Author Guest Post
How do you like your men? Now, there’s a leading question. But I got to thinking the other day about my book heroes, the guys that appear in my books – they’ve got some things in common, some differences… and I thought about the men I liked reading about, the ones I go weak kneed over in films, and the ones I love in real life.
Here’s my list – if anyone wants to add in what does it for them, I’d love to hear!
1. It’s in the eyes. I can’t fancy a man who is always in ‘shades. But the way a man looks at me can make go gooey inside. It can be a steely blue/grey that pierces straight through me, brown chocolate that I want to melt into, tawny tiger eyes that bring out the wild side, green pools that draw me in. You get the message? It’s not the colour, it’s the depth of that gaze the sincerity, the lust… it’s all in the eyes! (And if you can’t look me straight in the eye – this relationship isn’t going anywhere.)
2. Sense of humour. Don’t take yourself too seriously or you’re not the guy for me. Yup, laugh me into bed. If you can make me smile, if you can see the funny side when things go wrong, if you’ve got a cheeky dimple and a deep chuckle, mmm I’m won over. And a quick quip means the man has a brain, and I do love a smart man too…
3. Be strong. I love an alpha man – but I want a man who is firm, not bossy. Who wants to protect me, but not make all the decisions. Alpha to me isn’t cruel, and he doesn’t have to be rich, he just knows his mind and goes out to get what he wants, and he knows how to make me feel like a lady (even if I’m in jeans and sneakers with bed-head hair). He’s my protector and he’d fight to the death to keep me safe (well, maybe not the death, but you get what I mean).
4. Be honest. I’d rather hear it, even if you don’t think I’ll want to. Tell it like it is, trust me to handle the truth. Okay sometimes there are reasons for hiding stuff, but believe me it isn’t often. I’ve been known to scream at my book boyfriends for hiding things and making everything so damned complicated. Keep it simple, keep it open.
5. Hair I can run my fingers through. There’s nothing more sensuous than a kiss while my fingers are tangling in your hair. The texture, the feel as my fingers tighten with desire. (And yeah, book boyfriends always have silky, squeaky clean hair.)
6. Abs. Okay this is fiction, my fantasy men. I know not everyone has a six pack but I want fit not fat. A guy that takes care of himself turns me on (all that strength and stamina). Just a tiny six pack, please? And it would be nice if that body was lightly tanned, evenly, all over….
And now I can really let my imagination run wild!
About The Author
Author Zara Stoneley
I live in a country cottage in the UK with a naughty mouse catching, curtain climbing cat, my wonderful guitar playing, video making, Minecraft mad teenage son and a wine drinking, sun loving, master chef in the making, sexy alpha hero.
I love my family, sexy high heels, sunshine, wine, good food, cats, horses, dogs, music, coffee, writing and reading - but not necessarily in that order! And I like my heroes just how I like my coffee – hot, strong and moreish.
You can find more about me, and all my contact details at www.zarastoneley.com. Please stop by – I love to meet new people.
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GOODREADS
Book Review
Summer of Surrender by Zara Stoneley
Publisher: HarperImpulse (division of HarperCollins Publishers)
Publication Date: November 7, 2013
Format: e-Book: 182 pages / Kindle - 1621 KB / Nook - 2 MB
ISBN: 9780007556571
ASIN: B00FVE4WE0
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
BUY THE BOOK: Summer of Surrender
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Book Promotions by Literary Nook.
Book Description:
James had it all. Good education. City job and a wife he would have been willing to die for. Their motto had been work hard, play hard, but she’d pushed the boundaries too far and he’d walked. Became the man he felt he needed to be. Detached. In control.
Free spirit Kezia lives each day at a time; sharing, loving and giving are unconditional. And sex is part of the sharing.
When fate leaves James and Kezia trapped together for the summer, her openness is an invitation he just can’t resist. The attraction is instant, the sex all-consuming. And as their fantasies become reality, James begins to realise that willing surrender is a far different pleasure to forced submission…
Book Excerpt:
He bent his head and kissed her. Just one light kiss on those cute rosebud lips, and it drenched his senses with her smell and her need. He didn’t mean to do it. He shouldn’t have done it. But there was something in her, and James didn’t know what the hell it was, but it had just dragged him right in where he didn’t want to go.
He’d not had a sweet kiss for a long time. Not since Chloe had gone. And he hadn’t intended on doing it again.
She eased her grip on the fork just like he knew she would, half turned in his arms, stared at him with need, and moved her hands up to his chest.
Fuck. He let go of the pitchfork like it was molten metal and took a step back. Why the hell had he done that? He hadn’t exactly banned kisses from his life, when he moved out here, but he’d firmly limited them. The platonic kiss on the cheek and the passionate kiss during sex. He liked the taste of a woman just before she came, her kiss told him far more than her words ever did.
This was neither.
She was still in the same spot, swaying slightly, a quizzical expression on the face that had been clear.
‘That didn’t happen. I’ll get another fork.’
‘Sure.’ Her tone was light, but more confused than hurt.
There was a fork across the yard, but he didn’t pick it up. He gritted his teeth and walked to the bottom of the row of stables, took a breath and wondered why the hell he had a raging hard on and why the hell he’d let himself touch her. More than that, kiss her.
It was that look of innocence probably, a look he found hard to resist. She was a mixture of tease and doubt, of the unconventional and a need to fit the norm. But he wasn’t here to reassure her, to teach her. He picked up the heaviest pitchfork he could see and strode back, wielding it like a weapon. A harder workout might help. This girl was not staying round, she was going before they’d got to the end of the day if he had anything to do with it.
He’d not had a sweet kiss for a long time. Not since Chloe had gone. And he hadn’t intended on doing it again.
She eased her grip on the fork just like he knew she would, half turned in his arms, stared at him with need, and moved her hands up to his chest.
Fuck. He let go of the pitchfork like it was molten metal and took a step back. Why the hell had he done that? He hadn’t exactly banned kisses from his life, when he moved out here, but he’d firmly limited them. The platonic kiss on the cheek and the passionate kiss during sex. He liked the taste of a woman just before she came, her kiss told him far more than her words ever did.
This was neither.
She was still in the same spot, swaying slightly, a quizzical expression on the face that had been clear.
‘That didn’t happen. I’ll get another fork.’
‘Sure.’ Her tone was light, but more confused than hurt.
There was a fork across the yard, but he didn’t pick it up. He gritted his teeth and walked to the bottom of the row of stables, took a breath and wondered why the hell he had a raging hard on and why the hell he’d let himself touch her. More than that, kiss her.
It was that look of innocence probably, a look he found hard to resist. She was a mixture of tease and doubt, of the unconventional and a need to fit the norm. But he wasn’t here to reassure her, to teach her. He picked up the heaviest pitchfork he could see and strode back, wielding it like a weapon. A harder workout might help. This girl was not staying round, she was going before they’d got to the end of the day if he had anything to do with it.
My Book Review:
Summer of Surrender is a sensuous erotic romance about two people who meet and learn to let go of their pasts, learn the difference between sexual submission and surrender, losing control and finding love.
Kezia Martin is a free-spirit who has lived a nomadic lifestyle. She is now looking for a new start and something more in her life after the tragic deaths of her parents. Working at an Italian spa she meets Marie, an Englishwoman who offers her a position at her countryside horse farm. Kezia decides to take Marie up on her offer, but she's in for a surprise when she arrives at the horse farm.
James is a sex therapist with a troubled past that has left him cold and wanting to be alone. After a bitter divorce, he left everything behind to join his friends Marie and Dan in running their sex therapy business in the English countryside. With the business closed for the summer while Marie and San are away on vacation, James is looking after the horse farm and some much needed solitude and time on his own. But all that changes when an unexpected visitor climbs over the gate and literally falls into his arms.
Can the five weeks that Kezia and James spend together provide them with a summer of surrender to their true sexual desires?
Summer of Surrender is so much more than just an erotic tale of romance, it is a beautiful and sensuous story of two opposite people who become attracted and discover that they are perfect for each other. James and Kezia's attraction is intense and sizzling from the moment they meet, and as they gradually learn and explore each other, they learn to let go of the past and surrender to their fears, fantasies and desires. With an element of mystery and conflict surrounding both James and Kezia's past, the reader follows along on their journey as these two flawed and complex people learn to overcome their dark secrets and troubled pasts to achieve an emotional connection and fall deliciously in love.
Summer of Surrender is a captivating erotic romance story full of emotional depth and heartbreaking moments interwoven with hope, steamy sex scenes, and finding true love. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining quick read!
RATING: 4 STARS ****
Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway
Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card and 1 ebook copy from Zara Stonely’s backlist
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Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Tour Schedule:
It’s All About the Romance! – Promo and Excerpt
November 26
Literary Nook – Promo and Excerpt
November 27
Rachel Leigh Erotic Romance – Guest Post
December 2
Dawn’s Reading Nook – Guest Post and Excerpt
Foxylutely Book Reviews – Review and Excerpt
December 3
Sleepless Nights Romance Reviews – Review
December 5
A Little Fiction of Every Flavour – Promo and Excerpt
December 6
We Love Kink – Review
December 7
Samantha Holt – Guest Post
December 9
Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews – Guest Post, Review and Excerpt
Thanks so much for hosting me today, and for writing such a brilliant review, I love it! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Zara! I loved reading Summer of Surrender, it was such a sensuous story! Thank you for the opportunity to host your virtual book tour event. :)
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