Tag: romance

#bookreview Guarding His Midnight Witness

Hey, romance addicts. It’s been a minute since I had the time to review a book, but I have one for you guys!

Art, law enforcement and organized crime, who could want anything more? In Guarding His Midnight Witness, Anna J Stewart offers readers a respectable romantic suspense with the usual suspects and elements layered with stable and quirky characters.

Artist Greta is struggling with a creative block making painting impossible. So what does she do? Why, the only thing possible. Cooped up in a loft with her mind whizzing and creative juices not flowing, she takes to sipping tea, petting her cat and spying the neighborhood. Only thing is, she gets more than what she bargains for when she witnesses a murder, or at least she thinks she saw one. No, she did, right?

Continue reading “#bookreview Guarding His Midnight Witness” →
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Looking for the Silver Lining

Hey, romance addicts. Let’s welcome author Anne Krist (Dee S. Knight) to the Layla Writes Love blog. Anne writes about the need that more attention be paid to the brighter side of life, so the darkness doesn’t overwhelm us. She is also giving readers a special treat, an excerpt from her book Burning Bridges.

By Anne Krist

While watching The History Channel a while ago, I saw a program on Leonardo da Vinci. I really only started watching because the location featured Florence, one of my favorite places, but I soon was caught up in Leonardo’s early life and his handicaps.

The man we consider one of the greatest of his time—maybe one of the greatest men of all time—was illegitimate. Today that doesn’t seem all that horrible, but in the 15th century, illegitimacy limited what one could do in life. Joining a professional guild was the way to change your position in society, and many guilds were closed to bastards. He had no formal education; everything he did came from his own observation and self -education. 

Continue reading “Looking for the Silver Lining” →
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First Kiss Passion

I love writing a variety of steamy scenes, where readers can connect with the arousing and complicated sensual encounters of my characters. Out of the range of hotness, the moment of a couple’s first kiss offers some serious titillation.

In the suspense romance, Building on Broken Dreams, Adam and Maryam refrain from touching each other until after they are married. By the time their wedding ceremony is over, each of them are pretty ready to get busy. In the excerpt below, we see them heated and poised to finally have their first kiss.

Enjoy!

Continue reading “First Kiss Passion” →
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From Traditional to Self-Published Author

Guest Post

Hey, romance addicts. Let’s welcome author Brenda Whiteside to the Layla Writes Love blog. I am thrilled that Brenda is sharing her experience with transitioning from traditional to self-publishing.

My first contract offer landed in my email inbox in 2009. I jumped around the house like my pants were on fire. Seeing an offer, the thrill of putting your creation out for others to enjoy never gets old. I stuck with my publisher for eleven years.

Continue reading “From Traditional to Self-Published Author” →
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#BookTeaser – Chasing Sisyphus by JL Peridot

Mis Quince Años (33)Guest Post by JL Peridot

Hey, everyone, my name is JL Peridot. I’m a sci-fi/futuristic romance writer from Australia. More specifically, “retrofuturistic” romance. I have a mild obsession with old technology, especially when it’s projected hundreds of years into the future where it really has no business still hanging around. Some writers (and readers) call them anachronisms. I call them beautiful.

Today, I’m sharing a teaser from my very first novella, Chasing Sisyphus. It’s set in a retro-futuristic city on a distant planet, where eyeball implants and sleek technology coexists with chunky handheld devices and guns that still fire bullets. I hope you enjoy!

Chasing Sisyphus [The Basilica Conspiracy] (Siren Publishing Allure) by [JL Peridot]Chasing Sisyphus
JL Peridot
$2.98, 92pp, Kindle
Genre: Scifi Erotica

Excerpt

Adria hadn’t counted on the tripwire. This kid knew someone would follow him home one day. He’d strung a line of empty soup cans across the apartment hallway. When she kicked that out, a hefty serving of iced water came down squarely on her head. Gooseflesh prickled her neck and shoulders. The muscles in her jaw seized in the cold. Against the shock, she scrambled to her feet, fired up to catch the stomping and crashing in the other room before it got away.

A figure ran past the doorway. Continue reading “#BookTeaser – Chasing Sisyphus by JL Peridot” →

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#MFRWHooks-Resisting Arrest in Romance

Mis Quince Años (33)

Marcus Kent is a brilliant lawyer and loving son, brother and husband. He is handsome and muscular, standing at about 6’4″ tall, which can be dangerous for a man with his skin tone.

Education, economic comfort and leading the life of a law-abiding citizen doesn’t insulate Marcus from police who see his stature and Blackness as a threat. In the excerpt below , after a horrible fight with his wife, Marcus has a run-in with police while he’s minding his business in the hall of his friend, Quinn’s apartment building. 

Sweet Love – Bitter Fruit
By Lyndell Williams
$ 2.99, 332pp, Kindle
$12.99, 343pp, Paperback
Genre: Urban Professional Romance

kindle-unlimited-logo-png-300x56

Excerpt

Marcus opened his eyes and jumped at the poke on his arm. He blinked and looked up and moaned. Great. Two uniformed police officers loomed over him looking none too pleased. “What’re you doing in the hall?” asked a cop with a thick mustache. “You live here?” The cop grumbled and jabbed him harder. Continue reading “#MFRWHooks-Resisting Arrest in Romance” →

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LWL Interview: Bestselling Author Talia Hibbert on Writing Her Way to the Top

LWL Author Interview (4)

Hello, readers! I am thrilled to introduce author Talia Hibbert. Talia is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate.

I have reviewed Talia’s books Damaged Goods and That Kind of Guy. She expertly fuses humor and sensuality.  Her book A Girl Like her is book one of her popular Ravenswood series. Check out the blurb.

A Girl Like Her

Available on Amazon

A Girl Like Her: A Small Town Romance (Ravenswood Book 1) by [Hibbert, Talia]She’s the town pariah. He doesn’t give a damn.

In Ruth Kabbah’s world, comic books are king, silence is golden, and human contact is a pesky distraction. She doesn’t like people, which works out just fine, because the people in this small town don’t like her. The exception to that rule? Evan Miller, her way-too-charming next-door neighbor…

Ex-military man Evan is all tattooed muscle on the outside—and a big, cuddly teddy bear beneath. He’s used to coaxing prickly people from their shells, but he’s never met a woman quite like Ruth. Blunt, sarcastic, and secretly sad, she’s his exact opposite. She’s also his deepest desire.

Continue reading “LWL Interview: Bestselling Author Talia Hibbert on Writing Her Way to the Top” →

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LWL Interview: Sara Allen on Writing and the Power of Language

A fellow Muslim romance writer? I am here for all of it! I was thrilled to learn about Sara Allen and her extensive work writing in a genre often frowned upon by Muslims, despite the rich history of sensual literature in Islamic culture. She has written seven books, including her latest, Disposable. Check out the blurb.

Disposable

Blurb
Available at Amazon

Disposable by [Allen, Sara]When Caryn Blake, a prominent, black litigation expert, walks in on her cheating husband entertaining his latest girlfriend, she goes a little crazy. After everything she’s done for him; giving him the space to live it up, while she makes the moves securing a name for herself and fame for both of them, the betrayal is just too much. However, revenge is bitter-sweet, especially when it’s taken too far.

Caryn decides to take a much-needed break in the most remote state she can find. With nowhere to go and no one to take her. Caryn makes the most of a bad situation, finding friends and a lover she never thought she deserved. Continue reading “LWL Interview: Sara Allen on Writing and the Power of Language” →

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#BOOK REVIEW: Marriage of Time

Review by Lyndell Williams
MARRIAGE OF TIME
By Mariah Stone
$12.99, 194 pp, paper
$3.99, 196 pp, Kindle

What is a pregnant woman to do when cornered by her mafioso ex? Why she gets some help from a magic-packed old lady with the ability to catapult her through time.  In Marriage of Time by Mariah Stone, the main character Mia is smart, beautiful and very fertile. She had finally escaped her abusive Goodfella boyfriend Dan only to find herself knocked up. She tries to keep him from learning about the little bundle of joy, but we all know that never works out. Continue reading “#BOOK REVIEW: Marriage of Time” →

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Character Building: I Made This

LWL Widescreen (18)#open book

What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?

I may (or may not—I admit to nothing) base a character on someone I respect or despise, so I will have to be salty and sweet with the response to this week’s OpenBook blog hop post. Let’s start with the people I like.

Sweet

I’ve explained in a Black Glue Podcast interview how the Prophet Muhammad served as inspiration for the male characters featured in the Brothers in Law series.

I reflected on the Prophet (Muhammad’s) life and how he was as a husband … lover … someone out in the community and how he transitioned between those things. What he did when his women were mad at him, and what he did when his women were acting out. [The brothers in law] don’t act exactly like the Prophet, but there are characteristics each one of them has.

Simon is the one who keeps things at a level where it doesn’t get too bad. He doesn’t allow things to get to him as much.  Marcus is the alpha, alpha. He’s the leader. He expects things to happen the way he needs for them to happen because he’s progressing the nation. Adam is that inner reflection.

Continue reading “Character Building: I Made This” →

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A Baby-Making Impasse

LWL Widescreen (3)Sweet Love-Bitter Fruit is the second book in the Brothers in Law series. It is a steamy and exciting stand-alone book that tells the story of Marcus and Toni Kent, a successful Black New York couple struggling with infertility.

After multiple in vitro attempts, Marcus decides he can’t take seeing the woman he loves in so much pain, but Toni is still on board with the idea of more treatments. Will a baby-making impasse tear this dream couple apart?

Enjoy a sneak peek at this fantastic duo, who have to fight to keep life from crumbling their rock-solid union.

Sweet Love–Bitter Fruit

Available at

amazon-logo_black

Excerpt:

Click to Preorder“Hi”—Marcus hovered over the nurse panting—“my wife is very sick,” he said over the
sound of gurneys rushing behind him. He tightened his grip around Toni’s waist, his muscles burning as he strained to keep her from crumpling to the floor. He hefted her up further against his body, her head rolling against his chest. The emergency room sliding doors ground closed, drowning out her soft moan. “It’s gonna be okay, Sweetness.” He barely got the words out of his closed throat. They hadn’t been okay since the morning.

Toni had begun the day getting out of the bed and vomiting. He went for his run and returned to sounds of her retching over the toilet. She assured him it was a passing thing and insisted that he go to work. Her clammy skin and cold hands told him otherwise, but he Continue reading “A Baby-Making Impasse” →

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LWL Interview: Aubree Pynn Keeps Her Keyboard Lit

LWL Author Interview (1)Aubreé  Pynn is a writing demon. She pumps out books that capture readers with dynamic characters and plots that make one flip page after page. She already has readers loving main characters Indigo and Taj in her latest book, Indigo Haze. Check out the blurb.

Indigo Haze: Thug Love is the Best Love by [Pynn, Aubreé]Indigo Haze: Thug Love is the Best Love

Available at

amazon-logo_black

Blurb:

Indigo Sims is fighting to break the curse of his environment and not be a product of the streets. Every time he pulls away, something goes array and sucks him back in. A natural-born leader and peacemaker, he gives himself two months to be free from the streets while saving every dollar he can to fulfill the promise he made to himself.

Taj Ali Adams has a bright future ahead of her and an undeniable light that everyone around her wants to protect, especially her older brother. With tragedy lingering around her, the light that shined so bright goes dim. Continue reading “LWL Interview: Aubree Pynn Keeps Her Keyboard Lit” →

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#BOOK REVIEW: Winter’s Beast

Review by Lyndell Williams
WINTER’S BEAST
By Twyla Turner
$9.99, 252 pp, paper
$3.99, 254 pp, Kindle (Free, KU)

Love and loyalty frequently clash in life and lead to a big ole mess of emotions. It is the same in the world of romance fiction. People are often conflicted between staying true to one person or following their love, desire, or lust for another.

In Winter’s Beast by Twyla Turner, the main character, Yury, a disfigured henchman for  Ivan, has to watch as his boss/savior sexually torments singer Winter. Ivan, obsessed with Winter’s beautiful voice and albino body, holds her captive and grooms her to become his sex slave and feature in his erotic club. This guy is all kinds of diabolical.

No, I’m not turned on. You are!

Winter initially resists Ivan, but he uses her sexual insecurities and inexperience to groom her into submission. While Ivan is preying on Winter, Yury tries to make life in captivity bearable while he falls in love with the beauty.

The world of kink simultaneously disgusts and enchants Winter, whose sensual history is dotted with sporadic moments of unfulfilling sex. She despises Ivan, but her body responds to his sexual abuse in a way that leaves her confused and titillated.

Yup, homeboy got her all kinds of messed up in the head. Continue reading “#BOOK REVIEW: Winter’s Beast” →

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