, friend and Anthropologist. She was raised mostly in Nebraska, partly in Arizona. She has a Master’s in Anthropology and worked as an Applied Anthropologist for years (even ran her own research company for a while) before deciding to be a stay at home mom. She loves passionate (rational) debates, reading, and libraries… oh, and Chicago and high-heels and chocolate and target practice and gangster flicks and anything with the FBI in it and run-on sentences. She lives in Nebraska with her three brilliantly diabolical children and one incredibly funny husband.
You can find Gen online at:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GenevieveDewey
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GenevieveDewey
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6441991.Genevieve_Dewey
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Genevieve-Dewey/e/B00936QL2S/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/genevievedewey/
Epilogue: Book 3 of The Dark Duet by CJ Roberts
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Rules of Entanglement by Gina L. Maxwell
Author: Gina L. Maxwell
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5 out 5
Synopsis
Seven days. And seven rules to break…
District Attorney Vanessa McGregor firmly believes that structure and order are the stuff that dreams are made of. Happiness can be planned – and it starts with seven rules she’s laid out for her future. But as she’s organizing her best friend’s wedding in Hawaii, all of Vanessa’s best-laid plans are about to meet their match in a wickedly hot MMA fighter…
Jackson “Jax” Maris is focused on surfing, training and fighting. That is, until he opens up his big mouth, and finds himself having to pretend he’s engaged to his little sister’s best friend, Vanessa. When they’re force to share a romantic bungalow, however, their little charade suddenly takes a turn for the seriously sexy. And while Jax is definitely not part of Vanessa’s long-term plan, he has seven days – and seven naughty nights – to turn her seven-rule plan upside down.
Title: Rules of Entanglement
Title: Rules of Entanglement (Fighting for Love, #2)
Author: Gina L. Maxwell
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 397 pages
Release Date: March 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62266-794-9
Imprint: Brazen (Special Edition)
Review
Rule #1 NEVER read the end of a book (Why would anyone seriously do this? That totally destroys the whole surprise and A-ha and OMG effect).
Rule #2 NEVER skip Chapters (I don’t care if the story is as slow as molasses, I never skip because I’m scared I’ll miss something).
Rule #3 Don’t pre-judge the characters (Because a storyline can be just as complicated as life. That’s what makes it a good story! And a really, really good story will make you think one thing about a character when they are, in fact, that way for a very good reason).
Rule #4 Show some Author Love if you really enjoyed that book. (And even if you didn’t, offer them love anyway, ’cause damn! It takes a long friggin time to write a book).
We all have them, you know who you are, you book geek lovers 
I have more, but thought these were enough, because you, dear reader, are not allowed to sleep through this review, and I don’t want to bore you. Unlike Vanessa from Rules of Entanglement, I am glad to say I have not broken any of my Book Rules.
Give it up for Miss Gina cause she did it again.
But…I was wary.
Yes, I was. I do admit it.
Because I really did not like Vanessa in Seducing Cinderella. I loved Lucie. The shy, introverted, completely disorganized Physical Therapist who was basically clueless in the ways of attracting a man. I was rooting for her the entire way.
A talented author will take you on a journey, and Seducing Cinderella was a journey of transformations. We witnessed Lucie morph into this beautiful bombshell of a butterfly while still retaining her innocence and charm, all because of one Parker…oops sorry, Reid Andrews.
My apologies, I had a momentary PH fantasy going on.
Vanessa was the girl that the guys went after. Poor Lucie hardly ever got noticed. Remember Dr. Stephen Mann aka Sports Medicine Hottie that Lucie was pining for in Seducing Cinderella? Well as soon as the good doctor started asking about Lucie’s BFF, I was already in a …What??? Are you really saying Lucie Miller is not good enough for you?…kind of attitude. And I was soooo not siding with Vanessa from the very beginning. Not that there was a side to choose, mind you. But there was just so many endearing qualities to Lucie. We all remember being that awkward girl staring at that one guy, who we really, really wanted to notice us. And when they don’t, and they pass you over for your gorgeous BFF. Well, dang it. That is just wrong! So I completely empathized.
Not that I speak from experience of course. (Awkward pause :-/)
So anyway…I already had some pretty well defined ideas regarding Miss Vanessa. Strong, independent, successful, drop-dead gorgeous, red-headed lawyer Vanessa. Yea, lawyer, like AKA Red Viper kind of lawyer who didn’t take shitzka’s from no one. Not only would I be envious of someone like her, but I think I’d be terrified of her as well. And so stemmed my hesitation going forward with Book 2.
But remember, Rule #3!!!
There is always more than meets the eye in Miss Maxwell’s books. People who live in her world are full of complications, hardship, and angst. The characters are not like the black ink and white pages we read from. They are vibrant with color and have an intricate past that needs to be delved into. The reader absorbs the emotions and anguish of the author’s characters and they no longer seem fictitious, but quite tangible. (Too bad Jax isn’t tangible, cause it would be kind of nice to touch him )
Her books push the reader to read that extra chapter before going to sleep, or to re-read such and such a part over and over again. ( Particularly the sexy parts, ’cause those were the ones quite worthy of re-reads! )
Underneath that tough exterior that makes up Miss Vannessa MacGregor; buried way, way down, is a vulnerability that will make you ache. She has rules for a reason. And it is up to us to understand why she has them, and why they need to be broken. And Jackson “Jax” Maris is just the man to do it.
Failing to pick her up on time at the Honolulu airport, Vanessa is already steaming mad at Jaxon. She’s there to help her BFF Lucie with wedding plans and Vanessa is stuck with what seems to be a lax, incompetent surfer/MMA fighter dude, who seems to have little concern for stability, responsibility, and dependability. He lives life on the fly, but he lives that way for a reason.
But from the moment Jax sees Vanessa, things change.
Jaxon just can’t help but provoke her. He loves pushing her buttons, and he finds it sexy as anything that she doesn’t react to him like most of his past conquests. She’s indifferent to his flirting, his good looks, and his natural lure that worked with all the other women in his life thus far. He becomes curious, intrigued, and feels challenged. And from this stems a fabricated tale that Jax conjures, in the hopes of getting closer to this tough as grit girl. It all starts with a small lie, and Jaxon convinces Vanessa that they must pose as Lucie and Reid for the week in order to secure Lucie and Reid’s wedding plans at a very lavish and prominent resort. Poor Lucie is stuck in the mainland sick and will not be able to be there until the day of the wedding.
So, it is up to big brother Jaxon and Lucie’s BFF to make sure everything is planned and running smoothly. The little lie, adds up to more little lies. And Jaxon finds himself in a little bit of a dilemma as he starts to develop deeper feelings towards Vanessa.
Old friends pop up, and I was so happy to see them back. Fritz and his lively, if not sometimes, inappropriate comments makes a few cameo appearances. But that’s what makes us love Fritz so much. He’s fun and crass, but wise. And in his infinite wisdom he helps Vanessa during her darkest times. Kyle and Eric also pop by. Like old friends coming to visit, I was ecstatic to see them mentioned.
So stand firm. Don’t break your Reader Rules if you have them. Stand fast, and don’t give in. I’ve always found that it hasn’t failed me yet.
If you haven’t read this, you really need to. But start with Seducing Cinderella. You can find my review on Goodreads here!
If a book makes you smile, the author has done her job. And believe you me, I’m grinning from ear to ear!
Thank you for another excellent read Miss Maxwell! And this is where Rule #4 comes in
Author Information
Growing up in small town Fort Atkinson, WI, Gina L. Maxwell, formerly Bisbee, could often be found onstage in the latest theatrical production, performing with her high school show choir, or holding office in her local FFA chapter. She dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps in the entertainment business, of enabling her audience to forget about life for a few hours as they enjoyed the stories she told through her love of singing, dancing, and acting. It wasn’t until her sophomore year in college when she realized she had no acting talent to speak of and her dream needed some adjusting. Another ten years would pass before she discovered a different means to accomplishing the same dream.
Within those ten years Gina married her high school sweetheart, had two beautiful children, and moved more times than she cared to count. In 2009 she started writing as a hobby while her kids were in school, and it quickly became an obsession she couldn’t stop, and then a dream to publish stories of love and passion for romance addicts just like her.
Three years later, her dream came true when she signed with Entangled Publishing for a total of seven books in two of their imprints.
Her Fighting for Love series with MMA heroes debuted July 20th, 2012 for the digital Brazen imprint with the first book, Seducing Cinderella, and reached #9 on Barnes & Noble’s best seller list in just seven days.
The first book in her paranormal romance trilogy, Desires of the Soul, is set to release both digitally and in mass trade paperback in Summer 2013 for the Entangled Select imprint.
When she’s not writing or wrangling plot bunnies, Gina keeps busy with her wonderful family and their ever-growing extra-curricular schedules. Thanks to their immense patience and support, she’s able to do The Thing She Was Meant To Do and live her dream of bringing a little romantic fantasy to the world, even if only in the pages of a good book.
Gina’s Website/Twitter/Goodreads/Facebook
Tour Wide Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire HD or a $200 Amazon Gift Card. Click on the link below be transferred to the Rafflecopter Giveaway.
Literati Literature Lovers Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive a Seducing Cinderella book autographed by Gina Maxwell and Parker Hurley! Winner to be randomly chosen by Gina herself!
Three winners will be randomly chosen to win Seducing Cinderella and Rules of Entanglement Swag! Click on the link below to enter and win!
An Extended Excerpt of the Bullshit Body Shot Scene
Many thanks to Gina for the extended excerpt of this really CRAZY HOT scene in Rules of Entanglement. If you aren’t part of the >>>>Maxwell’s Mob<<<< already, head on over there and join, cause Gina featured 16 pages of DELETED WATERFALL SCENES from the book. It was her way of thanking her Mahbstahs for their kind words, and for sharing the love of her books!
“What do you say we make things a little more interesting?”
Vanessa raised a brow as she poured them both their next shot. “That depends on what you mean by interesting.”
“A harmless get-to-know-you game.”
“A drinking game?” She actually looked excited about the prospect for a whole two seconds. Then she narrowed her eyes, nearly twining those long sable lashes. “Does it involve losing articles of clothing?”
He held up his right hand, “I swear the loser is not required to remove any of his or her clothing.” Said the spider to the fly.
Her shoulders relaxed and she leaned in slightly. “Okay, how do we play?”
“I’ll make a statement about myself. It can be true or completely fabricated. You then have to guess which and say ‘true’ or ‘bullshit.’ If you’re right, you get to pick a place on your body that I do a shot from. If you’re wrong, I get to pick the spot. Then we switch roles.”
Vanessa opened her mouth but nothing came out. She closed it. Tried again. Finally, she shook her head. “I’ve played a lot of drinking games in my day, but I’ve never heard of anything like this. Dare I ask what it’s called?”
Jax grinned. “Bullshit Body Shots. Reid and I made it up with our girlfriends in high school.”
“I have no doubt,” she said wryly.
“C’mon, V. You’re a lawyer, and according to you, a damn good one. You should be able to smell my bullshit from a mile away. Unless of course you’re not as good as you claim.”
Yeah, he was baiting her. Again. He seemed to be making it a habit with her. And even though she clearly recognized them for what they were, she couldn’t resist accepting his challenges. A trait he loved about her.
Finally, with a roll of her eyes, she said, “Go ahead and start.”
Game on. He’d start them off easy. “I was all-conference in wrestling my senior year in high school.”
“True. Your sister told me that forever ago.”
He figured as much, but he wanted her comfortable. And unsuspecting. “Where am I doing the shot?”
She made a show of thinking it over, then held out the inside of her wrist. He knew she’d go with somewhere safe. Or at least what she thought would be safe.
Grabbing the saltshaker in one hand and her wrist in the other, he kept eye contact with her as he brought his face slowly closer to his target. He licked a languid path across the soft skin, feeling her strong pulse speed up against his tongue. Vanessa’s pupils grew larger as he added a dash of salt, then licked it off in the same manner as before. He threw back his shot, enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat.
When she tried to pull her hand back—most likely assuming that was the end of its use—he held firm. “Ah-ah-ah. I still need this.”
“For what?”
He didn’t answer her with words but took one of the lime wedges and lightly squeezed it—enough for several drops to land and stream over the edges of her wrist—and then finished the process with an open-mouthed kiss to suck off the remaining juice. Then he released her.
“That’s not…” Her voice broke slightly and she cleared her throat to try again. “That’s not how body shots are done.”
“They are in this game. Your turn, Viper.”
Reminding her of her tough-girl persona did the trick. She composed herself, donned her game face, and took her turn. “I grew up in a really shitty neighborhood in Queens, New York.”
“Bullshit. You don’t have the accent.”
“Wrong, and your assumption is the reason I worked to strip the accent out of me. I didn’t like that people could identify where I grew up and pass judgment on me simply for how I sounded.”
He wasn’t surprised to hear she’d actively worked to improve something about herself she saw as a fault. Vanessa seemed intent she and everything else in her life was above par. More than ever he suspected something in her past was what drove her to be so strict about how her future should be. The question was, what?
“Good for you, V, I think that’s great. It also means you get to choose where you’d like to do your shot.”
The thought of Vanessa licking him anywhere had his blood draining to a central area of his body. She indicated his neck and didn’t hesitate to go through the ritual. Every stroke of her tongue licked flames up the side of his throat, consuming him a little at a time. He swore he almost cracked his jaw from clenching it to keep from turning his head and attacking her mouth.
When she finished, he gave her a half smile that he hoped said, That was about as much of a turn-on as shopping for car insurance, but thanks for trying. The slight widening of her eyes revealed a hint of incredulity at his lack of reaction, but he played it off like he was oblivious. Oblivious. Yeah, right.
Jax felt more like he was wired to notice every minute detail about her. From the shape of her eyes to the freckle on the back of her left knee. From the way her green irises could throw sparks when pissed to languid pools when relaxed.
Oblivious was the last thing he was when it came to this woman. And for the life of him, he didn’t know why.
“Are we done or are you going to take another turn?” she asked.
He grinned. “Anxious to have my mouth on you again?”
“In your dreams, surfer boy.”
He dropped the joking manner and stared directly into her eyes. “Actually, I’d appreciate it if you’d stay out of my dreams. Lusting after you during my waking hours is about all I can handle right now.”
Her mouth opened as if to respond, but nothing came out. For a long moment they were silent, just stared at each other, until she lowered her gaze and tucked a side of her hair behind her ear. Finally, he broke the silence by taking his turn in the game.
“I’m deathly afraid of spiders. True or bullshit?”
She studied him carefully and then rendered her verdict. “Bullshit.”
“Wrong.”
“Really?”
“Reid and Lucie are the only people who know my weakness, so I expect you’ll take that intel to your grave, MacGregor.”
She made a production of crossing her heart and holding her right hand up. “I swear. I won’t tell anyone you’re afraid of itty-bitty bugs.”
The little wench thought his phobia was amusing, eh? He’d show her amusing.
“My turn to drink.” Grabbing the hem of her tank in his hands, he started lifting it up her stomach. He didn’t make it much past her belly button before she grabbed his wrists and held tight. He looked up at her with a questioning arch of his brow.
“I thought you said there wouldn’t be any removal of clothing.”
“No, I said the loser wouldn’t be required to remove any clothing. However, the winner can remove anything that gets in the way of him doing a shot in the location of his choosing.”
“Holy shit,” she said with wide eyes. “You lawyer loopholed me.”
He winked. “Don’t take it too hard. I took advantage of your arrogance.”
“My arrogance?”
“Settle down, princess.” Jax rotated his hands up, breaking free of her hold. “Your arrogance is one of the things I like most about you.”
When she opened her mouth to protest, he laid a finger against her lips. “Shh. Rules are rules, after all.”
She slitted her eyes, but there was no hiding the humor dancing behind her lashes. Sure she wouldn’t argue anymore, he pulled her shirt over her head, discarding it somewhere on the floor behind him. A fancy black bra covered with sea green lace encased her breasts. They swelled over the tops of the cups that barely covered her nipples. It was quite possibly the most glorious piece of lingerie he’d ever seen.
“Sweet Jesus. Is that a matching set?” He zeroed in on her shorts, praying for X-ray vision.
“You’ll have to win another round to find out.” She gave him a satisfied smile. “Rules are rules, after all.”
“Touché,” he said, answering with a smile of his own. Too bad he was about to wipe that smirk right off her face.
The Importance of Keeping Things Fun in a Relationship by Gina Maxwell
Ah, love. The heart-pounding romance, the wild sex, the decision to be together forever and then…what?
I find it heartbreaking when once happy couples decide to call things off because they’ve lost that “spark”. It’s especially painful when you see couples that have been together for what seems like forever slowly drift apart when you thought they would be the ones to make it. I think to myself, “where’ did their magic go” and it makes the wheels in my head start spinning. What it is that causes happy couples to simple fizzle out?
Well, I’m no Dr. Phil ( nor would I want to be because I enjoy having a full head of hair, thank you very much ) and of course, I don’t have all the answers, but I am a romance novelist so I may have an inside track on a trick or two.
My advice? Have. Fun. Laughter is such a powerful aphrodisiac. I personally love to laugh. Have you ever met anyone who didn’t love to laugh? Instead of fancy dinners and drinks for your date night, grab a sixer – that’s a six pack of beer for people not from the Midwest :0) – and play miniature golf. Go out to a bar and play darts. Bet clothing on games of pool and the loser pays up as soon as they hit the front door. It’s a wonderful way to get to know each other again and more than a few laughs can often lead to more than a few kisses, which can lead to…censored things.
When I was trying to coax my heroine Vanessa out of her comfortable little quiet box, I utilized this tactic. As first, I wasn’t sure how well she would respond to my hero, Jax’s notion of playing a get-to-know-you-game, but the result of this venture ended up being one of the steamiest scenes in Rules of Entanglement. Anyone up for BS Body Shots? Hope you can handle your Patron.
Follow Us
literatiliteraturelovers
rozette69
Hobbitgirl
Elizabeth
Tiffany (TLC4YOU)
mandacolette
Michelle
