Cocked & Loaded, Shootin' Stars & Blasting Giveaway Blog Hop

Reading Lark After Dark is celebrating Independence Day with a hot & sexy blog hop giveaway. Our big blog hop to celebrate not only the birth of our glorious country, but all the people who help protect it!!! Remember to stop by Queen Tutt's to enter in the the Kindle Fire Giveaway!!

Hop Details!

Hosted by:

Queentutt’s Word of Escapism

&

Close Encounters of the Night Kind

Sponsored by:

Bloggers: Rage, Sex, & Teddy Bears , Reading Between the Wines , Fictional Candy, Sam, E, and R’s Awesomness , The Jeep Diva , Saldasious Reader/Sexxy Blogger , As the Pages Turn

Authors:

Amy Gregory , Andrew Grey , Axel Howerton , Cassandra Carr , Cecilia M. Robert , Crymsyn Hart , Danielle D. Smith , Deena Remiel , Diana Castilleja , Diana DeRicci , Dominique Eastwick , Ednah Walters , Elaine Raco Chase , Evanne Lorraine , Eve Langlais , Felicity Heaton , Gabrielle Bisset , Gayle Donnelly , Jean Joachim , Jenna Jaxon , Karyn Gerrard , Keta Diablo , Leanora Elliott , Leia Shaw , Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy , Lindsay Downs , Lisa Beth Darling , Lynda Park Frazier , Melissa Craig , Michelle McCleod , Myra Nour , Natasha Blackthorne , Nora Weston , Paige W. Pendleton , Patricia Green , Rachel Van Dyken , Rayna Vause , Robin Badillo , Seraphine Donavan , Shannan Albright , Stephanie Burke , T.C. Archer , Tarah Scott , Verity Ant , Regan Walsh , Victoria Vane

Yes we are Cocked & Loaded with some amazingly great books, Shootin Stars with the Authors & Bloggers, and Blasting a Giveaway with TWO (2) KINDLE FIRES. Our Co-Sponsored Author’s will be donating various gifts to go along with the Kindle Fires such as either their book (,s), Gift Cards so you can choose which book you want, or other number of gifts to go along with this wonderful Grand Prize.

Waiting on Wednesday: Special Cover Reveal!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where she spotlights upcoming releases.

This week we have a special Waiting on Wednesday Cover Reveal treat for our readers! 

Lorelei Jame's Rough Riders #13....Kissin' Tell has a cover as of today! 

This book is due for release on June 26, 2012, and we will be featuring it again for Waiting on Wednesday as soon as we have a description/summary for it!

(Check out the original post on Lorelei's Blog.)

Tevya & Andrea's Birthday Giveaway!

Andrea and I both have birthdays this week. In order to celebrate our birthdays on the blogs, we decided to give away some great books to our followers! We're giving away two great titles here and two great ones over at Reading Lark, our YA & Clean Adult site. Both giveaways are open to US and Canadian residents only. 

Check out the Reading Lark Giveaway!

Rode Hard Put Up Wet: Rough Riders Series #2

Title: Rode Hard Put Up Wet
(Rough Riders Series #2)

by Lorelei James

Published by: Samhain Publishing, Limited

Publication Date: 8/1/08

Page Count: 300

Buy it at Amazon & IndieBound

Source: Reviewer purchased

Audience: Adult, sexual scenes, bondage

My Review:

I loved that Gemma is not a young chick. I loved that she is learning to love herself again after the death of her husband. She is learning to find herself and she is sure the key to that is in Cash Big Crow’s capable hands. She has watched him for years and knows him as a capable cowboy who will be a welcome help on her struggling ranch. She knows he has left the circuit and offers him a job.

She wants him for so much more, but is willing to wait for him to figure it out. He’s one step ahead of her though and will take the job if she becomes his lover and surrenders to him completely. The only obstacle is his daughter, Macie, who is supposed to be traveling cross-country with him and getting to know him. If he takes the job, it puts their plans on hold, but she is willing to do that for her father.

Long Hard Ride ~ Rough Riders #1

Long Hard Ride 
(Rough Riders Series #1)

by Lorelei James

Published by: Samhaim Publishing

Publication Date: 3/1/08

Page Count: 287

Buy it at  Amazon & IndieBound

Source: Purchased by reviewer

Audience: Adult, scenes of a sexual nature involving f/m/m and m/m and bondage.

My Review:

I am a cowgirl at heart, so I was excited to start the series. Having followed the rodeo scene for a while, it was nice to read a well- written account of what happens behind the chutes. I’ll be honest. This was my first taste of reading about bondage and domination, and I was nervous at first- not sure I was going to like it. I was wrong to be nervous. I have been roped into this series and cannot stop reading.

Channing is a determined, self-sufficient woman who learns the man she is with is a womanizer and a liar. Stuck on the rodeo circuit and nowhere near home, a place she wants to avoid anyway, she looks to the cowboy who every single woman in a hundred mile radius desires, Colby McKay.  He makes her an offer she doesn’t want to refuse and for a few weeks, she will become his sexual plaything. She is sassy, independent, and brave. I love her.

This proposal involves his two rodeo partners though and she has to decide if she is willing to give herself to 3 men, sometimes at the same time. She has fantasized about having 2 men, but 3 was not something she entertained in her mind. Now though, having 3 hot cowboys desire her has her heart pounding. The ride could prove to be more than she can handle, but she is up to the challenge.

Book Review: Cowboy Casanova

Cowboy Casanova

(Rough Riders #12)

By: Lorelei James

Published by: 
Samhain Publishing

Release date: 
December 6, 2011

Format: eBook

Buy it at Amazon

Source: 
Purchased by Reviewer

Genre:
Erotic Contemporary Romance

Audience: 
Mature Audiences (18+)

My Thoughts:

Oh My Ben, where do I begin? First of all, I will say that Cowboy Casanova is my favorite of the Rough Riders Series. Have I said that about each one as I finish? Probably so. But right now, just a day out of finishing Ben's story, I'm claiming his as my favorite. Bennett McKay is one of the cousins, brother to Chase and Quinn. He's the quiet one of the family. The middle child who often feels invisible, especially when the whole McKay/West clan gets together. He doesn't date girls from Sundance, his home town, and he doesn't hang out at the local bar with his cousins. He is considered the peace maker in his family, known for being level headed and soft spoken. But sexy Ben McKay has a secret. Not only does Ben have that rugged sexy cowboy thing going on, but he's also a Dom. He spends his free time at The Rawhide Club, content to chose from a selection of subs as he wishes. No burning desire for a family, and positive he'll never find a woman who accepts both Ben the quiet rancher and Bennett the demanding Dom, he has settled into a routine that makes him happy. Until he meets Ainsley. Ainsley is new to town, a curvy, professional woman starting a new chapter in her life. Her weekend pass to The Rawhide Club ends up changing her life in ways that she had never imagined when Bennett calls her out on her lies and challenges her in a game that will end up putting both of their hearts on the line.

Cover Crazy: Cowgirls Don't Cry

The purpose of Cover Crazy is to feature a cover each week for us to admire its beauty. I really like this idea since there are so many great covers out there! Cover Crazy is a meme that was started by The Book Worms.

Since this is the first Cover Crazy for Reading Lark After Dark, I decided to give us a bit of eye candy. (Ok yeah, so that's pretty much going to be the norm here. I won't lie.) I love all of the Rough Riders book covers. Now granted, they aren't covers that I want to tote around with me for everyone to see, but they are perfect for my Nook. All of the Rough Riders books have this beautiful western feel and the pretty font and scroll work, which I love. And of course, they all center on the hot cowboy hero of the story. Cowgirls Don't Cry is one of my favorite RR covers because it's got a sweetness mixed in with the hotness. 


Wanna know more about the story? Read on my friends!

Waiting on Wednesday: Cowboy Casanova

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where she spotlights upcoming releases.

This week I am waiting on....

Cowboy Casanova (Rough Riders #12) 

by Lorelei James 

This book was released on December 6, 2011, and I still haven't gotten to it yet! It's coming...and soon! It's been far too long since I've spent some time with the McKays, and I've been waiting to get my hands on Ben!

His rough touch makes her lose control… In Sundance, Wyoming, you can't throw a boot without hitting a McKay cowboy, so Ben McKay is used to fading into the background. Except on weekends, when he's Bennett, imposing Dom at The Rawhide Club, surrounded by a bevy of female subs eager for the attention of his long…whip. 


As for the curvy brunette eying him from across the room? He'll eat his Stetson if she's the experienced Domme she claims to be. Bennett offers her a deal—he'll let her call the shots for one night. But the next night he gets to prove to her how freeing it'll be when he takes the reins. 


Ainsley Hamilton is amazed by how well Bennett read her every secret yearning during that one explosive weekend—and she's stunned when they come face to face in their everyday lives as rancher and new bank president. Now Ben's urging her to explore her submissive side outside the club, and there's something in his commanding gaze that makes it too easy to let him take control—of her desires and her pleasure. 


Can Ben help Ainsley overcome her fear that a relationship built on dark sexual appetites won't survive the light of day?

Book Review: Strong Silent Type

Strong, Silent Type (Rough Riders 6.5)
By: Lorelei James
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: May, 2009
Buy it on Amazon
Source: Owned by Reviewer
Audience: Mature Audiences (18+ only)

My thoughts:

Just when I thought I had read all of the current books in the Rough Riders series, I stumbled upon this gem. Strong, Silent Type is Quinn's story. While he is a McKay, he is cousin to the brothers we have been reading about. Because he is already married, he didn't get a book of his own. This novella tells the story of Quinn and his wife, Libby, during a rocky patch in their marriage.

Book Review: Rough Riders Series

Rough Riders Series 
by: Lorelei James
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Buy it at Amazon

Source: Nook editions owned by reviewer

Audience: Mature (erotica with mild BDSM)

A friend of mine approached me a few months ago and asked if I like cowboys. Well, I grew up in southern Louisiana, 35 miles from the Texas border, in a rodeo city. While I was never a cowgirl myself, I’ve always been able to appreciate a pair of tight blue jeans and a low-drawn cowboy hat on a rough and rugged male body. I was ready for a break from YA books, so I jumped in. I had no intention of reviewing any of the books in the series, and I had no idea it was a 10 book series. It was a guilty pleasure read and nothing more. I thought I’d finish it quickly and go back to reading the books I committed to reviews for. Now almost 2 months and 10 books later, I look back and realize that I have to share this series. Trust me, the McKay boys are worth sharing, and many of them are more than willing to be shared. ;)

Please note - this series is not for everyone. It is erotica – there are very graphic sex scenes, light BDSM (light bondage and mild sexual dominance and submission), and a few male/male/female threesomes. So if this is not your type of reading, this is where you’ll want to stop. No hurt feelings – I promise!

Book Review: Chasin Eight

Chasin' Eight

Rough Riders #11

By: Lorelei James

Published by: Samhain Publishing

Release date: June 2011

Format: eBook (812 pages)

Buy it at Amazon

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Audience: Mature Audiences (18+)

My thoughts:

I waited for months for Chasin' Eight; I just had a feeling that Chase McKay was going to be amazing, and I was right. However, as much as I was looking forward to this book, reading the synopsis made me a little nervous. Chase is a high maintenance, self-indulgent Rodeo king and Ava is a typical Hollywood princess. I couldn't imagine what these two had to offer each other, and to be honest, as much as I wanted to love Chase, he didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities in the beginning. But I love the McKay family, and I trusted Lorelei James to bring these two around.