Genny loved her husband Max, but he lacked the sexual charge that was instead ignited by his business partner, Sean. Ruggedly handsome, Sean had a heart-stopping smile that made Genny weak. The more time they spent together, the stronger the attraction between them became. Then her husband offered to share her with Sean for one intoxicating night...

In RELEASE, Genny has a hot threesome with her husband and Sean. If you could have a sexy threesome with any two people - could be from the movies, or a book, etc - who would those two lucky people be?

The contest will run until 5pm CST on Sunday, March 21st. Everyone is welcome to enter, but must answer the question to qualify. I ask that you please DO NOT include your email address in your response. Appreciate it :)

Good luck!

Can't wait to see your answers ;)

Labels: Beth Kery, contest

Here's Beth Kery, author of one of my top favorite erotic romances of all time: Wicked Burn. She's so sweet, and much prettier than my blurry photo-taking skills would indicate. In my defense, I was using my phone to take the pictures, and it's not the best quality. But take my word for it, Beth is adorable.

It was a most fun Saturday, and I also got to meet some Twitter friends, like Colleen. Julie's adorable son Jackson was there, but I missed the opportunity to meet the brilliant Mr. James. Perhaps another time. I also missed seeing my pal Dani again. I got there around 3:30 and stayed the whole time. I figured if I'm going to drive into the city I'm going to make the most of it.

After the signing, we headed across the street to the Webster Wine Bar. (I did take a picture, but it was so dark in there it's hard to see after I downloaded it). I talked to Julie a little bit about her next book - her heroine owns a wine store and Julie did extensive, um, research for the book, which has now prompted me to find out more about wine. I never really cared all that much before, but it turns out Illinois has some decent wineries, plus I checked online and there are a gazillion wine-tasting events around the city and suburbs, some of them even free. So I think I'll be brushing up on my wine knowledge.

Shiloh's hubby was also in attendance. Gotta give the guy credit for listening to our chatter. He didn't talk much but you can just tell he's got some interesting thoughts and opinions, judging but the look on his face LOL. I'm sure being married to an author, he's heard it all.

Got exciting news from Joss: she's working on book #4! I won't give anything away, but I'm thrilled to pieces. It's going to also reveal a lot about another character who will be getting a story later on, and I can't wait for his story. It's going to be a doozy, I'm sure. And in Colleen Gleason news, she's got a new vampire series she's working on, so I'm tres excited about that. Keep those books coming, Joss/Colleen!

In other news, I have a interview with Beth to post, which will probably go up sometime this week. I'm looking forward to that. She was very patient with me, as I tend to ask really confusing questions, but I think we worked it all out.

So as you can see, I had a GREAT time. These ladies are 4 of my favorite authors, all auto-buys for me. And I'm looking forward to seeing them again later in the year for other signings. There's the Chicago Spring Fling, which I'll be attending, as well as the Lori Foster get-together, and RWA. It's going to be a fabulous year :)

Labels: Beth Kery, booksignings, Joss Ware, Julie James, Shiloh Walker

From the author of "Paradise Rules" comes a story about an alluring woman-who learns that to understand desire, you have to let it run wild.

Sean and Genny haven't seen each other in three years, not since Max was murdered, but they've never been able to forget their incredibly passionate night together. Now the mansion Genny shared with Max has been burned down in a horrible accident, and she needs somewhere to stay. So where does she go? To the company penthouse which she now owns, of course, never figuring anyone, much less Sean, would be there. And he's not alone.

Of course Sean never expected to see Genny Bujold, the one woman who ties him up in knots, to show up during a private evening, so when he locks eyes with her, all those familiar old feelings resurface with a vengeance. He regrets that she's found him like this, yet at the same time, the scene brings back heated memories of the last time they were together. Sean has never forgotten that explosive night, the only time he was able to have Genny in his arms, even if he had to share her with her husband, his business partner. He had wanted her too badly to refuse. But now all he has are those haunting moments of passion.

Sean manages to convince Genny to stay the night as she's in shock and has experienced enough upheaval for the time being. She reluctantly agrees, though she cannot make herself sleep in either bedroom. When they wake up the next morning, it's to find a heavy blizzard has struck, and they are essentially snowed in. That isn't enough to stop Genny from leaving however. She's determined to make it to her office. And when she does, with Sean hot on her heels, she discovers that someone has broken in. All of a sudden recent events don't seem so accidental after all. Sean refuses to let Genny be alone, and while they spend the next few days together in closed, intimate quarters, they finally give in to the overwhelming attraction that has always sizzled between them, and Sean hopes he can convince her that they could have so much more. But how can she trust him when she knows he's the one who killed her husband?

My thoughts:

Once again Beth Kery has written an incredibly erotic romance about two people irresistibly drawn to each other, despite the obstacles between them. When Genny and Sean first meet, she is already married to his business partner Max, and though they are both aware of the intense attraction between them, neither act on it out of their respect and love for Max. It isn't until one New Year's Eve night that Max decides to share his wife with Sean, and the two can no longer deny their long-buried feelings for one another. Yet soon after, Max is killed, and the events separate Sean and Genny for years.

I have to say that Beth's writing is strong enough not to have required the suspense angle in this story. I understand the reason she used it here, as it created drama and the perfect excuse to keep Sean and Genny away from each other. So from that perspective, it makes perfect sense. Without that, she couldn't have told this particular story. But as a reader, I wasn't all that interested in why or how Max died, or even in who did it. My focus was concentrated completely on Sean and Genny, and how strongly these two people cared about each other. It was like there was some force bringing them together, and that they were meant to be that way.

I liked that despite the fact Genny married a powerful man with plenty of money, she forged her own career path. She was not a trophy wife, but had a creative mind that needed expressing, and she did that through her fashion designs. She genuinely loved Max, at least the side of himself he let her see. But even he knew that it wasn't enough to prevent the inevitable collision course with Sean. Their feelings were just too strong. And he was very manipulative. He had plans for them all, and the majority of them, not so nice.

Sean was the quintessential alpha hero. Strong, protective, and very possessive. Yet he was also gentle. He loved his girl almost from that first moment they met, and enough that he didn't try to take her away from Max. Who knows what might have happened if Max lived, however.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the incendiary attraction between Genny and Sean. When these two get together, it is like a fire raging out of control. Seriously, if you like your romances SCORCHING hot, this is one book you have to read. In the past I used to wonder what someone meant when they said that the love scenes drove the story forward. What did that mean? When you read a story like Beth's you "get" it. They are not gratuitous nor are they filler. These moments (hours?) between Sean and Genny are incredibly explicit and earthy, yet there's subtext there. They communicate with their bodies when they can't express themselves with words. It's in the way they move, how they look at each other, the complete and utter focus on the other person. Their physical intimacy leads to them becoming closer in other ways. They open up their hearts to each other, and learn to trust the other person. That's what an effective love scene does. And really, it's just damn hot!

This is probably my 2nd favorite story by Beth. I couldn't put the book down and kept looking at it when I was at work, wanting to know what happend next. There was one itty bitty little scene that irked me, but not enough to detract from the rest of the story. Overall I truly liked Genny and Sean and hated that they were manipulated by someone they both cared for, but at the same time, those machinations brought them together. In a way, that's rather romantic, to watch them finally find happiness when neither thought it was possible. I love when that happens.

Once again I loved that extra character she throws in: the city of Chicago. I feel like I'm walking down those streets and feeling the chill of the winter wind on my face right there in the heart of the city because she makes it so real. One day I hope to go on a tour of the city like she's done and experience for myself what she sees and draws from when she writes her stories. For someone who lives right outside the city, it makes the book that much more fun to read. And anxious for Beth's next book :)

Rating: ****1/2 out of *****

Labels: Beth Kery, review

I had some time to kill yesterday before meeting a friend for dinner & a movie, so I headed over to Barnes and Noble with the fervent wish that some of the February releases might have been shelved early. No such luck. I've heard B&N is strict about keeping to release day, which is cool and all, but I am all about instant gratification, so I was severely disappointed in not finding my treasures. However that didn't mean I didn't buy any books. In fact I picked up 3 other books, which made up for it a little.

Labels: Beth Kery, Jess Michaels, Jill Shalvis

She didn’t believe in paradise…

To most people Hawaii’s crystal blue shores are an inviting opportunity to escape reality. But for Lana Rodriguez who grew up there, the picture-perfect vacation getaway disguises the bitter truths she escaped years ago, and not without some emotional scars. Now a successful blues singer, Lana’s returning to Waikiki with a different outlook on the past, and a bold defiance when it comes to men, romance, and sex. This time, it’s on her terms.

Until she found it in him.

Local celebrity, businessman and island god, Jason Koa, may be every woman’s dream. For Lana, it’s not exactly love at first sight. Though their start is rocky, they can’t deny the passions they arouse in each other. Jason refuses to become Lana’s pawn. It’s time to show her who makes the rules on this island—and in the bedroom. But will Jason’s attempt at breaking Lana’s shell reveal secrets that neither are prepared to face, or will they allow themselves to get swept away by a tidal wave of desire?

Hawaii. An island paradise suitable for romantic interludes and uninhibited nights of passion. Lana Rodriguez returns to the islands after years away, taking a much needed vacation with her personal assistant and good friend Melanie, who's recovering from a nasty divorce. However Hawaii is not Lana's idea of paradise. In fact, just the opposite. Waikiki holds ugly memories of her childhood, memories she'd rather escape. But having left that life long ago, she's determined not to let those bitter feelings control her. Besides, it's just for a few days.

Jason and Lana soon engage in a sexual liasion that starts out almost hostile, yet is incredibly incendiary. Jason is a man who likes to be dominant in the bedroom, though he doesn't mind shaking things up a bit, especially when it's apparent Lana doesn't easily give up control. She's an intensely private person who doesn't understand how Jason can feel so comfortable in the public eye. But she cannot keep away from him either. Jason gives her more pleasure than any man she's been with, but he does it on his own terms. She fights him every step of the way, knowing she must always maintain a strong hold on her emotions. She cannot let herself get too involved with Jason, not only because she'll be leaving in a few days, but because to do so would meaning losing herself. She's lived that way once, when she had no choice, and she refuses to live that way again. No man can force her to do what she doesn't want to do.

Labels: Beth Kery, review

My all-time favorite book of Beth Kery's is "Wicked Burn". It made such an impact on me, that I can't help but want to experience that feeling again. While her latest release, "Sweet Restraint" doesn't capture quite the level of intensity and emotion that WB does, it's still a powerful story, one that many readers will enjoy.

Shane Dominic loved Laura Vazquez 13 years ago, and he thought she loved him back...until the day she married another man. Hurt, angry, he's still never been able to forget her, or the intense passion they shared. Yet in all those years, the few times he's managed to cross paths with Laura, she is indifferent to him, cold and distainful. It drives him crazy that she's not as affected by him as he inevitably is by her, so much so that he cannot commit to another woman, not really.

But now Laura's husband is dead, believably by suicide but both Shane and Laura know better. Because Shane was investigating her husband, a Chicago cop gone bad, there is a lot of people watching Laura very carefully, and she has to keep a tight rein on her emotions lest she gives anything away. Knowing how dangerous these people are, she refuses to cooperate with Shane, afraid of what might happen if she does.

But Shane's not putting up with her dismissive attitude, not anymore. He's had to stay away from her for years, denying the powerful connection between them, knowing that another man, her husband, has had the right to touch her as only he once had. Laura refuses to trust him, to believe that he can protect her and keep her safe. He knows that she's hiding the truth from him, and it's imperative he takes down the rotten scum and the dirty cops corrupting the city. Only Laura can help him put away the bastards that have taken away so much....

So Shane decides the best way to get her to cooperate is to kidnap her and take her somewhere no one will find them, a place that will give him all the privacy he needs to bend her to his will. So before he can really think through what he's doing, Shane puts his plan into action, determined to break through her defenses and finally get Laura to trust him. But will his dominant ways push her further away?

My thoughts:

Overall, I liked this story, and found that the tension between Shane and Laura was quite palpable. Despite all the years that have passed since their love affair, the desire they have for each other has not diminished one bit. In fact it may be as strong as it is because of the abrupt way their relationship ended.

Shane had essentially thrown himself into his career, earning several awards and commendations over the years, but behind it all was the driving force to put away the corrupt police officers who made a bad name out of a good city. Integral to this obsession was his determination to finally nail the one man who took away what was most precious to him: Laura. Arresting Huey Mays and putting him behind bars would go a long ways towards soothing the anger burning in his gut. I could understand Shane's frustration about losing the woman he loved to a thieving cop, and how this has driven him over the years.

I could also understand Laura building a wall around herself, and cutting herself off from others. She was married to a dangerous man, and it was safer, easier to pretend to not care, to look the other way, especially when she knows what these men are capable of. When her husband is found dead, her nightmare is still not over. Laura still has to be wary of the people her husband worked for, and knows she will never really be safe. Having Shane burst full-force into her life again is definitely not helping, not when she still has feelings for him, and knowing that he is her weakness terrifies her. She cannot let him break her.

Now obviously by the cover, and the book description, I knew this was going to be a Dom/sub story. How much of one I didn't know, but I like Beth's work and wanted to see what she does with the storyline. As I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a fan of extreme pain, humiliation, or withholding orgasm as punishment. I still have a hard time believing anyone finds these things arousing, but I've been told it is so, so I do try to be respectful of other people's turn-ons, kinks, fantasies, you know what I mean. I don't believe that missionary, and/or vanilla sex is the only way to go, because I've read many sexual scenarios, and have liked a lot of them, quite a bit. I think that as long as it's evident that both partners are having a good time then chances are I can accept it.

But here is a scene depicting one of my hot buttons: "I'm going to fuck you now, but it's going to be for me. You're not allowed to come. Do you understand, Laura?" Uh, NO I don't. I'm not Laura, but I do no understand, and I can't imagine I ever will. There were a few other instances in the story that got my back up, but that one was almost a wallbanger moment. Srsly, the book just about went flying at that point. Hate, hate, HATE that condescending attitude. I don't care what the motivation is, what the purpose is, because to me, there is just no justification for using sex to punish someone. It's that "breaking someone down to build them back up" that I have a difficult time coming to terms with. It's the "forcing someone until you get what you want from them" concept that escapes me, no matter if the intentions are good.

So during their time together in the cabin, Shane tells Laura he gets to decide what and when she eats, showers, sleeps, etc. It wasn't quite as extreme as he'd made it out to be, but the idea that he's in charge of her irritated me. Of course Laura doesn't give in completely (you go, girl!) and the chase is on.

But it's not just Shane that Laura has to deal with in the aftermath of her husband's death. It turns out that danger she was afraid of is very close indeed. But for once she's tired of running, of doing nothing. This time she's going to do something about it, even if it costs her her life.

So I did get past the domination thing to enjoy the rest of the story. And it's not that the sex between Shane and Laura isn't hot and exciting, because it is. Very. Once Shane gets over himself and seeks to pleasure Laura as much as himself, it was time to break out the fan and ice chips, because they were scorching together. It was just when he became the boss of her that I balked. I could even handle the spanking as long as it was evident that Laura was into it, but when he started denying her pleasure as a way of controlling her, then I begin to care less about the book and the characters. I now think I understand how readers who don't enjoy anal sex in their books feel, because to me, it's not a big deal, especially not anymore. But to someone who doesn't enjoy reading about anal sex (and I know a few readers like this), it has to be similar to how I feel reading the control thing.

So I got back on track with the story and followed it through to the end, where we see Shane and Laura together after being apart for so long. They have a lot of making up for lost time to do, not just in the bedroom but with their families as well. Despite all the anger and hurt and misunderstanding there is between them, when everything is eventually resolved, it's rather sweet and endearing to see them finally be allowed to be happy. So I got my happy ending, and that is a good thing.

Rating: ***3/4 out of *****

Labels: Beth Kery, reviews

Labels: Beth Kery

Labels: Beth Kery

Okay I have to tell you that I really love where I live. (Well, except during our miserable winters). Chicago is an incredible city, blending midwestern sensibilities with a more sophisticated urban flavor. But being a total suburbanite, I don't take advantage of all there is to offer as much as I'd like to. However this week, I was uncommonly brave and for one of the few times ever, drove into the big, bad city.

Michigan Avenue

(click on pictures to make them bigger)

Anyone who knows anything about me is very aware that I have a horrible sense of direction and can get lost in the grocery store, but putting my fate in Mapquest's hands actually turned out to be a good thing. Go figure. I managed to find my way, no problem, and only had to circle around once to find a decent place to park. My day was off to a good start.

And it only got better. I had left the scary yet familiar surroundings of the suburbs to meet some very cool people for coffee: Chicago authors Beth Kery and Julie James. Yet another reason to love where I live. And where else could we meet but at one of the places that has been the recipient of thousands of my hard-earned dollars - the bookstore.

Location, location, location

This is the wondefull 3-story Borders on Michigan Avenue where we met. Though I was very sad when Julie told me that this store would be shutting down, quite possibly later this year. How awful! One of the worst things in the world for a reader to hear. My heart aches at the thought.

Beth & Julie, looking ultra classy

These ladies are both just as friendly as they look. Though with those pearls and sweet disposition, you really wouldn't think Beth would write something as erotically steamy as "Wicked Burn", but she did, and am I ever so grateful for that *g* And maybe she's on to something because pearls certainly play a significant role in one very sexy scene. Obviously inspired ;)

I have definitely added Beth to my auto-buy list. I just really love her style and how she digs deep to tell a genuinely moving story. She had me at Vic.

Now I certainly can't forget about Julie, who wrote another of my favorite books of 2008. She writes such snappy, smart dialogue, which sadly, you just don't see a lot of these days. One of my favorite things about her characters is how much they actually converse, matching wits and challenging each other every step of the way. She has some intriguing ideas for future stories and I really hope she's given free rein to tell them. If you take her experiences as a lawyer, and blend those with her exotic travels, I think they would be interesting and different and really fun and engaging to read about. So editor/publisher/agent/manager/husband of Julie, please let Julie write what she wants, because her fans want to read it!

Happy news: both Julie & Beth are going to be attending Lori Foster's & Dianne Castell's June get-together! Yeah baby!

Naturally we spent the afternoon discussing lots of books and authors, past and present. I was, obviously, the voice of knowledge and experience, what with my 25 years of reading experience (Okay, I just like to talk about me *g*). At one point Julie brought up Nalini Singh's newest, "Angel's Blood", which prompted some talk about angels and vampires, demons and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", that is until a quiet young woman came up to our table, having overheard part of what we were saying and somehow she thought we were talking about real-life demonic attacks. Huh. I think we truly burst her bubble when we just stared at her in disbelief and told her we were talking about books. Maybe she was just as horrified at the thought of romance readers as we were of demon possession. Easy mistake.

Once we got our voices back, Beth admitted....okay, never mind. I wasn't supposed to say anything. We went from devil talk to blogging, mentioning some of the blogs we frequently visit, and I was asked about Twitter, which I admit is a guilty pleasure but I continue to question the value, at least for myself. Others may utilize to its fullest potential. We touched on Facebook versus MySpace. Julie doesn't like....nope, I can't tell you THAT. She'd kill me.

Julie with her two releases, "Just the Sexiest Man Alive" and "Practice Makes Perfect"

Before I knew it, my adventure was over. And before anyone asks, yes I really was there and not just imagining all this. I'm not quite creative enough to make this stuff up. Beth has a picture of me somewhere, and Julie mentioned me in a blog post. It was a fun day in the city. I want to thank both Beth and Julie for such an enjoyable afternoon. Alas,no scandal or juicy gossip or even a cat fight. But sometimes drama is not all it's cracked up to be.

Labels: Beth Kery, Julie James

Labels: Beth Kery, reviews