I appreciate the opportunity to talk about romance and jumped on Delilah Devin’s invitation to guest post.

As an author, I love to toy with dark ideas in the realm of romance. It’s rooted in the characters I create. Their wounds. Their goals. Their desires. The black hole in their soul that will either be a wasteland or the road to salvation. In writing fiction, it’s fun to translate those into symbols scattered throughout the story. Touchstones. Images we give readers. There’s no better visual than Darth Vader. And the words of Yoda: Anger, fear, aggression. The dark are they.

In romance, our main characters obviously are in love or soon will be. In erotic romance, sex is a powerful vehicle and lust is the driver. How far do we take-send-deliver the character with the most at stake?

That’s a gray area.

Tapping into our emotions ~ How dark can dark go?

It depends. When it involves fictional love and not just sex, we have to start with someone in need. I write alpha male characters and they’re hungry. They have a zest and zeal for life, starting in childhood, then it explodes in adulthood, usually in a skillset and a career. Someone we’d peg as passion-infused… or obsessed?

But to feel what a character feels, we need a common language to go deep. And sometimes, we aren’t sure why some terms are a turn-on… or a turnoff.

Passion and obsession by definition:

passion (n.) In Middle English “…an ailment, disease, affliction…” also “an emotion, desire, inclination, feeling; desire to sin considered as an affliction…” (mid-13c.). The specific meaning “…intense or vehement emotion or desire…”

obsession (n.) 1510s, “…action of besieging…” (Later (c. 1600), “…hostile action of an evil spirit…” …(like possession but without the spirit actually inhabiting the body). Psychological sense “idea or image that intrudes on the mind of a person against his will” is from 1901.

[From] obsess: Of evil spirits, “to haunt,” from 1530s.

—Online Etymology Dictionary https://www.etymonline.com/

We use ‘passion’ to describe extreme emotions, while ‘obsession’ was once equated to being haunted, or nearly possessed.

Between passion and obsession lies the demarcation of what is acceptable. Who doesn’t want to feel passionate about something? What about obsessed?

If by obsessed, do we mean they’ve gone over the edge? But have they?

Crossing the line~

While writing romance, a fictional mirror of reality, I’ve played with taking a character to the very edge of obsession. In Her Forever Cowboy, Stephen McLemore, an explosives engineer, walked away from crossing the line with Jillian. Eight years prior, he was in college and she was in high school. In the backyard of her parents’ home, which was about to be sold, they shared a stolen kiss. Jillian’s parents recently died. In a moment of offering Jillian consolation and comfort, Stephen crossed the line. At that moment he realized he wanted more, much more. A taste of Jillian left this man with an open wound. An ache. A consuming hunger.

Instead of consummating a budding romance, the hero walked away. But did he? This is a story about a man who refused to cross the ultimate line into darkness, but remained rooted in the heroine’s life in ways that clearly bordered on obsessive. And it isn’t until the very end of the story that the reader and Jillian become aware of how much. For some, the story could be taken as too much. What the hero did was unacceptable. For others, it’s the sign of unrequited love. A chance to be the wind beneath another person’s wings by giving them opportunities they might not have had. And that question plagues the hero. Did he alter the heroine’s life for the better and will she forgive him?

Why do we love to hate our obsessions?

So, in writing this type of hyped existence, I skate a fine line in Her Forever Cowboy. In order to give Stephen McLemore the opportunity to heal, he has to admit he has a problem. He does, up to a point. It’s up to the reader to decide from the get-go. Is Stephen wrong in doing the things he does, given the circumstances? Wrong because all obsessive behavior is too much? Or can a human being actually circumvent free will?

We connect with romance heroes and heroines because they’re flawed. They come to terms with their complex nature and are willing to change for the sake of love. In Her Forever Cowboy, I pushed boundaries to the max. Subplots involve family dynamics, drug and alcohol addiction, money and the things people do to maintain face, how far over the edge will friends and family go to preserve the status quo, loyalty, compassion and forgiveness.

In writing dark romance, it’s always a dance of weaving love, lust, shining moments, darkness in the soul, sickness, obsessions, addictions, redemption, pain, and selflessness. Both as reader and writer, it’s like boarding the ultimate emotional roller coaster. To love dark romance, we adore the steep rise and sharp drop.

Whether it’s life and fictional romance, it’s why we do what we do again, and again, and again.

Hope to see you on the dark side. It’s so much fun to be bad!

Do you agree? What’s something you’re passionate or obsessed about, or straddle the line? What would it be like to not have this deep feeling?

*~*~*

Thank you so much for allowing me to stir the pot on dark romance and give you a taste to the backstory of Stephen McLemore. Take care and happy romance trails.

About the Writer

Susan Arden is a best-selling author of romance novels. She lives just south of Nashville and when she isn’t writing, she owns and runs a cut flower farm. Susan is releasing four new novels in 2023. Stay tuned! www.susanardenauthor.com

Her Forever Cowboy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I48M19C

I’ve never been much of a gardener, but this week I’ve felt the urge to get out into nature. It’s early spring here in Melbourne, Australia, and every year like clockwork, I feel the need to grow things. Warm sunshine and the idea of new beginnings fill me with hope and renewed energy. But more on that later.

My husband and I chose seedlings we thought we’d be safe with. Lettuce, tomatoes, chili, chives, basil, and oregano. We’ve had an abundance of parsley from last year’s crop, so we hold hope that we’re not completely hopeless.

Amongst the rows of plants, I drift towards the plethora of colour. Fragrant roses and sunny daisies tempt me, but I had something else in mind. I’ve discovered a love for dahlias. They’re pretty to look at and I couldn’t stop myself from picking out these two beauties.

Sincerity Rose

Tropical Punch

I mentioned new beginnings. At this time of year, I find myself reflecting on the past and pondering the future. I’m proud of the two novels I’ve written during the past year, and I look forward to another productive year ahead.

Now that I’m recovering from much needed sinus surgery, I’m drawing a line against the past few months of health issues and looking towards better days.

I know this period of reflection and hope definitely has something to do with my birthday. Yes, today I am a year older but I’m treating the day like any other Sunday. Although we may splurge on getting some takeout delivered. Who doesn’t love deliveries of any kind? And who doesn’t love a FREEBIE?

Cop Hero √
High school sweethearts √
Feisty female √
Second chance of love √
Sweet with a touch of naughty √
Sweet and spicy √
Intro to the Browne brothers’ √
Browne brothers’ banter √

Book 1 The Cop is available with Amazon and KU

Kane Browne is a sexy as sin cop who is used to accommodating everyone else’s needs before his own.
Cue Jess Frost, the gorgeous woman with a sharp tongue and eyes like the ocean.

From their first roadside interaction, sparks fly but an illness has robbed Jess of her self-confidence and Kane needs to convince her he’s worth taking a chance on.

Book 2 The Athlete is FREE today and tomorrow on e–book Amazon and KU

‘Dane was easy. All he wanted, was to play footy.’

Recently, ‘The Great Dane’ Browne has been questioning whether he can return to the elite level of Australian Rules Football and more importantly, whether he wants to.

Katelyn Jennings has never really made peace with the breakup with her high school sweetheart and for good reason. Working as a nurse in the rural town of Kingston Creek, a chance encounter will put her heart and her life through the ultimate test.

They’re about to discover whether you can move on from your first love. And for Dane, it’s about discovering who he really is AWAY from the game.

Follow Deb Robinson on her official Facebook page
Follow on Twitter @DRobinsonbooks
Follow on Instagram @debrobinsonbooks

Life is constantly changing. Today things are great, then you get a phone call, and your world is turned upside down. Lately, my life has been a rollercoaster ride and I’m just trying to hang on. I have days when I feel totally overwhelmed and all I want is to hide under the covers. But I get up. I dress. I push through. I know so many of you understand moments like that. Someone once told me that when you’re feeling down, smile. Even if you don’t feel it deep inside. Eventually, your brain catches up and your mood improves, and life seems a tiny bit less daunting. Does that work? I don’t know, but I think we all have ways of dealing with stress or grief. If a latte makes your day less crappy, then get the latte. If you feel like binge-watching your favorite Netflix series because it takes your mind off your troubles, then put on the cozy sweats and grab the popcorn. The bottom line is this: life is too short to deny yourself a little innocent pleasure.

This is part of the plot of my latest story. Alice Layne discovers her beloved grandmother has been murdered. As if that’s not awful enough, the killer sets his sight on her. Her entire world is turned upside down and she finds herself delving into her grandmother’s past to get to the truth. Not a fun task. After all, no one wants to dig up their loved one’s dirty little secrets, right?

Writing this book has brought out so many emotions in me. Alice is strong and determined but dodging a knife-wielding maniac is a new kind of terrifying. It has made me think of my own grandmother. I lost her when I was young, but I still remember how awesome she was. How special she made me feel. I remember chowing down on her delicious homemade chicken and dumplings while she taught me how to play pyramid solitaire. Now that I’m a grandmother, I work very hard on building those kinds of sweet memories with my adorable grandson.

More about My Pretty Butterfly: Dangerous Entanglements Collection—Releasing December 6^th! Authors in this collection include Nicole Morgan, Krista Ames, Amber Daulton, Karen Cino, Stacy-Deanne, and Amy Stephens

A helpful stranger or a deadly trap?

When Alice Layne doesn’t receive her daily phone call from her grandmother, she knows something is off. Finding her murdered on the kitchen floor, a butcher knife sticking out of her back, is horrifying enough. The note promising to do the same to her if she doesn’t give the psychopath a mysterious necklace is the icing on the cake. Before she can even get a chance to call the police Christian Jackson, her grandmother’s mysterious next-door neighbor swoops in and offers to help. Alice is tempted to rely on the big, brooding man, but is Christian a white knight or the sinister puppet master pulling the strings?

Christian learned early in life never to trust anyone. Love is for fools. That mantra has kept him alive. Until Maude Layne came into his world. She’d taken one look at his dirty, starving, ten-year-old self and given him a job at her corner grocery store. He’d known kindness and respect for the first time in his life.  And now he’s making it his mission to avenge her death. He hadn’t counted on the beautiful Alice showing up and putting herself square in the crosshairs of the murderer. Ensuring her safety might just prove to be the easy part. Keeping his hands off her? Now that’s damned challenging.

Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Entanglements-Romantic-Suspense-Collection-ebook/dp/B0B51Z2YF1/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dangerous-entanglements-nicole-morgan/1141779550
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dangerous-entanglements
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dangerous-entanglements/id6443158419

About the Author

Bestselling author Anne Rainey, “wastes no time getting right to the erotic heart” (Publishers Weekly). She is published by Kensington and Entangled Publishing. Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into Italian and German. In addition, Anne has dipped her toes into self-publishing with her exciting paranormal series: The Zenarians. Anne is from the Midwest and has had a variety of odd careers, including sales associate, nail technician, chiropractic assistant, and restaurant hostess. Her love of books has opened her up to a thrilling career as a romance author. Her stories are filled with passion, love, and the sometimes-exasperating bonds of family.

Find Anne:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annerainey
Rainey’s Readers Private Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/785284435328066/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annerainey49/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annerainey15
Website: https://www.annerainey.com/

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
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UPDATE: The winners are…Jen Todd and Katherine Anderson!
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In a realm where deadly creatures lurk, there’s a town that functions as a haven for all species. Magic enchantments cast by the witch’s council protect its borders, and hellhounds police the streets.

Mortals can co-exist and even breed with vampires, demons, werewolves and witches. You can stop by The Gilded Scroll and chat with the elvish bookshop owner, or visit Tina’s Treats for the realm’s tastiest desserts, or even pick up a love potion at The Broomstick.

But be wary of the magical fountain in the center of town.

Severn the siren lives there with her many daughters. Legend has it she seduced a witch while out at sea and convinced him to build her a home in the heart of Clayridge. Fed up with the dangers in the wild, she tricked him into creating a fountain in the safest place in the realm.

Large gates warn you not to enter. Pity, since its beauty shouldn’t be missed.

Cobblestones surround it, and a gorgeous carved stone balustrade encircles it. Inside, its waters are deep. Aside from the sirens, no aquatic creature exists there. Their home consists of glass, gold, and rock. Above the water, it looks a bit like a mountain, with some sandy surfaces and rock faces for the sirens to sunbathe on. But like an iceberg, the bulk of it sits, suspended below the surface.

Hive-like, their rooms face outward, providing them with lovely views of clear blue water, and deep within the fountain are the common rooms. Places where they gather when the weather is poor, or to eat or shop.

Vendors from across Clayridge travel to the fountain to exploit the sirens’ controversial wealth. Market days are very busy in the fountain, as sirens like expensive material items and fancy new electronic devices. They’re driven by base pleasures, and if they have the coin, why shouldn’t they indulge?

You can spend a night with one of these seductresses if you have enough money or attend one of their parties. Or attend a party held in their home, though beware, you’re likely to bump into a vampire or demon. Riffraff are commonplace in the fountain, and gossip is nearly currency.

If you’re willing to take a risk and have little to lose, a trip to the fountain is a perfect stress reliever, as Ezra is about to discover. Too bad he has more to lose than he realizes…

*~*~*

Dear reader,

I have two new releases this fall. The Siren and the Water Witch releases today (YAY!), and Drew releases on October 1. The former is a fantasy short story that is part of the Clayridge Chronicles ongoing series, and the latter is a paranormal romance wolf shifter novella.

Below are the blurbs for each story. Comment and tell me which of the two stories you are more interested in reading, and I’ll select two winners and provide them with an ebook copy of their preferred story.

 The Siren and the Water Witch

Ezra is about to discover just how much one night of pleasure is really worth.

Star athlete and academic wizkid, Ezra Graves, is acing his classes at the Barrett Academy, all except botany. After scoring a passing grade on the midterm, Ezra considers ways to celebrate, and nothing sounds more appealing than a trip to the Clayridge fountain to indulge in the forbidden with a siren.

Ezra doesn’t need to vie hard for female attention as the Academy’s golden pupil, but he’s dying to shed his good boy image and taste the forbidden. Visiting the fountain could damage his reputation and academic career—even get him kicked out of the Academy. More could be at stake, as he receives a gentle reminder that half-blood witches have been disappearing lately. Being away from the protection of the school grounds—particularly at night—could prove deadly.

Armed with enough gold coins to pay for a night with one of the fishy seductresses, Ezra ignores his better judgment and heads for the fountain. But little does he know something dangerous is lurking in the shadows, with Ezra’s name and the promise of a significant paycheck if the witch can be caught and delivered to the notorious vampire, Nixon Castor.

Order your copy today!
Read the excerpt here: https://www.cameronallie.com/siren-water-witch/

Drew

Her scent changed everything.

Alyssa Mayer’s scent is intriguing. It’s sweet, sensual and ignites Drew’s blood like nothing before. His body burns for her, his mind is occupied with thoughts of her, meaning only one thing. She’s his fated mate.

The problem? He doesn’t recognize her from a local pack, nor any pack he’s ever smelled before. Is she human? She is his fated mate, but if she’s human will he dare to break the species barrier? It wouldn’t be the first time a wolf shifter mated with a human, but such a bonding brings its own mess of troubles, and that’s before considering a neighbouring alpha wants Drew to agree to an arranged mating.

After spending her youth drifting from one foster home to the next and spending her adolescent and adult life homeless and alone, Alyssa wonders how long she’ll be able to stay in the small town. She can’t risk anyone discovering her secret. All she wants to do is paint and find a forever home, but as an oddity, a freak of nature, she knows that can never be, no matter how much she’d like to stay.

When she meets Drew, her instinct tells her to run, but for the first time she might just have a reason to stay, despite pack pressures and hidden foes are threaten to keep them apart.

Read the excerpt here: https://www.cameronallie.com/pack-trouble-series/

Autumn has arrived with all her splendor. It’s time to pull out the cozy sweaters and wool socks and put the flannel sheets back on the bed. (Did I mention I really dislike being cold.)

This is my favorite time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer—those long, hot days that seem to last forever. But fall is the time of new beginnings for me. There is nothing quite like inhaling the first lungful of crisp, autumn air to make me feel invigorated and alive.

Maybe it goes back to my childhood where each September heralded the start of a new school year. Remember those days of new school clothes, new teachers, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones? The smell of chalk and new textbooks mingled with the unmistakable scent of new sneakers and blue jeans with the tags barely clipped off. There was always such anticipation in the air. The possibilities were limitless.

Nature senses the impending transformation, too. Trees change color, their green leaves turning to a brilliant array of gold, red, yellow, and burnt orange that sets the countryside ablaze. They are putting on their final show before bidding us adieu until next spring. Birds start to migrate, heading for warmer climes. They drop in on feeders in suburban backyards, filling up for the flight south. The small, furry animals that inhabit the woodland areas are scurrying to stock up food for the impending snowy season. Everyone is busy as they sense the coming change.

If autumn is a time of new beginnings, it is also a time of endings. Summer vacation is over and the long, hot days are replaced with shorter, cooler ones. The sun sets earlier each day, inviting the darkness to take precedence.

The nice thing about this time of year is that there are plenty of holidays that invite us to celebrate all the change that surrounds us. Halloween arrives with its ghosts and goblins, encouraging all of us to embrace the dark of the season instead of fearing it. Thanksgiving offers us a respite from the onset of the cold and dark. It is a time of gathering. A time of giving thanks for family and friends and the fact that there is food on the table and a roof over our heads, something I never take for granted.

So instead of bemoaning the end of the summer this year, embrace the arrival of fall. It has vibrancy and life in the midst of death, new beginnings in the midst of endings and limitless possibilities!

Ancient Desire
Forgotten Brotherhood Book 5

Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep. Nothing. And yet something, or rather someone has. The unexpectedly attractive human not only touched him. She kissed him. Now Lucius is awake, and more powerful than he has ever been in his 4,000 years of existence. And once he finds out who led her to his cave, he’ll deal with his 300 years of hunger…

College professor Raine Carson spent her life obsessed with myths and legends. And now she’s woken one up. Only, Lucius is nothing like anything she’s ever seen or read about in her history books. Because this man is part sexy badass and part terrifying…monster. Yet she wants him with a hunger like nothing she’s ever felt before.

Lucius used to be part of the Forgotten Brotherhood—a ruthless group of paranormal assassins. Now he’s unsure if his former Brothers are their allies…or enemies. All he knows is that someone is hunting him, and Raine is just as tangled up in this mess as he is. And he’ll protect her—even if it means unleashing his Dragon and all of its power.

Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7G3QHRK/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/ancient-desire
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ancient-desire-n-j-walters/1141872172
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ancient-desire
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/ancient-desire/id6443213388

Check out the rest of the series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086BT7QJL/

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!
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Leave a comment for a chance to win a code for an App download.

The latest thing to hit the reading world is Apps, where you can buy and read books in bite-size pieces. Twelve hundred to fifteen hundred words at a bite. And why is this good? Because if you are waiting in line for food, or riding in an Uber, or even on a bus, sometimes a whole chapter is too much, and you have to shut down before you finish. Bummer!

There are Apps for all purposes: entertainment, research, and education, all in bite-size chunks that make it quick and easy to absorb.

Also, you can quickly adjust the fonts and size of the book’s text which makes reading easier and more convenient. And when people can comfortably adjust these things, they end up reading more often and therefore read more books.

For those of us that have always associated reading with school and textbooks, reading books on tablets and our phones can actually be pretty fun nowadays. Perhaps it is still rather difficult to believe but that’s the truth—your perception is playing tricks on you. While one of the greatest advantages of reading on a mobile device is the convenience of having a huge portable library, there are many more features that the reading app and their counterparts bring to the table that can make your reading experience fun.

Probably the number one reason people love their reading apps is convenience. They are able to carry their entire library on one lightweight smartphone or tablet. This is especially appreciated by those who live in small spaces or who just don’t have room for one more bookcase and have a sky-high pile of books. How about travelers? A reading app saves on valuable suitcase space and is lightweight and easy to tote around. It also solves the problem that many readers run into. Have you ever chosen a selection of books to take with you on vacation only to find when you get there you’ve lost interest in all of them? With a reading app you can simply choose another. Some will even let you download books from other sources.

Another reason is accessibility. If you have vision or hearing difficulties, the ability to change and increase font size or have your book read to you can make reading a pleasure again. Book reading apps are accessible on almost any device, making them invaluable to those with other health problems that make reading hardcover books painful to impossible. While almost all book reading apps allow you to adjust the font, not all offer the text to speech function and on those who do, not all books are text to speech enabled. Depending on the publisher, you will find that they may have chosen to refuse to allow their books to be enabled. Still, there are still a wide variety of book reading apps available to suit your personal needs.

And finally, book readings apps are inexpensive if not already free for your device with access to many e-books that are cheaper than their paper equivalents. In addition, there are a plethora of free books available. One of the real joys of using a book reading app is discovering new authors through these free book offerings. Using book reading apps is also a green practice, saving paper and as a result, trees.

I have jumped into it with both feet. Several of my books can be found on apps like Kiss, Webnovel, Magatoon, AnyStories, iReader, Kindle Vella, NovelCat and others. This is a good and inexpensive way to try my books. Just click on the link below from my web page, go forth and search. Remember, just pennies can bring you hours of enjoyment.

https://desireeholt.com/reading-apps/

About the Author

USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.