1. Introduction

January Contest Winner

Congratulations, ladymorayo! You're last month's contest winner. You've just won an electronic copy of ABBATOIR from Siren Cassie Walder. She'll be contacting you soon with information on how to receive your free download.

February Contest

This month's prize from featured Siren Rachel Bo will be: A "Desire" Romance Kit, including an inspiring book, sexy dice game, two mood-enhancing candles, and sensual massage oil, PLUS a $10 gift certificate for Changeling Press. Rachel says, "Good luck, everyone!"

2. Siren News

Elisa Adams
http://www.elisaadams.com

REALITY CHECK

Rated a Perfect 10
"REALITY CHECK is packed full of interesting twists, turns, and truths coming to light. Rachel has suppressed her feelings to compensate for her overly emotional family, earning her the nickname Ice Princess at work. Doug is determined to prove that Rachel isn't made of ice but is a warm-blooded woman. When these two come together, the results are not only hot and steamy, but heart warming. Rachel's family, in particular her mother and sister, add a lot of color and humor to this tale. Elisa Adams brings all of the characters to life, giving this book that indefinable something that sets it apart and earns it a Perfect 10."
~Vicky Turner, Romance Reviews Today

Rated 5.5 Magical Wands
"Reality Check is a book that takes it and makes it all worthwhile, a book that you can enjoy from the beginning to end with no drags or lags. Not only are the characters believable but they entice you to find out what happens next. From the start there is humor with the heat in Doug and Rachael's adventures into the realm of romance. …Elisa Adam's Reality Check is one that I would recommend that you grab, as it is one of those that have it all, heat, humor and honest to goodness entertainment that tempts you page after page. "
~ Wendi, Enchanted Ramblings

Rated 5 Angels and a Recommended Read
"Reality Check is a touching love story that offers two loveable characters, some humor and unexpected passion as well as a wonderful plot. Rachel just wants to live her life the way that she sees fit and her family tends to get in the way. Doug loves a challenge and definitely finds one in Rachel. …The physical chemistry between them is tantalizing, explosive, and just plain hot. They find that although they both like to be in control professionally there is something to letting it go in the bedroom. What a wonderful revelation. …Elisa Adams has done a wonderful job writing a tremendous tale where reality and make-believe have a way of joining forces and becoming one."
~ Jessica, Fallen Angel Reviews

Rated 5 hearts
"Loved this story; the wacky, but loving relatives, and the great central characters. Wonderful plot, quickly paced with humorous dialogue. … Rachel and Doug accept that they really do seem to fit well together and enjoy their feelings for each other. Definitely a story for all romantics! "
~ Glenda K. Bauerle, The Romance Studio

Rated 5 Blue Ribbons "You'll love the characters in this one…Elisa Adams has written a wonderful story…I highly recommend this book and it's definitely a keeper."
~ Nickie Langdon, Romance Junkies



Bella Andre
http://www.bellaandre.com

TAKE ME

From http://liheliso.com/buzz/archive/00000529.htm
Review by Ida Vega-Landow
"If you like your romances hot and spicy, this is definitely the book for you, especially if you're a woman bigger than size twelve who's been brainwashed into believing that nobody over size ten can ever be loved by a man. TAKE ME is strong medicine for any oversized woman who's unsure of her wow power. Having confidence in yourself as an attractive woman who deserves love can be as empowering as the most potent aphrodisiac. Lily gains confidence in leaps and bounds as she goes leaping and bounding through the Tuscan countryside with Travis, fulfilling all her romantic fantasies, satisfying her physical and sexual appetites in a way that leaves Travis and the reader begging for more."

From Amazon.com
HOT, HOT HOT! January 24, 2006, Five stars
"This was one hot read. The characters were real and enjoyable. I liked that Lily was not your typical heroine. She was overweight, and she thought she wasn't pretty. In the end of this book she found herself and realized her true worth. The chemistry betweeen Travis and Lily was electrifying. These were the hottest love scenes I have read yet. I just loved Travis. Once he realized he loved Lily, he was the sweetest; patient and kind. This book was a very fast read. I happily add this book to my collection."

From Amazon.com:
This book is one to be passed to ALL my friends!,
January 3, 2006
Five stars
"I loved Take Me. It was hot, hot, but also very emotionally charged. Lily's character was so real to me. I understood her fears and desires as if they were my own. A MUST read and a MUST pass to all my friends! And they better return it, because this book is a keeper."



Rachel Bo
http://webpages.charter.net/rachelbo

TWICE BLESSED
in the RATED: X-MAS anthology available at www.looseid.com!
http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=117

8 GARGOYLES at In the Library Reviews!
"Twice Blessed is a wonderfully, sinful tale that will keep you fanning yourself. These guys generate intense heat and make you want more! LOL"
~ Reviewer: Lisa Lambrecht


Katherine Kingston
http://www.katherinekingston.com


GARGOYLE'S CHRISTMAS

Five Angels!
"I have never read a more creative book. There are thousands of shape shifter books out there, but very few gargoyle books. Katherine Kingston has always had the ability to stretch my imagination with her amazing storytelling. She does it again in Gargoyle's Christmas. What I really liked about the book is that there are so many emotions whirling around and yet it doesn't feel like you're drowning in them. The characters of Tricia and Eric were fantastically written and expressed. The plot was what really made me enjoy this book; a new take on Beauty and the Beast. Truly a well written book all around."
-- Serena
Fallen Angels Review
http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/2006/January/Serena-GargoylesChristmas.htm

Titania Ladley
http://www.titanialadleyromance.com

BAT SCRATCH FEVER

5 Stars!
"BAT SCRATCH FEVER by Titania Ladley is very sensual, extremely mesmerizing and spicy! …The scenes will make you squirm and sweat in your chair… Titania Ladley is an awesome author and BAT SCRATCH FEVER is a definite keeper. Her books are the kind that you will never put down until you've read it all the way through… I highly recommend this book, rush right and pick up your copy of BAT SCRATCH FEVER, now!"
--Connie Spears for Romance Junkies

"With a snappy pace, witty dialogue, and plenty of titillating scenes, BAT SCRATCH FEVER should not be missed!"
--Courtney Michelle for Romance Reviews Today

4 Stars!
"The story line is a page turner... The sexual content is very hot and kinky. This is one ménage story that will have me reading it again."
--K.D. Kinkz for Erotic-Escapades.com

MIDNIGHT HOUR

5 Stars and a Recommended Read!
"Titania Ladley has written a beautiful story with plenty of spice and appeal that is sure to keep readers enchanted and reaching for her books. Midnight Hour is a not to be missed story, deserving of 5 Angels and a Recommended Read."
-- Tammy for Fallen Angel Reviews

4 Stars!
"Midnight Hour is packed with plot twists, history and steamy sex… Ms. Ladley interweaves enough of their past lives into the story to provide some interesting fireworks into Logan's and Noelle's present situation. Each thought and caress is a mixture of the past and the present. The plot is very unique and had me enrapt until the end. The sex is very steamy… Miracles do happen in the Midnight Hour."
-- Ann Lee for Just Erotic Romance Reviews

YOU'VE GOT IRISH MALE! in the ENCHANTED ROGUES anthology
"Love is more potent than the lure of gold in Ladley's scorching fantasy, 'You've Got Irish Male.'" And on the anthology as a whole: "The trilogy…features three hot hunks with scorching fantasies on their minds."
-- Faith V. Smith for RomanticTimesBOOKclub

3. Presenting our featured author for this month - Rachel Bo

Interviewed by Rachel Bo

Reading, Food & Inventive Fun
By Samantha Winston
http://www.samanthawinston.com

Febrary is the month for Valentines! Let the whole month inspire you, and find food that turns your sweetheart into your fantasy lover! Did you know?

"A Chicago neurologist once studied men's responses to smells. He found that men were different than women--peppermint and chocolate had little effect on their libido. So what did? Turns out that hot cinnamon buns, roast beef, and cheese pizza cause blood to engorge men's penises and make them hard."

A perfect rare roast beef for that Valentine honey!

Ingredients:
3 pounds beef chuck roast
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
3 cloves garlic, minced
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place roast into a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Pour dressing over the roast, and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 285 degrees F (140 degrees C).
Line a 13x9 inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Place the marinated roast in the dish. Rub the garlic and pepper into the meat. Pour any leftover marinade over the roast.
Bake at 285 degrees F (140 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours. Increase heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and continue baking for an additional 2 hours.
Remove roast from oven, and cover with foil. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

And for dessert:
1 candy necklace (the kind you ate as a kid!)
2 candles
1 hot and sultry music cd
1 hot lover dressed in skimpy clothes
1 saucer with petals from 2 roses
1 bowl of chilled strawberries previouly dipped in melted chocolate

Put the music on. Light the candles. Sprinkle the rose petals over the sheets. Lie down together. Now for the strawberries. Take one with your hand and slowly move it towards his lips. Tease as he opens his mouth to receive it, pull it to your mouth and share it with him, gently nibbling his lips, then allow him to take one and share with you.

When your done, get him naked! Take your candy necklace... small hard candies on an elastic band so that you can wear it as a necklace. Do you remember eating them without taking off the necklace? Of course you do... Now you can do the same thing for fun. Take the candy necklace and wrap it around his penis. Eat the candy without taking it off him for your dessert!

Happy Valentine Day!

5. Enticing Excerpts

   

Elisa Adams
http://www.elisaadams.com

Reality Check
Released January 31st, 2006 from Samhain Publishing
www.samhainpublishing.com

"You wouldn't happen to be free this weekend, would you, Doug?"

"Why? Do you want to get together and go over the design for the brochures?"

No. She wanted to get together and go over every inch of his body. With her tongue.

"No, I had something else in mind. Why don't you sit down? I was kind of hoping for a small favor, a weekend of your time. I." she paused, trying to put her situation into words that wouldn't have him running in the other direction. "I mentioned that my sister is getting married this weekend. I told my mother I would bring my fiancé, which creates a little problem for me."

Doug took a seat chair across from her desk, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees. The stripes in his tie matched his eyes. "What's the problem with your fiancé?"

She sucked in a gulp of air. Calm and relaxed, Rachel. Don't get worked up about it. You can do this. Of course she could do it. If she didn't look at him.

As the marketing director, she ran the entire marketing department of a large real estate company. If she couldn't sell Doug on her idea, she might as well retire now.

"I don't exactly have one." She rested her hands on top of her desk and pasted on her best professional smile. "I now need to find someone to feign, only for the weekend, to be my intended, otherwise it will ruin the whole event for my mother."

He frowned. "And telling her the truth never crossed your mind?"

If it were really that simple she never would have invented the fiancé in the first place. "You don't know my mother."

He offered her a tight smile, but didn't laugh or get up and leave. She took that as her cue to go forward with her plea. "This is where you come in."

"Let me get this straight. You want me to go with you to this wedding, for a whole weekend, and pretend to be your fiancé?"

"That about sums it up."

He laughed. The jerk. "You're serious about this?"

"Very serious. Think of it as a mini-vacation. It'll be a lot of fun." Her voice broke on the last word. "We get along great, and I think you'd be perfect to help me out with my problem."

"How do you figure?"

Her face flamed. It was simple, really, but oh-so-complex at the same time. He hadn't grown up in her house. He wouldn't understand. Learning about her family's quirks really had to be a hands-on experience.

"Neither one of us is interested in pursuing anything more than a weekend of pretend engagement. Don't worry about public displays of affection. My family knows that I'm against them, so you're safe in that respect. All you'll have to do is look good and make a little idle chitchat."

She sucked in another big gulp of air. Air filled with Doug's clean, spicy, masculine scent. A little while flag rose inside her head as she recognized his cologne. One that made her go weak in the knees when worn by a normal man. When worn by a demigod like him, it hit her a little higher than her knees, dampening her panties and making wish she'd packed her vibrator in her briefcase.

And if she didn't get a grip, like five minutes ago, he might call the mental hospital and tell them he'd found their escaped mental patient.

She took a pen and a pad of paper from her desk drawer and set it in front of him, drawing inspiration from all the sales seminars she'd sat through."Why don't you write down your address so I know where to pick you up? Is Friday at five-thirty good for you?"

He sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. His eyes darkened to a moss-green and seemed to bore right through her. Something low in her stomach trembled and her nipples peaked against the satin cups of her bra. After this meeting, she might have to go on blood pressure medication.

A hint of a smile danced at the corners of his lips. "You seem to be forgetting something. I haven't said yes yet."

"Huh?" Her hopes fell out of the sky and rocketed to the ground, dying a fiery death.

"I didn't say I'd go with you." The husky tone of his voice was enough to send her body into a lust-induced state of shock. Why did all the good ones have to be married or gay?

"Oh. Okay. The details are negotiable, I guess. Do you want something more in the way of compensation?"

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. And then he did the last thing she expected. He winked. If she wasn't worried about retaliation from some big guy named Brett, she might have jumped over her desk and attacked him.

"First of all, relax. You're getting ahead of yourself." He smoothed his tie down his chest. Her gaze followed the movement. "I don't care about compensation. This isn't some business deal, Rachel. It would be a favor, for a friend, on my own time. I don't mind helping my friends, as long as they ask properly."

She dragged her gaze away from his black dress shirt, and the hard lines of his chest underneath. "I'm not following."

"Ask me nicely."

His demanding tone pushed away the sensual fog in her brain. He had to be kidding. Ask nicely? What was this, kindergarten? "You want me to say please?"

"That would be the general idea."

She bit back a groan. She wanted a fiancé for the weekend, not a date with Miss Manners. "Doug, would you please do me the honor of being my fiancé for the weekend? It would mean so much to me, you being my friend and all."

"Thank you." Something that looked like-but could absolutely not be-lust passed across his gaze.

She squirmed in her seat. Why did he have to look at her like that? It was like dangling a piece of triple chocolate cake in front of a diabetic. She couldn't taste him, but right about now she'd give her left arm for a just little nibble.

Doug pushed himself up from the chair and leaned across her desk, his face inches from hers. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as her gaze fixed on his mouth. Her face lifted, her lips tingling in anticipation of the contact.

"Did you hear me, Rachel?" His quiet, smooth tone slid over her skin like melted butter, making her ache inside.

She ripped her gaze away and flopped back into her chair. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. How was she supposed to get through a weekend when she couldn't manage ten minutes? "I'm sorry. I must have missed it. Would you mind repeating it?"

Bella Andre
http://www.bellaandre.com

TAKE ME excerpt
Copyright November 2005, Bella Andre
Pocket Books, ISBN: 1-4165-0957-7

Straight out of her fantasies, it seemed that all of the men in the room were looking at her with desire radiating from their eyes. In one of her favorite fantasies she was in charge of a group of prisoners, the naughtiest one, of course, being Travis. She would whip them into sexual frenzies, not letting them touch her until they were about to explode with wanting her. The other men could lick her and stroke her, but only Travis could thrust into her with his huge, hard shaft.

Tonight, in The Dress, maybe all of her dreams would come true. Especially the part where Travis braced his heavy weight over her and slid into her wetness, hot and relentless.

Lily had to resist pinching herself to see if she would wake up as she moved in Travis's arms, to see if it really was just a dream. No, she thought, if it is a dream I don't want to know.

Travis stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. One of his hands slid to the curve of her hips while the other was alarmingly close to her breasts.

"Lily," he said.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes bright with longing. "Travis," she whispered, then ran the tip of her tongue along the edge of her upper lip.

He groaned and started to lean down for what Lily hoped was a kiss, the first of many if she had her way. Her eyelids fluttered closed, but then she felt Travis pull back ever so slightly. Her eyes flew open.

"Lily," he said, "I..."

Bolder than she ever thought she could be, Lily laid a finger on his perfect lips. "Don't speak," she said. It was a command, not a request. "Tonight is not for talking."

Relief flashed across Travis's face, but Lily didn't care. The last thing she wanted was for tonight to be ruined with apologies and second guessing. She didn't forgive him for the way he had treated her for the past twenty years, but right now, warm and aroused in his arms, none of it mattered.

All she cared about was kissing Travis and licking Travis and, oh god, hopefully coming beneath Travis too.

His mouth was on hers and his hands were in her hair and he was stealing all breath from her lungs. Lily wanted to memorize this kiss so that she could play it back to herself in her lonely bathtub on cold nights, but she was so stunned by the sensations washing through her that her brain was on the verge of shutting off completely.

First hard, then unbearably soft, his lips ruled hers, coaxing a whimper of ecstasy from her core. Lily had been kissed before but not like this. Not by someone who could teach a course on the art of kissing.

Travis plunged his tongue ruthlessly into her mouth, letting her know in no uncertain terms that he was going to be in charge of their love making, that he was going to take her over completely. He savaged every last corner and crevice of her mouth with his own and in the exact moment that she gave in to him, he changed the tenor of his kiss.

Now, instead of showing her who was boss, Travis backed off, slowed down. Lily reveled in how he took the time to learn her taste, to study the ultra sensitive plump center of her lower lip, to find out how much her tongue loved to mate with his.

One of his hands began to roam, first gently kneading her shoulders, then the small of her back, sending goose bumps everywhere, centering at the tight tips of her breasts. Lily could hardly concentrate on anything but Travis's kiss, but still she cried out, silently, for him to touch her breasts.

So what if they were on the middle of a crowded dance floor? If Travis didn't squeeze her breasts right then, right there, she would die with wanting it.

His hands moved around her waist to the bottom edge of her ribcage. Lily shook with need. She had never been so turned on in all her life. Her thong was soaked with her juices.

The pad of his thumb ran across her aching nipple and she cried out into his mouth. Before she could clamp down on it, the first haze of an orgasm shuddered through her as she danced in his arms.

Travis, amazingly, seemed to know that she was coming even before she did. So subtly that no one but the two of them would ever know what was happening, he pressed one of his hard thighs between her legs. Using his hand on her bottom for leverage, he pumped her mons with his muscles, pushing her clit into his thigh in the perfect rhythm to send Lily all the way over the edge.

His kiss was possessive and so hot she felt scalded by it. She cried out in his mouth as the first waves began from the tips of her breasts and worked down her abdomen to her pussy. Travis swallowed her scream and his fingers tightened on her nipple.

She wondered if one could have a heart attack from lack of blood to anywhere but the clit. What would she say in the emergency room?

Doctor, I was coming so hard against the thigh of my dream guy that my heart stopped for a moment.




Samantha Winston
http://www.samanthawinston.com

Renegade Aquarius by Samantha Winston

"Call me Aquarius." He took off his leather coat and put his bag on the table. He unfastened his sword sheath. "Watch." He slid the sword out of the scabbard, and with a strange smile playing around his mouth, placed it under her bed. "To keep the demons away. It's an old custom. A bare blade beneath the bed." His grin widened. "Say that three times fast."

She stared at him. "Is that all it's for?"

"As long as love is alive, the blade will keep it sharp." The sword glittered balefully in the pale starlight shining in through the window opposite her bed. The moon was still too slender to cast any light. Everything was in shadow, including his face, but she knew he still smiled. His teeth gleamed whitely.

She let her breath out with a sigh and he caught her in his arms and crushed her to his chest, kissing her on her chin, her cheeks, her mouth. His clothes were frosty, the buckle on his belt freezing against her skin. Her body remembered the taste and feel of him and she started to shiver. She wanted to speak, but he hushed her.

"Don't talk," he said. He smoothed the hair from her face and turned his face toward the window so she could see him. "I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth," he said. "Didn't you guess?"

There was something in his eyes she could not read. She trembled harder. She'd never been unable to read someone before. The wall around him frightened her.

She started to speak but he put his hand over her mouth.

"No talking." His voice was stern now. He let go of her and stepped back. "I only want to make love to you tonight. We'll talk another time. Please."

She nodded. It was the please that did it. The wall was crumbling.

She could sense it. There was only one thing to do. She unfastened his buckle and pulled his belt free. Then she dropped it and pulled his woolen tunic over his head. She unbuttoned his fine linen shirt.

Everything was clean and smelled of musk spice and lavender. His pants had been mended. She pulled them down and he stepped out of them. In the darkness, his pale skin glowed.

Running her hands up his legs and sides, she stood, letting his erection barely touch her belly. She had to fight the urge to tease him. She held herself still and looked up at him.

His eyes were pools of liquid darkness, and there was a smile in his voice as he said, "Very good. Now, lie down."

She obeyed. He leaned over her and pulled her arms up over her head.

Holding them, he bent down and kissed her, his mouth both soft and demanding. Her head spun. She arched up, wanting to rub against him.

"No." Just one word. He kissed her some more, his tongue lazily exploring her mouth, kissing her eyelids, pressing them closed with his lips. He ran kisses down the edge of her jaw, to her neck. He stopped, his mouth resting lightly on the hollow of her neck, his breath hot as he breathed out and cool as he breathed in.

He let go of her wrists and slid his hands down her arms, lightly, so slowly, his fingertips caressing the sensitive triangle formed by her armpits and the sides of her breasts.

His lips moved to her left nipple and he pulled it into his mouth, tugging almost hard enough to hurt. Almost. It was pleasure laced with the awareness of his strength. It was pleasure without awareness.

"Lie still. Don't think." Those were his orders. He raised his head long enough to say that clearly. Then he fastened his mouth on her nipple again, biting ever so carefully, then running his tongue over the tip of it, over and over, flicking it with his tongue until sudden pangs ran from her nipple straight to her belly and she groaned aloud.

He growled at her, his hands splaying against her rib cage, then he lowered himself to her belly, his tongue like a hot flame traveling down, down, then he parted her thighs.

She protested. She always did. The stiffening of the muscles, the coy refusal.

He was having none of it.

"Don't." The word was like a slap.

She drew her breath in. "All right," she whispered.

He hitched himself back up on the bed next to her. The dim light only showed the deepest shadows on his face and the glitter of his eyes. And the flash of his teeth. "I have to start all over again," he said into her ear. He sighed and it was like a desert breeze. "Your ears are like seashells," he said, his voice so low it tickled. He ran his tongue around the edge of them, the tickle deepened. "I'm going to make you forget all bad habits you picked up from your previous lovers," he said.