Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories Season 2

I really love the Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories set up. It really is perfect for the reader who wants the quick read in the evening. The official release date was April 29, 2013.

Blurb about the book

In Season 2 of Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories the Author’s have all added a little something more. Ms. Ross continues with Mike and Juliet’s Contemporary Romance, in Nothing Else Matters. This story takes place after the wedding. Ms. Eden takes you on a journey three thousand years plus into the future where female assassins get down to business in Red Hawk Mercenary Group: Ghost. Ms. Langston brings you into a world of Contemporary Romance where a woman can go online and order the man of their dreams in Mail Order Groom. 

Read a book before bedtime and fall in love with Romantic Tales.

Here are the book links:

 

For Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Tales-Bedtime-Stories-ebook/dp/B00C2HEW8A/ref=la_B004EVRPZE_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1364557666&sr=1-9

 

For B&N:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/romantic-tales-ty-langston/1114924590?ean=2940016247663

 

All Romance :

 

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-romantictalesbedtimestoriesepisode4-1057516-172.html

 

 

Lover at Last Cincy Signing

Lover at Last Q&A with J.R. Ward

Cincinnati, Ohio on March 30, 2013

Honestly if you have never attended a J.R. Ward signing and Q&A, I’m not sure I can really explain how crazy and fun it really is. She fires off answers and answers questions just like she writes. There are lots of f-bombs in her answers and I swear she cracks me up every single time.  Now I was live tweeting during the event, and taking notes at the same time, so I did my best to get every question and answer for everyone. I will say there were a few questions where she didn’t repeat the question and refused to answer the question, so didn’t have a complete full account this time.

The next BDB book will be The King and it will be about Wrath and Beth as they try to have a baby. Will say many cheers went up and I was among those excited for this book.

The next Fallen Angel book will be out in late September and the title is Possession. She didn’t reveal anything about who this book was about, but did show the cover and it is awesome! Sadly, I didn’t get my camera up in time to get a picture and the cover isn't up on her website yet.

Ward promised we will get more with Trez and Selena, but must first learn more about Selena before they could have a book.

Saxton is part of a major plot line for the future.

Lassiter will continue to be in books, but not doing his book yet. Still unsure if he will be in the BDB or FA world or if it will be a possible crossover book. Plus, he is pretty obnoxious and his book will be hard to write.

Boo is still not just a cat, but Ward won’t share yet what Boo is.

Bonding scent question about Tohr and Autumn. Ward says she didn’t see it and she writes what she sees. Believes that even though Tohr loves Autumn, he bonded with Wellsie first and that is who received his bonding scent. Not saying he might not have a bonding scent with Autumn at some point, but hasn’t happened yet.

Lash will return at some point. Many boos happened with that announcement.

Ward would really love to see what would happen if Lash and Devina were put into the same room.

Qhuinn will have mating ceremony with Blaylock. She is unsure of the actual time frame.

Asked if Butch, Manny and Michael (Story of Son) have a connection and Ward said she wasn’t sure yet.

Is Sola related to Butch and Manny? No, Sola is 100% human.

Asked how the f*ck will the situation work between Qhuinn/Blay/Layla/Xcor? KEEP READING!!!

What/how is the Scribe Virgin doing? Ward said she is currently relaxing on a cloud.

Did SV create the Shadows? Ward says they are a genetic anomaly much like the Sympaths. So yes, but wasn’t really supposed to happen.

Assail – Ward LOVES him!!! She also said his identical twin cousins are so f’en hot!

Sola will be a major surprise to Assail.

Will Fallen Angels and BDB books every crossover? Ward said she isn’t sure at this point where the FA books are going. They will either end at book 7 or continue. She won’t know for sure until she is writing the 7^th book.

Qhuinn’s sister really is dead. No one else was in the oil drums besides Luchas.

No current plans for Luchas. He is still healing. Ward did say he needed to get laid though.

Qhuinn and Luchas will return to their home together.

We will see more of the slut who fed and screwed the BOB and Assail. She is the same woman who is married to the old fart on the council.

I didn’t hear the question and Ward would not repeat it, but she did say Possession will answer a true love question.

Layla is considered fallen.

Will Xcor turn on his Band of Bastards (BOB)? He has already killed lessors once to save Tohr. Must do something big to be worthy of Layla (exact words from Ward “he gotta do something for her to start blowing his dick”).

Yes we will continue to see glimpses of the mated brothers.

De la Cruz is still working in the FA books. Ward as a scene with him and Butch she might put up on the website.

Wrath expanding the Brotherhood rules was way past time. Will also allow for Payne and Xhex as well as others to be inducted into the Brotherhood.

Did Payne have to return to the SV to recover after helping Layla? Ward is unsure, but does seem like she must re-charge more after being here with each healing. Will have to lay hands on more brothers as the fighting continues. Ward also said that Payne will lay hands on George one day to keep him from dying. Wrath’s dog will not die!!!

Was asked if she sees other deaths much like she saw Wellsie’s and she said even if she knows she can’t share the information.

There will be more full-length books with the focus on the mated couples with full world building. She is writing them as they organically fit into the storyline.

Slimeball on the phone to BOB and their contact is Saxton’s father. (She acted like she wasn’t supposed to share this info, but said f*ck it and told us). Everyone in crowd really seemed worried Saxton might have been the traitor.

Are the brothers circumcised? Her exact statement “When you see something as long as a baseball bat you don’t really worry about the tip.”

Qhuinn and Blaylock have both released bonding scents for one another.

Could be possible that Tohr and Xcor share the same father. Each time she was asked she kept saying no Wrath and Xcor don’t have the same father.

Will there ever be a book with 2 males bonding to 1 female? She wouldn’t answer the question.

Is Throe’s family still alive and have we met them? Big Keep Reading!!!

Fritz won’t ever get his own book, but might have a bigger role in some of the other books like in JM’s book.

Havers – no redemption. Pretty sure Ward hates him as much as the readers. When asked if he would have a hand in Wrath & Beth’s book about child, stated over her dead body! NO WAY IN HELL!!!

Insider’s Guide Part 2 – Ward is unsure how to fit another one into her writing schedule at this point. With FA and BDB coming out each year, doesn’t want to take away anything from the writing of the books to do an Insider’s Guide again. Will see what they can do since with The King, she is another 6 books into the series.

Rhage & Mary’s baby story – Ward is 146 pages into the story at this time.

Now that the closet has been blown open, will there ever be a 4-some in the pit? Not so much.

Might learn more about the 16 empty coffins in The King.

We will see Layla’s baby soon.

Is Eddie going to come back? We will see him in next FA book, but need to keep reading for more info.

What is Erich’s twin’s name? (Assail’s twin cousins) Ward doesn’t know. Only Erich’s name came to her.

Strangers on a Train - Tight Quarters

Strangers on a Train, available April 2, 2013, from Samhain Publishing

Tight Quarters by Samantha Hunter

Reid isn’t happy about the mix-up that saddles him with a claustrophobic roommate on his New York train tour. Then his weekend with Brenna progresses to a weekend fling, and so much more.

Brenna and Reid are forced to become roommates due to a scheduling conflict. The attraction between them both is pretty obvious from the very beginning. Reid and Brenna both have traumas in their past that are still effecting how they live now. I really liked how Reid and Brenna worked well together. I loved the chemistry between Reid and Brenna, and thought Hunter did a great job with this fast-paced story.

Strangers on a Train - Big Boy

Strangers on a Train, available April 2, 2013, from Samhain Publishing

Big Boy by Ruthie Knox

Mandy doesn’t want romance, but monthly role-playing dates with her stranger on a train—each to a different time period—become the erotic escape she desperately needs. And a soul connection she never expected.

I love the idea of two strangers meeting once a month for a romantic tryst. Mandy and Tyler have awesome chemistry and loved how they role-played each month. Mandy’s and Tyler’s real lives aren’t as exciting as their role-playing lives, but their real lives are totally real. Mandy is raising her nephew Josh following the death of her sister and her husband, and Tyler has his own family issues to deal with. Both Mandy and Tyler are really strong characters and I liked seeing them find a way to move their relationship to that next level.

Ruthie Knox delivers once again with this sexy, fast-paced story. I love the strangers on a train theme and loved her take on it.

Strangers on a Train Blog Tour

Today I'm happy to be the host for the Strangers on a Train Blog Tour. Author Ruthie Knox is visiting my blog again today to help showcase this book. Ruthie is also offering up the chance to win a digital copy of her story Big Boy to one lucky person. Welcome Ruthie!!!

Romancing the Rails

There is romance in train travel—the rhythm of a train moving over the tracks, that rocking movement, the muffled noises of the world outside. There is the deep history of steel laid over prairie grass, bridges built, towns made and destroyed. There are stories of other journeys along the tracks, both dramatic and mundane.

The other passengers carry on their secret selves, their life stories, as luggage. A woman on your commute smiles at her phone, and you wonder if she’s texting her husband. If he said something cute. A man in the seat next to you has a lap full of flowers, and you wonder who they’re for. Maybe he has a date. A daughter who needs cheering up. Maybe he’s falling in love.

Maybe that other man standing by the door, bracing his hand on the luggage rack—the handsome one with the dark hair and the shoulders that strain the back of his suit jacket—maybe he’ll speak to you. You’ll drop your notebook on your way off the train, and he’ll retrieve it, then strike up a conversation.

Maybe you’ll talk as you walk off the platform, into the station. Maybe you’ll linger outside, go for coffee, make a date.

Maybe he’ll love you.

Maybe you’ll love him back.

Train rides are excursions of limitless possibility, and this is what we celebrate in Strangers on a Train, a collection of five romantic short stories. From the wine excursion tour trains of California to a gritty Boston T stop, we imagine what might happen when two lives collide on a train car and love sparks.

My own story, Big Boy, piles on an additional layer of history (and weirdness) by taking as its setting the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where a man and a woman who met online get together one night a month after the museum goes dark to pretend to be strangers. New strangers every month. “You can be anyone you want,” he tells her. “Just stay in character.”

So our heroine curls her hair just so, finds the right dress, the right shoes, and arrives every month for her date with the past. She doesn’t know his real name, but she knows his face. She knows how he moves, the curl of his hair at the nape of his neck. She knows the stroke of his tongue into her mouth, the heat of their naked bodies gliding together in a darkened berth.

She knows how she feels when they’re together, and that she wants to feel that way more often.

But she doesn’t know—is it real, this thing they have? Or is it just an illusion midwifed into being by train wheels, shadowed corners, shared flasks and storytelling and the romance of the past? For this is the constraint of the train romance: the journey takes you somewhere, but then it ends, and then where are you? How do you find your way from there?

Giveaway

Do you have a favorite train romance, or even a train ride that you found fascinating or somehow transformative?

Answer in the comments for a shot at a copy of Big Boy in the digital format of your choice. (Ebooks only.) Please include your email address in your comment to be included in the drawing. The contest will be open from March 27, 2013 to April 2, 2013. I’ll forward the winner’s email to Ruthie and announce the winner here as well.

About the Stories

Strangers on a Train, available April 2, 2013, from Samhain Publishing

Big Boy by Ruthie Knox

Mandy doesn’t want romance, but monthly role-playing dates with her stranger on a train—each to a different time period—become the erotic escape she desperately needs. And a soul connection she never expected.

Tight Quarters by Samantha Hunter

Reid isn’t happy about the mix-up that saddles him with a claustrophobic roommate on his New York train tour. Then his weekend with Brenna progresses to a weekend fling, and so much more.

Ticket Home by Serena Bell

Encountering her workaholic ex on her commuter train is the surprise of Amy’s life. Especially since Jeff seems hell-bent on winning her back.

Thank You for Riding by Meg Maguire

At the end of Caitlin’s commute, her extended flirtation with a handsome stranger finds them facing a frigid winter night locked in an unheated subway station.

Back on Track by Donna Cummings

A wine tour isn’t enough to take Matt’s mind off his baseball slump—until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many…

Buy the Strangers on a Train stories at Samhain | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Ruthie

Ruthie Knox graduated from Grinnell College as an English and history double major and went on to earn a Ph.D. in modern British history that she’s put to remarkably little use. These days, she writes contemporary romance in which witty, down-to-earth characters find each other irresistible in their pajamas, though she freely admits this has yet to happen to her. Perhaps she needs more exciting pajamas. Ruthie moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia.

Visit Ruthie at her website | on Twitter | on her Facebook page | on Goodreads

Other Links

Serena Bell | website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Samantha Hunter | website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Donna Cummings | website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Meg Maguire | website | Twitter | Goodreads

Highlander Most Wanted

Highlander Most Wanted is the newest book in the The Montgomery & The Armstrongs series from author Maya Banks. The publisher is Ballantine Books (Random House) and the release date was March 19, 2013. From the back cover.~

Maya Banks, the New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance, has captivated readers with her steamy Scottish historical novels, perfect for fans of Julie Garwood. In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnis is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy for review thanks to the publisher from NetGalley. I’m a huge fan of Maya Banks and have devoured her contemporary and romantic suspense books for years. I’m not just as big a fan of her historical romances.

Genevieve McInnis has survived hell under the hands of Ian McHugh and most of those within his clan. She is one of the strongest characters I’ve ever read and I loved her from the moment we met her. She has every right to not help any of the people left in the McHugh keep, yet goes above and beyond to not only make sure they are provided for, but even protected. Genevieve believes she has been ruined forever because of how Ian used her and scared her. She even believes her family should never be told she is still alive so she doesn’t bring shame to them.

Bowen Montgomery is at the McHugh keep on behalf of his brother to take over following Ian’s death. He is there to hunt down Ian’s father Patrick and can’t seem to stay away from Genevieve from the moment they meet. He is protective of her from the very beginning, even when it looks like it will cause problems with his brothers. Bowen is a great judge of right and wrong and able to look at a problem from all sides and see the big picture.

Let me just say I loved Bowen and Genevieve together so very much! Genevieve had been abused and raped for an entire year before her rescue. Bowen was about the sweetest man ever the first time they were together. I knew he would be, but his tenderness and passion were so very beautiful. I loved how Bowen loved Genevieve so much he would be willing to let her go rather than see her missing a part of herself. Genevieve loved Bowen just as much and it was beautiful to see both scared warriors fall for one another.

I personally think this is one of the best books I’ve ever read from Maya Banks. It rung out so many emotions from me and I’m already counting down the days until Brodie’s book is released in September.

Deadly Sting

Deadly Sting is the 8^th book in the Elemental Assassin series from Jennifer Estep. The publisher is Pocket Books. From the back cover.~

Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me — Gin Blanco, aka the Spider — it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’ priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

I was lucky enough to get an early review copy through Edelweiss thanks to the publisher. I’m a huge fan of the Elemental Assassin series and was super excited to get to read the next book early. I honestly believe this series of books must be read in the order they were released, since each book builds on the one before. While I had a couple of issues with one of the characters, I really enjoyed this book overall.

Gin Blanco is one of my favorite characters ever. She has been an assassin since soon after her mother and older sister were murdered. She is such a strong character and loves and protects all those she cares about, especially those she considers her family and friends. I love that in each book we get flashback between Gin and Fletcher that always help her see the solution to her current dilemma.

The bulk of this book takes place at a gala showcasing all of Mab Monroe’s possessions. Gin didn’t even want to attend the gala, but her foster brother Finnegan Lane convinces her to go. Luckily for all but the robbers, Gin never leaves home without a few of her knives. The group of bad guys in this book were pretty organized, but not prepared for The Spider to be in attendance.

I loved getting to spend time with Gin’s friends and family. I’ve made no secret of my love for Finnegan Lane, and it grows with each book. I love that he and Gin’s baby sister, Bria have fallen for one another and love their romance so very much. My only problem with the series right now is Owen Grayson. Things changed between Owen and Gin at the end of Widow’s Web, and I really wanted to see things resolved in this book. I’ve been a fan of Gin and Owen together from the very beginning and I really thought he was smarter than he has been acting in the last 2 books. I’m hoping we get a resolution one way or the other in the next Elemental Assassin book Heart of Venom, which is due out August 27, 2013. For more information about the Elemental Assassin series or other books by Jennifer Estep, please check out her website.

No Turning Back

No Turning Back (Hanover Brothers Book #1) is the newest release from author HelenKay Dimon. The publisher is Penguin Group (Berkley InterMix) and the official release date was March 19, 2013. From the back cover.~

The Hanover brothers inherited some bad behavior from their con artist father. Now three strong women will make honest men out of them. 

After ten years in the Army and four overseas deployments, Declan Hanover is ready for life away from a military base. Sweetwater, Oregon, a sleepy coastal town, seems like the perfect place to start over. His plan is to work out a deal with his brothers and the bank to let him keep the estate they’ve inherited, Shadow Hill. But he wasn’t prepared for Leah Baron, whose family lost everything to his father’s cons—including the house Declan intends to make his own… 

Leah thinks Declan is just like his conman father. He possesses a bad boy charm that makes her heart pound, but that doesn’t mean she can trust him. All she wants is to get close to him so she can get her house back. But Declan has other ideas. He doesn’t mind being in close proximity to Leah—as long as it’s in the bedroom…  

I was lucky enough to get a review copy thanks to the publisher through NetGalley. I’m a huge fan of HelenKay Dimon and couldn’t wait to read the first book in her new series. I think No Turning Back was a great start for this series.

Those Hanover brothers pretty much stole my heart from the minute each appeared on the page. Declan and Leah meet for the first time when Leah is trash talking about all the Hanovers while having breakfast with her best friend Mallory. I absolutely loved that he confronted her about it and could see they were immediately attracted to one another. Leah’s dad has drilled into her head since she was a little girl that Charlie Hanover, and anyone with the Hanover name was an enemy.

I loved the chemistry between Declan and Leah. Even with the history between their families between them, they can’t seem to keep their hands off one another. HelenKay Dimon has always given her readers sexy books, and she delivered once again with No Turning Back. Of course, because of their family’s history, there are many bumps along the way and only by trusting one another can they make their relationship work.

I also loved the relationship between the Hanover brothers. Callen, Declan and Beck had a rough past, but once they come together, they are a solid unit. I really fell pretty hard for all the Hanover brothers, but fell hardest for Callen.

No Turning Back is a sexy contemporary romance with just enough mystery about the past to keep the reader guessing. Up next in the series is Beck’s book, A Simple Twist of Fate, which is scheduled for release on July 16, 2013. For more information about this series or other books from HelenKay Dimon, check out the author’s website.

The Long Way Home Cover Reveal

I'm thrilled to announce that after a long way, the cover for The Long Way Home is finally out. The fabulous Shawntelle Madison did an amazing job with this, didn't she? Want your own copy? Buy it at: Barnes & Noble| Smashwords | Amazon | Kobo The Long Way Home cover[/caption] From the back cover:

My name is Jessica Scott. I am a soldier. I am a mother. I am a wife. In 2009, Army second lieutenant Jessica Scott deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. She thought deploying was the hardest thing she'd ever do. She was wrong. This is the story of a mother coming home from war and learning to be a mom again. This is the story of a lieutenant making the grade and becoming a company commander. This is the journey of a writer persevering through a hundred rejections. This is the story of a soldier learning to be a woman again. This is the story of a wife waiting for the end of a war. This is the journey as it happened, without commentary. This is her blog. There are many blogs from the Iraq war, but this one is hers.

Check out the trailer : Below is an exclusive look at :

The Long Way Home - Excerpt

Make sure you check out the reviews on Goodreads and if you haven't already, add it to your shelf! Get your copy today: Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Amazon | Kobo The rest of the bookstores links will be live soon!

***Jessica has been kind enough to offer up an entire digital set of her backlist (romance and nonfiction) to one lucky person. As I've read them all, you so want to win this prize!!! Please include you email addy in your comment to be eligible. I'll draw the winner and give your email addy to Jessica on Friday, March 22.***

A Fine Romance

A Fine Romance is book two in the Aisle Bound Series from author Christi Barth. The publisher is Carina Press and the release date was March 11, 2013. From the Carina website.~

Book Two in the Aisle Bound Series

They say you form your first impression of someone within thirty seconds of meeting them. Or, in Mira Parrish's case, within thirty minutes of not meeting them, when said person is supposed to pick you up from the airport and never shows. This is not a perfect start to her new life. Her friend Ivy is depending on her to run a new romance store, and Mira can't afford to let her down. 

Sam Lyons should probably apologize. But every time he sees Mira--which is often, since his family owns the bakery next to her shop--he can't resist antagonizing her. There's something about the sexy, straight-laced woman that drives him crazy. He can't get involved, though. He has too much baggage to be any good in a serious relationship.  

Despite his teasing attitude, Mira finds Sam too sweet to resist. (His hot body may be a factor.) But if there's going to be anything permanent between them, they'll need to let go of their pasts and look to the future...

I was lucky enough to be approved for an early copy of A Fine Romance thanks to the publisher through NetGalley. I didn’t realize when I requested it that it was the second book in a series, but will say this book stands alone well without reading the first book (already bought for my kindle, BTW).

Let me just say I loved Mira from the moment she appeared on the page. The fact that she dumps a drink on Sam’s head when they first meet to get back at him for not picking her up from the airport only made me love her more. I also loved Sam, even when I thought his excuses for always helping with his mom were a little much.

I loved the chemistry between Sam and Mira. Even when they wanted to throttle one another, they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. I also loved how Sam only really seemed to share his real self with Mira. Both Mira and Sam have major baggage because of their families, and while they could talk it out together, it is up to each of them to figure out how to work around that baggage to have a successful relationship. I know I’ve said how much I loved both Sam and Mira, but I really did love them as a couple. They really did fit perfectly together and completed each other.

While I think A Fine Romance really does read well as a stand-alone book, to know more about Ivy, Mira’s best friend and all her friends, I’d read Planning for Love first. This was the first full length book I’ve read from Christi Barth, and I look forward to reading many more books from her in the future. For more information about the Aisle Bound Series and other books from Christi Barth, check out her website.

Beyond Control

Beyond Control (Beyond, Book Two) is the newest release from author Kit Rocha. The official release date was March 13, 2013. From the author’s website.~

She refuses to be owned.

Alexa Parrino escaped a life of servitude and survived danger on the streets to become one of the most trusted, influential people in Sector Four, where the O’Kanes rule with a hedonistic but iron fist. Lex has been at the top for years, and there’s almost nothing she wouldn’t do for the gang…and for its leader. Lie, steal, kill—but she bows to no one, not even Dallas O’Kane.

He’ll settle for nothing less.

Dallas fought long and hard to carve a slice of order out of the chaos of the sectors. Dangers both large and small threaten his people, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. His liquor business is flourishing, and new opportunities fuel his ambition. Lex could help him expand his empire, something he wants almost as much as he wants her. And no one says no to the king of Sector Four.

Falling into bed is easy, but their sexual games are anything but casual. Attraction quickly turns to obsession, and their careful dance of heady dominance and sweet submission uncovers a need so deep, so strong, it could crush them both.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Beyond Control thanks to the author from NetGalley. I’ve been dying to read Lex and Dallas’s book since we first met them in Beyond Shame and was super excited to get their book so early in the series. Let me just say Kit Rocha totally delivered with this book!

I’m not sure I can express how much I loved this book. Lex and Declan (Dallas’s given name, which only Lex ever calls him) are just so perfect for one another. If I had read an entire book that only focused on them, I would have been over the moon and loved it. However, by adding in all my favorite O’Kane characters, Beyond Control became so much more. Kit Rocha writes the best Alpha hero and kick-ass heroine with Dallas and Lex. I also loved that we got to see them interact with Jas and Noelle, Ace (OMG I love him), Bren, and the rest of the O’Kanes. Much like Beyond Shame, Beyond Control is off the charts hot and dirty…and only in a good way. I don’t suggest reading in public unless you are okay with strangers asking if you are okay when your face heats up while reading.

Beyond Control is going at the top of my favorite books read in 2013 and it is only March. I’m already counting down the days until Beyond Pain, which is Six and Bren’s book, is released. Kit Rocha has become one of my favorite and must-read authors and I can’t wait to see where the Beyond series takes us in the future.

Welcome Ruthie Knox!!!

I'm so excited to welcome Ruthie Knox to my blog today!!! I'm pretty sure y'all can hear me squealing and going all fan-girl from wherever you are right now. I've been a fan of Ruthie's since reading her very first book, Ride With Me. 

Hey there, reader-types!

Liza invited me to say a few words about Along Came Trouble, my latest (longest) novel, which came out earlier this week from Random House / Loveswept. Along Came Trouble is the second book in my Camelot series; the first, How To Misbehave, got the thumbs-up from Liza. J

This book is a little different. It’s a bodyguard story, but it’s far more the story of the heroine, Ellen, than of the hero, Caleb. And Ellen is . . . difficult. For some readers, she’s *too* difficult, and I can understand that. But I guess I see the hero, Caleb, as a little more flawed than some readers have—and the heroine as justifiably cautious, rather than, er, a little bit bitchy. Yes, Caleb is swoony and smart, good at his job—but does that mean Ellen’s obligated to swoon, to follow his lead, to fall in love with him? These are legitimate questions, to me.

I see this as a novel about what happens when a woman meets the right man at the wrong time and has to decide how much of herself to give him when she doesn’t feel like she’s got any self to spare. And most of all it’s about how hard it is to find a balance between dependence, independence, and interdependence—and how love can lift our burdens and help us become better versions of ourselves, if we are brave enough to let it.

In this excerpt, we see Ellen and Caleb talking on her front porch while he changes a security light bulb that’s too high for her to reach and she tries to cope with simultaneously being attracted to him and feeling panicked that he’s threatening her independence. (She had a bad first marriage. Really bad.) The “new clients” they’re talking about are Ellen’s neighbor (“some rich pop star’s mistress”) and Ellen herself (“his pampered sister”). The pop star is her brother, Jamie. Caleb and the neighbor, Carly, are old friends. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek. J

“So how was your day?” she asked as he leaned the ladder against the house. She needed the distraction, needed to make this small moment of male home improvement feel unimportant in order to counteract the fact that her armpits were damp with anxious sweat that made very little sense.

This was a light bulb, not the first domino in a chain. Every decision would be hers to make, individually and on her own timeline.

He couldn’t take that away from her. And if he tried—well, then he would deserve to find out how hard she could fight. Right now, he wasn’t her enemy. He was a nice guy offering to change the light bulb over her front porch.

Caleb threw her a lopsided grin as he ascended. “Well, it started off pretty good. I got a new client this morning.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Some rich pop star’s mistress, the way I understand it. And his pampered sister. But here’s the trouble, see?” He looked down at her, and just being the focus of his dark-brown gaze made her feel interesting. “Would you hand me the bulb?”

Ellen blinked.

“Over there?” He pointed.

Gangly as an ostrich, she rushed to pick it up from where he’d set it down. When she handed it to him, he set it on the top step of the ladder and carried on being charming and helpful.

“The sister wouldn’t let me in her house, and the mistress has an eccentric grandmother who cornered me with photo albums and scrapbooks.”

“Nana was there?”

Carly’s eighty-four-year-old grandmother had recovered slowly after breaking her hip last year. She’d decided to move into an assisted living facility in Mount Pleasant, turning her house over to Carly, who’d needed a refuge after her marriage broke up. But as much as Nana relished the social opportunities of her new living situation, she still spent a lot of time over at Carly’s. She claimed she needed time off from all the “old people.”

“Yes, and she was in fine form.” He reached up and unscrewed the burned-out bulb, the movement so effortless, Ellen wanted to cry.

 “What, she doesn’t like you?” she asked. “I’d think you’d be exactly Nana’s type.”

“No, Nana loves me. She’s loved me since Carly brought me home in the fourth grade and I ate an entire plate of her chocolate-chip cookies.”

“Her chocolate-chip cookies are awful.”

“I know. But she kept offering them to me, and my mom always says it’s impolite to refuse food at a stranger’s house, so I kept eating them and praying for rescue.”

From four feet above her head, he smiled his dazzling smile. With the color leaching out of the sky, he looked as though he’d been lit from the inside, his teeth whiter and his skin darker than they had been this morning. Phosphorescent, almost, his bright shirt and charcoal slacks an afterimage burned onto her retinas.

He climbed down, picked up the ladder and the broken bulb, and carried them into the garage as if he owned the place.

Ellen gazed into the gathering twilight and focused on breathing.

She’d braced herself for a fight tonight, but the tussle this morning had left her so tired, and he was so much easier to be around than she’d remembered. She hadn’t been ready for this . . . what? This casual rapport. He made her feel safe, and feeling safe worried her.

Paging Dr. Freud.

About the Book

Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox

Camelot series, book 2

Releases March 11, 2013

Ruthie Knox’s Camelot series continues in this sizzling eBook original novel, featuring two headstrong souls who bump heads—and bodies—as temptation and lust bring nothing but delicious trouble.

An accomplished lawyer and driven single mother, Ellen Callahan isn’t looking for any help. She’s doing just fine on her own. So Ellen’s more than a little peeved when her brother, an international pop star, hires a security guard to protect her from a prying press that will stop at nothing to dig up dirt on him. But when the tanned and toned Caleb Clark shows up at her door, Ellen might just have to plead the fifth.

Back home after a deployment in Iraq and looking for work as a civilian, Caleb signs on as Ellen’s bodyguard. After combat in the hot desert sun, this job should be a breeze. But guarding the willful beauty is harder than he imagined—and Caleb can’t resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure. With their desires growing more undeniable by the day, Ellen and Caleb give in to an evening of steamy passion. But will they ever be able to share more than just a one-night stand?

E-book. 350 pp. ISBN 978-0-345-54161-1.

Read more about Along Came Trouble on Ruthie’s website

View the Random House page for Along Came Trouble

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About Ruthie

Ruthie Knox graduated from Grinnell College as an English and history double major and went on to earn a Ph.D. in modern British history that she’s put to remarkably little use. She debuted as a romance novelist with Ride with Me—probably the only existing cross-country bicycling love story yet to be penned—and followed it up with About Last Night, which features a sizzling British banker hero with the unlikely name of Neville. Other publications include Room at the Inn (a Christmas novella) and How To Misbehave, book 1 in the Camelot series. She moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia.

TRAILER

Random House made a book trailer for Along Came Trouble that goes live on 3/10. If you click the trailer button it will take you to Ruthie's website so you can view the trailer.