SNEAK PEEK: The Man by Mechele Armstrong

 

ISBN 978-1-60737-486-2

Series: Settler's Mine, book 5

(c) December 2009, Loose Id

Mechele Armstrong's website

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Blurb from Publisher's website:

Colton returns to Settler’s Mine searching for his mate who he’d abandoned years before. He’d been on his way earlier, but once he and Larkin mated, they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves and it delayed his trip.

Michipi has made a new life for herself at Settler’s Mine and doesn’t want to trust Colton again, no matter how sincere he seems. Especially with his new mate receiving all the perks of the heartstone glow that she never got.

While Michipi enjoys being the subject of being two men’s desires and what they have to offer, however good they both are she can’t get past Colton’s past betrayal and denies the future of their mating. When an old enemy resurfaces to make an attempt on Colton's life, Michipi is forced to realize that she needs both men in her life. But has the knowledge come too late, and at too high a cost?

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/f with homoerotic content). 

Exclusive Excerpt (provided by the author):

"You look delectable." Larkin set down his bag and started over to her. 

"Doesn't she?" Colton's eyes ate her up. He'd hardly been able to stop touching or talking to them since the ordeal. It was as if he'd been about to lose all that he wanted. That had made life that much sweeter. 

For her too. 

"What did you bring back?" She stood up from the chair in front of the mirror. The room had a dresser, night table, and a mirror over a second smaller table. A bed. Mustn't forget the bed. 

"Some fruits. Pasta." Larkin stopped and went back to the bag. "You must be starving." He dumped the contents on the dresser. 

She was. "You guys must be too." 

None of them had eaten in a while. 

Colton's low voice almost startled her. "I'm only hungry for one thing." His stormy, passionate gaze rocked her. 

She met his stare. "What's that?" 

"Both of you." 

Her heart skipped several beats. "Oh?" 

He nodded. 

"Oh." She closed her eyes for a second as swirling emotions overwhelmed her. She wanted to be the source of such passion for them both, and apparently she was. She'd never expected to hear it announced like this. So blatantly. 

Larkin grabbed a fruit from the dresser and moved to the table. He pulled out a knife and started peeling. 

Colton stared at him with a frown. "What are you doing?" 

"Getting ready." Larkin didn't pause in his actions. 

"For what? A feast?" Colton's voice snapped. He was on a thin trigger. They all were. 

She smoothed down her skirt so that the wrinkles didn't show as much. "Maybe some food will do us all good." Her stomach twitched. If she'd be able to eat anything. She was suddenly nervous, and the food seemed a good way to put off the inevitable. 

Colton's face fell, but he nodded his assent. Blew out a breath and straddled a seat nearby where Larkin worked. 

Larkin grinned. "I think we can combine some things." He motioned with a finger to Colton. 

Colton's eyebrow rose. 

She gasped with the dawning of comprehension. Surely he didn't have in mind what it seemed? At least to her? Her mind must be wicked to be going down this path. Must be the influence of Colton and Larkin. 

Larkin finished peeling the large red fruit. "It's a Darjeeling. Sort of tastes like an apple if you've ever had one. But it's much softer. Pliable." He slowly wound the knife around the middle. "It does have a core, though." He cut out the entire midsection, making a perfect hole in the fruit. "Where certain things will fit." 

A large hole in a large fruit. 

Where certain places of a man's anatomy would fit perfectly. 

"You've got to be kidding me." She ran a hand through her hair, which remained down. 

Colton looked back at her. "I don't think he is." He blew out another fast breath. "He's inventive. You'll find that out." 

"I'm not kidding." 

She looked to Larkin as he began peeling the second fruit. "You want me.to eat.that.from." She couldn't bring herself to say the word.

***Adult Warning*** Only those 18 years old and above may continue to read.

"Our cocks? Yep, I do." Larkin grinned again. A full-bodied one that curved his whole face. "It will get you some food and get us a blowjob." He waggled his eyebrows at both her and Colton.

Colton shook his head and shrugged at Michipi. A light smile graced his lips. He stood up and began undoing his pants. His cock would be free momentarily.

Her mouth went dry. She'd get to see him again. Larkin too. And get to taste. She tittered. She'd only given oral sex a couple of times with Colton a long time ago. Would she remember how?

She was going to do this. Have two men at the same time.

Her mates.

The men she couldn't go wrong with.

Her body drooped in relaxation.

Colton took off his boots and dropped his pants.

Yeah, he was as big and hard as she remembered. Beautiful. Dripping. And she'd soon be tasting

Buy Links (ebook): Loose Id

DNF: Two Historicals and A Romantic Suspense

After finishing Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen (awesome book! Review to come soon), I thought I'd read some historicals before going into more paranormals (Deidre Knight's Red Fire and Larissa Ione's Passion Unleashed and Ecstasy Unveiled, not to mention the next two books after Nightkeepers). I've read so much about Julia Justiss that I picked up her book and another by Anne Mallory. Sad to say, I was disappointed.

A Most Unconventional Match by Julia Justiss utlized my favorite trope: friends to lovers. I was so sure I would love this! Unfortunately, the book (the writing, the characters) just didn't grab me. I read until the chapter when the hero and heroine met again after seven years, before I finally gave up. One good thing I do have to say for Ms Justiss: The hero has a speech impediment and his dialogue clearly showed it (unlike other books).

I was intrigued by For The Earl's Pleasure by Anne Mallory, as it also seemed to be a friends to lovers story, plus the fact that the hero became a ghost and only the heroine could see him (I gathered this from excerpts and reviews). I thought it was interesting and it probably is. I wouldn't know because I couldn't get past the first chapter where Ms Mallory meant to show that the hero and the heroine were at odds with one another and how they kept baiting each other through the years. She was able to show this marvelously, however, the characters came across as silly. I know there's not much maneuver room for historicals, unlike say in paranormals where the author is only limited by her imagination, but still...

A previous DNF (one I hadn't blogged about) is Hard to Hold by Stephanie Tyler. Just about everything about this book caught my attention--the cover, the back summary and the excerpt, and so, I picked it up while I was browsing in a bricks-and-mortar bookstore without reading the reviews beforehand. I don't know though whether it would have helped. I believe I read up to Chapter Three before I gave up. Aside from the fact that I didn't like the heroine (not usually something that happens to me), the book just didn't grab me. I forced myself to read on, but at some point, I just couldn't, so I stopped.

However, your mileage may vary, so don't let my DNF reviews stop you from picking up and enjoying these books. I know for a fact several reviewers gushed about Julia Justiss and that Shana enjoyed Hard to Hold, so you may have the same taste as them.

REVIEW: The Rake by Suzanne Enoch

ISBN 978-0-380-82082-5
Series: Lessons In Love
(c) June 2002, Avon Books, HarperCollins
Suzanne Enoch's website

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"A promising start to the series, with delicious lessons in love!"

The three friends, Georgiana, Evelyn and Lucinda, banded together to teach three chosen rogues a lesson in love, such as not trifling with a lady's feelings. For Lady Georgiana Halley, the person she targetted was Tristan Carroway, Viscount Dare, who stole her innocence six years ago on a wager.

Georgiana had never gotten over that incident, and to her relief--and confusion--no scandal rocked the ton of her scandalous behavior. In fact, nobody seemed to know of the incident except Tristan and her. The reason the secret was kept under wraps was due to Tristan's creativity, though she knew of this only later in the book. But now that Tristan is looking to marry an heiress (to solve his monetary problems) Georgiana took it upon herself to teach him to be kind to his wife by making him fall in love with her then breaking his heart.

For his part, Tristan had never forgotten Georgiana nor the taste and scent of her. Six years ago, Tristan decided to take on the wager because it served as an excuse to steal a kiss from the woman who had captivated him. Things went too far because he couldn't help himself. It seemed that one touch of her skin had him inflamed and burning and he must have her. He had long wanted to make amends but she wouldn't let him, instead declaring to all and sundry that she hated him. But when she started being nice to him, he was wary yet intrigued.

Suzanne Enoch can be expected to deliver on a good story, yet what I like about The Rake is the numerous interactions between the main characters and how each learned to trust the other again. I like that Georgiana and Tristan talked and shared things, outside of the bedroom.

From Georgiana's point of view, we know from her observation that Tristan had changed. Certainly, he's more sensitive and kind and family-oriented. We also know from Tristan that he had wanted to make amends for his behavior six years ago, that he had thought it would be better if they had been caught then. My thought on this is that caught or not, if Tristan had really possessed a sense of honor, he would've offered to marry her, whether she liked it or not. He didn't have to tell her family that he's compromised her, but he could've put more effort into courting her in the days after her ruination. After all, she was already half in love with him at that time. But I guess he was young and selfish and he hadn't really wanted to be leg-shackled, no matter how much he desired Georgiana. He was having too much fun sowing his oats. His thought on it "being better if they had been caught" was made in retrospect, when his choice was being made for him by circumstance.

The ending though is wildly romantic, especially when Tristan made his proposal, when he laid all his cards on the table, vulnerable and hopeful. I like that both characters learned something about love and life and each other.

At this point, I would've said on to the next book in the series, however, I don't like stories where the heroine takes an interest in an orphanage or some such thing, so I'm going to skip it and read England's Perfect Hero instead, which Silver assures me is the best in the series and which is highly recommended by everyone in blogland.

Rating: 4 stars

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* This is the first of my Oldie But Goldie reviews, which are reviews of books published before 2005 and which garner at least a rating of 4 stars.

REVIEW: Seduced at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alesandro

ISBN 978-0-425-22549-3

Series: Mayhem in Mayfair, Book 3
(c) 2009, Berkley Sensation, Penguin Group
Jacquie D'Alessandro's Website

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"Unique and intriguing with an unusual hero and the heroine who'd risk everything for him"

I love Tempted at Midnight so much I rushed out and got Seduced at Midnight. I was intrigued by Julianne's dilemma and wondered how Jacquie D'Alessandro would deal with it.

Lady Julianne Bradley is an earl's daughter, and she is the epitome of the poor little rich girl. She has everything--gowns, jewels, etc--but the warmth of a family, love, laughter, companionship. Her parents are the typical ton couple, and though it wasn't stated in the book, I believed they married for advantageous gain rather than love, as her father could barely tolerate her mother. The fact that Julianne is an only child and female renders her useless in the eyes of her father, as the title would now go to his younger brother, whom he hates. Her mother is cold and ruthless, seeing in Julianne a daughter who needed to marry to advance the family's position in Society.

However, Julianne is not content to be merely a beautiful decorative piece on the settee. Seeing her friends marry for love, she has dreams and wishes to find a husband who would love her and whom she could love in turn. She longs for romance, passion, love, friendship, companionship. Laughter. And she thought she could find all these in Gideon Mayne, the man who haunted her thoughts ever since she saw him two months ago.

There was only one problem.

Gideon Mayne is a Bow Street Runner, the best in the business yet a man so far socially beneath her that he needs to "step on a ladder to see the hem of her skirt"--Gideon's own words. Yet, there is no doubting the attraction between them, and Gideon fights it and himself. But when Julianne becomes the target of a murdering thief, Gideon is hired by her father to protect her.

As Gideon is so fond of summarizing things in one word, the word I have for this book--Delicious!

The author takes full advantage of the um, delicious situation our hero and heroine find themselves in and what we have is a hot, hot, hot story where the pages sizzled with their tension and passion, not to mention all that angst and internal conflict. I couldn't stop turning the pages and I finished the book in two days! (And only because I needed to sleep)

Julianne describes herself as not being very brave, but I think her decision toward the end of the book is one of the bravest things she'd done. I guess love is truly a very powerful force, able to move mountains and men's hearts.

As for Gideon, I would've liked it better if he had BEGIN SPOILER asked for Julianne's hand in marriage BEFORE he knew that she was willing to give up her station in life for him. That would've created more uncertainties for him, and there's nothing I like better than to put the hero through the ropes. In fact, he already had an advantage. He already knew Julianne loved him, though they hadn't spoken the words, and he knew she preferred him over her other suitors. What was keeping him from offering for her? Maybe he was insecure because although her life with him would be comfortable, it wouldn't be what she was accustomed to. Maybe he didn't want to subject her to the hardships of what their life would be should she marry him. And yes, that is exactly what we are told, during one of his thought-monologues. But still, I think Julianne should be given the chance to decide (well, indirectly, she was) since it's her life that's going to be drastically different. Certainly I would have LOVED the story more. (Update 8/26/2010: Now that I had to think it over again, maybe Gideon didn't want to pop the question because he believed it would pressure her into accepting him, and he didn't want that.) END SPOILER But that's my opinion.

This book is unique in that the hero is not even a commoner in trade (read: not noble, but wealthy--good enough), but a Bow Street Runner, for goodness' sake, something that's beneath the ton's notice, unless they need help to catch the criminals who rob them. I don't think I've read a book where the hero is in this profession before. I think I'm a snob, but I don't usually notice the runners either, preferring to read about lords and ladies, earls and dukes.

Yet, here is this runner--the hero! Gideon's profession is actually one of the things that made me curious and intrigued to read this book, and the second is how the author is going to resolve the characters' situation. And she didn't disappoint, having given Juliana all the incentives she needed to make her want to forsake the cold, lonely world she's known for one of love and laughter with Gideon.

I love Jacquie D'Alessandro's writing and I'm off to get the rest of the series! One thing I love about this series is the friendship among the four women, and how Julianne's friends actively came together at the end to give her their support.

Rating: 5 stars

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REVIEW: Holiday Bound by Beth Kery

ISBN 978-1-60504-838-3

(c) 2009, Samhain Publishing

Beth Kery's website 

Buy Links (ebook): Samhain Publishing, Fictionwise, Barnes and Noble Ebook 

"Hot and sizzling to scorch the pages. Need ice cubes to cool down." 

Beth Kery writes hot, sizzling romances that scorched the pages (or your laptop or e-reader) in your hands, not to mention your need for ice cubes to cool down.

Alex Carradine comes across as primal, powerful and so blatantly male, the total opposite of his sophisticated and elegant father Mitchell. No wonder Angeline Kastakis was confused, yet she couldn't help but be attracted to Alex, despite the guilt she may feel at lusting after the son of her boyfriend. Not that there was anything serious between her and Mitchell, nor was their relationship an exclusive one. Because Alex brought out things in her that she wasn't even aware of, things that give the word "pleasure" a deeper and more intense meaning.

Alex came on so strong for me that Angeline was a bit overshadowed. Yet, I like that she has progressed over the course of the book, from not liking Alex and being suspicious of him to a sort of "reliance" on him, on his being so sure of his feelings about the two of them being together. And it was this steadfast certitude of his that made her stand firm in the storm of doubts that rose up in her mind. Oh yes, in addition to his extreme hotness and raw maleness, Alex is also very sweet.

For those who like their intimate scenes flaming hot with the fires still roaring, then this is the book for you. All because of Alex, a dominant male who likes to tie up his women and paddle their backsides. All in the name of pleasure, of course. Yet by far, the hottest scene for me is the one in Alex's workout room told from his point of view.

Note to readers: This book contains scenes of light bondage, domination and spanking. I'm not into BDSM myself, but I really enjoyed reading this, so I have no doubt you will as well. *wink*

Rating: 5 stars

Buy Links (ebook): Samhain Publishing, Fictionwise, Barnes and Noble Ebook

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog

Silver

According to the Mayan doomsday prophecy, time ends on December 21, 2012. In Nightkeepers, the last king of an ancient race of magi must team up with a sexy Miami-Dade narcotics detective in order to reunite his scattered warriors and fight the gods of the Mayan underworld. Wielding ancestral blood magic, the king must choose between his duty to avert the 2012 apocalypse and his love for the woman who is the gods' destined sacrifice.

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Shana

This Harlequin Duets actually features 2 romantic comedies: The Life of Riley by Cara Summers and Naked in New England by Jacquie D'Alessandro. Shana will only be reading Jacquie's book.

Ryan Monroe is an architect who needed to refresh his creativity in order to score the biggest coup of his career, and his friend Dave offered the use of his country cabin for Ryan to recharge. Lynne Waterford, on the other hand, is an interior designer and she has been commissioned by Dave's wife and her friend to renovate the cabin as a surprise for Dave. A storm stranded them together and sparks fly between the two.

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Carole

With her two best friends happily married, Lucinda Barrett realizes she can no longer put off her lessons in love. The rogue she hopes to educate must be someone who will keep her life steady and uneventful -- and that someone is definitely not Robert Carroway! The handsome, brooding war hero is far too complicated, and he shuns London society and its “trivialities.” Still, it is a pleasant surprise when Robert offers to assist Lucinda in her mission to reform and wed a more suitable nobleman.

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New Releases Next Week

Lore - A demon enslaved

Idess - An angel tempted

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

REVIEW: Wicked All Day by Liz Carlyle

ISBN 978-1-4165-9492-5

(c) October 2009, Pocket Books, Simon and Schuster

Liz Carlyle's website 

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Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook 

"Enjoyable with a unique, fiesty heroine" 

I read this and Tempted All Night back to back and while I was writing my reviews, I interchanged them. Ugh. Good thing I discovered my mistake on time or y'all would have been confused.

Before I start my review, I would like to take a moment and say I love love love the cover. And I rarely gush about covers, since all of them are interchangeable, one way or the other. The same with titles. I know, I know. I'm digressing. As I was saying, the woman in this book's cover could have been Zoe, with her dark hair, heart-shaped face and that impish expression on her face. She's so pretty it's not a stretch to imagine her breaking hearts all over London.

Our intrepid heroine, Zoe Armstrong, is the bastard daughter of Lord Rannoch, hero of My False Heart. I call her brave because it takes a lot to go against Society's notions of how an unmarried yong lady should behave. The reason she behaves deliberately in this way is rooted in her youth, when as a little girl (before her father married Evie) she hears ugly things about her due to her parentage and decides, why not be bad instead since being good does not seem to do anything for her?

It's her way of thumbing her nose at Society, who looked down on her due to her parentage, her way of declaring she doesn't care how they see her. But deep down, I believe she does care. This can be seen in her reaction when Robin, betrothed to her, kissed a tavern maid in front of her. She rebukes him for his actions, not because he'd been unfaithful to her, but because she couldn't bear the pity in other people's eyes. She cares about what people would think of her. As can be imagined, she is a trial to her father, whose infamous temper is once again displayed here. However, Lord Rannoch truly loves his daughter and only wishes for her to be happy.

Stuart Rowland is the grim Marquess of Mercer, cold and restraint, and Zoe has always incited strong, frustrating feelings in him that he can't quite grasp or control. Hence, he denies them, forces them out of his mind and heart, and feels it's safer to lose himself in the arms of his paramours or mistresses. Until the day he sees Zoe in a compromising position in Robin's arms and realizes he could lose her in marriage to another man. And his world explodes in his face.

To head off a scandal, Robin and Zoe are engaged and they all head to Greythorpe, Mercer's country seat. It is here that Stuart (Mercer) comes to terms with his feelings and decides to act. I buy into Mercer's feelings for Zoe and his self-revelation, but are we to believe that Zoe never realized how attractive Mercer was before they went down to Greythorpe and she had her alone time with him? Maybe she was blinded by the fact that she thought the only thing Mercer felt for her was annoyance and vexation at her pranks? That he lived only to scold and chastise her? That she could never do anything good/right in his sight? Or, maybe Robin's subsequent behavior finally put Mercer's strength and restraint into good light.

Because I haven't read any Liz Carlyle when I heard about Wicked All Day, I went and read My False Heart and A Woman Scorned and Tempted All Night first before coming to this book. And I like visiting with previous characters, since it's a treat for me to know what happened to them months, years after their romance. Another added plus is the interaction between the characters. Rannoch is still temperamental, especially where his children (inclusive of Evie's cousins) are concerned, and Evie is there to soothe and balance him. We can also see the respect Stuart and Robin have for Cole (their stepfather), and Stuart's role as the older brother to Robin, and the conflict he felt in their current situation. In any case, it's interesting to see the characters keep true to their previous characterizations, with Stuart the grim and restraint Lord Mercer, when duty and responsibilities are forced on his young shoulders, and Robin's carefree, devil-may-care attitude. Though this is not to say that the characters didn't change and grow throughout the book.

However, I feel it isn't necessary to read the other books in order to enjoy Wicked All Day, since it's basically a stand-alone book. The only thing that left me slightly dissatisfied is my wishing for more romantic scenes between Zoe and Mercer. I feel there's not quite enough of them.

Rating: 3 stars

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REVIEW: Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle

ISBN 978-1-4165-9313-3

(c) 2009, Pocket Book, Simon and Shuster

Liz Carlyle's website

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"Like all good stories, Tempted All Night delivers."

Due to a tragedy in her past, Lady Phaedra Northampton has made the conscious decision to lead a quiet life, far from gaiety and Society, and resolves never to marry. She doesn't think any man would want her, broken as she is, and there seems to be something wrong with her. She buries her fragility, hopes and dreams, and focuses on running her wealthy brother's household and solving everyone's problems. However, her search for a tavern maid gone missing leads her to London and into the arms of Tristan Talbot, Viscount Avoncliffe and future Earl of Hauxton.

Tristan, like so many historical romance heroes, is a dissolute rake. However, he has a reason. His experiences in Greece are so bad that he turned to licentious living to numb his feelings. Moreover, his relatives have never accepted him, due to his mother's less than exceptional lineage, and he is determined to live up to their perception of him--that of being a good-for-nothing and unworthy to inherit the earldom.

Yet, for all his conflicting feelings, he loves his father, and when the earl asks Tristan for a favor, he readily gives it, and his investigations lead him to a seedy part of the city and to Phaedra, who inspires deep feelings in him and who sees him as no one else.

I like that Phaedra is what Tristan needs in a turbulent time of his life, and that Tristan is what Phaedra needs to understand and accept herself for what she is. I like that Tristan feels regret for his wicked past as it relates to Phaedra, which we don't see a lot of heroes doing. The only other hero that I've read of who has this same feeling is Elliot Armstrong in Liz Carlyle's My False Heart. I like that Phaedra also meets and strikes up a friendship with Zoe Armstrong, a woman as lively and bad as Phaedra is quiet and good, yet Zoe is exactly what Phaedra needs in her life to draw her out of her shell, to live life, so to speak.

I like a good story, and Tempted All Night delivers. Regarding the ending, I normally would've agreed with Phaedra, yet given Tristan's family background and his loveless childhood, it is easy to believe that Tristan would choose a love-filled marriage with her. Love would've been reason enough, but Tristan's history made his choice especially believable for me. Now, I can't wait to read Wicked All Day about the wicked Zoe Armstrong.

Rating: 4 star reviews

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SNEAK PEEK: Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

Guess what came in the mail yesterday? (pre-ordered)

YESSSS!!!!

ISBN-13: 978-0446556828

Series: Demonica series, book 4
(c) January 2010, Grand Central Publishing
Larissa Ione's website

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A Demon Enslaved…

Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master’s assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister’s life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he’ll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.

An Angel Tempted…

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She’s determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary—even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again—hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction. 

Excerpt (provided by the author):

Lore hoofed it toward UGH’s Harrowgate, away from his brothers.  But he wasn’t heading home.  Not yet.

Casting a covert glance over his shoulder to make sure his nosy siblings weren’t watching, he slipped past the triage desk and down a hall, knowing exactly where he was going.  He’d learned all about the hospital, right down to studying the blueprints, when he’d plotted out the hits on Shade and Eidolon.  The recovery rooms, three suites outfitted with various types of baths, chairs, and heated and chilled beds, were at the end of the wing, just past the sea-water pool that was big enough for a killer whale to do laps in.

He found Idess in the first recovery room.

Everything but her head had been immersed in a vat of what was probably water infused with magical herbs.  A spicy, medicinal fragrance permeated the air and made him want to sneeze as he closed the door behind him and moved toward her.  The water bubbled around Idess, and steam swirled over the surface, but none of that hid the fact that she was naked.  Shadows thrown by the dim light accented full breasts and slim hips, but left details tantalizingly to the imagination.

Lore had always had a great imagination.

Someone had taken the gold rings out of her hair, and now her chestnut mane fanned out across an inflatable pillow and the tiled floor behind her head, and he had the strangest urge to touch it and see if it was as silky as it looked.

Instead, he went down on his heels at the edge of the pool and studied her profile, so feminine and peaceful, as if she were lounging in a Jacuzzi instead of recovering from an injury that would have killed anyone else.  Her long, sable lashes cast shadows across the delicate ivory skin beneath her eyes, and her cheeks had pinked up, maybe from the heat of the water — or a sexy dream.

“Don’t suppose you can hear me?”

Her eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open.  Maybe she could hear, but not respond.

“What’s your deal?” he asked quietly.  This time, her eyes opened and fixed on him.  There was no recognition there, no sign that she even knew where she was.

“Rami?”  There was hope and desperation in her voice, both of which made a person vulnerable.  Exploitable.

He could use that.  “Yes,” he said, running with the exploitation thing.  “It’s Rami.”

Her lush lips curved into a smile that punched him right in the gut.  That was a mouth any man would kill to taste — or to have taste him.  “You’ve come for me?”

He couldn’t help it; he let his gaze slide down the long, lean length of her.  Freaking gorgeous.  “Yeah,” he rasped.  “I’ve come for you.”

“Good,” she sighed.  “Take me to heaven.”

His dick jerked, all, sure, we’ll take you up on that offer, and Lore had to admit, if circumstances were different — meaning, she hadn’t tried to kill him — he’d be all over that. 

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