Listen to different types of wolf howls, again and again, all in the name of research, and only notice after about half an hour that the faithful old Lab is no longer curled up safely snoozing in his basket but is instead stalking around, eyes practically popping out of his head. Oops. Lots of cuddles and a venison ear later, he seems to have forgiven me. I never had these problems when researching the best types of Regency furniture for Our Heroes to have sex on.

Speaking of whom, Carnevalehas received another lovely review, this time from Becky Condit at Mrs Condit and Friends Read Books, who has awarded it 5 Sweet Peas. I’m truly delighted that people are enjoying Perry and Jack’s adventures.

Some days are better than others, as a minor character in one of my favourite Blake’s 7 episodes was fond of saying. Today I woke up to a lovely surprise – a really wonderful review of Carnevale from Susan MacNicol on The Romance Reviews website.

“Beautifully written in the period, this is an ornate tapestry weaving story of men falling in love, of realizing their humanity and their frailties and their strengths. This is a definite recommended read and I can’t wait to read the next in Jack and Perry’s story.”

Luckily, the next part of their story, A Gilded Cage, is already available! There is one more book to come in this series, to give Perry and Jack their ultimate happy ever after, but I’m taking a little break from the formalities of eighteenth century Venice to explore a somewhat dysfunctional shifter pack in modern day Colorado.

Carnevale is available from Siren-BookStrand here. A Gilded Cage is available here.

I hope everyone’s enjoying the party over at The Romance Reviews. For those who are here looking for the answer to the Changing Gear Q&A, there’s more information about the book under the Books tab. Good luck all!

A Gilded Cage, the sequel to Carnevale, is due to be released by Siren on August 21st. I don’t want to say any more about its contents yet, as to do so would give away what happens in the first book, released on July 30th.

Instead I will mention that I am currently in the midst of a completely different style of book. It’s a contemporary paranormal, involving gay cowboy shifters. And that’s a sentence I never expected to write. I’m not quite sure where the inspiration for this one came from; I was contemplating taking a break from 1790s Venice and writing something a little less formal, and my brain was suddenly taken over by an argumentative shifter and his reluctant mate, who would not rest until I’d written their story.

So if werewolves suddenly turn up in Venice, or a cantankerous shifter starts wearing silk knee breeches and speaking in full sentences, you’ll know I’ve got myself a little confused.

From 1-30th June over at The Romance Reviews, there are games to play and prizes galore to be won, including gift certificates and books. Click on the poster below to reach the site, and come and join the fun! (You will need to be registered and logged in in order to play and be entered for prizes.)

Changing Gear is due to be published by Siren-BookStrand on April 13th, 2013. It’s an angsty m/m/m with classic cars and dirty business dealings. Oh, and sex. Lots of sex.