Guest Author Laurie Roma

Love is a Battlefield...

What makes military men and women so damn sexy?

Well, hell...that's an easy answer. Military men and women are hot because of who they are and what they stand for.  And yeah, the abundance of muscles certainly helps.

Seriously though, the men and women in the military are like throwbacks to a time long past. They are warriors, defenders of the weak, putting their lives on the line for the greater good. They personify dedication, loyalty and stir up all kinds of naughty fantasies about quintessential alpha males taking charge.

With that said, how could I not write a romance series about the men and women of the military? What's more entertaining than romance, hot, steamy sex and a little violence thrown into the mix? Nope, nothing comes to mind.

Now, I must admit I took creative license and made up a fictitious agency to host my band of  alpha dogs. I mean who wouldn't want to be able to drop-kick some terrorist asshole into a volcano with no repercussions?

I know I certainly would.

Less mess, no cleanup.

When I started the IAD Agency series, I wanted to create a mix of men and women from all the branches of the military as well as other law enforcement groups within the intelligence community. IAD stands for the International Alliance of Defense, which is more like a transnational agency, making my characters the ultimate warriors of global warfare with very few rules to follow.

Yes, I know...only in fiction. *sigh* If only...

If you're expecting weak, weepy females then I'm not the author for you. I don't do weak. Or whiny. Or annoying. My male AND female characters kick ass. They are sexy and dangerous as hell, living by simple rules — kill the bad guys and protect the world. If you’re a fan of action packed Contemporary/Romantic Suspense with an erotic twist, then this series is for you.  Read as each agent takes on the most thrilling adventures of their lives...falling in love!

The IAD Agency Series

The IAD Agency series novels are all stand-alone stories, but it is highly recommended to read them in order to get the most enjoyment from the series!

Book Blurb: 

IAD agent Mikayla “Lynx” Lincoln is in desperate need of a vacation after taking a bullet during her last mission. On orders to relax and recover, she's sent to a cabin in the secluded woods of Colorado for some peace and quiet. But her plans for a restful recovery are shot to hell the moment she crosses paths with former movie star, Gage Stark.

Gage Stark is a man with a troubled past. After a brutal betrayal ended his promising acting career, he returned home to heal and start a new life. The moment Gage meets Mikayla their chemistry is too strong to deny. Passion explodes every time they're together and their volatile relationship is anything but quiet.

When a shocking discovery is made and secrets are revealed, trust is put to the test. Will Gage be strong enough to stand beside Mikayla and fight, or will his need to protect her shatter the fragile bond between them?

Buy Link:

www.bookstrand.com/deadly-target

Story Excerpt:

Mikayla kept walking toward the door, her hand reaching out for the handle when Gage’s large hand covered hers. He leaned in, his hot breath sending a shiver down her spine as he whispered into her ear.

 “A woman doesn’t open doors when she’s with me.”

Mikayla turned her head slowly so their lips were a breath apart from each other. “Good thing I’m not with you then, isn’t it?” She jerked the door open, welcoming the blast of cold air as it hit her face, cooling the lust burning in her belly.

Gage followed her outside into the parking lot, walking beside her silently as she made her way to the large SUV. She hit the button on the key fob to open the doors and turned to face him, noting that he kept his body turned away from her to minimize her view of his scarred face.

He really was sinfully good looking. Playing around with this man was not a good idea, even if her libido told her differently. Roz had given her the warning for a reason, and until she knew more she would not be getting any closer to this man. She saw the lust burning in his eyes, but there was something else there that made her wary. Still, curiosity had her asking, “Why exactly are you out here with me?”

“There has been some trouble in this area. Haven’t you heard about it?”

Her interest was sparked. She leaned against the side of the SUV and cocked her head to the side. “What trouble?”

“Some women have gone missing in the neighboring towns and in Denver. You shouldn’t be out alone at night. It’s dangerous and you’re injured. Should you even be out? You could slip on the ice or something.”

Mikayla smiled. “Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.” She opened the car door and turned back when he spoke.

“Why did you say that inside, about my sister?”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you kidding?”

“No,” he said through gritted teeth. She couldn’t tell it if was due to anger or the cold. Either way, the question was ridiculous. She sighed.

Were some men seriously that clueless?

“You were completely disrespectful to her. I figured someone should call you out on it.”

Gage took a step forward, crowding her with his large body. A white cloud swirled out as he released a harsh breath into the night air. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I love my sister,” he growled in anger.

“You may love her, but you don’t respect her very much. You ordered her home after she took your dog to the vet while you and friends played pool in the bar? Maybe you don’t know what thank you means, but that would have been a better way to start that conversation. Now, I will say thank you for the touch of chivalry walking me out here and for the warning. It was appreciated.” She opened the door to the vehicle and got inside, careful not to jar her leg. She stuck the key in the car and started it.

His eyes had narrowed as he frowned at her. Even with that sinister look on his face and the scars on one side, it didn’t detract from his dark appeal. “We aren’t through with this conversation.”

“We are for now.” Mikayla was surprised she didn’t burst into flames at the sudden flare of heat in his bright emerald-green eyes.

“Come home with me.”

She blinked in surprise.

“I want you,” Gage said, his voice a low, heated whisper. “If you agree, this wouldn’t be a date. I don’t date. This would be me fucking you until you come so hard you pass out. That’s it.”

Oh hell no, seriously?

Idiot.

Did he really think she was just going to drop her panties because he said that? Not that she was wearing any. Mikayla sighed loudly and fought back the urge to slam her head into the steering wheel. Why did shit like this always happen to her? It was a good thing she had firsthand knowledge of the irrational way men’s minds worked sometimes since she worked with a bunch of them daily, or else she might have to hurt him. Badly. “You’d have better luck with the blonde inside. Goodnight, Mr. Stark.”

“So you do know who I am.”

“Yes, I do. Which is more than I can say for you.” She started to close the door, but his large hand holding it stopped her.

“You can’t tell me you aren’t attracted to me. I see that you are. What’s your name?”

Mikayla sent him a mischievous smile. “Perhaps you should have started this particular conversation with that question. Goodnight.”

She shifted the SUV into gear and released the break just enough so the SUV pulled forward, jerking the door out of his grasp. She slammed the door closed and pulled into the street, watching as Gage grew smaller in her rearview mirror.

~~~~~

Book Blurb:

Tara Toshi is a woman on the edge. Code name 'T-rex', Tara is one of the elite agents of the IAD Agency, modern day warriors tasked with taking down terrorists and keeping the world safe. She doesn’t believe that happily ever after exists for her, until her world collides with corporate tycoon Julian King…

Julian King is the owner of a multi-million dollar hotel empire and personally runs the Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He is a man who rules his kingdom with an iron grip and knows that the house always win. But when he meets agent Tara Toshi all bets are off. As a terrorist plot threatens his city, Julian realizes that he is also jeopardy of losing his heart.

Passion explodes every time Tara and Julian come together, but can she risk taking this one shot at finding happiness and give her heart to a man she barely knows?

BUY LINKS:

 Bookstrand | Amazon

~~~~~

Book Blurb:

Jason MacBain is the perfect agent. Tall, dark, and deadly, he is a man who lives by simple rules—kill the bad guys and protect the world. Closed off from his emotions, Jason has never believed in love and doesn’t need anyone. But all that changes the night he meets Bella Moretti…

Isabella Moretti is a famous chef struggling to reclaim her life after she survives a vicious attack. Moving back to Chicago to recover and be closer to her family, Bella meets Jason and is frightened by the passion he stirs inside her. But now that Jason has found Bella, he is determined to claim her as his. And when her stalker reappears, Jason is under pressure to gain her trust, find a way to keep her safe, and do whatever it takes to end the threat to her for good.

Bella is forced to trust Jason with her safety, but does she dare trust him with her heart?

BUY LINKS:

Bookstrand | Amazon

Bio:

Laurie Roma lives in Chicago and is the author of the IAD Agency and Arcadian series. She has always loved immersing herself in a good book and now enjoys the pleasure of creating her own. She can usually be found tapping away on her keyboard, creating worlds for her characters while she listens to music. Of course her playlist depends on her mood…but then again, so does her writing.

An avid reader of the romance genre, nothing bothers her more than annoying characters. Seriously, who wants a happy ending for someone that pisses you off? She loves tough alpha-male heroes and strong heroines that have brains as well as beauty. Her novels are filled with both passionate romance and down and dirty lust-driven interludes, as she believes both are essential to a good love story. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at laurieromabooks@gmail.com.

Stalk me at:

Blog  | Bookstrand | Facebook | Twitter

Feel the Heat With Singed

The second book in my Titanium Security Series is out now! The hero of Singed is a 42 year old former SF master sergeant and he's hands down my favorite hero of the series. I'm also a sucker for second chance at love stories so I loved every moment of writing this story, even when parts of it dealt with the very difficult and sobering problem of PTSD and suicide among our returning veterans.

She walked away from him once…
Struggling to live with her decision to walk away from the only man she ever loved and watching helplessly while her brother succumbs to his battle with severe PTSD, NSA analyst Claire Tierney’s life is at an all time low. The final hit comes when she accesses classified information at work that might get her fired. Instead, she’s assigned to a joint taskforce charged with hunting down a Taliban assassin planning an attack on American soil, and finally has something productive to focus on. Until she meets the rest of the team and learns she’ll be working with the last person on earth she wants further contact with; her ex. She knows letting him go was the biggest mistake of her life, but just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, new intel points to the assassin’s intended target. Her.
This time he’s not letting her go…
As a former Special Forces Master Sergeant and second-in-command of his Titanium Security team, Gage Wallace can handle anything, except being forced to go through life without Claire. When she abruptly walked out on him six months ago, his whole world caved in. It’s clear she’s still determined to keep her distance, but when she’s named a possible target of the very cell they’re trying to dismantle, Gage will stop at nothing to ensure she’s safe. When tragedy destroys Claire’s defenses and the explosive desire between them ignites once more, this time he’s not letting her go. Too late they discover that the danger confronting them is far greater than anyone ever realized, and it’s a race against time to stop a terrorist from unleashing hell on them all.

Buy Links: Amazon Kindle (US)
Amazon Kindle (UK)
Amazon Kindle (CA)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Kobo
iTunes

Excerpt:
He leaned even closer, placed his hands on the counter on either side of her to cage her in, all the while holding her gaze. “No,” he said again, softer this time.
A spurt of panic flickered in her eyes. She tried to duck out from under his arm but he blocked her easily, pinning her hips with his own. Her head snapped up, those wide gray eyes filled with shock as she felt his erection pressing into her belly. She jerked her eyes away, swallowed again. “Let me go. Right now, Gage, I mean it.”
She was strung so tight she was on the verge of shattering. A volcano about to erupt. And God, he’d love nothing more than to incinerate in the ensuing explosion with her. He wasn’t worried about her hurting him. Whatever she could dish out, he could take it and more. “No.”
His calm tone acted like a trigger. With an inarticulate sound of rage, she twisted and shoved at his shoulders. Gage caught her wrists and quickly shifted her away from the counter, backed her up against the kitchen wall and pinned her there with his weight. He had only a moment for his brain to register the feel of her soft curves molded to him before she began struggling, trying to shove him away. Not happening.
He held her there, refusing to back down. Her teeth were bared, eyes narrowed, breath coming in short gasps. Low, animal sounds came from her throat as she fought and got nowhere. He could tell it infuriated her more that he’d subdued her so easily, overpowered her with his greater strength. Recognizing she couldn’t win, after a minute or two she stilled, quivering with fury, every line of her luscious body rigid with anger and outrage. With him so close she was forced to tilt her head back to look into his face. The warm puffs of her uneven breaths bathed his skin.
“F*ck you, let me go,” she snapped, her voice ragged, tight with emotion.
Hands holding her wrists on either side of her head, he waited for her to calm down and meet his gaze. At last she did and he could see the turmoil written there. All the anger and pain, the physical need she was trying to hide from him. Her sweet citrus scent, intensified by her increased body heat, swirled around him. He could get drunk on her so easily. Just lean down and put his mouth to the rapidly thrumming pulse in her neck, taste that soft, fragrant skin.
Holding her gaze, he let one heartbeat of charged silence spread between them. Another. Letting her know without words that he was fully capable of keeping her like this for as long as he wanted. His body was primed, begging him to grab her, tear that tight black skirt and top off her and force her to vent everything that was eating at her from the inside, replace it with white-hot sexual release.
The throb between his legs bordered on painful. He shifted his hips against her and bit back a moan at the feel of her against his erection, noting the way her pupils expanded and her nostrils flared. The evidence of her arousal kicked his lust into high gear. Gage forced himself to take a single, calming breath, waited until the roar in his ears subsided. If this was the last time he got to have her, he was going to make it one hell of a goodbye.
Staring straight into her eyes, he released her wrists and murmured, “Turn it loose.”
*end excerpt*

Hope you enjoy Gage and Claire's story! 
Kaylea Cross
 

Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her family. You can find Kaylea through her website, Twitter, Facebook, and her blog.

Heroes with Attitude

By Sharon Hamilton

If there was one thing you could point to that is different about Military Romance, what would it be? We have heroes in all fields: police, fire, para-rescue. But what differentiates a Military Hero from all others?

In my opinion, it's ATTITUDE.

I love the smart-mouthed quips and the making fun of things you can't do in polite society. Somehow, when you are putting your life on the line, it is totally appropriate to talk about jungle rot and chaffing balls, or the absence of tofu in a SEAL's diet. In one of Suzanne Brockman's books, the hero and his buddies were pinned down in the middle of a firefight, and they were discussing making offers on real estate as arms and limbs were being blown apart.

The smack talk conversations between the Teammates are my favorite pieces to write. Maybe my inner demon wants to have the gutter-talk they have. As a reader, my taste is for an abundance of four-letter words. I smile as I think about all the bleeps that would occur if they were quoted on TV. I like heroes who defy the odds, come up against higher authority, but get the job done anyway. I think that's why I love reading and writing SEAL stories so much.

Here's an excerpt from my latest book, SEAL Under Covers, which is releasing August 10th. SEAL Team 3 mates Fredo and the hero Armando are discussing Armando's wayward sister, real estate, and the condition of Fredo's truck.

            “So, ‘splain this to me. You save her life and the life of her baby. You buy her a fuckin’ great house in a good area, you buy her furniture and you help your mama too. And she disses you like this? I’m telling you, those demons is not only getting bigger, they’re having babies. What’s next?” Fredo responded.

            “What’s next is I’m gonna get her, bring her home and cook her a fuckin’ steak. And you’re gonna be a perfect gentleman, hear?”

            “Yessir. I get you.”

            After storing the perishables, Armando and Fredo stopped by Fredo’s apartment to pick up his  Parks Department four door beater truck. No sense exposing Armando’s black Hummer to the neighborhood to which they were headed.

Armando slid onto the torn leather bench seat and examined the contents of the cab behind him. The floor was nearly ankle-high with fast food wrappers and old milkshake and soda containers.

“Some super sleuth you’d make,” Armando said, holding his nose. “All anyone would have to do is sort through all your wrappers and receipts. They could re-create your whereabouts 24/7.”

Fredo shook his shoulders and jutted out his chin. “Just because you got an obsessive compulsive disorder for specks of dirt, don’t mean you have to insult a normal male with normal eating habits.” Fredo didn’t look back at him.

“That’s not normal,” Armando said with a thumb pointing over his shoulder.

They rounded a corner and the noise of displaced paper cups, balled up bags and wrappers was unmistakable.

Fredo put on the brakes and nearly was rear-ended. “You wanna walk? You’re usin’ my petrol for your own devious little plan. I’m just along to make sure you don’t get your ass busted.”

Armando started to open the door and Fredo grabbed his shoulder. “Get the fuck back in the truck, Armani. I’m just messin’ with you.”

“I’m just doin’ the same.” They rode in silence for a few minutes. Armando was twirling the comment Fredo had made over and over in his brain. “Obsessive compulsive?” he asked.

“No shit, Sherlock. Like you had to put plastic down on the couch yesterday before I could sit down.”

“That’s because you were working out before you came over. You was sweaty, man.”

“Yea, well don’t you get sweaty balling all those coeds on your couch, man? You think I mind if I sit my ass down on some teenage cum?”

“I don’t screw teenagers. You know that.”

Fredo humphed. The silence continued. Then Fredo spoke up. “I clean my truck on the first of every month, and always before deployment.”

“That’s a very good thing. No telling what could grow in the back seat in six months unattended. Might have to have a HazMat clearance.”

“That’s Coop’s problem, with all that Kambucha he drinks. I think it’s disgusting to drink something that’s living.”

“Well hells, bells. We finally agree on something.” Armando smiled at his Mexican friend and found Fredo chuckling as well.

What do you enjoy most about reading or writing military romance? One commenter today will receive a Kindle copy of my new book, SEAL Under Covers, on release day.