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Theodora Taylor

I’ve been TROLLED … Maybe … I think.

March 31, 2012 in Her Russian Billionaire, Troll

I’m weekending in Colorado, where my next book is set, and where I only have access to the Edge network on my phone (no computer, no wifi). It was meant to be romantic, but after brunch I found a message in my inbox that said I should check my Amazon reviews, because apparently I was being accused of some bad stuff.

In a swirl of limited technology, I texted my best friend to check the reviews and call me on the cabin’s phone. (I can get texts out, but I can’t actually call people on my iPhone).

From what I can understand I’ve been trolled by an author or the fans of an author who wrote an IR series surrounding a Russian crime family. A bunch of Amazon unverified reviews appeared on Friday, accusing me of stealing from this author’s — Latrivia Nelson’s — previous work.

Oh, my gosh.

This is AWESOME. While I’ve only read one Latrivia Nelson book — THE GRUNT which I gave 2 stars — I think we should all just go with this.

By all means, buy and read both books. If you think I stole from Ms. Nelson, which I’m pre-assuring you right now, I totally didn’t, please weigh in on Amazon. But if you think this is like saying everyone who writes about the Italian mafia has stolen from Mario Puzo, please weigh in with that.

Either way, I hope both Ms. Nelson and I enjoy lots of extra sales from this “beef.” I feel like Kanye and Fifty Cent. Many thanks to whoever made it happen. This is SO COOL!!!

Oh, and also many thanks to my best friend for cutting and pasting this message onto my blog. You’re the bestest, Bestie!

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Theodora Taylor

WOLF IN WAITING by Shyla Colt

March 28, 2012 in alpha male, black woman white man, Book Reviews, Breathless Press, bwwm, bwwm romance, C Reviews, erotic, Novella, paranormal, shifter(s), suspense, werewolf

Description: Years ago Kalyx and Luz were best friends in love, bonded over their mutual inability to shape shift. But when Luz shifts, Kalyx runs away, feeling their love can’t transcend their pack caste. Now she’s back for her sister’s wedding. Can Luz, who never stopped loving her, convince her that they belong together?

The Good: This is a hot and compelling story. I love tortured alphas, and Luz is that.

The Bad: There’s too much story stuffed into too small of a word count. And though, Ms. Colt has excellent plot points, she doesn’t take the time to really explore any of them, not even the H/H’s intriguing back story. This was a good story diminished by lack of good craft. Everything feels rushed and nothing is truly fleshed out.

The Naughty: Erotic. Masturbation.

Editing issues: One typo found. Clumsy grammar and word choice in places.

Publisher: Breathless Press

Length: Novella (12, 127 words)

Final Grade: C+

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $1.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

WHIMSY by Thayer King

March 26, 2012 in B Reviews, black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, erotic, Evernight Publishing, king, scifi

Description: In a case of some seriously mistaken identity, Princess Whimsy Featherstone is sold to King Gaedrian as a pleasure slave. Gaedrian is quite unhappily under the influence of Fate, a drug that drives its taker wild with lust until he finds his true mate. Can fate bring them together?

The Good: This set-up is great and had me at go. And the world-building in WHIMSY is just terrific. As usual with Ms. King’s writing, the sex is off-the-hook H.O.T. and the build up to it is very well done. There’s also a side character named Dark, who is so cold-yet-complex, he stole every scene he was in. He deserves and truly needs his own book.

The Bad: While WHIMSY’s situation is well-developed, the character of Whimsy herself isn’t.  It was difficult to understand why she kept her identity hiddent. An arc between her and Gaedrin’s mom is never fully resolved. Nor is Whimsy’s own inner-arc. She remains overly hesitant until the end, and she doesn’t ask questions to the point of being convenient.

Also, the end of the book, though fun, is rushed.

The Naughty: Erotic. Withheld sex. Virgin.

Editing issues: One typo. Weird dialogue formatting.

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Length: 38,860 words

Final Grade: B

Click on the widget to buy at Amazon for $4.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up the first two Amazon bestselling books in my 50 Loving States series, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, as eBooks or in paperback!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

DEEPER, LOUDER, HARDER by Jorja Tabu

March 21, 2012 in A Reviews, B Reviews, BDSM, black woman asian man, black woman white man, boss, business man, bwam, bwwm, bwwm romance, celebrity, erotic, Novella, office romance, self-published, steamy

LOUDER by Jorja Tabu is free over at Amazon until this Friday, so I figured now would be a great time to delve into her novella set, DEEPER LOUDER HARDER, which includes her first three IR stories.

Description:


DEEPER – Prim and proper librarian, Charlotte Goodtree, finds herself loosening up in all the right ways when a handsome contractor enters her life. But will his explosive secret destroy their budding relationship?

LOUDER – Up and coming rapper, Ghost Diva (Gabby to her friends), receives the break of a lifetime when she lands the opening spot on tour for multi-platinum rapper, Echo. And, to her surprise, their chemistry burns even hotter off-stage.


 HARDER – Black secretary, Lisa Tyrell, is just about to quit on her domineering half-Japanese boss, Mr. Yamamoto, when he confesses that he’s not just domineering, but a conflicted Dom. Can she help him navigate his emotions without losing her heart.

 

The Good:

DEEPER – Ms. Tabu excels at nailing the awkwardness of getting to know the person to which one is sexually attracted. Her characters in all three books have considerable — but understandable and realistic self-esteem issues, stemming from class, racial differences, and internal conflict. The couple in DEEPER are super-sweet and the sex is AH-MAZING, with really clever set-ups. Also, Charlotte’s sister, Mandy, is a hoot, who really does need her own story.

LOUDER – I’m not a fan of lyrics in books, but Ms. Tabu nails the ones she gives to her characters. I love that her H/H are terrifically conflicted within themselves and with each other, as two people in their separate situations would be. She sets up great situations for them, and builds sexual tension that you could cut with a knife. I found this story to be just ridiculously romantic and the characters really stayed with me.

HARDER – Ms. Tabu has put this book in the exact right order, because each novella just kept getting better and better, and HARDER was my favorite of the three. This is just a really smart romance. Ms. Tabu is very concerned with her characters’ emotions, which makes them feel like living, breathing people, and the situations she sets up for this H/H just blew my mind. At one point, I found myself nodding and saying, “Respect, respect” out loud. Also, her dialogue in all three novellas is crazy-solid. This novella, in particular, is really funny and really different.

The Bad: I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a romance author who ends her stories so abruptly. I can understand not having an epilogue. But writing-wise, it feels like the author has a very short attention-span, and just decides she’s done with the story at a certain word-count mark — even if the story isn’t quite done. Reading this novella collection, felt like eating a plate of slightly undercooked cookies. I mean, cookies are yummy, no matter what, but I wish she had left them in the oven just a beat or two longer.

DEEPER – Because the H/H meet and fall in lust within the first few pages, the author fails to establish the heroine’s character before unraveling it. We’re told she’s an uptight good girl while watching her do wild bad girl things.

LOUDER – The hero has a daughter who’s mentioned often, but whom we never get to meet.

HARDER – The cover for the individual novella is not great, and even misleading at first glance. I didn’t realize that the cover model was wearing a stocking, and thought that I’d be reading an IR romance, involving a white woman and her PoC boss.

Though I loved the heroine’s POV, the hero was so compelling that it felt weird that he didn’t get one of his own — especially since the heroes of DEEPER and LOUDER got their own POVs. Of all the stories, this one gives you the most “kicked out” feeling. Luckily it’s given a sequel in HARDEST, which feels more like the ending this novella should have had.

The Naughty: Erotic. Serious breast play. (DEEPER) Steamy>Erotic. Sex on couch. (LOUDER) Erotic. D/s. Lingerie. Heightened sexual tension. (HARDER)

Editing issues: 12 typos found in set. DEEPER has a weird indent situation. In all three novellas, the author uses “taunt,” when she means “taut.”

Publisher: Indie author

Length: 60,000 words

Final Grade:

DEEPER – B+

LOUDER – A

HARDER – A

Click on the book widget to buy at Amazon for $4.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS by Wynter Daniels

March 20, 2012 in B Reviews, black woman white man, Book Reviews, boss, business man, bwwm, bwwm romance, erotic, May December romance, self-published, steamy

Description: When down-on-her-luck Scarlet Eldrige accepts a job as a nanny for a hellion teen, she’s thoroughly unprepared for the passion her charge’s father, Ethan, makes her feel. Can she keep both the unruly teenager and her attraction to Ethan in check?

The Good: Scarlet is a very sweet girl, and the theme of luck is played out very well. The story had a strong, compelling plot, and the sex scenes were hot and well-executed. Certainly worth the very small price!

The Bad: Scarlet is very concerned that everyone (including her bratty charge) likes her, and at times comes off as a doormat. Readers who don’t like “weak” characters, will find this heroine a bit frustrating. Also, there is a somewhat cliche, and ultimately unneeded beginning with the old cheating boyfriend break-up scene.

The Naughty: Steamy>Erotic. Serious sexual tension. 

Editing issues: Seven typos counted. Weird formatting.

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: Novel

Final Grade: B+

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $0.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up the first two, Amazon bestselling books in my 50 Loving States series, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, as eBooks or in paperback!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE and THE OWNER OF HIS HEART Now Available in Paperback!

March 19, 2012 in alpha male, black woman white man, business man, bwwm, bwwm romance, ebook talk, erotic, Her Russian Billionaire, Owner of His Heart, steamy

As a few of you may have noticed, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART is out of the KDP program and is now available just about everywhere, including Barnes & Noble and All Romance e-Books, where it’s already a bestseller.

However, HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE is in the KDP program until June, so it won’t go wide until then. But if you’re just dying to read my second Amazon Bestseller and don’t have a Kindle, there are two ways to get the novel before June:

a) Download it to your smart phone or tablet with the Kindle App

OR

b) Buy it as a paperback!

 

And we didn’t want OWNER to feel left out, so we made my first book available as a paperback as well:

 

Many thanks to all of you who downloaded my first two books and made them Amazon bestsellers. Really looking forward to releasing the third book in the 50 Loving States series this June!

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Theodora Taylor

INFATUATION: A Little Harmless Military Romance by Melissa Schroeder

March 14, 2012 in B Reviews, BDSM, black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, Navy Seal, self-published, steamy

Description: After a night of intense passion, Navy Seal, Francis Kade, promises to stay in touch with Shannon, the sister of one of his best friends. But a mission-gone-terribly-awry damages him both physically and emotionally. Can Shannon help him heal?

The Good: I’m a big fan of the wounded soldier trope, and Shannon was awesome. She was warm and caring without allowing herself to become a complete doormat. Personality-wise she was everything that Kade needed. Also, that cover is awesome.

The Bad: Though, I understand that BDSM is a theme in this series, in this book’s case, the carpet doesn’t match the drapes sex doesn’t match the couple. Ms. Schroeder fails to connect for the reader why a soldier with PTSD would be interested in dominating. So though the sex was really hot, it did not read like the sex this particular couple would be having, given their backgrounds. In the end, INFATUATION is an otherwise sexy story, bogged down by its theme. Also, the hero’s psychological arc wasn’t fully resolved, and I was left questioning whether Kade would be “all right.”

The Naughty: Steamy. Light BDSM. Toys.

Editing issues: One typo found

Publisher: Indie

Length: 36,226 words (Smashwords approximate)

Final Grade: B-

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $2.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series, for $4.16 each at Amazon.

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

DON’T CALL HER ANGEL by Cara McKenna

March 13, 2012 in A Reviews, alpha male, beta male, Book Reviews, Ellora's Cave, erotic, married couple, menage trois

Description: Emily, a sweet Georgia blond, and her husband, Rasul, a hard Middle Eastern man, have created a mutually-beneficial, Dom/sub marriage for themselves. Will inviting another man into their bedroom disrupt or further fuel their passion?

The Good: This is a really, really, really unusual read. It’s not quite BDSM, but not in any way your run-of-the-mill romance. The narrative is more slice-of-life than straight-forward, and in many ways this story feels more like a character study, with the author digging deeper and deeper into the three people at its center. The sex is written incredibly hot, and I have never read a couple quite like this. I love that they’re both in direct conflict with the way they were raised. If you’re looking for something different, something edgy, pick this book up.

The Bad: Those who are fans of plot-driven novels with straightforward HEA narratives might want to avoid this one. This is two commercial erotic romances what edgy indie films are to commercial movies.

The Naughty: Erotic. Threesome. Role Play. Possible Triggers for those with SA in their past. 

Editing issues: One typo found.

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

Length: 110 pages (Amazon estimated length)

Final Grade: A-

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $5.20.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series for $4.16 each at Amazon.

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

My 6-Step Strategy for Weaning Yourself Off of Constantly Checking Your KDP and Amazon Numbers

March 12, 2012 in ebook talk, Her Russian Billionaire, Owner of His Heart

Here’s something they don’t often talk about in the “So You Wanna Be an Indie Writer” brochures: KDP addiction.

For me, the major problem with taking the healthy step of not reading my own book reviews has been that I’ve become doubly obsessed with checking my KDP sales numbers and Amazon Sales Rank.

With OWNER (which I released last December), it got really bad. Over the holidays, I wasn’t reading, I couldn’t fully concentrate while watching TV, and I got called out a few times for only half-listening by my husband. But worse of all, I most definitely wasn’t writing. It all came to a head on Christmas morning, when I found myself unable to focus on opening presents, because I wanted to go check the sales stats so bad. I was jonesing so bad. That’s when I came up with the following strategy for weaning myself off of checking KDP and my Amazon Sales Rank all the time.

STEP 1: Realize you have a problem: If you’re not getting as much day job work done, if checking KDP and Amazon is affecting your interpersonal skills and relationships, if your mood is going up and down in accordance with your sales and rank numbers, if you can use the word “obsessive” to describe your relationship with the KDP and Amazon sites, if you’re NOT WRITING THE NEXT BOOK — then you have a problem.

STEP 2: Once you realize you have a problem, start checking KDP and Amazon only once an hour. Do this for however many days it takes to get to the next Monday. Set an alarm to keep yourself honest. During this time, I check mine, then I set a timer on my phone for 60 minutes.

STEP 3: On the Monday following your problem realization, start only checking once every four hours — at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm — you may also do a bonus check, right before you go to sleep. Do this for seven days. Don’t worry if you fall off the wagon a few times. Just get back on. By week’s end, you should be fully sticking to the once-every-four-hours plan.

STEP 4: On the second Monday following your problem realization, start checking two times a day. When you get up and before you go to sleep. Do this until…

STEP 5: The following Sunday. On this day, check your numbers once. From that point on, only check your numbers once a week, until you get to ….

STEP 6: The 16th day of the month. Check your monthly report on this day, then don’t check your numbers again until the 16th of the next month.

Some weaning pointers.

-When you start checking twice a day, take the KDP site off your phone. That is, if you, like me, made a home screen app for it, or have been leaving it open in your phone browser, close it down. And log out of Amazon, so that you’ll have to take a bunch of extra steps to access it when you’re not supposed to be accessing it.

-If you can, only ever check your stats on your computer.

-Logout of KDP and close out the window after checking your stats, so that you’re not tempted to keep checking when you’re not supposed to.

-Have a friend or loved one check your Amazon Rank for you. It’s all good not to read reviews, but if you hit certain numbers on the bestseller charts, then you should definitely know for marketing purposes alone. You’d be surprised by how many people will be happy to take on this particular obsessive activity for you, leaving you free to concentrate on writing.

-Don’t check your sales at the day job after the first week. Both good and bad sales numbers are productivity killers.

-Redirect your obsessive energy to writing the next book.

-Be prepared to go on a binge and have to rewean yourself off every single time you put out a book. I found this out the hard way, when I put HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE up last Saturday.

I’m now once again working the steps and have finally gotten to the point where I’m able to actually work on my next book project, because I’m only checking twice a day until next Sunday, when I’ll only be checking once a week. Wish me luck, with quitting this awful KDP and Amazon habit. For a second time.

 

Don’t want me to be sad the next time I check my KDP numbers? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series, for $4.16 each at Amazon.

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Theodora Taylor

WYNTER’S PROTECTION by Tressie Lockwood

March 9, 2012 in B Reviews, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, erotic, Novella, Sugar and Spice Press, suspense

Description: When Assistant DA, Wynter King, finds herself being hunted down by a mob boss, she turns to her ex-fiance, Crowe Hanson. But can she take shelter with him without losing her heart to him all over again?

The Good: This novella is well-plotted, and I love that the heroine is a strong woman with career ambitions. It was a very satisfying and complete read. I didn’t even remember that it was technically a novella until I sat down to write this review.

The Bad: Though the narrative was tight, other craft points weren’t quite there yet. The story as a whole suffered from stilted dialogue and clumsily-written action, which at times made it hard to understand what was happening during the higher-octane scenes.

The Naughty: Erotic. 

Editing issues: 2 typos found.

Publisher: Sugar and Spice Press

Length: Novella

Final Grade: B-

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $3.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series for $4.16 each at Amazon.

 

 

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