"To put it bluntly, weddings make me horny."

No, not me, but the protagonist of my story "Wedding Crasher" in the new Alison Tyler anthology from Harlequin Spice, With This Ring, I Thee Bed which just came out. Here's a little bit more from the opening of the story:

To put it bluntly, weddings make me horny. Not the idea of a wedding, me in a frilly gown and veil, walking down the aisle with the mythical man of my dreams. I leave that stuff for other girls, ones far more traditional than I. I can get through all the shmaltz, the bad dresses, worse food, and even dismal music as long as I can find someone to make my night a little more interesting. It can be a man or a womanæor both at once! I’ve had some of the best sex of my life at weddings, and I think the reason is because even the cynics among us can’t help but get lulled into the sense of love and companionship that are in the air at a wedding. We want someone to celebrate with, even if we’re not breaking in the honeymoon suite.



Now or Forever by Nikki Magennis

Racing to the Altar by Sommer Marsden

Forever Hold Your Peace by I.K Velasco

A Lucky Wedding by Thomas S. Roche

Something Old, Something New by Sophia Valenti

Kiss the Bride by Lana Fox

One Last Time by Saskia Walker

Forsaking All Others by Janine Ashbless

Mother of the Bride by Cheyenne Blue

I Married a Gigolo by Jax Baynard

Strippers and Cigars by N.T. Morley

Something Blue by Shanna Germain

Speak Now by Heidi Champa

Wedding Crasher by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Blushing Bride by Bella Dean

Anniversary Waltz by Portia Da Costa

I Will by Erastes

A Vow for a Vow by P.S. Haven

Seven Year Itch by Kristina Lloyd

Rites of Passage by ADR Forte

Naked Nuptials by Alison Tyler

Love, Honor, and Obey by Rita Winchester

May the Best Man Win by Kate Pearce

Taking Vows by Kristina Wright

The Wedding Stoppers by Michael Hemmingson

My fairy tale story "Let Down Your Libido" out now in Alison's Wonderland

Alison Tyler's latest anthology, for Harlequin's Spice line, Alison's Wonderland, is out now (in stock at Amazon, haven't been to a bookstore this week but if it's not in your local romance section, I'm sure it will be soon). I haven't gotten my author copies yet but it looks fantastic and is perfect for anyone who loves fairy tales.



There's a blog for the book where you can find out more. I was hoping to lure one of the readers to one of the last few In The Fleshes. If that doesn't happen, perhaps I'll read a taste of my story, "Let Down Your Libido." I love that there's a story called "Slutty Cinderella" and one called "The Midas F*ck." Fairy tales are NOT my forte so I'm extra honored to be included here.

Speaking of In The Flesh, postcards are here for the last 6 readings (July-December). Want one? Send your US mailing address to rachelkramerbussel at gmail.com with "ITF postcard" in the subject line.

Harlequin cover art exhibit takes Vegas

The Los Angeles Times had a great piece on the Harlequin cover art exhibit that I dumbly missed while it was in New York. Now it's in Vegas. We even learn Fabio's last name! (Lanzoni)

Inside a small room is a chronology of representations of desire.

The earliest covers draw from film noir and are rife with -- in hindsight -- unintentional comedy.

"Virgin With Butterflies" (1949) shows a brunet in thigh-high stockings encircled by five male heads sprouting butterfly wings. "Men Cast a Net for Her," the cover promises.

A decade later, women apparently dreamed of romance amid danger. In 1959's "The Yellow Snake" -- one of Semmelhack's favorite covers -- a gun-wielding, professorial man and a blond woman in pearls gasp at (as the placard helpfully explains) an "overtly phallic snake."

As women gained financial and political power, the coverboys were portrayed more as playthings than saviors. By the '70s, they were waiting to whisk away their ladies in helicopters and Austin Healeys. By the '80s (the era of Harlequin's signature bodice-ripping romances), they were groveling before corseted damsels.
And it's curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, author of Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Shoe cover below.