Menage? Oh pick me!

Well, that sounded dirtier than I expected. I meant to say that I wanted to pick ménage to read and then…well…

So, why am talking about ménage today? Well, it helps that I have a ménage romance out as my latest release. Also, I love reading and writing the genre. I love looking at the different romances within the relationship. Yes, the sex is hot while reading it, but I like looking at the actual connections more than just the ins and outs.

Again, I keep writing dirty things and I don’t mean it…but I’ll just stick with it. LOL

I think the first ménage I read was either Marie Harte or Maya Banks. I read them in the same month and they were completely different ménages. One was a m/f/m the other a m/m/f.

Just a clue, if the m’s touch, the dudes do in bed. J

I like knowing that each relationship between individual “duos” within the triad (or larger) will hold up on its own. It can either be a friendship or other type of relationship or it can be a romantic and sexual one. I like that each “set” can have its own history that it brings with it to the overall relationship.

Below I have a couple of my ménage romances, plus others that I’ve read in the past that I think touch on different aspects of ménages. Sometimes the girl is the center of the romance, sometimes the man. 

Sometimes it’s just m/m/f or m/f/m. Sometimes you’re Liz Crowe and write amazing romantic and sexy romances that are on its own in terms of what people thing “should” happen in romance. I love all these books below (including mine *cough*).

Have you read these? What are some of your favorite ménage romances? I KNOW I forgot a few of my favorites, but here are some that came to mind.

Her Warriors’ Three Wishes (Dante’s Circle 2) by Carrie Ann Ryan

Humans aren’t as alone as they choose to believe. Every human possesses a trait of supernatural that lays dormant within their genetic make-up. Centuries of diluting and breeding have allowed humans to think they are alone and untouched by magic. But what happens when something changes?

Ambrose Griffin is older than most, if not all, civilizations. As each year passes, he submerses himself into his training, only relaxing around his protégée and friend, Shade. After losing his wife and children in the last Angelic Wars, he guards his heart and has no desire to share it with another.

Bookkeeper and romance novel enthusiast, Jamie Bennett dreams of being swept off her feet by a white knight. However, her life is no romance book. Since meeting Ambrose—a sexy, delicious angel—she’s been twisted inside out and doesn’t know why. Things are happening that she can’t control and now her life is in danger.

Balin Drake is stuck in hell, literally. His life of refusing to take souls, even though it’s part of his demon nature, has caught up with him. He’s dying and now must search for his true half, but even a mating may not save him. When he meets the two people who could fill that part, he’ll need to fight for something he hasn’t felt in over a century—hope.

Warning: Contains a rigid angel who needs a certain sexy woman to help him unwind, a book keeper who finds herself the creamy center of the best cookie ever, and a demon who has a certain taste for pressing them both against walls.

Blurred Expectations (Redwood Pack 4.5) by Carrie Ann Ryan

Hannah Jamenson has babies on the brain. It seems that her sisters-in-law are expanding their family in the blink of an eye, but Hannah feels left behind. Every time that little test reads negative a little part of her dies and she feels like her Healing powers are failing her. Her mates, Josh and Reed, are doing everything they can to help her deal with their trials and losses, but they too feel like there is nothing they can do.

Just when the lines of what they mean to each other go out of focus, an enemy from Josh's past is back to prove the things that go bump in the night are real and everything they had held dear is now in jeopardy. In order to fight back and find their way, they'll need to put everything on the line before they lose it all.

Author’s Note: This is a novella set between books 4 and 5 to give you a taste of Reed, Josh, and Hannah. It is best that you have already immersed yourselves in the Redwood Pack world, however even new readers will enjoy a glimpse of the Redwood’s favorite triad.

Tart (Delicious 2) by Lauren Dane

Juliet Lamprey is having the time of her life running her successful bakery, TART, when Gideon Carter comes back into her life. Returning home to help his grandfather run the family on the farm, Gideon is back for good. When they meet again, the spark between them is immediate, and it isn’t long before the former childhood friends play catch up in bed.

That’s not good news for local lawyer Cal Whaley. Though the sexually open but strictly monogamous Cal has loved Jules for a long time, he’s hardly ever taken it further than friendship. When he sees her start to fall for Gideon, he knows he has to make his move or risk losing her forever.

Who would have anticipated that all three of them would connect on such an intimate level? The trio’s scalding liaisons take them places they’ve never dreamed. But such an intensely passionate and unusual relationship comes with equally as complicated emotions, and when Jules must suddenly leave town, she wonders if she’ll have a choice to make when she returns

Laid Bare (Brown Siblings 1) by Lauren Dane

Unexpected Desire...

It's been ten years since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn't in the cards just yet...

Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough, in light of a painful event from Erin's past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd's best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed--and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?

Colters’ Woman (Colters’ Legacy 1) by Maya Banks

Adam, Ethan and Ryan aren’t looking for women. They’re looking for a woman. One woman they know will share their lives and their beds. They’re losing hope they’ll find her, that is until Adam discovers Holly lying in the snow just yards from their cabin.

Adam knows she’s the one the minute he holds her in his arms, and as soon as his brothers see her, they know it too. The only problem is convincing Holly of that fact—and protecting her from the danger of her past.

Zach and Ace (Circe’s Recruits 2) by Marie Harte

In the three years since Project Dawn disbanded, Zack and Ace continue to fight the good fight.

Now civilians, their squad - Circe's Recruits - works for a private organization bent on cleaning up the mess left in its wake. Pearson Labs continues to create Circs, people who have been genetically changed. When needed, these Circs take on an altered form neither man nor animal, but something in between.

Unlike Zack and Ace's squad, the Circs coming out of Pearson Labs aren't sane. Zack and Ace have been dancing around their "just friends" relationship for years. Being Circ means unavoidable intimacy when the mating heat strikes, and it's putting a strain on their friendship.

They're finally nearing an understanding about what they truly mean to each other when they're stunned by Kelly, the woman they've been lusting after for years. Suddenly she's available to both in a way she's never been before. Lust and love confuse the issue, until wounded emotions pull the threesome apart and Kelly is captured by the enemy.

Can Zack and Ace come to grips with their differences in time to save Kelly, or will their difficulties lose them the loves of their lives?

Essence of Time (Stewart Reality 4) by Liz Crowe

For years, Rob Frietag has resisted anything resembling a true emotional connection, preferring instead to explore life, and his own desires, without committing to anyone for very long. The reason remains known only to a few, among them Jack Gordon, his college cohort in female conquests, and life-long friend. At thirty-seven, while he is close to achieving his career goal, head chef at a five-star restaurant in Chicago, he is still very much alone.

After an intensely emotional relationship with Suzanne Baxter in Ann Arbor, Blake's heart is left shattered. Completely broken by what he believes was his one true love, he arrives at a Chicago food and beer festival, prepared to drink his sorrow away. When the two men meet, their lives change forever. But time is of the essence. When Rob acknowledges his true feelings, he will stop at nothing to keep them together, including finding a surrogate mother for the child Blake so desperately wants.

Lila Warren is recovering from a nasty divorce, needs cash and believes carrying their baby will fulfill her in ways marriage never did. None of them could suspect that the connection they share would provide the final emotional key to their life-long puzzle.

When Rob s secret is revealed, time becomes the one luxury they don't have, setting in motion a chain of events that destroys the fragile illusion of happiness for them, and everyone who loves them.

Deadlines, Oh Sweet Deadlines.

I’m in a little bit of an OMG moment right now LOL. I have a book due on the 15^th and a book due on May 5^th. Yes, I’m a bit crazy, but I’m going to get it done darn it. I’m writing every day, sometimes to the point my eyes hurt and I need to walk away.

I write quickly thank God. I can do around 5,000 words a day and be okay. Some days I can only get to 3k, some days I get to 7k. It really depends on the scene for me these days. My May 5^th deadline also marks the end of the craziest few months of my life. You see, that deadline is for Dreams of Ivory (Holiday, Montana 5), the last of my Holiday series and the last of my month-to-month releases. Yes, when Dreams of Ivory hits shelves in July, it will be my 10^th release in 10 months. And if you include my two volumes of Redwood Pack books, it’s my 12^th upload/release/tour in 10 months.

OMG.

I hadn’t planned on doing that to myself at first, but then I decided to write a Holiday series that needed to be out during the month of its holiday and well…yeah.

I’m at the last two books of this crazy thing in terms of writing and it’s taken its toll on me. I can’t wait to have a little breathing room between releases. *cough* That means every other month for me, rather than every month LOL.

Now, not all releases were full length books. A few of them were around 40k words, so it’s not like I’m too crazy.

No really. I’m not.

I’m a firm believer in quality AND quantity. I might have written many books one after the other, but I’ve also made sure I was proud of my books. There’s a difference I think in that and just shelving them out like a product I don’t care about.

Maybe that’s why my deadlines freak me out and egg me on. I might have to write tons during a day, but I’m proud of those words. *cough* Usually after edits LOL. And copy edits. And revisions.

I already have my April and May releases written, edited, and formatted and ready to go. My June release is almost done and about to be sent to my editor and my July release is going to be on the table soon.

I’m also going to Florida on April 11^th to meet up with my CP and business partner, Lia Davis, to work on our series. So yes, I get a mini vacation AND it’s a working one.

I can’t wait to relax on the beach and write.

Yes, writing can be relaxing. LOL

So yes, my deadlines have been a bit much recently, but they won’t always be that way. What about you? Do deadlines help or hinder you?

What about your writing times? How do you manage what you want to do and what you need to do?

~Carrie Ann

www.carrieannryan.com

Why Did I Write about Holidays?

Why Did I Write about Holidays?

You see? I’m a bit of a dork. After writing a couple dark books that made me cry, I needed a break from them. I had written angst, death, torture, loss and then of course, love…but I wanted happy times.

So I thought up a five book series about holidays.

Because you know, holidays are always happy, right?

Stop laughing at me.

Stop.

I know, I know, holidays can be stressful, annoying, and crazy. But add in the cute idea of paranormals that happen to deal with the holidays? Yes, that’s a bit cuter.

So I went and chose five holidays—or days in a child’s life where something could happen.

First was Halloween in Charmed Spirits. I got to play with ghosts, witches, and lost love. Then Christmas where I made up my own world with Justin’s job and got to meet a perky elf in Rina. Then of course, was Valentine’s Day where I got to make up my own Cupid and a sweet Abby.

For St. Patrick’s Day I got to play around without going with the little small green man. Don’t worry, Brayden is all hunky and sexy and not a leprechaun…but he’s still lucky.

My last book is called Dreams of Ivory, but I’ll leave you to guess what that could be about. *wink*

So yes, I wrote about holidays because I wanted to be happy. They still have angst and some darkness. But I get to be cute. What more could I want?

Have you ever read or written a book to change something up? To make yourself feel lighter?

Her Lucky Love – Holiday, Montana 4

Brayden Cooper has always been lucky. It's in his blood and in the coin that he has hanging on a leather tie around his neck. He has everything in the world he could ever want, money: a job, brothers he loves, and the luck that comes with his powers. Yet he's empty. Everyone but him knows  he loves Allison, yet it's going to take something stronger than luck to bring them together.

Allison Malone is exhausted. After the death of her abusive husband, her hell of a marriage is finally over and now she's alone with her three children that are the center of her world. Long hours at work, plus mommy duty at home are taking its toll on her and that's not the worst of it. Her late husband's family is in town and they want her children. 

The outsiders have secrets of their own and it's going to take all of the Coopers, especially Brayden's, help to save them. When trouble attacks, Allison will have to remember that she's also a woman who needs love, and Brayden might be the one to give that to her.

Warning: Contains one sexy mechanic with a lucky streak, a waitress who needs to give into her temptations, and a love so fierce it's bound to set the sheets on fire. Again.

www.carrieannryan.com

Valentine’s Day Horror and not so Horror Stories

Valentine’s Day Horror and not so Horror Stories

Doesn’t that just sound like fun? I want to hear your horror and not so horror stories today. Valentine’s Day is the day where people profess their undying love and happiness to one another. They shower each other with candy, flowers, and those cards that Hallmark likes to make money off of.

Okay, so now I’m sounding like a whiney brat. I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day beyond celebrating at home and surprising my husband with a rose, a gift, or a nice meal. (Mostly because I hate crowds and waiting in line LOL) The thing is, we also do that stuff outside of just February 14^th. We like to say I love you on other days as well, but that day, it’s also nice to say it when you know thousands of others are saying the same thing.

It’s sort of like this great mecca of ooey gooey, candy hearts, red roses, and lingerie.

*cough*

Anyway, before I was married, I usually worked on Valentine’s Day as a waitress/bartender. I saw happy couples, couples who should have broken up long ago but were using the day as a last ditch effort, new couples, groups of men or women who wanted to prove they didn’t need dates, and people who plain forgot about the day all together.

I purposely never had dates for Valentine’s Day because I didn’t want to deal with the pressure. If I wanted a date, I’d have one later, not the day where everyone feels they need to get me something.

Other than my husband, the only other time I had one was in sixth grade. Oh Mark W., how I miss you LOL. I still have the little bear that held a wooden heart that said, BE MINE.

My husband thinks I’m a dork, but whatever.

When I was a waitress, I witnessed people being stood up (OMG I wanted to just hug those guys and girls), people fighting, people proposing, people making out…a lot!

I want to hear about your horror and not so horror stories. Tell me what you’ve seen and what you’ve heard. What have you lived through? I love Valentine’s Day, don’t get me wrong. I love candy, flowers, and all that jazz. I just want to hear about your stories!

And since I’m here, I’ll show you my latest release, FINDING ABIGAIL, a Valentine’s Holiday, Montana story with cupid, candy hearts, and one of the hottest scenes I’ve ever written.

Finding Abigail Blurb

Tyler Cooper is the town sheriff and, in the past, had been the only person keeping Holiday steady. Though the community is now finding out that it’s town is magical, Tyler has always known it—it’s in his blood.  He has always known his fate of becoming a cupid, striking love into the hearts others, but an enemy from his past is set on keeping him from finding his own destiny—and love.

Abigail Clarke is leaving Holiday for good. She has to. After years of trying to fit in and make Tyler notice her, she’s giving up. She’s watched her friends fall in love and it’s  heartbreaking. Acknowledging that the one man she’s always loved doesn’t want her,  it’s time to move on and find her own future.

Right when the stars align and Tyler opens his eyes, his enemy is back and has his sights on Abigail. Abigail is in danger and Tyler  may be the only one to stand up to him and save her.

Warning: Contains one sexy sheriff who turns into cupid, complete with bow and arrow, the sweetest teacher you’ll ever meet who needs to find her bad girl side, and a love of candy hearts that’s sure to bring them together.

Website | Facebook  | Goodreads | Twitter: @CarrieAnnRyan |

Just Five More Minutes

Come on, you know you’ve said that phrase dozens of times in your life.

“Mom, let me sleep…just five more minutes.”

“Husband, just let me sleep….just five more minutes.”

“We’ll just watch TV for five more minutes.”

“I’m almost done reading this chapter, just five more minutes.”

Muttering to yourself, “Just five more minutes to write this scene, I can do it!”

And a day not quite as good as the first one, “Okay, just five more minutes and you can quit and do something productive since writing isn’t working today.”

See? I bet you’ve said most if not all of the above things at one point in your life. When its sleep, you can’t pull me out of bed. I have to get out myself or I’ll bite your head off. It didn’t used to be like that. But after four years of working graveyard shifts at Denny’s while going to college and teaching at the same time, my sleep is vital and precious to me.

My poor husband has to deal with my “just five more minutes” all the time. Though I set the alarm so I can have those five minutes and force my body out of bed at the correct time anyway. Yes, I plan ahead.

With TV, when I was a kid with a bed time, it was five more minutes. Now with TV online, I really don’t care as much anymore. I can watch whenever.

Now with books, that’s a different matter. It used to be “just five more minutes” and if you touch my book/kindle I’ll beat you. Now, I can’t stop in a book halfway. I NEED to finish it. Hence the 4 am bedtimes sometimes. *shakes head* I read everywhere, much to my hubby’s chagrin. I’m getting better and I know I need a 12-step program. But really, I just need five more minutes.

Now with writing….I see those five minutes going at least two ways.

Sometimes you’re just there. You have the ideas, your fingers are working, the pain in your wrists can be ignored, the ideas in your head are screaming, the characters are telling you exactly what they want and it goes along with your plan.

Those are the days in which you have to be at an appointment or have dinner on the table….just five more minutes.

I despise stopping in the middle of my mojo and work as hard as I can to not let that happen. Thankfully I have a caring husband who understands this and as of right now, I’m not a mom. But next year and the year after that when I’m planning on starting a family?

Yeah, those five more minutes are going to change.

Now, there’s that other five minutes of hell. *cough* I mean, just five more minutes of forcing yourself to write. Even though it’s crap probably, I force myself to write during those five more minutes when my Muse is off doing tequila shots off of my hero while the heroine is dancing on a tabletop telling me that I’m a horrible author.

Yes, this is what it’s like living inside my head.

It’s a scary, scary place.

But I force myself to write just those five more minutes. Sometimes it gets me going in the right direction and my characters sigh and come back to me while my Muse gets sober with some coffee. Other times, they go clubbing far away from me and after those five more minutes, I do something else that needs to be done.

Because believe me, there’s always something to be done.

If only I had an extra five more minutes…

What about you? When do you say ‘just five more minutes’? What would you do with an extra five more minutes?

And while you’re there, I’m going to shamelessly promote myself and tell you about my brand new release, BLURRED EXPECTATIONS, and it’s trailer. Because really, I only have five minutes to get your attention.

Blurred Expectations - Redwood Pack Book 4.5 - Coming 2013

Hannah Jamenson has babies on the brain. It seems that her sisters-in-law are expanding their family in the blink of an eye, but Hannah feels left behind. Every time that little test reads negative a little part of her dies and she feels like her Healing powers are failing her. Her mates, Josh and Reed, are doing everything they can to help her deal with their trials and losses, but they too feel like there is nothing they can do.

Just when the lines of what they mean to each other go out of focus, an enemy from Josh's past is back to prove the things that go bump in the night are real and everything they had held dear is now in jeopardy. In order to fight back and find their way, they'll need to put everything on the line before they lose it all.

Author’s Note: This is a novella set between books 4 and 5 to give you a taste of Reed, Josh, and Hannah. It is best that you have already immersed yourselves in the Redwood Pack world, however even new readers will enjoy a glimpse of the Redwood’s favorite triad.

Find it On:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | Kobo

A Very Warm Holiday Reading

A Very Warm Holiday Reading

I couldn't decide what to blog about for my first blog here, so I thought I'd go Christmas, heat, and a little bit of me! I’m a fan of holiday novels. I know some people can’t stand them and want to run away the first time they see something that may have a tree, lights, or mistletoe strewn about, but I love them. There's something about reading that holiday novel that makes me want to hug my hubby and remember why I love the holidays. Now, in hour house, we may not celebrate it like everyone else, in fact we have three separate holidays without real religion in the house because of our melding, but I totally love it.

I might not get to decorate the house for Christmas as much as I’d like to at home, but I want to read about it. I love the heartwarming tale. The idea that romance and family can come together under a common theme. I love the idea of people coming together and finding the Christmas spirit.

Now, I’m not talking about religion here. I’m talking about the idea of goodwill, happiness, the ability to give, the ability to just be a nice person. Some people tend to forget these things during the year, and even more forget them when they’re trying to find the best Christmas present. Yes, the irony of Black Friday being after the day of Thanksgiving is not lost on me, like I know it's not lost on all of you. But with a holiday novel, I hope that some people can sit back and watch what's going to happen. I like the idea of finding those obstacles and breaking them down, then cozying up by the fireplace.

In books you get the happiness. At least in a romance. And who doesn’t love a holiday romance with a little heat?

I hope it’s not just me considering I wrote one. That would be a little awkward. Just me, and Justin and Rina from my book hanging out in the corner while the rest of the world acts like Scrooges.

Wait, that could just be my own version of a nightmare.

So back to that warm holiday. The extra warm kind. When the romance builds and you find yourself following the hero and heroines journey through random Christmas obstacles, like the town play, or Jack Frost coming to town to kill them all…wait…I’m off track!

But when the hero and heroine fall in love—or just in lust for the moment--the sheets need to be tangled, the mistletoe needs a sweaty kiss under it, and the heat needs to flame by the fire with care.

Okay, that was cheesy, but come on, it’s a holiday romance! I love the idea that when “Baby, it’s cold outside,” that they get find new and interesting ways to warm up.

I hope I’m not the only one!

And since I'm here, I thought I'd share the release that came out this weekend that's a holiday romance in a holiday series. Yes, I wrote a whole series in which each book is about a separate holiday. I'm like that.

But tell me, what do you like about holiday novels? Can you stand them? I'm not a fan of them all, but I do like the ones that make me smile. And cry. Then smile again. Then cry...yeah, its a cycle.

What about you? What's your favorite holiday novel? Come on y'all! I need some holiday reading. Oh, and in case you were looking for a holiday novel. *cough* *cough* *obligatory self plug* *cough* *cough*

Santa’s Executive 

 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.

Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.

As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that this holiday is the coldest yet.

Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.

Find it On:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | Kobo

Find it in Print Here:

eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt:

Justin came in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Without thinking, she leaned back into his embrace.

“How about we make dinner and watch a movie? What do you say, roomie?”

All she wanted to do was jump into bed and sleep wrapped in Justin's arms, but there was nothing else to say except “That sounds great.”

They made chicken Alfredo, laughing in the mounting sexual tension in the kitchen. Then they piled onto the couch and ate while watching a cheesy romantic comedy. After their bellies were full, Justin pulled her into his arms again, and they cuddled on the couch.

She burrowed into his side and told herself it was only for the night. The only reason she was letting this happen was because Jack had scared her earlier, okay, always. Tomorrow, they would act professional and be friends. She was his assistant, nothing more, but as Justin traced circles on her shoulder and she could hear his heartbeat under her ear, all she could think about was how perfect this was and how she wanted more. Restraining herself might prove even more dangerous than Jack.