For the Love of a Soldier - Revived!

Years ago, I posted about a story, "True North," that would come out in a book called, For the Love of a Solider, edited by Kristina Wright. I even posted a cover for it!

It's been a long time, and that book's been through a twisty journey, but I just got word that it'll be out June 29th from Circlet Press! This is the cover, and I'll share more info with you when I've got it!

New Release: Calendar Men: Mr June – The Other Brother by Lucy Felthouse

I'm pretty excited about this new release from Lucy Felthouse. It sounds like military erotic romance of a type I've discussed before—hot, and also sensitive to the real issues facing those who serve and those who love them. - AL


Photographer Melodie Carr moved to New York City to escape and make a fresh start. Her soldier fiancé was killed in a friendly-fire incident in Iraq, and she has been struggling to come to terms with it ever since. She still feels strongly about needless death and those left behind, so when she sees a call for photographs for a calendar of topless men, with profits going to the Hero Family Fund, she’s eager to help out. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know any men that fit the profile, so she gives up on the idea. That is, until Patrick Brogan—her late fiance’s brother—turns up in New York. Seeing him brings up all kinds of memories, but she’s determined to push them aside and be friends with Patrick. She also realizes he’d be perfect for the calendar. But can she persuade him to take part?

Buy links
Add to Goodreads
Calendar Men freebies

*****

Excerpt:

Melodie Carr reluctantly clicked delete on the e-mail with a disappointed sigh. She couldn’t contribute to the charity calendar for the Hero Family Fund, a cause very close to her heart, because she didn’t know anyone suitable to photograph. Although her photography work varied—from children to pets, landscapes to portraits, she’d done a bit of everything—she got the impression the call for calendar models sought hunky guys to create a collection to make women swoon. Unfortunately, she didn’t work with professional models and therefore had to give up on the idea. A cute dog, something she had plenty of images of, simply wouldn’t cut it.

She might not be able to contribute, but resolved to find out when the calendar would be available and do her bit to help by buying a few copies. Some eye candy on her wall would definitely not go amiss, and her friends Poppy, Lola and Charis, and her grandmother, Joyce, would no doubt appreciate it. She grinned. Joyce, always good fun, said, there’s no such thing as too much eye candy. The saucy old broad.

Her smile faded. She missed her, having not been back to Boston to see her friends and family for a while. She should ask Joyce to come and visit her in New York—she hadn’t traveled much, and would love the hustle and bustle, the endless opportunities to people watch. Maybe Melodie and the rest of the family could buy her a ticket for her birthday. She’d have to give it some thought. It sure would be nice see a familiar face, other than via Skype.

Someone pressed the buzzer to her apartment and she sighed again. It was probably a delivery driver trying to get into the building. It wouldn’t even be a package for her.

Taking her time getting to the intercom, she hoped whoever it was would go away. No such luck—the buzzer squawked again. She inhaled deeply, trying to rein in her annoyance and avoid being rude or abrupt.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” a male voice said. “Are you Melodie? Melodie Carr?”

“I am.” A caller looking for her? Had she ordered something and forgotten about it? “Who’s calling?”

“It’s Patrick,” the voice replied. “Patrick Brogan.”

“Patrick….” Speechless, she laid a hand on the wall to steady herself as the bottom dropped out of her world. Evidently, running to New York—albeit under the pretense of a good career move—hadn’t been enough. Her past still followed her, still tried to flood her with reminders of what she’d lost.

“Melodie?”

Damn, the man’s persistent. She never should have admitted her identity before asking his. She could have told him he’d gotten the wrong place and sent him away.


*****

Author Bio:

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica For All, is book editor for Cliterati, and is one eighth of The Brit Babes. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9

Coming Together: In the Trenches

This book is out! Coming Together: In the Trenches benefits Protect Our Defenders, and contains my story, "This Is Me Holding You" (reprinted from Best Bondage Erotica 2013). It's one of my favorite stories, and I'm so pleased to share it with new readers, and to support veterans in the process.

Here's a short bit from my story:

Jun pulled Carin back against him, his arms crushing. "I don't want to lose you. When you came home this time, you were like a stranger."

Carin took a deep breath. She didn't want to cry right now. She'd been fine on her deployment, but started having nightmares when her leave began. For all that she'd missed Jun, she hadn't been able to bear his touch the first couple nights.

The third night, Jun had taken out their rope bag. He barely touched her with his hands, letting the rope connect them instead. Jun hogtied her face-down on the bed, her hands tied to each other behind her back and then attached to her bound ankles. Something had relaxed inside Carin as the rope flowed over her flesh, and the tears that had been bubbling in her chest rose to the surface in a loud sob.

"Do you need your safe word?" Jun had asked, hovering near her but still not touching.

Carin shook her head and wept. He sat beside her, letting the rope embrace her in a way that he could not. When she'd finally been exhausted from crying, Jun eased onto the bed beside her and wrapped her in his familiar-smelling warmth, fresh and salty as the ocean. Carin had thought she would break, but the ropes held her together.

Only after that had she been able to touch him, kiss him, make love with him.

"Jun —" Carin started, but couldn't finish. She turned and buried her face in his chest. She would be a soldier soon, but for now she wanted to be a baby, rocked and comforted and cared for.

"You're safe when I'm holding you," he said. "Always. Wherever you are."

Please check this anthology out—I always enjoy the chance to do good while being bad, as they say at Coming Together.