Author Spotlight: Meet Cowboy Romance Author Jill Sorenson

I’m meeting Jill Sorenson for the first time, too, mes amis, and the post she sent me tells me she’s destined to be one of my people! I laughed out loud when I read it–a little different from our usual fare, but ya know, sometimes you gotta step out.

Jill Sorenson is a diehard romance fan and the dynamic author of more than twenty romance novels. She’s been featured twice in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and her books have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Most recently, she’s written for Harlequin as Susan Cliff. Now she’s making her comeback as Jill with a fresh start in Western contemporary romance!

Born and raised in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Jill transported to a small town in California. She still lives in the Golden State with her family, where she dreams about happy endings in cowboy country.

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Let’s welcome Jill!

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On Naked Frolics

I love the idea of a naked frolic in the great outdoors. The freedom of abandoning clothes and inhibitions. The sun and breeze and water on exposed skin. Skinny-dipping, streaking, rain dancing. Stripping down at the beach or baring it all in a field of wildflowers. I’m a nature lover and a capital-R Romantic. Give me all the frolics.

Sand in uncomfortable places? Bugs in the bum? Hay fever? Hush. I don’t want to hear about it. I want naked exaltation and resplendent glory. I want joyful romps in the surf, passionate embraces on the shore or tranquil swims in a secret lake. I want to imagine every natural sensation while also transcending the physical plane. Is that too much to ask?

Not for Lady Chatterley. I read DH Lawrence’s famous erotic novel in college and I vaguely remember being unimpressed by the sex scenes. As a longtime romance fan, I’d read dozens of steamier stories with better endings. Maybe I’d appreciate the literary work more if I revisited it now. I definitely appreciated the 2022 film version. It turns an ambiguous tale into a swoony romance filled with sensual outdoor encounters. At one point the lady and her lover cavort in a spring rainstorm, naked as jaybirds. Mr. Mellors goes full Monty. These two “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life,” Thoreau-style.

Less lusty, but no less literary, is A Room With a View. Again I speak more of the film than the novel by E.M. Forster, which I have not read. The movie is a beautiful tableau of Italian countryside, English gardens, fine fashions and pretty people. The romance between Lucy Honeychurch and George Emerson is sweet and sudden, like the surprise kiss he plants on her in a barley field. Another memorable moment comes when George bathes in the pond with two other gents. They splash around, run through the woods and let it all hang out. You can see everything—perhaps more than you want to—in this extended sequence of natural, ah, wonders.

Lucy Honeychurch would never. Or would she?

I recommended both films for A+ passionate kissing, naked frolicking and happy endings. I can’t vouch for HEAs or nude streaking in these particular books, but here’s an excellent substitute. Stern Men Who Can’t Stop Skinny Dipping.

Baring it all outdoors is fairly common in romance novels, so you’ll find similar scenes in many books. It’s part of the genre’s esteemed legacy. I’m a big fan of Mary Balogh, who writes beautiful descriptions of the English countryside even when her characters are covered up. If you haven’t read her, you’re missing out.

I’ve written my share of wilderness adventures and couples who commune with nature. Here are a few examples:

1. Set the Dark on Fire – Luke and Shay get sprayed by a skunk while searching for evidence on a hiking trail. They have to wash off at the nearest swimming hole. Sexy? Pepe le Pew says yes.
2. Riding Dirty – Cole and Mia heat things up in the Coachella Valley. They go on the run together and take refuge at a clothing-optional resort. As you do.
3. Backwoods – Nathan and Abby enjoy a quiet interlude at a natural hot springs.
4. Stranded with the Navy SEAL (written as Susan Cliff) – Sexy castaways Logan and Cady spend a lot of time exploring the tropical waters in the buff.

So there you have it. Naked frolicking + romantic interludes for the win. I hope this post finds you well, fully clothed or otherwise. Happy Reading!

GIVEAWAY! Jill has a free ebook of Last Man Standing for one lucky commenter. Just tell her if you’ve ever skinny-dipped or if not, would you ever consider it? 

Last Man Standing

Vanessa Nava returns to her Texas hometown as a newly divorced single mom, determined to give her imaginative four-year-old daughter a magical summer. But the serene lakeside cabin she rented? Double-booked. The current occupant is the hottest, grumpiest handyman she’s ever met—claiming it’s under construction and strictly off-limits.

Paul McPherson, a Houston native recovering from a gunshot wound, has retreated to Lost Lake to hide and heal in peace. He won’t share his safe haven with anyone—especially not the sheriff’s daughter and her bubbly little girl. Vanessa is stunning, stubborn, and way too tempting for a man with secrets.

Vanessa paid upfront and refuses to leave. She sets up camp on his doorstep, transforming mishap into lake days filled with laughter, lemonade stands, and hot summer nights—sending Paul’s buried protective instincts into overdrive.

Texas heat ignites a scorching affair neither saw coming. But when danger closes in and Paul’s cover is blown, Vanessa must decide: walk away from the summer fling… or fight for a love that could last forever?

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