Archive for August 2012
Book Feature: Mage’s Bane
Hello there! I’m happy that my first paranormal release is sharing its celebration with Breathless Press’s birthday month. Mage’s Bane was one of the stories that I enjoyed writing from start to finish. It has urban fantasy flair along with a romance long overdue of being cashed in. Riaz and Ari are two characters I loved from the minute they first argued in my head. The rest is history as they say.
BLURB:
Being a rogue Akasha Mage is no easy feat for Aribelle Delano. Neither is summoning Riaz, a Djinni that makes her knees go weak in a way that would shame her ancestors.
A new threat of demons intent on killing Ari for nefarious purposes has her putting all her trust in Riaz, who swears to protect her in the face of evil. But she’s been taught that fully trusting Riaz is unwise, and he’s constantly looking for a way to break free of her control.
Ari must face the new demonic threat and handle the Sultan of Old Magic who dominates her mind…and eventually, her body and soul as well. Together, her and Riaz must find a way to stop the demons and their summoner, even if that means breaking the rules that have been in place between the Akasha and Djinn for millenniums.
EXCERPT:
I stumbled into the musty room, trying to see through the hazy shimmer. I kept attempting to blink it away with no success. A cold sweat gave me clammy skin, and I was sure it was because of the venom being pumped faster by my erratic heartbeat. I was slightly nervous by the Djinn healing to come. The demon venom threatened to kill me at any moment, but I was actually more worried about Riaz’s hands on me, touching me in my most intimate spots. Even though I’d known him a quarter of my life, I couldn’t rid myself of this childish discomfort…or was it anticipation? This isn’t a big deal at all, so stop acting like it is.
It wasn’t like it was the first time. Riaz had healed me once before when I was a teenage girl. I’d tried to be a smart ass and show off to the big, bad Djinni my new driver’s license-as if he cared about mortal things-and I got showy-flashy with my driving. I plunged us off the highway and down a steep embankment, hitting damn near every tree on the way down. The rescue crews and newspapers called me a lucky girl for over a year.
Had it not been for Riaz’s healing touch, I’m pretty sure internal bleeding would’ve taken me out at the tender age of eighteen. I’d been pretty out of it, but I remember Riaz had been fast-acting on keeping me alive. I know I hit my head pretty hard because after all his insults calling me a foolish girl, I thought I saw compassion in his eyes. I even thought I heard him telling me not to die and leave him. Well, I figure he said that out of fear he’d waste away on earth as nothing more than a specter.
He saved me to save himself then. But this particular night, I expected him to demand I send him back while I rotted away from demon venom. Just to prove he didn’t care I needed him, I thought he might make me beg for my life. But he did none of that as he silently trailed behind me. I turned-a bit unsteadily-to see him close and lock the door with a tight-lipped expression.
The fast motion sent me into a dizzy state, causing my stomach to churn. I covered my mouth until the wave of nausea passed. Good lord, I’ll be mortified if Riaz sees me puking or hears me spilling my guts in the bathroom like some college frat party.
It was bad enough he’d probably never let me live any of this down. After a few deep breaths, I was finally okay enough to remove my hand and place it against my stomach.
“Take your shirt off and lay across the bed.” Riaz’s authoritative voice caused my pulse to jump a notch. Hesitantly, I lifted my grubby shirt over my head and let it fall to the floor. I glanced at him to see what emotion-if any-Riaz felt and sighed. All I saw was indifference-and me half-naked before him.
In fact, he didn’t even try to catch an eyeful of skin as any normal male would. Granted, Riaz was no normal male, but most males, human or not, would soak up the exposed skin of a female. I wondered how he could look at me with irrelevance when I stood before him in only a bra. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him at any given moment.
It was unfair he had a willpower I didn’t possess. I mean, I wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but I assumed-hell, I don’t know what I assumed. Riaz was ancient. He’d had at least fifteen Akasha Mage handlers before me over the eras, so me parading around fully naked would only get a raised eyebrow and him asking if I’d fallen off the deep end again. I hated that the attraction was one-sided in our relationship.
It was immoral for an Akasha to become sexually involved with her Djinni. It would never end well for either party, and according to my former mentor, Yasmin, it was forbidden. But I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever gotten intimate with any of his past mages. Someone must have slipped up to realize that bonking a Djinni wasn’t the best tactic in any given situation.
A peek at Brandon and Percy from ‘Shelton’s Homecoming’.
Brandon made a dash for the café door, dodging raindrops. He caught sight of Percy in the window and his heart jumped. It never failed to baffle and thrill him that the handsome, successful man wanted to be with him, a college nobody. Sure, he was graduating next semester, but the future was still shaky.
He shook out his coat then hurried to Percy’s table. His lover remained unaware of him and Brandon bit a plump lip, an affectation he’d cultivated in his youth, knowing it drove the boys wild to kiss him. Now he did it unconsciously in moments of stress.
Percy glanced up and his lovely eyes darkened with excitement. Suddenly weak, Brandon slid into the booth opposite him. “Well?”
His darling’s happiness spilled out in smiles and a soft laugh. He slid a brochure across the table. “He’s agreed! I thought we could fly out in the fall, after you grad—”
“No,” he interrupted, then rushed to explain when Percy’s face paled, pointing to the print on the bottom of the pamphlet he’d read a thousand times the past week. “It says Reverend Louis needs a ten day leeway. I’ll marry you next Saturday, honey. I don’t want to wait one damn day longer.”
Percy didn’t say anything, though his eyes were moist when he picked up Brandon’s hand. Brandon swallowed and blinked away his own tears when his usually reserved boyfriend, at least in public, kissed each fingertip then pressed a passionate kiss on his palm.
Hi folks! ::waves:: DC Juris here. For those who don’t know me, I’m a transgender fella who writes GLBTQ and heterosexual romance – mostly contemporary and fantasy.
Today I wanted to share a bit about my August 31 release, “Bad Moon Rising”
Blurb:
Bryce never expected to find himself smack in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and he certainly never expected to meet the man of his dreams along the way. But there’s more than zombies in the way of his happily ever after. Richard comes with baggage, in the form of his on again, off again bipolar lover Cole, who is off his meds and descending into his own mental hell at an alarming rate. Will the three men be able to work out their romantic feelings? Oh yeah…and then there’s that little issue of the zombies…
Excerpt:
I jerked awake to the sound of glass shattering. A quick glance around told me it wasn’t our window, but something outside, nearby. Fuck! The car! I jumped up but Richard caught my arm and yanked me down next to him.
“Stay down!”
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
“Looters,” Cole revealed. “They’re going up and down the street, searching cars.”
Well, at least they wouldn’t steal it, since we had the keys, and the chances of them sticking around to do any real damage to it seemed pretty slim, too. All we had to do was wait it out, and they’d go away.
Dolly stood and paced to the door, walking back and forth in front of it like she was on guard duty.
On the street, yelling broke out, and gunshots echoed in the night. Richard cursed.
Our visitors had apparently been discovered. Shouts of run and look out descended into just inarticulate screaming and then the unthinkable: Dolly started barking.
Cole lunged for her, but the damage had already been done. The people outside started banging on our door, pleading to be let in. “What do we do?” I looked to Richard, who was shaking his head.
“Nothing.”
“But if we don’t let them in, they’ll be infected,” I argued. Those were people outside–we had to help them. What if the roles were reversed? What if that had been me outside?
“And if we do let them in, we’ll be infected.” He reached for one of our backpacks and started shoving things inside. “We can’t stay here. Cole, shut that damned mutt up!”
“I’m trying!” Cole struggled with Dolly, trying to get her calmed down and quiet.
Richard shoved a bag at me, hitting me square in the chest and bringing me back to reality. “Pack light. We’ll be walking.”
“The car–”
“Is compromised. We’ll never get near it. Hurry up. Cole!”
Cole scrambled back to us, dragging Dolly behind him. Outside the shouting and banging intensified. Someone must’ve gotten smart, because a brick came careening through an exposed part of the door glass near the top. It sailed through the air, barely missing Richard’s head.
“Time to go!” Richard shoved Cole toward the back door. “Bryce, help me with the boards!”
I grabbed up a discarded hammer and handed it over to him while I fished in my bag for the crowbar I’d brought. We struggled with the boards, hacking and pulling. Richards face turned red with his exertion, and I felt the warmth of my own efforts spreading out from my arm muscles, making my chest tight and painful.
“Hurry up, guys!” Cole shouted.
You Write It!
The sun kisses his face.
A gentle breeze moves his hair.
Who is this?
What’s his story?
Is he lost or where he’s always wanted to be?
Tell us his story!
Sophia, Hermione’s aunt (From To Please A Lady) is feeling neglected on the genlteman front.
“You saw us together.” It was a statement, not a question.
Sophia shook her head.
“Then you heard.”
“I heard.” She confirmed.
“Ah, and?”
How could she answer that? Honesty was perhaps the only way to go. Come on Sophia, she chided herself gently; show Hermione you were not upset—well not in the way she thinks you may have been.
“I was envious.” She said frankly. “And wished I could,” she hesitated.” Experience even one tenth of what I imagined you were.”
She watched as her niece’s eyes opened wide.
“Envious? Of Me? Or of Berry and Ran?”
Sophia shook her head; it was hard to explain just what she had felt.
“Not of any of you, but of what I heard. Tis hard to be single, unattached and my age. I would relish one man hard inside me,” she said frankly. “To have two would be as if all my Christmas’s had come at once. To experience two together.” She stopped and put her hands to her flushed cheeks. This was frank indeed, and she was not sure if she should continue.
It seemed Hermione had no such compunction.
“To experience two together?” she prompted.
“I can not comprehend.” Sophia finished.
Her niece looked at her, love and what seemed like compassion in her eyes.
“But would like to?’ she was asked.
“I would like to break my drought in any which way.” Sophia replied frankly. She held her breath. Would Hermione be willing to help?
Breathless Press Birthday Blog Hop
Scavenger Hunt
August 24 – 27th 2012
Welcome readers to the Breathless Press Birthday Scavenger Hunt Blog Hop!
We have nineteen blogs participating, and each author is giving away a prize, books, swag…you name it!
BUT…It’s Breathless Press’s Birthday!
And we’ve got a gift for one lucky reader! Visit every blog in the hop, and locate the eighteen clues- blue letters. Create a list of each author whose blog you visit (Don’t forget to leave a comment so your visit can be verified!) and the blue letter you found on their post, unscramble the message, and email the whole list to Olivia.ventura@breathlesspress.com .
(Note: You are only eligible to win if you visit & comment on ALL blogs!)
Your email makes you eligible to win a 50 BOOK LIBRARY! Fifty books of your choice from Breathless Press! That’s approximately a $150 dollar value!
Participating Authors:
DC Juris Gayl Taylor Em Woods Havan Fellows
Hank Edwards Leona Bushman LB Shire JR Boyd
Dianne Hartsock Lee Brazil Carrie Pulkinen
Raven McAllan SJ Thomas Yazmin Subha
Kiru Taye Doris O’Connor Jamieson Wolf- Story Orgy Blog
This features Marcus and Charlie, from my m/m BDSM romance, “Relearning the Ropes.”
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-relearningtheropes-599429-145.html
Marcus paced into the kitchen. “You sent the flowers?”
“Yes, Master.” Charlie closed the laptop, folded his hands on the table, and gave Marcus his full attention.
“Good. Good. And you remembered the note I told you to include? You offered him money, if he needs it?”
Charlie nodded. “Yes, Master.”
“Good.” Marcus crossed the room and dropped a kiss on the top of Charlie’s head. “Thank you for handling that.”
“You’re welcome, Master.” Charlie frowned as Marcus moved away to make a cup of coffee. His Dom was hurting, and for the life of him, Charlie didn’t know how to make it better. They’d received the news of Grant’s passing last night, and since then, Marcus had been so distraught, not just over Grant, but for Grant’s partner, Jonathan.
Marcus sat down across the table. Dark circles rimmed his bloodshot eyes. He hadn’t slept at all last night.
Charlie’s breath caught in his throat as Marcus raised the mug with shaking hands. He’d never seen his Master so upset and it made him ache.
Marcus finished his coffee and cleared his throat. He sat there for a moment, just gazing off into the space behind Charlie, as Charlie mentally fumbled for something to say. Marcus leaned forward, braced his elbow on the table, and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
“Master?” Charlie stood hesitantly, and moved to Marcus’ side. He laid a hand on his Master’s shoulder.
Marcus looked up, tears standing in his eyes. “I’ve got to fix it,” he murmured. “I’ve got to find a way to fix it for Jon.”
Charlie shook his head. He bit down on his tongue to keep from letting his own tears fall. God, it hurt him to see Marcus in so much pain. “You can’t fix this, Master.”
Marcus gasped and yanked Charlie into his arms. “This won’t happen to you, ever. I swear it. You won’t be left in limbo again, if something happens to me. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll make plans. I’ll—”
“Master?” Charlie pushed against Marcus’ shoulders and pulled out of his arms. “No matter what plans you make, you’ll still be gone, and things will still be broken for a while. The only thing that can fix that is time. For Master Jonathan, for me, for anyone. You truly can’t fix it, Master.”
Marcus sagged back in his chair. “I want to. I need to. What good am I as a Dom if I can’t make this right?”
Charlie took his hand. “Maybe, Master, the point is just that you want to, and that you’re sad you can’t. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe it’s the thought that counts, now more than ever.”
Marcus smiled up at him sadly. “I wish you weren’t right.”
“I wish that too. But you know I am.” Charlie brushed a tear from Marcus’ cheek.
“So what do we do?” Marcus chuckled bitterly. “Here I am, the big, bad Dom, asking my sub what to do.”
Charlie sighed. “We just give them our love, Master. That’s all we can do.” He stepped in, let Marcus pull him close.
Marcus pressed his face against Charlie’s chest. “Why do I feel like that’s not enough?”
“Because it isn’t, Master. It never will be enough to fill the void Grant left, but it might fill in some of the cracks and gaps, and keep everything from crumbling apart. That’s what you do, when something breaks. You shore it up. You glue it back together. It’s never the same again, and maybe there’s itty bitty pieces missing, but it’s still whole, and that’s what matters.” Charlie wrapped his arms around Marcus’ neck in a hard, fierce hug, digging his fingernails into the fabric of Marcus’ jacket.
“I love you,” Marcus murmured.
And Charlie whispered it back, and he wasn’t entirely sure if they were saying it to each other, or to Grant and Master Jonathan. And it didn’t matter.
For Tom and Talon, from Danny and John, with love.
This is my very first release and due out onthe 24th August. It started life as a five hundred word challenge set by afellow author (Cherie Nicholls) when I was bugging my Critique group (UCW) oneevening. Those first few words blossomed into Wildfire!
Blurb.
Braden has searched all his lifefor the one who will help him regain his humanity and give him absolute power. One bite and he knew Millie was the one he had been searching for. Millie, a fiery red head is the last one in the line of high born witches who would rather die than give herself to this vampire. After all he killed her mother for her blood as well, didn’t he? But in a twist of fate Millie learns too late what the truth is. But will death be the only thing that unites them?
Excerpt.
She was slight, her curves meshing against him as though they belonged next to him. She continued to wriggle her lower half trying to get out of his arms. Only the friction awoke the fierce passion residing underneath his skin, and his cock hardened.
“Be still my wild fire, it will be easier.” Braden spoke in a low tone directly into her ear. He caught the smell of her hair and could not resist burying his face in the mass of red curls. He groaned with need. Need for blood and need for her.
His voice soothed her anxiety and he felt her stop trying to get out of his arms. Her heart beat slowed down, eventually matching his own. Synchronised again, Braden kissed the back of her head.Enjoying the feel of her silky hair in his face, he bathed in her curls. Moving the curls away from her neck, he bent down, opened his mouth, and sucked the skin on her neck. She tasted of nectar, his very own personal brand. His head screamed to bite, to taste that rich blood he had sipped last night in the car wash. But the man in him wanted her to be willing, to take her as she reached the height of orgasm as she had nearly done so in the car wash. This time he would be inside her, not just pleasuring her with his hands.
His mind came back to the present as he felt little shakes coming from her, and he realized she was crying.
Her little voice wobbled and she gave a sob, “Don’t hurt me, please.”
Release Date; 24th August
Link: http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&products_id=307
You Write It!
Shhh…. Someone’s sleeping.
Who is this? Why is he so tired?
Late night? Early morning? Orgy?
You tell us!
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Donald winced as sharp teeth nipped his ear. “Too rough, darling.”
“You like it.”
Donald tangled his fingers in Julian’s hair and jerked his head back when the coquet bit his shoulder. Julian’s eyes, blue as the Mediterranean Sea, gazed into his, dancing with mischief and desire. “Sorry, my liege.” Julian’s ripe mouth brushed Donald’s palm and he groaned, recalling those full lips on his cock earlier.
Amused laughter from beside them made him flinch. “Really, Husband, you should keep your pet on his leash.”
Donald stifled a moan as Julian ground against him. “He enjoys that too much.”
At a knock, their attention swiveled to the door. Lord Gerald entered and paid his courtesies, but his gaze fixed on the decadence in Donald’s lap. Interesting. And not the first time he used Julian to seduce secrets from his cabinet. His cough gained the lord’s eyes. “Shall we adjourn to the table? I believe dinner awaits us.”
He pushed Julian off his lap as Gerald held out his arm and escorted Donald’s lady wife from the room. After a few steps he paused and tossed an auburn braid over his shoulder. “Coming?”
A soft hand took his and Donald slid an arm around the vibrant body pressing against him. He lingered a moment to steal succulent kisses from Julian’s lush mouth.