Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read

~ Open to a random page

~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

~ BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today comes from True, a new adult story by Erin McCarthy. I really enjoyed this one, and my review is below.

Let her go, Grant. Now.

He did, and I fell to the ground, gasping, scrambling backward, my floral rain boots giving me traction to butt-scoot out of his reach.

Location 114, True.

 

Awkward girl meets scorching-hot boy…

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Due out May 7 – Preorder at Amazon

REVIEW:

Rory Macintosh is smart and an excellent student, but a little inept when it comes to socializing. She’s also a virgin, and her two roommates Jessica and Kylie decide to help her out by paying one of their guy friends to take care of the problem.

Tyler Mann comes from a broken family. His mother is a druggie, and he’s struggling to make a family for his two younger brothers while studying to become an EMT.

The two hit it off, despite Rory learning of the arrangement to help her get rid of her virginity. The trouble is that they come from different backgrounds and soon it doesn’t look as if all the love in the world can help keep them together.

This is a new adult story told from Rory’s point of view. I liked Rory. In fact she reminded me of a couple of people I know—smart but not comfortable when it comes to socializing. I liked that she didn’t flinch from the hard stuff. She didn’t stick her head in the sand.

Tyler was a real hero throughout the story from the moment he saved Rory from getting raped. He watched out for his two younger brothers, taking crap from his mother while trying to improve his situation by getting a qualification. Tyler was a great character, and I thought he and Rory were perfect together.

The plot was organic and came from the characters’ situations, culminating in the climax.

My only quibble with this story was the way things were tied up so quickly at the end. To be truthful, I wasn’t convinced that all would be well as they went into the future together. That said, this was an enjoyable read, and I recommend it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I’d like to welcome Carole Remy today. @Carole_Remy She’s brought heroine Lucy Ralph with her to give us some advice about road trips. If you enjoy erotica you should definitely check out Lucy’s road trip and Who Is Candid? in greater detail. Over to Carole and Lucy…

Thank you for hosting me here on your wonderful blog, Shelley! I’m honored to be a guest in such great company. Lucy Ralph is here from my novel Who Is Candid? to share her tips for a great road trip.

Top Ten Tips for a Fantastic Road Trip!

Tip #10

Bring a dog, or better yet rescue a dog early in the trip. Trigger kept me company from Seattle to New Orleans. Between bee stings and blanket humping, he kept things lively in the trailer!

Tip #9

Learn to back up! The biggest challenge for me of the whole trip was backing up the trailer! Why aren’t all gas stations and restaurants pull through? Haven’t they ever seen a girl in a pickup pulling a trailer before? I mean, watch out!

Tip #8

See all the sights along the way. I stopped at Mt. Rushmore and Lewis and Clark Caverns and the Mall of America, and tons of other places. You can always find interesting people to… *wink* *wink*… talk to!

Tip #7

Explore the food in each location. The doughnuts (OMG there’s a story there… read the book!) were delicious at Mt. Rushmore.

Tip #6

Not a lot of people know about the giant rock frog on the hillside at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. It’s worth a detour. Yeah, it’s definitely worth a detour. Especially with a gorgeous hunk of a military man to show you around. Happy *Sigh*!

Tip #5

Don’t worry about bringing a lot of clothes. For one thing, you won’t need them. Sometimes. Hmm. And you can always buy a green dress in the Mall of America. Damn, that green dress got me in a lot of trouble!

Tip #4

People you meet along the way are really nice. I mean, the… you know… was fun and all, but seriously, everybody was so helpful! You can make great new friends on a road trip.

Tip #3

This was one part I got wrong. If you have a sweetie, bring him along! You wouldn’t believe how many strange exciting places there are to… have fun!

Tip #2

On second thought, ignore Tip #3. Everything worked out great for me and (okay, Carole, no spoiler!). But it did. I needed to get myself together, and that’s a huge benefit of a solo road trip. Huge!

Tip #1

Here’s the most important tip. Be open. The whole point of leaving home is to LEAVE HOME! If you try to bring home with you, what are you going to learn? Trust me, home tags along anyway. So break free, figure out who you are, and have the time of your life! Happy tripping!

I hope these tips are helpful. Have you been on a road trip lately? Did you have as much fun as I did? What are your tips for a great trip? Carole and I would love to chat with you in the comments. And buy my book, Who Is Candid?! (Okay Carole, quit poking me. I said it.)

Who Is Candid?

Carole Remy

Genre: erotic romance

ASIN: B00BG0WYNO

Number of pages: 226 estimated, 404 KB

Word Count: 70,000

Cover Artist: Catalin Petolea through Shutterstock, model release signed

Cover Designer: Marissa Lepe Preciado

Amazon

Book Description:

Teaser Description: Lucy, aka Candid, is a naughty girl who takes a sexy fun road trip across America, and tells everybody all about it!

In the spring of 1998, recent graduate Lucy Ralph decides to rebel. The NSA is blocking her job applications, her best friend Dick is a frustrating hunk of gorgeous, and her mother is driving her crazy. Worst of all, she’s still a virgin!

Lucy takes off on a road trip across America, and reinvents herself as ‘Candid,’ a naughty girl who has sexy fun with just about everybody she meets, and tells the world all about it! Her explicit ‘Candid’ Internet posts go viral overnight. The National Security Agency, the entertainment media, the paparazzi, and soon the entire nation are on her tail! While she spins a modern day sexual Arabian Nights, she’s also being tracked by the sweet, sexy, and elusive Dick, who has his own tricks to play.

Will love ever be more than a virtual reality for Lucy? Can she and Dick get past the friends page? Will exposure ruin everything, if the nation finds out Who Is Candid?

About the Author:

Carole Remy lives in Mexico with her beloved dog Gemma. When she isn’t writing and touring her novels, you can find her rescuing dogs, learning wood sculpture, and salsa dancing!

blog: http://caroleremy.blogspot.mx/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/caroleremybooks/twelve-nights/

(Twelve Nights board contains 15 captioned photos of locations from the novel)

Twitter: @Carole_Remy

promoting these hashtags: #CaroleRemy #TwelveNights #SexyFun #Candid

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carole-Remy-Author/178074918983535

Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday for April 28!

The rules are simple.
1. Post 6 paragraphs (no more, no less) from either a WIP or a published work.
2. Open to both un-published and published authors.
3. Post the link back to Sneak Peek Sunday so that others can hop along.
4. HAVE FUN!!

My sneak peek today comes from The Bottom Line, the first book in the Love and Friendship series. Just to give some context, Maggie, the heroine has just confessed to her friends that she is into spanking, and they’re busy asking questions.

 

“You’re not spanking Greg, are you?” Julia asked, finishing her friend’s sentence.

“No one’s spanking anyone yet,” Maggie snapped, wriggling a little on her seat as arousal sped through her body. The merest thought of a perfectly placed thwack brought a rush of excitement. Not with Greg, though. Imagining Greg and spanking in the same sentence made her head ache. A big time problem, since he was her boyfriend. How did a girl broach the subject with her guy? Honey, I want you to spank me. Nope, it wasn’t something that came up in normal everyday conversation.

Susan arrived back with the tray of drinks in time to overhear Maggie’s reply. “Why not?” Her friend shunted a margarita across the pitted wooden tabletop and tossed two bags of peanuts and a bag of crisps at them. “Tell us why, Maggie, and don’t leave out a thing.”

Her friends’ expressions told Maggie escape would be impossible until they received an explanation. In detail. She dragged in another breath, which did nothing to still her skittish nerves. Best to spit it out so they could move on in conversation.

“When I flew to Wellington to visit my father and stepmother two weeks ago, I forgot to take a book with me. I was running late and grabbed the first one I saw with an interesting cover.” She grinned, remembering the hunky guy on the book jacket. “I didn’t realize I’d purchased an erotic romance until I’d boarded the plane.”

“You read romances in a public place?” Julia demanded, shocked.

Blurb:

Spicing up her sex life sounds exciting…until the fantasy hits the fan.

When Maggie Drummond buys an erotic romance novel by mistake, she gets more than an unexpected eyeful. She gets an introduction to a world that arouses her to a fever pitch: Spanking.

Her boyfriend isn’t interested in pushing his vanilla-flavored sexual boundaries. Then there’s Connor Grey, who haunts her fantasies like a magical genie. As a source of masculine advice for her and her female friends, he’s off limits. The only safe place to explore her fetish is her anonymous blog.

The recent changes in Maggie don’t escape Connor’s notice. Now that her boyfriend has dropped her, he can finally—carefully—make his move. Given his family history, laying a hand on any woman, even in fun, is a line he’s reluctant to cross. But for Maggie? Anything the lady wants.

As Maggie gives in to the temptation to let Connor add some sin to her life, she finds herself juggling lies, half-truths, friendship and sensual delights. Her job is in jeopardy—and she’s falling in love. Exploring her fantasy is one thing, but she’s beginning to question if indulging her own pleasure is worth the cost to everyone around her. Especially Connor…

Order at: Samhain Publishing (eBook) | Samhain Publishing (print) |Amazon Kindle | Amazon Print | All Romance eBooks |

 

To read more sneak peeks follow this Sneak Peek link. Sneak Peek Sunday is sponsored by Sara Walter Ellwood.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a new release at @samhainpub (Samhain Publishing), and I’m thrilled to show you the cover for Past Regrets, book two in my Love and Friendship series. I really like it since the cover ties in with The Bottom Line

 

 

Here’s the blurb:

Love and Friendship, Book 2

Julia Maxwell was a seize-the-moment party girl until the night she spent with up-and-coming rocker Ryan Callander. From that moment, she was a one-man woman. Pity he hasn’t kept with the program.

Tired of the secrets that have kept her out of the press and Ryan’s fans happy, angry with mounting evidence of infidelity, Julia is older, wiser, and determined to divorce his cheatin’ ass.

Ryan’s long European tour had more than its share of hard knocks—one of which landed on his head when he was mugged. Divorce papers waiting for him at home is a shock that fills in some of the holes in his sketchy memory. But it could be too late to salvage his marriage.

If Ryan thinks flirtatious smiles, seductive touches, and hot-and-heavy kisses are going to smooth things over, Julia’s got a hammer with his name on it. To her surprise, he picks it up, determined to rebuild a bright future for both of them. But the past is lurking with some missing pieces that could bring their hearts crashing down.

Warning: Contains a pissed ex-stripper turned burlesque dancer, a bunch of nosy friends and a smooth-talking rocker with one thing on his mind. Stripper poles and skimpy costumes may be involved.

All going well, Past Regrets is due out 10 September 2013

Since many of my discussions with my sister this week have centered on farming and animals I thought I’d do a TT on pigs.

Thirteen Facts About Pigs

1. The domestic pig are descendants of the wild boars of Europe and Africa.

2. Male pigs are called boars. Female pigs are called sows. Baby pigs are called piglets. A group of pigs is a herd.

3. Pigs are highly intelligent and can be taught tricks. Remember the movie, Babe?

4. Pigs can be very dangerous, especially wild pigs, and they’re very speedy when they want to be. Just ask my sister!

5. Some pigs have curly tails while others have straight tales.

6. The valves from pig hearts are used to replace damaged ones in humans.

7. Pigs have an excellent sense of smell. They’re expert at finding truffles.

8. Pigs live for 9 – 15 years, although some of the sows my father owns are much older  (around 20)

9. Pigs are very clean animals in that they don’t soil their sleeping areas or where they eat.

10. Sows bear 8 – 12 piglets in a litter and can have two litters a year.

11. Pigs can get sunburned (especially pink pigs) and require shelter from the sun.

12. Pigs don’t have sweat glands, and they wallow in mud to cool down.

13. Pigs make good pets, but a prospective owner should definitely do their research first.

Do you like bacon for breakfast? Crispy or not?

My answer: No, ’cause I eat a mainly vegetarian diet. I do like the smell of bacon cooking though. Hubby likes bacon but not crispy.

Tomorrow it’s ANZAC day (25 April) where New Zealand and Australia remember those who fell at Gallipoli during World War 1.

A few years ago, Mr. Munro and I visited ANZAC Cove and Chunuk Bair in Turkey. We walked from ANZAC Cove up to Chunuk Bair. It was sweltering hot and we were exhausted by the time we reached the top. We didn’t have packs. We didn’t have people shooting at us. I don’t know how the soldiers managed during the heat of battle.

Every year they hold a special service at ANZAC Cove where Australians, New Zealanders and the Turkish people remember.

Here are a few photos. (They’re scanned so the quality isn’t as good as it could be)

This is taken from Chunuk Bair and is of the view out toward ANZAC Cove. You can see the trenches in the foreground.

This is the New Zealand memorial.

 

This is ANZAC Cove (click to enlarge photo)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

From Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen, written in September 1914

Please take a moment to remember the fallen from past battles. Without their sacrifices our lives would be very different.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read

~ Open to a random page

~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

~ BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’ve read a lot of young adult stories during the past six months, and snapped up a copy of The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau when it was offered at NetGalley.

Here’s my teaser:

No matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t good enough to be chosen for The Testing.

As I leave the stage and am given hugs of congratulations by my friends, I can only wonder, What will I do now?

page 15, The Testing

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies–trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

The Testing is due for release on 4 June 2013.

Download the free e-prequel for The Testing

Review:

When I started reading The Testing, I immediately drew mental comparisons between the Hunger Games trilogy and the Divergent series. There are many similarities. The Testing is a story about Cia, a graduating student who is on the cusp of change. She wants to receive a higher education, but must face The Testing and compete against other students to win a place at university.

I found the first chapter a little slow, but the pace and plot picked up, hauling me along for the ride. While some people might say this book is nothing different, I found the story entertaining and once past the slow start, read it in huge gulps.

Cia is an engaging character. She’s kind and doesn’t only think of herself. I enjoyed the growing closeness between her and Tomas. Their relationship wasn’t forced but grew organically out of the plot.

The ending was a bit abrupt and there were some plot strands that were not tied up at the conclusion. This is the first book in the series, and I expect I’ll learn more in the next instalment.

Anyone who enjoys dystopian stories will like this one. Certainly fans of Hunger Games and Divergent will enjoy Ms Charbonneau’s take on a dystopian plot. I enjoyed The Testing and will definitely look for book two in the series.

I’m in the middle of edits at present, so I’m whisking you off to Egypt for a quick visit to the pyramids at Giza. Imagine the heat and the dust, the pungent scent of the horses and camels and the hordes of tourists (not shown in this shot). Then there are these huge, awe-inspiring pyramids. The passing years have left their mark with the smooth outer layer eroded to show the rough stones beneath. A truly magical place to visit since you can practically hear the footsteps of the past.

And, in a change of topic, I’ve decided to experiment and try a little promo of my back list. I’m looking for blogs to host me for a visit at any time in the next six months. My promise to you is to be a good guest, and I’ll attempt to entertain your regular visitors rather than pelt them with white noise.

I write in most genres and while most of my books are erotic romance, there are a few that are not quite as hot.

If you’re interested in hosting me please email me at shelley munro AT gmail DOT com (no spaces)

Let me know:

1. Which genre you’d like me to focus on—choose a particular book if you like from my booklist

2. Would you like me to do an interview?

3. Would you like me to do a post? Do you have a particular topic you’d like me to write about?

4. Give me a couple of possible dates that you have free at your blog.

5. I’m happy to do a contest and will most likely do a rafflecopter giveaway each month

It’s back to edits for me. What are your goals for this week?

Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday for April 21!

The rules are simple.
1. Post 6 paragraphs (no more, no less) from either a WIP or a published work.
2. Open to both un-published and published authors.
3. Post the link back to Sneak Peek Sunday so that others can hop along.
4. HAVE FUN!!

Today my Sneak Peek comes from Fancy Free, the first book in my Fancy Free series. Fancy Free features Alice who inherits a condom factory from her

 

“Hello, are you on your own? Mind if I join you?”

Her head whipped around and her mouth fell open for long seconds before she realized she gaped in an unattractive manner. Her teeth clicked together with an audible clunk.

James. Mr. James Dangerous AKA Dashing. Alice felt her eyes widen even as she struggled for breath. Potent stuff that whiskey. Her heart pounded in an erratic manner. After experiencing the same erratic thud for most of the day, she should have become used to it. She hadn’t, and each time the sensation seemed to create more havoc, especially when an infuriating internal shimmy accompanied the thud. The man—this man—drove her to distraction. She couldn’t even indulge in the sinful pastime of drinking without his intrusion. Maybe she should just rip open her suit jacket, her blouse and heavy-duty bra and offer him her body.

She groaned when the thought registered fully. Whoa, where had that come from? As if she’d have the guts to offer herself to Mr. Dashing. Alice glared at the remains of the whiskey on the bar in front of her. What on earth was she doing here?

She didn’t fit.

Steven was right. She wasn’t cut out to inherit a condom company.

BLURB:

Warning: Condoms were tested and a few harmed during the writing of this story.

It’s not every day a girl inherits a condom company, and to say accountant Alice Beasley is astonished and out of her depth is putting it mildly. For an almost virgin, she needs a quick education in all things condom because her inheritance is in danger. Someone is intent on sabotage and playing nasty, trying to destroy her new company.

Alice is suddenly getting down and dirty with charismatic James, the factory manager, all in the name of business, testing new condom designs. The sex is hot. Mind-blowing. It’s a dark thrill and an erotic journey. Yeah, it’s a hard job, but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s gotta do.

The testing turns personal. Alice wants James. She craves his talented touch and sultry kisses, she desires passion and physical pleasure on a permanent basis but first she must convince bad-boy James to give up his fancy-free ways…

 

Order ebook at: Ellora’s Cave | Amazon Kindle | All Romance ebooks |Barnes & Noble
Order print book at: Ellora’s Cave | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Note – Fancy Free is currently on sale at All Romance ebooks for a 50% rebate during April – that’s just $0.74 for a full length novel. Snap up the bargain today!

 

To read more sneak peeks follow this Sneak Peek link. Sneak Peek Sunday is sponsored by Sara Walter Ellwood.

Author Cathy Yardley has an excellent post about Selling Books (without being an asshat). She says nobody wants to badger readers — but “if we want to sell books, what else can we do?”  Right? Read the rest of her article here.

I have to say, from my own observations, that my twitter stream is full of “buy me” type posts. Recently I’ve been doing a lot of editing, and now I’ve started working on a new book. Not terribly interesting to read or tweet about. When that happens I like to retweet a couple of posts that I’ve found interesting for some reason or another. Some days it is hard to find a decent post to RT amongst all the white noise of “like me”, “buy me”, “RT me” or “do—” (insert relevant item in the blank area).

On days like this, I shake my head, give up and get back to my current WIP. If anything, I seem to be doing less and less when it comes to promotion and focusing on my next book instead. I thought my sales might drop away because of the lack of promotion, but in truth, my royalties seem to be better than ever. Who knew?

I’m not saying writers shouldn’t do promotion, but maybe think a little harder before you add to the white noise online. Seek to entertain rather than demand attention, and I think you might have a better shot at getting your book noticed.

What do you think?