What a great way to close out 2007 and begin 2008. Rachel C. from Fallen Angels Reviews has given Tamara’s Spirit and Jesse’s Challenge 5 Angels and named both books as FAR Recommended Reads! Woot! Thanks, Rachel! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the Shooting Star Ranch so much.

Here’s what Rachel said:

Tamara’s Spirit - Corralled Book 2

“Hot! Hot! Hot!
“What more can I say? This steamy story had me thinking about it every time I put it down. Tamara is a woman we all love to hate. She has attitude, (she’s a bitch), she’s sexy as hell and has all the guys’ attention. But you gotta love her anyway. No one not really looking can see the inner Tamara, and that’s the way she likes. It’s how she keeps from getting hurt; it’s also how she stays in control. Within the first few pages you know she’s met her match in Dakota. And what a yummy match he is. He’s smokin! And where there’s smoke there’s fire. This pair sizzle they’re way through Tamara’s Spirit like a wild fire in the brush. Before you pick up this book get yourself a cool drink or a yummy man handy to help you cool off afterward. But it’s not just the chemistry between them that keeps you turning pages; it’s the intimacy that only increases with every encounter. The soul deep emotions that both of the characters go through and must deal with are so alive and vivid I swear I was sitting right next to them. Nicole Austin is an amazing author, who has brought to life the struggle these two go through with such skill that even the steamiest of encounters is never out of place. It’s not very often that you get a truly hot romance, but when you do you’re left with such an emotional connection that at the end of the book you’re mourning the loss of a friend. If you like your romance erotic or your erotica romantic then you have to get this book. Nicole Austin is now on my list of must have authors and I’m looking forward to reading the other two Corralled Series books.”      

Jesse’s Challenge - Corralled Book 3 

“Nicole Austin has done it again. Jesse’s Challenge lives up to all expectations. Having read book two in the Corralled Series I had a fair idea of what I was going to get. But Ms. Austin stepped over the mark and took me on a ride I’m more than willing to go on again. Jesse is one hot cowboy who can come and warm my bed anytime. Even out of his element in the big city this cowboy oozes sex appeal and cowboy charm. The sizzle in Jesse’s Challenge does more than keep you warm, it has you sweating. With a little voyeurism and public sex you can almost see the steam rising of the page. Kate’s in charge take no prisoners attitude fits her well and the push and pull between these two in control characters produces its own steam. Jesse is obviously in need of a very strong woman to balance him and in Kate he’s found that and more. Kate’s the type to not just balance but push back, and doesn’t she have fun doing it. Every step of the way these two give you a thrill, whether in the bedroom or out. If you’re not afraid of pushing some boundaries then you’ll love this book. After spending some time with Jesse in the previous book I was delighted to spend another couple of hours with him, and Kate couldn’t be a more suitable sparring partner for him. Jesse and Kate’s story is one that grabs you and ropes you in and Jesse brings new meaning to the words ‘cowboy up!’ Ms. Austin shows great talent in bringing to life her story and characters and I look forward to the next installment of the Corralled Series. I’ll be hunting up the first book in the Corralled Series while everyone else needs to put Jesse’s Challenge on their Christmas Wish list.”

Not a very naughty subject this week, but fun, Recovering From Christmas. Check it out on The Hussies blog.

Thirteen Neologisms

An author friend recently shared these with me and since I love words, I decided to share them with you. The Washington Post has a yearly neologism contest in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. The winners are below.

1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.

*Bonus – I had to include them all
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.) (back by popular demand):The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and get stuck there.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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It’s December 23rd–Festivus–the holiday for the rest of us!

May your Festivus pole be non-distracting (without tinsel). May your airing of grievances be plentiful. And if chosen for the feast of strength may you win the match!

Blurb:

They say cowboys don’t cry… Apparently they don’t forgive and forget either.

After four years, Lori Dayton is returning to Safford, Arizona to spend Christmas with her family and face her past. She has reservations about seeing Dean Wilcox again. But time hasn’t changed her. She still loves Dean more than ever.

Time heals all things… Yeah right! Lori still heats Dean’s blood like no other woman. Even after all she’s done, he can’t resist the urge to take her in his arms, feel her body pressed to his. He wants her naked against him, just like before.

Can he forgive her, as well as himself, for that dreadful night when they lost so much?

Nic’s Recommendation:

Yeehaw! This is one scorching hot little read. Ms. McKade’s cowboys are alpha men with hearts of gold. Dean is no exception. He and Lori have a lot of past hurt to overcome, but perhaps they’ve both grown up enough that the task is not insurmountable.

I highly recommend you pick up Second Chance Christmas from Samhain Publishing. While you’re there, check out the rest of Mac’s books which are guaranteed to get your heart pumping and fog your computer monitor or ebook reader.

Woohoo! I love those blue ribbons. Jenn L. from Romance Junkies gave Tamara’s Spirit 5 Blue Ribbons and Jesse’s Challenge 4.5 Blue Ribbons. Thanks, Jenn! Read on to hear what she thought of the books.

Tamara’s Spirit: 

“Nicole Austin manages to deliver a scorching hot read full of sexual chemistry while still managing to tell a poignant tale of love and healing. Balancing both the sexual tension and the need to really understand and see Tamara as the wounded spirit she is was no easy task. Yet as you read TAMARA’S SPIRIT, you can really feel all the emotion and pain as well as the love story that lies beneath.  

“Dakota comes across as Alpha and in total control at all times, but all this is tempered with his apparent love of Tamara and his Native American beliefs. His character is true to himself and never falters from the path Ms. Austin has created for him. She’s written him with a passion and spirituality that surpasses the pages and engages not only your mind but your heart as well. Tamara is equally engaging and clearly is the focus of this novel. She is troubled yet strong, and in the end finds the strength she needs to complete her healing journey.  

“TAMARA’S SPIRIT is so much more than a love story and because of that the love story is all the more poignant. Watching as Dakota and Tamara find love is deeply satisfying, and TAMARA’S SPRIT is a novel that should not be missed.”

Jesse’s Challenge: 

“Nicole Austin delivers a tale so smoking hot that it will have you seeking out the one you love. Rather than the usual build up of emotional attachment, Ms. Austin’s characters act on their carnal longing far before they really begin to know one another. While this may have some thinking this tale is more about the sex than love, they couldn’t be more wrong. Sure, the tale is full of sex hotter than the sun, but underneath are two people looking for the fulfillment of love and acceptance of another person. Jesse and Kate are both likable and they each bring their own humor and emotion to this highly erotic tale.  

“JESSE’S CHALLENGE is not for the faint of heart, but once you get past the sexual heat you’ll find yet another stellar installment of the Corralled Series well worth the time it takes to read it. Just a friendly warning if I may, make sure you have a significant other handy or at least a tall glass of cold water to cool off with after you finish this one.”

Blurb: 

He is looking for the love of his life, she is looking for a little refuge.

Scott Wyatt knows what he wants for Christmas and it comes in a beautiful voiced, make his heart race, more than tempting package. If only he could see her.

Tara Patrick needs a man to make her ex see the light. But when the gorgeous brother of her best friend offers himself for the job, she has to say no. How could she possibly use the blind man who makes her heart flutter and not get hurt in the process?

Staring at the opportunity of a business lifetime, Tara finds herself living as close to Scott as one can live without sharing a bed. Tara’s ex isn’t happy and he sets out to prove he won’t lose her. But when darkness falls, which man has the advantage, because Scott isn’t willing to let Tara go either. 

Nic’s Recommendation:  

I am one of the readers who um…strongly suggested (more like demanded) Annmarie McKenna write Scott’s story. Thanks for listening, Ms. Mckenna! If you’ve read Blackmailed, her debut novel, you may remember that Scott is the heroine’s younger brother. Look What Santa Brought was worth the wait. Scott is all grown up now, and Tara can’t resist the hunky blind businessman and friend. The build-up is sensual and the coming together explosive.

Thank you, Ms. McKenna, for giving us a hero who knows no limits, regardless of his physical boundaries. Scott is strong and determined to do whatever it takes to protect the woman he loves. It was fun to catch up with Bri and Tyler again, although I would have liked to check in with Cole too.

Look What Santa Brought is a heartwarming, quick read you will love. Even though releated to Blackmailed, it stands on its own and is not necessary to have read one to enjoy the other. All of Ms. McKenna’s books are available from Samhain Publishing. I very highly recommend you pick up each and every one as they are all fabulous!

Yup, I’ve been rather naughty again. This week, I’m breaking down social boundaries and talking about Faking It! Let your opinion on the subject be heard on The Hussies blog.

Thirteen Inspirational Hunks

Being very visually oriented, I find pictures to use when describing places, things and people in my books. Below are thirteen hunks who have inspired me. Meet the men of my books…

 Aiden McCarthy & Travis Lundy - Passionate Realities

 Cord Black - Savannah’s Vision - Corralled Series Book 1

 Jake Cruise - Spontaneous Combustion - Dreams of the Oasis, Volume I

 Blake Carlisle - The Boy Next Door

 Dakota Blackhawk - Tamara’s Spirit - Corralled Series Book 2

 Rakahnja “Kahn” - Rakahnja’s Haven - black jaguar shape-shifter

 Jesse Powers - Jesse’s Challenge - Corralled Series Book 3

 Grayson “Gray” Rothschild- Enough

 James “Jamie” Stratham - Restless (Coming 1/9/0

 Sebastian “Bash” - Trip My Switch (Coming 4/16/0

 Brock Madden - Brock’s Hellion - Corralled Series Book 4 (work in progress)

 Riley Jasper - Riley’s Bargain - Corralled Series Book 5 (not yet written)

 Zeke Meyers - Zeke’s Awakening - Corralled Series Book 6 (not yet written)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

 Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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Book 1 in The Hussies series 

Blurb:

Sara had searched for answers her entire life — why had she been abandoned as an infant and why did she possess the ability to paint things that foretold the future? What was she supposed to do with her ability? Exactly what was her destiny supposed to be?

Help comes from an unexpected source. A mysterious woman from a time long past offers her the opportunity to find the answers. But to do so, she has to locate and protect a man who is fated to play an important role in mankind’s destiny.

Sara never imagined that her task would bring her face to face with a man she’d idolized for years. That their meeting would spark a passion so hot it threatened to consume them. Or that her mission would be one that demanded only one of two outcomes. Succeed and live, or fail and die. Will love be strong enough to save them or will the price of failure be both their lives? The answers will be revealed. All in time.

Nic’s Recommendation:

Seems like I’d been waiting for the first book in The Hussies series forever, but it was well worth the wait! Cianna Stone’s (friend and hussy sista) writes sensual, spiritual stories which draw the reader in from first page and refuse to let go of your heart. Sara is one tough heroine, prepared to do whatever it takes, pay whatever price is required, to ensure her heroes success. Morgan’s soul may be tortured by the past, but he proves himself worthy of Sara’s devotion in many wonderful ways.

I’m on pins and needles waiting to see what Ms. Stone, multi-talented author and artist, has in store for us with future books in the Hussies series:
    

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A Taste For Jazz 

and 

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer

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All In Time is available from Ellora’s Cave, along with Ms. Stone’s other hot stories. I recommend you check out all of her titles as they are guaranteed to please!