Temptation is Unleashed with Savannah Stuart!

Unleashed Temptation – Available Now from Ellora’s Cave
After finding out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her boss, Carly decides her life needs a makeover. She trades in her winter coat for a bikini and heads south to Miami, Florida. Almost as soon as she arrives, she falls in lust with the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on. Too bad he’s her new boss.
Alpha werewolf Nick gave up hope of finding his mate a century ago. When sexy redhead Carly comes to work for him, she disrupts his entire world. Although he desperately wants to come clean about what he is, he keeps running into problems. Like the fact that an ancient enemy has set his sights on Carly. Nick discovers he’ll go to any lengths to keep her safe. Even if it means losing her in the process.
　
Read excerpt here.
Purchase digital version here.
For more titles from Savannah Stuart, click here.
For a chance to win a copy of Unleashed Temptation, visit Sarai J’s Blog here.

And the Winner Is....

As the title hints, the winner of the Sweet Ultimatum Release Day basket is "Angel"!! Congratulations, Angel! If you'll email me privately at nsimonebooks@aol.com I can gather your information and send the basket out to you.

Thank you all so much for visiting the blog and leaving comments. But most of all thank you for celebrating with me and making it a wonderful release day!! You're all awesome!!
Naima

Free to Soar

“You have to let it all go. Fear, doubt and disbelief. Free your mind.”

This is what Morpheus told Neo in “The Matrix” before he leaped a great distance from the top of one building to the next. As most everyone knows, Neo tried to jump after him and plummeted to the ground. His mind hadn’t been freed, so he couldn’t make the jump.

This part reminded me of a scripture in Philippians 4:13 that states, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Notice the wording there. Not just “things”, but “all things”. Now whether you’re a Christian or not…whether you liked “The Matrix” or not…whether you believe you actually exist in “The Matrix” or not…they both declare the same thing. Don’t put limits on me. By the freeing of my mind, I’m limitless!

There is power in freedom. As a writer, I understand what it is to be held in bondage. Not physical enslavement, but held captive by fear, insecurity and inadequacy. Becoming a published author was intended for other people, not an African-American woman from a small town in New Jersey. But at some point, my mind was renewed and set free to the truth. The only limits on my life were the ones I set for myself.

I think about the writers I’ve met who came from humble beginnings, faced circumstances that would have broken others and still persevered to attain their dreams. Their minds were freed to soar like the eagle. And like the eagle that not only flies above the storm, but uses the winds to buoy him up, writers utilize rejections and disappointments to hone their craft, make them stronger and better…and fly above. It’s then that nothing holds them back. They can look towards seemingly impossible dreams and goals, claiming them because they know and believe that all things—good and bad—work for their benefit. When the mind is free, life is free. When the mind is free, we’re able to fly.

Think back again to “The Matrix”. At the end of the film, Neo’s mind had been freed to believe in who he was, The One. And what did he do?

He soared.


Sweet Ultimatum
by Naima Simone

Caitlin Madison has returned home after a self-imposed exile. Haunted by the erotic memories of the man she once loved and abandoned, Caitlin is unprepared to come face-to-face with Selig Richardson and the hunger resurrected under his golden gaze. Even as her body craves his touch, she denies him, realizing her reasons for terminating their relationship so long ago are as valid now as they were then.

Six years have passed since Selig Richardson left New Eden, WA disillusioned and bitter after Caitlin Madison’s cold denial of him and his love. Now he’s returned, demanding retribution for her cruel rejection. The payment: her body.

Unknown to Selig, Caitlin has harbored a deadly secret all these years. And as love awakens with each passionate encounter, so does the danger that has simmered for almost a decade. Once again, Caitlin is forced to make a choice between a future with the man she's never stopped loving or crush his heart...and save his life.

It took me forever to see the movie, "Apocalypto", the name of which I still can't say without stumbling over it at least two times. The subtitles didn't put me off--I mean, I am a reader--but I knew with the subject matter it would be gory and I freely admit I'm a punk when it comes to blood...and knives...and sacrifice...But once I started watching it, I was completely entranced. Not just by the cinematic beauty, but by the story and the main character, Jaguar Paw.

As a lover of Alpha men, Jaguar Paw inspired quite a few dreams that night! Phew! Even with a bone in his lip and being umm...dental-challenged...he blew my mind! To see the evolution of a Beta man to an Alpha when his family and way of life was threatened won me over with the speed of...I don't know...a jaguar. Wily, cunning, strong and determined, he escaped his captors, led them on a chase through the rain forests where he picked them off one-by-one. And what was his goal, his motivation? To save his wife and son before the enemy or the elements found them first. The love that drove him made me not only cheer him on, but adore him!

Rudy Youngblood played Jaguar Paw in "Apocalypto". I'd never heard of him before so of course I had to do a little investigating. And was soon as impressed by him as I was by his character in the movie. A young Native American actor, he has broken ground and found a foothold in an acting world that is notoriously tough to crack. And he has stayed true to his culture, embracing it when the field he seeks to conquer would suggest he "tone it down". I watched a video of him dancing in full Native regalia during a celebration. Yes, it was beautiful, but there's something to be said about a man who possesses that much confidence and pride that he can lose himself in the tradition, beauty and magic of his culture. It's sexy.

So, because of your awe-inspiring portrayal of the warrior, Jaguar Paw, and your unselfconscious celebration of who you are, Rudy Youngblood, you are...Hawtie of the Month!

**To view the video mentioned above of Rudy Youngblood, click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxkLtuRaUs. Enjoy**