April Vine: A Naughty New Year by Kathryn R. Blake

Kathryn is here today with her book A NAUGHTY NEW YEAR! Available only as part of the Mischief under the Mistletoe Anthology

Kelly Evans is nearly six months pregnant when her Dom husband, Jim, suggests they invite their closest friends over for a private New Year's Eve party. Just a friendly get together, nothing kinky, and no champagne for either of the girls, since Kelly's friend, Tiffany, was a month along further than she was. Given it's New Year's Eve, Kelly feels Jim's no-champagne edict isn't fair, but Jim warns her if she goes against his wishes, she will be punished. Though Kelly understands Jim's reasoning, she still feels he's merely being over-protective, and as much as she loves him a sip of champagne never hurt anyone. That is until now.

"Help yourself to the hors d'oeuvres, folks. They're Texas favorites."

"Are any of them spicy?" Kyle asked Kelly when Jim strode toward the kitchen.

She shrugged. "Depends on whom you ask. For Jim, they're all greenhorn safe. For me, the queso dip along with the Monterey Jack and green chili eggrolls carry a punch. But the mushrooms are pretty mild. Why?"

"Kyle…"

"Tiffany's stomach has been on the finicky side of late. And since Jim's idea of hot would burn the roof off most people's mouths, I thought I'd best check first."

"That wasn't necessary, Kyle," Tiffany pouted. "I'm fine."

"Right. So, throwing up at all times of the day is just a new hobby for you then, is it?"

"Not funny."

"No. It's not," he agreed as Jim returned with their beverages.

"Somethin' up?" Jim asked after he placed Kelly and Tiffany's drinks on coasters and handed Kyle his Heineken.

"Nah. We were just trying to decide if we'd need a fire extinguisher on hand before we tried any of your appetizers."

Jim chuckled as he took a seat in an upholstered armchair situated across from the couch. "The mushrooms are on the mild side," he suggested. "I took your pansy taste buds into account before I chose my selection."

Kyle sat in the chair closest to Jim's and took a swig of his beer before he admitted, "It's not my taste buds that are in question as much as Tiffany's stomach."

"Ah. Sorry, Tiffany. I didn't think."

"My stomach's fine, Jim. Thank you. Kyle is being overly protective as usual. That's all."

"And rightfully so," Jim concurred before taking a sip of his Jack Daniels. "You'd think you girls would be pleased by the way your men looked after you."

"Sometimes what you do is indeed pleasing," Kelly agreed. "Other times, however, you can be a bit of a pain."

"Only a bit?" Jim murmured. "Looks like I'll need to intensify my repertoire."

Mischief under the Mistletoe Buy Link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078BPBG49/

Although Kathryn is relatively new to the spanking romance market, she is not new to stories where the hero spanks the heroine. In fact, most of her novels have some sort of spanking in them. However, even in Kathryn's novels where the hero firmly believes in using spanking as a deterrent, he has no desire to cause the heroine injury and takes no delight in hurting the woman of his heart. In fact, sometimes he finds it extremely difficult to follow through on his threats or promises.

To date, all of her heroes are dominant, alpha males who are extremely protective of the women they love. However, part of that protectiveness includes the need for a certain amount of control. They do not suffer defiance or disobedience lightly. Even so, these men aren't infallible, and they do make mistakes, but love and respect will always triumph in the end.