@ReadingRomances #HappyEndings 3 Have you ever read...

Have you ever read a romance that didn't have a happy ending? I did and it was awful! I mean to the point I can tell you, years after the fact, the plot in excruciating detail. To me, the entire point of a romance is the Happy Ever After at the end of the book. You stick with the hero and heroine through thick and thin, sex and black moments, and at the end they're supposed to be happy together, ride into the sunset, etc., etc., etc.

Right?

I really wish I could wipe the entire experience from my mind, frankly.

Without giving away the author (I'm only partly sure about it anyway) or the title (forget it, I suck at remembering titles!) the basic plot over a 2 book arc involved the woman, falling in love with the hero, leaving Ireland during the late 1800s for America. Happily Every After in book one, sweet! Grabbed book 2 and after all this time (it's been years!) I can't remember if I grabbed it without reading the blurb or I did so assuming the second book was about the hero's best friend and his romance.

Oh, it was alright! Hero from book 1 died in the first page! Yet somehow, for reasons I have forever regretted, I continued reading. To be fair, there was no Internet then, not like now, and no place to research this book before I spent money on it.

Sure, book 1 had a HEA but the author completely ruined it with book 2 and killing off the hero to have the heroine marry the BF and live Happily Ever After with him. NOT the story I signed up to read!

Have you ever been tricked like that? Read a book with what you thought was going to be a happy ending only to discover it wasn't?

#HEGIVEAWAY

Tell your happy ending story!

The Happy Endings Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

What you can win here: $10 electronic gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and a copy of Seduction of my Proper Wife: A Victorian Menage at the Parisian Exposition

Number of winners: 4

Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): If you can receive an e-gift card then you can enter!

How to enter: Leave a comment on how you've ever been tricked into thinking a book was a romance with a Happy Ending. If you decide to follow this blog or me on Twitter, you get extra entries in the gift card pot.

@ReadingRomances #HEGiveaway Day 2 Black moments and Sweet endings

Everyone craves Happily Ever Afters. But what makes that happy ending even sweeter is when  you emerge from some of the blackest moments. Some of those black moments have been so successful that they've become cliche.

And yet, many times we'll find ourselves at the edge of our seat wondering--will the emergency paddles work with the person who's been dead on the floor? Will the hero rescue the heroine before the Amtrak train barrels down on her?

We've all seen these cliches but still wonder, hope, and are riveted by the question. Until that sweet release happens and Happily Ever After is achieved.

Yes, yes, in every romance novel these cliches exist. But there are still writers who twist those cliches, or who use them in a way that makes you forget they are cliched. Once in a while you can find a gem of a black moment that isn't yet overdone. And you think--damn. That works!

Some of my personal favorite black moments are character choices. Will the character's issues prevent them from seeking out the companionship and love of the hero or heroine? I often find myself engrossed in a particular situation, and the one that often grabs my attention are those combining character development and character driven stories with a workable and significant suspense moment.

Menage romances are the same--all characters have to find peace and happiness. That's not to say it has to be in the same chapter and everything is wrapped up with a neat bow-presto! No, it means that their growth up to and including the black moment has to be about three people, not just two. It's not harder (all black moments are hard!), it simply needs a different mindset.

For instance, in a menage, the characters need to understand and accept all the ramifications from being involved with not one lover but two. The looks, the whispers, the never fully coming clean about who's involved with whom. (I'm talking historicals and even contemporaries, not futuristic or other worlds.)

What do you all think? What's your favorite black moment? Do you always engage in cliche? Are you more apt to be deeply satisfied with character issues?

#HEGIVEAWAY

Tell your happy ending story!

The Happy Endings Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

What you can win here: $10 electronic gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and a copy of Seduction of my Proper Wife: A Victorian Menage at the Parisian Exposition

Number of winners: 5

Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): If you can receive an e-gift card then you can enter!

How to enter: Leave a comment on why YOU think darker, more believable black moments make us love the Happy Ever After. If you decide to follow this blog or me on Twitter, you get extra entries in the gift card pot.

#HEGIVEAWAY Day 1: Why Happily Ever After?

Happily Ever After. It's talked about all the time. Romance books are all about the happy ending. What makes us want that? I write romance and therefore love me a good happy ending, and I'm certainly not alone. Even non-romance readers want a satisfying and 'happy' ending. (Except those literary type people.)

Menage romance is no different. All participants must fall in love, and that's even more fun because how do you get 3 (or more!) people to fall in love with each other? In Seduction of my Proper Wife: A Victorian Menage at the Parisian Exposition, Philip and Lillian already loved each other--there were other problems, and Aria was never supposed to be part of their marriage. And yet.

So let's talk about Happy Endings...

A quick internet search of "Happily Ever After" reveals everything from a no-kill animal shelter to a tattoo parlor to several dating sites. Even USA Today has a page called that dedicated to romance books.

Is it because we want to see a couple that has worked so hard to be together actually together? The fact that love can conquer all, it's just a matter of finding it and holding onto it?

In April of 2009 BBC News had this to say in their article Why the obsession with happy endings? I copied the pertinent parts here, but the entire article is a quick and very interesting read. Read some of the comments, too--they're worth it.

In troubled times there are plenty of people who want happy endings - an matter perhaps recognised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, last week, when he cautioned God will not intervene in climate change to supply a happy ending.

Go back to the 1930s, particularly to films of that era, and you see the process of "happyendingification" in full flow during a time of grinding poverty and uncertainty about the future.

Of course, the theory can be undermined by examples of happyendingification from every decade, whether times were grim or not.

You can even take it back to classical times. We may think of Greek drama in terms of the unrelenting tragedy of Oedipus Rex or Medea. But even the Greeks expected a happy ending, says Alan Sommerstein, professor of Greek at Nottingham University.

But there are always some who regard the process of happyendingification as fundamentally crass, a sign of the excessive commercialisation of the concept of story, of pandering to our weaker side.

Aristotle wasn't happy when, a couple of generations after the passing of the classic tragedy playwrights, he sensed that the plays were getting a bit more unthinkingly jolly.

What about you? Do you only read romances to ensure a happy ending? Do you like movies with happy endings better than ones that don't have a happy resolution. I'm not even talking romance, but say The Avengers. If they'd all died and Loki won that certainly doesn't make for a happy ending. So what is it that drives us to the happily ever after?

#HEGIVEAWAY

Tell your happy ending story!

The Happy Endings Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

What you can win here: $10 electronic gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and a copy of Seduction of my Proper Wife: A Victorian Menage at the Parisian Exposition

Number of winners: 5

Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): If you can receive an e-gift card then you can enter!

How to enter: Leave a comment on why YOU think we love our happy endings. If you decide to follow this blog or me on Twitter, you get extra entries in the gift card pot.

Friday Recipe: Slow Cooker Thai Pork with Rice

To be fair I think the name of this should be changed from Slow Cooker Thai Pork with Rice to The Americanized Japanese version of Thai Pork with Rice. Because as far as I recall, teriyaki sauce is Japanese. I looked up Thai spices and it seems they use a lot of curry. Not a big fan. So I thought I'd make a traditional Thai spice paste. Not difficult to make but not really on my list of things I have time to do.

I stuck with the teriyaki.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 8 Hours

Ready In: 8 Hours 10 Minutes

Servings: 12

 

Ingredients:

1 (3 pound) pork shoulder roast 2 red bell peppers, julienned 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/3 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 cups uncooked long grain white rice 6 cups water 1/4 cup unsalted peanut butter 1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts 1 bunch green onions, sliced

Directions:

1.	Place the pork roast, red bell peppers, garlic, teriyaki sauce, and rice wine vinegar in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
2.	Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low.
3.	In a pot, bring the rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 20 minutes.
4.	Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred. Stir the peanut butter into the slow cooker. Return shredded meat to slow cooker, and mix with the sauce to coat. Serve over the cooked rice with a sprinkling of peanuts and green onions.

Nutrition Information Servings Per Recipe: 12 Calories: 433

Amount Per Serving Total Fat: 18.5g Cholesterol: 42mg Sodium: 155mg

Amount Per Serving Total Carbs: 46.4g     Dietary Fiber: 2.8g Protein: 19.9g

DIY Laundry Detergent Day 1

Recently I spoke with a co-worker about her homemade laundry detergent. I have no idea how the conversation came around to that, it was one of those meandering conversation things, but she said it was simple to make and cheaper than store-bought ones.

I did a little research and found several sites (Money Saving Queen, DIY Natural, From Our Hiding Place, and The Simple Dollar--but they're everywhere!) detailing the detergent making process, but they all seem to have the same ingredients in common:
Borax
Washing Soda
Fels Naptha or Ivory (I think one used Dove)
Oxiclean
Additional soap for scent if desired

I've heard of Borax, when I was young my mom used it for mysterious mom reasons probably related to my dad's use of it to remove grease. Washing Soda? Apparently it's Baking Soda on steroids. Or in need of I'm not sure.You bake Baking Soda to make Washing Soda. Seriously. I find that infinitely fascinating! Fels Naptha for stains, Ivory...presumably for the same reason...soap for scent.

My co-worker uses Zote, but I think the Ivory or Dove would serve the dual purpose of stain remover and scent and be easier to find. Ideally I'd like an all natural soap but let's stick with something easy and cheap for this first attempt. I can move up later.

And now here I am, debating the wisdom of making my own laundry detergent. I mean there are reasons we buy things! Convenience and...well, convenience. Cost is a factor, don't get me wrong, But she swears it takes only 20 minutes or so and if you average out the cost of the ingredients vs per load it's a whole lot cheaper.

I've decided to give it a try.

While I love the detail of The Simple Dollar site in breaking down the cost (there's a reason the site is named that) I decided on Ivory soap for both stain removal and scent. Cuts down on the required soap quantity.

So now I have all my ingredients and plan to make my own laundry detergent this weekend. Anyone else try this? Want to try it? Think it's worth it or not? Am I crazy?

Wednesday Regency: Les Miserables and the French Revolution

Technically speaking, the Regency Era lasted a bare 9 years. The era most writers consider Regency really combines the late Georgian and Regency periods: 1795-1837 when the Victorian Era began.

Les Misérables falls squarely in this time frame, taking place from 1815-1832 yet when I think of Les Mis, I think only of the French Revolution and how the lives of those people, who had little to nothing to do with it, changed (or didn't) because of the Revolution.

I've written several stories that take place during the Revolution; my Hellfire Club Erotique Series deals with the aftermath of the Reign of Terror both in France and England.  Les Mis, however, isn't about nobility escaping the guillotine (like The Scarlet Pimpernel) or about stopping the spread of the Revolution, a fear a great many European countries had.

It's about those people the Revolution claimed to want to help and did not.

To be fair, I find the plot of Les Mis tedious after Jean Valjean rescues Collette. I love the music, it's stirring, evocative, and beautiful. But the plot of the second half of the play/movie is just eh to me and I can't explain why I have no interest in it. It may be that I don't really like Collette. Jean Valjean is a wonderful character with reasons for all he does. Collette is...not.

The Revolution had ramifications that were felt through World War II. It's amazing what ripples can be felt when you examine the causes of things. Putting aside a historical political science lesson, and the universal truths found in the story, Les Mis firmly has its roots in the Revolution--all the working poor and student bodies rising up to demand more.

Most interesting is what I read on Wiki about Victor Hugo's sources. This story was (loosely) based on real people:

Valjean's character is loosely based on the life of Eugène François Vidocq, an ex-convict who became a successful businessman widely noted for his social engagement and philanthropy. Vidocq helped Hugo with his research for Claude Gueux and Le Dernier jour d'un condamné (The Last Day of a Condemned Man). In 1828, Vidocq, already pardoned, saved one of the workers in his paper factory by lifting a heavy cart on his shoulders as Valjean does. Hugo's description of Valjean rescuing a sailor on the Orion drew almost word for word on a friend's letter describing such an incident. Hugo used Bienvenu de Miollis (1753–1843), the Bishop of Digne during the time in which Valjean encounters Myriel, as the model for Myriel.


In 1841, Hugo saved a prostitute from arrest for assault. He used a short part of his dialogue with the police when recounting Valjean's rescue of Fantine in the novel. On 22 February 1846, when he had begun work on the novel, Hugo witnessed the arrest of a bread thief while a Duchess and her child watched the scene pitilessly from their coach. During the 1832 revolt, Hugo walked the streets of Paris, saw the barricades blocking his way at points, and had to take shelter from gunfire. He participated more directly in the 1848 Paris insurrection, helping to smash barricades and suppress both the popular revolt and its monarchist allies.

Nominate your favorite Erotic Menage Romances!

The nominations will close at midnight January 31^st and on Feb 2-28, 2013, everyone will get to vote (poll).

Winners will be announced on March 1^st 2013.

Prizes to win for each category!!

Fill out the online form with your first and last name (twitter or facebook are acceptable alternative) and email (emails will be validated) If you are an author, please mention it with your pen name(s).

Rules:

Authors can nominate other fellow authors but not themselves.
Reviewers are not allowed to vote for themselves.
Readers can nominate only one time per category per person.
Mary’s Naughty Whispers will not vote in any categories. Nomination is in your hands!
Maximum 1 vote per category per person. Some books may fit into several categories. You may choose the 3 best categories maximum for the same book.
To participate you do not need to offer a nomination in all categories.
In order to avoid multiple votes per the same person or self nomination, a personal email & name are required. Emails will be validated. If you are not interested to receive prizes, mention it when you fill in your email and name. Twitter ID or Facebook are acceptable alternative i.o. your name.
If it happens that a category does not fit the book nominated, Mary’s Naughty Whispers will contact you in order to select another category. In order to avoid such mistake, please check the book categories on the publisher’s website

UPDATE [Jan 8]: In the event that a category exceeds 5 nominations, the five (5) nominations most submitted in the category will be eligible for the final voting award (Feb 2-28). In case of a tie, the first nominations submitted will be selected. So the most votes for the same author/book in the same category, the better chance this author/book will be the official nominees.

Review: Fall into You by Roni Loren

Fall into You

When tomboy sports reporter Charli Beaumonde loses a dream TV job because she’s not girly enough for primetime, she’s determined to land a big scoop and prove her boss made a mistake. But when she gets too close to a football scandal and finds her life threatened, Charli accepts an offer from family friend Grant Waters to hide out at his place—even if Grant predicts nothing but trouble from his buddy’s hard-headed, uncompromising, irrepressible, younger sister. There’s one more problem…

Grant’s “place” is The Ranch, a BDSM resort in Texas, and he’s used to being in charge —even if that means trying to keep Charli in line. But much to Grant’s surprise, she’s intrigued—even envious—of his trainees. They’re the epitome of what she’s never been: sexy, beguiling, and totally irresistible to a man. Still, Grant doesn’t believe for a minute that the sharp-tongued Charli has it in her to be anyone’s submissive. But Charli’s already on her knees vying for the chance to prove that even the Master can be wrong sometimes.

Roni will be awarding signed print copies of Crash Into You and Melt Into You, and a Kindle or Nook version of Still Into You (U.S. and Canada only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour so make sure you comment!

Review: Charli Beaumonde, a young reporter trying to make it big in her field, got caught up in the wrong story, putting her life in jeopardy. Grant Waters rescues her from an accident, but Grant is a well-established business man who just so happens to own one of Texas’s most elite BDSM resorts that he refers to as “The Ranch”. Grant becomes Charli’s knight in shining armor--protecting her from the people trying to hurt her and also gaining himself a new submissive.

 The Good:

Ms. Loren did a wonderful job of using imagery to portray the different scenes of the book.She's a fantastic writer who really showed the training of a sub, and really of the Dom as well while he trained Charli. The secondary characters were well-developed and made me curious as to their stories.The big bad was well done, also, and fleshed out as well as can be. Kudos on that!

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who also enjoyed reading Fifty Shades of Grey or other BDSM erotic romance.  
 

The Bad:

But she did do a poor job of using her own imagination to develop a basis for this story. I'm all about keeping characters apart with angst and heartache, but felt Charlie and Grant were so oblivious of their love for each other for entirely too long.

The choice of plot though unique was developed in a manner that strongly resembled Fifty Shades of Grey. I know, I know, but now every book using even an iota of that plot will be compared. Alas. Both dominant men owned their own business and were living by a set of rules which they vowed never to break. They both also had trouble with facing their families and had to employ the help of their subs to bring them both home. These are just a few similarities, but there are many more.

The characters also grew in the same manner. Grant like Christian is troubled by a terrible past and suffers from nightmares that inhibit him from at first sharing a bed with the person who he is involved with. Charli like Ana has just moved away from her comfort zone and is trying to become her own person. They also have in common that they both lack experience with men, Ana more so than Charli but none the less the comparison is there.

          The Bottom Line:

The book as a whole was a good read. It kept me coming back for more which is always a good sign! The writing style of the author depicts a tone of excitement in her work. She clearly has an understanding of what people look for in erotic romance/bdsm romance, and does provide a good story line with the tone offering me, as the reader, a great deal of enthusiasm. Fall into You isn't very suspenseful, and frankly at some points the book becomes entirely too predictable. But overall this book was enjoyable and I commend the author on her hard work and dedication to the quality of book in which she puts out. I wish her good luck on her future works and look forward to reading more from her.

Over all, I give Fall into You 4 stars.

Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indie Bound
Kindle
Nook


Excerpt:

“Are you meeting someone?” The hostess’s voice drifted across the room, pulling Grant’s attention toward the main door.


His glass thunked onto the table as the muscles in his forearm forgot to work. He stared at the redheaded beauty murmuring to the hostess. Well, I’ll be damned.

Charli peered into the dining room, her fingers worrying what- ever she was holding in her hands. She looked lost. And unsure. And completely, jaw-hit-the-table gorgeous.

Grant rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling hot all over. Damn. He’d known without a doubt that Charli would clean up well. Not many women could still look beautiful in relaxed-fit jeans and a ponytail like she did. But he hadn’t expected her to channel a Hollywood starlet or something.

The hostess leaned over and pointed to Grant’s booth. Somehow he managed to raise his hand in greeting and not smile like some goofy teenager who’s realized he’s landed a date with the prom queen. He straightened his shoulders, trying to regain his mental balance. He was supposed to be the cool and in control one here. Since when did he get like this over a pretty woman? He had beautiful subs offering themselves to him on a regular basis and it barely registered on his radar. This should be no different. She should be no different.

As Charli got closer, Grant saw what she was holding in her hands. Shoes. A pair of sexy black heels he’d picked out for her earlier today. A perfect complement, Kelsey had assured him, to the dark green strapless dress he’d chosen for Charli. His gaze went to her stocking feet, then slid up her long legs, to the hem of her short dress, and not stopping until he reached the column of her bare neck.

Not bare for long. The collar tucked into the inner pocket of his suit coat seemed to warm against his ribs at the thought. Soon.

He stood as Charli walked over to the booth. She set the shoes on the seat, put her hands on her hips, and arched a newly mani- cured brow at him. “Broken ankles or bare feet. Those are your choices.”

He smiled down at her. “Already giving me orders, freckles? That’s not how this works.”

She released a breath and then leaned in, keeping her voice low. “Look, it’s been a long day. I’ve been through what I think may be considered cruel and unusual under my constitutional rights as an American citizen. I’ve been waxed and plucked and exfoliated and . . . ironed, I think. Some woman whose name I can’t pronounce has now seen more of me than my gynecologist ever has. And this dress is . . . drafty. You gotta give me something here.”

He stared at her for a moment, a bit stunned by her rapid-fire speech, then laughed, loud and open, not caring that it drew the attention of the other guests. He raised his palms. “Fine. Point taken. Sit down. We’ll save the shoes for later.”

“Thank you.” She took his offered hand and stepped up into the raised booth, obviously forgetting she had a dress on as she climbed in. He got a delicious glimpse of the bottom curve of her ass.

He palmed her waist and moved behind her to block anyone else’s view. “Lesson one, freckles. When wearing a dress, you need to be more aware of yourself. Giving half the restaurant a Basic Instinct moment is not that big a deal here. But back in town that may be a bit embarrassing.”

“Shit.” She grabbed her hem, clamped her thighs together and hurriedly sat. “You shouldn’t have made me wear such a short dress. I feel naked.”

“You look beautiful,” he corrected, then slid into the spot across from her. “And be thankful. As my sub, I could’ve requested you to come to dinner only wearing those shoes.”


About the author:

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the National Bestselling author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.



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Michel Prince, The Guardian's Heart, and a review

About Michel:Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.

With characters yelling "It's my turn damn it!!!" She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.

When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.

Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, cat and new puppy.

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Blurb:

Case Thomas is always in control whether its on the basketball court, the lab where he works, or in his love life. He thinks he has everything all figured out. All that changes when his parents pass away during his last year of college and Case is thrown into fatherhood when he becomes temporary guardian to two adorable twin toddlers. Weeks later, exhausted and running out of time, Case must decide if he's ready to become a father to these children, or give them up and move on with what's left of his life. Then he meets Gabbie Vaulst.

Gabbie is amazing with the kids, owns her own business, and has all the right curves in all the right places. She can tell Case is attracted to her, but does he really love her or is he just settling for a surrogate Mom who can wrangle his new kids? Knowing that she's falling in love with him, she chooses to push him away until his world straightens out. Can Case prove to Gabbie, and himself, that his feelings are real? Or is this sudden family too much for both of them to handle?

The odds, as well as members of their past who've come out of the woodwork, are against them, but when kids are involved, all bets are off.

Michel will be awarding a heart necklace to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Want to read what others are saying about The Guardian's Heart? Check out the entire tour and comment for a better chance to win the necklace!

Review:

Gabbie Vaulst and Case Thomas are not your typical twenty-somethings. Gabbie is co-owner of a day care facility along with her three best friends; Case is a soon-to-be college graduate and an intern at a corporate lab. Case has problems, struggles if you will—his parents died just two weeks ago and he now has custody of two younger twin siblings Charlie and Claire.

Natural caregiver that she is, Gabbie decides to help out the sexy basketball player in any way possible. Sure, the kids need her, but the other side of that is she gets to spend time and develop a relationship with Case.

The good:

Ms. Prince did a wonderful job of keeping me interested. Reading this book had me wanting more Case and Gabbie. Their story was very unique and not clouded by over written love smooch. The author did a great job of connecting all the various elements of this story and playing off the plot very well. The depth to the characters only added to my fascination of this unconventional love duo. Playing off the children’s cuteness and giving them a voice made them a pair of rounded characters that actually added something to the story than a few “awws”.

The bad:

In general, the author did a poor job of rushing. Maybe a slower courtship or even a little elaboration on the different hurdles they had to jump would have satisfied my needs as a reader. Also, she rushed all the interesting sex scenes! Yes, I realize it’s not what I’d normally read, but I still felt they needed to be developed further.

The bottom line:

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their books with well-developed characters and sensual sex. I enjoyed this story so well and I didn’t want it to end.

Over all, The Guardian’s Heart 4 stars.

Excerpt:
A little part of her was praying for a kiss as his fingers wrapped around her loose hair, tucking it behind her ear. Gabbie began to tremble and licked her lips as Case took another step closer to her. Case leaned in when Charlie pulled on his pants.

“Up Ace. Up.”

“I just got cock blocked by a two year old.”

“I wouldn’t call it a full-on block.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“No.”

“This isn’t one sided?”

“Up…Bee,” Claire ordered.

“We need to leave now to get her to the doctor on time.”

“Life or death, huh?”

“It could be.”

Gabbie bent down to pick up Claire and saw a bulge in Case’s pants.

“You need a minute?”

“Yes please.”

Flattered at Case’s reaction to her, she took Charlie’s hand, snagged Case’s keys from his finger and walked out to get the kids in the car. Once locked in their car seats, Case came to the car.

“You want to follow in your car?”

“I walked. I live around the corner. Just let me turn on the security system and we’re off.”

When Gabbie came back outside she could hear Case talking to the kids because Claire’s window wasn’t closed.

“All I’m saying is cut me a little slack. You know how long it’s been since a girl…made me feel good. If I’m close to Gabbie…find a toy.”

“Bee’s a toy?” Claire asked with her hands turned palm up in confusion. “Bee not a toy?”

“I didn’t say Gabbie’s a toy I said…never mind.”

Buy links:
Secret Cravings Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Barnes and Noble
Bookstrand

Friday Recipe: Antipasto Sausage Skewers

I'm on a healthy kick. It's a new year thing, though I am trying to eat healthier in general. Even gave up soda! That lasted 3 days (it was a weekend). Still, the healthier I eat the more I can indulge in junk, right? There must be logic in that someplace. Still, I found this while looking around Food Network's site under their healthy appetizers. Not a fan of artichoke hearts (which I'm sure is what makes this healthy!) but other than that this is delicious.

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 24 skewers

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 12 ounces fully cooked Italian-style poultry sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil
• 1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces if large
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

Directions

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat; mist with cooking spray. Add the sausage; cook, turning 2 or 3 times, until warmed through and browned, about 8 minutes
2. Thread 1 small or 1/2 large basil leaf onto a small wooden skewer. Add a piece of roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, artichoke and sausage, arranging them on the skewer so that it can stand up on the sausage end. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make about two-dozen skewers. 

Per serving (4 skewers): Calories 140; Fat 5 g (Sat. 2 g; Mono. 1.5 g; Poly. 1 g); Cholesterol 30 mg; Sodium 970 mg; Carbohydrate 12 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 12 g