Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Rob Wilson

Model Mayhem

Stats:
6'
173 lbs.
Brown Hair
Brown Eyes

Photo Credits:
Jeff Slater Photography
Scott Hoover Photography
Nous Model Management

What can I say...I'm utterly speechless.

New Release:

Nick Of Time
Climax, Virginia Mystery Series, Book 2

By Bobbye Terry

Available at: Amazon Kindle| B&N Nook | Turquoise Morning Press

Blurb:

New violence arrives to the town of Climax, lurking beneath the conventions and quirks of a down-home southern lifestyle. In the middle of the chaos, Sheriff’s assistant, Emily Franklin falls in love with newcomer Nick Troy and the two embark on a treacherous journey to discover who is hiding behind an evil web of crime. Amidst kidnappings, trafficking and murder, will the lovers’ happily ever after turn into a drearily dead down under?

Friday 56: RAFE'S REDEMPTION By Jennifer Jakes

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

"You can't sleep. You'll die."

No answer.

He unlaced and removed one of her boots, then slapped the bottom of her foot. Her eyes flew open, blue fire spitting sparks.

"Damn you." She yanked her leg free.

"I’m glad you feel like snarling at me. That’s a good sign you’ll recover.”

He glanced at her as he spoke, watched the sparks die, and a hint of a wicked smile curve her full mouth.

“Mr. McBride, if that’s all it took, I’d be the picture of health.”

He laughed then, out loud, like he hadn’t since before the war. And it felt good. For a minute, he forgot everything that was wrong in his life and the danger surrounding them. For a minute, he imagined kissing her again, stealing the words from her sassy mouth, wrapping their naked bodies in a blanket and warming her the best way he knew how. From the inside out. Pumping heat into her chilled body with each slide of his cock, each stroke of his hand, each long, drugging kiss. Instead, he reeled back from her and stood.

“Sit tight while I make a fire.” He purposely frowned to erase the moment. And to stop the wayward path of his mind.

He strode to Moses and pulled the tinder box from his pack, calling himself ten kinds of fool. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? She never gave indication she would welcome any advance. She wanted that kiss, the devil in him tempted. No, she didn’t. She just wanted to go home. Though why she was so excited he couldn’t fathom. Sooner or later her abusive cousin would return, and there would be no one to protect her. Or was there? Unexpected jealousy hit him like a punch in the gut. Did she have a man waiting for her?

He darted a glance over his shoulder to where she sat. Pink-tinged lips; long, dark, tousled hair. No doubt some man wanted her. Well, good. That made his task easy. Once he deposited her on a stagecoach, his responsibility ended, and he wouldn’t think about her ever again. Ever.

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

From my kitchen to yours, may you have a very happy and safe holiday. Don't forget to give thanks for all the many blessings and special people in your world. Life is too short not to let them know how much you appreciate them.

Oh, and while you are at it, don't forget to indulge a little as well...I know I will be!

Thank you all for being the best romance fans ever!
Happy Wednesday!!!

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All right ladies, who's your favorite sexy chef?

Come Visit With Me!

Today I'm at two great romance blogs:

• At Romance Books R Us, I'm talking about Breaking Dawn and my movie experience this weekend.
• At Sweet N Sexy Divas, I'm featuring another segment of "Soulful Quotes" from Native American romances by Karen Kay and Beth Trissel.

And just as an fyi,  this weekend, my books Ræliksen and Mac Liam were listed among Regan's Romance Reviews as two of the "BEST VIKING ROMANCES." Just below that post is also a great review for Ræliksen. Here's what she had to say: "It's a well-told, unique Viking story. This one is superb."

Read more...

New Release: UNDERCOVER By Christina Wolfer

Undercover

By Christina Wolfer

Available at: Kindle | Nook | ARe | Smashwords


Blurb:

As a police officer, Erica Salinas is determined to eliminate as many gangs as she can. When she's offered an opportunity to go undercover as a student at a Chicago city high school to stop the drugs trafficking its halls, she jumps at the chance. She intends to right a wrong committed against her family years ago and prove to herself she isn't the coward she once was.

It doesn't take long for her to identify the two gangs that rule the school and get offered drugs. But she isn't satisfied with runners, she wants to go up the chain to the dealer and supplier.

She befriends a boy who has connections with one of the gangs, hoping to get closer to her goal. Instead, she finds herself getting attached to the kid and falling in love with his brother, Derrick.

Sparks fly when Derrick and Erica meet for the first time. Derrick can't believe she is only seventeen and takes on a moral battle when he can't get her out of his mind. How will he ever forgive her when he finds out the real reason she is there?

Erica knows she is putting the case at risk by getting too involved. And when she spots a gang allegiance tattoo on Derrick's wrist, she will have to decide if her career and avenging her sisters death is more important than love.

Friday 56: UNHOLY PURSUITS By Suzanne Rock

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

He kissed the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. “Yes. I left them for dead, Ari. I left them for dead.”

“Dead? Who?”

“My team.”

“No one survived? Just you?” Panic built in her chest. Was Cai really dead? If so, then she needed to go back to Celestial Wood immediately. This was terrible news.

“Gone.” He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He worked his way back down her spine. That tongue could do wicked things and Arianne had all she could do to not succumb to the erotic sensations he was creating. Lower and lower he dropped, sliding that hot, wet tongue over her spine and building pressure in her core. Heaven help me. The need was so strong, the pressure so great, that she thought that she might burst.

When he reached the base of her spine, he nuzzled his face against the small of her back. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
He rubbed his face over her skin and Ari fought the tingles of pleasure he created along her lower back. “Darien, is your team still alive down there?”

“Not everyone.” He stood and stretched his body over hers until every inch of his torso touched her back, creating tingles of excitement down her spine. “Not everyone.”

There was hurt and loneliness in his voice and Ari’s heart went out to him. He blamed himself for their predicament. “I’m sorry, Darien.”

“I just want to forget.” He nuzzled his face into her hair. “I just want to sink myself deep inside of you and forget how much of a failure I am.”

“You’re not a failure.”

“I am—the worst kind of failure.” He nuzzled her back once more, the tender gesture warming her heart and increasing her need.

“No, you’re not a failure.”

“And you know the worst part?”

“What?”

“I don’t care.”

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Allen Clippinger

Website


Stats:
5'11"
Hair: Strawberry Blond
Eyes: Green

Photo Credits:
Jeff Slater
Wander Augiar

No, you are not experiencing dèjá vu. Remember, I said I was doing two weeks of this guy? If you missed last week's WMU Wednesday post (or just want to visit it again) click HERE. Otherwise, enjoy the photos I've chosen for this week.

Happy Wednesday!

Honestly, is there anything better than watching a bunch

of rough and tough shirtless guys passing around the ol' pigskin?

Okay, this one just melted my heart...

Admittedly, so did this pic.

All right ladies, what's the verdict? Was he worth a two week showing?

New Release: SOMEWHERE THE BELLS RING By Beth Trissel

Somewhere The Bells Ring
By Beth Trissel
Available at:

Blurb:
Caught with pot in her dorm room, Bailey Randolph is exiled to a relative's ancestral home in Virginia to straighten herself out. Banishment to Maple Hill is dismal, until a ghost appears requesting her help. Bailey is frightened but intrigued. Then her girlhood crush, Eric Burke, arrives and suddenly Maple Hill isn't so bad.

To Eric, wounded in Vietnam, his military career shattered, this homecoming feels no less like exile. But when he finds Bailey at Maple Hill, her fairy-like beauty gives him reason to hope--until she tells him about the ghost haunting the house. Then he wonders if her one experiment with pot has made her crazy.As Bailey and Eric draw closer, he agrees to help her find a long-forgotten Christmas gift the ghost wants. But will the magic of Christmas be enough to make Eric believe--in Bailey and the ghost--before the Christmas bells ring?

Friday 56: THE HOUR BEFORE DAWN By Patricia A Rasey

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

He knew Casey was right. He knew his marriage had been over long ago. He had accepted that fact when he filed the separation papers. But the rift in the marriage was not entirely his fault. Sure he had been absent because of his long hours on the job, but that didn’t give Susanna the right to find someone to take his place, warm his side of the bed. Anger seeped through him. Why the hell should he care if she wanted the divorce? Hell, he ought to be thanking her.

“Tev?”

“I’m here,” he grumbled. “Just make sure she’s there Sunday night. If Susanna wants the fucking papers signed, I’ll gladly oblige. But she’ll face me when I do it.”

Tev snapped shut the flap on the phone and rested his head along the back of the sofa. How dare she divorce him when it was her infidelities that had led to the demise of their marriage? If he were honest, though, it wasn’t the divorce that bothered him, but losing custody of Becca. With him stuck knee-deep in this case, there was little he could do about losing his daughter. Tev threw the phone on the sofa and walked to the bathroom.

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Allen Clippinger

Website


Stats:
5'11"
Hair: Strawberry Blond
Eyes: Green

Photo Credits:
Jeff Slater

I decided, after perusing through countless pics of this guy, to feature him two weeks in a row. I felt as if I had dug up a treasure trove of male goodness and couldn't pick just a handful of my favorites. So, here he is in all his beautiful glory.

Happy Wednesday!

I'm liking the James Dean look...

And my  personal favorite...

He looks VERY nice in a pair of chaps!

New Release: THE SINNER By Margaret Mallory

The Sinner
The Return of The Highlanders
By Margaret Mallory

Available at: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | IndieBound | Books A Million

Blurb:
THE SINNER: THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS

Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can't prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties.

IRRESISTIBLE DESIRE

Alex MacDonald is known for his skill as a warrior, his prowess with women, and his vow to never take a wife. But now his chieftain has asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice: wed Glynis MacNeil, a lass famed throughout the Highlands for her exquisite beauty-and defiant ways.
Familiar with heartbreak, Glynis refuses to fall for another handsome scoundrel. Yet when Alex's past sins force an unlikely union, Glynis gives in to temptation and becomes his wife. Will their newfound passion be strong enough to fight the enemy that threatens their home, their clan, and their very lives

Friday 56: HIGHLAND DRAGON By Kimberly Killion

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Post any sentence from that page (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog. (If you do not have your own blog) post it in the comments section of this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

When the laird twirled her ebony curl around his finger, she froze. He may as well have chained her for she lacked the ability to move away from him. A ferocious tingle flitted beneath her skin, and she rushed to continue the conversation. “In all actuality, I expected my benefactor sooner. I am already three years past marriageable age. I should have a bairn at the breast and one tugging at my kirtle by now.”

“Ye are hardly past your years. I think the mon will be eager to see ye swollen with his child.” He stroked her forearm with the back of one finger. In a flash, gooseflesh covered her skin beneath his simple caress. She giggled like a half-brained maiden and fought with a loose thread on her skirt. She was acting a fool. Kendrick would bruise his hand on her backside for talking to the laird in such a way.

She blew a relieved breath when her brother’s stealthy footsteps crunched out of the grove.

Kendrick gruffly interrupted. “Did ye talk?”

“Akira was just telling me her expectations of her benefactor. She hopes he’s auld and homely with a pack of weel-mannered bairns to rear.” Laird MacLeod smiled at her brother, and she regretted sharing such details with him. The look of disgust on Kendrick’s face made her feel as if she’d betrayed her benefactor. Her body, in fact, had. But the sour expression curling her brother’s lip was directed at the laird, not her.

Kendrick stepped closer, shook his head, and glared at Laird MacLeod. “Ye’ve not told her, have ye?”

“Ye went to take a piss. ’Twas hardly enough time for me to broach the subject.”

“Ye’ve had plenty o’ time, MacLeod,” Kendrick growled. “Ye will tell her or I will. She deserves the truth. Now!”

“Tell me what?” Akira sensed Kendrick’s agitation. She’d seen that scowl before. He’d worn the same disappointed look a hundred times when scolding her for disobedience. “Tell me what, Kendrick?” she asked again when no one spoke.

Her brother stared at Laird MacLeod, giving him ample opportunity to answer. When he didn’t, Kendrick proceeded. “The new chieftain o’ Clan MacLeod is your benefactor and has come to claim ye as his wife.”

“What?” Akira’s hands flew to her face to cool the hot humiliation flooding her cheeks. This cunning, arrogant man, who just asked her a dozen questions about himself, was her benefactor? “Nay! ’Tis not true.”

Recalling the details she’d provided him caused her further embarrassment. He deceived her, which told her more than she wanted to know about his character. And the innocent smile he offered her bit into what little pride she felt she had left. The air thickened and grew too stifling to breathe. She stood and gave Kendrick a glare she hoped passed for righteous indignation. “How could ye? He is not what ye promised me.”

“He is what he is,” Kendrick offered without emotion.

She bolted into the timberland. A full moon reflected off the firth, which lit her way to the thickest tree in the grove. Digging her fingers into the bark, she started climbing.

* * * *

Past The Print credits Freda's Voice for the great Friday 56 meme:

Other Friday 56 Blogs:

"Provocative Ponderings" By Sarah McNeal

Here’s Come The Holidays; Like It Or Not 

Like it not, here come the holidays for winter. Almost every culture has winter celebrations of some kind. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a way to stave off the dark days of winter that can be cold and uncomfortable, and can be awful depressing on occasion.

I don’t know if any of you have ever been alone for a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I can tell you from personal experience that it can make life feel mighty lonesome. I have learned to have a back-up plan—just in case. Often I have spent the holidays with friends which has actually been kind of fun. I have never spent Christmas with a friend though. A few Christmases have found me with just my pets and a tiny fake tree. I bring this up because I used these rather austere elements in a short Christmas story I wrote that is part of the Christmas Anthology 2011 by Victory Tales Press. The story is titled: Gifts From The Afterlife.

Gifts From The Afterlife
By Sarah McNeal
Christmas Anthology 2011

Blurb:
How dark must it get before Lydia sees the light?

Lydia Sinclair’s life has run off the rails. She has lost everyone she loves and Christmas has lost its meaning. As Christmas approaches, Lydia wants to go to sleep and never wake up again. Perhaps an angel, some ghosts and a childhood sweetheart can convince her that life is worth living again. Can Lydia let go of what once was, renew her joy in Christmas and find the promise of hope for her future?

Excerpt:
"I don't get 'liquored up' and, yes, my name is Lydia Sinclair. You're not a stalker, are you?" She gave him what she hoped was a piercing look then peered at the grocery bags. "So, now that we've established you're not a serial killer, a stalker, or a scam artist, what is it you want?"

"Very nice, Lydia Sinclair. I couldn't feel more welcome than if I had walked into a pit of feral cats." He chuckled. "I thought this being Christmas Eve with me just next door and who, by the way, has no electricity might come over to your house and ask to borrow your stove in return for a Christmas Eve dinner." He winked. "Complete with dessert."

"You cook?" Nothing could be more unbelievable than a drop dead gorgeous man who cooked.

The grin grew even bigger. "Yes ma'am, I do, and pretty damn good. I picked it up when I was doing post graduate work. The motto was either learn to cook or starve." He picked up his bags again. "So, what'd you say? Free dinner sound good to you? Besides, it's Christmas Eve. Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas Eve."

Buy Links:
Amazon | Smashwords Ebook ($3.99) | Lulu Ebook ($3.99):

Contest:

To one lucky commenter I will give a copy of the 2011 Christmas Anthology.  Be sure to include your email address.

Wake-Me-Up Wednesday

Today, I thought I'd do things a little different. You know, spice things up a bit. Are you game?

Oh, now don't worry, I'll still give you the normal Wake-Me-Up mancandy you've come to expect, but I also thought I'd give you a show to go with it. And if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself watching this commercial several times. It is so worth the look!

Happy Wednesday, ladies!

This one is my favorite!