It's a Cyber Birthday Party with Author Inez Kelley! Comment to Win!

YOU ARE INVITED! To a Cyber Birthday Party!

WHERE: Inez Kelley’s Website
WHEN: Nov. 24th noon until 10PM
RSVP: Nope, just stop by, comment to win any of over 60 books and prizes, not to mention filling up of your beefcake quota.
What to bring: An appetite to read!

It’s my birthday! (Okay, not really. My birthday is the 25th but that is American Thanksgiving and everyone will be stuffing their face with turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie so I am celebrating early)

All day long, I will open my wonderful present from my fellow authors and then I will give them TO YOU! Winners awarded all day long from the comment section(so include your email addy!)

I stopped getting birthday presents a long time ago and now wouldn’t even bother celebrating the day (Who really wants to celebrate getting OLDER once you are over the legal age?) except well, I have a new release this week. It seemed fitting to celebrate that and combine the two.

LIPSTICK ON HIS COLLAR is a red-hot novella from Samhain Publishing, a scorching little tale of a one-night stand that changed into so much more. It has a hot ex-firefighter, a mysterious heroine and a steamy romance with just a hint of that pain in the ass ex that won’t go away.

So come celebrate my birthday, my new release and reap the benefits from a Birthday Blow Out where you get the presents! In fact, Let’s kick this party off right! If you would like a copy of LIPSTICK ON HIS COLLAR, comment here and tell me your favorite birthday gift ever! Winner’s choice of formats. Contest will be open until Dec. 8th and the winner announced on the 9th or 10th.

LIPSTICK ON HIS COLLAR
He never thought his next wildfire would be wearing a red dress.

“Make me your goddess and I’ll take you to heaven.” This sultry promise sparks a scorching, unforgettable one-night stand. The next morning Bram Winters awakes with a hickey and a head full of wicked memories—alone. His nameless goddess is gone without a trace, along with his shirt. And his heart.

Five months later, he stumbles across his mystery lady in a Laundromat, but she still won’t give up her name. Worse, she begs him to leave, no questions asked. Once he catches the spark of terror in her eyes, though, his firefighter training takes over—and he digs in for the duration.

Lady never wanted Bram to see her life’s ugly underside, but it’s too late—his socks are already in the washer. He was supposed to be her declaration of independence from her unstable ex, a bittersweet memory to carry into her new life.

Except the ex continues to stalks her. And Bram’s reappearance sends her emotions and desires tumbling over the edge. As the minutes wear on, sexual tension rises faster than the steam from a hot water wash.

And Lady’s ex watches from the shadows, growing more furious by the minute…

Product Warnings: Scorching sex, icy scissor play and an anonymous woman taking a wet slide down one hot ex-fireman’s pole. Beware of hot flashes and spontaneous combustion. Correct change not required.

A Month of Thanks - Update Post on Giving to a Family In Need & Fun Giveaways!

Hello friends and neighbors,

Many of you may not be aware that Romance in the Backseat is offering a very special Month of Thanks this November.  The most exciting part is coming from Silver Publishing, a generous giveaway of $100 Grocery Gift Card.

November is a time to give thanks to those in our life who day in and day out make our lives better. To give thanks to friends and family that year after year support us. This year there are a lot of families and friends in need of some extra support and help. That is why Silver Publishing has so generously offered to help pay for a families Thanksgiving dinner.


Please share the news about this giveaway and join us to nominate someone in your life who could use the extra help. All nominations are private, our goal is to add some holiday cheer and some extra goodies to the table this Thanksgiving. 

I want to thank Silver Publishing for this amazing gift. Even if you and your loved ones are lucky enough to have a table of food waiting Thanksgiving day drop in and show your appreciation not only to Silver Publishing, but to the other authors who have come on the site this month and shared their tales of thanks.  To give us a little more cheer those authors have also offered a book giveaway to share with those you love.


Terry Kate
Romance in the Backseat


Visit Silver Publishing's Site to find out about their books - http://silverpublishing.info/


Kylie Brant's Giveaway

Deadly Intent

 http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/gratitude-attitude-by-kylie-brant.html



Lydia Dare's Giveaway

The Taming of the Wolf

 http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/month-of-thanks-lydia-dare.html



Nicola Cornick's Giveaway

Whispers of Scandal

http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/nicola-cornicks-month-of-thanks-blog.html



Kersten Hamilton's Giveaway

Tyger Tyger

http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/month-of-thanks-with-kersten-hamilton.html

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

If you follow me on twitter (Hey - you should follow me on twitter!) you might have caught a tweet or two about my upcoming vacation - CHINA BABY! I'll be gone for two weeks freezing my patootie off in China, starting on Thanksgiving. While gone, I'll have some fun authors to stop by and do guest blogs and giveaways.

I'll pull the winners of the giveaways when I get back around Dec. 9th or 10th and I'll leave all giveaways open for entries through the 8th of December.

Please be nice to our visiting authors and tell your friends to stop by too! Since I won't have access to twitter or email, I won't be able to help promote the guests as much so I'm counting on my great readers to help them feel welcome.

Now, I just need to fill my Sony eReader up with books and I'm all set to travel. To my American readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and to everyone else have a great two weeks!

Happy Reading!

One of the BEST parts of the Holidays...FREE Starbucks!

I just had to share this with readers so you can make sure to take advantage! I mean, who doesn't want to get a free AWESOME holiday drink from Starbucks? :) Even if you aren't a coffee drinker, you can do the peppermint hot chocolate. Take a friend along and then spend some time talking romance books over those amazing drinks!

Today's I'm Doing Something Different...

It's a different kind of post from me today. I've had big things on my mind and couldn't bring myself to write the latest review to post and actually give it the write-up it deserves.

Today is the 3rd anniversary of my mother's death.

On the 1st anniversary my Dad was still alive but not doing very well and ended up in the hospital during this week. It kept me from focusing on Mom being gone.

For the 2nd year, Dad was still sick and getting much worse. Taking care of him, making sure he was taking his medicine, dealing with his loneliness and depression, keeping his old house from falling apart - they all kept me focused on him. I had to be strong for him. Couldn't let him see my emotions because I had to be strong so he could be the one to cry, the one to be sad and depressed.

I felt like in order to be there for him - to support him - I didn't have the right to lose it. To just let go and feel it all - all the emotions that for 2 years had been bottled up.

I was being strong.

As I said, this year is the 3rd anniversary and the first since my dad passed away last year.

This year it's different.

This year I'm feeling every bit of the emotion I didn't get to feel before.

A part of me is relieved - I was scared because who loses their Mom and then doesn't grieve? Did I not love her - am I some sort of heartless woman who only thought she loved her Mother more than anything? Shouldn't I be crying?

So much guilt. Honestly, there has been so much guilt. Trying to be there for dad, but feeling like not focusing on Mom and remembering her made me feel so guilty. Would she have understood? Is she somewhere sad that I wasn't crying or depressed those 1st 2 years? Did she get it - that Dad needed me?

I've asked myself those questions a million times. And tons of other questions too. Questions like: Did she know how much I loved her? How proud I was that she was my mom? How much I appreciated her friendship - not just for being my Mom?

So many questions.

Today, I mark the 3rd anniversary and I'm so happy to say I'm crying. I'm staring at one of my favorite pictures of the two of us. I'm sitting at work remembering her laugh, the jokes she used to tell. The secrets we shared.

Most of all today, I'm celebrating the things about me that I think are just like my Mom. On any given day I can say something or tell a silly joke, or laugh a certain way and it catches me by surprise. Wow - I sound just like Mom. Or, Mom would have loved this. I'M SO PROUD TO BE JUST LIKE MY MOM IN SO MANY WAYS. 

I miss you Mom.

Please - I ask all of you to spend time with your Mom telling her how much she means to you today. If she is no longer with us, I'm so sorry but please never forget the special things that made her your special Mom. 

A Special Holiday Post: Nominate a Family In Need

A Special Message from Terry at Romance in the Backseat:
Hello Readers and Friends,

The Holidays are a wonderful time of year, where we thank those in our lives that have done so much for us throughout the year.  Romance in the Backseat is also taking part in saying thanks.  We have authors giving away books as well as some truly generous giveaways.  Those of food for families in need this Holiday.  Come and Visit Romance in the Backseat.  Nominate those who need some cheer for the book giveaways and those you know who are in need to win the Food Gift Cards from Silver Publishing and author Kylie Brandt. 

 Thank you and please share the links to these giveaways everywhere you can.

Join us and enter to Win a $100 Food Gift Card from Silver Publishing


Silver Publishing Giveaway


Author Kylie Brandt is doing a special $50 Holiday Food Giveaway on RITBS


Kylie Brandt Holiday Giveaway

The Kraken's Mirror Winner!

The winner of a copy of The Kraken's Mirror from Mauren Betita is...

Pam S (pams00)

Congrats! As soon as The Kraken's Mirror releases, I'll get a copy out to you at the email you provided.

Happy Reading and huge thanks to Maureen for stopping by and all the lovely things she said. :)

Welcome Special Guest Author Mareen O. Betita & Win The Kraken's Mirror!

A Beta Reader You Can Trust


Hi, I’m Maureen O. Betita and I’m taking over Cheeky Reads today, by invitation, don’t worry! I’m a new author, with my first release upcoming from Decadent Publishing.

It’s called The Kraken’s Mirror, a captivating romantic adventure featuring pirates, a kraken playing cupid, ipods and a curse of good luck. With a bit of time travel tossed in for fun. Along with waltzing vampires, a swamp full of zombies and a pack of werewolves running in the forest. Yes, Tortuga will never be thought of the same!

Bwah ha ha!

When I dreamed up this menagerie of a story and saw it develop into more than just a lark I knew I needed a beta reader with some experience to help me see past the love affaire I’d fallen into.

Yes, I love this story. I still do, especially after the beta experience. In fact, my beta reader proved invaluable at pointing out some real holes in my narrative. She drew my attention to areas where I lacked descriptive detail, for one thing. Like many new authors, I was caught up with knowing my world so well I just sort of…well…skipped describing it. With her help I brought the pirate festival to life, adding color, pulling up vivid memories and inserting them for the reader.

Thanks, Sabrina!

Another thing she spotted had to do with how my heroine reacted when a betrayal was revealed. Emily needed more connection to what led to it, more connection to why she might feel betrayed. And why she might feel the moments of insecurity the way I painted them.

This was harder to do, had to back up quite a bit…but I saw the hole because she pointed it out to me. Gently. Because she’s Sabrina and she knows how to work with sensitivity.

There were several other bits and pieces Sabrina helped me with and I look forward to her eventually reading the finished product, reviewing it here on CheekyReads and giving me how every many kisses she deems it worthy of. I trust Sabrina, my beta reader.

She made the book better. And no, I’m not just playing kissy-kissy. I hope you will enjoy The Kraken’s Mirror when it comes out and remember to thank Sabrina…she helped a lot!

A Sneak Peek At The Kraken's Mirror:

Treated by our youth oriented society as invisible and sexless Emily Pawes attends a pirate festival to recapture the make believe magic she knew as a younger woman. She wins an interesting bit of booty at an old woman's bric-a-brac stand. The Kraken's mirror is a magical portal and transports her to a land of Hollywood piratitude, where swashbuckling heroes own iPods. With little choice, she embraces the madness, deciding she’ll play pirate until she figures out how to get home. Or wakes up in a padded cell.

Instead of men in little white coats, she encounters the handsome Captain Alan Silvestri. He is a man haunted by a strange curse. Good luck is his to command, but it comes at the cost of any place to call home or people to call family. Resigned to die shunned by all, forced to sail every three days, he begins to dream of a special woman.

When they meet, sparks fly, passion flares. He needs her to be free, but more than that, he needs her to be whole. They set sail, uncertain of who has control of the wheel, seeking to defeat his curse of good luck and discover all the Kraken’s mirror plans for them.

Learn more about Maureen and The Kraken's Mirror at the following locations online:
http://www.maureenobetita.com/
http://believinginsecondchances.typepad.com/
www.twitter.com/maureenobetita

A Special Note From Cheeky Sabrina:
Ok, seriously folks I did not pay her to say all those awesome things. Really I didn't. Maybe I blackmailed her a little, but no money actually exchanged hands. :) I had no idea that she'd write about my being her beta. Thank you so much for the lovely post Maureen. It means so much to me that you think I helped even a little. And isn't that an awesome cover!


Maureen is both an amazing woman, a true friend and a wonderful writer. I was surprised and honored when she asked me to be a beta reader for her and hope that some of my comments really did help. The Kraken's Mirror is a really fun and original story chock full of pirates. I said PIRATES people! And not just of the male persuasion. There is a whole crew of kick-ass awesome lady pirates as well and I had a blast reading about them.

To help spread my love of Maureen and her debut release The Kraken's Mirror, I'm hosting a giveaway! When the Kraken's Mirror releases, I'll personally purchase a copy and send to a lucky Cheeky Reads reader. All you have to do is leave a comment with your best made-up pirate name! Be creative - make it something fun, or even give yourself a Cheeky pirate moniker.

Contest is Open to all users including Internationally. I'll announce a winner on Monday. Please feel free to share this contest on your blog, Facebook or tweet about it!

Cheeky Trick or Treat Winner!

The winner of our first ever Cheeky Reads Trick or Treat Giveaway, as selected by random.org, is...

Comment #7 - Karen!


Congrats Karen! Email your mailing address to cheekyreads @  gmail.com (no spaces) and I'll get your prize out to you soon! I'll be checking out my TBR shelves tonight and picking the perfect book to send you. *Crossing fingers for some good Fairy books!*

Thanks to everyone who entered and you never know...I might decide to giveaway more treats today... :)

Monday Morning Cuteness!

funny pictures-Is Halloween over yet?
see more Lolcats and funny pictures