SEXY SATURDAYS: SPRING FLING AND SEDUCTION IN THE SUN by LAUREN HAWKEYE

Sexy Saturdays with Andrea and Autumn is a weekly feature created to spread the word about spicy reads. 

Participating blogs:

The Autumn Review

The Bookish Babe

 

Genre: Erotic Romance/Anthology
Publisher: Avon Red Impulse
Publication Date: 3/11/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 300
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 stars

Four tales of hot New Adult romance in New Orleans…

Party Spring Break–style with four bestselling romance authors, including Julia Kent and Sara Fawkes, as they dish out sexy tales of romance in the Big Easy!

Share Me by Julia Kent
Emma Barton has just been dumped—for being boring. Now she's letting loose and reclaiming her inner bad girl with not one, but two sexy strangers! Double the pleasure means double the fun, right?

Shake Me by Sara Fawkes
Determined to forget her cheating boyfriend, Cassidy Dupre agrees to a night out with playboy Travis Dean. But when she finds herself wanting more than she bargained for, this evening could spell desire … or disaster!

Show Me by Cathryn Fox
Eva Parker wants a lesson in seduction … from her brother's best friend. When teaching becomes tension, will they be able to keep it professional? Or will friends forever become something much hotter?

Shock Me by Lauren Hawkeye
Callie Gilmore is determined to break out of the friend zone with Ryder Hawkins. Donning a mask and making her move seems easy, but when fate throws a curveball, Callie must choose: turn and run… or embrace the night.

Spring Fling is an anthology with a really nifty concept: four young women on a Spring Break getaway in New Orleans. All four are also connected by encounters with the fortune teller, Madame Ysabeau. Sounds like an excellent time, yes? If you've ever been on Bourbon Street on a regular Saturday night, you've probably witnessed all sorts of craziness, never mind Spring Break or Mardi Gras. Just thinking about that is making my liver twitch. And forget about the fortune teller. Anytime I came across one, I was freaked way the hell out.

So anyway, I was excited about the set-up of Spring Fling, and anxious to dig in. What we have here is four sexy stories about women ready to let go, ready for a change.

In Share Me, we have Emma, who's been recently dumped by her long-term boyfriend. She heads off the New Orleans with her friends, but first she hooks up with Miki- in the plane's restroom, before takeoff, because WHY NOT. Down in New Orleans Emma and Miki continue to hook up, only now Miki has his friend David to join the banging because, again, WHY NOT. Revenge shenanigans against Emma's assface ex made Share Me a humorous story. Naked threesome photo op? Sure. Fake polygamous marriage scheme? Okay! (though explaining to your mom why there's a photo on Facebook of you in bed with two men doesn't sound like a good time to me).  The efforts to make Emma's ex jealous were both fun and ludicrous, but that's okay. All in all, it was a good time.

In Shake Me, we get a sweet and sexy former-unrequited love/second chance story. On Spring Break, Cassidy learns her boyfriend is cheating on her with her former friend Travis's little sister. They take off to New Orleans together to find out what's going on. Along the way, the two reconnect, with Cassidy learning some sweet and surprising truths about Travis and the way he's always felt about her. Cassidy learns to let go and seize the moment, Travis takes the opportunity to be with his favorite girl. I loved the combustible heat between them, and really enjoyed this novella.

Show Me...it was great. This was a novella about geeky, beautiful Eva, who feels like a wallflower. She seeks out Luke, her older brother's best friend, to teach her how to be sexy. What makes this so good, besides the best friend's little sister trope, is the feelings. Eva has been in love with Luke for years. but he's gorgeous and cool and older and she's sure he's out of her league. Excerpt, Luke feels the same! He thinks Eva is beautiful and sweet and he loves her geeky ways. He actually loves to listen to her! So we have Eva wanting Luke but not realizing he feels the same way, and Luke wanting Eva, but prepping her to snag another man. My heart! Of course, things work out, but I really adored this novella.

The last Spring Fling story was Shock Me, by Lauren Hawkeye, who's books I generally adore. In Shock Me, Callie is in love with her best friend Ryder. At a masked party, she thinks Ryder is finally making his move. The two get hot and heavy, but she gets a shock when she realizes she's doing the business with his brother Liam. Oh, the drama! But in this short time (approximately an hour?) Liam has decided he needs more of Callie, and Callie needs to figure out if she really wants Ryder, or to take a chance on his bad boy older brother. I really enjoyed Shock Me. Hawkeye did a nice job of making me believe Liam's quick attraction to Callie and her near-instant change of heart.

Spring Fling was a quick read, and I genuinely had a good time. I liked that each story had a believable ending. The two novellas with the established relationships both had me believing the couples could go the distance. In the other two, the authors weren't trying too hard to sell a HEA, but we did get the HFN with potential.

If you're looking for fun, sweet and seriously sexy stories to help you celebrate Spring, give this anthology a try.

Favorite Quotes

  You see models in Vogue and Esquire, and you drool and make "I'd tap that" jokes with your girlfriends. But no one in your life is really like that.
  And then one day he's leaning across the aisle of a puddle jumper, smelling like citrus and dirt and musk and making you want to hump an armrest, and you realize that those models aren't all products of Photoshop airbrushing and the best horny imaginations of you twenty-something interns.
  By God, they're real.     ~ Share Me


  God, he loved this girl. Her sudden turnaround that evening was the best and the worst thing. It reminded him of everything about her he'd always loved, but he knew it could all disappear once she woke up.
  Still, there was no place he'd rather be at that moment than in bed beside her. Worrying over what would happen the next morning wouldn't change anything at this point, so he allowed himself to savor the moment. If they woke up and were back where they'd been before, more enemies than friends, then tonight would have to be enough.   ~ Shake Me


  "Eva," he began, then stopped himself. What the hell was he supposed to say? I'm crazy about you, and want to be your first...and more importantly, you last.  ~ Show Me


  I'd known there was something special about this girl from the moment I set eyes on her at the party as she watched people do their intimate dance while pretending that she wasn't looking at all.
  But her response to the things I'd asked of her--the sweet wonder in her eyes when I took care of her--combined with the fact that I already wanted to see her again.
  No way in hell was I going to let her go.   ~ Shock Me

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  iBooks

 

 

 

Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Seduction in the Sun Group
Publication Date: 12/26/13
Format: eARC
Source: Gift from Author
Rating: 4 stars

VEGAS HEAT by New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Hawkeye

Anna Phillips and her husband Austin are in a marital rut. In a last ditch attempt to save their marriage, they decide to take a road trip. The destination? The Last Temptation Resort and Casino in Vegas... which is also a BDSM club... with an enticing stranger.

** This review is for Vegas Heat only**

 

I actually read Vegas Heat in it's prior form, as a serial. It's a story I enjoyed at the time, and in re-reading, I've learned I still do. Essentially, this is a marriage-in-crisis series combined with a ménage.

The story begins with Callie and Austin on the road, headed to a getaway spot unknown to Callie. Their marriage is in trouble. Conflicting personalities and closed off feelings have caused a rift between them that may prove to be irreperable. When they run into car trouble, Callie and Austin meet Liam, a sexy and very helpful stranger. Though she loves her husband and wants to remain true to him, she can't help but fall into lustful daydreams starring Liam. These dreams, which also involve her husband, offer a super sexy sneak peek of what's in store. With that kind of instant connection, it's a good thing they part ways and she'll never be tempted by his sexy body and face again....

Except...the couple reaches their destination and who do you think is there? Sexy Liam! He and Austin are old college friends, and Liam is there to help a buddy out. *wink* When Callie learns exactly why they're there and what the men have in mind, she is understandably confused, angry and vulnerable. She's also secretly intrigued. Once Austin and Liam finally get Callie on board, this trio start to rock.

Lauren Hawkeye brings a provocative and thought-provoking story in Vegas Heat. The portrayal of a troubled marriage, combined Callie's reluctance and Austin's angst makes it ring true. The story definitely ends with a bang. A sexy bang that left me curious and hoping to see what becomes of this naughty trio.

 

Favorite Quotes

 

  When he leaned over to check the air in his tires I dropped my purse into the dirt. His ass was tight, tight and hard looking, and for the first time in a very long time I found myself wondering what it would be like to touch someone other than my husband.

  "Is this what you want, Callie? Is this what will make you happy?" Austin nipped at my ear and I shivered. I couldn't pretend that I didn't know what he was referring to, and when I looked over his shoulder and locked stares with Liam, I certainly couldn't pretend that I didn't want it. 

 

Purchase Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble 

 

 

About the author

Lauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson is a writer, yoga newbie, knitting aficionado and animal lover who lives in the shadows of the great Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. She's older than she looks--really--and younger than she feels--most of the time--and she loves to explore the journeys that take women through life in her stories. Hawkeye's stories include erotic historical, steamy paranormal, and hot contemporary. Make sure to check out her work as Lauren Jameson, where her erotic romances take a walk on the wild side.

 

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads

SPRING FLING ~ GUEST POST with JIMMY AT FOUNDING A FATHER + GIVEAWAY

Spring Break is here, and that means I am taking a mini-break. I thought it would be fun to take a week to feature some of my favorite authors and readers.

 

My last guest is Jimmy of Founding a Father. I "met" Jimmy when I was still fairly new to Twitter, and he made an excellent first impression. Late one night, when I should have been sleeping, I was browsing through Tweets. I came across a tweet that proclaimed this man's anniversary letter to his wife to be the sweetest thing ever. (Read it here!) I read it, and was blown away by the man's love for his wife, and his talent at expressing it. I instantly became a fan of Jimmy's, and am proud to say that his posts almost always make me laugh and cry at the same time. His love for his wife and his daughters is always apparent. So when Jimmy offered to write a guest post for me, I was honored.

 

Conversations with my Wife. Proposals


My wife and I are getting ready to celebrate our 13th year as husband and wife. Among other things, after almost 13 years, we have had plenty to talk about. Thankfully, in all the years we’ve been together, we have maintained a healthy, if not sarcastic, line of communication with each other. We had conversations about everything you would expect being married for a baker’s dozen of years is liable to prompt.

We’ve talked about our kids, work, bills, how we were going to pay the mortgage, which kinds of potato chips are the best, what we should watch on TV, and who’s turn it was to clean the bathroom.

In that time, we have been able to create a type of banter not unlike most married couples have. I have realized the passion, emotion, and occasional irrationality my wife is prone to. In turn, she has figured out how to read me like a cheap romance novel, I can be maddeningly stubborn, and at my core, I’m basically an idiot.

But throughout all of our conversations, ranging from deadly serious to ridiculously trivial, there has always been one constant; our love for one another. 

Some conversation I have enjoyed, some I have dreaded, and others still make me laugh but there has been one conversation we’ve had that began it all. The conversation we had 15 years ago when I asked her to marry me.

November 28th, 1998. Saturday afternoon.

“I’m almost finished. Why don’t you stay at work and I’ll meet you there?” I was on the phone with my girlfriend. Unbeknownst to her, within the next 2 hours, I was planning on asking her to be my wife. 

The plan I had hatched involved me and the engagement ring to leave work a little early, drive the hour it took to get home but instead of going home, meeting her at her salon where she worked. From there I would either throw up on her shoes or ask her to marry me in the salon.

“I don’t know. Do I have to wait? I want to go home.” I really hadn’t planned for a wrench in my plan. Now I had to figure out a good reason for her to stay at work that did not include me telling her I have an engagement ring to give to her.

“Could you just wait?” I spat out the first thing that came to my mind. It sounded a lot like pleading as opposed to ‘reasoning’ didn’t it?

“Why is it so important that you come and see me at work?” The woman is like Colombo. She is going to ask me a minimum of 43 questions before she actually agrees to stay.

“I just thought it would be nice to come and see you at work? Is that a crime?” Answering a question with a question? Check.

“I just don’t underst-“

“Just stay!” This was me flexing my muscles. If I was going to be married to her, she might as well know who would be in charge.

“Don’t yell at me. If you get here before I leave fine. If not, call me.” She took my punch and threw one of her own. We’ll see who is boss.

“Fine.” Check and mate.

I hung up and immediately jumped in to my car and drove to her work. It took 35 minutes (the benefit of rolling through stop signs and ignoring yellow lights…and maybe some red ones). I was outside of her salon, in the parking lot. I was in my car going over my planned proposal script.

“I wanted to know…I want to ask you a question…Would you…If you wasn’t busy for the next forty or fifty years…” I could never resist the urge to quote Rocky.

“I wanted to…will you marry…” Got it. I walked, or ran, or didn’t touch the ground, going in to the shop? That part was fuzzy.

“Hey! I made it!” My voice cracked like I was 14 again and was a cocktail of excitement and nervous energy.

“Hold on. Let me clock out.” She almost sounded annoyed. Was she annoyed? What if I ask her and she says ‘no’? I should have left the car running.

“Listen, I need to talk to you.” I put on my best serious face which could or could not have been seen behind my paleness and forehead sweat.

“Ok? You look sick. Are you alright? Oh man, if you’re sick, I’m not going out with you tonight.” All heart this one.

Alicia was sitting behind the cashier’s desk at the computer. Some of her co-workers were in the salon, some in the back and some only a few feet away from us. My back was turned to them so I could face my girlfriend. I reduced my voice to a whisper.

“Listen. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I talked to Mr. Bertolet (my boss) about this. Talked to my mom and dad and I talked to your parents.” I had asked Alicia’s parents for their blessing the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They said yes.

“So I’ve been thinking and they all said the same thing. I need to tell you this. It’s too important to let go any longer.”

With that, I could feel the blood come back to my face and my sweat dry up. By some strange osmosis, my flush face and beads of sweat transferred to her face (she would tell me afterwards, she thought I was going to break up with her). I got down in front of her, on one knee, and pulled out the ring.

“Would you marry me?” You know the saying, ‘those seconds felt like a lifetime’? This was one of those moments.

“IohmygodIohmygoddidyoujust…” The rambling trailed off and was followed by her shaking.

“Was that a ‘yes’?” Because if it wasn’t, it was going to be a real pain to try and find the receipt so I could return the ring. Note: I thought that last line. I may be an idiot but I’m not stupid.

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

The rest, as they say, was history…and was the start to some of the best conversations.

 

Find Jimmy at:

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Founding a Father

 

 

 

See why I love his writing? Be sure to check out Jimmy's blog.

 

 

Want to win some swag? I will give one random commenter an Angelfire tote bag, along with some bookmarks!

 

 



 

 

SPRING FLING ~ KAREN of FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH REVIEWS + GIVEAWAY

Spring Break is here, and that means I am taking a mini-break. I thought it would be fun to take a week to feature some of my favorite authors and readers.

Today I have Karen of For What It's Worth Reviews. FWIW is the first blog I fell in love with. I read it every day for a long time before I finally had the courage to start commenting and talking to Karen on Twitter (@teamsheltie). Why was I so nervous? Because Karen is sooo cool! She is always talking about the newest music and books. In fact, she was talking about this Ed Sheeran guy I keep hearing everyone go on about (lol) before he blew up. Her blog is where I discovered Tammara Webber, Jeri Smith-Ready's WVMP Radio series and Nyrae Dawn, to name a few. To put it simply, Karen Rocks!

So I was really excited when Karen said yes to answering some questions for me...

Who was your first book boyfriend?

KA:  I used to love the bad boys and Eric Northman (The True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series) was probably my first book crush but the honor of first book boyfriend goes to Shane McAllister from Jeri Smith-Ready's WVMP Vampire Radio series. He's just amazing…sexy, talented and loyal to everyone he loves. Shane made me see that I want a good guy BUT he's got a bit of a bad boy edge being a sexy, brooding vampire. I would marry him if I wasn't married already. Or if he wasn't already madly in love with Ciara. Or if he was real. Minor details….

My true love is Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games. I try to hold that in check though because I'm old and I feel pervy for loving him so much. *sigh* I LOVE him (the book version not the movie version Peeta)
(Shane McAllister is The. Best.)

Who was your most recent book boyfriend?
KA:  I'm really loving the boys from Katy McGarry's Pushing the Limit series. They (Noah, Ryan, Isaiah) all have some kind of past and edginess to them but once they meet their lady loves they pull themselves together and stop at nothing to keep them happy and safe. Swoon.


Tell me the most recent book you've fallen in love with. 
KA:  I read this book last year but I still keep thinking about it - The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. It blends so many seemingly odd things together beautifully. It's a vampire, dystopian, Amish coming of age story. I mean….how could that work?? But it does and I was blown away by the writing and how original the story was.


What is your favorite book trope? Your least favorite?
KA:  My favorite used to be the tortured hero but I'm kind of tired of that. These days I'm looking for a surprise….anything that's not a trope.

Least favorite is no surprise if you know me - the love triangle. HATE them. I'm trying to soften my stance but they make me physically ill when I'm reading one. lol


I always like to see what you have to say about movies. What's the most recent movie you would recommend?
KA:  I've been really bad about seeing movies lately. I loved Cabin in the Woods directed by Joss Whedon. I had heard great things about it and it's Joss so I was sure I would love it but it was even better than I than I had expected. Warm Bodies is a movie I'm seeing soon & I'm hoping I love it.


I also like to see your music recommendations. Who is your most recent favorite performer?
KA:  I just saw Imagine Dragons in concert and they were amazing! They put on quite the show. That concert definitely made it to my favorites list. Another great live performer is Ed Sheeran. I've seen him twice so far and he blows me away. If you ever get to see him live then you must!

Thanks so much to Karen for taking the time to answer my questions.

Want to win some swag? In honor of the fabulous book boyfriend Shane McAllister, I'll give one commenter a WVMP Radio bookmark, plus bookmarks from Jeri Smith-Ready's Shine series.

(Open Intl)

SPRING FLING ~ NYRAE DAWN: INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY

Spring Break is here, and that means I am taking a mini-break. I thought it would be fun to take a week to feature some of my favorite authors and readers.

 

Today's guest is author Nyrae Dawn. I met Nyrae last spring when we bonded over a love of books and book boys! I soon grabbed up her book, What a Boy Wants, and quickly fell in love with her writing and her characters. Nyrae is a fantastic character writer, especially when it comes to the boys who own her heart. Nyrae also writes adult books as Kelley Vitollo, and let me tell you, those books are wonderful.

 

 

 

Who was your first book boyfriend?

ND:  I'm almost embarrassed to say! LOL. BUT...for the sake of honesty, I will. The guy who I first fell head over heels for was Edward Cullen :)

(No shame! I loved Edward hardcore, too!)

Who was your most recent book boyfriend?

ND:  I am in love with Kaidan Rowe from Wendy Higgins Sweet Series. SO hot. I'm also a huge fan of Jamie Fraser from The Outlander and V, Z, and Qhuinn from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. So many boys, so little time ;)

Tell me the most recent book you've fallen in love with.

ND:  Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. Beautiful language. Also really loved The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour.

What is your favorite book trope? Your least favorite?

ND:  My favorites are friends to lovers or enemies to lovers. I will always be partial to friends to lovers. My husband was one of my best friends before we got together. I don't think I really have a least favorite.

 

Who's your favorite of the guys you've written? Who's your favorite girl you've written?

ND:  That is so hard because I'm always SO invested in whoever I'm writing at the time. I love them all for different reasons. I think Adrian from FACADE is close to my favorite, if not my favorite. He's very intense and broken. He speaks to my heart. Sebastian from WHAT A BOY WANTS will always hold a special place in my heart because he started this journey for me. As for the girls, probably Kira from FREEING CARTER. I love how...free she is.

 

I love your gorgeous tattoos. Do you have plans for more?

ND:  Thank you! I do. Who knows how many I will end up with, but I know next I want a quote from the book, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, "And in that moment I swear, we were infinite". Each of my tattoos MEAN something for me so we'll see what grabs hold of my heart next!

 

See why I adore Nyrae so much?! A wonderful and great friend.

 

 

About Nyrae DawnI am a compulsive reader and writer who loves YA fiction.

I love nothing more than writing about young adults. There is something so fresh and fun about it. You can pretty much always find me with a book in my hand or open document in front of me. I live in Southern California with my husband and two children.

Connect with Nyrae at:
GoodReads | Twitter | Blog  |  Facebook

 

 

Books by Nyrae Dawn

 

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

 

Books by Kelley Vitollo

 

 

 

 

Want to win a signed Charade postcard? Just comment to enter! (Open Intl)