Sunday, May 12, 2013

To Mother With Love.

I don't have a memory of my mother at all before the day she walked out of my life as a youngster. I was only five at the time and I remember wrapping myself around her legs begging her not to go while my father cursed her. And for years after I blamed myself, though I'd told him the truth, because he'd asked. That yes, I had seen her kissing someone and yes she'd left us waiting in the car a long time while she and the man went inside. Life isn't always sunshine and roses and sometimes no matter how much we want something to be true, it just isn't. As a youngster, I learned to make up stories about why we were motherless. Mother was an air hostess and traveled a lot was my favorite. But years and experience open your mind and your eyes regardless and somewhere along the way, I understood that my mother had been a child bride to a man twice her age, yet older still from a war on foreign soil he'd lived through. That leaving four children behind was the hardest thing she ever did. And that I wasn't to blame for their marriage breakup. Just life. We eventually made peace a few years before she died of diabetes. She was only fifty six and though ravaged by her sickness and having lost both legs, she still had a fragile beauty that when I think of her, haunts me still. She was never a baking or sewing Mother. She never came to any of my school events or plays and we never talked about boys or played with make-up. She never brushed my hair or called me pretty. She just wasn't there. Yet I catch a glimpse of her every time I look in a mirror. She was vivacious, lovely, could sing sweet enough to break your heart or slap your knee and grin. She was loud, proud and sucked all the air out of a room the minute she walked into it, turning heads and stopping conversation. Yet she was a tiny little thing...and I loved her. Happy Mothers Day Mum, always and ever, bella

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Shayla Black - Who's Your Wicked Lover? Giveaway Hop



My Favorite Wicked Lovers Hero

By Isabella LaPearl

I’m rather partial to the Doms and ‘Cavemen’ of Wicked Lovers...

The fabulous series created by my friend and mentor, Shayla Black. I hate having to pick just one, but I guess if I had to, from the books currently available, then the hero who won my heart would have to be the Dominant, Hunter Edgington. 

I thoroughly enjoyed “Surrender To Me” and personally found his dominance and the way he went after the woman he loved, down right sexy and powerfully evocative. He lived on in my mind long after I’d read the final words and shivered with delight at his deeds. I’d have to say, that I my opinion, he was the perfect match for Kata, as she is such a strong, passionate woman who needed a firm hand, yet gentle guidance and all the love he had to give her. 

All the Edgington men appealed to me, and yet they all had it rough in one way or another. Which only meant to me, that their stories and what they went through to secure their ‘other halves’ made their tales more poignant, more endearing, more...challenging and the final outcome so riveting and worth it.     
Their inherent loyalty, commitment, protectiveness and passions were key elements as well. 
Hunter never gave up, even when he was forced to. And that to e is the true measure of a man who loves a woman. Nothing stands in his way.

For me, the series itself just keeps getting better and better, and the characters more intriguing. 
I also love that you get to ‘revisit’ old friends from previous books and catch up on where they are now and their families. 

Last but not least, I thoroughly enjoy the BDSM element of Wicked Lovers, as it’s something that fascinates many readers, including myself, who yearn for a clearer understanding of the power exchange between a Dominant and his submissive. Ms Black’s writing does not disappoint! Throwing open the doors to the bedroom, or the Dungeon, as the case may be and revealing all in glorious detail… I am a huge fan and will continue to be as long as Ms Black continues to write this wildly successful and wonderful series.




Ours to Love

Wicked Lovers, Book 7

Between two brothers…
Xander Santiago spent years living it up as a billionaire playboy. Never given a chance to lead his family business in the boardroom, he became a Master in the bedroom instead. His older brother inherited the company and worked tirelessly to make it an empire. But while the cutthroat corporate espionage took its toll on Javier, nothing was as devastating as the seemingly senseless murder of his wife. It propelled him into a year of punishing rage and guilt…until Xander came to his rescue.
Comes an irresistible woman …
Eager to rejuvenate Javier’s life, Xander shanghais him to Louisiana where they meet the beautiful London McLane. After surviving a decade of tragedy and struggle, London is determined to make a fresh start—and these sexy billionaire brothers are more than willing to help. In every way. And London is stunned to find herself open to every heated suggestion…and desperately hoping that her love will heal them.
And inescapable danger …
But a killer with a hidden motive is watching, on a single-minded mission to destroy everything the Santiago brothers hold dear, especially London. And as fear and desire collide, every passionate beat of her heart could be her last.


Virtual Signing:
Through May 14, 2013 you can get a signed copy of:

Wicked Lovers #1 - Wicked Ties (reprint with new cover)

Wicked Lovers #7 - Ours to Love


For more information, click here!


Prize Information:
Isabella is giving away a signed copy of One Dom To Love by Shayla Black, Jenna Jacob & Isabella LaPearl to one lucky commenter on this blog.  Isabella's prize is available internationally.

Shayla is offering a grand prize of a Kindle Fire HD 7" for one random commenter.

Rafflecopter Code for Grand Prize Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway