I just got another
five star review for The
Eyes of Bast. Needless to say, I'm more than pleased.
Something about this book seems to be resonating with readers. In
particular, I've gotten many comments about the heat in the sex
scenes. Shaina and Tom can't touch one another in even the most
casual way without experiencing intense erotic attraction, so strong
that they can rarely resist the urge to join their bodies and meld
their spirits.
The powerful magnetism draws them
together is an example of “magical lust”. It's irrational,
irresistible, overwhelming. Pre-ordained, in some sense, by genetics
or by destiny. In a realistic, contemporary romance this sort of
attraction will raise eyebrows. Sure, there's chemistry, and love at
first sight, but in the real world there are limits to how readily a
couple will act on that sort of impulse. In paranormal erotic
romance, though, readers are willing to suspend their disbelief. In
a paranormal tale, there are all sorts of reasons why two characters
simply cannot keep their hands off one another. Their fates may have
become entwined over past lives. They may be enchanted. They may be
destined to mate due to quirks of biology or the magic that sustains
the shape shifter pack. They may have been chosen for one another by
some controlling power.
Whatever determines their carnal
connection, it's impossible to ignore or repudiate. In some
paranormal books, the fated lovers represent different factions in a
cosmic struggle (a sort of paranormal Romeo and Juliet), but that
doesn't matter. No one and nothing can keep them apart. No other love
can satisfy them. Sex that's driven by magical lust is more than just
scratching an itch. It's literally a supernatural experience.
It's great fun writing scenes driven by
magical lust. One can give in to fantasy, and yes, to hyperbole,
without turning readers off. In The Eyes of Bast, I'm not
specific about what binds Shaina and Tom, but it's clearly beyond the
realm of the explicable. It's related somehow to their animal
natures, to the generative power of the earth. I don't really have to
lay out all the details. Anyone who has read any paranormal romance
will recognize their attraction.
Here's a snippet from the book – the
first time Tom and Shaina touch.
“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,
although he didn’t appear at all threatening.
“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 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?” He took my arm without
waiting for my permission.
“Um – actually—” 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. His fingers on my bare
forearm were tipped with fire. I gasped, staring up in wonder at his
strong, even features, overcome by his imminent maleness.
I wanted 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.
****
See what I mean?
There's a lot of this in the
book, because it was clear to me from the start that Tom and Shaina
were bound by the fierce ties of magical lust. All I had to do was
allow them to act on their desires. In fact, I doubt I could have
stopped them – even if I'd wanted to!
2 comments:
I am such a fan of magical lust, it's not even funny. Being pushed into intense pleasure you could never achieve on your own? Enjoying things you never thought you'd ever enjoy? Yes, please.
Yeah, me too! It's particularly fun when the victims try to fight it.
Thanks for dropping by!
Post a Comment
Let me know your thoughts! (And if you're having trouble commenting, try enabling third-party cookies in your browser...)