Book Blitz! SHALLOW by Georgia Cates

Something about the combination of this book's cover art and synopsis really caught my eye. Not only am I going to be reviewing it here at Read My Mind in October, but I am happy to be a part of SHALLOW's release day book blitz.

Be sure to check out a sneak peek of the first chapter at the end of this post!

About The Author:
Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author.

Blood of Anteros, Book One in The Vampire Agápe Series, was her first novel and it was released in September 2011. She decided to briefly step away from the paranormal genre to try her hand at a young adult contemporary romance when she wrote Going Under, but returned to the paranormal romance platform to complete the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series, Blood Jewel.

Her current works in progress are Shallow (A Going Under Novel) which will release on September 27th and Blood Doll (The Vampire Agápe Series #3), to be released in January 2013.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads


YA Contemporary
Going Under Series Book 2

Blurb:
Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even faster. He blows through females quicker than his muscle car races down the drag strip in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down...fast cars, parties and one night stands. To his absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one night. There’s only one catch...she is completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on finding it...at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes isn’t what scares Payton the most...it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her. Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?

Goodreads
Barnes and Noble | Amazon



Chapter 1
Sex Tricks Jedi

Payton


Why the hell was I driving to Collinsville to watch Dane Wickam race? And better yet, how had I let him talk me into making a two-hundred dollar bet that he would win? I didn’t know jack about racing and if I had to guess, Dane didn’t either. Sure, his parents bought him a fast, new Porsche for graduation, but that didn’t mean he knew how to race it.

I came to a stop at a red light just before we entered Collinsville, Jessie’s old stomping ground, and looked up in my rearview mirror at him sitting in my backseat. “Hey, Jessie, do you know this guy Dane is going to race?”

“Yeah, I went to school with Hawke at Collinsville. We were in the same class.”

“Hawke?” I laughed and the only thing I could picture was some guy with a big hooked nose like a bad cartoon. “What kind of name is Hawke? His mom is wrong for doing that to him.”

“His name is Nick Hawke, but everyone calls him Hawke and the name suits him pretty well. He’s well known as somewhat of a predator.”

That didn’t sound like a compliment. “A predator? You mean like a hunter?”

I watched Jessie laughing in my mirror. “No, girls are his chosen prey.”

Claire turned around in her seat to look at Jessie. “That’s funny because I was under the impression that the Collinsville ladies’ man left when you came to East Franklin.”

“No, Hawke was always the favorite among the chicks. They love his pretty face. I swear he can sweet talk himself into any girl’s pants, so I want you to keep your distance from him. I don’t want you falling for any of his Jedi sex tricks.”

What tha’? I spun around to look at Jessie sitting in the backseat behind Claire. “Did you just say Jedi sex tricks?”

Somehow in the midst of turning to look at Jessie, I forgot I was the one in the driver’s seat and my foot accidentally slipped off the brake and pounded onto the accelerator.

“Payton, look out!” Claire squealed just before I rammed into the back of the car stopped in front of us.

The whole thing happened in a split second. Shit. My parents were going to kill me. I didn’t have the best driving record ever, but at least I’d never gotten into an accident. So much for my clean accident-free driving history.

Jessie leaned toward me in the driver’s seat. “Yes, I said Jedi sex tricks.”

“Shut up,” I barked as I looked at the car in front of us to assess the damage but I couldn’t tell anything from inside the car. I watched the driver sling his door open and get out to look at the back of his car before he turned and stared at me with narrowed eyes.

Oh. My. Gosh. I just mated my Lexus with a P.O.S. Camaro being driven by quite possibly the hottest guy I’d ever seen. The problem, other than the obvious? He was pissed about it...like really pissed and he was staring at me like he could strangle me.

“Uh, I don’t think you should get out of the car. He looks really mad. Maybe we should just call in the accident and wait on the police to come,” Claire suggested.

“Nah, I’ve got this.” Jessie opened the door and was out of my car before Claire could object. He was Claire’s knight in shining armor and because I was the bestie without a boyfriend, he took it upon himself to be my protector as well. That was just Jessie.

I cracked my window as he walked by. “Hey, Kimosabe, do you think you can manage to not take a gunshot wound or knife to the gut? You know you don’t have a really great track record with confrontation.”

Without looking back, he flipped me off over his shoulder and I turned to Claire. “You really need to teach your boyfriend some manners.”

She rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “Apparently I’m not very successful at that. I haven’t managed to teach you any over the years.”

“I have manners, but you know my motto. Why be difficult, when with only a little bit of effort, you can be impossible?”

Claire shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she watched Jessie put his hands on his hips and turn back to look at us in the car. “There are a lot of other things you could excel at besides being a smart ass,” she argued.

“I'm sorry you find my normal behavior to be highly inappropriate, Princess.”

“Nope, you know that you don’t get to call me that,” Claire protested. “Jessie is the only one with that privilege.”

Jessie turned from talking with ‘hot guy I just slammed into’ and walked around to Claire’s side of the car. She rolled down her window and Jessie leaned in with his arms resting on top of my car and looked at Claire. “Warning...This is going to go over like a turd in the punchbowl.”

I leaned around Claire to see Jessie. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He says that he won’t sue if you’ll go out with him.” He was laughing as he said it.
I looked at Jessie and waited for the punchline. “You need to stop trying to be a clown because there’s not a circus in town.”

He held his hands up like he was an innocent party, but he was still laughing. “That’s what he said.”

“Oh, hell to the naw,” I announced as I waved my finger in the pattern of an imaginary zig zag. I slung my car door open and said, “I only need a minute to take care of this.”

“Be nice, Payton. You did just run into the back of his car,” Claire reminded me.

I slung my car door shut and straightened my short skirt before I walked toward Mr. Prince of Nothing Charming in my four inch wedge heels. This was going to be the most fun I would have all night so I better take advantage of it.

Damn. The closer I got, the more I realized how great looking this jerk was. His hair was dark and longer than I liked, but it fit him so perfectly the way the untamed tendrils curled and stuck to the perspiration along his hairline. He reached to shove a lock out of his face and his chocolate brown eyes pierced mine as though he saw straight through to my soul. My own heart betrayed me as it began to race without my permission and my breath was held hostage in the back of my throat as I wondered what his slightly scruffy face would feel like against my jaw.

Snap out of it, Dummy! I reminded myself that this guy was actually trying to blackmail me into a date.

Cars crept by and the occupants rubbernecked in our direction hoping to see something exciting. I stopped in front of him, crossed my arms and got down to business. “So, I have to go out with you if I don’t want to get sued, huh? Are you kiddin’ me, dude? That’s called blackmail.”

He gave me a big lopsided seductive grin and I was certain it wasn’t the first time he had used it to get what he wanted. “Some might call it extortion, but yeah...I think a date would be adequate compensation for any damage that may have occurred.”

I turned to look at the back of his car and saw that neither of our vehicles had suffered any damage during my unfortunate Jedi sex trick mishap. I could have argued that there was nothing to be compensated for, but I felt like having a little fun with this guy. “Do you have something I could use to write my contact information on?”

His lopsided grin oozed with satisfaction and turned up on both sides to reveal two of the cutest dimples I had ever seen. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. “Don’t need it. I’ll put you in my phone,” he said as he stood there waiting to hear my digits.

He was going to add me in his cell phone, today’s version of the Little Black Book. He didn’t see the smirk on my face because he was busy looking at his phone while I called off, “5-5-5-3-9-8-5. Vivian Archer, Attorney at Law. She’s my mother and your attorney may contact her so they may discuss the conditions of your claim against me.”

Okay, that was a little bit of a lie. My mother had not practiced law in years, but he didn’t have to know that. His sexy little grin faded and mine spread bigger as I said, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have money riding on a race and I’d like to be there to collect my winnings.”

Then his lopsided grin returned. “A race, huh? I heard about that. I hope you bet on Hawke instead of that spoiled rich kid from East Franklin or you can expect to kiss your money good-bye.”

So, he was a ‘know it all’ also. “As a matter of fact, I did not bet on anyone named after a bird. My money is riding on the brand new Porsche.”

In his fitted black T-shirt and dark washed jeans, he stepped back and leaned against his old black Camaro. He crossed his arms and I suspected he did so to call attention to his muscular, tanned biceps. Mission accomplished.

“You placed a bet on a car with no consideration for the driver? That’s known as bad betting, Doll Face. I hope you didn’t wager a lot of money because you are going to lose.”

I shifted my weight to one leg and kept my arms crossed over my chest. “I have two Benjamins on the Porsche that is going to win.”

He let out a high pitched whistle. “Wow, you seem very confident in your car, so how would you feel about upping your ante since you’re so positive the Porsche will leave Hawke in the dust?”

I wish I could, but I didn’t have cash on me and I doubted this jerk took credit. “Sorry, no can do unless I can swipe my Visa up your ass crack.”

He laughed as he said, “Wow, I didn’t expect anything like that to come out of that beautiful little delicate mouth of yours.”

His statement alone showed he didn’t know all he thought he did because it was a rare occasion that anything delicate came out of my mouth. “You’d be surprised.”

He cocked his head slightly and smiled, a sure sign that he was intrigued by my less than ladylike statement. “I love surprises.”

I heard a car honk its horn in the distance. “In case you forgot, we’re in the middle of the road holding up traffic,” I reminded him.

He displayed his lack of concern with the traffic by the wave of his hand in their direction. “They can wait. I have a proposal for you.”

I suddenly thought of Demi Moore and Robert Redford in Indecent Proposal. “A decent proposal, I hope.”

He smiled and I was pretty sure he understood my reference to the movie.

“Don’t worry, Doll Face. It’s a decent proposal,” he promised. “I’d like to make a side bet with you. If your car wins, I’ll give you two-hundred bucks in addition to the winnings you’ll receive from the pot on the bet you have already placed.”

Wait for it. Wait for it. Where was the catch? “I’m listening, but I didn’t hear what you are proposing I wager?”

There was that seductive lopsided grin again. “I only ask that you agree to one night with me.”

Was he kiddin’ me? There was no way that could be considered a decent proposal. The way he said it was so seductive and I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by ‘one night with him.’ I was speechless. I was breathless. I was curious.

His expression became smug as he lifted one eyebrow and said, “I guess you’re not as confident as you claim to be or this would be a no-brainer.”

Shizzle, that eyebrow lift thing he did was sexy. I mentally pimp slapped myself and doused my face with ice water. I managed to gather some words but I wasn’t sure how convincing I sounded when I squeaked out, “I’m very confident that my driver is going to win.”

“Okay, prove it then. Accept my bet,” he provoked.

There it was. He challenged me and totally got my competitive juices flowing. I knew I shouldn’t agree to it because what would I be proving? Nothing...but it sure would be funny to wipe that grin of his face and it never hurt to make an extra two-hundred bucks. “I’m not afraid, so I’ll take your challenge.”

He held his hand out to me and I looked at it like it was a snake in the Garden of Eden. I reached to take it and asked, “Can I safely assume that you will be at the race and that you won’t run off with my money after Dane wins?”

He laughed at me and I might have been pissed about it except I got to see his gorgeous dimples again. “There won’t be any running off with your money, Doll Face. I’ll be looking for you so we can settle up on our night together.”

His cockiness pissed me off so I was the one to pull my hand free from his. “I think you’ve delighted me long enough with your trash talk. I have a race to watch.”

“And I have a race to win,” he said before he got into his car. He started the engine and it roared loudly, just like a race car. I stood frozen in the middle of the road and watched him pull away as I realized I never asked his name.

Shit! Was that Nick Hawke and had I unknowingly been preyed upon by the Sex Tricks Jedi? I did not want to admit it, but I think I had just been bested. I walked with my tail tucked between my legs and got into the car.

“What’s wrong, Payton?” Claire asked when I didn’t volunteer an explanation.

“Hell just froze over,” I said as I stared ahead at the spot once occupied by a Camaro and its driver.

“Oh, shit!” I heard Jessie growl from the back seat. “I know that look.”

I turned around and said, “That was him, wasn’t it? Nick Hawke? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You didn’t give me a chance to tell you anything before you hopped out of the car with promises of man handling him. You said that you only needed a minute to straighten him out and I believed you,” Jessie reminded me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and Claire recognized that as my signature move when I was stressed. “You’re pinching your nose. What’s wrong? What did he say to you?”
I felt stupid and played and I wasn’t telling them about my ignorant bet with Nick Hawke unless I had to...if I lost.

“Nothing, Claire. Let’s just go watch this race and get it over with.” And hope Dane drove that Porsche like he stole it.

Sponsored by Bewitching Book Tours

Cover Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Eek! I missed the official uncovering of this art. Gmail, you are not cool for rerouting the email to my spam folder. But I love this series so much, and I'm super excited for the next book, so here it is:

About The Author:
USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


Blurb:
No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Find On Goodreads
Barnes and Noble | Amazon

This cover is so in keeping with the series so far! I love the green eye glinting, and the pose, and the background... basically, if I wasn't already gone on the LUX series, this cover would demand that I start reading it!

What do YOU think?

Author Guest Post: Stephanie Draven Talks Infidelity

I'm giving a big, warm welcome to Stephanie Draven today. I love when I get a chance to host an author I admire here at Read My Mind. Not only is Stephanie accessible online, but she also writes historical fiction and paranormal romance/urban fantasy that always showcase women who are smart, capable and survivors.

About The Author
Stephanie Draven is currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies. She lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books.

Stephanie has always been a storyteller. In elementary school, she channeled Scheherazade, weaving a series of stories to charm children into sitting with her each day at the lunch table. When she was a little older, Stephanie scared all the girls at her sleepovers with ghost stories.

She should have known she was born to hold an audience in her thrall, but Stephanie resisted her writerly urges and graduated from college with a B.A. in Government. Then she went to Law School, where she learned how to convincingly tell the tallest tales of all!

A longtime lover of ancient lore, Stephanie enjoys re-imagining myths for the modern age. She doesn’t believe that true love is ever simple or without struggle so her work tends to explore the sacred within the profane, the light under the loss and the virtue hidden in vice. She counts it amongst her greatest pleasures when, from her books, her readers learn something new about the world or about themselves.

Stephanie also writes historical fiction as Stephanie Dray and has a series of forthcoming novels from Berkley Books featuring Cleopatra’s daughter.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads



Why We Cheat and How We Get Away With It (An Author's Confession)
by Stephanie Draven

I'll admit it. I'm a cheater. It's not that I don't want to commit to my
first love, but for some reason, I find myself having flings and ongoing
affairs of the heart. So it's time to come clean and talk about just how
it is that I started down the road to unfaithfulness.

My first steady relationship started a few years ago with historical
fiction, my first love. Historical fiction's maturity and insight
attracted me straight away. And historical fiction really valued my
brainy side and never let me get away with sloppy thinking or language
that was less than lady-like. I have to admit, I was more than a little
turned on by the discipline. But something inside me just wasn't
satisfied.

Over time, historical fiction demanded all my attention, expecting more
detailed research about the ancient world and insisting that I engage in
philosophical discussions. Frankly, it was all just a little bit
exhausting. I needed to be appreciated for more than just my mind. After
all, I'm a warm-blooded girl with a heart that wants to go pitter pat.

And that's why I started my torrid affair with the romance genre.

It started out as a flirtation--a little novella about a modern day
gorgon in love. Nothing serious. Just a one time thing. But you know how
encounters with paranormal romance can be. A little dark. A little edgy.
A little anonymous. I didn't want to get caught, so I used a pen name,
which only added to the thrill. Soon, I was writing a whole series of
paranormal romances, each one sexier than the next!

Given the accolades and awards, I was really starting to get a
reputation around town. I probably should have been ashamed of myself,
but I couldn't stop! Historical fiction with its beheadings and drama
queens can really drain my emotional reserves, but even the most
dangerous romance always gives me a happy ending.

Besides, I'm convinced my extracurricular activities brought a little
spice back into my love life. So what's wrong with that? Every girl
needs a reminder that she can be smart and sexy all at the same time.
Paranormal romance gave me that and kept giving it to me, hard.

But it still wasn't enough.

There is something so angsty, so emo about paranormal romance. I started
wondering why all my fictional relationships had to be so dark. Not
every book has to be about the end of the world as we know it. Sometimes
it's fun to laugh a little. And that's why I've started stepping out
both my Respectable Historical Fiction and my Bad Boy, Paranormal
Romance.

My newest love interest? Contemporary Romance--a genre that really knows
how to bring the laughs and turn up the heat.

IN BED WITH THE OPPOSITION is my first contemporary romance and it's so
delicious that I know it won't be my last. This enemy-to-lovers novel
about two campaign managers who fall in love helped me to discover a
whole new kind of political sex scandal. The sparks started flying even
before my roguish hero set out to seduce my quirky heroine in a series
of very public locations around the nation's capital. Throw in a few
super hero costumes, a cranky geriatric senator with a penchant for
gaffes and a reporter with pornographic blackmail photos...and what
could go wrong?

I laughed my way through every wacky moment of this book and sniffled a
little when I couldn't quite figure out how my hero and heroine were
going to get back together after all the damage was done. But I found
the ending so satisfying that I'm now crushing hard on contemporary
romance.

I won't give it up. My other genres are just going to have to accept
that I'm not ready to settle down. I'm still playing the field and
loving every minute of it.


Thanks Stephanie!
Here's my admission: I play the field like I'm at a speed dating event. In September alone, among others, I've read an urban fantasy, a contemporary romance, an erotic romance, a historical romance, a YA fantasy, and a BDSM novel. Whew! So, I can totally relate to Stephanie's post.

Here's a little more about Stephanie's latest release.

Blurb:
What happens when a good girl decides to play dirty?

Armed with a sassy haircut, a sharp wit, and a personal list of rules for all life’s exigencies, Grace Santiago is a fiercely loyal Senate staffer who has everything under control. At least until famous political pundit Ethan Castle walks back into her life. Grace hasn’t forgotten their disastrous affair in law school, but she can’t resist his bad boy charm.

When Grace learns that Ethan has been hired as a political gunslinger for the other side, her loyalties—and her heart—are torn in two. Though their sexual chemistry can’t be denied, they find themselves locked in political combat. Ethan believes that all is fair in love and war, but he won’t throw the election—not even to win Grace’s heart. So what can a good girl like Grace do, but learn to play dirty?

Two candidates. One election. May the best man—or woman—win!

August 2012, ENTANGLED ENDULGENCE


Check out this excerpt!


Chapter One

Grace Santiago chased after the old man. Given that he wore striped suspenders overflowing with decades-old campaign buttons, a sane person might be forgiven for mistaking him as an escapee from the mental ward. But no. The spry octogenarian was her boss, Senator Kip Halloway.

“Keep up, Gracie,” the senator shouted over his shoulder. And there was nothing she could do but trot through the park after him like a hound.

Never mind that Grace had the scheduler cancel his appearance at this event on the advice of his doctors. Never mind that Senator Halloway was taking enough heart medication to fell an elephant. Never mind that she wasn’t dressed for the sunny outdoors. Never mind all those things. This morning he’d simply announced, “In forty years I’ve never missed a Crab Fest, and I’m not going to start now.”
And that was that.

If she wanted to get ahead in her career, she’d have to pay her dues. And right now, those dues came in the form of following her boss past boiling cauldrons of doomed crustaceans on what should have been a productive workday.
In truth, Grace could never figure out why folks were so eager to shell out big bucks just for a chance to gorge on seafood and hobnob with politicos, but locals with overflowing paper plates absolutely swarmed the picnic benches. Catching up with the senator, Grace scanned the crowd, taking inventory of people she knew he should avoid.

First on the list was the tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist trying in vain to keep the breeze from blowing away his crazy brochures. Because the senator was under strict orders to cut out junk food, the second person to avoid was the lady giving out free candy bars. And last but not least on her list was Professor Kim, an expert on infection control who made dire predictions that disease would destroy modern civilization.

The interns in the home office had dubbed him “Dr. Dark Ages.”

Definitely a downer.

Grace didn’t even want to think about how many germs were floating around at a Crab Fest, so she maneuvered her boss out of Professor Kim’s social orbit. The senator knew just what she was up to, and whispered, “That guy once cornered me for half an hour to lecture me about bird flu, but you don’t have to babysit me, Grace. Go have some fun.”

The Crab Fest wasn’t Grace’s idea of fun, but once the senator was glad-handing, there was no holding him back. And unlike some politicians, he didn’t like having an aide nearby whispering bits of info in his ear.

Of course, if she’d known he was going to abandon her to an afternoon of kids with dueling crab hammers and grown-ups playing beer pong, she’d have asked her best friend, Molly, to come along and share the misery. Better yet, she could have invited Blain.

Grace briefly fantasized about how Blain would finally fall head-over-heels in love with her over a plate of blue crabs. Then, at the wedding, they could give out little decorative shell-crackers as favors. A cute fantasy, but in reality, it was going to take some work because Blain Halloway was the senator’s grandson and, only occasionally, Grace’s boyfriend.

Theirs was an on-again, off-again relationship that started in childhood the moment she saw Blain’s bright white smile. Unfortunately, except for the summer after high school when he’d taken her virginity, Blain only seemed interested between sorority-blond girlfriends. Someday, though, she was sure Blain would recognize her true devotion. After all, except for one horrible mistake in law school, Blain was the only guy Grace had ever been with. Surely that kind of loyalty had to be rewarded!

Loyalty. Grace frowned. That really did make her sound like the Halloway family hound. Come to think of it, whether she was panting after Blain or coming to heel whenever the senator called, sometimes she felt as though her cell phone was her own personal dog whistle. Thinking about it was starting to make her... crabby.

And hungry.

So she took stock of the pickings. Almost nothing was safe enough to eat in a white silk blouse. Although tempted by the scent of fresh corn on the cob, corncobs violated Rule #23 of Grace’s Personal Life Handbook, which strictly forbade the public consumption of foods that had a distressingly high chance of getting stuck in her teeth.

Hovering mournfully over a pile of crabs covered in Old Bay Seasoning, she felt a prickling sensation up her spine. Some kind of weird Spidey sense, as though someone were watching her. Straightening her blouse self-consciously, she looked up to see…the worst mistake she’d ever made in her life.

Ethan Castle.

In the flesh.

Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

He looked just the same as he did seven years ago. No, he looked better. Intense green eyes that would make any woman go weak in the knees. Dark hair tousled and too long, spiking out above the collar of his cream-colored suit. For a few years now, Grace had watched him on television handicapping elections for CNN. But even if Ethan hadn’t been a rich jet-setting celebrity, crisscrossing the country to work one exciting campaign after the next, she’d have known him anywhere. She just never expected to find him standing behind a picnic table offering her a bug-eyed crab at the end of a pair of tongs.

Grace must have been wearing a similar boiled-alive expression of shock, because he asked, “Don’t you like seafood, Grace?”

Her whole body came awake at hearing him say her name. Damn. Was there any chance at all she could play it cool? Flipping her black hair over one shoulder, she said, “I can’t eat crab without getting Old Bay on me. Trust me, the local delicacy is total carnage.”

Ethan shifted uncomfortably and Grace hoped it was because, like her, he’d rather be somewhere with air-conditioning. “Good to see you again. What happened to the ponytails and frayed sweaters?”

Apparently, the most eligible bachelor in her party only remembered her for the bad fashion sense of her youth. Awesome. “I sure left you with a flattering image.”

Ethan’s mouth curved into a sensual line. “Oh, you left me with some great mental images. And here you are now, looking sexy as hell.”

So he was still about as subtle as a crab hammer to the head.

She certainly didn’t feel sexy in a black skirt, which was sober enough for Capitol Hill but totally out of place at an outdoor picnic. Even if this was a more relaxed event, this was still, for people like her and Ethan, a business setting. Which made his comments totally inappropriate. Even less appropriate was her own urge to tell him how sexy he looked. Nor did she want to admit her heart was pounding the same way it did back in law school, when she’d fallen for him and temporarily lost her mind. But she had to say something. “What’s with the Gatsby outfit?”

“I was going more for Miami Vice,” he teased, spreading his arms to show off his linen suit, cream-colored, and so closely tailored she could see the outline of a well-formed biceps underneath. Grace wasn’t a fashion diva but she knew quality when she saw it, and the damned designer jacket alone had to cost more money than her monthly paycheck. He made it look like casual, everyday wear. And boy did it work for him. The open shirt collar, the rumpled jacket, the stubble on his chin.
Good God, he was sex on a stick.

Ethan smirked as if he could read her mind. “I guess Beltway insiders like you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything but black or navy, even on a hot day.”

“I don’t know about that,” Grace replied with an airy calm she didn’t feel, pointedly ignoring the black blazer draped over her arm and the trickle of perspiration down the back of her neck. “Sometimes we walk on the wild side with a gray pinstripe.”

Ethan turned on that gazillion-dollar-an-hour political consultant’s smile. “Is that what passes for wild in your life these days, Grace?”

Oh. My. God. Two minutes back in her life and already, Ethan Castle was giving her hot flashes. He was the last person she’d expected to see and just about the last person she wanted to be seen with. Her stomach was doing somersaults; he had her way off-balance, and if she’d learned anything from campaigning with her boss, it was to stay on the offensive. “So what are you doing here, Ethan? I wouldn’t expect to find a celebrity like you in these parts.”

“I’m interviewing with a fresh crop of candidates in DC. The campaign season is upon us, and I gotta pick my guy…” Before she could object, he held up his hand defensively. “Or girl. I’m an equal opportunity spinmeister, remember? I worked for Alberta Meechum in Iowa.”

Grace sighed, unable to hide her admiration. “That was an amazing campaign.”

Ethan flashed a bright smile that didn’t contain even a trace of modesty. “Alberta’s shaking things up in Congress, too. Sometimes I get to be really proud of what I do.”

Ethan was also great at what he did. In the business, he was known for being both creative and fiercely competitive. He’d once hired someone to dress up as a turtle and follow the opposition around, deriding him at each campaign stop for being too slow to act on the issues of the day. Ethan’s originality and hyper-competence were part of his appeal. Unfortunately, he knew it. And Grace had no defense against it. “Whose campaign are you working on this time?”

He grinned. “Dunno yet. Might go with McLanahan in Ohio, or Wagner in South Carolina. So I’m not sure how long I’ll be in town, but Maryland’s just outside the Beltway and I never could resist a Crab Fest this close to the Potomac. What about you?”
“I’m here with Senator Halloway.”

Somehow, Ethan made his green eyes flash greener with feigned jealousy. “Isn’t he a little old for you?”

Grace managed to suppress a snort. “Senator Halloway is my boss. And since an event like this practically begs for a statement on the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay and the crabs in it, I get to tag along.”

“Ah, so it’s all business. I hear you’re a legislative director now.”

“You heard wrong,” she said, testily. This was a sore spot. If Grace hadn’t left law school, she could have been a legislative director by now. But thanks to her equally torrid and foolish fling with Ethan Castle, she’d flunked out and had to settle for a special assistant’s slot. Her career was stalled. And because everyone knew Senator Halloway treated her like family, she spent every moment of her professional life just trying to prove that she deserved the job she already had.

Thinking about all the doors that were closed to her because of the mistakes she’d made with Ethan put this little chance encounter in perspective. “I should really go get the senator something to drink. He gets overheated at outdoor events.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Ethan said, setting the tongs down.

“No, really, that’s okay.”

Grace started walking without him, but Ethan fell into stride next to her, slinging a backpack over his shoulder. “What, are you stalking me?”

“I just want to talk to you and you know I’m not good at taking no for an answer.”

Oh, he didn’t have to remind her of that. She remembered that quite well. And God knows that when she was with him, she never wanted to say no, either.

As they walked along the path next to the river, the band in the pavilion played a cheerful but forgettable tune and every woman in the vicinity watched her with envious eyes. Given Ethan’s well-deserved reputation as a playboy, she wondered how many of the women giving her the stink eye were also former flames. “Grace, the last time I saw you—”

“Ethan.” She cut him off before he could bring up the details of their past. “Let’s not make this awkward, okay?”

They paused beside a table covered with a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. He stared down at it as though he were strategizing on a game board, and when he looked up again his eyes were determined. “I don’t care if it’s awkward. What happened to you in law school? One day we were together. The next day, you were gone.”

That wasn’t exactly the way Grace remembered it. She’d been young and naive. He’d been charming and irresistible. And because of him, Grace had wrecked her life. Or almost wrecked it, anyway. The jury was still out on that. “Together? Is that what you call what happened between us?”

Ethan scowled. “Did you want me to be crass?”

That’s exactly what she’d call it, Grace thought. It was just a crass hookup that went too far. The kind of thing that happened on campuses across the country every day to countless women—just not to women like Grace. “Look, I was going through a lot back then.”

He swatted away a bee with one hand. “Like what?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’d like to hear it.”

She wasn’t about to let him smash his way through her thick shell to get to the tender insides. “This isn’t the place.”

Two children holding balloons aloft chased each other around the picnic table, and one of them darted between Grace and Ethan. Grace’s blazer got caught up in the balloon ribbons and, flailing with both arms to recapture them before they floated away, Grace only succeeded in getting herself tangled like a bird caught in a net.
Ethan snickered.

Her cheeks heated. “You could help a girl out…”

“If you want me to untangle you, you’re going to have to talk to me. Strike that. You’re going to have to go to dinner with me.”

What the hell? Was he asking her on a date? “I can’t.”

“Why not? Are you seeing somebody?”

“Yes, I am,” she said quickly. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She saw Blain Halloway all the time. But they hadn’t dated in a while.

“Who is the lucky guy?” Ethan asked, finally helping Grace to get free of the balloons and shooing away the kids.

Grace stammered. “I—I’m not seeing anyone, as in seeing them, but…”

When she couldn’t finish her sentence, she started walking again. Ethan followed. Again. “Let me take you to dinner.”

So he was asking her out on a date. And dates were something Grace was decidedly bad at. She always obsessed over what to order and how far she’d have to walk in her high heels, and inevitably made a bad choice about both by the end of the night. “I’m sorry. My calendar is booked solid until after the election.”

He laughed, and it wasn’t even his television laugh. It was that charming know-it-all amusement that used to make her feel so warm inside. “The election is more than a year away. So where are we going?”

His insistence made her head spin. “I didn’t say yes.”

“No, Grace, I mean, where are we going right now?”

She looked up abruptly, totally disoriented. She’d intended to get the senator a drink from the coolers in the grass. Somehow—perhaps in her desperation to flee—Grace had led him right past the coolers and into the service parking lot. Now she found herself trapped between Ethan and the hood of a dirty catering truck she dared not lean against lest she ruin her skirt.

Standing this close to him was a rush, but she reminded herself that it was the rush of danger she felt.

“Grace, just let me take you out to dinner.”

Just let him. Oh, the things she’d just let him do. For two wild months during which she could only excuse her behavior as stress-induced delirium, she’d behaved like an oversexed nymphomaniac every time they got together. But Grace was wiser now, and it didn’t matter how telegenic, talented, or impossibly tempting he was. Grace had plans for her life, and she wasn’t going to let Ethan Castle mess them up again. “I’m sorry. I don’t have time.”

It was a complete blow-off. Any normal guy would have taken the cue. But Ethan Castle wasn’t normal. Maddeningly, he moved in closer. “It’s just dinner, Grace. Even in an election year, you have to eat.”

“I swipe stale cookies off conference tables at Elks Lodges while the senator campaigns…”

“Do I need to join the Elks Lodge so we can talk over stale Oreos and flat soda?”

“Now there’s a glamorous offer,” Grace said, though the idea secretly pleased her.

“I don’t need glamour,” Ethan said, leaning way too close. “I get by on pure animal magnetism.”

Yes. Yes, he did. But Grace couldn’t let him get away with that ridiculous line, so she rolled her eyes. “Sorry, I’m busy.”

“Make time for me.” He said it with the arrogance of a man used to getting his way. He was so damned sure of himself.

And that flustered Grace.

She waved her hands to keep him at bay. “Look, the only opening in my schedule is a two-hour window next Sunday between ten and noon during which my big excitement will be a trip to the EZ-Clean Laundromat.”

“Great! It’s a date.”

With that, Ethan Castle adjusted his backpack and walked away.

Wait, what?

Grace called after him. “That wasn’t an invitation!”

Ethan put his hand to his ear and pretended he couldn’t hear her. “See you Sunday!”

Grace stood in the parking lot wondering how that had just happened. She felt as if she’d been in some kind of drive-by accident, left dented by the side of the road. This unexpected reunion with Ethan had completely unsettled her.
And Grace really preferred to be settled.

There’s no way he would actually turn up at her laundry facility, right? Since law school, Grace had been scrupulous about her privacy, so she was certain Ethan didn’t have the faintest idea where she lived. Besides, Ethan was a busy guy. He was too important to spend time with a mere special assistant. His attention had been as flattering as it was distressing, but fortunately, she’d probably just seen the last of Ethan Castle.

Turning back toward the picnic tables, she noticed people clustering on the lawn. Something wasn’t right. Taking a few steps, she heard the band cut off abruptly. That’s when someone shouted, “Quick, call an ambulance! Senator Halloway has collapsed!”

Find On Goodreads
Barnes and Noble ~ Amazon

Author Kris Cook Guest Post & Gift Card Giveaway

If you check out my Goodreads shelf of romance books I've read, a majority of them are by female authors. I might even go so far as to say 95% are by female authors. But I have read romance written by men that I thought was fantastic.

Good romance -erotic, contemporary, clean or otherwise- is good romance. The author's gender doesn't come into it for me.

Which is why I am happy to host Kris Cook today at Read My Mind. He is a man writing erotic romance, and today he's guest posting about what that is like.

Welcome, Kris!

About The Author:
A military brat to the core, Kris Cook never put down deep roots in any particular geographic location. Until Dallas, Texas. Why? Kris loves the sun. A voracious reader, Kris loves many genres of fiction, but this writer’s favorite books are romances that are edgy, sexy, with rich characters and unique challenges. Kris has won and placed in several writing contests in the past couple of years. His Eternally Three series is receiving much acclaim.

Previously, Cook and sister were a writing team. Cook's sister died in 2003 from cancer. The duo wrote plays and screenplays. Before becoming a writer, Cook worked as a radio announcer, a waiter, and a realtor.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook


Good morning everyone. Kris Cook here. If you didn’t know already... I’m a man. A gay man at that. I write romance ranging from m/f to m/m and the variations within that scope. Keep on reading to get a glimpse into my world as a male author writing in what is generally a woman’s realm. Oh and of course there is a giveaway at the end.

Male Writers Can or Can’t Write Romance? 
 


I get barley any email or two a week from strong-opinionated readers who find out that I’m a man–and gay. The level of confusion varies from email to email. They are usually civil and sweet, though some are often are quite pointed. 
 


Here’s one example of a pointed one that came in earlier this year: “Mr. Cook, you are not a woman. You can’t know a woman’s fantasy. Let the authors like (I won’t list her favorites here as I believe these authors are great and don’t want their names associated with this email) write erotic romance. Give the fans of REAL erotic romance a break and move on to some other type of fiction. We are not fooled.”
 


I considered answering this reader but thought better of it. She’s entitled to her opinion. That’s the beauty of being an author and also the trial of being an author. Once the book is out there in the public it is no longer yours; it’s the readers. 
 


Good, bad, or indifferent opinions will come and go. It’s okay. I love each of my stories. They moved me or I wouldn’t have written them. Still, I see their faults. Every typo or wrong turn or scene that didn’t quite hit the mark I was hoping for often keeps me up at night like a parent worried their child’s weaknesses will be judged too harshly. 
 


I’m no perfectionist but there are things in each of my stories I would change if I could. 
 


My first completed work was a play that I co-wrote with my sister. It took years and years. I tinkered and tinkered with every sentence and word. Like a pregnancy, which had gone way past the due date, I kept my baby inside, trapped in my desk. One day, my sister said, “Enough. You’re not making it better. You’re only changing it.” I’m not sure she was correct, but I finally did submit it to a contest. It won. Now, years later, I still have things I would change about it. Little things. Blue eyes to green eyes. Long nose to short nose. But my babies are out there in the world, warts and all. 
 


The obvious retort to the accusations from the pointed emails might be that if male authors can’t write women characters truthfully, how can female authors write male characters truthfully. I won’t make that argument though. Instead, I’ll share my perspective and how I approach writing romance. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, my feminine side is dominant when it comes to relationships. Sex means nothing without some feelings attached to it. The deeper the internal intimacy the more I connect and can enjoy the bedroom. Do I hit the mark in my fiction? I hope so. I sure try. Still, the readers who doubt my ability to write romance make me work harder, strive more, and tinker longer on my books for women. Those who are willing to take a chance on my stories and spend their money on them deserve my best. 
 


I have mentors who are very successful women in the genre who I consult when writing. I lean on them when I feel I might be glossing over the emotions of my characters. They’ve been so wonderful to help me. 
 


Misty’s Bondage Diary comes out soon. It’s a straight erotic romance written in first person like the two books before it in the Secret Diaries Series. As the author, I felt every thud of her heart and gasp of her breath as she opened her heart on the journey of discovery and love of two Doms.

So what do you think about men writing romance? Leave a comment letting me know and you’ll be in the running for a $10 Amazon gift card. Make sure you leave a way to be contacted in case you win. My PA Brandy will be handling that side of things.

Dream Big!

Thanks Kris! It's great to have a man's thoughts on writing romance, especially erotic romance, which does seem to be the domain of women writers. Thanks also to Kris and his PA Brandy for the giveaway!

Did you catch that? Just answer Kris' question (bolded at the end of his post) in comments to be entered for a chance at a $10 Amazon GC. Ends September 30th, 11:59 EDT.

Here's a little about Kris Cook's SECRET DIARIES series and MISTY'S BONDAGE DIARY.


Secret Diaries:

Genre: Erotic Romance

Read the intimate details of the journey of sexual discovery and love found from the personal diaries of several women.

The diaries of:

Mia is a sociology grad student, working on her thesis about the BDSM lifestyle. Her choice of topic is more about her curiosity than it is about anything else.

Lea is single again after a long, dispassionate engagement. Though she’s ready to let loose and discover what she’s been missing, her size fourteen body keeps her from taking the leap.

Misty is a woman who has had dated her share of liars. She distrusts her instincts when it comes to men. She’s withdrawn into herself so deep that opening up to anyone is next to impossible.

Ella is a capable woman with a high-powered job, but making all the tough decisions during the day has become exhausting. She’s more than ready to turn over everything to the right man at night.

Sequel News: The Burning Bush (Santeria Habitat #2) By Kenya Wright

During the spring, I had a chance to read a really amazing darker urban fantasy, which put the urban in fantasy, for sure. This book was FIRE BAPTIZED by Kenya Wright. I'm totally behind on my not-tour-related reviews, but I fully intend on sharing my feelings of this book before the end of the autumn. Why? Did I mention this book was amazing? It had not-white characters! It had shapeshifters! It had a protagonist that was college-age! Basically, some of the things that I have been craving in a good YA/adult cross-over urban fantasy. Not only that, the voice (that illusive voice) was compelling and real.

Kenya Wright has just announced that the sequel, THE BURNING BUSH, is available. I definitely intend to continue with this series. Haven't heard of FIRE BAPTIZED or read it yet?

Blurb:
Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.

Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.

Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.

While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?

Find On Goodreads

Barnes and Noble |Amazon


Then go check out THE BURNING BUSH (SANTERIA HABITAT #2), now available.

Blurb:
After Dante Bottelli’s slaughter of Vamp-owned Mixbreeds, Lanore and Zulu execute a well-planned attack that hits Dante where it hurts the most—his pockets. But their attack triggers a chain of unfortunate events, and allows Detective Rivera to blackmail Lanore.

Rivera forces Lanore to investigate his case, the Burning Bush Murders. Someone's been tying girls to bushes and setting them on fire. Lanore must find the killer, or Rivera goes public with his information.

Meanwhile, Dante won't take his defeat without a fight. He counterattacks and the Santeria habitat, as well as Lanore’s and Zulu’s lives, are changed forever.

Find On Goodreads

Barnes and Noble |Amazon

Guest Post: Author Melissa Schroeder Talks Vampire Classes + #Giveaway

Well, the weather has started to change and I've noticed that my reading habits tend to change during the fall and winter too. More fantasy, more paranormal, more historical, more urban fantasy. That's not to say that I completely abandon romance and YA, just that the cooler the weather, the more I tend to want something full of imagination and impossible things.

On that note, I am so happy to welcome author Melissa Schroeder to Read My Mind today. She writes a little bit of everything. Of course, I L-O-V-E her HARMLESS series, which feature any or all of hot military men, BDSM and Hawaiian landscapes. However, Melissa's newest novel, and book #1 in the BY BLOOD series, DESIRE BY BLOOD, has a historical setting, a marriage of convenience, vampires and intrigue. Just the thing for the season!

About The Author:
From an early age, Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites, Winnie the Pooh and the Beatrix Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book.

Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the bestselling Harmless series. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with A Little Harmless Submission and the popular military spinoff, Infatuation: A Little Harmless Military Romance. Along the way she has garnered an epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best seller lists on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Since she spent her childhood as a military brat, Melissa swore never to marry military. But, as we all know, Fate has her way with mortals. She is married to an AF major and is raising her own brats, both human and canine. She spends her days giving in to her addiction to Twitter, counting down the days until her hubby retires, and cursing the military for always sticking them in a location that is filled with bugs big enough to eat her children.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Harmless Addicts


The Classes of By Blood

First, I want to thank Alise for having me on the blog!

When I sat down to write Desire by Blood, I wanted to do something very different from the books I wrote before. I had never written vampires, so that was new, but I wanted to do something paranormal. I have written several paranormals, including The Cursed Clan, but I wanted to really immerse myself in their world. It is one of the reasons that I decided on Victorian England. The double-sided society they lived in would make it easy for vampires to hide. I knew, though, that they would have to have their own class system. Every society has one. It is almost impossible to have a group of people together without some kind of system—even in small groups of friends.

If you have an upper class in the By Blood society, it is the Quad. These are the four ruling families within the Vampire Alliance. Their roots go all the way back to the time of William the Conqueror and they have ruled the Alliance for years. While the hero’s family is considered royalty in the Alliance by being one of the Quad, they do not hold any kind of title in English society. They are rich, so they invited to all of society’s balls and parties.

But money and position are not the only thing that sets vampires apart. Within their world, there are Born and Made vampires. Borns, as they are called, have the oldest of bloodlines. They are born of a vampire father and a Carrier mother. These vampires are seen as legitimate since they have a birthright to their heritage.

Then, you have Mades. Mades were just that, made by a born vampire. In Desire by Blood, the first Born you meet is Malik, an old family friend of the Blackburns and best friend to Nicodemus, the hero. An Egyptian by birth, Malik has survived centuries thanks to his intelligence. In the By Blood world, anyone Made is looked down upon. It has something to do with the transition. Transition from human to vampire is not easy and it creates a blood lust that can turn the vampire into a craven beast, looking for the closest Carrier (female who can carry vampires). When he scents one, he cannot control himself and becomes a type of serial murderer, completely lost in the sexual sadism of feeding and sex. Because of this lack of control, they are looked down upon by most Borns.

Of course, being the freak that I am, I want to turn this world upside down. With a bunch of Mades rampaging across England, their world is thrown into disarray. While much of the Alliance wants to pretend there is nothing wrong, Nico and Malik know different. Their actions prove that there is a way to save the Mades, but by doing so, they also cause a rife in the Alliance that will play out later in the series. People need classes. They can’t seem to operate without them. With the change in the status of the Mades (craven beasts who should be killed), their world is changing. It is a parallel to what was going on in English society. Those of the underclass, without titles, were now gaining more wealth. The same type of change is going to send ripples of unease throughout the Alliance. I am really excited about the changes in their society in Desire by Blood and can’t wait to see what happens as I move on through the series.

What do you think of classes? Do you like to read a story entrenched in a class system thrown into disarray where people prove themselves above their class? I have a print copy for one lucky commenter (or digital if you prefer) open to US and International participants!


Thanks Melissa, for the great guest post AND offering a giveaway copy of DESIRE BY BLOOD! Readers, just leave a comment answering Melissa's question or asking one of your own to enter. Easy peasy!
Ends: September 30th, 11:59pm EDT

Blurb:
A man with a secret.

Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a villain. He must find a rogue vampire, one who is making his own army of bloodthirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not the worst of his troubles. That can be laid at the feet of bluestocking Lady Cordelia Collingsworth.

A woman on a mission.

Cordelia has always been an outcast, even in her own family. She has forged her way in the world with her ability to write, and Nico Blackburn is the focus of her next article. Before she can obtain any information about the mysterious man, she is pulled headlong into a scandal that leaves her with no choice but to marry Nico—a man with dangerous secrets.

A passion that consumes them both.

Thrust into a world she knows nothing of, Cordelia finds herself falling in love with a man who claims to be a vampire. As their passion grows, so does the danger around them and Nico will have to call on all of his powers to protect the one thing he has realized he cannot live without: his opinionated, infuriating, and thoroughly delectable wife.

Find On Goodreads
Excerpt

Barnes and Noble | All Romance Ebooks | Smashwords | Amazon