• Guest Blogs

    Happy Release Day to Siobhan Muir!

    I “met” Siobhan Muir online, and she has become a valued friend. Recently, I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Siobhan’s brand-new release, BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE. I enjoyed this unique story, as I’m sure other readers will.

    BRR

    Here’s the blurb:

    What happens in Vegas, stays in the heart…

    Chief Petty Officer John “Bronco” Andrews only meant to stay one night in Vegas for a little R&R before resuming his duties as a US Navy SEAL in Coronado. But someone slips him a mickey in the bar and he finds himself in Madame LeBeau’s sex trade. As the product. Doped up on ketamine to keep him docile, Bronco has no choice but to let it ride.

    Detective Lindsey Jarvis has been undercover in LeBeau’s sex slave racket for two years and she almost has enough evidence to take it down. Between abduction, prostitution, and murder, she has LeBeau by the short hairs. All she needs is a “product”. John is the perfect witness if she can get him out before the drugs shut down his heart. Then she’ll be free to start a normal life.

    Lindsey doesn’t count on her overwhelming attraction for Bronco or her need to see him through detox. But she’s a cop in Vegas and he’s a Navy SEAL, two lifestyles with too much unpredictability to maintain a relationship. Neither have time for more than one wild rough ride, and what happens in Vegas, stays. Forever.

    ◊◊◊

    Siobhan is here to answer some questions. If you have others, leave them in the comments for Siobhan to answer.  🙂

    Karla:  BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is the second installment of your Bad Boys of Beta Squad series. How are the books related or linked, and can they be read independently, or is it best to start at the beginning and read them in order?

    Siobhan: BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is technically the prequel to THE NAVY’S GHOST, but you could read either of them first. You’ll see John “Bronco” Andrews and his wife Lindsey in THE NAVY’S GHOST, even though it’s not their story. BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE takes place about ten years before THE NAVY’S GHOST.

    Karla:  How many books do you have planned for the series?

    Siobhan:  I’d no idea it was going to be a series when I started writing, but with all the characters coming to life and complaining that they should have their own stories, there should be about six stories, two of which I already have story ideas/outlines. But every member of Beta Squad will get his tale.

    Karla:  Where did the idea for BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE come from?

    Siobhan:  When I wrote THE NAVY’S GHOST, I realized the other characters would want their own story, but John and Lindsey were already married. Hard to write a romance between a married couple that have already had their trials and tribulations. She was an ex-cop and they’d been together for at least ten years when Chris, Magic and Retro came along. So I started thinking where John could have met Lindsey, and what she was doing at the time.

    I live in Las Vegas and it’s a city known for sex and inhibitions. The reality is much different than the appearance, but there are still places here where nefarious activities take place. I wanted a way to make Lindsey more than just a SEAL’s wife. What kind of woman would entice a SEAL of Bronco’s stature? Most stories about SEALs show the man rescuing his lover, who is usually a woman. But I wanted something different. I wanted the woman to save the man, and the SEAL, despite his training and abilities, to be the one in need of rescue. So I asked the question of what would happen if the SEAL was the victim? Who would rescue him and how? BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is the result.

    Karla:  Do you have a military background, or did you have to do a lot of research?

    Siobhan:  I don’t have a military background, but I’ve watched a lot of documentaries, listened to other military folks, and read a lot of military books, either non-fiction or romance. I had to do a lot of research to make sure my details could pass muster. Nothing worse than getting the details wrong. I was watching a movie recently supposedly featuring Navy SEALs. Not only did the actor get the lingo wrong, he misnamed things like helicopter and their response cheer. I was unimpressed after all my research.

    Karla:  What is your favorite part, or aspect, of BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE?

    Siobhan:  I think my favorite part of this story is when Lindsey gets him alone in her hotel room and he starts to get use of his body back. The interaction between the characters is always my favorite part. I love to see how they’ll react to whatever is going on around them. This story was harder to write because John literally couldn’t do anything for the first half of it. He was essentially a big doll and it made scenes with him difficult until he could move. You try figuring out what someone is thinking when they can only move their eyes.

    Karla:  Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

    Siobhan:  Keep your eyes peeled for the next two books in the Bad Boys of Beta Squad series, RIMSHOT’S MISSED SHOT and an as yet unnamed story for Greg “Bam-Bam” Killian, Beta Squad’s demolitions specialist. Also, I’m currently working on a sci-fi/fantasy romance with centaurs and dimension travel entitled TAKE THE REINS, and a paranormal romantic suspense ménage with werewolf brothers and a succubus entitled SECOND CHANCE SUCCUBUS. It also takes place in Las Vegas.

    Karla:  Thanks for stopping by and answering my questions about your new release, Siobhan!

    Siobhan:  Thanks so much for having me today, Karla. 🙂

    Karla:  Come back any time!

    ◊◊◊

    BRONCO’S ROUGH RIDE is now available from:

    All Romance ◊ Amazon ◊ Smashwords

    Connect with Siobhan online at:

    Website ◊ Blog ◊ Facebook ◊ Twitter ◊ Goodreads ◊ Google+ ◊ Pinterest

    About Siobhan:

    Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shape-shifter, though he’s never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she can be found looking down a microscope at fossil fox teeth, pursuing her other love, paleontology. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy, her husband gave her a paranormal romance for Christmas one year, and she was hooked for good.

    In previous lives, Siobhan has been an actor at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, a field geologist in the Aleutian Islands, and restored inter-planetary imagery at the USGS. She’s hiked to the top of Mount St. Helens and to the bottom of Meteor Crater.

    Siobhan writes kick-ass adventure with hot sex for men and women to enjoy. She believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.

    Siobhan’s latest release, Bronco’s Rough Ride, is a prequel to The Navy’s Ghost in the Bad Boys of Beta Squad series. She has published A Hell Hound’s Fire (a free read) and The Beltane Witch in the Cloudburst Colorado series. Siobhan has also published Not a Dragon’s Standard Virgin and Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack through Siren Publishing, and Her Devoted Vampire through Evernight Publishing.

    ◊◊◊

  • Cup of Sugar,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – CUP OF SUGAR – Get To Know You

    Sunday Snippet time, where I post an eight-sentence excerpt from one of my books. Just a little bite to entice you to buy it and read the whole thing, I admit it. 😉  Visit the Weekend Writing Warriors website for a list of authors participating in this meme.

    This week we’re with Nia, the heroine of CUP OF SUGAR, as she settles into the passenger seat of her handsome neighbor’s truck. Nia has spent the past eight months doing her best to keep her distance from the tempting hunk next door. Conn came to her rescue when her car broke down in the driveway by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Now they’re about to spend at least six hours together in close quarters. Nia is having second thoughts about accepting his generous offer of transportation…

    CUP OF SUGAR by Karla Doyle“How about I say goodnight, go in my house and we just go back to the way things were?”

    Conn found the end of her seatbelt and clicked it into place. “Going back never works out.”

    “I wouldn’t know, I’m more of a ‘run far, far away’ person.”

    “Look at that—not even out of the driveway and I’m already getting to know you.” He tapped the GPS console again, then put the truck in reverse. “And now I’ll tell you something about me. I only do things I want to do, sweetheart.”


    Blurb

    Nia has one rule—don’t date neighbors. Simple, except the guy next door is single, handsome, and not inclined to close his blinds while naked. When her car dies, Conn takes “being neighborly” to a new level by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Nia has resisted his looks and charm for months. Surely she can handle a few hours in his truck…

    For months, Conn has blatantly put himself on display, hoping his pretty blonde neighbor would tire of secretly watching and come knock on his door for a cup of sugar—or more. No such luck—until an unusual opportunity arises. After a six-hour drive turns into a sweet-and-sexy weekend, Conn wants more than neighborly status with Nia. To get it, he must convince her to break the rule protecting her heart—by putting his on the line.

    Get it now for just $2.99

    Amazon ◊ All Romance ◊ Kobo ◊ B&N ◊ iTunes ◊ More!

  • Cup of Sugar,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – CUP OF SUGAR – Somebody Has Been Spying

    Welcome to another Sunday Snippet, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.

    This week’s snippet is from CUP OF SUGAR, my new hot contemporary. This bit follows shortly after last week’s. (There’s a pretty funny scene in between, but it’s too long for the Sunday Snippet. Click here to read more.) In today’s bite-size excerpt, Nia has accepted her neighbor’s offer of a lift after her car died, and she’s about to get into Conn’s truck for a six-hour drive to her parents’ house. Maybe. 😉

    CUP OF SUGAR by Karla DoyleNia’s hands shook as she locked the house. But the shaking had nothing on the wild thumping in her chest when she stepped out her back door and came face to face with her hunky neighbor. The guy she’d purposely been avoiding since she took possession of her house back in April. The man who’d been one half of a committed couple when she put the offer on this place, but who was most definitely single by the time she moved in. There were more stray women around his house than there were stray cats. Of course, his massive dog kept the felines at bay. Whereas Conn’s massive everything attracted the women.

    And yes, she did mean everything — he really ought to install blinds in his bathroom.

    CUP OF SUGAR is now available. Grab your copy for just $2.99 from

    Amazon ♦ Amazon UK ♦ Kobo ♦ All Romance ♦ B&N ♦ iTunes 

    Blurb

    Nia has one rule—don’t date neighbors. Simple, except the guy next door is single, handsome, and not inclined to close his blinds while naked. When her car dies, Conn takes “being neighborly” to a new level by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Nia has resisted his looks and charm for months. Surely she can handle a few hours in his truck…

    For months, Conn has blatantly put himself on display, hoping his pretty blonde neighbor would tire of secretly watching and come knock on his door for a cup of sugar—or more. No such luck—until an unusual opportunity arises. After a six-hour drive turns into a sweet-and-sexy weekend, Conn wants more than neighborly status with Nia. To get it, he must convince her to break the rule protecting her heart—by putting his on the line.

  • Crossing the Line,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – CROSSING THE LINE – The Meat of the Matter

    Welcome, it’s Sunday Snippet time, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.

    Today’s eight-sentence snippet is from CROSSING THE LINE. A reader left the most amazing review of Crossing on Amazon this week, and it reminded me how much I love this story & these characters.

    In this snippet, Hanna, the heroine, is talking to her best friend about the weekend trip she’s embarking on — which happens to be a threesome weekend with her husband and his lifelong best friend — but Megan doesn’t know who the “third” is. To appease her nosy friend, Hanna is describing the guy.

    CrossingTheLine_Cover_821x1272“He’s a bit over six feet with short, dark hair. A strong nose—”

    “Wait — is that a nice way of saying he has a big honker?”

    “It’s not that big.”

    Megan’s eyebrows rose. “I hope you won’t be saying the same thing about his cock a few hours from now.”

    “Oh my god, you’re horrible.” Yet Hanna couldn’t help laughing. Leave it to Megan to get to the meat of the matter.

    Blurb

    Lifelong best friends Derrick and Jeremy met Hanna at a bar ten years ago. Both wanted her—one married her. Now the other man has been invited to join in for one hot weekend.

    Everything would’ve been fine if they’d had their fun that weekend, then gone back to normal. But they didn’t. And when past demons resurface, things will never be the same—for any of them.

    Buy Now for $2.99 from Amazon ♦ All Romance ♦ More


    Starting next week, I’ll be posting from my upcoming, February 28th release, CUP OF SUGAR! I hope you’ll pop back to check them out.  🙂

  • More Than Words,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – MORE THAN WORDS – Serenade

    Welcome back to the Sunday Snippet, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.

    Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I love writing Valentine’s Day scenes. Love! There’s one in my upcoming release, CUP OF SUGAR, and there’s a great one in MORE THAN WORDS. Today I’m giving you a taste of that scene. Travis is on stage and Calli is seated (anonymously, she thinks) in the audience. Let’s check in with Travis and Calli, shall we…

    morethanwords_msrHer chest tightened as he played a few notes of the next song—one she’d only heard the beginning of, three months ago in her kitchen. Her body wasn’t the only thing craving Travis. Stupid heart.

    “This next song is one of mine,” he half-chuckled, “actually, that’s not quite right. I wrote it, but it belongs to somebody special.” He strummed the first chord. Looked right at her. “So does my heart.”

    ♥ ♥ ♥

    Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iTunes • More

    Blurb

    A brutal mugging two years ago left Calli terrified to go out after dark, and incapable of real dating. Hanging out with a resentful Chihuahua every night hasn’t filled the void, and all the sex toys from the store she owns could never replace a flesh-and-blood man. An online Scrabble site promising anonymous, flirty fun sounds like just the ticket. A like-minded geek, that’s what she needs. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the game is anything but geeky.

    Tired of the party scene, Travis seeks a venue where he can meet a woman who is drawn to his mind, not his profession. Having women chase after his bad-boy musician persona has grown stale. After heating up the tiles online with Calli, he knows he must meet her in person. Touch her in person. And when he does, their chemistry is undeniable. She stimulates him, mind and body. But when he discovers her tragic past he realizes it will take more than words to win her heart…and her trust.

    goodreads-badge-add

  • More Than Words,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – MORE THAN WORDS – Travis

    Sunday snippet time, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.

    Pretty soon, I’ll be posting snippets from a new release! But for today, we’re having a little visit with Travis Graham, the hero of MORE THAN WORDS, and his bandmate, Victor, after a gig.

    morethanwords_msr“Dude, come sit at the bar.” Victor, Black Box’s crazy-ass drummer, poked Travis in the ribs with his drumsticks after their last set had finished. “Bring your strings, chicks love that shit.”

    “Nah, I’m out of here, for which you should thank me, otherwise I’d steal all the best ones from under that hideous moustache of yours.”

    Victor laughed, smoothing his fingers over the bushy inverted horseshoe. “The ladies love it. They say it tickles them in all the right places.”

    “I’ll try not to keep that in mind,” Travis said as he walked away from Victor, endless free drinks and a sea of liquored-up, willing females.

    Blurb

    Their online games turn into games of the heart.

    A brutal mugging two years ago left Calli terrified to go out after dark, and incapable of real dating. Hanging out with a resentful Chihuahua every night hasn’t filled the void, and all the sex toys from the store she owns could never replace a flesh-and-blood man. An online Scrabble site promising anonymous, flirty fun sounds like just the ticket. A like-minded geek, that’s what she needs. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the game is anything but geeky.

    Tired of the party scene, Travis seeks a venue where he can meet a woman who is drawn to his mind, not his profession. Having women chase after his bad-boy musician persona has grown stale. After heating up the tiles online with Calli, he knows he must meet her in person. Touch her in person. And when he does, their chemistry is undeniable. She stimulates him, mind and body. But when he discovers her tragic past he realizes it will take more than words to win her heart…and her trust.

    Available now from Amazon ♦ B&N ♦ Kobo ♦ iTunes ♦ More

    Read Chapter One here!


  • Body of Work,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – BODY OF WORK – Goner

    Welcome and thanks for checking out my Sunday Snippet. For more bite-sized excerpts from authors, head over to Weekend Writing Warriors.

    Today’s eight sentences are from BODY OF WORK, and follow very closely after last week’s snippet. Time to find out if Brian knocked on Cassie’s door…


    bodyofworkHe swallowed hard at the muted sound of the chime.

    The outside lamp came on. Cassie’s eyes popped into view in the lower portion of the window. They locked with his, instantly changing from a cautious squint to wide with surprise. The tip of her nose appeared, then her top lip. She had to be standing on her toes now. The rest of her mouth followed, curled in a smile. That’s all it took—he was a goner for the thousandth time.


    Blurb

    Cassie has fantasized about the ginger-haired personal trainer for months. Brian is friendly, but never more—until he appears on her doorstep and shows her how much her flirting has affected him. The more she’s with him, the more Cassie wants the fairytale, not just hot sex with the six-two hunk. She can give Brian full access to her body, but after her ex’s reaction to her explicit photography business, sharing her secrets, and her heart, isn’t an option.

    Brian knows better than to break the rules. Don’t date gym members. Keep his inner beast on a leash during sex. Cassie tested his resolve on number one her first day in the gym. Shattered the second rule when he touched her. The petite pixie shares his preferences in the bedroom. She makes him laugh and love—but past mistakes haunt him, emotionally and tangibly. Cassie’s worth the price he’ll pay for breaking the rules. Now he must convince her to give him her heart.

    Buy it now from Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo ♥ More

    Read Chapter One here!

  • Body of Work,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – BODY OF WORK – Decision

    Welcome back for another Sunday Snippet, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.

    This week’s eight-sentence excerpt is from early in the first chapter of BODY OF WORK. I loved writing this book! If you like a bossy-yet-sweet alpha male — Brian Black is your man. A heroine who embraces her sexuality, and a forbidden romance — check and check. Lots of hot sex — oh hell yeah. So let’s get started. 😉

    bodyofworkBrian rolled to a stop on Sloane Street. He killed the engine and stared through the rain-covered window of his Jeep at the white bungalow. If he did this, if he knocked on Cassie’s door at a quarter to one in the morning, there’d be no going back.

    A man could only take so much. The petite brunette had caught his eye from day one. She’d been torturing him for months—chatting, teasing him with comments that made her blush, openly flirting with him while she exercised. He’d have made his move immediately if not for his stupid contract.

    Which led him back to the decision at hand—to knock on her door or drive away?


    Blurb

    Cassie has fantasized about the ginger-haired personal trainer for months. Brian is friendly, but never more—until he appears on her doorstep and shows her how much her flirting has affected him. The more she’s with him, the more Cassie wants the fairytale, not just hot sex with the six-two hunk. She can give Brian full access to her body, but after her ex’s reaction to her explicit photography business, sharing her secrets, and her heart, isn’t an option.

    Brian knows better than to break the rules. Don’t date gym members. Keep his inner beast on a leash during sex. Cassie tested his resolve on number one her first day in the gym. Shattered the second rule when he touched her. The petite pixie shares his preferences in the bedroom. She makes him laugh and love—but past mistakes haunt him, emotionally and tangibly. Cassie’s worth the price he’ll pay for breaking the rules. Now he must convince her to give him her heart.

    Read Chapter One online, right here!

    Available now from Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo ♥ All Romance ♥ More

  • News,  Random,  Reviews

    Some Ginger Love from Scandalicous Book Reviews

    It’s not unusual for my cell phone to start dinging with messages the second I drop my kids at school, but today I got one from Mandy, the awesome blogger/reviewer behind Straight Shootin’ Book Reviews, congratulating me on making it on to Scandalicious Book Reviews. I had no idea what she was talking about until I clicked over and saw this totally awesome shout-out and review of BODY OF WORK. What a woohoo! way to start the day!

    scandalicious-review-bodyofwork

     

    I love Brian Black pretty hard myself, so it makes me all giddy when other people do, too.

    BODY OF WORK was one of three Ellora’s Cave books mentioned as Nikki’s favorites, so I’m extra honored to be included in the post. Head over to Scandalicious to see her other picks.

  • More Than Words,  Sunday Snippets

    Sunday Snippet – MORE THAN WORDS – Mystery Girl

    Sunday Snippet time once again, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.

    Today I’m sharing a bite from MORE THAN WORDS, known by many as “the dirty Scrabble book”, which is now available in paperback edition as well as e-book!

    MORE THAN WORDS is the story of Travis and Calli, who meet playing anonymous, online Scrabble on an adults-only, chat-based gaming website. Travis went there looking for a woman who would be interested in his mind instead of his rockstar exterior. Calli went there because connecting with somebody in real life is, in her mind, a physical impossibility.

    In this snippet, Travis is reflecting on his first game with C Ya (Calli’s gaming handle), which included a lot of very flirty banter in the chat window.

    MTW-paperback-availableThe question he couldn’t shake was why some faceless female on a geeky game site had gotten to him. Women threw themselves at him all the time—young ones, old ones, and an incredible amount of smoking-hot ones. Even small-time musicians got laid a lot, freely and without any expectation of commitment. A perk of the job, until it grew old. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about C Ya, wondering exactly what she looked like, where she lived, if she walked around wearing lingerie just for the hell of being sexy. For all he knew, she wasn’t even a she. He ought to give his fucking head a shake.

    Click here to get MORE THAN WORDS in ebook or paperback. 🙂

    Blurb

    Their online games turn into games of the heart.

    A brutal mugging two years ago left Calli terrified to go out after dark, and incapable of real dating. Hanging out with a resentful Chihuahua every night hasn’t filled the void, and all the sex toys from the store she owns could never replace a flesh-and-blood man. An online Scrabble site promising anonymous, flirty fun sounds like just the ticket. A like-minded geek, that’s what she needs. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the game is anything but geeky.

    Tired of the party scene, Travis seeks a venue where he can meet a woman who is drawn to his mind, not his profession. Having women chase after his bad-boy musician persona has grown stale. After heating up the tiles online with Calli, he knows he must meet her in person. Touch her in person. And when he does, their chemistry is undeniable. She stimulates him, mind and body. But when he discovers her tragic past he realizes it will take more than words to win her heart…and her trust.