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Apparently I owe the producers of Longmire an apology. Kinda.
In my previous post, I lamented the last ep in Season 3 of Longmire because it pretty much blew my sense of disbelief on a number of points. That being said, one of those points was further illuminated in Season 4, where in ep 3 we find out that Barlow had hired a soldier from Jacob Nighthorse to kill Walt’s wife for what turns out to be a logical reason — she was campaigning against the construction of Jacob’s casino, and Barlow was counting on it to bring in people for his nascent golf course and other businesses. To the producers’ credit this was brought up in one of the previous seasons. It still seems a bit of overkill to murder a woman dying of cancer, but at least I can follow Barlow’s reasoning now (although it would have been nice if this had been made a bit clearer in the S3 ep. A line from Barlow saying, “I had her killed to protect the family business that I’m giving to you, you little pissant” would have sufficed).
Still doesn’t excuse the other issues, but as a friend pointed out Absaroka County gets a surprising ton of dead bodies considering that it’s in a low-population state, so if you can buy that, you can buy iffy characterization choices and Walt and Henry getting away with stealing a dead body and having it accepted as evidence.
In other news, I’m closing in on the end of Intersection, as demonstrated by the already out of date target counter at right (word count is currently up to 62,058). With luck and a good tail wind, I should be typing “The End” sometime late tomorrow.
Which will be good, because it’ll give me the length of my upcoming vacation to let the backbrain cogitate on it and work out kinks, at which point I’ll be ready to edit it into shape when I get back. Release date is scheduled to be 2/7/17, and I’ll be making it available for pre-order as well as sending out ARCs to reviewers and bloggers. If you want to leave a review or do a blog post featuring the book, let me know and I’ll make sure you get one of the ARCs along with a media packet.
Did someone remember to salt and burn 2016?
Gah, what a year. Okay, there were a few bright spots (I became an international bestseller thanks to the German translation of Trickster, hit Las Vegas, Toronto, San Antonio, Orlando, and Tampa on various trips, and managed not to die unlike so many others), but on the whole I’m glad it’s all over with.
So, first goal of 2017 — write 3K a day and get the first draft of Intersection knocked out by 1/10. I’m currently at 42,337 words, so hopefully I can stay on schedule and take the draft on the upcoming cruise with me to edit, with an eye to having it published by 1/31 in time for Wild Wicked Weekend. It helps that I already have the rough draft of the cover done and an editor is chomping at the bit for this puppy.
And yes, I’m editing on the cruise, because there is no such thing as a vacation day for an author. Oh, what larks that would be. Instead, we have guiltily stolen hours here and there where we peel ourselves out of our writing dens and totter out into the daystar, blinking and cowering.
Now, that being said, I will state that the time I’ve spent watching Seasons 1 and 2 of Longmire since Christmas are not stolen hours. Oh, no, my friends. They are research, I tell you, research into the golden smart-assed gloriousness that is Louis Herthum, may he win something nice for his marvelous work in Westworld. He did inspire Intersection‘s male lead, after all, and I like hearing his voice in my head when I write Ben so I need to watch him work for … motivational purposes. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
(Have I mentioned that I love my job? God, I love my job.)
But Longmire is also really damn good — I have no idea how I got the impression that it was some sort of grim post-modern Western. Oh, wait, yes I do — it was A&E’s crappy advertising. Arrgh. But it turns out to be this gorgeously shot and incredibly well-written police procedural that just happens to be set in a small Wyoming town. Also, I could watch Robert Taylor glower from under his cowboy hat all day long, but that’s another blog post. So I still have two more seasons on DVD, then I can finish off the fifth season on Netflix, then wait patiently for season six to start sometime this year.
Jesus. I’m actually watching TV again. Damn you and your charming performances, Louis!
#SexySnippets: Intersection
Sexy Snippets are seven sentences, taken from a work in progress, or published book, brought to you every Sunday. And now, allow me to present a tasty little scene from my SF cyborg romance Intersection (Pacifica Rising 1), out at the end of January 2017.
Ben smiled as he settled in between her thighs, tracing a finger along her dampness. “We did this back at the park, didn’t I?”
Evie nodded, too excited for words.
“Goddamn it. That’s one thing I really wanted to remember, too.” He leaned down to kiss the soft curls on her mound. “Suppose I’ll just have to make some new memories, then.”
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Fabulous Friday Reads: Ever So Madly
Let’s kick off this lovely weekend with J.R. Gray’s newest romance, Ever So Madly, now available from Evernight and other online purveyors of fine romance. Take it away, Gray!
Love is for peasants, nobles marry for power. These are the rules Jocelynn has lived by. She is expected to be the poised and perfect vision of relentless power. Set to inherit the House of Akillie she was bred to rule. Men have never turned her head, until now
Madden achieved the impossible, the first in over a century to escape the life of hard labor and earn a place among the elite. With the chance for a fresh start, he has to stay focused, not damn himself by falling for the one girl forbidden to him.
Madden was an experiment in freedom, and she didn’t mean to fall. But now she can’t live without him. Some choices are easier than others, while some aren’t choices at all. He’s worth running from everything she’s ever known.
Jocelynn turns to a formidable group of rebels to escape her fate. But with a war to be won, the rebels have their own agenda. Drowning in a game of power and politics, Madden and Jocelynn can’t trust anyone if they want make it out alive.
Story Excerpt
A grin spread over his face. “Like that?”
I bit down on my lip and nodded as he slid lower replacing his hand with his mouth. My lips parted in a silent gasp as he hooked his thumbs in my shorts inching them lower.
“Yes…” My toes curled as I pulled my knees up, opening up for him further. “Too much.”
He explored my stomach with his mouth, blowing his hot breath over my skin. My eyes slid half closed as I toyed with his hair.
“If you keep saying too much, I’m going to start thinking you want me against your will.” He glanced up as me as he pushed my shorts even lower still with his chin.
“It’s not that…” My words trailed off turning into a soft moan when he bit at my hip.
“Then what is it?” His voice was low and husky, laced with need.
I had visions of us hot and sweaty, all wrapped up in each other. I flushed all over at the thought of how he would feel against me.
“It’s…” I pressed my eyes closed, tilting my head back. “I’m afraid no one else will ever feel this good, that this is my only chance, and you’re five hundred light years away.”
Where to Buy
Evernight
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Goodreads
Bookstrand (TBA)
All Romance eBooks (TBA)
Giveaway
J.R. is also offering a $20 dollar Amazon gift card giveaway! To enter to win, click the Rafflecopter link here.
About J.R. Gray
When not staying up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it’s half assumed he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations, to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even though it’s been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle and bewilder. If Gray wasn’t writing…well, that’s not possible. The buildup of untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers he/him pronouns.
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Nicola’s Sunday Shoutout: April Zyon
Today’s Sunday Shoutout goes to April Zyon and the newest installment in her Space Wars series, The Royal Mate, now available online from purveyors of fine erotic romance. Take it away, April!
It all comes down to this. The truth about what started the war between the Imarian and Craegin is coming out, along with the fact that there is one true royal left. One man to rule them all.
Markus Rothschild wants to live a simple, quiet life but when faced with the truth of what’s happening in his world, he knows he has no choice but to take his rightful place.
Paisley Ralston is a woman who loves teaching small children. She’s never even held a weapon, let alone fired one. Playing bodyguard to the royal heir is the last thing she expected to do. But when Markus’s security team is sabotaged, she may be his only hope.
Paisley didn’t realize that meeting Markus meant finding her mate. Hidden in a special bunker, Paisley and Markus will test their limits and prepare for what’s coming. Together they will come out stronger, bonded, and ready to face both galaxies.
Story Excerpt
She looked at her mother and frowned. She couldn’t have heard the woman correctly. Paisley wasn’t a militant; she wasn’t a protector. For the love of all the saints, she was a teacher for young children.
The marshal looked at Paisley with a frown, then sighed. “Because you are about the one and only person that I will trust to be around him right now, and since you know where the safe house is I will leave you to take him. It’s too dangerous right now for him to remain on his ship with Fintan.”
“Wait, you mean, The General?” There was awe in Paisley’s voice and she knew it but she had seen what the man had gone through for his mate. He was the only reason that Paisley believed in love once more. It was the reason why, with her mother’s help, she’d broken the arranged marriage and begun to live for herself and not for what she should do.
“He’ll be arriving soon with several guards. You are all going to the bunker. The guards will take the outer shelter, and you and Markus will take the inner sanctuary.”
The inner sanctuary was a place that none could enter if they weren’t of the Ralston family. It literally took living blood and a tie to the blood and heartbeat of a Ralston to keep the air actually on in that sanctuary. It would be either a haven or a tomb depending on if people knew it or not.
“And what about you, Mother? You’ve kept a low profile while they sorted out the issues that were evidently in your offices.”
“This is very true and it’s past time for me to get back to what it is that I do. Besides, this way I know that you will be safe as will Markus.”
“You could always go into the shelter with him instead of me,” Paisley pointed out.
“No, because they would use you to get to me. You are my one weakness, Paisley.”
Paisley moved and gave her mother a hug. “There are not many that know of me, Mother. You’d probably be safe, you know, and so would I.”
“No, there is too much to be done.”
“But—”
“No buts, Paisley. This is an order. You are to keep him safe.”
Paisley bowed her head and nodded. “As you say. Just remember I don’t know how to fight.”
“You don’t, but he does.” Her mother gave her another hug, then pushed her toward where the family bunker was. It was something that no one and nothing could get into. Even if the world exploded, the bunker would eject into space and hook up with a waiting ship that would become their own private spaceship. It had been designed with the ultimate of protections in mind. Her great-grandfather had designed it and it had kept her mother safe when this war began to truly heat up as it had in the last several months.
“I trust you,” Paisley told her mother. She took a deep breath and smiled. “I’ll go pack.”
“Your things are already in the bunker. I had my assistant go to your home and empty your closets and drawers, and I personally put everything into the bunker. It’s fully stocked with food for the two of you for as long as you might need to be in there as well as the machines to recreate foods if you wanted or needed it. I doubt that much time will be needed, but just in case.”
“A career military man,” Paisley mused. “And how does he feel about having to hide?” she asked with a knowing grin. She knew the type.
“About like what you think he’s feeling,” the marshal stated with a laugh. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Fin had to tranquilize him to bring him in. Now, go.”
And just like that Paisley was summarily assigned a duty that she had no business taking care of. She wasn’t a fighter and never had been. She was soft, short, and more than a little pudgy. Paisley was not anything that anyone really would ever look a second time at.
Where To Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
About April Zyon
Having been a lover of the written word all her life April has always wanted to expand her horizons and write something that could be shared with the world. Only one thing held April back, the fact that the letters and numbers mixed and jumbled more often than not. Diagnosed with Dyslexia when she was eight years old April had to work her butt off just to be able to keep up with the other kids in reading and writing, so her love for fictional writing was tossed to the wayside for the moment.
Time marched on, as it always does, and she forgot her childhood dream of becoming an author and instead focused on what she had to – creating a career for herself. As the endless waves of time passed the shores became less rocky and more sandy, a place where she could find an even foot. That and Microsoft invented Word. Hallelujah. This is where April began her journey into the written world, the world that her imagination had been ceaselessly creating for her entire adult life.
Now she has been given a chance to let her literary wings unfold and fly, thanks to the amazing publishers with Evernight Publishing and Secret Cravings Publishing. Now its time to let the dream take flight and watch it soar!
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Marvelous Monday Reads: Dragon’s Honor #freeARC
Happy Monday, folks! Today I have Michaela Kendrick on to talk about her new book Dragon’s Honor, now available from Amazon. For a FREE review copy of Dragon’s Honor, email Michaela at mkendrickauthor@gmail.com.
Set in a far-distant future, the Dragon Corps Series follows the members of the Human Alliance’s most feared fighting unit. Across the vast distances of space, the Dragons maintain justice and peace.
But the cost is high. Cade Williams, a soldier with the potential to become a living legend, left the Corps after a mission that claimed not only the life of his target, a slave trader, but also the lives of every slave on the man’s ship. Vowing never again to kill, Cade has spent the last two years trying to put his past behind him. But when he finally runs out of options, it’s Talon Rift, his former commanding officer who finds him in the slums – and offers him a nice, easy job guarding Aryn Beranek, one of society’s richest woman.
Starving and desperate, Cade takes the job – and realizes the moment he sees Aryn that he’s made a terrible mistake. Not only does he want her more than he’s ever wanted anyone, her husband is the arms trafficker supplying the legendary despot known only as the Warlord of Ymir. And when the truth about her husband comes out, Aryn’s search for justice will force Cade to confront the one man he fears the most: himself.
From the slums of New Arizona to the mines of Ymir, Dragon’s Honor follows the journey of a man determined to save the only woman he has ever loved – a woman who has already decided to sacrifice herself to kill the Warlord.
Story Excerpt
“Cade Williams?”
The words came through the haze of smoke and drunkenness like a hallucination. Cade knew that voice. He was never, ever going to be able to forget that voice, and it had to be a hallucination because there was no way in hell the owner of that voice had chased him across three systems only to walk into a dive bar on the lower streets of New Arizona. So he went back to his drink.
He picked up the glass and stared at it. It was a scotch he’d been nursing for about three hours now, and not just because “scotch” seemed to be a loose term for colored grain alcohol. When he finished his drink, he had nowhere to go. And in the ever-drifting snow of New Arizona—he’d never figured out if the name was born of ignorance or irony—he needed to stay indoors as long as possible. The cold was fierce, and whatever acid was in the water on this planet, it would burn his skin raw in less than a night.
And if he didn’t get ten thousand credits to Osiris within a week, he was a dead man. But one thing at a time. Cade shook his head and let the moment slide away from him, a tiny drift into memory and nothing more.
“Williams,” the voice said again.
That was definitely not a hallucination. Cade’s eyes traveled along the arm that had come down on one side of him. Callused fingertips, last joint of the right index finger missing, the hint of a tattoo poking out from under a blue cuff. The arm underneath the suit jacket was well muscled, leading to broad shoulders and a clean-shaven jaw, and with a sinking feeling of dread, Cade looked up at one of his worst nightmares.
“Lieutenant Rift.”
“Actually, it’s Major now.” Talon’s face was expressionless, as it almost always was. He watched as Cade’s eyes traveled over the understated suit, across the planes of the handsome face. At last, sensing the question Cade would never ask, he flipped over the hand on his resting arm. There, glimmering in the faint light, were blood-red cufflinks.
A Dragon always wore red.
Talon absorbed Cade’s bitter smile in silence.
“You look surprisingly well.” Cade looked down into his scotch and considered drinking the rest in one gulp. The pours in this bar were generous, and with the alcohol being of dubious provenance, a gulp might well kill him. Right now, that wasn’t seeming so bad. It was all coming back to him—without warning, as it always did. He’d known the moment he heard the voice that this was going to be a bad night, even worse than he’d thought—and he’d already thought it would be pretty bad. There was screaming at the corner of his mind, the flashing of the lights in the bar taking on a reddish hue, the emergency exit sign too clear a reminder.
He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw until he thought his teeth would give way. He had to keep breathing, or the memories would take him, and the world would devolve into the chaotic mess he so feared, every face reminding him of the pods, the children pounding on the glass—
He was going to be sick. His stomach heaved.
“Should I go?”
“No.” Cade’s answer surprised even him. He opened his eyes and looked down into his drink again. He could force the world back into its neat shapes if he tried hard enough. In the vacuum of space, in the long silences of a courier’s job, he’d learned to face his fear and press it away.
He could face this, too.
“Okay.” Talon sat, pulled reflexively at both cuffs, and looked over at the bartender. “What won’t kill me here?”
“Don’t try the scotch.”
“Noted.”
Where to Buy
About Michaela Kendrick
Raised on the Dragon Riders of Pern, Star Wars, Star Trek, and a whole bunch of historical romances, Michaela grew up adoring the adventure of Science Fiction and the passion of a good love story. Filled with double crossing, grand romantic gestures, sarcasm, and plenty of heat, Michaela’s books are just the sort of thing she wants to read herself!
Fabulous Friday Reads: Sadie’s Mate
Woohoo, it’s the weekend! Let’s kick it off properly with April Zyon’s exciting new novel Sadie’s Mate (Space Wars), now available from Evernight Publishing and other purveyors of fine erotic romance.
Family kept them apart, fate brought them together.
Bracken Kauller has been unlucky in love. Not that his family doesn’t stop trying to push proper women his way. He’s found it easiest to stay on his ship, and out of their path. When trouble starts to brew on his vessel he needs an expert he can trust.
Sadie Monterey is smart, driven, and successful. But she doesn’t have it all. The only person she’s ever loved has seemingly made it his life mission to avoid her with the help of his family. Then circumstances throw them together in a life or death situation.
The threats are mounting against them, and time is running out. With only one move left to make, Bracken throws his heart on the line. He’ll do anything necessary to be Sadie’s mate.
Story Excerpt
Sadie sat in Bracken’s office with the packet that was for her eyes only in her lap and waited, not so patiently. She looked once more at the timepiece and saw that it was now forty-five minutes since she spoke to him last. She needed him to hurry. The power supply for the facial film wasn’t one that was everlasting and it was also bloody damn well hot as well. She shifted once more. Five more minutes, that was all she was giving him until she left and let him come to find her.
The door from the command deck slid open to reveal utter chaos, then slid shut to silence the noise. “Apologies for the delay,” he said. He moved to the desk and practically fell into the chair behind it. Rubbing his hands over his face, he leaned forward to prop his arms on the desktop. “What’s going on, Sadie?”
“You and your friend, Fintan, have been playing loose with the rules. Since he wed the Imarian woman, the marshal’s office have placed spies on his ship.” She passed the package over to him. “They want to bring you all down. They’re trying to find who all is with you. I never once thought to ensure that his destroyer was protected as well. Sure I’ve hidden the telemetry on his ship when I could, but I didn’t think about scouring it clean the way that I did yours.”
Bracken waved off her concern as he looked over the pieces of the package she’d been left. Reaching out, he pressed a button. “Draven, get Fintan for me, please,” he said, then released the button. “They really are starting to get desperate,” he muttered, shaking his head slowly.
She shrugged and leaned back once more. If he wasn’t concerned, why should she be? It was likely time she stopped protecting him as much as she did. “If you have nothing else to say, I should go back to my quarters. It’s been a very long and trying day.” Especially since she had been shoved onto the one ship in the universe she didn’t want to be. Not because she hated Bracken, but because she cared far too much for him.
“Don’t move,” he said sharply. A beep sounded, and the screen to her left lit up.
“Bracken, what’s going…oh, hello.”
“Fintan, meet Doctor Sadie Monterey, friend of the family. Mainly the sisters but we’re forgiving her for her horrid taste in friends. Sadie, meet General Fintan Daykin. The marshal’s office is stepping things up, Fintan. They’re into planting evidence now, and moles.”
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon US
Amazon CA
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
All Romance eBooks
BookStrand
iTunes
Smashwords
Where to find April Zyon
Marvelous Monday Reads: Alpha Gladiator (Warriors of the Arena)
Happy Monday, folks! Getting back to the work week doesn’t have to suck, especially when it means you have Beth D. Carter’s pyroclastic new erotic romance Alpha Gladiator (Warriors of the Arena Book One) waiting for you. Alpha Gladiator is now available from Evernight Publishing and other online retailers of erotic romance. Enjoy!
Okay, I admit it. I fell in love with Spartacus as played by Andy Whitfield in the Starz adaptation. How horrible that he succumbed to non-Hodgkin lymphoma shortly after wrapping up the first season. During the second season, the producers decided to introduce a new gladiator which, in my opinion, was one hot hunk to watch! So when the third season came back, with a new lead to play Spartacus, it didn’t seem such a sad departure from Andy.
I became fascinated by the dynamics of the politics behind the gladiator games. The origin of gladiatorial combat is open to debate. There is evidence of it in funeral rites during the Punic Wars of the 3rd century BC, and thereafter it rapidly became an essential feature of politics and social life in the Roman world. Its popularity led to its use in ever more lavish and costly games. The gladiator games lasted for nearly a thousand years. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)
The Alpha Gladiator was actually written to be part of an anthology, but it came out as too sci-fi, so I switched it to the novella story line, Romance on the Go, for Evernight Publishing. The Spartacus story might have provided the idea, but I moved everything into a futuristic slash paranormal setting. The next story I have planned in this line features more of the slave and gladiator dynamics, not quite so paranormal but still within the realms of mystical. Hopefully that will be written soon, after I wrap up a few other series.
How long have you been writing erotica and what was the passion behind writing this genre?
I was first published in 2009 and have been trying to perfect my craft ever since. I love romance and erotica is just a way of writing romance with no blinders on. It feeds on fantasy and imagination, and I love transporting myself from my own hum-drum life into one of pure sensation. I love being turned on, and so when I write I want my readers to get turned on.
Was there as specific part of the story that you absolutely loved writing as well as not enjoyed writing?
I loved dreaming up a future where the barbaric gladiator games had been resurrected. I used much of the same terminology, same names of places. Bringing a new world to life is one of the more thrilling parts of being a writer because the possibilities are endless.
There wasn’t much in this book I didn’t enjoy writing. I’m a very liner type of writer, meaning I don’t really jump around scenes too much. I start at point A and finish at point Z. So, sometimes just writing the in between stuff, the ordinary day to day, can be tedious because your job is to still make that monotony interesting.
You’ve written in a variety of subgenres. Which is your favorite?
My books are all different, with different genres and different pairings, which is great for my creativity but bad for readers to identify with my work. Personally, I like to think there is something for everyone. But when you hear the name Beth D. Carter what type of book do you think about? Like Lisa Kleypas or Tymber Dalton, when you see their books you know know what they writes. With the publication of my first book I was unsure where I was headed as an author. I knew I wanted to push myself and not fall into one stereotype, at least, not until I discovered where my voice was heading. Sometimes I still feel like I’m test driving every type of genre that I can, but perhaps soon I’ll settle into a pattern.
Ravage is the fierce Alpha of his people, the Lycans. During the mating celebration, while their guards are down, his people are attacked and twelve are captured for the gladiator games of Kappuah, including Aleirah, the woman Ravage wants above all others.
He tries to resist, but he’s unwilling to see his men and his female harmed by the ruthless tyrants of the games. He must make the ultimate sacrifice of taking lives if he’s to protect his people.
But there is one secret no one knows, and Ravage is more than willing to show how some myths are based in truth, by letting his inner wolf come out to destroy all those who enslaved them.
Story Excerpt
“I remember.” He looked around. “You are a compassionate woman. Caring and kind. You would make me a great mate.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“A mate. I have been waiting for you to enter the mating ceremony for ten years, Aleirah. Surly you knew that?”
She shook her head. “No. I … ah … no. I don’t think I would make a very good mate for an Alpha.”
“Why would you think that?” he asked, a bit vexed. Ravage was fast learning she could be a little stubborn.
“I’m…” She paused and cleared her throat. “I just don’t think I would.”
“I beg to differ, and I hope you allow me to change your mind.” He stepped closer to her and her breath hitched in her throat. He tilted her face up and her mouth dropped open on a breathless little sigh. The he offered her his elbow. “Would you take a walk with me through the night?”
She bit her bottom lip with her top teeth, and the action had an interesting effect on his dick, which jumped to attention. Ravage could just imagine her sinking her teeth into his shoulder as he thrust into her beautiful body. Hesitantly, she took his arm and as soon as she touched him, he placed his hand on top of hers, trapping her by his side. Now that he had her, he wasn’t about to let her get away.
He pulled her away from both bonfires, into the woods, letting the darkness shroud them. Sometimes it was easier to let go of secrets and fears when the other person was cloaked in shadow. The night had always been a friend of the Lycanis people, so Ravage used the moon to his advantage.
“I remember you from when we were children,” he murmured.
“I remember you too,” she said softly.
He grinned, pleased with her answer. She may deny that she wanted to be his mate, but the pheromones coming off her body indicated otherwise. Aleirah found him desirable. Whether or not she wanted to be his mate, her body had already begun changing to accept his claiming bite. Now, he just had to get her to admit it, and he wasn’t above using seduction on his part.
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Abut Beth D. Carter
I like writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers. I try to write characters who aren’t cookie cutters and push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I love writing characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who find redemption through love. I love to hear from readers so I’ve made it really easy to find me on the web:
Where to find Beth D. Carter
Marvelous Monday Reads: Ruled
Happy Monday, folks! Let’s say goodbye to March with J.J. Lore’s Ruled, the brilliant new entry in Evernight Publishing’s Planet Alpha series, now available from Evernight and other online retailers of erotic romance. Enjoy!
While on a clandestine visit to Earth, Prince Edem of Alpha and his bondmate Mallet by chance meet a humble cook who intrigues them. The impulsive prince feels a brief fling with an exotic human female sounds like the perfect way to conclude their travels, while his more pragmatic bondmate urges caution.
Despite all the reasons to avoid her, the Alphans seek her out, intrigued by her prickly pride and defiant disposition. For her part, Corrine is intimidated by these imposing and mysterious alien men, but finds herself overwhelmed by their determined courtship.
Edem and Mallet convince themselves their deepening feelings for Corrine do not have to include bonding, since such a commitment is forbidden by the King and subjects of Alpha, determined to keep the bloodline pure. But when danger threatens, the three are forced to choose between having the galaxy at their feet or losing each other forever.
Story Excerpt
They made her shake. She’d thought it was first with anger, then fear, but as Mal eased his mouth against hers while Edem circled his fingers down her back, she knew she was shaking with lust. How had she gotten here? She’d been so insulted by the gift she’d rushed to them thoughtlessly and had somehow admitted to them she was frightened of sex, but now was barely able to keep on her feet for the heat blooming in her pussy.
Someone’s hands were pulling at the hem of her shirt, and she drew away from Mal to glance down and discover Edem had insinuated his fingertips underneath the material and was now rubbing along her bare waist. Her skin tingled. Mal reached for her buttons and had the front of her shirt open before she realized what was happening. When the cool air reached her nearly exposed breasts, she automatically reached to bring the edges back together, her breath rushing in and out with a mix of desire and caution.
“Let us see and touch. Just here,” Edem said softly as he caressed her lower back. Mal stared at her, his eyes darkening as he gave a slight nod. It was stupid to even consider it, but she seemed to be doing lots of stupid things lately. This could be the test. She could say no and hope they would stop. Would they let her control this? She didn’t want to say no yet, though. She sucked in a breath and urged her stiff fingers to cooperate as she released her grip on the shirt. She was wearing a bra, so she could say no when then tried to remove that final layer and expose her.
Edem let out a sigh and tugged at her sleeves, her blouse falling from her shoulders. She couldn’t stop her shiver as the cool air trickled across her back and stomach. Mal tightened his grip on her waist, and with a start she realized he had a sizeable erection and it was pressed into her belly. Normally, she’d shy away, but somehow knowing how aroused he was pleased her rather than made her anxious.
Mal trailed his fingers along her collarbones. “You’re lovely.”
“So delicate,” Edem chimed in, and she glanced at him, wondering what he thought of her faded, repaired bra. He was a powerful man on his planet and was probably used to women who were perfumed, groomed, and attired in beautiful chiffons and laces. She failed on all counts.
Sliding his hand along her side, Edem cupped one of her breasts, pushing her flesh slightly up. Her nipple contracted in a painful nub, and she inhaled deeply. He ran his thumb over the sensitized bit of flesh, and the material of her bra bit into her.
Mal dipped his head her way, long strands of his dark hair trailing along her bare shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the top swell of the breast Edem was holding, and she shook at the sensation of both of them caressing her in synchronicity. She clenched her hands in confusion. She wanted to touch them but wasn’t sure how. She’d always been confused and tense with the few men she’d been with, which had undoubtedly contributed to her discomfort with the act.
Soft lips nibbled at her neck, and she leaned away from him, not to avoid the touch as she should, but to allow him more room. The ticklish sensations crept over her nerves, and she compulsively reached up to clutch at Edem’s head, her fingers sinking into his surprisingly silky hair. He bit her throat gently in response, and a surprised moan burst from her. Before she could think further, Mal had fastened his mouth over her nipple and pressed his teeth to the sensitized flesh. Her whole body jolted uncontrollably, and she cried out, unable to hold back the sound of surprise and excitement.
“It would be better without this,” Edem whispered in her ear as he ran his fingers under the shoulder strap of her bra. Mal rumbled against her breast, and she reached her other hand out to trace into his hair, careful to avoid those curving horns. “May I?”
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About J.J. Lore
J.J. Lore needs three things; strong, black coffee, time to write, and…well…you can guess the third. When she isn’t inventing fantastical tales filled with passionate people, she’s shaking sriracha on whatever she’s eating or reading about the Justinian plague. For updates on her bestselling erotic romance releases, visit her at http://mllesnarratif.com/j-j-lore/ or follow on Twitter.
Nicola Cameron Writes 