Welcome Tina Donahue and a Contest

Against all odds…

One of the many plot elements in a satisfying romance is when the writer keeps the lovers apart. In an historical romance, the problem may be that she’s betrothed to another or he’s from a clan that’s always at war with her people. In contemporary romance, the story might hinge on the hero’s aversion to commitment or the heroine’s self-doubt (eg: I’m not pretty enough, skinny enough, young enough).

Whether the conflict is external or internal, it draws you in. Suddenly, you ache to see these two together. You want them to overcome every obstacle and fall in love. In the movie He’s Just Not That Into You, how could you not root for Gigi, who wanted love so badly. She made many missteps along the road to happiness. Even so, the end of the film brings a smile when the guy who’d ignored her finally sees what he’s been missing.

In my newest erotic romance Losing Control, Book Two in my Appointment with Pleasure series, I explored the theme of two people who shouldn’t be together except in the most superficial way. A one-night-stand, so to speak. Tim’s wealthy. Catherine grew up in the inner city. He’s a lobbyist in DC. She’s a high-priced call girl. Because of the differences in their social standing, Catherine’s afraid to admit her past to Tim. He doesn’t know she works for the agency. What begins as a necessary lie, in her mind, soon becomes unmanageable as their attraction grows.

The deeper she gets, the harder it is for Catherine to make things right. Her struggle for the truth adds richness and depth to their sensual adventure and their ultimate journey to love.

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt to give you a taste of their story.

BLURB:

When it comes to passion, there are no rules…

She wasn’t supposed to hunger for him. Tim Bellamy was off-limits to Catherine, a high-priced call girl with an uneasy past. Indulging in his raw desire shouldn’t have happened, especially at a District party attended by the nation’s elite. Tim doesn’t know she works for the agency. If he did…  That’s not something Catherine wants to confess. Drowning in his strength and heat, aching to see him again, she keeps her secret.

From old wealth, Tim has never met anyone quite like Catherine. Exotic, elegant, earthy, she’s the best of all worlds. Their evenings are sensual delights where voyeurism, bondage and a growing bond satisfy carnal needs and stir something deep within…until he stumbles upon the truth.

Shaken by her lies, Tim needs to prove the depth of Catherine’s lust and yearning once and for all. For him, their erotic adventure has only begun…

EXCERPT:

She shouldn’t have stared at him on the stairs and risked being noticed. She was an idiot for having taken his hand. A part of Catherine wanted to flee with his question. The rest of her couldn’t move. 

What now?

She had no answer. His presence and masculinity continued to hold her. Even if she had wanted to leave, her legs were too rubbery for escape. Helpless, she remained, noticing the flecks of blue in his gray eyes and that he’d had his left earlobe pierced.

A remnant from his time in Paris? His file had touched upon his years there, stating only that he’d been bumming around, blowing his trust fund. Doing what? With whom? She craved information about him, the real stuff that ran deep—what made him laugh, his dreams, regrets, how he looked while asleep exhausted after several orgasms—without revealing a bit of information about herself.

Not because she was ashamed of what she did. Like Alexa, Catherine had a European’s appreciation of sex as a natural activity one should enjoy to the fullest. To earn money for it was a definite bonus.

However, telling Tim the truth might confirm Alexa’s appraisal of him as being a sanctimonious jerk. Catherine wasn’t ready for that disappointment and didn’t much like herself for wanting to make excuses for him or herself. Always, she’d been a realist, knowing that one did what was necessary to survive and succeed. Most of the people here subscribed to the same philosophy—hell, they’d written the damn ground rules—acting in ruthless self-interest while retaining their so-called sterling reputations. Why then, should it be different for her?

Lightning fast, images popped in her mind of her leaning into Tim, allowing his solid weight to support her. She pictured her palm on his chest, over his heart, feeling its accelerated beat because of her bold mood. With her finger stroking one of his shirt’s black studs, she’d press her lips to his ear. Silkily, she’d whisper, “You want to know my name. The one I was given or the one I’m using now? No, wait, I’ll tell you an even better secret…I’m a call girl.”

High priced and in demand with this nation’s lawmakers and corporate elite, like her date tonight. He knew her as Catherine. No last name had been necessary.

“You’ll see,” Alexa had predicted early in their business relationship, long before they became friends.

How right Alexa had been. The few times Catherine’s client had remembered to introduce her, it was only to say she was his date. He hadn’t even offered her first name. Probably didn’t remember it. As far as he was concerned, she was a mere appendage to his magnificence. None of the men or the women they’d met had asked for more information. They’d focused on him, no doubt recalling the recent Time and Newsweek articles about his IPO, far more successful than Facebook’s had been. His wealth and accomplishments had blinded them to her. She was as invisible as if she’d been one of tonight’s kitchen help.

With her sorry background, she wouldn’t have been hired to scrub dishes. Lower middle class was a lofty state those in her old neighborhood had never aspired to. They’d resigned themselves to surviving on government assistance and living an abbreviated life fueled by the brief highs, then crushing lows of drugs.

Tim knew nothing substantial about her world and probably wouldn’t have liked it if he had. The differences between them flared again, along with Alexa’s previous warning, and yet Catherine couldn’t get past the way he regarded her. His interest was shameless desire, no different from what she continued to feel, and yet it seemed deeper somehow. The kind of attention a man gave a woman he already liked and wanted to get to know outside of the bedroom.

She really should leave. “Catherine,” she murmured, telling him her name.

BUY LINK:  http://www.ellorascave.com/losing-control.html

AUTHOR BIO:

Tina Donahue is an award-winning, bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, and Kensington. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. Three of her erotic romances (Adored, Lush Velvet Nights, and Deep, Dark, Delicious) were named finalists in the 2011 EPIC competition. The French review site, Blue Moon reviews, chose her erotic romance Sensual Stranger as their Book of the Year 2010 (erotic category). The Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for Lush Velvet Nights, and two of her titles (The Yearning and Deep, Dark, Delicious) received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition (2011 and 2012). Take Me Away and Adored both won second place in the NEC RWA contest (different years). Tina is featured in the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. She was the editor of an award–winning Midwestern newspaper and worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.

Email: tina@tinadonahue.com

Website/blog: www.tinadonahue.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000458023097

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authortina/my-books/

To celebrate the release of Losing Control, I’m offering a contest.

I’ll choose THREE winners (at random) from those who comment on the various sites during the tour. The more you comment, the greater your chances of winning one of my backlist ebooks from this list:

1.                  Adored – RWA award-winning; EPIC 2011 Finalist; 4 Stars RT

2.                  Deep, Dark, Delicious – EPIC 2011 Finalist; Holt Medallion Award of Merit

3.                  Lush Velvet Nights – EPIC 2011 Finalist; Golden Nib Award

4.                  In His Arms – SIX 5 Star Reviews; 4 Stars RT

5.                  Sensual Stranger – 2010 Book of the Year (erotic); 4 Stars RT

6.                  The Yearning – Top Ten Bestseller

7.                  Take Me Away - #1 Pick, Miz Love Loves Books

8.                  Unending Desire – Best Book Rating LASR

9.                  SiNN – Nominated for Book of the Week LASR

10.              Sinfully Wicked – Magnificent – Romancing the Book

Follow the tour: http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/tina-donahue/