Look at all the pretty covers!

July is going to be a very busy month for us, with 8 releases between the two of us. Amber Quill announced song paxes last winter, which we jumped on, both separately and together. Now, we've already shown the cover of Querida, but we have 5 of the song pax covers ready to share, as well as the cover for my August release, Walk Among Us.

First are our Jamie Craig titles...

The Hoolabaloo Musical Festival is one of the summer's biggest rock concerts, but Macaulay Jensen isn't there for the much-needed exposure. He's there to see a girl--rock and roll superstar Wendy DeMartino. Beautiful, wild, and wildly successful, Wendy is out of his league. So he is shocked when she agrees to an after-concert date.

Wendy has always been attracted to Macaulay, and she's thrilled when he asks her out on a date. But the reality of their lives is too pressing to ignore, and the most she hopes for is one perfect day…

* * *
Bobby Kendrick has idolized reclusive author, Dr. Parley Taylor, since he was a teenager. The only problem is, Dr. Taylor has disappeared. He finally finds Dr. Taylor in a tiny basement apartment in Kansas City, and the first thing Bobby learns about his idol is that Parley Taylor doesn’t want to talk to anybody. Especially his fans. But Bobby wants to show Taylor that the world is waiting for him, and he is not going to give up on his Nowhere Man.

* * *Then come the Pepper Espinoza titles...

Malachi Hawkins left his home to move west as soon as he was old enough. Running from a family secret that he can never escape, he takes a job on the ranch of an old family friend, Lee Rose. The first night he’s there, he meets Christian, Lee’s foster daughter, a young woman of mixed Comanche blood. They call her a savage and treat her like the family slave, but Mal doesn’t see a savage. He sees a woman of unbelievable strength and a kindred spirit. But his secret is bound to catch up with him, and when it does, it could destroy both of them forever.

* * *
After a horrible car accident, Guillermo “Guy” Rivera doesn’t even remember who he is. Suffering from amnesia, bound to a wheelchair with a broken arm and a broken leg, he relies on his in-home caregiver, Dane Mathis, to help him with everything from bathing to eating. Guy wants Dane to be more than just a caregiver, but Dane keeps his distance.

Six months after their relationship ends, Dane Mathis dropped everything to help Guy put his life back together. It is difficult to treat Guy like a stranger, but he knows he must not give in to his deep desires. He won’t risk Guy’s anger by revealing the true nature of their relationship. Or the reality of their past together.

Even so, Dane can’t help but hope that this is the second chance they have both longed for.

* * *Then there are the Vivien Dean titles...

Detective Brady Lindstrom deals in death, and not just because he’s a homicide cop with the slaughter of a century to solve. Ten years ago, vampires murdered his lover. Ever since, he’s looked over his shoulder, ready for vampires to strike again. Or maybe just the one he loved.

Exhausted and angry about the needless deaths he has to investigate, Brady worries that the killers he’s looking for aren’t even human. Those fears are compounded by an unexpected visitor, the battered and nearly broken Cole Singer, the lover he’d long ago given up for dead. When Cole offers to trade information on the killers in exchange for sanctuary, Brady realizes he doesn’t have a choice. He just can’t turn his back on the face of the only man he’s ever loved. Even if he’s a vampire…

* * *

As an artist in New York City, Calvin Shumacher finally has the life he’s always wanted. In fact, only one thing can get him to come back to Illinois—his father’s funeral. All he wants is to bury his dad and hightail it back to New York, but a sniper at the graveyard puts those plans on indefinite hold.

So does Matthew Soto. The gorgeous gunman who speaks of monsters wearing human faces. And predicts there won’t be a body for police to find.

Calvin doesn’t know what to think when Matthew claims he didn’t do anything wrong. All he knows is that this man’s haunted eyes seem to pierce right into his soul.

But as each of Matthew’s assertions comes true, Calvin slowly realizes this killer could be the only thing standing between him and an unspeakable evil…

News roundup

Top of the news this week is a contest! The authors involved in the Samhain print anthology, Heat Wave: A Midsummer's Night Steam, are blogging and running a contest all week over at Erotic Muses. Details are here, so head over and take a look!

Next up is the cover art for our July release, Querida!


LT Blue at JERR gives Fortune's Honor 4 1/2 stars!

What a beautiful love story! Ms. Craig created a beautiful world filled with the trials and tribulations of a big ranch family in Fortune’s Honor. Clay’s character is full of hope of family and a will to do what is right by the woman he finds himself in love with and his little brother. Paige is just as committed to stand by her word to Ty ignoring the growing affection she has for his older brother. The chemistry between Clay and Paige is constantly simmering to the breaking point but the restraint they have just makes it hotter. When they finally have sex, it is a sensual coming together that provides that climax that lingers for a day. AWESOME! While the sex isn’t as hot and orgasmic as I normally like, the sensuality is a perfect blend for this story. The secondary characters play an important role in the story and I hope to read more about them in a spin-off. I highly recommend Fortune’s Honor.

Mystical Nymph at Literary Nymph Reviews gives Corazon 4.5 Nymphs...

Corazon is the May release in the ongoing Calendar Boys series by the duo writing under the pen name of Jamie Craig. It’s another well written and plotted story I thoroughly enjoyed. While the plot vehicle of both Mason and Anton cheating on their respective significant others generally would have turned me off immediately, the manner in which the author(s) expressed the unhappiness and uncertainty of both men allowed me to overcome my usual unforgiving reaction. So imagine my surprise when I found myself rooting for the success of their new and growing relationship. What can I say? I’m a sucker for two guys in love.

Ley from Joyfully Reviewed reviews Seduction in Black & White

I was hooked and drawn into Seduction in Black and White from the first page. I really liked Jess and Emma, but Gideon had to grow on me. My initial impression of him was not very likeable. My feelings were solely based on his actions toward Jesse during their sex scenes, but after a while I was able to see the Gideon that Jesse and Emma loved. I was not aware that this story was part of a series and not being familiar with the previous books I was floored by some of the graphic BDSM scenes and the villainess torture scenes. They were harsh, brutal, gory and so well written that I couldn’t stop reading them. I give props to the talent of Jamie Craig, writing such an intensely suspenseful and complicated story that holds a readers interest such as this one has held mine can’t be easy. And for the record, jumping into this series in their 4th installment is not something I would recommend, even though I was able to grasp the storyline, there were names, events and little nuisances of significance that escaped me. I most definitely would have gotten more satisfaction from the story if I read the prequels first. Be warned Seduction in Black and White doesn’t hold back on anything, this is a very graphic story, but also an enjoyable one.

News roundup

So let's see...what's happened in the past week?

Well, we got a new cover for our April release, My Masked Mistress:


Isn't it pretty? We really like this one.

We got some reviews, too. Signey E. Scott at JERR reviewed A Little Bit Bewitched, and gave it 4 stars:

A Little Bit Bewitched is a captivating love story between one woman and two men. At times, I thought the story was slowing down, but the next paragraph threw me right back into the thick of the action. There is a lot of sexual action in this book, including M/F/M ménage, M/M bisexuality, group sex, voyeurism, and exhibitionism. The sexual elements of the story interlocked perfectly with the plot. There wasn’t a tug-of-war between the three because each was the object of the other two characters’ desire. They meshed so well and that in turn made the story enjoyable and worth reading. Daniel is the beta male in the relationship and he seemed to be the one that the others had to walk on eggshells around. Lucy is the mediator of the three. She is their voice and their motivator. Charles is the alpha male. He is the voice of experience and the more dominate to the others’ submissiveness. This book is a story of people being open to other eye-opening experiences and I highly recommend reading.

Pam S. at My Book Cravings reviewed two of our titles.

Brindisi Bedfellows received 5 flowers:

...rough around the edges Tripp had an insecure and uncertain interior that I wasn’t expecting, and his fear almost vibrates off the page. I loved watching Christian grow and become surer of himself under the encouragement and attention of Tripp. When these two men get together, watch out for fiery passion and heat equal to the Italian sun.

I can’t say enough good things about this well written and plotted gem. Between the likable characters, exciting locale, witty dialogue and a villain in Andrew that you love to hate, there isn’t anything about this story that I didn’t like.

Seduction in Black and White received 4 flowers:

Seduction in Black and White takes up where the last book in this interesting and intriguing series, Mosaic Moon, left off. Like others in this dark fantasy series, the sexual encounters between Gideon and Jesse are filled with intense and often painful scenes from their BDSM lifestyle. Yet even amongst the pain and blood, it’s very clear that these two men love and depend on each other like no other, and adding Emma to the mix just gives another layer of depth of tenderness and love to their ongoing relationship.

This author, Jamie Craig, composed of Pepper Espinoza and Vivien Dean, uses rich and vivid details when describing not only the BDSM scenes of our threesome, but the kidnapping and torture of Jesse. You can almost feel the pain and suffering he experiences as he waits for his lover to rescue him, all the while never giving up hope. If this type of material bothers you in any way, then this might not be the book for you, but if you like dark cutting-edge fantasy, then this new keeper will definitely find a home with you. This reader is looking for to the next book in this series, Chaos and Communion.

And an oldie, but a goodie...Unclose Me got 3 cupids from Cupid's Library Reviews:

Jude and Elliot work through the realistic issues revolving around demanding careers and past failed attempts at love to establish a future with each other. Although Jude is an accomplished modern day woman, she still has insecurity issues that she must confront and overcome if she is to find happiness with Elliot. I like the fact that Elliot was willing to commit to fighting for Jude's love and not give up on her. The couple's struggles are very contemporary and the problems they face are believable. The story is very fast moving within a very sweet romantic plot. The characters are likable and written well. The romance and sex in the story are sensual and at times very erotic. Actually, some of the sex in the book are very intense and can be considered unique.

Pepper and I finished and submitted the June installment of the Calendar Boys last night, which means today we're starting a short het novella about a rocker and a folk singer for release in July. Then we've got a gay fantasy we're excited about starting. Full-length novel on that one. You'll probably have to put up with us talking about that one a lot later on.

Have a great Monday!