Like morning mist off the river – #MFRWHooks #Giveaway #99Cents

Greetings and welcome to another MFRW Book Hooks blog hop.

My blog tour for the 25^th Anniversary Edition of my first novel Raw Silk is going on now. It’s an excerpt tour, which means you’ll find a different snippet at every stop. And I’m giving away a $25 bookstore gift certificate to one lucky reader. Every day you have a new chance to enter. You can find the list of stops here:

https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/09/excerpt-tour-raw-silk-25th-anniversary.html

Meanwhile, for today’s event I’m sharing an excerpt nobody else has, from the latter part of this intensely sensual erotic romance. Enjoy!

Oh, one more thing – the e-book is only 99 cents during the tour, at Amazon and Smashwords.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Raw-Silk-Lisabet-Sarai-ebook/dp/B0DF6Q2S2B

Amazon CA:

https://www.amazon.ca/Raw-Silk-Lisabet-Sarai-ebook/dp/B0DF6Q2S2B

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Silk-Lisabet-Sarai-ebook/dp/B0DF6Q2S2B

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1611408

Blurb

In a foreign land, a woman discovers exotic new realms of the senses.

When software engineer Kate O’Neill leaves her lover David to take a job in Thailand, she embarks on a sensual journey that will change her forever.

In the glittering City of Angels, Kate becomes sexually involved with two very different men—a handsome and debauched member of the Thai aristocracy, and the charismatic, dominant proprietor of a sex bar. With Anand Rajchitraprasong, she discovers her own almost unlimited capacity for erotic pleasure. Meanwhile, Gregory Marshall shows her what she has hidden from herself: a deep desire to submit, to surrender herself body and soul to someone with the power and compassion to master her.

Each lascivious adventure binds her more closely to her lovers. Then David comes to Bangkok, and Kate realizes that she must choose one of the three men who all desire her.

Long considered an erotic classic, Raw Silk chronicles one woman’s intimate voyage toward love and self-understanding. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition has been freshly edited and includes a new introduction plus a bonus chapter.

The Hook

Have I made a terrible mistake? she wondered, leaning on the balcony railing and drinking in the elusive freshness of morning. Gregory said he loved her, but what did that mean? He was a mystery. He might be a criminal, for all she knew. He might have other lovers—he’d more or less admitted he has other slaves. Would she just become another of his toys? He might even be married already.

That didn’t seem plausible. He wouldn’t have proposed if he hadn’t been serious. After all, why should he? He knew he could have Kate body and soul without any kind of reciprocal commitment.

And she—lost in her submissive trance, she’d been ready to say yes, right there. To a man she’d met less than two months ago.

God, she was so stupid!

When Gregory finally awakened, she’d tell him she’d changed her mind. That she’d been blinded by lust, in no state to make a life-changing choice. That she needed more time and more information before she was sure.

Would he understand and assent? If not, could she let go of him? His returning the leather collar had signaled his intentions. She could assume it willingly, acknowledging him as her master. Or she could keep it “to remember him”, the only trace of him remaining after he’d gone.

The notion was a knife in her gut, pain far worse than he’d ever inflicted upon her. She couldn’t relinquish him. She needed him too much, wanted him—loved him? The agony she felt, imagining a life without him—was that a symptom of love?

Gradually, as she watched and mused, the lead-colored clouds hanging over the Chao Phraya flushed flamingo pink. A barge laden with sand made its placid way upstream. Otherwise, the river was empty, flowing solemn and endless toward the sea. Morning birdsong reached her ears, even up here on the tenth floor. The first rays of the rising sun struck a glint from the gilded stupa of a wat across the water.

The peace and beauty mocked her. Tears gathered in her eyes, spilling over to run down her cheeks and onto her bare breasts. What should she do?

“Kate.”

Gregory’s voice turned her name into a caress. He rested his big hands upon her shoulders, pulled her body against his and nuzzled the spot below her ear. She sank back, melting in the fevered heat that radiated from his naked flesh. She couldn’t help herself.

“Having second thoughts, little one?” He flicked her earlobe with his tongue and sent electric currents streaking down to her sex. Although the gesture seemed playful, his tone was serious, without his characteristic mockery.

Kate turned her back to the dawn, seeking his eyes. “To be honest, yes.” The ache under her sternum made it hard to speak. “Last night, everything seemed so clear. This morning…”

“This morning you have doubts.” He combed his fingers through her curls, massaging her scalp. “Ah, Kate! When I woke to find myself alone in our bed, I knew you’d been thinking too much.”

His fingertips traced the line of her cheek. Then he cupped her chin and bent to kiss her.

Her fears evaporated like morning mist off the river.

Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s hop. And why not pick up a copy of Raw Silk? It’s less than a buck.

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Review Tuesday: The Only Question That Matters by JL Peridot -- #ReviewTuesday #ScienceFiction #Erotic

The Only Question That Matters by JL Peridot

Some people are convinced that sex and love are separate things. That’s the rationale, I suppose, for the popular distinction between erotic romance and erotica. Readers looking for warm, fuzzy forevers are supposed to choose the former genre. Those seeking the thrill of desire should select the latter. Meanwhile my own books tumble into the chasm between the two to languish largely unread. I’ve never been able to get my mind around the love/sex dichotomy.

Of course there are the clear cases: frantic, mindless lust at one extreme, platonic devotion at the other. Most of the time, though, in my books and in my life, I’ve found the love and sex to be intricately entwined. A sensual connection – that wonderful, elusive chemistry that sometimes draws two bodies together – amplifies the emotional bond between two people, while deep caring for another human being can transform sex from the instinctive scratching of an itch to an exercise in transcendence.

JL Peridot wrestles with these issues in her wonderful novella The Only Question That Matters. At one level, this opulently sensual story is a long description of a single one night stand. Sofia and Alexei are both passengers on the AMS Celestial Dream, traveling between the stars. Only twenty-four hours before Sofia is scheduled to debark on Planet Paradiso, they succumb to mutual attraction and end up in bed in Alexei’s cabin. They’re well-matched, each able to bring the other to multiple peaks of pleasure. The author lingers on each action, each sensation, drawing the reader deep into to their mutual passion.

But from the very first, their coupling goes beyond the physical. Though they’re almost strangers, their intuitions about one another have a sort of inevitability. Nuances of emotion accompany every caress. These sex scenes are the exact opposite of mindless. In each one, the characters are fully present, experiencing each other not just as bodies but as complete humans. Gradually they open to one another, sharing history, preferences and fears.

The story unfolds from Sofia’s point of view. She’s been damaged by a marriage that turned out to be a terrible mistake. Her flight to Paradiso is an attempt to escape to a new life. So she doesn’t need or want encumbrances. Having fallen once for a most inappropriate man, she is wary of love. And how can she be thinking of love, anyway, when she barely knows the man next to her and will be forced to say goodbye to him in a few hours?

And yet... and yet, it’s not just sex. It’s much more, for both of them, an interlude that will linger in their memories even if they do end up parting. A time together, body, mind and emotion, that will change them both forever.

These themes resonate so deeply for me, that it’s little wonder I loved this book. Add to that the graceful, observant prose and I have to say this is one of the best erotic stories I’ve read in quite a while. Because it’s romantic as well as erotic; it plumbs the depths of desire and thoroughly undermines the popular distinction between love and sex.

One final note: the edition I read, which was a pre-release version purchased from the author’s website, included a set of “out takes” – snippets discarded from the final book, mostly from Alexei’s point of view. These added a fascinating slant on the official story. I’m glad JL Peridot decided to tell the tale solely from Sofia’s perspective. I think that adds to the intensity and the mystery. However, the extra material makes it clear that the sense of intimacy and connection between the characters was not one-sided.

By the way, this book was finally released yesterday. If you’re like me, convinced that erotica and erotic romance don’t have to be separate genres, go get yourself a copy.

Blindsided, wasted and irrational – #RomCom #Giveaway

Blurb

In the close-knit town of Marchfield, where gossip spreads faster than a teenager’s texts, English teacher Audrey Fremont and Algebra instructor Oz Taylor find themselves at the center of a scandal—and a romance neither saw coming.

A few too many drinks at Happy Hour and a glimpse of his infuriatingly sexy shoulders lead to a one-night stand that should have ended there—but didn’t. Relentlessly organized and a bit of a perfectionist, Audrey is horrified to discover that Oz is one of her new coworkers. Yet, stolen glances in the hallway, moments in the copy room, and snarky banter make keeping it “no strings attached” nearly impossible to maintain.

With meddling friends and nosy colleagues already placing bets on their romance, Audrey and Oz can’t ignore the chemistry simmering between them. But just when Audrey thinks she’s got everything under control, a surprise confession from Oz leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about love.

In a town where everyone’s watching, Audrey and Oz must decide: will they keep playing it safe, or risk their hearts on a love that could change everything?

Excerpt

“I picked up a guy, Val, and I took him home,” I said into the machine without daring to look at her.

A minute passed in silence. Sammy Kershaw twanged Third Rate Romance in my head while I pushed and prodded the levers and buttons, searching fruitlessly for the jammed paper.

Seconds ticked by slowly, and my anxiety grew until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I ducked my head out to look at her.

Val was gaping at me. Her mouth moved as if she tried to breathe air underwater. Finally, she managed, “WHAT?!”

I snorted at her expression. “It was irrational and completely unlike me. But I was blindsided, Val. He came into the bar, and he had these shoulders. Massive shoulders!”

Val gasped dramatically. “Oh no! Not SHOULDERS?!”

I glared at her. “You know my weakness."

“I do,” Val nodded solemnly for a moment. “So what happened?”

“I asked him to drive Green Lightning to my apartment."

“You never let anyone drive her! Not even me,” Val pouted.

“He didn’t even like her! He said she was ugly!”

Val’s hands fisted, and she hit the table. "Outrageous! What a jerk. I can’t believe you let a jerk drive her!”

“I’ll say it again. I was both wasted and irrational."

“And hot for a bologna pony, apparently,” Val responded wryly.

I wiggled my eyebrows. “I may have offered to ride his stick shift."

About the Author

 

M. Jayne LaDow is a playwright and author who leapt into writing romance after spending thirty-three years wrangling middle school English students. Her rom-coms are hilariously inspired by her years in education, where she was regularly pied in the face, sang classroom karaoke, and dressed up like characters from novels. She resides with her very patient husband, two brilliant yet snarky children, three cuddly rescue cats, a toe-biting tortoise, and a bearded dragon who judges her life choices from his terrarium.

https://mjladow.com/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0D58S6PHL/allbooks

https://www.facebook.com/people/M-Jayne-LaDow/61559414725278/

https://substack.com/@mjladow

https://www.instagram.com/mjladow/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-jayne-ladow

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/67d8f1c8-9dbf-4447-a232-b34013a37bfc

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49955411.M_Jayne_LaDow

M. Jayne LaDow will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

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No dead bodies meant something was wrong... #CozyMystery #Giveaway @KateJuryDuty

Blurb

The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives.

But after being sequestered for four months, life as some knew it no longer exists.

HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed by a careless driver. Exotic dancer CEECEE LAINE discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job. Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old HELEN RYDER discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.

Then things take a turn for the worse. When former jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold, and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose. Now the feuding foursome must find him before he kills them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.

Excerpt

The ringing telephone woke me up. Without opening my eyes, I felt around until I touched the nightstand and finally, my phone. “Hello.”

“Wake up.”

I groaned. “Alex, what do you want?”

“I need you to wake up.”

I forced myself to sit up. The clock on the radio said it was after ten. “This better be important.”

“Something is terribly wrong,” Alex said. “It’s the thirtieth and nobody’s dead.”

“Hallelujah.” I hung up and dived back into my pillow. The phone rang again, and I groaned. Only Alex would think that no dead bodies meant something was wrong.

I rolled over and grabbed the phone. “Now what?”

“No one’s dead.”

About the Author

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.

Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.

Links

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katejuryduty

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/juryduty17

Tiktok: http://www.tiktok.comKatedamon1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565155275435

The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

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Why 1936? #TimeTravelRomance #HolidayRomance #Giveaway

By Pamela Spradlin Mahajan (Guest Blogger)

I chose 1936 as the decade my heroine, Cat, travels to in my time travel romance A VERY RETRO CHRISTMAS for a myriad of reasons. The 1930s are a decade that appeals to me. One of my grandmothers was born in 1930 and she told me many tales of her childhood. I have of course seen childhood photos as well which add to my imaginings. I have always thought it would be fascinating to go back in time and meet my grandmother or my mother at different ages and see what their lives were like.

Another component of selecting the 1930s as the time period for A VERY RETRO CHRISTMAS was the escapist aspect of all stories. While every book provides an escape, I feel that transporting readers (or viewers in the case of television or movies) to another decade doubles or even triples the escapist effect. Certainly that can be appealing.

There are many aspects of the decade that were far from perfect, but as this is a lighthearted Christmas romance, I focused on the elements of simpler time; of living life, not only without a smartphone, but without a television. It was interesting to imagine the ways people might think up to entertain themselves, without the crutch of scrolling a smartphone.

As a copywriter who has penned content for retailers and crafted many product descriptions, I can also say that thirties clothing and fashion were a factor in choosing the decade. Imagining what people wore in the 1930s was another way to make that decade truly come alive on the page. Whether it was the vivid red lipstick and homemade dresses of one of my characters or the stunning gown and cape Cat dons in one of the final scenes, the clothing and style of my characters is intricately connected with their stories.

From imagining what life was like for my loved ones to a desire to live— if only for a brief time— in a screen-free world, there are many reasons I set A VERY RETRO CHRISTMAS in 1936. It was a lovely escape for me and I hope it will be for my readers as well.

Blurb

What if the future you always dreamed of, was actually in the past?

Social worker Cat has no intention of falling in love or getting married—much to her mother’s chagrin. While mourning her paternal grandmother’s passing, Cat opens an heirloom left by the matriarch—a coveted Christmas ornament—and finds herself transported to December 1936.

Handyman Eli spends his days doing odd jobs around town and his nights hammering away on his house—whatever it takes to keep his mind off the awful year he’s had. When a mysterious young woman drops into his life seemingly overnight and wants to rent his guest house, he is at first annoyed and then more than a little intrigued.

Excerpt

Eli charged across the dirt driveway, flung open the door of his truck, and slid into the driver’s seat. Hunched over the steering wheel, he pushed the key into the ignition and glanced at the closed back door of the house.

Nosy woman, wasn’t she? Asking him questions that weren’t any of her business—questions he had no intention of answering. Eli ground his back teeth together. Why did Cat have to bring up the one thing—the one person—he worked so hard not to think about every second of the day? And last night she’d asked him about the crib…A cramp pierced Eli’s chest.

It was good that Cat was staying in the detached house. Maybe her presence would expel some of the old energy and stagnant memories of what the space was supposed to be.

He turned on the truck, backed up, and hurtled down the driveway toward the main road. He took a deep breath as he pulled onto the two-lane street, vaguely aware of his fight-or-flight response receding. As his body unclenched, an image flooded his mind of the woman sitting at his kitchen table right this very minute. When she’d spoken, one of her blonde ringlets had fallen into her eyes. The way she’d flicked her head just so to get it out of her face…it did something to Eli. His mind was a rush of color—the flush of her pink cheeks, the flash of her hazel eyes, and the straw-colored hue of a bouncy ringlet.

About the Author

Pamela Spradlin Mahajan is the author of women’s fiction and romance. Her debut novel, Skye, Revised, was released in early 2024. Pamela has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and creative writing from Missouri State University and a Masters from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Her recent short stories have appeared in the online literary journal "They Call Us" and she has been honored in the WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Pamela lives with her family in Kansas City, where in addition to writing women's fiction and romance, she also works as a copywriter, journalist, and reseller.

Website: https://pamelamahajan.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelajsm/

Pamela Spradlin Mahajan will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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The attraction of self-immolation – #ScienceFiction #Philosophy #Review

Blurb

Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.

Excerpt

Autumn, 1907: late one morning, some kind of torrid, invisible beast seemed to wrap itself all around Fingal T. Smyth’s body. Each one of his toes twitching fiercely, he exited the castle and scanned the distant, Scottish Highlands. Go back where you came from. As the entity wrapped itself tighter all about his person, Fingal blinked back his tears. I’m melting, I am. Aye, it’s the heat of fusion.

Gradually, the beast’s heartbeat became audible—each pulsation. At the same time, too, the illusory heat of transformation emitted an odor as of oven-roasted peppercorns dissolving in a cup of burnt coffee.

Over by the gatehouse, Fräulein Wunderwaffe appeared—the little German girl wearing a plain-sewn robe and square-crown bowler. In that moment, she no longer seemed to be a sickly child of seven years: her inscrutable expression resembled that of a wise, indifferent cat.

Perhaps even some kind of lioness. Fingal cringed, and he recalled a fragment of conversation from three weeks earlier.

“She suffers from a most unnatural pathology, an anguished, maniacal obsession with cats,” Doktor Hubertus Pflug had explained. “Ever since the poor girl was a baby, she has always regarded it her fate to one day metamorphose into a glorious panther, for she believes herself to be ein Gestaltwandler. Do you know this word? It means shapeshifter and refers to someone who possesses the power to take the form of anything in nature.”

The heat radiated up and down Fingal’s spine now, and his thoughts turned back to the present. Aye, it’s a change of phase. I’m melting into a chemical compound. Despite all, he greeted the girl and willed himself to flash a grin.

Review by Lisabet Sarai

When I look back on the experience of reading M. Laszlo’s novel On the Threshold, the first description that comes to mind is obscure. From the first page, the book throws up obstacles to comprehension. It appears to be set in Scotland, but the local inhabitants include a German philosopher and an American devotee of film theory. Mundane occurrences interweave with bizarre transformations. Symbols abound. Nature offers a marvelous and terrible mirror to humanity, as philosopher-engineer Fingal T. Smythe struggles to understand the secrets of the universe.

I really had no idea what was going on. I skirted the edge of losing my patience. Still, I kept reading, until the very end, savoring the imagery and gradually relinquishing any expectation of clarity. Why? Because the second adjective I’d apply to On the Threshold is original, and in this world of copy-cat books, I’m a sucker for originality.

There are no tropes in sight here. There’s no way to predict what will happen next. Indeed, the traditional structural elements of a novel make only a casual appearance. Nevertheless, there’s something fascinating about this book.

The narrative swerves from absurd to ecstatic, banal to poetic. There are inspiring as well as deeply disturbing images. There’s also the thread of a love story, enduring over decades, linking the protagonists when continents separate them.

So did I enjoy On the Threshold? The word “enjoy” seems a bit weak for this book. I found it surprising, challenging, often frustrating, occasionally illuminating. The author had a vision, I think, one that he was determined to capture in prose despite its slippery nature.

In the Afterword, M. Laszlo mentions that On the Threshold got its start during a poetry workshop. When I read that, things made more sense. The book, like a good poem, has multiple levels and arresting contradictions. As is the case with many poems I read, I’m not sure what it means. Like many poems, the author drops hints. It’s up to the reader to follow the clues.

About the Author

M. Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. On the Threshold is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, On the Threshold, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe.

Buy link: https://aiapublishing.com/product/on-the-threshold-m-laszlo/

M. Laszlo will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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My 25th Anniversary Tour starts today! #Giveaway #EroticRomance @GoddessFish

Today is the first day of my two-week excerpt tour to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary edition of my first novel, Raw Silk. I hope that you’ll follow the tour; I am giving away a $25 gift certificate to one lucky person who does.

You can find all the links here. Just scroll down past the blurb. Links will be updated daily. There will be a different excerpt at each post.

https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/09/excerpt-tour-raw-silk-25th-anniversary.html

To make this event even more exciting, I’ve dropped the e-book price from the usual $5.99 to only 99 cents for the duration of the tour.

Unfortunately, the e-book is only available on Amazon and Smashwords. It has been censored by Barnes & Noble and Kobo, based on a totally invalid accusation that the book includes incest. (It does not.)

The book is also available in paperback.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKJ2PW92

I hope you’ll join in the fun!

 

Oh... and if you're on the new social media platform BlueSky, I hope you'll follow me:  https://bsky.app/profile/lisabetsarai.bsky.social

Not just book info... pictures of my cats, too!

(I follow back.)