"A quartet of tales celebrating love and passion and birthdays!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY is four unrelated tales of love celebrated or discovered amid birthday wishes. Ms. LaFleur has something for everyone, with two contemporary stories and two contemporary paranormal tales.

The Birthday Gift

Jake wants to give his wife Amanda a birthday gift that she'll never forget. Especially since she's been bringing in the only paycheck, while he gets his horse farm up and running. He wants to fulfill her fantasy of having two men at once. But Jake won't agree to a threesome with just any man; the only man he trusts enough is his cousin, Patrick.

Real estate agent Amanda has just made a deal that will keep them in the black for several months. She already is in a mood to celebrate and her birthday is just the icing on the cake. Amanda suspects that Patrick and Jake are plotting something, but she's stunned when they subtly begin a seduction of her. Just what are they planning?

The love between Jake and Amanda is evident from the start. Not every man would be willing to share his wife, even if it is her dream. Since Jake and Patrick are so close in appearance, it's like having two Jakes. Patrick is a fascinating character who hopefully will get his own happy ending someday. Read The Birthday Gift for a hot, steamy joyride.

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex, threesome, anal sex; sexually explicit scenes: 5.

It's In the Cards

Catherine Ryan has a tradition of giving her older sister two birthday cards each year. One serious one, denoting the sisterly love she feels, and a humorous one to lighten things up. This year, an unusual card attracts her attention as she's about to leave the store. The card has no syrupy sentiment, just a picture of a man reclining in bed, obviously ready for lovemaking. But not just any man. The exact man Catherine has been dreaming about. How can she resist?

Kane is released from his prison by the woman he knows to be his mate. But there are conditions on his freedom. When he first comes to life, Kane has little memory of who he was and where he came from. As his memory returns he realizes that his love with Catherine is doomed. Will he have the strength to end their relationship?

It's in the Cards is a heartbreaker of a story, but there is happiness at the end. Catherine learns to love again with lessons from Kane. Kane is a wonderful hero, who has more than paid for the sins of his past. A great short story of love's healing powers.

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex, anal play; sexually explicit scenes: 6.

One Thing to Give

Restaurant and bar owner Samuel McKeifer has the hots for a customer. Not one of those dolled-up types, but a real woman with generous curves. Sam senses her loneliness even before the electric connection between them shoots sparks. Throwing caution to the wind, he takes Lindsay up on her offer of impromptu sex after the bar closes for the night.

Hair stylist Lindsay Cunningham has just celebrated her thirtieth birthday with a group of girlfriends. But she still feels so alone. Although she knows that love isn't an option for her, what with her family's penchant for divorce and failed relationships, Lindsay decides to indulge herself in a one-night fling. After all, what could it hurt? When love strikes hard and fast, it can hurt very much to walk away.

Sam and Lindsay are electrifying together. Can Sam convince Lindsay to let down her guard? And that she has more than just One Thing to Give to a man? With steadfast tenacity, Sam refuses to let love walk out of his life. Enjoy this heart-warming story of instant lust and love.

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex, anal play; sexually explicit scenes: 7.

Unexpected

Computer guru Linc Carter enjoys celebrating his birthday in the mountains of California each year. This year, a strange object flies in front of Linc while he's driving in. Curiosity gets the better of him and he goes on foot to investigate. When he finds a tiny aircraft -- a UFO -- Linc loads it into his truck to get a better look at in his cabin. What he finds inside amazes him. A small purple alien! But then who is the gorgeous woman who appears the next day?

Chandra is part of an alien culture, the Travelers, that explores other worlds without giving away their presence. Disguising who they are is made easier by their bodies' automatic shapeshifting abilities to conform to norms for the world they are on. Chandra finds her new form pleasing, especially with the sexual desires coursing through it. The Travelers have evolved beyond lovemaking and physical procreation. Boy, have they been missing out on the fun!

With danger coming ever closer, Chandra learns to communicate with Linc on more than just a physical level. If her spacecraft can be repaired, will she leave? Duty tells her to go, but her heart urges her to stay. Unexpected is a delightful tale of love with an alien.

Sensuality: Rated E-rotic by the publisher. Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 5.

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted December 24, 2003

Summary

Sometimes the best birthday gift is the one least expected...

The Birthday Gift What does a man give the woman of his dreams for her birthday? Her fantasy, of course. When Amanda admits to her husband that she'd like to be part of a ménage a trios, Jake isn't sure if he could ever share his wife with another man.

Then his cousin Patrick comes for a visit...

It's In The Cards Catherine Ryan has to find the perfect birthday card for her sister. Instead, she finds a card with the exact image of her fantasy man. She never expected to find a picture of the man of her daydreams...and the man of her erotic nighttime dreams. And she especially never expected that man to come to life!

One Thing To Give Lindsay Cunningham's 30th birthday is far from happy for her. Tired of always being meek, she picks up a man in a bar for a wild night of uninhibited sex.

The night was much more than simply sex for Sam McKeifer. He wants a future with Lindsay. Now he has to convince her the only thing he wants her to give him is her heart.

Unexpected Finding a spaceship with a little purple alien inside wasn't on Linc Carter's birthday wish list. Holding that alien in his arms is the best present he ever received.

Chandra knows nothing about this strange world, its language or customs. She knows how she feels when she's in Linc's arms and she doesn't want that to change. Maybe crashing on this planet hadn't been a mistake after all...

Sexual Content: E-rotic.