An Unladylike Offer

AN UNLADYLIKE OFFER
BY
Christine Merrill. HMB paperback

This book is a sequel to THE INCONVENIENT DUCHESS. It tells the story of the black sheep of the family, St John Radwell now a Captain retired.

Esme Canville leads a lonely life, afraid of her father she longs for some freedom and some true happiness. Since her Mother abandoned her to the sole care of her Father she has suffered for her Mothers sins. Now her Father is planning to marry her to a much older man Lord Halverston, who frightens her and makes her feel naked, as he sees her at an upstairs window.

Opposite their house a notorious rake called Captain St John Radwell has lately moved in with his latest mistress. Who from the loud noises emitting from that place was throwing everything that came to hand, at the young man. A flow of Spanish, not quite the Spanish that a discreet young lady should hear or know. Something hurled at St John hit the window breaking it, then St John walked out on to the balcony opening the windows. He was tall and very handsome. Esme felt embarrassed by listening to this quarrel but was fascinated by it. Suddenly she could hear doors slamming and a woman sobbing, she smiled to herself at least her father was right it seemed about the goings on in the house opposite. The young man turned and caught sight of Esme, he looked at her for sometime then he smiled. The look of him took her breadth away and a daring plan began to form in her mind. She could be free from her intended marriage, her Father and this hated life, if only she dared?

St John asked her if she had the slightest idea of what being his mistress would entail. She would of course be disgraced in the eyes of the polite world.

Esme pleaded with her eyes and sat down on the sofa determined to stay, she had escaped from her home and nothing would make her return. Grabbing a glass that St John had poured for himself which had a sleeping draught in it, she drinks it and lies back on the sofa. St John had tried to stop her but was too late, what to do now? He could not take her home in this condition heavens knows what would be laid at his door and this time he was trying to save a lady’s honour.

He managed to get Esme into his carriage without being seen and took her to his brother’s home where he was not particularly welcome.

Miranda, wife of his brother, takes pity on Esme and decides to befriend her. As the rest of the story unfolds, we find out how cruel a Father can be and how desperate Esme is to find some happiness in life. There are many hurdles to cross for both Esme and Captain St John. Will the Rake finally fall truly in love? Can Esme reform the rake and in so doing find true happiness or will her Father insist on her return and so seal her fate. Read this book and become Esme, experience her fears, her desires and her love; it really grabs you, a special book.
I award this book 5 Roses. As

Interview with Robert Cloud

Tell us a little about yourself

I am Robert Cloud, and of Native American descent. My dream of writing began at a very early age. I was writing for the school newspaper in elementary school at the age of seven and had my first published poem for which I received $10 at the age of ten.

I have always had a very active imagination, so much so, that some of my early stories even had my teachers and principal recommending that my parents seek therapy for me. LOL. Little did they realize it was just the imagination of someone that loved to dream.

School was a breeze for me. I never had to take books home to study except for my Latin classes. Which made my classmates angry with me. Yet, I was always writing. I wrote three plays in sixth grade that were all performed by my sixth grade class and another in high school that the principal decided was too risqué for the school to perform.

My interest had lay with science fiction, fantasy and horror and because of this I had never imagined myself to be an erotic romance author, however the one thing I always felt was missing in most of these novels, even the novels by the great authors was the passion. How much greater would some of their work have been in the main male and female leads had had a strong romantic and passionate story before the horror had begun. Then the horror would have tore more deeply into the souls of the readers. This is one of my goals when I go to write that piece of horror romance. It will terrify you but it will also be a true erotic romance.


What do you write?

My main area is erotic romance however I cover and will cover all the other sub-genres associated with it. My first novel was BDSM in nature. A tale of a Master and slave romance. My second work is part of a paranormal anthology.
I am working on a sequel to the anthology, a sequel to the first piece, a whimsical Christmas piece, and a suspense piece. There are also plans for Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and many more genres to touch upon.


Why do you write?

I don’t really have a choice. The stories that are in my mind demand to be written. However, sometimes they get so convoluted that it is hard to put them on the screen.


What are you writing now?
I am working on two sequels, one a paranormal sequel to The Crimson Z, which is the priority. The second is the sequel to my first novel. I am also working on a whimsical Christmas piece.


What kind of clothes do you like to wear?

Loose fitting. Jeans almost always, but the shirts vary. Mostly black, or red however I also wear gray, or light blue.


Are you in love? Have you ever been?

Let’s start with the second half first. I think we all have been in love. Sometimes it turns out sour and hurts us deeply, sometimes it is a wonderful thing. I have been in love many times and each time I hope that this will be the one that will last me a lifetime. Each time before now I have been disappointed as things failed. However, now I am in love with the most wonderful woman I could ever have dreamed of.
Can I compare her to my past loves? No. Because there is no comparison. I have never felt like this. Never. I have never had someone love me so deeply, and need me so much without making me feel like they only needed me for security and not love. No, this woman truly shares the love.


Do you have a dream lover – and what does he/she look like?

If you were to read my first novel, most of the description of the heroine is my dream lover. I say most, because of one key factor. The idea for the story came from a situation when I was talking to someone and in honor of that person I kept their race and even used a modified form of their name for the character. So hair color and race are the only two factors that do not apply.
I am a large man, and though I would never have turned a woman away because of any factor of height or size, I think all women are beautiful and sexy… Yes, I truly do. Yet, my dream has been a petite woman. Very small. More than a foot smaller than me, less than half my weight, blond hair, cobalt blue eyes so intense you drown in them.
The woman that found me truly is my dream and fits the description uncannily.


What kind of comfort food do you like best?

I used to have comfort foods… LOL… That was before I lost 152 pounds. I still have 98 pounds to go before I reach my first goal and then I will decide if I want to lose more and get closer to what the weight charts say I should weigh. I used to weigh 475. I am currently at 323, and my goal is 225. According to the charts someone that stands 6’-1 and is large framed should be 180 pounds. However, even my own doctor tells me I would be too skinny at that weight. So I will stop at 225 and decide then to continue or not.


What makes you laugh? Cry?

Children. Seeing a father show his love to his son. These things touch me more than anything else. As well as feeling the fear of loosing someone near and dear to me.


What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?

I do bead weaving. Both loom-work and peyote stitch. I have just starting talking walks now that my knees can handle it again. Soon I hope to be able to go back to my old exercise routine.


What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!

Very easy to keep it clean. Honesty, a bright smile, bright, big, beautiful eyes.


What do you hate about life?

How it never seems to fail that even when things seem there lowest, something else will happen to take you even lower.


What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?

I see you said life and not in my career… So in life I want a family. So far that has been denied me. I am hoping that with my new love that that will be something that will happen.


What are you going to write next?

So many ideas to choose from!!! LOL… I have a folder that has over 100 paragraphs of ideas for books. When I am done with the four I am working on I will open that and see which one calls out to me. If something else does not pop into my mind that is more compelling in the meantime.

The woman I am talking to and I are contemplating writing a children’s story together… She is doing most of the work, I am just tossing her ideas.

We had one of this author's books on the site recently, and our reviewer was impressed. I have to say I am impressed with the interview, Anne

The Djinni

The Djinni/Minx Malone/ebook
Alliandre receives a letter from her dead grandmother revealing a secret room where all her spells and magic books are kept. Ally finds the ruby ring her grandmother told her about and the erotic dreams begin. Damien comes to her in dreams fulfilling her every fantasy.

What Ally doesn't know is that her friend Jasmine had tried the ring years ago and is still bewitched by Damien. Ally can't resist trying the ring again and discovers that Damien has been under a spell for thousands of years, forced to pleasure the owners of the ring. Because she cares for him, Ally returns with Damien to ancient Egypt to try and find the Book of the Dead in an effort to set him free. However, the secret is closer to home and only she can find it.

I loved this imaginiative story about the magic of ancient Egypt and the power of love. This author knows how to weave spells through the written word and is one to look out for. This book is temporarily out of print through no fault of the author. Remember her name for the future, because I am sure she will find a new publisher. Hughly sensual and very readable. 5 red roses, Anne

new email

For anyone who has been bounced at the old email adddress, you can try this one.
rosesauthor@hotmail.com

Ride A Cowboy

Ride A Cowboy/Capri Montgomery/Dark Eden Press/ebook/31pgs
Jaine and Marcy have come to show their advertising campaign for sexy lingerie to a client in a backwater town in cowboy country, but their rental car breaks down. That might just be good luck because it brings Jack into Jaine's life. He goes out of his way to be helpful and Jaine finds herself instantly in lust with him. When her client rejects her campaign out of hand, maybe Jack can help her think of ways to spice it up?

Because this is a novella, I won't tell you any more of the story, but it is a fun, sexy read and worth adding to your collection. 4red roses, Anne

Interview with Lee Rush

Tell us a little about yourself
– I’m Lee Rush, author of “Bound by Fate and contributor to “The Crimson Z”. I’m a grandmother of three, mother of two and wife of 44.5 years. I was in the medical field with a national hospital corporation for 25 years before I tired to retire and stay home with hubby. He was diagnosed with some deteriorating health problems which led to a necessary return to work. Now I work nights and my daughter has moved back home to be with him while I’m at work. A few years back I kind of turned into an internet junkie, got into role playing and eventually got back to the thing I had wanted to do since I was very young…WRITE!!


What do you write?
I write erotic romance for Black Velvet Seductions and I’m loving it! When I thought about being a writer when I was younger, it was always in the sci-fi genre, cause after all…I AM a trekker! LOL! But I seem to have found something I’m pretty good at doing so I’m not going to change it now.


Why do you write?
Because I need to! It helps me to cope with the stresses of the days and takes me away from problems. Also…I need to get the words out, live some of my fantasies on paper, I guess.


What are you writing now?
I’m in the midst of rewriting my piece for the next “Crimson Z” volume, working on a rewrite of my first book which was with another publisher as ebook only and there’s always the new story about an evil, nasty dom and what he did to his poor innocent subbie.


What kind of clothes do you like to wear?
Jeans shorts and tshirts and sandals. I live in Florida and it’s pretty much the uniform of the day around here. Also, my job is pretty laid back and I can wear the same clothes to work which makes it a lot more comfy than having to worry about runs in pantyhose and aching feet from heels!!


Are you in love? Have you ever been?
Yes! I’m in love with the heroes in my books! Chuckles, here…and of course with hubby. I mean I’ve had him for so many years now I guess I’ll keep him. I guess he kind of swept me off my feet cause we were married only three weeks after we met! There are days now when I would love to shoot him but the moments pass and he’s my old honey again…who would have thought it would last this long after only three weeks?


Do you have a dream lover – and what does he look like?
My dream lover when I’m writing is the current hero in my story. I have a fantasy about a certain character from “Bound by Fate” who was modelled after somebody I met online but that’s a deep secret, so ssshhh.


What kind of comfort food do you like best?
Hmm, veggie soup that I make from scratch and of course the spaghetti that hubby loves so much!

What makes you laugh? Cry?
A happy story, my grandkids, finishing my latest work, the dog sneaking one foot at a time into the recliner to snuggle my hubby when he falls asleep there (an 85 lb. pit bull that thinks she’s a lap dog!) Crying? Remembering a dear friend that died a couple years ago…we spent a lot of time together online and I learned a lot from him. Another friend that simply walked away from our relationship without a word, a sad movie and hubby’s health problems.

What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?
Talk to friends online, knit, crochet, READ!! Sometimes I find the time to paint but it’s been a while.


What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!
Chuckles at the clean version…strength of character, understanding, a ready smile, caring, the ability to accept me for what and who I am without conditions, and somebody who doesn’t automatically think I’m feeble and dim witted simply because I’m older now.
What do you hate about life? Injustice, politicians who harp on the same subject over and over without concern for what their constituents think or believe. As I’ve grown older I’ve also come to hate the policy of the drug companies to hold medications at such high prices when most older people who need them can no longer afford them. I don’t do well with people who think they know more than I do simply because they are in a position of management over me.


What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?
I hope to some day have as many books out there as say Stephen King that are as well received as his are. And when I no longer have to have another job to support my family, I’ll know I’ve been successful.

What are you going to write next?
See the above what I’m working on…but after the rewrites are done for “Z” I need to finish the evil dom story, and the rewrite of my first book. I read it now and wonder how it ever made it to an ebook! With the help of my current publisher, Laurie Sanders, it will be so much better than the original! She’s great and shows me how to fix it, making suggestions instead of doing it herself. That way I learn, hopefully, and the next thing I write won’t need quite so many edits! Smiling widely here.


I haven't read this author yet, but she sounds interesting. I must take a look, Anne

Thirty Lessons

Mary Eason/Thirty Lessons/Samhain Publishing/ebook/262pgs



Shortly before Paige’s upcoming birthday she was dumped by her boyfriend, Harry. Paige’s best friend Dani consoles her on her breakup and convinces Paige to crash a masquerade party to celebrate Paige’s birthday. When first arriving at the party a somewhat depressed Paige sees from across the dance floor a sexy mystery man. He escorts her home and becomes her fantasy lover that shows up every night even though she doesn’t know his name. She starts to fall for him without knowing anything
about him. Paige discovers she has a new boss at work, since the company founder retired and put his son, Jude in charge. The new boss seems somehow very familiar though she is not sure why. Paige learns after meeting her new boss that he is actually her fantasy lover, which then creates a whole new set of interesting situations. Knowing Jude is not the marrying type but realizing that what she really wants is marriage Paige runs away. Jude won’t let Paige just end their relationship and follows her to a small New England community. While trying to get him to leave the weather won’t permit him to go, which leads to more predicaments. The book is written from Paige’s point of view, in the first person, which some readers might have a problem with. I think it adds a great deal to the story and helps pull you in as you read about Paige’s dilemmas. The story will have you laughing and crying right along with Paige as she deals with the challenges of life and love. This is a mid-length book that is definitely a must read. You won’t want to put the book down until the very end.

I give this book 4-1/2 red roses

Larena