A Vision of New Orleans (#eroticromance #suspense #firstnovel @AnniFifeAuthor)

By Anni Fife (Guest Blogger)

I began writing Luke’s Redemption in June last year. It was one month after I left the city for the beach, and changed my life forever. It was also the first book I had ever written, or even attempted to write. I was able to stave off my panic because I already had my basic plot outlined. The idea came flowing into my head a few nights before my departure. It was around midnight. I don’t know what triggered my creative juices, but suddenly I could hear Katya’s footsteps beating a desperate rhythm down a dark cobble-stoned road in the early hours of the morning. It was dead quiet. New Orleans was hung over from Mardi Gras. As I watched her, I realized I was looking through the scope of a sniper lens. Was I her hunter or her hero? Or both? My story unfurled at such a rapid pace I was terrified I’d fall asleep, and when I woke my idea, like an elusive dream, would be gone. In a mad spin, I turned on my bedside lamp, and spent the next hour typing manically on my iPhone. When I turned off the light, I had the beginnings of my novel. The next time I looked at it was one month later, when I sat down to write.

Completing my debut novel has been a wild journey. Seven months to write it. Two months to edit. Two months to secure a publishing contract. And now here I am, ready for release.

I wrote Luke’s Redemption for my own tastes. So if you like contemporary erotic romances with a lot of angst and some suspense; hot alpha heroes with damage; smart sassy heroines, also with some damage; and burning chemistry that dictates lots of conflict, and even more heat—then why don’t you give this story a go?

Blurb

Red-hot sex. Searing betrayal. A passionate and elusive love…

Chased by her criminal kingpin father, Katya Dalca runs to New Orleans and straight into the arms of Luke Hunter. Sucked into the carnal world of the French Quarter, she succumbs to Luke’s potent sexuality. He not only steals her breath, he steals her heart and the only leverage she has against her father. She is left with no choice except to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life alone.

Undercover DEA agent Luke Hunter thought his newest assignment—recover a stolen flash drive to gain the trust of the Russian mob—was like any other. But his target brings him to his knees, and after one taste of her intoxicating beauty, he's in too deep. Doing his job means walking away, leaving his heart behind with nothing but a promise to reunite. It's a promise he can't keep.

When Katya's past reaches out and her world unravels, her only hope is the one man she is most vulnerable to—Luke.

Excerpt

Luke and I drove alone. Lily insisted she was traveling with Gray and Tane, and clambered into their SUV before anybody could stop her. I didn’t want to argue with Lily. She was still processing the scare of seeing Dani unconscious, and Gray was a safe distraction for her. My distraction was my confrontation with Anna. I asked Luke about the beautiful—but skanky—Russian. All he would say was she worked with Nicu when he was undercover. A tense silence filled the vehicle and for the rest of our drive I mulled over how Anna fitted into the picture. There had been a weird vibe between Luke and Anna that I couldn’t let go of.

Had he used Anna the same way he used me? What could she have had that he needed? Maybe he just liked her!

We pulled into the underground parking at King Security and Luke parked the SUV in line with several other huge black Ford Expeditions. It appeared King Security had its own fleet.

Unable to stop myself, I blurted, “You were with Anna when you were undercover with my father, weren’t you?”

Luke pulled the keys from the ignition. In the deafening silence I didn’t think he was going to answer. Then he turned to me and bit out. “Yes!”

Wow! I didn’t expect him to be so honest. I sat back and folded my arms, tight. Damn, his answer hurt me. “So you make a habit of lying to your women? Being with them while you’re pretending to be someone you’re not? Is that your thing?”

“She wasn’t my woman,” Luke growled. “She was just a woman. She was there, I was there. It was never deep and it sure as hell wasn’t forever. Then it was over, and I made certain she was clear of the investigation. That was it.” He leaned towards me and said impatiently, “That tell you what you want to know?”

“Not even close. You made love to her didn’t you?”

“Hell no!” Luke snarled. “I fucked her. Like I have all the other women in my life. There’s only one woman I ever made love to Katya. And that was you.”

I went rigid, stunned into silence. Luke turned to open his car door. “You didn’t make love to me, Michael did,” I whispered.

He quickly turned back and leaned in close, right up to my face. His breath smelled lightly of coffee. I stopped breathing when his inky gaze drifted from my eyes to my mouth then back again. I felt cornered but also strangely alive. Then in his rough, oh so sexy voice, he replied, “You can wish that as hard as you want, sweetheart, but it was me, Luke, sliding through your innocence, taking everything you had to give. And it was my cock driving you to come, baby. Over and over again!” He stared at me a moment longer, then climbed out of the car, slamming the door closed.

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Luke’s Redemption is also available from Nook, Kobe, Bookstrand, All Romance, iTunes and The Wild Rose Press. 

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