Ranae is the youngest of the Buckleys, and the only girl amongst three powerful male siblings. Her restlessness and dominant nature has affected every relationship within Willow Bend, not to mention testing the patience of her Alpha. Apprenticeship to the Hunters fed her desire for a purpose. When her Alpha and eldest brother ask her to undertake a mission to the Yukon territory, she’s thrilled at the opportunity for a real chance to be useful. Clashing with the Alpha was the last thing she expected on the dangerous assignment.

The oldest Alpha in the U.S. packs lives a gray existence. The loss of his mate so many decades before wears away at him, until he doesn’t give a damn about anything. The problems of the other packs are not his, and he prefers to be left to his isolation. The arrival of the Chief Enforcer annoys him, but it is the wolf traveling with him who wakes the predator in Diesel. The scent of mate clings to her, but she rejects his overtures and challenges him on every level.

War may be coming for the Yukon, but Diesel’s battle is very personal…

Find out more at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | ARe

Praise for the Wolves of Willow Bend series:

“ROGUE WOLF is a fast paced, intriguing look into the world of shifters. Salvatore is old world a bit stodgy and Margo is very much new world and on top of that a lone wolf and Enforcer. How is it possible that these two could be mates? In author Heather Long’s vivid and fun imagination it’s very easy.” — Fresh Fiction

“BAYOU WOLF is in a word … amazing. All the reader can do is hold on for the ride and enjoy the fireworks.” — Fresh Fiction

“If you love sexy wolf shifters, sweet love stories and action then you have to pick up UNTAMED WOLF by Heather Long”. — Annetta Sweetko, Fresh Fiction

“It is a great story about finding a place to belong and the love that can follow if you allow it.” – Hart’s Romance Pulse reviewing RIVER WOLF

Read an excerpt from SNOW WOLF:

Riding the high of her nearness, Diesel leaned into the force of her hand on his chest. “I know my mate’s scent. I searched for you all over Willow Bend. Why else would Mason send you?” The moment the words left his lips, he reconsidered the phrasing. Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared.

“I’m a Hunter of Willow Bend. I am here to deliver a message from my Alpha—and I don’t care what century you were born in old man, but we don’t arrange matings. You don’t just get to walk in here, thump your chest and say mine.” The ferocious light in her eyes sent a quiet thrill through his bloodstream. His wolf roused to the hunt, every color and nuance sharpening under their study.

“No?” He didn’t want to miss a moment of her reaction. Her dilated pupils constricted even as her mouth tightened. Anger soured her scent and her nails bit into his muscle as he pressed into the contact. Despite a faint tremble, she didn’t shift her grip or attack him. Would she? If he provoked her enough? The idea intrigued the hell out of him. No Alpha wanted a weak mate.

“No.” She withdrew the contact then retreated one step. Crowding closer, he refused to let her abandon him. “Dude…get a grip. I came here to do a job.” A muscle in her jaw twitched. “Or maybe you are trying to prove you don’t hold the Yukon?”

Challenge wound through every syllable. Canting his head to the side, he raised one eyebrow and waited.

“What? Playing crazy, eccentric keeps the other packs at bay and allows you to dictate the terms of your interactions. You don’t want to talk; you walk away or slam a door. You want to shut me down; you declare I’m yours.” Folding her arms, Ranae raised her chin and, although the gold circle on around her gray-green irises faded, it didn’t diminish completely. “It won’t work and I’m really not interested in the games. We have serious issues to discuss with you, Alpha. You can get on board or be left behind to cope on your own should the Russian packs turn their gaze on your territory and your pack.”

Amusement curved through him. Passionate determination etched into her expression. “Our pack will be fine.”

“My pack will be, absolutely. Your pack is debatable.” The aggravation in her scent muted beneath the sting of frustration. “Now you’re baiting me.” Sidestepping him, she tried to put some distance between them. He allowed her three steps before intercepting her again. He wanted her gaze on him, nowhere else. “Seriously, you have a problem.”

“No, I have a mate, but continue telling me why our pack is in danger.”

Pausing, her lips tightened and her eyes narrowed. The curl of her fingers into a fist telegraphed her next move. Would she do it? He pressed into her space, and she rewarded his effort with fresh contact in the form of a blow. It caught him square above his heart, and the second with her elbow connected with his jaw. He accepted both blows, but refused to retreat.

“Your training is incomplete.” Whatever response she’d been expecting, his comment surprised her. “Otherwise you’d understand that two hits will not take down an enraged male, if you want to escape you have to incapacitate or kill.”

“I don’t want to fight you.”

“Wonderful. I have no desire to fight you, but if you need to beat on me to make yourself feel better, go right ahead. I’m very sturdy.”

The corner of her mouth kicked into an involuntary smile, and his breath lodged in his throat, the single glimpse of sweetness a better reward than he could have imagined. “Are you insane?”

“Depends on your definition of sanity.” The tangle of her hair contrasted with the wool of her pullover. How soft would the strands be? When she failed to respond, he reached out to test his theory. She slapped his hand away, and the sting intrigued him.

“Stop.” Command reverberated through the single syllable. “I came here as a messenger, nothing else. Keep your teeth and your hands to yourself. Am I clear?”

In all things, an Alpha could command. He could take a life. He could grant it. Wolves who pledged to an Alpha could be sent into the heart of danger and forfeit all that they owned. The heart, however, could not be commanded nor could he take what she would not willingly give.

His wolf bucked at the rejection, but Diesel withdrew three steps to give her space. Clasping his hands behind his back, he studied the beautiful Hunter before him. She would not tumble easily, nor would she accept his direct pledge. Very well, if he had to learn to court, then he would find what enticed her. “Dress,” he ordered. “Several layers. We will be leaving the guest quarters.”

Expecting obedience, he turned to the entrance and pressed the code to allow Julian entry.

“Are you staying with her or leaving?” Her presence was non-negotiable.

“Since you asked so nicely…” The Chief Enforcer’s expression barely shifted, yet a smirk echoed beneath his words. “I’d be happy to stay.”

Uninterested in the old wolf’s games, Diesel spared his mate another studying look. Ranae gaped at him, and she hadn’t moved a muscle.

“Trust me when I say it will be more comfortable if you get dressed, but if you insist on testing my patience, I’ll happily take care of stripping you first then dressing you.”

The taunt did what the order would not. She moved.

His wolf rose, stretching and raking his claws. Yes, they had the scent of this hunt.

About Heather Long

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.

Connect with Heather: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

I know I don’t need to convince any readers here to read erotica, but, believe it or not, some people need convincing, so I thought I’d share my recent experiences in trying to do just that.

I write and edit mostly lesbian erotica, often with elements of romance, but usually marketed as erotica, and usually for Cleis Press. My publisher’s promotional staff has lately been hooking me up with romance publications, resulting sometimes in rather puzzling interview questions (more on that later,) but I did get one request, for Romantic Times, that genuinely interested me: “Why Read Erotica?” I think they wanted an emphasis on lesbian/gay erotica, but in my experience lesbian readers’ reluctance to read anything labeled erotica is at least as great as that of straight folks. There’s some difference, but not all that much, so I chose to broaden my topic, while including specific benefits from lesbian erotica. Whether my piece will see print is still in question; I was told that they were aiming for an October publication, but I haven’t had any feedback. In any case, you can have a look right now! Here’s what I wrote.

__________

Why Read Erotica, Straight, Lesbian, Gay or Beyond?

Sacchi Green

Reading erotica is good exercise. Not quite as strenuous as actual sex when it comes to circulation and deep breathing, but with the added benefit of exercising the imagination. An erotic story that sweeps you along, draws you into the emotions and physical sensations of its characters, gives both mind and body a workout. We read for the sensations aroused, for emotional and sensual charges as well as mental ones. Pure romance can provide these, to some extent; the heart seems to swell, the pulse quickens, the face flushes, there might even be a hint of tears. No wonder we call something with emotional appeal “touching”. But taking it to the unabashedly erotic level builds on this physical response, accelerates it, intensifies it, racing toward an ultimate, overwhelming goal.

Good exercise.

Broadening your horizons is good exercise, too. A new perspective, as with erotica outside of your own orientation, has the entertainment value of novelty and variety, while revealing the ways in which erotic and romantic desire are universal. There’s an educational component, too. Men reading lesbian erotica can learn more about female eroticism from two (or more) women than from one, and women can widen their understanding of the range of pleasures they can experience—and fantasize about. The same applies, reversed, for gay erotica, and with transgender stories the whole variety benefit is amplified.

You may also discover excellent stories and writers. Erotica has a bad reputation, some of it deserved, but there’s nothing inherent in the genre that prevents good writing. Straight and LGBT erotica can be as well-written and stimulating to both mind and senses as any other branch of writing. Erotic interchanges are essential parts of character development, dealing with heightened emotions and, in some cases, heavily weighted baggage from past experience. Shyness or confidence, impulsiveness or self-control, tenderness, vulnerability, repression, unapologetic sensuality; these are only a few of the traits that can surface in the heat of a sexual encounter. When both characters share the same gender, they can have as wide a range of personalities and characteristics as any other pairing. Women are as multi-faceted, fierce, and passionate, as men, and often better at expressing their emotions; men can be as vulnerable, complex and empathetic with each other as women.

I edit lesbian erotica anthologies, looking for stories about more than sex, but with sex flowing naturally from the story as a whole. I want a variety of voices, fully developed characters, vividly drawn settings, intriguing plots or story arcs, and originality. The complexity inherent in the very nature of life for lesbians (and the whole LGBTQ+ spectrum) adds an edge of potential risk, whether overt or unspoken.

That complexity and risk in lesbian and gay lives makes reading erotica especially important for us. The reflection of our own desires, fantasies and identities is both validation and celebration, even more essential than the physical and emotional charge.

Tastes vary, and the best writing may be hard to find, but explore a bit. Exploration, too, is excellent exercise.
__________

Getting back to the matter of puzzling interview questions, in the context of an editor of lesbian erotica, I won’t bore you with the whole thing, but here’s a link to my recent appearance on Everafter Romance. I did my best to go along with it, and found some parts fun to work with; I did, for instance include Eowyn from Lord of the Rings in my list of “Book Boyfriends.” My publisher blurbed the link on Facebook, calling my answers “surprising and fascinating,” so I guess it worked out well enough. http://www.everafterromance.com/qa/

I do very occasionally write heterosexual erotic romance, under the name Connie Wilkins, which I used for my story “A Falcon in Flight” in Delilah’s fascinating anthology Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors.

If you’d like a brief taste of the kind of anthology I edit, you could check out the Blog Tour I’m currently running with my writers for my latest anthology, Me and My Boi: Queer Erotica. Details, and some of the writers’ posts, are at www.sacchi-green.blogspot.com. You can even comment on any of the posts to be entered in a drawing for a free copy of the book.

My two most recent anthologies are shown below.

A quick whee and we’ll move onto the contest!
And thanks to everyone who bought a copy of With His Pack!

Whee!

Tell me a story!

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. I’ve used it only once—here! “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you use to riff off a story.

Here’s the roll…

Do any of these symbols tell you anything? You can pick some or use all of them. Tell me a story, or just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!  

Do you like alpha men? Hot, damaged heroes? Unlikely alliances? Yes? Then my novella, Locked and Loaded: Knights of War MC Book 1, just might be for you.

One more term paper and Holly Farris will have her graduate degree in journalism. When her research lands her in a seedy bar in Dallas, she crosses paths with an alluring ex-Army Ranger turned enforcer for an outlaw motorcycle club.

Hunter McKay doesn’t like reporters nosing around his club but he’s drawn to the petite blonde with the big attitude. When Holly’s inadvertent involvement in an FBI investigation provokes a prison gang to put a hit on her, Hunter must decide how far he’s willing to go to save her.

Just in time for Fourth of July, I’ve teamed up with some of the hottest NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors to offer 15 stories filled with love, romance, and smokin’ hot men sure to get your temperature rising.

Field Stripped!

Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances is available for preorder for just $0.99 and releases June 26!

Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/zbbjc2k
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/j79vcjs
Amazon CA: http://tinyurl.com/gnmppom
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/hrtfm78
iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/jeg8wfl
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/jleayfd

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, subscribe to my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/bPAbOL and then tell me who your favorite alpha male character is! I’ll pick a random winner from the comments on June 30, 2016.

About the Author

Alyssa Breck is an award winning author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa hangs her hat in the South with her family of humans and fur-babies.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.

UPDATE: The winner is Shirley Long!

* * * * *

Once upon a time someone told me a story idea about a Gladiator style fight club that I just HAD to write. I said no. For a year and a half. He just kept saying what a good idea it was and how I could call it Gladi-Rapers. Yes, you read that right. Gladi-Rapers. Politically correct and I parted ways a while ago. I LOVED the name cause it was so filthy, but writing a historical **gag** book was just not something I want anything to do with so I said no again because it’s historical. My guy blinked and said, “It’s not historical. It’s modern day. Like MMA meets a super dirty underground sex club.”

Mind. Blown.

Within 24 hours Gladi-Rapers was outlined and ready to be written and a complete secret because I didn’t want to say anything about it until it was done and wrapped up like a dirty little present. I couldn’t write it fast enough. I definitely let my kink flag fly high on this one. Can you say filthy ladies???

Once it was written I could think of anyone one else I wanted to edit this story but Delilah Devlin. She was wonderful and gracious to fit me into her already crazy schedule. So thankful!!

And I started work on the cover with the amazing Syneca Featherstone. She created one cover with my female Gladi-Raper on it and I loved it. LOVED it!! Then I sent everything to my formatter to get it ready to go. Yea! Until he pulled the break on it with a huge warning that Amazon would more than likely NEVER let my book see the light of day because of the title and the tag line about consent. DAMN YOU AMAZON!!

So I changed the title to Her Creed, the series name to The Cage, the tagline and the cover and WHAMMO! I had something amazing that depicted the story perfectly and I couldn’t be happier with the finished product.

But you see I have a problem. I had a handful of eval print books made with the other cover so I was hoping somebody might want a copy to help me out. You know. Help me clean them out of my office. So the following bit of awesome is up for giveaway for the next couple days. And if I get a large enough response I’ll give away two prize packages to two different winners. The first prize pack has a print book, swag, a bag of dicks CAUSE WHO DOESN”T WANT A BAG OF DICKS and a dick bowl to put your bag of dicks in. WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU PUT THEM???? And I have an amazing bag from the Wild Wicked Weekend 2016. All of the signing authors are on there and the male hosts have all signed the back. So I need to find the goodies a good home. Want to help me out?? (Please note no one was harmed in collecting the bag of dicks, and I only have one bag, so comment early!!!)

To enter all you have to do is sign up for my newsletter which you can find here and comment below that you’ve signed up. Super simple!

http://jenniferkacey.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f09bd32b8c279cebcc930950e&id=2a45c210e8

And I’ll leave some deliciousness below to tempt your kinky appetite…..

Amazon – http://goo.gl/fnXfr7
Amazon Print – http://goo.gl/hPMMVJ
B&N – http://goo.gl/wfBf1Z
Createspace Print – https://goo.gl/YFnfCE
Kobo – https://goo.gl/u0Se7B
Smashwords – https://goo.gl/Lz3c88
Are Café – https://goo.gl/N0QTVs
Ibooks – https://goo.gl/ZNLrfH
Website – http://goo.gl/JKdSvO

Fighters take the ultimate prize for victory…

Underage KC snuck into the underground fight club called The Cage. But it was no ordinary fight club. The participants didn’t battle for titles or a useless belt to collect dust. The men and women brawled for only one thing. To be the victor and take the spoils of war they’d earned with their blood, sweat and tears. Not for money or jewels. They fought for the right to take the loser in any way—and any hole—of their choosing.

But KC was discovered by one of the bouncers and taken to a room with no way out. To the office of the owner, Creed, who held more than just her fate in his hands…

He’d seen hundreds of warriors find their way to his door with visions of grandeur and conquest. But it took a girl not yet a woman to remind him why he worked so tirelessly day in and day out. Her eyes. They would haunt him long after he threw her out of his arena and told her never to return.

Years later, they meet again, and KC is ready to take her place amongst his fighters. Creed wants nothing to do with the woman she’s become, but their fate has an interesting way of setting things right.

Consent has never seen this kind of fight club…

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas– Amazon Page
Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

I have a new release in my SWAT Series called TO LOVE A WOLF and I’m so excited! Because this is Cooper’s story!

I know, I always say I don’t have a favorite hero in my books, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say SWAT officer/werewolf Landry Cooper doesn’t hold a special place in my heart. Because Cooper is inspired by my hubby!

Like Cooper, Hubby is former Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal— twenty years), and has a lot of the same personality quirks as Cooper. He can be a bit snarky, seems to have a somewhat laissez-faire attitude toward explosives, is steady when things get stressful, and is usually a calm sounding board for people who want to talk about their problems.

I guess it makes sense that when I started thinking about Cooper’s love interest, I patterned Everly after me. She’s certainly in line with the kick- butt heroines I’ve portrayed in my other books, and when those she loves are in danger, she can be fierce in her own way. But Everly also has a soft side. Like me, she draws and paints. She also seems to have a thing for doing nude figure studies. That was my favorite class in art school too, by the way. Everly has a very boho style, she’s emotional, and is quick to give her heart, which means she can fall for a guy really fast (like I did with Hubby!). In addition to all that, she’s somewhat of a free spirit, just like me.

For readers who know my hubby and me well, I hope you see a bit of us in Cooper and Everly. And for readers who don’t know us, I hope I gave you a glimpse!

HE’S FOUND THE ONE…

SWAT officer Landry Cooper is certain Everly Danu is The One. The problem is, she has no idea what Cooper really is. And as much as he wants to trust her, he’s not sure he can share his deepest secret…

BUT CAN HE KEEP HER?

When Everly’s family discovers Cooper’s a werewolf, her brothers will do anything to keep them apart-they’ll kill him if they have to. Everly is falling hard for the ridiculously handsome SWAT officer, and she’s not about to let her brothers tell her who she can love… Until Cooper’s secret is exposed and she discovers the man she thought she knew is a monster in disguise.

Read the First 6 Chapters FREE!

http://bit.ly/25bBShP

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Nle1wY
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-love-a-wolf-paige-tyler/1122684311?ean=9781492625964
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/to-love-a-wolf/id1075923464?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/to-love-a-wolf-1
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-toloveawolf-2054215-152.html

*hugs*
Paige

Meet Sharon Hamilton’s Newest Bachelor!

Band of Bachelors: Alex by New York Times Bestselling Author Sharon Hamilton is now on sale!

Adrenaline junkie and Navy SEAL Alex Kowicki is one of four bachelor SEALs trying to navigate his successful military career while achieving his goals as a first class connoisseur of beautiful women. He isn’t ready to jump back into anything but his free falls, HALO drops or his missions overseas. He trusts his buddies to fix him up with another blind date that won’t be as dangerous as his last ones.

But Sydney Robinson has other plans. A beach volleyball player who can spike better than most men, she knows how to execute a series of events that include stalking the handsome SEAL all the way to Sonoma County, capturing him in a winery and delivering his carcass to her bed for keeps. Along the way, the two of them fight a home-grown terrorist cell in a duel that might cost one of them their lives.

This is Book 2 of Sharon’s Band of Bachelors series and was preceded by Band of Bachelors: Lucas (Book 1). Sharon’s bestselling SEAL books include the following series about the fictional SEAL Team 3: SEAL Brotherhood, Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3, Band of Bachelors, True Blue SEALs, and Nashville SEALs.

And now a Special Excerpt from BAND OF BACHELORS: ALEX…

She hesitated. He was good at brushing people off. Regardless of their world-class evening and morning, he could separate that. He could walk away. Her heart fluttered slightly as she realized perhaps she could not. Or just didn’t want to.

“So what do you want to know?”

“Who are you, Sydney?”

And boy was that the right question! Not who are you dating, who do you hang around, what do you do all day? It was usually the question that came up after the second or third date, just before she was about to exit stage right.

Her answer was measured, and well practiced.

“I want more out of life than life’s given me so far, but I’m not complaining. I just want more of it. I want the juice of life, not to live life. I’m looking to get a good partner and travel the world playing volleyball until my knees ache and my back or shoulder gives out. And after volleyball? Who knows what I can do at eighty?” She gave him the smile she’d given so many other dumbstruck men over the few years since she’d been dating. It was always the same. It also usually got same reaction.

But this time, she saw something ignite inside Alex. The backdrop of lonely sea gull cries, the salty gentle breeze and the sounds of metal clanging as work began late at the docks, only enhanced the excitement brewing in her belly. She was struck with the beauty and power of something maybe dangerous about this man. And also something so beautiful, her eyes watered.

Can’t wait to keep reading? Get your copy of ALEX now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
(Print & audio coming soon!)

About the Author

Sharon Hamilton is a NYT and USA/Today bestselling author most known for her SEAL Brotherhood series. She also writes Golden Vampire and Guardian Angel series.

A lifelong organic gardener, Sharon lives with her husband in the Wine Country of Northern California, where most of her stories take place. When she’s not writing, she’s getting verra verra dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers.