Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Looking for a good book to read? A bargain? Look no further.

Thirteen Ellora’s Cave Books At A Bargain Price- $1.50 or less–at Amazon

1. Talking Dogs, Aliens & Purple People Eaters – A female alien crash lands in New Zealand. She and her aunt meet a human cop and hook up with a talking dog. Chaos ensues.

2. Sex Idol – Reality shows in the future. Oy, the mind boggles!

3. Summer in the City of Sails – a country girl travels to the big, bad city looking for adventure. She meets a soldier who feels he must babysit her. She leads him a merry chase.

4. Soldier of Fortune – a companion book to Summer in the City of Sails. Vacation lovers have a surprise meeting in a war zone.

5. Playing to Win – A professional rugby player discovers he has a son, but the boy’s aunt and guardian wants nothing to do with him. A romantic suspense with a creepy stalker.

6. Fancy Free – a woman inherits a condom company and is shoved way out of her comfort zone.

7. Make That Man Mine – a secretary decides it’s time to make her move and claim a sexy detective as her own. The detective has other ideas….and a big secret!

8. Issy’s Infatuation – a sports romance featuring rugby. It’s World Cup year for rugby. Get in the mood and follow Issy’s rugby progress.

9. Never Send a Dog to do a Woman’s Job – The talking dog is back again, trying to keep an alien from seducing the heroine. Just quietly…she’s not very good at her job.

10. Wanderlust – Mystery and murder. Become a tourist and go on tour in India. Experience the sights while watching for the murderer.

11. Lynx to the Pharaoh – jump back to the past and visit Egypt…

12. Fallen Idol – more reality shows from the future. This one is a gay romance.

13. Last Wish – a man wants a silver teapot for his mother’s collection and ends up with much more–a testy genie who wants to end his contract. This one is a gay romance.

The above books are also available in other formats at All Romance ebooks. Most of them are selling for $0.74.

Have you purchased any bargain books recently?

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’m doing two teasers today. The first is from one of my favorite urban fantasy series, Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series–River Marked

“Most people,” said Adam thoughtfully–and loud enough that even the audience members without preternatural gifts could hear him–”have surprise birthday parties. You get a surprise wedding.”

page 35, River Marked

Blurb:

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a coyote shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. And she’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

As Mercy takes in this new information, an evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River. Something deadly is coming, facts are thin on the ground and Mercy feels ill at ease. However, her father’s people may know more. To have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need all the resources the shifters can offer. Or death will be the least of their worries.

Purchase River Marked

My second teaser is from one of my own books, Fancy Free, a contemporary romance, which is currently available at the low price of $1.49 at Amazon Kindle.

“Huh.” Harriet Te Whare snorted, her knitting needles clicking furiously as she worked on her current project, a striped scarf for her granddaughter. “You weren’t the condom type when Alicia approached us to help her raise the money to float the company. You’re sure as hell in favor of condoms now.”

page 20, Fancy Free

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…

Purchase Fancy Free

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 been in a cowboy mood lately, and my current read is One Fine Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy.

Nate’s gaze dropped from her face and swept up and down her body, assessing every detail like a wealthy buyer at a livestock auction. She felt herself come alive under his scrutiny and wondered if he was noticing her bone structure, the length of her legs, the swell of her breasts.

page 63, One Fine Cowboy

Blurb:

His heart is as wild as the horses he trained…

Nate Shawcross is perfectly content to spend his days training wild horses. So when a beautiful greenhorn unexpectedly shows up for a seminar from the famous “Horse Whisperer” of Wyoming, all Nate wants to do is send her packing…

The last thing she expects is a lesson in romance…

Graduate student Charlie Banks came to the ranch to learn about horse communication, but when she meets the ruggedly handsome cowboy, she starts to fantasize about another connection entirely…

Nate needs to stay focused if he’s going to save his ranch from foreclosure, but he can’t help being distracted by the brainy and breathtakingly sexy Charlie. Could it be that after all this time Nate has finally found the one woman who can tame his wild heart?

Purchase One Fine Cowboy

My special guest today is Ellora’s Cave author, Brandi Evans. So who is Brandi Evans? I’ll let Brandi tell you in her own words.

I’m a stay-at-home mom with a serious addiction. The compulsive need to tell sexy stories to whomever will listen!

As much as I can’t imagine a day without a book (or Kindle) in my hands or a story “under construction” on my computer, I haven’t always been addicted to the written word. Don’t hear many author bios start like that, do ya? But it’s the truth.

Even despite my late start, I’ve never been accused of having a dull imagination. Yowza! If only people knew just how dirty my mind is! For years, I was actually ashamed at how nasty the characters in my head acted. Now, I celebrate their boldness and wish some of their kick-ass-and-take-no-prisoners attitude would rub off on me.

Brandi’s new release is called Lust, Lace & Lingerie, and today she’s sharing some of the research she needed to do to write her book.

When I set out to write my newest release, Lust, Lace & Lingerie, I didn’t know the difference between a nightie and a negligée. Heck, I didn’t even know there was a difference, LOL. Did you? Let me clarify…
A nightie is a type of lingerie, which encompasses any sexy undergarment from bras to garters. A negligée is simply a term for fancy nightgowns. Who knew?! If you’re like you, you probably lumped them all into one category: sexy clothes to turn on your partner.

Learn something new with every book, LOL.

But my research didn’t stop there. For a scene later in LLL, my heroine is helping a customer pick out some lingerie so I thought it would be a good idea to do some research on buying lingerie for each body type. Anyway, I thought I’d share that research with you today. If you’re like me, buying lingerie is intimidating enough, LOL. Hopefully, this will help you lessen your anxiety.

Buying Lingerie to Fit Body Type

1. For women with small busts: Ruffles or other “decoration” at the bust area can help give the illusion of volume. In addition, tops with underwire can lift the breasts, giving beautiful cleavage. Also, try a halter-style top to really display all that beautiful cleavage you’ve just created.

2. For women with big busts: Plunging necklines are a great way to accentuate your positives. Corsets can give you good support and create sexy cleavage. And what guy doesn’t want that!

3. For women with slender, athletic frames: Skimpy boy shorts (booty shorts) can give the illusion of curves. Look for something with a sexy bra or corset and you’ll have your guy/gal eating out of your hand.

4. For women with large hips, thighs or backsides: A babydoll teddy or other pieces that hit around mid-thigh work great a concealing these problem areas. Get a nice sheer material that’ll tease the eyes and get his/her mind—and libido—revving.

5. For women with those dreaded “muffin tops”: A corset or the like can cinch 2 to 3 inches off your waist. If that’s not comfortable, try longer or tunic-style pieces to give the illusion of a slimmer waistline. A babydoll teddy will work great here too as it can hide big tummies. Lastly, remember, dark colors are slimming! I’m not just talking black here, ladies. Dark blue and dark reds are great too.

A final thought…

There’s nothing worse than wearing lingerie that isn’t your size. If you’re a size 18-in-denial, you’ll never find something that truly fits. The last thing you want is to have things squishing out! Measure yourself before going shopping or have one of the sales persons do it for you. Most stores will have sizing charts to help you find your perfect fit.

~Brandi Evans

p.s. In honor of Lust, Lace & Lingerie’s release, anyone who comments on this post will be entered in a drawing for these Truth or Dare coupons!

Here’s the blurb for Lust, Lace & Lingerie:

I love managing the sexy Dallas boutique Red Light Lingerie—talking to people about sex, toys and bedroom wear. One of my favorite erotic benefits? My boss, Maxwell Penn, is a Matthew McConaughey lookalike—but with a hot British accent. Okay, he can be domineering and I spend most of my time on the clock fluctuating between “I want to bed him” and “I want to strangle him.” But still…yum.

Tonight, however, everything will change.

An old friend of Max’s from Britain, a lingerie designer, has flown in to show Max a couple of possible pieces for our new Risqué line of bedroom wear—but their model canceled. Can you see where this is going? Yep. I go from manager to model, and before I can say G-string, this spur-of-the-moment modeling gig ignites in passion and little ol’ me finds herself sandwiched between Max and his dark-n-sexy best friend.

I’d be in heaven if it wasn’t for the guilt swirling in Max’s blue eyes. But guilt for what?

Purchase at Ellora’s Cave

To learn more about Brandi and her books, visit Brandi’s website or blog.

Introducing book ten in the Perfect Stranger series: Gypsy Moon by Dahlia Rose.

Here’s the blurb:

Don’t shy away from love, it will find you anywhere…

Nadira Webb remembers her grandmother’s words when she meets the gaze of a sexy soldier across the ballroom floor. The instant their eyes connect she feels an undeniable, sizzling attraction.

Major Logan Ross sweeps Nadira off her feet and into a whirlwind romance. Every moment together is filled with sensual caresses, every second apart an intense yearning so fierce it leaves both of them breathless.

Will old fears and past memories make Nadira run away, or will she stand her ground and let love run its course?

Purcahse from All Romance eBooks

My book in the Perfect Stranger series, Stranger Things Happen is out today.

Here’s the blurb:

All Friday nights should be this good…

Computer programmer Anna Walton is lonely and facing a dry spell of epic proportions. Tired of the dating scene, she decides to spend her Friday night testing the Reality Suite, a program she and her friends have developed. She orders up some lighthearted flirting and energetic dancing with a fruity drink or two on the side, but what she gets are three hot cowboys with sex and mutual pleasure on their minds.

Dante Rosetti, his brother Gabriel and cousin Cayle take one look at the curvy Anna and decide exactly how their Friday night should play out. Lots of naked bodies, sensual sighs and hot, belly-clenching pleasure.

Once she’s adrift in a stormy sea of fantasy sex with three strangers, will Anna ever want it to end?

Purchase Stranger Things Happen from All Romance eBooks

Do you like food with your romance? Why don’t you check out The Perfect Dish?

THE PERFECT DISH by Kristen Painter is now out! Who doesn’t love a hot chef hero?

Blurb: Texas-born Kelly Spicer is not just one of Manhattan’s hottest young chefs, he’s also one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. Desperate to help his grieving sister, Kelly uses the magic cookbook passed down through his family’s generations to conjure up a recipe of chocolate-laced persuasion to enlist the help of the only woman he thinks can reach his sister.

Psychologist Meredith Black has buried two husbands,an experience which has made her an expert in grief and pushed her to pen two books that landed her on the Oprah show and the best seller list. A cynic in matters of the heart, her success does nothing to ease her belief that she’s a jinx. She vows never to love again and when she makes that sentiment public, dating Kelly becomes her best damage control.

You can find it on Amazon or B&N.

Several years ago I started a tradition. On the first day of the year I always do some writing. This year was no different and I worked on the final story in my Middlemarch Mates series. It’s coming along nicely.

I have quite a bit of writing news to start off the New Year.

1. A Discreet Affair is due for release from Liquid Silver books on 17 January 2011.

2. I’ve contracted a Naughty Nooner story with Ellora’s Cave. I don’t have a release date as yet, but Lightning Strikes Twice is a Middlemarch Mates story. The action takes place at the same time as Scarlet Woman. This makes a total of twelve books in the series. A nice round number to end the series, I think.

3. I’ve also sold a story called Christmas is Coming to Ellora’s Cave. This story is set in the same world as Fancy Free and it is due for release around Nov/Dec 2011.

4. Resisting Tamaki was nominated for a CAPA in the Fantasy/Sci-fi erotic romance category at The Romance Studio. The winners will be announced in Feb 2011.

5. I received a ripper of a review for The Spurned Viscountess from Reviews from the Heart. The reviewer said, “This was such a great book and one that left me with the feel good feeling I love so much.” I scored a Totally Smitten rating. Yay!

How did you start your New Year?

The theme for this week is bad dates. I’ve chosen a snippet from The Bottom Line, my Samhain Publishing release where the heroine and her friends attend a speed dating event.

The Bottom Line by Shelley Munro

“I’ve been looking forward to this all week, but now that I’ve seen the men I’m not so keen,” Susan said in a glum voice.

Privately Maggie agreed with her, although it wasn’t right to judge by appearance. “There are a couple of guys who look okay.” And one of them was Connor. She’d noticed the way some of the women had looked at him, like a dieter studied a chocolate bar.

She tried to tamp down the jealousy blooming inside her. No reason for it, she told herself. They’d both agreed they were free to date others.

A bell interrupted her jumbled thoughts. “Ladies, the gentlemen are ready for you. If you’re a bit lost and not sure where to go, look for the ladies wearing the bright yellow T-shirts. They’re stewards and will help with directions.”

“I’m starting to feel like I’m at school,” Christina said. “And look how the women outnumber the men. I feel like I’m in a competition and that makes me nervous.”

“You and me both,” Susan agreed.

“I’m going to need drinks after this,” Julia said. “Anyone else want to hit a bar with me?”

Maggie nodded. “I’m in. We can discuss our dates. Good luck. Something tells me we’re going to need it.” There were some beautiful women present tonight. Old insecurities surged back to haunt her. If they couldn’t find dates, what hope did she have?

She slipped into the seat opposite her first date and forced a smile. “Hi, I’m Maggie.”

“Stewart,” he said. “I like stamp collecting and reading Superman comics.”

“That’s nice.”

“Can you cook?”

“Yes, I like cooking,” Maggie said.

“Good, I need a woman who can cook. My mother said that’s important.”

Maggie stared, shocked. In her worst nightmares she hadn’t thought the men would be this bad. She glanced at her watch. Another hour. A drink was looking good, and she’d barely started. “What else are you looking for in a woman?”

“I want a woman who is a good cook, does a good job of housework and won’t mind looking after my mother.”

“I’m not very good with sick people.” Maggie had no experience with ill people and didn’t want to learn unless it was for someone she cared about. “Maybe you should hire a maid?”

His mouth dropped open.

Just then the bell went.

Saved by the bell. Surely the dates couldn’t be all as bad as Stewart?

She slipped into the next seat and smiled a welcome. To her relief he wasn’t as bad. He just wasn’t very interesting either. Her mind drifted to spanking and her blog.

“Is there anything you’d like to know about me?” he asked. “Maggie?”

“Yes, what do you think of the idea of spanking in a consenting adult relationship?”

The man’s mouth opened and closed before he replied. “Spanking? During sex, you mean?”

“That’s right,” Maggie said in a crisp voice. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “Er…I suppose I could try it. What would you spank me with? Would it hurt?”

“That wasn’t quite what I had in mind,” Maggie said, the need to laugh out loud taking her by surprise. Maybe the night wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The bell went and she moved on to her next date. She grinned and took her seat. “Hi, I’m Maggie. How do you feel about spanking?”

The man stared at her, his mouth curling into a delighted grin. “I haven’t been naughty.”

“But you’re thinking about spanking. Surely that’s worth a swat or two.”

“And I came tonight under protest,” he said. “Where have you been all my life?”

Purchase The Bottom Line

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Vivian Arend
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Ashley Ladd
Mari Carr
Lissa Matthews
Helen Kay Dimon
Delilah Devlin
Shelli Stevens
TJ Michaels
Jody Wallace

The theme for this week is birthday celebrations. I’ve picked an excerpt from one of my Samhain Publishing contemporaries, Tea For Two. It’s the heroine’s birthday. She had intended to stay at home, but her friend persuades her to go to a party. At the party Hayley meets the hero, Sam.

Tea For Two by Shelley Munro

On the dance floor, he swept her into his arms, their lower limbs brushing with exquisite slowness. Hayley swallowed, trying to control her excitement. She’d made her decision when she’d given him a false name. A one-night stand. Dare she? With a determined playboy? At least that’s what the papers reported. Sam Norville was a dedicated playboy.

And she was considering…oh, dear. She was bad. Even thinking about a one-night stand. Hayley pressed her cheek against his leather jacket and smiled dreamily. Could a secretary be a bad girl during her off-duty hours? Maybe, maybe not. Well, she’d see how the night progressed. She ignored her conscience screaming about impulsiveness and consequences. The memories of her parents’ lectures… Couldn’t a girl have a little fun on her birthday? Maybe he didn’t feel the same sexual currents she did. Perhaps she was making a huge fool of herself, providing a little entertainment for the playboy.

Their bodies swayed. Barely moving, their limbs brushed and bumped together when they collided with other laughing dancers. His nearness, his intoxicating citrus scent overwhelmed her, kept adding to the daring thoughts already dancing through her head. She tingled all over, the heat from his touch pulling her nipples to tight beads beneath the cups of her silky bra.

They continued to dance, holding each other close, hands wandering and lazily exploring. She felt the hard ridge of his erection brushing against her stomach. Gradually she let herself believe that this attraction, this thing between them went both ways.

“What would you do if I danced you into a dark corner and kissed you?” he asked during a break in the music.

“I’m not sure.” Liar, her subconscious taunted. Her body warmed and her limbs became heavy, her pulse skittering alarmingly out of control. She glanced up at him and winked. “Why don’t you try it and find out?”

He could do just about anything to her, if he kept talking in that low, husky voice.

He stared at her for a long second, and she swallowed, her nerves doing a real number on her knees. His sudden smile sent her pulse lurching madly and her stomach fluttering. Those margaritas were tricky little suckers, sneaking up on a girl without warning.

“Come on,” he whispered. “I want to see if my imagination is good.”

Hayley’s breath whooshed out in a gusty sigh, her conscience shrieked at her, but she accepted his hand and, after collecting her bag, let him lead her through the crowd of laughing people and downstairs to the main pub. It was an old one with lots of small nooks and cozy private areas within the main building.

“How far away is this dark corner you’re talking about?”

He winked. “Later. How about grabbing us a seat while I buy drinks?” His dark gaze caressed her face before settling on her lips. The impression felt almost physical and set tiny starbursts of sensation dancing inside her stomach.

Hayley found herself nodding in agreement. “An orange juice for me please.” She watched him prowl to the bar, her attention shooting to his world-class backside. She licked suddenly dry lips and fought with her chiding conscience.

This. Was. Not. A. Good. Idea.

She had time to flee—if she wanted, before things went too far. That was the crux of the problem. If she wanted. She liked Sam, or what she knew of him so far, despite his playboy reputation. Maybe she’d shove the good angel sitting on her right shoulder off and see where her naughty self took her. Yeah, maybe that’s what she should do. After all, it was her twenty-fifth birthday. If she didn’t celebrate, who would?

Purchase Tea for Two

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the trail below:

Leah Braemel
Vivian Arend
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Ashley Ladd
Mari Carr
Lissa Matthews