Romance writer guest authors and book news
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Then he picked her up in his strong arms and cradled her to his body. “I’ll carry you.” Read #teasers and what the #author says about Candle Magic 5* #paranormalromance #Christmas #romance from @sirenbookstrand
Two strong male hands grasped her waist,
lifted her, and set her on her feet. A deep, attractive voice asked, “Are you
okay?—You’re not. You’re freezing and your shoe is broken. Let me help you. I’m
here for you.” He held her shoulders, taking some of her weight as Simi limped
to face her rescuer.
She looked up and into the eyes of a
gorgeous man. Strands of his thick dark hair glistened in the light, thrown off
by the strings of fairy lights threaded through the branches of the trees lining
this part of the sidewalk. The sleet lent a sheen to these strands and lit him
up as if he, too, was a Christmas decoration. Simi gazed at him. She drank in
the perfect features of his face. Her eyes dipped to take in his obviously
muscled body under his clothes. His overcoat hung open over a black suit. He
wore a gleaming white shirt and a black bow tie. He’s perfect.
“I’m fine, thank you,” her voice
scratched out.
He gave her a look just short of amused,
but definitely disbelieving.
“I know otherwise. Please, it’s
Christmas. Let me be here for you.”
The sincerity in his voice soothed her.
Trepidation left her, replaced by hope. Bizarre,
considering he could be a murderer. She hopped a step.
The gorgeous man stooped and pulled the
heel from the paver crack. He grinned at her mischievously and put it in his
pocket.
Simi let her shoulder bag dangle from
her arm and tried to walk with one foot five-and-a-half inches higher than the
other.
The delicious man held her arm gently.
He took her bag and slung it over his shoulder.
“I’ll carry that. Put your arm around my
waist and lean on me.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders.
She did as he asked. His hard body under
her arm comforted her. Simi tried another step. It was still a limp, but
suddenly amused, she laughed. She looked up into his handsome face.
“If I’m going to be hanging onto you, I
should know your name.”
“Jason. My name’s Jason, and you’re…?”
Simi was lost in the sound of his voice
and the flow of delicious tingles down her body as his arm tightened around
her. She whispered, “Simi.”
He smiled, his eyes alight with emotion.
“That’s a beautiful name. A lovely, soft name for a beautiful girl.”
A little alarm bell went off for Simi. Isn’t that a little too charming? Maybe he
is a murderer trying to lull me into trusting him. “Look buddy, don’t
bother trying flattery on me.”
His smile widened. Crinkles appeared at
the corners of his eyes. He laughed and then shook his head. “Don’t be afraid.
I’m not here to hurt you, quite the opposite, and you are beautiful.”
The wind whipped strands of her hair
across her face and she limped along. “I don’t have far to go now. I can
manage. You must have somewhere to be.”
Jason sighed deeply.
The sound traveled over Simi in a wave.
It brought a wash of regret that she’d suggested this gorgeous man stop helping
her and leave. She looked up into his eyes and saw sadness.
“I have nowhere to be. It’s Christmas.
I’m free to be with you if you want me. I’m no threat. I’d love to help you…at
least to your door, Simi.”
Her longing to have a man like him with
her for comfort, help, and maybe more seeded acceptance and trust in her heart.
She gripped his overcoat as she leaned into him again, trying to excuse her
outburst about flattery. “I’m not used to knights in shining armor.” She limped
off again and he walked with her, his arm around her, almost lifting her from
her feet. His pace slowed to give her time to accommodate the lack of a heel on
one shoe.
“I’ve not been that for a long time.”
His murmured words brought a smile to her lips and she took a deep breath,
deciding to talk with him as they made their way to her apartment. “Have you
been to a party or something?”
“I’ve been—” He told her, but dipped his
head as the sleet became heavier.
Simi didn’t hear the end of his
sentence. It was whirled away by the weather’s onslaught. The wind made the icy
rain slant into her overcoat collar. She cuddled against him.
Jason stopped walking. He gave her a
gentle smile. “We’ll be frozen and saturated by the time we get to your place.”
Then he picked her up in his strong arms and cradled her to his body. “I’ll
carry you.”
As he enveloped her in his arms, her
face rested on his chest. A vague fragrance of pine needles and trees drifted
around her. His arm under her thighs warmed her. His arm crushing her to his
muscled chest reminded her of the dream she’d had. He was every bit as gorgeous
and sexy as the man in her dream. Simi’s heart filled up with hope. Whatever he
was offering this night she would take. This was the most comforted and cared
for she’d felt in a very long time. As Jason walked with her, she snuggled into
his aura. He exuded masculinity, strength, protection, sex. It felt good.
“Thank you. My place is at the end of this street.”
Copyright Elodie Parkes , Siren Publishing
From Elodie,
My hero, Jason Chandler, doesn’t know what he is. Maybe an
angel, or a spirit, he only knows he’s given assignments to fulfill by the
enigmatic higher powers of the universe. This assignment is different, and when
he finds himself materialize beside Simi, my heroine, he’s instantly hopeful
that his lonely existence is about to change. With an HEA , this story is full of
love and magic.
Jason followed as she went to the dining
room.
She put the candlestick in the middle
with a happy sigh.
He smiled at her. “How can I help?”
Simi opened the door on a low cabinet.
She took out rolled, fine wooden-slat, place mats and unfurled each on the
table. “Talk to me. Tell me about yourself. Where do you work? Where do you
live? I want to know all about you, or at least something.” She laughed then.
The sound took away the fear that spiked
up Jason’s spine when she asked the specific questions about him. I’ll tell her what I can without frightening
her away. He opted for that.
“I have assignments from a—a group that
are designed to help people...solve problems. I live around here.” The ether
wasn’t so far above the terrestrial sphere, scientifically, and mystical enough
to be almost everywhere, so that was okay to say. I can’t say I only work at Christmas, though. I can’t say I’m some sort
of spirit doing penance for dabbling in magic, can I?
Simi placed cut crystal, long-stemmed
glasses on each mat. She grinned at him. “Are you a social worker?”
Jason shook his head.
Simi considered for a few moments.
“You’re a company troubleshooter. No wonder you’re a little cagey about that.
Ours is a shark. He can put a positive light on the trickiest complaint.”
“Oh, no, that’s not how I operate. I really help,
even if it’s just for a short time.” That much was true. He’d brought comfort,
strokes of good luck, better outlooks, the coincidence of friends meeting lost
friends or family, the avoidance of an accident not meant to happen, although
never what he’d brought Simi, never sex and … and love.
Copyright Elodie Parkes, Siren Publishing
Candle Magic is currently on sale @sirenbookstrand
ReadersFavorite 5 stars
Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
Candle Magic by Elodie Parkes is a contemporary romance set around Christmas Eve that weaves magic, romance, and sexiness into one juicy story...
...if you like steamy romances with hot men who appear out of thin air like magic and grant your sexiest wishes, this book is for you! Jason was an amazing character! Gorgeous, sexy, in the right place at the right time. But he was also mysterious and kept me guessing.
When Simi finds a pretty old
candlestick among the discarded props in the PR company storeroom, she never
imagines it can grant her dearest wish. There’s something mysterious about the
carved candlestick that’s almost scary, but Simi is drawn to it. She intends to
use the candlestick to hold her last antique candle and make her solitary
Christmas lunch more festive.
Simi works late managing the staff
Christmas Eve party and misses the subway train that will take her to her usual
stop forcing her to walk the last part of the journey home on the deserted
street.
A nearby clock strikes midnight.
It's Christmas.
Simi slips, but Jason catches her.
Who is Jason? Where has he suddenly appeared from in the night?
Simi looks into the eyes of this
gorgeous man, and sparks fly…
https://www.bookstrand.com/book/candle-magic
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
I Am Not for Sale by @AdrianaKraft #RomanticSuspense #newrelease #SteamyRomance #Rafflecopter #giveaway
Book Information
Contemporary
Romance, Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery
Heat
level: Four flames
Print
length 287 pages
81,000
words
Published
November 5, 2021 at Extasy Books
Buy
Links
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/
Barnes
& Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1140503297
Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-am-not-for-sale
Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115419
ExtasyBooks
https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale
GoodReads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59582104
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/i-am-not-for-sale-by-adriana-kraft
It’s nothing personal…
It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja
Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s
Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally
determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of
business.
He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son. Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?
Read an Excerpt
Blocking
the annoying stranger from her mind, Nadja busied herself by packing the
leftover bakery goods she would drop off at the local food bank. She glanced up
to see her aunt leaning against the doorjamb separating their two stores.
How
long had Ivett been standing there? What had she seen? Her dark eyes sparkled
as if she possessed a tantalizing secret. Nadja sighed, girding herself for a
grilling.
She
hoped when she was forty-three she’d look as attractive as her aunt. Ivett’s
clear, heart-shaped face was framed by dark flowing hair and set off by the
most expressive eyes. But Nadja knew she’d never bubble like her aunt—that kind
of free spirit didn’t lurk anywhere in her body.
“Hmm,
who’s the tall dark handsome stranger?” Ivett quipped, stepping into the coffee
shop. “I don’t think I remember seeing him around. And if I had, I think I’d
have noticed. He seemed quite engrossed in you.”
“Nonsense.
He was just a customer.” There was no need to tell Ivett about the man’s
outlandish proposition to buy her café. The man had no manners—or maybe he was
merely another example of American bluntness.
“Few
customers, even male customers, stand at the counter and blatantly undress you
in their minds.”
Nadja
gasped. “He wasn’t.”
She
frowned. Or was he? Her cheeks warmed. She wasn’t blind. She’d noticed his
broad chest pulling at his shirt. But she hadn’t considered him any more thoroughly
than that. And she didn’t think it wise to do so now.
She
shook her head. “You must be wrong. He was only interested in the coffee
business.”
“Right!
I don’t believe that for a minute, but if you must, go ahead. Your mother has
been gone for nearly two years now, Nadja. It’s time for you to get on with
your life.”
“I
am. Look at this place.” She swept her gaze around the shop. “This was only a
dream eighteen months ago. But with the inheritance from my mother and your and
Uncle Steve’s help—this is a reality.”
“Your
dream is a reality because you worked twenty-six hours a day on it with very
little help for the first eight months.”
“I
couldn’t hire help until I got the place up and running.”
Ivett
blew air through pursed lips, and Nadja prepared herself for what had become an
all-too-familiar lecture.
“You
could at least show some interest in a man.”
“I
don’t even know his name.”
“I
don’t only mean him. But he’ll be back.”
About
the Authors
When
it’s Time to Heat Things Up
Award
winning author Adriana Kraft is a married couple writing Sizzling Romantic
Suspense and Erotic Romance for Two, Three, or More. Whether readers open our
romantic suspense or our erotic romance, they can expect characters they care
about, hot sex scenes, and a compelling story. Our suspense stories deliver one
man, one woman, danger and intrigue. Our erotic romance is edgier and nearly
always includes ménage or polyamory, sometimes with two women and a man,
sometimes with two (or more) couples. We write our Erotic Romance stories to
entertain, of course, but most of all we write them because we believe in happy
endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or
numerical combination.
Links
Website:
http://adrianakraft.com
Blog: http://www.adrianakraft.com/blog
Newsletter: free download of our erotic
romance novella Cherry Tune-Up for signing up.
Twitter http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kraftadriana/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.kraft.5
FaceBook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaKraftAuthor
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft
Extasy author page https://www.extasybooks.com/adriana-kraft
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1578571.Adriana_Kraft
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-kraft
ENTER the GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Behind the title with Captive Wolf #wolfshifter #shifter #romance #suspense @sirenbookstrand @elodieparkes Read the #teaser that features the title of the story
When Ryder Venn sets out to do a favor for his alpha brother, Joshua, he thinks it’s just an ordinary day. Little does he know the horror and adventure that awaits him. Captured and tortured by shifter hunters, Ryder wakes to the gentle care of Evie Thomas.
As Ryder Venn falls in love with the mysterious girl who nurses his wounds and feeds him, Evie discloses her reason for being part of the hunter’s group. She’s infiltrated the club, determined to avenge her brother’s death at one of their leader’s hands. As Evie reveals her identity and plans to Ryder, they fall into a heated and passionate love affair. Meanwhile, the shifter hunters plot to force Ryder into cage fighting. The trouble is just who or what will they make him fight?
Deep in love, Ryder marks Evie as his mate.
Gorgeous Ryder will do anything for her.
Lovely Evie will do anything to free him.
Read the teaser that features the title
Ryder heard the guards in the distance
calling to each other. He was about to shift when into his head came a picture
of Evie. It startled him into stilling the shake that would turn him into his
wolf. Evie filled his head, his senses, and a terrible ache of loneliness and
loss clenched his gut. He ran his hands through his hair. All he could think of
was Evie and how she’d be left behind with these horrible people if he left.
She’d made love to him, tended his wounds, taken care of him. He saw her eyes
as she’d looked into his at the end of the fight. I can’t leave her. I just can’t. Maybe I can persuade her to give up
her murderous quest and come home with me.
Ryder extricated himself from a tangle
of twigs and branches. A delicious smell of leaves and tree bark taunted him.
The night air embraced him, and then he set off at speed for the estate and the
stable block where he knew his cell stall lay waiting. Even if I end up killing that vicious bent Doug guy, would that be so bad?
He’s a murderer, a killer… God only knows how many animals and men have
suffered at his hands. All the same, I’m not a killer. I can’t leave Evie,
though. His thoughts sped through his mind as he bolted through the open
gates and sprinted toward the stable block. He almost smiled as he dragged the
wide door open and breathlessly stopped in the entrance.
When the guards had taken him to the
arena, they’d left his stall door open.
Resigned, Ryder walked to the stall and
entered. He closed the door with a sigh. That’s
it then, contained once more, captive wolf. I just hope Evie visits tonight
because I’m desperate for the sight of her. What would Liberty and Josh, say
about me choosing a woman over freedom? They’d say, Ryder, you’re finally in
love, and I am.
In love with wolf shifters? Erotic, suspenseful, different.
Chock full of hot love and cool characters
The Venn Pack in Love from Siren Publishing.
Send to your kindle. Choose your file type.
Mobi, PDF etc.
https://www.bookstrand.com/book/surprising-the-alpha
https://www.bookstrand.com/book/wolf-bond-mf
https://www.bookstrand.com/book/captive-wolf-mf
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Behind the Title with #shifter #romance Wolf Bond. Read a #teaser that gives the story its title. @sirenbookstrand @ElodieParkes
Liberty Venn longs for love after her alpha brother, Joshua, found it with Dani Cruz. It's a year after the Cruz entrepreneurs have regenerated the town and saved Liberty from closing her cafe.
When a stranger arrives in town, he instantly captures lonely Liberty’s attention. Drawn to him by a deep undeniable instinct, Liberty loses her heart when Eden Farrell flirts with her. Will he be the lover she’s begun to long for?
Eden Farrell, P.I., wolf shifter, gorgeous. He goes after what he wants, and now he wants Liberty. He recognizes the wolf in her long before she knows what he is. He ignites a passion in Liberty and she delights him with her response.
As a deep bond forms between them, danger follows Eden. He’s in love with Liberty, and believes nothing will keep him from her. Trouble is, danger is out to find them both.
Liberty nodded. “I’ll pass your order
in.” She turned to go.
Eden gazed after her.
All through eating his meal, he
rehearsed what he’d say to her. He lingered over coffee and then another cup
waiting for closing time. At nine, Liberty’s helper, Craig, left along with the
last customer.
Liberty came over to Eden with the
coffeepot in her hand. “Would you like more coffee?”
He put his hand over his cup. “No, thank
you. I’m good. Unless…unless you’d like to get a cup and join me? If you have
time?” He bestowed a charming smile on her, hoping she’d join him.
“Sure, I will do that. I’ll just lock
the door.” She flipped the open sign to closed and clicked the lock on the
door. She was on her way to the counter with the coffeepot in one hand when
Eden caught up with her.
He stood next to the counter and waited
for her to pour coffee into one of the café’s signature blue cups. “Could we
sit up here in the low light? I feel a little exposed at the window table now
you’ve closed.” He desperately wanted a few moments of privacy with her.
“People might think you’re still open.”
He brought her coffee cup to a nearby
table that had already been cleared and pulled out a chair for her.
Liberty’s eyes lit up with pleasure and
she sat. “Thank you.”
Eden brought a chair for himself closer.
“Thank you for having coffee with me before I go off to my empty motel room.”
She glanced over at the table where he’d
left his coffee cup. “Oh, let me get yours.”
Eden stopped her with a gentle hand on
her arm. Touching her made him tremble. He looked into her eyes as she turned
her face to his. She’s mine. She is mine.
Finally—my love, my mate. “No, it’s okay.” He moved his hand from her arm
reluctantly.
She faltered and then nodded. “So you
haven’t bought a place yet?”
Through the haze of falling in love with
her and recognizing his long hoped for mate, he understood her need to know
about him. “I have, but it’s not furnished yet. It’s the apartment over the
store, not far down the main street on the opposite side to this café. It used
to be a shoe shop. I’m opening an office, though, not a store. I hope to move
in tomorrow. Things are arriving.” He soaked up the pleasure of being close to
her. He longed to touch her again. Doesn’t
she know I’m a wolf, too? Doesn’t she feel this urgent need to hold each other
close? I’d stopped believing in the wolf bond, but now I know it’s true. He
reached for her hand. “Liberty, I’m so very glad I came here. I never expected
to meet someone like you, but I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to have
met you.” Eden had no reservations about going after Liberty. If the stories
he’d been told about the wolf bond were true, she’d know, even subconsciously,
that he was meant for her.
She didn’t answer, but she left her hand
in his and her eyes betrayed her desire.
Eden’s stomach tightened as she curled
her fingers around his. For some reason the satin sheath of her fingers brought
to mind another place he’d like to explore. His cock stirred, and he
transferred his gaze to her mouth. He leaned toward her, needing to kiss her so
much.
She leaned closer to him.
The space between them seemed to grow
thick. Eden couldn’t pull away.
Liberty was a whisper away and then as
he closed his eyes, her lips touched his.
He fell into the kiss, drifting in the
intense pleasure until every muscle in his body felt melted, except for his
cock, which was rock hard and straining at his jeans. He couldn’t open his
eyes. They were heavy with lust. He didn’t want the kiss to end.
She still held his fingers, but he
slipped his other hand around her head, into her hair, grasping a fistful of
the silken wealth and kept her face to his so that he could prolong the kiss.
As soon as one ended, he took another, lingering, murmuring low sounds of
enjoyment. He’d kissed before, received kisses before, but never like this,
never felt drugged and melted.
Liberty brought a hand up to his face
and trailed her fingertips over his ear. She held his head and moved away to
catch her breath.
Eden used the time to capture her.
“Liberty, we’re both wolves. I want you. I’m yours if you want me. Say you feel
the incredible pull to me that I do to you. Say you recognize the bond.”
Liberty made a little sound, like a sigh
and a murmur of assent mixed together. She rested her forehead on his, and her
whisper teased at his lips. “I do feel it. I do want you. I wasn’t sure you
were a wolf until tonight. I don’t use my heightened senses as an everyday
event, but as soon as I saw you I hoped for…for you.”
Copyright Elodie Parkes , Siren Publishing
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