Adele Dubois Blog

I’m taking a bit of a blogging break and heading to the beach. It’s time for a much-needed vacation. Snorkeling, anyone?

I’m spending the day with author Melissa Schroeder, July 27, to celebrate a Summer of Love.

Leave a comment on the blog about my new paranormal erotic romance DO ME GOOD and be eligible to win a free copy of one of my books. Hope to see you there! Here’s the link:

http://www.melissaschroeder.net/

I’m a sucker for a handsome face. I like men with symmetrical features who are easy on the eye. No ruggedly handsome, craggy types with a two-day stubble and unkempt hair for me. My fantasy hero has a smooth jaw line that doesn’t scratch my tender skin, a gorgeous face to match a well-toned body, and smells fresh enough to have stepped from the shower. He’s confident and commanding and not afraid to love a woman. That’s my type of man and the hero I created for DO ME GOOD.

The hero of DO ME GOOD, Gunnar, is my first otherworldly protagonist, and I admit I’ve developed a crush on him. He’s a fearless Nordic warrior cast into eternal servitude during a time when mortals served gods and goddesses. He becomes a celestial in the pre-Christian period before those who interacted with both gods and mortals were called angels. Gunnar is a Nordic Light Elf and so handsome he is “fairer to look upon than the sun.”

I hope you enjoy DO ME GOOD as much as I enjoyed creating this story. Here’s a sample of the book with a summary and excerpt. Thanks for reading.

The inspiration for Gunnar, model Arnaud Lemaire. Photo used with permission.

*****

DO ME GOOD by Adele Dubois

TOP PICK! ~Night Owl Romance
BOOK of The Week Nominee! ~ Whipped Cream Reviews

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8301-50-do-me-good.aspx

Summary:

Penny throws her hot, but worthless mooch of a boyfriend out on her front lawn with his clothes, and vows never again to be a bum magnet. Exhausted by overwork and mountainous debt, Penny pleads for divine intervention.

Gunnar, a rebellious Nordic warrior cast into servitude by an angry god to learn humility, answers. While Penny sleeps, the celestial arrives to complete her household chores, but she awakens and finds him. The handsome immortal kisses her, sparking a passionate, forbidden sexual encounter.

Dark forces seeking vengeance for Gunnar’s past misdeeds mark Penny as a target. To protect his lover, Gunnar tests immortality in a death battle using a god’s magical sword. But the strength of Penny’s love might be what saves them both.

Excerpt:

He smoothed the hair at her temple and then rubbed a thick tendril between his thumb and forefinger. “I am Gunnar.” He pronounced the name “Goo-nar”.

A coarse brand of the sun, surrounded by a circle on the back of his hand, and covering the areas between his thumb, index knuckle and wrist caught her eye. His hand looked muscular and powerful beneath her gaze.

She touched the scarred skin with the tips of her fingers while he held a length of her hair, recognizing Freyr’s sacred insignia from her textbooks. “The pain must have been excruciating.”  Without thinking, she lifted the old wound to her mouth and laid four kisses against its perimeter before pressing a fifth to the emblem inside.

A low tremor vibrated across her lips as they touched the ancient symbol on the white, extended hand. The brand grew warm and then hot on her mouth, though it did not burn. Her lips tingled and her body hummed with the pleasant sensations. She ran her tongue over the thick scars to erase the heat and then licked the center with the tip of her tongue in a tiny swirl before lifting her head.

His gasp of surprise was the last thing she expected as he released her hair and leaned away.

“Have I offended you? I’m sorry.” She searched his face for clues as to what to do next. Behind his shocked expression she found desire and longing and something completely unexpected.

Thankfulness.

Penny waited for his reply without letting go of his disfigured hand. She could tell his next words didn’t come easily.

“Kindness isn’t something I’m used to finding. Perhaps you’d be less inclined toward compassion if you knew what I’d done to deserve this brand of servitude.”

She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck to bring his face closer to hers. “I am Penelope. And if you are from Alfheim, I know who and what you are. I just don’t understand why you’ve come.” How could she deserve his rare, benevolent gifts? She was just an ordinary woman, barely scraping by.

“Sometimes we get what we need, simply because we ask. That’s the beauty and power of the unexpected.” His warm breath grazed her cheek in shallow rushes, lifting goose bumps across her skin. His wide, firm mouth smelled of sweet ground parsley and fresh-picked mint.

Their gazes locked and held, assessing, appraising.

Searching.

Gunnar’s eyes were like pools of deep blue water speckled with light that pulled her in and down. Down. Her breathing slowed as the sound of her heartbeat intensified in her ears and the inside of her mouth moistened. She licked her lips and became intensely aware of every nerve ending shimmering along her body. Her muscles tensed as if waiting for something unexpected to happen.

As if meeting a Nordic Light Elf in the flesh wasn’t amazing enough.

Just when she wondered how his mouth would taste, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her. An explosion of kinetic energy shot vibrations through her body that prickled every fiber and muscle, held her taut and then released, leaving her breathless.

     ****
Buy Link:

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8301-50-do-me-good.aspx

Keanu Charles Reeves (pronounced kay-ah-nu, not key-au-nu) is both a Canadian and naturalized American citizen. His name in Hawaiian means, “cool breeze over the mountain.” He was born September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon to an English mother and Hawaiian/Chinese father while his mother was working in that country. His parents were divorced when Keanu was very young.

Buff for the movie Point Break with the late Patrick Swayze. He has maintained surfing as a hobby since co-starring in that film. He also enjoys horseback riding. For The Matrix and its sequels, Keanu learned over 200 martial arts moves.

Keanu was named “One of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People magazine in 1995. Dang. Makes your heart go pitter-pat.

He played ice hockey in high school and was such an outstanding goalie his team called him “The Wall.” Keanu dropped out of school at age 17 to move to Hollywood and pursue an acting career.

Tragedy has struck Keanu twice. He has lost both a child and a girlfriend. The child he and Jennifer Syme were expecting was stillborn in 1999. In 2001 Jennifer was killed instantly in a car crash near Highway 101 in Los Angeles.

Hot damn! This looks like a cover for my book REV ME UP.

I definitely saved the best picture for last. Keanu owns at least two Norton Commando motorcycles. Hard to believe Keanu fits the CLASSIC HUNK profile, but he qualifies. When he turned 40, Keanu had this to say: “Here comes 40. I’m feeling my age and I’ve ordered the Ferrari. I’m going to get the whole mid-life crisis package.”

At 46 Keanu is still gorgeous and very crush-worthy. Don’t you agree? ~ Best, Adele Dubois

It’s been a long time since I posted pictures of hot bodybuilding hunk Sagi Kalev (pronounced Suh-gee), but I certainly haven’t forgotten him.

Here’s my favorite picture of Sagi and me posing together for a nutritional product. Don’t we look great? (Okay, I admit that’s not me with Sagi. (grin) That’s a hotter than hot professional model, but we almost have the same hair. Except mine is shorter. And she’s younger. And thinner. And… LOL.)

More pics of sexy Sagi Kalev from various bodybuilding sites. Enjoy! ~ Best, Adele Dubois

This humble tablecloth has celebrated every birthday with each member of our family for three generations. We’ve all grown up or grown old with this cloth, and a family birthday party just wouldn’t be the same without it gracing the table.

This week we’re celebrating our daughter’s twentieth birthday and the dinner table will be set with our traditional tablecloth.  A colorful Happy Birthday banner will drape the kitchen doorway as it always has. Grandma’s homemade chocolate cake will glow with candles while we sing the Happy Birthday song after the meal. Our Yorkie will bark and jump up and down while our daughter blows out her candles. We’ll have our Norman Rockwell/Hallmark/Kodak moments, just for a little while, because birthdays are still celebrated joyfully, no matter how old we become. It’s the one day we each get to be special, without having to share the limelight with anyone.

Though the tablecloth pictured here is made of simple vinyl, it’s one of my most prized possessions.  There are pieces of tape on the back, and a few fade spots on the front, but the tablecloth brings our family a sense of unity that never wears out.

When my son or daughter marries and starts a family, the tablecloth will go with them, and generation number four will begin using it for birthday celebrations. When the tablecloth finally wears thin, we’ll start again with a new one to pass down.

In this fast-changing world, it’s comforting to have small traditions to hold onto. The birthday tablecloth is one of ours. Does your family have a special tradition? Tell us about it.

“TOP PICK! FIVE STARS!” ~ Night Owl Reviews

*****

I’m visiting author Melissa Schroeder July 6 for her Summer of Love contest celebration, where a lucky reader will win a copy of one of my back titles. Winner’s choice. Stop by and read about my first time–dating a guy with a Harley, that is.

Read my original post “Like Flying” and leave a comment to be eligible for a prize. I hope to see you there! Here’s the link:

http://tinyurl.com/23nku59

Have a great Fourth of July week-end at the beach, on the lake, watching fireworks, eating barbeque and drinking cold beer, or just relaxing at home with your loved ones.

If you’re in the mood to read, check out my bookshelf page. My titles are waiting just for you. Enjoy!

http://www.adeledubois.com/bookshelf.shtml

In case you haven’t heard Miranda Lambert sing The House That Built Me, by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, I’ve posted the You Tube link to her official video.

The House That Built Me has to be one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching songs ever written, and Miranda’s performance is inspired. If this tune doesn’t win “Song of the Year” or “Single of the Year” at the County Music Awards next year, there’s no justice in this world.

I bought Miranda’s new CD, Revolution, which features The House That Built Me and loved it.

Listen to The House That Built Me and try to convince me it didn’t make you cry! 

*****

The House That Built Me

by Tom Douglas / Allen Shamblin

Performed by Miranda Lambert

I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for you
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQYNM6SjD_o

Please welcome my talented and vivacious author pal Tina Donahue and celebrate her new release LUSH VELVET NIGHTS. Contest Alert! Be sure to leave a comment!

Best~Adele

*****

Rooting for the Underdog. . . by Tina Donahue

*** Before I start this post, let’s get to the important stuff – yeah, I’m hosting a contest today. Details at the end of the blog!!!  ***

Having perfect people makes for a boring story. But mix things up a bit by having the hero or heroine mess up badly and suddenly we’re interested. Suddenly, we’re saying, ‘hey, I’ve done that…I hope s/he fixes it.’

I used that kind of reality to bring the characters together in my latest release Lush Velvet Nights. Adriana is lonely and hires escorts because, frankly, she thinks they’re the only men who will notice her. However, she’s really interested in Nathan, a hot, alpha male who’s the union attorney for her employees. When he happens upon her and the escort…well, sparks begin to fly, along with fists.

To show you what I mean here’s an excerpt (blurb first, so you know what the story’s about).

BLURB:

When wanton desires & love demand all…

During the day, Adriana’s a lonely corporate heiress, helming a supermarket empire. At night, she hires escorts, scripting provocative fantasies of kidnapping, lust, submission and endless longing. It’s all she has to excite her until she meets Nathan Wynn. Tall, blond and muscular—like a modern-day Viking—Nathan’s a labor relations attorney representing Adriana’s union employees. His imposing presence intensifies her basest desires.

When he protects her from an escort he believes is an attacker, she knows he’s wonderfully dominant and unrestrained. Fascinated by Adriana’s underlying sensuality, Nathan brings her to his secluded mountain estate, determined she submit fully to his hunger. At a gentleman’s club, he makes certain she denies him nothing. Engaging in a seductive sexual journey, Nathan’s caught off-guard by his stunning need for Adriana. An attraction he fears because of past events in his life. A growing emotional connection she will not let him deny.

EXCERPT: (PG version - In this scene, Nathan has just slugged an escort he believed was trying to kidnap Adriana (her fantasy BTW)…this is where the fun begins).

The corners of Adriana’s vision dimmed. Heart pounding, she dragged her eyes from the escort to Nathan. He flexed the fingers of his right hand, no doubt hurting from his punch. His left held his cell phone.

“You all right?” he asked her. Hastily, his gaze traveled her length. His thumb hovered over the keypad’s numbers.

Her voice croaked, “Who are you planning to call?”

“Police. Stay right where you are,” he barked at the escort, “or I’ll pound you into the pavement.”

Oh god, no. Adriana rushed to Nathan’s side. Hand on his, she begged, “Don’t call the police. Please.”

His face lifted from their joined hands. Confusion washed over his features. “Why not?”

The escort groaned. Startled, Adriana looked over. Dressed in solid black, the same color as his shoulder length hair, he could have been a fallen angel ready for the pleasures of hell, or a model in an exceptionally wanton Calvin Klein advertisement.

The young man tongued the left side of his perfectly sculpted mouth and gasped. “You SOB!” he cried, his words lisping from his injury. His free hand flapped.

The movement reminded Adriana of a little girl’s reaction to a painful boo-boo.

“You broke my tooth!” he moaned. “I’m gonna sue you!”

“You do that,” Nathan said, his tone unimpressed.

The escort snarled, “To hell with you. And you, you witch,” he growled at Adriana. “You said you wanted this. I got it in writing from the agency. I’m gonna sue you too. I have an audition next week and now I won’t be able to keep it!”

Cringing, Adriana’s hand slipped from Nathan’s. She wrapped her arms around her torso in a futile attempt to protect herself from his questioning expression and the escort’s verbal blows.

The young man tongued his broken tooth. On his newest moan, Adriana whimpered. Nathan asked, “Do you know this nitwit?”

“To hell with you!” the man shouted.

Cheeks stinging with heat, Adriana forced herself to look at Nathan. His unruffled expression should have calmed her. Instead, it made her angry. Did he think she did stuff like this all the time? Didn’t he have the decency to appear shocked? “Don’t call anyone.” Her voice was surprisingly even. “You can go. I’ll be all right. Excuse me.”

She went to the escort. Instantly, he pulled his knees up to his chest, his feet protecting his body from the pointed toes of her high heels. Adriana’s heavy sigh mingled with his newest moan. “I’m sorry this happened. I didn’t know anyone would see you coming up behind me to uh…”

“Kidnap you?” he offered in response to her mortified silence. “Because I was following your idiotic script?”
Briefly, she closed her eyes. “Please go to the ER. Have your agency send the bill to me.”

“Are you nuts?” His perfectly trimmed brows drew together. “I had an audition for catalogue work next week. My agent said it was in the bag. Now I won’t make it. Without that gig, I won’t have enough cash to pay for my newest headshots or rent. I want more than a trip to the ER and dentist.”

Of course he did. “I’ll have my attorney take care of everything. He’s still in the building.” She spoke even faster. “You’ll get a settlement. No need to call your own attorney who’ll want fifty percent or more to negotiate this. Let mine handle it and you’ll get the entire amount. All you have to do is forget this ever happened, all right?”

His beautiful features got downright ugly. “Maybe I don’t want to forget it. Maybe I want to tweet TMZ and all the other entertainment news outlets and let them know what happened. It’d make for great publicity.”

Adriana’s stomach churned. However, her brain worked like a ruthless CEO. She made her voice firm, deadly, just like her father’s. “And let everyone know what you do for a living when you’re not modeling? Doesn’t the LAPD frown upon that? Won’t your real livelihood prove a risk to those in the modeling and film industries? Won’t they be reluctant to hire you because of it?”

He clenched his jaw until the pain proved too much. Blood drained from his face. “Get your attorney down here. Have him take me to the ER. Now.”

“You’ve made the right choice, Mr…” She paused, not knowing how to address him. “What should I tell him your name is?”

Gingerly, he probed his bruised jaw with the tips of his fingers. “Max Stone.”

“I meant your real name for the settlement.”

His face scrunched with his new wince. “Ed Marpole.”

Turning her back to him, Adriana pulled out her cell phone, speed-dialed Steve and flinched at Nathan watching. He hadn’t left? Why?

“Hey,” Steve said, answering on the first ring. “What’s up?”

She turned her back on Nathan and edged to the left so she wasn’t facing Ed. “I need you to come down to the parking garage. There’s been an incident.”

Ed barked a sarcastic laugh. “Like hell! It was an attack!”

Steve spoke hurriedly. “Who’s that? Did you run over someone?”

Adriana strode past the escort and Nathan, halting as she saw her purse on the garage floor. Her X-rated lingerie hung over the side. She didn’t recall dropping the handbag. Pivoting, she walked in the opposite direction, her voice low as she told Steve what happened and what he needed to do. Deliberately, she hadn’t mentioned Nathan by name, calling him a Good Samaritan instead.

Steve’s initial silence made her panting breaths sound all the louder. “Whoa,” he whispered as if he didn’t want Meghan to hear. “I didn’t know you were into hiring, uh…”

“I probably won’t be anymore. Please get down here now.”

“On my way.”

“Alone,” Adriana added quickly. She didn’t want Meghan to witness this fiasco, the only way the girl would ever know what happened. Steve wasn’t about to talk, and in her heart, Adriana knew Nathan wouldn’t either. He wasn’t that kind of man.

“Sure thing,” Steve said. “Hold on for a sec. Meghan,” he said to the girl, his voice fainter as he spoke to her.

“I need to check something out. I’ll be right back.”

“No you won’t,” Adriana warned.

He mumbled into the phone. “Yeah, I know.”

On the other end of the call, Adriana heard the sound of a door shutting and faint pounding noises as though Steve tore down the hall to the elevators.

His voice huffed, “I’ll call Meghan on the way to the ER and tell her we’ll pick this up tomorrow. I’ll have security lock the office.”

“I love you, you know that, right?”

“I will if you don’t make anymore cracks about Rogaine.”

“Then quit asking me if my bun’s too tight.”

“Never.”

Smiling faintly at his teasing, Adriana ended the call and returned to Ed. “He’ll be down in a minute. Here, let me help you.” She offered her hand.

The muscles in his jaw tensed. “Stay away from me, you crazy—”

“Fine, okay, I got it.” Hands lifted in surrender, Adriana backed away.

“And that goes double for you,” he ordered Nathan.

Adriana’s eyes darted to him.

Nathan regarded Ed as he would a vile specimen in a lab. His voice cut across the empty space, his tone dark and intimidating. “Keep talking to the lady like you have been and I may forget my manners. Got it?”
Ed fell silent at Nathan’s threat.

Adriana’s throat tightened with gratitude, while renewed shame made it difficult for her to breathe. He’d protected her so easily, and in doing so he’d learned about her secret life. Why couldn’t he have just left? Why did he have to see her like this?

Tears blurred her vision. Defeated, she went to her purse, shoving the lingerie inside.

*****

From there, Adriana’s and Nathan’s romance takes off. The mess-up with the escort and her embarrassment gives her a vulnerability that was endearing to me, and from the fan mail I’ve received, to many readers.

Buy link:

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8298-50-lush-velvet-nights.aspx

Website:

http://www.tinadonahue.com/

Now for the contest. Leave a comment and you’re entered – that’s all you have to do! I’ll choose a winner at random July 1. The prize is one of my books, including: Adored (ebook); Deep, Dark, Delicious (ebook); Close to Perfect (mass market paperback);  Bad Boys with Red Roses (trade paperback) and Take My Breath Away (trade paperback).

Winner within the continental US will have her choice of any of the five books. Winner outside the continental US has her choice of one of the ebooks.