Happy Wednesday! During June I will be celebrating Pride Month by showcasing some of my LGBTQ+ stories during the MFRW Book Hooks hops. I’m starting with a very summery tale, The Witches of Gloucester. I know that FF stories are something of a niche market, but I enjoy writing them, so I’m sharing this one with you.
Blurb
It’s not about power. It’s about love.
The historic port of Gloucester, Massachusetts has a special charm, due at least in part to its resident witches. For decades, raven-maned Marguerite and red-headed Beryl have lived among its hard-working inhabitants, making magic and mischief. Love and sex fuel their supernatural abilities, but duality limits their power. To reach their full potential, they need a third witch to complete their circle.
Rejected as a nymphomaniac by her puritanical boyfriend, Emmeline escapes to Gloucester to work on her PhD thesis. From the moment she arrives, Marguerite and Beryl sense her erotic vitality and unrecognized paranormal talent. The platinum-haired beauty may well be the enchantress they have been awaiting for so long. Now they need to show Em that her prodigious libido is a gift, not a liability, and to persuade her that her destiny lies in the sea-girt town they guard, and in their arms.
The Hook
With a discrete knock, the maid announced the arrival of their visitor. Emmeline kicked off her sandals before stepping onto the lush Oriental carpet. Her normally pale complexion was flushed with exertion. A whiff of her perfumed sweat floated through the room. “I’m so sorry to be late,” she said. “I didn’t realize how steep the hill was, or how far you were from the harbor. And then I got a bit turned around, heading south when I should have gone north.” She talked with her hands, punctuating each sentence with a flip of her slender fingers or a raised palm. The woman’s extraordinary energy was palpable, sparking the atmosphere like a Van Der Graaf generator.
“No matter.” Marguerite reassured her. “You’re here now. Please, sit down and relax.” She pointed to the spot beside her, on the brocaded Victorian settee. “Have some tea. Do you take sugar? Milk?”
“Just a bit of sugar, please.” Barefoot, her tight black jeans and matching top highlighting her fluid movements, Emmeline made her way across the room to the designated seat. Her loose hair streamed down her back like liquid silver. Leaning back against the tumbled cushions behind her, she cast a curious look around her. “Haven’t the others arrived yet?”
“The others?” Beryl had been perched primly on the edge of a chair to the right of the table, but now she settled in on the other side of Emmeline – far enough away that their thighs did not touch, but close enough to feel the heat radiating from the younger woman’s flesh.
“The other members of the Welcome Brigade.” Emmeline’s expression showed confusion but no real fear.
“I’m afraid there’s just us.” Marguerite handed the girl a steaming cup balanced on a saucer. Electricity shimmered through the air as their fingertips brushed. “Your tea, my dear. It’s a bit on the strong side. I hope you don’t mind.”
It wasn’t clear whether the apology referred to the tea, or the slight deception they’d practiced on her. Emmeline held Marguerite’s gaze, bolder than either witch would have expected. “That’s the way I like it,” she answered.
“Do have a pastry, too,” Beryl urged.
“Did you make them?” Emmeline picked up a miniature blueberry tart laced with whipped cream and popped it into her mouth. She didn’t seem to be wearing any make-up, but her cupid’s bow lips were red as Beryl’s favorite roses. “Those sweets you gave me yesterday – amazingly good. I only meant to eat one, but I ended up devouring them all.” She laughed, a crystal clear stream dancing over rounded stone. “Then I couldn’t eat any dinner.”
“Well, as I told you, they’re pretty healthy. One hundred percent organic.” Beryl tipped a round morsel of cake glazed with gooey orange icing into her mouth. “These, on the other hand, are somewhat less virtuous.”
“One might even say decadent,” Marguerite added, selecting a chocolate-frosted morsel and washing it down with a sip of tea. “But then, one needs a bit of decadence every now and again. Don’t you agree, Emmeline?”
She rested a casual hand on the blond woman’s thigh. Their visitor did not flinch.
“I don’t know much about decadence,” Emmeline commented. With a smile that made her look even younger than usual, she leaned forward to choose another cake. “I guess I have a lot to learn.”
Over Emmeline’s bent head, Beryl’s eyes met Marguerite’s. The dark-skinned woman nodded, a smile ghosting across her lush lips. Beryl claimed the girl’s other thigh, kneading the supple flesh with gentle fingers. Emmeline’s ocean-and-citrus scent filled her nostrils, almost irresistible.
“Darling,” the redheaded witch purred, “you’ve come to the right place.”
Available in Ebook and Audio formats
Buy Links (Ebook)
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DBB3ZTN/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DBB3ZTN/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832808
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-witches-of-gloucester-lisabet-sarai/1128809847?
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/th/en/ebook/the-witches-of-gloucester-1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40234194-the-witches-of-gloucester
Buy Links (Audio)
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/The-Witches-of-Gloucester/dp/B07MJQSS2X
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Witches-of-Gloucester-Audiobook/B07MQMS93Z
Be sure to visit the other authors joining today's Book Hooks!
3 comments:
Oooh, tea and delicious crumpets. What's not to love?
Love your posts, Lisabet. :)
I really enjoyed reading this story, Lisabet!
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