Pages

The Romance Reviews

Friday 8 January 2016

Remembering Mum


Like many people on 11th November, I will be remembering a loved one. My mum passed away five years ago today. After a sudden, painful illness, she died at the age of fifty three. Her death was the worst thing I've ever had to deal with and it ultimately changed my life.

Our relationship had the usual ups and downs but we were extremely close. She was the strongest woman I ever had the privilege to know, raising three daughters alone after my father walked out.

I spent my teenage years arguing with her when she took my Dad back and I moved out at nineteen. But we grew close again after I left home and started a family of my own. When I was crippled with arthritis and barely able to move, she cooked and cleaned. And when my boys came along with health problems of their own, she was there every step of the way. 

We became more like best friends as the years went on, shopping and gossiping together. People rarely saw one of us without the other.

Towards the end of her life, things did become strained. In some ways she seemed jealous of the great relationship I had with my husband, when she and my father were more volatile than ever. At times I found her presence in our lives too intrusive and started to back away. Now, I can't ever get that time back with her.

When she took ill our whole family fell apart. She was the lynch pin for all of us, keeping us together through thick and thin. We don't have the same closeness we once had, and my father moved on before her body was even cold. Christmas and birthdays never seem the same without her organising everything, and the grandchildren she helped to raise hardly remember her.

I spent nearly every day with her and I was lost when she left us. I'm not ashamed to say I was a basket case. I didn't see the point in going anywhere or doing anything when she wasn't with me. After a while when the pain did begin to subside, I realised I needed to live my life.

Although I'd always enjoyed writing, I had never done it seriously. So, with a need to find something just for me, I entered a competition. Now, the story was rubbish but after that I joined my online crit group, UCW. Not only did we read each other's work, but we supported each other and became good friends. They turned my life around.

After becoming a bit of a recluse, I finally had people to talk to. They gave me confidence to sub my work, and confidence in myself. If I wanted this career as a writer, I had to work for it. And these past years I've tried my damnedest. I may never make my millions but I'm doing what I love.

I'm not sure what she would make of the genre I write, but I'd like to think she was proud of me.

I will miss her every day for the rest of my life.

Afterglow - #FlashFictionFriday



With her sandals dangling from her finger, Hayley stood on tip-toe to kiss Enrique goodbye. Even though she would never see him again, she walked away without regret. 

Thunder cracked overhead and muggy heat gave way to sheet rain. It was a release from the oppressive atmosphere, reflecting her feeling of liberation. She welcomed the cool salve on her flushed skin, cleansing her of her past troubles.

She'd enjoyed that physical connection without worrying about the fallout. One night of passion had rejuvenated her, reminded her she was desirable. A holiday fling was the perfect cure for a broken heart.

Viva España- #TantalizingTuesdays

Every Tuesday a bunch of talented writers choose a picture that inspires them to write a 200 word teaser. 

Check out the other fabulous authors here

Viva España


"I hope the kids will be all right without us." Eileen leaned against Steve's chest and closed her eyes. The sound of the sea gently lapping at their feet was instant stress relief.

"They'll be fine."
She could hear the smile in his voice as he paddled his feet in the water.

"I feel so guilty about leaving them." It was a mother's right to worry about her children. Especially when they were so far away.

"Quit your fretting and enjoy yourself. Look around, this is what we've been saving for and you don't want to miss a moment of it." Steve tilted her chin up and forced her to open her eyes.

As the sun set over the Spanish coastline, the gold and blue hues painted a beautiful picture. One she'd kept in mind during all the hard times at home.

"We do deserve a bit of peace and quiet…" It might seem selfish to the children but she and Steve needed some quality time together.

"We're living the dream, hun. Besides, they can visit anytime they want." Steve was right. Retirement didn't mean they had to sit at home in their slippers. Their new life was just beginning.


#FlasherFictionFriday - Dinner Date

Every week, an amazing group of writers get inspired by a picture. Each has 100 words, no more, no less, to come up with their version which they do so well. Please click here to find the others and show them some love by reading. As always comments are much appreciated.



Dinner Date


Make-up done, Jessie only had to dry her hair and she was ready to go. Mark on the other hand was still walking around half-naked.
"Hurry up. Aren't you hungry?"
"Starved." Mark stalked towards her and she knew they weren't going out anytime soon.
He backed her up until they both stumbled onto the bed. Jessie's heart raced as Mark nuzzled her neck and teased kisses across her collarbone. She gasped when he pulled her dress aside to partially expose her breast.

"Dinner first, movie second," he said as his fangs descended. Jessie cried out as he pierced her skin.

Candy Girl - #FlasherFridayFiction


Every week, an amazing group of writers get inspired by a picture. Each has 100 words, no more, no less, to come up with their version which they do so well. Please click here to find the others and show them some love by reading. As always comments are much appreciated.



Candy Girl
To some people you're aloof and reserved. How wrong they are. They don't know that beneath your hard shell there's a surprising soft centre waiting just for me. It's our secret, my privilege, that you're my candy girl. You turn to melted chocolate under my touch, sticky and sweet and oh so delicious. The sugar rush I get when I'm with you is an addiction I can't live without. One moment of you on my lips is never enough for this chocoholic. You're my comfort food, my treat, my guilty pleasure. I hope you indulge my sweet tooth forever.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

BAD ALPHA: MANLOVE EDITION #guestspot

Just how sexy is a Bad Alpha?
Find out in BAD ALPHA: MANLOVE EDITION.
Shifters so ruthless they will stop at nothing to protect their pack, these Bad Alphas are
dangerous men with an animal side that rivals their human fierceness. Feared, inked, they take what they want, never give in to their enemies, and think love is for the weak—until they meet
their mate. Are you ready to learn how to tame a savage heart?

Don’t be fooled. These aren’t your usual sugar-and-spice heroes.

Ruthless. Fearless. Scarred, hard, and fully in charge of both their human and animal sides. These bad
Alphas aren’t the kind to take prisoners or believe in love—until they meet their mate.

With seven stories from authors such as James Cox and Doris O’Connor, Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition features Alpha shifters who do whatever it takes to survive and protect their pack. Bear, wolf, pit bull, the animal doesn’t matter as long as the Alpha is pitiless enough to do his job. It’s a hard life and doesn’t leave much room for love, until each Alpha stumbles across his male mate in locations
ranging from a Victorian London alley to a modern biker bar.

Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition will be released with its sister publication Bad Alpha. Both anthologies will be available from Evernight Publishing on August 20th,  2015 and from online retailers from August 21st.




“Bully Boys” by Nicola Cameron

When Victorian solicitor Arthur Finter is forced to cut down a dangerous London alley after
work, he stumbles upon pit bull shifter Alpha Gunner Jones in the middle of a dogfight with a
rival shifter pack. The hardnosed bully boy scents Arthur and recognizes him as his mate,
but will events orchestrated by the other pack separate them before Gunner can lay final
claim?

“The Alpha’s Assassin” by Doris O’Connor

Bear shifter Zayden Reid makes his living doing what he does best—killing people. The sought
after assassin doesn’t have to think twice when he’s offered a lot of money to kill the Alpha of a
wolf pack, until he scents his mate. As the Alpha of his pack Quinton Thorn is used
to giving orders. He may be gay, but that doesn’t mean he’s weak, and he’ll squash any
challenge to his leadership with ruthless efficiency. When the threat comes from a
source he trusts, however, can he afford to give into his feelings for his mate, knowing that he’ll
endanger everyone under his protection?

The mating bond cannot be denied, no matter what the consequences, and they might well
kill.

“Discarded Pup” by Angelique Voisen

Betrayed by his beta and abandoned by his pack, Cole Reyes wasted the last ten years of
his life rotting behind bars. A cage is no place for a wolf, and wounds left open, fester. Cole
has zero tolerance for mercy. The time Cole spent in prison didn’t just bleed out all the
decency he once possessed. It broke him. Made him hard and unforgiving. Cole’s vengeance
starts now, beginning with his beta’s new toy.

“Yellow Eyes” by Gale Stanley

The brutal war between shifters and humans is over, but each side still sees the other as a
threat. The only thing they can agree on, is that they can’t agree. Humans live east of the
bridge, shifters live west. Camden is a halfbreed, the product of a rape that happened
during the war. Neither side wants him, but he lives with his human mother. The night she dies, Camden goes west looking for revenge. He knows he won’t find his father, and he’ll
probably get himself killed, but he doesn’t care. As long as he takes a shifter with him, he’ll die
happy.

Wyat is alpha of the pack living in the west. He’s a warrior who believes in separation of the races.
Then on the night of the full moon, he discovers a half-breed hiding in the alley. The man’s scent
makes him burn with lust, and against his better judgement, he takes him home—and discovers
that sleeping with the enemy might just lead to a better future.

“Destined” by L.D. Blakeley

Caleb Stokes has had a shit night. Too bad catching his boyfriend in flagrante delicto with the
club DJ isn't the worst thing he’ll witness before the night is through.

Marick Gevrees has no time for romance. He has even less time for a tipsy twink looking for a man
to fill some Daddy fetish. But what the hell is he supposed to do when said twink wanders headlong
into the middle of a bloody vendetta that could result in the exposure of his clan?

“Trouble” by James Cox

Tremarc is sleeping his way through the entire Bear Shifter Clan. He’s sent to the moon, under
the colonized dome to stay out of trouble. When he meets sexy alpha Lyon and his mated human,
Quinn his life takes a sharp turn that may just find him his happy ending or get him kicked out
of yet another bear shifter clan.

“Outlaw Wolf” by Elizabeth Monvey

Dekker ran away from his pack in an order to protect his lover and Alpha, Grey, when he
overheard two higher ranked wolves talk about killing him. When Grey finds him six months later, Dekker tries to convince the man he loves to go away. But Grey won’t take no and as the two talk it out, their mutual attraction overwhelms them. In desperation, Dekker renounces Grey as his
Alpha. But when another force tries to punish Dekker by silencing him forever, Grey must
choose which stand he’ll take…being the alpha for all his pack, or being the man Dekker needs,
even if it means breaking the rules.


Wednesday 10 June 2015

Doris O'Connor - Panther Magic #Giveaway

Doris O'Connor is spoiling us today with an excerpt from her new release and a giveaway...


Thanks so much for having me on your blog today with my new release, Panther Magic, book five in The Projects series. :) 

Famous magicians Zeb and Arran Harris are at the end of their current tour, and kicking back at the spa-with-a-difference when they scent their mate. The fiery Zeb is all for swinging the delicious human morsel over his shoulder and stalking off with their prey, but his more level headed and five minutes younger twin Arran urges caution.
After all, as responsive as Kate seems to them, she is human, and there is the small matter of her animosity toward all things magic.
Magic is in the brothers’ blood as much as their need to shift, and as their mate and sub, Kate will have to accept all of them.
A slow seduction is what’s needed, but when circumstances force the brothers’ hand, that plan goes out of the window and their animal instincts take over with disastrous results.
It’s just as well Kate has spirit, because she has to rescue her Sirs right back.
Prepare to laugh, cry, and get somewhat hot and bothered, because when these three get together, they ignite the pages.

Blurb:
There’s no such thing as magic…
Kate doesn’t believe in it, let alone the panther sort Arran and Zeb Harris are famous for. Using animals in their act is just downright cruel. If only she could convince her libido of that. Instead she seems to have fallen head over heels in lust with those sex-on-legs twin brothers. Getting laid will cure this, surely?
When panther shifters Arran and Zeb scent their mate, they know they’ll have a fight on their hands. The delectable human morsel might be submissive, but Kate has spirit, never mind the small matter she has no idea shifters exist.
They want her submission freely given and not forced upon her by the mysterious mating bond. However, when their panthers kill while rescuing Kate, that bond might well be the only thing to keep them alive.
It’s up to Kate to save her Sirs.

Buy it from Evernight  ARe  Bookstrand  Amazon  B&N

Adult Excerpt:

Sirs, are we going to play—now?” The words came out hesitant, but her breathing sped up when Zeb walked toward her and placed the end of his crop under her chin to nudge her head up. He slowly ran it along her throat, rested it on each of their bite marks and then trailed it along her collarbone and into the valley of her breasts.
I thought we might, unless you have any objections?”
Kate shook her head and whispered a shaky, “No, Sir.”
Good girl.” Zeb trailed the tip across her lace covered breasts, and over each nipple in turn, and Kate gasped and tried her best not to squirm.
Arran barely managed to hold in a groan of his own. It was incredibly erotic watching their girl reacting to his brother’s strokes against her flesh. Her skin took on the rosy glow of arousal, and her nipples firmed into hard buds that strained against the delicate blue lace covering them. Zeb nudged her knees apart further with his foot, and traced the tip of the crop over her quivering abdomen and down to her delectable wet pussy. The fabric covering her slit darkened further, and Arran’s nostrils flared as the sweet musk of her arousal filled the air. His cock jerked, and he stroked along his length to give himself some relief.
Zeb looked back at him and smirked, and mimicked Arran’s actions on his own dick. Kate licked her lips when she noticed, and moved toward Zeb, but he brought the riding crop down between her legs. It flicked across her wet slit, and Kate jumped and moaned. It was such a deep throated sound that Arran’s balls drew tight, and he fisted himself harder.
Such a naughty girl we have. So wet for us already, so eager for a cock, aren’t you? Tell me, wildcat, how badly do you want my cock?”
Zeb took himself in hand more firmly as he spoke to her, and Kate’s gaze seemed riveted to the action of his hand going up and down his shaft. Arran fisted himself faster, as Kate’s pink little tongue dipped out and licked her lips. Drops of pre-cum emerged from the tip of his cock, and he rubbed his thumb over his wet slit, and used the natural lubrication to fist himself harder. It felt way too good, and his grunt of pleasure brought Kate’s attention back to him.
Zeb laughed when he noticed.
Or perhaps you want my brother’s cock?”
Kate looked between them, and she nodded.
What’s that, girl? I can’t hear you. Which cock do you want? Mine or Arran’s, or perhaps you want both?”
Arran and Kate both groaned in unison, and Zeb’s grin deepened. His sadistic brother always did get a kick out of playing mind games, and seeing both Arran’s and Kate’s discomfort no doubt turned him on.
Hmm, perhaps you’ll get your wish, and we’ll fill all your holes today. Would my little wildcat like that?”
A moan was his only answer, and without warning Zeb brought the riding crop down across her thigh. Kate yelped, and a red thin stripe appeared across her pale flesh immediately. Zeb repeated the action to her other leg, and tears sprang into Kate’s eyes, yet her sweet musk increased tenfold, and Arran’s beast near salivated at tasting the bounty between her legs.
Yes, Sir, please, anything … I’m yours.”
Kate’s whispered reply was music to Arran’s ears, and Zeb winked at him.
Good girl, you best start with my little brother then. He looks about ready to explode.”
Kate’s gaze sought Arran’s, and the love and need to please that shone out of her right now meant the world to him. She made to rise, but Zeb’s heavy hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Who said anything about getting up, girl? I want you to crawl, and swing those hips and tits. Give Arran a show, and then suck him good. I don’t want to see a drop of his cum spilled, do you hear me?”
Yes, Sir.” Kate’s eager reply and the speed with which she complied meant that Arran had to pinch the bottom of his shaft to stop himself from shooting his load like some inexperienced teenager. He was so fucking close already, and judging by the wicked grin on his brother’s face Zeb knew that, too. He mentally flipped his brother the finger, and then concentrated on the poetry in motion that was Kate crawling toward him. With an inherent grace that would have done any cat shifter proud she put one hand in front of the other, and slid her knees across the soft carpet, while swinging her hips from side to side.
Zeb’s face dropped, and he seemed unable to tear his gaze away from her ass. Zeb had always been an ass man, and seeing her pale globes so beautifully presented to him, had to be torture for his brother. Served the bastard right.
All conscious thought fled Arran’s brain when Kate reached him, looked up at him from under her naturally long eyelashes, and smiled.
Sir? May I please suck your cock?”

Story Excerpt:
Have you actually seen our act?” Arran’s softly spoken question took the wind out of her righteous sails somewhat, and she tried her best to glare at him, too, which lasted all of two seconds under his quiet regard. One eyebrow rose in query, and with his full mouth set in a grim line, he radiated disapproval, and she couldn’t bring herself to hold his gaze. Instead she shook her head, and she dropped it down to his muscle packed chest, which was not helping one iota. Wrenching her gaze upward again, she finally settled for staring at his jaw. Mind you, that, too, was far too distracting, covered as it was in designer stubble. It simply drew her attention to his strong neck and the way his Adam’s apple moved as he spoke, even more softly this time. There was no mistaking the edge to his words though that made her want to sink to her knees and apologize.
She once heard it said that a true Dom didn’t need to raise his voice, and she’d never truly understood that until this moment, and they weren’t even in a scene. Lord help her if they ever were.
So, tell me, sweet thing, how can you form an opinion on how we treat the animals we use if you’ve never seen us in action?”
Kate wanted the ground to swallow her up whole. He had a point there, she guessed, but, bugger it all to hell and back if she was going to admit that.
She settled for shrugging her shoulders, and jumped when Zeb grasped her chin and thus gave her no choice but to look up at him.
Give us the courtesy of looking at us when you condemn us without knowing all the facts, girl. Shrugging your shoulders like that is downright rude, and I think you know what happens to rude girls. If you think yourself safe from recriminations, because we’re in a public space, then think again. I have no compunction of putting you over my knee right now.”
Natasha’s loud gasp broke the tense moment, and Zeb smiled and released her as abruptly as he had grasped her.
“Sorry, Sir.” Kate had to murmur that quiet apology, when the loss of his touch on her skin left her curiously at sea. Approval flashed across his far too handsome features, and Kate got the oddest sensation when she stared into his eyes. They seemed to briefly flash to a soft, glowing yellow, before she blinked, and she looked back into their more usual warm chestnut.
However, Sir,” she said and Zeb frowned and Arran gave a short laugh, and shook his head in what seemed to be wry amusement. “You are not my Dom. I have not agreed to a scene, and if you tried to put me over your knee in any way shape or form without my agreement, public space or not, I’d have you up for an assault charge faster than you can say poor mistreated cat.”
There, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Kate crossed her arms again, in an effort to hide her trembling hands, and focused on Natasha, instead of the two overbearing hunks in front of her. Despite her insides churning like clothes on a spin cycle, her lips twitched at the open mouthed expression on her friend’s face.
Talk about giving her a demonstration to prove the point that submissive didn’t equal doormat. They’d had that discussion only this morning on their way over to the spa. Then again, Kate was the first to admit that she was a rather bratty sub at the best of times.
She’s got you there, bro.” Arran’s amused voice brought Kate’s attention back to him, and she lost herself in the smile he gave her. That smile alone would guarantee that most females would drop their knickers in an instant. Not that she was most females, and besides she wasn’t wearing knickers. Bikini bottoms didn’t count, surely.
I fear we’ve started off on the wrong foot somewhat, and for that I apologize, Kate.” He looked across at his brother and some sort of silent communication seemed to occur between the two men, because Zeb nodded, and he, too smiled, showing a set of even white teeth that must make his dentist very proud of him.
Kate groaned at her thought processes. This was beyond ridiculous, really. Why did these two get to her so much?
There is an easy way of remedying this situation, however,” Arran said. “We would very much like to invite you to come and see one of our performances, as our VIP guests. You and Natasha both.”
He nodded at Natasha, and for the second time in the last few minutes, Kate’s friend looked as though she was going to have a heart attack.
Oh, my, really? We’d love to come, wouldn’t we, Kate? Oh, this is so kind of you, really. Kate will be there, won’t you?”
It was on the tip of Kate’s tongue to deny this assumption, but the way Natasha implored her with her big feline eyes meant that she couldn’t, so instead she just gave a tight nod. Natasha’s squeal rang in her ears, and the two men’s tight shoulders relaxed. She hadn’t even noticed how tense they had become until that moment, and Kate briefly wondered why this seemed to mean so much to them, before she was pulled into a bear hug by Natasha.
Thank you, you’ll love it, you’ll see.” Natasha’s whisper in her ear did nothing to quell the churning in her tummy when she looked across at the two men. Cat that got the cream sprang to mind, and she forced a smile on her lips, when Natasha finally released her, and Zeb and Arran made their goodbyes.
Heat flared up her arms when they both took one of her hands each and bending over them kissed them in an old fashioned gesture that made Kate want to swoon like a Regency heroine in the historical romance novels she liked to read.
Until we meet again,” Arran said.
I’ll look forward to your proper apology then, girl.”
Kate tried to snatch her hand away at Zeb’s outrageous words, but he held firm until she stopped struggling. Only then did he release her hand after he turned it over and dropped a lingering kiss on the rapidly beating pulse in her wrist.
With a smirk to send her bikini bottoms aflame he winked at her, and left her to stare after the departing forms of him and his twin. 

To celebrate the release I’m giving away a $25 Amazon GC and two e-books from my back list. a Rafflecopter giveaway


About Doris:
Doris is a writer of sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get.  From contemporary to paranormal, Sci-fi, BDSM, F/F, M/M, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.
Happily married for the last twenty-five years, she lives with her husband and their brood of nine in a far too small house filled with love, laughter, and chaos.
Stalk her in these places