The June Invitation to Eden Releases are here!

Are you following along with the Invitation to Eden series? If not, get to it because you're missing out. : )  My installment will be in August (check out the first chapter), but each month we have three authors with new releases in the series.

You don't have to read them in order. Each book can standalone, and the common thread is that some part of each book happens on the mysterious Island of Eden where fantasies come true. (Think LOST with more sex, lol.)

And this month, we have three fantastic authors on the block.

Breaking Free by Cathryn Fox
Spring Break at college is  supposed to be a time of fun and parties, but Alaska Rossi, AKA Jane Smith, is on lockdown thanks to her father’s mafia dealings. She wants only to  party down with the  rest of her classmates.  At least her hot, darkly mysterious bodyguard— deep undercover as her dorm’s resident  assistant—gives her something to fantasize about during her boring nights in  confinement. When she wins a campus radio contest, and is gifted with  a special invitation to an exclusive island, she knows it’s her  chance to break free. After all, it’s a place where no one knows her name, so  what danger could  possible come to her? But when danger appears in the form of a masked man who takes control  of all her pleasures, tapping into her darkest fantasies, she begins to wonder  if her undercover lover, and the mysterious bodyguard who’s deep undercover, are one in the  same…

Kindle Nook Kobo iTunes

Hold Me Close by Eliza Gayle (Purgatory Club, Book 6)
Sometimes you need to cut and run and sometimes the ties run too deep to abandon. Bonnie’s job at Purgatory keeps her on edge in more ways than one. Every day the pain of her grief over losing her Dom threatens to consume her. Her only escape comes at the hands of the resident tattooed  bad boy who likes to keep things light and loose with a variety of women. He may not be the Dom of her dreams, but he chases away the darkness if only for one night… Dex is used to unattached submissives coming to him for a chance to feel the kiss of his flogger or the sting of his whip until they find their own Doms. With his busy life of ink and kink he likes keeping his women at arm’s length. Except one night a month when Bonnie shreds him every time she asks him to hold her close.
When a secret invitation to an island resort arrives, is it the answer to their problems? Or their worst nightmare?

Kindle 

Queen’s Knight by Sara Fawkes (a story set in the Anything He Wants world)
A man for whom Dominance is a way of life. A woman who refuses to yield control.
Dany McQueen was good at her job, and she knew it. Being the PA to one of New York’s most respected professional Doms had it’s unique challenges, but she could handle anything thrown her way…except the invitation to participate. Giving up control scared her, even when the offer was tempting beyond belief. When an invitation turns up at her door, however, that may give her a chance to live out her deepest fantasy, she’s ready to give it a shot. Gabriel Knight was getting old, and he felt every year. With his latest sub ending their partnership to pursue a vanilla relationship and family, he’s suddenly loathe to take on any more trainees. When his long-time personal assistant requests a vacation, he’s more than willing to grant it…until he realized exactly where she is going. Dany thought Eden would be somewhere she could enjoy her fantasies, safe from the pressure of her real life. She never expected for her boss to follow her, nor that his relentless pursuit would awaken a desire inside her she’d refused to allow herself before. Now that she’s had a taste of her Knight, Dany is desperate for more, but can a relationship so long suppressed work outside of their own private fantasy island?

Kindle  Nook  Kobo

A Wee Sneak Peek of FOREVER STARTS TONIGHT

Want a little peek into FOREVER STARTS TONIGHT? This novella is about Jace, Evan, and Andre, but I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of the cameo Grant and Charli make since it's been a while since they've popped up.

Releasing this September

From FOREVER STARTS TONIGHT (All Rights Reserved - Berkley Publishing):

Jace shielded his eyes from the sun as he crossed the open fields on the edge of The Ranch, looking for the horse paddock. He wasn’t overly familiar with this part of the property. Most of what he needed here was either at the main house or in the cabin he, Andre, and Evan often rented out. But ahead he could see the stables and the cowboy he was looking for.

Jace headed over that way and heard Grant Waters, owner and operator of The Ranch, explaining the ins and outs of saddling a horse to his girlfriend, Charli, who was standing there, hands on her hips and frustrated expression on her face. Jace smiled. That seemed to be Charli’s go-to expression when it came to Grant. Jace had seen the two scene together at the main house before, so he knew Charli was a fantastic submissive to Grant, and the love between them was obvious. But when not in those roles, she was a no-nonsense, highly opinionated tomboy who kept the big man on his toes.

The whole thing amused Jace to no end because Grant could be such a stoic, all-knowing bastard sometimes, and it was fun to see the guy get flustered or perplexed by his woman. It reiterated Jace’s belief that no man could keep it together all the time when he was in love. It was nice to know even the master of The Ranch wasn’t immune.

“Howdy, partners!” Jace called out, making his accent as countrified as possible.

Grant turned around and tipped his black cowboy hat up. “Well, look what the barn cat dragged in. Coming to the muck out the stalls, Austin?”

Jace sniffed. “I’m not even sure I know what mucking stalls means, but I think I’ll pass on anything with the word muck involved.”

“Smart man,” Charli said, giving the pretty brown mare she’d been trying to saddle a pat.

Jace leaned against the low fence. “Sorry to interrupt. I didn’t realize y’all were in the middle of pony play.”

“Now there’s an idea,” Grant said, sending Charli a lazy grin. “Maybe the best way to show you how to saddle a horse is to saddle you.”

 She gave Grant the same look Evan gave Jace this morning when he’d asked her to stay home from work and rest. “Just try it, cowboy. See who ends up wearing a saddle and a tail.”

Grant chuckled and adjusted his hat. “Freckles, you know I’d let you ride me anywhere, anytime.”

Want to have it show up on your reader the day it's released? Only 2.99 Pre-order now: Kindle | Nook

FOREVER STARTS TONIGHT Cover Reveal!

Jace, Evan, and Andre's follow-up novella is only a few months away now (September). And yay, we have a cover!

I love this cover because the book takes place in a snowy mountain cabin, and I know these three are going to steam up quite a few windows. 

What do y'all think?

And if you want to pre-order it so that you get it the second it's available, here you go: Nook | Kindle

“I can’t wait for Roni Loren’s next tantalizing story!” (Jo Davis). The wait is over. They fell in love in Melt Into You, but that was only the beginning. NowNew York Times bestselling author Roni Loren dials up the passion as three lovers reinvent the meaning of togetherness and find out if love is truly enough… 

Two dominant men, one beautiful woman. Jace Austin knows he doesn’t have what you’d call a conventional relationship with Evan and Andre, but it works. Boy, does it work—until Evan starts acting strangely and Andre’s ex-fiancée pops back into his life, unbalancing a perfectly happy threesome. Jace is forced to face the unthinkable: that the two people he cares most about in this world are in danger of slipping away from him.

So Jace plans a surprise getaway to a secluded mountain cabin for the three of them. And he knows exactly what he needs to do: give both his lovers a fantasy week they’ll never forget. And the possibilities for pleasure are endless. But when they get snowed in and the heat between them reaches a fever pitch, secrets come out. And Evan has one that could change all their lives forever.

Who's excited? :-)

Must Read Monday: Finally, a Writing Book for Pantsers!

*I put a sticky tab on any page with a point I wanted to type into my notes. Look at that rainbow, people.

I know I usually tackle fiction when doing a Must Read Monday, but I read a writing craft book this weekend that was just so fabulous that I wanted to pass it along to those of you who are writers.

As most of you know, I'm a bit addicted to reading books about the craft of writing. (Yes, I'm an unrepentant nerd.) But most of the time, those books are all about different ways to plot your book. And I like learning those techniques because I'm a pantser with plotter envy. Writing without an outline can be an anxiety-ridden process, writer's block can pop up often, and the unknown is freaking scary (especially when you're writing under a deadline.) But no matter how hard I've tried to alter my process, I can't seem to get away from my pantsing (writing by the seat of my pants) ways.

And a little part of me has always been afraid that if I was successful at plotting ahead and outlining that I would lose some of the "magic" of my writing process. Like two weeks ago, this happened when I was happily writing a story. I had a general direction in mind and then got hit with a big twist that I had never ever considered or planned. It changes what the rest of the book will look like, but I think it's the correct (and much more interesting) way to go. If I had been writing to an outline, would that had ever come to me? And if it had, would I have been willing to ditch the whole second half of the outline to go in this new direction?

That kind of "a-ha" discovery happens with every book. The big twist in Crash Into You that most people have told me they never saw coming? That was because *I* didn't know it was coming until I was 70% of the way through writing the book. The big thing that happens in Kade's backstory in Need You Tonight that explains so much about who he is now? I didn't know about it until I was halfway through the book and it hit me--wait, THAT'S what happened!

So let me tell you, it was hella refreshing to finally come across a book that doesn't just tolerate pantsing as a way for people to write but actually recommends it. AND gives tips on how to overcome some of the struggles, anxieties and pitfalls of writing without an outline. Because, Lord, I would love to be less neurotic during my writing process.

So here's the book and my review from Goodreads. Pantsers, go forth and enjoy!

Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules by Steven James

My Review from Goodreads:

Finally, a book for pantsers! And not just one that mentions pantsing but validates the process as a legitimate (he even ventures to say superior) process of writing. I have long been a pantser with plotter envy because it seems like every book on writing I read talks about "organic" writing as the immature/impatient process and plotting as the panacea, the "professional" way. Of course, that always makes plotting sound like this lovely method that is going to take away the constant anxiety of working in the unknown and the pitfalls that come along with that (writer's block, chasing bunny trails, rereading your previous pages constantly to get back into the mindset, etc.). But after reading this, I feel like I can take a deep breath and find a place of acceptance with my pantsing ways. Yes, my method causes me anxiety, but it's also been a successful one for me, so why am I always trying to change it?

And with this book, there are methods that may even help with the anxiety involved in "flying into the mist" when writing. There are questions to ask when you get stuck or come across a plot problem. There are guidelines on what needs to be clear in each scene and how to keep the tension up. There are pointers on how to include twists. And some of the character stuff--questions to ask about their secrets, shame, fears, etc--was brilliant.

I have five pages of notes from the book and put sticky flags on way too many pages because there was too much great stuff to hold in my head all at once. I'm kind of a junkie when it comes to book on writing and can be hard to please, but I have no qualms giving this one five stars. I know I'll be referencing it often.

*I was not asked to give this review. I bought this book on my own.