Romance and Me: The Widower as Romantic Hero

Hey Everyone!

In the past couple of weeks I read two novels where the heroes were widowers and it got me thinking.

Lately I have seen this new trend in historical romances that more and more heroines are made out to be widows instead of innocent virgins, so that the story and the hero can get to the steamy seduction part faster since the heroine has already been introduced to the world of “carnal pleasure” (even if of course with her first husband it was just “meh”), but these two novels made me realize, that I haven’t come across any widower heroes… until now.

 
 
The interesting part was that one of these novels was a contemporary, funny romance (Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins) while the other was a historical romance (Romancing the Countess by Ashley March). But basically both made me ponder the same questions and issues …

Guest post: Fortune-telling or rather Second Guessing Fate? by Claire Robyns + Giveaway

Today we are happy to welcome to Book Lovers Inc. Claire Robyns a globetrotter author like you don’t come across everyday! Claire grew up in South Africa, visited Zimbabwe, Mozambique and right now besides living in England loves to discover the sights of Europe! I bet she could tell us about her adventures. But today she is here with us to tell you more about her latest novel, Second-Guessing Fate, a light and funny contemporary romance recently released by Carina Press. So come join us in celebrating Claire’s new release and tell us about your take on fortune-tellers and psychics and you could win yourself a copy of her book! Please give Claire a warm welcome and now I’ll cede the blog to her.

Thanks to Book Lovers Inc. for having me over today. Second-Guessing Fate is a fun and flirty contemporary about a girl, a guy, best friends and fortunetellers.

 
Gemma’s just your everyday girl carrying …

Guest Post: What scares you by P.T. Michelle + Giveaway

We are very happy to welcome P.T. Michelle here at Book Lovers Inc today. Perhaps some of you know her under herer other pen name- Patrice Michelle. Today she is here to promote her first YA release- Brightest Kind of Darkness. This novel received awesome reviews and well you really shouldn’t miss your chance to win your own copy. Please give Patrice a warm welcome.

In the spirit of the Halloween holiday, I’m asking the question, “What scares you?”

While researching this subject, I ran across a blog post about how to scare people on Halloween night written by a guy who runs a Haunted House. He says there are two kinds of approaches to scare tactics: 1) eliciting a “startle” response or 2) evoking a “fight or flight” response. Then …

Guest Post: My Favourite Type of Mythology by Lucy Felthouse + Giveaway

I am happy to cede the blog to Lucy Felthouse who is here today to tell you ablout her new anthology project Seducing the Myth which contains more than two dozens of steamy mythological retellings or myth inspired erotic short stories. As a big dan of mythology and legends I was intrigued and curious to hear more about this project. Read on to discover Lucy’s take on myths and to get a first taste of the anthology!

 
 
One of the suggestions I was given when I organised this guest spot (thanks so much for having me here, by the way!) was to talk about my favourite type of mythology. Now, that’s actually not quite as straightforward as it sounds. The reason being, I don’t really have a favourite type. Ever since I was a small child I’ve loved stories of all kinds; true ones, fictional ones, old ones, new ones… I’m just a sucker …

Guest post: What’s More Terrifying Than Writing a Book? Well Writing the Second! by Kersten Hamilton + Giveaway

Today I am very happy to welcome back to Book Lovers Inc. Kersten Hamilton an author I am sure doesn’t need an introduction for many of you. But for those who have lived under a rock and just recently emerged *wink* just let me tell you that the first book in Kersten’s Young Adult series, Tyger Tyger was a smashing hit last year, sparkling lots of impassioned discussions and even more enthusiasm from fans and the time has finally come when Book #2 In the Forests of the Night was released! Yay! So come join us in celebrating Kersten’s new release and share your thoughts with us, you could win yourself a copy of her book! Please give Kersten the warmest welcome and now I’ll cede the blog to her.

Hi, Book Lovers! Thank you for having me on the blog, and thank you Stella for the idea for this guest post. I hope you don’t …

Guestpost: Have you ever wondered where you go when you die? by T. P. Boje + Giveaway

We very happy to welcome author T. P. Boje here at Book Lovers Inc. She’s an author of young adult fiction and we share a love for Tim Burton’s and Coen Brothers’ movies. Her Afterlife series currently consists of 2 novels, THe Academy and the freshly released Serenity. Please give Therese a warm welcome. And don’t forget the giveaway at the end of her post. *wink*

Have you ever wondered where you go when you die?

Haven’t we all at some point? I used to do it a lot as a kid. Is heaven for real and what is it going to be like once I get there? What kind of a body will I have? What will I look like? Will all of my family come with me? Will I meet my grandmother there?

When I was …

Guest Post: Author Henry Mosquera + Giveaway

Please join us in welcoming Author Henry Mosquera to BLI today. Mr. Mosquera is here to celebrate the release of his first novel Sleepers Run, which has garnered a number of rave reviews. He enjoys researching his novels extensively, including gaining first-hand knowledge of some of his characters’ skills. Mr. Mosquera currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, dog and cat. He also has a background in Graphic Design. 🙂

Write about what you know, but if you don’t know…

I loved researching “Sleeper’s Run.” Well, I love research, period. Granted, many of the themes portrayed in the story are of general interest to me, so not only did I have a good running start, but it also made the process more enjoyable. Piles of non-fiction texts, documentaries and articles informed me about history, politics, military units, tactics, technology, …

Guest Post by Mayra Calvani + Giveaway!

We are very happy to welcome author Mayra Calvani here at Book Lovers Inc today. Her new novel, Seduced by the Shadows was released this month and she is here today to celebrate her release- BIG time. She has two free reads to share with you all and one lucky commenter will even win an ebook copy of her new book. Please give Mayra a warm welcome.

“On the Release of My Novel, Embraced by the Shadows”

Embraced by the Shadows was just released two weeks ago. But the funny thing is, I wrote the book back in the 90’s and it was previously published with a different title and cover. So this is the new revised version that has come out.

The release of this novel feels kind of strange, because my writing has evolved and changed a …

Review: Mile High Airship Club by Nishi Serrano

Format read: ebook provided by authorRelease Date: 16 August 2011Length: novella Publisher: Decadent PublishingFormats available: ebook, paperbackPurchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Decadent Publishing

Blurb:

Newlywed Lady Rose’s curiosity is inflamed when a mysterious airship captain shows up extending an honorary invitation for she and her husband, Lord William, to join the Mile High Airship Club. A club she has never heard mention of in polite society. Rose is excited for the trip. It will be her first time aboard an airship. However, Rose is blissfully unaware of the trials she will endure to acquire a membership in this pleasure club!

My Thoughts: I’ll start by saying that I’m almost a steampunk virgin. Before the Mile High Airship Club I’ve only ever read one steampunk novella. So when I heard about Mile High Airship Club I was curious: a steampunk erotica story? Hm, that’s something I haven’t come across before. Never heard …

Romance and Me: The Importance of a Title

Hey Everyone! Today I would like to discuss with you the importance of how a romance novel is titled.

We all know (even if we try not to judge by its cover) how important book covers are. They are the introduction, the first impression of the novel, the one thing which starts to form our opinion of the book long before we even start reading the first page. But isn’t the title of a novel just as important?

Sure, it is less obvious and usually goes hand in hand with the cover, but I’ve seen, and mostly on romance novels some cringe-worthy titles which would probably make me run as fast as I could from said books. You know the ones I’m talking about I’m sure, but here are a few examples:

The Mogul’s Maybe Marriage

Billionaire’s Jet-Set Babies
The Surgeon’s Secret Baby
Reclaiming His …