Happy Birthday to Ella Jade and welcome to this celebratory blog hop. Keep reading to be in with a chance to win one of my books and a grand prize of $100 Amazon or B&N gift card!
Birthdays are fun for me, a few of my friends bemoan getting older but I always snap them out of it by saying 'what's the alternative?', that soon changes the mood and we have another glass of bubbly and the fun continues.
The last birthday I had was very special, Mr H treated me to a trip to London. I adore London, but living a few hours away, in the countryside, means I don't get to visit my favourite haunts as much as I used to when we lived there.
I guess the man in my life knows me well because he organised a day doing my favourite things in my favourite city. We started off with a walk from St Paul's Cathedral, along the Thames to the London Eye.
The Eye is great fun, and I'd been on it at night before but not during the day, and because it was a stunning blue-skied day we could see for miles. The houses of Parliment always fascinate me, I love the architecture and knowing the history the building holds makes me a little spell bound, especially when I can see it from above.
We then mooched up the mall with ice-cream to Buckingham Palace, took photographs even though we already have a ton, but hey, we were being tourists, and then made our way, on the Tube, to Covent Garden.
Covent Garden is one of those Tube stations where you get the choice of hundreds of steps or the lift. Mr H always groans because he knows how much I hate elevators and has to do the stairs with me, why he complains when he's fit as a fiddle I don't know!
After all of those steps we decided it was time for lunch outside a chic little cafe and were entertained by street performers - fire eater and a contortionist - as we sipped white wine and ate smoked salmon and salad, we shared a bowl of chips (fries) too!
I spent a few pounds in the boutiques of Covent Garden, it was my birthday after all, and then we headed to Leicester Square hoping for cheap West End tickets for that evening. We were in luck and nabbed bargain seats for Wicked, the Wizard of Oz story. Mr H looked dubious when we went in, but he soon brightened up when the show got going. I loved it, the scenery, the talent, the music, it was great! One of the best I have seen.
A train ride from the city found me snoozing on his shoulder and then... well, once home, then it was time for my last birthday present, and I'll leave that to your imagination, though I knew exactly what it was going to be!
Thanks for reading, before you go, check out Sexy as Hell a dark, BDSM trilogy just out and published under the name Harlem Dae (It's written with my co-author Natalie Dae.)
Sexy as Hell: an erotic trilogy that will submerge you into the black heart of a world of bondage and discipline, Dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.
Dare to take this twisting journey with Victor and you’ll learn the ropes with him, experience every carnal sensation and fall into a dark and dangerous love that grips like a fist and binds like a collar.
Get to know Zara, his sultry teacher, and you’ll gasp when she doles out her sinful instructions but then delight in the stunning results she not only demands but achieves. It seems Heaven and Hell are not so far apart when she holds the reins.
Victor has his layers peeled back, but when he does the same to try to get to his Vixen’s core, a revelation appears. Because Zara is a woman whose vast sexual experience is both her strength and her weakness; she can inflict pain and pleasure, make lusty demands and instruct, but she needs so much more, she needs…
Yes, the time has come to for her to admit to her needs and confess to the repairing her soul hungers for. A sea of memories, a lifetime of control requires an acknowledgement that will cut through her barriers, and there’s only one man up for the job—her virgin, her student, her newly trained monster, Victor Partridge.
You can find out more about The Virgin, The Player and The Vixen on the Harlem Dae website.
And if you leave a comment you could be in with a chance to win a pdf or mobi copy of The Virgin, to set you off on a wild journey of dark delights! Don't forget to leave your email addy and I'll pick a winner at the end of the hop.
Lily x
Thank you for taking part in the hop and for sharing your favorite birthday memory.
ReplyDeleteH.B.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
I loved the pictures of your trip to London! I've never been. Maybe one day...sigh! Sounds like you had a very enjoyable celebration. :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy 40th Ellla! A *high five* to all the authors who are joining in your celebration!
Belinda
belgre at comcast dot net
I love these kind of books, Happy Birthday Ella. Thank you for the hop, joehawkshaw@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletejacquelinesreads(at)gmail(dot)com
What fun looking books! Thanks for being a part of Ella's hop. I do love that you have such a positive outlook about getting older.
ReplyDeletedaringzoey at yahoo.com
Those books look really good.
ReplyDeletestamper_sierra@yahoo.com
Sounds like it was a great Birthday vacation :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
happy birthday to ella and thanks to you for being a part of this blog hop!:)
ReplyDeleteindiansgirl9@aol.com
Happy Birthday Ella!!
ReplyDeletealslagle06@live.com
Happy birthday to Ella! Thanks for participating in the hop.
ReplyDeletepjmillion(at)comcast(dot)net
I want to win! Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeletekyla.stein@gmail.com
-Kyla Stein
Happy Birthday Ella! Great Blog Hop.
ReplyDeleteKoala571@msn.com
London looks amazing! I have never been but will someday. My favorite birthday was getting my tattoo on my 40th.
ReplyDeleteMel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
Thanks for sharing your story and for being a part of the blog hop! Happy Birthday Ella! fuades3@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! Thanks for the giveaway!!
ReplyDeletetalkington07@yahoo.com
Sounds like a great series and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing Ella's wonderful day and the giveaways. evamillien at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Ella!
Happy Birthday Ella!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining the hop...
caiidynsmommie(at)gmail(dot)com
Happy Birthday Ella! Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeletevals_hemi at yahoo dot com
Having a cake up in the air in a small plane was quite a surprise.. other than that my birthdays have and were boring..lol
Happy Birthday Ella! Fantastic blog hop!
ReplyDeletesamanthadarling1986@hotmail.com
xxx
Happy Birthday Ella!! Thanks for the blog hop!!
ReplyDeletecarrollfamily02@gmail.com
Happy 40th Birthday to Ella! I loved how you spent your birthday being tourists in a city you know well. It is fun to do stuff like that every now and then.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of Ella Jade’s birthday party hop and thanks for the chance to win. <^_^>
reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com
What a fantastic birthday! Thank you for letting us live vicariously thru you visiting London. I always wanted to go there.
ReplyDeletevampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures! :)
ReplyDeletebutterflypetals7(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for the great giveaway hop and happy bday Ella! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Ella!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
GFC: BookAttict
Happy Birthday Ella!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome giveaway!
dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com
Thanks for the giveaway. Happy Birthday Ella.
ReplyDeletemagic5905 at embarqmail dot com
My 30th was a pretty awesome birthday, I took a cruise with my BFFs!
ReplyDeleteHappy B-Day Ella!! What an awesome idea for a hop! And so many awesome books to add to my TBR list!
grapeapril75(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Happy birthday Ella thanks for being part of the hop!
ReplyDeletevirgilio324@gmail.com
I'm grateful that this hop is introducing me to more authors. Thanks Ella!
ReplyDeleteElla, have a fantastic birthday month and enjoy the hop!
Thanks for inviting ua all to celebrate.
starznstripes24@yahoo.com
Happy Birthday Ella & Thank you for the hop.
ReplyDeletejrcarroll314@comcast.net
Happy Birthday Ella! I hope you had a fabulous weekend!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your generosity,
Karen.arrowood@sbcglobal.net
Thank you for all the wonderful comments. The winner of The Virgin was Kyla, congratulations :-)
ReplyDeleteLily x