Possessed, Undressed, and in a Mess sounds like the story of my life sometimes, but in fact it’s a brand new novel from my pen name Sophie Mouette (which is myself and the glorious Teresa Noelle Roberts).
I love this novel. There were times when one or both of us hated this novel, because it went through a lot of changes over the years (yes, years) as we worked on it on and off. We started it back when we wrote for Black Lace and Cheek, completely changing the tone of it a our editor’s request, and then the lines folded, and we had this idea that we loved, but weren’t sure what to do with.
We got busy with other projects, came back to it, tore it apart, threw out a bunch of stuff, and moved forward. Had long phone conversations about tone (is it erotica? erotic romance? spicy romance? We decided on spicy romance.) and the heart of the mystery (as usual, we started the book by adding way too many plot elements). Finished it, sent it to beta readers, got great comments that made us go back and tear some sections apart again.
But my favorite part was very early on in the process, during a phone call where we were bouncing ideas back and forth. I said something, Teresa built on that, I built on that, etc., until suddenly I felt an actual chill come over me as this crazy, different, no-idea-where-it-was-coming-from thought burst into my brain like a firework going off. And I said it out loud, and Teresa actually gasped, and said, “Oh, yes!” and we both laughed and laughed. I never would have come up with the idea if it hadn’t been for the back-and-forth brainstorming that lead to it. The meeting of creative minds. It’s what makes collaboration worth its weight in gold.
(No, I’m not going to say what the idea was. You’ll have to read the book, and see if you can figure it out. 😉 )
And without further ado, the book!
A séance gone wildly wrong leaves hotelier Angela Georgenes sharing her body with a randy Victorian ghost. Someone’s after a treasure allegedly hidden in the hotel and the ghost wants to tell Angela—but can only communicate when Angela’s on the verge of orgasm.
Talk about awkward.
Angela—and the ghost—are both hot for new handyman Tyler Woodruff, but is he a knight in a shining pickup or the thief? In truth, he is there under false pretenses: he’s a fortune hunter who liberates unappreciated artifacts. Distracted by Angela’s wicked imagination and uninhibited bedroom antics, he doesn’t want to fall in love with her any more than she does with him.
But admitting their true feelings is the only way the ghost can reveal the nature of the treasure—and the real threat.
It’s got some spicy scenes—fairly conventional ones for romance, I’d say—but the focus is on the romance and mystery. And it’s funny. Did I mention it’s funny?
Available in print at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and soon at other venues such as Powells and Bank of Books.
Available at many online retailers:
Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Smashwords
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Venetian courtesan Catarucia Rigarda Archisani, spurned by her lover, wishes to be so beautiful that she will never be forgotten or ignored. When the capricious gods Venus and Amor grant her the wish, her only escape is to remain masked, except in the presence of her blind musician, Giancarlo Salvi. Accused of bewitching the men of Venezia, Catarucia must not only defend herself, but find a way to break the curse she so foolishly brought upon herself.
