• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Adriana Kraft

Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

  • Home
  • About Adriana
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy

Adriana's Library

#MustRead for #4thOfJuly – Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, Ron Chernow, Diana Rubino, and Piper Huguley #IndependenceDay #FourthOfJuly #OurHistory #NeverForget #MFRWAuthors

July 4, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

If you’re an American, take a moment today to ponder how we got here. The American Revolution was a complex web of motivations, alliances, happenstance, luck, hard work, and some would say divine providence.

If you only ever read three books to deepen your understanding, here is what I recommend:

The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire by Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy

Freedom or death. This is how much it mattered to the colonists who chose to take up this battle and fight the great British Empire. But they were bit players on a far larger stage, where British victory was a foregone conclusion and the gnat annoying England was of little consequence. The Men Who Lost America takes us behind the scenes across the pond, giving us an in depth (and highly readable) exploration of the British leaders, their motivations, their history, and the forces and intrigues that drove them.

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow is perhaps more famous for his spectacular biography of Alexander Hamilton, a major source for the enormously successful musical Hamilton. He brings those same skills to this portrait of our Revolutionary War Commander and our first president. We view the inner man through direct quotations – “My countenance never yet betrayed my feelings,” – examine the context and forces that shaped him, and follow his emergence from the bumbling colonial soldier who made mistakes in the French and Indian War to the competent general and leader who won the revolution and the hearts of the people.

Oney: My Escape From Slavery by Diana Rubino and Piper Huguley

Any effort to comprehend the events of July 4 1776 would be incomplete without addressing the great stain upon our history of liberty and freedom – slavery. Until I ran across this book by historical romance author Diana Rubino and Afro American historical author Piper Huguley, I had never considered how the “Father of our Country” might have treated his slaves. Together this pair of talented authors have created a believable, authentic voice for Oney Judge, the young woman whose position as a household slave to Martha Washington was viewed as one of privilege – privilege, that is, for everything but liberty.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Adriana's Library, Blog Tagged With: American Revolution, Fourth of July, history, Independence Day, July 4th, Must Read

Pride Month is over, but Pride is forever. #QueerRomance #Pride #LoveIsLove

July 1, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

I started the month of June thinking that since I have well over thirty published books with bisexual or lesbian women as heroines, I should feature one of them every day all month. I quickly backed out of that plan and decided to mostly focus on other queer books I thought should be showcased, sprinkling in a few of mine as I went along.

You can find all their blurbs on my Instagram account. I hope you’ll check them out – some famous books, and some truly worthwhile books you may have never heard of. Great reads, all.

Here’s the list:

Rick Reed: The Impossible Childhood of my Desire Contemporary Transgendered Romance

Patrick Field: Servant Contemporary Gay Romance

Carey P.W.: Grayality Contemporary Transgendered Romance

Jess Savage: Good in the Zak Contemporary Bi Romance

T. J. Klune: The House in the Cerulean Sea Contemporary Gay Fiction

J. Scott Coatsworth: Skythane SciFi/Fantasy Gay Romance

H. K. Carlton: In the Flesh Contemporary Lesbian Romance

Charlotte Johnson: Lady Charlotte’s Revenge Regency Transgendered Romance

Robin Lynn: Enchanted Ink Gay Fiction

Jackie Keswick: Hiding Place Contemporary Gay Romance

Gemma Johns: Baby Steps Contemporary Lesbian Romance

David Lawrence: Blue Billy’s Rogue Lexicon Historical Gay Romance

Maggie Blackbird: Back Where You Belong Contemporary First Nation Gay Romance

Lisabet Sarai: Opening Night Historical Gay Romance

V. J. Allison Honestly Contemporary Transgendered Romance

G. A. Hauser Something to Believe In Contemporary Gay Romance

Amity Malcom: Sew Into You Contemporary Lesbian Romance

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Adriana's Library, Blog, LGBT Tagged With: gay fiction, LGBTQ, pride, Pride is Forever, Pride Month, queer fiction

Celtic Fervour: Series by Nancy Jardine @nansjar #5Stars #Review #Historical #Fiction #Celtic

May 19, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

I downloaded the first book in this series because I have Scottish/Celtic roots in my ancestry, and I’m always curious to know what my ancestors’ life was like. I was vaguely aware that Rome had attempted conquest of much of what is now Scotland but then had withdrawn to Hadrian’s Wall by the time they began its construction early in the second century AD. I had no idea how far north the conquest actually advanced, and I knew very little about how my ancestors might have lived in Roman Britannia.

Since retiring from teaching elementary students, Scottish author Nancy Jardine has immersed herself in research and publications about the Roman Empire and Roman Britannia. In this five-book Celtic Fervour series, she has expertly woven both historical characters and the few actual events about which some detail is known into her fictional saga. We experience Iron Age tribal life through her fictional Brigante warriors and their families, from 71 to 89 AD – the era when the Roman general and governor Agricola tried unsuccessfully to conquer all of what is now Scotland.

The Brigante tribe itself is real and was quite large. When the Romans began advancing north, the Brigantes covered Eastern Britannia between the firth of Forth in the north and the Humber estuary in the south. Their lives, their culture, their beliefs and their struggles came to life and pulled me in throughout the entire series.

The series has already received high praise from many authors of historical fiction. I highly recommend this read for any who love historical fiction grounded in facts, and especially any who are curious about Roman Britain.

Five Stars.

SERIES BUY LINK

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D313CWC

Free to read on KU

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Adriana's Library, Blog Tagged With: 5 stars, Brigante, Celtic, Historical Fiction, review, Roman Britain, Scotland

A pair of delightful reads! Books by @TinaDonahue and @JessSavage11 #EroticRomance #BookReview

April 24, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

Love reading about threesomes? Me too, and most of the stories my husband and I write together under this pen name feature threesomes (and even a few more-somes).

But I’m also an avid reader, and recently I’ve read a pair of threesome stories that you won’t want to miss.

Ever egalitarian, I will let you know ahead of time that one of these stories features two men and one woman, and the other, two women and one man. Since they’re both romances, I’m giving nothing away by saying there’s a happy ending for all – including the reader!

Anything you Want by Tina Donahue

MFM Erotic Romance

REVIEW: Like many writers, I’m basically a shy nerd, and best selling author Tina Donahue confesses to the same in her bio. Her latest release, Anything You Want, features three shy nerds in a sumptuous and luscious story set in a tropical hedonistic resort. Oh, and two of those shy nerds? They’re tall, handsome, and billionaires. A completely yummy why-choose MFM romp – and there’s chocolate.

5 stars

My review on Goodreads

BUY LINK

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mYxJ0w

 

Good in the Zak by Jess Savage

MFF Erotic Romance

REVIEW: Picture this: you’ve had a massive crush on your brother’s best friend as long as you can remember, but he’s been off limits because he’s practically family. Now you’ve just finished college, that friend is a TV star, he just got married, and he hires you to keep an eye on his new wife while he’s on a shoot in Canada and she’s on the Mexican Riviera in a shoot of her own.

And you fall in love with the wife.

A recipe for disaster? Or a recipe for a delicious fast-paced romcom that somehow creates a happy ending for all concerned?

I fell in love with this book and will definitely be back for more from author Jess Savage. The perfect amount of angst, craziness, steam, conflict, deceit, and surprise.

5 stars

My Review on GoodReads

BUY LINK

Free to Read on Amazon KU

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HXB8R1L

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Adriana's Library, Blog, Erotic Romance, Menage Tagged With: billionaires, Chocolate, erotic romance, Hedonistic Resort, m/f/m, Mexican Riviera, MFF, Threesome, TV Star

My Review: #5Stars for the Lydiard Chronicles, by Elizabeth St. John @ElizStJohn #HistoricalFiction #UKHistory #KU

April 8, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

When you read historical fiction that’s anchored in real events, do you ever wonder where your own ancestors were at that point in time, what their role was, what they were doing? My husband and I each have UK and European ancestors, and we’ve been able to follow some of their lines back farther than we’d ever hoped. A distant relative traced one my husband’s lines all the way back to England’s Edward III, through Edward’s second son, John of Gaunt, and John’s mistress, Katherine Swynford (later his wife).

So when the two of us delve into books about UK royalty during the War of the Roses, the Tudor era, and beyond, we’re reading about (very) distant relatives, and yes, we wonder where our related ancestors were and how they fit in with those events.

MY REVIEW

When I downloaded The Lady of the Tower, by Elizabeth St. John, I didn’t know what to expect. I was immediately pulled into 17th century England. The opening lines bring us a woman entering the Tower of London, uncertain what will happen to her next. I feared for her and kept reading. You will, too.

It turns out that the Lady who looks to be in peril is Lucy St. John, a descendent of the St. John family who owned the Lydiard estate, now preserved as Lydiard Park, some 85 miles east of London. The author is a present day descendent of that same family.

In her three-book series, aptly named The Lydiard Chronicles, Elizabeth St. John traces four generations of family members who, as relatives of Elizabeth I, were close to that court and continued to be connected to royalty throughout the 17th century during the reigns of James I/VI, Charles I, and later Charles II. During the civil war and the Commonwealth era, family members took opposite sides, with sometimes tragic results.

The works are thoroughly researched, and the major events are historically accurate. The prose is so engaging and the details rich that I was compelled to stay in in the 17th century through all three books in her series. I didn’t want to set them down, and I know I will go back and re-read them.

Highly recommend.

Five Stars.

BUY LINKS

The Lady of the Tower

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1523417889/

The Lydiard Chronicles

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRDP6QP/

PORTRAITS

Author Elizabeth St. John has graciously sent me the following three photographs of portraits several major characters in the Lydiard series. The portraits were commissioned by their older brother, John St. John, for a family Polyptych which now hangs in St. Mary’s Church, Lydiard.

The Lady St. Johns (Lucy St. John is on the left, Barbara next to her.

The Original Polyptych

John St. John, painted when he had just acquired his title of Baronet in 1611:

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Adriana's Library, Blog Tagged With: 17th Century, 5 stars, Historical Fiction, Kindle Unlimited, review, UK History

Instagram, Homophobia, and My New Favorite Gay Romance Book #LGBTQ #SafePlace #LoveIsLove

February 25, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

Can a book be simultaneously extremely subtle and dynamically shocking?

Yes. The House in the Cerulean Sea is such a book.

This is a long story, so bear with me.

If you’re not on Instagram, you might not be aware that over the last couple weeks, vast numbers of authors, reviewers and bookstagrammers began posting notice that they are a Safe Place for the LGBTQ+ community. Check out the hashtag #RainbowStack if these are peeps you’d like to follow.

I missed the event that triggered the outpouring of support, so I have no idea who or how many people said what or when. But the confluence of that heartwarming response and a book I’ve been wanting to write about sent me to put these words on the page.

I belong to a monthly Zoom book group with a select few of my friends, both so I make sure to catch up with them every month, and so that I stretch my pleasure reading outside the bounds of what I might choose by myself. I haven’t been disappointed.

I had no idea what I was in for when our group selected this book, recommended by another member. I have a gay son, a grandchild in transition, and many LGBTQ+ friends. I conceptualize myself, my writing, and my life as a “safe place.” Most of the novels and novellas I co-author with my husband under our pen name feature Happily-Ever-Afters for bisexual woman.

This beautiful and magical book challenged me in a way I didn’t anticipate.

My conflicting response manifested almost immediately: I’m not a fan of pudgy bureaucrats who don’t take care of themselves and appear not to have a life. But I immediately felt a kinship with the main character when, in the opening scene, he stood up for the magical child who could levitate and deserved love and safety.

I do love magic. I’m familiar with lore about sprites, phoenixes, trolls, and magical abilities like levitating and shape shifting. I kept reading because, like the main character, I wanted safety for these children, and also because I’d promised to finish any book our group started.

I’m not going to say much more about the plot or outcome of the book. For me, its power is the meta message that took its sweet time settling into my brain: Love is love is love, and it is not mine to judge. I’ve known that message forever, it feels like, about LGBTQ issues. The sweep of this book is far larger. It’s about love and acceptance not only for weirdly magical children, but for nondescript ordinary people of whatever ilk, especially those who are raising their voices for any who are discriminated against.

The world in which I write is the e-pub world, and as a KU subscriber, it’s a world I primarily read in. The E-pubbed and indie-pubbed world is filled with well written and beautifully crafted stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters. I write a monthly column featuring those stories for the Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas blog.

In contrast, The House in the Cerulean Sea is a mainstream NYC publishing house release, brought out by Tor (long a leader in pushing boundaries), which is an imprint of MacMillan publishing. I’m so pleased for that.

So I hereby declare my books, website, blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to be a safe place, not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but for pudgy bureaucrats who don’t take care of themselves and deserve a happy ending, whether they are straight, queer, magical, or some other label outside the norm.

About the Author:

TJ KLUNE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.

Author Website: https://www.tjklunebooks.com/

Where to find this book:

https://www.tjklunebooks.com/the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Adriana's Library, Blog, LGBT Tagged With: Homophobia. Gay Romance, Instagram, LGBTQ, Safe Place

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Three-way fantasies? Curious about Swinging? Click above for our Swing Lifestyle series.

 

What if three (or more) people fall in love? Click above for our polyamory stories.

 

Looking for one woman, one man, hot sex, and perilous danger? Click above.

Email Newsletter

Sign up HERE for our Newsletter and get a free download of this erotic romance novella!

REVIEWS


Erotic Romance “Seducing Cat is a Must Read…Hot in all the right places!”


Love Bites and Silk Ties
Romantic Suspense: Mystery and Romance are woven well in The Painter is a Lady.


Romantic Suspense: “The Unmasking is a fascinating tale…some emotionally trying scenes.”


Erotic Romance FFM Menage: “Edgy characters, inclusive sexuality…The Reunion is not for the faint of heart.”


Erotic Romance FFM Menage: “The intimacy is genuine and breathtaking”

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,353 other subscribers

Buy Adriana’s Books

  • Amazon
  • Amazon UK
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Sea to Sky Books

Great Blog Guests!


RABT Book Tours & PR

Goddess Fish Promotions

 

Like and Follow our Author Page at SwingTowns!

If you're curious about polyamory and the swing lifestyle, Swing Towns is a great place to check it all out!

Request an Authorgraph!

Categories

  • A Day in Adriana's Life
  • Adriana's Library
  • Blog
  • Boomers
  • Contests
  • Erotic Romance
  • Excerpts
  • Guest Bloggers
  • Health & Fitness
  • Interviews
  • LGBT
  • Menage
  • More About Adriana
  • Romantic Suspense
  • Stay Healthy
  • Stay Sexy
  • Stay Sexy ~ Stay Healthy
  • Swing Lifestyle
  • Toys Etc.
  • Uncategorized
Find Books on Romance Lives Forever

Contact Adriana

Want to get in touch? Click here to send us an email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · Site designed by Writer Marketing Services.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...