LISTEN to Your Kindle Book

Want to listen to your Kindle book? Check out this terrific option:

Get Alexa to Read Your Kindle Books

Go ahead and give it a try. When you start doing the dishes tonight, listen to Sapphire: Book 1 Ladies of the Night Series read by Alexa.

Kindle Books Sapphire

Gabriella Shaw, Code Name: Sapphire

Sapphire is hired to seduce and capture the leader of a lucrative international human trafficking enterprise. The epitome of the mastermind’s targeted women, Sapphire is the consummate bait. Unfortunately for the evil man, Sapphire is as deadly as she is beautiful. Paired with former Col. Jase Malone, the two agents enter the Caligula Club to trap their prey. The club is the salacious playground for the rich, famous and deviant, and the conduit to the human trafficking horror. The only thing more challenging than the mastermind to the fiercely independent Sapphire is her commanding partner. The sparks fly as Sapphire and Malone fight to capture the criminally insane mastermind while their fierce personal attraction threatens to bring them both—and the mission—crashing down.

And while you are feasting on the two sexy Special Agents, check out this great Box Set by my ABB pals:

Unforgettable Loyalty

Is there anything more important in a relationship than loyalty from the one you love…knowing that person will always be there for you?

My book in the box set is:

Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

Knockin On Heaven's Door

She’s a go-it-alone detective. He’s a psychiatrist and FBI profiler. A serial killer brings them together. In more ways than one.

Tyra Stone is the lead major crimes detective in the city’s busy police department. Beautiful, brash, and a declared loner, cooperation isn’t part of her vocabulary. Deacon Walsh has more degrees than any one man should. A former Special Ops physician, psychiatrist, and now FBI profiler, the stunning black agent has spent a year tracking the serial killer of four Colorado girls. When the trail goes cold, a brutal murder of an Albuquerque girl with all the marks of his victims convinces Deacon his killer is responsible.

Do Aphrodisiacs Work? By Taylor Lee

Being the confirmed sensualist that I am, I’m a true believer in the power of food to affect our moods and desires.  That said, I loved this terrific article by Diana Herrington (@DancinginLife) on the power of aphrodisiacs to affect our love life. Do aphrodisiacs really work? Can you change your mood with food chemistry? Here are famous foods and activities known for love, the science behind them, and tasty recipes to share with your sweetie.

  1. Honey
  • Honey is a great source of boron, the mineral that helps the body metabolize estrogen, the female sex hormone.
  • Studies show that boron may also increase testosterone, the hormone responsible for promoting sex drive in both men and women.
  • Medieval hopefuls drank mead, a fermented honey drink, to promote sexual desire.
  • Ancient Persian couples drank mead every day for a month (known as the “honey month”–a.k.a. “honeymoon”) after they married to prepare for a successful family life.

Tip: Start the morning with Honey Syrup on pancakes or waffles.

Chocolate

  1. Chocolate

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~Charles M. Schulz

  • Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which mimics the brain chemistry of a person in love. It also promotes serotonin production. Together they give you a hormone rush that feels like the rush of love or love making.
  • There are other foods that may contain more of these ingredients (like cheese) but who cares? Chocolate tastes so good!
  • The problem with chocolate is that you risk a sugar crash, putting a damper on your “happily ever after.”

Tip: Create Homemade Walnut Dark Chocolate, a healthy choice since it has no refined sugar unhealthy oils, or preservatives!

Almonds

  1. Almonds
  • Through history, almonds were regarded as fertility symbols.
  • The aroma of almond supposedly arouses passion in females–or so thought the poets and scribes.
  • Almonds provide high doses of vitamin E, magnesium and even fiber.

Tip: Share some Almond Milk that you made yourself with love.

Beets

  1. Beets
  • One of the first known uses of beets was by the ancient Romans, who used them medicinally as an aphrodisiac.
  • Beets contain high levels of nitrates which increase blood flow by expanding blood vessels walls. Increased blood flow to the genital areas is one of the mechanisms Viagra and other pharmaceuticals create their effects.
  • Beets also contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.
  • Beets have a host of other health benefits.

Garlic

  1. Garlic
  • Garlic is full of allicin, another ingredient that will also increase blood flow.
  • In eastern traditions monks and priests are not allowed to eat garlic (or onions) because they are particularly stimulating.
  • Garlic has a host of other health benefits, many of which boost your immune system.
  • The obvious trouble with this food is that unless your partner is also a garlic eater, they might not like your smell!

bicyclists

  1. Exercise
  • Exercise doesn’t sound romantic unless it’s a “moonlit walk on the beach.”  But it turns out, exercise is so good for the body, that it triggers romantic moods, as well.
  • During vigorous activity, endorphins–the ”feel good” chemicals–are released. They can feel like a rush of love.
  • Exercise increases blood flow to the whole body and thus like beets and garlic, can increase moods and desire.
  • Exercise and building muscle mass also usually increases testosterone levels.

Tip: Take a walk together. What better way to deepen your love then while connecting with nature.

Licorice

  1. Licorice (Truly one of my TRUE addictions!  I eat it every day😊)
  • In ancient China, people used licorice to enhance love and lust.
  • The smell appears to be particularly stimulating.
  • Alan R. Hirsch, MD, neurological director of the Tip: Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, conducted a study that looked at how different smells stimulated sexual arousal. He found that the smell of black licorice increased the blood flow to the genital area by 13 percent.

Ginseng

  1. Ginseng
  • Asian ginseng is an adaptogen, or a substance that helps keep proper hormone balance in your body.
  • Ginseng, helps moderate the harmful effects of stress, enhances your energy and stamina and may improve your sexual function.
  • Caution: Because ginseng has an estrogen-like effect, pregnant or breastfeeding women should not take it. Although ginseng is not a kitchen food in the west, it is so well known and universally used that I have included it.

Basil

  1. Sweet Basil
  • Sweet basil herb is known across cultures to naturally increase sex drive and fertility by fostering a feeling of total relaxation in the body and muscles while increasing circulation.
  • In Italy, it is a symbol of love.
  • The scent of basil was said to drive men wild–so much so that women would dust their breasts with dried and powdered basil.

Is it all in your head? Well…yes. Each of these foods and activities can affect your chemistry but the effects are often subtle. If we are cued for love though, even a boost of energy from carbs could be perceived as an emotion or an attractive force. The body then enhances that effect since it can manufacture any number of its own mood enhancing brain and body hormones.

“Money is a powerful aphrodisiac. But flowers work almost as well.” ~Lazarus Long

This is why western science officially states that there are no effective aphrodisiacs. Scientists are looking for something as powerful and immediate as steroids or Viagra. But why would we want to use those strong drugs when we could simply have fun eating real food that will enhance our health? An attractive happy body and mind comes from a healthy body and mind.

****

I can’t say it better.  Let’s eat real food for love of our self and our loved one. And to feed all of our senses, check out my latest book:

The Unstoppable Detective Brooks: Prequel: A Christmas Reunion Kindle Edition

Trust me. Detective Piper Brooks and District Attorney Ethan Matthews more than feed all of our senses. Buckle Up and prepare to be wowed! These are two sexy dudes!

And while you are feeding your senses and your passions grab the latest box set from me and my ABB  author friends:

Unforgettable Devotion: Passion and Pain (The Unforgettables Book 29) Kindle Edition

February

Dedication, support, and loyalty are qualities we all look for in our relationships. When we add love into the mix, then we’ve hit the jackpot.  My book in the collection TARA: The Trouble Sisters Saga.

She’s a brash newspaper editor and declared environmental activist. He’s an arrogant land developer. A broken elevator forces them to confront each other not as diehard adversaries but as a man and a woman.

 

The Case for Bodice Ripper Sex-Ed * by @TaylorLeeWrites

NEWS FLASH!  We romance writers have been vindicated. According to none other than the Gray Lady herself, the New York Times: “Romance Novels Are The Best Sex-Ed.”

Sex-Ed

Seriously, this is news. The January 21, Sunday New York Times featured a sensational article by contributing opinion writer Jennifer Weiner titled: “We Need Bodice-Ripping Sex-Ed.” In her clever, insightful article Weiner claims that she got a smidgen of information about sex from her well-meaning parents. Another sliver came from junior high sex-ed classes that named body parts and detailed all the bad things that can happen to you if you have sex.  (Think hideous diseases and of course, the ultimate curse, pregnancy.) Fortunately for Weiner, like a lot of us, she was a reader.  And what did she read? Yep, you guessed it: Romance novels.

Weiner throws a bone to the likely readers of the NYT when she concedes:  “The literary establishment doesn’t have much love for women’s fiction, whether it’s romance, erotica or popular novels about love and marriage.”  She adds, “Romance novels come in for an extra helping of scorn. Critics sneer that they’re all heaving bosoms and throbbing manhoods, unrealistic, poorly written and politically incorrect.”

Not so, says Weiner.

In the central theme of the article she insists as an information-hungry teenager, the romance novels she read, “for all their soft core covers and happily-ever-afters, were quietly and not so quietly subversive. They taught readers that sexual pleasure was something women could not just hope for but insist upon. [And] shaped my interactions with boys and men. They helped make me a feminist.”

WOW! True vindication for those of us as teenagers who hid in the closet gobbling up everything from Gone With the Wind (you know the scene on the stairs when Rhett apparently has his way with a blushing Scarlet…) to  Judith Krantz, to Erica Jong etc., etc. Without understanding that we were being “brainwashed”, we romance readers came to believe that female pleasure was a must, something that we should insist upon.

Weiner explains, “Because these books were written for and consumed by women, female pleasure was an essential part of every story. Villains were easy to spot: they were the ones who left a woman “burning and unsatisfied.” She cites “Shirley Conran’s “LACE” that features a heroine telling her feckless husband that she used an egg-timer to determine how long it took her to achieve orgasm on her own and that she’d be happy to teach him what to do.” Weiner adds with what I’m sure was a grin, “At 14, I never looked at hard- boiled eggs the same way again.”

Romance novels teach readers that all partners are equal participants

Weiner takes her argument in favor of romance novels into the political issue of the day, the #MeToo Movement.  She quotes Bea Koch, the co-owner of the Ripped Bodice bookstore who says, “Romance novels teach readers that all partners are equal participants in a sexual relationship….In some instances it can be a literal roadmap for how to bring up difficult topics with a partner. They give a roadmap to people wanting to experiment with their sexuality, or even get on touch with what they want and need in a sexual relationship.”

Are romance novels “just porn” as so many reviewers sniff?  Given the rampant availability of porn, that is a worthwhile question to ask.  One recent study found that “79 percent of men and 76 percent of women look at a pornographic website at least every month, another that three out of 10 men in that age group were daily viewers.” In contrast, those of us who read and write about a range of intimacy know that while “sex might be easy, relationships are hard.” Comparing romance novels to porn, Weiner says, “The book has the ability to paint a deeper picture. A 400 page novel can teach you more about relationships that any X-rated clip.”

In the current climate where so many people, men and women, are wrestling with crossed wires and mixed signals, Weiner concludes, “If we want men and women equally empowered to form real connection, to talk honestly and openly about who they are and what they want, there are worse places to start than curling up with a good book.”

Amen.

*Confession:  This is a repeat of a previous blog. I think it is one of my best. And frankly given the “sneers” we get from mainstream press, Jennifer Weiner’s insightful and laugh aloud message is worthy of reading again … and again.

P.S. If you like your Bodice Ripper books with no holds barred, check out:  The Olive or Twist Series. Trust me. These guys and gals don’t need egg-timers.

What makes the Olive or Twist the hottest bar in Albuquerque?

Hint: It isn’t the Martinis.

Ask the legal and law enforcement superstars who’ve claimed it as their own.

The Olive or Twist Saga is a steamy legal and law-enforcement escapade. If you like smart lawyers, tough-talking cops and scorching passion, you’ll love my sizzling thrill-ride. Discover how challenging love affairs can be when sex and violence are in the mix. Grab The Olive or Twist Saga today and prepare to be wowed!

And while you are at it, gobble up my Author Billboard buddies latest box set:

Unforgettable Devotion

My book in the series is “Tara”.

She’s a brash newspaper editor and declared environmental activist. He’s an arrogant land developer. A broken elevator forces them to confront each other, not as diehard adversaries, but as a powerful man confronting a vulnerable woman.

Monkey Bread #Recipe By @TaylorLeeWrites

Monkey Bread is sticky, delectable, and surprisingly simple! This recipe comes from the inimitable Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, who insists “The smell is to die for, but the taste is life itself. I would endorse this monkey bread as the next presidential candidate.”

Monkey Bread

I tend to agree.  It was the hit of our Christmas morning brunch. You owe it to your family and friends who crave recipes that are simple to make and sinfully delicious to test-drive this terrific recipe!

You can pull off pieces by hand or, if you’re civilized, feel free to use utensils. (But then you will miss the treat of licking the cinnamon sweetness off your fingers!)

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 cans buttermilk biscuits (the non-flaky ones)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2-3 tsp, cinnamon
  • 2 sticks butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar

Directions:

  1. Reheat the oven to 350°.
  2. Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.
  3. Next, combine the white sugar with 2 to 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. (3 teaspoons of cinnamon gives it a fairly strong cinnamon flavor. If you’re not so hot on cinnamon, cut it back to 2 teaspoons.) Dump these into a 1 gallon zip-up bag and shake to mix evenly.
  4. Drop all of the biscuit quarters into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Once all the biscuit quarters are in the bag seal it and give it a vigorous shake. This will get all those pieces unstuck from one another and nicely coated with cinnamon-sugar. Spread these nuggets out evenly in the Bundt pan.
  5. At this point, you’re going to want to melt the two sticks of butter together with 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. This can be light or dark brown sugar. Cook butter-sugar mixture, stirring for a few minutes until the two become one. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.
  6. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is a deep dark brown on top. When it’s finished cooking, remove it from the oven. If you have the willpower, allow it to cool for about 15 to 30 minutes before turning it over onto a plate.

Now, I’m not completely sure why this stuff is called “Monkey Bread,” but I think it has something to do with the fact that people seem to stand around it making primitive noises, jumping up and down, and picking at it incessantly. Taste it and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

ENJOY!!

While you’re snacking on these sinful nuggets, dive into my equally sinful book:

The Unstoppable Detective Brooks

The Unstoppable Detective Brooks

Not all Christmas reunions have sugar plum fairies dancing in their heads.

Some include murder.

Detective Piper Brooks is as beautiful as she is outrageous. To the chagrin of her famous legal family, she disdains  her Harvard law degree, declaring she prefers to be a cop. Now lead detective in Denver’s police department, her motto in the words  of the irascible General Patton is “Lead me, follow me…or get the hell out of my way.” The latter being the most applicable.

The newly elected District Attorney Ethan Matthews is as powerful as Piper but sports a sophisticated patina that masks his background as a fierce undercover agent and wealthy attorney. As honorable as he is fierce, Ethan makes it clear that while the blonde bombshell is a force to be reckoned with, no one including Piper should underestimate him.

And while you are at, don’t let this holiday season go by without snatching up these two terrific boxsets by my ABB colleagues:

Irresistible — Unexpected Christmas Gifts

Christmas Romance

And

Unforgettable Christmas Miracles—Unforgettable Memories

Unforgettable Christmas Miracles