Besides the pleasure of the bargain itself, those bargain buckets or cheaper shops that would cause many to turn up their noses can hold real treasures. Never knowing what you might find is half the fun.

The ultimate bargain is to get something gratis—also called finding the freeness. It just makes you feel good. This is especially relevant during the current period as a bargain is always welcome in a recession.        

Let me make your hunt easier with two free books – Third Times a Charm and By the Fireside.  

Third Time’s a Charm

All Lily wants is to spend a pleasurable anniversary with her husband, Geoff. While it doesn’t seem like much to ask, something always seems to get in the way with Geoff being firmly to blame.

Though Geoff organises a spa visit that goes a long way to make up for it, the gift inadvertently places her in the company of Karl, a dark-skinned vision in a white smock. Lily allows herself to be innocently attracted to him as he uses his skilled fingers to massage her body, but can she resist going further?

By The Fireside

Newly arrived in Hell after selling her soul, Andrea wants nothing more than to give herself completely to her new lord and master. However, nobody said it would be that easy.

Happy reading!

Set over the Christmas period, Future Present is the story about Anna and her relationship with her boyfriend, Robert. However, the stress of Christmas and the arrival of Robert’s charming colleague threatens to derail them completely. 

Stop by LASR to read an excerpt and for your chance to win.

I’m sure that no small length of time is spent on choosing gifts, researching prices and making the purchases. The presents are all important, after all.

I have reached a stage where it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a decision about what to get for any of my family and friends. Whether it’s corny, something I previously bought or simply unsuitable, I find myself having to spend more time thinking and researching in order to get the ideal gift. I like to know that the recipient likes it and will enjoy it.

This desire raises the idea of the ultimate gift and what form this would take. Of course, it would vary according to who it was for, whether they were selfish or altruistic. Some people want to be able to give someone what they want, even if they don’t know they want it or would never admit to – what a boon to be able to give that gift. It takes some imagination and skill, as is possessed by the hero, Robert, in my Christmas tale, Future Present, which is published by Phaze.                                  

Robert is in love with Anna, even if he doesn’t always show it as she would like. What he does know is how to give great gifts and how to surprise her with them.                

     Waking to the faint shuffling of gentle movement, Anna turned to find Robert getting dressed. “Where are you going?”

     “Ah, you’re awake.” He smiled, too cheerful for the hour, pushing his arms though the sleeves of a jumper. “Good morning.”

     “Morning.” Eyeing him closely, she only returned the salutation to make him answer her question.

     “I’m just popping down the road to get some supplies.”

     “What supplies?” she almost wailed. “We have everything we need.”

     “No, we don’t,” Robert replied, his voice calm compared to hers. “The wine won’t last and we forgot cranberry sauce.”

     “Who cares about cranberry sauce?”

     Running his fingers into his hair, he rubbed vigorously and checked his reflection before turning back to her. “I care.”        

     Twisting beneath the sheets, Anna turned to study him curiously. 

     “I have to go now,” he insisted, responding to her expression after she turned to look at the clock. “Most places are only open half day on Christmas eve.”

     Scowling at him, Anna sought a position from which to argue that she had yet to offer.

     “I want to get everything to make this a perfect Christmas.”

     Looking into his expressive eyes, she could think of nothing to say, powerful guilt showing her an image of his eyes if he discovered she had already ruined his perfect Christmas. 

     “Hurry back—I’ll be waiting in bed for you.”

     Anna lifted her chin expectantly as he returned to her side. His kiss made her mouth tingle with a touch of mint, soapy clean scent complimenting the warmth from his lips. “Of course I will.”          

As part of the Blog Hop Spot, I offer my own gift to one lucky reader this Christmas in the form of a free ebook. All you have to do is leave a comment confirming what you would love to receive, or what you would like to happen, this Christmas.

Well, I thought I’d remind those that had been residing under a rock.

You couldn’t fail to realise that Christmas was on its way with a look at the lovely cover for my latest title with Phaze, Future Present. Before you ask, it’s supposed to be a play on words – present meaning current and gift…Christmas theme…to be given in the future. Hmm, I was going for something, but titles are not my forte. Let’s not dwell on it, not when there is a lovely cover to look at.

It’s a lovely distraction amongst those that Christmas can bring. Anna, the heroine, is very easily distracted…

 Thinking about loading the dishwasher before serving coffee, Anna was lost in thought until footsteps drew her attention. Carrying dishes she intended to go back for, Harris smiled warmly. “I thought I’d offer a helping hand.”

A frisson caressed her back, mild excitement remaining after surprise dissipated. He filled his suit differently than Robert, his broad frame immediately dominating the room and silently demanding attention.

“Thank you.” Taking the load, her fingers brushed his, feeling surprisingly warm. “That’s kind of you.”

“It’s nothing. Can I help with anything else?”

Though grateful, Anna would never ask a guest for help. Yet, she was in no hurry to encourage his departure. They exchanged pleasantries for a while, and the room temperature seemed to rise though the oven was off. 

His dark skin had a light sheen, prominent on his cheekbones, like burnished copper. Watching his full lips as he spoke, Anna smiled when he did, revealing his gleaming white teeth. 

When Harris took his leave, Anna felt a strange quiver in the pit of her stomach.

The only black man amongst Rob’s colleagues, Anna briefly considered whether she was focusing on him for this reason as she loaded the dishwasher with crockery, going overboard in ensuring he wasn’t neglected. Quickly deciding it was far from the truth, she concentrated on her chore to finish quickly. A strong sensation made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, interrupted her musings and preventing a conclusion.

Looking up, she met Harris’ gaze, watching her from where he stood outside the dining room. At an angle, his shoulder was slightly pulled back as if he posed intentionally. Watching her through lowered lashes, his smile turned his eyes into glistening half-moons.

Smiling shyly, Anna averted her gaze. He was gone when she looked up.

Come back soon to find out how to win an ebook copy of Future Present, which is available now at Phaze.

Anyway, I know precisely nothing about ballroom dancing so I apologise if you were expecting a discussion about Strictly Come Dancing or some such programme. While it does lend itself to the discussion, it is not the main topic of conversation, which is domination. Much like in other walks of life, the man is the one to dominate when it comes to formal dances.

The discussion about why men always come out on top in the battle of the sexes is a pointless one as it has the potential to be endless, resulting in no good conclusion. A better discussion would be about what the world would be like if women were in charge—less war, reduced instances of traders taking banks down, less political scandal. Ah, what a dream!

In my experience, men who are powerful in their everyday life are happier to give up in ‘other’ areas, but that isn’t much use to the world. It seems that women will only ever get a chance to take the lead when they force the issue, which some do very well. It is the dominant women of the world that inspired my latest offering, Taming the Alter Ego, which has been released by Phaze.  

The heroine, Mariella, gives the mere appearance of subservience, she is actually very much in control. Not least when Lady Isis takes over. However, power is a fickle beast and it is all too easy to lose grip of it as Mariella discovers when she meets Tom.     

An excerpt follows.

Ask yourself, how much power do you hold and what would it take to make you let it go.

Tom silently passed me and I, in turn, offered no greeting. With hard fought restraint, I merely flick my gaze upward before looking back at my computer screen, seeing nothing as my fingers fly across the keyboard.

I savor his trailing scent before it dissipates, leaving me a teasing hint of him occupying the same space as me. Our connection was a strange one, possibly because in his two months at the company, we’d never been formally introduced. Neither of us took the initiative but regarded each other with civil silence. For a middle-class, white man in authority, he was unusually timid.     

I was free to admire the way his square shoulders tapered to a lean frame, wrapped in a well-fitting black suit. I yearned to mess up his dapper look. 

His dark hair perfectly suited his light tan, and I wanted to run my fingers through it. I wanted to grip the strands between my digits. To search his brown eyes, which I only ever got to see from afar.     

The mere sight of him could snatch away my self-control, leading me to absentmindedly tease my black curls as I speculated on how his passion manifested. I liked to think that he was submissive—at least he would be with me. With the strength of my will and the power of my figure, his body and mind would yield to my desire.