I’m so proud of the reactions to Firebird. I really loved the story myself but wasn’t sure that others who weren’t into dance would like it as well. It seems like those fears were unfounded.

Sin gave Firebird a 5-kisses review at Two Lips Reviews! Please check it out. (click)

A little excerpt:

“Firebird by Annabel Joseph took me to glorious heights. I enjoyed the balance between dancing and giving into their needs. I’d recommend this read to any number of readers. It was fantastic.”

Thank you, Sin!!

I was excited to learn that Bella at Fallen Angel Reviews named Deep in the Woods a Recommended Read.

You can read the review here (click!)

An excerpt from Bella’s 5-Angel review:

“Deep in the Woods is a deliciously dark, incredibly intense story. Sophie is an amazing heroine to root for. She’s got grace, intelligent and beauty, and has suffered through a horrid relationship with an abusive guy, an experience that no one should have to endure. Even in the midst of her healing, she’s able to love again and takes Dave as her newest love. Dave is wonderfully sane, yet at the same time wickedly dominant in his mastery over Sophie. He’s intuitive enough to know when to punish and when to let a word or behavior slide, when to be forceful and when to be loving. There are many out there who wouldn’t remain with someone so bruised and battered as they heal from their past. Because Dave does, this makes him all the more attractive. The dynamic between this couple is electrifying, their sex and play scenes mouthwatering. Combined with the suspense from Sophie’s past and the delicious play with Dave’s best friend, Deep in the Woods is rip roaring roller coaster read and a sure success. Brava to Annabel Joseph for an amazing read.”

Well, it happened again. I got another review where the reader was unable to understand why the heroine enjoyed being hurt by the hero. It happens enough that I feel moved to blog about it.

It’s a question that kind of flabbergasts me. Why does anyone like what they like in the bedroom? I try very hard in my books to make the point that the heroines are highly turned on by whatever the hero is subjecting them to, and in my mind, that is enough.

The thing about masochism is that masochists are not always sure why they want it, they just know they want it. Actually, in the BDSM world, it’s considered very bad form to put someone on the spot and ask why they like the kink they like. I was browsing Fetlife once, and I came upon a photo a masochist had posted. She had taken 400 cane strokes — and to be honest, the picture was a little horrifying. Her ass was bloodied and torn, and afterward her Dom had taken some of the blood from her wounds and smeared it across her back. The caption, written by the masochist, expressed great love for her dominant and pride at her “accomplishment.” I scrolled through the comments and while many people said things like, “oh wow, not me!” or “How on earth did you manage to take that many?” or “how long did that take to heal?” not one person asked “why?”

Masochists resent being pegged as damaged or psychologically scarred, and they resent having to come up with a reason why they like things other people don’t like. In most cases, there is no reason. It’s just who they are. Like having brown hair, or being tall, or liking reality shows.

Masochists also resent when people equate masochism with being a doormat — another label my poor heroines get a lot in reviews. If you’re getting what you want, you aren’t a doormat. You’re an empowered, self-actualized person who is getting needs met. Even if that “need” is to be treated terribly. In a perfect world, a masochist should never be made to feel that the way they are wired is “wrong.”

With that said, I am not angry with these reviewers. I realize a lot of people who read romantic BDSM are not actually into the level of sado-masochism that I’m into, and most of them don’t realize that questions and judgments like that would be considered highly insulting to an actual sado-masochist. I do think e-romance sites need better labels so readers will understand when a BDSM title contains harder sado-masochistic play as opposed to your “bedroom bondage” and lighter sensation play. I know that would help me a lot as a reader and would probably result in a lot less dissatisfied readers. BDSM can have so many different manifestations and intensity levels.

We need more specific terms!

Use the code SANTA305 to take 20% off your order sitewide. Great deal if you want to pick up Mercy and Cait and the Devil! I believe it’s a one-time-use per account type code.

Happy reading!

I’m so happy that Firebird is getting such great reviews. I learned today that Firebird received a “5-Diva” review and was designated a Dark Diva Reviews Recommended Read! Yeah!

You can read the review by Jae here: CLICK!

An excerpt: “The character development is outstanding, even secondary characters are brought to life with unflinching clarity. Readers will feel the emotions of the characters vividly throughout Firebird.

I can honestly say, only half-jokingly, that I tried to read the story slower and slower just so it wouldn’t end.”

Firebird was also chosen as Whipped Cream’s Book of the Week! (click)

If you haven’t picked up Firebird yet, I hope you’ll give it a try. You don’t need to love dance to love Jackson and Prosper’s story. Click on the link at the right to buy Firebird at Loose-id.com!

I had a fun interview with Janis at Blackraven Reviews last week. You can read the interview HERE! And even better, if you answer the question at the end in the comments section, you’ll be entered to win a free copy of Deep in the Woods! Hurry, the contest only runs until tomorrow AM.

I hope you’ll check out the Blackraven Erotic Cafe site, it’s one of my favorites!

Thanks to Fern at Whipped Cream reviews for posting a review of Firebird and giving it 4.5 cherries out of 5!

Click here to check out the review in it’s entirety.

An excerpt of Fern’s review:
As a fan of the BDSM genre, I am always excited to discover authors who have a grasp of the complexities of a D/s relationship. The emotional aspects of the story are of equal (if not more) importance than the plot. Finding material that focuses on this versus “kink in the bedroom” is like searching for the needle in a proverbial haystack – difficult and, at times, incredibly frustrating. For this reason alone, Annabel Joseph’s Firebird is worthy of notice.

BDSM enthusiasts who lean toward works on the darker, more intense side of the D/s spectrum will enjoy Firebird. The writing is excellent, the characters are beautifully developed, and the story is one that doesn’t disappoint. I look forward to more offerings from this author in the future.

Please visit Happily Ever After today to see Dawn’s great review of Deep in the Woods. An excerpt:

Sophie came to trust and love Dave enough to follow his instructions that took her spiraling through orgasm after orgasm. Through perseverance, Dave brought Sophie to her potential of a submissive that he truly loved and cherished. He gave her the strength to fight her memories and come out of it with love and a commitment.

Annabel Joseph definitely captures your attention with this story and I rate it 5 Tea Cups and a definite 3 heat index.

I especially love the part about her spiralling through orgasm after orgasm! YEAH! If you haven’t got your copy of Deep in the Woods yet, what are you waiting for? 😉

I had a great time being interviewed recently by fellow writer Cari Quinn. We talked about being a romance author, inspiration, and my latest release, Deep in the Woods. Cari is a fellow Ellora’s Cave writer and the author of many hot novels herself!

You can check out the interview here! CLICK!

I felt the need to blog about Jeremy of Comfort Object today. And no, of course we don’t hate him, lol! Okay, well maybe a little.

Comfort Object has been enjoying a new surge in sales, and I’m overjoyed about that. I’m sure it’s due to word of mouth, as it’s been off the Loose Id home page for some time now, and I thank everyone who’s gone out of their way to post an online review or talk up the book to a friend. When people talk to me about Comfort Object, the same topic always comes up–JEREMY! What is his deal? Why is he so mean?

When I originally wrote Comfort Object, Jeremy’s POV didn’t show up until after Nell was already in his clutches. As I was sharing it with close friends for review, I was surprised how much they disliked him. Okay, how much they hated him. This really pained me because he was always, in my mind, a sympathetic character. He was hurting, why couldn’t they see that? My very sharp editor suggested I change one of the earlier scenes from Nell’s POV to Jeremy’s POV. She didn’t even ask me to do it as a means to make him more sympathetic, but the scene I ended up switching to Jeremy’s POV was the scene in Guillermo’s restaurant at the beginning of Chapter Four. After I made the change, an amazing thing happened. My readers were suddenly much more amenable to Jeremy, if not head over heels. I suppose in that scene at the start of Chapter Four, we get to see some of his desperation and loneliness, and that he is not ruining Nell’s life out of any sense of malice.

To be honest, when I wrote Jeremy, there was never one act or one moment or one word to my mind where he was being purely spiteful or malicious to her. Everything nasty he did came from a place of hurt, loneliness, or frustration. (And of course, complete unbridled sexual depravity. He is a sex addict, of course.) Not that I am excusing his bad behavior. He was a total ass. He was imperfect. He always will be. But he loved Nell to such a degree that it terrified him, and there is something really sympathetic in that.

And what can we say about Nell? Oh, it reeeally steams me when people call her a doormat. You don’t bring a man like Jeremy to heel by being a doormat. Nell was intelligent, patient, and intuitive enough to see the tortured man behind the mask. On the surface, Nell belonged with Jeremy because their kinks and needs were so perfectly matched. But below the surface, an emotional wreck like Jeremy needs an emotional rock like Nell to crash upon. I don’t think that makes her a doormat. I think Nell will be loved and treasured by Jeremy her whole life for the loyalty and understanding she affords him.

Anyway, just some thoughts about these characters that seem to push a lot of buttons with readers. Hopefully the uptick in sales means that readers are finding ways to relate to this hero and heroine that are, admittedly, not your standard fare. Sometimes I wonder if I made mistakes with Jeremy…if I should have made him more gentlemanly and less neurotic. But if I had, I think a lot of the emotional power of the story would have bled away. But enough of what I think. What do you think?

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I’m very excited to announce that my first Ellora’s Cave novel is being released today. Ellora’s Cave is the largest e-romance publisher and I’ve wanted to publish there since the time I first got into writing erotic romance.

They accepted a book with a heroine who isn’t your normal perfect self-assured cookie-cutter heroine, and I’m thankful for that. DitW’s Sophie does not have it all together–she’s not perfect and she’s made mistakes in love just like all of us. I think the true power of her story is showing that moving on can take as much bravery as living through the trauma in the first place–and that a trustworthy and nurturing partner makes it easier.

I hope you’ll pick up Deep in the Woods, and I hope it’s deeper themes will resonate with you. It’s always my goal to move my readers and make them feel something above and beyond…well…horny lust.

But I hope you feel lust also, lol! And if you enjoy Ryan, Dave’s friend who joins Dave and Sophie for a few exciting menages, stay tuned for my next book Fortune, which is Ryan’s own story of finding love.

Still haven’t picked up Mercy, Owning Wednesday, or Cait and the Devil? Click on the title at the side and use the code BEACHREAD when you check out at Lulu.com. You’ll receive 10% off your order (Coupon is valid until July 31 but is probably one-time-use per account.)

My self-published books are not quite as…erm…restrained at the ones I toned down for publication, but many readers really enjoyed them for that reason. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you should give them a try. They are all very dear to my heart, being my early books and having a lot of biographical elements in them.

And don’t forget, Deep in the Woods is out Friday at Ellora’s Cave. YEAH!

Yay! The first review is always the most exciting. Firebird was rated a top pick at Night Owl Romance, with a five star review.

You can read the review here!

So here’s my newest cover. What do you think? If you click the cover you can check out a short excerpt at Ellorascave.com.

Deep in the Woods is a story that banged around in my brain for a long time before I found a way to get it onto paper. It takes on the whole issue of “How far is too far?” in BDSM, and how to come back from the edge once you’ve found it. The heroine, Sophie, needs to rebuild her life after a predator-type Dominant abuses her so badly that she has post-traumatic stress disorder issues. Her new Dominant, Dave, is still strict and exacting, but he honors her fragility, and the way he protects her in their fledgling relationship is very sweet and cool.

But the old abuser is still not totally out of the picture, and when issues come to a head, there is danger and yet redemption. I’m really proud of this story. It’s deeply emotional and thought-provoking at times, but still sexy and funny and romantic. I hope you’ll check it out when it is released July 16th at Ellora’s Cave.

Wow, I can’t believe I finally have a new book out. It’s been a long wait since last October. Firebird is out and available here at Loose-id.com. If you read it and like, it I hope you will post some reviews and spread the word.

Also, be on the lookout for two more of my books coming shortly from Ellora’s Cave. Deep in the Woods will be out in just a month or so, on July 16th, and Fortune, a spin-off featuring Ryan from Deep in the Woods, will be out a couple months after that. I’m very proud of both of them and I think my readers will love them. You can learn more about both books on the sidebar.

Thanks everyone for your support!