Hi Kathy and thank you so much for letting me stop by again :).
I’ve got to admit, when I was young I was one of those horse mad girls who spent every moment I could at the local stables, and every other waking moment thinking about, reading about or drawing horses. When I grew up, the horses got slowly edged out by the boys, so I suppose it’s logical that I eventually got round to writing a book featuring both (and I’ve got more horses and a VERY hot farrier in my next story)!
To be honest, the horses don’t really feature much at all in this story. The riding stables is just a setting for a very hot, very erotic romance. Life in the countryside definitely heats up for Roisin after her cheating husband dies and a sexy asset stripper walks into her life – particularly as she’d let him strip her before she realised who he was!
I’m not sure if, put in Roisin’s situation, I would have had the guts to go along with Saul’s suggestion – which involves running a sex therapy centre alongside her equestrian business. But when the chips are down I think we can surprise ourselves at just what we are prepared to consider and hey, working alongside a hunk of a man who knows exactly how to please a lady can’t hurt can it?
If you’ve got time to leave a comment, I’d be interested to know where you’d draw the personal line if you had a crisis! I’ll send one person who comments a copy of Forfeit (pdf) or Freefalling (pdf or epub) – check out my blog for book details!
Excerpt:
Saul had never been into horses. Riding, yes; horses no. But right now, watching the slim, strong thighs squeezing firmly against the side of the black horse, he had a sudden desire to get into jodhpurs. Big time. He watched for a moment as the pair moved gracefully around the arena, the rider sitting perfectly upright, moving effortlessly in time with the horse. His gaze moved up to the small, perfect, bouncing breasts, the thick, red curls down her back, and suddenly the picture came together. It was the final piece of the jigsaw that sent a jolt of recognition straight through his body. Straight to his cock. Roisin.
She didn’t seem to notice him the first time she cantered past, but then she lost tempo for a moment and the next time round came to a perfect halt feet away, scattering rubber and sand over his feet. And she looked angry. Flushed and angry. That look sent another dart of longing straight to his groin, and it took considerable control to stop himself from dragging her down off that goddamned horse and shagging her right there and then in the dirt.
***
‘How did you find me?’ Roisin glared at him. Mind-blowing sex was one thing, but was it good or bad when your supposedly once in a lifetime one-night stand turns up again hours later? Though she couldn’t exactly say, “You’re my one and only one-night stand, now bugger off and stop spoiling things,” could she? Or could she?
He shrugged and looked almost apologetic. ‘I’m sorry, I know this sounds bad, but I didn’t find you. I, er, wasn’t looking for you.’
He didn’t really look sorry; he was grinning, and from where she stood it looked like his cock was straining at his zip as though expecting a repeat performance of last night. She felt the heat hit her cheeks, and forced her gaze back up to meet his.
He glanced down at the sheet of paper he was holding. ‘I’m actually looking for a Mrs Grant.’ The glance turned to a stare, his grin fading. ‘Mrs –’ he paused ‘– R Grant.’ The brown, hangdog eyes shot up to meet her dead on. ‘Shit, that’s you, isn’t it?’
Available from: Xcite Books * Amazon (UK) * Amazon (US)
About the author
Zara is a writer and lover of all things romantic, from the sensual to the sexual, who knows that naughty can be nice. She lives in the UK, but whenever she can she heads off in search of some sunshine and inspiration for her stories.
She loves sexy high heels…good food….good wine….music…coffee (lots and lots of coffee)… and Italy. All things Italian from the countryside to the culture, the wine to the food…and of course the sexy men.
She’s been a consultant, a teacher, a mother, a wife, a lover… and has always been a writer and she’d love to hear from you.
Where you can find her-Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Email
Title: Riding High by Zara Stoneley
Publisher: Xcite
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: 183 pages (pdf)
Book Rating: C+
Review Copy Obtained from Blog Tour Company
Summary:
‘Have wild crazy monkey sex with the first man you bump into.’ Roisin Grant hadn’t intended to follow her best friend’s advice – but, sometimes, what you expect from life and what you get don’t match up. She never expected her husband would have a stash of home-made porn movies, with him in the starring role, or that he would die and leave her bankrupt. And she never expected to be faced with asset-stripper Saul Mathews and a choice. Walk away from her home and equestrian business, or call his bluff and help him deliver riding lessons of an altogether different kind.
An erotic novel with mixed themes including m/f, ménage, sex in public and voyeurism.
The Review:
Riding High by Zara Stoneley is a super sexy and highly erotic novella. It is a fast-paced story that will set your eReader on fire.
Roisin Grant and Saul Mathews have so much emotional baggage that there is little room for their burgeoning relationship. Roisin has serious trust issues in the wake of her husband’s death. Not only did he cheat on her and film himself doing it, but he also left her with a huge mountain of debt. A one night stand is very much out of character for her, but Roisin finds her attraction to the very attractive and tremendously sexy Saul impossible to resist.
No stranger to betrayal, Saul is still dealing with the aftereffects of his failed marriage. His divorce not only left emotional scars, but it also caused financial setbacks as well. Although Saul very rarely indulges in casual flings, his desire for Roisin is too powerful to ignore and they share one passionate night together.
But things get complicated for Saul and Roisin pretty quickly when they discover they share a business connection. Roisin is prickly and prone to jumping to conclusions. She is suspicious of Saul’s motives and she is incredibly indecisive. Saul is a pretty straight forward character but his past problems with his ex-wife do play a role in his relationship with Roisin. Adding further conflict to their already troubled relationship are the Daddy issues that neither Roisin and Saul have dealt with.
Riding High is a very exhausting read. Their sex life is wonderful, but outside the bed? Roisin and Saul are an absolute mess. Just when it appears they have resolved their differences, another one pops up. Their communication skills are abysmal and both of them are guilty of assuming the worst about the other. Their relationship was on again/off again so often that I wondered if they would ever figure out a way to stay together.
The sex scenes in Riding High are scorching hot, varied and frequent. The chemistry between Saul and Roisin is sizzling and their sex encounters reflect their intense attraction. There is little Saul and Roisin won’t try as they experiment with phone sex, masturbation, voyeurism and a little BDSM play. Saul and Roisin indulge in one-time M/F/M ménage that is positively incendiary.
Overall, Riding High is an enjoyable read. Zara Stoneley does a fabulous job keeping the ending realistic given the amount of conflict between them. I am very intrigued by one of the secondary characters, James, and I am crossing my fingers that there is a future book planned for him.
