Surrendering to the dragon – #BDSMRomance #ShifterRomance #FatedMates

Blurb

When a dark coven enchants the victims into sexual obedience, all hell breaks loose – literally.

Hope Wigfield has billions in the bank, a genius-level IQ, and a stubborn streak a mile, wide. What she doesn’t have is a belief in magic. But when she’s abducted, stripped, and caged at a dark coven’s slave auction, the monsters of her nightmares become terrifyingly real…

Enter Flynn Hemsworth. Former military captain, survivor of horrific experiments, and host to a blood-hungry dragon demon. He buys Hope to save her, but his inner beast demands he claim her forever. Flynn is dangerous, dominant, and the sexiest man Hope has ever met.

When they uncover the coven master’s plot to use harvested demon blood to launch a nuclear strike, Hope and Flynn are thrust into a deadly race against time. The only way to survive is to unlock the dormant magic burning in Hope’s blood—a power that can only be unleashed through absolute, breathless surrender to the dragon who calls her mate.

Publisher's Note: Dark Fire and Diamonds includes explicit sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

Release date: November 5^th

Pre-order today!

Buy Links

Amazon USA https://bit.ly/4f13uP1

Amazon UK https://bit.ly/4yMrzjA

Amazon Canada https://bit.ly/4zTICBm

Amazon Australia https://bit.ly/4eztJMg

Or READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Excerpt (Explicit BDSM)

He’d love and dominate her until her defenses splintered into a million pieces. A small smile played over his lips. He’d enjoy this, although he couldn’t say the same for his soulmate. After selecting a paddle—one coated in dimpled rubber like a table tennis bat—he smacked it against her backside. Her surprised yelp delighted his demon. Claim her. Burn her. Do it now.

He loved how his paddle left a tiny checkerboard pattern on her ass. Another resounding slap, and momentum lifted her feet off the ground. As she swung in her bonds, she let out a needy moan as she swung from her cuffs. The tops of her legs glistened as her cum spilled onto them. Eyes glazed, she struggled to stay on her feet. Another thwack of his paddle against her bare bottom, and her head fell forward. “We shouldn’t. We mustn’t, but oh god, Flynn, don’t stop. I want. I need.”

Her voice turned softer, edged with submission and desire. Flynn could tease and torment her like this forever, but back in the huge cavern where Montgomery once kept the demons prisoner, William lay dying. Desperate to release her magic, the demon coiled around his soul screamed, Bite her. Burn her. Make her ours.

He loved seeing the patchwork of red squares on her slender behind, but burning her was a step too far. And as for the biting—forget it. Wolf demons came with fangs. Dragon demons came with fire.

He stroked his fingers through her pussy, found her clit, and toyed with it until she trembled and begged for more. “Don’t stop. I need your cock thrusting inside me. Stop teasing and screw me. Please.”

“Such a demanding little girl.” He ran his tongue down her jugular vein and inhaled her sweet toffee apple essence. Here, in this borrowed BDSM playroom, her soft, submissive moans thrilled him. Unable to resist her, he nuzzled her neck. “Mine. My soulmate.”

She breathed out with a sob. “Yes. Yours.”

Naked, balanced on tiptoe, arms chained overhead, feet pushed wide by the spreader bar, she tried to ride his fingers. His body burned for her. He’d never needed a woman the way he needed Hope. Without her to soothe his dragon’s murderous soul, it would unleash death and destruction on the world. He wasn’t sure he cared enough to stop it.

He needed to claim her and free her magical energy—and since William’s life depended on it—he needed to do it fast. Dropping his paddle, he moved in front of her and pumped two fingers in and out of her pussy.

The way she met him thrust on thrust, always taking him deeper, sent his sex drive into overload. Replacing his fingers with his cock, his pumped so deep inside her, he didn’t know where he finished and she began. His demon purred with delight, and for once, so did he. When she clenched her pussy around him, his dragon shrieked with delight. Ours. Only ever ours.

He came with a yell. Sperm shot from his cock, filling her pussy, mingling with her sweet cum and flooding her inner thighs. He stroked her hand and her back as he waited for her powers to manifest. But they didn’t.

Determined to push things to her limits, he thrust his middle finger into her tight bottom hole. “I don’t… I can’t… Oh God, that’s so wicked, but it feels so good. I need you so much, but Gramps…”

Her muscles turned to jelly as he pumped his finger in and out of her. Then he thrust another finger inside her.

“That’s too much. It burns, but in a good way. Flynn, your cock will never fit in there.”

He bit gently on her earlobe. “I’m claiming this tight little rosebud entrance of yours before you leave this room. Then you’re mine completely.”

About Kryssie Fortune

Kryssie lives by the beach and loses track of time when she writes. Her days are full of dashing regency rakes, former soldiers so handsome they make her drool, and the sexiest werewolves ever. The odd vampire makes it in there too, but when he does, he’s drop dead gorgeous. And now the world’s sexiest dragon has crept onto the list.

Her pet hates are unhappy endings and cliff hangers. She guarantees you won’t find either in her books. Her books sizzle with sensual heat, but story always comes before sex. Even when part of a series, her books can be read as stand-alone romance.

 

Kryssie Fortune Social Media

Website https://kryssiefortune.wixsite.com/romance

Blog http://kryssiefortune.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter https://twitter.com/KryssieFortune

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KryssieFortune

Pinterest http://bit.ly/1OGFnjc

Goodreads http://bit.ly/2kxqabJ

Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/2hA0ZVO

Her heart belongs to a penniless viscount – #HolidayRomance #RegencyRomance

Blurb

Miss Philippa Selverton is given an ultimatum: marry a rich man or become a companion to her aunt. Pippa can no longer be a burden to her impoverished family, and she would prefer to marry rather than become an unpaid servant. The problem is her heart already belongs to a penniless viscount.

After his father’s financial mismanagement, Lord Tristan Camberwick’s estate is failing. Despite the viscount’s best efforts to improve his income, it seems he has no choice but to find a rich wife. Unfortunately, Tristan’s heart only wants Philippa.

An invitation to a Christmas house party should allow Pippa and Tristan to find wealthy spouses. But how can they court a suitable partner when the only one they want stands across the room looking back?

Series Blurb

In a glittering Season of Invitations, society’s most sought-after house parties open their doors to dukes, debutantes, and dangerous secrets. From elegant estates to intimate country gatherings, each invitation promises scandal, temptation, and unexpected romance, with stories ranging from clean to gently steamy, where whispered wagers, hidden pasts, and carefully arranged matches may lead not to ruin, but to love.

Series Link: Season of Invitations (11 book series) Kindle Edition

Universal Link

https://books2read.com/A-Christmas-Miracle-BiancaWhite

Excerpt

“What do you mean—become a governess?”

Miss Selverton fiddled with her shears. “I did not intend…” She looked up. “If I do not find a husband, I plan to become a governess instead of a companion.”

“You cannot do that! You are far too beau—” Dear Lord, he must learn to hold his tongue in her presence. He cleared his throat and said, “You are far too kind-hearted to be a governess. Others may take advantage of you.” Some randy cove, a lusty lord or his wastrel offspring, may abuse his power over her and—his fists clenched at the possibility that she would be alone and unprotected.

Miss Selverton snipped at more trailing ivy. “Unfortunately, I have few options. Mr Abernathy is respectable, and I cannot afford to be fastidious.”

“You do not care for him, then.” The tension in his chest eased, and he leaned against the tree. “You deserve better.”

“It does not matter that I do not care for him. I find him excellent company, and I am certain we will grow to be friends in time.”

“Friends,” he muttered. “Do you mean friends like we are friends?”

“This is a pointless conversation, Lord Camberwick.” Miss Selverton moved on to the next holly bush. “We must both marry someone rich. Perhaps it is best that we do not continue as friends.”

“Do you expect me to watch you be courted by another?”

“Yes.” She paused her pruning. “I must do the same for you. What else is there to be done? If you have found any alternative solutions to our problem, then, by all means, offer your suggestions.”

He stepped towards her.

She raised her chin in defiance.

They were too close, but his feet must have become tangled in the undergrowth, for they would not move. His gaze dropped from her deep-brown eyes to the pink tip of her delicate nose, then to her plump lips. What would they taste like? Every fibre in his being craved their touch. Drawn by the tempting flesh, he leaned closer.

“Hurrah!”

They jerked backwards at the cry.

Another voice rang through the trees. “We have found it!”

Tristan’s breath spread in wispy plumes before him. “I apologise.” He willed his pounding heart to calm.

Miss Selverton only nodded and headed towards the cries of merriment. 

 

 

About the Author

Bianca White will sweep you into her character-driven stories featuring witty banter and immersive historical details.

Her degree in history means she enjoys researching her novels too much and regularly gets lost down a rabbit hole. Her ‘research’ is often used as an excuse to drag members of her family around every stately home and castle wherever they go. Nothing can keep her away from a historical fashion exhibition.

When not writing, Bianca feeds her own romance addiction. She loves stories with droll dialogue, endearing rogues and determined heroines. If you love those too, then you’re in for a treat.

Bianca lives in Yorkshire, UK, with her husband and two children.

More from Bianca White

If you would like more from Bianca White, then sign up for her mailing list. Every month she sends a newsletter and a blog post featuring her research. You’ll also get a FREE Regency romance short story, The Abandoned Bride, so you can get a taste of her writing.

Welcome to Bianca White Writes - Bianca White Writes

https://linktr.ee/biancawhitewrites

Follow Bianca on:

Facebook

Instagram

A Halloween Dance with the Devil – #Halloween #Giveaway #EroticRomance

Greetings! It’s Halloween at last, and I’m celebrating with a final Month of Magic giveaway. Today I’m featuring my erotic romance Damned If You Do, which has a really dramatic scene that takes place on Halloween. You’ll find an excerpt below.

I will give away two free ebook copies of this book to randomly selected people who leave comments. (By the way, if you’re an audiobook lover, see the links below.)

Blurb

Sometimes romance can be hell

Wendy Dennison is tired of being a starving author. The royalties from her critically acclaimed romance novels barely pay her bills. Her devoted agent Daniel Rochester may be smart and sexy, but he can't get her the sales she needs. Then a charismatic stranger appears at her coffee shop table, promising her fame and commercial success, as well as the chance to live out her dreams of erotic submission. But at what cost?

Nothing you can't afford to lose, my dear.

Seduced by the enigmatic Mister B, she signs his infernal contract. He becomes both her Master and her coach, managing her suddenly flourishing career as well as encouraging her lusts. Under her mentor’s nefarious influence, she surrenders to temptation and has sex with Daniel. The casual encounter turns serious when she discovers her mild mannered agent has a dominant side. As the clock ticks down to her blockbuster release and Mister B prepares to claim her soul, Wendy must choose either celebrity and wealth, or obscurity and true love.

Halloween Excerpt (Rated R)

Buzzing voices rose and fell around her, punctuated with occasional laughter. The rest of the guests seemed a million miles away. “I’ve got to get some air,” she said to nobody in particular. Swaying a bit, from intoxication or maybe just weariness, she made her way to the sliding doors that led to the balcony.

As the insulated glass shut tight behind her, the voices died away. Up here on the thirty-sixth floor, traffic noise wasn’t really audible either. It was quiet as the proverbial grave. Wendy felt a vague sense of relief.

A humid breeze stirred her hair, carrying a faint tidal scent from the harbor. The weather was unseasonably warm; even with bare arms she wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. She leaned against the railing, gazing out over the glittering skyscrapers of the greatest city on earth. They looked close enough to touch.

She’d finally arrived. She’d reached the pinnacle of success she’d craved for so long. The book had sold a quarter of a million copies on its very first day. One guest this evening had showed her a photo he’d take earlier that day. The line outside Barnes and Noble stretched around the block—all her fans waiting for the store to open. In the next weeks and months, there’d be records broken, movie deals, awards and franchises. Gwen Diamante would be a household name.

It was everything she’d fantasized about, and more.

So why did she feel so empty?

I’m just tired, she told herself. Too many appearances. Too many photos. I’m a writer, not a rock star. I need to get home and get back to work.

With all her public relations responsibilities, she was behind schedule on Utterly Owned. She needed a solid two weeks, without distractions, to get back on track. She couldn’t afford to let up the pressure.

Wendy knew how the publishing business worked. Now that she’d proved her value, Harbison Frost would push her harder. For the next book, they’d expect half a million copies on Day 1. Her readers would demand more, too.

All at once, she felt so exhausted she could barely stand. Weak and sick, she closed her eyes and leaned against the waist-high, brushed steel rail that separated her from the abyss beyond.

“Gwen, my dear! What are you doing out here?”

Mister B didn’t come from inside. She would have heard the party noise as he opened the door. He simply appeared beside her, as he had that first day in the coffee shop.

He wore a tuxedo with a purple brocade cummerbund, and shiny black shoes with pointed toes. His tourmaline eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness. When he strode closer to settle an arm around her shoulders, his movements had a taut, ferocious energy, like the tread of a panther. Despite her tiredness, arousal flickered through her, curling into a glowing knot in her pelvis.

“Too many people in there,” she replied, extricating herself from his companionable embrace. “And I’ve drunk too much as well. I wish I were at home, away from all this.”

“I’m afraid I can’t grant you that wish, not tonight. We have business to attend to—as I’m quite certain you recall.” His chuckle sent a chill down her spine. “You wanted fame, my dear. This sort of public performance is part of the price. However, I should think you’d find some consolation in your bank balance.”

He stepped behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and pulled her buttocks toward his lean hips. He was hard. He was always hard. Wendy cursed her traitorous body as excitement flooded her pussy. She was like Pavlov’s dog, salivating in response to a meaningless stimulus.

He rubbed his erection against her satin-sheathed buttocks. She struggled not to squirm. Honestly, she didn’t want to encourage him. But then, what she wanted hardly mattered.

“So tonight…you’re going to take my soul?” she murmured as he sucked and nipped at the tender skin of her neck, just above his diamond-studded gift.

“Don’t think about that part, my sweet. Focus on the pleasure.” One of his hands crept up to cradle her breast. The other raised her skirt. He hooked the elastic of her lacy panties and dragged them down to bare her rear cheeks.

“No, don’t…” She struggled in his clutches as he exposed her. “Please, not here!” A finger slid down her rear crevice and tickled her sphincter. “No—wait…!”

“I’m going to consummate our agreement in the most appropriate manner, my dear. With my cock splitting your tight ass.”

“No!” Somehow she found the strength to wrench herself from his grip. She backed away, into the corner where the rail made a right angle. “Get away from me!”

Mister B put his hands on his hips and shook his head, his expression one of wounded disbelief. “I’m surprised at you. After all we’ve been through together, you reject me? Do you really want to give it all up? The adoring fans? The five star reviews? The fat advances and the hefty royalties?”

“Um…no, no, that’s not what I’m saying…” Panic swept through her. To lose everything she’d worked for? Unthinkable. At the same time, she couldn’t bear to have him touch her.

“Make up your mind, Gwen.” With each step he took in her direction, he seemed to grow taller. “It’s almost midnight.”

She cowered against the balustrade as he came closer, her mind whirling with contradictory desires. Alcohol, fear, and lust combined to muddle her thoughts.

Now he loomed over her, his teeth bared, his face a horrible, leering mask. A whiff of sulfur burned her nostrils. “Don’t resist me, woman. Give me your body. Give me your soul!”

He reached for her with taloned fingers. She stumbled, tripped by the panties he’d pulled halfway down her thighs, and fell against the pane of glass that extended from the railing to the balcony floor. Impossibly, the glass shattered into a million shards. All at once she was teetering on the edge, her frantic grip on the cold steel the only thing keeping her from an endless, deadly fall.

“Get back!” she screamed. “If you touch me, I’ll jump!”

He released a chilling laugh. A sudden, frigid wind whipped her hair into her eyes and numbed her fingers. “That will work, too. Suicides are automatically mine.”

“Leave me alone! Please…”

“You can send me away. All you have to do is say the words. But you won’t. I know you won’t. Because in fact, Gwen, you’ve already relinquished your soul.”

The wind howled in her ears. She scarcely heard it. An awful quiet crept over her. She realized, all at once, that he’d spoken the truth. In her single-minded pursuit of fame, she’d willingly jettisoned her friends and neglected her family. Blinded by the sparkle of wealth, she’d bulldozed over everything and everyone that blocked her path. She’d chosen commercial success over art, manipulation over sincerity, shallow pleasure over love. She’d become, as Daniel had accused, a cold bitch who cared about nothing but herself.

No wonder she felt so empty.

 

Buy Links (Ebook)

Kinky Literature: https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/713-damned-if-you-do/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PSN7XGX

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09PSN7XGX

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/damned-if-you-do-lisabet-sarai/1126292735?ean=2940165738319

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1124531

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/damned-if-you-do-12

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35009284-damned-if-you-do

Buy Links (Audio)

Narrated by Audrey Lusk

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Damned-If-You-Do/dp/B078NC1MGN/

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Erotica-Sexuality/Damned-If-You-Do-Audiobook/B078NC27YX/

If you leave a comment you could win a free copy!

No costume can hide who you really are – #FreeBook #Halloween #BDSMEroticRomance

My Halloween treat for you: a sexy erotic romance featuring a long-established kinky couple. For the next few days, you can get Coming in Costume entirely free at all outlets except Amazon, where the book is 99 cents. (Amazon doesn’t let me discount the price to zero, unfortunately.)

Blurb

When her dominant husband Greg proposes that they attend a company Halloween gala, Isabella is too excited to be suspicious. Unlike her introverted master, she adores parties and dressing up. Only after they arrive does Bella learn her Dom has planned a kinky, semi-public scene involving both pain and pleasure―a Halloween masque that includes a starring role for Greg’s best friend James.

This volume includes two bonus stories featuring the same characters. In Silver Bells, Greg gives his long-time friend James a spectacular Christmas gift―Isabella’s body and obedience. In On the Beach, the two dominants join forces to chastise Bella for her lack of self-control in coming without permission―and to reward her for her willing surrender.

Free until November 1^st at all non-Amazon stores!

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/bpPl9J

Amazon (99 cents): http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Costume-Lisabet-Sarai-ebook/dp/B017A4L2KK/

Excerpt (Rated R)

“On the desk, Miss Archer. Arms out, palms flat.”

I should have realized Greg had something up his sleeve. Normally he hates big parties. His work requires him to interact with all sorts of people, but I know he finds it stressful. To relax he prefers more—how should I put it?—intimate gatherings. So I really should have understood he had some deviant plan in mind when he told me about the Halloween masquerade.

“Samson-Sewell Advertising—you know, Bella, they’re one of our biggest accounts—anyway, they’re throwing a huge Halloween party. Pulling out all the stops, I gather, to impress their clients. They’ve actually hired the Roosevelt Rotunda at the Natural History Museum for the event. I’m surprised that’s even possible, but I guess money talks, and these days they’ve got plenty. Which is great for our firm, of course.”

“And you’re going?” I looked up from my breakfast to scan my husband’s darkly handsome face. A half-smile played on his lips.

“We’re both going. It’s next Saturday night. And they want everyone to come in costume.”

I clapped my hands in delight and his grin broadened. Greg knows how much I adore costumes and role-playing. “Oh, wonderful! Maybe we can go as a pirate and his captive! Or the sheik and the harem girl… Or how about a Roman aristocrat and his slave?”

“You want everyone to know you’re my sub? My filthy, kinky, obedient slut?” He revved the motor of the vibe strapped to my clit. I moaned and clenched my muscles, struggling against orgasm. Fortunately, he released the switch before I lost control.

“Greg—sir—please!” I gasped. “It’s Halloween. The one night we can be someone else!”

“Sounds to me like you want to show off your true self, Bella.”

“I—you know, I just like to play with those fantasies.” Rising from the table, I went to hug him, moving carefully so as not to dislodge the BenWa balls he’d slipped into my pussy before we got out of bed. “But we can wear less—um—revealing costumes if you prefer.”

He nuzzled my hair; I burrowed deeper into the warmth of his arms “I guess that might be better,” I continued, fighting to keep the disappointment out of my voice. “For your business and all.”

“Leave the costumes to me.” His lips grazed mine, triggering a sweet spasm between my legs even though the vibrator was off. “You’ll be pleased, I promise. Trust me, love.”

“You know I do, sir. Always.”

Greg had more than made good on his promise, dressing us as a schoolgirl and her stern professor. I loved the short, pleated skirt of green plaid and the crisp white blouse with the Peter Pan collar the minute I laid eyes on them. Matching knee socks and black Mary Janes completed the outfit. Underneath—somewhat to my surprise—Greg insisted I wear simple white cotton panties and a stretchy training bra that didn’t quite contain my woman’s breasts. I braided my hair, tying the plaits with matching Kelly green ribbons. The final look was sassy, even suggestive, but perfectly decent. Still, the way the skirt swished against the back of my thighs made me imagine, a bit wistfully, what it would be like to be bare underneath. I pushed the thought away, determined to act respectable if that was what my husband required.

As for his costume—well, it really didn’t matter what Greg wore. He always looked devastating. He’d gone for a bookish style: a white shirt with thin blue stripes open at the throat under a corduroy jacket with, believe it or not, suede elbow patches. He must have scoured the thrift stores to find that relic, but it really fit the part. A slide rule case was strapped to his belt. Glasses with dark plastic frames sat on his nose. His black locks were deliberately mussed.

His clothes didn’t really matter, though. What made his costume convincing was his serious, even severe expression—his aura of total authority. No one could look at him without immediately understanding that he was in charge.

Don’t miss out on your Halloween treat!

I gave them what they needed – #Halloween #HauntedMotel #MFRWHooks

It’s only a few short days until Halloween. My Book Hooks post for today takes place on All Hallow’s Eve, and captures, I hope, some of the magic of that special night. The story, Rendezvous, is on sale for only 99 cents until the end of the month.

Blurb

I am who I am, and I know what you want.

Rebecca believes in magic. She has never lost her childhood love of Halloween, when she can don a costume and step away from her boring, ordinary self. For one night, she transforms into someone else – someone mysterious, daring, sensual and seductive.

When All Hallow’s Eve finds her stranded at a seedy motel a hundred miles from her friend's annual party, she is desperately disappointed. Then she discovers that her room is haunted by the invisible but unquestionably virile ghost of a rake who seduced local women nearly half a century earlier.

The Hook

Perhaps I could call him. I'd always read that spirits could be summoned, and he must be a spirit, or something similar. “Hello? Sir?” I listened to the silence. A train whistle wailed faintly in the distance, a lonely sound in the empty night. “Please, I didn't mean to send you away. You can come back, if you want to.”

I paused, and was astonished to discover tears in my eyes. “Please, sir. Won’t you give me another chance?”

There was no answer. I sighed. What did I expect? Perhaps the whole thing was the result of my overactive imagination, and my long months without a boyfriend. But what about the bite, the blood? I laid back wearily against the pillow, forearm over my eyes. It was going to be a long night.

“I'm here, Rebecca.” His voice, warm, welcoming, challenging, at the bedside.

My eyes flew open. Of course I saw nothing, but when I reached out my hand, it encountered solid flesh, encased, it seemed, in leather.

“You came back!” My heartbeat accelerated. New moisture seeped out of me.

“You called me. I had to come.”

“But...who are you?”

“Most of my lovers called me Tony. A few called me 'Master'.” I heard him sigh. “How long ago that was! The Ranch wasn't such a dump, in those days. I could make this room a chamber of delights. Or a heart-stopping dungeon.”

“You used to come here?”

“They would meet me here at the motel. The frustrated housewife. The waitress stuck in her dreams. The college girl back for the holidays and wondering how she would bear two weeks of hometown hell.”

“And you...?”

“I knew what they wanted. My insight, my power, my discipline. I gave them what they needed.”

I couldn't believe that I was having this conversation with an empty chair. But maybe I wouldn't have been brave enough, if I'd had to look into his eyes. “What did you do to them?”

“I bound them and beat them. Teased and tortured them. Sometimes I'd use candle wax, or clothes pins, or some lewdly cylindrical vegetable that stretched them to the point of pain. I told them what horny sluts they were. Finally, I fucked them and gave them the release that they craved.”

“And then? What happened?”

“They came, of course. Moaning, wailing, calling my name.”

“No, I mean...what finally happened? Why are you in my room?”

He gave a short, despairing laugh. “Halloween night, 1962. Someone tipped off the owner of the gun and tackle shop in Cottonwood Falls. He found me here with his wife, and blew my head off. Poor Loretta. I'll never forget her screams. Of course, she was tied to the bed, so she couldn't do anything to stop him.”

I swallowed hard. I was so turned on that I forgot to be frightened.

“Murdered! And now you're condemned to haunt this room forever?”

“So it seems. I really don’t know. I never remember, when I appear, what happened the last time I was here.”

“You won't remember me.” The thought was like a knife in my chest.

“Most likely not, Rebecca.” I could imagine him smiling, sadly.

“How—can you read my mind? Is that how you know my name?” I blushed furiously. If he could hear my thoughts, he'd know all the wild, wicked things I was picturing at the moment.

“I read your credit card when you checked in.” He laughed. “I don't seem to possess any powers now that I didn't have when I was alive.” I felt his cool palm briefly caress my cheek. “But I'll bet that I can tell you what you're thinking now.”

 

Rendezvous is only 99 cents until Halloween, as part of my Month of Magic. Find the buy links on my website: https://www.lisabetsarai.com/rendezvousbook.html

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

Review Tuesday: Unnatural Encounters 2 by Rachel MacKenzie - #Erotica #Fantasy #ReviewTuesday

Unnatural Encounters 2: A Collection of Short Tales by Rachel MacKenzie

Available exclusively at The Quivering Quill: https://thequiveringquill.com

Rachel MacKenzie sounds like the name of a primary school teacher.

Believe me, she’s not. On the contrary, Ms. MacKenzie writes original, explicit, bisexual fantasy erotica, frequently with polyamorous themes. She’s a fan of science fiction, sword-and-sorcery, women warriors, lusty nerds and highly civilized dragons.

My first experience with Ms. MacKenzie’s writing was her debut epic, Prophecy and the Painted. This brave and brazen opus incorporates all of the elements mentioned above. I loved it. When I was offered the opportunity to review this collection, I was curious to discover how well her interests (or perhaps you might term them obsessions!) translate to the short story form.

My general conclusion is: very well indeed. Unnatural Encounters is perhaps unfortunately titled, as there’s nothing really unnatural about many and varied couplings featured in these pieces... as long as you keep an open mind. These tales are literate, clever, slyly humorous in some cases, unapologetically romantic in others.

I liked all the tales in the book, with the possible exception of the Lord of the Rings parody “Scored with the Ring”. There have been, after all, innumerable Tolkien parodies, though this one does have a few cute twists.

My two favorite stories were “Challenge Given, Lawfully Accepted” and “How Hera Got Her Groove Back”. In the former, a space-captain turned diplomat is forced to engage in a duel with a testy but buff alien whom she has unintentionally insulted. She has the right to choose the weapons for this contest, and in a desperate attempt to avoid bloodshed, chooses sexual congress. Whoever comes first is the loser!

The latter is a mash-up of several mythological traditions, as Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage and the wife of eternally philandering Zeus, engages her Egyptian counterpart Isis in some erotic explorations of her own. This story had me laughing out loud as it brought in a wide range of familiar characters as well as some independent body parts.

Each story in the book is preceded by a brief and often personal introduction which provides some insight into the author’s inspiration and the story’s history. Usually I don’t like this sort of content; I’d rather draw my own independent conclusions, rather than being primed. However, in this case the introductions enhanced my appreciation of the stories. This was especially true of “The Gamesman and the Librarian”, the only non-explicit tale in the collection. The author almost apologizes for stopping at the level of erotic tension, without consummation. On the contrary, I found this a pleasing contrast with the sexual free-for-alls that characterize most of these stories.

If you’re offended by messy and extreme sex scenes involving humans, gods, dragons, elves, dwarves, minotaurs, vampires, werewolves, aliens and anyone else who happens by, don’t read this book. On the other hand, if this long list of participants just whets your interest, get yourself a copy today.

Charity Sunday: Healing the wounds of war – #Ukraine #Halloween #CharitySunday

Welcome to Charity Sunday for October. On the last Sunday of each month, I showcase a worthy cause here at Beyond Romance, and commit to donating to that charity for each comment I receive. It’s my small attempt to increase awareness about the many ways people work, worldwide, to improve the lot of humanity. My hope is that some of the people who visit will be inspired to give a bit of themselves: to share the post with their friends, to make their own donations, to think about the lot of people who might be less fortunate, to reach out... to share their own unique light.

Meanwhile I also include an excerpt, so that the post can do double duty as a marketing effort. I do this largely to attract visitors and to encourage other authors to join the event.

If you want to be notified about Charity Sundays, please join my VIP email list. Just click here: https://lisabetsarai.eo.page/kqyq4

Everyone who subscribes gets a free copy of my paranormal erotic romance The Eyes of Bast.

My selected charity today is Voices of Children Ukraine. It has now been more than five years since Russia attacked Ukraine; day after day, the war grinds on. It’s hard for everyone, but children especially suffer. Instead of the security they need and deserve, they have uncertainty and fear. Many have lost parents or other family members. Tens of thousands are internally displaced, forced to evacuate when their homes are destroyed.

 

Voices of Children provides support and therapy for some of these children. They work with a range of other philanthropic partners to make contact with children at risk, to evaluate their needs, and to provide safe spaces for these kids to live and to grow.

Please spend a bit of time at their website. You may never have heard of them before, but I think that, like me, you’ll find their work inspiring.

I will donate two dollars to Voices of Children for every comment I receive on this post between today and the next Charity Sunday event.

Since I’ve already mentioned The Eyes of Bast above, I’ll give you a sneak peek into that book. It’s actually perfect for Halloween, featuring as it does a cat shifter, a curse, and a powerful, thoroughly evil sorceress.

Blurb

When instinct tells Shaina to visit the feral cat trap she’s set in Central Park, she listens to that inner voice. The sleek black cat she finds has a terrible secret. Tom is an unwilling shape shifter, cursed by a sorceress who craved a human plaything. Shaina vows to defeat the vicious but seductive witch and save the man she believes is her soul mate—though it might mean losing him forever.

Rave Reviews for The Eyes of Bast

The Eyes of Bast is hard to put down once you start reading it. Between highly arousing sex scenes and nail-biting suspense, it'll keep you turning pages until the very satisfying ending. ~ Ria Restrepo, Amazon (5 stars)

What I DO want is extremely hot sex between one man and one woman, and plenty of it, as they fall in love. And WOW! Does this book have that! ~ Fiona McGier, Amazon (5 stars)

Lisabet brings it all together seamlessly: mystery, thriller, paranormal, black magic, shape shifting, smoldering sensuousness, hot, hot sex and a touching love story. This one has it all. Really enjoyed it. ~ Max Lemberger, Amazon (5 stars)

I picked up this novella, meaning to read the first chapter or two in the time I had before I had to be somewhere. Needless to say, I read a lot more than I intended, and I was very late. ~ Cheyenne Blue, Goodreads (5 stars)

Excerpt (Rated R)

By the time we emerged from the theater, dusk was near. We parted at the subway, she heading downtown, me heading up. The train was crowded with people dressed up for the evening. Everyone seemed so cheerful. I couldn’t help but smile.

I slipped my key into the front door of my building, thinking about ordering Chinese for dinner. All at once, I heard someone call my name. I glanced around. Aside from an old woman walking her golden retriever, the sidewalk was empty.

Weird. But then it had been a weird twenty-four hours.

Go check the old elm.

I swear, the voice was clear as crystal in my mind. Lack of sleep, I told myself. Or stress. The cage is still in my apartment. There won’t be anything there. But the urge to go back just wouldn’t let go.

Trust your instincts. With a sigh, I turned and headed for the park, pulling my mace out of my purse as I walked.

The sky was still light enough for me to see shapes and shadows, even under the trees. As I’d expected, the area beneath the elm was empty, the grass trampled from my previous visit. Of course, no cats revealed themselves. If there were ferals around, they’d be hiding in the underbrush, wary of my scent and the sounds I made, despite my attempts to move quietly.

Tom wasn’t afraid of me. The thought made me ache. He’d been such a gorgeous, affectionate cat. I hoped he was okay.

“Hello.” The voice was male, low and throaty. I jumped and whirled around.

A man stood behind me, a fairly young man with sleek, dark skin and a wide, shy smile. Although his body appeared to be fit and muscular, he held himself in an awkward manner, as if he had some subtle handicap. His arms hung at his sides, his hands clenching and unclenching as though he didn’t quite know what to do with them.

I gripped my mace more tightly. He didn’t appear at all threatening, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

“Um—what are you doing here?”

“Nothing, nothing…” He shrugged and scratched the curly black locks that covered his head. “I heard your voice. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

Had I spoken aloud? I returned his smile, still uncertain whether I should trust him. “I’m fine. Just taking a walk.”

“It’s not safe here after dark, you know.”

His earnest tone made me chuckle. I held up the can of mace. “I can take care of myself.”

Worry furrowed his high forehead. “That won’t help against some of the things that come out at night.”

A chill shot through me. I shook it away. “I was just headed home anyway.”

“Good. You should be careful.” His smile returned, melting my last vestiges of suspicion. He pronounced his English with a precision that made me wonder if he spoke something else as his native language. It wasn’t exactly an accent, but I could tell he wasn’t a native New Yorker.

“What about you?”

“Oh, I know my way around here,” he answered. He ran his fingers through his curls and arched his back a bit, as though stretching. Despite that odd awkwardness, he was lithe and graceful. A brief pang of desire shot through me. “And I have excellent night vision. Exceptionally sharp hearing too.”

I couldn’t figure out why, but something about him felt familiar. “Have we met before?” I asked then cringed, realizing it sounded like a pick-up line. “I mean…um… I don’t mean…” Hot blood climbed into my cheeks, though the shadows were probably too dense for him to detect my discomfort.

His bold laugh rang out in the growing darkness. “Maybe we have met,” he said. “I live in the neighborhood. Do you?”

“Pretty close,” I answered, alarm bells sounding in my head. No matter how handsome and charming he was, I wasn’t about to give him my address.

“Well, then, you never know. You said you were heading home. May I walk with you?”

“Um… Actually…”

He took my arm without waiting for my permission.

His touch stopped me cold. It drove out rational thought. As if someone had turned on a faucet, hormones poured into my blood. My nipples tensed and my lower lips grew plump and slick. Fire tipped the fingers resting on my bare forearm. I gasped, staring up in wonder at his strong, even features, overcome by his imminent maleness.

I wanted to stretch out in the grass and pull him down on top of me. I was dying to feel his weight on my chest, his hardness probing between my thighs. Skin on skin was what I craved, with an urgency I’d never experienced in my all my twenty-eight years.

His nostrils flared and I knew he’d caught the ocean scent rising from my sex. I could smell it myself. My saturated panties and jeans were no barrier. He grinned, revealing teeth so white they gleamed in the twilight gloom. I shuddered with need, imagining those teeth tearing my flesh, and stumbled on the gravel path.

“Are you all right?” he asked. He released his grasp to search my face, concern evident in his eyes. The blaze raging through my body subsided slightly.

“Ah… I think so. I’m dizzy…” I wasn’t lying. The world swung around us, tree canopies whirling overhead. Gradually, the universe settled back into place. My heart rate fell to something close to normal. My nipples still ached for contact, though. My clit pulsed, the seam of my jeans kindling sparks every time I moved. “I’ve… I’ve got to go.”

I started down the path, forcing myself to move away from him and his perilous magnetism. It might have been the most difficult thing I’d ever done

Please leave a comment. It’s a small thing, but every generous act is strike against darkness.

And please do visit the other authors participating in today’s Charity Sunday event!

---