Tuesday, May 31, 2016

COVER REVEAL: Stranded by J.C. Valentine

Stranded Re-Reveal Blitz Banner
Series: Night Calls, #1

Publication Date: November 2, 2012
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance


~Synopsis~ 
Burned, Felix Sinclair has all but vowed never to get seriously involved with another woman as long as he lives. After a long day's work, Felix Sinclair is looking forward to getting back to his luxury apartment in the city. When he detours onto a road less traveled in order to shave off some travel time, the last thing he expects is to wind up stranded in a roadside ditch in the middle of a downpour--or to fall into the arms of a beautiful woman.

Recently divorced, jobless, friendless and utterly alone, Poppy Montgomery is struggling to convince herself that single life is what she wants--needs. Then a handsome stranger staggers into her life and sparks fly. Riding out the storm together is bound to stir up heat, but once it passes, will they be able to walk away?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: STRANDED is the first in an interconnected series of erotic romance. Each book can be read as a stand alone, but you will find that each new character has been previously introduced in some way. As an introduction to the series, STRANDED is a novella, but rest assured each new addition will be a full length novel worth sinking your teeth into.

STRANDED Cover

#FREE on All Platforms! Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

~EXCERPT~

As he rocked against her, she could feel his length probing her entrance, and she lifted her hips, eager to take him in.

Felix laughed and pulled his hips back. Poppy groaned her displeasure. “So impatient.” He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair away from her face as he gazed down at her. “Not yet, kitten. First things first. Do you have any condoms in here?”

Startled, Poppy shook her head. She didn’t think she would ever find herself in this situation again, so she never thought to keep any on hand. Sex hadn’t been the farthest thing from her mind, exactly, but having it with a man certainly had been. She had even stopped taking her birth control. And here she was, preparing to let some guy she’d known for two minutes plunge himself into her, and she hadn’t even thought about protection of any kind. She wanted to slap herself for being so stupid.

“That’s okay,” Felix assured her. “I have a couple in my wallet. I just have to go and get them.” He pushed himself off her and Poppy squirmed from the loss. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched as he walked away, completely naked and not caring in the least. He looked almost as good walking away, she thought, smirking to herself. Lying in complete silence made the time stretch on forever. Bo shifted in the corner and huffed loudly, and Poppy’s head snapped up. He was staring at her in that way that animals sometimes do that makes you feel completely exposed and a little shameful.

“What?” Poppy asked, refusing to feel guilty. “I’m not doing anything wrong.” Bo tilted his big head and looked at her quizzically. “Don’t look at me like that. When you go without sex for as long as I have, then we can talk. Besides, he seems like a perfectly nice guy, and I don’t see you kicking up a fuss.”

Felix strode into the room then and looked at her strangely. “Who are you talking to?”

Propped on her forearms, Poppy smiled shyly. “Just Bo.”

“Ah.” He glanced back at Bo. “I don’t think he likes me.”

Poppy waved him off. “If he didn’t like you, I think you’d be missing a limb right now. Bo is very protective of me, and the fact that he hasn’t tried to kill you for touching me yet is pretty telling.”

“Yet being the operative word,” Felix muttered as he climbed onto the bed and settled himself between her legs again. He held up a foil packet. “I wonder how old Bo is going to react when his master is screaming to the heavens.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and tore the foil open with his teeth.

“Screaming, huh?” Poppy’s belly clenched with anticipation. She watched as he rolled the condom down his erection.

“Oh yes,” he assured her with a wicked smile.

When he positioned himself at her opening, Poppy drew back slightly. “I thought you said we were taking things slow?”

Dropping down onto his forearm, Felix kissed her lips lightly and pushed the tip of his erection into her. Poppy sucked in a breath. “I did say that, but then I came back to find you all spread out, waiting for me, and I changed my mind. I won’t lie, this time will be fast. But after that, I’m going to take all the time in the world to get to know this body.”

“I—Ah!”

Felix shoved his way into her body and Poppy nearly came undone. He was bigger than she was used to and he stretched her, touching every inch of her and creating a delicious friction that threatened to push her over the edge. He was right. This would be fast.


Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000030_00031]

JC Valentine

J.C. Valentine is the USA Today and International bestselling author of the Night Calls and Wayward Fighters Series and the Forbidden Series. Her vivid imagination and love of words and romance had her penning her own romance stories from an early age, which, despite being poorly edited and written longhand, she forced friends and family members to read. No, she isn’t sorry.

J.C. earned her own happily ever after when she married her high school sweetheart. Living in the Northwest, they have three amazing children and far too many pets and spend much of their free time together enjoying movies or the outdoors. Among the many hats she wears, J.C. is an entrepreneur. Having graduated with honors, she holds a Bachelor’s in English and when she isn’t writing, you can find her editing for fellow authors.

Sign up for J.C.’s newsletter and never miss a thing!

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Monday, May 30, 2016

RELEASE BLITZ: First Crush by J. O Mantel

Series: Dark Falkon #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
  
~Blurb~
Friendship...

One simple word, yet so incredibly complicated. Well, that's how it feels for Jake Cooper.

Living with his best friend, Sienna Forrester, he's used to having a woman around, twenty-four, seven.

So why is he wanting to pull his hair out?

Lukas Dark, the lead singer and guitarist of Dark Falkon, that’s why. Sienna is obsessed with him, and it's driving Jake to seven kinds of jealousy that's getting harder to hide.

For as long as Jake can remember, it's been Lukas this and Lukas that, and oh my God if I could only meet Lukas--and now, thanks to winning a contest, she will.

Jake's out of time. He needs to find a way to make her see the truth. That it's him, not Lukas. Jake is the hero she's in love with and always has been.

AMAZON US / UK / AU

~Giveaway~

Friday, May 27, 2016

BLOG TOUR: Jersey Girl by Rhonda James

Jersey Girl Release banner
Series: Sticks & Hearts (Book #1)
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance


~Blurb~
Brantley Cage is a standout D-man on Great Lakes University hockey team. Now that his dream of signing with the Detroit Red Wings has come true, his goals for senior year are simple: Work hard. Score big. Stay away from love.

And then he meets her. There's just one problem. She's the sister of his best friend, and he’s been warned that she’s off-limits…

Cassie Rivers is a musician desperately in need of a do-over. Leaving the past behind, she transfers to GLU in search of something, or someone, that inspires her.

And then she meets him. Her brother's best friend and teammate. But according to the Bro Code he's supposed to be off limits…

You’ve heard what they say about forbidden fruit… One taste is more addictive than one of them is ready to admit. Will he keep skating away from love? Or has this player finally found his Jersey Girl?

Jersey girl cover 2

 ~Book Review~


DNF @45%

Unfortunately this was a DNF book for me. The cover is great and the opening scene is intriguing, but I have a few deal breakers when it come to reading romance and this story contains a few of them. I have no tolerance for hook-ups with someone outside the main couple, weak female characters, and male leads who behave like louses. Those types of things quickly ruin a good romance, and that's what happens here. Brantley seemed like a fairly decent guy until an unnecessary OW scene makes him look like a total douche. Until that point, the story was doing a great job of building the relationship between Cassie and Brantley, but after becoming each other’s best friends, confiding in each other, crying on each other’s shoulders, and falling asleep together, the reader along with the Cassie is treated to Brantley in a near hook up with his fuck buddy! That’s a story that’s almost impossible to salvage in my opinion, and it's the reason I could not read any further. But what was even more insulting, Cassie, the heroine of the story, shows her true doormat colors by not only immediately forgiving him, but kissing him right after! Gross! So now readers have a douchbag hero and a weak, spineless heroin. And the cherry on top of this hot mess—Brantley blames Cassie for making him horny and uses the lamest excuse of 'trying to get her out of his system' reasoning. To which Cassie says it’s all okay because he has needs (completely ignoring her own) and just requests there’s one girl in particular he doesn’t fuck. WTF!!! And despite the fact that they clearly have feelings for each other, they continue this silly “friendship” front all because of her brother (who's kind of a selfish dick too). It's rather sad that these type of sexist notions are still being perpetuated in books published in 2016, and worse yet, are being touted as romance.

Overall assessment: Very disappointing.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review

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Wednesday, May 25, 2016

COVER REVEAL: Dark Mafia Prince by Annika Martin

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Release Date: June 28th!

~Blurb~

I spent years making myself invisible. A good girl, apart from the noise.
Then you came back.
Wrapping my hair in your bloody fist.
Beautiful and deadly in your Armani suit.
Don’t act like you still know me, you say.
But I remember when we were best friends.
Before they lowered your small casket into the ground.
Before they told us the prince was dead.

GOODREADS

DarkMafiaPrince-hires

About the Author:
I’m a NYT bestselling author living a stone’s throw away from the Mississippi with my awesome husband and two cats in a home full of plants, sunshine and books. I'm heavy into writing love stories about criminals--some of them are dirty and fun (my Kinky bank robbers!) others are dark and intense (Prisoner!)

I also write gritty romantic suspense as the RITA-award winning author Carolyn Crane.
Connect with Annika:


 ~Also by the Author~


COVER REVEAL: Screwmates by Laurelin Paige & Kayti McGee

screwmates cover reveal banner
~Synopsis~
I knew from the first time I saw Marc Kirby that I was screwed.

Big eyes, scruffy face, brown curls – yes, yes, and yes. The man is wicked hot.

Hes also my roommate, and since I work nights and hes at class all day – its like living alone at half the rent.

Then an unexpected night off turns into an unexpected morning in Marcs bed and an even more unexpected realization that both of us are terrible in the sack.

This is not great news for Marc whos going on a bangcation” at the end of the summer – a whole month in France that hes planned to spend getting busy with the women of Paris.

Its also not great news for me for obvious reasons.

With both of us needing work on our skills, theres only one logical solution to our predicament.

Told you I was screwed.

Goodreads

Screwmates-PRINT-FOR-WEB (1)
Cover by Hang Lee

*Pre-Order Now Exclusively on iBooks*


~About the Authors~

With over 1 million books sold, Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She's a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there's kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn't seem to complain, however. When she isn't reading or writing sexy stories, she's probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

Kayti McGee is a Kansas City native who now calls Colorado home. When she isnt writing, shes making up recipes to go with her favorite books.




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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

RELEASE BLITZ: Walk by Cora Brent

Walk_Blitz
Series: Gentry Boys #6
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

~Blurb~
“I wanted him to know that I really saw who he was; not just some tortured ex-con trying to beat back his demons and figure out his place in the world. Stone Gentry was beautiful. He was a man I could fall for …if he let me.”
1513 ….The number of single lines you carefully scratched on a piece of college ruled notebook paper at each sunrise.

1513…The number of days you passed in a locked cage, surrounded by fierce men who did things even worse than what you did.

1513…The number of nights spent staring at the ceiling praying for just five minutes of freedom to talk to your brother. The brother you love more than anyone on earth. The brother who hates you even more than he hates himself.

1…The number of moments it took for a tragedy to unfold and change lives, end lives, destroy lives.

1…The number that represents isolation, a loneliness worse than any prison sentence.

1…The number of girls who show up in your life and try to crack through the iron shield you’ve built around your heart these past four years.

One girl and her name is Evie. Beautiful. Stubborn. Passionate.
You know that if you had any honor you wouldn’t take her.
But honor is something you lost a long time ago.

Walk is a stand alone within the bestselling Gentry Boys series. It is not necessary to have read the rest of the series before reading Walk.
WALK-eBook
Cora Brent was born in a cold climate and escaped as soon as it was legally possible. Now, she lives in the desert with her husband, two kids and a prickly pear cactus she has affectionately named ‘Spot’. Cora’s closet is filled with boxes of unfinished stories that date back her 1980’s childhood and all her life she has dreamed of being an author. Amazingly, she is now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of contemporary romance and begs not to be awakened from this dream.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

RELEASE BLITZ: A Son of Carver by Haven Francis

Genre: Upper YA/NA Contemporary
~Synopsis~

Sometimes the best version of yourself is the one you can only see through someone else’s eyes. But what happens when those eyes belong to the one person you don’t want them to?

Thanks to her father’s affair and her parent’s resulting separation, Presley Knox has been ripped from her life in California and dropped into an abyss in the middle of Georgia. With her alternative looks and creative spirit, trying to find her place in a sea of jocks and cheerleaders is hard, but doing it while living with her cousin who belittles her every chance she gets is almost impossible. There is one person in Carver who embodies everything Presley hates about her new life and she can’t help but use him as the outlet for all of her frustrations.

Nash Carter’s bad boy image isn’t a façade; he drinks too much, sleeps around, makes his money street racing and has zero plans for his future beyond living a rowdy life with his likeminded dad and older brother. His good looks, cut body and popularity have always gotten him anything and anyone he’s ever wanted. That is until Presley Knox showed up at Carver High.
Nash knows to steer clear of Presley and her sharp tongue that’s always aimed at him. But that becomes impossible when they’re paired together for a semester-long photography assignment that promises to push them into the depths of each other’s personal lives. In order to survive the semester, Nash implements a new strategy: get the one girl who’s immune to his charm to change her mind about him.

With Nash’s unwavering pursuit to know everything about her, and with the nagging voice inside her head that’s insisting there’s more to him than she’s letting herself see, Presley struggles to keep her wall firmly in place. When it slowly begins to crumble, Nash wonders if he should have kept his distance after all because the girl that’s been hiding under Presley’s hard shell is breaking his heart wide open.

Nash has been a lot of things to a lot of girls, but Presley’s the only one he’s ever wanted to shelter and protect. But how is he going to do that when he knows she’s right to keep their friendship a secret in order to protect herself from him?

Due to mature language and content, A Son of Carver is intended for readers 17+.

~Excerpt~

“From one to ten, how much do you hate living here?” I ask Presley.

She laughs – a normal cute laugh, not an angry one. “Depends on where I am.”

“You’re here; in your room… with me.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Ten’s the worst?”

“Yeah.”

“An eleven?” she smirks.

“Is it because the room part or the me part?” I ask, cocking my head at her.

“Both.”

I pout at her.

“Don’t even try that with me,” she says, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s cute,” I tell her.

She shakes her head.

“Come on, I’m cute – you have to admit it.”

“You’re not cute, Nash.”

“Yeah, I guess sexy’s the more accurate word.”

She squints her eyes at me, her mouth lifting with a wicked grin. “It bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“What? That I’m so sexy? No, not really. I mean, sometimes I just want to be left alone but it comes with the territory. What am I supposed to do?”

“It bothers you that I don’t think you’re cute, or sexy and that I don’t particularly like you.”

Yes. Completely. In fact, I’ve made it my mission to make you like me.

“Am I the only girl who hasn’t crumbled after a mere glance from you?”

I lean forward and cock my head at her, giving her a sly smile. To which, her reaction is a tight grin that says, nice try, cheese ball. “Probably. But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I’m getting to you already. Not particularly liking me is a huge step up from absolutely despising me. And I can maybe believe the not cute thing, but there’s no chance you don’t think I’m sexy. Have you seen me with my shirt off?”

“You realize that huge muscles aren’t a turn on for everyone and that some people even find things like a brain and modesty to be sexy?”

I give up the act and lean back on my elbows. “I don’t know what to say – you got me. I don’t have much of a brain and I’m definitely not modest. You could still like me though, right? I mean in a, I’ll tolerate him for a couple of hours kind of way.”

She mimics my posture, laying back on her own elbows. “I suppose.”

I stare at her – she’s got her hair pulled up on the top of her head in a messy bun, her face is bare; her ivory skin glowing in the sun that’s coming through her window. Her eyes are closed, her long lashes brushing against her cheeks. She looks peaceful. I pick up my camera, aim it towards her and snap a picture.

“What are you doing?” she mutters, eyes still closed.

“Taking your picture.”

“Can we talk about it for a minute before you proceed with your assignment?”

“Talk about it?”

She lets out a frustrated breath, sits up and looks at me. “We were supposed to start at your house. This makes me uncomfortable; having someone take my picture, especially here in my home landscape that’s not actually my home at all.”

“Are you trying to tell me you don’t want me to take your picture? Because I’m pretty sure I can’t pass the class if that’s another one of your rules I have to abide by.”

She pinches her eyes closed and clenches her teeth. “You can take my picture. I know you have to do that. I just thought if we laid out a plan I could limit the number of pictures taken.”

“I don’t get you, Presley. I’m trying to get you, I really am… but honestly, I can’t figure you out. Why wouldn’t you want your picture taken?”

She glares at me, which happens so often I’m pretty much immune to it.

“You’re not self-conscious?”

Another glare, this time it punctures the surface of my skin.

“You’re gonna have to use words, I’m not fluent in severe facial expressions.”

“Forget it, Nash. Just do whatever you’ve gotta do, it’s fine.” She stands and grabs her camera off her desk and shoves it into her backpack.

I stand too and walk to her. I turn her around so she’s stuck between me and the desk. She has a talent of running away when our conversations become too personal but I’m not gonna be dealing with whatever issue she’s got with my camera for the rest of the semester. “I get that you’re immune to my charms, so please don’t take this as anything other than a fact being stated.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, but doesn’t tell me to shut up, so I carry on.

“You’re pretty. Like really, really pretty – you know that, right?”

“I swear to God, if you say one word about my body…”

“I’m not talking about your body which, by the way, is extremely beautiful. I’m not even talking about your blue eyes, your thick hair or your perfect skin. I’m talking about your cute smirks, your impressive eye rolls, the way you chew on your lip and how you’re always hiding behind your hair. I’m not artist, I can barely work the camera on my phone, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna ace this class because you’re my subject matter.”

“Jesus, Nash, you are seriously too much. I mean I get it – I can see how a speech like that would win over any girl you know but you’ve gotta stop trying to use your lines on me. It’s seriously starting to piss me off.”’

My head actually retracts at that. There is no winning with this girl. “You really don’t believe a word that comes out of my mouth, do you? You think everything I say is just some stupid line meant to convince people that I’m likeable because, in reality, I can’t possibly be anything other than scum, right?” I stare at her, fully aware that I’m getting more worked up than I should be. She stares back at me but says nothing.

“When I saw you in that class I wasn’t any less annoyed than you were, but I told you I would try with you. And I believe you told me the same thing. But I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who’s actually doing it. I’ve been nice to you, I’ve taken two days out of my weekend to prove to you that I’m taking this seriously because you told me you needed that from me, I’ve tried getting to know you, I even tried being a friend to you. And every time you make it clear that you hate everything about me I find some reason to justify why that is and I let it go because I’m trying to get somewhere with you. But we’re never gonna get anywhere if you’re constantly pissed off at me for no damn reason. I can’t even give you a genuine compliment without you making me feel like a piece of crap.”

She flares her nostrils and shakes her head.

Presley’s never been able to keep her mouth shut. She’s got an opinion about everything and everyone, especially me. I didn’t think anything could be more annoying. But this is. Her refusal to acknowledge anything I say like I don’t even deserve her words is way more annoying than a litany of insults.

Forget it. I grab my bag off her bed and head out the door.


Book One 
Amazon (FREE from May 17th to 21st)


~About the Author~
An escapist filled with wanderlust, writing is Haven’s responsible adult version of getting in the car and driving without aim. Reading and music are close seconds.  She and her husband can often be found checking out their favorite bands locally or hundreds of miles away via road trips. Reading is something they don’t have in common but he tolerates her late night, dimly-lit habit.

Haven graduated with a B.A., double majoring in English literature and fine arts. She made a living writing about trends in interior design but thoroughly enjoys that fact that people, unlike furniture, can fall in love. She especially loves when they fall desperately and into a forbidden kind of love. She has a slightly embarrassing fascination with the period of life that sits awkwardly between childhood and adulthood; the years when nothing is certain, lots of mistakes are made, falling in love is inevitable and finding yourself is a struggle. For her it’s a fun place to escape to and she hopes her readers agree.
To date, Haven has self-published six new adult and young adult romance novels, and her first traditionally published novel will be released through Harmony Ink Press in July, 2017. She also works as a graphic designer but considers Mom her most important title.

RELEASE/REVIEW: The Prince & The Player by Tia Louise

~BLURB~

Cinderella plays dirty…

One crown prince; one “playboy prince”…
One con artist; one petty thief…
One twisted plot for revenge.

When Grand Duke Reginald Winchester is exiled in disgrace, he vows he won’t go down without a fight. Crossing paths with Zee Wilder and her younger sister Ava at a gambling resort in Miami is the stroke of luck he needs.

Zee is the counterfeit courtier in Reggie’s plan to humiliate Rowan, the controlled heir who kicked him out of the kingdom. In return, the sisters get a permanent spot on Easy Street.

If only Zee didn’t keep finding herself in a clutch with Cal, Rowan’s playboy younger brother. Ava’s no help, as she finds quiet walks in the moonlight discussing poetry and leadership with the brooding, future king irresistible. Even more irresistible is kissing his luscious lips.

The whole plan is falling apart, and neither sister is sure she wants to stop it.

A BRAND-NEW CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE featuring secrets, lies, royal high jinks, scams and double-crosses; breathless, swooning lust, cocky princes, dominant alpha future-kings, and crafty courtiers, who are not always what they seem.


~BOOK REVIEW~
3 Stars

Two dashing young princes, Crown Prince Rowan Westringham likes his fast cars; his brother MacCallam “Cal” Lockwood Tate likes his fast women. But it’s Rowan who has a bit of an indiscretion that makes tabloid fodder, and the fall out is a push to take a wife and create a more responsible public image.  Meanwhile on the other side of the ocean…

Zelda and Ava Wilder have been pulling cons, thefts, and swindles since they escaped foster care as teens. But when a scheming royal uncle catches on to their game, the sisters land a chance at a big payoff…if only they don’t find themselves duped by their own job. And this is where two very different sets of siblings cross paths and set the stage for a royal adventure.

In some ways, it’s like something out of the movies, and the Hollywood theme is strong with references to various films and the girls’ monikers. Visually—the settings, the clothing, the hijacks, the gorgeous and young characters—this story could really come to life if adapted on screen. I think this book would make a fabulous movie with the right actors to sell the pairings and the chemistry.  Once the duos meet the story is fairly fast paced and thus the love/lust is instant. On screen that could easily be compensated, but in book form where the readers must immerse themselves in the characters mind and world, more character and romantic development was needed, especially when dealing with four previously carefree new adults who were never poised for a meaningful relationship before. The story is told via Zee and Rowan’s first person point of view. What’s going on with Ava and Cal is only displayed through their sibling’s narration/observation so really the reader is only getting one half of each romantic coupling. Perhaps that is why there were times I just craved more of a deeper connection from the characters and between the couples.

None the less, this story rewards romance readers with double the sexy times.
“‘It means they’re off to do some royal fucking.’”
The steam factor is high and the love scenes don’t disappoint.  Nor does the action adventure storyline as this book is largely plot driven.

Despite earlier marketing blurbs, this is NOT a stand-alone. The story continues with A Player for a Princess that won’t be released till September.  So keep in mind when going into this one that the story is not complete with many plot points unresolved.  The format appears to be more of a serial series as it ends largely on a cliffhanger, and how many books are involved before getting the complete tale is unclear.

All in all, the premise has a lot of potential. I honestly liked the guys and Ava much more than I cared for or about Zee so I’m rather on the fence about continuing with the series. But if you’re looking for a sexy, action-adventure tale with intrigue and don’t mind the wait between installments, then this is definitely one to check out.


*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. There were a few continuity errors where the characters contradicted things they either previously said or was already established, but this may simply be due to reading an unedited ARC copy.  


About the Author:
A former journalist, Tia Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations...