London, 1881Once the flames are ignited . . .Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman. They will burn for eternity . . . Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's Continue Reading
Guest Post & Giveaway: My Favorite Contemporary Romances by Alice Archer
With the rerelease this month of my novel Everyday History, a contemporary gay romance about a young man growing up enough to capture a man who’s all but given up on love, I’ve been reconnecting with my favorite contemporary romances. These stories stuck with me over time. I reread and talk about (and sometimes can’t shut up about) them. They each beguiled me as a reader and informed me as a writer. Hot Target (Troubleshooters #8), by Suzanne Brockmann The subplot of the early connection Continue Reading
Smexy Deals!
Fans of the Monster Haven series by R.L. Naquin will love this beguiling spin-off, featuring a trapped djinn caught in a hot mess of lost souls, fast food and otherwordly murder. Kam is a soul chaser for the Hidden Government, a much harder job now that the Hidden look like everyone else. Broke, out of magic and sick of playing waitress in a pirate-themed dive bar, Kam jumps at a chance for an out-of-town mission. A reaper—and his loaded soul stone—have gone missing. The stone Continue Reading
Guest Post: Things I Love About the Secret Baby Trope by Mona Shroff
Today we have Mona Shroff talking about one of my favorite tropes, secret baby. Mona's debut novel Then, Now, Always is out tomorrow, January 28. If you are in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area, Mona will be signing books at Turn the Page, Nora's bookstore on Saturday, February 1. (note from Kini: I am friendly with Mona after I met her through local books friends last year) The secret baby trope is one of those that elicits strong feelings. You either love it or hate it, and I love it! Why Continue Reading
Did Not Finish Friday
Today we bring you a round of up books that we did not finish. Life is too short to read books that aren't bringing you joy. Let us know in the comments what books you DNF so far this year and why. Now, Then, Always by Mona Shroff- You might be wondering how this could have ended up on my DNF list after I was really excited about it. And I wondered the same thing. Basically it just wasn't drawing me in. It probably had more to do with external factors like life and the story wasn't Continue Reading
Sheena’s Thursday TBR Take-down!
New Year, New Same Me!.... Which means, I have 1827261651 books that I am DEFINITELY intending to read right away! That road to hell is paved with what again? Gah! Well, this past week, I got my arse in gear and plucked a newbie to my burgeoning pile to read, Cold Nose, Warm Heart. And, to answer your question, yes. Yes, I did target this book purely because I am freakishly in love with dogs and the most handsomest, best boy on the cover is just adorable and ohhhhhhsocutejustgiveallthekissess- Continue Reading
Smexy Deals!
**2017 RITA Finalist**A rebellious cabaret owner and her stubborn chef pursue, life, liberty, and happiness in 1917 Harlem...and find love where they least expect it. After spending half her life pretending to be something she’s not, performance is second nature for cabaret owner Bertha Hines. With the election drawing near and women’s voting rights on the ballot, Bertha decides to use her persuasive skills to push the men of New York City in the right direction. Chef Amir Chowdhury jumped Continue Reading
Smexy Deals!
Elisa Benitez is proud of who she is, from her bitingly sarcastic remarks, to her love of both pretty boys and pretty girls. If someone doesn’t like her, that’s their problem, and Elisa couldn’t care less. Particularly if that person is Darcy Fitzgerald, a snobby, socially awkward heiress with an attitude problem and more money than she knows what to do with. From the moment they meet, Elisa and Darcy are at each other’s throats -- which is a bit unfortunate, since Darcy’s best friend is Continue Reading
Smexy’s Top Ten 01/17/2020
10. I binged Cheer on Netflix this week and OMG I had no idea how invested I would be by just the end of episode 2. My heart belongs to these kids and I'm convinced that Jerry is the best human on Earth. Have y'all watched yet? 9. Speaking of Cheer, Kini sent me this FB post of all the Instagram accounts of the Cheer squad in case y'all want to check in with any of them. 8. OMG this makes me so happy. Oh, hi Jake. ♥️Coming MARCH 10th! Continue Reading
Review: Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
By now y’all may know that I love the marriage in trouble trope. There is something so appealing to me about reading about couples who have to figure out their shit and decide to make their marriage work. I haven’t read Bailey in quite some time, I’ve kind of moved away from reading and enjoying her brand of possessive alpha heroes. But with this trope, I was never not going to read Love Her or Lose Her. I ended up having incredibly mixed feelings about this book. I will start with the good. Continue Reading