Tawny's Top Ten… and a Hot SEAL Deal

Years before I started writing romance, I was a voracious romance reader.  It was that love of reading romances that eventually sparked the dream to write one of my own.  To this day, my favorite way to relax is to curl up with a romance novel and get lost in the wonder of a fabulous story.

This got me thinking about all the reasons romance rocks (and hopefully reasons that people might be reading my books *g*) so I pulled together a fun top ten list…

Tawny’s Top Ten Reasons to Read Romance

·      Happy Every After’s Rock

·      Hellooooooo...  Hunky Heroes

·      We can see the world without leaving our reading-spot

·      We can travel through time in the pages of a romance

·      Did I mention hunky heroes? 

·      Living out a love story as we empathize with the heroine lets us explore the wonder of falling in love

·      Romances have a message of hope, and they make us better people

·      Strong heroines teach us to be strong ourselves

·      We get to explore a plethora of job options, without having to be qualified for any of them

·      And once again, the hunky heroes!  Because it’s those sexy heroes, their enticing personalities and their many... um, shall we say talents that we love to read about in great detail

And speaking of talented heroes, here’s a peek into my latest release, A SEAL’s Salvation: 

Oh, my.
     The years had been kind, indeed, to Brody Lane.     Even as his expression folded into a scowl when he realized she wasn’t who he’d expected to see at his door, she couldn’t stop staring.        It was as if Mother Nature had looked at the perfection that had been him at nineteen and decided to add a few layers of oh, baby gorgeousness to her work of art.
     Arresting before with its sharp planes and brooding features, his face was more intense now.  Even sharper, despite being unshaven and shadowed.  His eyes were just as striking, like molten gold.  They’d always been distant, except when he’d smiled.  But now there was a chasm there, like he was watching from miles away.  Assessing.  Her, the situation, their past, present and future, all without blinking.        It was kinda scary.  Not sure what he was seeing, or more important, what he thought about what he was seeing, Genna bit her lip.
     It was nerves as much as curiosity that made her peel her gaze from his to check out his body.  And what a body it was.     Broad and muscular, his chest and shoulders looked like they were sculpted from marble under his black tee.  He still had that lean build, his waist tapering to slender hips.
     Her eyes dropped lower and she gulped.    The blue cotton sweatpants did nothing to hide the muscle between his legs, either.
     Little dots danced in front of her eyes.  She realized she’d forgotten to breath.
     A gulp of air cleared the dizziness, but the tingling didn’t go away.
     He was... Wow.
     The things he could do with that body, she’d bet they were nothing short of amazing.  And she wasn’t just talking military things.  Her mouth was dry and she was starting to feel a little dizzy again.
So she forced her gaze to climb back up to his face.  His unwelcoming scowl had turned into a ferocious frown.
     She wrinkled her nose.  She should have kept checking out the bod.  He obviously wasn’t thrilled to have company.
     So what else was new?
     “Hi Brody.  I brought you some cookies.”  As greetings went, it was lame. But she added her best smile.  When that had no reaction, she held up the plate as proof.  And, yes, as a bribe.
     He didn’t even look at the plate.  Her lips threatened to drop into a pout.
     “Um, it’s me.  Genna.”  She paused, brows arched.  She tried a friendly smile that was only a little shaky with nerves.  When he didn’t even blink, she swallowed hard, then added, “Joe’s sister.”
     Your favorite pen pal, she wanted to say.  But given his reaction so far, she was a little afraid to bring that up.
     Genna waited.  After five seconds, her smile dimmed.  At thirty, she was straight-up frowning.  Knowing a glare was imminent at sixty, she crossed her arms over her chest, the cookie plate hitting her in the shoulder, and lifted her chin.     “Well?  Aren’t you even going to say hello?”     Now her scowl matched his.
     So much for dating.  She couldn’t even get the guy to talk to her.   

Ahh, the many reasons to love a good romance, right?  

How about you? Why do you read romance?  Besides the hunky heroes, of course :-)

A SEAL's Salvation:    Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Harlequin
A SEAL's Surrender:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Harlequin

New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of over twenty-five hot books, Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first one hit the shelves in 2007.  A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook. 

Readers can check out Tawny’s books at her website, www.tawnyweber.com, or join her Red Hot Readers Club for goodies like free reads, complete first chapter excerpts, recipes, insider story info and much more.

You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest

Valentines Perfection

by Tawny Weber

It’s almost Valentine’s Day – just a few more hours until romance is given free reign for a day and chocolate is considered THE major food group of the hour. To me, there are three components to a perfect Valentine’s celebration...

The gift. These are some standards:

• · Bling is great, of course. Sparkles make for great gifts that last for years.
• · Flowers are wonderful. The wonderful scent, the velvety texture, gorgeous colors.
• · Chocolate is always a winner. The richer, the better. Sees Nuts & Chews are my favorite.

The Date:

• · A romantic dinner for two. Candlelight, soft music, delicious food, a delicious combination.
• · Dancing. Slow and romantic or fast and sexy, it’s the best way to do the sexy thing in public.
• · A quiet evening at home, cuddled up in front of a roaring fire. Add a fun movie on the screen, or reading aloud or singing sweet nothings to each other and its Valentine’s perfection.

And the last... Someone who makes you feel good! It doesn’t even have to be someone romantic – it could be a friend, your family or even a fantasy.

Like all holidays, we each have our favorites. For some, Valentine’s is at the bottom of their list. Like Danita Cruz, the heroine in SEX, LIES AND VALENTINES my Blaze that’s on the shelves this month.

For Danita, Valentine’s Day has never been more than a date on the calendar. Until this year, that is. She attends a Valentine’s wedding and gets more than she bargained for.

Danita took a deep breath and turned to face Gabriel.

“You look good, Blondie,” he said, his eyes eating her up like a dieter locked in a chocolate store. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Hunter made me,” she muttered, not wanting Gabriel to think she’d crash his family’s celebration.

“I asked him to.”

“Why?”

“We have things to settle.” He looked around the hall, festooned with red hearts white roses, then hooked his arm around her waist. “Let’s step out on the balcony.”

Needing to know why he wanted her here, terrified to hope, Danita let him guide her onto the chilly flower-festooned stone balcony. But once there, she stepped away. She had trouble thinking when Gabriel touched her, and she had the feeling she was going to need all her available brain cells for this conversation.

“I like this,” he said immediately, running his fingers over the soft cotton of her blouse, a concoction of ruffles and lace that went perfectly with the sedate, ankle length skirt and old-fashioned kitten-toed boots. “You look sexy.”

For the second time, Danita looked down to make sure she was wearing what she thought she was. “Sexy? Yeah, right.”

“You do. I like this look. It makes me think of how wild you are in bed.”

She resisted the urge to look around and make sure they weren’t overheard.

“This is the real you, isn’t it?” he asked quietly as his fingers combed through her soft curls. “The person who cares about others, who wants them to be happy. The woman who risks her life for her job, then risk her job for someone she cares about.”

Danita swallowed hard, trying to untangle her voice from the fear wrapped around her throat.

“I never said I cared,” she finally managed to croak.

“Oh, babe, you care.”

Al she saw was his cocky smile before he leaned in and took her mouth in his. The kiss was sweet with promise, acceptance and something she was terrified to identify. Her heart said it was love. Her brain screamed at her not think crazy.

Needing to know, even if it hurt, she reluctantly pulled away from those delicious lips to stare at Gabriel.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why not?”

That cleared the fog from Danita’s brain. She gave him an impatient look, not about to be charmed into sidestepping this discussion.

“Because...” he trailed off, looking over her shoulder at the celebration of wedding bliss. “Because I have feelings for you.”

Danita’s heart pounded so loud she couldn’t hear the music any longer. Hope bloomed. Even though she knew it was crazy. Even though she had no idea how they could make it work, she wanted to try. Wanted to believe that they could have a chance.

What are your three favorite things about Valentine’s Day? Any special plans this year?

Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy stories for Harlequin Blaze since her first book hit the shelves in 2007. When not obsessing over deadlines, she’s shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking or hanging out on Facebook and Twitter. Come by and visit her on the web at www.tawnyweber.com

In December of 2011 Tawny launched her Undercover Ops series with SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE. The second book in the series, SEX, LIES & MIDNIGHT is on shelves in January 2012, quickly followed in February by SEX, LIES & VALENTINES. You can read the first chapter of SEX, LIES AND VALENTINES on her website, too!

Friday the 13th

by Tawny Weber

Did you know today is Friday the 13th? I ask because there are many a'day that I'm clueless to the position of the calender. But those fateful Friday's do tend to snag my attention. Not because I'm superstitious (although I suppose I am), but because I've always had the best luck on Friday the 13th. And this year, we get 3 of them! I can't wait to see what happens :-)

Now I know many people see this day differently. It's supposed to bring bad luck. Kind of like black cats (I have two). There are enough people with a phobia of the date, that it has it's own name: friggatriskaidekaphobia (say that three times fast). But, like I said, it's usually one of the best luck days of the year for me. When I was 17, there was a boy I had been crushing on for months. He finally asked me out on Friday the 13th. I've gotten raises on Friday the 13th. I've found killer sales deals on Friday the 13th. I've written record page counts on Friday the 13th (which might tell you what I'm trying to beat today *g*).

Maybe it's because I've seen Friday the 13th as a lucky day since I was a teenager, that I've always managed to draw good luck to me. Which is what the characters in my newest release, SEX, LIES AND MIDNIGHT, do. They make things happen. The hero is an FBI agent who is 'lucky enough' to make contact with the one person guaranteed to bring him in the inner circle of a notorious con man. The con man's daughter. He's even luckier when she needs an escort home. For Maya, it's great luck that she finds a gorgeous, sexy guy who's perfect for distracting her arch-nemesis. And even luckier? He's free and willing to come home with her. Neither would say it's luck, though, so much as that they see opportunities and make the most of them.

So my question is this... Is luck something we create because we believe in it? Or is it something that's there whether we believe or not-but some of us are just too stubborn to realize there's bad luck happening that we aren't paying attention to. Do you have any fun Friday the 13th stories to share?

Be sure to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for an autographed copy of SEX, LIES AND MIDNIGHT!

Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy stories for Harlequin Blaze since her first book hit the shelves in 2007. When not obsessing over deadlines, she’s shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking or hanging out on Facebook and Twitter. Come by and visit her on the web at www.tawnyweber.com

In December of 2011 Tawny launched her Undercover Ops series with SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE. The second book in the series, SEX, LIES & MIDNIGHT is on shelves in January 2012, quickly followed in February by SEX, LIES & VALENTINES. You can read the first chapter of SEX, LIES & MIDNIGHT on her website, too – all you have to do is join the Reader LoveFest! Be sure to follow Tawny on her Holiday Survival Tour as she celebrates these three books with tons of fun and a chance for readers to win a $100 giftcard!

A Holiday Reading Feast!

by Anna Campbell

Oh, the bliss of the summer holidays here in Australia. As I write this, just before Christmas, I'm really looking forward to a couple of days of complete sloth over the Festive season. Of lying by the pool. Of snoozing. Of knocking a few books off the TBR pile.

Every year, if I possibly can, I take the time off between Christmas and New Year. Here in Australia, basically the whole country shuts down and I don't see why I should be any different.

I stockpile special books for these days as I love to curl up with a couple of really luscious reads and enjoy my leisure time.

This year is no different (I hope. Touch wood. Salt over my shoulder). So I thought I'd share some of the books I'm really looking forward to. There are others on the pile but these are the five that caught my attention first.

First is a book I read ages ago in manuscript and absolutely adored. It's the perfect Beauty and the Beast story - and as a lot of you know, that's far and away my fave fairytale. It's the second in Christina Brooke's Ministry of Marriage Series, MAD ABOUT THE EARL. Beastly Griffin (except he's mega yummy under the beastliness) and beautiful Rosamunde have such a rocky road to love when they embark upon their arranged marriage that you won't be able to put this book down. I'm looking forward to revisiting this delicious love affair and losing myself in Griffin's arms...uh, story!

Another luscious historical on the TBR pile (and another one with a beautiful blue cover!) is DESIRED by one of my long-time fave authors Nicola Cornick. This sounds like such a sexy, tug of war between duty and desire. And I already know which one is going to win. I always close Nicola's romances with a big happy sigh. Look forward to the same reaction with this one.

Tawny Weber writes wonderful sexy, saucy, smart contemporary romance. SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE is the start of a new three-parter for her and it sounds wonderful. Intrigue, forbidden attraction, lots of flirty fun. I can hardly wait.

While I'm on a category kick, I'm really looking forward to the latest Sarah Morgan. Have you read her? I think she writes the most brilliant classic Harlequin Presents (marketed here in Australia as Sexy and believe me, these books just bristle with sexual tension!). The latest is ONCE A FERRARA WIFE... (love the elipsis!) which sounds like a passionate reunion story. I devour Sarah's books in one gulp like chocolate - can't imagine this one will be any different!

At the moment, I'm reading a lot of crime to go with my romance and a series I've really got hooked on is Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon Mysteries.

Anna, the principal character, is a middle-aged widow who works as a ranger in a series of national parks across America. The descriptions of landscape and environment are extraordinary, so vivid that you actually feel like you're there. FLASHBACK is the next one I'm due to read. It's number 11 in the series and what's a nice benefit of these later books is that Anna has mended her broken heart to the point where she's have a very nice romance with a sheriff at her latest national park. I love a bit of romance to go with my murder ;-)

So do you get to catch up with your reading over the Christmas/New Year break? What did you read that really made you sit up and pay attention?