DEPENDING ON THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

 from Anne Montgomery

In A Streetcar Named Desire Blanch DuBois believed she could rely on the kindness of strangers. Many authors seem to feel the same way.

I’ve written quite a lot recently about the never-ending quest for reviews, the currency which sells books. To get these critiques we authors “depend on the kindness of strangers,” as Blanche DuBois said so pithily as she descended into madness.

When I first started asking for reviews, I would scan bloggers’ websites, check their guidelines, compose my query. And then, I’d see that dreaded line: “I am not accepting submissions at this time.” I would react a bit crankily, at that point. I mean, why have a review blog if you don’t want to do reviews? Geez!

“I’m taking a short break from taking on any more books,” wrote one blogger. “I will still be reviewing, but my list of to-reads has become a little over whelming,”

“I am still digging out of the hole of book review over-commitment, and I continue to over-commit,” said another. “Is there a support group for this problem?”

Eventually, I started to think about reviewers in a new light. Mostly, these are regular people, not professional journalists drawing a paycheck for reading books and sharing their thoughts. These are folks who love literature and generally impart their opinions for free, who – when authors are very lucky – post their reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and Twitter, and lots of other social media platforms. These are moms and dads with day jobs.

“We are back on Earth and reviewing. Unfortunately, we’re so busy, it’s unlikely we’re going to accept a request.”

While rummaging for reviews, I am also sometimes taken aback by a subtle whiff of snark.

“I will no longer reply to emails that don’t follow this policy. If you ignore me here, I’ll ignore you. Yes, that sounds harsh, but I get nearly 70 requests a day. I’m only one person and I don’t have the time to search for missing information or reply to every email that fails (to) include what I need to make a decision.”

Yikes! Maybe not so subtle in this case, but again, consider the reviewer’s point-of-view. They are interested in your book’s premise, but you forgot to add the link they requested, or your contact information was wrong, or you failed to include your cleverly composed synopsis, leaving them without the important facts they need to decide if you’re an author they’d like to work with.

The bottom line is let’s have compassion, people. Let’s think of the reviewer as a friend. A busy friend. We can make their lives easier and they can help us sell books. So, carefully follow the directions bloggers lay out on their submissions and policy pages. Even if, sometimes, those directives are just a wee bit strange.

“I don’t do demon/human/angel love, but bad demons are fine, same for angels. I just don’t like them in romances.”

Indeed.

Here is a brief peek at Anne's latest release.

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to the Graves Registration Service where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?

Praise for Your Forgotten Sons

“Although a defty crafted work of original fiction, “Your Forgotten Sons” by Anne Montgomery is inspired by a true story. An original and inherently interesting read from start to finish, “Your Forgotten Sons” will prove to be an immediate and enduringly appreciated pick.”  Midwest Book Review

“This was a quick, riveting read that really challenged me to think differently about our servicemen and women, especially those who take on the jobs that don’t get heroically depicted in the media or news…I really highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a different take on American history. I left it with a newfound appreciation for the unsung heroes.” Bekah C NetGalley 

“This is the truth. It’s gritty and painful and bittersweet – and true.  When you think you’ve read every perspective of WWII, along comes Bud to break your heart.” Bridgett Siter Former Military Reporter

“Anne Montgomery writes a strong story and I was hooked from the first page. It had a great concept and I enjoyed that this was inspired by a true story…It was written perfectly and I was invested in the story. Anne Montgomery has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more.” –  Kathryn McLeer NetGalley 

Available at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Kobo

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on her website and Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

 

Reviews: The Literary Equivalent of Crack

from Anne Montgomery

Once your book has had a 5-Star Review you’ll need that rush again.  But remember, some reviewers won’t be so benevolent, so be prepared to suffer the book review blues. Then, be strong, and send your baby out into the world again.

Authors long for reviews. We go to great lengths to find folks willing to pen blurbs about our babies. Because, of course, reviews sell books.

So…we contact newspapers and magazines and TV stations, radio outlets, book bloggers, and those with the keys to the podcasts. Then there are the book clubs and bookstores – the few that remain in brick-and-mortar form. Sometimes, authors beg friends and family members for reviews, but that seems a bit on the suspect side. I mean, generally, don’t loved ones want to say nice things, if only to be polite and avoid familial strife? I have so far refrained from this particular approach, which does not mean I might not give it a try in the future. I just haven’t…yet. 

A well-written query letter, to all the proper specifications, might glean a review about two to three percent of the time. Really. I sent out 60 requests one weekend and got two “No thanks” replies for my efforts. The other fifty-eight beautifully composed queries went unanswered.

Still, on that rare occasion when someone agrees to review your book…oh, the joy! And then the wait. Weeks, maybe months, go by before the results come in. And that first 5-Star Review? You read it over and over, lingering over the verbiage like it’s a letter from a lover:

“I say this is a must read! The book is utterly captivating and mature.”

“The story was tightly plotted and suspenseful.”

“Tragic, disturbing, captivating, but utterly fantastic!”

But as with most love affairs, eventually the words become too familiar, stale, and you long for something different. So the quest begins again. You need that high, and the begging – OK, go ahead and call it marketing, if that makes you feel better – begins anew.

Then, of course, authors must also stomach the not-so-charitable comments. There’s the dreaded DNF: Did Not Finish, meaning your book was so bad the reviewer simply couldn’t get to your well-crafted, quite brilliant ending.

“The writing style wasn’t for me. It was too descriptive for my taste.”

“This work aims high but ultimately falls short.”

“The brief, cliff-hanger chapters might appeal to reluctant readers.”

Ouch! And yet, we keep…on…looking. Hoping that someone will read our words and tell us what they think.

Perhaps there is something inherently wrong with authors that we are willing to put ourselves in a position of such utter vulnerability. I’ve heard budding writers say they fear rejection and I want to laugh. Rejection is part of the job description. One must embrace it: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” and all that.

A way to survive the emotional ups and downs of the book review process is to consider the subjectivity of the practice, because these missives are but personal opinions. Don’t believe me? Well, every one of the comments listed above, including the dreaded DNF, came from actual reviews of my most recent novel, The Scent of Rain. Go figure. How can one person adore a book and another find it repugnant? Beats me. But I do know we authors must never refuse to offer our books up on the sacrificial altar of Reviews. Yes, there will be low points, but the highs, I promise you, will blot out those blues.

So stand straight. Be bold. Believe in your prose and send your baby out into the world. Really, there’s no other way.

Please allow me to give you a brief intro to my latest women's fiction novel for your reading pleasure.

The past and present collide when a tenacious reporter seeks information on an eleventh century magician…and uncovers more than she bargained for.

In 1939, archeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archaeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

Amazon Buy Link

Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.

When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.

Learn more about Anne Montgomery on her website and Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

 

SAVE THE LIFE OF AN AUTHOR

by Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist

BOOKWORM  – Watercolor painting by Linda Lee Greene

It is a fact that “Muse,” that mysterious and severe task-master chains authors to their writing instruments for weeks, or months, and sometimes years at a time. They aren’t allowed to eat, or brush their teeth, or bathe, or sleep. They almost never get to see other human beings. Muse makes them ignore the ring of the doorbell and the phone, and pull the drapes and close the blinds. Nothing, nothing, nothing must get in the way of scratching down those precious lines. At long last the book is done—finished—complete! And authors wait; they wait; they wait for feedback from readers, feedback that is the lifeblood of writers, that keeps them motivated, that keeps them sane, that rescues their self-esteem, and that very well might save their life!

Accumulating reader reviews of books is a huge hurdle for authors, and the truth is that without reviews, books don’t stand a chance of reaching a wide audience, even though they might be very worthwhile reads. Nowadays, by way of cyberspace, something like 4,500 new books per day hit the bookseller market, a large percentage of that number written and self-published by highly talented and fearless authors. The crushing heap of competition they are under demands that many good reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads is the best, and perhaps, the only way they can crawl out from under the pile and receive the notice they deserve.

A lot of readers would like to post reviews but feel intimidated by the process. You’re in luck. You can write something as simple as “I loved it!” or “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read!” or “I couldn’t put it down!” If you didn’t like the book, explain the reason in the review because that’s information the author needs to be a better writer.

Please support authors by posting reviews of their books, especially at Amazon.com. All you have to do is go to Amazon and type in the name of the book. When the correct page comes up, click onto the space on the right indicating the number of current reviews. The reviews page comes up. You will see a series of five stars on the left side of the page. Click onto the star that corresponds with your rating of the book. The fifth star on the right indicates the highest rating. A dialog box in which to type your review is directly below the stars. And below that, a box shows in which to title your review. When you have done all these things, click “submit” at the bottom of the page. And wallah—you’ve saved the life of a hard-working and lonely author!

My crime thriller novel, A Chance at the Moon is on Amazon. I welcome your review.

Was it chance or destiny’s hand behind a man and a woman’s curious encounter at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas? The cards fold, their hearts open, and a match strikes, flames that sizzle their hearts and souls. Can they have the moon and the stars, too? Or is she too dangerous? Is he? Can their love withstand betrayal? Can it endure murder?

While the cards at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas fail to distract them from their troubled pasts, on the side, the actress and the gambler play a game of ‘will they won’t they’ romance. Meanwhile, an otherworldly hand also has a big stake in the game. Unexpected secrets unfold brimming with dangerous consequences, and finally, a strange brand of salvation.

Amid the seductions of Las Vegas, Nevada and an idyllic coffee plantation on Hawai’i’s Big Island, a sextet of opposites converge within a shared fate: a glamorous movie-star courting distractions from her troubled past; her shell-shocked bodyguards clutching handholds out of their hardscrabble lives; a dropout Hawaiian nuclear physicist gambling his way back home; a Navajo rancher seeking cleansing for harming Mother Earth; and from its lofty perch, the Hawaiian’s guardian spirit conjured as his pet raven, conducting this symphony of soul odysseys.

The Cast of Characters
Actress, Olivia Montoyo Simms escapes the shadow of her mother’s gruesome murder and the relentless demands of Hollywood and loses herself in the cards at Las Vegas casinos. But like hounds on the scent, the scandal tracks her. And true to her history, it shows up in the person of dashing Hawaiian gambler, Koa Kalua’i. Neither of them are strangers at taking risks and too often losing. Will they win in their chance at the moon this time?

In Hawaiian cosmology, Aumakuas are guardian spirits whom many believe to manifest in physical form. Koa Kalua’i knows the tenet to be true, because Raven has not only been his winged-pet since the earliest days of his childhood on his family’s coffee plantation on Hawaii’s Big Island, but also his Aumakua. They make a remarkable pair, dedicated to righting wrongs.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, and orphaned as little kids, twin brothers Nicholas and Tobias Plato grew up tough but tenderhearted, qualities they put to use as actress, Olivia Montoyo Simms’ bodyguards. Who knew that Nicholas would play such a pivotal role in Olivia’s life: her most trusted friend and guardian, and in the end, her savior?

Navajo rancher and computer geek, Sam Whitehorse uncovers a secret, terrorist stockpile of materiel burrowed in the side of one his people’s sacred mountains in Nevada. It is a threat that he and Las Vegas gambler, Koa Kalua’i must expose and eliminate, but potential government involvement in the matter complicates such an offensive. And why does actress, Olivia Montoyo Simms insert herself into the whole affair?

Amazon Buy Links Paperback - Kindle

Multi-award-winning author and artist Linda Lee Greene describes her life as a telescope that when trained on her past reveals how each piece of it, whether good or bad or in-between, was necessary in the unfoldment of her fine art and literary paths.

Greene moved from farm-girl to city-girl; dance instructor to wife, mother, and homemaker; divorcee to single-working-mom and adult-college-student; and interior designer to multi-award-winning artist and author, essayist, and blogger, it was decades of challenging life experiences and debilitating, chronic illness that gave birth to her dormant flair for art and writing. Greene was three days shy of her fifty-seventh birthday when her creative spirit took a strong hold.

She found her way to her lonely easel soon thereafter. Since then Greene has accepted commissions and displayed her artwork in shows and galleries in and around the USA. She is also a member of artist and writer associations.

Visit Linda at her online art gallery and join her on Facebook. Linda loves to hear from readers so feel free to email her.

Thank you, Suzanne G. Rogers,

for your awesome review and video of my Couples Cookbook!

Please click here to read Suzanne's review for

Homemade Applesauce.

Suzanne G. Rogers lives with her husband and son in romantic Savannah, Georgia, on an island populated by deer, exotic birds, and the occasional gator. She's owned by two Sphynx cats, Houdini and Nikita. Movies, books, and writing are her passions.

Learn more about Suzanne G. Rogers on her historical romance blog and her fantasy blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to check out the website for the Sweet Romance written by Suzanne G. Rogers.

I AM DELIGHTED

to share the first reviews for my Couples Cookbook

"A delightful collection of recipes that sound delicious. I can't wait to give them a try." FANG-TASTIC BOOKS


"I love how there are full meal ideas with each recipe right down to the wine choice." TERESA AT T'S STUFF


"DATE NIGHT DINNERS is a cookbook that any sweetie or cuddlepuss can follow to produce a tasty, simple meal for two." VONNIE HUGHES


"...an interesting and beneficial #cookbook, especially for a romantic evening with a loved one." APRIL from MY BOOK ADDICTION and MORE

FRONT AND CENTER WITH P.A. BROWN

L.A. BYTES is the thrilling third novel in P.A. Brown’s L.A. series. This expertly written book and has an intricately woven plot that will keep you guessing until the last page.

Here's what Romance Junkies has to say:

L.A. BYTES is a gripping and captivating mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Reviewer: Christina

L.A. BYTES
P.A. Brown
ISBN 978-1-60820-040-5 (print)
ISBN 978-1-60820-041-2 (ebook)
MLR Press



BUY LINK



EXCERPT:
David extended his card to the tiny woman with pumpkin-colored hair.

“Mrs. Crandall? Alice Crandall?”

She took the card and held it between her finger and thumb like it might be the devil’s calling card. She barely glanced at it.

Alice had been the victim’s neighbor for “nigh on five years, young man,” she told the two detectives. “That’s why I told that young pup that there was no way Nancy committed suicide. She’d have paraded naked down Glendale Boulevard sooner than she’d have killed herself.”

“We’re here to listen, Mrs. Crandall.” David tipped his head and kept his face neutral. He flipped open his notepad and wrote the day’s date. “We’d like to ask you a few questions about your neighbor, if we could. Nancy Scott was her name, is that correct?”

“Nancy Amelia Scott,” Alice said. “That was her full Christian name, rest her soul.”

“You knew her five years. Did she move in five years ago, or did you?”

“I’ve been on this same spot of earth since before my good husband Lloyd passed, nigh on eleven years ago it was, rest his soul. He was a good man. Salt of the earth.”

David scanned the room. From what he could see it looked like Alice had furnished the place during the height of the beige eighties and never recovered from it. If there was a spot of color anywhere, he couldn’t find it. “So Mrs. Scott moved in five years ago. Was she by herself?”

“That man was a saint, he was. Why, even Father Barnaby used to remark as how good he was, never drank a tipple in his life and worked until they forced him to retire at sixty-five. Not that he wanted to leave, mind you, the man loved to work, almost as much as he loved to talk—”

“Yes, Mrs. Crandall,” David said. “I’m sorry for your loss, but if you could just answer some questions about your neighbor.”

“Lloyd would have loved Nancy. She was a pious woman, never heard a curse word come out of her mouth. Even Lloyd wasn’t that good.”

“When was the last time you actually saw Mrs. Scott, ma’am?” David persisted. Patience was a virtue, his own, less than saintly, mother might have said, but there were times when patience could take a flying leap. “You mentioned her missing Mass on Sunday. So if she wasn’t there, when did you see her last?”

“Sunday Nancy always came with me,” Alice said. “She wasn’t born a Catholic; she told me that right after I first asked her to join me at Incarnation. Was born a Presbyterian but never found satisfaction in that faith.” Alice dug her short, unpolished nails through the tight mass of bright hair. “She strayed, she said, and when she found her way back, she decided the good Lord meant her to be part of the true faith, so she come and joined our church. She asked for my help then,” Alice said proudly. “She asked me to help her find her way back to God.”

“Yes, ma’am,” David said. Beside him Martinez harrumphed softly. “But I still need to know when you last saw Nancy alive.”

Alice eyed Martinez coldly, then smiled at David, revealing impossibly even, white teeth. “Are you Catholic, young man?”

“No, ma’am, I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m not.”

“Pity.”

“Yes, ma’am. Now ma’am—”

“I know,” Alice said. “When did I last see her?”

“Yes, ma’am—”

“I’ll tell you if you stop jabbering. Can’t stand a man who always interrupts. Her son was like that, you know. Always cutting in, interrupting his mother like everything he had to say was pure gospel and the rest of us should just shut up and listen.”

“Her son, ma’am?” David leaned closer, pen poised over his dog-eared notepad. “Mrs. Scott had a son? What about a Mr. Scott?”

“No Mr. Scott. He was her past, she used to say, she was her own future. She never spoke of him. If he was anything like her son, I can understand why.”

“Would you know where we might find this son?”

“He comes around, regular as church bells,” Alice said. “Every other Wednesday.”

“And the last Wednesday he was here?”

The woman shrugged her thin shoulders. “Week or so ago.” The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. “Why, I guess that would be two weeks ago tomorrow.”

David and Martinez traded looks. “Yes, ma’am,” they both said.

“I guess you can ask him these questions.” Alice smiled slyly. “Oh, and the last time I saw Nancy was Saturday morning. We walked down to the market to buy groceries.”

“What did Mrs. Scott buy?” David asked, remembering the nearly empty refrigerator. And the chocolate wrapper.

Alice sniffed. “Orange juice, couple of cans of soup, bananas and a newspaper. I never saw such a one for not eating proper. I don’t know how she stayed healthy.” Her face suddenly screwed up. “I guess she didn’t though, did she?”

“No, ma’am.”

“You still think she killed herself?”

“That’s up to the medical examiner to determine,” David said.

“Will you be by to talk to that boy of hers tomorrow?”

“We just might do that, ma’am.”

Alice smiled again. “Well, I won’t tell him you’re coming.”

David almost smiled in return. “You have a good day now.”

“You find out what happened to Nancy, and I’ll have a good day.”

She shut the door of her apartment behind them, leaving them standing in the musty hallway looking at each other in bemusement.

“Guess we come by to talk to junior, then,” Martinez said. “Where do you think he was all this time?”

David pulled out the car keys and jangled them against his leg. “We’ll have to make sure to ask, now won’t we?”

BUY LINK

To learn more about P. A. Brown and her terrific books, check out her website. You'll enjoy the journey.

I'll be back Wednesday with multi-published Linda Sole, who now has 100 books to her credit. Be sure to drop in. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

FOUR HOT PEPPERS ARE SWEET!

I am ecstatic to share the awesome FRENCH TART review LeAnn from Talking Two Lips wrote and posted June 21. Thank you, LeAnn and TTL!

FRENCH TART
Naughty Ladies of Nice, Book 1
Sloane Taylor
ISBN: 978-1-60168-281-9
Aspen Mountain Press



Rating: 4 Hot Peppers

You can read the complete review HERE

Sloane Taylor, does a wonderful job of combining an interesting story with some very hot sex. Ms. Taylor gives her characters time to get to know one another and to build a relationship that work. The plot carries us smoothly from beginning to end, culminating with a very satisfying fairy tale finish. I suggest reading French Tart to find out what fairy tale it parallels! I am looking forward to reading more of this series to find out what other excitement is about to happen in France!

Reviewer: LeAnn

BUY LINK

I'll be back next week. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

FRENCH DELIGHTS IS A HIT

Melissa Bradley and Selena Illyria, close author friends, notified me on a new review for FRENCH DELIGHTS. Please forgive my unabashed joy, but I had to share what The Romance Studio posted on their site June 14.Thank you, Ammie for your great review and rating! I am ecstatic!!

FRENCH DELIGHTS
Naughty Ladies of Nice book 2
Sloane Taylor
ISBN: 978-1-60168-287-1
Aspen Mountain Press



Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

FRENCH DELIGHTS is quite an adventure. I enjoyed my trip to the French Riviera. Sloane has written a wonderful tale of romance. The main characters are vivid and easy to like. Lisette is a real sweetheart, while Paul is a beautiful dreamer. The unsavory characters are also well written, and it is easy to loathe them. This short story has a lot packed into it, but it doesn't seem lacking. This is the second book in the Naughty Ladies of Nice collection, but I have not read the first. That doesn't take anything away from this story. It is a great stand alone. I do want to read the first one now. I know you will enjoy this erotic tale of French romance.

Reviewer: Ammie

You can read the complete review HERE

BUY LINK

Studs and I are off to celebrate tonight. You all have a beautiful weekend. I'll be back next week. Until then...

Happy writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

OOH LA LA!

Great reviews continue to pour in! Please forgive my unabashed glee, but I had to share. Here are the latest two. I am grateful to Starla and Emily for their wonderful reviews and ratings.

FRENCH DELIGHTS
Sloane Taylor
Aspen Mountain Press
ISBN: 978-1-60168-287-1



From GOT EROTIC ROMANCE?

Rating: 4 DIAMONDS
Heat Level: Erotic
Other: self-play, oral play

How many of us have fantasized about some hot man we’ve seen? Okay, maybe you are reluctant to admit it, but it happens. Lisette Hugo was on vacation in Nice, France and had the most gorgeous gardener working outside her rented cottage daily. He seemed to purposely try to get her attention more and more, so how could she resist watching him, fantasizing about him? And Paul, the gardener/owner of the cottage, did his own share of dreaming about the beautiful woman who watched him. Their mutual attraction was like a time-bomb waiting to explode…and, oh wow, it did.

Not only does the author create a wonderfully hot little story, but also developes a plot line that had shows how the two characters need each other’s help in different ways. The book, the second in her Naughty Ladies of Nice series, is an enjoyable read. You also might want to check out the first book, French Tart.

Reviewer: Starla Kaye

You can read the full review HERE.

From SENSUAL READS

Sensuality Rating: Sultry
Star Rating: 3.5 STARS

French Delights is the second in the Naughty Ladies of Nice series by Sloane Taylor. The reader is immediately dropped into Lisette’s world fantasizing over the seductive gardener who equally desires the woman who so intently watches his every move. French Delights was like taking a mini vacation for a couple hours of the day.

Reviewer: Emily

You can read the complete review HERE.

BUY LINK

Next week we have the amazing Lizzie T. Leaf as our guest author. Come back and hear more about this terrific author. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

HOT DAMN AND ALL THING GOOD

The votes are counted and the winners are posted. You may recall last August Romance Book Scene reviewed CZECH MATE and awarded my work 5 Stars. This morning I’m doing back-springs around my office. My inbox had a message that of all the books Romance Book Scene reviewed in 2009, CZECH MATE was awarded second place in the Romantic Comedy category! My heartfelt THANKS for this terrific honor.

If you go HERE you can see a complete list of winners.

Just to refresh your memory. :)

CZECH MATE
Sloane Taylor
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-522-5 (Electronic)
Amber Quill Press – Amber Heat



Here’s a snippet from from the terrific Romance Book Scene review;

Looking for a good book that will keep you laughing with a heroine who knows how to laugh at herself even when times are down, than Czech Mate is the choice for you. Lacey has a great bold, sense of humor and there were times when I out right laughed out loud through this book. The sex scenes are hot and the couple in the story are perfect for one another. This novella is a wonderful quick read.

BUY LINK

You can read the complete review from Romance Book Scene here.

Again, Thank you, Romance Book Scene. I’m one ecstatic author!

I’ll be back Monday when we feature a new release from fantastic author Sarah Grimm you won’t want to miss. Until then…

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

O.M.G. and Hot Damn!

The Romance Studio reviewed Czech Mate and awarded it 5 HEARTS!!



Below is a snippet, but you can read the complete review HERE.

Sloane Taylor pens a tale of an unlikely duo who cut through the exterior trappings of life to the things that are important. Heat, humor, and the old world charm of Prague blend in a really good way as Ms. Taylor crafts this story. Secondary characters like the desk clerk and bell hops provide smiles at their realistic behavior. Tender moments contrast with overt sexual behavior between Lacey and Dragan making this a wonderful read.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Dee Dailey
August 25, 2009

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell
TEDDI TURNS ON 2009 EPPIE Finalist – Erotica www.aspenmountainpress.com
CZECH MATE http://amberquill.com/AmberHeat/CzechMate.html
www.sloanetaylor.com

Hi Everyone,


I'm really excited to share the first review for CZECH MATE. Red Roses for Authors gave it 4.5 Red Roses!



CZECH MATE



by Sloane Taylor

E-book 85 pages

Publisher Amber Quill

BUY LINK


The author brings her sharp wit to this book, giving the reader a sexy and entertaining story that ends just as it should. As usual Taylor has written a very sensual and enjoyable book. 4.5 red roses, Linda Sole

You can read the complete review HERE.
Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
TEDDI TURNS ON 2009 EPPIE Finalist - Erotica www.aspenmountainpress.com
PHOTO OP! www.aspenmountainpress.com
www.sloanetaylor.com www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor