I’ve Been Nominated!

I’m happy dancing around the house right now, because my erotic romance novella, Off the Shelf, has been nominated in The Romance Reviews awards for Best Book of 2012 in the Best Erotic Romance – Contemporary Romance.

Anyway, yes, I’m asking for your votes because I’m up against some seriously tough competition and every single vote counts. And I’ve never won anything before *sniffs*  You’ll need an account at The Romance Reviews and also need to be signed in to vote.

So, if you’re so inclined, head here now and place your votes.

And here’s a snippet from Off the Shelf, so if you haven’t read it, you’ll know just how adorable the male lead is, and why you should vote for him 😉 :

Annalise made a beeline for the travel section, but just before she got there she was stopped in her tracks. Impeding her entrance to the aisle was a man. And, judging by the flutter of her heart and the heat coming to her face, a very attractive one. Annalise watched him as she waited for her rational thoughts to catch up with what her body was telling her.

Seconds later, it became apparent they were in total agreement. The man – who, judging by his attire, was a member of staff – was indeed cute. He looked to be around Annalise’s age. He was taller than her, even though she wore heels, and he had a slim build. His long curly hair was tied back, and something about the way he was cradling a book in his hands made Annalise suspect she’d found a kindred spirit. He wasn’t the usual tall, muscular type she went for, but she hadn’t had much luck with those guys, anyway, so looking at someone a little different couldn’t do any harm, could it?

She continued towards the travel section before someone saw her acting like some kind of weird bookshop voyeur. Annalise figured the guy was new here. She came into this shop often enough to know the staff, and she’d never seen him before. She’d definitely have remembered him.

He looked up as she drew close, a pair of intelligent green eyes behind dark-rimmed glasses adding to the guy’s bookish appeal. His lips curved into a smile and he shuffled forward to let her by. Annalise gave a polite nod of thanks, moved past him and put her bag down at her feet.

Standing next to him as they both perused the shelves, Annalise caught the scent of his cologne. She had no idea what it was or how to describe it, but she did know it smelt totally divine. Almost mouth watering. Could this guy be any more appealing?

Reaching forward, Annalise grabbed a book from the shelf in order to distract herself before she got into trouble for sexual harassment. The two of them flicked pages in silence for a few minutes, until the quiet was suddenly broken by the sound of his voice.

‘Do you know,’ he said, quietly, as though they were in a library, rather than a bookshop, ‘I’ve quite forgotten myself. I’m supposed to be working here, and here I am browsing books and completely ignoring the customers.’

He closed the book he was looking at and slid it back into place on the shelf. Turning to Annalise, he held out a hand. ‘I’m Damien. I’m so sorry, I’ve only just started working here and I seem to keep forgetting that part. I blame the books. They distract me.’