Books Read: Mingmei Yip - Peach Blossom Pavilion

Falsely accused of murder, Xiang Xiang's father is executed, and her mother forced into a Buddhist nunnery. Xiang Xiang, alone and friendless at thirteen years old, is tricked into entering the Peach Blossom Pavilion, where she is given the name Bao Lan – Precious Orchid.

There she is trained in the fine arts of womanhood, studying music, literature, painting, and more importantly, the art of seduction and pleasuring men; and becomes one of China’s most successful courtesans.

However, Precious Orchid is determined to avenge her parents and sets out on a journey that includes passion, adventure, danger, fame, and finally, her chance to achieve the justice she has sought so long.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Books Read: Kat Black - Melting Ms Frost

When Aidan Flynn walks into Cluny’s Restaurant, he can’t take his eyes off his new boss, Annabel Frost. With his heart set on winning her over, Aidan can think of nothing but getting beneath her cold exterior. 

Known as one of the toughest women in the business, Annabel is impervious to Aidan’s many charms. His compelling grey gaze and persuasive Irish lilt do anything but captivate her. 

But Aidan senses there’s more to Annabel than meets the eye. And he’s not going to stop until he reveals all…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Books Read: Claudia Carroll - Me & You

“I’m fine. I’m sorry. Please take care of him for me. And maybe one day I’ll get to explain.” 

Angie knows a lot about her best friend Kitty. She knows Kitty is mad and wild and loves to wear clashing colours. She knows she’s incredibly funny and generous but also very unreliable. And she knows that there is a perfect explanation for Kitty standing her up on her birthday. She thinks she knows everything about Kitty, except she doesn’t. 

Kitty knows that she is the happiest she has ever been. She knows she’s so lucky to have a lovely boyfriend, Simon and a best friend like Angie. But what she doesn’t know is that on this night, her past is finally going to catch up with her and change everything.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Author Interview: Primula Bond

This afternoon it's my pleasure to welcome erotic fiction author Primula Bond to my blog as part of Avon Books feature week. 

Can you tell us a little bit about the final book in the Unbreakable trilogy, The Diamond Ring? 
After the intense and dramatic build up of Serena and Gustav's relationship in The Silver Chain, the second book is marked by the reappearance of Gustav's dark, dangerous, estranged younger brother Pierre and the threat he poses when he develops his own strong attraction for Serena. Although their love surpasses Pierre's games, and Serena and Gustav get engaged towards the end of The Golden Locket, The Diamond Ring by no means represents a neat trot to the finish line. 

Another face from the past rears her ugly head, and her machinations, games and deceptions make Pierre Levi look like a pussy cat. We are whirled from New York to Paris and Morocco as Serena's career blossoms, and even while she and Gustav are making their peace with Pierre, Gustav's ex-wife Margot is keeping tabs on their every move and deciding to take matters into her own hands to get Gustav back. In the end it will be a battle between Serena and Margot to prove who is the genuine love of Gustav's life, and what is the true meaning of the trilogy's title – Unbreakable! 

Where did the inspiration come from for this series? 
To be totally frank I was on the point of giving up writing erotica two years ago (it was paying peanuts!) when my editor at Harper Collins asked me to submit a proposal for a trilogy to echo, but not copy, the success of 50 Shades. There is nothing like being asked to write something to give you a kick start, odd though that might sound. It was an honour. So of course I said yes. Although there had to be some aspects of erotic romance which chimed with other books in the genre, I am never short of ideas and story lines. I let the inspiration come to me slowly and decided to make it as different from 50 Shades as possible in terms of quality of writing and carrying the story through. There is a strong hero and a feisty, burgeoning heroine, but the similarities end there. I wanted lots of exotic locations, photography, and plenty of sex focussing on the romantic rather than the outrageous. 

The first book starts on Halloween night, and I've always had a taste for the dark and gothic. In fact Gustav Levi started out as a vampire, so the story was always going to involve a withdrawn, mysterious hero and a pale beauty who is drawn into his orbit. After that the characters and plot ran away with me and in fact I would describe this as an erotic thriller.

Books Read: Jacqui Rose - Dishonour

‘No matter what she did, he would always be there, right behind her. She could never escape’ 

Laila is sixteen years old and beautiful, kind and clever; traits liable to get her into trouble and make people dislike her …

She doesn’t make her life any easier when she falls in love with an English boy, bringing shame on her family and attracting the attention of some very dangerous men. These men are always watching her and will stop at nothing to get things done their way. 

Soon there’s a terrible ‘accident’ and Laila is forced to make a deal with the devil. And pay a very heavy price for breaking the rules. Laila has been forced to marry a cruel, controlling man by the people who are supposed to love her the most. Without anyone to help her, she has to find her own way out…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Debut Spotlight: Beth Thomas

Today I'd like to wish my debut spotlight guest Beth Thomas a happy publication day for her debut novel Carry You.

Having just read a sample biography, it seems that it's a good idea to insert details of your Booker and Pulitzer prizes on here. Which makes me think maybe I should leave it a while before I write this...

But who am I kidding? I like writing humorous observations on life and love, and that kind of thing never wins prizes. Although I think it definitely should. If it makes people feel good, then it's the same as penicillin, isn't it? And that stuff did pretty well.

I've always enjoyed writing, since I first held a pencil, in fact. No, really. My first novel to be published, 'Carry You', will be out this April - exactly forty years after I wrote my first book in 1974. I was six and the story was about a strange person in a strange land, coping with prejudice and fitting in. It sounds more complex than it is, but I was - and am - proud of it. I wrote short stories for many years but they weren't terribly satisfying. It was only once I had discovered the joy and pain of writing a novel that I knew I had found my niche at last, which is a fantastic feeling. I thoroughly recommend that if you haven't already got a niche, you should definitely get one.

'Carry You' draws heavily from my experience of walking the Moonwalk, so if you want to know more about what that is, you should definitely read it. It will make you laugh and cry, then laugh again, and probably smile a fair bit in between. Eat my dust, penicillin.

Follow me on Twitter @BethThomas68

Guest Book Review: Anna-Lou Weatherly - Wicked Wives

Reviewed by Elizabeth Mullenger

Playboy Casino owner and serial gambler, Tom Black, leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he goes. So when he disappears, it’s no surprise that foul-play is suspected.

The finger of suspicion points to three women from his past; Eleanor, the beautiful socialite with a dubious past, Loretta, the fame-seeking gold-digger, and Victoria, the glamorous, bestselling author. 

Bound together by one man and his mayhem, it’s not long before secrets begin to surface, forcing the three women to take the biggest gamble of all. But in the game of love there can only be one winner – and the winner takes it all….

 Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Author Interview: Kat French

This morning as part of my Avon feature week I'm delighted to welcome Kat French to have a chat about her book Undertaking Love which is published later this Summer.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book Undertaking Love?
It's a romantic comedy with a super sexy edge! It centres on the very public battle between a Las Vegas style wedding chapel and a funeral parlour for supremacy in a sleepy Shropshire village. Beckleberry High Street isn't big enough for both of them, but who will win out? Throw in a cast of beautiful and eccentric characters and it's a sexy recipe for mayhem, misfortune and romantic entanglements.

Where did the inspiration for the Weddings vs Funerals clash come from? (I love it!)
Thank you! I've always had a fascination for Vegas wedding chapels, so it began from a wish to include one in a story. I guess a funeral parlour was just about as much of a polar opposite as I could imagine, and it certainly made for interesting conflicts within the book. Shropshire is beautiful and quite local for me so it's a setting I know well.

Giveaway: Win a copy of Take Mum Out & Peach Blossom Pavilion

Today is the start of my next publisher feature week where the aim is to try and catch up on all outstanding reviews I have for them during the week as well as a few additional features with some of their authors.  So the publisher I've chosen to concentrate on this week is Avon Books.

But as it's Easter I've decided to start the week off not with a review but with a fantastic giveaway for the chance to win not one but two fantastic books by two of their authors. 

I had already bought a copy of Take Mum Out by Fiona Gibson to give away during the week but then I won a copy of Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip but as I already had an ecopy I've decided to include this in the giveaway prize package. 

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.  The giveaway will finish at midnight on 29th April when the lucky winner will be selected and contacted for their address.  Sadly due to the cost of International postage I am going to have to restrict entries to UK only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway