Sweet N Sexy Soulful Quotes

I'm so surprised at how quickly this year is flying by, aren't you? I feel like I've blinked and suddenly we're in October. I'm afraid if I blink again we'll be celebrating the new year.

Anyway...despite the fast approach of cold weather, I have some hot new releases to share with you for this month's segment.

The books I feature are from authors who were not afraid to be soulful, sappy, and/or suggestive when it came to their heroes. So, grab a seat, and pick up a pen and paper (or fire up your eReaders) so you can add these to your TBR collection.

Happy reading!

Duncan pressed his lips lightly to her forehead, and the soft sound of her sigh was like an answer to every prayer he’d made for the last seven years. Time held still as he leaned down closer and closer to her mouth.

Kissing her would be a mistake. It would only make him miss her worse afterward.

His heart clenched as his lips touched hers. They were as sweet as in his memories. Since she was sad and wanted his comfort, he made himself keep the kiss soft. But his heart was bleeding for her, as it always had. He would let her cut it to shreds again.

When he broke the kiss, he stared into her violet eyes and wondered what she was thinking. Probably that Duncan MacDonald was the most foolish of the many fools who had loved her.

But then she slid her hands up his chest, clasped them around his neck, and pulled him down into another kiss. Her mouth softened against his, and he died a little more inside.

For a long time, he was lost in a mindless, never-ending kiss. But when she groaned into his mouth and pressed her breasts against his chest, lust too-long denied surged through him like a roaring river. And that river of desire swept away all the barriers he had built through all the years away from her.

To have this woman, he would die a thousand deaths, face any enemy, fight the very devil himself. He could never have enough of her.

Duncan drank in her sighs and whimpers as he kissed her mouth, her arched black eyebrow, her perfect nose, her determined chin. Very, very softly, he brushed his lips over her injured jaw.

“Moira,” he said her name over and over. He ran his tongue over her, tasting her skin, as he moved down the side of her throat. Then he leaned her back onto the floor and buried his face between her breasts.

Please, God, let me have her again just this once. He had waited so long and missed her so much. Even as he pleaded with God for one more time, he knew once would never be enough.

Moira should be his. She should belong to him, now and forever.

~ Margaret Mallory, The Warrior

“I’m not going to be jealous of a dead guy, Cam,” Brad said in a low, husky voice. “I mean, I was for a little while, but I’m over it now.”

She turned to face him, wide-eyed with wonder. “You are?”

“I am.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “The people who touch us make us who we are, right? Our parents, our friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, lovers, or one night stands—all of them count.” Turning her hand over, he pressed his lips to the center of her palm then let his hot, moist breath wash over her skin. “I’m not saying I’m about to rush over there and thank him.”

A laugh burbled from her lips. “No, I understand.”

“But you loved him, and because you loved him you were able to fall in love with me.”

Her smile widened as she tried to dissect his convoluted reasoning. “I love the way your ego always lets you circle everything back around to you.”

Brad shrugged. “Whatever works.”

“It so works. Totally works for me.”
~ Margaret Ethridge, Inamorata

"My lord, you are like a stud, ready so quickly."

"You make me a stallion, Joan. By God, you are my one and only treasure."

~ Darby York, Passionate Exhibitions (Anthology)

Daniel’s hands raked through his hair and he bent forward to catch his breath. His fright evaporated at the sound of Marienne’s contagious giggles. Within seconds he was laughing.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” He moved toward her. She looked lovely, backlit by the glow that emanated from the house, hair loose around her shoulders, pale skin luminous in the moonlight, shoulders quivering as she tried to contain her laughter. He felt a strong impulse to kiss her, which took him totally off guard. The neighbor’s dog barked, startling them both, and stopping him from striding toward her, taking her in his arms and making what he thought would be the hugest of all possible mistakes.

“I was just having some water.” Marienne pointed to the glass on the stone ledge.

He looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

She sighed. “And I was waiting to see if you’d walk back through my yard.”

“Back through?”

“I was at the sink. I saw you walk by earlier.”

“You waited up for me?”

“Well, I was cleaning the kitchen and waiting for the dishwasher to finish.” She was a terrible liar. “Yes, I waited up. You looked upset. I wanted to make sure you were all right.” Her dark, round eyes met his.

He stepped toward her. “That was totally unnecessary. And it’s absolutely the nicest thing I can remember anyone doing for me in a very long time.” He hugged her, tentatively, gauging her response.

She lifted herself onto her toes, her small hands pressed into his back, and he relaxed in her arms. He breathed in the aroma of her hair, laced as always with her familiar scent. Eyes closed he allowed her warmth to pass through him. The desire to kiss her remained strong, all the more so now that she was pressed against him, but the need to hug her, and be hugged by her, took precedence. He held her tighter and placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head before he pulled away.

~ Karen Stivali, Meant To Be

* * *

Renee Vincent is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary romance.

Guest Post with Karen Booth

Tempting Brits, Dual POV, and Getting Dragged From the Mud

Karen Stivali and I have been critique partners for just under two years. Our co-authored erotic romance, Long-Distance Lovers, will be out in February from Ellora’s Cave. Karen and I talked about co-writing since we first began working together, but we didn’t find time until we were both in the throws of the submission process with our first full-length novels.

Other writers and friends have asked how we handled the mechanics of co-authoring. We started with good old-fashioned brainstorming (via instant message, that’s the non-old-fashioned part). We both like complex characters, so the starting point was Tim and Jenna. After that, it was a matter of getting to know them and their back-stories, how they would meet, what their difficulties would be, and how they would fall in love.  

We knew we wanted Tim to be a musician and we had to make him British as we both have a preoccupation with Brits. Tim’s physical attributes came quickly—we both had the same type in mind. His personality embodies much of what Karen and I adore about British men. There’s no denying a sensitive bloke with a quick wit and an enthusiastic sex drive. It’s very appealing.

Jenna, our heroine, came together in an uncanny way, both of us drawn to eerily similar traits for her, on our own. Jenna’s very strong, but there’s a real vulnerability to her because of her past. That’s part of what Tim is attracted to, but that also becomes a stumbling block when things fall apart.

In terms of the writing, we went with dual POV. Karen S wrote Tim’s parts and I wrote Jenna’s. We alternated as we went—she would write one scene, I would write the next scene and so on. When one of us came up with a new plot point, we inserted it into a shared master plan to keep track of where the story was going.

One of the best things about co-authoring is having the chance to bounce ideas off someone who not only knows the story as well as you do, but also has as much emotionally invested in it. When you get stuck, there’s that other person there to drag you out of the mud.

Blurb for Long-Distance Lovers:

British musician Tim Wentworth trades his London flat for an apartment in
NYC so he can record with a promising American band, but when he arrives
in Manhattan he learns that the gig has been canceled. With no job and a
two month stay in the States he wonders if the whole trip has been a waste
of time, until he meets the charming and talented jewelry designer, Jenna
Bradford.


Unlike the groupies who throw themselves at Tim after shows, Jenna
couldn’t be less impressed by his music credentials. Bad experiences have
caused her to have a strict “no musicians” policy. When Tim rescues Jenna
from the advances of an obnoxious drunk they strike up a friendship that
in spite of her rules, turns into a passionate affair full of intense and
unexpected emotions. As they try to find a way to prolong their time
together, a family tragedy forces Tim to return to England. Jenna and Tim
must each decide how far they’re willing to go to see if their whirlwind
romance can lead to a lifetime of love.

You can learn more about Karen Stivali at http://karenstivali.com

You can learn more about Karen Booth at http://karenbooth.net

Karen S and Karen B also maintain a site at http://thekarens.com

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9719-long-distance-lovers.aspx