A Beautiful New Cover, a Release Date, and a Great Review!

Loving Eve has a cover, designed by the talented Syneca. Isn't it gorgeous?

Patricia Tanner, my wonderful Cactus Rose editor at TWRP, gave me the release date for my Native American western historical, Rhythm of the Drum. It will be available March 10.

Last but not least, I was humbled by the amazing review Brenda at The Romance Studio gave The Cowboy and the Cougar. She said:

This book sizzled. The chemistry with this couple was explosive. It definitely is not for the faint of heart. There is a high volume of sexuality and it is very graphic. Often when that is the case, there is no storyline and the plot is underdeveloped. That was definitely not the case here. The book was highly emotional. This is not my first Helen Hardt book and it will certainly not be my last.

I like her writing style and enjoy reading her action packed novels. This one is completely opposite her previous books I’ve read. This just shows her versatility. She will become a must-read and a name you will search for time and again. I recommend this book to anyone over the age of 18. It’s explosive but also a great read.

Huge thanks to Brenda, and have a great weekend!

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Andrei Claude

It was only a matter of time before I got around to Andrei...

Not only is he Mr. Romance 2005, he's also an Italian international model and actor, born and raised on an island just off the coast of Italy in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Isn't that the perfect background for a romance hero?

MEET THE HEROBris from Namaste, My Love

Today I'm excited to welcome one of my partners in the new Cougar Club blog, Sam Cheever! Her sexy cougar story is burning up the sales charts at Aspen Mountain Press. Here's a little about Sam:

Award winning author Sam Cheever mixes a little fun, a little adventure, and a little real-life spice to create her sexy stories. Sam’s books are fun, fast paced, and rife with challenges to be overcome. To their credit, Sam’s characters deal admirably with everything she throws at them. But, more importantly, they don’t let anything dampen their zest for life and sweet, hot love!

To find out more about Sam and her work, please pay her a visit at any one of the following online hot spots: her website; her author page on Facebook; her MySpace page; or her blog. Sam also contributes to a Cougar Club Blog, where you can stop in and visit with the authors and readers of The Cougar Club and learn more about the series and the Cougar world. She always loves to chat with readers.

Blurb:
Classy and shy, the last thing Felicia Jeffries wants is to sit in a crowded bar with a bunch of drunk women, stuffing twenty dollar bills down the thongs of sexy young men on stage. The last thing she expects is to find herself incredibly drawn to one of those sexy young men. And the last thing she needs is to deal with the consequences.

But deal she will. Because the alternative is unthinkable...losing the heart and body of Bris Holcomb, uber-sexy exotic dancer, popular yoga instructor, and the man who’s grabbed her heart and won’t let go.

Now, for a taste of Bris:

The music changed, becoming even more heated, deeper and sensual. The pulse of it beat in her veins, changing the tempo of her heartbeat. She stared at the floor, panicked and terrified.

A long, muscular pair of legs appeared in front of her. Thankfully they were clad in well worn jeans.

The jeans had holes in them.

Lots of holes.

Some of them in extremely strategic places.

Her gaze faltered at the juncture of two muscular, denim-clad thighs where the crotch of the jeans should have been. What was there instead was a hole, frayed at the edges, and a silky yellow patch of fabric sporting a road runner in the center.

Felicia looked into a pair of sparkling blue eyes, fringed in thick dark-gold lashes.

He was laughing at her reaction to his road runner. He winked at her and her heart, literally, thumped against her chest.

Suddenly a large, square hand appeared in front of her face.

The crowd went crazy. They screamed and started chanting again. At first Felicia couldn’t hear what they were saying, but soon she realized they were chanting, “Go for it!”

She tried to lean back, away from the hand, but Sis wasn’t gonna let her get away with that. She grabbed Felicia’s arm and pulled her out of her chair. Before Felicia knew what was happening the hunk on the stage had grabbed her hand and she was pulled onto the stage with him.

She hit his broad, naked chest with an undignified “umph!” and felt the jolt to her system through her whole body.

The first thing she noticed was his scent. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. He was all warm musk overlaid by clean sweat and something that she couldn’t quite identify which reminded her of hot sex.

The next thing she noticed was the smooth warmth of his naked chest. His well-formed pecs were right in front of her nose, a small triangle of dark gold hairs nestled between them.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body into his, swaying to the decadent pulse of the music. Felicia held herself stiffly in his arms at first, but the combination of hot, sexy man and the throbbing beat of the music quickly overcame her natural resistance and her muscles softened, molding to his.

She closed her eyes and swayed with him, feeling every hard line of his long body against hers. His hands slid over her back and shoulders, soothing, caressing, until her muscles felt like the softest butter under his fingers.

Felicia’s hands moved over his body, sliding across his narrow waist, up his sides, and across his broad chest. They trailed past the strong shoulders and thick neck, to a square jawed face with just the hint of dark gold stubble across it.

The room erupted as he lowered his head and laid his lips over her throat.

A Great Review!

Huge thanks to Brande at Book Junkie for her amazing review of The Cowboy and the Cougar! She says:

...Helen created a great character in Jack, so what, he is in his late 20's, he was mature, responsible and had all this life together. Age didn't matter, his love for Holly did and he fought hard for her, very hard. But with all relationships comes struggle and I was thrilled to see that despite the fact I knew my HEA was coming, Jack and Holly's problems were so real and often times painful to bear...

You can read the entire review here.

Be sure to tune in Monday to meet another luscious cub -- Bris in Namaste, My Love by my friend Sam Cheever. Have a great weekend!

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Anthony Gallo

Today I'm blogging at The Cougar Club. Stop by to learn where the term "cougar" originated!

Anthony was born May 3, 1981 in New York City, New York, and is an American model of Italian and African descent. This hottie was one of the first African-American faces of Abercrombie & Fitch, which gave him the mass exposure that secured him another big campaign for Pepe Jeans. He also appeared in Rihanna's 2008 pop and R&B video, "Take A Bow." Damn, look at that body!

MEET THE HEROJohn from Getting Intimate

Monday's Hero is back again! Today I'm pleased to be hosting talented author Victoria Blisse on the first stop on her blog tour to promote her new Phaze release, Getting Intimate. Welcome, Victoria!

Victoria Blisse is a mother, wife, Christian, Manchester United fan and erotica writer. She is equally at home behind a laptop or a cooker and she loves to create stories, poems, cakes and biscuits that make people happy. She was born near Manchester, England and her northern English quirkiness shows through in all of her stories. Passion, love and laughter fill her works, just as they fill her busy life. Visit Victoria at http://www.victoriablisse.co.uk.

Blurb:
The sequel to Getting Physical!

John and Terri have been dating for six months now, and John is anxious to commemorate this special anniversary. As much as Terri loves the time she spends with John, she still can't shake her negative self-worth. When a series of misunderstandings drives the two apart, it's up to John to convince the woman he loves that she's the only one with whom he wants to be intimate.

And here's a closer look at our hero, John:

I felt Terri’s hand rubbing up and down my arm, soothingly, but I still couldn’t look at her. I was struggling to hold in the tears and if I looked at her I knew the sympathy in her eyes would make me sob like a child.

“Uni wasn’t much better. I became a real loner and kept to myself. I spent a lot of time in the gym there, trying to work up some muscle, trying desperately to bulk up. As you can see, it didn’t work. I’ve been at gym after gym since then, trying my hardest. I decided that keeping a low profile, being the loner was my best course of action. I took that into my job with me. It meant I didn’t attract the nasty comments any more, but I didn’t attract the ladies either. I went on three dates and they were all disasters. Every time the girl ended up hurt, physically on one occasion. I ended up embarrassed, upset and alone. So, you know, I’ve never seen myself as much. Just a sad, skinny loner.”

“Nonsense.” Terri kissed my cheek and I turned my head to look at her. “Sweetheart, you’re not skinny. Look at yourself.” She stroked a hand down from my shoulder to my wrist. “These are muscles. You’ve got them all over.” Her hand caressed my chest, slipped over my hip and squeezed my thigh. My breath caught in my throat. “Okay, you’re not Rambo, thank God, but you're lithe and lean. No one in their right mind would call you skinny. You are gorgeous. You’re way out of my league.”

I shook my head and rolled onto my side.

“No way, you’re well out of my league. You’re beautiful.”

She laughed before she replied. “Listen to us both. Jeez, we hate ourselves but love each other. Maybe we should just decide to believe in how the other sees us. It can’t do any harm. I’ll try and believe I am beautiful like you think, if you try to believe you’re as gorgeous as I know you are. We can give it a go, can’t we?”

“Sure, it can’t possibly do any harm to at least give it a go.”

“Maybe it’ll even do us some good. You know, I realise that I owe you an apology.”

“What for?” I asked, my brow wrinkling. I really didn’t know what she meant.

“For doubting you. It was an insult, really, that I so readily believed you’d cheat on me. You’re a good man and I feel ashamed for jumping to such a silly conclusion. You will forgive me, won’t you?” I could see genuine regret in her eyes. The way she nibbled on her bottom lip as she waited for my reply told me she was anxious for my absolution.

“Of course I forgive you,” I replied as a wicked idea flashed across my mind, “but you have been a naughty girl -- and I think you should be punished.”

READY TO PROWL?

Come join the Cougars!

I've teamed up with my friends Lizzie T. Leaf and Sam Cheever to start The Cougar Club blog (www.cougarclubreaders.blogspot.com.) We'll be reviewing cougar stories, hosting special guest bloggers, and keeping up with all cougar news and changes in the cougar lifestyle. Stop by today and say hi!

Here are some delicious cubs to whet your appetite:

Caco Ricci, age 31, and the inspiration for Jack in The Cowboy and the Cougar.

Emmanuel Delcour, age 29, glorious and French, and fresh from Bravo's Chef Academy. In the market for a private chef?

Miguel Angel Silvestre, the baby of the bunch at age 27. Red wine, anyone?

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Ashmit Patel

I'm so sorry my hunk is late today! While surfing for photos of Ashmit yesterday, I managed to pick up a nasty virus, and the dh was on the computer until late last night eradicating it. Not fun! But Ashmit is worth it! Many thanks to my lovely friend April Vine for leading me to him ;). He was born on January 13, 1978 in Mumbai, India, and he is a Bollywood actor. I couldn't find many photos, but I did find a very hot video of him in a kiss with fellow Bollywood actress Riya Sen. The stuff of dreams, friends...

I Dare You Not to Laugh Out Loud...

Okay, I lied. Monday's Hero interviews will start next week, not this week.

In the meantime, most of you know that the dh and I spent some time in Jamaica last month. One of the locals introduced us to this calypso song. Enjoy!



And because I can't leave you without eye candy...feast on this while you're listening to the song ;).

I'll Miss You, Suz!

My wonderful editor at Ellora's Cave, Sue-Ellen Gower, is leaving editing. I'm lamenting the loss over at MamaWriters today. Have any of you ever lost an editor? Head over and tell me about it.

I need a pick-me-up.

This oughtta do it...

HUMP-DAY HUNK -- Matt Schiermeier

Thirty-three year old Matt hails from the midwestern U.S. The former Rufskin model appreciates the beauty of nature and wildlife. He wants his modeling to have a significant impact on the global issues he holds dear. You go, Matt!

HAPPY NEW YEARKicking off 2010 with two CAPA Nominations!

My dh and I celebrated with the Harley Riders at a festive New Year's Eve gala.

I found out a week or so ago that I received not one, but two nominations in The Romance Studio's 2009 CAPA awards! Got Wolf? Volume 1 (containing my short novel Blood Wolf) has been nominated for best anthology. Shortly after its release, the lovely Margo at TRS gave Got Wolf? a fantastic Five Heart review. Many congratulations to Ria Ellis, the other author in the anthology! These stories are already winners, as they won The Wild Rose Press's Got Wolf? contest last year.

And let's get to the surreal and very humbling part...I was nominated for Favorite Erotic Author! Right alongside the amazing Lora Leigh, the wonderful Shiloh Walker, and many other fabulous writers! To be mentioned in the same breath with such talent is quite an honor. You can view all the nominees here.

I've been playing hookie from all things writing for a couple weeks now, so it's time to get back to business. Monday's Hero interviews will be starting again next week. If you have a new release or any current release that you'd like to promote on Helen's Heroes, please email me privately at helenhardt@gmail.com and I'll get you set up. Hump-day Hunks will resume this Wednesday, so stay tuned!

My next release is a western historical, Lessons of the Heart, on February 17.

Spinster schoolteacher Ruth Blackburn has accepted her fate. She's not meant for love, especially not with ill-mannered--though excruciatingly handsome--Garth Mackenzie, the widowed father of one of her students. She'll just have to ignore the fact that he makes her skin heat.

Garth Mackenzie is used to loss. The Civil War cost him his best friend and his ability to sleep through the night, and illness stole his wife and son. To avoid the pain of losing his daughter, he keeps her at arm's length, much to her teacher's dismay. Ruth Blackburn is independent and opinionated-just what Garth doesn't need. But her vibrant beauty and energy awaken feelings in him he thought long dead.

Can he let go of his past and open up to new lessons of the heart?

I also have a super-hot menage, Loving Eve, coming to Ellora's Cave sometime in February, but I don't have the exact date or a cover yet.

What's on the horizon for you in 2010?