Home for the holidays, and horny! #bisexual #gayromance #polyamory #roleplaying

Coming soon from Naughty Netherworld Press! A light-hearted gay holiday rom-com, Book 2 in the Shape of Heat series.

Blurb

Parsifal returns home to spend the Christmas holidays with his family. As he arrives at the airport, he is greeted by his brother Hart and his ex-boyfriend Bobby. Bobby is accompanied by his new boyfriend Seth. As they spend the day together, Parsifal notices something peculiar. Bobby seeks comfort from Hart rather than Seth after a minor accident at the park.

Meanwhile, Parsifal finds himself drawn to hot nerd Seth. The more time they spend together, the more Parsifal believes the feeling is mutual.

However, Parsifal's Christmas holiday is about to get even crazier. His redneck relatives are coming over for Christmas Eve dinner, and Parsifal is dreading the chaos that is sure to ensue. Between his family's quirky behavior and Seth's enticing presence, Parsifal’s vacation is shaping up to be anything but relaxing.

This is the second book in The Shape Of Heat series. It can be read as a standalone, but the first book, Awakening, should be read first if you wish to know more about the background of Parsifal and his girlfriends Candi and Luisa.

Buy Link

https://amzn.to/3T3srPF

Ebook just 99 cents! On pre-order now; releases on 23 December.

Excerpt (Explicit)

I led Seth into the library. He sat down on the couch and burst into tears. I took him into my arms.

“I’m a horrible person,” Seth sniffled.

“You’re not a horrible person,” I insisted.

“How could anyone cheat on a great guy like Bobby? And why didn’t he kick our asses to the curb after we did?”

“That’s Bobby. He sees the good in people. I broke up with him because he deserved better than me. I love him with all my heart, but I’m not the right boyfriend for him. I can be committed to one, or, you know, two or three people emotionally, but my dick has a mind of his own. If there’s a chance of hot sex, he wants to be right up in it.”

“I’m the same way. I need someone I can depend on, but I’ve got a wild imagination. If the situation turns sexy, I need to experience it. I know how shallow that sounds. Why does Bobby get with guys like us?”

“It's because we're devoted even if we can't be monogamous. I think Bobby’s luck with guys is about to change, though.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Dude, do you need glasses? Or, like, contact lenses?” I asked. “Have you not seen what’s happening between my brother and Bobby?”

I took out my phone and showed Seth the pictures I’d taken.

“You and I are terrible matches for Bobby, but my brother is just right for him,” I explained. “They’re both the monogamous type. They both want a family. When I took this picture, I thought, ‘this is like looking in a crystal ball.’ Also, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but Baby, it’s not you Bobby’s been sticking to like glue during this trip. It's not me either. Didn’t you notice?”

“No, because I was too busy noticing you,” Seth admitted, blushing. “You didn’t notice?”

“I…bitch, you put me in an awkward position!” I said, gently swatting Seth’s thigh. “My dick definitely stood up and took notice when I saw you looking at me, but I didn’t know if it was just wishful thinking. I would have made a real ass of myself if I made assumptions, and you weren’t into me. Besides, I didn’t want to fuck up my friendship with Bobby. We are so going to have to talk to him about this.”

“Can’t it wait?” Seth asked, leaning closer to me.

“Well, I mean, like, you haven't broken up yet, so if we kissed, it would still be cheating.”

“Do you think he gives a flying fuck? Your brother is clearly the one he wants.”

“Oh, God, I’m off to hell, but what a lovely way to burn,” I sighed.

I picked up the remote control from the side table and Peggy Lee’s smooth voice crooned “Fever” as Seth’s lips pressed against mine. I opened my mouth and our tongues met. We wasted no time as I gripped his shoulders and his hand slid between my legs to caress my throbbing cock through my jeans.

About Lil

Lil DeVille is a former nurse who started writing erotica after becoming disabled in 2019. She enjoys imagining quirky characters involved in lusty encounters anywhere from a tropical paradise or a rustic mountain village in the present day to an all-male mining colony on an asteroid in the distant future.

Lil likes to end her stories on a Happy for Now note with a promise of more good things to come. Although her writing sometimes addresses difficult subjects such as alcoholism or past abuse, she brings a note of love and support to scenes involving these issues.

Lil lives in a remote prairie town in Northeastern Colorado with her adult son and three cats. When she isn’t cooking up spicy stories, she enjoys baking and crafts.

Lil’s Links

Amazon Author Page

https://bit.ly/LilDevilleAmazonAuthor

Lil’s Latest

https://www.subscribepage.com/lildeville

Naughty Netherworld Press Blog

http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

Naughty Netherworld Press Books

https://bit.ly/NNPBooks

Naughty Netherworld Press Start Page

https://naughtynetherworldpress.start.page

Naughty Netherworld Press Substack

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com

Naughty Netherworld Press Tumblr

http://netherworldwritersguild.tumblr.com

Readers Roost Book Blog

https://bit.ly/ReadersRoost

Readers Roost Twitter

https://twitter.com/ReadersRoost

Out today! New romance from Seelie Kaye! #MatureRomance #Cowboy #HolidayRomance @SeelieKay

Greetings! Today I’m delighted to welcome veteran romance author Seelie Kay back to Beyond Romance. She’s celebrating the release of her new novel Broken Down Cowboy.

Q. Why do you write romance?

I didn’t really get into romance books until law school. Between holding down two jobs, studying, and attending classes, I really needed an outlet for the stress. A friend had a large paper bag full of romance paperbacks that she passed around to other law students. I borrowed one and then another until I read every book she had. After that I was hooked. I like to claim that those books got me through law school. Fast forward to 2017, another stressful time in my life. I needed to find a way to escape reality for a bit. So I started writing my own romance tales. My first book got picked up by a publisher and 25 books later, I’m still writing.

Q. Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?

I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a lawyer, a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love. And brains over brawn, every time!

Q. Why did you write Broken Down Cowboy?

This was my way of throwing down the gauntlet. There comes a time when you want to read more stories about people your age falling in love. Just because I’m in midlife does not mean I have become a dried-up old prune with a cold heart. I still adore men and I still enjoy romance. More importantly, I adore seasoned men. Men who remember rotary phones and record players and Van Halen. Since I have always had a fondness for cowboys, I created a story about two middle-aged people who, despite their differences, fall in love. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s romantic, it’s somewhat steamy, but in the end, they find what they didn’t even know they needed. Love. Obviously, I was not alone in wanting older romance. Look at the success of the TV series, The Golden Bachelor!

Q. You have a tendency to write about lawyers. Is one of the characters in Broken Down Cowboy a lawyer?

Actually, she’s a recovering lawyer, like me. Someone who switched careers after practicing law for many years. Her reasons for becoming a pastry chef and owner of a tea shop are very much in line with my own reasons for switching careers. I believe you can choose to be miserable or you can reach out for happiness. Sometimes, that involves changing your life in dramatic ways.

Blurb

When is it time to take a leap of faith? When the man holding the net is a sexy, middle-aged cowboy!

Tea shop owner and pastry chef Bailey Willis is nonplussed when she finds a handsome Texan sprawled out on the floor of A Spot of Tea. Trevor Anderson, on the other hand, is instantly smitten. Some might call him a broken-down cowboy, but that doesn’t mean he lacks the ability to pursue a beautiful woman, even if she is a northerner and a Green Bay Packers fan! Unfortunately, Bailey has other things on her mind, like winning the Hales Corners, WI holiday bake-off. When Trevor provides a valuable assist, Bailey begins to regard him in a different light. Too bad he’s planning to head back to his ranch after the new year. Will Bailey agree to wear Trevor’s Texas-size ring? Will Trevor agree to settle in the frozen tundra, the site of one of the Dallas Cowboys’ most humiliating defeats? Hold on to your cowboy hats folks, this tale of romance is going to take you for a ride. Texas style!

Excerpt

Before Mrs. Franklin could respond, they heard a loud crash, and then the sound of breaking glass. The floor seemed to shake.

Bailey paled and quickly curtsied. “Excuse me, please.” She hurried back into the kitchen where her chef, Spencer, held a substantial pastry brush and was swatting a man sprawled out on the floor. A black cowboy hat sat at the man’s feet. “Spencer, what the devil? We do not beat on our customers.” She extended an arm to the man and helped him to his feet. “Now, will someone please explain to me what’s going on?”

Spencer’s victim picked up his hat and slapped it on his leg, then reshaped the crown. He placed the hat on his head. His soft brown eyes, punctuated by crow’s feet that appeared carved into his tan face, gazed at Bailey, and his full lips curled up in a cocky grin. “Sorry, ma’am,” he drawled in a sexy baritone. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, but my daughter sent me to pick up her order for my granddaughter’s birthday party. I saw how crowded it was out front, so I thought it best to come ‘round to the back door.” He made a face. “Not sure how I wound up on the floor. Guess I slipped.” He shrugged and chuckled. “Guess that happens to those of us ready for the pasture.”

Bailey squelched a sigh. Pasture my eye. He couldn’t be more than fifty, around her age. This guy could be on the cover of a romance novel. He was tall and sturdy, with curly dark hair, bushy eyebrows, and just a hint of a five o'clock shadow. And that voice. She could just imagine the man whispering into her ear after a night of passionate sex. A tiny shiver raced up and down her spine. She was exiting her forties, but her body was not immune to a handsome cowboy. Damn, he was fine.

Spencer planted his hands on his skinny hips and scowled. “He didn’t knock. He just whipped open the door and barged on in. Scared the bejesus out of me. I dropped a water glass.” He shot the cowboy a dirty look. “His boots must be wet because he took a less-than-graceful tumble. You know, ass over teakettle? You may be all that in Texas, cowboy. But in Wisconsin, we wipe our feet before entering a building.” He clucked his tongue and tossed his head. “Everyone knows what happens when you track in snow.”

The cowboy held up his hands and tried to squelch a grin. “Hey, I apologize. In my defense, I knocked several times. When no one responded, I just thought it would be easier to come in…”

“Oh, for Pete’s Sake. Did you grow up in a barn?” Spencer huffed. “I need to go clean up. I’ve got enough flour on me to enter a powder puff derby.” He flounced away, muttering about uncouth cowboys with bull crap on their boots.

Bailey rolled her eyes and giggled. She smiled at the man. “I hope that pastry brush didn’t seriously injure you.”

The man chortled. “I’m a bit buttered up, but it beats my granddaughter’s fingerpaints all over my face. As long as he doesn’t force me into an oven, I think I’ll be fine.”

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOPNBT7LHa4

Buy Links

Publisher: https://www.extasybooks.com/Broken-Down-Cowboy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Down-Cowboy-Seelie-Kay/dp/148744012X

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/broken-down-cowboy-seelie-kay/1144463727?ean=9781487440121

Kobo: Coming soon

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/broken-down-cowboy-by-seelie-kay

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201784722-broken-down-cowboy

About the Author

Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s creative pen has resulted in more than twenty tales of contemporary, erotic, and paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

Seelie resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

She is also an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis.

Seelie can be found on most social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. To subscribe to her newsletter, please visit https://rb.gy/w69pim.

Author Links

Website: https://www.seeliekay.com

Blog: https://www.seeliekay.blogspot.com

Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seeliekay51/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/seelie-kay

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16492565.Seelie_Kay

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

Newsletter sign-up: https://rb.gy/w69pim

Prior Books

Kinky Briefs: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-1

Kinky Briefs, Too: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-too

Kinky Briefs, Thrice: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-thrice

Kinky Briefs, Quatro: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-quatro

Kinky Briefs, Cinque: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-cinque

Snatching Dianna: https://www.extasybooks.com/snatching-dianna

Infamy: https://www.extasybooks.com/infamy

Cult: https://www.extasybooks.com/cult

Hope: https://www.extasybooks.com/hope

Martimus: https://www.extasybooks.com/martimus

The Garage Dweller: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-garage-dweller

The President’s Wife: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-wife

Seizing Hope: https://www.extasybooks.com/seizing-hope

The White House Wedding: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-white-house-wedding

The Last Christmas: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-last-christmas

The President’s Daughter: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-daughter

A Touchdown to Remember: https://www.extasybooks.com/a-touchdown-to-remember

First, We Kill All the Lawyers: https://www.extasybooks.com/first,-we-kill-all-the-lawyers

Ye Gods! The Law is an Ass!: https://www.extasybooks.com/ye-god-the-law-is-an-ass

Vive la Resistance: https://www.extasybooks.com/Vive-la-Resistance

In the Midst of Angels: https://www.extasybooks.com/In-the-Midst-of-Angels

Saint Con: https://www.extasybooks.com/Saint-Con

Whatever it takes... #MistakenIdentity #SecondChanceRomance #RomCom @jkentauthor)

Rule #1: Don’t fall in love with the groom

Stalker exes. Momzillas. Drunk uncles. Hurricanes. Jealous siblings. Paparazzi.

You name it, Kari Whitevelt has seen it all.

And that’s why brides and grooms hire her.

Because she makes it all go away.

Wedding Protectors, Inc., is here to make sure that special day stays special.

Whatever it takes.

No matter what.

But when her newest client turns out to be her own long-lost high school sweetheart, rising tech star billionaire Caleb Mikelmas, suddenly Kari’s not sure whether she’s protecting the wedding couple —

Or her own heart.

Tech billionaire Caleb never thought he had a chance, much less a second chance with his first love and high school sweetheart, Kari. When a case of mistaken identity turns their reunion into one big misunderstanding, unraveling his feelings about the one who got away while supporting his brother’s nuptials means facing old demons.

And kissing Kari.

He likes kissing Kari far more than that whole demon thing.

But if kisses were enough, Kari would already be his wife.

Maybe it’s time to revisit the past and right some wrongs.

One vow at a time.

Welcome to the Whatever It Takes series:

Every bride needs something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue -

But you know what brides don't need?

Complications.

Welcome to Wedding Protectors, Inc. Have a spritzer or a latte or some lovely Zen tea and sink into a comfortable chair in our sunlit offices as we listen to your wedding problem – and form the perfect solution to every possible contingency.

We plan for everything.

Except our own love lives.

But that's not your problem. ;)

Buy Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CKB6KHD3

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Billionaires-Wedding-Whatever-Takes-ebook/dp/B0CKB6KHD3/

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Never-Billionaires-Wedding-Whatever-Takes-ebook/dp/B0CKB6KHD3/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Never-Billionaires-Wedding-Whatever-Takes-ebook/dp/B0CKB6KHD3/

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/never-plan-a-billionaires-wedding/id6468538482

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/never-plan-a-billionaire-s-wedding

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-plan-a-billionaires-wedding-julia-kent/1144157018?ean=2940186153108

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Vn7aEAAAQBAJ

Print: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Billionaires-Wedding-Whatever-Takes/dp/1638801975/

Website: https://jkentauthor.com/books/whatever-it-takes/never-plan/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/never-plan-a-billionaire-s-wedding-whatever-it-takes-book-1-by-julia-kent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199278585-never-plan-a-billionaire-s-wedding

Audible: COMING SOON

Amazon Audio: COMING SOON

iTunes: COMING SOON

Excerpt

“I'm asking you out for coffee, Kari, because I want to spend time with you.”

Her mouth dropped. Katie knew what it was like to have a groomsman hit on you in the middle of wedding plans, but this was a first.

A groom!

And of all the guys…

“Caleb!” she gasped. “You're asking me out on a date?”

He smiled. “Now we're getting somewhere.”

“No! You're getting nowhere!”

“Got to second base back in high school. Remember my mom’s old Explorer? We used to park it down by the beach–”

THWACK!

With a snap of her wrist, she hit him, hard, in the chest.

The hard part came from the three-ring binder full of Carolina's ideas.

“What about Carolina?” she asked as his hands deftly caught the binder before it broke his foot.

“What about her?”

“You're cheating on her? Now? With me?”

“I'm what? No! How could I be cheating? Carolina doesn't care if I go out with you!”

A rush of ice-cold numbness took over her body.

“Caleb Mikelmas, you are not the man I once knew! Maybe all that success and money turned your morality into a hormone-filled lust swamp, but that is not how I live. Silicon Valley is full of all those tech bros orgy parties, and I cannot believe you’re one of them!”

“Orgy? Kari, what are you – ”

“You can't just ask me out when I'm planning your wedding!”

“I still can’t believe you said the word orgy.”

“And I cannot believe you’re jeopardizing your wedding to try to get me into bed!”

“Bed? What? I said coffee! And hold on. MY wedding? Kari, my wedding? I'm not getting married!”

“You're breaking up with Carolina so you can mess around with me?”

Full-throated laughter was the very last item on Kari’s short list of Things Caleb Would Do After Asking Her to Help Him Cheat on His Fiancée (Who Hired Wedding Protectors for Their Wedding).

But laugh, he did.

So she did what any self-respecting woman would do.

She shoved the heel of her Jimmy Choo stiletto into his arch.

Which made him fold in half and drop the binder.

As color-coded spreadsheets and post-it tabs went flying, she turned on said heel to storm out, her pride damaged but not destroyed, her exit so teeth-rattlingly livid that she didn’t feel a single bit of remorse for hurting him.

Until he shouted:

“Kari, I'm not marrying Carolina! My brother, Christian, is!”

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com

Social Media Links

Website: http://jkentauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jkentauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkentauthor

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2PIBi9n

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-kent

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3238619.Julia_Kent

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Julia-Kent/e/B00A99V268/

Release blitz organized by Writer Marketing Services.

Simultaneously arousing and literate – #HolidayRomance #LaterInLife #MFRWHooks

For today’s MFRW Book Hooks blog hop, I’m featuring one of my favorite books. Gray Christmas is a holiday tale that makes it clear that you’re never too old for love.

And, as an added bonus, it features an author heroine, and a great cat!

Blurb

Widowed author Emma Granger has reconciled herself to spending Christmas Eve in snowy Boston, with a bottle of wine and her cat. A crash from the apartment above overturns her plans for a quiet evening at home. When she investigates, she meets Nick North, an energetic iconoclast with a gray ponytail, a silver earring and bright blue eyes that kindle feelings she’d thought were gone forever.

The Hook

I came back to find Nick ensconced in my favorite reading chair to the right of the fireplace, with Vronsky draped across his lap.

“Oh! I see you’ve met the real owner of this place.”

Nick scratched behind Vronsky’s ears, much to the owner’s approval, then smoothed a big palm down over the cat’s lush, steel-hued fur, along his spine to the tail. “What a handsome fellow! What’s his name?”

“Usually he’s Vronsky. Except when he acts silly, Then I call him Mousesorgsky.”

My guest laughed. The gray cat’s whiskers twitched in indignation. “Very appropriate, I suspect. Both names.” He sipped at the glass of wine I’d handed him. “Oh, that’s delicious. Thank you!”

“My pleasure.” The wine was lovely—I’d splurged a bit, for the holidays—but Nick’s reaction made me appreciate it even more. He closed his eyes and licked his lips as though savoring every last hint of flavor. I watched his bare throat as he swallowed another, larger gulp. I ached to lick along that stubborn chin and down the side of his neck.

A bit of gray frizz peeked out from the neckline of his tee. I wondered if he was hairy all over, then blushed when I realized he was looking at me. Did he know what I was thinking? God, I hoped not! How embarrassing it would be if he realized a horny old grandmother was lusting after his body!

I nibbled at my cheese, glancing out the window so I wouldn’t have to meet his eyes. “It’s snowing harder.”

“Good thing we’re warm and cozy together in here.” Something in his tone made alarm bells ring. When I turned my attention to him, though, he was studying his cracker.

“So—um—what about you? Are you married?” Might as well take the bull by the horns.

“Was.” He wiped his elegant fingers on his napkin. “She left me for a younger man. About ten years ago.”

“Ouch! That must have hurt.”

“Yeah, especially since I was in the hospital recovering from heart surgery at the time.” His manner was nonchalant, as though we were still discussing the weather. My chest grew tight in sympathy. “She was a selfish bitch.”

“I think you’re being too kind.”

“I’m lucky she’s gone. I’m better off without her.” A faint smile lit his face. “Though I have to say she was great in bed.”

For that, I had no reply. I fumbled with a piece of flatbread, trying to hide my confusion, but I could feel my cheeks were flaming red.

“What about your husband? Was he a good lover?” I couldn’t look at him. I knew there’d be a saucy grin on those enticing lips, and a brash twinkle in those eyes.

How could I explain about Tom and me? All the great years we had together, so many erotic adventures, and then the pale, bland final decade, when he’d lost interest in fucking. Not that it had been his fault. Between menopause and arthritis, sex simply stopped being fun for me. He hated knowing that penetration caused me pain, so he pulled away, and God help me, I was almost relieved. But now I missed the days when we both loved my body, almost as much as I missed Tom himself.

I could hardly share all that with a stranger, though.

The silence lengthened. Nick watched me. I stared into my wine glass.

“I see we share the same tastes in reading.”

The sudden shift in topic startled me enough that I looked up. “What?”

He’d extracted a paperback from the shelf just behind him. He held it up for me to see. Of course I recognized the cover, a tastefully shadowed nude in a blindfold. “One of my favorite authors.”

“You like erotic romance?”

“In general, no. But I think I’ve read everything Emmanuelle de la Grange has written.”

I returned my wine glass the tray and stared at my guest. Who was this guy and why was he torturing me? “You’re joking, right?”

“Not at all. I really love her style, not to mention her filthy imagination. She’s simultaneously arousing and literate. Not many authors can manage that.”

He set the book down on the table beside him. I picked it up and flipped through it. The Passion of Priscilla. One of my earlier works, but still one of my best sellers.

“Okay, so what’s your favorite de la Grange title, then?” Mentally I reviewed the rather short list of my acquaintances who knew how I supported myself. Could one of them have put my upstairs neighbor up to this? Or even planted him in the apartment above, as a Christmas jest?

Nick stretched out his legs and sat back in his chair, his arms crossed behind his head. Vronsky hopped off, arched his back, then curled up on the window seat.

“It’s really difficult to say. Maybe Satin Submission? Or Doing It the Hard Way?” He leaned toward me, resting his hands on his thighs. His weathered face was earnest and open. “Which one do you like best?”

A storm of emotion raged inside me—pride, anger, curiosity, and of course desire, so familiar and so rare. Rising from my seat, I walked to the window, where I stood for what seemed like a long time, petting Vronsky and watching the snow swirl in the street lights.

“I can’t choose,” I said finally. “Any more than I’d choose one of my children over the other. Since I am Emanuelle de la Grange.”

Utter silence greeted my announcement. Even the cat stopped purring. I swear I could hear the hiss of the snow hurtling toward the pavement outside.

Buy Links

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6JJIQD/

Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N6JJIQD/

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/691291

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gray-christmas-lisabet-sarai/1125380853?ean=2940153925790

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gray-christmas

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1189334886

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33550862-gray-christmas

Be sure to visit the other authors joining in today’s hop!

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