Jaci Burton
One Sweet Ride
Berkley Trade / June 4, 2013 / $15.00 print / $9.99 digital

Gray Preston was born into money, but he’s built his racing empire on hard work and muscle. And now that Gray has millions of fans, his senator father sends one of his aides, Evelyn Hill, to elicit Gray’s help in garnering votes for the upcoming national election. Gray wants nothing to do with his estranged father’s campaign, but Evelyn can be pretty persuasive. She’s willing to learn about racing, and maybe even get a little dirty.

Evelyn’s number-one goal is politics, which makes working with Gray difficult, because his only passion is fast cars. As she and Gray spend time together, he teaches her about the sport he loves, and she learns a lot about the man behind the wheel. The more she learns, the more she wants him. But any desire that threatens to derail the carefully laid plans for her future is a dangerous one.

With the passion Gray and Evelyn share running hotter than either imagined, one of them is going to have to compromise, or else run the risk of losing more than their hearts. 

With One Sweet Ride Jaci Burton's Play-by-Play series covers new ground: the ups and downs, twists and turns of stock car racing. And when this is combined with the equally fast-paced race of a different sort—the political realm—there's a savvy symmetry that elevates this series and keeps it from getting stuck in any ruts. Above all, race car driver Gray Preston and political aide Evelyn Hill juxtapose and complement each other as well as their two different worlds surprisingly do.

[This is what it's like when world's collide]

Writing extreme sex in romance novels is a tricky business. To push the boundaries almost beyond comfort, to stretch the limits of traditional convention, and not veer into straight erotica, requires acute skill and careful balance. But that combination of intense, hardcore sex and a gripping, equally powerful love story heightens the entire experience of reading romance, and for those who can handle it, it can be addicting to glimpse the darker side of love. Whether it's rape fantasy, polyamorous BDSM, or orgiastic dystopia, among endless possibilities, love that knows no bounds and has little restriction can ultimately be the most romantic of all.

Of course, extreme sex isn't without controversy. Cara McKenna gives her take on consensual rape play in Willing Victim, about two people who need it rough. Laurel is just discovering this about herself, longing for something more; Flynn freely embraces this part of himself, but never forces it on the women he's been with. She's drawn to him, he offers his preferences openly, and they circle each other, a tentative cat and mouse chase that escalates realistically until we're hooked. The raw Boston setting, Flynn's predilection for underground boxing, and Laurel's own assertiveness, never for a minute giving the impression of a helpless victim in any way that she doesn't want, all serve to entice even the wary. Certainly Laurel's and Flynn's experiences have shaped them to be who they are, and they have baggage the same as anyone, but there aren't any glaring skeletons or psychological fodder to be dealt with. The greatest thing is that this isn't an unhealthy addiction; it's a preference, and in that, Laurel and Flynn's romance is like any other: perfect just for them.

[Romantic and erotic...perfect combination!...]

Logan Belle
Miss Chatterly, Parts I-IV
Pocket Star / May 13, 2013 (Part I) / $.99 digital (each part)

Torn between love and sex. By the time Connie decides, it could be too late.

I’ve loved Cliff since the day we met. For three years, he’s been my boyfriend and my best friend. But for the first time, something is missing. Sex. It’s been months since Cliff has touched me. And I don’t know how much longer I can wait—especially since I’ve met someone else. For the first time, I feel doubt. Temptation.

Oliver Mellors is nothing like Cliff. He’s purely physical and intensely focused on my body. But then, he has to be: he’s my CrossFit trainer. I know I can’t confuse sex with love. I know I shouldn’t risk love for sex. But now, caught between two men, I wonder: Is there a way to have both?

Logan Belle's Miss Chatterley, a modern re-take on a classic that stands on its own, takes on that elusive, forbidden subject of cheating—without skirting the issue, without excusing or exploiting it, but running with it. Miss Chatterley fully explores and examines what can lead a heroine we root for to do what she does. And it does so not only with care and aplomb, but with such deftness we can't help but be fascinated as it unfolds and breathless for the final outcome.

[Feeling short of breath already...]

Erin McCarthy
True
Penguin / May 7, 2013 / $3.99 digital

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

New adult, the newest trend in romance, may just be Erin McCarthy's true calling. In this hybrid between the innocent awakening of young adult and the sexy discovery of adult romance, there's Rory, a science-minded, sweet but aloof college sophomore more comfortable with books than parties and who's preferred to keep herself emotionally distant since her mother died when she was a kid. There's another reason why Rory feels a little set apart from the other college co-eds: she's a virgin. And with all of the exploration that comes with college, Rory wants to experience sex too. But she wants it to mean something.

[Enter Tyler Mann...]

Toni Blake
Half Moon Hill 
Avon / April 30, 2013 / $5.99 print, $5.69 digital

You never know what destiny has in store . . .

A rugged loner and ex-biker-gang member, Duke Dawson is looking for some peace and quiet while recovering from an accident. But when Anna Romo comes wandering through his woods and into his cabin, she completely rocks his world. The last thing he expected or wanted was to find himself hungering after a woman whose eyes held hurt even deeper than his own . . .

Running from a troubled past, Anna is building a new life in Destiny. When she first meets Duke, she's terrified—but something about him calls to her very soul. The hard-bodied rebel is soon helping her turn her new home into a bed and breakfast, and close quarters quickly lead them into her bed. Their passion is palpable, but can she convince a man who has turned his back on life to take the biggest leap of faith of all and fall in love?

Half Moon Hill is the latest in Toni Blake's delightful Destiny series, and this pairing of bad-boy biker Duke Dawson with the sultry, sassy princess Anna Romo is what first-time love is all about: hot-to-the-touch chemistry, overwhelming feelings that can't be explained, and true connections that can't be defined. At this point in the series, the lively little town known for its summer garden parties and festive carnivals feels like home, but somewhere on the outskirts, hidden on a hill and tucked in the woods, are Duke and Anna, both of whom feel the need to escape. Little do they know that this is the very thing that brings them together.

[Go ahead, escape together...]

Cara McKenna
After Hours
Intermix / April 16, 2013 / $3.99 digital 

Erin Coffey has been a nurse for years, but nothing’s prepared her for the physical and emotional demands of her new position. Needing to move closer to her dysfunctional family, she takes a dangerous job at Larkhaven Psychiatric Hospital, where she quickly learns that she needs protection—and she meets the strong, over-confident coworker who’s more than willing to provide it.

Kelly Robak is the type of guy that Erin has sworn she’d never get involved with. She’s seen firsthand, via her mess of a sister, what chaos guys like him can bring into a woman’s life. But she finds herself drawn to him anyway, even when he shows up at her door, not eager to take no for an answer.

What Erin finds even more shocking than Kelly’s indecent proposal is how much she enjoys submitting to his every command. But he can’t play the tough guy indefinitely. If they want to have more than just an affair, both will have to open up and reveal what they truly need.

Cara McKenna writes real romance. Rough around the edges and anything but easy, the relationship between the hero and heroine is something they have to work for, and is all the more rewarding for it. Her heroes live on the fringe of society, overwhelming and demanding, big and a little mean, but never falling into stereotype. And there’s always some aspect of the plot, the characters, or the setting that’s deeply fascinating. This is the case in After Hours, a full-length novel set in a psychiatric institution. Erin Coffey is starting her first professional job as a nurse at Larkhaven, where right away she meets Kelly Robak, an orderly whose size and appearance might be mistaken for a patient’s. The control Erin has always prided herself on is completely thrown off by Kelly, even as she's continually drawn to him.

[Can't blame her a bit...]

Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton
Nautier and Wilder
Berkley / April 2, 2013 / $15.00 print, $9.99 digital

First there was Nauti and Wild. Now, New York Times bestselling authors Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton go one step further. Can you take it?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh returns to the relentlessly scorching backdrop of her Nauti Boys series with an all-new novella of a man—bad to the bone—and the one woman who knew he was trouble. That’s why she couldn’t let him go.

New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton once again blisters the asphalt with an all-new novella in her Wild Riders series. A hot biker craves a life of passion and danger—and finds it with the woman he’s sworn to protect.

With Nautier and Wilder, Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton team up a second time to bring us new stories in their popular Nauti and Wild Riders series, and this book is even better than the first.

[Better, you say?!...]

Maya Banks
Fever
Berkley Trade / April 2, 2013 / $15.00 print, $9.99 digital

Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.

Fever, the second book in Maya Banks’s Breathless trilogy, explores extreme class differences and themes of control and trust when intense billionaire Jace falls hard for Bethany, a woman who lives on the streets with barely a penny to her name. Used to being unattached and unencumbered, preferring to share women with his best friend and business partner, Ash, Jace doesn’t expect to feel possessive and consumed from the moment he sees Bethany, who’s serving as a cater waiter at his sister’s engagement party. Though there’s an instant connection between the two of them, Jace invites Ash to join them in a night that just confirms for Jace that this girl is different.

[That sure sounds complicated...]

Larissa Ione's epic Demonica series. Lisa Kleypas's delightful Hathaways. Meljean Brook's swashbuckling Iron Seas series. These series that pull from every genre imaginable have one very glaring thing in common: frustrating, forgettable firsts. There is a frequent phenomenon in romance where truly great series have stumbling beginnings, first books that for a variety of reasons just don't work. And the real problem is if we stop reading before we get to the good stuff because of a first book that didn't impress.

With paranormal and steampunk series, the epidemic of lackluster first books lies in the fact that there is so much initial world-building to be done. Authors have to impart an incredible amount of information as an introduction to all the first-timers entering these new worlds, so the reason this happens isn't far-fetched, but it doesn't help the digestion to be any smoother. Books like The Iron Duke are so bogged down with exposition, we feel as though we need an accompanying encyclopedia to get through it.

[No one likes reading reference books on a good day...]

Darynda Jones
Death, Doom, and Detention
St. Martin's Press / March 5, 2013/ $9.99 print, digital

In New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones's Death, Doom and Detention, the normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.
Goodbye normal. Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?

Darynda Jones first entered the world of Young Adult with Death and the Girl Next Door; with Death, Doom, and Detention, she proves she belongs there. In the second book of the Darklight series, prophet Lorelei McAlister, her love, angel of death Jared, and her protector, nephilim Cameron, return to pick up where they left off, and barely come up for a breath in this fast-paced joy ride. Best of all, with much of the mythology established, the book is able to just get straight to the action.

[That's what we like to hear!...]

Jaci Burton
Thrown by a Curve
Berkley Trade / March 5, 2013 / $15.00 print, $9.99 digital

She thinks she knows this player—but he has a few surprise moves.

For Alicia Riley, her job as a sports therapist for the St. Louis Rivers baseball team is a home run—until she becomes the primary therapist for star pitcher, Garrett Scott. Out of the lineup with an injury, he’s short-tempered, hard to handle, and every solid inch, a man.

Right now, the only demand he’s making on Alicia is that she get him ready to pitch in time for opening day. Except the sexual chemistry between them is so charged, Alicia’s tempted to oblige Garrett just about anything. But both their careers are at stake—one bad move and it’s game over for both of them.

Garrett also feels the hot sparks between them, and the way he figures it, what better therapy is there than sex? Now all he has to do is convince the woman with the power to make the call.

The greatest thing about Jaci Burton's Play-by-Play series, besides its gorgeous sports heroes and themes that show a real enthusiasm for the world of American sports, is that it gets better with each successive release. Thrown By a Curve returns to the world of baseball with Garrett Scott, a star pitcher who has had a major set-back with a shoulder injury that could wreck his career, and Alicia Riley, a sports medicine therapist on the team who knows she has what it takes to get Garrett back on top.

[There's a dirty joke in there somewhere...]

Elizabeth Hoyt
Lord of Darkness
Grand Central / February 26, 2013/ $7.99 print, $6.64 digital

He lives in the shadows. As the mysterious masked avenger known as the Ghost of St. Giles, Godric St. John's only goal is to protect the innocent of London. Until the night he confronts a fearless young lady pointing a pistol at his head—and realizes she is his wife . . .

Lady Margaret Reading has vowed to kill the Ghost of St. Giles—the man who murdered her one true love. Returning to London, and to the man she hasn't seen since their wedding day, Margaret does not recognize the man behind the mask. Fierce, commanding, and dangerous, the notorious Ghost of St. Giles is everything she feared he would be—and so much more . . .

When passion flares, these two intimate strangers can't keep from revealing more of themselves than they had ever planned. But when Margaret learns the truth—that the Ghost is her husband-the game is up and the players must surrender . . . to the temptation that could destroy them both.

Book five in Elizabeth Hoyt's enchanting Maiden Lane series, Lord of Darkness tells the story of the mysterious Godric St. John, recently revealed Ghost of St. Giles, and his effervescent bride Margaret Reading. A marriage of convenience saved her from scandal and him from blackmail, but the two are essentially strangers in a wholly original beauty and the beast tale of redemption and hope. Living apart after their hasty marriage, Megs and Godric have led separate lives, but when Megs decides she wants a baby, her return to London and to a husband she hasn't known turns their world on its head and changes both of them forever.

[Maybe this time...]

Maya Banks
Rush
Berkley Trade / February 5, 2013 / $15.99 print, $7.99 digital

Gabe, Jace, and Ash: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Gabe, it’s making one particular fantasy come true with a woman who was forbidden fruit. Now she’s ripe for the picking...

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s fourteen years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires.

As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

The first in a breathtaking new trilogy from Maya Banks, Rush and its trio of bad-boy billionaires is sure to gain a slew of fans flocking from the Fifty Shades phenomenon, but what makes it special is how it really stands on its own. Rush is the romance between hotel mogul Gabe Hamilton and his business partner and best friend’s little sister Mia Crestwell, both finally acting on those long-denied, not-so-familial feelings.

[Those are one of favorite types of feelings!...]

Love on TV is so hard to get right. Whether it’s trying to find the right time to put a couple together that’s neither too soon nor too late, or trying to finesse the almost-impossible love triangle device, many times romance on television is a disaster. Sometimes writers give in to fan demand instead of sticking to canon and following what the story dictates, and the fact that the majority of TV series don’t have a set end date when they begin doesn’t allow for plotting from beginning to end. But sometimes despite the formulas and theories, it comes together. The romance may not be neat, but somehow it works.

The CW’s The Vampire Diaries has completely polarized its fan base. It struck at just the right time and hit the airwaves in the midst of the Twilight craze—despite its roots in a book series that preceded all other teen vampire books—capitalizing on the vampire phenomenon with the story of two very hot vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, and their human love, Elena. And from the beginning, the Stefan/Elena vs. Damon/Elena roar has been strong.

[It's so messy but so good...]

In its six-year run, which ended with the series finale on December 17, Gossip Girl has been the epitome of a guilty pleasure; a television show that not only portrayed the lives of privileged teenagers coming of age on the Upper East Side of New York City, but reveled in the underbelly of this unique society where underage, spoiled high-schoolers indulge in sex, drinking and drugs, and big spending with almost no supervision or care. All while every rise and downfall of each young life is chronicled by the vicious, omnipresent blogger, Gossip Girl.

Besides big personalities like schemer Blair Waldorf, wild child Serena van der Woodson, outsider Dan Humphrey, and bad boy Chuck Bass, what really made the show special are its relationships. Best frenemies Serena and Blair ultimately always had each other's back, even if from time to time they had to guard against the knife coming from the other one. And the boys had their own bonds: childhood friends Nate and Chuck continually supported each other, and Nate and Dan developed an interesting friendship, one the heir to a political and business empire and the other coming from humble Brooklyn beginnings. The show was always at its best when the gang joined together to rescue one of their own when someone got in over his or her head.

[Go team, go!...]

For many of us, great romance is a combination of a strong hero and a loving heroine, perfect chemistry, and beautiful writing. But almost as essential, or certainly enhancing, are truly romantic and  powerful love scenes. Love scenes are almost as prolific as romance novels themselves, but through thousands of reads, these love scenes cross decades and all genres of romance, as some of the best.

One of the earlier romance novels, and arguably one of the most controversial, is Christine Monson's Stormfire. From my earliest days as a romance reader, I knew about Sean and Catherine and how extreme their story was, absolutely the very definition of “bodice ripper.” In fact, the buzz was so loud, it kept me from reading the book for some time. Once I did, I was struck by how utterly romantic it actually was. Don't be mistaken, there are some very difficult scenes, brutal in both action and honesty. And while I was eager to get past the beginning, filled with hatred and misunderstanding, when I got to the heart of the story, I realized that in coming so far, the payoff was greater than almost any other love I'd read in romance. I came to be convinced of and believe in Sean and Catherine's love, and along with the gorgeous writing, their love scenes transcended any I'd read before.

[Those don't come around very often!...]

There's something so well-matched about romance and Christmas—a season all about love and a genre that celebrates it. I like my Christmas romances especially hot, and in a year that seems to be somewhat underpublished in Christmas romances, here are my very favorite erotic contemporary Christmas collections.

For the past three years, Carina Press has been offering Christmas collections of stories grouped by genres. I've enjoyed all of those that I've read, but the one erotic contemporary Christmas anthology I love best is Naughty and Nice. This collection features an all-star line up of authors Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton, Megan Hart, and Lauren Dane, with Stacey and Burton offering the “Nice” stories and Hart and Dane bringing the “Naughty” ones. Whatever you prefer, sweet or heat, it's here. Burton's story, “All She Wants for Christmas” begins her Kent series with the story of a female country singer who returns to her hometown to rekindle the flame with her first love.

When it comes to Christmas stories, I want nothing left to the imagination, and Hart's and Dane's stories follow up with fan favorite couples from previous works of theirs, so it was perfect for me. Dane's story “Believe” gives a glimpse of Jude and Rory from Second Chances, whose intense BDSM relationship, full of ups and downs, is one of the best, most realistic romances I have ever read. And Hart's return to Brandon and Leah from Taking Care of Business and No Reservations (also a spicy Christmas read) is another delightful look at beyond the happily ever after. Their romance has a slight twist in that Leah is a bit of a female dom, but Brandon is all man.

[Someone's met her match...]

Larissa Ione
Rogue Rider
Grand Central / November 20, 2012 / $7.99 print & digital

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell's minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride . . .

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues-and falls for-a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming, and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man whom Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man who can be very dangerous . . .

Reseph may not know why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbors are killed, and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: Can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

Rogue Rider, the final book in Larissa Ione's epic Lords of Deliverance series, has a lot to live up to. It has the dubious honor of redeeming quite possibly the most heinous of all villains: Reseph, or Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The only Horseman to have had his Seal broken, Reseph has been purely evil since the beginning of the series. This is a redemption story, but of all the books in the Lords of Deliverance series, it's also the most dazzlingly romantic, and definitely the most sexual.

[Going out with a bang, eh?...]

I love novellas. When I don't have a lot of time or, let's be honest, much of an attention span, the perfect fix is to lose myself in a short story. An instant happily ever after. And if we're really lucky, we still get great characters, a complete story arc, and a believable romance. Whatever reading mood you're in, these novellas offer something for every genre lover and are all stand-alone ebooks, even more convenient for the ereader fans who don't have to cart around a single book to get a complete and satisfying story.

For the fans who like their historicals with heat, Improper Relations, by new author Juliana Ross, gives us a very simple premise that pushes all my buttons when it comes to a story that will make me swoon: a touch of forbidden love, drawn out sexual tension that actually builds with each encounter, a rakish hero, and an inexperienced but eager heroine.

“Why?” I blurted out. “Why me?”

“You intrigue me, that's why. You give every appearance, on the outside, of conforming entirely to the identity my mother has conferred on you. The drab drudge of a lady's companion. The poor relation who lives in the shadows. The ghost who –”

“Stop! Just stop. I know who I am, what I am. I've no ambition to be anything more.”

“But you do. I can see that so clearly now. When I think of the way you responded to me in the library, I know you're more than that.”

He was wrong. He had to be wrong. “You mistake me. Boredom has driven me here – that, and simple curiosity.”

“About what? Come now, Hannah—what are you curious about?”

“Everything.”

[Gotta say, my curiosity's piqued now too...]