Lori Toland's Soul Seduction Review and Blog Tour

Well, Hello there Goddesses!  It has been an honor for us to do our VERY FIRST blog tour with Goddessfish Promotions and what an amazing treat we have for you!

Lori Toland's book Soul Seduction is our first review for Goddessfish.  What can be better than two Goddess sites getting together?

A little bit about the book, Soul Seduction, aka "The Book Blurb" *winks*

Ashlee Bennett has her priorities straight. Fighting demons is at the top of the list until she meets her sexy neighbor, Luke Byrne. Even though he is human, she can't stop dreaming about his buff body and sexy grin, until her dreams turn to nightmares.

Her world is turned upside down when Luke follows her one night but instead of being afraid, he is only more determined to stand beside her and fight. Ashlee knows she needs to keep her distance from Luke, not just to protect her virginity but her heart as well. But Luke may be the only one who can save her from the night, and her dreams.

OUR REVIEW:
Sounds awesome doesn't it??  Well, let us just tell you that Ashlee is a demon-fighting machine!  The first page of the book made us want to keep reading.  LUKE IS HOT!  Ashlee isn't as unaffected as she would have him believe.  Thank goodness because neither one of us could stand that close to a Gorgeous God-like creature and NOT be affected.  The story Lori Toland weaves about who and WHAT Ashlee Bennett is and WHY she can't indulge in Luke's HOTNESS is worth picking up.  Ashlee is a take-charge kind of woman who is used to having to fend for herself and protect herself.  Luke surprises her in many ways, many many delectable ways.

We can say this, there is a reason for Ashlee's inability to give in to Luke's advances, and he makes no qualms about letting Ashlee know he wants her.  This book makes your mouth water and your fingers itch to turn the page and find out WHEN AND WHERE and maybe even IF Ashlee is going to give in to Luke.
First and foremost, however, Ashlee is a demon hunter.  There is a major demon "eruption" coming that has her scratching her head for answers as to which kind of demon, who the demon is and what it wants.

Soul Seduction kept us on our toes, turning pages and we're pretty sure it will do the same for you.

We were lucky enough to interview Ms. Lori Toland and let's get to it!
Hello Goddesses! We have a very special treat for you today!  Our very first Goddessfish (Yep -- two Goddesses working together to bring you great books!) blog tour event.  It is with none other than Lori Toland and her book Soul Seduction.
Oh my! :) I’m very honored. Thank you for having me by!

Ok, Lori, how about a few questions to entice the readers? 

Sure thing! 

When did you start writing?

I started writing back in sixth grade. I didn’t write romance but I did love to tell stories. 

What spurred you to become an author?

This is a difficult question. I’ve always been creative, so writing was just an outlet that came very naturally to me. I loved reading so when I tried writing my own stories, it started out as fun and slowly turned to, “Oh, I can get published.” I never meant to do that when I started out. 

What gave you your inspiration for this book? 

I’ve always loved paranormal and UF, whether it was TV shows like Buffy and Angel or movies like Underworld. And book series, OMG, don’t get me started. I’ve read tons. But I’ve always had Ashlee inside me, just bursting to get out and tell her story about how she’s lonely and just wants to meet that one true love.

Why did you pick the title Soul Seduction?

I can’t take credit for that. My awesome editors at Loose Id came up with the title. We had an e-mail meeting and they broke the news that the original title was going to be possibly changed and did I have another idea for it? I said “hit me with what you’ve got so far.” One of the titles was “Soul Seduction” and I said “I have to have it.”  

How long did it take you to write the book and become published?

Soul Seduction was a little different. I had the pleasure of working with Christy Lockhart, a well-known author who now works with Loose Id in author development. From start to publication, I worked on this for ten months. 

How did you choose your publisher?  Were there other publishers wanting to sign you?

Soul Seduction was an exclusive submission to Loose Id. I presented it to my editor and she asked if I would make some changes and resubmit it, as well as work with Christy on development on the plot. 

Looking at your blog, Soul Seduction is your only M/F book.  What made you need to tell their story and will there be a second book?

There will definitely be a second book but like I said before, I always had the need to tell Ashlee’s story. I’ve had her nagging at me for years. She and Luke had amazing chemistry from the moment they laid eyes on each other.

Ok, now a Bakin’ Goddesses question:  If you were a dessert, what would it be and why?

Pinkberry!! I love Pinkberry frozen yogurt, which goes great with almost any baked desserts.

When you think of this book, what kind of foods do you think the characters would eat during a romantic dinner? For instance for another author, we suggested a wonderful Lavendar Creme Brulee for their characters because of the way those characters interacted with each other.  

Oh! There is a tart called the Liverpool Tart, which you can find here: 

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gerry.jones/judytart.html

My MIL, who is a born and bred Scouser, recommended this and she’s a baker by trade :)

SNAP!!! Sounds like we need to hook up with your MIL! *rubbing our hands together*

Are you a full-time writer or is this book something you wrote when you came home from work, on weekends, during holidays? 

I’m a full-time CEO but I write whenever I can so I’m always taking my laptop everywhere with me.

Did you let the characters tell their stories or did they allow you to steer them in the directions you thought they should go?

Oh haha. They always tell me their stories. I’m rarely in control. I have an outline that I follow but even that gets thrown out the window when they want it to!

Lori, Tell us a little bit about your favorite characteristics of the main character, Ashlee.  We loved that she could be so sarcastic with Luke but so weak in the knees when the door closed between them.  She was badass but she still was able to show her feminine side.  

I liked that she was so strong too. My favorite characteristic about her is she never gives up. Even in trying to resist Luke, she never gave up. 

Now, about Luke.....without giving anything away.....are we ever going to find out about Luke exactly? 

Yes. Hopefully it will be in the next book because keeping it a secret is killing me. However, I will say all the clues are there. :)

So, Lori, now is your time to give us information about you, the book, or whatever you would like the readers to know. 

I’m sure everyone knows this by now but I love cats! Cats are awesome and my two fur-children rule my life. But if you have any questions for me, please post them here and I’ll do my best to answer them!

We would like to thank Lori for stopping by and Goddessfish for giving us this opportunity.  Ya’ll run out and grab a copy of Soul Seduction because it is a smokin’ HAWT book.

Thank you for having me by. It’s been a pleasure! 

AND NOW A LITTLE ABOUT LORI TOLAND:

CEO by day, erotic romance writer by night, Lori Toland lives in Orlando where the summers are hot but the romance between her characters is even hotter. Writing since the tender age of 13, Lori somehow finds time to play video games and watch movies while taking care of her beloved cats and a husband who will forever be her hero.

http://loritoland.com/

http://loritoland.livejournal.com/

**Oh but wait Goddesses! Lori isn't finished! Follow her Soul Seduction Tour and::::

Lori will be giving away the winner's choice of a $25 GC to either Amazon, AllRomanceEbooks or Loose Id for both blog host with most comments and one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

OHHHHH There's MORE!!!! The more you follow and comment, the more chances you have to win! WIN WIN WIN!!!! 

The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/01/name-before-masses-virtual-tour-lori.html

And as always.... You all know how we rate our reviews.  We do the 2-4 Cupcakes!  AND without us yapping at you any further.....

We gave Lori Toland's Soul Seduction........ *drumroll please*

This book is a DEFINITE MUST READ!  We truly enjoyed Ashlee's "smart-assity", the chemistry between Luke and Ashlee and now that we know there will be more on their story......

AND NOW THE SMOKIN EXCERPT!

He looked as good as he did every time I saw him, except now he wore a green polo shirt. His grin held little apology as he said, “Sorry.”

He wasn’t being insincere, just mischievous. It reminded me of grade school when Bobby used to pull my hair and then apologize when I cried. “It’s all right,” I said, spying what was inside his bag. “Went grocery shopping?”

“I picked up a few things,” he said amicably, but then a silence stretched out between us. I got my key out, wanting to say so much more but not knowing where to start. “I see you did too.”

Oh my God. I covered up the side of my bag, even though I knew he’d already seen the big yellow rooster with Cocks-A-Lot emblazoned on the side. I really had to have a word with Terry about his packaging. “Uh, yeah.” Way to go. You’re really wowing him with the witty commentary.

He shifted his bag to dig for his house key. “So what’s in the bag?”

“I don’t really know,” I said slowly as my cheeks heated. Luke raised his eyebrow. “My friend owns the shop, and he was just getting rid of some stuff.”

“That’s great,” he said. “Would you like to try those out with me?”

PLEASE NOTE:  THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT IS R – RATED AND CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS 

“I can’t just leave,” I protested as the cool evening air hit me. “I came with a friend.”

He rounded on me, and I nearly ran into him. “You mean your boyfriend? Do you want to stay with him? Just say the word, Ash.”

The possessive tone in his voice ticked me off. “What the hell, Luke? I don’t even know you, and you’re acting like you fucking own me.” But even as I said the words, I wanted him to grab me, hold me, and take me however he wanted. My lust for him clouded my ability to say no.

“Ash,” he said gruffly, “all I think about is having you.” He moved forward as he spoke, and I stepped backward, keeping my distance until my back met a wall. I knew my control around him was shot to hell, and I couldn’t trust myself. He snaked his hand into my hair and roughly grabbed the strands. He angled my head so I couldn’t look away. If I were able to breathe, I would have hyperventilated.

“Don’t.” My plea sounded weak, and I doubted he even heard me.

“I can’t help myself,” he said and kissed me gently. It was the lightest of pressure on my lips, until he coaxed them apart. When my tongue met his, I was tentative at first, but Luke took charge and claimed my mouth.

Keep Reading Goddesses!