Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 104

Manday Hotties Hop!

It's time for the third Manday Hotties Hop! Be sure to follow the links in the list below to get your full fix of mancandy!

This week's sweet treat comes from a new man, and he's just as hot and yummy as my man of the moment.





Remember to click on him to make him get bigger *wink*

Isn't that just a yummy treat to start the week with?

Visit the other blogs in the hop:

my vampire romance book on Nook and Sony Reader! plus tour news

Heart of Darkness , my new vampire romance book, is now available on the Barnes and Noble Nook store! So, you can now purchase it for your Nook ereader. It's also just become available at the Sony Reader Store for those of you who use the Sony Reader ereader.

This vampire romance book is also available at the Apple iBookstores for your iPad, iPhone or iTunes, and at Amazon Kindle stores worldwide, plus Smashwords, my website and All Romance eBooks. It's also available in paperback at Amazon.com and will hopefully reach Barnes and Noble and Amazon stores worldwide soon. It should also reach the Kobo Books store soon. There's a delay with books reaching there at the moment.

Learn more about this new vampire romance book below, plus all the latest tour information:


Heart of Darkness Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won't stop until the last of the vampire hunter's progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It's the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline's mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince's hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton/1106991833
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/heart-of-darkness/_/R-400000000000000534302
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781466173286
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466452897/


The Heart of Darkness blog tour continues. I ended the week with appearances at Paromantasy and Ex Libris. That completed a week where I was at a blog each day, so it was very busy for me. Here's the full tour so far... be sure to drop by and read the posts and enter the giveaways!


Heart of DarknessVampire Romance Book Blog Tour20th October - Talking about writing Heart of Darkness and introducing the book @ Romancing the Darkside
22nd October - Sharing an excerpt from Heart of Darkness @ Romance Book Junkies
25th October - Talking about building the world of Heart of Darkness @ Fangtastic Books
26th October - Interview with Aleksandr @ Bitten by Paranormal Romance 
27th October - Sharing an exclusive excerpt @ Bookin' It Along
28th October - Interview with Elise @ Fade Into Fantasy
3rd November - The importance of location in vampire romances @ The Enchanted Book
4th November - Sharing an exclusive excerpt @ Satin's Bookish Corner
7th November - Author interview @ Clover Hill Book Reviews
8th November - Sharing an exclusive excerpt @  Madame D's Boudoir
9th November - Sharing an exculsive excerpt @ Ao Bibliophile
10th November - Talking about creating the cover art @ Paromantasy

11th November - Crafting a strong heroine with Elise @ Ex Libris (plus a chance to win an ebook!)

Next week I'm stopping by Spellbound by Books, Love Romance Passion and Under the Covers Book Blog!

Heart of Darkness - Vampire romance book - chapter four

It's time for chapter four of Heart of Darkness, my new vampire romance book. Elise's will to resist Aleksandr's advances is beginning to crumble a little but she's still standing firm, determined not to let the powerful vampire prince capture her.

Be sure to keep following these weekly posts in order to read the first six chapters of the book. You can find previous chapters under my Heart of Darkness label. Heart of Darkness is currently available in ebook from Amazon Kindle stores, my website, Smashwords and All Romance eBooks and in paperback from Amazon.com. It will soon be available at Barnes and Noble, although you can buy a Nook version from my site and Smashwords, Sony and Kobo too.


Heart of Darkness Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won't stop until the last of the vampire hunter's progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It's the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline's mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince's hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?


ebook price: $3.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 130000 words
rating: sultry
released: October 2011

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466452897/

EXCERPT - CHAPTER FOUR
Aleksandr sighed and watched Elise leave, loving the intent strut she had. She was beautiful.

Their dance last night had fallen far short of his expectations. Her refusal had vexed him but then he had seen it as a challenge. He had never been one to back down from a challenge and the one Elise had issued had only sweetened the fight to get her into his arms. The reward for his persistence had been nowhere near satisfactory. While she hadn't been afraid of him, she had hardly been compliant. She had stared at her feet so much that he had wished he had chosen only to speak with her instead so he could have seen her beautiful face. As he had tonight. The moment he had awoken this evening, he had decided to ask her commander to order her to show him the city. He was more satisfied with the outcome this time but he still wasn't content.

And something told him it wasn't her refusal that had left the hollow feeling inside him.

Elise had been polite, blushing at all the right times, her beauty beguiling him and bringing out the full extent of his charm. It was a skill and repertoire long forgotten to him, used centuries ago at court on the women there and not since then.

The way she had looked at him from time to time, the flash of desire that had been in her blue eyes, had increased her beauty and his lust for her.

He had thought she would give in to him, but she had resisted again, escaping his embrace and walking away. He wasn't a stranger to refusal. Women had occasionally rejected his advances, and he had always moved on with ease, unbothered by it.

Not with Elise though.

Her refusal only made his hunger for her burn hotter.

She disappeared from view and he followed her. He couldn't let her out of his sight in the city, not when there were hunters present. She would be in danger.

Aleksandr frowned and studied the foreign feeling that had compelled him to go after Elise.

He had felt this before, centuries ago, for his sister.

He wanted to protect her.

The desire was so strong that it controlled him, ordering him to go to Elise and walk close beside her, not letting her out of arm's reach in case someone attacked them. He had to see her safely back to the mansion and her kin. It had been wrong of him to bring her out into the city and expose her to danger.

He kept his distance instead and considered his feelings.

There was something about Elise and the way he yearned for her. He'd never wanted a woman like this, enough to chase her so doggedly and definitely never enough to want to protect them from harm. He ran a hand over his dark hair, fingers tangling in the longer lengths on top, and settled it on the nape of his neck. Elise was different. She had awoken something new in him—a fierce desire to protect her, and desperate need to possess her.

Since meeting her, he had thought only of her. She had stolen sleep from him, replacing it with movies of her in his head that relived every moment they had spent together. When sleep had eventually come, she had been in his dreams, beautiful and pliant, satisfying his every whim.

Aleksandr craved her.

She led him through the streets and he was a slave to following her, needing to be near so he knew she was safe. Whenever she turned a corner, he quickened his pace so he could see her again, and then dropped back and allowed her to move on ahead.

Aleksandr couldn't get enough of her.

It was everything about her. It was her stubbornness and how she resisted him, it was the fact she didn't fear him, and the open way she spoke to him when her guard slipped.

It was how she looked at him with smouldering eyes.

Elise was beautiful, sensual, alluring. He wanted her and he wouldn't give in until he had won her. The hunt wasn't over. It was only getting more interesting.

She would be in his arms soon enough.

She passed through the gate of the mansion, storming along the gravel drive towards the house. Aleksandr strode faster, until he was close behind her again, knowing that if she was seen entering the house with him trailing behind her that she would be in trouble for not protecting him.

Protecting him.

He would protect her from anything. She didn't need to protect him.

Aleksandr entered the house beside her. Ladislav was coming down the broad mahogany staircase in the classical cream entrance hall. The younger vampire paused and smiled. The three women behind him stopped too, twittering and blushing on cue. They caressed Ladislav's slight shoulders, smoothing the fine material of his black suit jacket. Ladislav wasn't a large man, nowhere close to Aleksandr's build. He was wiry and slender, and not handsome by anyone's standards, but power made a man beautiful and alluring to the females of society hoping to gain a new, higher rank.

The women looked his way and then to his right, their charming smiles faltering as their eyes fell on Elise.

"Aleksandr, will you do me the honour of joining me?" Ladislav said, as though Elise hadn't even spoken.

Aleksandr gritted his teeth against the desire to put Ladislav in his place for ignoring Elise and nodded. "Of course. The night is still young."

"Elise, with us." Ladislav waved his hand to her and continued down the stairs. He didn't even look at her. He beckoned her as though she was a dog.

Aleksandr glanced at her to see if Ladislav's treatment had bothered her. She was still dutifully bowing to her master. She was a guard. How often had his family treated their guards no differently? It was only now that he knew one that he saw how wrong it was.

He followed Ladislav down the gallery, gradually reining in his anger and reasoning with himself. It wasn't his place to interfere. Even if it wasn't, it left him in a foul mood and with little desire to amuse a male half his age.

When they passed through the red-walled reception room, the vampires there stood and bowed. Aleksandr ignored them and trudged on, weary of the attention when he had grown used to being alone. Perhaps he should have declined Ladislav's desire to entertain him. Elise's refusal had left him in a worse mood than he had realised. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was trailing behind him now, her gaze downcast and expression solemn. Something was troubling her.

It was probably him.

Her refusal had seemed genuine. Perhaps she didn't like him. It was another strange thing for him to come to terms with. Whenever he entered society, all of the women clamoured for his attention. Elise shirked it and tried to escape him. At first, he had put it down to shyness, and then to her loyalty to her duty, but now he couldn't find an adequate reason.

Except she didn't like him.

And he refused to believe that.

The way she avoided his eyes, the way she blushed, it all said that she enjoyed his attention to some degree.

They entered the dark green reception room and Elise dropped back. Ladislav escorted his three young women and positioned two either side of him on the green couch that stood with its back to the door, and motioned for the remaining female to sit on the one opposite.

"Join us." Ladislav grinned. "They are most amiable."

Aleksandr seated himself far from the woman on his couch.

"Andrej, I didn't realise you would be here too," Elise said and Aleksandr's attention was immediately with her.

A fair-haired male guard smiled at her. He shut the double doors and Elise moved closer to him. Aleksandr stared at him, his eyes slowly narrowing with his increasing frown. Elise had been with him last night, guarding the exit to the garden. A fellow officer, or more than that?

The doors opened again and an older man entered, came over to Ladislav and spoke to him in a low voice. Ladislav conversed with him, a scowl on his face the whole time. From the looks of the man, Aleksandr guessed that he was an aide to the master of the house, and had infinitely more sense and breeding than his lord.

Aleksandr busied himself with assessing his surroundings while he waited. Oil paintings of the bloodline's previous rulers adorned the green walls. He had seen similar paintings in the red reception room and gallery.

The fire crackled and popped, throwing sparks out onto the marble surround. He stared at it for a moment and then his gaze wandered on to the white sash windows on either side of the fireplace. Two windows with a set of French doors between them lined the wall opposite and revealed the horseshoe-shaped courtyard. He tried to make out the shape formed by the neatly clipped low hedge in its centre but it was impossible to discern from this angle and under the pale light from the lamps at each corner.

With nothing else to entertain his eye and distract him, Aleksandr's gaze moved back to the one thing guaranteed to bring him pleasure. Elise was deep in conversation with the guard she had called Andrej. What were they talking about in such quiet voices? Aleksandr focused on the pair, intent on blocking out every other sound in the room so he could hear what they were saying to each other. His senses sharpened but dulled again when the door closed, signalling the departure of Ladislav's aide. Aleksandr reluctantly switched his focus to the young master of the bloodline.

Ladislav's smile was back in place, as though the interruption had never occurred. How much responsibility did Ladislav place on his aides? Judging by how focused on pleasure Ladislav was, the aides were probably running the bloodline for him.

"Pour us some blood." Ladislav didn't even look at Elise. He merely waved his hand again. Beckoned her. Aleksandr frowned, riled by her poor treatment and the fact that Ladislav hadn't even used her name this time. This man had no breeding. He treated a guard as though she was a servant.

The shock on Elise's face faded and she humbly walked over to the round table beside the third, empty, couch facing the fire. She turned over five of the crystal goblets on the silver tray so they were the right way up, picked up a metal canister of blood, and then carefully poured an amount into each glass.

Ladislav and the females didn't even acknowledge her when she handed them their blood. The sight of her so degraded sickened Aleksandr, twisting his stomach into knots that tightened with each second that he had to watch her being humiliated by her master. A dark hunger to stand, grasp Ladislav by his scrawny neck and throttle some sense into him threatened to seize control. Aleksandr drew a slow steadying breath and held the urge at bay. Barely.

Elise picked up the last goblet and came to him.

Aleksandr sat forwards and took it from her, slowly brushing her fingers with his as he did so and holding her gaze.

"Thank you, Elise," he said in a quiet voice destined only for her ears. Her blue eyes brightened, as though his show of appreciation had pleased her and given her task meaning.

"Come, tell us your tales." Ladislav leaned back into the green velvet couch. He sipped his blood and then handed it to the woman on his right. She placed it down on the round table for him. Ladislav settled his arms around the shoulders of the two brunettes.

Aleksandr wasn't in the mood. He toyed with his glass of blood, looking at it. He had no interest in stored blood, even if it was fresh. How sweet would Elise taste? She smelled divine, intoxicating, and he would give anything to have a sip of her blood.

"What do you know of me?" he said to the blonde woman beside him. She giggled and blushed, and every simpering action she made increased his desire to leave.

Only Elise had him remaining.

"I heard you killed five hunters at once... once." The woman beamed at him.

Aleksandr forced a smile. She couldn't even speak correctly. Ladislav obviously wasn't after these women for their intellect. He couldn't judge the man for that though. Back at the palace, he had pursued women purely for their beauty and their bodies. Things changed though, and sometimes it happened without warning, altering your world and carrying you along a path towards a future you hadn't anticipated. He had survived such a change and it had transformed him. He wanted more than external beauty now. He wanted a woman who was intelligent, strong, shared interests with him, and was the most beautiful he had ever seen because of it.

He wanted Elise.

His gaze crept to her. She was still talking to that man.

"I did, although it was a difficult battle and nowhere near as easy as they painted it. The fight was long, tiring, and almost cost me my life." That night had been one of the most frightening of his life. Society's papers had made it sound as though he had butchered the hunters swiftly and survived without a scratch. Their media was as twisted as the human one was.

"And I heard that you have killed almost six hunters a month since you began your crusade four centuries ago," Ladislav said with a warm note of amusement that reached his hazel eyes.

Crusade? Aleksandr laughed and waved him away. His mission was a vendetta, not a crusade. "Nowhere near that. Perhaps one or two if I am lucky. I spend most of my time tracking or travelling to find the hunters who are most dangerous to our kind. Maybe in the beginning I killed more, but there are less of them these days. We live in fortunate times."

"Thanks to you and your family of course. The Nemov line rules us well and gives us this great time of peace."

"I am no part of that line or their cause. Any progression they make with bringing our species rest and humanity is all of their own doing. Do not associate my name with theirs. I wish it did not belong to me." Aleksandr swallowed and dropped his gaze to his lap, studying his knees and struggling with his feelings.

This was why he avoided society. No matter how often he asked, it always called him a prince, and it always called him a Nemov. He had nothing to do with his family now. Couldn't they see that? He had broken with them to keep their name clean of the blood he spilled. If society insisted on associating him with his family, the blood of his victims would tarnish it and their cause would falter. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Aleksandr frowned when someone focused on him and raised his head to find Elise looking his way. There was a touch of concern about her expression, her dark eyebrows drawn together, narrowing her beautiful blue eyes.

He managed a brief smile and leaned back into the couch, shoving away the pain that blazed within him whenever he thought of his family and the things he had done.

"You fight only the most dangerous hunters, which means you must be very strong and very brave," the woman to the right of Ladislav said, her dark eyes wide and innocent.

Aleksandr forced a short laugh. "Or very stupid."

She giggled. Elise frowned and turned away, back to Andrej.

"It must be grand to travel the world hunting for humans." The female on the other side of Ladislav smiled at him, fluttering her long dark lashes.

"Elise saw how grand it was when we first met. There is nothing good in what I do." He wished with all of his heart that they would stop talking about him. Idle conversation he could handle, talk of bloodlines and politics, anything other than this. It dragged the past up from the black abyss, renewing the pain in his heart and the chill in his blood that he suffered with each hunt.

"Elise?" the women said, as though they didn't know the name.

His gaze shifted back to Elise. Her eyes met his and warmth chased the cold away, lightening his insides and relieving the ache there.

He needed her. It went beyond a desire to have her to a deep need for her. He wanted her to come to him, to nestle in his arms with her head against his chest and soothe him.

Her expression changed, revealing fragility that caused a fierce desire to protect her to flash through him. In that moment, Aleksandr realised that if he said the right words or did the right thing, she would find shelter in his embrace just as he desired. But her look also told him that if he did something wrong, he would break her.

Aleksandr didn't want to break her spirits in his attempts to win her.

She nibbled her lip, glanced away and then back at him. Her eyes darkened with desire, revealing that a passionate woman hid beneath her strong exterior and her uniform. A promise of things to come if he succeeded.

It only strengthened his desire to win.

"There is nothing glorious about hunting." He held her gaze to see how she would react.

She had seen the body of the hunter. How would she react if she saw him fight and kill, not just stumbled upon the aftermath? Or if he told her the number of hunters he had killed and that he feared he was losing the remains of his humanity? Would she run from him again or would she come to him and soothe him?

He slid his gaze back to meet Ladislav's. "Your city is a meeting point. A convergence of hunters will happen here, and one I am looking for may be amongst them. I will have to impose on you a little longer, and perhaps I could be granted larger quarters?"

The young fair-haired vampire smiled and nodded. "Whatever you desire, you will receive."

Aleksandr would have been a happy man had those words been true. What he desired did not desire him and he was not going to get her without a fight. He needed to think of a way to keep her around him. Given time, he could break down her defences.

"I have not been very talkative this evening. Allow me to apologise and make up for it. You are probably aware that I have not been heard of in some time."

"It has likely been a year." Ladislav pulled his two women closer. They fawned over him, stroking the chest of his black suit jacket and sliding their hands beneath to the black shirt. "Where have you been?"

"I have not been in contact with society. I prefer not to involve you all. I was hunting someone across Russia and into Europe, and have strong reason to believe that he will come here."

"Is this hunter dangerous?"

"We have almost killed each other many times over the past two decades." Aleksandr preferred not to remember those times too. No other hunter had come so close to killing him so often. The man was strong and skilled. The original hunter in their line, the first he had eradicated, was nothing compared with this one.

Ladislav looked uneasy.

"You and your kin will be safe. I will not allow the hunter to interfere with your bloodline and he is exclusive about his hunt. He will only come for me." His words didn't seem to relieve Ladislav at all. The shine of fear in his eyes increased, even when he smiled. Aleksandr returned it, hoping to reassure him.

"How do you know he is coming to Prague?" Ladislav moved out from the arms of the women, pushing them away, and leaned forwards.

"Anyone can see it in our newspapers. The deaths of our top guards and hunters, anywhere an incision was made on the throat and blood was taken, all belong to the hunter. It is not another vampire searching for food. It is this man leaving me a trail to follow." Aleksandr scanned the room for a copy of the paper but found none, not even on the dark desk in the corner. "I have been tracking him, and I am sure I can defeat him this time. I will need quarters away from the others, at the rear of the building if possible."

"There is a reception room and bedroom in the guest quarters, over the ballroom. They have not been used in some time but they will be your private rooms now, for however long you may need them. If you need anything else, any form of assistance, you may speak with myself or Commander Piotr."

Aleksandr nodded his appreciation and then looked at Elise. Could he request her presence in his bed each day?

He frowned when she laughed with Andrej. She was terribly familiar with him and Aleksandr didn't like it. How could she smile and laugh with Andrej but look at himself as though he was filth? What did this man have that he did not?

His social skills were tarnished but he could fix those. As soon as he had caught up with the changes in society, she would see that he was a man worthy of her attention.

Unlike this man. Andrej.

Vast darkness bled into Aleksandr's soul, tainting it and forcing out any light that remained. The black emptiness consumed him, fed by the twisting spears of emotion that stabbed his gut as he watched Elise with Andrej. It awakened a desire to hurt the man, to tear him away and demand to know his intentions towards the woman he had chosen to be his. He wanted to butcher him for even looking at her.

Jealousy was an ugly emotion.

Andrej frowned at Aleksandr as though he had sensed his intent.

A heartbeat later, Elise glanced over her shoulder at him.

Aleksandr averted his eyes, fixing them on the garden, and fought for control over his feelings. They were dangerous, whispering commands that he was close to obeying. The darkness grew inside him, until he felt cold and hungry. It gnawed at his insides, coaxing him into surrendering to his instincts and putting Andrej in his place.

He stood on the edge of the abyss, desperate to take a step back from the endless black beneath his feet. He couldn't damage relations with the bloodline or Elise by murdering the man. He couldn't lose control.

How could he have been so blind to the corruption in his soul?

He had denied its existence too long, had allowed the damage to grow to such an extent that he was now in danger of losing himself.

Aleksandr's eyes sought Elise's. He needed to look into them. He had been fighting the darkness when he had first met her and it had disappeared faster than usual. At the time, he hadn't been sure whether it had been her or the danger of her attacking him that had driven it away.

She wouldn't look at him.

Why?

If she did, he was certain this dreadful darkness would pass over, allowing the light of humanity back into his soul. He needed her to look at him. He needed her and it was about more than desire now.

An urge to extend his fangs burst through him. Aleksandr stood and walked swiftly towards the doors, struggling for control the whole time.

He felt her gaze on him, the warm touch of it on his profile as he passed her and then on his back. Why couldn't she have looked at him when he had needed her to?

He couldn't remain now.

He had to leave.

It was the only safe thing to do.


Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/

Book Review - Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian

I read this instalment in the fantastic Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian back in July when I was on holiday in Italy but I've only just got around to looking over my notes on the book and writing a review for it.

So here's my candid review of this paranormal vampire romance book by Lara Adrian.


Veil of Midnight
Lara Adrian
Bound by blood, addicted to danger, they'll enter the darkest—and most erotic—place of all.

A warrior trained in bullets and blades, Renata cannot be bested by any man—vampire or mortal. But her most powerful weapon is her extraordinary psychic ability—a gift both rare and deadly. Now a stranger threatens her hard-won independence—a golden-haired vampire who lures her into a realm of darkness…and pleasure beyond imagining.

A combat-loving adrenaline junkie, Nikolai dispenses his own justice to enemies of the Breed—and his latest quarry is a ruthless assassin. One woman stands in his way: the seductive, cool-as-ice bodyguard, Renata. But Renata's powers are put to the test when a loved one, a child, is threatened and she's forced to turn to Niko for help. As the two join forces, as desire fans the flames of a deeper hunger, Renata's life is under siege by a man who offers the exquisite pleasure of a blood bond—and a passion that could save or doom them both forever.


REVIEW
I love this series by Lara Adrian. It's absolutely fantastic and each book provides exactly what I want from a paranormal romance when I take some precious time out to read. Well, that is under normal circumstances. I will say now that Veil of Midnight is probably one of my least favourite books in the series. You really should be reading the series in order with this one. I'm not really one to talk though as I went from Kiss of Midnight (the first book) to reading Ashes of Midnight (the one after this book). It was Ashes of Midnight and Andreas Reichen that got me into the Midnight Breed series. The first book wasn't that good, and I feel this one isn't either.

Nikolai is as hard as warriors come and a real lover of all things shiny and sharp, and he's always been one of the most interesting Breed males in the Order in my opinion. In Veil of Midnight, he is sent to Montreal in search of a Gen-One vampire who has gone off the radar, a vampire that he knows from his past, or at least thought he knew. There's a dangerous Breed male on a mission to kill all Gen-One vampires using his own army of bred-for-murdering Gen-One assassins and Sergei's name is on his hit list.

In Montreal, Niko meets Renata, a beautiful warrior and also a Breedmate. She's under the command of Sergei, bound to serve him because of her love for a young Breedmate child, Mira, whom he holds captive. It isn't long before Niko is torn between his duty and his growing feelings for Renata, but saving both her and Mira from Sergei's clutches isn't going to be as easy as it seems.

This story should have rocked, just as the previous ones have, but while it had all the wonderful action and great characters, it fell short of the mark for me. Renata is kick-ass, strong and capable of taking down Breed males with her ability and shares a love of weapons with Nikolai. Let's face it, he was doomed from the start. Renata is a grade A weapon junkie like he is and is more than happy dishing out a serving of pain on anyone who tries to harm her or those she loves. She's probably the strongest heroine in the series so far and matches the gorgeous Niko perfectly, which should make for a compelling romance. That's where I had a problem with this book.

Veil of Midnight is very plot focused rather than romance focused. It took a long time for the romance to begin blooming, beyond half the book, so I found that it was a very slow read. I generally like more romance and passion spread throughout the book. The hero and heroine were apart for so much of the story that I didn't really feel any of the usual passion, tension and desire we get in the Midnight Breed books. Because of this, I didn't feel as much love for this book as I have for previous stories in the series.

There was a lot of character hopping in this book too—Nikolai, Renata, Alexei Yakut, Fabien, Dragos, and even Andreas Reichen to set up the next novel in the series. That's too many characters for me. I tend to lose interest once we move past the hero and heroine, although I could never lose interest when Andreas Reichen is on the page!

Because of the slowness of the romance between Niko and Renata, I really didn't enjoy this book as much as I wish I had and wanted to, so I give it a 3 out of 5.


Read reviews of Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7600369-veil-of-midnight

Heart of Darkness - paperback books and blog tour

Yesterday my paperback copies of HEART OF DARKNESS finally came. This time I was stiffed for import VAT which is very wrong since books are zero rated over here, so someone royally messed up. Turns out CreateSpace hadn't put anywhere on the box what was actually in it - as in books! The customs people didn't open the box either to check what the contents were. I'll be having words with CreateSpace to make sure they label the contents correctly in the future. It makes all the difference. I ended up paying a £20 charge, which is around $35. This means that I can't sell these copies as I'll make nothing on them because of the total cost fo each book to me was around $10.60. Since I sell the book for $9.99, I would've been better off just buying them from Amazon.com! I guess I'll use them for giveaways and stuff. Here's a pretty picture of them anyway:




They look fantastic in the flesh. I'll see what I can do about selling signed copies of them. It was the VAT that pushed it into the make-no-money realm. Grr. Stupid charges.

In other Heart of Darkness news, the book is now available at Apple iBookstores so you can now purchase it for your iPad, iPhone or from iTunes for download and reading. I'm hoping it will hit Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader Store and possibly Kobo Books soon, although Kobo is being a bitch at the moment about books. I have a few waiting to ship to there and be included in their catalogue.


Heart of Darkness Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won't stop until the last of the vampire hunter's progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It's the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline's mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince's hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781466173286

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466452897/


The Heart of Darkness blog tour continues at full tilt. I've been to Clover Hill Book Reviews, Madame D's Boudoir and Ao Bibliophile so far this week and will be at Paromantasy tomorrow and Ex Libris on Friday. Busy week. Here's the full tour so far... be sure to drop by and read the posts and enter the giveaways!


Heart of DarknessVampire Romance Book Blog Tour20th October - Talking about writing Heart of Darkness and introducing the book @ Romancing the Darkside
22nd October - Sharing an excerpt from Heart of Darkness @ Romance Book Junkies
25th October - Talking about building the world of Heart of Darkness @ Fangtastic Books
26th October - Interview with Aleksandr @ Bitten by Paranormal Romance 
27th October - Sharing an exclusive excerpt @ Bookin' It Along
28th October - Interview with Elise @ Fade Into Fantasy
3rd November - The importance of location in vampire romances @ The Enchanted Book
4th November - Sharing an exclusive excerpt @ Satin's Bookish Corner
7th November - Author interview @ Clover Hill Book Reviews
8th November - Sharing an exclusive excerpt @  Madame D's Boudoir
9th November - Sharing an exculsive excerpt @ Ao Bibliophile

Teaseday - Embracing the Wolf - werewolf romance book

To keep my paranormal romance theme going on my Teasedays, I've decided that this week should be another of my paranormal romance shorts. This time it's an excerpt from Embracing the Wolf, so if you like a little werewolf romance in your books, then this is one for you! It's also a steal at only $1.49 in ebook on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, and for your Apple iPad or iPhone through the iBookstore!

So, here's the blurb and your weekly tease...


Embracing the Wolf Felicity Heaton
Kat, a hunter with the Werewolf Control Forces, fled her alpha werewolf lover, Amon, when he told her that she too had the gene in her blood and would one day mature into a werewolf—into his mate.

Four years on, Kat has now matured. Each night she fights the 'beast' inside of her and her desire to return to Amon. She hunts rogue werewolves with a vengeance, hating her kind and her blood, gaining satisfaction from eradicating those that have surrendered to darkness and violence, but she can't change her feelings and her craving for Amon is becoming stronger with every dream she has of him.

When Amon's pack finally catches up with her, she discovers that he's dangerously close to turning rogue and only she can save him from the darkness. An encounter with Amon reignites the passion they had once shared, dreams constantly stir her hunger for him, and Kat finds herself faced with a hard decision. Will she let him turn rogue and hunt him, or will she embrace the wolf and mate with Amon to save them both?


ebook price: $1.49
genre: paranormal werewolf romance
length: 20200 words
rating: sultry
released: November 2008

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Embracing%20the%20Wolf
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036FU0NS/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0036FU0NS/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Embracing-the-Wolf/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000802687/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-embracingthewolf-601075-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/embracing-the-wolf/_/R-400000000000000246829
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Embracing-The-Wolf/mix-1NzltZWkpEuuXxOBSFnOgQ/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8010
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0036FU0NS/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0036FU0NS/



EXCERPTFour years.

Four years ago, she had fled her home. Four years ago, she had run away from him and her feelings.

Those four years had not erased him from her memory. She still recalled the heat of his touch and the tender brush of his lips against her skin.

Amon.

Kat ghosted her hands over her bare arms, over flesh chilled by winter night. As she thought of him, her hands became the intimate, loving caress of Amon's. The memory weakened her and stirred desire to return to him. She cursed, breaking the silence of the cemetery. It was impossible to escape her feelings and her intense craving for him. No matter how far she ran.

She stood on the stone sarcophagus in the centre of the cemetery, a breeze washing her skin. Inky darkness stretched in front of her. Bright moonlight-cast shadows stretched long from the trees, swallowing the graves that edged the crammed lot. Silence became a comforting shroud over the Earth.

Her target lay dead below her. One less werewolf in the world. In human form again and naked, his body was bloodied and beaten from their fight. Lifeless eyes stared up at the moon, as though that goddess could still answer the prayers of her child.

The recovery unit were coming to take the body away. Kat hated having to wait for them. With the hunt over, she had nothing to occupy her mind. Her purposelessness ate at her, opening up a hollow feeling inside her. It attacked the carefully constructed barriers around her heart and brought thoughts of Amon.

Kat's gaze rose to the moon. She sought the calm it normally inspired in her. Her black pistols weighed heavily at her sides tonight, their silver load dragging her insides down and turning her stomach to lead.

She pressed a hand to her chest.

The beast stirred in the depths of her heart and snarled for freedom.

Amon had warned her that it would once she had matured. Back then, she hadn't believed him. She had run.

The idea of housing a werewolf in her body had frightened her. When her beast had risen, it had redefined the word 'frightened'. Kat had been so scared that she had almost run back to Amon. He had been right. Her blood was werewolf, just as his was, but that didn't mean that she was going to let it control her. She would never change.

She was not an animal.

And she would not surrender to it. Every day of her life, Kat fought it and hid her dirty secret. Every day of her life, she hunted her kin.

Kat had joined the Werewolf Control Forces after they had rescued her from an attack in which a friend of hers had died. The commander of the group had taken pity on her and had offered to train her so she could have her revenge. She had gladly taken the opportunity.

Back then, Kat had not known what tainted blood ran in her veins.

When she had reached the level of hunter, she had met Amon. He had come to her unit and reported a rogue werewolf within his pack. Even though Kat had known what Amon was, she hadn't been able to stop her feelings for him. He was everything good and, over time, she had come to see that not all werewolves were out to kill humans. It was only then that she had discovered she carried werewolf blood in her veins.

If she had known about the genes she had inherited from her parents before she had joined the Werewolf Control Forces, she still would have gone through with it. Eliminating the rogue werewolves, those that had turned dangerous and had made it onto the WCF's lists, gave her purpose. When she had found out about her blood, her job had given her something more too. It gave her a strange sense of satisfaction. She hated her kind more than ever. She hated the blood that ran in her veins. She hated that she had never known, and that her foster parents had never told her. She hated her dead parents.

Now she hunted those her of her kin that had turned dangerous, those that had become lost in darkness and the violence that the beast inside called for.

She killed others too, werewolves that were not on the list.

Anyone that Amon sent after her met with a silver bullet.

The beast inside her rose again. She forced it to heel. It fought back and she took deep calming breaths until the hunger to change had passed. Her hand trembled against her chest. It was growing stronger and harder to control, but there was not a chance in hell that she would let it take over.

A large black van crawled along the winding gravel road of the cemetery. Stones crunched under the fat tyres. She gestured to it and then hopped down from the tomb.

Her gaze fell to the dead werewolf.

Amon would be angry.

Tonight, it had been one from his pack. Amon was close to finding her. Or was she close to finding him? Her unit moved every four weeks. A few months ago, she had realised that her and Amon were gradually moving towards each other. Every new town brought them one step closer to meeting again and she could not bring herself to make the unit change its schedule.

Not when she was so close.

Every inch of her craved the fire of Amon's touch. Every night she had dreamed of him, reliving each sensual and erotic moment of their time together. Those dreams had now turned to nightmares. And in those nightmares there was nothing but pain—agonising, searing pain—that woke her bathed in cold sweat and shaking.

What did they mean?

Her heart said that she knew the answer to that question.

The sound of the van pulling to a halt snapped her out of her thoughts. Three men dressed in the standard black fatigues of her unit hopped down from the back. They grabbed the werewolf and hauled it into the van as though it was meat at a market.

The commander offered her a lift. Kat waved him away and watched the van leave.

The graveyard fell quiet again. The silence was comforting. Out here in the dark night, she could forget the horror of her dreams and the words they whispered.

Kat turned slowly to regard the man stood barely fifteen foot from her. Leyton. It had taken him longer to arrive than expected. The grim set of his face said the dead werewolf was not the only reason for his visit.

Amon had sent him on purpose.

Leyton was like a brother to her.

A solemn nod was Leyton's answer. Long pale fingers pushed through his sandy waves of hair, clawing it back in a movement of sheer frustration and helplessness. His hair fell back down when his hand had passed, brushing his forehead.

"He needs you, Kat." The deep voice didn't suit his tall slight figure. Neither did the black jeans and dark zip up jacket. She was used to seeing him in smarter attire. Blue eyes held hers, bright in the moonlight.

Kat knew what those words meant.

Leyton took a step towards her.

When werewolves reached maturity, the need to find their mate would arise. Once it had awoken, they only had a few years to complete the mating or they became feral and dangerous. The longest recorded time between the mating awakening and being completed safely was five years. Four years ago, Amon had told her that she was his mate. That night, she had fled. By now, he would be verging on dangerous. If he turned then she would have to kill him.

As much as Kat feared that thought, the alternative frightened her more. To become his mate she would have to accept what she was and change. She couldn't do it. The idea of becoming an animal, a hybrid being, turned her blood to ice.

"He knows that he scared you," Leyton said in a coaxing whisper, calm and measured. "He was only being honest that night. You're his mate, Kat. Without you he'll—"

"Don't!" Kat cut him off with a glare. Leyton didn't need to tell her what would happen. She dealt with rogue werewolves on a nightly basis. She saw the dark, violent creature he would become. She closed her eyes and told herself that it would not happen to Amon. Leyton was only trying to scare her.

The trouble was he was succeeding.

"Will you see him?"

Kat looked into Leyton's eyes.

There was hope in their depths. Meet Amon?

She couldn't.

Every inch of her rebelled at the thought. It would be dangerous. Not because he could be close to turning, but because if she saw him, she might lose her nerve and return to him. She longed to feel his warm fingers stroking her skin, caressing her in a way that spoke so deeply of his love. She ached to have his soft lips sliding against hers. She craved the way it felt to be in his arms, comforted and safe from the world as she breathed in his spicy scent.

Her eyes closed. She couldn't do it.

"You must feel it," Leyton continued with a desperate note in his voice. Clearly he had realised that she needed convincing. If anyone could do it, he could. Leyton was Amon's beta wolf and she had grown close to him during her time with Amon. She trusted him. He knew that and it seemed he was going to use it against her. "You must sense the looming danger."

Kat lowered her head and turned it away. She stared blindly at the grass. She did feel it. As a potential mate for Amon and someone who shared a love bond with him, Kat felt his pain as though it were her own.

It ripped her apart each day.

"Will you see him?" Leyton repeated, firmer this time. His tone demanded an answer. He stepped towards her, until she felt his presence close to her back. "Just see him, that is all I'm asking. It will soothe him. He will not hurt you."

Kat's stomach turned. Was Amon that far gone? Icy fingers squeezed her heart. She couldn't bear the thought that he might become dangerous and make it onto her unit's list. The idea of having to hunt him turned her stomach, but her only other option was to give in to the werewolf inside.

"No," she whispered, unable to say that word with conviction when her heart begged her to go to Amon.

Leyton stepped closer. Her senses detected the aura of worry surrounding him. Leyton never worried, not even about Amon. It confirmed her worst fear. Amon was growing close to turning.

"I promise you, Kat, he will not know that you are there. Just see him and then make up your mind. The next time you meet, do whatever your heart decides. Save him or kill him."

"Perhaps killing him would be saving him," she muttered to her feet and focussed on the bloodied grass. He wouldn't know she was there? She could see him, could reassure herself and ease her fears, and he would never know she had been there. The temptation was almost overwhelming.

Silence stretched into minutes as she waged an internal war—her heart against her mind. She ached to see Amon, but the price was too high. If she went, she might not be able to contain the beast within. If she didn't go, the next time she saw Amon he might be her target. A vision of Amon lying dead at her feet as the werewolf had been tonight flashed across her eyes. Her heart won.

"He won't know I'm there?" Kat looked at Leyton and searched his face for the truth behind his answer. The craving was too strong to ignore but she had to be sure that Amon wouldn't sense her. Once she had seen him again, she would make a final decision just as Leyton had asked.

"I promise you that he won't."

Those words weren't a comfort. Would Amon not know that she was there because he was so far gone already, so close to the edge? Werewolves became deranged violent creatures when the beast took over. Their bloodlust nightmarish. She had seen them tear humans apart for fun or nothing more than sating their aggression.

She hesitated a moment, still not sure this was a wise idea, and then pointed towards the cemetery gates. "Lead the way."

Leyton took her to an area deep in the city outskirts and far from the residential streets. Desolate red-brick factory buildings towered over her. Their tall windows were made of rectangular panes that were either smashed or coated by an impenetrable layer of grime. Winter wind whistled through them, a haunting symphony. The moon drained their colour. There was sadness about this place that left her feeling more lonely and cold than the cemetery had done.

Kat walked in silence. Her right hand rested on one of her pistols. The feel of it soothed her raw nerves. Her steady heart beat a little quicker when Leyton brought her to the end of a small dark alley. He opened a door.

Amon was in one of these dead buildings.

She had thought they were only passing through this area into one less bleak.

"We cannot move him again," Leyton said in a casual tone, as though he was making small talk about the weather rather than his alpha.

A glance into his eyes revealed that there was nothing casual about those words. The pain in their depths spoke to her heart. They silently begged her to give Amon a reprieve and accept the beast inside her so she could be the one to save him from a fate worse than death. Kat turned away and forced herself to scan the interior of the old factory. A good hunter knew every entry and exit. If Amon was close to turning, she might need them. Sometimes it was better to run than fight.

Leyton led the way. She followed close behind, memorising the maze of metal walkways above her and the old dust covered machinery. They entered a bright white-washed and distinctly clinical-looking room, leaving the darkness and grime behind. The lights stung her eyes. They had to hurt Leyton's too. Her fingers flexed around her gun when she sensed movement. They weren't alone.

Three huge male werewolves in human form stood before her. In large hands made for killing, each gripped a black rifle that looked like the type used for tranquilising wild animals. The males stepped forwards, their broad black-clad bodies a dark menacing contrast to the white room.

They didn't bother her.

What they protected did.

The werewolves partially blocked her view, but she could see enough to make her ache with sorrow.

A steel cage stood in the middle of the room. Its bars were as thick as her wrists. Inch deep glass surrounded it on all sides. Nothing but the cage reflected on the far wall of the glass. It was mirrored. They had surrounded him with mirrors and steel.

Kat glanced at Leyton. He had been right. Amon wouldn't see her.

"It is sound-proofed," Leyton said in a voice at normal volume, as though to prove the fact.

Her gaze settled on the cage.

Amon would never know that she had been here for him, with him. Her eyebrows furrowed and she stepped through the group of four werewolves, not paying them any heed. Immense sadness seized her heart.

Amon paced back and forth across the small width of his prison. Shirtless and shoeless, he wore nothing but black jeans. He looked exactly as she remembered him but she sensed a difference. A longing to free him warred with a desire to flee again. She stood still, frozen to the spot by indecision and a need to witness what she had done to the man that she had once loved.

Still loved.

"It's a necessary precaution," Leyton said close beside her. She looked up into his eyes, silently asking him if he honestly believed that and if he was alright with it. He looked away, at Amon. "He no longer trusts himself."

Her gaze returned to Amon, drawn by the waves of pain that emanated from him, both physical and emotional.

"Leave us," Leyton said and heavy boots marched into the distance. The guards were gone.

Kat walked forwards, until she was within a metre of the cubicle. Her gaze followed Amon, back and forth, back and forth, relentless in his pacing. Tears trembled on the brink of falling as she remembered all the times that she had spent with him.

The handsome smile and twinkling eyes full of love that she recalled were gone. The set of his face was grim now, eyebrows knitted into a constant frown. His black hair had grown wild, hanging to his jaw in tangled threads. The hard muscles of his broad chest were covered in claw marks.

Had he been tearing at himself? It pained her to see him, to sense him so close but so far away. Her hand trembled where it still held her holstered gun. Her other rose shakily towards the glass.

"Amon," she whispered, quiet enough that Leyton wouldn't hear her. Amon turned and raised his head, but didn't look at her.

Her heart broke to see his beautiful dark eyes and bowed lips. There was nothing soft or tender about them now. His eyes held pain. His lips were compressed into a thin line of restraint.

"Are you alright?" Leyton said in a low voice. It wasn't so Amon wouldn't hear them. Leyton was worried about her now too.

"I never knew he was in such a state," she whispered and glanced at Leyton before her eyes darted back to Amon.

She pressed her hand against the glass, wishing that she could touch him, wishing that she were brave enough to let him know that she was here.

Amon stopped in the middle of the cage. Suddenly, he arched his back, threw his arms out by his sides, tensed and shaking, and howled at the roof.

Her heart jumped and pounded in response to the intense vulnerability in his howl and his pained expression. The call to her was clear, speaking his need of her. Something powerful inside her responded.

Panic filled her, a riot of conflict and fear. She fought her beast as she backed away from the cage. She couldn't bear it anymore. Tears stung her eyes. She ran, shoving Leyton away as he moved into her path. She had been stupid to come. She had known deep in her heart that if she saw Amon, she would feel the incredible pull to him that she always had.

She bolted from the factory, fleeing him again, and didn't stop running until she had reached her apartment. Flinging the door shut behind her, she went straight to her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face to mask her tears. After a moment, she raised her head and stared at her dripping wet reflection in the mirror on the cabinet above the sink. The water had erased her tears but had done nothing to remove the feelings colliding inside her.

"Stupid," she said to herself, frowning so hard her dark eyebrows almost met. Redness marred her deep brown eyes, a sign of the tears that she had washed away.

When she closed her eyes, the image of Amon pacing the small cage filled her mind. Her heart clenched all over again. He'd howled with so much pain that she had felt it.

Amon was close to turning.

Her gaze fell to her guns.

She didn't have much time to make her decision.


Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Embracing%20the%20Wolf
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036FU0NS/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0036FU0NS/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Embracing-the-Wolf/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000802687/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-embracingthewolf-601075-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/embracing-the-wolf/_/R-400000000000000246829
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Embracing-The-Wolf/mix-1NzltZWkpEuuXxOBSFnOgQ/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8010
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0036FU0NS/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0036FU0NS/

Masquerade - second draft begins

I had done the initial read through of MASQUERADE for my second draft edit a while back and typed all the notes and comments and made some changes in the Word document already. This morning I debated whether to do the second draft of this book and hit the potential release date of mid-January, or shelve it and do the second draft of Covet, which is the first story in my new short series of erotic vampire romances, so I can get that released late this year. In the end, I decided not to make Vampires Realm fans wait and that I had said I would stick to my schedule like a good girl because that was what worked best for me. I always want to get books out quicker than is really possible but it's something I'm learning to deal with as I really need to build in more time between completing a book and its release date!

I think I wanted to skip Masquerade because I knew that the first few chapters, particularly the first one, were going to be a tough editing job. There were things to move around, points to address to make everything flow a little more smoothly, and stuff to change completely to make the hero and heroine start off on a better foot and clarify a few things. It's a tricky start to a novel as the heroine is mightily annoyed, mostly at herself but she's aiming her rage at the hero because he's done something to piss her off. Never an easy scenario to start with, especially when the first chapter is where you're supposed to grab the reader and hold their attention. Have faith, my lovely readers, it may start out with a bit of a scuffle between heroine and hero, but all will reveal itself in time.

My editing today took me around 25 pages into a 240 page document. I made it past the first chapter but I'll read it back first thing tomorrow and the ensuing fight scene, to make sure that it's all fine now and ready to rest for a while until I do the polish on the book at a later date. Once I'm happy with it, I can crack on with editing the rest of the book. Most of it is in good shape with only a few tweaks and things needed. I'll keep you all posted on my progress!

:)

Manday Hotties Hop!

It's time for the second Manday Hotties Hop! Last week's hop was fantastic for a first time and I'm sure we'll have some great hotties for you this week too!

This week I'm sticking with my man of the moment to provide with your sweet treat!






Remember to click on him to make him get bigger *wink*

Isn't that just a yummy treat to start the week with?

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Heart of Darkness - Vampire romance book - chapter three

Here's the third chapter of Heart of Darkness, my new vampire romance book, and things are starting to heat up a little between the hero and heroine.


Be sure to keep following these weekly posts in order to read the first six chapters of the book. You can find previous chapters under my Heart of Darkness label.


Heart of Darkness Felicity Heaton
A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won't stop until the last of the vampire hunter's progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It's the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline's mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince's hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?


ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 130000 words
rating: sultry
released: October 2011

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/


EXCERPT - CHAPTER THREE
Elise cursed the name of Aleksandr Nemov for the hundredth time that night, and it was barely two hours after sundown. It transpired that he had only danced with her at the ball. Now everywhere she went the ladies of the house whispered and glared at her. Even the guards were merciless in their teasing. She had gone to see Andrej to find some comfort but he had been so caustic that she had immediately left.

She hurried across the landscaped garden to the grey two storey square building at the back of the estate that acted as the garrison. It was past time to report in for duty. Hopefully, Commander Piotr would forgive her this small fault in exchange for the fact that she had followed his orders and ruined her life by dancing with Aleksandr Nemov.

Elise strode through the building, her focus so fixed on thinking of a way to gain a solo mission so she could patrol the city in glorious solitude and keeping her head down to avoid the snide taunts of her comrades that she didn't notice the danger until it was too late.

The moment she saw Aleksandr, she turned and tried to escape her commander's office.

"Elise," Commander Piotr said and she froze, cursing Aleksandr again.

"Reporting for duty, Sir." Elise saluted her commander and then Ladislav where he sat perched on the end of her commander's oak desk dressed in a long black winter coat and pinstripe suit. She ignored Aleksandr.

"You are to show me the city tonight."

Her gaze shot to Aleksandr. He smiled at her, all charm and sweetness.

She didn't want to show him the city. He already knew it. He had been to Prague before.

Had he asked for her to be his guide tonight? She shrugged that question away. There was no reason for him to ask for her specifically. Then again, he'd had no reason to be so intent on dancing with her either. The look in his grey eyes unsettled her. Whenever he looked at her, he looked like a raptor eyeing its prey. She didn't like it, and she hadn't seen him look at anyone else that way.

Elise bit her tongue to hold in the refusal that tried to spring from her lips and saluted her commander again, stiffly this time and with anger burning in her gut.

She turned on the spot, took a deep breath, and led the way out of the garrison. A quick tour of the city wouldn't kill her. It was an honour to serve their prince and she was sure that she was imagining everything about Aleksandr. He didn't know any of the guards besides her and the commander, and he had met her in the city. Perhaps he merely thought her a suitable guide, one who would be able to give him information he needed.

Perhaps he was out to seduce her.

Elise would have laughed at that had she not feared it so much.

Aleksandr was quiet as they walked into the heart of the city. His eyes constantly scanned over the old buildings lining the narrow roads. She brought him to the Old Town quarter first, entering the main square from an alley at the bridge end, away from the open square itself.

"It's a terrible place for hunting," Elise said to break the silence.

Aleksandr glanced at her and then looked at their surroundings. He tensed and turned the second the astronomical clock mounted near the base of the tall stone tower in front of them began to chime the hour. With a frown, he walked forwards, towards the beautiful gold and blue dial that the tourists loved, studying it and the gold and painted circular calendar below. Elise went with him, her gaze seeking the model of death chiming a bell. She loved the clock too. Sometimes when she was here scouting for a suitable source of blood she became distracted by the way the models on the clock came alive on the hour.

The cobbled area in front of the clock was empty save for her and Aleksandr. The city was so cold in winter that few tourists came. Those who did rarely ventured out at night to watch the clock.

"It's a good place for scouting for blood." She hoped for a response this time. "We often come here and then follow a selected tourist to see if they venture somewhere quiet we can deal with them."

"It seems like a very inefficient way to hunt." His eyes didn't leave the clock. "Why not simply lure them away? Or wait for someone to pass a quiet street and kill them?"

"It is not our way. Taking the occasional tourist is less conspicuous than killing the people of Prague. That way we risk the humans learning of our existence. We do as the Nemov line wishes, to protect our species from discovery." She paused to reflect on his questions. "Luring someone could be considered taking pleasure from the hunt."

His broad shoulders shifted in a shrug. "Some could say that."

Elise wanted to ask him if he lured his victims or took any pleasure from what he did when hunting, but the sight of him caught her off guard. The light from the astronomical clock bathed his skin, warming it and making his steely eyes darker. He had a regal profile that matched his classically handsome face. The strong line of his jaw led her gaze down to his throat and the slow steady pulse that ticked there. She dropped it lower, to his waist, hidden behind his long black coat. She had been shocked when he had revealed his bloodline's mark, and not only because she had discovered that he was royalty. He had shown no reserve about flashing his body and there had been a pleased look in his eyes when he had caught her staring. Just as she was now. She forced her eyes back up to his face. His bowed lips tugged into a smile.

"I like your city." He turned on the spot, scanning the cluster of buildings at this end of the square, and then stopped and faced her, his smile widening. "It has many beauties."

Elise's cheeks heated at the suggestion in his voice. She walked past him towards the square, ignoring his charm. He caught up with her, walking close beside her, and touched her elbow to make her walk in another direction. He had done that several times now, each one feeling like an intimate caress rather than a mere suggestion of an order.

She moved a step away from him and walked past the tower and into the heart of the expansive square, heading for the tall row of coloured buildings opposite. Cafés and restaurants lined the square, spilling out from the arched walkway beneath the buildings in front and to her right. Behind the buildings in front of her, one of Prague's most impressive sights rose. The twin spiked towers of the church and warmly lit façade captivated tourists even more than the clock. There were a few gathered in the square, their camera flashes puncturing the darkness.

"This is another good place to scout for tourists in summer," she said and Aleksandr looked towards them. "In winter it is too conspicuous, but in summer there are often a large number of people here. It is easy to blend amongst them."

Elise led Aleksandr towards the line of restaurants. The tables set out beneath the large white square umbrellas and heat lamps were mostly unoccupied.

"Another good place to scout?" His gaze scanned the people.

"Sometimes we come here in winter late at night, when the bars are turning out."

He moved closer to her again and his voice dropped to a whisper. "You are far more talkative when you are not dancing."

Elise looked away from him, towards the other side of the square and the restaurants there. She was thankful when Aleksandr's attention left her and returned to the square. She needed space to breathe for a moment. She wasn't used to so much attention, especially not from men, and she was starting to feel suffocated.

She glanced at Aleksandr. His focus was on the people, studying them closely. He seemed like a different person, colder and calculating, as she had expected him to be from the tales that she had heard and read in their society's papers.

"The vampire hunters don't come here." She looked around the square. "At least not often anyway. They know how we work. They know we won't kill the humans openly, and that we will follow them away from here. Most hunters gather over the river to wait for us."

Aleksandr's gaze returned to her along with his focus. She could feel his eyes on her, burning into the side of her face. She kept her gaze away from his, not wanting to see how he was looking at her now. He touched her elbow again, his fingers lingering longer this time, almost a caress.

"Show me where the hunters are." His voice was low still, a soothing sound that felt like a physical touch over her body.

She nodded and led the way, quickening her pace to gain a little distance from him. Alarm bells were ringing loudly in the back of her mind. Aleksandr was too attentive, too charming, and too close to her. All of it made her feel as though he wanted something and she knew what that something was.

It wasn't going to happen.

To keep him distracted from her, she talked to him about the city. She gave him all the information he might need about how the police operated, her family's methods of disposing of bodies, how they acted as a military academy to avoid rousing suspicion when they were in the city, and the small number of hunters that passed through each month, heading deeper into Europe from Asia or vice versa. With each piece of information, Aleksandr moved closer, until their hands brushed occasionally, sending shivers dancing up her arm. She tried to distance herself again but whenever she moved away, he moved closer. It felt too intimate.

She passed under the arch beneath the dark stone tower that stood at one end of the Charles Bridge and out the other side, stopping a short way onto it. The tall antique lamps that lined the wide pedestrian bridge glowed softly, lighting the stone statues standing on the walls of it in warm sepia hues. The brightly lit gothic cathedral on the hill across the wide black river, and the buildings that clustered around it, cast twinkling lights on the rippling water. It was beautiful, and she hoped it would keep Aleksandr's attention off her.

Aleksandr moved away from her at last, going to lean on the wall and peer over the edge at the river. He looked along the bridge in the direction of the other gate tower. A couple were walking towards them.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes almost black in the low light, and then looked back at the couple. She hoped he wasn't considering killing them. Her family still had enough blood in storage to last them a week and another murder in the city so close to the death of the hunter would rouse too much suspicion amongst the local police.

Aleksandr turned slowly as the couple passed, his eyes tracking them, and relief eased her tension away when they passed her and walked through the gate tower behind her.

He leaned back against the wall at an angle, propping himself up on his elbows. His long black coat fell back to reveal his body and the dagger sheathed at his hip. The black trousers and shirt did nothing to hide the toned planes of his physique. Elise tore her gaze away and looked left, up the dark river towards the fountain and the small park where they had first met.

Since then, her entire world had been falling apart. Aleksandr had shaken it to its foundations and she was still spinning, unable to get her head straight.

Aleksandr came over to her, close again, near enough that his breath caressed her face. It felt as though he didn't want to let her get her head straight, as though he wanted to confuse her and send her mind and heart in circles.

"The hunters favour the other side of the bridge, where the streets are narrow and quieter. It is easier for them to fight us unhindered there. It is also our favoured hunting ground." Elise cast her gaze down when Aleksandr's arm grazed hers.

When she eventually looked at him, he was staring at the cathedral but his focus wasn't there. It was on her. He leaned down, bringing his mouth so close to her ear that his lips brushed it as he spoke.

"Can we see there?" he whispered and she stared wide-eyed at the cathedral across the broad glittering black river. "I would like to take you there."

Elise sidestepped and cleared her throat, flustered by the connotation in his words. "It's best we don't. There have been many hunters entering the city recently."

His dark eyebrows rose. "I can handle them."

The smile he gave her was stunning. She looked away and fought for composure. Anger coiled in her stomach, turning her blood to flame. She had been right. He didn't want a tour guide, just as he hadn't merely wanted a dance partner last night. That was why he had looked so disappointed.

"Come, Elise, show me the other side and the narrow dark streets." He held his hand out to her.

Her eyes jumped to the gate tower at the other end of the bridge near the area he spoke of and then to his, and she tried to look away again but failed. The look in them left her in no doubt of his intentions. He moved closer, his broad frame imposing, and dipped down, lowering his mouth to her ear.

"You will take me there."

Elise stared at his ear, the tufts of his dark hair behind it, and the tall, sloped flat-topped dark grey roof of the tower beyond. She couldn't breathe. His proximity, his persistence, his attention, it all smothered her. She couldn't take it. She didn't want it.

"You are a poor dancer, but a skilled fighter," he murmured against her cheek, his breath teasing her skin and her throat. Another shiver cascaded through her, tumbling down her spine and urging her to close her eyes. She refused. He pressed his body against hers, his hands claiming her upper arms. "Your strength, your skill in the fight last night, it was astounding and graceful, almost as enthralling as your beauty."

Elise broke free of him and backed away. "Leave me alone."

Aleksandr laughed softly. "No, I cannot do that. Not yet."

She glared at him, seeing in his eyes that he intended to pursue her. She wanted to tell him again to leave her alone but couldn't find her voice or the conviction to refuse his advances.

Elise shook her head and ran away instead, storming through the arch back into the city, intent on returning to the mansion and finding solitude there, away from the madness of Aleksandr.

She didn't understand why he wanted her.

Or why the thought of becoming nothing more than a conquest to him hurt her.

Elise stared wide-eyed at the pavement. Dismay swept through her.

No.

Her heart said it was true.

She wanted him too.

It wasn't possible though. He would be gone soon, moved on to another city and likely another woman. If she gave in to her desire, he would take her heart with him. She couldn't bear the thought of it so she shut her mind and her heart to it. She wouldn't fall for Aleksandr.

He would grow tired of the chase soon enough.

Elise steeled herself against the hurt that thought caused and cursed the name of Aleksandr Nemov.

She wouldn't give in to him.

She wouldn't.

Her heart whispered to her.

She would.

It was only a matter of time.



Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartofdarkness-620972-139.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97624
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005WK6E58/

Wallpapers - November features Heart of Darkness

November just had to be a wallpaper for my new vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness , and the lovely Elise and Aleksandr!

My desktop wallpaper this month is Heart of Darkness and you can download it in various sizes direct from my website. There's also a version of each wallpaper without the calendar element so you can have them on your desktop at your leisure.

Just click on the sample image of the wallpaper below to go to my site and find the size right for you!


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If you want wallpapers with or without a calendar, I have them available for my books in the Goodies section of my website. At the moment, I have ones available for: Heart of Darkness, Hunter's Moon, Love Immortal, Her Guardian Angel, Forbidden Blood, Ascension.

Yummy!