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@JessieClever Guest Post: New Release: To Save a Viscount: Book Four of the Spy Series

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Please welcome Jessie Clever to Moonbeams over Atlanta! She is today’s guest post.  Regency Romance.  One of my favorite genres. 🙂
To Save a Viscount Cover Photo

 

Blurb:

When an assassin threatens England’s spy network, Lady Margaret Folton must find the killer before it’s too late.  But when Commodore John Lynwood is accidentally granted a title meant to be used as bait to lure the assassin into the War Office’s trap, Margaret must face the tragedy of her past and decide which is more important: the assignment or love?

 

Excerpt:

 

London

August 1815

 

He had grown so accustomed to the sound of gunfire that he did not hear the shot that was meant to kill him.

 

This would have worried Richard Black, the Duke of Lofton, if he had had time to think on it. But as the situation inherently required immediate action, prolonged and abstract thinking on the subject was neither prudent nor wise. So he refrained. Instead, he wondered who it was that smashed into him at incredible speed, sending him tumbling backwards off the walk along the Thames and into the bitter, black water below.

 

He had been meeting his contact there along the water at an unholy hour, and darkness had lain all about him. The exchange had gone as planned, and he now held the knowledge that he knew would prove key to his current assignment with the War Office. But as the inky water of the Thames closed over his head, he wondered if he would ever get that information to the necessary people.

 

And then as the last of the light disappeared, he thought of Jane, his wife. His Jane. He did not think of her in specific instances or certain memories that lay in his mind. He thought of her in pieces. Her smell. Her laugh. The sound her hair made as she brushed it at night. The way she always laid her hand on top of his whenever they should find themselves sitting next to one another. Her amazing talents with chestnut roasters.

 

He would have laughed if such an action would not speed up the inevitable drowning that suddenly became all too real, flushing thoughts of Jane from his mind. His arms began to push against the water as his feet began to pulse, driving him toward the surface. Only he did not move. Whoever it was that had slammed into him still held him about the waist, dragging him deeper into the water. He began to struggle, the need for air and life and Jane surging through his veins in a way he had never felt before.

 

And then a hand brushed against his cheek, and slender fingers came to rest across his mouth. He wanted to open his eyes, but he knew it would do no good in the black water. But he let the feeling of his attacker’s hand brush against his skin, the shape of it press into his face, the narrowness of limb and the delicate arch of bone.

 

It was a woman who held him beneath the water.

 

And he stopped struggling.

Copyright © Jessie Clever

Buy Links:

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | All Romance eBooks | iBooks

 

Bio:

In the second grade, Jessie began a story about a duck and a lost ring.  Two harrowing pages of wide ruled notebook paper later, the ring was found.  And Jessie has been writing ever since.

Armed with the firm belief that women in the Regency era could be truly awesome heroines, Jessie began telling their stories in her Spy Series, a thrilling ride in historical espionage that showcases human faults and triumphs and most importantly, love.

Jessie makes her home in the great state of New Hampshire where she lives with her husband and two very opinionated Basset Hounds.  For more, visit her website at jessieclever.com.

 

Social Media Links:

 

Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest

 

 

@BitnBookPromote Book Tour: The Revenant by @eliseabram #Contest #GuestPost

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cover
 
 

THE REVENANT 

Elise Abram 

 

YA Paranormal

 
(click cover for purchase link)
 
 

He wears neither cape nor cowl, but Zulu is a superhero, nevertheless.

Raised from the dead as a revenant more than a hundred years ago, Zulu possesses Spiderman’s stealth, Superman’s speed, and Batman’s keen intellect. His only companion is Morgan the Seer, an old man cursed with longevity and the ability to see the future in his dreams. Zulu has spent the last century training with Morgan in order to save the people in his nightmares from certain and violent death. Branded a vigilante by the Media, Zulu must live his life in the shadows, travelling by night or in the city’s underground unless his quest demands otherwise.

Kat is an empath, someone who sees emotions as colourful auras. Relentlessly bullied by her peers, and believing her life amounts to nothing but a huge cosmic mistake, she finds purpose in her abilities when she is recruited to help Zulu and Morgan complete their missions.

Malchus is Morgan’s long dead twin brother. A powerful necromancer, Malchus manages to find a way to return to the living, and he has a score to settle with Morgan. Believing Morgan responsible for his death and out to seek revenge, Malchus begins to raise an army of undead.

  ~*~ 

GUEST POST 

Please welcome Elise Abram to Moonbeams over Atlanta.  What was your inspiration for creating a Young Adult Paranormal book?

My interest in popular culture has always leaned toward the paranormal. I love shows like “Ghost Whisperer”, “Supernatural”, “Almost Human”, “The Returned”, “The Walking Dead”, and “Vampire Diaries” to name a few. I count “Ghost Adventures”, “Long Island Medium”, “Ghost Hunters”, “Destination Truth” and “The Dead Files” among my current guilty pleasures. So it was no surprise when my mind kept on insisting I write some sort of paranormal novel. My first impulse was to write about vampires, but the market was saturated with vampire stories and I couldn’t think of a new approach to make my story stand out above the others.

 

I teach high school English. The culminating activity in the grade 10 academic English course is a novel study including a presentation of literary devices used in the novel. I’d taught the course more than a dozen times over the course of about five years. That meant I’d had to listen to at least 300 presentations. I’d listen to the themes in the novels and think, YA reading has changed so much since I was in school and the frankness of Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret was revolutionary reading.

 

It was around the same time I decided to self-publish my first novels. These novels, Phase Shift, The Mummy Wore Combat Boots and Throwaway Child, were about a team of archaeologists who find weird things on digs in Ontario (think “Indiana Jones”, “Tomb Raider”, and “Relic Hunter” all rolled into one). The librarians at my school were very supportive of my writing and they were the first ones to encourage me to write a YA novel. I pooh-poohed it at first, but the more I listened to student presentations on YA novels, the more I became convinced I could write one. In fact, I should write one.

 

My brain needs facts to consume before ideas begin to percolate, so I began to do research. I read Twilight, Miss Perigrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and Beautiful Creatures among others (but these are the ones that stuck out). Although I wasn’t a Twilight fan, Stephanie Meyer taught me how to put a new spin on an old idea with her vampires that shimmer in the sun. In Miss Perigrine, Ransom Riggs taught me I could give my characters practically any ability, but they should take pains to ensure the abilities are kept secret. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures taught me how to pen a sweet, chaste romance.

 

I also became an avid reader of Chuck Sambuchino’s “Guide to Literary Agents Blog”, paying special interest in what the agents said in their interviews with respect to what they were looking for in the stories they were being sent and tried to incorporate that as well. In fact, my next novel is in response to one of the agents saying she would love to read a YA Time Traveler’s Wife. I’ve sort of taken that on as a personal challenge.

 

My students were always in the forefront as I wrote. I was always thinking about what they might write about, should they choose The Revenant as their culminating activity novel. To that end, I made sure there were themes embedded in the story, but that the story wasn’t primarily thematic in nature. I also tried to elevate the writing a bit in order to challenge them. Lastly, I tried to write a story that would appeal, not only to YA audiences, but New Adult and Adult ones as well.

 

The Revenant is a paranormal story that I’m hoping will introduce new characters and be of interest to everyone, ages fourteen and up.  If all goes well, there may be a sequel available to further the adventures of the revenant, the empath and the seer, soon.

Thank you Elise for being here with us today. 🙂
 
Eloreen
 
  ~*~ 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Elise Abram

 
 
 
Teacher of English and Computer Studies by day, wife and mother by night
and author whenever she can steal some time, Elise Abram is the proud
author of Phase Shift, The Mummy Wore Combat Boots, and Throwaway Child,
available on Amazon and KoboBooks. She pens a blog about literature,
popular culture and the human condition whenever the muse moves her.Elise’s fourth book, a young adult paranormal thriller entitled The Revenant was released in July 2014.
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Day One (Sept 1st, 2014): Review w/ Interview Questions

– Tome Tender –

tometender.blogspot.com
Day Two (Sept 2nd, 2014): Author Interview & Guest Post

– Vampires, Crime and Angels…Eclectic Me –

ellelainey.wordpress.com
Day Three (Sept 3rd, 2014): Excerpt #1 & Graphic #1

– Fundamental –

www.fundinmental.com
Day Three (Sept 3rd, 2014): Promo

– Monique @Mo_Books –

moniquesmobooks.blogspot.ca
Day Four (Sept 4th, 2014): Author Interview & Character Bios

– Fire & Ice Book Reviews –

fireandicebookreviews.blogspot.co.uk
Day Five (Sept 5th, 2014): Review

– Book List Of Books –

booklistofbooks.blogspot.com
Day Six (Sept 6th, 2014): Author Interview & Graphic #2

– Sunshine Book Promotions –

sunshinebookpromos.blogspot.com

Day Six (Sept 6th, 2014): Promo

– Marisa Oldham Author of Love Stories –

thefallingseries.blogspot.com
Day Seven (Sept 7th, 2014): Review w/ Interview Questions

– The Hellvis Compendium –

thehellviscompendium.com
Day Eight (Sept 8th, 2014): Guest Post & Excerpt #2

– The Consulting Writer –

www.elizabethlos.com
Day Nine (Sept 9th, 2014): Review w/ Interview Questions

– The La La Land Of Books –

http://saaratis.wordpress.com/

Day Ten (Sept 10th, 2014): Guest Post

– Moonbeams Over Atlanta –

blog.eloreenmoon.com
Day Ten (Sept 10th, 2014): Author Interview & Graphic #3

– Bit’N –

bitnbookpromoters.blogspot.com 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

@pumpupyourbook Tour: “Slow Satisfaction” by @ceciliatan #PUYB #VBT

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Slow Satisfaction Banner
Please welcome to Moonbeams over Atlanta, Cecilia Tan, author of Slow Satisfaction on tour here today.  I present a topic that is always interesting to learn about an author… “Five Things You Wouldn’t Know About Cecilia Tan”
I’ve been ask to tell you five things you don’t already know about me. Since I’ve been publishing since 1992, speaking at conventions and bookstores just as long, and blogging since 1996, it was tricky to try to come up with thing I haven’t written about in public before! But I think I came up with a few good ones.
1. You already know I’m into BDSM since if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have written a book like Slow Satisfaction. (My first book was calledTelepaths Don’t Need Safewords, after all!) But what you don’t know is that the first lover to spank me was a cute guy from Connecticut who was in a theater troupe with me. I had recently graduated college; he still had one more year. Neither of us had ever done anything like it before and we knew nothing about it other than I had read in a magazine once that if you started out spanking lightly you could work up to spanking harder. He spanked me during sex and afterward asked me how it made me feel. I think he thought I was going to say “naughty” or “slutty.” What I said was, “Alive!”
2. You already know I’m into writing rock stars in my books. Both Slow Satisfaction and Daron’s Guitar Chronicles have rock star heroes. What you probably don’t know is that when I was in high school I worked at WPLJ Radio in New York City, and after I graduated college and moved to Boston, I managed a rock band called Sexploitation. I also play several musical instruments myself, or used to, including the tuba, the clarinet, the guitar, the Irish flute, and the mandolin.
3. If you follow my Instagram you know I love cats. What you don’t know is that when I was a child I tried so hard to be creative with the name for my first cat. I was five or six and he was the runt of the litter. I tried calling him “Dynamite.” I tried “Jason.” I tried a new name every few hours for several days but none of them fit! It was my first case of writer’s block! My mother insisted I pick something. The only thing that really fit was “Kitty,” as in “Here Kitty, Kitty.” So Kitty it was.
4. You probably know that I’ve been writing erotica and BDSM for over 20 years. What you don’t know is that early in my career I wrote a Penthouse Letter. Penthouse Letters were dirty “true story” letters that were actually written by professional erotica writers but made to seem like they really happened. Mine involved dominating a hot punk boy in my Chevy Camaro and it was published in the Penthouse Variations magazine. What no one knew–including the editor at Penthouse–is that it was actually a true story.
5. Here’s one more that ties back to Slow Satisfaction, the new book that just came out. It’s not a secret that I put a lot of my life experiences into my books. But sometimes things I invent as fiction later come true in my real life. What no one knows is which of Karina’s experiences do I hope will come true…? I hope on my next trip to Las Vegas I’ll travel with someone brave enough to recreate the “Bellagio fountain” scene with me. If you haven’t read the book yet, I won’t tell you what happens, but let’s just say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
And now… more information about Slow Satisfaction…

Title: Slow Satisfaction

Author: Cecilia Tan

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Forever / Hachette

Publication Date: August 26, 2014

Pages: 336

ISBN: 978-1455529285

Genre: Erotic Romance / BDSM Billionaire

Format: Paperback and eBook

The sizzling conclusion of the Struck by Lightning trilogy! The story that began with the RT Award-winning Slow Surrender finally brings us all satisfaction. James has finally pushed Karina beyond her limit–not her limit for kinky sex play, but for his extreme secrecy. She has had enough and breaks things off.

But James won’t give up on Karina and he will do whatever it takes to get her back. He’s ready to share his deepest, darkest secrets, but is Karina ready to hear them? When James is blackmailed by an unscrupulous music industry executive, he must give in to unreasonable demands or risk exposure of his and Karina’s secret sex life… a sex life that keeps getting hotter! Will Karina and James’s love be strong enough to withstand the many obstacles being thrown their way?

Purchase The Book – Amazon | B&N | Apple | Kobo | Indiebound| Goodreads 

Book Excerpt: 

James’s eyes were serious, even as his face and body were relaxed and languid post-orgasm. “Did I convince you to give me another chance?”

 

I considered. “You at least earned the chance to tell me what I don’t know.”

 

He took my hand in his, like he had so many times before. This time he kissed my fingertips, his eyes closing as he did. “I have a lot to tell you. More than any single interrogation might reveal.”

 

I squeezed his hand. “I shouldn’t have to interrogate you for the answers.”

 

He sucked in a breath. “No. Of course you shouldn’t. There’s so much I need to tell you if you’re really going to get to know me.” He reached up and traced the curve of my cheek with his fingertip. “Yet I feel like you know me better than anyone.”

 

“I do know you,” I said. “I just don’t know the facts about you.”

 

His gaze shied away from mine. “Many of the facts are sordid.”

 

“Says the man who put a six-inch dildo into me and walked me around the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

 

“I mean much more sordid than that.” Now his face had completely clouded over.

 

“I want to know, James. I need to know. I have a right to, if we’re going to be together.”

 

He nodded, though his eyes were closed. “I know. I agree. That still doesn’t make it easy for me to open up.”

 

I raised an eyebrow. “Except during sex.”

 

“As you well know. Were you serious about what you said before? I would sincerely give you a piece of my past for every time you give me…” He kissed my fingertips again. “Anything. Sex. Your body. Your submission.”

 

Even though we’d just had sex, I felt a thrill go through my loins. “I wasn’t suggesting it lightly.”

 

“I want to be sure. Sometimes we say things in the heat of passion that seem less than wise afterward.”

 

“But sometimes we get inspired.” This could be the perfect solution, I realized. “I know the time you’re the most open is when we have sex. That’s the time your answers will be the best. Of course, if we do this, I could still revoke my forgiveness at any time.”

 

“Of course. Just as you can revoke your consent at any time. I understand, Karina. It’s the Thousand and One Nights, only this time I’m Scheherazade, telling the stories.”

 

I touched his face with my fingers, feeling like a weight was slowly lifting from my back. Maybe we were going to make this work after all. The fact that he was willing to try so hard made a huge difference in how I felt. And I wanted him. The part of me that had been needing him and pining for him all summer was quelled by the knowledge we could do this.

 

I sat up and discovered I’d been lying on something. In the dim light I could still recognize what it was. “These look a lot like a pair of panties I used to have.”

 

“That’s because they are.”

 

“You’ve been carrying around my underwear?” I turned to look at him.

 

Lying beside me on the pillow, he wore a familiar expression: serene and a bit bemused. “You left them in the limo once. Did you think I’d throw them away?”

 

“I never really thought about it before.”

 

“If I left a pair of my underwear behind with you, what would you do?”

 

“Yeah, I see your point. I’ve got a handkerchief of yours I keep in the—”

 

His expression changed suddenly, his eyes widening and his lips parting in slight surprise. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

 

I felt myself blush even though I wasn’t keeping anything a secret. “Um, partly anyway. My roommate—”

 

“I know. I met her at the spa that day. Becky. She knew the Lord’s Ladies.”

 

“Yeah. And she got one of the handkerchiefs you threw from the stage at Madison Square Garden. It matched one I got from you.”

 

To my surprise, James smiled. He sat up and kissed me softly. “If I believed in fate, I’d say that was a sign. What are the odds?”

 

“And are they better or worse than the odds of being struck by lightning?”

 

His smile turned into a laugh. “Was that a pun?” In a flash he pulled my legs onto his lap, spanking me playfully several times. I couldn’t help it, it was like being ambushed by tickling. I kicked and giggled and shrieked.

 

I wriggled free, hug-tackled him, and ended up on top of him in the center of the bed, kissing him all over his face. “I’m still mad at you, you know.”

 

“If you say so,” he said. “By the way, I agree with your mother. This is a nice dress.”

 

“She bought it for me today. She wants to meet you.”

 

“What have you told her about me?”

 

“That you’re rich and good-looking which is what she cares about most. My sister wants to meet you, too. They know you’re an art world type but that’s all.” I was coming to my senses a little, now that the intense pleasure of the orgasm was receding and the play-spanking had woken me up. “And if you’d really put the rock star stuff behind you, that’d be all they need to know. But that sounds like a big if.”

 

“A very big if.” He nodded slowly, his face sobering again into his usual mask.

 

That would not do. The biggest question he still hadn’t answered for me was the story of Ferrara Huntington. It was the biggest thing that I thought could still be a deal-breaker and send me out of here a single woman. I leaned down and nuzzled his neck, as if the subject were closed for now. He smelled delicious, igniting all my cravings again. I nibbled behind his ear. He arched under me, his cock not yet ready to harden again, but the rest of him responding just fine. He pulled me down beside him, kissing me back and exploring my neck with his mouth.

 

Hadn’t we just finished having sex? I felt my insides melting again though, my desire rising like a tide. Maybe my body felt we should make up for lost time.

 

Making out was nice and I enjoyed the feeling that we were in no hurry. When had we ever done this, kissed for the sake of kissing? I lost track of time. Minutes ticked by in my haze of affection, pleasure, and relief. Yes. We needed this kind of connection, too. Affection, exploring each other, letting chemistry take over.

 

My hands roamed his back, his sides, his hips, until one of them strayed between his legs and I sucked in a breath as I met the scorching hot stiffness there.

 

There was no reason to wait. There was so much we had to talk about. “You’re ready for more?” I teased.

 

“With you, Karina, I always am.”

 

 

Cecilia Tan is “simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature,” according to Susie Bright. Her BDSM romance novel Slow Surrender(Hachette/Forever, 2013) won the RT Reviewers Choice Award in Erotic Romance. Tan is the author of many books, including the ground-breaking erotic short story collections Black Feathers(HarperCollins), White Flames (Running Press), and Edge Plays (Circlet Press), and the erotic romances Slow Surrender, Slow Seduction, and Slow Satisfaction (Hachette/Forever), The Prince’s Boy (Circlet Press), The Hot Streak (Riverdale Avenue Books), and the Magic University series (Riverdale Avenue Books). Her short stories have appeared in Ms. Magazine, Nerve, Best American Erotica, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and tons of other places. She was inducted into the Saints & Sinners Hall of Fame for GLBT writers in 2010, was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Leather Association in 2004, and won the inaugural Rose & Bay Awards for Best Fiction in 2010 for her crowdfunded web fiction serial Daron’s Guitar Chronicles. She lives in the Boston area with her lifelong partner corwin and three cats. Find out more at www.ceciliatan.com.

Connect with Cecilia Tan – Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

 

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2014/06/17/pump-up-your-book-tours-presents-slow-satisfaction-virtual-book-tour/
puyblogo

Guest Post: Please Welcome Rhys Ford to Moonbeams over Atlanta

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We welcome Rhys Ford to Moonbeams over Atlanta with a guest post!  The review of Tequila Mockingbird is here.

And now for Rhys…

Smooches and thank you for having me! I appreciate it muchly. In doing these umpteen blog posts, I’ve realized I’ve only shared an excerpt only in one place. And I usually find them kind of fun. Or at least it helps me kind of get a taste of what the book’s voice is. A very important thing when tasting a book.

 

Or at least I think so.

 

So if you will oblige me, I’d like to share a bit of Tequila Mockingbird with you in the hopes it will tickle your fancy. But let me tell you, so many fantastic authors out there. God, I could fill pages with names. I encourage to taste each and every one of their voices and find the ones that satisfy you. Always explore. I wholeheartedly endorse that.

 

And now an excerpt from Tequila Mockingbird

 

The blond fought to stay awake when Connor came home, but healing took a lot of out him, and he often nodded off before Connor could shower off the day’s dirt from his body. What little time they’d had was spent together, Forest leaning against him, often falling asleep on Con as he caught up on games he’d missed while working.

 

The man’s hands were never still, always tapping out a rhythm, sometimes even as he slept, slack-jawed, loose-limbed, and sprawled over Connor’s lap. It was like owning a cat in some ways, Connor thought once as he petted Forest’s soft blond hair. Someone to come home to who was happy to see him but then immediately curled up into a ball and snored whenever Connor offered his lap.

 

Except for this time—this now—because Forest sat up and pushed the hair from his eyes, smiling sweetly as he rubbed the sleep from his face.

 

“Hey.” He yawned, catching himself with a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. Shit, it’s late.”

 

“How’s the head?” Con asked, feeling the top of Forest’s skull.

 

The man laughed, pushing Con’s fingers away. “That’s not even where it was cracked.”

 

“Yeah?” he retorted, twisting over Forest’s long body and sliding his still chilled hands up under the man’s borrowed shirt.

 

Forest yelped and laughed, a hearty, sweet near-giggle. Then he pulled away, burrowing deeper into the couch cushions.

 

“I brought Vietnamese. Sandwiches, you said you like those.”

 

“Yeah, I do.” Forest stared up at him—those damnable all-seeing eyes drinking in Connor’s every expression. He bit his lip and then reached for Con’s hand. He pulled it against his stomach, cradling its warmth. “We okay? I mean, you and I? We haven’t talked about anything since—haven’t had time, and I’ve just been fucking sleeping my life away.”

 

“We’re more than okay,” Connor promised, leaning in to give Forest a gentle, brief kiss. Those were the only kind of caresses he was allowing himself, and he lived for each one, keeping them tallied up in his mind so he could remember them when his day lagged.

 

“Kiki have any leads? On anything?” Forest rubbed at his nose, scratching an itch.

 

“No, not yet,” Connor admitted. “No one’s seen anything. Biggest problem is that your places there have so many different people coming in an out of them, people don’t know who belongs there or no. And we can’t find a nosy old lady who watches the street with binoculars. Those are mighty handy a lot of times, I tell you. They’re a dying breed. Now they’re all out doing spin classes and the such.”

 

“Then we’re shit out of luck?”

 

“No, they’re going through the footage from the bank, and they’ve tapped another feed from down the street. The Canadian couple didn’t see who ripped off their van, but we’re hoping someone else did. Kiki’s arranging for interviews around the motel they were staying at. A lot of it is leg work.”

 

“I feel like a sitting duck or something.” He was bitter, and Connor didn’t blame him. “Fucking hell.”

 

“Hey, we’ll find him.” He kissed Forest, gently but insistent. “The bastard’s leaving a trail of dead bodies, and I’m not scared to admit it, but I’d rather you not be one of them. We’re all after this guy. Boys in blue are going to nail his ass. Pissed us off something fierce.”

 

Forest stared into his eyes, searching for something. Connor was content to let him, enjoying the feel of the man’s hard body against his. His own cock was debating going to a full-blown salute, and from the press of heat he felt on his thigh, it appeared Forest’s dick was of the same opinion.

 

They kissed again. Deeper, longer, and their bodies rubbed together, creating a lingering friction between them. Connor sighed after a few minutes, wondering if he had the strength to get up off the couch and take a cold shower.

Copyright © Rhys Ford

Tequila Mockingbird
Sequel to Whiskey and Wry (and The Devil’s Brew)
Sinners Series: Book Three

Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.

 

Purchase Tequila Mockingbird at: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe (links will be added when live)

Also available on Amazon, Are and other online book stores.

Tequila MockingbirdLG

 

 

!rhys_ford_headshotRhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.

Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and an overworked red coffee maker.

Hear yee…Here yee…New Review Blog Facebook Event…Come one, come all!

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I am a co-host for a new blog that will be reviewing MM and LGBT Stories.  I am one of the reviewers.  Please come to our debut extravaganza as we open the Facebook fan page Newton’s Law with author interviews, contests, giveaways, and games! Everything is starting March 17, 2014 through April 30, 2014.  The new blog will open on March 31, 2014 with all day events as well.

Rainbow Gold Reviews (M/M – LGBT) DEBUT EXTRAVAGANZA Event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/436996263097662/

Eloreen Moon

Blog Guest: Dark Duke by Sabrina York

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Please welcome to Moonbeams over Atlanta, Sabrina York!

The Third Book in the Scorching Noble Passions Series by Sabrina York Releases!

Fans of Sabrina York’s steamy Regency series have been eagerly awaiting the release of Dark Duke, the third book (following award winning Folly and Dark Fancy) in which Edward Wyeth, the Dark Duke of Moncrieff, finally meets his match in the form of a flame-haired Scottish spitfire.

Noble Passions: Follow the decadent exploits of friends and enemies as they find love and passion in the glittering world of the Regency—and its dark underbelly. Each book is a stand-alone read.

If you’re new to the series, download Sabrina’s free teaser book at http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/ to read blurbs and excerpts for this popular series. Each book in the series is a stand-alone story.

Enter to win a signed print copy of Dark Fancy (Helena and James’ story—Book 2 in the Noble Passions Series) on Goodreads!  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17409083-dark-fancy

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Dark Duke

Sabrina York

Noble Passions, Book Three

Edward Wyeth, the Dark Duke of Moncrieff’s life has been turned on its end. His well-ordered home has been invaded. By destitute relatives. From Scotland. How on earth can he write Lord Hedon’s salacious novels with hellions battling in the garden and starting fires in the library? But with the onslaught has come a delicious diversion. His cousin’s companion, the surprisingly intriguing Kaitlin MacAllister. He is determined to seduce her. Using her desperate need for funds and her talents as an artist, he convinces her to draw naughty pictures for his naughtier books…and he draws her into his decadent web.

But Kaitlin has a secret. She’s fled Scotland—and a very determined betrothed. When Edward’s cousin is kidnapped and held in her stead, Kaitlin is honor bound to return to her homeland and rescue her—much to Edward’s chagrin.

Because suddenly he can’t bear the thought of Kaitlin marrying another man. He can’t bear the thought of losing her at all.

A Romantica® Regency historical erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

 

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

An Excerpt From: DARK DUKE

Copyright © SABRINA YORK, 2014

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Edward skirted the mêlée in the garden and made his way to the far end of the estate, where there was nothing but flowers and trees and a placid little pond. Nothing to attract diminutive fiends bent on mischief. He would sit in the folly until his temperature returned to normal.

Perhaps until spring.

Dear God. He’d had no idea having the Wyeths of Perth take over his house would be such a nightmare. If he had suspected as much, he would have turned them away at the start. They would probably have crawled in under the door. Through the cracks in the flue. Vermin had a way of finding entrance.

But now. Now they were here.

Entrenched.

He had to get rid of them.

Perhaps he could send them back to Scotland.

Scotland would revile him for it, but he had little use for rocky tors, lochs and sheep.

Then he thought of Violet and his heart lurched. It would crush her to be trundled back to what she referred to as “the bleak wilderness.” She was looking forward to a glittering season in London. She was seventeen. She needed a husband. A husband of quality. That might be difficult to find in the wilds of Scotland.

And Ned. Ned was twenty. He was just starting to find his way with the ton. He’d made some friends—decent fellows. He’d even been receiving invitations to game at White’s.

The two of them—the normal two—deserved better than being lumped in with the rest.

He whacked at a rosebud as he passed. It exploded into a flutter of petals. He refused to feel any sympathy.

He couldn’t send them packing.

Then what?

Hell. He was a duke of the realm. He had six houses spread throughout the empire. Why hadn’t he thought to purchase a spare in London?

Aha!

That was brilliant.

He would. He’d buy them their own house. Move them all, lock stock and—well, maybe not the barrels, as the older boys did like to drink. He’d move them all into their own domicile.

With Aunt Hortense. Let her manage them.

His life would once again be orderly. He would be the master of his own abode. Free to pursue the life of a wealthy dilettante.

Perfect.

He rounded the bend with a satisfied smile on his face. The trickle of the fountain in the pond was a balm to his tormented soul. Birds sang in the trees. The sun—well, it almost shone. It was a beautiful day.

Soon, the world would be right again.

Soon, they would all be gone.

He skipped up the steps of the folly with a lightness of heart he hadn’t felt in ages. A book on the bench snagged his attention and his mood dipped, but only a bit. Someone had been here. But they were gone.

He picked it up and flipped through it and stilled.

Good God.

It was a sketch book.

The first page was an attempt at this scene. The flowers and trees, the pond and the little fountain. Not very good. But the second arrested his attention. It was a simple line drawing of Violet. And it was stunning. The artist had managed to depict her beauty, but also captured that glint in her eye, the particular quirk of her lips. Her soul.

The next sketch was one of Ned, showing a brash young man, standing insouciantly with his hands shoved into his pockets, whistling a silent tune. The next was of the twins—whatever their names were—dark heads together plotting some manner of mayhem.

It was so realistic Edward expected them to leap from the page and whack him with a cricket bat.

But it was the last sketch in the book that stole his breath. It was a portrait, in profile. His own face. But not an Edward he would ever recognize. This man was heroic, tragic, a solitary soldier. It was only a few lines drawn in charcoal, but it revealed so much about him. Things he didn’t want anyone to ever know.

It was horrifying. And remarkable.

“Your Grace.”

He snapped the book shut and spun around.

Of course. What’s her name. The girl. The owl. From last night.

“Oh, you found it.” She stepped into the folly and took the book from his hands. He did not know why he let it go.

“You left it here.” An accusation. Really? He hadn’t intended for it to come out like that.

She chuckled. “I had to go rescue Hamish. I was coming back.”

“What…why did you have to rescue Hamish?” This was her work? She saw him like that? And hell, she was a damn fine hand. How he would love to turn such talent to…darker purposes. What a pity she was such a prude. The kind of work he could offer her would make her rich—rich enough to quit serving as Violet’s companion.

But she would never do it. No decent woman would.

He must be crazed, truly crazed, to even think on it.

The gripping sketch of his wounded countenance lingered in his brain. If she could do that, if she could see through to his soul and bring it to life on paper—

“And then he got stuck. In the tree. So I had to rescue him.”

Lord. She’d been talking. He’d missed the entire explanation. No matter. The question had been purely rhetorical.

“How long have you been drawing?”

She winced, clutched the book to her breast. He recalled what fine breasts they were. “I… What?”

“How long have you been drawing? You’re quite good.”

“You looked at my book?” She squawked as though he’d just admitted to peering up her skirts. The lemony face returned. A beetled brow and pursed lips. It was, upon reflection, rather adorable.

“It was lying here.”

“You shouldn’t look at someone’s sketchbook.”

“You shouldn’t leave it where it can be found.” He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned at her. Damn, he loved her accent.

She sputtered. “I told you. Hamish and Tay—”

“Tay?”

“Taylor. Hamish and Taylor were building a fort in a tree—”

“Yes. Yes. I know. You had to rescue him. Tell me, have they always been this much trouble?”

She blew out a breath. “You have no idea.”

They both laughed. It was a nice moment, because it seemed, for that brief flash of time, they were friends, bound in mutual misery.

And then he went and ruined it by letting his lust intrude. “So tell me, what did you think of that book?”

She tipped her head. “What book?”

“The one I gave you last night.”

She blinked several times, as though she had to try very hard to remember. “Oh. That book. I didn’t read it.”

He stepped closer. “Ah. You like to look at the pictures, then?” He knew the sort.

“Look at the… What? No, your Grace—”

“Edward.” He infused his voice with a low thrum.

“Your Grace. I didn’t have a chance to open it.”

Why petulance curled within him, he had no clue. “What do you mean you didn’t have a chance to open it?” She was supposed to have read it. Or at least looked at the pictures. She was supposed to be gazing at him, right now, with a dewy look.

She brushed an invisible speck from her skirt. “There was…a distraction.”

Well hell. “What kind of distraction?”

Her lips pursed. The look she shot him was not dewy in the slightest.

Still, he wanted to kiss her.

He wasn’t sure why. She was certainly not the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. But her face had character and charm—especially when she smiled. Her figure was full—the way he liked them—but she didn’t show it off to its best effect. In fact, if he hadn’t known what lay beneath the thick layers of crinoline and bombazine, he would have been fooled. She was prickly as a hedgehog and smacked him down at every turn.

So why did he want to pull her into his arms and smother her mouth with his?

Perhaps because of all those things.

Then again, perhaps just because.

So he did.

He took the girl—whose name he could not remember, whose face he could not forget—into his arms and kissed her. It was a gentle buss, as kisses went, but extremely sublime. Because he’d surprised her.

Her lips were open, as though poised to speak. He took full advantage, sweeping in his tongue to dab at hers, nibbling and licking and tasting her sweet breath.

The prick at his side was not a surprise. He’d expected it.

He lifted his head and stared down into her eyes. Her expression was dazed and determined and perhaps a little dewy. “Not this time, darling,” he murmured. He took the knife from her hand and tossed it aside and then pulled her more fully against him.

And ah. She was soft. Sweet. Her breasts pressed against his chest. Her hips molded the cradle of his groin. Of course, he was the one doing the molding, but she didn’t fight him.

No. She sighed and tipped her head to the side so he could deepen the kiss. She tasted like ambrosia. A tantalizing flavor of cinnamon and woman and surrender. His ardor rose, and with it, his cock. He rubbed it against her belly.

She stiffened and tried to push away, muttering something into his mouth that sounded like “No.”

He changed his tack, running his lips down her cheek and along the line of her jaw to nestle in the crook of her neck. She shuddered. Some groan-like sound emanated from her throat. She clutched at his hair.

Thusly encouraged, he sucked at the tender skin of her neck. Nipped.

“Oh! Saints preserve us,” she whispered.

“The saints don’t care,” he responded, switching to the other side of her neck. He found a spot that delighted her even more and feasted there. In her distraction, she didn’t stop the palm skimming over her ribs to cup a breast.

He encased her. Ah. Exquisite. Full and round and pliable. He thumbed a nipple, testing its rigidity. She dipped as her knees gave way. He caught her. Swung her up in his arms and carried her to the bench.

From long experience, he knew better than to give a woman a moment to think. So as soon as he had her settled across his lap and firmly braced against the wall of the folly, he kissed her again. With one hand, he stroked her nipples while with the other, he slowly drew up her skirts.

 

About Sabrina York

Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York is the award winning author of over 20 hot, humorous stories for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range from sweet & sexy erotic romance to scorching BDSM. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york, on Facebook or on Pintrest. Check out Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on Amazon or wherever e-books are sold. Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her books, excerpts and contests. Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/ And don’t forget to enter to win the royal tiara!

CURRENT PROMOS

Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/

Newsletter & contest: http://sabrinayork.com/sabrinas-contest-and-newsletter/

Enter to win a signed print copy of scorching Regency romance, Dark Fancy on Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17409083-dark-fancy

FOLLOW SABRINA

Like my Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/SabrinaYorkBooks

Follow me on Twitter @sabrina_york

Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5817917.Sabrina_York

Check out my Pintrest boards: http://www.pinterest.com/sabrinayork/boards/

Like my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sabrina-York/e/B00856PDEO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1382929432&sr=8-2-ent

Check out my Barnes & Noble Author page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/sabrina-york

Follow me on Ellora’s Cave: https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/sabrina-york/

Books by Sabrina York

Adam’s Obsession (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Dark Duke (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon

Brigand (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon

Dark Fancy (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave)

Devlin’s Dare: A Tryst island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary)

Dragonfly Kisses: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary)

Extreme Couponing (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Fierce (One Night Stand, Decadence Press)

Five Alarm Fire (Erotic Contemporary for the High Octane Heroes Anthology, Cleis Press)

Folly (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave)

Heart of Ash: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary)

Lust Eternal (Erotic Fantasy, Ellora’s Cave)

Pushing Her Buttons (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Making Over Maris (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming November 6th

Man Hungry (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Rebound: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary, Available on Amazon)

Rebound is now available on Smashwords

Rising Green (Erotic Horror, Ellora’s Cave)

Saving Charlotte (Erotic Contemporary for the Smokin’ Hot Firemen Anthology, Cleis Press)

Smoking Holt: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary)

Training Tess (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Trickery (Erotic Contemporary with Magical Elements, Ellora’s Cave Hex Line)

Tristan’s Temptation (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Release Day: Seeing Double by Algenon Lusch

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It’s release day for Algenon Lusch’s Seeing Double, Episode 3 of 52 First Dates:

The man-hunt is under way, and David’s keen to a snag a husband without having to complete every date of his 52 First Dates challenge. With several successful meets behind him, there’s a growing feeling of confidence that his search could actually work. But now that the novelty’s worn off, finding the motivation to keep going is about to become harder.

David finds himself trying to juggle meeting new men and providing a shoulder to cry on his to battered and pregnant friends. And, with a plethora of hotties vying for his attention, things are about to get more complicated.

SeeingDouble

Seeing DOUBLE is a 13,000K SHORT STORY, or about 37 pages.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA4ULNE/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seeing-double-a-lusch/1118399730?ean=2940045605786

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-seeingdouble52firstdates3-1414844-149.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/402565

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/A_Lusch_Seeing_Double?id=gCPNAgAAQBAJ

52 First Dates – Boxed Set

The boxed set contains all three books already released in the series, The Man PLAN, Friends and FRENCHMEN, and Seeing DOUBLE.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA4LOBM/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-52firstdatesboxedsetbooks13-1414849-149.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/405816

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/A_Lusch_52_First_Dates_BOXED_SET_Books_1_3?id=pSPNAgAAQBAJ

52 First Dates Books 1-3

About the author

A. Lusch lives in London and has been though much of the same path as David – in fact – this series is based around true events.

Of course, there is MUCH more to come in the tale, but, don’t worry, now the scene is set, there’ll be many more dates per book. Is there a happy ending in sight? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

A. Lusch fully believes in never settling, always striving for the perfect match, and never giving up on your man once you’ve found him – oh, and eating A LOT of donuts!

Social links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlgenonLusch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlgenonLusch

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7191612.A_Lusch

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/A.-Lusch/e/B00EB6OWSU/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ALusch

Guest Blog: Love’s Intensity by Cassandra Ulrich

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Please welcome Cassandra Ulrich, today’s guest blogger as she talks about her new novel, Love’s Intensity.  Welcome!

I’m excited to introduce my latest and 2nd novel, Love’s Intensity, a teen paranormal romance novel, released on July 11, 2013.  I first plunged into writing novels with the release of my teen inspirational novel, A Beautiful Girl, on April 7, 2011.  Billiard Buddies, a New Adult romance novella, will mark my third release coming soon.  I enjoy writing characters with real life complexities. 

I started out as a poet, entering competitions.  I figured I’d write short stories, but I never thought I’d write full length novels.  Never letting go of a dream a 5th grade teacher had for me and giving in to the encouragement of friends, I began writing Love’s Intensity, which had progressed in my mind for two months.  It was challenging to create a beginning for a story where I met the characters already living out their lives, but after reading the first chapter, my friends asked for more.  Having gone through three rewrites, I’m happy to present this story to everyone else.  This novel is only the beginning.  A series of novels is sure to follow.  Because my characters are multifaceted, readers respond to them like they are real people.  See below for a blurb, excerpt, and sites where a copy may be purchased.

 

lovesintensity

Love’s Intensity Blurb: Brad loves fast horses, cars, and bikes.  Life would be perfect if his stepmother could only mind her own business.  Instead, his father hired a longtime friend and her family to work in their home, turning his world into a feudal mess.

 He wants to hate the new arrivals and it doesn’t help that Kressa, daughter of the newcomers, is the most gorgeous girl he’d ever laid eyes on.  With a scent that draws him to her, Kressa causes him more internal conflict than he ever dreamed possible.  He falls for her so deeply, he tells her a secret he’d never even told his best friends – that he’s training to be a ninja warrior.

 Kressa adores her country and loves hanging out with her many cousins.  News of the move to Massachusetts comes as a shock to her.  She refuses to be happy in this new place working as a servant for a rich man and his mean son, who had the nerve to be cute.  And why does her skin tingle every time her hand brushes against his?

 Despite her efforts, she finds herself desperately longing for a friendship with the one boy who scowls at her.  Matters are only made more complicated when his family and hers clash. When he goes on a dangerous mission, she wonders, will he return so she can tell him he’s won her heart or will their families manage to keep them apart?

Love’s Intensity Excerpt:

Brad had been standing in the doorway in time to see Kressa fall off the horse.  When he had gotten up and walked to the office to grab the key, he found it missing and figured Kressa must have already taken it.  Running to the stable, he hoped she was okay setting up her horse for the ride.  From the way she was sprawled out on the stable floor, he could tell she had a little difficulty.  Brad walked over to Kressa and gave her the boost she needed to sit properly on the saddle.

“Good job with the saddle,” Brad encouraged Kressa, “but next time you may want to use the stepping stool I got you yesterday.  Keep Gentle Rider tied up to this post until you get settled, then you can untie her.”  Moving the rake and pitchforks to the far end of the stable, Brad continued, “I have no idea what I would have done if you landed on these.  I should have made sure these were properly put way, so the horses wouldn’t knock them over.”  He picked up and brought the stepping stool over, placing it near Gentle Rider’s area.

“I suppose Papa would have had your head too.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you’re okay.”

Kressa rode her horse out the stable while Brad got his horse saddled, fed, and watered. After leading Silver Bullet into the yard, he asked Kressa, “Did you give her feed and water?”

****

Oh, no.  Now he’ll be upset.  He adores his horses.

“Sorry, I forgot. I was so eager to ride.  I can do it now,” Kressa said, embarrassed that she forgot.

“No.  It’ll take too much effort to get you on your horse again.  I’ll go get it.”  Kressa noticed Brad did not sound annoyed.  He spoke to her in a matter-of-fact tone.

After feeding and watering her horse, Brad and Kressa galloped around the large grassy area.  After riding for a half-hour, Brad pointed to the forest area.  “Would you like to go through there and see what’s on the other side?”

“Yes,” Kressa eagerly responded, “I’ve wanted to know where you go when riding your horse.”  Kressa realized too late she had exposed her secret.

“Have you been watching me?  One day, I felt like I was being watched.  I thought it might be you, but when I saw you in the dining room, I figured I must have been wrong.”

Kressa knew she ought to fess up.  “It was me.  I hid because I didn’t want you to know I was watching.”

“How did you run upstairs so fast?  You didn’t look out of breath.”

“I held my breath until you moved away.  I was exhausted.”  Kressa tried to smile while casting her eyes to the ground.  Brad laughed heartily.

“Let’s go,” he said, leading the way through a path in the forest, which had been created by much riding, to the grassy field on the other side.

When Brad and Kressa came out of the tree cover, the sun seemed to shine brighter due to the open space.  No shrubs or little trees existed here, only light green short cut grass which reflected the sunlight.  They raced the horses around the perimeter a couple times before coming to a stop.

****

Nina studied Julio while he watched Kressa during her riding lesson.  When Brad led Kressa into the forest, Julio turned to Nina and barked, “Where is he taking her?  I don’t like that boy.  He’s not trustworthy.  If he touches my girl…”

Nina interrupted, “He won’t touch her.  He has strict orders from his father.”

“Nina, he’s a young man with an active libido.  I don’t care what his orders are; he can’t be trusted to control what comes naturally.  Now, he’s alone with her and under the cover of those trees,” Julio fumed.

“Julio, Kressa is a smart girl.  She knows what we’ve taught her, what we expect.  Even if he tried something, she would push him away.”

“But only if she doesn’t want him, Nina.  He’s strong, good looking, and the only boy around to talk to.  I’m going over there.”

“Please wait a few minutes.  If they’re not back, then go, but please don’t hurt him.”

“You would elevate him over our daughter’s innocence?”

“No, Julio, of course not.  I just don’t want you to do something you can’t return from.  I love you.”

Julio shook his head and moved away from her.  He must hate me for bringing him here.  What can I do to change his mind?

****

Brad rode Silver Bullet alongside Kressa and Gentle Rider so the horses faced each other upon his approach.  He gazed into Kressa’s eyes, longing to learn something new about the girl who lived in his house.  Brad removed his riding glove and reached over to brush Kressa’s hair away from her face so he could touch her cheek.  She did not shrink away.  His fingertips tingled where her skin met his.

So beautiful.  Brad’s heart pumped a little faster and his mind swirled.  Does she feel drawn to me too?  He shook his head slightly.  “We should go back now,” Brad said tenderly, realizing once again that the warmth he felt when he touched Kressa also did something to his heart.  It was better not to remain alone.  He wondered if Kressa would ever admit whether she experienced any affection toward him.  He found her hard to read sometimes.

Brad pulled on his glove, led the way back through the forest, and headed for the stable.  After brushing, feeding, and watering all four horses, Brad and Kressa strolled back to the house.  “Great lesson today.  I think before long you’ll be able to go out on your own.”

“Really?  That would be great.  How many more lessons do I need?” She said eagerly.

“I would imagine one or two more.”

They both laughed at the good news.  At that moment, Kressa’s dad appeared around some shrubs at the base of the hill. His face held a fiery red glow.

“Kressa, get to the house right now,” Mr. Morales said grabbing her arm and pushing her toward their apartment.  “I don’t know what you were thinking today taking her through those woods, but I don’t like it.”

“Sir, there’s wide open space to run the horses on the other side of the trees.  I wasn’t trying to seduce her,” Brad said, feeling some guilt for touching her cheek earlier.

Mr. Morales shot Brad a fierce look and took Kressa away.  She followed, pleading with her father to let her go and trying to convince him nothing happened.  Kressa and her father began speaking in Spanish, so Brad could no longer comprehend what was being said.  Brad headed back to his room in anguish over what he just witnessed.  He picked up the handkerchief and rubbed it on his cheek.  He was sorry for causing her so much trouble.

Over the next few hours, Brad spent time on his laptop looking up home schooling rules.  He gathered all the information he could and went looking for his father.  Brad and his dad needed to do a lot of preparation if Kressa were to start school at home in a week.  Finding his father in the office, Brad presented him with the draft for a lesson plan needed. It had to be submitted to the school administration.

Dinnertime proved tense for Brad, and he didn’t doubt it was for Kressa as well.  He avoided looking at her as much as possible, not because he experienced nervousness concerning their interaction earlier in the day, but because he did not want Kressa’s father to take it out on her.  She seemed stiff whenever she served Brad a side dish.  He knew her reaction was due to her father keeping a close eye on them all evening.  Brad wanted to talk to his new friend, but knew it would be better if he waited until morning.

Cassandra’s Bio: Cassandra Ulrich was born on the beautiful island of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, located east of Puerto Rico.  Living in the tropics fueled her imagination and day dreams.  For years, she wrote poetry and entered competitions.  However, only many years later did she discover joy in writing stories longer than a few pages.

 cassandraulrich

 

She published her first young adult novel, A Beautiful Girl, in April 2011.  The inspirational novel has already touched many hearts ranging from teens to adults.

 

Her second novel, Love’s Intensity, is a teen paranormal romance and was released on July 11, 2013.

Website: http://cassandraulrich.com/

Blog Site: http://cassandraulrich.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassandraUlrichAuthor

Twitter: @CassandraUlric1

Amazon: Author Page

Buy Links: WildChildPublishing | Amazon | B&N  | All Romance ebooks | 

 

 

Blog Guest: Sabrina York Author of Devlin’s Dare

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There will be blog tours and more guest posts in the coming months as writers of all genres release their newest creations.  This post contains an over 18 excerpt.  Please leave the site if you are not over 18. Please … Continue reading →

Blog Guest: Martha O’Sullivan Author of “Chances” Trilogy

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Please give a warm welcome to our blog guest, Martha O’Sullivan, author of the Chances trilogy.  Welcome Martha! E

My love affair with California began at the tender age of fifteen and continues today, three decades later. So it should come as no surprise that the book of my heart, which somehow turned into a trilogy, is set there.

Maybe it was the indescribable thrill of a Midwestern girl seeing the ocean for the first time (we have a lake in Chicago, but it’s not the same). Or the sight of unapologetically bronzed coeds with movie-star teeth driving silver metallic convertibles and playing volleyball in the sand. Perhaps the towering palm trees swaying against the impossibly blue sky?  But that was in Southern Cal; my Chances trilogy takes place in Lake Tahoe and San Francisco, hundreds of miles north.

I was an unassuming only child of the 70’s, growing up in a place where a short, precious summer turned into a long, cold winter seemingly overnight. What else was I to do but read (thanks, Carolyn Keene)?

In high school, I often opted for the city bus because it stopped in front of the library. Just a branch, mind you, but they had loads of paperback books. And no matter the inventory du jour, I was drawn to the revolving wire rack of romance novels. Harlequin Presents, Danielle Steel and later on, Nora Roberts.

The books took me to places all over the world where effortlessly beautiful, wonderfully flawed heroines were swept off their feet by dynamic, irresistible heroes. I preferred the books to the afternoon soaps because I could imagine the characters in my mind’s eye. And if I found the ending disappointing or abrupt, I would simply continue the story in my head.

Writing such ideas down, however, took another thirty years.

In the interim, I went to college and met my own prince charming. And he took me to San Francisco on our honeymoon.

And, as cliché as it sounds, that’s where I left my heart. Well, part of it anyway. Because eight years and two babies later, he took me to Lake Tahoe for the very first time.

And my frisson with California moved even farther north.

I hope my books will take you there. And you’ll leave a little piece of yours behind too.

Martha O’Sullivan’s Chances trilogy is available now from Red Sage Publishing. Second Chance, the trilogy opener, is a reunion/love triangle romance that keeps the shores of Lake Tahoe blazing hot long after the sultry summer sun has set.Chance Encounter, the trilogy’s second installment, heats up San Francisco’s chilly days and blustery nights with white-hot passion and pulse-pounding suspense. And in Last Chance, the conclusion of the trilogy, lifelong friends-turned-lovers melt the snow-packed Sierras into lust-fueled puddles despite the single-digit temperatures of the Lake Tahoe winter.

Here’s a short synopsis and steamy excerpt from Second Chance, the Chances trilogy opener.

Lindsay Foster has convinced herself that marrying Paul Webster is the right thing to do. But now that Brian Rembrandt is standing in front of her again, undressing her with his eyes, she finds herself torn between the life she’s always wanted and the man she’ll always love.

Brian’s up for that fight; he’s used to getting what he wants. And he’s never met a rule, or a woman, that couldn’t be broken.

But it’s more complicated than that.

This love triangle has an extra side. Lindsay’s best friend Moira Brody has a game-changing secret.  And she’s not the only one.  Even Brian is no help for what happens next. The chain of events set in motion on the tranquil shores of Lake Tahoe come to an astonishing end on a foggy San Francisco night. And alters the course of four lives forever.

Excerpt from Second Chance by Martha O’Sullivan

       “You missed your flight.”

Lindsay’s hand froze on the brushed nickel door handle and after counting to five to collect herself, she remarked neatly, “I left you a message.”

The hand attached to the voice gripped her arm and swung her around. “Your message thanked me for the flowers.  It said nothing about the flight. Or the weekend.”

The steel blue eyes staring back at her were as cold as the choppy gray peaks pummeling the shore.  “I thought you understood. I couldn’t come.”

“You said you’d think about it.”

“And I did,” she attested, lifting her chin. “I decided it wasn’t a good idea.”

“I disagree.” Brian braced his hands on the door jam, trapping her between his arms, and spoke in a low growl. “Do you know how hard it was for me to get a flight to Reno on a Friday afternoon in July?”

She sucked a breath. “No.”

“I had to buy my way on or wait until morning. Luckily, I found an entrepreneurial minded college kid who likes to drive.” Hedging her in, he paused for a moment and then asked, “Do you know why I did that?”

Knowing he didn’t expect an answer, Lindsay merely gulped.

“Because I was already at the airport,” he continued satirically “And,” he slanted his mouth over hers, “I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to do this.”

Breath hitching, he crushed his lips to hers. They were white-hot. Burning as intensely as the fire he’d stirred within her.  Resisting glimmered, dulled, then dissipated in her mind. Instead her arms linked his neck and she melted into the heat.  He tasted rugged, felt rough, like the end of a long day. Their mouths collided, parted, rejoined, until they found that familiar crescendo and began the climb. The flame caught, flickered, combusted, as Brian’s tongue snarled with hers and his hands combed her back. And then a flare began to kindle in another chasm, deep within her.

Even through the denim, Brian was rising to meet it, fill it. Rigid against her, he released her mouth and buried his face in her hair. “When I told you I wasn’t giving up so easily this time, I meant it.” He stepped out of her embrace and taking her hands in his, demanded, “Should I leave?”

His eyes had softened to make room for his heart, she realized. And she could deny hers no longer. Throat swelling, she shook her head from side to side.

The corners of Brian’s mouth curved, but his expression remained tight. “Then we need to get something straight. If I come in, I’m going to stay,” he informed her in a disturbingly reasonable tone of voice. “And if I stay, I’m going to make love to you all night long.”

She should tell him to go. Ignore the ripples in her stomach, the way her heart was chasing them. Instead she surrendered to them. “Promise?”

He pushed away the windblown tendrils that had fallen into her face. “Promise.”

Pine cones screeched across the asphalt and winter’s forgotten leaves danced on the grass as he opened the door and led her up the stairs.  No words were necessary; he knew the way. To her bed, her heart, her soul.

Telling rain began beating against the roof as he laid her on the soft down. Sitting next to her, he swept his fingertips across her lips.  “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” he avowed with a kiss. “Even you.”

Pulse leaping to join his, she ordered in a husky voice, “Show me.”

They exchanged a look of portentous understanding. Then Brian rolled on top of her, seamlessly moving his body into hers. Positioning himself between her legs, he framed her face with his arms and in a voice as thick as honey, confided, “Linds, I haven’t been with anybody else.”

Lindsay was dumbfounded. “You haven’t?”

“No.”

“Neither have I.”

That seemed to shock, then please him. Immensely. “But what about…” he faltered.

She shook her head from side to side, noting the hint of prayer in his voice. “You were the last man to touch me,” she told him honestly.

The weight of her words filled his lustful eyes with delight and appreciation.  “I’ve waited sixteen months to make love to you again. I can’t wait much longer,” he gallanted.

She lifted her arms to his neck and skimmed her lips across his. “Who’s asking you to?”

The challenge registered in his eyes as his mouth pounced on hers.  He set his sights on her bottom lip and pulled, as if to tease, before kissing her with his whole body. His tongue meandered up and down her throat while his thumbs traced the thin cotton of her shirt until her nipples stood on point. Finally he unhooked her bra and slipped the v-neck over her head.

“You are so beautiful.” He allowed himself a few seconds to wallow in her heaving breasts. Then he cupping her, he gushed, “How have I gone this long without you?”

She’d lain in bed many a night dreaming about this. Remembering the way her head bowed back as Brian kneaded her breasts with his sure hands. The way her gut coiled into a spool of yen when his tongue did laps down her abdomen to her bellybutton and back again. The way the euphoric swooning in her head became a creamy deluge between her thighs.

He reacquainted himself with her curves as he inched her jeans down. Holding their weighted stare, he knelt above her, unbuttoning his tailored shirt from the top as she worked from the bottom. When their hands met, he stilled hers on this virility.

“Ooh,” she growled blissfully. He was as hard as she was wet. And she couldn’t wait until his billowing cock was between her legs.

Unbuckling his belt, he kicked off his jeans. Fully aroused, he glided all that separated them over her hips and crawled back to her. His seeping erection nudged at her as he scooped her dewy triangle. Every cell in her body was on high alert now, in anticipation of what was to come. She spread her legs in wholehearted invitation.

She whimpered when he found her moist creases. His fingers knew each tuck, each fold, each pleat of her center. His thumb settled on the fleshy nub at her core and he began to coddle her. She trembled, purred, pleaded, until finally he plunged into her saturated reservoir.  His fingers thrust in and out as she squirmed beneath him, digging her nails into his back as her sharp, short gasps of baiting pleasure filled the air.

But that was nothing compared to the drone that escaped Brian’s throat when he entered her. She tightened around him, dripping as he grew inside her, grinding against him as he rode her. She lifted her buttocks and brought him deeper still, raising her hips to increase the friction, pushing him farther into her as his abdomen sailed over hers. Lindsay could count her stable of lovers on one hand, and Brian was by far the best of the bunch, she recalled as the tip of him pounded the remotest part of her. The orgasm built, retreated, then roared back in full force. It ripped through her with such wielding power that she howled once, then again and begged for more.

And just before Brian filled her, he obliged.

The Chances trilogy by Martha O’Sullivan is available at: marthaosullivan26.wix.com/marthaosullivan

http://eredsage.com/store/OSULLIVAN_MARTHA.html

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Chances-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EX631GM/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378129953&sr=1-17&keywords=red+sage+publishing

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-chance-martha-o-x2019-sullivan/1116810263?ean=2940148803621

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Second-Chance/book-hXS7TbFdaEGFhDCk_FflBQ/page1.html?s=VxhxFGbPAk2KnfFXUA1Iag&r=6

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-secondchance-1278782-356.html

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18456532-second-chance?from_search=true#other_reviews

Bio:

Martha O’Sullivan has loved reading romance novels for as long as she can remember. So much so that she would continue the story in her head long after the last chapter was read. Writing her own novels is the realization of a lifelong dream for this stay-at-home mom. Martha writes contemporary and erotic romances with traditional couples and happy endings. She is the author of the Chances trilogy available now from Red Sage Publishing. Her current work-in-progress in a Christmas novel set in Florida. A native Chicagoan, she lives her own happy ending in Tampa with her husband and two daughters.

The Chances trilogy by Martha O’Sullivan
Also available on: Amazon, BN.com, AllRomanceEbooks, Kobo Books
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