Celebrate our history – #MFRWHooks #HistoricalRomance #WomensHistoryMonth

Welcome to this week’s edition of MFRW Book Hooks. March is Women’s History Month; I will be using that as a theme for my Book Hooks offerings, sharing snippets from the perspective of my female characters in historical stories.

My hook today comes from Monsoon Fever, a multicultural, multi-partner romance set in Assam, India, after the First World War. I hope you enjoy it.

Meanwhile, if you want to know more about Women’s History Month, visit the National Women’s History Alliance.

Blurb

When a charismatic lawyer arrives at their remote Indian tea plantation, he tempts a married couple with forbidden carnal delights.

Priscilla and Jonathan have grown apart. Anil Kumar, solicitor to Jon’s father, enchants both Priscilla and Jon with his beauty, poise and wisdom. Will the illicit cravings he excites be the final stroke that destroys their marriage? Or the route to saving it?

The Hook

The rain drops are Lakshmi’s tears. That is what Lalida had said—tears of pity wept by Vishnu’s consort at the sad state of mankind. From the sheltered veranda, Priscilla watched sheets of rain sweep relentlessly across the land. The silver curtain alternately hid and revealed the shapes of the green hills rising in the distance.

Priscilla swallowed the last of her biscuit and leaned back in the rattan chair, drawing her shawl around her shoulders. She knew, from the past week’s experience, that the downpour would end in a few hours. The lush wet bushes would sparkle in the sun, as though someone had scattered handfuls of jewels over their leaves. For now, the muted hues of the landscape matched her mood.

“More tea, Madam?” Lalida stole up behind her on bare feet, her orange sari like a streak of fire in the grey morning.

“Not for me, but please bring a fresh pot for Mr. Archer.”

“Yes, Madam.” The maid hurried away, leaving Priscilla alone again with her reveries.

Had it really been only a month ago that they had arrived in India? It seemed like a lifetime. She could barely remember the streets of London, the bustle and the noise, the clatter of hooves on the pavement, the horns and the backfiring engines of the autos vying with the carriages for space. It was so quiet here on the plantation. All she could hear was the hiss of the rain sluicing down.

The first week she had been busy, working with Lalida and a few of the village girls to clean up her father-in-law’s bungalow and sort through the untidiness of two decades of bachelor living. She’d met Jonathan’s father only once, at the wedding six years ago. Her confused recollection was of a jovial, but somewhat distracted man with eyes younger than one would expect from his seventy four years. He had travelled five weeks to see his only son married, yet he’d stayed in London only four days. India was his home, he’d told her. He couldn’t bear to be away for long.

Once she had put the house in order, Priscilla had little to occupy her. Jonathan’s days were full, managing the plantation and trying to figure out his father’s tangled affairs. He had little time for her. Not that this was so different from her life in London, but there she had friends and diversions. Here she had no one to talk to but Lalida whose English was hardly adequate for a conversation of any depth.

The door hinges squeaked. Priscilla turned, expecting the servant, but instead she saw the trim, erect figure of her husband.

“Good morning, Jon. Did you sleep well?”

“Well enough. I hope that my tossing and turning didn’t disturb you.”

“Not at all.” Priscilla couldn’t tell him the truth. Often she lay awake for hours, staring at the pale mosquito netting looped above their bed, listening to his muttering, wanting but not daring to wake him. Dying for him to touch her. “Sit down and have some breakfast. Lalida’s coming with a fresh pot.”

“I’m really not hungry. I’ll take a flask of tea with me. I want to get out to the north slope as soon as I can and see how the plucking is coming along. Suresh told me that normally the second flush harvest should be completed before the rains begin. The longer we take, the poorer the quality will be.”

“Please, sit down for just a minute. Have a biscuit. These days I hardly see you!”

Jonathan rested his hand on her shoulder. He brushed his lips across her ginger curls. The brief touch made Priscilla shiver with delight. “I’m sorry, Pru. I know that this must be hard on you. As soon as the harvest is finished, we’ll start looking for a buyer. We’ll be back in England before Christmas, I promise.”

He straightened up, a resolute look hardening his youthful features. “Right now, though, I’m facing something of an emergency. I hope that you can understand. Lalida, put that in a Thermos for me. I’ll be back for lunch, around one.” He reached for the oilcloth raincoat hanging by the door post.

Priscilla rose and put her arms around his waist. His body had changed in his few weeks of physical exertion. She could feel the hard muscles shifting under his shirt. Her own body sparked awake, suddenly aware of the texture of his skin, the scent of his soap. “I’ll miss you, Jon.” She tried to kiss him, but he twisted away, only his moustache brushing her lips.

“Priscilla, please! It’s broad daylight.”

“There’s nobody around. No one would be out in this deluge. Do kiss me, please.” She rubbed her body against his, deliberately trying to rouse him. “Anyway, you didn’t mind before, when we first got married. Do you remember that time, when you met my train at King’s Cross? You were so desperate for me, you slipped your hand under my blouse, right there on the platform!”

“That was a long time ago,” Jon’s face was grim. Tears gathered into an aching lump in Priscilla’s throat. “We were young and irresponsible.”

“I liked being irresponsible,” she declared, putting on the bratty air that used to amuse him. But she couldn’t bring a smile to his face. Firmly, he put her aside and pulled the oilcloth over his head.

“We’ll talk about this later, Priscilla. I’ve got to get to the fields.” She knew, though, that this conversation, like all the others about their private life together, would not be continued.

Get your copy from your favorite bookseller:

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0994WZP4B

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0994WZP4B

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1093764

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/monsoon-fever-lisabet-sarai/1139827649?ean=2940164960315

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/monsoon-fever-a-multicultural-romance

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58554176-monsoon-fever

Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!

A Pet Inspiration - #NewRelease #SecondChance #TimeTravel

By Jana Richards (Guest Blogger)

In my new release, I’LL BE SEEING YOU, apprentice angel Gabriel takes his client Frank Brennan back in time to Plymouth, England in 1944. Gabriel’s task is to give Frank a second chance at love with Claire Cartwright, the woman he fell in love with back then. Their relationship ended when Frank caught her kissing another man. He never again loved anyone the way he loved Claire.

So, they go back in time. Frank is once again a dashing twenty-four-year-old soldier. Though reluctant to trust Claire again, he agrees to talk to her. They meet at a dance at a recreation hall. When air raid sirens blast, Frank and Claire hurry to a bomb shelter with the rest of the attendees. One of Claire’s worries is for her cat. But it’s much more than that:

“I need to find my friends,” she said, her gaze frantically darting around the room. “I need to know they’re all right.”

“I’m sure they’re here somewhere. This was the closest shelter.”

Frank’s words didn’t seem to assure her. “My father is probably still at the hospital. The bombs don’t care if they hit a hospital.”

“You can check on him as soon as you get the chance.”

“Shasta’s at home alone. She’ll be terrified.”

“Shasta?” Frank asked, though he already knew the answer.

“My cat. She hates the air raids.”

Frank gently took Claire’s chin in his hand and made her look at him. “After the all-clear, I’ll walk you home and we’ll check on your cat. Do you have a telephone at your house?”

“Yes.”

“You can call your father from home and make sure he’s fine. But first we’ll find your friends.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Claire bowed her head. “You must think me a weepy, weak female. Here you are ready to risk your life and I’m worried about a cat.”

He lifted her chin once more. “I don’t think you’re weepy or weak. I think you care very much for your friends and family and all the things you love.”

“We British are supposed to be brave and stoic. Stiff upper lip and all that. Most of the time I can muddle through, but sometimes I can’t bear it.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so tired, Frank. I’m tired of war, I’m tired of the senseless killing and destruction, and I’m tired of being afraid.”

Since I have a calico cat, I decided to make Claire’s cat Shasta a calico, too. In this scene, Frank arrives at Claire’s house to take her on a picnic. Gabriel and Frank make a discovery about Shasta:

As he took the basket from Claire, a Calico cat ran out of the house and wound itself around Frank’s legs. Then she jumped off the step and sat directly in front of Gabriel, looking up at him as she meowed plaintively and very loudly.

Shoo. Go away, Kitty. Did this mean the cat could see him? Could all animals see him?

Thomas made a sudden appearance. Not all animals, but often the most sensitive ones with a deep attachment to a mortal.

Claire walked down the front steps and picked up the cat. “Shasta, you naughty girl. What’s got into you?”

Frank grinned. Must be your animal magnetism, Gabriel.

Shasta is obviously sensitive. I think people underestimate cats. We often think of them as standoffish, but many cats are as attached to people as dogs are. They also have way more personality than they’re often given credit for.

We adopted two sister calico cats, Leelou and Layla, when they were thirteen years old. At almost seventeen, Layla is still with us, but we lost Leelou last August at the age of sixteen. We miss her terribly. Leelou had personality plus and was very much a people cat. She loved cuddling and never missed an opportunity to sit on someone’s lap, usually mine. I always found her presence soothing, much like Claire’s father does in this scene. after he receives terrible news:

Dr. Cartwright stared unseeing into the fireplace but made no response to her question. Shasta, the calico cat, jumped onto the doctor’s lap and settled there, seeming to sense his distress. Gabriel could hear her purrs from across the room as the doctor absently stroked her.

I drew inspiration from my own pets when creating Claire’s cat, not only in Shasta’s coloring, but in her loving nature and her desire to comfort her humans. Rest in Peace, Leelou.

Blurb

When apprentice angel Gabriel takes Frank back in time for a second chance at love, they both learn lessons about trust.

Apprentice angel Gabriel Daniel’s first assignment in his quest to become a full-fledged angel is to give WW2 veteran, Frank Brennan, a second chance at love. With help from his mentor, senior angel Thomas, Gabriel takes Frank back to 1944 to Plymouth, England. There, Frank made his biggest mistake with love. His first time in 1944, Frank fell in love with Claire Cartwright, but when he found her kissing another man, he ended their relationship, despite Claire’s insistence things weren't as they appeared. This time around, Gabriel’s task is to convince Frank to trust in Claire’s love and fidelity, despite the evidence against her.

At the same time, Thomas takes Gabriel on a journey through his relationship with Sloane, the love of his mortal life. For the first time, Gabriel sees how his jealousy and distrust tainted their love.

Unless Gabriel persuades Frank to trust Claire, his goal of becoming a citizen of Heaven is doomed, along with his desire to watch over his mother and brother back on Earth. Frank has a complicated history that Gabriel must help him to confront before either of them gets what they need.

Excerpt

The man sat in the chair Gabriel had just vacated. “My name is Thomas, and this place is Heaven.” He pointed to the meadow outside the open door. “More specifically, the castle on the other side of the meadow is Heaven. This is a waiting room.”

Gabriel stared at him. This had to be a joke. Someone was really trying to put one over on him. Must be the guys in the AI department. Who else could pull off something as elaborate as this?

“Okay, where are we really? When is everybody going to pop out of the woodwork and yell ‘Surprise!’?”

Thomas folded his hands in his lap. “We’re in Heaven. Really.”

Impossible. He had to be in a hospital. Panic struck with his next thought. What if he was in a mental institution? Nothing scared him more than going down the same road his mother and brother had travelled.

“You don’t have to worry, Gabriel. You’re not in a hospital and you’re not in a mental institution. Your mental faculties are working fine. Better than fine, now that you’re here.”

Gabriel stepped back. “How did you know my name? How did you know what I was thinking?”

Thomas lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. He stood, and feathered wings, blazingly white and large enough for the tips to touch the ceiling, unfurled from his back and spread wide. “Because I’m an angel. When you become an angel, you’ll be able to read thoughts, too. And much more.”

Buy Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHSRWZWN

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0GHSRWZWN

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GHSRWZWN

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246835425-i-ll-be-seeing-you

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/i-ll-be-seeing-you-a-second-chance-time-travel-romance-twice-in-a-lifetime-series-book-1-by-jana-richards

About the Author

When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal.

When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren and a senior calico cat named Layla. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.janarichards.com

Blog: https://www.janarichards.com/blog

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janarichards155/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards

Amazon UK Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG

Newsletter Signup: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/k2b4c3

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janarichards155

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/janarichards.bsky.social

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274.Jana_Richards

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards

Neither will walk away unchanged – #DarkRomance #GothicRomance #Giveaway

Blurb

Lira was meant to die for the throne.

Cassian Vale was trained to be the blade that ended her.

But the moment he hesitates—one heartbeat, one breath—everything forbidden ignites.

Now the deadliest man in the Syndicate is the only thing standing between Lira and a prophecy that demands her blood. He should fear her. He should kill her. Instead… he can’t stop wanting her.

She’s the girl marked for sacrifice.

He’s the weapon shaped to obey.

Together, they become the spark that threatens to burn Obscura to ashes.

As Lira’s power awakens and the throne tightens its grip, their desire becomes its own kind of danger—raw, consuming, and impossible to survive untouched. Enemies hunt them. Shadows follow them. And the kingdom whispers one truth:

If Cassian doesn’t ruin her, she’ll ruin him.

A dark, seductive story of prophecy, power, and a love so intense it could topple a kingdom.

Excerpt

“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” Cassian said.

I didn’t stop.

“How should I look at you?” I asked, stepping closer, close enough to feel the heat rolling off his body. “Like a monster?”

His jaw clenched. “Like someone who can ruin you.”

I smiled. “You already have.”

His hand came up fast, pinning me to the wall—not violent, but unyielding. His body crowded mine, every inch of him a warning I ignored willingly.

“You don’t understand what you’re inviting,” he murmured.

“I understand exactly,” I said, fingers sliding into his coat, finding the steady thrum of his heart. “You don’t touch things you don’t intend to keep.”

His breath stuttered.

“Say that again,” he said.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

That was the moment he lost control.

His mouth crushed to mine, all restraint burned away, and the world narrowed to breath, skin, and the terrifying certainty that neither of us would walk away unchanged.

About the Author

Raven Storme writes dark, smut-heavy romance for readers who crave obsession, power struggles, and secrets whispered in the dark. Living in Pennsylvania, she’s been married for fourteen years and shares her life with fourteen dogs—because calm has never been her aesthetic.

Her debut series, The Obscura Syndicate, dives into forbidden desire, shadowy loyalties, and characters who blur every moral line. Raven believes love is messy, passion is dangerous, and the best stories live in the dark.

https://Ravenstorme.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@raven.storme

https://www.facebook.com/ravenstormeauthor/

https://www.instagram.com/smut.luvin.books

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Obscura-Syndicate-Dark-Gothic-Romance-ebook/dp/B0GH2HS8PW/ref=sr_1_1

Raven Storme will be awarding a signed paperback and book plate to a randomly drawn winner.

 

The meaning of home – #ScienceFiction #Giveaway #ReviewTuesday

Blurb

How far can you go before the silence breaks you?

Commander Solene Ellis has left Earth behind forever. Now she drifts through the void aboard the colony ship Nia Kvara, watching over 100,000 colonists in hibernation. Only Ava, the ship’s AI, keeps her company.

The voyage spans 3,000 years, but for Solene, time comes in fragments—fleeting moments of wakefulness between long, frozen sleeps. Hours blur into decades. Memories unravel. In the stillness, she begins to lose track not only of time, but of herself.

And solitude in deep space doesn’t stay quiet for long. Whispers echo where no one should be. Shadows shift just beyond her vision. A mysterious vessel appears in the void. Even Ava starts to act… strangely.

As reality fractures, Solene must face a terrifying question: is something out there hunting them—or has her own mind become the true threat?

For readers of literary science fiction, space horror, and character-driven psychological drama, HomeAdrift is a story of isolation, survival, and what it means to find home when there's nowhere left to go.

Excerpt

I’m floating, or maybe I’m not. It’s impossible to tell. There’s no sensation of movement, no whisper of air against skin, no gentle tug of gravity to anchor my existence. Here, in this place—or non-place— there is only the void. I open my eyes, or at least I think I do. But there’s no change, no shift in perception. No flicker of shadow or glimmer of light. It’s a uniform nothingness that stretches into infinity. There’s a comfort in this, a release from the burdens of identity and existence, the weightless freedom from being. Here, there’s no past to regret, no future to fear, no present to endure. There’s no sorrow, no joy, no pain⁠—⁠no feelings to feel. I am the void, and the void is me.

Review by Lisabet Sarai

What is the meaning of home? Is it the place you were born or where you grew up, a physical location whose familiar sights and sensations are imprinted on your spirit? Is home the people you love, the other lives that have entwined themselves with yours? Or can you find home in the memories you carry with you, wherever you go? And if home is memories, can those memories be trusted?

These questions lie at the heart of Soheil Mirchi’s ambitious first novel HomeAdrift. As the book opens, the starship Nia Kvara is about to leave Earth. The enormous vehicle carries a hundred thousand hibernating colonists hoping to escape an approaching supernova that will soon incinerate the planet. Only Commander Solene Ellis and the ship’s Artificial Intelligence agent Ava remain awake, tasked with protecting the huge, complex ship and its passengers over a planned three thousand year journey to a new home.

Indeed, Solene herself spends centuries in suspended animation as the ship’s engines twist space-time to jump from one galaxy to another. Each time she revives, in yet another distant star system, she faces new challenges, not just in maintaining the complex technological systems on which the ship depends but also from possible hostile forces. The most serious threats she confronts, however, come from within. When she sleeps, strange and terrifying dreams engulf her. When she wakes, she encounters anomalies that might well be hallucinations. Her fierce dedication to her mission is repeatedly tested as hopes and plans fall apart.

HomeAdrift paints a vivid portrait of isolation, desperation and loneliness. Although I was somewhat skeptical about the story’s premise (I find it difficult to believe that a man-made artifact could survive and function over 3000 years in deep space), the emotions that propel this tale are genuine and compelling. Cut off from every human connection, Solene drifts through the empty vacuum, clinging to what may be an empty dream of salvation. It’s hardly surprising that her mind starts to fray.

I admire the intensity and philosophical ambiguity that Soheil Mirchi brings to Solene’s story. I have to say, however, that I found the book rather uncomfortable to read, precisely because it does not shy away from terrifying possibilities and inescapable pain.

Solene’s odyssey does finally come to an end, but one is left with a sense that despite new possibilities, humanity also faces irrecoverable loss.

If you enjoy science fiction that goes beyond space opera, asking questions that aren’t necessarily easy to answer, do read HomeAdrift. It’s not light entertainment, but you’re unlikely to forget it.

About the Author

The world is overwhelming. The lives we chase, the norms we follow, the time we waste, and the dreams we forget. I write to process. To understand. To make sense of it all.

I write because I run into walls—again and again. Walls that stop me from speaking, from connecting.

So I write. It's how I find my way through.

My debut novel, HomeAdrift, is a story of isolation, identity, and survival—told through the lens of space, but rooted deeply in the human need for home.

https://www.soheilmirchi.com

https://www.amazon.com/author/soheilmirchi

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/57662208.Soheil_Mirchi

https://www.instagram.com/soheil.mirchi/

https://mybook.to/HomeAdrift

Soheil Mirchi will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

Friday Friends: Real people, real places – #FridayFriends #RealRomance @SadiraStone

Welcome to another installment of my Friday Friends feature, where I showcase members of my author community whom I particularly appreciate.

Today my spotlight falls on Sadira Stone (https://sadirastone.com/all-books/), one of my favorite romance authors. In a genre rife with stereotypes and tired tropes, Sadira’s books provide a breath of fresh air. Her distinctive characters don’t fit into neat little boxes. They’re not all young or beautiful, and very few of them are rich. Their ethnic backgrounds vary and contribute to who they are. Most importantly, their lives encompass more than just love and romance. They have jobs and career aspirations, often involving their own businesses. They have families, with all the messiness that can entail.

The other delightful aspect of Sadira’s books is their strong sense of place. She has several series, set in different locations: the Bangers Tavern books, focused around a funky bar and grill in Tacoma, Washington; the Trapper’s Cove novels, set in a picturesque beach town on the Oregon coast; Bookstore Nirvana, in the university town of Eugene, Oregon. Having read many of these books, I feel as though I’ve visited each of these places. Furthermore, place is often an important component of the plot in a Sadira Stone romance. Her characters struggle to retain the distinctive, individual quality of their home towns against the threat of gentrification.

Finally, I deeply admire Sadira’s ability to write steamy scenes that capture the special quality of making love to someone about whom you care deeply. Love and lust merge beautifully and seamlessly in her books, mere attraction yielding to deeper and more enduring feelings.

Oh, one more thing! Sadira likes to cook, so her books feature some delicious-sounding food. Be prepared to have your mouth water, and not just because of some hunky hero!

Of course, if you follow Beyond Romance, you already know about Sadira, since I’ve reviewed many of her books here. Here’s a sampling:

Delicious Heat (Bangers Tavern series)

 

After kicking her cheating husband to the curb, nurse Anna Khoury discovers she’s pregnant. When Bangers Tavern’s hunky chef makes heart eyes at her, she dismisses that delicious thrill as the last thing she needs. Single motherhood will take all her strength and focus. Anna’s battered heart can’t take another blow.

Chef Diego Vargas is aiming higher than burgers and tater tots. His dream—his own food truck, the Empanada Angel, but he’ll need his family’s support to pull it off. Meeting Anna leaves him thunderstruck, even though his attraction to her threatens all his plans. Call it fate, call him crazy, but he’s determined to prove he’s in it for keeps.

With a belligerent ex-husband and two overprotective families set on breaking them up, Anna and Diego will need more than red-hot passion to pull them through. His career and her baby’s future are on the line.

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a spicy tale of forbidden love that will warm your heart…and other parts…and make you hungry for empanadas! 

Review: https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2022/01/review-tuesday-moved-to-wednesday.html

Passionate Brew (Trapper’s Cove series)

 

Salty Dog Brewery is Ryan Lee’s pride and joy, but he can’t run it alone. When his head brewer retires on short notice, Ryan needs a replacement ASAP. Enter sultry, sharp-tongued Lilo, the brewer’s daughter and protegee. She’s smart, talented, and oh so tempting, but her weird niche beers are the last thing Salty Dog needs.

For the love of her dad, Lilo Eisinger reluctantly puts her ambitions on hold to help Ryan, the smug, handsome jerk she’s loathed since middle school. This new partnership could spark medal-winning opportunities for both of them, but her success depends on opening his narrow mind—and resisting the temptation to seduce the boss.

Working side by side ignites sizzling desire. But when a high-stakes craft beer competition arouses their fierce rivalry, can new love survive this battle of wills?

Review: https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2023/07/review-tuesday-passionate-brew-by.html

Through the Red Door (Book Nirvana series)

Clara

Unless I find a lifeline, my bookstore will close its doors forever. My best shot at saving Book Nirvana is my late husband’s collection of rare, racy books, but I’m not ready to open that red door and face the flood of memories. And I’m not ready to open my heart again, even if the two new men in my life tempt me to try.

Nick

I came to Book Nirvana in search of antique bawdy books and fell hard for lovely, lonely Clara. As a widower, I understand her skittishness, but the spark between us is undeniable. My academic connections could rebuild her clientele, but if she discovers my secret scandal, her fragile trust will shatter.

Dalton

I’m over the moon for beautiful, bookish Clara, but how can a teacher like me compete with a suave professor like Nick? Clara and I have so much in common, and our sweet friendship could bloom into something deeper if it weren’t for my rival’s grip on the vulnerable widow. I don’t trust him, and neither should she.

Come to Book Nirvana for chosen family, laughter and tears, sizzling passion, and a love triangle for the ages.

Review: https://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-tuesday-through-red-door-by.html

 

Sadira Stone

I hear that Sadira’s working on a brand new series, focused around the “tiny houses” movement. I’m looking forward to it!

You never ordered me to lie – #BDSMRomance #MFRWHooks #BoxedSet

Nothing is as romantic as surrender.

I’m sure many readers won’t agree with me – or won’t have a clue what I’m talking about. That’s the reason I love writing BDSM stories, though. It’s not about the trappings of dominance and submission – whips, paddles, bondage. It’s not about sex. The central thrill, for me, is the trust that is required when you submit to a master or mistress. The intensity of that connection – the gift of oneself – is what keeps pulling me back to my original genre.

Today I’ve got a brand new excerpt from Power and Persuasion. The book’s available wide, as a single title, but it’s also part of my BDSM romance boxed set Whips & Kisses, which is free on Kindle Unlimited.

This bit simply melts me. Maybe it will have the same effect on you.

Blurb

She’s his natural enemy – and the only woman who can satisfy him

Billionaire industrialist Andrew MacIntyre commands a vast empire of railroads, mines and mills. Labor activist Olivia Alcott is dedicated to helping the factory workers responsible for Andrew’s wealth. They are natural foes, but with complementary needs: his need to command and hers to surrender.

The Hook

Catherine MacIntyre watched him from halfway up the grand oval staircase, her hand on the gold-plated banister. She shook her head, her expression somber.

“Where in the name of heaven did you find her, Andrew? And what possessed you to invite her to this house?”

“It’s my house. I’ll invite whomever I please.”

“But a labor activist! How completely inappropriate! I’m sure the news is all over Newport by now. Boston and New York will know by tomorrow morning.”

“So what?” Andrew patted the pockets of his dinner jacket, seeking his cigarettes. “Why should I care?”

His mother sighed. “I expect we’ll have at least a few cancellations for the ball. People are afraid their reputations will be tarnished if they’re seen in the same room with someone like her.”

“What do you mean ‘someone like her’? She’s a perfectly delightful creature, beautiful, intelligent, well-spoken and polite despite where she comes from.”

“But Andrew—”

“I can buy and sell them all, Mother, and they know it. They’ll come to your gala because they go where the money goes. They want your favor, and mine. Mark my words, no one will cancel. They wouldn’t dare.”

Finally locating the embossed silver cigarette case, he removed one of the slim cylinders and stuck it between his lips. He was almost ready to light it right there in the massive, two-storey atrium as a gesture of defiance, but the genuine sorrow in his mother’s face stopped him.

“Everything will be fine, Mother. Don’t worry about Olivia—or about me. I know what I’m doing.” He headed for the darkened terrace, brandishing his box of matches. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

As he leaned on the granite balustrade, though, holding the fragrant smoke in his lungs and listening to the ocean sighing against the cliff, he wondered. What was he doing with Olivia? That afternoon, she’d pleased him beyond measure. He’d come down to dinner as excited as a kid at Christmas. The sight of her, resplendent in her finery, had only improved his mood. But the memory of her behavior at dinner reminded him how alien she was to his world. He couldn’t realistically imagine a future that included such a foreign creature, delicious as she was. After the weekend, she’d be gone, and he’d be faced once more with the odious requirement that he choose a spouse from among his peers.

“You seem pensive.” Olivia glided up to stand beside him, gazing into the night. Her scent had him half hard in seconds. “Are you feeling guilty? Contemplating the immorality of your life?”

“Miss Alcott, it is you who should feel guilty. You managed to completely disrupt my poor mother’s dinner. She’s quite distressed.” He bent to bury his nose in her soft curls. He couldn’t help himself.

“I regret having caused her pain, but someone needs to tell the truth about this life of yours. It’s a bit obscene. You have everything you could desire. You can do whatever you want.”

“Do you think so? I’ve far fewer choices than you’d imagine—as you saw this evening. I’m shackled by wealth and privilege, imprisoned in a kind of gilded cage. Before I do anything, I must consider the expectations of family and society.”

“Can you not consider sharing with the poor unfortunates upon whom your wealth is founded?” Her face was shadowed, but her voice was like music.

“Are you lobbying for that extra dollar in wages, Miss Alcott?” Slipping his arm around her back, he stroked the side of her breast through the velvet.

“That was, if you recall, a part of our bargain.”

He ran his finger down her neck, along her collarbone and into the hollow between her breasts, all bared by the evening gown. She shivered and pressed against him.

“I’ll think about it, Olivia. Meanwhile, what about your part of the bargain? Your agreement to follow my orders in every particular? You weren’t very obedient this evening.”

“You never ordered me to lie—sir.” She gazed up at him. Now, finally, he could see the sparkle in her eyes. “However, if you feel I deserve it, well then, you must punish me.”

Andrew took her arm and led her back into the echoing halls of Wavecrest. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

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