How can she reclaim her life when she’s lost her faith? #AngelsAndDemons #PNR #TheGarguiem

The Garguiem

An ancient order secretly working to fight evil and corruption within the Catholic Church through faith, duty and love

Blurb

She’s a tragic heroine, lost in the dark after a heartbreaking mission. He’s a man in love, determined to rescue his wife from the depths of her depression.

Isaac may be part of an ancient organization that’s been combatting evil for millennia, but he isn’t a warrior. Gifted—or cursed—with an infallible memory, he’s more useful behind a computer, hacking records and coordinating operations, but his family has stumbled onto a threat to the Catholic Church that just might reach the highest levels. Isaac has a single clue to lead him forward, but getting any more information requires finding the courage to join the fight of his life.

A year ago, Jericho walked away from nearly everything after her service to the cause asked too much of her, demanding a price too high to pay, a sacrifice she couldn’t live with. Now her husband is asking for more. Isaac wants her back—back on the team, back in the field and back in his bed—but how can she reclaim her life when she’s lost her faith?

Excerpt

The sound of his palm slapping the wall came a heartbeat before the overhead light flared. Weak yellow illumination, a faint buzzing sound. The light’s enclosure was beyond dirty, an unnatural filter that kept the radiance dim, but it was still enough to burn Jericho’s eyes.

And slice through her sanity.

Screaming like a wounded animal, she folded over her lap and slid off the chair. Throwing an arm over her head, she struggled to hide and fought to find some semblance of composure, but the exposure was too much. Her reaction was a beast of its own making, beyond her control, rampaging freely. Oxygen ripped from her lungs and her stomach burned under a wash of acid that climbed her throat.

Then Isaac’s arms were around her. Desperate, she turned her face into the damp leather covering his chest and denied the flash of need that exploded in her heart. Jericho was torn between pushing closer to fill her senses with one last immersion in all things Isaac, and pulling away so he couldn’t feel the texture of her skin, or the limp greasiness of her hair.

“Easy,” he soothed her. “Just be easy.”

“Go. Please go.”

“I can’t, Jericho. Now that I’ve found you, I won’t leave. I…can’t.”

“How?” She did try to push from his embrace then, but her muscle weakness didn’t let her get far. Isaac held her easily, not even exerting force. She tucked her head down, hoping the limp clumps of her hair hid her face. “How did you find me?”

“You received a letter a long time ago with a change of address on it.” Bitterness filled his sharp laugh. “It took a while to find my courage and come.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

“I should have come sooner,” he argued. “Then maybe you would have found your courage, too.”

“This isn’t about—” Using every ounce of willpower at her disposal, Jericho wrenched from her husband’s hold and lunged toward the wall. On her hands and knees, her movements were jerky and awkward, much too revealing, but she couldn’t help herself. She reached for the light switch.

Isaac caught her shoulder and hauled her back against his chest. She dropped her chin, letting her hair hide her. “Does the light hurt your eyes?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Do I hurt your eyes too, Jericho?”

Strength deserted her. The last gasp of sanity blew through her lungs with an agonizing burn. Her heart seemed to collapse in on itself. Unable to breathe or make a sound past the pain, she simply shook her head.

“Then look at me.”

She shook her head again, squeezing her eyes closed, tucking her chin until her neck ached.

“Who are you hiding from, Jericho?”

When she remained silent, Isaac pressed his lips close to her ear, burrowing through her dirty hair until his rough whisper abraded her skin. “Who the fuck do you think was at your side in the hospital? You really think I haven’t seen your face?”

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BT8RHGM

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BT8RHGM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39353276-the-garguiem

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, author Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses and seeing how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

www.lola-white.com

Always the Hard Way (#stubbornness #Christmas #pnr @AuthorLolaWhite )

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

I think I’m just destined to do everything the hard way. Or maybe the hard way is destined to do me…not sure about the order of that.

My whole life has been spent doing things on my own, my own way, because the easier, shorter route either wasn’t available, didn’t work or wasn’t even on my radar. And I’m more stubborn than people realize, so sometimes I get stuck on a particular way of doing something. Maybe I just made some bad choices in my life, though most things seemed to work out well enough. If they were bad choices, at least I learned a lot from them.

That’s how some people are though. I think I can only learn through true adversity. I can’t be told, I can’t be warned. I’ve got to get in there, get messy, make mistakes, break my heart and walk the edge of insanity before I learn whatever was needed to take me further.

I accepted this about myself long ago, but, until this month, when I found myself in the position of releasing two very different stories in three days, I hadn’t realized how much of this particular hard-headedness of mine had made it into my characters. It’s amazing what you see when you have to explain a creation, then explain another in short order.

There’s always a piece of an author in his or her characters. Just like there are pieces of their parents, best friends, spouses, children, etc. We are constantly cataloging human traits to use, even if we don’t know it. When we put ourselves into our characters, it’s usually because that’s how we would act, or what we would say, or the conclusion we would jump to…or the total opposite of all that. (Authors are contrary beasts).

I’ve put a lot of myself into my characters—especially the females. I feel that I’m strong, so they are too. I’m shy and non-confrontational, but I won’t back down from my beliefs. I can be quiet, obnoxious, argumentative, reserved… Like most people, I’m a walking contradiction, because nothing in life is cut-and-dried.

And how does this apply to my two newest stories?

Hardheadedness abounds, the easier path might be favored but it sure as hell isn’t taken, and they’re all walking the edge of insanity.

The Garguiem series is about a group of people descended from angels who were cast out of heaven for not picking a side in the war. In the middle ages, they were recruited to work for the Catholic Church. They are gargoyles, real people the statues represent, and they fight evil and corruption—except Liah, the star of the new novel, comes very close to corruption with her own actions, as well as the investigation Father Tony ropes her into.

Liah is an empath, desperately trying to shut off her own emotions because she can hardly deal with everything she feels. She’s also determined to save the world, or, in this case, women who might be abused at the hands of corrupt priests. Except, there is no evidence that suggests any women are being misused.

But Father Tony is stubborn too, and he keeps dragging Liah back into the case. He’s a priest with secrets, an abomination Liah’s people can’t tolerate…but she never does anything the easy way. The faster route, sure, and that’s why she’s always in trouble, but, for Liah, her hard-headedness makes her a target and when hers is combined with Tony’s, she’s put into a situation her enemies can exploit.

And it’s a romance. Who doesn’t love a tragic, complicated romance?

The Tithe Collector is about a group of people, but with a focus on Zahra, the tithe collector who makes the very idea of a Special Collections team possible. Magic comes at a price, and everyone pays eventually—either in death or taxes. Well, the tax man cometh, in the form of a petite genie who is so addicted to human magic that her punishment will definitely make her insane.

Though she’s not as assertive as Liah, Zahra’s stubborn, too. She’s been forced onto the team, along with an adulterous vampire, a murderous fairy and a returned human Army vet suffering from PTSD. The king of gods has some plan up his sleeve, and Zahra’s got to walk his path in order to save her sister from the Djinn King. But she’s still trying to make things work with the man who got her addicted to magic in the first place, as well as trying to fit in with her new team, keep her secrets and get clean. The other three have their own issues.

In Conjurers & Candy Canes, the Christmas short I just released in the Tithe Collector series, Santa’s been kidnapped. The team is called in to investigate, and each of the four characters we follow show their tenacity in some way. The story is too short to go into how each walks the edge, but Santeria & Sorcery is free on Kindle Unlimited for any who are interested in checking out the series from the start.

Liah and Zahra surprised me with how similar they are, for all that they’re different. Different species, stories and reactions to life. Different personalities. Liah is a warrior and Zahra is a neglected pawn. They’re both addicts clawing their way toward sobriety, they’re both stubborn and determined, generous and willing to do what it takes to make a difference. Wholly imperfect, infuriating at times, but inspiring some protectiveness in others—when they’re not forgotten, which is another trait these two share. Both have been hurt deeply, but still hold hope in their heart. They are strong in their unique ways. They are facets of me.

And, just like me, these characters do everything the hard way. They can’t love easy, they can hardly get themselves together to function normally, and they can’t learn from other people’s mistakes. No, they’re messy and complicated, dangerous and destructive…but everything they do, they do with their whole hearts. Though it might be misplaced, they’re filled with faith, which they use to either walk the path before them or make their own way, because they’re both fighters. In fact, all the Garguiem and all the Special Collections team members are fighters in their own ways.

Two vibrant characters, two complex stories. So different, but so similar, and that’s somehow wonderful. Like life, a story wouldn’t be any fun if it was too easy.

The Garguiem: Liah is available on Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N41GVNH/

Conjurers & Candy Canes is available at

~Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1LTR0F

~All Romance ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-conjurerscandycanes-2179897-153.html

~Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conjurers-candy-canes-lola-white/1125213381

About the Author

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, author Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

Website/blog: http://lola-white.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lola.white.1690

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Lola-White/e/B00GYVM6JW

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7953067.Lola_White 

Twitter: @authorlolawhite 

Seriously, a Series? (#pnr #eroticromance #series @authorlolawhite)

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Chances are, you’re reading a series. If not actively, right now, then you are waiting for the next book to come out, right? But what is a series?

How about this definition: A book series is group of stories that somewhere around three-quarters of the way through the author started wondering how, for the love of all that’s holy, she’s going to finish, and why, in the name of all the deities, she ever started in the first place and, what, for the sake of dear sweet Jesus, possessed her to write the damned thing without spreadsheets, graphs, time lines and genealogies to keep everything organized.

Or, to be ridiculously general, a series is simply a collection of stories with some common thread tying them all together.

I’m ashamed to admit that before I really started thinking about ‘actually making a career out of writing’ I never considered what an author went through in the creation of a series. How they have to fashion continuity, find acceptable consequences for a host of characters, and still leave a cushion at the end so the reader can imagine the story continuing beyond the page. My apologies to every single person (or writing team) that has, in fact, started a series and finished it. My hat’s off to you, because now I know what sorts of knots you tied yourself into.

Not that knowing the agony would have deterred me—I love series. Most of what I’ve written is part of a series. There is a range, though—with a common theme barely connecting my dark erotic trilogy or my western saga, or common characters connecting my psychic trilogy, or an overreaching storyline as in my Magic Matched series, my Tithe Collector series or my Garguiem series.

And that last commonality is the hard one, ladies and gentlemen. The author has to know every character’s goals and create acceptable outcomes. There is a larger problem that must be solved, in addition to a host of smaller ones. There are relationships to develop or destroy. And all these things must happen naturally and completely by the very last page, leaving the reader with a sense of accomplishment and resolution.

My first continuous series, Magic Matched is published through Totally Bound, and I am extremely appreciative of what they taught me. So appreciative that I’m about to pass on their advice, free of charge, to anyone who wants to write a series. It’s this:

Write a synopsis for the whole thing and also write a synopsis for every book in the series. It’s okay if it changes later, but see it now, and know that you have some idea of how to finish what you’ve started.

That’s GOLD people! Before they asked this of me, I was convinced I could wing it, but now I think this is literally the only way a series can be finished. You’ve got to have some end goal in mind before you begin, even if it takes thirty books to get there because you keep adding something extra into the story arc. (I can think of at least five authors who are definitely doing that.)

And why am I writing about this today? Well, I just finished the Magic Matched series (at the time of writing this post). Those of you who visit Lisabet’s blog regularly may know that last month I’d admitted to being overdue with the final book. There were rewards to dole out and punishments to administer…and even a redemption to write. I was close to being done, but there was so much I had to keep track of, so many loose ends I had to make certain were tied that I slowed down to make sure I’d accomplished what I wanted to.

You see, I’m not just an author—I’m a reader. I know the pain of getting to a certain point in a series and still having questions, or still wondering about a particular thing the author didn’t bring to resolution. I worked hard to make sure Magic Matched is as complete as I could make it without strangling the possibilities of what could be after the story is over. That’s also important to me as a reader—I want to be able to imagine the characters going on, living their lives and accomplishing new goals, so there has to be a little wiggle room, right?

It’s an emotional journey, writing a series to completion. Exhausting, too. Magic Matched is only four books, but the process has taken over two years and writing those last scenes left me teary-eyed. I was finished, and that’s both joyous and sad (like having your children go away to college). The Tithe Collector, the Garguiem, and a new series I’m not yet ready to reveal, are longer—they have to be in order to tell the story as fully as I need to, but Magic Matched was a great teaching tool, and the lessons of these four books have been permanently absorbed into my knowledge base.

And you can bet that, going forward, there will definitely be spreadsheets, time lines and graphs.

Magic Matched

Only magic and politics matter…until love comes into play

Silviu and Georgeanne must learn to open their hearts to each other in order to unlock their full magical potential. But with all that stands in their way—archaic traditions, murder plots, and a betrayal that threatens all they can be—they will need the group of allies they have built to help them navigate the dangerous world of witches, and succeed against the dark magic stalking them every step of the way.

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WMCBIKA

Totally Bound https://www.totallybound.com/book/betrothed

Barnes & Noble http://goo.gl/Oq7wsZ

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

For news, exclusives and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at http://goo.gl/N4YZ1K

Find her on

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlolawhite

Tumblr: http://authorlolawhite.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorLolaWhite

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/lolawhite

Thank you Lisabet!

The Learning Curve (#pnr #series #writing @AuthorLolaWhite)

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Hopefully, every writer that sits down to create a story will get better with every tale told. But it can be an arduous process. There are skills that can’t be taught on blogs about writing, you can’t learn them through advice, or even by reading others’ books. These resources might be helpful as a starting point, but, eventually, you have to find your voice and you have to learn for yourself how to share it.

Writing a series turned out to be akin to jumping into the deep end for me. It also puts my learning curve front and center, on display for all to see. When I started writing the Magic Matched series the concept was completely different, but it soon settled into what became Betrothed. I thought I would write one book, but I hadn’t even gotten halfway through Betrothed when I realized I would need many, many more words to tell the story in my head and in my heart.

I didn’t want some horribly long epic adventure, yet that was what my main plot needed. So I started planning, and realized that I would need four books. However, the story is about two witches, and four books about two witches, especially an erotic romance when the two witches are forbidden from having sex, seemed a little…drawn-out. Learning, learning! I added more depth to what used to be secondary characters, and gave them each prominent roles on the main stage, then broke the whole into manageable chunks. Two romance stories in each novel…

I also learned that the first in a series is a breeze. It’s a blank canvas, you’re making up the rules as you go. The second in the series isn’t too bad, either. It’s not yet complicated enough to have you drawing graphs, and if you write the first and second back-to-back like I did, everything is fresh in your mind. It’s a fairly fluid continuation. Looking back, however, I can see how those first two books were influenced by my love of Stephanie Laurens’ romance novels. They have a prose-y-ness that most of my other books have outgrown. (Not completely because I do love a good turn of phrase, but knowing what flowery phrases to keep is also part of the learning process.)

Then came the third book, Motherhood. Just released on May 17th, I’m amazed it wasn’t delayed indefinitely. I started writing the book just after the second. I’d written most of it when my brain shut off—which usually means my subconscious thinks something is wrong with my story. I put the book aside until I could figure out what was wrong with it…and going back was torture. I despaired, for the first time in my life. I thought I’d have to scrap everything and start over, and I had no idea how to do that, where to start that wouldn’t lead me to the same mess.

That’s part of the learning process, too—not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I wrote a summary of each chapter on index cards and laid them out on my floor. I’ve never done that before, and haven’t since, but I did what was necessary to get my story in good order so I could continue.

Then I got to the emotions. I would have told you that I wrote with emotion, mine were always close to the surface, but Motherhood touches fears I’ve shoved to the very back of my mind. The next step in an author’s evolution, the next rise on the learning curve, is finally digging in to the core of who you are. 

 

Some get there faster than others. You can write with passion, you can tell an amazing, engaging, best-selling story…but eventually, all true writers break through that emotional wall, and nothing is ever the same again.

For me, it turns out that Motherhood was not only the hardest to write in the series, being a crucial turning point for my main characters, but also The Wall. I was a wreck, but now I feel like I can tap into my emotions more freely than before, and yet they are no longer so sharp as they were with Motherhood. One of my fears is what I’ll do when I lose my grandmother—we’re very close. In Motherhood, Georgeanne has to ask herself the same question, as her grandmother is very ill. Another one of my fears is fully trusting a mate…I’ll freely admit to being a commitment-phobe. It’s hard to hand yourself over to another—mind, body and soul like all epic romances should be right?—but Christiana Davenold is being asked to do just that by her husband.

And then we get into the heart of things. For me, the reason I shy away from a deep commitments is because I don’t want to be hurt, of course. That’s why we all run, and those who stay are the bravest people I know. Georgeanne and Silviu are at a point in their relationship where it’s all or nothing, but betrayal lurks and forgiveness can be difficult. How much could you forgive…because the betrayal in Motherhood is deep and decisions about the future will have to be made.

Now I’m writing the last book of the Magic Matched series. (Don’t tell, I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be done already!) And I’ve learned how far I’ve come. I’ve learned how to plot a series, how to connect all the dots and tie up all the loose ends. My style has changed, though I’ve tried to maintain a similarity to the other three books, and my voice became clearer. As a woman, I am more in touch with my emotions and more willing to risk them for great reward. As a writer, I have a firmer grip on my craft.

I’ve learned a lot, but it’s an ongoing process. I hope I never complete it.

Thank you Lisabet! For any who are interested in the Magic Matched series, you can find the first two books, Betrothed and Married, for a temporarily reduced price at Totally Bound and Amazon.

Magic Matched

Only magic and politics matter…until love comes into play

Silviu and Georgeanne must learn to open their hearts to each other in order to unlock their full magical potential. But with all that stands in their way—archaic traditions, murder plots, and a betrayal that threatens all they can be—they will need the group of allies they have built to help them navigate the dangerous world of witches, and succeed against the dark magic stalking them every step of the way.

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

For news, exclusives and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at http://goo.gl/N4YZ1K

Find her on 

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlolawhite

Tumblr: http://authorlolawhite.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorLolaWhite

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/lolawhite

Who wants a FREE story?

In an ironic twist, I’m honoring the release of Motherhood with a celebration of fathers! In the US, Father’s day is in June, and I’ll be releasing my novella, Stolen Goods just in time to celebrate.

Comment below with a happy memory of your father, step-father, grandfather, etc. and your first name, then follow this link and let me know! I’ll send you a PDF copy of Stolen Goods.

*Please be aware, by giving me your email address, you are also signing up for my monthly newsletter*

Love is a Journey (#pnr #eroticromance @authorlolawhite)

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Love is just as much a journey as life is. As a romance author, I try to capture the ups and downs of the path, but that also means that I travel that path, take that journey, with every book I write. The Magic Matched series has taken me to places I never expected.

Let me start near the beginning of the trail…

My friend met her husband when she was fifteen years old, and the very first time she spoke to him, she knew she would marry him. No one thought her certainty would prove to be prophetic, but they’ve been together since then, defying the odds for two decades, and that made me wonder...

What if you knew who you would marry before you were even grown-up enough to understand what marriage was? How would knowing exactly who you were going to marry affect your life, especially if the two of you were very different—raised with different goals, ethics and expectations? And what happens when you grow from childhood innocence to adult challenges?

This fascinated me. I had chosen to travel throughout my twenties, when everyone else I knew was getting married and having children. I had things to do, places to see and refused even the hint of roots to tie me down. The thought of spending my whole life with one person made me shudder back then, and still makes me a bit nervous now.

But there are a lot of people who marry their high school sweethearts, and even more who enter into arranged marriages throughout the world. I thought of the journey they must make, from immaturity to partnership, and applied that to a world divided between matriarchal and patriarchal lines. I thought of how two people could grow together, and become a solid, loving team, if they were willing to work at it.

Magic Matched is a four-part series, which gave me enough time to make the journey. Silviu Lovasz is a patriarchal witch determined to rule over all the covens. He’s also a Reap witch, born with too much magic, which he tries to hide from others. Because of this, his father arranged a marriage to Georgeanne Davenold, a matriarchal witch born without magic, when they were both children. Their families expect the pair to achieve the ultimate leadership position in witching society because, together Silviu and Georgie can unlock each other’s full magical potential. They are Magic Matches.

They are also from different sides of the Schism, the divide between matriarchal and patriarchal houses. One values women, the other men, and that causes some conflict—not just between Silviu and Georgie, but also the way others see them and react to them. They are both dominant personalities with differing opinions, they’ve had different upbringings and experiences.

But the true source of conflict between them is Georgie’s distrust in Silviu. Part of that is due to Silviu’s patriarchy, part is due to a youthful indiscretion they shared. They were too young, just teenagers, and neither of their families were prepared for the bond they’d created between them. Not then, not when the loyalty they had for their own families was suddenly threatened by the way they felt toward each other.

Georgie was sent away. She and Silviu were kept separate for ten years, and the time apart gave Georgie reason to doubt Silviu’s motives toward her. She believes he’s manipulating her, using her and her body to get what he wants.

Magic Matched is Georgie’s journey. And mine. As she learns to trust again, as she learns to love, old wounds are reopened and she is tested in ways she never imagined. As was I.

This series has dragged me through emotions I would rather not have had to confront. Fears and regrets, but also appreciation for the decisions I’ve made. We each have different paths to travel, but eventually we all come across the same lessons. Love is one of them, and for my characters it’s the most important lesson of all—Magic Matches are highly influenced by their emotions, you see. And with two witches so potent they’re usually relegated to myth not only walking the earth, but Matched with an unstable, unequal power, love is the only thing that can save them…and the rest of the witching world.

Betrothed is the first book in the Magic Matched series and weaves together two stories, as does every installment. Silviu and Georgie finally reunite at a betrothal ceremony for his sister.

Ileana Lovasz is a pawn with a string of broken betrothals to prove it. She’s willing to use her body to escape her manipulative grandfather, and agrees to meet Eliasz Levy, a man wholly focused on building an alliance with Silviu. Eliasz figures marriage to Ileana is an ideal way to get the power he wants, but when the new couple meets, emotions they never expected change everything.

Ileana, Eliasz, Silviu and Georgie must build an alliance that will help them all get what they want but, with too many lies and too many enemies, the game they’re playing turns treacherous. When the two women come under attack, neither Silviu nor Eliasz knows which is the target. They only know they will protect the women their hearts have claimed as their own, even though that means defying the traditions of witching society, risking every goal they hold dear and confronting the dangerous members of their own families.

Betrothed is currently on sale for 99 cents, to celebrate the upcoming release of the third book in the series. This extremely low price is available for only another few days, until May 17^th, but will then be sold for a temporary price of $3.99 for the next few months. Married, the second book in the series is also being sold for that price. This is an excellent time to enter the witching world and meet Georgie and Silviu. Join them on their journey…

Thank you Lisabet!

Excerpt from Betrothed

“Do you ever think about the night I first put my hands on you?”

Georgie froze, stopped breathing. She shook her head as her eyes flew wide. Silviu smiled and stepped closer, ever closer, until there was only enough room for their bodies’ heat to pass between them. He set his hand at her waist and sent it sliding up, following the line of her torso to her ribcage.

“You do,” he whispered wickedly. “You remember how it felt, when I ran my hands over your bare body, when I ran my thumb over your perfect little nipple.”

“Stop it. This is inappropriate at a Levy Family function.”

Her voice was too breathless to heed. He curled his fingers over her breast, craving shooting through him when he felt her nipple pebble under his touch. Her breath faltered, turning ragged, her pulse hammering in her slender throat.

“Do you remember when I put my mouth on you and kissed my way down, finally tasting your first flood of passion. How sweet you were, all innocent and fresh, lifting for me with a need you didn’t even bother to hide.”

“Silviu.”

He squeezed her nipple lightly as he licked across her lips, nearly giving in when her mouth opened for him. Instead, he ruthlessly held onto his lust and drew back, leaving her aching, needing. He hoped as needy as him.

Slowly, he moved away from her, gathering his control around him. “I think you’ll taste like that again, Georgie.”

“I’m not a virgin, Silviu.” She lifted her chin, chest heaving, the moonlight showing him the flush that washed across her cheeks and collarbone. “You’d better not expect innocence.”

Pain moved through him, bitter regret. He pushed it aside and lifted a brow. “I took your innocence, Georgie, when we were just children. I’ll take your experience too, and teach you brand new things.”

“Bold words.”

“A promise, my love. Whoever touched you, they didn’t feel like me, did they? They didn’t feel as good, as right. You didn’t want them as much as you want me, and you damned sure didn’t find the pleasure you found with me.”

He lobbed his accusations blindly, but he’d hit his mark. The tightness in his chest eased as he saw the truth she couldn’t hide. He was right, and she knew it. Admitted it to herself, if not to him. That would make her surrender all the sweeter, when she finally came to him.

That would be soon. He’d make sure of it.

Motherhood - Book 3 of the Magic Matched series!

Early download available now!

 General release May 17th.

Betrothed on sale now at

Totally Bound https://www.totallybound.com/book/betrothed

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WMCBIKA

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00WMCBIKA

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

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Review Tuesday: Betrothed by Lola White (#review #pnr #eroticromance)

 

Betrothed by Lola White

Totally Bound, 2015

In the witching world, trust is a scarce commodity and love can be a liability. Family comes first. As the witch clans compete for influence, wealth and hereditary magic, marital alliances are determined by politics and strategy, not desire or emotional compatibility.

Ileana Lovasz isn’t looking for love. She’s desperate to marry in order to escape the clutches of her cruel and domineering grandfather, the dictatorial Father of the Lovasz clan. Eliasz Levy’s offer of betrothal can provide the freedom she seeks. She understands his motives have little to do with the heart. He seeks a connection with her magically gifted brother Silviu, who seems likely to be the next head of the inter-clan council.

Ileana’s and Eliasz’s mutual attraction make the match more appealing, but Ileanna isn’t going to let down her guard. She’ll use her amorous skills to seduce him, but the realities of witch politics make her cautious.

As the younger Lovasz son, Silviu will never be the family Father, but that’s not his goal. He has set his sights higher. His meticulously laid plans are progressing well. They depend on his marriage to Georgeanne Davenold, heir to one of the great matriarchal families. Silviu and Georgeanne together will make a formidable team, but they too need to learn mutual trust, especially since their partnership must bridge the gulf between male- and female-led witching society.

Lola White’s Betrothed is a breath of fresh air, full of original ideas. Structurally, it departs from the typical romance formula, with its two equally important couples. The point of view rotates among the two heroines and two heroes, letting the reader get to know each of them, with their varying ambitions, weaknesses and secrets. For the most part, the author manages this complicated narration smoothly.

I loved Ms. White’s portrayal of magic. Just as is the case with other personal attributes, each individual has a differing level of power, which expresses itself in different ways. Eliasz, for instance, has the ability to acquire secret knowledge from the wind, while Ileanna can sense the presence of other people’s magic.

Georgeanne’s magical status is perhaps the most fascinating. Born under a Reap moon, she appears to have no paranormal abilities at all. Her entire life has been an attempt to compensate for her magical deficit with achievements in other fields. However, she’s also immune to magical attacks by others, a characteristic that serves her well in the dangerous and desperate witch society.

The strong feminist themes in Betrothed also pleased me. Ms. White shows clearly the biases that result from being raised in a patriarchal versus a matriarchal family. Georgeanne and Silviu will need to work hard to overcome these almost unconscious preconceptions. Meanwhile, Ileanna has for years hidden the fact that she is as competent and as well-endowed with magic as any Lovasz male. She fights Eliasz’ expectation that he will control her as he would another woman brought up in a male-dominated family.

Most of Betrothed takes place in the Levy family mansion in Poland, where the Lovasz family has been invited to negotiate Ileanna’s betrothal. Davenold family members are also in attendance, including Georgeanne’s treacherous and powerful cousins Christina and Adam. The somewhat oppressive atmosphere, full of double-dealing and private bargains, reminded me a bit of an Agatha Christie novel. As Ileana and Georgeanne are both subjected to repeated magical attacks, the four protagonists try to determine who is responsible.

I will admit that I sometimes lost track of the logical threads during these deliberations. I found myself a bit confused by the many secondary characters and their varying motives. That might have been because I was reading under the influence of jet lag!

I had no trouble following the sex scenes, however. They are detailed, vivid, and as emotionally complex as the rest of the book. The sexual interactions between Silviu and Georgeanne are particularly erotic. These two characters have a magically-based sexual affinity—they are a Magic Match—but Georgeanne’s grandmother has forbidden her to indulge in sex until her marriage to Silviu is sealed. There’s nothing like frustration to ramp up the heat!

All in all, Betrothed is an enjoyable read with some creative twists that set it apart from the typical romance. I recommend it.

(I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.)