Excerpt from The Game of Seduction

I’m excited as well as on pins and needles about my second release, The Game of Seduction. I truly had fun writing this book except the times I had writer’s block and had to close my laptop.  If you remember Rasheed Vincent, Justin’s best friend from Cooking Up Love, then you know I had a lot of fun writing this book. At times, Rasheed was telling me what to write or what he wasn’t going to say or do. He’s such a character and a truly fun guy, a little on the arrogant side and definitely a ladies’ man.  I kept his personality the same as it was in Cooking Up Love. I tried to soften it some, but he simply wouldn’t let me.

The Game of Seduction will be released on August 30th.  Its Bria and Rasheed’s love story or just “Rasheed’s book” as my critique partners have been saying for the past year. I keep reminding them that Bria is in the book, and she’s the Arrrington. They fell in love with him while critiquing Shelbi and Justin’s book and suggested I write a book for Rasheed. I honestly hadn’t thought about writing a book for him anytime soon, so I introduced him to Bria, and The Game of Seduction was created.  The book is dedicated to my girls, authors Delaney Diamond and Sharon C. Cooper! Thank you so much. Love you!

Check out another excerpt from The Game of Seduction below!

*****

 “Yes!” Bria jumped up and down followed by the Reebok dance from the 1990s. “Another strike. I’m the bomb. And you said I would only hit a few pins.” Bria glanced up at the computer screen above their lane as her name flashed like a lightning bolt for her second strike.

“Yes, another strike for someone who can’t bowl, pushes the ball down the lane, and then talks to it.” Rasheed said through gritted teeth as he picked up his own personal black bowling ball, got into position, and glanced back at Bria.

“Yet for some reason, you can’t even make one strike tonight, and you usually can do at least six in a row.” She shrugged and gave him a wink.

He chuckled. “Watch your boy in action.” He rolled the ball which hit only half of the pins.

Bria laughed. “You were saying, Mr. Vincent?”

She had been trying to remain composed the entire evening. Rasheed looked particularly fine in a pair of jeans, a red sweater, and a black newsboy cap—which added to his already sexy persona. She couldn’t jerk her eyes away from how his butt fit in the jeans, enhancing his muscles. She imagined clenching her fingers on his bare bottom as he thrust in and out her as she pulled him deeper into her. The image she’d conjured up was making her want to forget their truce and satisfy her longing for him.

“You’re a distraction, Bree,” he said through clinched teeth as he waited for his ball to return.

No, you’re the distraction. She twitched her mouth to the side and approached him. “How am I a distraction?”

“You can’t possibly expect me to concentrate when your hair is curly and bouncy down your back and you’re wearing a sexy little black sweater dress with thigh high boots—well bowling shoes at the moment—but you’re still sexy. If you’re going to hang with me, you need to not look so hot.” He grabbed his ball and bowled a spare.

Bria sat back on the bench even though it was her turn.

He joined her a few feet down and stretched one arm across the back of the bench, his hand almost reached her shoulder. He shook his glass of rum and Coke. “I do believe it’s your turn, or are you ready to throw in the towel?”

Throw in the towel? Bria was ready to throw in the towel but not for bowling. She was ready to throw off her sweater dress and beg Rasheed to do her and do her good. Who was she kidding? How did she possibly think she could just forget about his lips caressing hers, his hands on her bottom, or the deep groans that ignited from his throat, all of which sent a tidal wave of fire through her at the mere thought?

To avoid being next to him, she went ahead and bowled. She bent over, set the ball on the line and pushed it down the lane. It slowly rolled while she yelled “go, go.” The ball hit all but two pins. She rejoined Rasheed on the bench while she waited for her ball to return.

“Damn, girl,” he chuckled. “You keep bending over like that, and I’m going to forget the deal we made the other night and seduce you right here in this bowling alley.”

A heat wave washed over her at his words. She’d had another sleepless night last night pretending her hands were his massaging her breasts and in between her thighs. She shuddered and squirmed in her seat at the possibility of that becoming a reality but with more than just his hand between her thighs.

Rasheed was jokester, but when she looked at him, she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Even though he was laughing, his expression and tone had been serious. She decided to find out.

“Boy, stop playing. However, I was just talking to Taylor the other day about having a sex buddy.”

“A sex buddy?” He scooted closer to her on the bench and relaxed his arm behind her. “I’m intrigued. Explain more, please.” A wicked grin crossed his handsome face and the beats of her heart sped up.

“It’s really just a joke between Taylor and me but …” she looked away from him to hide her embarrassment.

“Um … as in you and Taylor being sex buddies.” He downed the rest of his drink and set the empty glass on the other side of him on the bench. “Okay, now I’m really intrigued. Please continue.”

She playfully punched Rasheed in the arm. “Get your mind out of the gutter. No, not me and Taylor. Me and a guy.”

He looked stunned for a moment. He cleared his throat and a serious expression formed on his face.

“Wait, you’re serious, Bree?”

“Sure, why not? I wouldn’t mind having someone I can have sex with but no strings attached. Just sex. That’s it. No emotions. No relationship. Kind of like how you’ve been doing but only with one person, not a Mac truck load.”

His stare was intense and his pupils turned darker than she had ever seen them. “I’m available, Bree,” he said in a sexy tone. He moved closer with his lips less than an inch from hers, sending tingles through her body. “You already know what it’s like to kiss me. Imagine if you had a chance to experience more than that.”

Copyrighted by Candace Shaw, August 2012

I tend to listen to music for inspiration when writing as well as other aspects in my life. There are about twenty songs that helped me to write this book. I could do a soundtrack (making a mental note). Anyway, I was driving in the car one day last winter thinking of titles for “Rasheed’s book.” There Goes My Baby by Usher was playing on my iPod, and it hit me that should be the title which it was until I changed it this past May. I decided to change the title because there was a lot of games of seduction in the book, and it made better sense to me. However, I will always think of There Goes My Baby as Bria and Rasheed’s song. Check out the video below.

This entry was posted on August 24, 2012. 6 Comments

Release Date and an Excerpt from The Game of Seduction

Hello, All!

I’m happy to annouce that The Game of Seduction will be released on Thursday, August 30, 2012 in ebook format. Please read the blurb, an excerpt (make sure the little ones aren’t near) and enjoy the music video of one of the songs that inspired the book. I’ll post another excerpt and video next Friday!

Blurb

Dr. Bria Arrington has had her heart broken by one bad boy playboy and doesn’t want to travel down that road again. However, she finds herself attracted to her best friend, self-proclaimed bachelor, Rasheed Vincent. After a passionate kiss leaves them desiring more, seducing each other is the only cure.

A retired basketball player, Rasheed is a player on and off the court. When a woman gets too close, he bounces to the next one. But the condition he’s in makes him want a permanent dose of Bria’s love, and he’s ready for the shot. She knows falling in love with Rasheed is a prescription for trouble, yet she is willing to risk it. But can she trust him with her heart?

Excerpt

Rasheed leaned against the wall in the VIP section sipping on rum and Coke and trying hard not to stare at Bria. Her short black dress was hugging her lethal curves, and he wanted to take it off and wrap her cocoa legs around his waist while she called out his name repeatedly. He tried to pretend to flirt with the groupies passing by, but they weren’t doing anything for him. Bria had awakened a passion and lust in him that he couldn’t ever remember feeling before. Her long hair fell over her right shoulder in a sexy manner, and he imagined running his hands through it or holding onto to it as he gave it to her from behind. The night before, he couldn’t sleep. The thought that she actually needed and wanted her flames of desire extinguished, prevented him from resting peacefully and filled his mind. Images of her naked mocha-kissed body next to him invaded his brain all night, and the erection that prevailed only went away after a cold shower.

Rasheed downed the rest of his drink, sat the glass on the table, and walked over to her as she held a conversation with Raven.

“Excuse me, ladies. Bree, do you wanna go dance?”

“Sure.” Bria excused herself from Raven and walked onto the dance floor.

The DJ was playing an upbeat party mix that included Usher, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Rihanna. Rasheed danced behind Bria, grinding on her to the fast beat. He was surprised she hadn’t resisted, especially when he pulled her by the hips close to him and a hard-on started to manifest, but she continued dancing, swishing her butt on him in an erotic manner as if they were naked and joined together. When Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” came on, she turned around to face him and sung the entire song as she continued her seductive dance on him.

He bent down and whispered in her ear.

“You keep doing that, you’ll find out how rude this boy is. Because trust me, baby, I’m more than big enough, but the question is, can you take it?” He gave her a slow grind so she could feel exactly how hard he was.

She looked up at him from beneath her lashes with a sexy, confident expression on her face.

“I can handle all of you.” She caressed the back of his neck, and he knew it was time to go before he pulled up her dress on the dance floor.

“Let’s get out of here,” he groaned as his erection hardened more by her confident words.

Once in the limo, Bria straddled his lap, and her dress rose around her hips to reveal a pair of black lace panties. His lips sought out hers, and he kissed her slow, nibbling on her bottom lip.

“I’ve been aching to kiss you again, Bree,” he said. He pulled her tongue further into his mouth, savoring the sweetness of it and feeling himself completely losing his mind. “You have the sexiest lips that I just can’t get enough of.”

Copyrighted by Candace Shaw, August 2012

*****

Whenever, I got stuck on love scenes for The Game of Seduction, I went to Pandora to listen to music to inspire me. “Love Faces” by Trey Songz is one the songs, and I played it numerous times while writing the book. The song is also incorporated in one of the scenes.  You can watch the video below.

This entry was posted on August 17, 2012. 10 Comments

Hot Jocks Giveaway Winner and Cooking Up Love is now in Paperback!

Hello, All!

The winner of the Hot Jocks Blog Hop Giveaway is Renee Bennett! Renee, please send me an email at Candace.Shaw@aol.com to let me know the best way to send you Delaney Diamond’s ebook, Fight for Love. Congrats!

I’m excited to announce that Cooking Up Love is now available in paperback!  You can order your copy with Createspace.

Blurb:

When Shelbi Arrington accepts a position as a food critic in the hopes of burying her medical career and foregoing her residency, the last thing she’s searching for is love. However, that’s just what the doctor ordered especially when she lays eyes on the handsome chef, Justin Richardson. While sorting out her secret conflict of continuing her medical career, she falls for his mouthwatering charm, leaving her hungry for anything he has to offer.

Justin is leery of doctors because a doctor’s negligence caused his mother’s death when he was twelve. He has put his focus and energy into his restaurant, which had been a dream he and his mother shared. Justin is immediately smitten by the cute, sassy food critic that has him cooking up different ways to please her appetite. But when things start to heat up, Shelbi learns of a shocking revelation that could extinguish the flame of their relationship. Will Justin be able to forget his pain and commit to the woman who has stolen his heart?

Excerpts for Cooking Up Love

Cooking Up Love is also available as an ebook with  Amazon.  Barnes and Nobles and All Romance eBooks

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! Happy reading!

CS

This entry was posted on July 18, 2012. 3 Comments

Lovestruck Giveaway Hop Winner and Updates

Hello, All!

I’m happy to annouce the winner of the Lovestruck Giveaway Hop is Darlene from Darlene’s Nook Book! Congrats! Send me an email at Candace.Shaw@aol.com to let me know the best way to send you an ebook copy of my debut novel, Cooking Up Love.

I have just a few updates below.

*Cooking Up Love is still on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestselling Multicultural Romance List. Thank you to all who helped get me there. I’ve also received some wonderful reviews on Amazon that have left me totally speechless.

*I was interviewed on Shades of Romance Online Magazine last week. Stop by and learn information about me and my writing career.

*I’m still working on The Game of Seduction, the second book in the Arrington Family Series as well revising/rewriting the first book in a new series, the Chase Family, who are the cousins to the Arringtons. Its actually the first novel I’ve ever completed, but I decided to release Cooking Up Love first. You’ll meet the Chase twins in The Game of Seduction which will be released in September 2012. I’ll have the bookcover ready in July and will post on the website.

I hope everyone is having a sensational summer. Stay cool!

CS

This entry was posted on June 24, 2012. 3 Comments

Winner of the Starbucks Giveaway and Annoucements

Hello, All!

I’m exhausted after hopping to different blogs for my very first virtual book tour for Cooking Up Love. I enjoyed the interviews and sharing information about my book, upcoming books and giving you a snippet about my life, my husband and our dog.

I’m also happy to annouce the winner of the $10.00 Starbucks giftcard picked by Random.org.  And the winner is Sherika Williams! Sherika, email me your home address at Candace.Shaw@aol.com and I’ll mail the giftcard today.  Congrats, girl!

I just have a few annoucements/updates to share.

1. Cooking Up Love has been out for exactly one month today. I’m happy to announce that its now on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestselling Multicultural Romances List. Thank you to all who helped get me there.

2. On June 15th, I’ll be on Shades of Romance Online Magazine for an interview dicussing  information that I haven’t revealed in previous interviews.

3. From June 15th to June 22nd, I’m participating in the Lovestruck Giveaway Hop and giving away an ebook copy of Cooking Up Love. Its an international giveaway.

4. I’m in the middle of completing/editing the second book in the Arrington Family Series, The Game of Seduction, which is Bria and Rasheed’s story. I’m on the editor’s schedule for August, so everything is on track.  It will be released in September 2012. I’ve narrowed down three couples for the cover, and I’ll share it with you this summer.

CS