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-1Check 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/
2 comments:
Hello, Amber - congratulations on make a hard choice that really does seem to be right. The tone of this excerpt is much different from the Arresting Onyx books.
We have to follow our inspirations.
I love the cover, by the way. Sexy with an edge of violence.
I hope the book does really well.
Thank you, Lisabet, for showcasing Dark Hearts Aflame.
Yes! The tone of the excerpt (and the book) is very different. It's hotter, grittier, darker, and lots more emotional. I had a blast with it.
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