Sometimes, if you’re very, very lucky, you find your best friend. Someone who loves you warts and all. I was lucky enough to meet her 37 years ago. Although she started out as Daddy’s Girl, she’s become my partner in many crimes (just kidding, although I would help her hide the bodies!).

So, join me, if you want, in wishing her a very special day…

Happy Birthday, Kelly!

Hey, I’ll admit it. Sex scenes are not my forte, but I had to up my heat level for Vexing Voss. I took a vow of celibacy when I was thirteen and pretty much suck at all the intimate details. You know? What goes where. Okay, you can stop laughing now. Geez. I may have exaggerated a tiny bit.

I saw my first naked guy in jail. No, I wasn’t arrested. I worked for the Glendale Police Department and part of my duties included prisoner checks. Yeah, that’s right. I had to go in the stinky cells and make sure every one of our “guests” were still breathing. So much fun. This moron had decided to stuff his pants down the toilet, and of course, he went commando. He turned and proudly displayed his Mister Dinky. I’m thinking, this is what all the fuss is about? Since the judge had a strict dress code in his court, numbnuts got to wear his water-soaked pants to his arraignment. Hey, we didn’t have jumpsuits back then.

Because of my lack of practical experience, I had to research what makes a smoking hot love scene. The local prostitutes were a bust. They took their johns into a cornfield. How romantic is that?

Luckily, I discovered my neighbors. Now when I need something new, all I have to do is go out in my backyard and wait. My neighbor and his current girlfriend are frisky in the pool. Their lusty screams set off every dog in the neighborhood, and I pick up pointers from their unusually athletic sexual positions. No, I am not a Peeping Tom. It’s research.

Voss, the Overlord’s Battle Commander, was determined to make Zoey his mate. She was equally determined it was never going to happen. When her clever disguises, skunk perfume, stun gun, smoke bombs, and tranquilizer darts failed to stop him, she was forced to negotiate her surrender.

Their mating scene had to be perfect. But how? Voss was one very frustrated male, and Zoey still mourned her lost love. Add in Voss’s unique man parts, and you’re heading for a disaster of epic proportions. I decided to use humor to defuse the situation.

“Wait! Can I see it first?”

Voss sat Zoey on the counter. “See it?”

“You know, your snake penis thingy.”

He stared at her for a long moment and then nodded. “Yes, you may examine my thingy.” He removed his weapons belt, boots, and battle suit.

Wowzers, he had one fine ass. Tight. Muscled.

Voss turned.

His chest was so ripped, she wanted to lick every inch of it. Zoey’s eyes bugged out. Holy guacamole! A slit had opened in Voss’s abdomen, and out it slid. His penis was snakelike with a frill of tentacles around the top. Kinda freaky.

“Freaky?” The Battle Commander’s voice was a low growl.

Oh hell! Zoey had forgotten the cardinal rule. Never, ever make fun of a guy’s penis. “No need to get all snarky. I was just a little…uh…surprised. Can I touch it?”

“Yes.”  The snake stopped, and the copper-colored frill opened and closed almost as if it was scenting the air.

Vexing Voss

For Voss, a Coletti Warlord, conquering the universe is a piece of cake. After all, he’s a master of psychic seduction; no one can resist him when he sets his mind to it.

Zoey Jones is determined to find her mother’s killer. Surrendering to a fierce Coletti warrior is the last thing on her mind. When Voss is determined to make Zoey his mate, she unleashes her own brand of whoop-ass to discourage his pursuit. When her clever disguises, skunk perfume, stun gun, and smoke bombs fail to stop the ruthless warlord, she’s forced to negotiate her surrender: she would mate with him if he would help her find her mother’s killer.

To Zoey’s surprise, Voss agrees, and the hunt is on. Their quest to bring the villain to justice leads to unlikely alliances in an interplanetary war, and more surprisingly, to love.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Vexing-Voss-Coletti-Warlord-Book-ebook/dp/B07D7ZYL4Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

My Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1598719.Gail_Koger
https://twitter.com/Askole
https://www.facebook.com/Colettiwarlordbooks/
https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Koger/e/B001K838BY

This is what it’s all about — remembering our fallen warriors…

This is my mom receiving my dad’s flag.

UPDATE: The winner is…Margaret!
*~*~*

The one year we’ve really needed a break and Mother Nature is being a huge asshole. We’ve been good for fifteen months, staying cooped up and being creative about our “adventuring”. All we asked for was a little pool time on Memorial Day Weekend…

For one, spring came really, really late. Usually, our pool becomes swimmable sometime in April—sometimes as early as mid-month. This year? Here we are, a day away from Memorial Day, which is always roasting hot, and we’re looking at more 75-degree weather—the coldest it’s been this time of year in fifty freaking years. So, yeah. Not happy. Wearing long-freaking-sleeves. Staring at a pool I’ve only braved twice so far this pool season.

So, last night we cuddled up on sofas and watched The Curse of La Llorona. Not the greatest horror movie, but enough jumpy-outtie stuff we giggled a lot. Hope your weekend is wonderful! Today’s puzzle is a photo of the youngest member of our family taken a few years ago. Enjoy!

Puzzle-Contest

For a chance to win a download of your choice from my backlist of books, tell me what you’re doing this weekend!

Have You Ever…

Broken your own rules? Done something impulsive and reckless? Well, sometimes you do have to take risks. That’s how memories are made, right? I can honestly tell you that I didn’t make it to fifty-three without a few wild memories of my own. There was that one time when I was about twenty…wait, maybe I should keep that to myself. Haha! At any rate, life is dull if you don’t let down your hair from time to time. Sure, you’ll make a few mistakes, but I can tell you from experience that it’s worth it. *wink, wink*

Anyway, that’s exactly what happens to the rather stringent Lauren Clark in my latest release. She’s the type to read all those pesky terms and conditions. She works hard and prefers her men domesticated. And taking a walk on the wild side? Yeah, that’s never going to happen! But after her boyfriend dumps her Lauren ends up pouring her heart out to a handsome stranger. His silver-eyed stare and wicked grin tempts her. And there’s nothing tame in the way he kisses. So maybe, just this once, Lauren will gamble everything for a single night of passion. But what happens when she finds out she’s been deceived? Ah! Let the games begin! 🙂

Dirty Deception—Last Chance to Call You Mine Anthology

For a single night with her, he’ll be whatever she craves…

Lauren Clark has landed the job of her dreams and she’s ready to celebrate. When her boyfriend dumps her via text message, Lauren finds herself baring her soul to the dark-haired stranger two barstools over. Going home with the delicious hottie probably wasn’t the wisest move. And how was she to know that her Mr. All-Night-Long would end up being her new boss?

Alexander Costa isn’t one to second guess a good thing. And the sweet redhead with the luscious curves is a damn good thing. When her boyfriend is a no-show, Alexander seizes a chance to make Lauren forget all about her broken heart. Sure, maybe he knew exactly who she was the instant he walked into the bar. Maybe he has a rule about office romance. But just this once Alexander doesn’t want to be heir to the Costa fortune. He only wants to be the man that makes Lauren burn…

Also, keep your eye out for Dirty Addiction (Chloe’s story), May 2022!

Universal Purchase link for Last Chance to Call You Mine Anthology: https://books2read.com/u/mBZR7k

About the Author

Bestselling author Anne Rainey, “wastes no time getting right to the erotic heart” (Publishers Weekly). She is published by Kensington and Entangled Publishing. Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into Italian and German. In addition, Anne has dipped her toes into self-publishing with her exciting paranormal series: The Zenarians. Anne is from the midwest and has had a variety of odd careers, including sales associate, nail technician, chiropractic assistant, and restaurant hostess. Her love of books has opened her up to a thrilling career as a romance author. Her stories are filled with passion, love, and the sometimes-exasperating bonds of family.

Find Anne:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annerainey
Rainey’s Readers Private Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/785284435328066/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annerainey49/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annerainey15
Website: https://www.annerainey.com/ –download the first chapter *free* of all my books!

Happy reading,
Anne Rainey

Do you have a best friend?  Or maybe a friend you’ve known for a very long time? I met my oldest friend when we were in kindergarten together. We haven’t always lived in the same town, but we’ve kept in touch over the years. We know each other’s likes and dislikes, strengths, and quirks. We remember events from the distant past, but usually not the same ones. It takes time to build a friendship like that.

That’s something I wanted to explore in my books, Courting Trouble and Courting Innocence.  The stories are hot romances, but beyond the love stories, I also wanted to explore the relationship between the heroines. Sienna and Erin have been best friends since childhood. They’ve laughed together, spent time with each other’s families, supported one another, and are now young adults entering a new phase of their life and friendship.

Because friendships change, too.  And sometimes you don’t tell your best friend when you’re doing something you know she won’t approve of… Or seeing a new hot guy who’s not really your boyfriend… Friendships can be as complicated as romantic relationships.

That’s why I gave a story to each friend, and then added new friends in the following books in the series. These women have each other’s backs, even when they might be being bad. Because who better to court trouble with than your best friend?

Note:  Kimberly was a contributor for both First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology Book 5 and Stranded (Boys Behaving Badly Book 4).

Courting Trouble

Sienna is bright, articulate, and woefully underemployed. In order to get by, she signs a contract with Luxxor Escort Services. A contract that strictly forbids any sexual contact with clients… But then she’s assigned to accompany former hockey player, Jason. The chemistry between them is hot, and soon Jason is tempting Sienna to break all the rules.

Excerpt from Courting Trouble…

Setup – Jason shows up at Sienna’s apartment right after Erin has been dumped.

Still in a crouch, Jason rested his elbows on his bunched thighs. He glanced around the room, and Sienna became uncomfortably aware of the wadded-up tissues, the empty ice cream carton, and the general state of her crummy apartment.

“Looks like you’ve been at this a while,” he said.

Hours. It had been hours and hours of Erin crying and asking why.

He cocked his head. “So, are you pissed off yet? Or do you need to stew in it for a while longer?”

And there was the Jason she knew, virtually poking her friend with a rude stick. Sienna counted to ten.

Only Erin responded in a way Sienna had never seen before.

“Of course, I’m angry,” she snapped, fire lighting her eyes. “Why would you say that? I have every right to be angry.”

“You bet your ass you do.” Jason clapped his hands against his thighs and pushed himself to his feet. He grimaced halfway up. “You want to do something about that?”

Erin’s hair tumbled down her back as she looked up at him. She was enthralled with the stranger who’d just walked in and taken over. “Like what?”

“Work off some steam? Pump out some aggression?”

Aggression? Sienna rolled her eyes. Erin didn’t have an aggressive bone in her body.

Erin surprised her again by throwing the pillow to the floor. “Yes.”

Courting Innocence

Erin starts using matchmaker Luxxor Limited, not realizing that the company is truly an escort service.  She gets more than she bargained for when she’s set up with another client, lawyer Colton King. Her big brother’s best friend.

Excerpt from Courting Innocence…

Setup – The women of Luxxor are trying to figure out who to pair Erin up with, while keeping the real nature of the company secret from her.

“Omigosh. He’s a client?”

Both Nina and Rielle swiveled their heads around fast. Sienna had grabbed the paper and jumped to her feet. “That’s it!”

“Who?” Rielle asked. “What’s it?”

“Him.” Sienna slapped the piece of paper back down on the desk and pointed at the first name on the list. “Set her up with him.”

“Colton King?” Rielle pulled back. “He’s sexy and you know—huuuh—but for Erin?”

Nina’s eyes narrowed. “He’s too tall, and, if he has a sense of humor, I’ve never seen it.”

Yet she could practically see the energy that was flying off Sienna in a ray of colors. Surprise and excitement tingled in the air. The icy blonde was usually much more contained. “What is it you’re not telling us?”

Her employee sat down fast.

“Erin has wanted him forever,” she shared conspiratorially. “He’s her older brother’s best friend, but also the kid from the wrong side of the tracks. Her parents would never let her see him.”

The three of them leaned in like girls around a campfire sharing stories about the cute boys at school.

“Did he want to see her?” Rielle asked.

“Does it matter?” The gears in Sienna’s brain were turning fast. It was clear on her face. “You’ll either give Erin the thrill of her lifetime, or he’ll put an end to her using a matchmaker so fast, her head will spin. I know he will.”

*~*~* 

Like best friends who always do things together,
both books are on sale through May 31!
Courting Trouble – Free through May 31
Amazon  /  Apple  /  Barnes & Noble  /  Google Play  /  Kobo

Courting Innocence – Only 99 cents through May 31
Amazon  /  Apple  /  Barnes & Noble  /  Google Play  /  Kobo

UPDATE: The winner is…LL!
*~*~*

Hello, my name is Anna Hague, and thank you to Delilah for letting me be a guest blogger.

As I’m sure many authors do, I get asked many questions about my creative process. Where do you get your ideas? How can you come up with so many stories? Are your characters hard to write? Where do you get your names?

Bingo! I think that may be one of the hardest parts of writing. Your characters’ histories and personalities are important, but their names have to be perfect for their character. I was once halfway through writing a book for a publisher, and it wasn’t working. I didn’t have a tight deadline, but nonetheless, I had a tentative deadline for a book I wasn’t happy with. What was wrong with it?

I read through the entire manuscript searching for the problem. Every time I read the hero’s name, I cringed. This guy wasn’t a Jason Mathews—not at all. His name removed every bit of sex appeal I knew this guy had. Who was he?

One evening, I was watching Dateline. I love analyzing where exactly the criminal went wrong in case I need to commit the perfect crime. The lead detective’s last name on this murder investigation was Caldera. The name danced into my brain, reclined on red velvet sheets all while eating 70 percent dark chocolate. Conjuring up images of my dark-haired hero with olive skin, the name Caldera personified who I wanted him to be.

Now, for the first name. This is where I have a treasure trove of possibilities. In my other job, I’m a sports journalist, and for the last several years I’ve taken a less stressful version of the job and do freelance reporting for our local high school sports. Every event I go to, I grab a program or lineup list. These team lineups are priceless, and almost every name I have in a book has come from these lists.

The women in my novels, written and to be written, include an Allee, Haley, Emma, Sabrina, Evangeline, Rose, Avery, Lily, and more. My men are Jamey, Cameron, Tyler, Keller, Devon, Adrian, Maverick and Jordan.

Maverick was perfect for Thunderstruck because it’s set at a ranch in South Dakota. When I was writing the paranormal story, I found two kids on the boys’ soccer team named Maverick and knew I had the right name. Who became Mr. Caldera? Jordan. Jordan Caldera replaced Jason Mathews, and then the story sizzled.

Still on my list of athletes are Cannon, Thunder (who incidentally batted back to back in the baseball lineup), Gator, and Tremor. These are real names, not nicknames, and somewhere there has to be a story for all of them, but right now, they’ve yet to wander onto the page. Right now, I’ve got a Rose and Aaron and a Devon and Lily to deal with.

Thank God for high school sports.

Contest

Check out the word search below and find ten names I mentioned in my character list. Email me with your answers, and I will choose a random winner for a $10 Amazon card. Contest ends June 1. Email me at annahague80@gmail.com.

About the Author

Anna Hague spends part of her days in the writing cave creating her own spin on love stories. The other part of her days, she is a freelance sports reporter crafting stories about a variety of athletic events including high school, college, and professional level sports.

Anna reads all sorts of love stories, and she writes the same way. She has an erotic romance series with Wild Rose Press and has published the contemporary romance Heart Series and opened up the paranormal Storm Canyon Series with the first book Thunderstruck.

She lives in Central Indiana with her husband, three parrots, and two dogs.

Her motto: Creating different paths to love because different is the only way I know.

Social Media links:
E-mail: annahague80@gmail.com
Website: www.annahague.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AnnaHagueAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010050496430
Amazon Books. https://bit.ly/3hEPjlYAnnaHague
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Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-hague

The Word Puzzle