Writers Gone Wild

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Maya Banks - Sweet Seduction Review

I've mentioned before that my sister is getting married this year. November to be exact. I'm hosting her shower next weekend at my house and this weekend it finally hit me how freaking close her actual wedding day is and how little I've been working out (or eating healthy). I've gotta start making some changes if I want to drop ten pounds so instead of letting the man go shopping this morning and come back w/ all red meat and potatoes, I went and got all sorts of healthy goodness. I even packed my lunch this morning w/ my cute little fruit and veggie baggies. When I get to work this morning there's key lime pie AND peanut butter pie sitting on the top shelf of our fridge. Ack! The Fates are plotting against me. So far I've been strong but I don't know how long that's gonna last. In fact, I can hear that evil siren's call right now...

Okay, on to my review!! A couple weeks ago I received an ARC of Sweet Seduction, Maya Banks's upcoming release from Berkley, and I'm finally getting to this review ;)

Quick blurb:

He was the stuff erotic dreams are made of...

Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her? Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy guy was oblivious to the signals she was sending - until she finished off his final rub-down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie's moving on...

She was everything he'd dreamed of

The woman was driving him crazy. She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat. And now she's going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled? Over his dead body...He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'd show her his own brand of sweet seduction.

In the beginning I wasn't sure that I was going to like the heroine too much, but that's because I didn't understand her motivation. She was a little loud and brash and not the type of heroine I usually dig, but not long after I started reading, I found myself rooting for her. Underneath her tough exterior she has the same insecurities so many women have. At the same time, she knew what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to go for it. Nathan I loved from the start and that never changed! He was soooo adorable (and incredibly hot). I liked his insecurities in the beginning when trying to figure out what the heck was going on in Julie's head. He's one of those perfect contemporary heroes that doesn't have asshole moments and isn't a player w/ a past. He's just a hot guy who went to great lengths for the woman he loved. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the end was incredibly HOT and I loved how take charge Nathan was in that final scene. Overall, this was a fun, contemporary read with sizzling sex scenes that I'd recommend to anyone who loves their romance on the spicy side. I'm not a reviewer, but if I had a rating system, I'd give this 4.5 out of 5 stars!! Definitely a recommended read :)

I'm Back

Just got back this morning from Daytona. It was a nice, whirlwind weekend getaway, but I'm always happy to be home, no matter how long or short the trip. Even though were were only gone a couple days it seems I have a load of laundry to do. How does that happen every time? When the hubby and I were walking along the beach yesterday morning I came up with an awesome idea for a new story, including the internal conflict of the h/h. That never happens for me! External is obviously pretty much a given considering I write mainly romantic suspense, but internal? I struggle *g* Not this time! Luckily I managed to hold on to my idea until we got back to the room where I quickly scribbled it down.


I look kinda evil in that picture but we had so much fun that night and it's the only decent picture I have :) Now it's back to the real world and back to my naughty manuscript!


What did everyone else do this weekend?

Fantastic Friday

I just read that an Indonesian woman had a 19 pound baby. 19 pounds! I can't even wrap my mind around that...ugh. *shudder*

I'm officially over the halfway point in my current WIP! I'm feeling relief and a healthy dose of nerves. I have the rest of the manuscript mapped out, but getting from point A to point B sometimes seems overwhelming. That's why I focus on each scene and let everything else just work itself out. If I don't, I get overwhelmed by the necessary word count and can't focus on my writing.

Weekends are when I usually get a big chunk of my weekly writing done, but that's not gonna happen tomorrow. I'll be spending some quality time at the beach soaking up a little sun, and catching up on my reading. I've already got books by Jill Sorenson, Karen Rose, Allison Brennan, Maya Banks, and a few Secrets books packed b/c I don't know what mood I'll be in. I hate being disconnected from the Internet for too long, but I'm insanely excited about catching up on my reading!

What are you plans for the weekend? What good books have you read lately that you can recommend?

Writers Gone Wild

I'm over at Writers Gone Wild today talking about craft, writing, and the bigger picture. Come say hi!

Monday Funday

So, I put the smack down on my characters this weekend, which is good, b/c I'm now approximately 6K further along in the story. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I realized I need to go back and layer in some more emotion between my h/h and more world building. One of my CPs has been telling me this and it's been in the back of my head to do once I finished the story, but I realized I've just gotta bite the bullet and do it now b/c I think it'll make where I currently am flow better. (Thank you, Kari!) I don't know if that even makes sense, but that's where I am right now. Today's goal: layer in 2K of goodness!

I've been a little distracted lately with the Internet in a bad way! So, I made a calendar/schedule of when I can be online to blog, etc. It sounds neurotic and it's probably something I shouldn't admit aloud, but somethings gotta give and I'm a total 'list' person. If I see it written or typed, I'm more likely to stick to it. Normally I'm pretty good about balancing my time but I'm going to blame this freaking story. My characters are having fun mocking me.

I'm contemplating going to a mini-conference of sorts. It's not really a conference but a day long 'boot-camp' type thing. There are a lot of classes given and it's only a couple hours away. One of the classes looks really good and the others are just okay. Still contemplating if I should sign up...Okay, I'm off to write!

Smack Down!

So, I'm not happy with the way Supernatural ended last night. Sam: "I think we should part ways." Dean: "Okay." Say what??? I know the writers aren't going to keep them apart for long, but come on people, I can't stand the torture for another week! I was grumbling to the tv last night (yes, I do that sometimes) and the man was like, hello, they did it to add more conflict.

Um, did my hubby just say conflict? Apparently he does listen when I talk about writing :) So, I'm at the 30K mark in my manuscript which normally would mean that I was halfway done with a story b/c up until now I've been writing category style romances. As it is, the story I'm working on is single title so I'm about 1/3 of the way through and while this WIP isn't exactly kicking my ass, my characters are being quite elusive in telling their story. That's okay, this weekend I plan to put the smack down and make them talk :)

Woke up to a lovely email this morning. Finding Hope is a recommended read at Night Owl Romance. For the full review, click here.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Small Things Matter

I'm at Writers Gone Wild today chatting about the small things between couples in romance novels that matter. Come say hi and offer an opinion!

Further proof Kanye West is an asshat...

Seriously, this guy just needs to be punched in the throat. Whenever I hear this guy's name, my skin crawls. Once every few months, this moron does something that has me cringing and wondering how he manages to function in society without getting his ass kicked on a daily basis. What has he done THIS time? During the MTV Video Music Awards (which I don't watch) he interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for best female video, took the microphone out of her hand, and announced that Beyonce has the best music video of all time. Luckily, the crowd booed him off the stage and Beyonce (who is a class act all the way and looked mortified when he jumped on stage) invited Taylor Swift back on stage later. His brand of blatant disrespect for just about everyone boggles my mind. For the full story, click here.

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time editing but I also read Lisa Marie Rice's Dangerous Passion. I really enjoyed it but I'm still gathering my thoughts on it so I'll post a review later this week. In really really wonderful news, (at least in my world) I can finally move my neck and arm again, lol.

Bring on the weekend!

I must have slept on my neck wrong or pulled a muscle or something b/c for the last two days I haven't been able to turn left or lift my left arm very high. When I try, it hurts like hell! I woke up Thursday like this so I'm hoping it doesn't last longer than the weekend b/c I can't even dress myself without the hubby's help. I didn't realize how much I use my left hand and arm! The only good thing is, I can still write!


Luckily Supernatural was last night so that dulled some of my pain, lol. Hearing Dean call people two-faced douches really brightened my day. As usual, the writers did not disappoint. The season is off to a great start and I can't wait til next week. I'm not really into YA stuff or vampires either for that matter, but I did watch the Vampire Diaries and it was pretty good. It does look like it has the possibility to be filled with teen angst and drama so I'm really hoping it doesn't turn into a night time soap opera.


Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Like Romance Acronyms?

If you like romance acronyms stop by Happily Ever After and share your favorite!

Last Day @ DIK

Today is my last day at Desert Island Keepers. I'm chatting about rejection so if you have any experience or just want to say hi, stop on by! You still have a chance to win a copy of Finding Hope!


I'm also at Writers Gone Wild today discussing my TBR pile :)

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! Hubby and I are going to a barbecue at my dad's later today. If the rain holds off we'll be hanging out by his pool and maybe taking the boat out. On holidays I'm not a fan of going out on the lake. There are always too many people and those people are usually incredibly drunk. I just don't understand how people can treat driving a boat drunk differently than they would a car. It's ridiculous!


I'm over at Desert Island Keepers the next three days, starting today. If you want to come by and give me some love, I'd appreciate it :)


Day 1 = crossword puzzle contest (chance to win a free book!)
Day 2 = Sarai and I chat about why Florida is awesome
Day 3 = I talk about dealing with rejection in the writing world

Countdown to Goodness

I can't remember the last time I cared about a television show premiere, but the countdown is officially on in my household. Next Thursday is the premiere of Supernatural. It doesn't hurt that the Winchester brothers (Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles) are incredibly good looking, but this show is amazing. Angels and demons battling over humanity, great plot twists and dark, angst ridden heroes who carry guns and kill demons and other creatures of the night. Sign me up! Anyone else obsessed with...err, I mean, watch this show?


This weekend is my ten year high school reunion so I might have some interesting things to share Monday. I went to a small, private high school and despite the looniness I see on television, I didn't know anyone who acted like the 'mean girls' in so many made for tv movies. Apart from the small class sizes, I think my school was pretty normal, though I guess I wouldn't have anything to compare it to. I did find out that my favorite teacher is going to be there (she was the mom of one of my classmates). She wasn't the reason I decided to become a writer, but she definitely made an impact on my love of the written word. There isn't one person I disliked so I'm pretty excited about catching up and hearing what everyone has been up to.

Just Say No

Today I'm over at Writers Gone Wild talking about 'saying no'. Come visit!


And don't forget today is the last day to win one of Jill Sorenson's books over @ Desert Island Keepers.