Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!


I've read some amazing posts by book bloggers this morning and although the quick post I write here won't hold a candle to theirs, I wanted to take the time to reflect on 2009 and to thank my readers for stopping by everyday.

Personally, 2009 had some very big ups and downs but as it draws to a close I'm just thankful for my life and for the people I love, both here and those who've passed away. You never get over losing your parents, but now my memories focus on the good times and I'm able to smile more and not shy away from thinking about them.

In the case of Cheeky Reads, I started this blog in March of 2009 and am so thankful for the readers so stop by and comment. I love having your input and hope to provide even more cool content for you in 2010. You'll also see more contests and some awesome new features I'm hoping to launch throughout the year.

My Cheeky Reads resolutions for 2010 are:

1.) Create a few "back-up" posts so that when life gets hectic the blog doesn't suffer
2.) Update the look of the blog and create a blog button that other websites can share
3.) Create a book blogger award for other bloggers
4.) Create and host a book challenge
5.) Streamline contest entries with Google Docs
6.) Make Cheeky Reads even more exciting for readers!

Thank you to all my readers and I hope you have a wonderful start to the New Year! What are some of your resolutions for 2010? What was the best book you read in 2009?

10 Questions with Robin Kaye & Win Breakfast in Bed!

Welcome Author Robin Kaye to Cheeky Reads!

We’re pleased to have Robin here today to answer some questions about her latest romance Breakfast in Bed. She’ll be stopping in throughout the day to answer questions. Don’t forget to comment to win a copy of the book!

Your latest book had me laughing out loud. It revolves around  a hero who wants to go from a domestic dud to a domestic stud and enlists his sister's best friend to teach him how to cook and clean. Hilarity ensues...Would you tell our readers BreakfastinBedCVR_NEWmore about Breakfast in Bed? Hi, Sabrina. I’m so glad you liked Breakfast in Bed. Rich Ronaldi rented an apartment from his sister, Rosalie and unbeknownst to him, his other sister, Annabelle sublet the very same apartment to her best friend Becca. Before they could decide which of them keeps the apartment, Rich’s girlfriend dumps him because he’s not relationship material. Rich decides he needs to become a domestic god to win his girlfriend back, so he tells Becca he’d let her stay until her apartment is remodeled if she becomes his domestic god coach.

Like most readers I'm all about connecting with the hero and heroine in a book. So, I always ask authors to describe their hero in three words.  Domestic Dud turned Stud works for me. But if I had to come up with my own I’d say Rich is smart, sexy and trainable. There is no way we can make a man change, unless he wants to--and Rich wants to.

What about your heroine? What three words would best describe her? Smart, creative and independent all to the nth degree.

Now that we know more about your characters, what was it about them that had you wanting to write that HEA for them? any favorite scenes to write?  What woman wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to train a man as good-looking as Rich? Besides, she got him to do all the cooking and housework. To me, there is nothing sexier than a man doing housework, the humdinger is scrubbing the toilet and bathtub.
My favorite scenes to write were Rich’s disasters. There’s nothing like a fire in the dryer to heat up a romance.

I love your top ten reasons woman love domestic gods list on your website (readers check it out here)! All three of your books feature men who are or become domestic gods. I have to ask, do you have a personal domestic god who inspires you?  
Oh yeah. My husband is a total domestic god. He does all the laundry and cleaning, he’s a passable cook, and remodels our house in his spare time. I figure I’ve got it all--a domestic god with a tool belt. He’s also the best, most supportive husband and father I’ve ever known. Picking him up was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.

You grew up in Brooklyn and it's the featured setting of your books. Do you love making it a character all it's own? It's not your typical romance novel setting and that's what I find so appealing!  I do love Brooklyn and New York. I chose it because I’m comfortable there and I’m in a constant state of homesickness. I know and love the people. Setting my books in Brooklyn gives me a great excuse to visit, and allows me to write off the trip as research.  
Brooklyn is very much like NYC, it has a lot of the same sounds and smells but just at a lower volume. Each of the neighborhoods are so different, they all have their own flavors and cultural accents. I adore exploring the neighborhoods and soaking in the culture.  I lived in Kensington when I was a kid, but always loved the park. The Park Slope section of Brooklyn is my absolute favorite and I would live there in a heartbeat if I could afford to.  
I need a NY fix every few months so I call my friends and go home for a long weekend to absorb the energy and the craziness. I come home refreshed and renewed with my Brooklyn accent in full force. But then I’m told that happens every time I speak to a relative.

Read any good books lately that you would recommend to our readers? Authors always seem to have the inside track on great new authors!   
I’ve been reading My Own Personal Soap Opera by Libby Malin, I’ve read Stephanie Julian’s  Kiss of Moonlight, and someone just recommended Can’t Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards. I’m told she has a very similar writing style to mine so I’m looking forward to checking her out.

What's up next for you? Do you have another Brooklyn romance cooking?  As a matter of fact, I do. It’s called As Good as He Gets and I don’t have a release date yet, but I’m thinking either May or June. It’s a bit of a departure, it takes place in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Boise, Idaho and a little mining town in the mountains of Idaho called Three Whores Bend. As Good as He Gets is Ben and Gina’s story. We meet a whole new cast of characters as well as a few of the regulars,  and I love them all. I’m having a lot of fun writing it.

Where can readers find you next on your blog tour and is there anything else you'd like to share with us? You can go to my website www.RobinKayeWrites.com and my blog tour schedule is on my calendar. I’ll be giving out copies of Breakfast in Bed to lucky commenters.

If you could train the man in your life to do one thing, what would it be? As for me, I’d teach him to give great back rubs. What about you?

Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye—in stores January 2010

The third funny, sexy, contemporary romance from a fresh new voice in romance fiction…

Rich, the epitome of “anti-domestic,” can’t cook to save his life, and his idea of cleaning his apartment is to invite his mother over. But he’s ready to settle down, and he can’t stop thinking about the ex-girlfriend who got away. When he notices that his soon-to-be-married friends cooked and cleaned their way into their women’s hearts, he asks his friend Becca to help transform him into a nurturing man to win back his ex.

Rich is the only guy who’s taken the time to know Becca for herself. She decides she’ll give him the makeover he’s asking for, though she’ll be damned if she’s going to turn him into a domestic god for another woman. She wants Rich for herself, but how can she convince him that her kitchen and her bedroom are the only domestic locales he desires?

About the Author

Award-winning author Robin Kaye is a professional writer and winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award for her first novel, Romeo, Romeo. Once it was headshotpublished, Romeo, Romeo won the 2008 Best Contemporary itRom (Italian Romance) Award by Romance B(u)y the Book, the 2009 HOLT Medallion Contest First Place Winner for Best Romantic Comedy and the 2009 NJRW Golden Leaf Award Winner for Best Single Title. Her romantic comedies feature sexy, nurturing heroes and feisty, independent heroines. She lives with her husband and three children in Mt. Airy, Maryland. For more information, please visit http://www.robinkayewrites.com/

Enter to Win a Copy of Breakfast in Bed! Just leave a comment telling us what one thing would you like to train the man in your life to do! I’ll be randomly drawing a winner on January 1st, so be sure to stop by to see if you won!

Extra entries: Earn an extra entry by tweeting about this interview & contest or by posting about it on your own blog. Make sure to leave a link or your twitter name!

Sorry, this contest is open to US and Canada residents only.

Holiday Wishes & Awesome Novellas

I’ve been a little absent lately from the blog, but things are starting to quiet down and I’ll be back to reading and reviewing like a rock star!

We had a wonderful holiday weekend with family. Florida Christmas celebrations are always interesting, and this one was no different. On Christmas day, we were out on a boat enjoying low 70’s temperatures and watching the manatees play in the canal. Later, a group of dolphins stopped by and we stood out on the boat dock and watched them play.

I was also able to read two great novellas this Christmas and I highly recommend both. I might re-read them just to keep the twg-coverholiday spirit going for a little while longer!

The first was This Wicked Gift, by new author Courtney Milan. The novella was part of The Heart of Christmas anthology. Courtney’s story is worth buying the whole book for even if you ignored the rest of the book, and I can’t wait to read her debut full length historical romance, Proof of Seduction which releases January 1st. 

The second was Winter Heat by Dawn Halliday and was part of highlanderchristmas150x227the A Highlander Christmas anthology. I adored the heroine Maggie McDonald and what romance lover doesn’t enjoy a little taste of a Highlander?

All in all, a relaxing holiday with some great reads.

What about you? Did you have a good holiday? What was the most fun thing you did, or the best book you were able to sneak time in to read?

You Love Me! Marissa Sends Us the Honest & Scrap Award!


I was recently honored to receive the Honest & Scrap blog award from Marissa at Marissa's Booklair. Thank you so much Marissa!

I would like to pass this award on to Book Chick City because she rocks and you should be reading her blog! I'd also like to give it to the ladies at The Book Pushers.

The rules for this award are simple, you have to tell ten honest things about yourself and pass them on to other bloggers. So, here are the ten honest things I can think up about myself right now. :)

1.) I consider my pets little people and give them personalities - and yes, I've been known to carry on conversations with them. Oh, and they do have "voices' the hubby and I have created for them.

2.) I'm a total clown. I live to laugh and make it my goal to have my husband laughing out loud at least once a day. I'm a pretty physical clown, and have been know to break out in a crazy dance or reenact a scene using all kinds of crazy movements.

3.) There is not one single type of music I don't listen to. Of course I'm selective within a genre, but my music tastes run far and wide! I also have the amazing ability to memorize lyrics after hearing a song only once - okay maybe that's only amazing to me, but I think it makes me cool! LOL

4.) I'm a vegetarian/vegan. Well, for the past three weeks! Really, it's been off and on for many years but I'm hoping it sticks this time.

5.) I started this blog because I love romance books and reading. What you might not know is that before I started this blog, I started writing my first romance book. It's still a work in progress, but maybe one day!

6.) I'm addicted to Twitter - I used to make fun of people who said they Tweeted, but now I understand the cracktastic awesomeness that Twitter is. Seriously. Do it!

7.) I've been married for 8 years and with my Hubby for 10. We have two dogs named Yoda and Gizmo and they rule our house!

8.) Galaxy Quest is one of my all-time favorite movies. Pure Genius! Yes, I'm a bit of a Sci-Fi geek and proud of it.

9.) I'm that girl in the car next to you singing out loud and dancing in her car. I know - I just can't help it! I like to shake my booty.

10.) Sometimes I get behind on this blog with life and my full-time job, but I'm always thinking of ways to improve it and to bring you more content. I feel guilty when I don't post every single day.

So there's some fresh honesty for you - whether you wanted it or not!

New Release Tuesday!

I’m not hearing of a lot of books releasing this week, so I’m showcasing the latest books available from Samhain! Take a peek at the latest ebook releases they have to offer. Happy Reading!

Seducing the Sheriff by Marie-Nicole Ryan

1307

Doll by Juniper Bell

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Lessons in Temptation by Charlie Cochrane

1309

Midnight Savior by D. McEntire

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Huge Giveaway By Kimberly Killion!

Ho, ho, ho...'Tis the season for gift giving and Kimberly Killion must be feeling verra generous this year. She's giving away a sled-full of books...


Highland Dragon by Kimberly Killion
Her One Desire by Kimberly Killion
An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James
Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
Untouched by Anna Campbell
Tempt the Devil by Anna Campbell
Before the Scandal by Suzanne Enoch
Death Angel by Linda Howard
Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins
Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spears
Everything Forbidden by Jenna Petersen

You have to do two simple things to enter:
1) Go to Kimberly's website and fill out the form on her contest page
2) Follow Kimberly's blog, Wowf about Writing!

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Contest Rules: One entry per person per contest period. Contest winner will be announced on Kimberly Killion's website and blog Dec. 26th, 2009. All entrants must be 18 years of age or older

Mrs. Miracle Movie Premiers Tonight on The Hallmark Channel

I'm so excited that tonight we can finally see the new Hallmark Channel movie, Mrs. Miracle based on the book by Debbie Macomber!

The movie airs tonight at 8p/7c on the Hallmark Channel.

Here's the synopsis from the Hallmark Channel if you aren't familiar with the story:

Losing a spouse is always hard, and for Seth Webster (James Van Der Beek), playing single dad to two rambunctious six-year-olds doesn’t make it any easier. With the holidays approaching, finding a housekeeper has proven to be near-impossible, until Mrs. Emily Merkle (Doris Roberts) shows up at the Websters’ door, ready to turn their lives around. No sooner has “Mrs. Miracle,” as Seth’s boys call her, straightened up the house, than Seth meets Reba Maxwell (Erin Karpluk), best friend to the Webster kids’ first-grade teacher. After just one date, Seth and Reba find they have a lot in common. Since the death of his music-loving wife, Seth has been unable to play a single chord on the piano, and, in the name of her career, Reba, once an avid actress, has avoided the theater. With a Christmas pageant to prepare for and a fresh romance on the horizon, Mrs. Miracle definitely has her work cut out for her and proves to be more than just a normal nanny.
You can also read the first three chapters of the book here.

Romance Book Review: Hot Spell by Michelle Rowen

Book Review: Hot Spell  hotspell_cover
By: Michelle Rowen
Harlequin Blaze November 2009
4 Heart Review
Disclosure: Book provided by author

Everybody knows there's no love lost between paranormal investigator's Amanda LeGrange and sexy Jacob Caine. They can't even stand being in the same room together...

Well, unless it's an enchanted bedroom. And they're trapped there, at midnight. And the sexual tension suddenly becomes too powerful to resist...

Then that bedroom gets really hot, really fast! But come morning, they still can't keep their hands off each other. Are they cursed forever? If so, neither one's complaining.

So, this was a November Harlequin release and I’m a very bad blogger for not posting this early in Nov so you could all run out and pick this one up. I do think you might still be able to find it in some stores that leave their books out a little longer, but I know you can order this baby online at www.eharlequin.com or Amazon – and it’s worth it!

Harlequin Blaze is my favorite Harlequin line, so I was very interested in reading Michelle Rowen's first book for the line. I've noticed that many of the recent Blazes have started to have some aspects of the paranormal, but this was my first one that was completely a paranormal romance.  I really enjoyed that combo, and Michelle managed to put a very satisfying paranormal in the smaller Blaze packaging.

Part of what I loved about this book was how Michelle created a paranormal plot that was fun and upbeat, and paired that with the deep emotional issues that the heroine Amanda has. It was a great balance that allowed the reader to have fun with the otherworldly aspects while keeping the drama on the development of the relationship.

As I mentioned, I thought Michelle managed to create a very cool and neat paranormal agency, and the world in which it exists, within the constraints of a shorter length category book. Some authors can’t get me interested in their world-building in an entire full length single title, and Michelle had me interested in a sequel before I was in halfway in.

I loved the hero and heroine in this book and the sexcapades are hot, hot, hot! I’ll just say that more than one scene stuck out to me and that’s saying a lot in this shorter book length. Michelle packed a sexy wallop in one little category!

I can see this becoming an awesome series within the Blaze line and really hope to see Michelle write more of these. I was able to get Michelle to admit on twitter that she is currently working on a follow up that would be Patrick’s story – you’ll have to read the book to know how awesome that news is!