Character Interview: THE LAST GIRL by Kitty Thomas

Hello everyone. Today we have a special guest here at the blog.  I’m interviewing Christian from The Last Girl by Kitty Thomas.

Hi Christian. Thanks for agreeing to this interview. First let me say that you’re a really sexy guy in a dark twisted sort of way. But you’re kind of a scary character to interact with so please forgive my nerves. And please don’t bite me (unless you’re offering a happy ending with that bite)!

Christian: Unfortunately my bite has no happy ending.

AsianCocoa: So, let’s start off with a few basic questions about your life:

How old are you?

Christian: 782. I’m a scorpio.

AC: Have you ever been married?

Christian:  No.

AC: Do you have any children?

Christian: I’ve turned two women, but it ended badly both times.

AC: How were you made vampire? How old were you when it happened and was it against your will?

Christian: I was drunk when I was turned and woke in a ditch an hour before sunrise after the requisite three days. I assume it was against my will since I was too inebriated to recall the event. I don’t know who turned me and I never saw him or her again. I was 27.

AC: What period of time has been your favorite to live in?

Christian: The roaring twenties.

AC: What do you think about the women of the 21^st century?

Christian: I think they worry too much about looking weak compared to the male of the species. I’m not sure what that’s about.

AC: You waited 70 years to take a new human pet. You discovered Juliette when she was only thirteen. Can you tell me what it was about Juliette that was so appealing? 

Christian: I couldn’t hypnotize her. I don’t like puppets for pets and especially with my age it is harder and harder to find a human who can resist my thrall. I could still read her mind, of course, but I couldn’t put my own suggestions in her head. I found that intriguing.

AC: There’s a really terrifying scene in your dungeon that shocked and scared the hell out of me. I know how Juliette was feeling throughout but what were you thinking and feeling during that moment with Juliette?

Christian: I can’t remember it. I’m sorry. I was too lost in the haze.

AC:  I know you own quite a bit of business real estate in Tampa including a boutique and a couple of clubs. I want to know some details about your BDSM club. What’s the wildest thing that you’ve seen or participated in?

Christian: I’m so jaded now that I’m not sure what you humans would think of as wild, though there have been some animals involved in some things. I assume that would be the most horrific/taboo thing to you humans that’s ever occurred in my club.

AC: Do you enjoy being a sadistic vampire? Do you ever wish you were less evil?

Christian: Sadistic implies enjoyment so, I suppose the question was answered before you asked it. Let’s just say I don’t enjoy that I lose far too many pets to my sadism and leave it at that. And I’m not evil. I’m evil from your perspective but humans are food. Do you eat meat? Are you evil because of it? It’s my nature to feed on and kill humans and it’s my nature to play with my food. I won’t apologize for that nature and don’t expect you to apologize for yours. I don’t consider it evil, but I wish I didn’t have to kill them. I don’t want my pets to die.

AC: Do you believe in love and happily ever after?

Christian: Of course I believe in love. Do you believe in sunshine or rain? But happily ever after? With me? No. For human beings with other human beings? Yes.

Now for a few easy questions.

Boxers or briefs?  Neither

Vodka or tequila shots? Maker’s Mark (so, neither.)

Virgins or whores? *chuckles* Oh you know the answer to that one. Virgins.

What’s your favorite:

Song?  It’s nothing you’ve heard before.

Book?  The Count of Monte Cristo. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Dumas once. I prevented Nadine from killing him, so that piece of literature wouldn’t be here without my intervention. I like to think of that book as his thank you to me for saving his life.

Sexual position?  Doggie

Body part on a woman?  Wherever the best artery is.

Is Juliette your last girl?  :-) What do you think?

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Christian.

No problem.

The Last Girl
by Kitty Thomas
Publisher: Burlesque Press
Release Date: February 12, 2012

Six years ago strangers broke into Juliette’s house; she was home alone and only thirteen. She kept her eyes closed, praying that if she didn’t see anything, she wouldn’t be killed. No one harmed her. In fact, one of the thieves protected her. Now Juliette’s dreams are haunted by him.

Christian has waited to take her, resisting the urge each night. It always ends badly with human pets. They’re too fragile. The longer he can wait, the better, because the moment he takes her, the clock on her life starts ticking down.

Then she’ll be gone forever.

Warning: This book is meant for a mature audience and contains master/slave, group sexual activity, sadomasochism, girl-on-girl, oral and anal play, exhibitionism, blood play, edge play, as well as one other thing I’m not warning you about because it would be a spoiler... but it’s not a big taboo. 

Excerpt

The Last Girl excerpt used with permission, copyright 2012 Kitty Thomas

I feel absurd being a nineteen-year-old virgin, a fossil from another time. Part of me is just glad to do the deed and get the fucking thing over. I feel like I’ve got a white V emblazoned on me, or as if I give off some type of scent. I don’t like the idea that something that should be private feels as if it’s somehow being broadcast.

I open the door a little bleary-eyed, my hair still mussed from oversleeping.

“Did I wake you?” 

He’s got this stupid grin on his face. And flowers. I want to smack him. I know this is all because I’ve decided to give in and put out after three months of dating. I feel like I should love him if I’m going to do this.

I run my hands self-consciously through my hair.

“You look great,” he says, holding out the flowers.

No I don’t. I know it. He knows it. He’s just so happy to be getting laid tonight that he’s seeing me through horny-guy glasses. I’m still too sleepy to be annoyed.

I put the flowers in a glass of water and slip some flip flops on. It’s Southern Florida. Flip flops are a year-round joy here. 

He’s got something romantic planned at the beach. Black cloth goes over my eyes as we get out of the car—a blindfold. I almost panic, but then I realize if I make a fuss, it will invite questions I can never answer. So I smile shakily and allow him to lead me down to the beach. My flip flops are still in the car. I breathe slowly in and out, listening to the waves crash against the shore, inhaling the crisp, salty scent of the sea, feeling the instability of sand collapsing beneath my feet. 

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get a couple of things.”

I try not to be in that dark closet. I try, but I can’t help it. I’m there again, my eyes squeezed tightly shut, silently begging not to be found, not to be killed. A hand is on my arm again, leading me away and I come out of the fog, remembering I’m here with Devon. Everything’s okay.

“Where are we going?”

“Shhh”

My heart starts to hammer faster in my chest. Then it pounds and vibrates in my head. My entire being is one rapidly thudding heartbeat with no slowdown in sight. Something is wrong here, but I can’t make myself remove the cloth from my eyes.

You’re being ridiculous. It’s just Devon. He has a surprise. 

I find myself in the passenger seat of a car. It’s not Devon’s car. I just know. Even blindfolded I know. This is the point where I should rip the scrap of fabric off and run. There is no evidence this person has a weapon, and he or she hasn’t spoken to me yet. But before my hands can move to the blindfold, the driver’s side door is shut and the car has started.

It’s so fast, I assume there must be more than one person involved. Tears gather and absorb into the thick cloth covering my eyes. Terror freezes me, keeping me from taking off the blindfold, from trying to leap out of the car that’s moving too fast now anyway. I’m suddenly thirteen again. The dream is real, and I believe that if I don’t see them, they won’t kill me. 

I’m silent and they are silent. The only sound is the wheels scraping against the rough road and the occasional bump. My tears are coming harder now. Why can’t I fight back? Scream? Beg? Try to escape? Just take the fucking blindfold off! But I can’t do it. I may as well be tied up because I’m so scared I don’t know what to do or what to think.

A little while passes and the car stops. Again, too fast for me to react, my door is open and someone is helping me out. How many are there?

I cringe away but find my feet moving in the direction I’m being led. “Don’t hurt me. Please.”

Then I feel stupid. What if it’s Devon? What if this is part of some stupid frat thing he’s gotten himself into? It would be just like him to combine my deflowering with a secret frat party or something.

I expect someone to start giggling or say I’m a spaz, but fingers gently grasps my wrist, lifting my hand. I feel the planes of his face as he guides me to see him. I shake my head in disbelief. 

No.

I was good. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t tell anyone anything. This can’t happen. I did what I was supposed to do. But it’s him. It’s my nightmare.

“I missed you, Juliette.”

Christian.

Author Bio - 

Kitty Thomas writes dark literary fiction that explores power dynamics and sexuality (back in the olden days people called it erotica). This work is fiction and meant for an adult audience. The author does not endorse or condone any of the behavior carried out by characters in her stories.

Her work is not “erotic romance”. Often on some level it is about love and/or obsession. Often the couple in some way ends up “together”, but the work should not be expected to follow the conventions of any type of genre romance, erotic or otherwise. If you are looking for genre romance (erotic or otherwise), please read a different author. Erotic romance is “more explicit romance”. This is something different.

Inspiration for Kitty’s work comes from many sources including Story of O, Nine and a Half Weeks, and the work of Claudia D. Christian.

The Last Girl Trailer
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This is where you can find Kitty.

Blog/Website
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Don’t forget to subscribe to Kitty’s newsletter by sending an email to kittythomas29@gmail.com with the word Subscribe in the subject line, Kitty runs amazing contests for her followers!

You can find dates for The Last Girl Tour by clicking on the banner. 

My review of The Last Girl can be found here.

Guest Post & Giveaway: SOUL SEDUCTION by Lori Toland

Hi Everyone! I am really excited to be the first stop on Lori Toland’s book tour for her new urban fantasy novel Soul Seduction.  The new book releases tomorrow, November 29th. It's a wonderful story and I highly recommend you pick up a copy. Today Lori is going to talk about her heroine Ashlee Bennett.

When life throws you curveball…

I love romance. I guess that goes without saying. Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing it. But my focus for years was m/m romance. It’s been my passion since ’99. So when I started writing Soul Seduction, Ashlee showing up threw me for a loop. 

At first, I didn’t want to write her story. The tale was too dark and I was working on a different story (my next story from Loose Id tentatively titled The Long Con, which is m/m) but as the attraction and desire developed between Luke and Ashlee, I quickly found myself drawn in by these two characters. Soon I couldn’t wait to write more of their tale, watching as their attraction grew until Luke and Ashlee could no longer deny themselves. 

I adore Ashlee because she’s adventurous. After losing her mentor, the woman who protected her as she learned how to kill the demons that plague the darkest catacombs, she picked up her life and moved to England to be with a mentor who lost his slayer. Not long after she arrives, she meets her new neighbor Luke. She’s quite spunky too, rejecting Luke even though she’s never wanted a man this badly before. 

But then dreams of Luke start to plague her. Dreams that started from the moment she met Luke. Torn between her duties as a slayer and the direction her heart is pulling her, she may just have to sacrifice her chance at true love to keep living. 

So I had to tell her story. I hope you enjoy reading her tale as much as I enjoyed writing this novel. 

Soul Seduction
by Lori Toland
Release Date: November 29, 2011

Ashlee Bennett has her priorities straight. Fighting demons is at the top of the list until she meets her sexy neighbor, Luke Byrne. Even though he is human, she can't stop dreaming about his buff body and sexy grin, until her dreams turn to nightmares.

Her world is turned upside down when Luke follows her one night but instead of being afraid, he is only more determined to stand beside her and fight. Ashlee knows she needs to keep her distance from Luke, not just to protect her virginity but her heart as well. But Luke may be the only one who can save her from the night, and her dreams.

Author Bio –

CEO by day, erotic romance writer by night, Lori Toland lives in Orlando where the summers are hot but the romance between her characters is even hotter. Writing since the tender age of 13, Lori somehow finds time to play video games and watch movies while taking care of her beloved cats and a husband who will forever be her hero.

http://loritoland.com/
http://loritoland.livejournal.com/

Giveaway:

Lori will be giving away winner's choice of a $25 gift card to Amazon, AllRomanceEbooks or LooseID to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The more comments you leave the better your chances of winning.

 

To Enter:

Leave a comment or question with your email address.

Be sure to visit the other blogs on this wonderful tour. Click on the tour button below for a list of participating blogs.

Review: THE TAKER by Alma Katsu

The Taker
by Alma Katsu
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: September 6, 2011

True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated. 

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

The Taker was a really fascinating novel that sucked me in from the beginning. It was a dark, sexy, mysterious page turner. 

Lanny McIlvere is brought into the ER of a small town in Maine bloodied but seemingly unhurt. She’s been arrested on suspicion of murder. Dr. Luke Findley is on staff that night and sets out to examine her for injuries. Finding none, he begins to question Lanny about the blood that is all over her clothing. She admits that she killed someone but says that they wanted to die. Lanny begins to tell Luke her story and soon convinces him to help her escape from the police. During their get-away, Lanny begins to unravel the story of her dark past to Luke. The novel moves back in forth between the present and the 1800’s.

I thought the story was interesting and it captivated me but I really disliked most of the characters including the heroine. Usually this would be a problem for me but having a cast of reprehensible characters is what made the novel so good. I wanted to like Lanny and even felt sorry for what she went through. I just didn’t understand her infatuation with her ex-lover, Jonathan and how she pined away for him for so long. But The Taker is about unrequited love & betrayal and the journey through it was very dark & twisted. One of the most warped characters in the novel is Adair. His story was intriguing and will have you on an emotional roller-coaster. 

Jude then fixed his maniacal glare upon me. “I’ve come to warn you, too. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing. There’s a reason the rest of us maintain a distance from Adair, and we’ve all learned our lesson the hard way. But now you’ve shown him love and that’s given him the notion that he is deserving of such devotion. Did you ever think that perhaps the only thing that holds the devil in check is that he knows how despised he is? Even the devil longs for sympathy at times, but sympathy for the devil is fuel for the flame. Your love will embolden him - likely in a way that will bring you regret.”

~Jude to Lanny

The Taker was an impressive debut novel. It was filled with flawed characters, wicked sex and rich historical elements with dark magic weaved into the mix. Alma Katsu’s novel kept me enthralled to the very end. I give The Taker 4.5 Dragons.

Review: THE HOUSE ON HUNDRED HILL by Jemima Valentino

The House on Hundred Hill: The Nephilim Book One
by Jemima Valentino
Release Date: October 14, 2011
Source: Review copy from Author

Jessica Rylan has spent her entire life trying to fit in, despite feeling deep down that she doesn't quite belong.  A slave to passions that she doesn't quite understand, she does her best to simply ignore her burgeoning sensuality. Little does Jessica realise that a seemingly chance encounter with the handsome Nate Black will turn her world upside down.

All it takes is one garden party invitation to pull her into an ancient struggle, one where she must place her trust in Nate and his mysterious brother Draven to survive.   As Jessica becomes seduced by the ancient and mystical world of the Nephilim, she finally begins to understand her own dark desires.  Because Draven Black is searching for something... Something only Jessica can provide.

The House on Hundred Hill was a good paranormal read and great start to a new series.

Jessica Rylan is a graduate student pursuing a degree in Psychology. She has become bored in a dull relationship with an inhibited boyfriend that doesn’t get her sexual kinks. She has always had dark thoughts and fantasies but has suppressed her feelings not quite understanding why she had them. One day she is mysteriously drawn into a fetish bar and meets a tall, dark and handsome man named Nate Black. He practically molests her while she sits on her bar stool while enticing her into meeting him for a garden party at his brother Draven’s home. But the two brothers are not entirely human and Jessica learns that she did not meet them by chance. The brothers are Nephilim born to the first fallen angel, Azrael. Draven Black has been watching her for a decade waiting patiently until she was ready to submit to him willingly and make the ultimate sacrifice.

I enjoyed reading The House on Hundred Hill. I could picture this big eerie house perched on top of a hill in the English countryside. I immediately liked Jessica’s sassy and witty spirit and was drawn into the story. Both Draven and Nate were dark and mysterious alpha males that made me swoon. Nate is able to see into a person’s soul and find out their deepest desires. Draven enjoys training submissives and hosting kink parties at his home. The mystery of what Draven needed Jessica for kept me riveted to the story. I also never knew who wanted Jessica more, Draven or Nate. While I enjoyed most of the story, the ending of this novella felt a little bit rushed to me.  Besides that, this is a great beginning to a new series and I am curious to find out what happens next with Jessica and the Black brothers. This novella will appeal to the paranormal romance junkie. The House on Hundred Hill gets 3.5 dragons.

Jemima Valentino is currently having a giveaway of The House on Hundred Hill during her book tour. 

Please check out my book feature here to enter.

Book Feature & Giveaway: THE HOUSE ON HUNDRED HILL by Jemima Valentino

The House on Hundred Hill: The Nephilim Book One
by Jemima Valentino
Release Date: October 14, 2011

Jessica Rylan has spent her entire life trying to fit in, despite feeling deep down that she doesn't quite belong.  A slave to passions that she doesn't quite understand, she does her best to simply ignore her burgeoning sensuality. Little does Jessica realise that a seemingly chance encounter with the handsome Nate Black will turn her world upside down.

All it takes is one garden party invitation to pull her into an ancient struggle, one where she must place her trust in Nate and his mysterious brother Draven to survive.   As Jessica becomes seduced by the ancient and mystical world of the Nephilim, she finally begins to understand her own dark desires.  Because Draven Black is searching for something... Something only Jessica can provide.

EXCERPT:

The mattress sunk under the weight of the heavy body perched on the end of the bed. The movement woke Jessica but she remained deathly still and kept her eyes lightly closed, pretending to remain asleep. The memories of the previous evening flooded in to her mind like the torrent of a raging river. Was it the previous evening? How long have I been out? She thought.

She stiffened slightly as she felt a breeze sweep across her skin from an open window across the room, and resisted the urge to wrap herself tighter in the warm covers that draped her half-naked body. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she did remember that it had something to do with the hypnotic vibe that Nate poured inside her merely seconds before her body had given in to an urge to simply shut down. She recalled the heaviness that encased her and swept her away with its seductive siren song.

If Jessica hadn’t been trying to remain still, she would have jumped up and punched Nate, hard. She wasn’t sure how he was able to do it, but was certain that it was his fault.

Jessica’s ears pricked towards the deep hushed whispers of the two men in the room. She recognised the gravelly sound of Nate’s rich tones and the way he spoke in a whisper, which meant that neither of them yet realised she was awake. She wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible. She was already planning her escape.

“The female snarled,” he said with a hint of resignation. “It all but attacked her, and we both know that’s never happened before. Not even with Rebecca.”

“Are you sure?”

“Draven, the feline knocked Jessica off her feet. Of course I’m sure.”

“But you didn’t actually see it? You couldn’t have seen it. The lioness is a creature of the moon and we can only feel it. The only one to see it and control it…but that can’t be possible, not after all this time, all this searching…and patience…” Draven’s voice was desperate.

“What do you want me do?” Nate asked with impatience. 

“We carry on. Nothing changes. Nothing. Is that clear?” A growl crept into Draven’s dark tone and Jessica froze under her blankets, keeping her breathing shallow.

“But if she’s not… if she can’t… then what?”

“I can’t wait anymore Nate; it’s been a hundred and fifty years since Azrael was cursed. I know he brought it upon himself when he would not take what our mother so freely offered. Perhaps, once I have what I need, we can use it to bargain with the Gregori and I can release him from the mala’kul.” Draven absently ran the palm of his hand over the scar on his face as if rubbing away an ancient ache that had lasted for nearly two long centuries.

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Nate said and he stared with angry black eyes at his brother.

“I know,” Draven replied. He sighed and stared back. “We are not truly immortal Nate and my feelings for Jessica are stronger now that she is under our roof than ever before. But if she is not the one, if she cannot offer what I need then we will have to dispose of her for by then she will simply know far too much. I am yet to experience her flesh, but I will detach myself from her should I need to.”

In a flash Nate lifted himself from the bed and squared up to his full height, a mere inch shorter than Draven. As he came nose to nose with his brother a blue spark flashed briefly between them and Nate’s electric anger momentarily clouded his sibling bond.

“Dispose of her?” Nate hissed in a menacing, accusational tone. “After all this searching, all the waiting and yearning and ‘when can I have her Nate?’ you now speak of disposal as if she is a bag of trash. What about the lioness, Draven? Jessica saw them both; no-one has ever seen them both. Perhaps it does not mean what you think it means!” Nate’s voice rose to a dangerous rumble as he reached out and grabbed Draven’s arm.

Draven shoved hard and Nate flew backwards, crashing with an almighty thud against the bedroom wall. Plaster and brick tumbled around him as the wall gave way to weight of Nate’s heavy body.

“We continue as planned. The Gregori have been summoned.” Draven shot an angry glance at his brother and strode towards the door. With his fingers wrapped around the handle he turned a jet-black stare to the bed. “Our guest has been awake during our conversation Nate. See that she has all she needs and then let’s all take dinner together downstairs where we can talk. It’s time she knew. I’ll clear the house. Oh, and one last thing… get rid of that.” Draven gave a brief nod of his head to the still unconscious and bloodied figure of Mark that was cuffed to the chair in the corner of the room. “Rebecca may be left to sleep it off but then she is to leave the house too, I want no-one here tonight. Your effect on her is obviously far stronger than on our beautiful red-head. You’re losing your touch.” With a brief chuckle Draven left the room and closed the door behind him. 

Buy Links:

Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/House-Hundred-Hill-Nephilim-ebook/dp/B005ME377C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317456926&sr=8-1

Amazon.co.uk - http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Hundred-Hill-Nephilim-ebook/dp/B005ME377C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317457013&sr=8-1

The House on Hundred Hill will also be available to purchase soon on:

Smashwords, Kobo, Diesel, All Romance Ebooks, and B&N Nook Book

Author Bio - Jemima Valentino

Jemima Valentino is an English 30-something; married to an excessively patient man with two beautiful daughters and an excitable cross-bred mutt called Eddie. She is also a writer of dark paranormal romance, BDSM erotica and modern fiction.

Jemima fell in love with reading and writing as a child but it was only in 2009 that writing became an obsession. After months of procrastination and plucking up the courage, she published 'His Elle' in January 2011 and now has a full blown desire to continue writing.

Author Links:  
Website - http://www.jemimavalentino.com

Blog - http://www.jemimavalentino.blogspot.com

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/JemimaValentino

Facebook Fan Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jemima-Valentino-Author/232810170090039

Guest Post & International Giveaway: SHADOWED SOUL by Stacey Kennedy

Huge thanks to AsianCocoa’s Secret Garden for letting me stop by and share my latest release, SHADOWED SOUL. When I first started writing this story I knew one thing—it needed to be far hotter than I’d ever gone with an erotic romance. I wanted it to be one night of hotness that was a true one night stand.

And boy-oh-boy, did the characters give me exactly that. As I wrote each word, I found myself blushing, thinking to myself, “Holy Hannah, these characters are naughty!” Sometimes I have to hold my characters back when writing paranormal romance because too much heat is usually not necessary. But that’s why erotic romance is fun to write. There are no restrictions, and in most cases, the hotter the better.

After I finished writing the story, I submitted it to my publisher and forgot all about it. It wasn’t until the story came up for edits did I have a chance to read it again, and I was shocked that I had written a story that literally burned up the pages. It definitely is the hottest story I’ve written to date and I’m glad I allowed the characters to go where they wanted to…because the story is so steamy that even I needed a fan to cool down!

If this looks like your type of read, leave a comment with your email address to win a copy of SHADOWED SOUL. 

Come find me on Facebook and Twitter. I love to chat!!

Shadowed Soul
by Stacey Kennedy
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Release Date: October 5, 2011

u

Four months have passed since Ellie’s heart was broken by her cheating boyfriend, Gerrid. Sick of mourning, she sets out in search of one thing, a man to make her forget. Madame Eve, a matchmaker, arranges for Ellie to meet just the man at Nocturnal Nightclub in Miami. Bryce is not only sexy as sin, but full of mystery. He does things no man should be capable of. Ellie might question his fast speed, cold hands, and even the way he bites at her skin―if he wasn’t so determined to awaken the part of her that’s been buried by lies.

Days have passed since Bryce’s last feeding and his vampire hungers demand to be sated. But feeding is not his only intention. Ellie seeks to be a different woman, to gain power for herself, and Bryce plans to push her to discover it. To show her she can do things she never thought possible and force her to see the strength she yearns for already lives inside of her.

Ellie will have to choose, expose all of herself, or remain hidden in the dark shadows. But Bryce will have to make a choice of his own—let her go or keep Ellie forever?

*m/f, anal, voyeurism, masturbation.

Teaser:

Ellie scanned the dance floor, searching for the man matching the picture Madame Eve had emailed her. Instead, she got a few heated glances from guys she wouldn’t touch on her worst days. So, instead of continuing to search, she lingered taking a seat upon a stool, listening to the bartender and Kenna talk dirty nothings to each other. Why isn’t he here?

After she downed her second Cosmo, goose bumps pimpled on the back of her neck, and she glanced over her shoulder to discover her date standing against the back wall. His gaze focused on one person, her.

Hallelujah!  

“Oooo...my night is looking up,” she exclaimed. 

Kenna didn’t respond, too busy playing googly eyes with the bartender. Ellie jabbed an elbow into her side. She hissed as she rubbed her ribs. “Ow, what?” 

“He’s here. I’m going to dance.” She gestured behind her and grinned to show her intentions.

Kenna peeked over her shoulder before focusing back on Ellie and giving a shit-eating grin. “Have fun.” 

Ellie slid off the stool, keeping her focus on the stranger. His mere presence screamed sex. Much taller than her five-foot-five frame—around six-two—but built like a brick shit house. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, his broad shoulders tempting her and she couldn’t wait to run her hands over them tonight.

Putting a little oomph into her step, she made her way onto the dance floor. The loud techno song washed over her and the vibrations were strong against her feet. Her kinda music—hard and dirty. 

Staying at the edge of the crowd, she found her beat and moved with the rhythm. Twirling, she ran her hands along her torso and did anything and everything to gain his attention.

To all appearances, her plan worked.

He dropped his arms to his side and stepped forward. His sparkling blue eyes, short, fashionably-styled black hair, and chiseled features warmed her right down to her toes. Her heart raced. Her insecurities drifted away. The world around her ceased to exist, leaving only him and her.

Wetness pooled in her panties. His nostrils flared and his heated gaze burned deeper. He approached and as he settled in front of her, he grabbed her lower back and yanked her against his hard body. Her head tilted back and he leaned down, cupped her nape and kissed her. 

A kiss not meant for strangers―not meant as a sweet hello. No, a promise he would pleasure her and she sang a big thank you, Jesus for bringing him to her. No thoughts. No regrets. Just two sweaty bodies going at it until exhaustion set in.

BUY LINK - http://www.staceykennedy.com/shadowed-soul/

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll find fast paced action, life threatening moments and a big bad villain that needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance Ebooks Bestseller lists. If she isn’t plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she’s got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. 

Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.

Giveaway:

Remember to leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win an Ebook of Shadowed Soul. This giveaway is open internationally.

Entry Deadline is Saturday, October 29^th. Good luck!

Book Feature: TUESDAY'S CHILD by Dale Mayer

Tuesday’s Child
by Dale Mayer
Publisher: Valley Publishing
Release Date: August 9, 2011

What she doesn’t want…is exactly what he needs.

Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can’t control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she’s tapped into a killer—or rather, his victims. Each woman’s murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death releases her back to her body. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her?

Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence, yet Sam’s visions offer clues he needs to catch a killer. The more he learns about her incredible abilities, however, the clearer it becomes that Sam’s visions have put her in the killer’s line of fire. Now Brandt must save her from something he cannot see or understand…and risk losing his heart in the process.

As danger and desire collide, passion raises the stakes in a game Sam and Brandt don’t dare lose.

EXCERPT:

Lying in bed that night, Sam couldn’t sleep, her overwrought mind refused to let up. The tantalizing possibility that she was meant to do something with this gift worried the frayed edges of her mind. Depressed and unsettled she fell into a fitful sleep, her dreams dark and disjointed pieces of past visions.

Screams jarred her from a deep sleep. Confusion turned to fear when Sam realized the horrific sounds were coming from her own mouth. Even worse, she had no idea where she was.

Terror overwhelmed her. Her fingers spasmed in a death grip around a strange steering wheel as the car she drove careened further out of control. Still trying to toss off the remnants of sleep, Sam yanked hard on the wheel in a futile attempt to turn it. The mid-sized car plowed through a steel barricade to hang suspended in midair before plummeting to the rocks below. Screams ripped from her throat and she reefed on the useless steering wheel, helpless to stop the deadly impact. Her foot pounded on useless brakes. The front grill of the car crumpled and metal buckled upward. The car smashed into the first of the rocks below, snapping her forward into the windshield. Agonizing pain shattered her spine. Grinding metal, exploding glass and continuous crunching sounds filled the air as first the bumper flew off, then the rear window shattered outward. Twisted metal ripped and groaned, flying to land beside the crash site. The car tumbled, smashed on a huge rock, careened to the left and flipped end over end before coming to a hard landing on its wheels at the bottom of the cliff.

Then utter silence.

Sam trembled. Shock and pain pulsed through her veins even as her blood dripped out one beat at a time onto the shredded seat beside her. God, she didn’t want to die.

She wanted to live. Please, dear God.

Someone help!

Blood streamed over her face, her spine…where a shearing heat set off continuous stabbing pain. The steering wheel jammed into her ribs. The front dash had crumpled into a mess of twisted steel and plastic, the famous Mercedes emblem now hung drunk in mid air over the remains of the once beautiful cream leather seats.

Sam couldn’t feel her right arm. And wished she couldn’t feel her left. She closed her eyes, willing away the image of bone shards that had sliced through her sweater, a few loose strands of wool clinging to the ends. Heart wrenching sobs poured from her throat, tears coated her cheeks. She was alone. And dying.

A brilliant flash of light engulfed the car as the fuel from the pierced gas line flashed into flames. Heat seared her lungs and scorched her hair, the strands melting against the inside of her car window. Panicked, she screamed as flames licked at her feet, burning, and cooking the flesh right off her bones.

Agony. Pain. Terror.

A voice whispered through the blackness of her mind, so odd, so different it caught her attention. She strained to hear the words.

“Let go. It’s time to let go.”

Sam stared through the flames, stunned. Let go of what?  She couldn’t hear over the roaring fire and could barely see, but knowing that someone was there stirred her survival instinct, and she started fighting against the seatbelt jammed at her side. She was saved. Just another minute and they’d open the door and pull her free. She’d be fine.

“Please hurry,” she cried out.

“Let go. You don’t need to be in there. Let it all go, and come with me.”

She peered through the golden orange windshield to see a strange male face peering at her through the flames.

He smiled.

“Come with me.”

“I want to, damn it. Can’t you see I’m trapped?” she screamed, her vocals crisping in the heat.

“Release yourself. Come with me. Say yes.”

The pain hit a crescendo. She twisted against it, hearing her spine splinter. The car seat melted into her skin. So much pain, she couldn’t breathe. Blackness crowded into her mind, blessed quiet, soothing darkness. She reached for it.

“Let it go. You don’t need to go through this. Hurry.”

She started. Why wasn’t he opening the door or getting others to help?  He should be trying to save her. Shouldn’t he?  Sam, so confused and so tired, she could barely feel the pain overtaking her body. Where had he gone?  She tried to concentrate. His face was now only a vague outline that rippled with the heat waves. A soft smile played at the corner of his mouth. The flames burned around him, weird as they centered him in the warm glow. She wanted to be with him. To live.

“Here, take my hand.”

Dazed and on the brink of death, Sam focused on the hand reaching for her. She struggled to raise the charred piece of flesh that had been her arm and reached out to grasp his.

She was free.

Overwhelmed, cries of relief escaped. She turned to hug her savior, her head just reaching his shoulder. He stood beside her, the same radiant beaming look on his face. His blond hair glowed, and he had the brightest teeth. She sighed. This beautiful man pointed to her right arm. Confused, Sam glanced down at her burned arm, realizing she could feel none of her injuries. Just like her other one, her broken arm had miraculously healed – whole, smooth and soft. Her skin hadn’t looked this good in ten years.

Realization hit.

She spun around to find a massive fireball below. What the hell?  She had to be dead. But instead of the horror or shock, she expected to feel, she felt good. In fact, she felt great. She turned to the ever-smiling stranger.

“Let’s go sweetheart.”

Sam didn’t know why he’d called her that, but she bloomed under his loving gaze. Honestly, she was so damned grateful to be out of the car, she let him get away with it.

Holding hands, they floated higher into the cloudless blue sky. Then when the crash site below had become a tiny speck, Sam felt a hard flick on her arm and the words, “Thanks, but I can take it from here.”

And she woke up.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Tuesdays-Child-Psychic-Visions-ebook/dp/B0056I5M22/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318799904&sr=8-2

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tuesdays-child-dale-mayer/1104562657?ean=2940011406607&itm=4&usri=tuesday27s%2bchild

All Romance eBooks - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-tuesday039schildbook1ofpsychicvisions-569718-140.html

REVIEWS:

“This book grabbed me from the get-go and never let up! The story unfolds brilliantly, transporting the reader on a horrific journey. This mesmerizing horror-thriller is a must-read for any fan of the genre.” ~Laurie - Reviewer for Night Owl Reviews

“I place TUESDAY'S CHILD in my top ten reads of the year and I have no doubt you will enjoy this book just as much as I did!” ~Neis - Reviewer from The Romance Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dale Mayer is a prolific multi-published writer. She's best known for Tuesday's Child, her romantic suspense novel that was one of the final four in the Kensington Brava/Romantic Times contest this last year. Besides her romantic suspense/thrillers, Dale also writes paranormal romance and crossover young adult books in several different genres.  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series in ebook format.

To find out more about Dale and her books, visit her at http://www.dalemayer.com. Or connect with her online with Twitter at www.twitter.com/dalemayer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dalemayer.author

Books by Dale Mayer:

Psychic Vision Series

Tuesday's Child
Hide'n Go Seek
Maddy's Floor- out soon

Young Adult Books

Dangerous Designs – Book I
Vampire in Denial – Book I of Blood Ties
Gem Stone Mystery Series- out soon
In Cassie's Corner- soon

Non-Fiction Books

Career Essentials: The Resume
Career Essentials: The Cover Letter
Career Essentials: The Interview
Career Essentials: 3 in 1