Feast your eyes on this cover!

Scent of Cin, an erotic paranormal romance short story, October.09 from Cobblestone Press.

Half-demon Vedo resurrects the newly-dead Cinnamon Murphy, detective, bane of the Hellions — and all woman. Vedo needs her to find his son, product of a forced union with a powerful demoness, but Vedo gets more than he bargains for. Once Cin is no longer a shade, her scent becomes a lure his Nephilim nature can’t resist. Cin finds that being raised from the dead gives her uncontrollable cravings for heat, especially for the hot man who needs her help, a man she’s sworn to kill.

Unedited excerpt.

Divinity Warriors 4: Taking Karre by Michelle Pillow

Divinity Warriors 4: Taking Karre
The fourth Divinity Warriors book, set in the Divinity Universe.

Sir Vidar of Spearhead is too busy guarding the borderlands to bother with the headache of selecting a bride. Ordered to marry by the king, he plans to grab a woman and get back to the warfront as soon as possible. That is, until he meets the alluring Lady Karre with her teasing eyes, lush lips and irresistible ways.

Known by many names, inter-dimensional thief Karre has only one purpose—take down the company that ruined her life. When her luck runs out and she’s caught, Divinity Corporation condemns her to matrimony on a primitive, warrior-filled plane where Karre soon discovers there are worse fates than being the sexual prisoner to a man with insatiable carnal appetites.

Before long, days and nights filled with a surfeit of sexual bliss become something neither expected, and when Karre is taken, Vidar is forced to confront emotions a battle-hardened warrior never expected to feel.

BUY NOW / READ MORE

This is the last in this series installment, so no waiting for the series to end. There will, however, be more Divinity Series Installments in the Alternate Reality universe.

You can get the first three books in ebook now (book one is also in print): HERE

Futuristic and Science Fiction Romance Authors

As you can see, my bookshelf has quite a number of Futuristic and Science Fiction Romance Books. I wanted to recommend Fut/SFR books for Thursday Thirteen, but I have so many print books and many more ebooks, I didn't quite know where to start.
So, I decided to list 13 SFR/Fut authors from my print shelves that I highly recommend. I've labeled them SFR or Fut. The largest difference is the amount of worldbuilding, with SFR delving deeper into the created world. With the exception of Asaro, the SFR authors write "soft" SF. Asaro does write closer to "hard" SF on occasion. My labels are subjective and the order of the list is random (mostly).

1. Linnea Sinclair - SFR. An auto-buy for me. I recommend all her books, but I usually single out Games of Command for first time SFR readers. It's stand alone & I love the hero, a strong leader with an intriguing vulnerability.
   
2. Catherine Asaro - SFR. Asaro writes SF, Fantasy, and SFR. Her short story, "The Shadowed Heart", struck a chord with me & I've never forgotten it. A war-weary starship pilot and his struggles. I simply love it. It's in the anthology Best New Paranormal Romance.
   
3. Wen Spencer - SFR. Tinker is fantastic! It's Pittsburgh w/ a rift into the world of elves (might be more accurately described as Science Fantasy Romance). Spencer writes both SF & Fantasy with varying degrees of romance & romantic elements. Tinker will not disappoint the Romance reader.
   
4. Katherine Allred - SFR. I really enjoyed Close Encounters and look forward to reading more in this series. There is a great amount of worldbuilding in this story, but I fell right into it.
   
5. Ann Aguirre - SFR. Grimspace is a fun/gritty read. The main character, Jax, is definitely put through the ringer & I'd say that the feel of the series has more in common with Urban Fantasy than most SFR. It's written in first person, present tense, and that took a bit to get used to, but if you can do that, give this book a try.
   
6. Patti O'Shea - Fut. Ravyn's Flight tells the story of a team on an alien planet endangered by an unknown sinister presence. Reminds me a little of Stargate SG-1, to be honest.
   
7. Colby Hodge - Fut. I enjoy her Oasis Series & hope she gets to that third book soon!
8. Nathalie Gray (erotic) - SFR/Fut. Smart and intelligent stories that are hot! & She has an erotic steam punk romance!
   
9. CJ Barry - Fut. Fun and sexy reads. If you like to read paranormal romance, you'd have no trouble reading these books.
   
10. Eve Kenin - Fut. This is the name Eve Silver used to write two fantastic, wonderful books for SHOMI. Driven and Hidden. What's not to love about a kick-butt heroine battling it out with sexy hot mysterious guy, truckers & ice pirates? Or battling a madman trying to release a plague? I talked to Eve during her book signing at RWA. She's not expecting to release another Eve Kenin any time soon, but she said to keep an eye out for more action adventure coming from her. Can't wait!
    
11. Angela Knight (erotic) - Fut. If you like erotic romance, get your hands on one of Angela Knight's futuristics. Too much fun to miss.
    
12. Susan Grant - SFR/Fut. This author falls into my auto-buy category. Her futuristics are incredibly accessible, so if you've hesitated to read futuristic or SF, don't hesitate to read her releases from HQN, starting with Your Planet or Mine? The SF elements are light and it reads more like a contemporary than SF. Still, full of hot, hot aliens!
    
13. Michele Lang - Fut. Netherworld gives a nod to Robin Hood, but the world is even more fantastical. This book is one of the reasons I'd hoped the SHOMI line would be successful, but alas... the line folded, but not before giving us this gem.
    

*bonus author* Lois McMaster Bujold - Romantic SF/F. I must confess, I've heard so many wonderful things about Bujold, but I haven't managed to read any of her novels. I have read a short story, "Winterfair Gifts," featured in Irresistible Forces. One of the most unusual romances I've ever read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very different type of relationship with an unlikely hero & heroine.

Have you read any great Futuristic or Science Fiction Romance lately?
Or, if you don't read these genres, what keeps you from it?

Chosen One By Kim Knox

Here's another Kim Knox futuristic. And this one has a delicious culinary treat, too!





Creamy - Chosen One By Kim Knox
A wickedly delicious dessert. A dark and mysterious man. A woman who can resist neither…


One of many trained tasters to the sovereign, Ceta Lars doesn't want to be chosen. Compounding Ceta's fear of the unknown is her attraction to Iason, the sovereign's paladin. For years, her glimpses of his dark perfection have tantalized her, stolen into her dreams, filled her thoughts with wild, erotic fantasies. Except he's the one man she can't have.


The sovereign's sentient female ship has other ideas. Her hungers rule and she wants Ceta and Iason. Together. One taste of the creamy ambrosia of her creation, and her two reluctant lovers will come together in a fire of scorching, orgasmic lust and passion that neither can deny—that could destroy them both.


Read an excerpt here


Ellora's Cave buy link
Jasmine Jade buy link

13 links on SFR, Science Fiction Romance

Last week, a few posts related to Science Fiction Romance caught my attention & I thought I'd throw together a list of posts that help define or illuminate elements of that genre.

1. Defining the Genre: Science Fiction Romance
   This is from the blog, Love Romance Passion, posted by guest blogger Heather Massey (more from her below). Excellent definition of the genre. A must read.
   
2. A followup to the above post, Jennifer Leland discussed Things I should know…and don’t.
   
3. A blog post that appeared just a few weeks ago on Dear Author -- REVIEW: [SFR Classics] Dragon Bones / Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs written by ジェーン(Jān). Note about this post, some of the books under discussion I would classify as Romance Fantasy or Romantic Fantasy, but it's all good. :)
4. And... a reaction to the post at Dear Author, by Kimber An at Enduring Romance. Why I Don't Love All Science Fiction Romance. For the record, I love SFR and Futuristic Romance of all kinds. These stories only disappoint me if there is an element that truly fails, like any book. I do however, because I love the genre, give more leeway to stories in these genres. I simply love them all.
   
5. Speaking of Dear Author, the blog appeared on my SFR radar again with this past week's review of Jess Granger's Beyond the Rain (a book I have in my hot little hands but haven't had time to read, yet). In the review and comments, there's a short discussion of whether or not a book could be considered a recommended read simply because it's SFR.
6. These recent developments go hand in hand with a few older posts that I'd noted in the past. First, a comparison of character driven SF and SFR by Danger Gal.
7. Short definitions of the subgenres of SF/F Romance, as defined by FF&P authors. This outlines the difference between Futuristic and SF Romance.
   
8. A Sequential Tart interview of Linnea Sinclair (linked on the page listed in #7). This article was one of the first I read, giving me an introduction to "Science Fiction Romance."
9. Various authors/bloggers explain their favorite subgenres of SF/F at SF Signal. Heather Massey explains why she loves SFR.
10. Speaking of Heather Massey, her Galaxy Express is dedicated to SFR and every post is full of wonderful, flavor filled goodness. It's one of the few blogs that is an auto-read for me.
11. If you've an interest in writing futuristics or SFR, another blog to bookmark is Alien Romances. Lots of in-depth craft articles there. Phenomenal resource. Um, maybe it shouldn't surprise anyone that I've bookmarked a few articles by Linnea Sinclair, but seriously, the articles on this blog are great. Check it out.
12. An older article at Speculative Romance Online (no longer active) with an interview about the genre. Of note, this quote by Rickey Mallory: "I think Science Fiction Romance as a genre is probably doomed. Now stay with me here... for some reason people (particularly editors and marketers) are not interested in something called Science Fiction Romance." That interview is from 1998. While I can't predict that SFR will breakout into the next sweeping fad, I do think it's around to stay. Thank goodness. It's been over a decade since that quote & SFR is still here. Still, that interview is relevant and points out one of the reasons I'm grateful for small press/epub to both get my reading fix, and as an outlet for my SFR.
13. I've considered making next week's Thursday Thirteen a list of SFR writers & books I love. In the meantime, here's an article (once again, by Heather Massey) about my favorite book (Games of Command) by my favorite SFR author, Linnea Sinclair. The Tor.com article hits on many reasons why I love this genre in "The Six Billion Dollar Cyborg".

Happy reading and Happy TT!

One Look, Snippet

This Excerpt Monday, I thought I'd post a story that I've decided not to continue. Next Excerpt Monday will be an excerpt of my upcoming October Samhain release, The Forbidden Chamber.

Intended to be a short story, "One Look" was my attempt to ... A. Write contemporary B. Write erotica (as opposed to erotic romance) and C. Write in first person.
This is as far as I got before I decided that writing first person/erotica wasn't for me. Haven't given up on Contemporary, but that's unlikely in near future, cause I'm just lovin' my space tales.
Anyway, this is short, but it was enough for me to recognize my discomfort writing first person when I've never had that problem with 3rd. It also felt too constrained and internal.

Do you have problems writing in 1st?

***

One look at him and I knew I needed contraception. Erotic interludes and one-night stands became a possibility for the first time in my life. My body had never come alive so quickly, edgy with hunger and yearning. Moments ago, he’d invaded my solitude, but an act that a day ago would have had me rebuffing even the friendliest greeting, today had me staring, breath held for that connection. When he saw me, he’d fall victim to that instant lightning, the recognition that had me squirming in my tight wool skirt.

On the park bench across the small park, he slouched down, his head thrown back to catch the seasonably warm rays of the sun.

Look at me.

Look. At. Me.

Why didn’t he look at me?

At ease with dress slacks stretched across muscular thighs, long legs, tanned chest peeking through the loosened tie and unbuttoned pale blue shirt. Two buttons. My fingers itched to work on the next. And the next.

Dappled shadows from the leaves rustling above stretched to caress his thighs. My breath held, longing to do the same, stroke up his stomach and tickle across his shoulders. When the shade reached his lips, relaxed, luscious, he opened his eyes.

And looked at me.

***

Please take a moment to visit other Excerpt Monday participants.

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

So, to kick it off, your hosts:

Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
and
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)

Joining us this week:

AJ O'Donovan, Poetry (PG13)
Stephanie Draven, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Heather S.Ingemar, Dark Fantasy/Poetry (PG13)
Babette James, Fantasy Romance (PG 13)
Cynthia Justlin, Romantic Suspense (PG 13)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Julia Knight, Fantasy Romance (PG13)
Ansha Kotyk, Middle Grade Adventure (PG13)
Adelle Laudan, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical Romance (PG 13)
RFLong, YA Paranormal (PG13)
Caitlynn Lowe, Epic Fantasy (PG13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Crista McHugh, Contemporary Erotic Romance (PG 13)
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)
Leigh Royals, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Megan S., Paranormal (PG13)
Dara Sorensen, Historical Paranormal (PG 13)
Bethanne Strasser, Historical Romance (PG13)

Melissa Aires, Futuristic Romance (R)
Melissa Blue, Contemporary Romance (R)
Jax Cassidy, Contemporary (R)
Christina DeLorenzo, Furturistic Sci-Fi (R)
Maya Doyle, Parnormal Romance (R)
Ginny Glass, Paranormal (R)
Amber Green, Romantic Suspense (R)
Cate Hart, Paranormal YA (R)
Kinsey W. Holley, Erotic Romance (R)
Ali Katz, Erotic Paranormal Romance (R)
Aislinn Kerry, Fantasy (R)
Inez Kelly, Fantasy Romance (R)
Cherrie Lynn, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)
Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
Rebecca Savage, Romantic Suspense (R)
Fae Sutherland, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)

Stephanie Adkins, Paranormal Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Evie Byrne, Erotic Historical Romance (NC17)
Dawn Montgomery, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Lauren Murphy, Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Kim Knox, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Emily Ryan-Davis, Historical Western Romance (NC17)
Kirsten Saell, Erotic Fantasy Romance (NC 17)
Jeanne St. James, Contemporary Romance (NC 17)

Lady Space Pirate playlist

This is the playlist for the story I'm finishing up right now. These songs have that feel to them that really works with the story. They're in order of the progression of the story. From tension to acceptance.

I didn't have 13 songs, so I included the lyrics that reminded me of the story, to kinda stretch the 7 songs out. (The last song isn't linked directly in the player, but if you want to hear it, they have their songs easily available on their site, which I've linked.) So, I'm cheating. Not quite 13!

Fighter by Christina Aguilera
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter
Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet
Big black boots
Long brown hair
She's so sweet
With her get back stare
Criminal by Fiona Apple
What I need is a good defense
cause I'm feelin like a criminal.
And I need to be redeemed
To the one I sinned against
Because he's all I ever knew of love.

Drops of Jupiter by Train
But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?
Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
Amber by 311
Whoa, amber is the color of your energy
Whoa, shades of gold displayed naturally
Launched a thousand ships in my heart, so easy
Yellow by Coldplay
Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow

Starlight by Muse
The starlight
I will be chasing your starlight
Until the end of my life