Steamy Romance
Meets
Spooky Suspense
Welcome to my stop on the Blog Hop! February is a time to celebrate love, thanks to St. Valentine's Day on the 14th. As it turns out, there are conflicting stories regarding the identity and works of the actual Saint Valentine, but what is known for certain is that Pope Gelasius I established the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14 in 496, acknowledging that while not many details were known about Valentine, his acts were known to God.
So how did that turn into a holiday associated with romance, paper hearts, chocolates, and cupid? These more modern traditions date to the fourteenth century and are generally attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer, "the Father of English Literature", and his circle of friends. In the Middle Ages, birds were thought to pair in mid-February, and in his poem "Parliament of Foules" there is mention of February 14th being the day birds as well as humans find a mate. In the eighteenth century, it became common for lovers to exchange flowers, cards, and sweet treats.
Cupid is the God of Love, and in Roman mythology he is the son of Venus (Goddess of Love) and Mars (God of War). In Greek mythology, his counterpart is Eros. Cupid's power came from his bow and arrow: those he shot would be struck with overwhelming desire.
Desire, passion, and love are present in all novels in the romance genre, of course, but there are many, many subgenres within romance which serve to appeal to a variety of reader tastes and to create unique stories. My specialty is steamy romance meets spooky suspense. I write sexy, tension-filled romance spiked with haunting mysteries to send a few shivers up your spine as well. It's a mix of genres known as "paranormal romantic suspense", and my #1 Kindle Bestsellers are bound to leave you breathless! And for lovers of more traditional paranormal romance and/or less heat, I have a Young Adult title as well, featuring a rogue half-angel bent on revenge.
My latest title, Haunted Souls, combines a damaged military hero, a secret baby, and a haunting mystery into a page-turning read set on the shores of Cape Cod. One of my favorite reviews of this new release came from Romance for the Beach: "Hot damn, these two are smokin' hot!". Yes, the chemistry is there, but this is also a tale of forgiveness and redemption, "packed with angst, turmoil, danger, and romance" (Splashes Into Books).
You can find this title on: Kindle ~ Nook ~ iTunes.
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| A sexy teaser from GULL HARBOR! |
And as a thank you for stopping by, I'll gift one lucky commenter an e-copy of either Gull Harbor (a dangerous ghost and an ex-boyfriend await Claire...) or the YA novel Divine Fall (Revenge, romance, and a rogue fallen angel...) for Valentine's Day! Please remember to leave an email or Twitter handle in the comments if you'd like to enter, so the winner can be reached. And for our overall blog hop giveaways, we have TWO $50 gift cards, which will go to two lucky entries into our Rafflecopter below (click the arrow on the top of the Rafflecopter to make sure you enter that one too!). And don't forget to Hop along all the blogs involved for more prizes and Valentine's fun ~ list of links is below. Good luck and Happy Valentine's Day!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
For me, every book I read must have some romance, at least as a subplot. Romance rules! ;-)
ReplyDelete@BridieHall13
I agree - I much prefer some romance in anything I read :)
DeleteI need the romance with a HEA.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Lori
lorih824(at)yahoo(dot)com
I like that too! Thanks for coming by Lori!
DeleteVery nice Valentine's Day post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!Your books sound like spooky fun.
ReplyDeleteNothing better than steaminess and spookiness all mushed up together! Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteLove romance and a 'supernatural' element combined! Just popping by as I visit as many of my fellow 'hoppers' as I can. Happy Valentines Day!
ReplyDeleteI do like fascinating stories of our current traditions! And Valentine's Day is among the best because we celebrate romance ;)
ReplyDelete