Callum Westmore - Heidi Rice's HOT riva hero!!!

Okay, so after a brief hiatus I am so happy to be back with another TO DIE FOR Riva hero for you from none other than the gorgeous, current RT Award nominee, author Heidi Rice!!! Thanks so much for coming to the blog Heidi!

Now, let's get down to meeting her hero...

Name: Callum Westmore

Age: mid-thirties

Occupation: Queen’s Council [a top lawyer for non-Brits!]

Vital Stats: 6ft 2inches; 12 stone of toned, ripped physique; Deep Forest-Green Eyes; Hair so dark it’s almost black, tans easily and has a five o’clock shadow by 12noon.

Celebrity Look-a-like: Henry Cavill

White Lie or Absolute Honesty: Absolute Honesty

Order In or Dine Out: Dine Out – and Order In, Cal isn’t big on cooking.

Boxers or Briefs: Boxer briefs (nice and snug)

Best known for: His erudite way with words – except when it comes to talking about his feelings.

We’d want to date him because…  He’s wry, witty, intelligent, curious, dominating (but with a sense of humour), scrupulously honest, super-smart and looks seriously sexy whether he’s wearing a suit or faded jeans (or nothing at all). He’s a great dancer (although he insists on leading), he’s competitive, confident, generous (in bed and out) and goal-orientated — which means that while he considers flirting one of the best forms of foreplay, he makes a point of being very accomplished at all other forms of foreplay too. He’s generally laid-back and relaxed in social situations, but he tends to be focussed and intense in private, radiating a force field of raw machismo that will make you the centre of his attention (in every way). In other words, this man is way too hot to handle, and way too hot not to handle. Women, be warned.

In his words…

He cradled her face in his palms as he touched his forehead to hers, listened to her ragged breathing.

‘I’m not going to rush you,’ he murmured, the humour gone. ‘I’ve been waiting to get my hands on you the whole damn day. So believe me, I intend to savour every single second.’

His lips quirked as he lifted his head and took in her dilated pupils — and the little crease of consternation on her forehead.

‘I know what I’m doing,’ he added.

‘Yes, but you don’t…’

‘And I don’t need instructions,’ he interrupted, grinning. Damn, but she was persistent. ‘I find it ruins the spontaneity.’

She moved out of his arms, propped her hands on her hips, the little crease turning into the Grand Canyon. ‘I should have guessed you’d be difficult about...’

‘That’s enough talk.’

‘Excuse me?’

Stepping forward, he whipped her bag out of her hand.

‘Hey, give that back.’

Ignoring the astonished protest, he grasped her wrist with his other hand, bent over and hefted her onto his shoulder.

‘What are you doing?’ she yelped, although he figured it was fairly obvious as he marched to the front door of his block.

‘I like talk as much as the next guy,’ he said conversationally, as he keyed his code into the security panel. ‘In fact, I make a very decent living at it.’ He kicked open the door. ‘But even I have my limits.’

‘Put me down!’ she yelled, wriggling and kicking now as she got her wind back. ‘This is absurd.’

He elbowed the light switch.

‘And probably illegal.’ The protest came out in pants, her midriff rocking against his shoulder blade. ‘I’ll sue.’

Adrenaline surged through him as he climbed the stairs, two at a time.

‘Go ahead and try.’ He dropped her to her feet — and chuckled at her mutinous expression, and the flush of arousal on her cheeks. ‘No judge would convict me.’

Her chin took on a mulish tilt, her colour rising. ‘She would if she was a woman.’

‘Wanna bet.’ He reached into his pocket, palmed his key and slid it into the lock. Opening the door, he took hold of her hand and dragged her inside.

‘Has anyone ever told you you’re remarkably arrogant?’ she announced as he slapped his palms above her head, caging her against the wall.

‘Yes. You.’ He buried his face against her neck. ‘And more than once now.’

Her quickened breathing gushed out against his cheek. Suckling the pulse point, he heard the soft sob of surrender. He lifted his head, traced his fingers along the elegant line of her neck, over her collarbone, then ran his hands down her curves. She bucked, her body quaking as his thumbs circled the tight buds of her breasts through her clothing.

‘And you’re remarkably bossy,’ he murmured, his hands settling on her hips. Why did he find that so incredibly sexy?

Her big brown eyes widened as he cradled his erection against her belly. ‘Which makes us even.’ Capturing her wrist, he led her down the hallway towards his bedroom.

Her heels clicked on the polished wood floor as she raced to keep pace with him. But for once she didn’t have a comeback — making him feel invincible.

"Ruby Delisantro is the queen of cupcakes and salsa. She is in charge, with a great repertoire of quick retorts and snappy one-liners, and even sharper moves on the dance floor. And then Callum Westmore comes crashing into her life. One glance from those infuriatingly luscious bedroom eyes and she’s close to losing ­control. Something tells her that Callum sees straight through the tough attitude to her soft-as-buttercream heart beneath. Is Ruby in danger of falling for him and – worse still – of liking it?

 If you like Lindsey Kelk and Jenny Colgan, you’ll love this."

SO you wanna read it, right?! Well you can get your hands on a copy from Mills and Boon UK right now AND you can also enter the Rafflecoptor draw below! nd be sure to enter because Heidi's also giving away a copy of her current Presents Extra release "One Night, So Pregnant!"

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USA Today bestselling author Heidi Rice is married with two teenage sons (which gives her rather too much of an insight into the male psyche). She also works as a film journalist and was born in Notting Hill in West London (before it became as chi-chi as it is in the film starring Hugh Grant). She now lives in Islington in North London - a stone's throw away from where they shot Four Weddings and a Funeral... (She has asked Hugh very politely to stop stalking her, but will he listen?) She loves her job because it involves sitting down at her computer each day and getting swept up in a world of high emotions, sensual excitement, funny feisty women, sexy tortured men and glamourous locations where laundry doesn't exist ... Not bad, eh. 
Then she gets to turn off her computer and do chores (usually involving laundry!)

Find Heidi online at her website, blog, Twitter and Facebook.

Here's Conte Matteo di Serrone from Liz Fielding's "Flirting with Italian"

This week's RIVA hero comes from the pen of the awesome Liz Fielding. I'm so thrilled to have Liz here on the blog--and even more excited to meet her hero, Matteo!

Name: Matteo di Serrone

Age: 34

Occupation: Botanist, Vigneron

Celebrity Look-a-like: I prefer my own imagination!

White Lie or Absolute Honesty: Absolute honesty under normal circumstances, but when he thinks heroine is a journalist trying to get at his sister’s secrets, the gloves are off.

Order In or Dine Out: Dine out or home cooking. He’s Italian!

Boxers or Briefs: Boxers. The soft, clingy kind.

Best known for: Playboy lifestyle, the fabulous wine he produces, his work with UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

We’d want to date him because…

One look from those eyes and you couldn’t help yourself. Dark as night but with the crackle of lightning in their depths and a smile that to steal your senses under the warm Italian sun. How easy it is to be seduced by laughter…

In his words…

AND so it begins, Matteo thought, as Sarah Gratton replaced her glasses. Hiding her eyes.

‘I can manage,’ she said, as he reached out to help her down.

‘I don’t think you should risk it in your enfeebled state.’

‘I’m not in the least bit feeble…’  He put his hands on her waist and her words died on a little gasp. Nicely done. ‘You might want to hold on,’ he encouraged.

She was lovely and trying so hard. It would be a shame not to make the most of the moment.

After the briefest pause she placed her palms on his shoulders. Her touch was light, her arms fully extended to keep a ladylike distance between them and yet the contact was like a lightning conductor, focussing everything primitive, ancient, instinctive into a single point of heat low in his belly.

And he was the one struggling for breath as he said, ‘Ready?’

‘Ready,’ she said, poised, as cucumber cool as if she was sitting on bench in her own garden. ‘Hang on,’ he said, and she clutched at him, her fingers digging into his shoulder as he lifted her clear of the wall and she slid down his body until her feet touched the ground.

He held onto her, making sure she was steady. Then just held on as he was immersed in her scent. Not the kind sprayed out of bottle, but something more personal. Warm skin, silky hair, the scent of a woman held in the arms of man she desires.

For a moment it was not Sarah clinging to him for support. He was the one hanging onto her, weak with longing to bury his face in her hair, her neck. In the creamy softness of the breasts he’d glimpsed as she’d leaned forward, bombarding his senses with everything female.

‘I’ve got it, thanks,’ she said, her hands sliding to his elbows, steadying him in return for just a moment before she stepped back to pick up her hat.

What colour were they?  Her eyes. He should have noticed…

FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN

Could stepping into the past make your future perfect? Sarah’s been dumped. Unceremoniously. Painfully. A romantic at heart and a historian by profession, Sarah has always wondered about her grandfather’s wartime romance in Italy. Who was that brave woman who cared for him during the war? Clearly this is the time to heal her wounds with the trip of a lifetime to Rome and maybe find a hot Italian lover to take her mind off the past. Armed only with a photo of the house her grandfather stayed in, the village, and the name Lucia, Sarah sets out to find her…and meets the beautiful Italian count Matteo di Serrone there. Now here’s a man who could move Sarah on from her broken heart! It’s a fairy-tale romance, until Sarah realises she’s made the most rookie mistake of all: falling in love with her holiday fling…

You can BUY the book right now from Mills and Boon UK and also Amazon UK. And you can go into the draw to win your own signed copy, plus a signed copy of Liz's next Harlequin Romance, THE LAST WOMAN HE'D EVER DATE by clicking on the Rafflecopter bit below!

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Liz Fielding, lives in the UK and has just moved to the mystical south-west, close to Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Avebury. 

She has written more than 60 books;  some of them have won awards. 

At present she’s reclaiming her new garden from years of neglect and also knits a bit. 

Find more from her website and blog. Follow her on Twitter and on Facebook and talk books with her on Goodreads!

Ethan's here!

This week's RIVA hero is my very own Ethan from DATING AND OTHER DANGERS. Ethan is one of my favourite heroes--he's so outrageous he makes me laugh. But underneath the swagger a heart of gold is buried...

Name: Ethan

Age: 30

Occupation: Lawyer

Vital Stats: tall, dark and you guessed it… handsome. Here’s Nadia’s first impression of him:

Sharp tailored suit, even sharper eyes, and a smile on the face that went with the prime male body. Nadia had never seen anyone with such perfect features in real life—that kind of symmetry was the domain of airbrushed aftershave ads. Only this guy had an edge that was never in those ads…

White Lie or Absolute Honesty: In the business environment it’s brutal honesty… but for a reserved few—those nearest his heat (his sisters and his mother) –he will do anything to protect them from hurt and yes, that might include a lie or two.

Order In or Dine Out: Oh dine out for sure! Ethan knows how to have a good time.

Boxers or Briefs: those inbetween knit boxers that cling in all the right places!

Best known for: Being ‘internetorious’—named as Mr 3 Dates & You’re Out on Nadia’s WomenBWarned forum…

We’d want to date him because… he’s outrageously good fun—sexy, confident and charming. He’s also sharp and calculating and not one to turn away from a challenge!

In his words…

“Gotcha,” he ground out through teeth clenched in masculine victory. “No one’s come to your rescue Nadia.” His words slurred as all his predatory instincts celebrated, shutting down his brain and firing up his body. He kept his hand over her mouth. Tried not to enjoy having her at his mercy too much. But he failed on that one.

Beneath his tense bicep, her breasts rose and fell quickly.

“It’s the middle of the damn day and you’re mine to do what I want with. In the morning, when you skate through here, there are even fewer passers-by. You’d have no chance.”

He felt the ripple in her body again, watched the green in her eyes deepen, some emotion welling up in her. But it wasn’t fear.

Oh, hell.

It swamped him too, obliterating all those intentions. He tried to hold in…meaning to prove that point. But he couldn’t remember what the point had been now… He knew what he wanted but he was not going to—not going to…

He lifted his hand and quickly kissed her—hard.

And he groaned as quick became long and slow. He dived into the sensations—the hungry, soft mouth, the sweet slide of her tongue. His brain shut down completely as he was immersed in searing, delicious heat. For ever and a bit later he lifted his head and looked at her. Her tee had rucked up a bit when he’d tumbled her down, baring her midriff. Now he ran a single finger just above the snug waistband of her black leggings, loving the satin feel of her smooth, warm skin. Loving the catch of her breath even more.

He watched her reaction—the increase in her pulse, the liquidity of her eyes—and went bolder still, firmly pressing the palm of his hand against her belly, feeling the response ripple through her. Oh, man, she had fire.

He slid his hand beneath that waistband and watched her mouth open in a silent oh. For a brief moment her eyes closed as he went lower, brazenly sliding his fingers right down into her pants.

Her whole body spasmed.

He paused, breathing hard as he felt her instinctive rocking up to meet his hand. She wanted him.

“Don’t be too pleased with yourself,” she panted, defiant to the end. “I’m always hot after exercise.”

Here’s the blurb for the US version:

Nadia Keenan’s first date Do’s and Don’ts:

1.     Do boost your confidence by looking hot

2.     Don’t put out until at lease date two

3.     If the man is trouble (however sexy!) do report all on www.WomanBWarned.com

After being trashed on Nadia’s website, serial dater-and-dumper Ethan Rush is about to put Nadia’s rules to the test. He’s determined to change her mind about him. She’s determined to prove him for the cad he is.

Let the battle of the dates begin…

While here’s the blurb for the new look Riva:

Could two players both win the dating game? Nadia Keenan is corporate HR by day, web-dating warrior by night – she runs WomanBwarned.com, where bad-date stories are aired and shared to help other women avoid the same pitfalls. Ethan Rush, serial dater-and-dumper and utterly, gorgeously lush, has just found out he’s been trashed – repeatedly – on Nadia’s website and he’s…um…not happy. Both know they’re in the right. Neither is ready to back down. 

Let the battle of the dates begin!

Dating and Other Dangers is on the shelves in stores in North America in October and you can also grab it online from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers. 

If you’re in the UK, it’s also just been rereleased in digital form and you can grab it from Amazon UK.

And if you're on Goodreads you can enter to win a signed copy right here! 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dating and Other Dangers

by Natalie Anderson

Giveaway ends October 28, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

And I'm touring round the net a bit with Dating and Other Dangers - come say hi here:

• Books'n'Kisses - 1 Oct
• Cocktails & Books - 2 Oct
• New Age Mama - 3 Oct
• Reading Between the Wines - 4 Oct
• TBR the Blog - 5 Oct
• Tory Michaels - 8 Oct
• Ramblings from this Chick - 9 Oct
• Love to Read Romance - 10 Oct
• Forever a Book Lover - 12 Oct
• Always a Book Lover - 15 Oct

Meet Cale! Superfine Hot Riva Hero from Joss Wood!

WELCOME - I've another gorgeous RIVA hero for you this week! I want you to meet Cale - and he's extra special because he's the FIRST of Joss Wood's fine RIVA heroes to hit the virtual bookstores! So congrats to Joss on her debut release and also a huge THANK YOU for bringing us such a hot winner! So here he is...

Name: Cale Grant

Age: 35

Occupation: Sports Psychologist/ TV Sports presenter, adventure racing and fitness freak.

Vital Stats: 6"2, seriously fit, ink-blue eyes, naturally sun streaked blonde hair

Celebrity Look-a-like: He's a blonde Ryan Gosling but sexier. (Can that be possible???)

White Lie or Absolute Honesty: Absolute Honesty

Order In or Dine Out: Either, as long as he doesn't have to make it! Maddie is seriously domestically challenged.

Boxers or Briefs: Boxers

Best known for:

He's a sports presenter and one of Cape Town's most eligible bachelors but Maddie remembers him best as being one half of the wild 'Grant' twins.

We’d want to date him because…

Cale is smart and funny and hot enough to melt the panties off any woman but he also has an over developed sense of responsibilty and is carrying far too much guilt over his twin brother's death. He's successful but under that tough exteriour he's vulnerable.

This is Maddie’s− who is very much a 21^st century girl−reaction to him:

…and was currently ducking his calls because she wasn’t quite sure how to handle him….

Ignoring the thought that Cale wasn’t the type of man to be ‘handled’ at the best of times, Maddie told herself that she dealt with people on a daily basis…she was never at a loss for words. But Cale made her feel tongue tied and gawky…awkward. Mostly because she was pretty sure that her attraction to him was tattooed on her forehead.

If she was a dog then she’d be constantly panting….

Maddie glanced down at her skimpy towel and realised that calling him would be dangerous. She was practically naked, and she suspected that she had a good chance of ending up flat on her back if Cale saw her like this. She’d loved him as a teenager, had burned up the sheets with him—when they weren’t fighting—but she’d never experienced this soul-jumping, crotch-squirming reaction that swept over her every time he was within a hundred-foot radius of her.

Lust. So this is what it really feels like, huh? It had to be lust. What else could it possibly be? Feeling like this, she assured herself, was a very normal, natural reaction when you hadn’t had sex for more than…roughly four hundred days times four….

He’s back. He’s insanely hot. He’s absolutely the last person she should date. Maddie Shaw is a part-time bartender with a never-get-involved attitude to dating and a flair for the perfectly served drink. Yet when ex-boyfriend Cale Grant walks into her bar, a whole ten years after their massive bust-up, she’s blown away all over again by his dark chocolate voice and deep blue eyes. So, just how over him is she?

You can buy SHE'S SO OVER HIM as an e-book from Mills and Boon UK or Amazon UK right now! And you can also enter the giveaway to get an e-copy right here:

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Joss Wood wrote her first book at the age of eight and has never really stopped. Her passion for putting black letters on a white screen is only matched by her love of books and travelling (especially to the wild places of Southern Africa) and, possibly, by her hatred of ironing and making school lunches.

Fueled by coffee, when she’s not writing or being a hands-on Mom, Joss, with her background in business and marketing, works for a non-profit organization to promote the local economic development and collective business interests of the area where she resides.  Happily, and chaotically, surrounded by family, friends and books, she lives in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa with her husband, young children and their many pets.

Be sure to follow Joss on Facebook and on Twitter and don't forget to head over to Ally Blake's blog later in the week to learn more about SHE'S SO OVER HIM!

Date Bradley Knight from THE WEDDING DATE by Ally Blake!

Time to meet another gorgeous Riva hero! Here's Bradley, from the pen of the fabulous Ally Blake!!! 

Name:  Bradley Knight

Age: 32

Occupation:  One time mountaineer now the man behind Voyagers, a big-time adventure TV show

Vital Stats: 6'4", swarthy, short dark no nonsense haircut, mercury grey eyes, built like a mountain

Celebrity Look-a-like: Gerard Butler

White Lie or Absolute Honesty:  Like the mountains he has famously conquered he's colossal, tough, unyielding, indomitable, and enigmatic.  I wouldn't put a white lie past the guy ;).

Order In or Dine Out:  Order in.  For a man in the spotlight Bradley treasures his privacy above all else.

Boxers or Briefs: I searched the book for both, and none appeared.  Must be commando. He is an adventurer after all ;).

Best known for:   Trying his best to avoid moments like this: "I know you are!  You’re the guy who makes Voyagers.  I’ve seen you in magazines.  And on the telly.  My daughter just loooves you.  She even considered going into training once so she could be one of those regular-type people you send off into the wild  and up mountains with nothing but a toothbrush and a packet of Tim-Tams.  Or however it goes.  And that’s saying something!  It’s all but impossible to get that girl off the couch.  You know what?  I should give you her number.  She’s quite pretty in her way and unquestionably single..."

We’d want to date him because…  Big, bad, beautiful Bradley Knight is unattainable.  Untouchable.  Waaay out of our league.  And yet, as he himself so wisely claims: "When you climb a mountain, solo, the challenge is so great, so seemingly impossible, the pay off is all sweeter when you reach the peak.  You’ve conquered the unconquerable."  And we do like a challenge right?

In his words…

It took every ounce of strength Bradley had to keep himself propped on his shaking arms.  He’d done nothing to deserve giving into his raging desires.  He deserved to be punished.

He slid to Hannah's side.  She groaned in protest, her back arching, a hand sliding down his arm, across his chest, scraping through the arrow of hair leading to his...

He closed his eyes.  If this was punishment send him to hell.

He grabbed her hand and restrained it over her head, and using a heavy leg, pinned her writhing body to the bed.

Breathing heavily, eyes closed, she stopped moving, clearly doing her best to stay put, as though she knew it would be worth it to do as she was told.  She was one clever girl.

The pale of her breast was shining from his ministrations, and slowly, achingly slowly he lowered his head until he took her dry, peaked nipple into his mouth.

He worked his way down the sweetest spots of her body until he couldn’t stand it any longer.  There was no way he could last another minute without enjoying that mouth.

Look at me, he demanded inside his head.  He wanted her to know who was kissing her.  He needed her to know.  To remember.

She opened her dark slumberous eyes and looked right into the dark depths of his soul.  Then as if she knew just what he needed she pulled his head to hers and kissed him.

THE WEDDING DATE is available from Amazon UK and Mills and Boon UK!

What happens in Tasmania stays in Tasmania...

All work and no play means that Hannah’s crush on her gorgeous boss - blockbuster adventure TV show producer Bradley Knight – has no chance of fading gracefully away.   So the opportunity to go home to Tasmania for her sister’s wedding for a long weekend is just the break from work - and Bradley – she so badly needs.

One problem - Bradley has a gut feeling that if his most able assistant goes back to her beautiful island home, she might find more reasons to stay than to come back.  Thankfully, the stunning, raw, rugged scenery of Tasmania is just the kind of place he could set his next TV show.  It only makes sense that he tag along!

In the wilds of Tasmania she can play.  He can work.  And who knows?  The two of them might just find a way to do both!

In her previous life Australian romance author Ally Blake was a head cheerleader, a maths tutor, a dental assistant, and the secretary of the Australian Cinematographers Society. She married in Las Vegas - no Elvis in sight, though Tony Curtis did put in a special appearance.
In this life Ally is a bestselling, multi-award winning novelist who has been published in over twenty languages with more than three million books sold world-wide. Her fun, fresh, flirty books are published by Harlequin Mills and Boon.
Ally and her family, including three boisterous toddlers, share a property in the leafy western suburbs of Brisbane, Australia, with kookaburras, cockatoos, lorikeets and the occasional creepy crawly. When not writing she loves eating M&Ms, watching The West Wing reruns, playing hide and seek, and barracking til hoarse for the Collingwood Magpies AFL team.

Find out more about Ally's books on her website, Twitter and Facebook.