Zoe Hernandez Has #FuzzyFriday Fun

My name is Zoe Hernandez. I’m a seven-year-old golden retriever. Here are a few secrets about my mom Gwen Hernandez.

• What is Mommy currently reading?

She’s not allowed to read anything right now because she needs to focus on her writing. But her favorites are romantic suspense and historical romance. Even better is both combined!

• What was the most recent thing I did to get in trouble?

I stole a tennis ball out of Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom, a place I’m not supposed to go. In my defense, it looked just like mine. You know, bright green, round, small enough for my mouth. Never mind that it was out of sight around the corner. I could SMELL it.

• What are my observations of Mommy's writing process?

If I didn’t tell her I need to go for a walk every now and then, she’d sit in her favorite chair or on the couch in front of her laptop all day. She tries to plot out the basics of her book before she starts, often while we’re walking or she’s on a run (without me, because apparently I’m nothing but a "furry boat anchor"). I’m a good sounding board for major plot points, GMC, and characterization, though. Mommy says it looks better when she talks to me instead of herself.

Despite that, she changes almost everything, rewriting the first 10K words about 50 times before she finally figures out the gist of the story. And she’s always complaining that she didn’t get enough written. She started doing meditation and yoga, which helps her relax, but I think she needs more time in downward dog.

• What is Mommy currently writing?

Book 3 in her Men of Steele series (romantic suspense). This one is about Kurt Steele--the founder of Steele Security--and charter pilot, Caitlyn Brevard. He’s a former Air Force pararescueman (PJ) and a double above-the-knee amputee, and she’s an old military friend he’s always had the hots for. Mom says readers have been asking for Kurt's book, and she’s worried about getting it right.

• Why you should buy my Mommy's most recent book (b/c pet treats aren't cheap).

Well, I can’t read, but New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin said, "Packed with action and emotion. BLIND AMBITION is a page-turner!” Mommy was really excited about that!

Here’s a short blurb for BLIND AMBITION (Men of Steele #2).

Former pararescueman Dan Molina’s mission to rescue a kidnapped aid worker from St. Isidore’s rebels falls apart when the woman—who once shattered his heart—refuses to leave the island.

Alexa Alyssandratos won't leave until she’s certain the orphans she cared for are safe from the rebels. On the run from ransom-hungry soldiers, old passions reignite as she and Dan race to save the children before they disappear forever.

Thanks for letting me hang out with you today, Ms. Heather!

Mommy’s bio:

Gwen Hernandez was a manufacturing engineer and programmer before she turned to writing romantic suspense. She’s also the author of Scrivener For Dummies and teaches Scrivener (writing software) to writers all over the world.

She loves to travel, read, jog, practice Kung Fu, and explore the Boston area where she currently lives with her Air Force husband, two teenage boys, and a lazy golden retriever (that’s me!).

Meet the 2015 Golden Heart Historical Romance Finalists

Cowboys. Rogues. World War II spies. This flight of Dragonflies has gone through time to find the best heroes and heroines to delight readers.  It is my pleasure to introduce the 2015 Golden Heart finalists in the Historical Romance category:

	"A Convenient Engagement" by Kimberly Bell A young lady makes an outrageous deal with a very handsome devil in this sexy debut romance set in Georgian Era London and Scotland. An independent young woman of means, Miss Hannah Howard is as stubborn as she is beautiful. After she moves to London for her first season among the ton, she immediately finds herself in a heated dispute with her neighbor, the ill-mannered Gavan Dalreoch, Earl of Rhone. Giving the Earl a black eye is a lapse in judgment—even though the Scottish scoundrel deserved it. Now with her reputation in jeopardy, her only hope for saving face is the man whose face she bruised. Gavan is content to live up to his rakish reputation, but with family pressuring him to marry, he and Hannah agree to get engaged just long enough to appear respectable. Yet as the charade continues with stolen kisses and a trip to Gavan’s Scottish castle, Gavan and Hannah discover that their false engagement may be more real than they imagined. Kimberly Bell is a 2015 RWA Golden Heart Finalist and 2014 Maggie Award Winner. She writes historical romances from her home near the beach in San Luis Obispo, California. She lives with her shepherd-coyote mix rescue.
	"A Dangerous Chemistry" by Marnee Blake Marnee Blake is a 2014 & 2015 Golden Heart® Finalist. She writes action-packed young adult and new adult romance. She used to teach high school students but these days she only has to wrangle her own children. Originally from a small town in Western Pennsylvania, she now battles traffic in southern New Jersey where she lives with her hero husband and their happily-ever-after: two very energetic boys. When she isn’t writing, she can be found refereeing disputes between her children, cooking up something sweet, or hiding from encroaching dust bunnies with a book. Marnee’s writing is represented by Helen Breitwieser at Cornerstone Literary Agency.
	"Dragon’s Lair" by Lori Sanders Foley Set in 1170, Morgan verch Rhodri, a marauder's daughter, finds a half-dead, half-naked warrior wrapped up in the most recent plunder; she doesn't know whether to ransom or run from the wounded warrior, she finds amid the most recent coastal plunder.   The English cape he's wrapped in is a sign of the danger she faces should anyone discovers either of them.  Her grandfather is a Welsh king, which makes Morgan a valuable pawn in the game of kingdoms. Rann of Galbraith, a mercenary agent, awakens to find he has survived an English massacre, only to be held captive of a woman who orders men around as if she were the lord of the keep. He wants revenge for the attack on his kinsmen.  However, when a mysterious organization,known as the Dragon, draws upon both their pasts, they are cast into a deadly game with high stakes, Morgan could lose her home.  Rann could lose his freedom. They might even lose their hearts...if they don't lose their lives, first. For Lori Sanders Foley, there is always a story in every adventure. If not writing, she brings stories to life on stage. When not creating magic on stage or page, she travels, looking for her next tale to tell.
	"Never Dare a Wicked Earl" by Renee Ann Miller Never Dare a Wicked Earl, is about Lord Hayden Westfield and Sophia Camden, a nurse who is sent to his residence to tend to him after an ex-lover shoots him. After Westfield fires Sophia, she dares him to give her a week to prove her mettle. Sophia quickly realizes the Wicked Earl is willing to resort to nearly anything to win the dare. Hayden soon realized Sophia is a worthy opponent. Intrigued, he’s determined to win the forfeit … a night in Sophia’s bed. But will one night be enough? Renee writes sensual historical romance. She joined RWA over three years ago. At that time, she had no idea about POV or GMC, but she shared that this wonderful community of writers took her under their wings and got out their red pens. Renee is represented by Jill Marsal of The Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. You can find out more about her at Reneeannmiller.com. https://www.facebook.com/reneeann.miller.9 Twitter.com/Reneeannmiller
	"A Proper Scandal" by Laurie Benson     As the daughter of an American diplomat in early 19th century England, Katrina Vandenberg is stuck adhering to the strict rules of English Polite Society. She’s eager to return to America, until she has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious nobleman. There is no denying their attraction, but Katrina is well aware that English aristocrats do not marry American women. She soon discovers resisting a man she is inexplicably drawn to is not easy.         Julian Carlisle, the jaded Duke of Lyonsdale, should be finding a bride. Instead he finds himself captivated by a woman Society says is all wrong for him—a woman he cannot resist pursuing, even if she wants nothing to do with him. Now the most disciplined Duke finds himself schooled in proper behavior by an alluring American and wondering if she’s willing to join him in going against centuries of tradition. But for true love to survive they first have to endure mistaken identities, an interfering countess, a matchmaking dowager, meddling friends, an arrogant mother, and an unhinged former paramour. Wish them luck. Word Count: 81,000 Laurie Benson is a 2015 Golden Heart® finalist and award-winning writer of historical romance novels. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, where she learned more than you would ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. Aside from writing novels, she also writes about snippets of historical information from the Georgian era on her blog, LaurieBenson’s Cozy Drawing Room. She lives with her husband and two sons in a house filled with testosterone—even her bunny is a boy. She is currently seeking representation. Where You Can Find Laurie: Blog: lauriebenson.net Twitter: @LaurieBwrites Facebook: Laurie Benson
	"A Question of Loyalty" by Ellen Lindseth An ambitious O.S.S. agent questions his definition of loyalty after rescuing a mysterious woman who steals his heart in WWII Washington D.C. After years spent researching Classical Greek and Roman socities, Ellen moved on to the modern era and wrote romantic suspense set during World War II.  When not writing, she is either flying around the country with her husband in his Beech Bonanza, or relaxing at home with her three rescued cats and a bearded dragon.  Ellen is represented by Laura Bradford of the Bradford Agency.
	"Rescuing Mr. Gracey" by Eileen K Barnes Mary Smyth, the daughter of a Catholic rebel, tumbles into Alec Gracey’s life from atop a ridge—underfed, tattered, shoeless—and captures the imagination of his cynical Protestant heart.  Wrong culture, wrong economic class, wrong religion, Mary is dangerous and forbidden to him. She lives in an overcrowded hut; he resides in the manor down the hill. She works as a laundress; he is seeking office in England’s Anglican parliament, the protégé of the powerful Earl of Roden while her father leads the Ribbonmen, a Catholic organization that causes havoc for the Earl.  Each time those wide, aqua eyes glance at him or her dimples pop with a grin, his poor heart trips as badly as his attempt at to dance. Disguising his name, he will slip into her world, wrapping himself within the web of lies, risking his wealth, career, perhaps even his life. He calls himself Alec Jordan, but Mary knows he is not who he pretends. He is ignorant of her culture and shockingly clumsy at the simplest native dance. Besides, she is a skinny laundress. Why would a perfect, strikingly handsome man show interest in her? Perhaps he is a spy wiggling his way into her life, seeking evidence against her politically active Da.  Yet, he continues to edge his way into his life—escorting her during evening laundry deliveries, sheltering her in the rain, plowing her father’s worthless field, rescuing her from attackers—and when his mesmerizing gaze floats over her face or his teasing grin makes her laugh her resolve disintegrates.  Someone waits and watches for the moment to destroy them both, hurtling them into a deadly collision with history.  Can Mary and Alec’s love rise above the ashes that will be left behind? Eileen K Barnes is a romantic. The sixth child of a large Irish Catholic family, she married her own hero and raised four children. Of course, in between reading and a little writing, life also happened.  She worked for the town government and became a mayor, she wrote for a local newspaper and won an award for best news story, she published several short stories on motherhood and then went back to college and got a degree in Early Childhood and soon started her own preschool.  But, her romantic soul still hungered to write.  Then inspiration knocked on her door. She ran into a cousin who had been researching their family heritage.  The cousin had unearthed a story that their great, great Irish immigrant grandparents who had to flee Ireland because he was a Protestant Irishman and she was an Irish Catholic girl.  In 19th Century Ireland, mix-faith marriages were illegal and so he left his wealth and family and took his sweetheart to Canada where they raised ten children.  Soon, the tiny framework of a story became a 100,000 novel.  Five years and many contests later, Eileen’s story has earned her a trip to New York. Eileen is seek representation .  You may find her at rescuingmrgracey.com | facebook.com/rescuingmrgracey | twitter.com/eileenbauthor
	"The Reunion" by Sara Leyton Sara is a working mom with a big blended family. Her vices are wine, cupcakes and mindless TV.  She has too many favorite romances to pick just one, but in category romance, she is currently working my way through Mary Balogh's Survivors Club.  She is currently querying.
	"Sawyer's Rose" by Kim Turner As if he doesn't have enough to handle between running outlaws out of Cheyenne, keeping his brother's out of trouble and avenging his father's death, sheriff Sawyer McCade's meddling mother just dumped a mysterious mail-order-bride on his doorstep. One woman can be more trouble than a band of renegades and while this one has him all stirred up, he'd rather get to the bottom of the story she isn't telling. Rose Parker had it all. Until she discovers a web of danger and deceit that sends her running to Cheyenne, posing as a mail-order-bride. Escaping the evils of New York seems sensible until she meets the unsuspecting sheriff who didn't ask for her, has no intention of marrying her and won't rest until he uncovers her secret and sends her back home. Kim Turner writes western historical romance, and discovered her passion of writing at the age of eight by writing poems, short stories and journals. Kim graduated from Clayton State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing and holds a Master's Degree in Adult Education from Central Michigan University. Working as a registered nurse educator for over twenty-six years, she enjoys studying the medical treatments of the old west as well as keeping up with the latest western movies and television series. While she loves reading anything from highlanders to pirates, she claims to have an unquenchable thirst for the American Cowboy when choosing her reads. Kim lives south of Atlanta with her husband and calls her greatest accomplishment the birth of one daughter and the adoption of another from China-neither of which came easy. Kim is a member of Romance Writers of American and Georgia Romance Writers and calls her critique group from Southside Scribes the best thing that ever happened to her writing, that and a pretty wonderful group of beta readers. Kim's Motto: It's All About A Cowboy and the Woman He Loves. Her story Sawyer's Rose was a Maggie finalist in 2014, and will be coming soon to publication from Wild Rose Press.

Woof To You Too by Pepper and Gravy Flynn for #FuzzyFriday

Pet me.

No, really. Pet. Me.

Don’t make me repeatedly nudge you with my paw. Pet me.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That’s much better.

So, I’m Pepper Flynn and this is my best friend Gravy.

*Gravy cocks head.* Play?

Not right now. We have to talk to these people about the crucial role we play in how our person, Avery Flynn, gets her work done.

*Gravy whines.* Play?

I think one of the Flynn kids left a Lego out. Go find it.

*Gravy sprints away.* Play!!!

Anyway, now that she’s gone, we can get down to brass tacks.

Gravy’s job is to sleep under Avery’s desk and stretch out so she lays on top of Avery’s feet. If she didn’t do this, Avery’s toes would fall off because her office is in the basement and is pretty much freezing all the time. While Avery doesn’t type with her toes, she gets grumpy when she gets too cold and ends up cursing at her glowing typing pad.

My job is to jump up on my hind legs and pat her with my front paws if she’s in her office chair for too long. If I didn’t do this, she would never go outside and see the sunshine. She can’t type out there, but she gets all bleary eyed and mumbles a lot about fictional people otherwise.

*Gravy wanders back into the office chewing the last bit of a Lego.* Nap.

Oh no. I can hear here coming down the stairs. *sniffs* Yep, she’s got coffee. Gotta go but don’t worry readers, we’ll keep her working hard!

Until next time, keep petting me.

Meet the 2015 Golden Heart Short Contemporary Romance Finalists

Fall in love with this  flight of Dragonflies.  It is my pleasure to introduce you to the 2015 Golden Heart Short Contemporary finalists:

“At Her Service” by Mia Sosa

Ethan Hill's penchant for fast driving lands him in a Washington, D.C. courtroom, where a judge orders him to perform community service. His objectives are simple: get in, get out, and move on—without revealing his true identity. But Ethan isn't prepared for Graciela Ramirez, the captivating beauty who runs the community center where he's obligated to serve.

Gracie is tempted by the secretive man who's making a positive impact on her clients, but she has to focus on getting funding for her non-profit or its doors will close. What will she do when she discovers the man causing her sleepless nights is the CEO of the company that could save her charity? 

Mia J. Sosa was born and raised in New York. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Communications and met her own romantic hero, her husband.

Mia once dreamed of being a professional singer, but when she discovered she would have to perform on stage to realize that dream, she decided to take the LSAT instead.

Mia practiced First Amendment and media law in the nation's capital for ten years before returning to her creative roots. Now, she spends most of her days wearing PJs lounging wear and writing contemporary romances about smart women and the complicated men who love them. She and her family live in Maryland.

You can find Mia at http://www.miasosa.com and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/miasosaromance.

“A Night at the Rosemont” by Mary Oldham

Mary has been writing for eight years.  She started with journaling, and ended up writing a story about a woman who gets away with killing her ex-husband.  Her stories are sure to captivate you.  Her favorite authors are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lisa Gardner and LaVyrie Spencer.

“Waiting for Meggie” Debra Moser

Debra is married to the perfect hero.  She writes not only contemporary romance, but has also cozy mysteries and YA.  Her favorite romance is the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters.  This is her second Golden Heart nomination.

“Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher” by Seana Kelly

KATE Gallagher is coming back to the only home she’s ever really known. She’s escaping from a husband who worked tirelessly to improve her, to make her the asset he deserved. Ten years of wearing away her will, washing out her color, and he still doesn't have the perfect trophy. When Kate learns that her husband never stopped dating, she calls a lawyer, herds her Newfoundland dog into an economy-sized rental, and heads across country to her late grandmother’s home in Bar Harbor, Maine. Kate wants to start over, to build a new life, but first she’ll have to contend with the police chief who never forgot her.

AIDEN Cavanaugh has been in love with Katie since that first summer she'd visited her grandmother. She'd been six years old and he thought she'd shone like she’d swallowed the sun. Every summer she’d return and with her the awkward, sweaty, heart-racing obsession of first love. But then one summer Katie didn’t come back and all the light and color ran out of his world.  Now Katie is back, complicating his empty but controlled life. He’s an adult now, a widower, and the chief of police. She shouldn’t still have this effect on him. Fortunately for Aiden, his protests are ignored by his matchmaking grandfather, who would love nothing better than bouncing red-headed great grandbabies on his knee. 

Seana Kelly writes contemporary romance and urban fantasy. By day, she’s a high school English teacher/librarian. Before dawn and on weekends, when she can shirk her parental and wifely responsibilities, She’s writing. Being dyslexic, reading and writing have never come easily to Seana but her love of both has made the struggle worth it. She is am un-agented and currently seeking representation.

You can find her at www.seanakelly.com, @SeanaKellyRW, and on Facebook

“Winning Her Over” by Alexa Rowan

All massage therapist Brenna Johansen wants is to succeed on her own terms. Instead, she's struggling to keep her business afloat for another month and her dream alive. It’s a lonely, stressful existence, and she has no time for dating. Besides, the only men she meets are her clients, who are off limits. And most of them aren’t even cute. But her newest client, a hotshot attorney visiting Boston for a two-week trial, has her wondering if it's time to break some of her rules.

Cal Wilcox, Jr. has always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a successful attorney. And after more late nights and cancelled vacations than he can count, he's finally on the verge of making partner at a prestigious law firm in Washington, D.C. He knows a long-distance relationship with a sweet, sexy masseuse could derail his career, but he can’t just walk away, either. So they burn up the sheets on his last night in town, and now he's hooked.

He persuades her they both need the same thing—casual sex, no strings attached. But Brenna soon longs for more than Cal is willing to give her. When he realizes too late she means more to him than the partnership, can he win her over again—this time, for good?

An attorney by day, Alexa Rowan squeezes in as much writing time as she can for her steamy, intelligent contemporary and paranormal romances. WINNING HER OVER, a 2015 Golden Heart® finalist, is the first book in Alexa's sizzling hot series portraying smart, ambitious heroes and heroines struggling with realistic conflicts as they seek love, success, and that elusive work-life balance.

Alexa lives in a leafy New England suburb with her husband, two energetic children, five backyard chickens, a dumb but adorable cairn terrier, and a female leopard gecko named Fred. An avid romance reader, Alexa also enjoys hiking, table-top gaming, and planning hypothetical future home renovation projects her husband will probably balk at.

You can connect with Alexa via her website (http://alexarowan.com), and on Twitter (@alexa_rowan), Facebook, and Pinterest.

Kira Sinclair's Pip Takes Over for #FuzzyFriday

So, technically Kira is my grandma not my mommy. But she keeps muttering something about being too young to be a grandma so...for today lets kinda pretend. She buys my treats after all so I try not to rock the boat unnecessarily. 

You know, I'm kind of a small, prickly thing. It's easy for people to take one look at me and think I've got this barbed outer shell and that I don't want to be bothered. That so isn't true. I flinch and hide, mostly because I'm always worried about getting stepped on or hurt. But on the inside I'm just a softy. In some ways, Knox McLemore, the hero is Kira's latest book, In Too Deep, reminds me of me. He's got a barbed outer shell as well, even if his protective layer doesn't consist of sharp quills.  Especially when Dr. Avery Walsh is around.  There's something about Avery that gets his hackles up...that makes his protective instincts just shoot straight out in the form of anger and irritation.

Maybe it's my small size or the fact that I can identify with him that lets me see beneath his sharp words to what's hidden beneath.  It's obvious, at least to me, that he's been hurt and instinctively flinches back from letting himself care about other people. What tough, ex-Navy SEAL would let the world know that? None, right. They're trained to be confident, capable and strong. To handle any problem or obstacle put in their path, even an irritating nautical archeologist who, with one word, could put the business that's come to mean so much to Knox in jeopardy.

What I find exceedingly funny is that if Avery would simply stop falling for his bluster then she'd realize that underneath the snide comments is a man who can't stop devouring her with his eyes. A man who wants her, even if it really isn't convenient. No one asked me, but I know they'd be perfect together if they could both just relax and draw back those spiny barbs. I know, it took me a little while to suppress my natural self-preservation instincts and let Kira's family close. But I'm so glad I did. I love spending time with her and the girls...especially when they give me watermelon and strawberries. I really wish Knox and Avery would figure out that it can be good to let people in...no matter how scared you are.

So, have you ever encountered someone who you instinctively didn't get along with? How did you handle the situation? And did you learn later that your instincts were right or dead wrong?

Pip

In Too Deep

He didn't want to need her...

Trouble just walked onto Knox McLemore's ship - trouble with lush curves, red hair and an uptight attitude that both grates on his nerves and heats his blood.  But former Navy SEAL Knox knows all about control. Especially when this sexy nautical archaeologist is the only thing standing between his diving team's claim on a famous shipwreck...and utter ruin.

Dr. Avery Walsh is grateful her icy persona hides the effect intimidating (and way-too-hot) Knox has on her. For two people who don't trust - or even like - each other much, the physical chemistry between them is unbelievable. But getting in too deep with Knox is the last thing Avery needs. Because she has a job to do...and dark little secrets to hide.

Kira Sinclair writes emotional, passionate contemporary romances.  A double winner of the National Readers' Choice Award, her first foray into writing fiction was for a high school English assignment. Nothing could dampen her enthusiasm...not even being forced to read the love story aloud to the class. Writing about sexy heroes and strong women has always excited her. She lives with her two beautiful daughters in North Alabama. Kira loves to hear from readers at kirasinclair.com.

Meet the 2015 Golden Heart Erotic Romance Finalists: Daring Dragonflies

These daring Dragonflies aren’t afraid of heat. They embrace it. It is my pleasure to introduce the 2015 Golden Heart® finalists in Erotic Romance:

“A Deal for Love” by Michele Arris

Michele loves dark chocolate , dessert wines. Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, Scandal, Walking Dead, and Vikings.  She enjoys reading Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Judith Mcnaught, Johanna Lindsey, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. 

She is seeking representation.

“Indulge My Fantasy” by Caroline Bradley

When auto mechanic Grace Bennett finds the hottest actor in Hollywood stranded on a mountain road in a snowstorm, she’s not sure what to believe. In a snowed-in cabin, she gives in to her wildest fantasies, but she's well aware that all dreams have to end. But after one night together, Aaron Elias can’t get Grace out of his head. He brings her to Hollywood to experience his world of sports cars, Malibu beach houses, and movie magic. The Cinderella treatment is more than Grace ever imagined. Then she finds out why Aaron was really up in the mountains that day, and Aaron’s dream world brings back Grace’s nightmares. Grace and Aaron can't live in each other's worlds. Is this love or are they both just indulging their fantasies? 

Caroline Bradley is a single mom to two teenage boys. She wrote contemporaries for most of her life but now that she's tested the erotic romance waters, she's found there's a lot of fun to be had in giving up control. She's currently working on her second erotic romance project, with a third percolating in a Notes file, just itching to come out and play. The tagline to her website says it all: If you can't laugh in bed, you're doing it all wrong. 

Website: www . carolinebradley . net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolineBradleyAuth

Twitter: @CaroBradAuth

Caroline is currently unagented and working toward self publication, unless someone has better ideas. 

“Sorting Out the Kinks” by Elle Mason

Maddie Harper is NOT a submissive. Or at least that’s the lie she’s been telling herself since her twenties, back when a police raid at a play party highlighted the risks of indulging in her dark and exhibitionist fantasies. But vanilla is proving to be an unsatisfying flavor.

After a chance reunion with Andrew, a Dominant from her old BDSM scene, Maddie is shaken by something she hasn’t felt for over a decade—desire. He’s still the gentleman and bad boy she remembers, a man whose love of bondage once called to her like no other. She wonders if their meeting is a coincidence or wake-up call. Eager to experience the uninhibited relationship she’s always craved, she’s smitten when Andrew asks her out despite his insistence on dating without power roles. He requires they build trust to ensure she’s ready. After romantic—but chaste—dates, she hungers for more than kissing. She wants to kneel and serve. He unleashes his dominant side and ensnares more than her body with rope; he captures her heart.

But when their playtime at a fetish event threatens her privacy, resurrecting old fears, it’ll take more than what she feels for Andrew to keep from running again. She’ll have to make peace with the one person out to sabotage their relationship—herself.

Elle is a wife, mom of a preschooler and terrier, social worker, the person people seek for advice when visiting The Mouse, wannabe photographer, and a jokester. She’s lived in the West, Northeast, and has called South Florida home for the past ten years. In her relatively short history as a writer, she’s learned she has a thing for gerunds, British spelling of words (though American), and that she loves to write steamy sex scenes.