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
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& 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.
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