While there are heaps of good-for-you foods out there, some key ingredients make it a lot easier to meet your weight-loss goals. Next grocery store run, be sure to place three diet-friendly items in your cart.
1. balsamic vinegar (it adds a pop of low-cal flavor to veggies and salads)
2. in-shell nuts (their protein and fiber keep you satiated)
3. fat-free plain yogurt (a creamy, comforting source of protein). Greek yogurt also works wonders as a natural low-calorie base for dressings and dips—or as a tangier alternative to sour cream.
Okay... nothing sexy or romantic about this post. But hey, since we ended with some Greek yogurt I'll give you a yummy Greek to go with it. Check out the new Voskos Greek Yogurt ad campaign.
THAT That can make even the most lactose intolerant women give yogurt another try!!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Fool For Love Blog Hop WINNERS
Congratulations to our winners! And a huge thank you to ALL of our visitors. You make these hops so much fun and something to look forward to each time. We haven't scheduled our next hop yet, but if you're on our mailing list we'll let you know when it arrives. Or you can also keep an eye on our page here or our Twitter: twitter.com/justromance.me
Karen S.
Grand prize: Kindle Paperwhite!
Grand prize: Kindle Paperwhite!
Nay Nay
Door prize: $25 gift card to an e-book retailer of winner's choice
Door prize: $25 gift card to an e-book retailer of winner's choice
Giedre
Nina Pierce: $15 Amazon gift card and Maid for Master (e-book)
Emma Weylin: Druid's Wish (e-book)
Nina Pierce: $15 Amazon gift card and Maid for Master (e-book)
Emma Weylin: Druid's Wish (e-book)
Diana M.
Beth Rhodes: $10 Amazon or B&N gift card
PG Forte: Old Sins, Long Shadows (e-book)
Eva Lefoy: Perfect Ride (e-book)
Beth Rhodes: $10 Amazon or B&N gift card
PG Forte: Old Sins, Long Shadows (e-book)
Eva Lefoy: Perfect Ride (e-book)
Tina B.
Trina M. Lee: Alexa O'Brien Book 1-4 Box Set (e-books)
Moira Keith: Anything but Safe (e-book)
Maddy Barone: Choice of digital backlist
Trina M. Lee: Alexa O'Brien Book 1-4 Box Set (e-books)
Moira Keith: Anything but Safe (e-book)
Maddy Barone: Choice of digital backlist
Denise S.
Rebecca L. Gillan: $5 Amazon gift card
Diane Saxon: Flynn's Kiss (e-book)
Tara Quan: Tower in the Woods (e-book)
Rebecca L. Gillan: $5 Amazon gift card
Diane Saxon: Flynn's Kiss (e-book)
Tara Quan: Tower in the Woods (e-book)
Jody F.
Gem Sivad: Unlikely Gentlemen series (e-books)
Houston Havens: Sinful Surrender (Psychic Menage #1) (e-book)
Alanna Coca: Choice of digital backlist
Gem Sivad: Unlikely Gentlemen series (e-books)
Houston Havens: Sinful Surrender (Psychic Menage #1) (e-book)
Alanna Coca: Choice of digital backlist
Jessica J.
Dena Garson: Risky Business (e-book) and author swag package
A. Catherine Noon: Tiger Tiger (e-book)
Virginia Cavanaugh: Magical Kiss (e-book)
Dena Garson: Risky Business (e-book) and author swag package
A. Catherine Noon: Tiger Tiger (e-book)
Virginia Cavanaugh: Magical Kiss (e-book)
Elena K.
Shapeshifter Seductions Authors: E-books from our backlist
TD Hassett: Loving Link (e-book)
Rhonda L. Print: Choice of digital backlist
Shapeshifter Seductions Authors: E-books from our backlist
TD Hassett: Loving Link (e-book)
Rhonda L. Print: Choice of digital backlist
Amber J.
Mary Quast: Crow Magic (e-book)
Kayelle Allen: The Last Vhalgenn (e-book)
Monette Michaels: Weather the Storm (e-book)
Mary Quast: Crow Magic (e-book)
Kayelle Allen: The Last Vhalgenn (e-book)
Monette Michaels: Weather the Storm (e-book)
Separate drawings:
Diana M.
Maddy Barone: $15 Amazon gift card
Maddy Barone: $15 Amazon gift card
Cheralyn, Brenda W., Laura L., Jody F., Christine M.
Jean Joachim: If I Loved You (e-book)
Jean Joachim: If I Loved You (e-book)
Bethanne S.
Vivien Dean: Pink Cosmo clutch
Vivien Dean: Pink Cosmo clutch
Diana M. (Wow, a very winning day for Diana today!)
Vivien Dean: Jules Smith fangs bracelet
Vivien Dean: Jules Smith fangs bracelet
JoAnna B.
Vivien Dean: Enthralled in Silver (e-book)
Vivien Dean: Enthralled in Silver (e-book)
Mona L.
Annie Nicholas: $10 Amazon or B&N gift card
Annie Nicholas: $10 Amazon or B&N gift card
Diana B.
Paige Tyler: Choice of digital backlist (excluding box sets)
Paige Tyler: Choice of digital backlist (excluding box sets)
If you've won something and don't hear from us within a few days, please check your Spam. Winner announcements have an unfortunate habit of ending up there, especially for Yahoo users.
Have a great Spring, folks, and never stop being a fool for love!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Tasty Tuesday - A Taste of Rome by Lucy Felthouse
I love Italian food especially when it's prepared with my honey. When I think of a taste of Rome, I imagine hearty food, olive oil, sweet wine... Now my friend Lucy Felthouse has me thinking of a whole new Taste of Rome. Time for a quickie in the kitchen.
Blurb:
Book
three of the World of Sin series.
Ryan Stonebridge and his friend Kristian
Hurst have travelled to London and Paris on their “gap year” adventure, before
starting university. Now it’s on to Rome.
The American girls they met in Paris are
along for the ride, providing lots of sexy fun for the boys. But as no one in
the foursome is looking for commitment, there’s still plenty of scope for
hooking up with the locals. Voyeurism, cougars, risky outdoor sex and threesomes
abound in the Italian leg of the boys’ European adventure.
Available from: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/a-taste-of-rome/
Add to your Goodreads shelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18399288-a-taste-of-rome
*****
Excerpt:
Ryan came to the conclusion that perhaps
this journey wasn’t so horrendous after all. He’d been a little miffed that the
American girls, Shanna and Taryn, had wanted to tag along from Paris to Rome
with him and Kristian. He’d been keen not to end up with any chicks who wanted
more than a one night stand, figuring that any romantic entanglements would
screw up their footloose and fancy-free gap year trip. Their last year of
freedom, without commitment, before they went to University and had to grow up,
buckle down.
In the here and now, however, Ryan decided
that Shanna actually wasn’t that bad. It seemed she was determined to spice up
the never-ending coach trip from Paris to Rome. Eight hundred and seventy
miles, thirteen hours. They’d known when they’d booked it that it would be nigh
on intolerable, but it was the cheapest way to travel. And having sat in the
increasingly stuffy, tiny coach, Ryan could see why. It made cramped seats in
coach class on a flight feel like first class.
Shanna had removed her jacket as the crap
air-conditioning was utterly failing to cool down the cabin. It had been draped
over her lap for a while before she slid it across so it covered part of his
too. Ryan frowned, wondering why she thought it was a good idea to make him
warmer. He was already melting in the heat. Then she slipped her hand beneath
the jacket and moved it over his crotch. She squeezed his flaccid cock, making
her intentions absolutely clear. He realized that if he continued to stare down
at their laps it would be painfully obvious to anyone who glanced in their
direction what they were up to. So he leaned over and kissed Shanna’s cheek,
nuzzling her red hair out of the way to murmur into her ear.
“I’m going to try and act natural.” Then,
remembering what had happened to him back in London when he’d ended up with
cum-filled boxer shorts, he added, “Can you, uh, catch it in a tissue?”
Grinning, Shanna revealed the flimsy white
material in her other hand. It appeared she’d already thought of that. Saucy
wench—he liked her. She was a fun girl, gorgeous-looking and a great lay. Had
things been different, he might have considered pursuing something long-term
with her, but it wasn’t going to happen. He and Kristian had this one chance,
this few months to live life to the fullest, do what they wanted, do who they
wanted, go where they liked, and he wasn’t going to throw it away for a
green-eyed, cute-accented chick.
No way.
He wasn’t worried about upsetting her,
though. He knew that she and her friend had a similar pact and outlook on their
European travels. They too were hooking up, having a good time and moving on.
Ryan grinned out of the window. Life was
good. A sexy girl was about to get his cock out on a coach and toss him off,
and he was heading to the third destination on his gap year adventure. The
Italian capital awaited and he couldn’t wait to see what it had in store.
Before he got there, though, he was going
to have another orgasm on public transport. First the toilets on the Eurostar,
now beneath a jacket on a coach. God, what was it with women and doing it in
cramped, risky places? And Blanche—the French bird on the Eurostar—and Shanna
weren’t the only ones he was thinking of. He was beginning to forget what it
was like to have sex in a bed. Not that he was complaining—Christ, no. If a
sexy woman propositioned him, who was he to refuse?
By now Shanna had undone his belt, button
and fly and released his cock from his boxers. It had taken a while as she’d
had to keep her movements slow, subtle, so no one realized what was happening.
As a result of all the fumbling, his dick was rock hard by the time she got it
out, and it sprung eagerly into her hand.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and he
slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. Anyone who looked now would just
see a couple of young people having a cuddle. Or possibly a hot redhead
sleeping on the shoulder of a young man who could either be her boyfriend or a
total stranger.
Carefully, she began to stroke him, getting
into a rhythm that would drive him to climax without anyone knowing.
Ryan turned back to the window, giving the
appearance of looking out at the darkening sky. Shanna’s grip tightened, her
movements grew faster and he grew closer to coming. He dug his teeth into his
bottom lip in an attempt to regain some kind of control. It didn’t help—his
hormones raged and the familiar tingle at the base of his spine was a dead
giveaway.
Looking as chilled out, as casual as
possible, he turned to Shanna and whispered, “You’d better get that tissue
ready—otherwise I’m going to make an awful mess.”
She gave a single nod of understanding and
moved her other hand beneath the jacket, slowly, languidly. It probably looked
as though she was just changing position, rather than anything naughtier. Ryan,
however, was at the stage where he didn’t care. If anyone happened to look
across, happened to confront them, he’d hold a hand up to keep them quiet until
he finished.
*****
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, and is book editor for Cliterati.
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
Monday, April 7, 2014
Monday Mojo - Sexual Daydreaming
At
any given time, 25% of people are daydreaming about sex.
Daydreaming is one of the most common things we do, and also one of the most private – in a survey carried out at the University of Minnesota, 80 per cent of people said they would rather admit to an embarrassing experience than reveal their daydreams.
The most common sexual daydreams women admit to:
1. Sex with another man - usually a celebrity
2. Ménage à trois
3. Domination
4. Sex with a woman
5. Last but not least: Sex with your guy
Daydreaming is actually healthy and can be good for your sex life. You see... daydreaming exercises imagination which is very important for a healthy mind. Besides, a little imagination in the bedroom is a good thing.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Fool For Love Blog Hop - Don't Stop Being the Fool April 4-6
The characters
in romance often do foolish things while they fall in love. They say things
they don’t mean and hurt each other. They leave things unsaid that should be
said. One often lets the other walk away “because it’s for the best”. Sometime
she insists he chase her, despite the fact she checks her phone for texts from
him every twenty minutes. He may drop by her office “because he was in the
neighborhood”. My favorite is when he sends her flowers but forgets to sign the
card or sends them to the wrong place then gets discouraged when she doesn't fawn over his gesture.
I don’t mean to
burst your bubble but in the real world people in love do foolish things. Many of you know I am a huge fan of strange studies regarding sex and
love. So I did a little research and found studies have shown intense, passionate feelings of love really can mess
with your mind and body.
- People
who are passionately in love are less able to focus and to perform tasks that require attention. - Leiden University in The Netherlands
- When you fall in love, the same neural
system in your brain linked to cocaine addiction becomes active, giving you that feeling of euphoria. – MRI scan
study, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
- Forget the Vicodin, love eases physical pain. Some of
the areas of the brain
activated by feelings of intense love are the same areas that drugs use to reduce pain.
- Stanford University
Here are a few other facts I found:
1.
Men adjust their walking
stride and speed when they are in love with the woman they are walking with.
2.
When a couple is in love,
their hearts beat the same rate.
3.
Sometimes a partner is
willing to take unnecessary risks for their lover.
After being married for almost 23 years, I appreciate my honey making ridiculous gestures
and doing silly things. The fool in him makes me smile from my heart to my
face. They are simple signals that make my body hum. Nothing is better than a
good laugh followed by a passionate kiss.
Whether you are falling in love or have been in love for a long time,
don’t stop being Fools In Love.
and check out many amazing authors and chances to win super cool prizes.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Humpday Hottie
Well, another week with another Wednesday. Good news though! Spring is here, that nasty white stuff is FINALLY leaving. Let's celebrate with some tasty vitals.
Charles, how about you cook us up something?
Who wants to join me?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Tuesday Teaser from Alissa Baxter and The Blog Affair
My good friend, Alissa Baxter had an excellent book released back in October. I recommend to check this book out. I guarantee you'll get caught up with the creatively way it's written and the story will take you away.
BLURB:
Twenty-something, white,
South African Emma Bradshaw has a pattern of falling for unsuitable men and
starts a blog about these so-called “serial datists”. Her search for new
beginnings takes her to Cape Town, where she gets a job working for sexy
author, Nick Reynolds. Romance with her boss is a no-no, but slowly, Nick works
his way around her defenses. Trust him, or not, especially with her awful track
record with men?
When an anonymous male reader of the blog challenges her on her ideas about the male species, Emma realises she must confront her past and find her true self before she can move forward...and love can blossom again in her future.
When an anonymous male reader of the blog challenges her on her ideas about the male species, Emma realises she must confront her past and find her true self before she can move forward...and love can blossom again in her future.
EXCERPT FROM THE BLOG AFFAIR
Damn him. Damn him. Damn him. Like a bad apple, he just had to pop up in her new home.
She’d left Durban to escape him, and here he was, back again, tormenting her as
ever. Awful enough that memories of him were with her all the time, without him
turning up in the flesh. And what flesh it was….
“You had a good time in Italy?” she inquired.
Phil nodded.
“Great. Well, I have things to do. Bye.”
“Running away, Em?”
Emma, who had starting walking toward the door, stopped in
her tracks and turned around. “I’ve moved on, Phil.”
“You mean you’ve moved away. You haven’t moved on.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Phil gazed into her eyes before looking down at her mouth,
and Emma swallowed hard. He always made her insides twist into knots, and the
fact she couldn’t bear to be in the same room with him for even five minutes
clearly showed she hadn’t moved on. She had to put him behind her, though, and
stop allowing him to upset her equilibrium to the degree he did.
But as she studied his once-loved face, she let out a tiny
sigh. How did you just move on and forget someone? Especially when you’d once
believed that someone was the love of your life?
She stood immobile for a long moment. Then, without a
word, she turned around again and walked out of the room.
AUTHOR
BIO:
Alissa
Baxter was born in South Africa, and grew up with her nose in a book on a
poultry and cattle farm. After school and university, where she majored in
Political Science and French, she published her first novel, The Dashing Debutante. Alissa travelled
to London, England, and did an odd assortment of jobs while researching her
second novel, Lord Fenmore’s Wager,
which she wrote after she moved back to South Africa and settled in Durban.
Alissa then relocated to Cape Town where she wrote her third novel, Send and Receive, before moving to
Johannesburg, where she currently lives with her husband and two sons.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
BUY
LINKS:
Monday, March 31, 2014
Monday Mojo - Death by Orgasm
A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats a minute. For both men and women, the heart rate averages 140 beats per minute
at the point of orgasm.
Nelson Rockefeller died while having sex with his mistress. Even the mighty Attila the Hun fell victim to a heart attack that caused his early demise … on his wedding night no less.
Nelson Rockefeller died while having sex with his mistress. Even the mighty Attila the Hun fell victim to a heart attack that caused his early demise … on his wedding night no less.
Volunteers having sex in a laboratory setting have a significant increase in pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rates. In other words, the heart works harder, pretty much along the same level as with a moderate work out.
What’s really interesting is when similar studies are conducted among married couples in their own bedrooms; heart rates don’t increase during sex! In fact, on average, married couples had a LOWER heart rate than recorded during normal daily activities.
The risk of death during sex with your spouse is small, especially if you exercise and/or have sex regularly.
I think I went into the wrong line of work. I should have become one of those people who research sex. |
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Special Release from Paige Tyler
Paige and I met through an online writers forum and we've hung out a few times in person at
Lori Foster's Readers & Authors Get Together.
Lori Foster's Readers & Authors Get Together.
She's a great gal, an amazing writer, and has a handsome "writer's research" assistant.
I love Paige's work and want to share this announcement with every one.
It's release day of Paige's re-release, the hot vampire romance VAMPIRE 101
(Book One of Modern Day Vampires)!
I love the cover. Erin Dameron-Hill is the artist and it features Jimmy Thomas! Yummy!
Being a Vampire Isn't What It Used to Be!
Savanna Royce is a weekend Goth-girl who’s always been fascinated with vampires. She doesn’t really believe in them, of course, but that changes when she’s bitten by a rogue vamp and left for dead. Fortunately, two-hundred-and-seventy-ei
While Kaige is teaching Savanna what she needs to know about being a vampire, neither of them can deny the chemistry that’s there. Somewhere between getting her registered at the local vampire admin office and teaching her how to order blood on the internet, they fall for each other—fast and hard.
Just as things are heating up between the sheets—and everywhere else—they encounter one minor problem. The rogue vampire who attacked her is back and this time he wants to finish the job he started.
Pick up your copy today!
BUY LINKS
Amazon
B&N
ARe
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