I’m thrilled to contribute another story to All Romance ebooks Perfect Strangers series. Eye on the Ball, my story this year is a contemporary mm one with a rugby theme.

Here’s the blurb:

Sometimes the best games are the ones played for keeps.

For two years, Melbourne assistant rugby coach Leon Fleming has mourned the passing of his long-term partner, convinced he could’ve done something to prevent his lover’s unexpected death.

Professional rugby player Hunter Blair is having a terrible season with his Auckland team, struggling with his form and a spate of injuries. A closet gay, Hunter visits the Maxwell’s BDSM club intending to satisfy his curiosity and maybe score an anonymous one-night stand. What he finds is something quite different—a taciturn man who intrigues him. A man who fires both his imagination and his libido.

Hunter’s blatant offer shoves Leon into turmoil. It’s only sex, yet it feels as if he’s stepping into the unknown. This is a game with no rules or referee. Not a final whistle in sight, so why is his heart telling him he should play hard and win?

Preorder your copy today at All Romance ebooks

The first book in the Perfect Strangers series comes out on the 1 Feb with new books releasing daily. Find details of all the Perfect Strangers books here.

Related posts:

1. Perfect Stranger
2. Perfect Strangers: One Perfect Night
3. Perfect Stranger: Dark Sidhe Claimed

For the next week (20-27 January) I’m taking part in the Shameless Giveaway Hop, hosted by Jen at Red Hot Books, Brie at Romance Around the Corner & Michelle at Michelle’s Book Blog. Join in the fun!

Next month, on February 20th to be exact, I have a new contemporary release called Cat Burglar in Training out at Carina Press. My heroine Lady Eve Fawkner arrives home from France to find her father in financial difficulties. Generations of the Fawkner family have been cat burglars. But there’s a problem. Her father has developed arthritis and is no longer able to do the climbing necessary to carry out jewel heists. Eve suggests they retire, but huge debts and thugs trying to recoup money her father owes with threats make retirement difficult.

Eve is forced to become The Shadow, the latest in the long line of Fawkner cat burglars. She attends society balls to scope out jewels, decides on a target and sets about acquiring them.

Here’s the blurb and the intriguing cover.

Eve Fawkner had no intention of following in her father’s footsteps. But when the thugs harassing him to repay his gambling debts threaten her young daughter, Eve is forced to assume the role of London’s most notorious cat burglar, The Shadow. The plan is simple: pull off a couple of heists, pay back the goons and go into permanent retirement. But things get messy during her first job when Eve witnesses a murder, stumbles across a clue that sheds some light on her past and, worst of all, falls for a cop.

Inspector Kahu Williams would be the perfect man, if Eve were looking, and if there wasn’t the little matter of their career conflict. The man is seriously hot—and hot on the trail of a murderer. A trail that keeps leading him back to Eve…

Pre-order Cat Burglar in Training

Now, on to glamour! Earlier this week I watched some of the arrivals on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. Some of the gowns and jewelry the women wore were spectacular. I loved Jessica Alba’s pink dress and Charlize Theron looked stunning in her white number. I imagine my heroine Eve wearing gowns like these—sexy and sophisticated. Eve is around five eight in height, is quite curvy/busty and has long blonde hair. She needs sexy gowns that make the most of her assets, yet they have to give her the freedom to move easily and rapidly.

CONTEST

During the blog hop I’m giving away two prizes. One person will win one of my print books (single title not anthologies) and a second person will win an e-book download from my backlist. The contest is open to everyone, including international entries.

All you need to do to enter the contest is design a gown for my heroine, or, if you’d prefer, design special cat burglar apparel for her. When I say design I mean describe an outfit that you think would be perfect for my heroine when she attends a ball or when she’s on the job in her cat burglar role. Everyone who describes an outfit and posts their answer in the comment section will go into a draw to win either a print book or e-book download.

Follow the links below to visit other sites taking part in the hop:

Related posts:

1. Hoppin’ Again with the Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop
2. Shameless Giveaway Hop Winners
3. Black Friday Blog Hop!

Here’s the blurb:

Middlemarch Mates, Book Five

Every woman has sexual needs. Lana Sinclair, feline shapeshifter and widow, is more than ready for a fun night with a likeminded male. Hot lovin’ is compulsory because she’s determined to scratch the itch that’s driving her crazy. This time, career-girl Lana is picking a malleable male who won’t try to corral her into the housewife role.

Fellow shifter Duncan Ross is the perfect candidate. The cowboy follows the rodeo circuit and is only in Middlemarch for the bull riding. One night of mutual seduction, slick, naked bodies and pleasure, then he’ll be on his way.

Duncan is astonished when Lana propositions him, but no one could ever call him stupid. He’s always desired Lana and now that she’s ready for sex, he’s all action. It’s time to lasso the woman of his dreams with some sweet lovin’ and charm, a sexy massage and ropes spliced together with addictive pleasure. He’ll seduce her to his way of thinking—a permanent arrangement. This is one go-round Duncan is determined to win.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave | Amazon |

Related posts:

1. New Cover and Contest
2. Cat and Mouse
3. Peeping Tom Now Available in Print

A Medieval Yule by Kaye Manro

A fortnight ago she left him.

Marcus of Windom stood alone in an empty castle without Lady Liana

by his side. The frigid winds of the Yule Season pressed upon him. He

pulled the parchment from whence he carried it and read her chilling

parting words once again. I can no longer live as your lady-wife… If ever

she returned would her sensual warmth be enough to melt the ice she

had caused to form around his broken heart?

Purchase A Medieval Yule

The Curse of Gremdon by Ciara Knight

In a world where marriage is forbidden, sex is only granted to male warriors, and the outer realm is full of murderous creatures, Arianna fights to protect the life of her only living relative, her brother.

Tardon, an elite warrior, is granted anything he desires by the Elders, but finds little joy in the voluptuous women presented to him. Born for the bloodlust found only in battle, complicated emotions emerge when he discovers his equal in the alluring warrior, Arianna.

Charged by the Elders with saving the castle from attack, Tardon and Arianna risk the curse when they traverse the vast outer realm to retrieve serum from the Tree of Life. If successful, the Elders have promised Tardon the right to marry, and Arianna the cure for her brother’s death fever. Will their love carry them through or will the discovery of a great deception be their ultimate demise?

Purchase The Curse of the Gremdon

Dragons at Midnight by Selena Illyria

One dragon is hot enough, but three can make this tiger shifter burn in the

most delightful ways.Tiger shifter Louisa thought she’d ring in the New

Year all alone. Little did she know that three younger dragon shifters plan

on making sure she celebrates things right. Add a little steam, a few

dragon shifters with dirty minds, and some creative use of furniture and

New Year’s Eve becomes the perfect scorching-hot party for four.
.

Purchase Dragons at Midnight

Marked for Surrender by Jennifer Leeland

When Zevon and Christophe are accused of being traitors to Nylar, they both believe the truth will come out and justice will prevail. But the Blueshift Brotherhood has targeted them and the two men end up with the Nyral Mistresses to be broken. Hope seems gone for the two lovers and they come face to face with their inner secrets when they face the most infamous Mistress of all: the Ball Breaker.

Mistress Andia Cyrus has broken thousands of criminals, turning dominant men into slaves. The two men she’s handed this time, however, are not the usual type she’s used to. They seem to be innocent, for one thing. For another, they’re in love. And for another, she’s starting to fall for them. She begins to dig deeper and soon finds a Blueshift Brotherhood assassin on her tail.

Fate seems to drag them together and Andia, Christophe and Zevon discover they can only survive if they are marked for surrender.

Purchase Marked for Surrender

Make Me Shiver by Aline Hunter

When Lacey loses control of her vehicle and finds herself trapped by ice and snow, she knows there’s only one person to call for help. Unfortunately, Michael may cause more turmoil than relief. She’s lusted for the gorgeous Dom ever since she first laid eyes on him. Trouble is, he doesn’t do vanilla and she’s not a submissive…or is she?

Michael’s hungered for Lacey for months, so when he notices her fleeting glimpses and blush-stained cheeks as he rescues her from an altercation with a guardrail, he decides it’s time to push the sultry beauty’s boundaries…only to discover Lacey’s not as reserved as she thinks.

Physical attraction blossoms into something neither anticipates, taking Michael and Lacey beyond kink, dominance and submission. Their newfound connection is strong. until a flame from Michael’s past returns, shatters the fragile trust he and Lacey have only just developed and threatens to destroy something neither wants to surrender.

Purchase Make Me Shiver

Melt by Natalie Anderson

When two frozen hearts collide…

Emma Reed closed her heart to love years ago after a lifetime spent getting kicked around foster homes and bad relationships. Now she’s on a mission to prove she deserves her recent award to paint a mural for a research base in Antarctica. Nothing and no one is going to get in her way.

After months working in recovery zones around the world, Hunter Wilson planned to escape everything this holiday season by rebuilding a lab at the Kiwi Research Base. Alone. No to family, no to fun. It’s isolation not intimacy he’s aching for. But when he sees the determined artist, that ache becomes an urge – after all, shouldn’t someone show her what two people can do with twenty-four hours of brilliant sunlight?

In the coldest place on earth, even the most frozen hearts can melt.

Purchase Melt

Don’t they sound great? I can’t wait to read the above books. All I have to do is find some reading time.

Do you intend to do some reading during the coming holidays? Do you think there will be ereaders, books or gift cards in your Christmas stocking?

Related posts:

1. The Best Gift for Valentine’s Day

Feeling tired? No problem. Make that font bigger and easier to read.

Interrupted mid-chapter? The e-reader reopens to exactly where you stopped reading.

Notes? A dictionary? Yes, that’s covered too with the touch of a button.

An autograph from your favorite author? Autographing an e-book for a reader at a book signing? Um…

Earlier this year the answer would have been no, but now Kindlegraph has arrived on the scene.

With Kindlegraph you can request autographs from your favorite authors (provided they have registered their books at Kindlegraph) and an autograph will be sent to you in a PDF document. The developer is constantly working to improve his product, and says Kindlegraph’s motto is to make e-books a little more personal.

If you have a kindle reader do check out the registered authors and try out the service. Authors, it’s simple and painless to register and load up your books. Signing an autograph for a reader is also easy. I love that warm, tingly feeling of doing a signing for a reader.

Check out my Kindlegraph page here. I’m also part of the Not Your Usual Suspects Kindle group (romantic suspense and mystery authors)

You can also follow Kindlegraph at @Kindlegraph

Do you collect autographed books? Have you tried the Kindlegraph service?

Shelley’s Shoutout Corner

I’ve joined a Carina Press group blog comprising of romantic suspense and mystery authors. Not Your Usual Suspects is celebrating Christmas with recipes, jokes and Christmas traditions as well as giveaways for the entire month of December.

Jenny Schwartz has a new release. Wanted: One Scoundrel is available at Carina Press and most other online bookstores.

Win a copy of Reclaiming His Pregnant Widow by Tessa Radley. Details of how to enter are on my contest page.

Win a copy of Sex Idol at Goodreads.

Christmas is Coming is out at Ellora’s Cave on 9 December. Two days to go!

And finally Maria Zannini is hosting a Do It Yourself Christmas at her blog from 7 – 22 Dec. For entertainment, giveaways and more visit Maria today!

Related posts:

1. Can You See Into the Future?
2. The Wait Between Books
3. More Conference

Related posts:

1. Winner Announcement & New Contest!
2. Peeping Tom Now Available in Print
3. Middlemarch Mates: Assassin Out in Print!

…the original Sex Idol cover. Lickable abs with no head.

And in the blue corner we have…

…the sexy new print cover for Sex Idol. We still have lickable abs, but now our hero has a head.

Now I like the first cover, but I love the new updated one. Call me shallow, but I let out a shriek of joy when I saw the print cover last week. I think the cover model really looks like a sex idol. I’d vote for him for sure. Yeah, yeah. I know. Shallow. I did warn you.

Which cover do you prefer and why? What would your ideal cover look like?

The print version of Sex Idol is out today at Ellora’s Cave. If you prefer an e-copy follow this link.

If you’re on Facebook or Twitter I’d really appreciate a shout out to help spread the news of Sex Idol’s release. Here are some tweet-sized snippets to save you time.

Are you Sex Idol material? SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave http://bit.ly/r0idVp

SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave This is a very naughty book http://bit.ly/r0idVp

Lord have mercy on me. SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave is the hottest novel on the planet ~ JERR reviewer http://bit.ly/r0idVp

SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave a futuristic romance about reality shows, dreams & pressure to perform http://bit.ly/r0idVp

Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Departures: Melbourne to Patigous
2. Lovers at Last!
3. Unusual Professions

Here’s the blurb:

Feline shifter Leo Mitchell is the pretty brother who attracts women with ease, but he’s turned picky. He suspects the mystery blonde hanging around Middlemarch is the one for him. If only he could grab the elusive female and seduce her. Oh yeah. He craves some hot, sinful lovin’ with the lady in black leather.

Assassin Isabella Black has harbored a huge crush on hunky Leo for ages. Because the timing sucked she’s watched him from afar, praying another woman won’t snatch the hottie away before she’s free to stake a claim.

Finally the pair meet. Isabella offers her naked body but Leo counteracts with a cup of tea. Seems Leo likes to call the shots when it comes to sex. A day later they’re finally dancing horizontally. It’s smokin’ hot, steamy, delicious—everything she’s ever wanted. Isabella is ecstatic until another assassin threatens to ruin her happiness. It’s life or death now. One wrong move and her secrets will destroy the Mitchells along with everything that has become dear to her…including Leo.

Purchase from:

Ellora’s Cave
Amazon
The Book Depository

Related posts:

1. Woohoo! New Cover
2. Peeping Tom Now Available in Print
3. Cat and Mouse out in Print!

I hope you’ll pop by and say hello. Go All Blacks!

Related posts:

1. Rugby & Romance
2. Rugby and Romance
3. Cabin Fever!

I started off with The Waiting Booth (Whispering Woods) by Brinda Berry. This is a young adult story and was a great start to my reading binge. The Waiting Booth features a missing boy, government agents and an interdimensional portal. The plot moved along and I kept zipping through the pages until I reached the end.

The Devil to Pay by Maria Zannini was an interesting read with great world building. Heaven or hell? Our heroine is in a bad place in her life and wants out. Unluckily, that’s just the start of her problems. This is a self-published book and well worth a read. I’ll be snapping up the second story in Maria’s series when it comes out.

Rock Hard by Olivia Cunning is the second book in her Sinners on Tour series. It took me a while to warm to the hero, but this book was an excellent way to pass a long bus ride. It’s a hot, sexy read, and I’m counting the days until book three hits the shelves.

I’m a sucker for a friends-to-lovers story, and Hot Head by Damon Suede grabbed my attention straight away. Sexy firemen, best friends, lots of emotion and confusion along the way. This is a gay romance, and I really enjoyed it.

Then came my Carina Press binge. Yes, I’m a Carina author, but I have to say if you haven’t tried some of the stories available from Carina you’re missing out. I read Golden by Joely Sue Burkhart. Just excellent. I loved this story, which is a historical set in China. Caddy Girls by VK Sykes and Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelley are both stories I’d recommend to any contemporary fan. I enjoyed reading both stories.

And my final recommendation is Chasin’ Eight by Lorelei James. The hero and heroine really grabbed me in this one, and it was fun watching them both grow during the course of the book. This is book eleven in the Rough Riders series and one of my favorites in the series to date.

Have you read any extra good books this month? What are you reading at present? If you have time give me a two sentence teaser in the comments, because I need to load up my iPad again.

Related posts:

1. Books, Reading Challenges and Moms
2. Thirteen Ellora’s Cave Books Available for Under $1.50 at Amazon Kindle
3. Reading Roundup