Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Daryl Devoré - Dark Chocolate and Strawberries


            Dark Chocolate and Strawberries



 What's a naughty fairy tale like Red Riding Hood without Red,
the huntsman, grandma and especially, the big bad wolf?


I'm happy to have Daryl Devore' at the Reading Room again! This book sounds fun, exotic and delicious!


Blurb
What's a naughty fairy tale like Red Riding Hood without Red, the huntsman, grandma and especially, the big bad wolf?

Esmerelda 'Red' Hood is summoned to her mother's executive suite only to learn her sweet granny is headed for a romantic cruise with a gigolo. Horrified, Red races off to save her grandma before it's too late.

On board, Red meets Andrew Woodsman and Willem Olf. One a cutie with the biggest puppy eyes and the other a dark, sophisticated predator. Her grandmother's warning rings in Red's ear "Never trust a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Even with the warning, Red has trouble choosing which man could be the big bad wolf and which could be her happily ever after.

Note: This book was previously published by New Dawning Bookfair under the title Sexy Red Hood.

Excerpt :
 
When the elevator doors slid open, Red stepped into the hallway. Before her, the impressive glass and brass doors of Hood's Chocolatier –the corporate offices of one of the country's largest independent chocolate makers. She stepped through the doorway and marched toward her cubicle.
Three steps from her destination, the word, “Esmeralda!” broke the silence.
Caught! She sighed, formed a smile, and turned. “Yes, Mother?”
“Where have you been? I've called and called.”
“I noticed. Six voice mails and fourteen text messages. Nothing flagged urgent. You seem fine. I'm fine. So, what's the big deal?” She frowned. What could be the problem? “Oh no, is it Grandma?”
Her mother threw her hands up. “Yes!”
“What? What's wrong? Is she sick? She didn't fall and break anything, did she?”
“She's driving me out of my mind.”
Red bit back the sentence – Oh happy day – and instead managed to say, “What's she done now?”
“Not here. Come into my office.”
“Can I go put my coat and things—”
Hearing her mother's sigh of frustration, Red surrendered then remembered that following her mother to her office would mean passing by the office of Stanley Parkinson, VP of Sales. She stood a little taller, pulled in her stomach and strode near his office then deflated at the sight of his closed door.
Red had barely stepped into the office marked R. Hood, when her mother pushed her aside and closed the door. “Your grandmother has booked a stateroom on a cruise ship and is taking a man with her.”
Sensing So what?? was the wrong answer, Red let her mother vent whatever bothered her. This day could still be saved. If her mother stayed focused on the crisis-of-the-moment she might forget the weekly discussion of her love life.
“A man. Did you hear me?”
“Yes, Mother.” Red unbuttoned her coat, dropped her gloves, scarf and onto the seat next to her then settled in the brown leather chair in front of the desk. Her mother walked around and sat behind her large, hand carved, oak desk. It provided an imposing barrier between mother and daughter.
“I haven't told you this before, but your grandmother's going through your grandfather's money faster than you can go through a tub of maple walnut ice cream after a breakup.”
“Mom!”
Folding her immaculately manicured hands and placing them on her desk, Red's mother looked up. “Your flight's at two.”
“Excuse me?”
“I've booked a flight to Miami and a stateroom on The Emerald Forest.”
Red shook her head. “I can't afford a stateroom on a junior accountant's salary.”
“The company is paying. I had my secretary send everything to your cell. Now, you have no time to talk. Go home, pack, find your passport and save your grandmother.”
Red's voice rose an octave, “Save my grandmother? From what?”
R. Hood placed her fingers on her forehead. “Save your grandmother from spending your inheritance on some gigolo. Your grandfather built this company from nothing to a multi-million dollar business. And he had to fight the big boys like Hersey and the Mars brothers to do it.”
Red sighed. “I know the corporate story, Mom. He started by making his chocolate in great grandma's kitchen and from those humble beginnings—”
“Put you through Harvard Business School,” snapped her mother.
“Only to be dumped in a junior accountant's position.”
“We'll fight later. Now go. No. Wait.” Red’s mother pressed an intercom button.
A disembodied voice responded. “Yes, Mrs. Hood?”
“The box for my mother-in-law, where is it?”
“I'll bring it right in, Mrs. Hood.” A moment later, the door opened and Brittnee entered carrying a silver box. She offered it to Mrs. Hood.
Robin pointed to her daughter. The secretary handed the box to Red and left the office, closing the door behind her. Red didn’t need to ask, she knew it was the box. It contained the new samples for next year's line. Grandma Hood retained the right of final decision on what chocolates were sold at Hood Chocolatier.
“Take those to your grandmother. A taste of home might bring her to her senses.”
Red held back a frustrated sigh. She didn't want to fly to Miami. If she was away, Katerina would jump at the chance to sink her claws into Stanley. Her man, the stud, the gorgeous VP of Sales who made her body swoon with desire whenever he walked by. The smell of his aftershave made her undies wet. Once, she rode from the lobby to the sixth floor with him and almost had an orgasm before the elevator doors opened. She couldn't concede this hunk of a man to Katerina. But what could she do?
Her mother snapped her fingers. “Why are you just sitting there? Go. Save your grandmother. Save your inheritance.”



Five Why Questions:
Why did you choose to write a twisted fairy tale?
It was requested by my former publisher. And I thought it might be fun.
Why do a twist to Little Red Riding Hood?
It just popped into my head as the fairy tale to choose. I’m not a plotter, but the plot was already set out for this story. I added a few updates and a twist and ta-da Dark Chocolate and Strawberries was written.

Why choose the title Dark Chocolate and Strawberries?
This was originally published under a different title which I never liked. There is a scene and an implied scene in the book that uses melted dark chocolate and strawberries. I like connecting my titles to my books, so I used that.

Why Esmerelda as a name for your heroine?
Total and complete honesty – absolutely no idea. It’s the name that popped into my head. Obviously, she goes by the name Red, but she needed a “real” name and Esmerelda was what my muse offered.

Why haven’t you written another twisted fairy tale?
I just haven’t gotten around to it. I was thinking, since Dark Chocolate and Strawberries is novella length, that I might write a few more and bundle them together. But since procrastination is my middle name, we’ll see if I ever get it done.

Bio and Where to find Daryl Devoré
Two writers in one. Daryl Devoré writes hot romances with sexy heroes and strong heroines. Victoria Adams is Daryl Devoré's alter ego when she's inspired to write sweet romances with little to no heat.

Daryl (@daryldevore) lives in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, a large salt water aquarium full of fish, a black cat named Licorice and some house ghosts. Her daughter is grown and has flown the nest. Daryl loves to take long walks on her quiet country road or snowshoe across the back acres, and in the summer, kayak along the St. Lawrence River. She has touched a moon rock, a mammoth, and a meteorite. She’s been deep in the ocean in a submarine, flown high over Niagara Falls in a helicopter, and used the ladies room in a royal palace. Life’s an adventure and Daryl’s having fun living it.











Saturday, August 25, 2018

Saturday Spankings - Controling Anger



Happy Saturday to you all. We’re all back at Saturday Spankings to get our weekly fix and to find book for our Kindles. Today’s snippet is from Educating Jenny, the third in the Cal’s Law Series.

Cal is outraged that Jenny started a fight with a man twice her size. He hardly knows what to do with his anger as he looks into her battered face. The desire to both comfort her and spank her ass are competing.



When the girls left, Cal stood staring at Jenny. “You better know I’m mad,” Cal began.

“I know,” she answered. “Can I sit on your lap while you fuss at me?”

Cal felt a catch in his throat. Jenny knew he was mad, knew he was going to blast her for what she’d done and she had to know he was going to bust her ass over all this. But she wasn’t trying to distance herself from him, she wanted him to hold her. He didn’t quite trust himself to speak, so he nodded and held out his hand. Helping her up, he hugged her gently before scooping her up and sitting in the big chair.

God, this feels good was the first thought for each of them as they settled in.

“Are you in much pain?” he asked.

“No . . . well, a little I guess,” she admitted.

“Do you realize what danger you put yourself in? Do you know what could have happened?” Cal could feel the fear for her and the anger bubbling up in him and he wondered if Jenny knew that holding her in his arms was what was keeping him from shouting and raging at her.






 
Cal’s young wife, Jenny, just wants to play house with her gorgeous, dominant husband, Sheriff Cal Bennett of Beaufort County.   Cal wants her to complete one more year of college before choosing a path.  Although Jenny is tired of school, she bends to her husband’s wishes and goes off to classes in a nearby city.  On their precious days together, Cal educates his beautiful girl to the idea of sexual fantasies and bedroom toys, and here, Jenny is an eager student!

She is applying herself to her classes and showing Cal she can be responsible when, suddenly, Jenny finds herself being stalked by a mysterious police officer who views every move she makes as criminal. Everyone she cares about knows that what ensues is not Jenny’s doing, but she can’t keep herself from giving in to some sweet revenge. Her plan starts out as a silly college girl prank, but soon lands her on the wrong side of Cal’s law.  


Other books by PK Corey in the Cassie Space series



Cassie's Space (book one)   
Cassie's Tale (book two)                       
Cassie on the Move (book three)          
Cassie's River Living (book four)        
Cassie's Conflict (book five)
Cassie's Influence (book six)
Cassie's Ordeal (book seven)
Cassie Corralled (book eight)
Cassie's Road Trip (book nine)
Cassie's Life (book ten)

    Cal's Law Series

Cal's Law (book one)
Becoming Family (book two)
      Educating Jenny (book three)

Check out more great snippet here.


Tuesday, August 14, 2018

BJ Wane - His to Master & Own


 His to Master & Own
Miami Masters, Book 5


He agreed to her request for guidance,
but could she handle what she’d asked him for?

 I'm glad to have BJ Wane here today. I think you'll like this one!

BUY LINKS:

 
BLURB:
The first time Sean Bates saw Alessa Alexander at a BDSM club without one of her friends attending with her, he didn’t approach her or interfere, deeming it was none of his business.  The second time, his protective, dominate instincts forced him to confront her, and then offer his professional counseling for her needs.
Alessa’s desire to turn herself over to a man’s full control kept her from believing she’d ever enjoy a long-term relationship like her friends recently committed to. When she gets up the nerve to ask Sean Bates to tutor her in her unorthodox fantasies, the first scene he devises leaves her aching for more of his strict control, but worried about keeping her feelings uninvolved.
Past heartbreaks kept Sean and Alessa leery of hoping for too much from their agreed upon temporary relationship.  Between escalating problems with an ex at work and her insecurities, Alessa runs from Sean before she ends up hurt. But it doesn’t take her long to realize how much she wants him and his strict discipline, enough to risk the height of humiliation to earn his forgiveness.

Excerpt:
Shaking her head, she kept her back to him when she replied, “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay. What do you want to discuss?”
Her shoulders lifted with her deep inhale, then she blurted the last thing he wanted her to say.  “You mentioned introducing me to someone who could tutor me into giving up complete control. What if I said I wanted it to be you?”
Nothing like handing me my fucking dream on a platter.  Sean willed his rapid heartbeat to slow down as he took a moment to think her offer through and ponder where it came from.  There were numerous reasons why he should turn her down: they would still be thrown together at social gatherings of their mutual friends afterward, which could be awkward; Dax and Krista would kill him if she ended up hurt; it would cross an ethical line he’d never violated before; and it would test his own control to give her a taste of what she claimed to want.  
“You’re not saying anything.”  Alessa’s shoulder’s slumped before her back went rigid and she pivoted to face him.
And there, etched on her pale face, was the one reason he couldn’t turn her down. She’d already braced for his refusal, for him to be the next person to turn his back on her.  Enough people had rejected her; he couldn’t be another in a long line of inconsiderate jerks who hadn’t cared enough to give her what she needed.
“Does this mean you’re through testing me and you’ve concluded you can trust me?”
Her brows dipped in that cute frown again and he continued to find himself amused by her quirks and drawn to the woman they exposed.  He could see she hadn’t expected him to catch on to what she was doing.  
“What do you mean?  You’re the one who’s testing me,” she returned with a defensive glare, a hint of pink staining her cheeks.
“Let’s see, I surmise you so rudely skipped our second appointment because you were waiting to see if I mentioned your visit to any of our mutual friends. Tuesday, my questioning brought up the past, and you suspected I saw beyond what little information you revealed. You thought to push me today by arriving late, and with attitude. How am I doing?”
And just like that, the shy, insecure Alessa returned and sought to flee instead of taking the risk of getting hurt again.  “I can see you’re not happy with me.”  She started for the door.  “Thank you…”
“If your request was another test, I’m happy to say I’ll pass this one as well. Yes, I’ll tutor you however far you want to go.”  And he’d begin by enforcing his rule, something his palm had been itching to do since she walked in with attitude written all over her.  Since they were running past noon, he knew Barbara would have left for lunch already and they had the entire suite to themselves.
Perfect.



MIAMI MASTERS SERIES:
Bound and Saved, book 1
Master Me, Please, book 2
Mastering Her Fear, book 3
Bound To Submit, book 4
AUTHOR BIO:
I live in the Midwest with my husband and our two dogs.  I love dogs, enjoy spending time with my daughter, babysitting dogs and kids, reading and working puzzles.  We have traveled extensively throughout the states, Canada and just once overseas, but I now much prefer being homebody.  I worked for a while writing articles for a local magazine but soon found my interest in writing for myself peaking.  My first book was strictly spanking erotica, but I slowly evolved to writing erotic spanking romance with a touch of suspense.  My favorite genre to read is suspense.
CONTACT & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:


QUOTES FROM BOOK:
Alessa stopped pacing and looked at him, the color of her eyes making him think of the aged whiskey he favored, the look in them delivering the same effective sucker-punch after too much indulgence.
The only sound in the room was their sweat-slick bodies coming together, his only thought how to convince her he wasn’t like everyone else who had come and gone in her life.

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Saturday Spankings - Attention getters





It’s Saturday again! Thank you for coming by for Saturday Spankings.  In today’s snippet from Educating Jenny, Jenny has been following Cal’s suggestion that she look up different sex toys on the Internet to see what might interest her. Jenny shows Cal some of her finds. There are several that she’d be willing to try, but she’s unsure about a few things.

Jenny clicked on a picture of a butt plug. “I don’t think I’m interested in any of these,” she said quickly.
“Now hold on,” Cal told her. “I think this needs a little more thought. You might like it.”
“No, I don’t think I would,” Jenny told him, her voice was quiet since her mouth had gone dry.
“I hear they are great little ‘attention getters’ too.”
Jenny looked at him. “I don’t get it. Attention how?”
“Well,” Cal began slowly, “suppose a beautiful young wife ignores her husband’s wishes or doesn’t listen to him like she should. Wearing a plug for a short time could really focus her attention back where it should be, you know.”
Jenny’s eye widened. “Are you serious?”
“We’d have to play a little first, just to see how you really felt about it. I’m glad you’re doing your research here, but don’t forget your schoolwork. Remember nothing under a B is acceptable.”
“You have got to be the strangest husband in the world. Only you could turn a conversation about a butt plug into a lecture on good grades at school.”
“You never know,” Cal told her grinning, “someday they could be connected.”




 
Cal’s young wife, Jenny, just wants to play house with her gorgeous, dominant husband, Sheriff Cal Bennett of Beaufort County.   Cal wants her to complete one more year of college before choosing a path.  Although Jenny is tired of school, she bends to her husband’s wishes and goes off to classes in a nearby city.  On their precious days together, Cal educates his beautiful girl to the idea of sexual fantasies and bedroom toys, and here, Jenny is an eager student!

She is applying herself to her classes and showing Cal she can be responsible when, suddenly, Jenny finds herself being stalked by a mysterious police officer who views every move she makes as criminal. Everyone she cares about knows that what ensues is not Jenny’s doing, but she can’t keep herself from giving in to some sweet revenge. Her plan starts out as a silly college girl prank, but soon lands her on the wrong side of Cal’s law.  


Other books by PK Corey in the Cassie Space series



Cassie's Space (book one)   
Cassie's Tale (book two)                       
Cassie on the Move (book three)          
Cassie's River Living (book four)        
Cassie's Conflict (book five)
Cassie's Influence (book six)
Cassie's Ordeal (book seven)
Cassie Corralled (book eight)
Cassie's Road Trip (book nine)
Cassie's Life (book ten)

    Cal's Law Series

Cal's Law (book one)
Becoming Family (book two)
      Educating Jenny (book three)

Check out more great snippet here.