Showing posts with label backlist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label backlist. Show all posts

My First Romance

With the publication of Love Is...(the charity anthology which includes my story Her Royal Rendezvous) on Aug 5th, and The Cottage Next Door on Sept 16th, I just realized I will have 25 novels/novellas/short stories published! 25! Back in 2006, after writing and submitting for more years than I care to count, I despaired of ever being published. But in September of 2006, I got the e-mail that changed my life. Samhain Publishing wanted to publish my contemporary romance, The Ride of Her Life!

If there is a "book of the heart" this was the one for me. I learned so much going through the process of edits and covers and release days. It's still available in both print and download, so I thought I'd share the cover, blurb and an excerpt today.

The cover gods smiled on me. I'd been around long enough to know I was very lucky to get an awesome cover like this the first time out of the gate.


Blurb:

She’s in for the ride of her life.

After a devastating diagnosis, sensible Sarah Austin yearns to live life to the fullest. When she talks her former teenage crush into a cross-country ride on his Harley, she thinks it’s her one and only chance for adventure, including a fun fling with love ‘em and leave ‘em Bastian.

No longer a rebel, Dean Bastian is a counselor for troubled teens and ready to settle down. He doesn’t know why Sarah is so desperate for an adventure, but he’s willing to do anything to keep a smile on her face, even pretend to still be a bad boy.

Sarah doesn’t want to burden anyone with the future she faces, but can Dean convince her that the rest of her life can be an adventure…with him?


Excerpt:

He was out in the driveway, polishing the bike, when Sarah pulled up to the curb. At least, he thought it was Sarah. The woman who stepped out of the late-model Ford was petite, wearing faded blue jeans and a tight T-shirt that hugged her every curve. She pulled out a familiar saddlebag and slung it over her shoulder, then grabbed a pizza box out of the backseat. She nudged the door closed with her hip.

Dean couldn’t take his eyes off her, or her new short, spiky hairdo. She looked sexy as hell. He felt his body tighten as her hips swayed in the well-washed denim. Her white T-shirt stretched seductively across her breasts and his heart pounded at the sight. They were only talking about the trip and he already couldn’t control his response to her. They hadn’t even left the driveway yet. What would happen once they were on the road? He felt more than a little irritated that he was so out of control around her.

“What did you do to your hair?” he called out, a little harsher than necessary.

Her bright smile faltered and she lost the little rhythm she’d had in her step. Real smooth, Bastian. She continued up the walk at a slower pace and Dean met her halfway. He took the pizza box out of her hands but she didn’t meet his glance.

“I didn’t mean that how it sounded,” he told her. “You look great. In fact, I was blown away. You look so different.”

She shrugged her shoulders and finally looked at him. “I can’t fit a hairdryer in here,” she said, pulling the saddlebag off her shoulder. “The stylist said I just use a little gel and I’m ready to go.”

He’d always been one of those guys who loved women with long hair. Preferably flowing in a riot of curls down her back. But one look at Sarah and he was a changed man. The smooth pageboy she’d worn before had been plain and simple. But this flirty style brightened her eyes and flattered her tiny features. With a simple haircut, Sarah had been transformed from merely pretty to palm-tingling sexy.

He wanted to touch her again. Really touch her this time. Play with the fringe of hair around her face. Nibble on her pretty little ears. Kiss the bare nape of her neck. He grasped both ends of the pizza box. He was in big trouble.


If you like road trip romances, stories of good girls who want to be bad and the bad boys who want to be good, or simply an emotional contemporary romance, why not give The Ride of Her Life a try?

Natasha
Love Is... - coming Aug 5th
The Cottage Next Door - coming Sept 16th
Her Royal Masquerade - available now
Her Royal Bodyguard - available now
www.natashamoore.com


Fairytale Reboot - The Better to Eat You With

Every so often, I like to post a teaser from my backlist. With so many new takes on old fairy tales (anyone see Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters? Looking forward to Jack the Giant Slayer? Hooked on Once Upon a Time?)this twist on Little Red Riding Hood might be just what you're looking for.

Well, The Better to Eat You With, my little fairy tale romance has no action heroes, no violence, no evil queens or giants. It's a second chance at love romance, and I don't know about you, but I love those stories.



Blurb:

Did Red Riding Hood get the story wrong when she said her grandmother had been eaten by a wolf? When Nicholas Wolfe surprises Elise at her lonely house in the forest, she decides to use him for sex like he did with her before he left years ago. They didn’t want the same things from life back then, but Wolfe is back to convince Elise to give him another chance.



Excerpt:

“Well, now, isn’t this a sight for sore eyes?”

She froze as a smooth voice she’d not heard in many years washed over her skin like a cool rain. Nicholas Wolfe. Her eyes flew open and she saw his tall, broad, masculine figure silhouetted against the late morning sun. Where the hell had he come from? Then she realized that while she’d hidden herself from her neighbors, she was in clear view of the driveway. Shit, she hadn’t even heard him drive up.

His gaze burned into her, sweeping over her from head to toe. Of course, he didn’t have the decency to look away after catching her in such an awkward position. He still didn’t care about her feelings.

Her heart pounded, her cheeks burned. From embarrassment. From anger. From desire, dammit. She resisted the urge to snatch up the T-shirt to cover her naked breasts, to pull down the skirt to cover her drenched panties. It was too late for modesty now. Besides, she didn’t want him to know he could still affect her. Not after all this time.

She made herself sit up slowly, as if this was the natural way to meet an ex-lover. She shaded her eyes with her hand to get a better view. He still wore his dark hair long, still sported the hint of a beard even this early in the day. Elise remembered the way its roughness used to scrape against her skin when he kissed his way down her body. Why the hell did Nicholas Wolfe have to turn up when she was at her weakest?

He was still staring at her as though he hadn’t lost the right to see her like this a long time ago. But damn if her nipples didn’t prickle beneath his gaze. The fact that her body would betray her fueled her anger more than his arrogant ogling. But she had to make him think she didn’t care one way or the other. He meant nothing to her now.

Squaring her shoulders, she gathered the strength she would need to deal with this man. “Mr. Wolfe.” Her voice sounded tight. Her heart slammed against her ribs.

He took a step closer and she could almost see his eyes. Those dreamy, bedroom eyes that had seduced her every time. “You used to call me Nick.”

“Ha. I never called you Nick.”

Another step closer. “True. But you never called me Mister.”



If you'd like to read more about Elise and her Wolfe, The Better to Eat You With is still available for your enjoyment.

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com

I'm a Sucker for a Bad Boy Hero

Over the past few months I've been highlighting my BDSM backlist, but you may not know that a couple of my early releases had no BDSM elements, in fact, were not erotic at all. My first sale ever was a contemporary romance, The Ride of Her Life, about a good girl who wants to be bad and a bad boy who wants to be good. There are several reasons that this has always been one of my favorite books.

* It was my first sale. I think the first sale always holds a special place in an author's heart.

* I'm a sucker for a bad boy hero - especially one who rides a Harley

* The Ride of Her Life won the 2009 NEC Reader's Choice award for short contemporary romance.

* The cover is totally made of awesome


Blurb:

After a devastating diagnosis, sensible Sarah Austin yearns to live life to the fullest. When she talks her former teenage crush into a cross-country ride on his Harley, she thinks it’s her one and only chance for adventure, including a fun fling with love ‘em and leave ‘em Bastian.

No longer a rebel, Dean Bastian is a counselor for troubled teens and ready to settle down. He doesn’t know why Sarah is so desperate for an adventure, but he’s willing to do anything to keep a smile on her face, even pretend to still be a bad boy.

Sarah doesn’t want to burden anyone with the future she faces, but can Dean convince her that the rest of her life can be an adventure…with him?

About The Ride of Her Life:

"...I loved the way Ms. Moore kept the tension between these two...This is definitely a keeper and a recommended read. ..."
- Nickie from Romance Junkies

"A great story of finding love and romance when you least expect it with a person you could spend the rest of your life with."
- Sheryl from ecataromance Sensual

“…The secrets in this story drew me into it and held my attention until the very end…”
- Missy – Fallen Angels Review – Recommended Read

"The Ride Of Her Life has a nice balance of heartfelt moments and scenes of careless exuberance of falling love."
- Mrs. Giggles

Excerpt:

He was out in the driveway, polishing the bike, when Sarah pulled up to the curb. At least, he thought it was Sarah. The woman who stepped out of the late-model Ford was petite, wearing faded blue jeans and a tight T-shirt that hugged her every curve. She pulled out a familiar saddlebag and slung it over her shoulder, then grabbed a pizza box out of the backseat. She nudged the door closed with her hip.

Dean couldn’t take his eyes off her, or her new short, spiky hairdo. She looked sexy as hell. He felt his body tighten as her hips swayed in the well-washed denim. Her white T-shirt stretched seductively across her breasts and his heart pounded at the sight. They were only talking about the trip and he already couldn’t control his response to her. They hadn’t even left the driveway yet. What would happen once they were on the road? He felt more than a little irritated that he was so out of control around her.

“What did you do to your hair?” he called out, a little harsher than necessary.

Her bright smile faltered and she lost the little rhythm she’d had in her step. Real smooth, Bastian. She continued up the walk at a slower pace and Dean met her halfway. He took the pizza box out of her hands but she didn’t meet his glance.

“I didn’t mean that how it sounded,” he told her. “You look great. In fact, I was blown away. You look so different.”

She shrugged her shoulders and finally looked at him. “I can’t fit a hairdryer in here,” she said, pulling the saddlebag off her shoulder. “The stylist said I just use a little gel and I’m ready to go.”

He’d always been one of those guys who loved women with long hair. Preferably flowing in a riot of curls down her back. But one look at Sarah and he was a changed man. The smooth pageboy she’d worn before had been plain and simple. But this flirty style brightened her eyes and flattered her tiny features. With a simple haircut, Sarah had been transformed from merely pretty to palm-tingling sexy.

He wanted to touch her again. Really touch her this time. Play with the fringe of hair around her face. Nibble on her pretty little ears. Kiss the bare nape of her neck. He grasped both ends of the pizza box. He was in big trouble.

The Ride of Her Life is available both as a download and in print.
Samhain e-book Print
Amazon e-book print
Barnes & Noble e-book print

How about you? Are you a sucker for a bad boy hero?

Natasha
Silken Canvas - coming Dec 25th
www.natashamoore.com