Book Tour for Educating Ethan by Jennifer Lynne (Guest Post & GIVEAWAY)

What a way to start a new week!  Jennifer Lynne is paying a return visit today to talk about her new release Educating Ethan.  It's a sexy older woman/younger man story which is a favorite theme of mine.  Courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions Jennifer is going to be talking about those kind of relationships as well as letting me offer you a giveaway.  So let's learn more about this great read....

What is the appeal of an older woman/younger man relationship for a reader?

Thank you to the Scarf Princess for having me here as today's guest author.

I've read countless books over the years where the hero is older than the heroine – a reflection, perhaps, of our society which sees an older man/younger woman relationship as the norm. I can count on one hand the number of books I've read where the heroine is older than the hero – and yet these so-called "cougar" stories stay in my mind long after I've put the book down. Why? Do they stand out just because they are different to the norm? Or do I remember them because, as an older woman myself (I'm now in my forties), there is something about the experience of dating a younger man that resonates on a personal level?

Yes, for me, it is personal. Do I date younger men? No – I'm happily in a relationship with a man significantly older than myself. But I love the idea of levelling the playing field. The appeal for me lies in the idea that all adults are equal when it comes to love, regardless of sex, regardless of age, and that we no longer have to fit into any preconceived stereotype about who we should – or shouldn't – fall in love with.

The fact is that women are more empowered these days than ever before to make choices for themselves. And part of that empowerment is the idea that a woman can still be sexy and desirable at any age. That a woman's experience and personality can be just as important as how they look in attracting a man – any man, young or old.

I'm not naïve enough to think this will be the norm any time in the near future. But certainly there are changes afoot, and as an author – and an older woman – I want to embrace them.

It is one of the reasons I wrote my older woman/younger man romance, Educating Ethan, and I used the "level playing field" idea for Ida and Ethan. My cougar story has a definite twist in the tale. It is not a story about a predatory older woman wanting to educate a young man in the ways of love, but rather about two people who are falling in love and trying to deal with all the prior emotional baggage that we all bring to a new and developing relationship. Regardless of our age.

I hope that readers find my take on the older woman/younger man scenario appealing!

What about you fine readers?  Is the idea of an older woman/younger man relationship appealing to you? If so, why? And if not, why not?  Thank you again for having me here, and I look forward to the cougar/cub discussion.

EDUCATING ETHAN by Jennifer Lynne

Ida Deloraine intends to build herself a new life and a new catering career after a painful divorce. When the much younger Ethan Holt moves in across the street, an innocent flirtation quickly becomes serious when the two realize their age difference is no barrier to all-consuming passion.

But Ethan is the exact opposite of what Ida is looking for in a sexual partner. In her eyes he is young and vibrant, with his life and his dreams still ahead of him, whereas hers are all in the past. Can Ethan, who is fighting his own demons in the form of a car accident, failed marriage, and forced career change, convince Ida to overcome the past and live for the moment?

And just who is educating who in this cougar encounter?

EXCERPT #1:

It was hard to maintain eye contact as she spoke, with his magnificent chest bare to the world, the pinkish brown nipples puckered slightly in the air-conditioned room, and the faint sprinkling of dark hair that led downwards in an enticing line like a persistent arrow directing her wayward gaze.

And her wayward gaze complied, whether she wanted it to or not, noting the curve of those thighs and the implicit strength in the coiled muscles as he moved forward to reach for another roll. She glanced only briefly this time but still he knew. She could tell in the amused curl of his lips as they lifted and the knowing way he slanted his eyes at her. God, what was wrong with her today?

He's too young, she reminded herself. And he sure as hell won't be thinking of me that way.

He probably misses his mother's cooking.

She took a deep, steadying breath. "Careful, Ethan. They're really hot."

There. A mother would say something like that. Wouldn't she?

"But delicious." His eyes crinkled at the corners as he chewed and swallowed. He looked adorably young. She moved around to the other side of the island and gripped its edges. Now she couldn't see anything below his hips. Much safer.

"What's it called?" He spoke around the food, and for a moment, she wasn't quite sure to what he was referring.

It's called lust, she thought. Or maybe cradle snatching? "Umm…"

"Your catering company. What's it called?"

"Oh!" Tension released from her shoulders as they ventured into a familiar topic of conversation. Work she could deal with. "Simply Delicious."

"How very…appropriate." The look he was sending her had her breath catching in her throat and had nothing to do with food.

EXCERPT #2:

Possibility, she thought. He represents the possibility of excitement. Of passion. The transient headiness of lust about to be fulfilled. All the things that most women wanted and rarely got. All the things that she wanted and had never truly had before.

"Ethan, do you mind if I ask how old you are?" She strove for dispassionate interest, took a careful sip of her wine, then sat where he indicated— on a bench seat in a little breakfast nook. But her glass clattered hard on the windowsill when she put it down.

"No, I don't mind," he answered. "I'm twenty-five. And you're…what? Thirtyish?"

"Thirty-six."

"Wow, you don't look that old."

"Oh—kay."

Her tone was flat, and he flushed in response. "Shit! Sorry, that didn't come out right. I meant—"

"It's okay, Ethan. I think maybe I should—"

"Don't go! Hell!" He reached out to stop her as she began to rise, and then exhaled noisily. "I'm an idiot, Ida. I didn't mean it that way. I meant it…as a compliment, believe it or not. You look a lot younger than thirty-six. That's what I meant."

She saw genuine dismay in the depths of his eyes, and something in her relaxed.

"It's okay," she said again, but this time she meant it. "Thanks."

He sat heavily beside her and leaned close. That warm male scent enveloped her, elusive and yet tangible enough to send her heart rate into overdrive. But he was still frowning. She reached out to trace his jawline, and a hint of stubble rasped against her fingertip. A firm jaw; stubborn-looking. Manly.

"Relax, Ethan," she said. "I won't bite. Unless you want me to, that is."

AUTHOR BIO:

Jennifer Lynne is a multi-published author who writes sensual and erotic romance from her home in Melbourne, Australia. She has two novellas published with Red Sage, including Seducing Serena in Secrets Volume 28 Sensual Cravings, and Pandora's Gift. Her first sensual romance with Breathless Press, Educating Ethan, will be out in February. Jen lives in hope that readers will continue to enjoy her novella-length tales of love and lust!

Find Jennifer on the web at:

http://www.jenniferlynne.com.au/blog
http://twitter.com/#!/JenniLynnAuthor
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Lynne-Romance-Author/297504180262670
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3228070.Jennifer_Lynne

Buy Link:  http://www.breathlesspress.com/educating-ethan

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Prize is a $20 Amazon GC

-Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE!

-To be entered, MUST leave a comment answering Jennifer's question (it's in bold at the end of her guest post), along with your email addy.
-One commenter will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more tour stops you make a comment on the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.

-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 3/30.