Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway! House Of Royals, House Of Royals #1 by Keary Taylor

If you loved BRANDED, you won’t want to miss HOUSE OF ROYALS, Keary Taylor’s newest dark, romantic read.

Every town has its history and skeletons, but Silent Bend, Mississippi’s are darker than most. Ruled from the shadows by the House—the immortal Born and their aging, enslaved Bitten—everyone knows not to go out after dark and that the police will never look into crimes involving blood.

Alivia Ryan didn’t know the man who claims to be her father through a will even existed until she inherits the Conrath plantation. Instead of the sleepy house she expects, she finds a mansion and a staff who look at her with fear in their eyes.

Ian Ward tried to kill Alivia the first time they met, and then insisted he train her to defend herself against the House, who he claims will try to manipulate and take her in for their own political reasons. And the growing attraction between them will threaten their lives—Ian is a sworn enemy of the House.

In Silent Bend, people disappear, the threat of a demented King and the legend of his resurrecting Queen hang over everyone’s heads, and proving loyalty means far more than blood. You’d better watch who you trust in this town…

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~*~

“What are you doing here?” he hisses, pulling me close. His lips tickle my ear. His hand on my waist slips low and his fingers dig into my skin just a little.

The breath catches in my chest and every nerve ending in my body goes crazy. The music surges, and this night suddenly feels too big for me to breathe. 

“I’m not lying down and taking a fate I didn’t ask for,” I manage. My fingers cling hard to Ian’s shoulder. I can feel the muscles beneath his clothes tense and tighten. And suddenly, I’m back to the days at his cabin, when he’d come walking out of the shower with only a towel and I pretended not to look. I know what his bare skin looks like, and I’m craving another glimpse.

“They won’t care about a show of good faith,” he says. “Do you have any idea what this party is even for?”

My silence is his answer.

“They throw this party once a year and offer massive amounts of alcohol so that people won’t remember the blackouts that come from being fed on.”

My eyes dart to that door at the back of the room. The blood on the woman’s shoulder. The blood in the corner of the man’s mouth.

“They’re feeding on the party attendees,” I say.

Ian nods. His scratchy cheek brushes mine. “The bite numbs and makes you forget, but people tend to realize they blacked out. A party like this with this much booze, you brush it off. It’s the one time a year they feed freely upon the townspeople. It’s the only way to keep people from asking too many questions.”

It’s terrifying and horrifying, and I’m suddenly wondering if the man was asking me to dance as my turn to be fed upon.

“It’s bad, but I have to do something, Ian,” I breathe.

“Walking into the fire isn’t the way to do it,” he whispers into my ear.

~*~

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Keary Taylor, and I’ve been self-publishing since early 2010. Since then I’ve released 15 titles and I’m loving every bit of this industry! I write in a few different genres, but paranormal seems to be my most loved. I currently live in Utah and spend my summers on a little island in Washington State with my husband and our two kids! I love traveling, jamming out to music, and have the sugar taste buds of a four year old!

Tell us about your latest book, HOUSE OF ROYALS.

This has been such a fun series to write! Alivia comes to live in Mississippi after a father she didn’t know leaves her his massive estate. She arrives to find a town that’s terrified of the dark and her very last name brings all kinds of fear to their eyes. She’s about to learn of a completely hidden monarchy where the politics get bloody and deadly.

Where did you get the inspiration for HOUSE OF ROYALS?

This story actually evolved from a very different one that I had been trying to write for three years. It was similarly set in the South, in a sleepy, creepy town, but the supernatural basis for it was voodoo. I did a lot of weird research, had massive outlines, but every time I worked on it, I had to stop for one reason or another. I just couldn’t write that version of the story. I joke and say it has a curse on it, but I’m not really joking… One day the thought just popped into my head that vampires would totally fit into this town instead, and the rough monarchy I’d been setting up in the original version worked even better in the vampire version! And House of Royals just poured out of me.

What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?

I would have Lily Collins play Alivia Ryan. She totally fits the soft, shy girl Alivia starts out as, but captures the hidden wolf within. Ian Ward would be played by Liam Hemsworth (I know, this surprised me too, I’m a hardcore Chris loyalist). And Rath would be none other than Lenny Kravitz!

What do you have coming out in the future?

I’m plowing through this series! Book two, HOUSE OF PAWNS releases December 15th, and then book three, HOUSE OF KINGS, comes out in March of 2016. And the series will continue in the fall!

Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of THE EDEN TRILOGY, the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com.

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Audiobook Review & Giveaway! Until Forever Comes, Mates #2 by Cardeno C.

Written by: Cardeno C.

Narrated by: Charlie David

Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins 

Unabridged Audiobook 

Release Date:09-22-15 

Publisher: The Romance Authors, LLC

A sensitive wolf shifter and a vicious vampire challenge history, greed, and the very fabric of their beings in order to stay together until forever comes. Plagued by pain and weakness all his life, Ethan Abbatt is a wolf shifter who can't shift. Hoping to find an honorable death by joining his packmates in a vampire attack, Ethan instead learns two things: Draining his blood releases his pain and his wolf, and he has a true mate: a vampire named Miguel. More than four centuries old, strong, powerful, and vicious, Miguel Rodriguez walks through life as a shadow, without happiness or affection. When a young shifter tells Miguel they're true mates, destined to be together, Miguel sends him away. But Ethan is persistent, and being together comes so naturally that Miguel can't resist for long. The challenge is keeping themselves alive so they can stay by each other's side until forever comes.

 

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Until Forever Comes is the second installment in the Mates series. We finally get to read the story of Ethan and Miguel, the mysterious couple who made a short but interesting appearance in volume one.

Ethan has always been the weakest in his family. Not able to shift and being always sickly, he’s completely aback when his life changes unexpectedly during what was supposed to be a suicide mission.

Miguel is a loner, has always been during all the centuries of his existence. He’s strong enough and vicious enough to have earned everyone’s respect or, at least, have them fear him.

He doesn’t need nor does he want a mate, especially when that mate is a shifer. Vampires and shifters don’t mix. Ever.

To be together they’ll have to face one danger after another and, while Miguel is powerful, they might never make it out alive to face eternity together.

As much as I loved Wake Me Up Inside, this volume was a bit slow. I found myself skimming a little bit over the sex scenes since they were quite a few. It dragged and I couldn’t quite feel the connection between the characters. 

But, there was enough action and intrigue to keep me glued to it until the end, though. I can’t say it was a waste of time. It’ll give you a glimpse into the past and how things happened, how certain feuds started and why so, you’ll understand better the events mentioned in volume one and those that will probably happen in volume three.

The narration is great. Charlie David did a wonderful job, as always. I love his voice. He definitely makes my “favorite narrators” list. He knows how to convey every emotion, every aspect of a character’s personality. The easiness with which he switches from one character to another, from one emotion to another makes him such a great choice when it comes to narrating an audiobook.

So, if you’re into shape shifters, you should definitely give this book, actually, the entire series a try. Totally worth it. 

Happy reading!

Cardeno C. - CC to friends - is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few "awwws" into a reader's day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno's stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever- after sunset. Cardeno's Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Love Romances and More Golden Roses, Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/M Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, "You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day."

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Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway! Looking Out For Fangs, Cloverleah Pack #7 by Losa Oliver

Josh moved from the huge San Antonio pack to join the men at Cloverleah looking for a bit more adventure, and the chance to meet his mate. He’s quick to adapt to the much smaller pack, and even his status as one of the few beta wolves in a group full of Alphas. A chance visit from the Atlanta coven has him meeting the man he was waiting for. It was just a damn shame he was unconscious at the time. 

Vadim D’Arcy should be the Regent of the Atlanta coven, but he gave up his position years before when a personal tragedy had him hiding away in his huge mansion. Forced into a situation where he had to escort a cursed vampire to Cloverleah, he realizes pretty quickly that Josh is his true match. The only problem is, he doesn’t want one. 

However threats on the pack, and two interfering Fae soon nudge the two men back together. Fighting other wolves, and even vampires is becoming commonplace for the Cloverleah pack. But a dark magic user just might have the last laugh. Can Vadim fight his personal demons long enough to keep his mate safe, and will Josh be there for him when he does? Or will a combined attack from the coven and the pack in Atlanta bring the entire Cloverleah pack to its knees?

Warnings: This is an m/m erotic romance featuring a sweet but staunch beta wolf, an old as sin vampire and all your other favorites from Cloverleah. HEA and no cliff hangers guaranteed.

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Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Lisa Oliver author of Watching Out For Fangs, which is book 7 in the Cloverleah Pack series. 

Hi Lisa, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hi there, I am so excited to be here, thank you. My name is Lisa, as you know and I am the author of the Cloverleah Pack series, the Bound and Bonded series and a whole stack of other books in the M/M genre. I love to write about shifters, and other paranormal creatures who live among us. All of my books are based on the true mate trope, and this one is no exception. In this book we meet Josh, who hasn’t been at Cloverleah very long, but he really wants to meet his mate. His mate meets him, and leaves. Why? Because Vadim is a vampire who is older than sin, with a lot of guilt hanging over him about his past. Of course, because this is my story the two men do get together, and while Josh is teaching Vadim that it really is okay to love again, they also have to face problems like another attack on the pack, and Josh’s mother. 

Where do you find your inspiration?

I have no idea. My stories are never planned, they just come to me, and I write them down. I read an awful lot of books in the genre, but friends who have read my books also point out that there is a lot of “me” in them too and I noticed that when writing this one. 

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I have been able to put words down on paper since I was four years old, but I didn’t become a writer as a job until probably sixteen years ago. I didn’t write my first novel until November 2013 and for me, that is when I became a true writer. I now write full time and doubt I will ever do anything else. 

Do your characters become like real people to you?

Definitely and I love them all, for different reasons. I choose my characters from pics of hot men I find online (got to love the research), and then they become real in my head – they find their voice and let me know how they want things to go and I just tag along, writing madly. 

If you weren’t a writer, what else would you like to have done?

I am not very good with people, so I would have probably become a reclusive artist. Art is my other passion. I love to draw and paint, although I don’t do either of them very well, and my favorite thing to do is go for long drives and take pictures of rural scenes. 

What do you want your tombstone to say?

“Off on another great adventure.”

“Everett was known as your favorite, yet you have set him free, compelled him to leave you and never return. You have met your true match, my son.” Not a question, but a statement of fact. Vadim opened his eyes, knowing he could never lie directly to his mother. He nodded instead, as his brain once again focused on Josh. What would the young wolf be feeling, knowing that Vadim had bonded with him without permission and then rejected him as a mate? Maybe some of the pain he was feeling was coming from his mate, even if they were separated by miles. That idea didn’t make him feel any better. 

“The wolf you healed?” This time his persistent mother was asking a question so Vadim nodded again. 

“And you didn’t think to stay and protect him?”

Letting out a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, Vadim said slowly, “I came here to protect him, from this coven and the Atlanta pack.”

“That didn’t work out too well for you now, did it?” Eloise had a small smile on her face as though a lot happier now she knew the reason behind the loss of Vadim’s fabled control. “What are you going to do?”

Vadim would have shrugged but that was a little hard to do with his arms strung up, so he was forced to speak instead. “Wait out my punishment. If I am released in time I will go home and sort out my affairs. Either way I anticipate it will all be over for me in six weeks as I haven’t fed for a while.”

In a strong flowing movement Eloise stood up, gliding over to where Vadim was chained, her gown settling around her feet in a soft mist. The finery of the pale blue looked incongruous against the dirty concrete floor.

“You would die rather than accept your true match? Why would you do such a cruel thing to your wolf? Is he that disfigured from the attack on him that you cannot look past it?” Vadim realized his mother was not only shocked, she was hurt as well, and damn it all, Vadim didn’t like it when the lovely woman was upset. So he answered as honestly as he knew how.

“Josh is beautiful, mother,” Vadim assured her softly, remembering all too well the lovely features of his mate’s face. They would be scorched in his brain until he took his last breath. “He is a loyal fighter, a beta wolf, with tanned skin and light hair that glows like a halo in the sun. There is nothing wrong with him at all.”

“Then why?” Easily asked, harder to answer.

“Because I made a promise, mother, surely you can understand.” Vadim’s voice hardened. “My true match, my mate, he’s a wolf and he deserves to be loved with an open heart. To be held and cared for, to be protected and cherished in the way of a wolf, not bonded forever to a vampire with no heart.”

Lisa Oliver had been writing non-fiction books for years when visions of half dressed, buff men started invading her dreams. Unable to resist the lure of her stories, Lisa decided to switch to fiction books, and now stories about her men clamor to get out from under her fingertips. 

When Lisa is not writing, she is usually reading with a cup of tea always at hand. Her grown children and grandchildren sometimes try and pry her away from the computer and have found that the best way to do it, is to promise her chocolate. Lisa will do anything for chocolate.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers and other writers. You can friend her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/lisaoliverauthor), catch up on what’s happening at her blog (http://www.supernaturalsmut.com) or email her directly at yoursintuitively@gmail.com.

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Review & Author Interview: Cronin's Key III by N.R. Walker

History isn’t always what it seems… 

Twelve months after his change, Alec MacAidan is still getting used to his many vampire talents. While most vampires would give anything to have more than one supernatural power, Alec craves nothing more than peace and time alone with Cronin. But when Alec meets entities from outside this realm, he’s left powerless in their presence. 

Zoan are half-lycan, half-dragon creatures that have slipped through time and reality, seemingly undetected by man and vampire. Or have they? They bear an uncanny resemblance to gargoyles, leaving Alec’s view on all things weird to get a whole lot weirder. 

This new quest leads Alec, Cronin, and their band of friends to Paris, Rome, and Moscow, where they learn that gargoyles aren’t simply statues on walls. In the underground pits beneath churches all over the world, Alec discovers the Key’s true destiny. Facing the Zoan might take every talent he has. And he may need help from the dead to get them all out alive. 

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As soon as Alec’s feet hit the soft earth, he took a deep breath of fresh air and reveled in the silence. 

His life hadn’t exactly been quiet in the last twelve months. 

He felt the warmth of Cronin’s hand in his, smelled the sweet aromas of heath and moss from both the vampire beside him and the cool air of the long-abandoned battlefield, and Alec exhaled loudly. 

Cronin had somehow learned to quiet his mind a little and it gave Alec the silence he so desperately needed. In the last twelve months, Cronin had taken Alec on more time-outs than he could count. Knowing when he’d had enough and was reaching breaking point, Cronin would simply remove Alec from the situation, leaping him somewhere quiet where his mind could have some much needed solitude. But with a gentle squeeze of his hand, Cronin reassured him he was there. 

“I’m sorry,” Alec said. 

“Don’t apologize,” Cronin said adamantly. “I can’t begin to imagine your frustrations.” 

“Jodis is only trying to help. I behaved badly.” He could very well speak words directly into Jodis’ mind and tell her privately that he was sorry. But he’d prefer not invade the thoughts of others, preferring to apologize in person. 

“She understands,” Cronin said, trying to pacify him. 

Alec sighed loudly and allowed the quiet to envelope him. “I love it here,” he said eventually. 

The field at Dunadd, Scotland, had become a sanctuary for Alec. No voices in his head, no city of millions with flurrying thoughts unbidden through his mind, no politics of vampire councils, no meetings, no one hovering. 

Just Cronin. 

“It affords you a great privacy,” Cronin said. His Scottish accent and formal tone still made Alec smile. “Your talents as a vampire are a burdensome gift.” 

Alec had learned very early on to block out the voices and thoughts of those around him, but living in a city of millions made it a constant effort, and his display of anger at Jodis just minutes ago bothered him. “These talents are a pain in my ass.” 

Cronin laughed quietly. “Your control over them still astounds us all.” 

“The control you keep talking about is a talent in itself. It’s like casting a net over a thousand different fish.” Alec sighed loudly. “I’ve told you that before.” 

“I know. Though it amazes me still.” Cronin squeezed Alec’s hand again and looked out across the field of long grass to the line of trees that fronted the river. “Lie down with me.” 

Cronin simply lay flat on his back in the middle of the field and when Alec lay down next to him, Cronin snatched up Alec’s hand again. And together in the mind-clearing silence, they watched the blanket of stars glide across the sky. 

It was a clear autumn night in Scotland, cold and dark. Neither of those things impeded a vampire of course, and Alec would never tire of the simple changes he’d gone through when he became a vampire. It was the complex changes he was beginning to struggle with. The talents he’d been given made him unique: the only vampire ever to have all vampire talents, some he was still discovering a year after his change. It was these talents that made his life hectic, his obligations as the key to the vampire world that gave him a great responsibility, and as Cronin had said, it was becoming a great burden. 

Alec loved that Cronin would leap them to the very field where his human life had ended. The old battlefield in Scotland was also where they’d first made love, where they came to talk, to be by themselves. Like now. 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Alec whispered, his anger and frustration from before almost gone. “I feel like I can breathe here.” 

“Is that not what husbands do?” Cronin asked with a smile. “Save the other from the myriad of madness?” 

“Husbands,” Alec said, bringing Cronin’s knuckles up to his lips and kissing them softly. “Now that is something I’ll never tire of.”

The amount of research this Lady does for her books is incredible. There’s no mystery that I’m a big N.R. Walker fan and she’s still able to surprise me. 

I fell in love with Alec and Cronin from day one and I’m a little bit sad to bid them Adieu. 

And, what better way for them to go than with another epic adventure? 

In book one, Cronin and Alec took us on a trip to Egypt, then, China followed in book two. We’ve met ancient pharaohs and the legendary clay soldiers. 

Now, they embark on a journey to Europe. London, Rome and, finally, Paris. 

And what mythical creatures can be found all over Paris? If you don’t know you’re in for one big surprise. 

I’ll tell you one thing, my life in Paris has become a lot more interesting all of a sudden. I’ll never look at Musée D’Orsay or Notre Dame the same way again. 

I’ll be too busy looking for hidden clues of ancient stories at every corner. 

Thank you for that, Mrs. Walker. 

But, let’s get back to the story. 

Alec might be a vampire now but he’s still the Key and he has one last mission to accomplish before he can settle down and enjoy eternity with his beloved husband. 

His struggle to understand and control the huge amount of power he’s been given it’s taking its toll. 

The fact that an ancient enemy has risen again doesn’t help make things easier and, this enemy, seems to have no kind of vulnerabilities. 

As the story unfolds, more and more secrets are revealed, new alliances are forged, lives are lost and destinies entwine. 

You’ll laugh, and cry, and love every minute of this wild ride. 

As usual, this novel, too was exceptionally well written, fast paced, intense and very emotional. 

When I say emotional I’m not talking about only Alec and Cronin. There’s so much going on in Cronin’s Key III. Everyone gets a moment in the spotlight for one reason or another and not all those moments are happy ones. And that’s all I’m going to say. 

Thank you, N.R. Walker for another wonderful series. I’m sure I’ll go back and re-read it many, many times just like all the other ones you’ve written so far. 

Looking forward to read you next novel. 

Our guest today is N.R. Walker, author of Cronin’s Key trilogy. Welcome on Mikky’s World Of Books and thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Thanks for having me!!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Something that is not in the official biography.

I have red hair and am ambidextrous. J

This was your first fantasy series. How did you come up with the idea for CK? And, is their journey over or we can expect a volume 4 sometime in the future?

Well, I didn’t actually set out to do the history aspect interweaved throughout the plot, that took me by surprise too. The characters that started talking to me were vampires, and I thought “oh boy, here we go”. LOL

I don’t envisage a fourth book. There might be some outtakes—I’m sure Alec still needs to teach Eiji to drive JBut I’ll just post them as freebies on my blog when I get them written.

I’ve had quite a few people ask for Kennard and Stas’ story, but I’m not the kind of author who can write-to-order. The characters need to talk to me. I can’t force stories unfortunately. If there’s a small outtake for those two will solely depend on Kennard and Stas. But I believe they’re pretty busy right now in some Lithuanian forest… lol

Looking back at all your novels, which was the hardest & easiest to write and which character gave you most trouble?

The easiest was Red Dirt Heart Series. Hands down. I think its ease was because I grew up in the countryside of regional Australia. Those characters are all snippets of people I know and have known—down to nicknames, descriptions and the way they talked.

The hardest would probably have been Starting Point, the third book in The Turning Point series. I almost didn’t finish it. I don’t know why. Self-doubt, probably. Most writers suffer terrible and crippling insecurities in their writing and I am no different. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself to do those boys justice. But I pushed through it and in the end they got the story they deserved J

Could you tell us a little bit about your current project?

I have put my current series WIP (titled the Spencer Cohen Series) on hold to finish a novella called Exchange of Hearts. I actually found 20,000 words of a story I wrote years ago. It was pretty bad LOL. I had entered it into a contest and didn’t get anywhere (for obv reasons lol) but it’s at 35,000 words now and has been tidied up. I have two more scenes to write, some more fixing, and I’ll be sending it off to my pre-readers. I’m hoping for a release date in early November. 

It’s the story of an Australian guy who is eighteen and completing his HSC in a prestigious school in Sydney. Along comes an English exchange student, and Voila! Love and music ensues.

What advice would you give to all the aspiring authors? Especially those who want to write M/M fiction?

I get asked this quite often and my answer is always the same. Just keep writing. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. If one publisher says no, find another one, but remember contracts should be mutually agreed to—which means it needs to suit the author as well, not just the publisher. Yes, it’s exciting to get a contract, but don’t sign it without seeking legal advice first. Seriously.

And just keep writing. Write the story that speaks to you, not what you think people want to read.

Great advice! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. 

Thanks for having me!! 

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn't have it any other way.

She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don't let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words. 

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things...but likes it even more when they fall in love. 

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal. 

She's been writing ever since... 

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Release Day Blitz! Excerpt & Giveaway: One Immortal by Tia Louise

Melissa is a vampire; Derek is a vampire hunter.

When beautiful, sad Melissa Jones flees to New Orleans with her telepathic best friend, she is looking for a cure—not an erotic encounter with a sexy former Marine.

Derek Alexander left the military intending to become a private investigator, but with two powerful shifters as partners and an immunity to vampire glamour, he instead rose to the top in paranormal justice.

At a bar on Bourbon Street, Derek and Melissa cross paths, and their sexual chemistry is off the charts. Acting on their feelings, they are pulled deeper into an affair, but Melissa is hiding, hoping to escape her cruel maker.

It doesn't take long before the shifters uncover her secret. Still, Derek is determined to confront the Old One and reclaim her mortality—even at the risk of losing his.

A STANDALONE PARANORMAL ROMANCE with an HEA based on characters from the One to Hold series. Contains voluptuous vampires, alluring alpha military heroes, scorching-hot shifters, beguiling witches, and panty-melting sexy times. Keep the fans nearby... Readers 18 and older only, please.

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Melissa

Derek’s eyes are on my mouth. I’m breathing so fast, I can see my chest rising and falling as he slams my body against the wall. Pinned again, he looks hard into my eyes before claiming me roughly, forcing my lips apart, and finding my tongue.

A little noise squeaks from my throat. I don’t know why he’s treating me so roughly. I grasp his shoulders, following his movements with mine, hearing his heart beating faster like mine. His blood heats in my veins and moisture pools between my legs. Even frightening and angry, I want him so much.

Without speaking, he takes my hand and leads me to the bed. He lifts my wet dress over my head and steps to drop it in the empty tub, pausing a moment to quickly discard his own wet shirt and jeans. I watch him mesmerized as he takes an oversized towel off the ledge and returns to me. He’s gloriously nude, the low light deepening the lines on his chest and stomach, his enormous cock fully erect. 

Touching my hair with the towel, he gives it a few squeezes then spreads it on the bed behind me. Anger mixed with desire is in his eyes. He lifts me and pushes me onto my back then grips my thighs, shoving them open. Immediately, he begins to kiss and lick my center. His soft lips and velvet tongue move slowly over my clit as his beard scrapes the delicate skin of my legs.

“Derek!” My cries join the low growl coming from his throat as heat rockets through my pelvis down to the arches of my feet. Adrenaline is so high in my veins I start to come. 

“Oh, god!” The tingling sensation spreads over my gums.

My mouth! He has me trapped on my back against the mattress, his strong arms looped around my legs, large hands holding my hips. 

“Derek!” I pull his hair, trying to twist away, to turn my body so he can’t see me, but I’m trapped. 

He lets out another low growl, the vibration right against my clit, and he gives me a sharp suck. It’s too late. The muscles in my core tighten irresistibly in response to him. His blood in my veins magnifies everything about him, making him a drug to me. My back arches involuntarily as my teeth shoot out. 

“Aaaah!” I let out a long wail, my eyes squeeze shut, and I come hard and shuddering on his mouth, unable to stop the ecstasy. 

He doesn’t waste a moment. He’s up and plunging deep between my thighs just as fast, not waiting to see what I’ve become. Both of my wrists are clasped firmly over my head in his iron grasp as he surges on, harder, deeper, groaning as his rocks into me again and again. The friction of him stretching and filling me shudders my body with pleasure. His eyes are closed as he makes his final thrusts again and again as his orgasm reaches its crest.

“Melissa,” he groans low as he comes, pulsing in me, holding me down. 

I’m trapped beneath him, tears filling my eyes, uncertain what all of this means or what happens now. He saw what I am, but he didn’t pull away. He held me, watching me writhe in desire and agony, as if he knew what would happen. 

Oh, god. A wave of dread tightens my stomach at the thought. He knew what would happen. He knows what I am. 

His head drops onto his forearm, but he’s still inside me. I wait until he finally lifts it, again. His eyes linger on my mouth a few desperate moments before he looks straight into my eyes. 

He’s so beautifully mouth-watering. Sweat mingles with the rain on his cheek, and a little drop runs into his beard. I know my eyes darken at the sight of him. A whimper escapes my chest as the irresistible hunger burns in my throat.

His brow lowers. “You want to bite me?”

Tia Louise is the Amazon and International Bestselling author of the ONE TO HOLD series.

From “Readers’ Choice” nominations, to picking up USA Today “Happily Ever After” nods, to winning a 2014 “Lady Boner Award” (LOL!), nothing makes her happier than communicating with fans and weaving new tales into the Alexander-Knight world of stories.

A former journalist, Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations...

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Release day Blitz! Excerpt & Giveaway! The Dark Ones, The Dark Ones Saga #1 by Rachel Van Dyken

To touch a Dark One is death. 

To talk to an immortal is suicide. 

Yet, I've been marked by both. 

A Vampire. 

And the King of the immortals. 

My life is no longer my own. 

And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with. 

It was theirs. 

It's always been theirs.

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I didn't open my eyes. "No staying in bed all day?"

"About that…" Ethan sighed. "The good news is it will feel like we've been in bed for days when really it could have been mere hours."

"Hmm?" I perked up. "Well, that's a nice trick."

"I'm full of them." His eyes sparkled. "Care to know more?"

"Yes," I whispered, my mouth finding his.

With a groan, he pushed me back against the mattress and loomed over me, his naked body glorious-looking against the sunlight streaming through the window. "Perhaps we'll stay a bit longer."

"Yes." I nodded my head eagerly. "I'm your mate, after all. Don't you want me to be pleased?"

"You were pleased at least four times last night, possibly five, if we count the time I—"

"Shh." I put my hands over his mouth.

He smirked. "Afraid the dust will hear?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Ethan!" Alex's voice boomed on the other side of the door. "Feed her!"

"Ignore him," Ethan hissed.

The knock got louder. "For the love of God, she's human. Give her food."

"He's a siren. He knows nothing." Ethan continued kissing me.

"Mason will break down the door if he has to." Fighting broke out in the hall. "Ethan, I can smell the sex from here. One immortal to another, feed her before you can't feed from her anymore."

Ethan growled and pulled back from me. "They have no manners."

I was half-tempted to cover my face with my hands. Had they heard us? Of course they'd heard us, and they knew, and they could… Yeah, I wanted to crawl under the bed and hide for a few days. Instead, Ethan pounced from the bed, put on a pair of jeans, and jerked open the door while I tried to hide beneath the covers.

Alex peered over Ethan's shoulder and waved.

I had no choice but to wave back and hope that I wasn't as red as I felt.

"She's alive." Alex held up his hand for a high five. "No? Not funny? Too soon?"

"Horrible joke," Mason said next to him. "I made eggs. She's going to need food. Make her eat everything on the plate and—"

He was still talking when Ethan slammed the door in his face and brought a giant plate of food over to me.

"Forgive them." Ethan scowled. "There aren't typically secrets between us, and they're just concerned for you."

I pointed at the eggs, ten slices of bacon, and toast. "Clearly, they don't want me to starve."

"Wolves." Ethan looked heavenward. "He should be more concerned with his own diet, the ass."

"It does smell good." I moved up the bed so I could lean against the headboard. "Do you eat?"

Ethan's lips curved into a predatory smile. "I ate several times last night. Care for me to refresh your memory?"

My cheeks burned.

"So tempting." He reached for a piece of bacon and held it to his lips, taking a small bite that had my entire body clenching to keep from reaching out and attacking him. "And yes, I can eat. I typically do eat but haven't been because when we drink, we don't need normal food."

"But before me…" I grabbed a piece of toast. "You were eating normal food."

"I like you better." He winked. "But yes, I was."

"Good to know I'm better than bacon."

"Your taste…" His eyes brightened. "…is unlike anything I've ever had."

"Hmm…" I licked my lips.

"Stop it," he hissed and looked away. "Damn, I can't watch you eat. I'm going to shower while you eat your entire plate as per Mason's orders, and then I'll contemplate letting you leave this room so you can go to the bookstore."

"Ah!" I almost knocked over the food. "My job! Am I late? Will I get fired?"

Ethan burst out laughing. "It's eight in the morning. He's expecting you when I drop you off. No sooner, no later. You won't get fired. He wouldn't dream of it, and you really are adorable."

"And hot." I sighed.

"That too."

"No, I mean hot, as in, it's scorching in here."

Ethan winced. "You may be that way for a few days."

"Hot?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

"Too much vampire blood makes you overheat a bit." He shrugged. "It won't turn you— You're very much human, like I've said before, but sometimes the vampire blood causes a type of burn to take over in your bloodstream, not painful, just not exactly pleasant if it's a hundred degrees outside."

"Good thing it's Seattle." I bit into the toast.

"Yes, well, I imagine at this point, raindrops would simply turn to vapor if they landed on your skin."

I smiled.

"Shower." He nodded. "I'm going to turn around now and walk away."

"Narrating?"

"Apparently, that's what I do when I can think of nothing more than ripping that sheet from your body, slamming you into the nearest wall, and possessing you all over again."

I dropped the toast.

He growled, taking two steps toward me, then swore and turned back around.

"Have a good shower!" I called.

Another growl was his answer, and then his jeans went flying. I wasn't laughing anymore.

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. 

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers! 

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866! 

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .

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