SIZZLING SEDUCTION by Gwyneth Bolton

{If you haven't noticed, I've been posting new book reviews a couple of times a week. I still feel a little behind from having my baby. Please scroll down to read the others.}

.

I think I've said it before. SIZZLING SEDUCTION by Gwyneth Bolton is so hot I had to use oven mits to get it out of the package it was mailed to me in. This is a new one in the series about the Hightowers, four brothers on a mission to protect, serve, and love.

.

Patrick Hightower is a fire fighter and the last Hightower brother to fall hard in the game of love. Burned by an early marriage, he's gone out with plenty of girls, but none of them dropped his jaw to his kneecaps until Aisha brought her Kindergarten class to tour his fire station. The rookie was supposed to give the tour, but Captain Hightower can't help tagging along. I'd say he tagged along like a lost puppy, but he's much too dignified. But, he did tag along. He's no nervous teenager, so he asks her for a date right after the tour.

.

Aisha turns him down.

.

The poor boy can't believe it.

.

Aisha is the single mom of a ten year old boy who's just gotten her life back together after leaving an abusive marriage. Although she's attracted to Patrick, there's no way in heck she's going to let herself get tangled up in a new relationship, espeically with such an Alpha Male. You see, she hasn't yet learned there's a difference between an Alpha Male and a jackass pretending to be one by bullying people smaller and weaker than him.

.

Patrick is actually very family oriented. He comes from a huge, great family, all supportive of each other.

.

Except Aunt Sophie. She's nuts. She's still determined to get him back together with his adulterous ex-wife, Courtney. And the little hussy is eager to do so. Tell ya, why can't people just live and let live and be happy for each other? Well, if they did, getting together with the girl of your dreams would be too easy, I guess.

.

I've read all the previous books in this series too and it was really nice to see the other Hightower brothers and wives makin' love and havin' babies, livin' happily ever after.

.

Might be hard to find this one at your bookstore. If it's still on the shelf, it might be segregated to the African American section. If it's not there, do click on the link to order it. http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=20251 You'll be glad you did. Pop on over to Gwyeth's site to learn more-

http://gwynethbolton.com/

Sunday Showcase: SIZZLING SEDUCTION by Gwyneth Bolton Scores

Romantic Times and Romance Junkies both gave Gwyneth Bolton's newest novel, SIZZLING SEDUCTION, high marks. Check out her blog for more- http://gwynethbolton.com/blog/ I have the ARC near the top of my stack.

What Kimber An is Reading Now

Being on semi-bedrest, my posting of reviews is in spurts right now. However, I assure you, I am reading. The following should give you an idea of my wide range of reading interests. THE BRIDEGROOM by Linda Lael Miller. Although I adore Historicals, I rarely go for Westerns. However, Ms. Miller has a style impossible to resist and my writerly self is so insanely jealous.

.

GIFTS by Ursula K. Le Guin

I bought this one new, full price, with my very own money because I just had to have it when I read the blurb. Remember, I can get just about any book free and sent direct to me, so buying new means I wanted it really bad NOW.
.

WHAT KIMBER AN WISHES SHE WAS ALSO READING RIGHT NOW

.

THE KING'S DAUGHTERS by Nathalie Mallet.

Ms. Mallet's first book, PRINCES OF THE GOLDEN CAGE, was my favorite book last year.

.

WARLORD'S DAUGHTER by Susan Grant
Been trying to get this one done since it released! Drumming my fingers waiting for her next book, a lady space pirate mama one.

.

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran.
Ms. Moran's first book, NEFERTITI, was my favorite book of the previous year. Geez, lots of daughters this year. Not that I'm complaining.

;)

WHAT KIMBER AN WILL BE READING SOON

.

I have a few more coming, but they're new-to-me authors. The ones coming from favorite authors include SIZZLING SEDUCTION by Gwyneth Bolton and
.

FROM FRIENDS TO FOREVER by Karen Templeton. Sadly, no cover art yet. Sigh.

.

Saw this one on Gwyneth's blog, ROAD TO SEDUCTION by Ann Christopher.

Haven't requested it yet, but I am so tempted. I swear, Kimani has the best cover art at Harlequin. Isn't this gorgeous?

.

So, there you are. Remember, I can never find enough YA Science Fiction and I'll gobble up any book with a baby on the cover right now. If the baby's being held by a really gorgeous guy, all the better.

.

***ePublished books happily accepted!*** Been meaning to ask for KEEPER OF THE LOCH by Candace Sams for a while now. http://www.jasminejade.com/p-4565-keeper-of-the-loch.aspx

THE LAW OF DESIRE by Gwyneth Bolton

Oh, boy, I hope I'm not too sleepy to do this one justice. It's been a busy week and shows no sign of letting up! THE LAW OF DESIRE is the third novel in the Hightower series. PROTECT AND SERVE http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/05/protect-and-serve-by-gwyneth-bolton.html was the first and MAKE IT HOT http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/08/make-it-hot-by-gwyneth-bolton.html was the second. It's genetic in the Hightower family to be a cop or a fireman, which makes me wonder if there are any girl-cops or fire-women in the family tree? Well, there should be! Ahem, Gwyneth, are you reading?

.

Life is on a high note for Minerva Athena Jones (yes, her mother had a thing for Greek mythology) at the story's start. She's just graduated college after working her butt off to pay for it herself. She's got a really proud big brother who throws her a party and brags to everyone that she's going back for her Master's. He loves her, helped raise her, and protected her from all the bad boys. But, Big Brother has a dark side. Although he's worked hard to keep Minerva out, he's in a gang. Minerva's days of celebrating are cut short when she discovers him dead, shot execution-style.

.

Some friends get Minerva out of town, fearing she's next. She lands in the household of Timmy and Tommy McKnight who happen to be on the radar of a certain detective, Lawrence Hightower. He has no patience with lawbreakers, potential lawbreakers, or anyone associated with them, which pretty much rules out the entire population of these United States of America. For a girl like Minerva, however, he can convince himself to place her under surveillance just because she's so gosh-darn cute. Of course, he won't admit it to himself or anyone else.

.

Minerva gets a harsh dose of reality when two thugs try to kidnap her. She's a tough girl and makes a break for it, but it's the ever-hovering Lawrence who drives the attackers away. Then, they get all huffy about her answering questions and not getting herself killed. He insists on escorting her home and it's a good thing too. For, they discover something which sends her straight into his protective and ever-loving arms.

.

Will Minerva find the courage for full disclosure? Will the cynical Lawrence learn to trust a woman he knows isn't telling him the whole story?

.

This novel is Highly Sensual, but Gwyneth's the Queen of such scenes. The violence wasn't anything more than you'd see on evening t.v. Although, I haven't watched evening t.v. since I got mommed over a decade ago, so what do I know?

.

I don't read much Contemporary Romance at all. I prefer stories which take me far and away. However, the novels of Gwyneth Bolton are the exception. Learn more about her at http://gwynethbolton.com/

Sunday Showcase: Interview with Gwyneth Bolton

Good morning, Blog Buds! Gwyneth Bolton released a new novel this month, MAKE IT HOT, which I reviewed last month. I sent her some questions and she graciously answered them for Showcase Sunday.

.

Kimber- Did you have MAKE IT HOT in your head while you were still working on PROTECT AND SERVE? When did it show itself in your imagination? What journey did you take to write it?

.

Gwyneth- I wrote a proposal for the entire four book series after writing the first couple of chapters of PROTECT AND SERVE. So, in a sense, I had all of the books in the series in my head while I was still working on PROTECT AND SERVE. In fact, as I wrote MAKE IT HOT the characters from THE LAW OF DESIRE kept invading my thoughts and dreams. The hero from that book kept tempting me to write his story next. The wonderful thing about having a proposal for the series is it provided a nice road map for me to turn to when ever I felt blocked or needed inspiration.

.

Kimber- There was a year or so gap between SWEET SENSATION and PROTECT AND SERVE. What was that all about?

.

Gwyneth- It wasn’t about anything really. Some authors only publish one book a year. So, I figure if I can get at least one book out a year with a full-time job, I’m doing okay.

.

Kimber- With the experience of PROTECT AND SERVE behind you, was MAKE IT HOT easier or more difficult to write? How so?

.

Gwyneth- Each book brings its own challenges. PROTECT AND SERVE really just poured out of me. That story and those characters were so easy to write. MAKE IT HOT was a little bit more difficult when it should have been easier. THE LAW OF DESIRE was a snap. Again the characters and the story just leaped from my mind to the computer screen. I think the Hightower cops just like me more, because they were easier to write than the firemen. LOL.

.

Kimber- Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about MAKE IT HOT or PROTECT AND SERVE?

.

Gwyneth- If you love men who are honorable, protective and HOT, you’ll love these books. If you like “real life” every day guy kinds of heroes, heroes who might not have millions of dollars and can whisk you away to Europe or a remote island, but can make you feel loved and secure and desired beyond measure, you’ll love Jason and Joel Hightower. If the idea of a man in uniform turns you on in the slightest, then PROTECT AND SERVE and MAKE IT HOT are the books for you. If large families, loads of fun, and some drama thrown in for good measure sounds like a book you’d like to check out, then you’re going to want to pick up one or both of these books today. If you like your heroes alpha with a heart of gold, then Jason and Joel have what you need and then some! But don’t take my word for it… Read the books and see for yourself!

.

Kimber- Tell us about your next book, THE LAW OF DESIRE.

.

Gwyneth- Here’s the ultra cool book blurb for THE LAW OF DESIRE (Which I just puffy heart love by the way because it captures the story in a nutshell!)Guilty Pleasures…Decorated police detective Lawrence Hightower's instincts click into high gear when a beautiful but suspicious stranger appears in his stakeout zone. Soon he realizes Minerva Jones is in danger and needs protection. He can't trust her. But he can't get this tough, feisty, stubborn siren out of his head.Desperate to keep a low profile, the last thing Minerva needs is a sexy cop getting too close for comfort. Not that she's guilty of anything, except her own intense attraction to the too fine detective. But she's got a few secrets, and trouble is closing in. Dare she surrender to the promise this sensual hero holds in his strong, protective embrace?
.

Thanks so much, Gwyneth!

.

http://gwynethbolton.com/

MAKE IT HOT by Gwyneth Bolton

Take one look at that gorgeous cover and I'm sure your dirty mind leaps to assumptions, but get it out of the gutter and know this book has a fireman hero. Firemen, you know, fight fires and fires are hot. Well, that's their job. And when they get home from work...well...okay...so the title DOES have double-meaning!

.

Samantha's a physical therapist pretty much satisfied with her life. She's worked very hard to achieve success, despite losing her beloved father at age 12 to murder and her mother to nuttiness after that. One night she's just passing through the adjacent hospital and a badly injured fireman is raced through on a gurney. She's taken with how his fellow firefighters are as upset as any close brothers would be. She falls a little bit in love with the injured fireman when she sees how devoted his biological family is too, especially his decidedly 'un-nutty' mother. They have everything she lost at age 12.

.

Joel Hightower was born into a family of police officers and firemen. He has three brothers, including Jason who found love in PROTECT AND SERVE which I reviewed earlier this year. Joel used to be a joker, the life of the party, lived and breathed firefighting. Hanging with his brothers and fighting fires was his old world. It defined him. After falling out of a burning building, however, he's lucky to be alive. He's even luckier to find out he'll walk again...with a little help from a physical therapist.

.

Samantha builds up her expectations of Joel, only to have them dashed by his crankiness during his first physical therapy session. She doesn't realize he's cranky because he fears he'll never fight fires again and he's attracted to her take-no-crap approach. He starts calling her his Lil Spitfire behind her back, of course, and starts building his own expectations.

.

Meanwhile, Samantha's tormented by her nutty mother. Everyone knows when your mother's nuts and shows no signs of rehabilitation the best thing you can do is put a few thousand miles between the two of you. Samantha does this and gets on with her life, but her longing for all she lost when she was twelve eats away at her soul. She desperately wants her mother to be nice and to have a relationship with her.

.

Expectations and barriers fall away between Joel and Samantha as he nears the end of his own rehabilitation. Their relationship moves fast, since they've already been falling in love for weeks and weeks. Then, Samantha's mother ends up in the hospital and she must learn if love really can heal all wounds.

.

MAKE IT HOT lives up to its name. It really is hot. I almost rate it Highly Sensual, but Gwyneth handles the growing love relationship so well that it supports the level of sensuality. I rate it as Sensual.

.

If you like MAKE IT HOT, you should definitely check out the first in the series PROTECT AND SERVE which I reviewed http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2008/05/protect-and-serve-by-gwyneth-bolton.html . You can learn more about Gwyneth Bolton's novels at http://gwynethbolton.com/ MAKE IT HOT hits the bookshelves Monday, September 1st. Unfortunately, some bookstores still segregate African American authors. If you can't find Gwyneth's books in the Romance aisle, please take the time to search the African American section. I've read all of Gwyneth's novels (except the Erotica) and I can tell you it's worth the trip!

PROTECT AND SERVE by Gwyneth Bolton

Good afternoon, Blog Buds. At least, it is here in Alaska.

.

I didn't get half-way through the first chapter of PROTECT AND SERVE before I wanted to see Penny all dolled up in a massive white wedding gown walking down the aisle in a humongous church wedding. Penny won my empathy the first time she stepped onto the page. The story opens at the funeral of the grandmother who raised Penny, Big Mama. I've never had anyone close to me die before, but I know my turn is coming and I've observed others going through it. People are especially selfish when they're hurting. Guess its a primal survival instinct. Unfortunately, it causes them to be inconsiderate to those who are suffering even more than they are. No one is hurting more than Penny at this funeral, but she feels seriously ganged up on and with good reason. For starters, she flew to Jersey for the funeral all the way from California and hasn't seen most of these people in years.

.

Aunt Sophie still belittles her and tells everyone she's a slut.

.

Ex-boyfriend, police officer Jason, wants to know why she cheated on him with his best friend and dumped him like a hot rock so long ago.

.

And her mother, oh, what a peice of work! I found out pretty fast why Penny was raised by her grandmother instead. Penny calls her mother, 'Carla,' because, well, she's pretty clueless about being a mom, or being a grown-up really. Carla had Penny when she was only fourteen and the father was nineteen. Guess you could say Carla never had the chance to finish growing up.

.

Hands down the most gut-wrenching of this lot is Jason, handsome, good, honorable, and still carrying a terrible load of resentment. Sure, he tries to back off and let Penny mourn before pushing her for answers. We found out Penny miscarried their baby as a teenager and that Penny's father was sent to prison for a double-murder. Only, no one ever believed Penny was in love with Jason's best friend and Penny's father was just let out, having finally been proven innocent by a DNA test.

.

We're let inside Penny's head but only so far. She only lets us know a little bit more than poor Jason. The two are still in love. Nobody does enduring romance better than Gwyneth Bolton! So, the circumstances of Jason and Penny's break-up don't make a whole lot of sense to the reader, but at least we get fed some clues as we read along. Penny's dad shows up with a new lease on life, a desire to know his daughter after so many wasted years, and a deep-seeded concern for Carla and Penny's safety.

.

Then, Penny comes home to find Carla beaten bloody...

.

At that point, you'll be screaming and thinking you know what's going on, but, trust me, be patient. You ain't half there, Honey.

.

You know I'm terrible picky about love scenes in Romance novels. I know everyone has their tastes and comfort levels. I could never read Erotica, for example, because all that graphic description of naked body parts reminds me too much of childbirth and makes me want to spew. However, I have learned something after reading every Gwyneth Bolton novel there is, except her Erotic one, and that is this - the author must do an excellent job developing her characters and their relationship before the Hero and Heroine make love. Otherwise, it's just sex. And sex without romance is boooooring, in my opinion, and even ridiculous. Sometimes the rest of the story is pretty good and you only need to skip the sex scene and use your own imagination.

.

You'll never have to skip a love scene in PROTECT AND SERVE, providing the Sensual Heat Level is in y0ur comfort zone as a Romance reader. And maybe even if it isn't. I typically gag at any book hotter than a Sensual, but if the author does an excellent job I hardly notice the graphics because I'm so absorbed in the story.

.

No author writes a better Sensual love scene than Gwyneth Bolton, in my opinion.

.

Gwyneth is accumulating a pretty hefty backlist now and PROTECT AND SERVE is the first in a series of three. Better pop over to her website and check it out. http://www.gwynethbolton.com/ If you asked me last week which one was my favorite, I would have said SWEET SENSATION. Today, I just don't know. PROTECT AND SERVE is right up there with it.

We're hoping to throw Gwyneth a Cyber-Launch Party when PROTECT AND SERVE hits the shelves in July. Click on Gwyneth's name in the directory to learn more about SWEET SENSATION.

Susan Grant, Lisa Shearin, Gwyneth Bolton, Linnea Sinclair News!

Susan Grant is adding her brilliance to MYSTERIA LANE, an anthology, this June, I think. http://susangrant.com/

I've never read anything by the other authors, MaryJanice Davidson, Gena Showalter, and P.C. Cast. I keep meaning to, but ARCs take priority and I have them stacked to the ceiling, metaphorically speaking. Of course, Susan's a Blog Buddy, so she can get her stuff reviewed anytime she wants on Enduring Romance. Lady Bronco reviewed one of MaryJanice Davidson's novels last year. Additionally, Susan garnered a P.E.A.R.L nomination for Best Futuristic for HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS, which was reviewed here last year as well.

.

Lisa Shearin had a stellar week. She signed the contracts to sell foreign rights to MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND to Russia! And she found out it's sold so well it's going back for another printing. The best news, however, is that she's agreed to let us throw a Cyber-Launch Book Party on April 24th for her next book, ARMED & MAGICAL, which hits the shelves April 29th. Sharpen your stilletos, ladies. Her goblins are hot! http://lisashearin.com/

I'm not sure how long the covers for Gwyneth Bolton's new books have been out, but I just saw them on MySpace so I had to tell you all.

Omigoodness, they are so gorgeous!http://www.gwynethbolton.com/

.

Last, but certainly not least, Linnea Sinclair won the P.E.A.R.L. for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy for GAMES OF COMMAND. She also garnered an honorable mention for DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES. I'm reviewing GABRIEL'S GHOST, Linnea's Rita-winner, this coming Thursday. It's the first book in a series. The second book, SHADES OF DARK, comes out this summer. I'll be reviewing that next month. http://linneasinclair.com/

Not sure what the other Blog Buddies are doing. This all is just what I'm aware of.

Gwyneth Bolton Wins 'Romance In Color' Award!

Our own beautiful Gwyneth Bolton has won the 2006 New Author of the Year Award from Romance in Color! Woo-hoo! You're the Queen of All That is Fabulous today!

SWEET SENSATION by Gwyneth Bolton

Gwyneth Bolton is like Secretariat winning the Triple Crown waaaay back in the 1970’s. She accelerates as she races around the track to the astonishment of all. Each new novel has more depth and dimension than the one before.

SWEET SENSATION is the story of Deidre, a former hip-hop star who gave up the limelight to be a mommy to her secret baby. She never stopped loving the father of her baby, but she didn’t want to raise her daughter in that lifestyle. Especially after a friend was murdered. Fast forward and their secret baby is on the verge of adolescence and Deidre is outted by a television show. Daddy comes calling and Daughter gangs up with him to be a real family. But, Deidre is still scared. Turns out, she has good reason. Flex, her baby’s daddy, knows the murderer is out there again. And he knows Deidre and their daughter will be targeted. Will Deidre have the courage to believe in their enduring love? Can Flex really protect them?

I loved that the daughter was a fully involved protagonist in this story, because THE STAR CAPTAINS’ DAUGHTER is also a triangular story. Turns out, that’s kind of rare in the romance genre.

I love Flex and Deidre’s flaws. He wants a traditional family for his daughter that he never had. She’s afraid to take a leap of faith with their relationship. Their love scenes are well-supported by the story and enhance their enduring love. *Heat Level: Sensual.*

Some of you may worry that you won’t get this story because it’s set in the hip-hop culture, but I can testify that Gwyneth does an excellent job of defining the culture in the context of the story so you’re never wondering what the slang means or anything. The themes and feelings of this story are universal and will make your heart soar at the end of a long, hard day at the office. Trust me. Go out and buy this book. Good authors you can count on to consistently deliver the goods are hard to find. Don’t let Gwyneth get away!