Tag Archives: sexy romance

NEW YEAR, NEW RELEASE, NEW DEAL

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I hope you all have something to celebrate at the beginning of this new year. I certainly do with the January 8th publication of ANIMAL ATTRACTION (Kindred Souls Book 2). To celebrate, I’ve arranged a 99c sale for Book 1, ANIMAL INSTINCTS, normally selling for $3.99 — a new deal for those of you who haven’t yet read the beginning of this thrilling new paranormal romance series.The Kindred are shapeshifting predators of various sorts with a very unusual origin story. The Lazares are the premiere family of black panther shifters. Cezar Lazare runs the clan and the casino boat where they work/live with its “by invitation only” cloaked lower decks. There, magic reigns. His three children – Luc, Nuala and Nik – try to embrace their heritage while trying not to be seduced by love. Their partners are not of their clan. They are all “something else,” which raises the stakes of the stories.

Readers ask how I got the idea for this series. It was a long process, which started with reading other paranormal romance series and then building my own world different from anything I’ve read. And then there are the animals. I’m a cat person. I’m a “big cat” person, as well.

I’ve volunteered at Lincoln Park Zoo for more than a decade. For years I was stationed across from the lion house. The big cats across from me were tigers, including a mother and her cubs. That started a love affair for me. I would walk to their outside area and watch mom teach her cubs to swim. Or keep them afloat. Walking around the house, I would reach the puma enclosure with its two sisters, who always seemed to be asleep. So I would whistle to them. Softly, of course, so that one of the mountain lions would get up and pace her enclosure before me. Of course those memories made me want to write about big cats, both shifters and the zoo kind.

If you haven’t read ANIMAL INSTINCTS, I invite you to do so while it’s on sale. And if you have read it, ANIMAL ATTRACTION is on pre-order and will be published in the next few days.

ANIMAL INSTINCTS

Half-human, half-Kindred, Luc Lazare doesn’t want more complications in his life. He’s focused on protecting his shapeshifting family and love is the last distraction he needs.

Skye Cross has the ability to talk to animals. Her most recent animal rescue mission–stopping an alleged dog fight–actually involved shifters in a primal battle. Her investigation leads her to Luc, a man whose powers both unsettle and intrigue her. Skye quickly finds herself caught in a dangerous world she never knew existed, while relying on a man she couldn’t possibly trust.

Coming from two different worlds, can Luc and Skye overcome the obstacles fated to keep them apart?

Available now for 99c

https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-Amz
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-BN
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-iBooks
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalInstincts-Kobo

ANIMAL ATTRACTION

Detective Ethan Grainger is horrified when a public official is found dead in the park, killed by an animal. Fearing it’s a shifter kill and heads for The Ark, where he seeks out Nuala Lazare, a Kindred pregnant by Ethan’s late partner Shade. He’d come to terms with Chicago’s supernatural underground, but because Nuala holds him responsible for Shade’s death—and because he is attracted to her—he’s avoided her until now.

Ethan is the last man Nuala wants to see, and she has enough to deal with being near term, realizing her fatherless child will be a half-breed like her brother Luc, who experienced tremendous prejudice and guilt while growing up. She plans to move from The Ark to live like a human for her daughter.

Ethan must keep Shade’s child from being corrupted by the criminal element of the Kindred Lazare clan. Which means he must get close to Nuala—not an easy task. As they get to know each other, their attraction becomes unbearable. Will Ethan keep his loyalty to his murdered partner or succumb to Nuala’s irresistible temptation?

Publication date January 8!

https://tinyurl.com/AnimalAttraction-AMZ
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalAttraction-BN
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalAttraction-iBooks
https://tinyurl.com/AnimalAttraction-Kobo

Organize and Plan by @JoanReeves #mgtab

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outdoors

De-clutter, organize, and plan. That’s my mantra at the beginning of every year. Since I’ve spent most of this month doing those 3 things, I thought I’d talk about that today.

One thing I’ve discovered about myself over the years is that I love to do those 3 things. Maybe it’s because I come from a long line of disorganized people who lived in cluttered houses.

My mom–God love her–saved every scrap of everything. She had a house full of newspaper clippings, files, books, and a gazillion other things. The only problem was that she never could find anything because it was all jumbled together.

Some people are just like that. My mother-in-law was like that too. I guess my Darling Hubby and I were destined to find each other! Seriously though, some people are just made that way, and others aren’t. Since our youngest daughter was born, I tried to instill in her the principles of organization, neatness, and all those other habits.

Of course she just ignored everything I said and went her merry messy way until this past year. Suddenly, she’s reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

For the last 6 months, she’s been cleaning out closets and cupboards, donating or selling stuff she hasn’t used in years, and quoting the book as if she never, ever, in her life heard anyone–like her mother–tell her any of the things in that darn book! Now she’s got her equally messy husband reading the book.

I haven’t read the book, but I have some simple rules to keep the house neat, organized, and always looking good enough for company.

8 Rules for a Neat House

1. Everything should have a place. Organize your stuff so it is in a logical place, i.e., tools in the garage, household cleansers under the sink, etc. If you have to store things you don’t use often but want to keep, get clear storage containers and stick labels on them that list the contents.

2. If you take something from its place, return it to the same place.

3. When you change clothes, immediately hang up the clothes if they’re okay to wear again or put them in the hamper to be washed.

4. If you have a snack between meals, rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

5. Load the dishwasher immediately after eating.

6. Empty the dishwasher last thing at night or first thing in the morning.

7. Take the trash out every night.

8. Before you go to bed, walk through the house and see if anything is out of place (ask the person who used it to put it back where it belongs), if there are glasses or cups scattered on the coffee table, etc. (ask the person who used them to take them to the kitchen and rinse them, etc.), if there are clothes laying on the floor (ask the owner to deal with them), or toys not put away (ask them to do it NOW).

Of course, things left lying about can also be gathered, concealed, and held for ransom. I did this when our kids were teens, and I was tired of tripping over stinky Nikes among other things scattered about the house. After I’d picked up the kids’ detritus a few days and wouldn’t give it back unless they did extra chores or paid a dollar, they became neater. It was almost magical!

As much as I like organizing, planning, making lists, and all of that left brain stuff, I think I’ll write a book with a heroine who loves that. Of course, the hero would have to be a slob. That’s all the conflict the poor woman could stand.

After You’ve Finished Tidying Up…

Take a break and read the Sweet and Sassy Valentine Collection by 12 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors.

This romance collection is an Amazon Exclusive. It’s only 99cents and is available for pre-order now.

The collection contains sweet romance and sexy romance. Indeed, there’s something for everyone. I think you’ll love it.

Joan Reeves is a New York Times and a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. All her fiction have the underlying premise:  It’s never too late to live happily ever after. Joan lives her happily-ever-after with her hero, her husband, in the Lone Star State. Join Joan’s Reader Friends and be the first to know about new books and giveaways, plus you get a free ebook just for signing up!

 

My New Addictions: Chocolate Toffee and Sexy Romance Novels

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Maybe I’ve taken this summer vacation thing too far, indulged too much, for too long, but it’s too late now.

I’m addicted.

Even thought I’m back to work, I rush through my tasks to get to the end of the work day and back to my latest indulgences, nicely paired together (the new bonbons and soap operas): chocolate toffee and sexy romance novels.

I haven’t found anything else to distract me from this dynamite duo of delectably dangerous desert. (I know what you’re thinking: this girl needs to get a life.)

This pair of perfection is the exact antidote to the routine, boring life, or the stressed, crazy life. Either way, it’s a welcome reprieve from a life filled to the brim with responsibilities and work. If you’re up for a staycation experience on any given Sunday afternoon or rainy Saturday or evening after dinner alone, I want to share the delight with you.

The Recipe: Chocolate Almond Toffee

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/4 c. butter
  • 1 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 c. Toasted chopped almonds
  • 1/2 c. toasted chopped pecans
  • Pink Himalayan sea salt, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Let butter melt and then cook, stirring constantly with a spatula (so the butter and sugar don’t separate!), until mixture turns a dark amber, 12 to 15 minutes. (This can take closer to 20 minutes if you’re heat is not high enough. Increase the heat and keep stirring until the color turns. Don’t give up! If you’d like to use a candy thermometer for this step, attach it to the saucepan and cook until the temperature reaches 285º, or hard crack stage.) Toffee mixture should be dark in color and very thick. Stir in ½ cup of chopped almonds.
  2. Pour toffee mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and immediately top all over with chocolate chips. Let sit 2 minutes so chocolate begins to melt, then spread chocolate all over with a spatula to create a layer on top of toffee.
  3. Sprinkle all over with remaining ½ cup almonds and pecans (use chopped crumbs too for nice texture!) and pink Himalayan sea salt.

Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour, then cut or break into pieces and serve.

AND

The Sexy Romance Novels:  Love on Fire

 

6 steamy romance novels by 6 bestselling authors…

Sometimes passion takes you and there’s nothing you can do to resist it. That hotfeeling overwhelms you until you can think of nothing else but him, want to do nothing else but make love.
Sometimes love sets you on fire until it consumes you.
Let these six novels of crazy hot love take you there, make you feel the heat of that passion, bring you that ecstatic joy.

Playing the Game – by USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Queen – International Digital Award Winning romance about a socialite playing the game of seduction to win against a superstar until winning feels more like losing her heart.
“Reading Queen is an absolutely scrumptious experience…with characters who come alive like Pop Rocks and carbonated beverages” –Romantic Times Book Review

Bittersweets – by bestselling author Suzanne Jenkins – A one-night stand for lawyers Terry and Alex segues into a long weekend of passion, leading to a lifetime of romance.
“…once I began reading I knew there was no turning back. Suzanne Jenkins has an incredible talent.”–Anonymous Reviewer

Red Rock Rises – by USA Today bestselling author Taylor Lee – A fiery former undercover agent, as tough as she is beautiful, no one messes with Red Rock until she meets the handsome Police Chief.
“Taylor Lee does it again! Red Rock Rises introduces another unforgettable heroine and a hero who is more than her match. From the first page to the last, the sparks fly between Jesse O’Donnell aka Red Rock and the sexy Police Chief.”–Kharma Queen

Bedroom Therapy – by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York – Phone sex, fantasies and fetishes are all in a day’s work for sex advice columnist Dr. Amanda O’Neal until she meets sexy detective Zack Grant, and things get personal.
“Bedroom Therapy is a torrid private investigative romance with the heated emphasis on the equatorial hot relationship between the sleuth and the doctor. The story line is fun to follow” –Amazon Review

Tempted by Mr. Wrong – by USA Today bestselling author Jacquie Biggar – How can something so wrong, feel so right?
Jacquie Biggar had me reading well past my bedtime. The characters are so well written they could walk right off the page!” –Avonna

To Love A Hero – by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Mona Risk” – Amidst a clash of cultures, an American scientist finds more chemistry than she bargains for with a national hero from Belarus
Outstanding Read. Mona Risk’s To Love a Hero is a wonderful love story complete with deception, conceit, stubbornness and the love of a lifetime for two people who couldn’t be more different. Ms. Risk hits a homerun with this.”–Simply Romance. Review

Available for Pre-Order Now – Release Date August 14th

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Marry On April Fool’s Day by @JoanReeves #mgtab

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Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day so here’s a question for you. Would you marry on April Fool’s Day? I think you’d have to possess a very good sense of humor to do that.

In light of our changing culture, perhaps the better question is, would you get married? Ever. I have a couple of friends who refuse to marry. Each lives with the man she loves, but they absolutely refuse to marry.

In today’s world where couples live together and often have children without marriage, getting married seems to have become the ultimate commitment if not the ultimate love story.Weddings are celebrated in ceremonies ranging from small, family-only events to splashy galas costing as much as a house.

Ancient People Knew What Was At Stake

It wasn’t always like this. Ancient history tells us that marriage was first a private, domestic affair.

According to Curious Customs of Sex and Marriage by George Ryley Scott (out of print but available at used book outlets), the basic function of marriage was to multiply. After all, the population was small. Disease was rampant. Under-population was the big problem. The planet needed more people. Marriages were simply a way of sponsoring procreation.Bride Cartoon

You may kiss the bride. Go forth and procreate.

Women Were Valuable–Commodities

It didn’t take men long to decide that the value of a woman–daughter, sister, or a female related in any way that gave them domination over the woman–lay in making marriage contracts that enabled them (the men) to gain more wealth and power.

Yet, marriage was a hard sell to most men. Those testosterone-fueled beings didn’t embrace the concept. They took persuading which is probably why the dowry played such a big part in landing a man who would enhance a father’s power and wealth.

Perhaps that explains why so many nations (remember, just about all society was patriarchal) experimented with Polygyny, a form of plural marriage in which a man is allowed more than one wife, and Polyandry, a form of polygamy whereby a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. So they could have many wives and get many dowries in order to expand their power base.

Along Came Monogamy

Eventually, in most civilized nations of the world, monogamy was accepted almost universally, at least in theory, as the perfect form of marital union.

As we all know, nothing and no one is perfect, but monogamy was probably what kept the world rocking along for a couple of millennia—dragging all of the customs and superstitions created along the way into our modern world.

Customs Transform To Fit The Times

Many marriage customs continue, with some slight alterations. Although some may still practice Marriage by Capture, that’s usually performed in an altered version called Elopement.

Betrothal in Infancy and Arranged Marriages still survive as do matchmakers. Even Marriage by Purchase survives in other countries although cynics assert that Marriage by Purchase is alive and well in western civilizations too. Just look at all the wealthy sugar daddies–and a few sugar mamas–who are always looking for sexy young sugar babies. Of course, maybe they’re all just looking for love like the rest of us.

Marriage of Convenience

Another classic tradition in the wedding arena is the Marriage of Convenience in which an unwilling man or woman is forced into a marriage. Sometimes this is because of the need for protection or for economic reasons. This is one of the most popular themes in romance novels.

I explore that theme in my romantic comedy, April Fool Bride which is on sale for only 99 cents today through April 16. (Be sure the price is 99 cents before you click Buy.) You can find April Fool Bride at: Amazon * Nook * iTunes * Kobo (U.S.) * Smashwords.

Blurb

Is it a marriage of convenience or something more? Something that sizzles like steam heat between Maddie and Jake that neither can resist!

 Oil heiress Madeline Quinn needs a husband by the time she turns twenty-five in order to claim her full inheritance. Mad Maddie, as the tabloids christened her, has learned the hard way that men only see dollar signs when they look at her.

 Maddie decides a marriage of convenience is the only answer. She turns to the one man in the world she can trust, her housekeeper’s son who always treated her like a little sister when they were kids growing up together.

 Jake Becker hasn’t seen Maddie since the night she tried to seduce him. Why should he help the woman who changed the course of his life? Simple. Revenge.

Review

This is a wonderful love story. April Fool Bride is well plotted and beautifully told. As the story came to an end I found myself wanting to read more. I read a lot of books, but I don’t read them all to the end, and I only write a review on the ones I love. I thoroughly enjoyed April Fool Bride. 5 Stars!! ~ Mary Adair, Author

A charming novella with romance, passion, humor. Maddie needs a husband by April to be able to control her inheritance. The only man she can trusts to help her without taking advantage of the situation is Jake who was her friend when they were both teenagers. His mother used to work for Maddie’s family until the night her stepmother caught Maddie in Jake’s bed and threw him and his mother out. Now Jake is a successful businessman and doesn’t need the money or the lucrative deal Maddie is offering for him to marry her on paper for a year. Yet he accepts because…[*g*] Funny and sexy is the trademark of Joan Reeves’ books, add emotion and passion. ~ Amazon Reader Review

I wish you a Happy April Fool’s Day. Play a corny prank on your kids or your spouse. This is a day made for laughter–and romance if you work it right. *g*

Joan Reeves writes sexy–often funny–Romance Novels. Her books are available at major ebook sellers with new print editions coming this year. (Audio editions available at Audible and iTunes.) All of Joan’s books have the same underlying premise: “It’s never too late to live Happily Ever After.” Joan lives her Happily Ever After with her hero, her husband, in the Lone Star State. Sign up for Joan’s Mailing List/Free NL and get a free ebook. Connect Online with Joan: Blog * Facebook * Twitter * YouTube.