Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Theme Song: Brighter Than the Sun (KGI #11) by Maya Banks


Release: March 7th, 2017
Romance Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Series: KGI #11

Searing action and passion ignite the latest KGI novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Darkest Before Dawn.

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering.
Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t...

As the last unattached member of the Kelly clan, Joe is more than ready to risk life and limb on any mission he’s assigned to, but when it comes to love, he’ll keep his distance. He’s content to watch his brothers become thoroughly domesticated.

Zoe’s had nothing but heartbreak in her life, and she’s determined to start over with a completely new identity, thanks to her college friend, Rusty Kelly. But it’s the gorgeous smile and tender words of Joe Kelly that begin to weaken her resolve to never risk her heart again. And Joe will have to put everything on the line to save Zoe, when secrets of her past resurface—and threaten to tear them apart…

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Theme Song
I finished Maya Banks' forthcoming KGI novel, Brighter Than the Sun this past weekend and whenever I think of the book one song keeps popping in my head. Of course, I knew I had to create a theme song post for the book. I've held off though because the song doesn't make 100% sense for the book. There is one particular line that just DOES NOT in any way shape or form make sense with Joe and Zoe's story! Brains guys, they are strange.

Anywho, 95% of this song is just perfect for Joe's feelings when he meets Zoe so I'm running with the theme song anyway. As soon as Joe talks with Zoe he pictures forever, he pictures marriage and babies and a HEA. It shocks him, but (as a Kelly does) he goes into a protective mode and claims Zoe as his. Gah...this series is just so great!

I have a full review of Brighter Than the Sun coming out release week on Straight Shootin' Book Reviews. Until then though, here's a little sneak peek into Joe's world. Less than two weeks until release day!








“From The Ground Up” by Dan + Shay

And we'll build this love from the ground up
For worse or for better
And I will be all you need
Beside you I'll stand through the good and the bad
We'll give all that we have
And we'll build this love from the ground upt




Anyone else excited to dive back into the Kelly world?


About Maya Banks
Maya Banks is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today and international bestselling author of over 50 novels. A wife and mother of three, she lives in Texas.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Author Playlist:Teach Me Something(Something Series #4) by Aubrey Bondurant

Release: February 9th, 2017
Romance Subgenre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Something Series #4


Catherine Davenport is successful in her career, but doesn't have the same skill when it comes to her love life. After a painful divorce, she's finding the new world of dating both intimidating and frustrating.

Tired of striking out, she takes the extreme measure of enlisting the help of an instructor in a private club who offers sessions on how to improve her dating strategy as well as her overall sexual confidence.

'Calvin', the masked man with the piercing blue eyes and husky voice not only challenges her to step out of her comfort zone, but encourages her to unlock her repressed adventurous side with various lessons.

She feels like she's making progress until her worlds collide and the identity of the man privy to her most intimate details is shockingly revealed as someone she knows.

Can Catherine put her insecurities aside to take a chance on love where she least expected it, or will her past interfere with her ability to plan a future with the one man who truly knows the real her.



Author Playlist
It's Teach Me Something playlist day! Aubrey Bondurant has been extremely generous and has agreed to share her playlist for the fourth book in her Something Series, Teach Me Something. Thanks for sharing, Aubrey!


"Landslide" by Fleetbood Mac


"Red, Red Wine" by UB40


"Fresh Eyes" by Andy Grammar


"Roar" by Katy Perry


"Listen To Your Heart" by Roxette


"Love Me Now" by John Legend


"Stay" by Rhanna feat. Mikky Echo


"Fire and the Flood" by Vance Joy


"You're Where I Belong" by Trisha Yearwood


"Save the Last Dance for Me" by Michael Buble




About Aubrey Bondurant
Aubrey Bondurant is a working mom who loves to write, read and travel.

She describes her writing style as: “Adult Contemporary Erotic Romantic Comedy”. (How's that for a mouthful?) Picture chick-lit with the sex scenes or “smutty chick lit” and there you have it!

When Aubrey isn't working her day job, or spending time with her family, she’s on her laptop typing away on her next story. She only wishes there were more hours of the day!

She’s a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps and passionate about veteran charities and giving back to the community. She loves a big drooly dog, a fantastic margarita, and football.




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Saturday, February 18, 2017

Author Playlist: Red by S.M. West


Release: February 6th, 2017
Romance Subgenre: Romantic Suspense

Red. The color of extremes.

Tate Conrad’s existence is annihilated. Destroyed by two men: one, her hero and the other, her worst nightmare. She has nothing to lose.

Determined to survive, vengeance feeds her. There are no limits, no boundaries, not even death, in seeking liberation.

*******

Rylan Wolfe is driven. A stellar FBI agent close to breaking the case of a lifetime. It’s more than career-making, it’s personal. Tate’s the linchpin to it all. They need each other to succeed.

For Tate, is he her salvation or ruin?




Author Playlist

I'm excited to share S.M. West's writing playlist for her new release, Red. Welcome to Romance Playlist, S.M. West!





About S.M. West
Born on the shortest day and longest night of the year, Winter Solstice, she's a self-professed night owl. From a young age, creating stories and conjuring characters was always one of her favorite pastimes.

She loves a great story with romance and intrigue, a strong heroine and fiercely passionate hero with passion, intensity and edge.

If she's not writing or reading, she's planning her next adventure, spending time with her family or drinking a great glass of wine and indulging in chocolate.



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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Angelic Anarchy (Heaven on Earth #1) by J.P. Epperson

Release:September 6, 2016
Romance Subgenre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Heaven on Earth series #1

Where there is goodness, evil is sure to follow. Where there is light, darkness is never far behind.

Belleeza isn’t the angel your parents told you about as a child. She’s a weapon. A warrior. But even warriors have their weaknesses—and even warriors can have their hearts broken. Betrayed by the only man she’s ever loved, Belleeza throws herself into an unusual mission to find a missing teenage boy. But the treacherous path she finds herself on could lead her closer towards the darkness than she had ever imagined—perhaps even into the depths of Hell itself. And what about Colton, the beautiful angel turned demon who trampled all over her heart?

Betrayals, secrets, torture, and passion. Be careful what you wish for—Heaven on Earth might just be more than you bargained for.



Author Interview
I'm excited to have author J.P. Epperson on the blog today to discuss her new book, Angelic Anarchy. Thanks for sharing, J.P.!



As a writer what would you choose as your mascot/spirit animal/avatar and theme song?
An Owl—definitely. Hard to pick one theme song, I have a few. Probably, Shatter Me by Lindsey Hall featuring Lzzy Hale


Do you listen to a specific playlist, album or song when writing? How does music factor into you writing process and the book's world?
I love listening to music when I write. My playlist changes depending on the scene. Sometimes I can just turn on the radio and listen to whatever is playing. However, some scenes require a darker playlist. My favorite playlist has some Flyleaf, Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, Papa Roach, Halestorm, Within Temptation, and other similar groups.

What question do you wish readers would ask? What is the answer?
I wish readers would ask me if I am happy with my book. The truth is, yes and no. I’m proud of myself for following through with it—Angelic Anarchy was my debut novel. The reason it took so long to write, is fear. I was terrified to put myself out there and become vulnerable to criticism. I love the story and I love my characters. They mean so much to me. However, I don’t feel like I did them justice. Something I heard a few times is that Angelic Anarchy started kind of slow but then took off halfway through and finished strong. I’ve learned so much about writing and my weaknesses. I’d like to go back and revise it at some point. The constructive criticism I learned from beta readers and reviewers helped me see my writing with more clarity. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned and applied it to Book 2—it seems to flow at a much more natural pace. I hope I continue to improve with each project.

What kind of research do you do and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I do some research—mostly in regards to the origins of legends and myths. I spent maybe a few hours total researching for both Book 1 and Book 2. I have spent considerably more time with my new series that I hope to release in late summer.

What did you edit out of this book?
Oh, wow. With Angelic Anarchy being my first release it needed a lot of editing! I had so many things that I ended up removing because I went off on some wild tangent that had nothing to do with the plot. There were some witches, spells, and vampires. It was all kinds of craziness. I also had a bad habit describing every. single. detail. of everything—down to the cup color and different color strands of hair on someone’s head. LOL, it was bad. I feel so bad for my editor—the original manuscript was a mess!

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
There are few little phrases and sentimental details that my husband and family will notice. Even one of the names has familial connection.

If you had to do it all again, would you change anything in your books?
Perhaps a few tiny details about the overall story but the main changes I would make are related to writing techniques.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?
I had a strange dream that I was trying to make sense of and before I knew it I had the entire outline for a book.

What's your favorite underappreciated romance novel?
I have this secret love of Victoria Holt books—one of my favorite go-to books is The House of a Thousand Lanterns--Still crazy about Joliffe (swoon).


About J.P. Epperson

JP Epperson lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a lover of all things fantasy and paranormal. When not writing new adult fiction or sitting with her head in a book she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons. JP is a lover of the outdoors and her second home is a tent in the woods curled up with a book next to a campfire.



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Friday, February 10, 2017

Author Guest Post: Black Bullet (The Order of the Senary #2) by L.D. Rose

Release: November 9, 2016
Romance Subgenre: Paranormal Romance, Dark Romance, Urban Fantasy
Series: The Order of the Senary #2


Fledgling vampire Jonathan Kerr has just met his match.

Not even his past life as a former marine and FBI agent could prepare him for the battle against the monster inside him, struggling to take hold. After an old nemesis of the Senary surfaces in Brooklyn, unleashing chaos and terror in the battered borough, Jon sets out to take him down. Instead, he ends up with far more than he bargained for when he clashes with the beautiful half-vampire hybrid, Lawan Knight.

After escaping near death and suffering unspeakable horror at the hands of vampires, Lawan trusts no one, regardless of species. In between bouts of drunken stupor, her only goal is to exterminate all those who've wronged her, including every member of Jon's vampire bloodline. But Jon’s soulful eyes and quick smile crawls under her skin, transforming her black and white world into a hazy shade of gray.

As the days rapidly grow darker, Jon and Lawan turn to one another, but their inner demons threaten to tear them apart. The only way either of them will survive is if they overcome their greatest fear—love.



Author Guest Post and Playlist
It's Black Bullet playlist day! L.D. Rose has been extremely generous and has agreed to share her playlist for the second book in her The Order of the Senary series, Black Bullet. You can see Linda's guest post for the first book in the series, Releasing the Demons here.

Welcome back and thank for sharing, Linda!


MUSIC THAT INSPIRES: The Soundtrack to BLACK BULLET by L.D. Rose

Thanks so much for having me (again!) on your blog, Erin!

Hey there! My name is Linda (writing as L.D. Rose), doctor by day, writer of dark PNR/UF by night, and I’m thrilled to be here (again!) on The Romance Playlist! As I mentioned before, music is a major inspiration for my work and today I’m sharing a few songs for the second novel in my Order of The Senary series, BLACK BULLET (a dark paranormal romance). :D

BLACK BULLET was a super intense story to write (I actually had to take breaks from it). It deals with a lot of dark issues, even darker than the first, RELEASING THE DEMONS. Jon Kerr is a vampire, but he managed to retain his human soul during his conversion, keeping his memories and mind intact (sort of). As a former Marine and federal agent who hunted vampires to the ends of the Earth, he abhors what he’s become—the monster he hates most. Struggling to find a reason to live, he resorts to channeling his anger into fighting and develops a reputation amongst the leeches in NYC as the Black Bullet. The song (which the story is named after!)“Black Bullet” by the Kidney Thieves inspired this book’s premise and the lyrics are also oh-so perfect for my hero.



“When I’m walking on the line, I am,
when I think that I could kill, I am,
when I think that I’m in love, I am,
I am a black bullet...”

I MUST share another song for him here too, since it inspired so many of Jon’s scenes in the book. “Nutshell” by Alice in Chains really gets in his head and perfectly represents how he views the world.



“And yet I fight,
yet I fight,
this battle all alone.
No one to cry to,
No place to call home...”

The heroine in this story, Lawan Knight, is severely damaged. As a rogue half-vampire hybrid, she’s been alone for most of her life, without siblings or an Order to guide her. After being captured and maimed at the hands of the villains—twin vampire brothers named Regin and Taylon Ramsden—she manages to escape with her life intact but not much else. She often self-medicates with alcohol and whatever pills she can get her hands on, and her only goal is to exterminate the Ramsden bloodline...until she meets Jon, that is. “Crawling” by Linkin Park inspired much of her personality and how she responds to others thanks to her past.



“Crawling in my skin,
these wounds they will not heal,
fear is how I fall,
confusing what is real...”

The villains in this story are my worst villains yet. They’re both twin brothers, however one is alive (Regin) and the other is dead (Taylon). I won’t give too much away here since I don’t want to spoil anything, but Regin will stop at nothing to have Lawan back in his clutches and Taylon will help him do just that from beyond the grave. “You and Me and the Devil Makes Three” by Marilyn Manson instantly comes to mind when I think of Regin, since it describes his sentiments about Lawan (and Jon, for that matter) throughout the story.



“Hell-flavored, I've got mood poisoning,
it must be something that I hate.
I'm just a prison of property,
buckets full of better misery,
there's not a word for what I want to do to you,
there’s not a word for what I want to do to you...”

For Taylon, “The Wicked” by Stone Sour just perfectly represents him and his relationship with Jon.



“Oh, suffer to be mine,
I want to be cruel to be kind,
I’ll get inside your head,
Live so hard you’ll wish you were dead, yeah...”

So, if it isn’t obvious yet, my musical inspiration is heavy on the alternative rock. ;) But I do enjoy all kinds of music (and I mean ALL kinds). Rock just happens to fuel my creative muse when it comes to this series!

Want to see the entire playlist? Check it out here on Spotify:



Thanks again for letting me share BB and some of my favorite music with you all! And a big thank you to Erin for letting me take over two days here at The Romance Playlist. <3 Hopefully you discovered some new tunes you enjoyed. :D



About L.D. Rose
L.D. Rose is a neurotic physician by day, crazed writer by night, and all around wannabe superhero. She writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but she's been known to delve into horror, sci-fi, and medical suspense on occasion. L.D. Rose is a PAN member of the RWA, FF&P, NEC-RWA and CoLoNY. She currently lives in Rhode Island with her studly hubby, her hyperactive boxer, and her two devious cats.

Sign up for her newsletter for the latest on the Senary, sneak peeks, giveaways, and other fun stuff: http://eepurl.com/bKvuXD. You'll receive a free horror short story with sign-up!

You can also join her reader group on FB for more shenanigans. ;) DEVOUR THE NIGHT: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1544747369161573/



Sunday, February 5, 2017

Author Playlist: For Finlay by J. Nathan

Release: January 30th, 2017
Romance Subgenre: Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance

Finlay Thatcher is a lost soul, guilt-ridden after the death of her twin brother. When Alabama's football coach gives her the opportunity to work for him, she knows it's her chance to move on, even if it means living her brother's dream.

Caden Brooks is Alabama's star quarterback. He's got it all. The attention of adoring fans. A girlfriend who'd do anything to hold on to him. And a future in the pros. He's getting along just fine until Finlay steps into his life, despising him at first sight and pushing his buttons like no other.

Unfortunately for Finlay, and her attempt to keep Caden at arm's length, there's nothing Caden loves more than a challenge. The problem with this challenge is she comes with a secret that has the power to destroy everything.



Author Playlist
I'm excited to share J. Nathan's writing playlist for her new release, For Finlay. Welcome to Romance Playlist, J. Nathan!




About J Nathan
J. Nathan is the author of the new adult novels For Finlay, Before Hadley, Until Alex, and Since Drew. When she's not writing, she's a total romance junkie! Add an alpha male who's unlikable in the beginning...even better. Happy endings are a must. Love triangles and negative people are the bane of her existence. Her family, friends, guys in backwards hats, and watermelon margaritas are the light…