Tag: Dee Tenorio

Guest Author: Dee Tenorio – Trust in Me

Posted July 31, 2013 by Holly in Promotions | 6 Comments

timMy Kinda Man

by Dee Tenorio

 

I’m guilty, I admit it. When I watch movies or read books, there are times when I smile like a fool and sigh, “Now, that’s my kinda man!” (This happens a lot when Terrence Howard is on the screen. Also Eric Bana. Really lot when Eric Bana is on the screen. Like, embarrassingly a lot. While sitting next to my husband even. Sighhhhh.) You know you do it. Or at least think it. (Remember that scene in I Am Legend where Will Smith is doing pull-ups? Tell me you didn’t. Just try. Uh huh, that’s what I thought!)

Now, in real life, my kinda man is artistic and ambitious. He has deep soulful eyes, a mouth made for kissing, hands that can hold me tight but still be strong enough to hold me up when my world has fallen apart.

He’s a father, able to guide and teach, laugh and support. His children run to his arms and they know he’ll catch them. He also broods. Like. You. Would. Not. Believe. He’s thoughtful. He’s kind, and so generous, giving of himself time and time again. A perfectionist, but I find he expects more of himself than he does anyone else. He’s funny, making me laugh until it hurts. And no one knows his secrets but me.

When I write, that man of mine is lurking somewhere in all of my heroes. A sliver, because I have to fall a little in love with them to tell their stories. They come from all walks of life, so they are all very different. From the CEO with a broken heart to the mechanic who thought he didn’t have one. From the graphic artist with no family to my latest hero, Locke Jackman, whose entire life revolved around the six siblings he raised after his parents died.

Locke is special to me because he gave up so much to protect his family and keep them together. In “Trust In Me”, readers get to meet a hero who is paternal and strong. One who knows the value of love and the price it can cost, but is willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep it safe. My husband is much the same, accepting my sister’s children as our own after she passed and being the center that keeps our family spinning, no matter what crazy turn our lives take.

It takes a special kind of man to do that and I wanted Locke to have that same core of family. His life has gone in a different direction because of his choices, but I wanted to show that those directions can be more than worth it. That when we least expect it, life rewards us with joy and fulfillment. Sure, sometimes we have to fight for it, but its worth it. Trust me on that.

So now that I’ve spilled my gooey guts all over the place (don’t worry, I brought a mop!), how about all of you share with me? What is your kinda man? Describe him in the comments and be entered in a drawing for your choice of one of my backlist titles!

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Sometimes falling in love is the easy part…

 

A Rancho del Cielo Romance

Locke Jackman is single, childless…and he has a bad case of empty nest syndrome. For years, as he fought tooth and nail to keep his brothers and sisters together after his parents died, his entire life was focused on his responsibilities.

Now his siblings have all moved on with their lives, and there’s no one around to distract him from his overpowering attraction to his sister’s best friend. Their mutual desire is stunning…but then again, so are the secrets keeping them apart.

Susie Packard’s nightmarish marriage taught her what happens when she gives in to her weakness for powerful men. Too bad the big, stoic frowner across the street—the one who sets her bells jangling just by breathing—has her in his sights.

Try as she might to keep her emotional distance, Locke is determinedly knocking down all her walls. But as much as she wants to be the woman he needs, she knows better than most—passion may have its rewards, but every secret has its price.

 

Warning: This book contains a hot, modern-day Viking seducing his way to the heart of his woman, a stubborn lingerie designer with a world of secrets and a very deep bathtub… Enjoy!

Dee2013Dee Tenorio has a few reality issues. After much therapy for the problem—if one can call being awakened in the night by visions of hot able-bodied men a problem—she has proved incurable. It turns out she enjoys tormenting herself by writing sizzling, steamy romances of various genres spanning paranormal mystery dramas, contemporaries and romantic comedies. Preferably starring the sexy, somewhat grumpy heroes described above and smart-mouthed heroines who have much better hair than she does.

The best part is, no more therapy bills!

Well, not for Dee, anyway. Her husband and kids, on the other hand…

If you would like to learn more about Dee and her work, please peruse around this site or visit her blog at http://www.deetenorio.com/Blog/.

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DFRAT Review: The Virgin’s Revenge by Dee Tenorio

Posted June 29, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

If you can’t beat ’em…seduce ’em

Amanda Jackman’s love life is the stuff dreams are made of…which is fitting, because it’s all in her head. Thanks to six oversized, overbearing brothers who treat her like the family jewel, she’s lived in a padded little box.

Determined to get a life before she needs a padded little cell, she sets out to throw off the yoke and live on her own terms. Except she seriously underestimates the lengths to which her brothers will go to keep her safe and sound.

Cole Engstrom’s life might just be at an end. Cornered by all six of the massive Jackmans—men he normally considers his friends—he learns he’s their choice to marry their sister…or else. Make that first choice, but not the last.

Rather than watch Amanda’s brothers club their way through potential mates, Cole figures it’s best to just play along for a while and buy her some time to find a man of her own. It’s a good plan. Until Amanda figures it out—and decides he’s the one to relieve her of her “sheltered little virgin” status. One seduction at a time...
Cole Engstrom is shocked when his friend Locke Jackman takes him to lunch and tells him that he will marry Locke’s sister, Amanda. Cole, who planned on never getting married is a bit befuddled with his friend and how he can possibly do this to his sister. She’s a great girl and has been one of Cole’s best friends for the past 12 years so he has her best interests at heart as well. But dammit – he doesn’t want to get married! Cole tries to tell Locke this in the best possible way but Locke isn’t taking no for an answer. Cole decides that he’ll tell Amanda the next time he sees her and they’ll deal with it somehow. But Cole never gets up the nerve to do it and the longer he waits the harder it gets.
Amanda is a bit confused with the fact that she has finally moved out from her brothers’ never absent thumb and she’s not happy. Sure, she’s got a house and privacy but she’s not as content as she thought she’d be. When Cole asks her out on a date she immediately knows that something is up. Cole is a great friend but Amanda knows that Cole views her as a sister and wouldn’t ever “date” her. Amanda wants to date Cole…and do a whole lot more to him…but him asking her out raises vibrant red flags. Amanda ends up overhearing Cole and Locke talking about the situation and is pissed beyond belief. She decides that she’s going to seduce Cole, as she’s wanted to do for years, and then dump him. That will show her brothers and Cole that she’s not to be trifled with. But in the end, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
This is a story with several twist and something that definitely needs the reader to pay attention. That’s not difficult thought because Tenorio’s writing is so easy to read that you want to delve farther and farther into the twists.
Let’s start with the main characters. Amanda is one girl in the sea of brothers. Her oldest brother had to take over being a parent when he was just 20 and deal with his 6 siblings. Being the only girl Amanda helped out a lot in the home but she was guarded like Fort Knox. She couldn’t go out with friends or do anything really without one or many of her brothers showing up. How frustrating. I would have wanted out of the house as well but even after moving out Amanda is constantly under watch. This is a woman who wants more out of life but doesn’t have a clue how to get it. She’s so smart but has no self-confidence. Is this fallout from her brothers? It’s really hard to tell in this story. I really liked that she started coming out of her shell with Cole’s help but she still, even by the end of the book, seemed so immature to me. Her thinking was skewed so much that she could talk herself out of anything – including believing that Cole’s feelings toward her weren’t real – only fabricated to make her brother happy.
Cole is a great guy. Granted he’s needed to be hit over the head for years to see that his feelings for Amanda are more than just friendship. He truly has no plans to marry but he loves hanging out with Amanda. When Cole finally talks her brother into taking a step back and giving him no interference with the dating plan Cole takes advantage of it. I really wish during the story that he would have found the balls to come clean with Amanda but he’s a man. Enough said. lol He really was a wonderful hero and I liked him so much.
There were a couple of secondary characters that I really liked. Cassie and Burke – a couple from book 1 in this series – were just great (I’ll have to go back and read their book). Cassie and her brother Hayne were also hilarious and I loved their sibling banter – it made me laugh out loud several times.
Ms. Tenorio’s writing is as good in this novel as it has been in the other novel’s I’ve read by her. The book has a good romance that was a bit frustrating for me. It all worked in the end though and ended up being a solid read.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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What I Read Last Week

Posted May 7, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Happy Monday!
How are all of you lovelies? I’m here at work taking a quick break to get this post done. I wish I was at home in my pj’s but I can’t have everything, can I? *sigh*
It was a good week this past week. Thank you all for your many birthday wishes. It was a good day and I was remembered by so many (thank you Facebook. lol). I had a good day at work and then hubby and the kids and I went out for a nice dinner. I got some great gifts – gc’s to Amazon, of course the laptop I got from my parents weeks ago, a new Keurig (which is the absolute bomb) and a wonderfully large gc from my hubby for a local day spa. I can’t wait to use that one!
This week will be an interesting one. My oldest is starting high school next year (yikes) and wants to try out for the cheerleading squad. I don’t know about your local high school’s but the ones around here take that shit seriously! The girls have to attend a 4 hour clinic (over 2 days) to learn the assigned tryout material. They then are scored accordingly. If the girls make it they have practice 3 times a week with 1 game during football season and 2 days of practice and 2 game days during basketball season. They also cheer for the baseball and volleyball teams. I’m glad she’s trying out but to say I’m a little concerned with all that practice is an understatement. Not that they don’t need it but with how long it takes her to do her schoolwork…it might be an issue. Well she’ll try out on Friday and they’ll post the new squad by midnight that night so by this time next week we’ll know one way or the other. I’ll keep you posted.
Ok – on to what I read this past week:
First up was Where It Hurts the Most by Anne Brooke. This is the first release in the Riptide Publishing Rentboy Collection and it was a good one. Take a male escort and a man who has shut himself off from everything due to an accident and put them together…what do you get? A really good book. 🙂 You can read my review here. 4 out of 5 
Be sure to join me tomorrow when Anne visits the blog.
Next up was Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas. It took me a while to actually get the book (cuz apparently I’m too distracted) but when I did I really loved it. This is the story of a woman who is dumped by her live-in boyfriend who then shacks up with her sister. Lucy then gets horribly injured and through a series of events gets to convalesce at Sam Nolan’s house. Sam is a commitment-phobe because of his alcoholic parents but he definitely sees something in Lucy that makes him look at her like he’s never looked at another woman. This was so good. I wasn’t too surprised with the magical elements in the book as there was magic involved in book 1 of the series. Kleypas sucked me in from the first word and I couldn’t put the book down. Good stuff. 4.5 out of 5
My next read was a book I got for review called The Virgin’s Revenge by Dee Tenorio. I was a little off on my release dates and this one doesn’t actually come out until July 3. It was a good read about an overprotected woman trying to break out on her own. Her older brother want her to marry the man of HIS choice, which is actually hers too but since Cole’s her good friend she’s never acted on it, and this brings a whole host of problems. Take the fact that she finds out about it all and then wants revenge on both of them for trying to control her. It was a good read and made me want to read more in the series (this is book 4). 3.75 out of 5
Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas was next. This was SUCH a good book. I really loved so much about it – the writing, the story, the characters. I did have a few niggles with it but despite that have much love for the book overall. I noticed on Goodreads that this one has gotten REALLY mixed reviews. I guess it’s one of those you have to read and decide for yourself. You can read my review here. 4.5 out of 5
False Start by Janey Chapel is the story is about two men who share a clandestine relationship in college for about 8 months before the one who’s so far in the closet he can’t find the door freaks out and things are done. Now ten years later Tucker is back in town and ready to face all kinds of music, especially the one dealing with Whit and how he left him behind. Such a good story. I really liked this one a lot and wished it was longer! 4 out of 5
Hot Hands by Erica Pike is the first short in the College Fun and Gays series. I read The Walls Have Ears so I thought I’d try out the 2 before it. This one was about a guy who keeps getting felt up by….someone. He has no idea who. He finally gets cornered and they share hot moments but Caspar is blindfolded and he still has no idea what the identity of the man he’s dubbed Hot Hands is. The story was really good but got into an area that needed, imho, so much more after the big reveal. It was still really good though. 🙂 3.75 out of 5
Second in the College Fun and Gays series by Erica Pike is Grade-A-Sex Deal. This is about one of the university teachers who makes a deal with one of his students to exchange sex for an A in the class. The college teacher, Daniel, is trying to deal with his emotional attachment to his student, Troy, as well as his kids’ attitudes towards him since he divorced their mother 2 years earlier. Again, I think this would have been great if it had been longer and had more detail but in the end it was still a fun read. 3 out of 5
Fair Game by Patricia Briggs was up next. This is book 3 in the Alpha and Omega series and has Anna and Charles helping the FBI with a serial killer investigation (because 3 of the victims were werewolves). It was a great mystery but also dealt with the issues that Anna and Charles had been having since the werewolves had gone public and Charles had to step us his duties as his father’s hit man (so to speak). This was such a good book with an incredible ending that I loved. Though I figured out who-dun-it about halfway through the book it was still great to see all the ins and outs of the story. 4.25 out of 5
Reading Fair Game made me want to go back and read about when Anna and Charles first met so I picked up my copy of the On the Prowl anthology and re-read the Alpha and Omega novella by Patricia Briggs. This is such a great novella! With Anna and Charles meeting for the first time and seeing Charles kind of brought to his knees it just worked for me. Definitely one that will be read over and over. 4 out of 5
Next was Spirit by PA Friday. I read Jenre’s review of this one over at Brief Encounter Reviews and she liked it. It’s the story of Grant who starts at an advertising firm with a homophobic boss. Grant is a man who has made a life for himself out of nothing and is willing to work hard. Grant meets Tristan who is the boss’s son and assumes Tristan does nothing and gets accolades but that’s not the case. Grant and Tristan hate each other, for different reasons, but that doesn’t stop the pair from being attracted to each other and eventually acting on that attraction. The story follows the men in their path from hate to…not and what that means for both of them. 4 out of 5
Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase was my TBR challenge read for the week. This is the story of 3 sisters who will do anything to get their dress shop off the ground. The oldest who is the designer heads to Paris to cajole a duke into making his intended use their dressmaking services when he finally gets married (which is supposed to be soon). But things go a tad awry in the plan when Marcelline and Clevedon meet and their attraction makes fire look like it’s not all that hot. It was a great story and I loved Chase’s writing. She dragged me into the book and I ended up staying up late to finish it cuz I couldn’t put it down. In fact the more I think of it today the more I like the book. I can’t wait to read about the next sister. 4.5 out of 5
My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Happy Reading!

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Guest Review: 10 Ways to Steal Your Lover by Dee Tenorio

Posted March 8, 2012 by Ames in Reviews | 0 Comments

Ames’ review of 10 Ways to Steal Your Lover by Dee Tenorio.

His best friend’s wedding just turned into the craziest hangover ever… Kane Wilkensen’s buddy was about to marry the girl of Kane’s dreams. Which would have been fine—heartbreaking but fine—if Kane hadn’t woken up in a Las Vegas honeymoon suite with her, a giant sack of money and a great big blank spot in both their memories first. He’d always thought a good man would never steal his best friend’s lover, but one crazy night may be just the chance Kane needs to show his “wife” that she’s with the right husband after all…

I jumped at the chance to review this book – the excerpt intrigued me and the set up also reminded me of the Hangover, a movie I really enjoy. And sure enough, the first half of this book is like a romcom version of the Hangover, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Delilah wakes up in a strange hotel room, enjoying her ‘wake up call’ ::hubba hubba:: when she realizes the one waking her up is not her fiance Craig, but his best man and best friend, Kane. OMGWTFBBQ  happened the night before? LOL  How did she end up in bed with the best man? 10 Ways to Steal Your Lover is a fun-filled Vegas romp that explains what went down.

As much fun as the whole going back and tracing their steps thing was, I loved the emotion that Tenorio brought about in her characters. Delilah is the daughter of a colonel and she’s very aware of her behavior and having to measure up. She feels like she always has to do the right thing (even if it’s not necessarily the right thing for herself) and marrying Craig is the right thing, at least on paper. Kane is a down-to-earth horse breeder who has fallen in love with his best guy’s woman. He knows this is wrong and in the past year pulled away from Craig and Delilah. Something that hurt Delilah but she couldn’t explain why. I believed that Delilah was concerned enough about her parents’ acceptance that she was a bit oblivious to her own feelings. Kane knew what was in his heart but didn’t want to hurt his friend. So yeah, there was a wee bit of angst that these two had to work through on their way to the truth.

The pacing was really well done.  Fun at the beginning, with the deeper emotions trickling in, then there’s the show-down with Delilah, Kane, her parents and her former fiance, Craig.  The scene between Delilah and Craig I thought was definitely handled with a deft touch that rung true to the characters.  It would have been very easy to Craig to be set up as the bad guy here, but that wasn’t the case.

This was a quick, fun-filled romp with some truly touching emotion and I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. 4.25 out of 5.

This book was self-published. You can buy it here in e-format.

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What I Read Last Week

Posted January 16, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 7 Comments

Well it was another stressful week at work but I survived which was a good thing. 

We had a nice weekend as I headed out to my mom’s to help here with some computer stuff and then yesterday I got to see my grown & married nephew who lives in Pennsylvania.  Yay!  The local family got together for lunch and we had a great time just talking and catching up.  Here’s a picture that I took of my nephew and my youngest.  (I’d actually had one taken of him and me but apparently it turned out really blurry. I’ll have to take another before he heads home to PA.)

Don’t forget to enter the 2 contests I’ve got going.  One for a box of historical novels and one for a box of fantasy/UF.  The links are on the sidebar.

I read a really long novel at the beginning of last week and after that really felt the need to read a bunch of shorts.  Here’s what I devoured this week:

I started off the week with Season of the Shadow by Bobbi Groover.  This is an american historical that I read for The Book Binge and I really liked it but for a few items. The story was about a man (boy, really, as he was only 17) who was kidnapped, kept chained in a madhouse and treated like an animal for 6 years before he managed to escape with his life and most of his sanity.  He’s back in his hometown to destroy the person who did it all to him, his cousin.  He also is still madly in love with his first love but he thinks she might have had something to do with his abduction as well.  The man is confused and hurt emotionally but determined to get his life back from the man who stole it.  The book was very good but I did have a problem with the length which was 690 pdf pages.  Just too long imho.  I’ll let you know when my review posts at TBB. 4 out of 5

Here is where my short reading began:

First up was A Wedding Story by Dee Tenorio.  Ruth Ann and Bobby have been prankster enemies since they were young kids.  Ruth Ann isn’t thrilled when at her sisters wedding reception she is not only sat next to Bobby but they are at the kids’ table.  Ruth Ann and Bobby decide to make the most of it and decide to dance but that’s when things at the reception start going awry and when Bobby and Ruth Ann are left alone they realize that maybe they don’t hate each other as much as Ruth Ann thought.  Really cute and funny story. 3.5 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Holding Out For A Hero by Stacey Joy Netzel was a short about a woman who is having a really crappy day.  When she’s at lunch, however, she sees something happen that makes her start looking at life a little differently and it changes everything.  A great story that has a little bit of a hopeful romance in it.   I did kind of a mini review that you can read here if you’re interested.  4 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Next up was Fury by Anya Bast. This is part of her Otherkin series which is looks like there are only 2 of.  The story is about a woman who is in a “pack” of shifters but there are mostly wolven shifters.  She is a cougar but the elders want to make her their queen.  She runs but her mate comes looking for her.  This was an ok read.  I didn’t love the characters but the story was a good one and of course the sex was hot as is the norm with Bast’s books. 3 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Without Mercy by Belinda Boring followed Darcy as she runs an errand for a pack bbq with the her future sister-in-law and best friend.  A crazed man who is on a mission ends up accosting the two and all hell breaks loose.  It was a sad story but it was so short that I just needed more.  More of the after effects of the whole situation, etc.  Maybe we were supposed to get that in future books but I never like being left hanging.  3 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Four Kisses by Bonnie Dee was the story of two people who meet when they are 13 and share a kiss.  The pair meet about every 3 or 4 years due to odd circumstances and always share some form of a kiss.  It was a very sweet story and I really liked the whole scenario.  You can read my mini review here. 4.5 out of 5
So ended my short binge. lol

A Rose is A Rose by Jet Mykles tells the story of Carson who is in his early twenties.  He is a man used to be taken care of and when his “boyfriend” doesn’t want to take it to the next level it crushes Carson.  He finds out that he was just one of many who is man was seeing.  Carson befriends the owner of his building who is a shy manly man named Eddie.  Carson isn’t used to not being taken care of but Eddie helps him out with food and stuff but Carson knows that Eddie isn’t gay.  Of course Eddie will be gay for Carson as he just finds him beautiful and fascinating.  I really liked this book a lot.  Carson’s character was great but I just didn’t love the romance.  The story was told in third person but we never got to see things from Eddie’s pov.  When Carson decides that he needs to do things on his own we never get to see how that effects Eddie which I would have loved.  Overall a good story but I did have some issues with it. 3.5 out of 5

My next read was My Summer of Wes by Missy Welsh. Mal is friendless and lives in a vanilla world with no excitement until his new neighbors move in across the street. Wes is the neighbors son and though older than Mal they hit it off immediately.  Wes is gay and even though Mal has been called names and been accused of being gay for the past four years he is certain that he’s not.  Until Mal and Wes start spending more time together and Mal starts to see the truth in himself.  The story was very sweet with very little conflict.  The sex scenes were hot and I just loved Wes to pieces.  4 out of 5

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare is the first in the Spindle Cove series and I finally read it!  It was really good and I’m so glad I did.  Bram was hurt in the war and is looking to regain his position in the field.  He contacts Sir Lewis in Spindle Cove and heads there with the hopes that he will get what he wants.  Sir Lewis not only turns him down but makes him an Earl (via the king) and then asks him to get a militia ready in a month.  Bram is pissed but Sir Lewis’s daughter Susanna is a nice distraction.  Distraction being the key as he can’t seem to keep his mind on his work due to thinking of Susanna constantly.  It was a cute book about the inhabitants of Spindle Cove and how they come together to try to make their local field day the best there is.  Susanna and Bram’s relationship was wonderful and just thinking of the book makes me smile. 4.25 out of 5

Last on the list was my read for the monthly TBR challenge and that was An Army Ranger’s Return by Soraya Lane.  Pen pal’s Jessica and Ryan have written to each other constantly and now Ryan is returning home.  Jessica is nervous about what will happen and what DOES happen is not what she expects at all.  I’d tell you more but then I wouldn’t have to write my review for Wednesdays post. lol  

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
crickets chirping

Happy Reading!!

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