herding cats & burning soup: AFTH w/ Anna Bradley-- Anna’s List of the Nicest Naughty Things about Romance

Another Anna!!! *flails with delight* Anna's a very new one to me. I read book two of her series just a couple months ago and had a damn good time with it. The hero. ::snorts:: Yall, this hero was a trip. Historical homeboy could cause a scandal! Whewboy! Even when he wasn't trying! It was most excellent. Seriously. Look at that cover! He just screams I'm going to do wicked things in your direction and you are going to love every second of it! Gah! I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the rest of the series.

So. Anna is taking over and sharing some Naughty or Nice bits. This Anna, out! ~anna

Anna’s List of the Nicest Naughty Things about Romance

Are you on the nice list this year? If you’re not sure, maybe I can help you out. Did you volunteer at your school, keep your temper at work, give to charity, tip your server, floss your teeth, and hit the gym every day?

If your answers to these questions are anything like mine, they go something like this: Um, no. Not always. Sort of. I tried. I might have missed it once or twice, and (my favorite), are you kidding me?

The nice list is a lot of pressure for one flawed human, and anyway, nice wouldn’t be nice at all without a little naughty thrown into the mix, would it? Take romance novels, for example. They’re a little bit nice, a lot bit naughty. Do we really want it any other way?

When romance is naughty, it’s so, so nice, and here’s why.

Heroes: The good, the bad, and the best of all
Alphas, betas, good boys, bad boys—when it comes to heroes, romance knows how to bring the heat. Are you into arrogant rock stars or sexy geeks? How about wicked aristocrats, cops and firefighters, and dominant billionaires? Muscled rugby players and hot military men, sexy special ops guys, edgy motorcycle club alphas, and sweaty cowboys? Or maybe you like werewolves, shifters and other paranormal hotties? Take your pick, and don’t worry, this is fiction. You can choose more than one!

Nice: Book Boyfriends. Enough said.

Cover Models
Is it just me, or are cover models getting hotter and more naked? I thought the 8-pack was an urban myth, but all those pierced, tatted dudes with perfect pecs, rippling abs and low-slung jeans flexing for us on those covers say otherwise.

Nice: That trip to Barnes & Noble just got a lot more interesting ...

It’s 2:00 am. Are you Still Reading?
Gotta love those mornings when we had to use an ice pick to pry open our eyes, and then fell asleep at work and drooled on our keyboards. Sound familiar? To all those romance writers who kept us up night turning pages when we should have been sleeping, those mornings are ON YOU.

Nice: Once we did go to sleep, we had the best dreams ever.

Heroines Who Bring It
Romance heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re fierce, and fierce women rule. Our heroine knows Shaolin Kung Fu. She can disarm a predator or a boardroom rival without breaking a nail. She’s whip smart, fully vested in her 401K, and she knows how to put a cocky hero in his place. On top of all that, she’s got great shoes.

Nice: Romance gets that female bad-assery is a thing, and celebrates it!

Reality Check
OK, I admit it. I may have spent a bit too much time hiding under my covers with a book clutched in my hands or curled up on the couch pretending not to hear my husband and kids calling me when I should have been doing one of the following:

working
grocery shopping
cleaning the house
making dinner
doing yard work
all of the above

Nice: Escapism is healthy. Remember 2016? Yeah, me neither.

It’s All about Me (and you!)
Romance is about women, for women, predominantly written by women, and celebrates women’s lives and experiences. It might sound a little self-absorbed to some, but you know what? We deserve it. Now, I’m not knocking the gentlemen (either real or fictional) but let’s face it, we’re often the caretakers in our lives, and it’s a tough job. Every once in a while, it needs to be all about us.

Nice: Romance novels are cheaper (and sexier!) than a trip to the spa.

Talk Dirty to Me
Did you ever order a book online you thought was mainstream contemporary romance that turned out to be erotica? I have, and I stayed up all night devouring the deliciousness (see above: “It’s 2:00 a.m., Are You Still Reading?”). Erotica gives a new, sexier meaning to the term “night sweats.”

Nice: Dirty talk isn’t a gift, it’s a skill. Erotica = dirty talk practice, so keep reading!

Some things are nicer when they’re naughty, and romance is one of them. I wish you all wonderful holidays filled with heart-stopping, toe-tingling, breathless romance.

The naughtier, the better.

~Anna Bradley

Lily Somerset’s plan for the London season is simple: courtship, marriage to a respectable gentleman, then the comfortable existence of a proper Lady. That is, until one tiny misstep leaves Lily on the edge of social ruin, forcing her to depend on a wicked rogue to save her reputation.

Robyn Sutherland doesn’t save reputations—he sullies them. He'd rather be drawn and quartered than find himself spending the season as Lily's escort. But he has no choice but to stay until her tattered standing is mended.

What begins as a ruse to deceive London soon flames into an uncontrollable passion. Robyn calls to the wild spirit that lurks beneath Lily’s prim exterior, and Lily awakens the hero’s heart within Robyn. But can these unlikely lovers trust themselves enough to let desire overrule reason?

Amazon | Goodreads

*covers link to Amazon

Anna is from Maine, and attended college on the east coast. Being a practical girl, Anna chose to major in English literature at Wheaton College, then went on to get a Master’s degree at the University of Maine in, yes, you guessed it—English literature. Anna’s wily, career-savvy choice of major paid off. She landed a job with Chawton House Library, a rare books library featuring works by British women writers from the 1600s through the Regency period. This job required that she read books, and write about books, and buy rare books from cool places like Sotheby’s. At night, after the library closed, Anna sometimes fondled the smooth leather covers of these books and dreamed of becoming a writer. Anna’s reading, writing and fondling led to an enduring passion for stories about love, life, and romance. Anna writes sassy, steamy Regency historical romance, often with garters, cleavage-baring gowns and riding crops. History is sexier than you think, Gentle Reader. Anna lives near Portland, OR, where people are delightful and weird and love to read. She teaches writing and lives with her husband, two children, a variety of spoiled pets, and shelves full of books.
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