Thursday 30 August 2012

Fan me.. Benjamin Kelly is here with his Guardian Angel

When you read a blurb like this...Well, talk about being hooked. Look...


In a world with more than six billion people, a perfect partner exists for everyone. Katherine waited years to find hers, only to discover she has two. Unfortunately, her handsome, filthy rich suitor isn't one of them. When she spurns his advances, nothing can save Katherine and her soul mates from his wrath.





Chapter One

Katherine glanced at her phone, merely to confirm her suspicions, then hit the button to silence the annoying thing. Helen left another voice mail, as if believing seven would be the magic number to prompt her stepdaughter to return her call.

I wish she would quit bugging me. I've already told her I won't date Geoffrey Werner, regardless of the size of his bank account or his abundant good looks.

Helen had described him as a Greek god in a business suit, with penetrating green eyes and black hair made for a woman's fingers.

Go ahead, give in, wimp. She picked up her phone to make the call. What harm could there be in one date with a filthy rich Greek god?

"Hello?"

"Hey, Helen. I wasn't avoiding you." Liar. "They're running me crazy over here. Raoul has a big show coming up, and we're short on models. He's threatening to use another agency unless we can bring in some new top-notch talent in the next ten days. Basically, the fate of the whole agency is resting squarely on my shoulders. But no pressure, right? So, what's up? I've got a couple of minutes before I have to meet with a potential recruit." Let me guess, Geoffrey wants to know when I'm going to stop being such a tight ass and go out with him? I hope he's as nice as he is hot.

"I know you're busy, honey, so I won't keep you. It's just, Geoffrey really wants to meet you. He's stopping by this evening for cocktails, and I thought you might like to join us. It doesn't have to be anything formal, just pop in on your way home from work, say, sevenish."

"Helen, if I meet this guy, will you promise to quit badgering me, even if I don't like him?" Maybe this is an opportunity I shouldn't pass up. Who knows, it could be fate. I've refused to even talk to him, but he won't give up. I suppose persistence could be a good sign.

"Kathy, you'll like him. Ray better be glad I'm not twenty-five years younger, because I'd be all over that."

Ray better not turn his back, or you'll be all over that. What a terrible thing to think. It's true, but it's still not nice. "Promise you'll let it go."

"Honey, you've got to give up this childish fantasy about finding your perfect man. There is no such thing as a soul mate. You need to stop reading those damn romance novels and get your head into reality. You have the opportunity of a lifetime being handed to you. Don't throw it away because of some ridiculous notion."

"Jesus, Helen, do you always have to preach?" I like romance novels. It's not childish to want to meet the right guy. I don't want to settle for just anyone because I'm afraid of being alone. I think I'd rather be alone than get stuck in a bad relationship with Mr. Wrong. Yep, all the kids will stand on the corner pointing and laughing at me when I hobble down the street. Ha ha, look at the old spinster. She's ninety-five years old, and she never got laid. She's been sitting in front of her window every day since her fifth birthday, waiting for her soul mate.

"Kathy, I don't know how else to get through that thick head of yours. One day you'll thank me for being so insistent. Come meet him. Who knows, maybe he's the one you've been waiting for."

Hum, maybe he is the one. God knows I've been waiting long enough. Maybe I'll gaze into his eyes and see the man of my dreams. He'll take me into his arms, press his lips to mine, and I'll lose myself in his sensuous embrace. I'll open my mouth and caress his tongue with mine. My nipples will tighten, and my body will tremble with desire, as my... Someone rapped on her office window. Katherine glanced up and spotted her boss, Lynda, looking in as she strolled by. "Helen, I have to get back to work. I'll see you at seven. Tell Ray I said hello."

***

Now you see what I mean about being hooked? So here's how to buy Guardian Angel.


And you can find out more about Benjamin here...


happy reading
Rx

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Welcome Yazmin Subha


Today, I'm welcoming Yazmin Subha to Raven's Ramblings. Yaz is a talented new author and we're going to read a lot more from her.

So, Hi Yazmin, pull up a chair, grab a coffee—well or a merlot. The chocolate is behind you. over to you...


Hi Raven.
Thank you for having me on your blog. I am sooooo excited about my first release!
How did you come up with the idea for this story?

LOL. Well it started on one bored evening when I was chatting
online with my Critique group, UCW. All the ladies seemed to be 
talking about their current WIP and I was just saying how bored I 
was. Cherie Nicholls, who is a fabulous author, set a five hundred-
word challenge to include a carwash, a dress and a stranger. That
was the start and once my friends at UCW read it they demanded
more which eventually became Wildfire.



Sounds good, so can we read a bit?

Here's the blurb...


One taste and Braden knew Millie was the one.  Considering their tormented history, this fiery witch would rather die than give herself to a vampire.
Braden has searched all his life for the one who will help him regain his humanity and give him absolute power. One bite and he knew Millie was the one he had been searching for. Millie, a fiery red head is the last one in the line of high born witches who would rather die than give herself to this vampire. After all he killed her mother for her blood as well, didn’t he?  But in a twist of fate Millie learns too late what the truth is. But will death be the only 

That's great, how about an excerpt?

She was slight, her curves meshing against him as though they belonged next to him. She continued to wriggle her lower half trying to get out of his arms. Only the friction awoke the fierce passion residing underneath his skin, and his cock hardened.
"Be still my wild fire, it will be easier." Braden spoke in a low tone directly into her ear. He caught the smell of her hair and could not resist burying his face in the mass of red curls. He groaned with need. Need for blood and need for her.
His voice soothed her anxiety and he felt her stop trying to get out of his arms. Her heart beat slowed down, eventually matching his own. Synchronised again, Braden kissed the back of her head. Enjoying the feel of her silky hair in his face, he bathed in her curls. Moving the curls away from her neck, he bent down, opened his mouth, and sucked the skin on her neck. She tasted of nectar, his very own personal brand.  His head screamed to bite, to taste that rich blood he had sipped last night in the car wash. But the man in him wanted her to be willing, to take her as she reached the height of orgasm as she had nearly done so in the car wash. This time he would be inside her, not just pleasuring her with his hands.
His mind came back to the present as he felt little shakes coming from her, and he realised she was crying.
Her little voice wobbled and she gave a sob, "don't hurt me, please."

Oh Wow, that's so good,

So here's a bit about Yazmin

Yazmin Subha is a busy mother of two children, whose husband has got used to her sitting tapping away on her laptop. By day she sits at her  job, all respectable and prim but by night she is imagining fiesty heroines and sexy alpha males.
She is a British author who grew up with a love of reading. Books created other places, times and worlds to visit. It was the desire to try to write that saw her pen her first short story as a teenager. But then everyday life got in the way and it was only recently that she began scribbling again. Encouraged, or rather dragged screaming and kicking by her crit group UCW she decided to ‘have a go’.
Her teenage dream is finally coming true.

You can find her on:





Friday 24 August 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BREATHLESS PRESS


Hip hip hurray, BP is 3 today...



Yes Breathless Press has been bringing you great books for three years now. For the last year I've been both proud and privileged to be part of the BP family.

My first book was published last October. My journey started before then of course, with fabulous editing and support. And here I am, nine months on from that first book, Wallflowers Don't Wilt, with seven ebooks plus two stories in an anthology, and a print trilogy out with BP. To say nothing of a few more coming out this year. That's down to BP. They have let me explore my voice, and supported me. 

I'm so pleased to be part of this blog hop and I'm offering an ecopy of any one of myBreathless Press ebooks as a prize for one lucky commenter. You can find my backlist on 

www.breathlesspress.com 
or on my web 
www.ravenmcallan.com


So here's the great news about what Breathless Press is offering to you on their birthday. That's right instead of us giving BP presents BP are giving them to you. Great eh...



So read on...


Welcome readers to the Breathless Press Birthday Scavenger Hunt Blog Hop!
We have nineteen blogs participating, and each author is giving away a prize, books, swag...you name it!

BUT...It's Breathless Press's Birthday!

And have they got a gift for one lucky reader! Visit every blog in the hop, and locate the eighteen clues- blue letters. Create a list of each author whose blog you visit (Don't forget to leave a comment so your visit can be verified!) and the blue letter you found on their post, unscramble the message, and email the whole list to Olivia.ventura@breathlesspress.com .

(Note: You are only eligible to win if you visit & comment on ALL blogs!)

Your email makes you eligible to win a 50 BOOK LIBRARY! Fifty books of your choice from Breathless Press! That's approximately a $150 dollar value!

What are you waiting for? Get commenting!

love R x


Just pop over to all these participating authors and you're on your way to a read-a-thon:


DC Juris     Gayl Taylor         Em Woods          Havan Fellows
Raven McAllan             SJ Thomas          Yazmin Subha

Thursday 23 August 2012

Eat drink and be reading ...A visit from Lee Brazil


Now aren't I the lucky one? Lee's arrived, and he's brought the pastries and made the coffee. I haven't been totally idle though. I did get out the mugs and plates and even found some pastry forks. Now, I'll just sit and drink my coffee, and let Lee take over. 


Good morning everyone! I'm Lee Brazil, author of mm romance with Breathless Press, The Story Orgy and Silver Publishing. Most of my work is contemporary, but I have at times ventured into the realms of paranormal and historical fiction. *sips coffee* Help yourself to some coffee...and pastry, if you don't mind sweets in the am. What? No, its not apple pie, it's cherry cheese Danish. Oh, that. That delicious aroma is apple pie filling simmering on the stove top. *sips coffee again*  It is amazing, isn't it?
Want some to take home?
*sighs and inhales deeply* There isn't anything more rustic, more intrinsically homey than apple pie. I love the way a baking apple pie makes my house smell! While many think of apple pie as an "All American" dessert, apples grow across the world. In fact, they appear to have originated in Kazakhstan. There, apples trees can grow to sixty feet tall and even dominate forests. How then did the apple get to American soil?
Simple. The Silk Road and trade. Traveling merchants enjoyed the fruits, picked them, and as our own Johnny Appleseed legends tell, discarded the seeds along their journey. The result? Millions of varieties of apples in Europe and Asia. And, the settlers of course brought these hardy fruit bearing trees to the new world with them when America was first settled. Whoa! I guess you can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't make 'em shut up! Sorry for slipping into lecture mode, I just found this fascinating information on the Cornell University website...and because ...well...I love apple pie.
  The variety of scents and flavors within this one fruit group is amazing. Crisp, juicy, tart, sweet, soft...apples have long been a staple fruit of the pantry. Around here fall is apple picking season, and I like to gather both the tart Granny Smith apples and the sweet like Jonathons to make pie filling.
This isn't a family recipe, because my grandma made her pie the old fashioned way- one at a time. She stored newspaper wrapped apples in the basement of her house well into the winter months. I don't have the space or the desire to do that...so when the apples are in season I just whip up a batch or two of freezer pie filling. I like this recipe which I found online a while back, but there are a lot of others out there.
Freezer Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
  • 20 cups sliced apples
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 10 cups water
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a large pot over medium heat. Combine other ingredients and add to water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  2. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
  3. Ladle into 5 freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.
  4. Seal and freeze. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

Hope you give it a try!
Oh, and here's a glimpse of my contemporary take on the Nursery Rhyme, Simple, Simon, in which we meet a very talented baker who specializes in ...what else but pie?

It's Simple, Simon
By Lee Brazil
M/M contemporary romance
Breathless Press's Naughty Nursery Rhymes
Simon Carter has achieved unimaginable success and he owes it all to a man from his past whose scorn set fire to his ambition.

"It's Simple, Simon. You lack ambition."

Chase Garvin's jibe had sent Simon Carter on unexpected paths and brought him unimaginable success. No longer a penniless musician, the highly paid investment banker is going home for the first time in years. He plans to rest, relax, and spend a little time rubbing his ex-lover's nose in his success. A visit to the Renaissance Fair brings this not-quite-so-simple- Simon nose to nose with his past and somehow revenge doesn't seem quite so attractive.

Chase Garvin, Denver, Colorado's very own Pie Man, is still incredibly handsome. What's more, the more mature Chase is very appreciative of Simon's talents.

When the old attraction flares between them, Simon and the Pie Man get caught up in tasting the wares, and neither counts the pennies.

Excerpt
He sniffed the golden pies. Mmm. Chase had always been talented in the kitchen. The aroma was intoxicating. Delicious. As he ate, savoring the flaky crust and rich fillings, he contemplated the man who'd treated him to the pies. Chase was one hot baker. He'd always been sexy, but there was no way that hunk of beef could fit into his old Renaissance garb. Chase had put on muscle. His shoulders had broadened, his biceps bulged, and mmm.... The rest was hidden behind that voluminous apron, but Simon doubted that it had changed much.
Best of all, Chase still seemed to find him attractive. That was just icing on the cake. The sugar on the pie? He chuckled softly. Whatever it was, he liked it. Liked the idea that Chase might still be interested in him sexually. As he licked the sugary filling off his fingers, he contemplated abandoning his plan. After all, Chase hadn't meant to hurt him years ago, and he'd certainly seemed welcoming enough, even though to all appearances Simon hadn't changed over the years. Yeah, there really wasn't any reason to prove to Chase how successful and ambitious he really was. He should just come clean.
On the other hand, he felt like enough of an idiot for hiding his success in the first place. He bit into the next pie, feeling the juice trickle down his chin. He licked at it, chewing and swallowing, scrabbling absently for a napkin to wipe his chin. It would be horribly embarrassing to go back to that booth and offer to pay for the pies, to tell Chase why he hadn't wanted to pay in the first place.
"Here, I'll get that for you." Chase grabbed his napkin. To his surprise, Chase drooped down onto the grass next to him. Instead of dabbing his chin with the white paper napkin, the man leaned forward, his breath a warm buttery scented breeze as he hovered close for a moment before gently licking the juice off Simon's skin.



Monday 20 August 2012

A Most Unusual Mistress is otherwise occupied

Hi All,

I was going to do a giveaway running all week, to celebrate my print book, and the ebook of 'Mistress' coming out. But theres a lot going on. 

I have a special guest on thursday, when Lee Brazil pops in, with a fabulous recipe to share!

Breathless Press is 3 on 24th, and I'm taking part in a BIG blog hop, with lots of prizes, between 24-27th.
Then the week after I've more great guests for you.

So, rather than shove a quick giveaway in, I'm leaving it until we have time to really play!

Watch this space.

Meanwhile I've been chatting over at Doris O'Connors blog and theres a 3 book giveaway on there...

why not pop over and visit.

www.thetardisscribbles.blogspot.co.uk

Take care, remember if someone is moaning, Tel them to build a bridge and get over it.

Speak soon

Raven x

Sunday 19 August 2012

Six Sunday.. From A Most Unusual Mistress

A Most Unusual Mistress was published last Friday. So my six has to come from it.




His voice sharpened as she began to open her eyes. “I trust you to do as I request; I will say when you may look.” His hands continued their exploration as he pulled her tight to his body, and she could feel the power of his erection hard against her mound. She leant in closer and with soft sighs and incoherent mumbling, tried to rub against him. The hand on her arse stopped its delicate probing of that tiny, puck- ered hole through her gown, and moved solely to her buttocks where it gripped firmly.
“Riana, as your master, I can control you as I desire; perchance my desire is to spank you each time you cross my will...” he paused, and now his hand caressed her curves.

Available from www.breathlesspress.com 
                             www.allromanceebooks
                             www.bookstrand
and                      amazon

Check out all the other great six sentences on

www.sixsunday.au