Opening herself to love – #HistoricalRomance #GreatDepression #Giveaway

Blurb

In the depths of the Great Depression, Ellie suffers another crash—that of her marriage. She’s left struggling to restore her shattered life, feeling as damaged as the stained-glass panels she refurbishes for Chicago’s historic structures. While visiting her aunt in Marietta, Ohio, a charming river town, Ellie encounters towboat captain Wyatt and feels a searing attraction to him. But thanks to past and subsequent wounds, her attempts at opening herself to love seem futile. Her hope for love and her determination to find the place she belongs are further complicated by her tendency to make impulsive decisions. In her journey, Ellie draws on an unrealized level of courage and learns she must identify her brightest passions in charting her course.

Excerpt

Climbing from her automobile, Ellie ambled around to the sidewalk, where she tipped herself onto her toes to stretch her legs and flung out her arms with a moan, promptly smacking a hand into what felt like a human. She pivoted.

“Oh, my goodness, I’m so…” The “sorry” came a heartbeat or two later, followed by, “Are you all right?” even though there was no way this man wasn’t okay.

Tall and sturdy enough to survive much more than a little whack in the chest, his faded blue-and-white pinstriped shirt, tan leather vest, and well-worn trousers did nothing to detract from the toned lines of his body. A sampling of gray wove through the hair peeking out from beneath his newsboy cap. Slightly wavy, sandy blond hair, which on anyone else would need a good trimming but suited him fine. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two.

“Lengthy drive, I take it?” His mouth curved into a half smile, crinkling the corners of soft, hazel eyes. “Nothing like a good punch to work out the kinks, huh, Slugger?”

Ellie drew in her lips. A laugh didn’t seem appropriate right now. “Really, I am very sorry,” Ellie said. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said with a nod and a languid blink of those captivating eyes. “Ma’am,” he said with a tip of his cap before he and his comrades continued toward the river.

Ellie’s feet felt their way to the door of the five-and-dime. Wowee, did that bloke look better from the front or the back? Biting her bottom lip, she reached for the door handle.

About the Author

Dottie scratched out her first fiction as a little kid transfixed by the books she read all those lazy summer days on the front porch swing. Two of her short stories have been published in The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park’s literary journal, Hemingway Shorts, having placed among the top ten entries in its annual short story contests.

Where the Stars Cross, Dottie’s first novel, is available for purchase at:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Stars-Cross-Dottie-Sines/dp/1509257373/ref=sr_1_1

(where it’s on the Hot New Releases list for 20th century historical romance!)

 

Follow Dottie online

Website: https://www.dottiesines.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555443236996

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

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Creating Dark Hearts Aflame (Lozano Cartel, book 1) – #NewSeries #DarkRomance #Preorder

By Amber Daulton (Guest Blogger)

Dark Hearts Aflame is one of my most favorite stories that I’ve written. Originally, it was meant to be the fifth and final book of the Arresting Onyx series, but once I was done writing it, I realized it had very little to do with the other books. In fact, it didn’t even take place in the same country! Yikes! Beyond that, this book introduced new characters and opened the door for the possibility of more books.

So I had to make a tough choice: cut the book from the Arresting Onyx series and never publish it; keep it as part of the original series even though it didn’t really make sense; or create a spin-off, which would be the most time-consuming and more difficult of the three choices. Well, I’m sure you can guess what I decided on.

New books. A new series. More years of my life devoted to this fictional world ― I was excited, intimidated, frustrated. My emotions were all over the place. All I could think of was: the creation of a spin-off would be SO MUCH WORK!

I remember the day when I finally made my choice. My hubby and I spent several hours discussing the pros and cons, and he held me while the stress got so much that I broke down in tears. But once I got the crying out of me, I felt better, fresher, more clearheaded, like I could take on the world. At least, the dangerous fictional world that I was creating.

So I revised Dark Hearts Aflame to stand better as the first book in the new spin-off, the Lozano Cartel. It’s now available for preorder at all online retailers and will be released on April 8, 2025. I’m currently writing the first draft of book 2, Lost in His Spiderwebs, which will likely have an April 2026 release date. A few novellas and more novels shall follow.

The thing about the Lozano Cartel series is that it’s much darker and steamier than Arresting Onyx. Some readers may love it, some may not, but I had to show respect to the characters and write the stories that fit them and the treacherous world in which they live. Hopefully, readers will enjoy the ups, downs, and happily ever afters.

 

Blurb

A drug lord on the run. A cartel princess in hiding. All it takes is a spark to set their world ablaze.

Bristol Rieger, better known as Thorn, left his criminal life behind for a fresh start in Mexico. Flying under the radar of the government and the cartels alike, his best-laid plans go awry when a woman from his narco days discovers his whereabouts. Carmen Lozano, however, is no longer the innocent girl he remembers.

Carmen escaped the chains of her tiara and her abusive marriage to join a group of resistance fighters. The last thing she expected was the now-retired capo setting out to seduce her with his wicked touch. Embracing the blood on his hands is easy, but his secrets wear on her patience.

When their enemies close in, Bristol will have to summon his inner monster to protect her. But can that monster be tamed again?

Explicit Excerpt

She wanted him, now and forever.

Nearly drooling, she unfastened his slacks and moaned as his ruddy cock in all its thick, devilishly long glory sprang from the bush of dense curls. Moisture beaded on the head, tempting her to taste it. Gooseflesh raked her skin as he trailed his talented lips down her throat.

“Goddamn it.” Gravel thickened his voice. He fumbled with the button on her pants. “From now on, you will only wear skirts.”

Triumph flared in his eyes as he finally undid her bottoms. She stepped out of them and shivered as his heated gaze swept over the daggers strapped to her calves.

“You’re so sexy with those weapons.” He nibbled on her neck and palmed her ass, the lace a weak barrier as he slipped his hand between her thighs and slid two fingers inside her. “Jesus, Carmen, you’re so wet. Why are you always wet?”

She moaned and clung to his shoulders. “I look at you and it happens. Not my fault.”

He plunged his tongue back inside her mouth.

Pinned between his muscled body and the thick tree, she gyrated on his hand and lifted on her toes to better angle the center of her body. As his fingers plunged deeper, a wave of moisture rushed from her core. She cried out in release and struck the back of her head on the bark. The pain barely registered.

Bristol jerked back his hand, grabbed the hem of her blouse, and yanked the fabric over her head. His mouth latched onto her nipple and dampened the lacy cup of her bra. Lavishing attention on the taut nub, he twisted his hand around her back and freed the bra clasp.

Her breasts spilled from the cups.

“So damn hot.” He suckled her other nipple in between his teeth and stroked her clit.

His praise heated her blood, his mouth and hands an aphrodisiac. ¡Más! She needed more. “Now, Bristol. Take me. Get inside me.”

“Hungry woman, hungry fucking woman. Will you ever get enough of me, pequeña?”

“Nunca, never.” Gasping as he pinched her swollen clit, she rubbed the apex of her thighs over his hot shaft and craved the power pulsating against her. Then he eased the torturous pressure, and she grunted in frustration. “Hurry up before I throw you to the ground.”

Bristol chuckled, the throaty sound full of lusty male pride. Her pulse quickened.

“Take me to the ground, will you?” He grasped her arm and pushed her toward the forest floor.

Rich brownish-black soil and clumps of feather-soft moss cushioned her knees and palms. Carmen wiggled her ass, desperate for his possession.

He knelt behind her, gripped her hip with one hand, and slapped her ass with the other.

“Ooh!” She jumped, the sting a surprise. Then another blow landed on the same cheek and warmed her skin. Heart pounding, she swallowed hard. “Are you spanking me?”

“You ran from me, scared me shitless. Punishment is called for.”

Again, his hand struck her, but then he rubbed the abused flesh with gentle strokes. Desire pooled, slicking her fleshy folds. He alternated between cheeks, slapping and massaging, each strike harder than the last. Pain mingled with pleasure, searing her from the inside out. The sound of his hand on her skin echoed in the stillness of the forest. She moaned and pressed back against him, longing for relief. On the tenth strike, he walloped her with a touch so fierce tears sprang to her eyes. She whimpered, shaking. As he rubbed the sharp pain into a dull ache, she floated on a cloud of blissful peace.

“Your ass is the perfect shade of sienna. Red and brown and so fuckable.” He slid the length of his cock between the crease of her cheeks. “Tell me, have you ever had a man in here?”

Moaning, she shook her head. Loose strands escaped her ponytail and clung to her sweat-dampened face.

“Good. Some other time I’ll take your virginity.” He slipped his fingers into her pussy and patted her clit with his thumb.

Her knees weakened. She braced herself on her elbows to keep from face-planting the dirt. “Te necesito ahora. I need you now,” she repeated, not above begging.

He surged home in one deep thrust.

 

 

Add on Goodreads

 – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211106548-dark-hearts-aflame-lozano-cartel-book-1

Check it out on BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/dark-hearts-aflame-lozano-cartel-book-1-an-on-the-run-dark-cartel-romantic-suspense-by-amber-daulton

PreOrder Links

Universal – https://books2read.com/darkheartsaflame

Amazon – https://amzn.to/3WMhySS

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-hearts-aflame-amber-daulton/1144724204

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-hearts-aflame

Apple/iBooks – https://books.apple.com/us/book/dark-hearts-aflame/id6544805264

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1509101

About the Author

 

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Social Media

Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

Exclusive Newsletter (free ebook to new subscribers) – https://amberdaulton.com/newsletter-signup/

 

How to survive long enough to tell the funny stories later... #Memoir #Humor #Travel #Giveaway

Blurb

The Lesser Known Travel Tips memoirs are a hilarious series of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection by Australian author Simon Yeats, who from an early age learned that the best way to approach the misfortunes of this world is to laugh about them.

Simon shares his comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living life as an Aussie ex-pat and having a sense of wanderlust as pervasive as the Spanish Flu in 1918 or hordes of Mongols in 12th Century.

From how to keep yourself entertained when unwittingly forced to watch 11 hours of live sumo wrestling in Japan, to surviving heartbreak in India at the hands of a French flight attendant, to 48 hours spent in Nepal that qualify as the funniest most gut wrenching travel experience since Captain Bligh was set adrift in the Pacific, to his unsuccessful attempts at avoiding going to a brothel in Thailand. From what to do when several people converge to rob you after midnight on a deserted Copacabana Beach, to how to save the Sierra Mountain Range from a wildfire outbreak due to a lack of quality toilet paper, to where not to go in Tijuana when trying to locate the origins to stories of the city’s mythical adult entertainment, to how to save yourself from drowning when caught in a storm while sailing off the California coast. From how to outwit the Italian police while trying to find parking in downtown Genoa, to how to negotiate exploring the Roman ruins of Plovdiv, Bulgaria while on crutches, to how to impress the German Mafia with 80s dance moves, to how to leave a lasting impression on a crowded bar in Gothenburg, Sweden after combining alcohol and antibiotics.

Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to break a leg, contract Dengue fever, or rupture a pancreas.

Excerpt from How to Avoid Getting Mugged in Rio de Janeiro by Singing Songs by The Police and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips

My trip to Steamboat in 1988 was life defining for me in so many ways. First time being on my own out of Australia. Overcoming that paralyzing fear. First time standing up on a snowboard. Overcoming my natural uncoordinated self while being too poor to pay for lessons. First time having my newly purchased snowboard stolen. Overcoming grief and anger. First time falling in love. First time having my heart crushed, then stepped on, then thrown in a blender. First time having an UZI in my face.

There was no time in my life more memorable than the three months I spent in Colorado during the winter of 1988. I was a raw lump of clay, and this small northern Colorado ski town was the pottery wheel. It was a huge, tense step up in life. And I learned that facing up to uncertainty will open the unlimited possibilities of the world to me.

Steamboat Springs, often shortened to Steamboat or even The Boat, lives up to its billing as a ski town with a cowboy spirit. Ten-gallon hats and boots are a common sight along the main drag of Lincoln Avenue. The world-famous cowboy downhill runs every January, coinciding with the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Up to 100 professional rodeo riders descend on the town, to show off their complete inability to ski. The Hindenburg landed in a more graceful fashion than these cowpokes after they hit the slopes.

The town's name derives from the abundance of natural, hot mineral springs in the area. Early trappers to the Yampa Valley mistakenly believed that the chugging sound emanating from the hot springs was a steamboat coming down the river. I wonder how many times trappers went off tramping to find animal pelts into the untamed wilderness at an elevation of 7000 feet and stumbled across a steamboat navigating a shallow mountain creek?

About the Author

Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBNQLSPW/about

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoryeats

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoryeats/?hl=en

Book One: https://www.amazon.com/Brothel-Thailand-Ordering-Lesser-Travel-ebook/dp/B0CLDBSXGX/ref=sr_1_3

Book Two: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Mugged-Janeiro-Singing-Police-ebook/dp/B0CPCBMD1N/ref=sr_1_4

Book Three: https://www.amazon.com/Survive-Yourself-Dancing-Bavarian-Nightclub-ebook/dp/B0CR6GDDXR/ref=sr_1_2

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

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

He drinks me in … #EroticRomance #BDSM #MFRWHooks

Welcome to this week’s MFRW Book Hooks blog hop!

If you follow my blog at all, you’ll have noted that I just released a special 25^th Anniversary Edition of my very first novel, Raw Silk. Like most debut novels, that book was extremely personal. In particular, the primary male protagonist and his relationship with the heroine were strongly influenced my real life experiences. However, my portrayal of the man who inspired Gregory Marshall is far from realistic. I ended up turning him into a classic romance alpha who had little in common with the original, except for his height, his seductive voice and his reservoir of inner power.

More than a decade later, I revisited the characters and the dynamics in a far more realistic and subtle BDSM romance, The Gazillionaire and the Virgin. In Theo Moore, I tried to capture not just the natural dominance and erotic intensity of my old lover, but also his vulnerability and insecurities.

Blurb

She’s the billionaire. He’s the virgin. Still, he knows how to make her melt.

When Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rachel Zelinsky meets reclusive genius Theo Moore, she has a single objective —a deal to incorporate his AI software into her company’s popular virtual world. She finds Theo to be arrogant, sensitive and socially awkward, but his aura of power speaks to her carefully-hidden submissive side. Confused and aroused, she falls under his geeky spell.

Theo Moore can’t be bought. His past battles with poverty make him deeply suspicious of the billionaire CEO, though Rachel’s voluptuous curves and brilliant mind embody his ultimate fantasy. Too bad his knowledge about sex derives from extensive research and a stash of kinky porn rather than real-world experience.

Rachel may be Theo’s first lover, but Theo is her first true Master. One word from him, one touch, and she surrenders to bliss. It seems that love and complementary desire may harmonize their differing values, until Rachel’s unwitting violation of Theo’s trust tears them apart.

Review Quotes

“...sweet and romantic but steamy and sexy at the same time. .... I adored it!”

~ Crazie Bettie, Amazon US

“This book is one of the top five hottest books I have read. These were two of my most favorite lovers. I was wrung out when I finished it but what a delight!” 

~ Sheila, Amazon US

The Hook

He’s watching me, reading my face, his dark eyes flickering with emotion. I am suddenly as frightened as I am aroused. Theo Moore isn’t going to do casual. He’s an all-or-nothing sort of guy. I could seriously hurt him.

I want him, oh yes, more than I’ve wanted anyone in a long time. Am I ready to take responsibility, though, for the consequences?

So I don’t answer, don’t tell him how he has monopolized my thoughts for the past two days. Instead I change the subject.

“Have you thought about how you’ll use the donations?” Even to my own ears, my enthusiasm rings false.

“No–no–never mind that. I’ll consider that later.” He tugs on my hand, pulling me closer. My body slides across the leather upholstery, until my thigh presses against his. “I want to talk about us, Rachel.”

There is no ‘us’, I want to tell him. It’s too risky. Last night was great, but it won’t happen again. I choke down the words. I can’t think of any reply that won’t damage his fragile self-image.

There’s no chance for me to speak anyway. Theo wraps me in his bear-like arms, leans in, and claims my mouth. His kiss scatters my resolution like sun burning through fog.

His lips lock to mine, firm and muscular, taking control. I don’t fight him – how can I, when both of us know this is what I want? When he runs his tongue along the seam, I open automatically, following my instincts as he, I suspect, is following his. He tastes of peppermint. He smells like sun-warmed earth. He drinks me in as though he’d like to swallow me whole.

 

You’ll find all buy links at https://www.lisabetsarai.com/gazillionairevirginbook.html

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

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Review Tuesday: Blessed by Maggie Blackbird -- #ReviewTuesday #FirstNations #MMRomance

Blessed by Maggie Blackbird

‎eXtasy Books Inc , 2018

Emery Matawapit and Darryl Keejik grew up together on the reservation, roaming the woods, hunting and fishing, sharing bonds of friendship and later, physical passion. As they approach adulthood, though, their destinies tear them apart. The half-white son of a Catholic deacon, Emery feels called to the church, even though its doctrine tells him his desire for Darryl is a sin. After ten years of study and preparation, he’s now on the brink of taking his final vows as a priest. Before he does, however, he needs to reconcile with Darryl, to try to banish the bitterness that has grown up between them.

Darryl blames Emery for deserting the ways of the Objibway Elders and following the white man’s god. Underneath his anger lurks the pain and hurt of having been left behind by the one man he has ever loved. Over their years of separation, Darryl has acquired influence as a member of the tribal council, working to restore the native traditions ravaged by generations of government abuse, neglect and injustice. Now he’s tempted to use that influence to punish Emery and his father for what he sees as their betrayal of the tribe.

The reunion of the two men is anything but peaceful. However, despite their mutual animosity and confusion, their different spiritual beliefs and life trajectories, they’re still irresistibly drawn to one another. It will take courage, compromise and a willingness to listen to their respective inner voices to heal their rifts. Each one must learn that love means letting go and allowing the beloved to choose his own path.

I adored Blessed. The characters are vivid, believably flawed and sympathetic—even the apparently bigoted and dictatorial Deacon Matawit. The love between Darryl and Emery burns bright and true, finally enabling them to break through the barriers that keep them apart. Meanwhile the setting and background taught me a lot about the harsh realities that face First Nation people in Canada.

One of my biggest complaints about the romance genre is that the conflicts that drive the story are often trivial, not serious obstacles to a successful relationship. In Blessed, truly fundamental differences threaten to keep Emery and Darryl apart. Emery believes that Christ is guiding him. His vocation for the priesthood, his call to pastoral service, is something he feels deep in his soul. How can he abandon this, putting his personal happiness before the well-being of his future flock?

Meanwhile, Darryl is caught in the political crossfire between the Christians and the Traditionalists. He’s been taught not to trust the white man’s religion. Yet this religion governs the life of the man he loves. He wants to be a wise leader, which means opening his mind to the fact that there’s more than one path to truth.

I should mention that as an erotic romance, this book has some wonderfully steamy love scenes that any MM aficionado will enjoy. As the blurb says, this is an erotic book about a spiritual journey. Since I have always believed that the erotic and the spiritual are closely entwined, I applaud this aspect of the tale.

Overall, Blessed is a great read. If you like realistic MM romance with serious issues at stake, I highly recommend it.

The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome -- #Language #Communication #Publishing

https://victorianweb.org/art/illustration/tenniel/lookingglass/6.1.html

Humpty Dumpty took the book, and looked at it carefully. “That seems to be done right—” he began.

“You’re holding it upside down!” Alice interrupted.

“To be sure I was!” Humpty Dumpty said gaily, as she turned it round for him. “I thought it looked a little queer. As I was saying, that seems to be done right—though I haven’t time to look it over thoroughly just now—and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents—”

“Certainly,” said Alice.

“And only one for birthday presents, you know. There’s glory for you!”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’” Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’”

“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument,’” Alice objected.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. “They’ve a temper, some of them—particularly verbs, they’re the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs—however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!”

“Would you tell me, please,” said Alice “what that means?”

“Now you talk like a reasonable child,” said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. “I meant by ‘impenetrability’ that we’ve had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you’d mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don’t mean to stop here all the rest of your life.”

“That’s a great deal to make one word mean,” Alice said in a thoughtful tone.

“When I make a word do a lot of work like that,” said Humpty Dumpty, “I always pay it extra.”

~ from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

Ever since I was young, I’ve had a larger than average vocabulary (not unusual in an author). The conversation above, from one of my childhood favorite books, has always amused me due to its absurdity. If people could completely control the meaning of words – making them mean whatever they chose – communication would rapidly become impossible (as the above passage clearly illustrates). Words are not always precise, but a language community must be able to agree on their basic definitions or we end up with the Tower of Babel.

Unfortunately, not everyone realizes this.

I’ve been trying to get my 25^th anniversary edition of Raw Silk accepted by Smashwords for their Premium Distribution. This option makes a book published on the Smashwords package available on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple and other third party platforms, which obviously increases sales potential. The third party stores are not required to carry the book, of course. Some of them (particularly Apple) refuse most of mine because of the explicit content.

Anyway, I got an email yesterday from Smashwords telling me that Raw Silk wasn’t eligible and needed modifications. When I went to investigate, their message indicated that I needed to check the incest/pseudo-incest box in their questionnaire about specific sexual content (which also includes things like dubious consent, sexual slavery, age play, etc.)

What the heck were they talking about? Raw Silk includes a very wide range of sexual themes and activities, but there’s not any hint of incest or incest fantasies. I scratched my head, trying to figure out what they found objectionable. Then I found the following information:

Note that relatives of any sort merely thinking about or witnessing one another engage in sexual acts is considered incestuous by our partners.

I was floored. I might as well have run into Humpty Dumpty, asserting that words mean what he chooses them to mean. This is not the accepted meaning of incest!

Incest: sexual activity involving people who are closely related and not legally allowed to marry (Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary and Thesaurus)

Incest: sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden by law to marry. Also : the statutory crime of such a relationship (Merriam Webster online dictionary)

Incest: noun

1. sexual intercourse between closely related persons.

2. the crime of sexual intercourse, cohabitation, or marriage between persons within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity wherein marriage is legally forbidden.

(Dictionary.com)

There is no incest in Raw Silk. The book does feature a pair of half-siblings (Gregory Marshall and his half-Thai sister Noi), but there is not the slightest hint of any sort of desire in their relationship.

However, the two characters participate in a scene where both engage in sexual acts (separately) with my heroine Kate O’Neill. The fact that they are related is totally irrelevant to the erotic aspects of the scene.

I know it’s futile to protest about this. With a deep sigh, I went back and checked the “incest” box in the Smashwords settings. I can’t afford to get upset about the sales I might lose. I’m not sure I want my books to be sold on these Humpty Dumpty platforms.

It does make me wonder, though, about the direction in which society is moving. Groups seem to feel perfectly justified redefining words in ways that do violence to the original meaning. So objecting to the actions of a specific world leader is now anti-Semitism. An assault rifle is a birthday present.

And little by little our ability to communicate with one another erodes.

Humpty Dumpty would be smugly pleased.

 

I will not do this without your permission – #BDSM #EroticRomance #Thailand #MFRWsteam

Twenty-five years ago, Black Lace published my first novel, Raw Silk. Set against the vivid and exotic background of early twentieth century Thailand, the novel chronicles one woman’s sensual journey of self-discovery. It is a deeply personal work, like many literary debuts, heavily influenced by my own experiences, insights and fantasies.

The book has been out of print for several years. I’ve just brought out a new 25^th Anniversary Edition, re-edited and expanded with an introduction and a bonus chapter. My Steam Hop excerpt today is an exclusive bit from this edition. You’ll be seeing lots more steam from this exuberantly erotic work over the next few months. Currently the book is available only through Amazon (and free on Kindle Unlimited). I will be putting out a print edition, then opening up wide distribution, before the end of the year.

Blurb

“You were born to this. You may not understand, yet. You may not believe. But I will teach you.”

When software engineer Kate O’Neill leaves her lover David to take a job in Thailand, she embarks on a sensual journey that will change her forever.

In the glittering City of Angels, Kate becomes sexually involved with two very different men—a handsome and debauched member of the Thai aristocracy, and the charismatic, dominant proprietor of a sex bar. With Anand Rajchitraprasong, she discovers her own almost unlimited capacity for erotic pleasure. Meanwhile, Gregory Marshall shows her what she has hidden from herself: a deep desire to submit, to surrender herself body and soul to someone with the power and compassion to master her.

Each lascivious adventure binds her more closely to her lovers. Then David comes to Bangkok, and Kate realizes that she must choose one of the three men who all desire her.

Long considered an erotic classic, Raw Silk chronicles one woman’s intimate voyage toward love and self-understanding. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition has been freshly edited and includes a new introduction plus a bonus chapter.

Explicit Excerpt

“Time for the next scene.” Before she knew what was happening, he had swooped down and picked her up. Her shoes fell off with a clatter. Distracted by the formidable strength in his arms, the iron muscles rippling beneath his shirt, she hardly noticed.

He carried her over to the bed and laid her down on her back. “Lift your arms above your head,” he commanded. As she complied, her hand brushed against something dangling from the headboard. She turned to look at the braided ropes of purple silk fastened to the rattan spokes and suddenly understood why Gregory had disappeared when she first arrived. A few things to attend to, he’d said. So he had left her with his lady co-conspirator, trusting his comrade and the performance to inflame her senses and imagination, while he came and installed these bonds.

Gregory watched the comprehension dawning in her eyes. “Yes, Kate. I prepared these for you. Only for you.”

He leaned closer. “I want to tie you here, hand and foot, so that you will be more completely at my disposal. I believe that you want that, too. But you must tell me so. I will not do this without your permission.”

Kate was silent. She had never been so unsure in her life. Fear, suspicion, shame, and distrust warred with curiosity and desire. In his arms she had felt both sheltered and helpless, and she longed for those feelings again. Yet he was essentially a stranger, she reminded herself—a stranger with a shady profession and an unsavory reputation.

When she looked at him, though, she saw attentive concern in his eyes, belying the fierce reality of the cock which pulsed hugely from his fly. The sight of his manhood sent a delicious weakness through her limbs. I must be crazy, she thought, as she nodded her assent.

“Do it,” she murmured, and did not trust herself to say anymore.

With expert skill, he bound her wrists with the silken braids. “Silk is a marvelous substance,” he commented. “So soft, but incredibly strong. Like you, my little Kate. I know that you can endure much. Much more than you would believe.”

She shivered, wondering exactly what he meant. He was working on her ankles now, in a business-like fashion, leaving her knees bent and open so that her sex was spread wide. Every time he touched her, heat rippled through her to that burning center, still sensitive and hungry from her earlier ministrations. She squirmed a bit, pushing her pelvis toward him.

“Be still,” he said sharply. “Be patient. You must learn to wait.”

Finally, she was bound, restrained from all but the most subtle movements. She found she was panting. Gregory stood at the foot of the bed, admiring her, or his handiwork.

“Excellent. Just as I’d imagined.”

He began to remove his clothes. Her eyes followed his every gesture. When he dropped his shirt to the floor, Kate sucked in her breath. Marshall’s left arm, from shoulder to wrist, was elaborately and beautifully tattooed. A pattern of multicolored flames writhed over his flesh—scarlet, green and turquoise. A trick of the flashing neon, or perhaps simply the motion of his muscles, made the flames dance across his flesh as if they were consuming him. A similar flame flickered in his blue eyes as he pulled off his trousers.

He mounted the bed and straddled her with his thighs. His engorged cock hovered above her body. Despite her best intentions, she arched upward, drawn to his flesh like iron to a magnet. In response, he leaned over to pinch both her nipples, hard enough that she cried out.

“Still, I said! You are mine now, mine to do as I wish. I will fuck you, or not fuck you, as I please. But,” he added, smiling, “I do please.”

The bonds already held her wide open. Her sex was already drenched with arousal. Holding her pinned with those ice-blue eyes, he sank his penis into the heart of her, into depths she had not known existed.

She had never felt anything like it. It was fire and knives, hot and sharp, a blazing sun in her cunt. She was filled, stretched, split open, it seemed, pinned to the bed by his rod of velvety steel.

For a long moment, he stayed there inside her, his gaze riveted to hers. She felt him throb and swell, as if he was willing himself to grow larger still. She tightened her muscles around him, but otherwise tried to remain motionless, even as her flesh ached to thrash and thrust herself against him. She kept her eyes open, held captive by the weight of his gaze. She knew her own lust showed clearly on her face. She did not care.

He pulled away, to the edge of her lower lips, and she bit her tongue so as not to cry out with the loss. Then he came crashing back into her, hard, deeper than before. The flames surged. He withdrew and thrust again and again, always harder, almost brutal. Kate found that the edge of pain only sharpened the pleasure, made it stronger and more complex. And she saw no cruelty in his face, only a kind of fierce delight.

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