Books I read in 2013 that MUST go on your "I have to read them right now!!!!" list.

I didn't get as much of a chance to read this year as I'd like, but that was because I was so busy writing, so I'm not complaining. I did, however, read some truly amazing books, and I'd like to pass those recs along to you on this last day of 2013. Note that not all of these were published in 2013. A few came out in late 2012, and I've slipped one on here that I actually read in December of last year.

So, here we go.

Anything Jay Crownover writes will always and forever be on the top of my list. I read RULE in April and fangirl emailed Jay when I was only halfway through, even though she didn't know I existed. I've NEVER fangirl emailed ANYONE before, but I couldn't help myself. Jay writes the most authentic male
POVs I've ever read, and let me tell you, these boys are smokin' hot. After RULE, it took me months to pick up the next book in the marked men series, because I was so in love with Rule Archer that it felt like cheating on him to move on to JET. ROME releases next week (the day after my birthday, btw, so I've decided he's what I want, in case you were thinking of picking me up a gift ;p) and I was lucky enough to get an ARC. So now I am in love with all of Jay's boys. I am a polygamist. Yes I feel guilty, but not enough to give any of them up. I have never read guys as compelling as these. You definitely want to pick these up.

REAL, MINE, and REMY by Katy Evans have to make the list, because, REMY! He is totally swoon-worthy. Katy also writes some of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read. :D I met Katy in Houston a few months ago, and when she signed my copy of REAL, she wrote that she loved my books. I nearly fell over. Now we have a mutual fangirl thing going, which I love. I've gotten a sneak peek at the first few chapters of her upcoming RAW, and this is another one you are NOT going to want to miss. You think Remy's hot? I dare you not to drool all over Greyson.

And the super fun news? I'll be giving away signed copies of all six of these books for the release of A LITTLE TOO HOT! Follow the blog tours starting on January 13th for your chance to win!

More books I read and loved this year:

BEST KIND OF BROKEN by Chelsea Fine. Unfortunately for you, you can't get your hands on this one until March, but when it releases, you won't want to wait to read it. It was all kinds of heartbreak wrapped up in some of the funniest dialogue I've ever read.

FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowel. This lady is all kinds of talented. I liked Eleanor and Park, but I LOVED FANGIRL. All her books are about normal people in real situations, which isn't really supposed to be great reading, but her characters are just so damn compelling that you HAVE to know what happens to them.

WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn. Though this one follows the standard NA tropes, Jennifer is just so insanely talented that she can make something old seem new. And holy hotness, Batman, can she write great swoony boys. Always. You can't help rooting for Avery and Cam to find their way to each other.

LOSING IT by Cora Carmack. If you've read ALTF, you know I like a little silliness, and Cora is the queen of silliness. Her characters end up in serious situations, but there's always a sense that they don't take themselves too seriously, which is refreshing. Like with Chelsea's THE BEST KIND OF BROKEN, you'll find yourself laughing out loud. A lot.

So what did I miss? There are tons of books I'm dying to get to burning a hole in my iPad, like K.A. Tucker's series and Christina Lee's ALL OF YOU, but I'm a book junkie, so I'm always glad for more suggestions. What were your favorites this year?

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 20!!

Happy Christmas to all who celebrate! And today culminates our 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration! I've had so much fun bringing you these sweet little nothings. (Yes, there are times I really hate my job ;p) Today's post features my favorite line from A LITTLE TOO MUCH.

I hope maybe you'll consider reading about my beautifully tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. His story starts in A LITTLE TOO FAR, in Rome with Lexie. We find out a lot about him through Lexie's eyes. But after he makes his life-altering decision there, the rest of his journey in A LITTLE TOO MUCH nearly proves to be his undoing. He broke my heart in this book. He and Hilary are two of the most complex characters I've ever written. Library Journal says: "Although Hilary is tough on the outside, her honest narration leave her raw and exposed to the reader, which makes her plight all the more substantial."

I love Hilary. I love Alessandro. He's very private and keeps his thoughts and feelings closely guarded, but he's starting to open up. There's more to his story, and I hope to be able to bring it to you from his perspective soon. So...our last taste of my tortured, beautiful man.

Happy holidays to you all! There will be some exciting things happening after the New Year, including a contest for signed books from all the fabulous authors who blurbed A LITTLE TOO HOT (Katy Evans, Jay Crownover, Sophie Jordan) so I'll see you then!

{hugs}

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 19, and it's RAINING men!

It is Christmas Eve, and I am here to shower you with Man Candy gifts! Tomorrow is the end of our 20 Days of Alessandro Holiday Man Candy Celebration, and I have had sooo much fun bringing you so many tasty treats. But today...it's not just Alessandro, but ALL the A LITTLE TOO FAR men. (Yes, I'm showering you with men. As in, it's raining men? Get it? ;p)

Drum roll, please...

It all started with Trent from A LITTLE TOO FAR, Lexie's sensitive musician stepbrother-best-friend who she sort of accidentally has sex with just before leaving for a year abroad in Rome...

...where she meets Alessandro, her tortured French-Italian-American soon-to-be priest.

He has his demons to face down, and he gets his chance in A LITTLE TOO MUCH. But while Lexie's away, getting tight with Alessandro, Trent is also getting cozy...with Lexie's best friend Sam. Some of you love to hate Sam, but I just flat out love her. When things go to hell for her and she lands in a gentleman's club, dancing for a living, she meets Harrison in A LITTLE TOO HOT. Unfortunately for Sam, he's not who he seems to be...and his secret will probably get her killed.

Now get a towel and dry off, because your holiday company will be here soon! But don't forget to check back tomorrow for the LAST serving of Alessandro Man Candy for 2013!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 18

Three days till Christmas, so I have three more sweet bits of Alessandro Man Candy for you. He's still on sale on all major e-tailers for only 1.99, don't forget! So, here is one of your lasts tastes of my beautiful, tormented, French-Italian-America ex-almost-priest.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow, because it's not just my ex-almost-priest. Tomorrow is the HOTTEST Man Candy I've posted...a rundown of ALL my A Little Too Far boys, starting with Trent, and ending with Harrison from A LITTLE TOO HOT, which releases in FOUR SHORT WEEKS! You seriously don't want to miss this! See you tomorrow, and until then, sweet dreams!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 17

Yep, he's back, my beautifully tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. We're winding down our Man Candy Celebration on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with our last three slices of heaven. And then I think we MUST have a contest for the New Year. I think there MUST be signed books involved. Yes, definitely. *schemes*

But, without further ado, what you all came for. I give you, Alessandro, in the...flesh.

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 16

Hope you enjoyed reading the first six chapters of A LITTLE TOO MUCH yesterday! It's still only 1.99 on all major e-tailers, and will stay that way until the New Year. A LITTLE TOO FAR is only 99 cents right now on Amazon, and that could change at any second, as that's Amazon's gift to you. It's your shot at a double dose of Alessandro for under three bucks, so HURRY!

And speaking of my French-Italian-American tormented ex-almost-priest, we've got five more days of his hotness for you, right here on the blog. Here's your daily dose of Alessandro Man Candy.

Come on back tomorrow for more!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 15 (And the first six chapters of A LITTLE TOO MUCH!)

Only a week until Christmas! Have you finished your holiday shopping? I've turned into an internet shopper, for the most part, though if we had an actual book store where I lived, that would probably be my go to stop for holiday shopping. But, if you let your fingers do the walking like me, here's something for you. Right now, A LITTLE TOO MUCH is on special for the holidays at only $1.99! And, it seems Amazon is giving you a gift of their own, because they reduced A LITTLE TOO FAR to just 99 cents! So, now you can get a double dose of my beautiful French-Italian-American tormented ex-almost-priest for under 3 bucks!!!

And, as a special holiday threat, because HarperCollins loves you guys, here is an excerpt of, like, the first six chapters! Seriously! So now you can really taste my Alessandro Man Candy before you buy ;-)

Be back tomorrow with MORE Man Candy!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 14 (and OMG Katy Evans blurbed A LITTLE TOO HOT!)

So, honestly, I have no idea if it mean anything to readers at all when an author gives a book a blurb. But I've got one that's going on the front cover of A LITTLE TOO HOT. Here's what it says:

“Every page is deliciously breathtaking, wickedly sexy and sensational. A LITTLE TOO HOT is wonderfully unique and a LOT HOT! I am a HUGE Lisa Desrochers fan.”
   — Katy Evans, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of REAL, MINE, and REMY

This makes me ecstatically happy because I love Katy and her Remy to death! As does this:

“Lisa is brilliant at creating sizzling sexual tension and impossible circumstances that make the reader hold their breath all the way to happy ever after. Sam and Harrison are more than A Little Too Hot, they are scorching!"
   — Jay Crownover, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of RULE, JET, and ROME

If you've followed this blog at all, you know what a HUGE fangirl I am of Jay. Rule Archer will forever be my co-favorite book boy. (Along with Adam Wilde from WHERE SHE WENT.) To have these amazing authors say such incredible things about A LITTLE TOO HOT puts a smile on my face that will not be fading anytime soon. But that's not all, because there's also this:

“Lisa Desrochers’ best yet! A LITTLE TOO HOT is hotter than hot with all the emotional punch to back it up!”
   — Sophie Jordan, USA Today bestselling author

Sophie is an awesome person and author, and I loved her FOREPLAY so much, I blurbed it!

So, that all makes today's Alessandro Man Candy just a little bit sweeter! And a BONUS is that A LITTLE TOO MUCH just went on sale for only $1.99!!! That means you can have my beautiful French-Italian-American boy for less that two bucks!

I've so loved putting together all the Holiday Man Candy for you, and there's still more to come. Six more days to be exact! So keep checking back!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 13

I have officially exceeded the song, but I'm far from done. We started at the end of November, and I have more Man Candy treats prepared to see you all the way through Christmas. And after the holidays, there are some totally fun things planned, including giveaways for signed books and other fun stuff!

So, without further ado, I present today's Alessandro Man Candy...

Keep checking back for more!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 12 (I'm running out of song...)

It's the last official day of Christmas, according to the song, but never fear! I'm not going to leave you hanging at drummers drumming! We're going right up until actual Christmas with our Alessandro Man Candy Celebration, so keep checking back!

So, dovetailing off yesterday's post, we have more of my tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. He's got a lot to atone for, but he's also horribly lost.

Maybe you can help him find his path? He still needs that hug! If you want to give him one, order him in paperback today at Amazon or Barnes&Noble!

See you tomorrow. The best is yet to come! =)

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 11 (and no, I'm not showing you anyone' piper)

After the hiatus for Harrison and Sam A LITTLE TOO HOT hotness on day nine, and the Real Life Hot Priests excitement of yesterday, we're finally back into our regularly scheduled broadcast. Semi-naked Alessandro, my holiday gift to you. So, my French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest hottie is definitely tortured. There were several occasions as I was writing him in A LITTLE TOO MUCH that he broke my heart. This is one of them.

Never fear, tomorrow is NOT the last day of our celebration. We're definitely over-shooting the song. So keep checking back for my gift that keeps on giving! And remember that the paperback released this week...you know, in case you want to cuddle with my tortured hottie at night.

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 10 (And a hot male virgins you can OWN!)

All the exiting things today! First, I have to show you this! It popped up in my Twitter feed this morning thanks to some of my diligent readers. You want the REAL Alessandro, here he is in Hot Vatican Priest calendar form, just in time for your holiday shopping! Click on the picture to order yours!

Nothing sexier than a hot virgin, right? (Though, if you've read ALTF, you know Alessandro is NOT a virgin, and you know who he lost his V-card to :D)

And if that's not enough, there's also the release of A LITTLE TOO MUCH in paperback! Now you can get your hands on Alessandro in the flesh (or paper, really), you know, in case you want to lay in bed at night with him wrapped around your fingers, or maybe stuff him in your stockings. (because he makes a great stocking stuffer too ;p) You can pick yours up at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Go ahead, you know you want to!

But, with all this excitement, I didn't forget your daily dose of Alessandro Man Candy. Yesterday we took a one day break from Alessandro to bring you Harrison and Sam hotness from A LITTLE TOO HOT (which I'm now thinking I should have titled A LOT TOO HOT, but I digress). So, today we're back to my beautiful French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest hottie. You ready? I thought so...

So, there you go. Another reason to get the paperback...Alessandro's arms wrapped around you at night. Yeah?

Keep checking back everyday between now and Christmas for MORE hotness! We're only halfway through our Man Candy Celebration!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 9 (but really it's Harrison Man Candy today)

Because today is nine ladies dancing, it seemed appropriate to take a short break from Alessandro to feature Sam from A LITTLE TOO HOT. Because she's a...well...dancing lady. In ALTH, Lexie's best friend, Sam, finds herself in some dire straights when she flunks out of school and her parents decide on the tough love route and throw her out. She needs money fast, and her goofball rocker friend hooks her up with a exotic dancing gig. And because this is a Man Candy Holiday Celebration, I must share her leading man with you. Harrison is beyond hot, and way too tempting for Sam to resist. So, on day 9 of our 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, I give you instead Harrison Man Candy...

and our dancing lady, Sam...

I can't wait for you to meet them in person on January 21st!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 8 (and it's not milking maids)

I can't even tell you how much fun I'm having finding fabulous Alessandros for you to ogle. For a rundown of the last seven, go here. I suppose it depends on the maids-a-milking, but, speaking for myself, I'd definitely rather have this:

Agreed?

There are more Days of Alessandro Man Candy coming your way, and some exciting announcements about A LITTLE TOO HOT too, so keep checking back. I'll have the winners of the GINORMOUS book giveaway posted later this week as well, so if you entered, you'll want to stay tuned!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 7 (six swans a-swimming, and a signed book giveaway)

All I have to say today is, would you rather have swans a-swimming, or this:

I thought so...

And we're down to our last few days to enter for a chance at TONS of signed books.

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The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 6 (six geese a-laying, and a signed book giveaway)

Okay, so five golden rings was tough to beat, but geese a-laying? Not so hard. Though, I think I've done Team Alessandro proud with this one. If you want to see my answer to French hens, turtle doves, and the stinking partridge, all you have to do is click here. But be sure to enter the giveaway for tons of SIGNED BOOKS at the bottom of this post before you click over :D

So, my humble offering for you on Day 6 of our 25 Days on Alessandro hotness...

Yeah... Wipe the drool off your chin before you go out in public. ;p

And the giveaway. Day six, and if you're lucky that's what you'll win: 6 fabulous signed books by the likes of Jennifer L. Armentout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Katy Evans, and K.A. Tucker. Yup, you heard me right. So go enter!

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The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 5 (and a signed book giveaway)

Five golden rings. That's what I'm up against today, on our fifth day of Alessandro.

That's tough to beat, but I'm feeling it today. I think I've got something better. Here's a little more sophisticated Alessandro, outside the boxing ring, where we've spent the last few days.

Yeah? Better than golden rings?

And make sure to enter the HUGE signed book giveaway, because signed books by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover and others are ALWAYS better than golden rings. ;-)

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The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 4 (and a giveaway)

There are only a few more days to enter the HUGE giveaway for signed NA and YA books! (My other gift to you!) Scroll to the bottom of his post to enter!

Now to the gift that keeps on giving. ;p

Keeping with the boxing theme (get it, boxing--like Boxing Day and Christmas? ;p), I have more sweaty, semi-naked Alessandro goodness for you on day four of our 20 days of Alessandro yumminess celebration. I promise you'll like this much better than four calling birds. And if you want to see my answer to three french hens, two turtle doves and a lousy partridge, check out the first three days of Alessandro!

Without further ado...

And the giveaway...

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Check back tomorrow. Five golden rings are tough to beat, but I think you'll agree that Day 5 Alessandro does it =)

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 3 (more semi-naked Alessandro)

It's the third day of our fabulous 20 Days of Alessandro Celebration, and I thought I'd spare you the three french hens and get right to the good stuff. Dovetailing off yesterday's post (get it, dovetailing...second day of Christmas was two turtle doves ;p) here's more of Alessandro's sweaty hotness.

Should I keep going? You want more?

The 20 Days of Alessandro Holiday Celebration, Day Two: More Man Candy (meaning a semi-naked Alessandro)

I've got 20 days of Christmas, which is much better than twelve, right? And I'm pretty damn sure you're going to like this a whole lot better than turtle doves. For the next eighteen days, I'll serve up my French-Italian-American hottie, Alessandro, for your viewing pleasure. You can find Day One's offering here. Here's your second serving of Alessandro...

Do you want more? I'll keep going, every day between now and Christmas if you want it. Let me know!

My holiday gift to you: Alessandro

The holidays are in full swing, and, because I love you, I want to give you something special. So, every day between now and Christmas, I'll be serving my beautiful French-Italian-American man up on a silver platter for your enjoyment. Here's today's offering:

Check back every day for a new layer of hotness. And don't forget there are still a few days to enter the HUGE giveaway for signed NA and YA books!
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Black Friday Deal

You guys want an Black Friday deal? I got one for you. To get you in the holiday mood, here's Alessandro in all his Christmas glory:

So, the deal: RIGHT NOW, A Little Too Far is only $1.99 on Amazon! A Little Too Much is only $2.99, and A Little Too Hot is up at the pre-order price of $2.99 also! What that means for you is, you can snag the entire A Little Too Far series for under EIGHT BUCKS! Need a holiday gift for your favorite reader? There you go!

It's all because HarperCollins loves you guys almost as much as I do!

The A LITTLE TOO HOT cover! (Warning: Recommend viewing near water source due to extreme combustibility.)

Today is the day I FINALLY get to share what I think is the hottest cover of all of my A LITTLE TOO books.

This one is for the third book in the series, A LITTLE TOO HOT. There's also an amazing giveaway at the bottom of the post for signed books by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Katy Evans, Sophie Jordan, Victoria Scott, K.A. Tucker and more, so don't forget to enter!

To get you in the mood for this cover, here is the closely guarded jacket copy for A LITTLE TOO HOT:

From USA Today bestselling author Lisa Desrochers, comes the third book in her sizzling New Adult series.

If you play with fire…

Tossed out of college and cut off by her parents, Samantha West is in pretty dire straits. So when her rocker best friend hooks her up with a job dancing at a gentlemen’s club, who is she to turn it down? Plus, there are rules to dancing at Benny’s: No touching, keep your clothes on at all times, and never get closer than three feet. Unfortunately for Sam, her first private client makes her want to break every single one of them.

Harrison Yates is scorching hot, but he’s got a past that involves being left at the altar not too long ago. Sam is determined to make him forget about his ex, but when she makes her move, it flings her life into a spiral of chaos she never saw coming.

Because Harrison Yates isn’t who he seems to be. And his secret will probably get her killed.

Yep, this is Sam's story--Lexie's best friend from A LITTLE TOO FAR who everyone loves to hate. I've actually always loved Sam. On the outside, she's tough and a little wild, but there's so much more to her that she keeps carefully hidden. But a certain irresistible man could be the death of her. Literally.

So...without further ado, the smokin' hot cover of A LITTLE TOO HOT...

Joking...

Ahhhh!!! So????? What do you think? What I love so much about this cover is that those models are totally Sam and Harrison. Totally.

So, I have to mention that A LITTLE TOO HOT releases January 21st, but it's available for pre-order now on B&N, Amazon, and iBooks at the bargain price of only $2.99. I can't think of a better way for you to spend your holiday gift card! :D  ALTF (bk 1) is only $1.99, and ALTM (bk2) is also $2.99, but they all stand alone, and there's no need to read in order.

And the giveaway...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For the most up-to-date release info, stay tuned to my FaceBook author page and Twitter. Thanks for stopping by! Happy one-clicking!

A Little Too Hot cover reveal, coming soon to a station near you.

I've heard from so many of you who have enjoyed A LITTLE TOO FAR and A LITTLE TOO MUCH! Quoting myself from the acknowledgements in ALTM (because I couldn't have said it better myself ;p): "As always, my most heartfelt gratitude goes to you, my fabulous readers, for investing yourselves in my poor, tormented characters. I can truly say that I love my job, and it’s only because of you that I can do what I do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

I have truly loved writing the ALTF series, and I'm so excited that there is (at least) one more coming your way. The title of book three is A LITTLE TOO HOT, and I'm thrilled that, this Thursday, November 21, exactly two months before publication, Harper is going live with the cover and copy, so you'll all get to know what you're in for. What I can tell you now is that it's Sam's story. And it's a doozy. The hero is HOT, if I do say so myself. (I would know, because he lives in my head.) If you would like a sneak peak at the book description and the cover, sign up now to participate in the cover reveal on Thursday 11/21 here:


There will be a rafflecopter giveaway for SIGNED books by some amazing New Adult and Young Adult authors (think: Katy Evans, K.A. Tucker, Cora Carmack, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Jay Crownover, Victoria Scott) to post along with the reveal, and an excerpt, if I get the okay from my kick-ass editor.

In the meantime, if you haven't picked up ALTM, you can do that at B&N, iBooks, or Amazon now! Thanks so much for all your support! Luv you guys!

A LITTLE TOO MUCH Character Week--Hilary

We have one last main character from A LITTLE TOO MUCH to meet, but before we do, I want to thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart for making ALTM release day so amazing! I have the best readers in the universe! And, it's still only $2.99 on B&N, iTunes, and Amazon!






So, I've taken you on a stroll through New York City, and we've spent some time with Alessandro. Today, you meet Hilary. Hilary is in the process of rebuilding her life. She's dealt with some pretty difficult life lessons in her 22 years, and she's come out surprisingly intact. Now, she's starting to figure out what she wants. It's the how to get it that's the tricky part. She believes she can't be weak, so to stay strong, she makes some compromises. She's not always happy about them, but they keep her where she needs to be--in control.

Until a ghost from her past lands on her doorstep.

Alessandro and Hilary share a past. She trusted him, but then he left, just like everyone else in her life. So now she has to decide if she can let him back in.

I stand here in the middle of Central Park with my face in my hands as tears heave out of my soul in a stream that I can’t stop. I’ve been grieving the girl I was with Alessandro for eight years. It’s the only time in my life I was ever truly happy. I know, even if Alessandro had stayed, things would have changed. But as I look at what I’ve become, I realize every bit of hope, and trust, and love I felt that day died a long time ago, leaving only the tough, gritty bits behind.

But now Alessandro’s here, and I feel the dead parts of me coming back to life. Being with him again might gain me back my soul, but at what cost?

Too much has happened. There are too many secrets. I have so much to gain, but more to lose.

I have everything to lose.

Will she risk it? Or will she let Alessandro walk out of her life again. That's what she needs to decide. See if you think she makes the right choice.

A LITTLE TOO MUCH Character Week--Alessandro

Today is the day! It's A LITTLE TOO MUCH release day! Get it on B&N, iTunes, or Amazon for only $2.99!

*throws virtual confetti* (because I don't want to clean the real stuff up)

I'm super excited that you all get to read about Alessandro...my poor, tormented ex almost-priest. I don't even have words for how much I love this guy, and that's saying something since I'm a writer. He is beautiful in so many ways.

We first met him in A LITTLE TOO FAR, when he was sure of his path. He stumbled on that path when he met Lexie Banks. She made him question his choices, and in the end, if you've read A LITTLE TOO FAR, you know what he decided.

So, now he's back in New York City. He has some ghosts from his past that have haunted him. One of those ghosts goes by the name of Hilary McIntyre.

Alessandro stands again as I walk back to the table. He holds the back of my chair as I lower myself into it, then helps me slide it in. He sits again and looks at me for a long, awkward minute, swirling his coffee. “I’m sorry I was so awkward last night. You took me by surprise. I wasn’t planning to ring the buzzer, but I’d just found your address and I …” His eyes pinch a little and I realize it’s because I caught him there. He’s embarrassed.

“You were stalking me?”

His whole face pinches now. “I never meant to … I wasn’t going to contact you.”

“How did you find me?”

He presses back into his seat and hesitates before answering. “It took some ingenuity … and Google.”

I slam my teacup down on the table. “My address is not on Google!”

“It’s actually pretty shocking, the amount of personal information that can be found online.”

“So you were stalking me.”

“In a manner of speaking, I suppose I was, if there’s a non-creepy connotation to that term.”

“How is this non-creepy?” I say, waving a hand at him. “You show up in New York eight years after vanishing off the face of the planet, and I find you poking around my apartment building in the middle of the night, then you admit to cyberstalking me. Nope …” I say, folding my arms across my chest and scowling at him. “Nothing creepy there.”

He breathes deeply. “As I said, I didn’t plan on—”

“How long have you been back in New York, anyway?” I ask, cutting him off. I don’t want to hear any more of his lame explanations. I just want to know what the hell he’s doing here—why he found me. If he knows.

“About a month,” he answers, and my gaze is drawn back to his eyes.

“You’ve been here a month,” I say, trying to absorb that. “Doing what? Do you have a job?”

“Not at the moment. For now, I’m volunteering at the West Side YMCA.”

“Where were you? Before?”

He takes a long sip of his coffee, and below the rolled-up cuff of his sleeve, I watch muscles of his forearm ripple as he sets his cup down and swirls it. “A few places, but mostly Corsica and Rome.”

“Rome.” He was in Rome while my life fell apart. “So … why did you come back?”

“To put some old ghosts to rest.” As he says this, his gaze darkens … becomes more intense, seeming to bore through me.

But I won’t back down. I hold his gaze. “Am I a ghost?”

“You are.”

“And you’re going to put me to rest,” I say, unable to curb the cynical edge to my voice.

“I needed to find you,” he says, finally lowering his gaze. “The way things were left … I’ve never felt right about it.”

“The way things were left …” I repeat. The way things were left sucked. He has no idea how much.

He's in for a bumpy road, because some ghosts aren't so easily put to rest.

For all you A LITTLE TOO FAR readers, you know he has a dark past, so A LITTLE TOO MUCH  is a darker read than ALTF. Alessandro and Hilary both are some of the most complex characters I've written, and at times they tore my heart out. But Alessandro also shows a side of himself we didn't get much of a chance to see in ALTF.

His playful side makes him even hotter in my eyes. See if you agree!

A LITTLE TOO MUCH Character Week--New York

It's release week for A LITTLE TOO MUCH! Today, the A LITTLE TOO MUCH blog tour kicks off, hosted by the lovely ladies at Mundie Moms tours! Go check out the stops and enter to win signed books by Katy Evans, K.A. Tucker, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Sophie Jordan, Victoria Scott, and yours truly! Plus swag! And jewelry! And candy!

I'm super excited (and a little nervous) for you all to be able to read Hilary's story. Just as I did with A LITTLE TOO FAR, I want to introduce you to the key players in A LITTLE TOO MUCH this week.

If you've read A LITTLE TOO FAR, you know that I tried to bring Rome alive for you. A LITTLE TOO MUCH is set in New York City, which we all know is where Alessandro grew up. NYC has its own heartbeat, and I wanted my readers to feel it, but I also wanted to take them deeper. Hilary and Alessandro explore the "undiscovered New York" in A LITTLE TOO MUCH, and I had fun researching quirky things to do in there. My next trip will be following in their footsteps.

We spend time on Broadway, and in Central Park, and on the subway, and many other places I'm fairly certain you never even knew existed, like the City Reliquary, where Hilary and Alessandro pick up a key souvenir.

They explore Roosevelt Island,

and they explore their pasts, both shared and otherwise, which includes a trip to the WTC Memorial.

It's not an easy journey for Alessandro and Hilary, and they broke my heart at times. There were tears, I'll admit. But I hope you enjoy the journey, and your stay in New York City.

Do you have a favorite place in the city? What is it?

USA Today Bestseller list and Smooches

Once again, you guys have proven that I have the BEST READERS IN THE UNIVERSE! A LITTLE TOO FAR is back on the USA Today Bestseller list! Thank you guys sooooo much, from the bottom of my heart. I've gotten so much support, from fabulous bloggers who helped me get the word out early, to readers who are telling their friends, and I wish I could come personally smooch each and every one of you.

If you're in the Houston area, I'll be at the Houston Book Rave Saturday with, like, a zillion other amazing authors, including but not limited to, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Katy Evans, C.C. Hunter, Sophie Jordan, Victoria Scott, K.A. Tucker, Rachel Vincent, and TONS of others. If you come, I promise you smooches. And also candy! Only A LITTLE TOO FAR will be available for sale at this event, so if you have my Personal Demons books, feel free to bring them and I'm happy to sign! Can't wait to meet more of my favorite people!

$7 for the entire A LITTLE TOO FAR series, today only!

Yup! It's the deal of the century! Okay...maybe it's just the deal of the day. Or, to be more precise, the Barnes & Noble Daily Deal! For today only, A LITTLE TOO FAR is only .99 cents! And, because HarperCollins loves you guys, they've dropped the price of both A LITTLE TOO MUCH and A LITTLE TOO HOT to $2.99 each! That means, FOR TODAY ONLY, you can get the entire series for less that seven bucks!!! I know! Do you believe it???
Here's the link for Barnes & Noble.
Here's the link for Amazon.

So get them all! You know you want to. Happy reading =)

The ALTF series boys and their music

So, guess what? A LITTLE TOO MUCH goes on sale in just four weeks! FOUR WEEKS! I love that Harper is getting these books out so fast and y'all don't have to wait months and months for the next books in the A Little Too Far series. So, today is a musical celebration of all three A Little Too Far novels. And you all know how I love my men, so they are the focus of my celebration.

Each of my characters has a musical inspiration. There's always one song that is their musical embodiment. And there's also a song that is the overriding theme of the entire novel. My musical tastes tend to be eclectic, so sometimes something blasting out of the car next to me at the stoplight will catch my ear. Or maybe it's actual elevator music. Or something that pops onto the radio while I'm mopping my kitchen floor. Or something emanating from the television during a football game. If it speaks to me, chances are it's going to end up in one of my books in one form or another.

So, my boys. In A LITTLE TOO FAR, we meet Trent and Alessandro, and one of them is the hero in A LITTLE TOO MUCH as well. My hero in A LITTLE TOO HOT (book 3, Jan 2014) is Harrison, and I can't wait for you to meet him. This weekend I was listening to my writing playlist on shuffle, and their three songs came up back to back to back. I laughed out loud as I was listening, because it struck me how different the songs are from one another. It got me thinking about my guys. They couldn't be much more different in nature, personality, and upbringing, and their songs reflect that.

So, let's start with Trent. Trent is a musician, and, as an artist, is sensitive in a more soulful way. He's got a bit of an wild streak, and tends to be a little impulsive, but he's not a "bad boy." Quite the opposite, really. He cares about people (especially Lexie) and, despite his string of women, he's just generally a stand up guy. In the acknowledgements for the book, I tell my readers that the overriding theme of ALTF is Lifehouse's "All In," but the song that shaped Trent is Rob Thomas' "Ever the Same," which really sums up Trent and Lexie's whole relationship. Whenever I watch this Youtube vid, I hear him singing this too her.

Alessandro, my Italian-French-American almost-priest, takes that path because he believes he has a lot to atone for and it's his only route to redemption. He has a huge heart and an enormous capacity for love, but he also believes he doesn't deserve to be loved. He's suffered immeasurable loss at the hands of others, and he's never totally come to terms with that loss. He's a tortured soul and, no matter what he does from here on out, he'll never be able to totally forgive himself for the wrongs he believes he's perpetrated on others. He's bound to forever suffer in silence, and the song that embodies his suffering is "My Sacrifice" by Creed.

And in A LITTLE TOO HOT we meet Harrison. Harrison is that sexy combination of sweet and tough, but he has his own demons. For the most part, he does a decent job of keeping them in check, but they drive him, and his need for revenge boils just below the surface of his cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that things get interesting for Harrison when he meets a certain friend of Lexie's, and what happens from there, neither of them could have ever predicted. The song that shaped Harrision is "Don't Ya" by Brett Eldredge.


So...yeah. Three guys, three different personalities, and embodied by three very different songs. But I love them all, and hopefully, so will you =) Do you have songs you feel embody Trent or Alessandro? I'd love to hear what they are!