Update: my hard drive has DIED forever and I’m in the middle of getting things back the way they were. Hell of a thing to have to deal with on a vay-cay. *sigh*

by Darlene Marshall

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about HEA, romance shorthand for “Happily Ever After” endings on romance novels. Two events in particular focused my thoughts in this direction: One is a divorce, the other is the wedding of a young couple.

First the sad story. A couple we know is getting divorced after four decades together. I don’t know the details, because it’s really none of my business, but my husband and I were both shocked to hear the news. My husband in particular was stunned, and gave me a deer-in-the-headlights look:

“I think she left him because she was bored,” he said.

This, naturally, has led me to incorporate a new catch-phrase into my vocabulary. I say to my dear husband of over 30 years, “Careful, you’re starting to bore me…” and it’s amazing what a difference that can make in, oh, all sorts of activities!

But I digress.

(more…)

This entirely original, exclusive free-to-you story features hot-man-love, explicit sex, explicit language, explicit violence, and… explicit fabulousness! If you’re NOT an m/m fan, check it out anyway… you might enjoy it.

Presenting Forsaken by Jamie Craig…

Five years since Detective Xavier Landis walked away from the man who loved him.

One dead girl.

And now, the conclusion of Forsaken…

(more…)

It’s another review!

Bam,

If you’re going to faint, make sure to set up the video camera so I can watch it later on YouTube. Ready for this? I’m actually reviewing another book, and in a semi-timely fashion. I’m sure you’re wondering how this could be possible, so I’ll tell you a dirty little secret: we’re slower than dial-up at work. While that’s not a good thing for me professionally, it certainly helps my romance-review hobby.

I admit to being a Kresley Cole fangrrrl. Her Immortals After Dark series is one I’ve been hooked on since the story of Myst and Nikolai appeared in Playing Hard to Get. The Lore, which is populated by nearly every mythical creature imaginable, is one of those universes I’d love to visit in my nonexistent free time.

With that said, you can guess that I liked the book. I managed to blow through Dark Needs at Night’s Edge in two days - record time for me lately - and immediately picked up Dark Desires After Dusk. Ms. Cole has a talent that I require in series authors: she writes about the same world, but her characters are definitely not carbon copies of each other with “wash, rinse and repeat” storylines. She manages to make her heroines strong and spunky with the right touch of vulnerability (thereby avoiding the Mary Sue death-spiral) and her heroes deliciously alpha, but self aware and fearful that they just might not be good enough. LOVE IT!

(more…)

Fox News calls it a Terrorist Fist Jab.

Craziest thing I’ve ever heard. My sisters and I fist-bump. My friends and I fist-bump. Hell, my mom and I have fist-bumped. Hot French-Canadian Boyfriend and I do it all the time: after playing tennis, after one of us says something particularly clever and wants to give the other “props,” and once, we did a fist-bump after I cooked really kickass steak dinner.

WHAT THE FUNK IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT IT?!?!