Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 116
July 4, 2011
Manday hottie
It's the start of a new week, so here's your super-sexy treat to kick it off with a saucy smile and a hot flush!
As always, it's my man of the moment tempting us today... check him out...
He really does remind me of Valentine from my Prophecy Trilogy in my Vampires Realm series... although obviously not wearing that swimming costume or bathing in sunlight. lol. He's got the body and the looks.
As always, it's my man of the moment tempting us today... check him out...
He really does remind me of Valentine from my Prophecy Trilogy in my Vampires Realm series... although obviously not wearing that swimming costume or bathing in sunlight. lol. He's got the body and the looks.
July 3, 2011
Skyrockets in Flight Blog Hop Delight
It's the 4th July, which means that it's the start of the Skyrockets in Flight Blog Hop Delight hosted by Lush Book Reviews.My giveaway is International, so everyone is welcome to enter, and I'm keeping entering nice and simple for everyone, so we can all just have some fun. I'm offering two sets of prizes, one for my blog and one for entries to a bonus giveaway on my website.
Now, on to the prizes!
BLOG PRIZE
1 x ebook of winner's choice (excludes Ascension and Forbidden Blood), plus book swag package including signed book cover flats, bookmarks, keyring, coaster and fridge magnet.
HOW TO ENTERYou MUST be a follower of this blog, either through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs.Leave a comment on this post, with your name, email address and GFC or Networked Blogs name. You MUST include all three for it to count as an entry.Don't forget to enter over at my site for the bonus prize below too.
DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING SOMETHING FANTASTIC BY ENTERING THE BONUS GIVEAWAY AT MY WEBSITE:
BONUS PRIZE1 x signed paperback of Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm), plus book swag package including signed book cover flats, bookmarks, keyring, coaster and fridge magnet.
ENTER THE BONUS GIVEAWAY BY FILLING IN THE FORM ON MY WEBSITE - CLICK HERE
Giveaway is open from 4th July 2011 and closes on 10th July 2011 at 11:59pm. Winners will be selected at random on 11th July using random.org and posted here. Winners of the Bonus Prize will be posted on my website too at the link above. E-book prizes exclude Ascension and Forbidden Blood, and are available in PDF, HTML, Mobi or Epub format.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE OTHER BLOGS IN THE HOP
July 1, 2011
500 Blog Followers International Giveaway - Winners!
My giveaway is now closed. Winners have been announced below and contacted.
WINNERS
Stephanie (stephbarkerdrew) won - prize pack of a $25 Amazon Gift Certicate, a signed paperback of Love Immortal, plus book swag including signed cover flats and bookmarks, magnets, coasters and keyrings
Jessica (jessicagilliland0117) won - prize pack of a signed paperback of Her Angel anthology, plus book swag including signed cover flats and bookmarks, magnets, coasters and keyrings
Andrea Kozari won - prize pack of a signed paperback of Hunter's Moon, plus book swag including signed cover flats and bookmarks, magnets, coasters and keyrings
Sarah Horton won - prize packs of an e-book of winner's choice from my backlist (excluding Ascension and Forbidden Blood), plus book swag including signed cover flats and bookmarks, magnets, coasters and keyrings
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered or took the time to tell their friends about this giveaway!
Winners have until July 15th to contact me. If I don't hear by then, I'll draw replacement winners.
June 29, 2011
Review: Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter
Good day all... as promised, here's the review for the second of three books I read whilst on holiday in Istanbul, Turkey.
This time, I'm reviewing Jewel of Atlantis, a paranormal romance in Gena Showalter's Atlantis series of books.
So here's my candid review...
Jewel of Atlantis
Gena Showalter
All Atlantis seeks the Jewel of Dunamis, which legend claims can overcome any enemy. Grayson James, human agent of the ultra-secret Otherworld Bureau of Investigation, has orders to keep it from the wrong hands—or destroy it. What he doesn't know is that Jewel is a woman, not a stone! But once he meets this precious gem, destroying her is the last thing on his mind…
Jewel, part goddess, part prophet, is a pawn in Atlantis's constant power struggles. She needs Gray's help to win freedom and uncover the secrets of her mysterious origins. Gray needs her wisdom to navigate monster-ridden Atlantis. But need blossoms into passionate love as they fight demons, dragons, vampires—and a prophecy that says the bond between them could destroy them both.
REVIEW
Jewel of Atlantis, book 2 in Gena Showalter's Atlantis series, kicks off with Grayson 'Gray' James venturing through the forests of Atlantis and fighting to remain in one piece as he searches for Dunamis.
And from the word go, I just didn't like him.
Having read and loved the first book in the series, Heart of the Dragon, I was eager to read the second to see if it would be just as good. Unfortunately, the hero didn't appeal in the slightest. Gray is a walking hard-on, and it doesn't make him manly like the author clearly wanted it to. He's not sexy because his mind is always on getting into a girl's knickers, or attractive because he's oh-so-horny all the time. He was just... well... tiring. The first third of the book, prior to his meeting Jewel, he's got a one track mind and it's on repeat. I was so tired of reading through paragraphs of his thoughts about getting it on that I was tempted to skip ahead, or skip the book all together. When he finally meets Jewel, things get a little better. Well, he stops thinking about sex all the time and spends his waking minutes trying to get into her pants instead.
I have to admit, I didn't really like Jewel as a character either. She was painted as someone strong and very powerful, but in reality she was weak enough to let everyone else boss her around and possess her, even though she had the power of suggestion and could manipulate thought to make people do her bidding/look the other way. It seemed odd that she wasn't using those powers to stop people from capturing her all the time and using her when she was so obsessed with being free.
The whole story felt as though it was trying to be really sensual and erotic, and it came at the expense of a good storyline. The blurb reveals everything too. Nothing really new within the actual pages of the book. I think the story would have been infinitely better had we not known from the outset that Jewel was the jewel, and had the author kept it a mystery and had a big reveal. Knowing everything from the start just made reading it feel fairly pointless.
I think after the first book in the series, this one fell ridiculously short of the mark. I mean, Heart of the Dragon is up there, at the pinnacle of a mountain, as close to Heaven as it can get, whilst Jewel of Atlantis is slumming it in the valley, staring adoringly up and wishing it was up there with that dragon book too.
Gray wasn't one tenth of the man that Darius in Heart of the Dragon was. He was just a walking dick. Or as my husband called him when I talked to him about the book: a sex pest. Also, are all the heroines in the books going to be virgins? Because that will get old real quick.
The writing lacked sparkle in places, with some weird word choices and some sentences that I had to read several times to understand, but I'm coming to expect that of Ms Showalter now. I think it's the Harlequin way. There isn't as much repetition in this book though, if you forget you ever read Gray's endless thoughts about naked women, which is good.
The story benefitted greatly from the fact that I was trapped in an airport waiting for a delayed flight for several hours, and with another four hours flight time on top of that. If I hadn't been a captive audience, I might have walked away from this one and placed it on my did-not-finish pile. What it didn't benefit from was the fact that I read this book hot on the heels of finishing Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian, another fabulous instalment in her Midnight Breeds series (I'll be reviewing that book too).
All in all, Jewel of Atlantis felt very flat and never really gripped me. I didn't care about the characters, and the plot really lacked sparkle. It takes a lot for me not to finish a story once I start reading, but it was close this time.
Read reviews of Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6590320-jewel-of-atlantis
This time, I'm reviewing Jewel of Atlantis, a paranormal romance in Gena Showalter's Atlantis series of books.
So here's my candid review...
Jewel of Atlantis
Gena Showalter
All Atlantis seeks the Jewel of Dunamis, which legend claims can overcome any enemy. Grayson James, human agent of the ultra-secret Otherworld Bureau of Investigation, has orders to keep it from the wrong hands—or destroy it. What he doesn't know is that Jewel is a woman, not a stone! But once he meets this precious gem, destroying her is the last thing on his mind…
Jewel, part goddess, part prophet, is a pawn in Atlantis's constant power struggles. She needs Gray's help to win freedom and uncover the secrets of her mysterious origins. Gray needs her wisdom to navigate monster-ridden Atlantis. But need blossoms into passionate love as they fight demons, dragons, vampires—and a prophecy that says the bond between them could destroy them both.
REVIEW
Jewel of Atlantis, book 2 in Gena Showalter's Atlantis series, kicks off with Grayson 'Gray' James venturing through the forests of Atlantis and fighting to remain in one piece as he searches for Dunamis.
And from the word go, I just didn't like him.
Having read and loved the first book in the series, Heart of the Dragon, I was eager to read the second to see if it would be just as good. Unfortunately, the hero didn't appeal in the slightest. Gray is a walking hard-on, and it doesn't make him manly like the author clearly wanted it to. He's not sexy because his mind is always on getting into a girl's knickers, or attractive because he's oh-so-horny all the time. He was just... well... tiring. The first third of the book, prior to his meeting Jewel, he's got a one track mind and it's on repeat. I was so tired of reading through paragraphs of his thoughts about getting it on that I was tempted to skip ahead, or skip the book all together. When he finally meets Jewel, things get a little better. Well, he stops thinking about sex all the time and spends his waking minutes trying to get into her pants instead.
I have to admit, I didn't really like Jewel as a character either. She was painted as someone strong and very powerful, but in reality she was weak enough to let everyone else boss her around and possess her, even though she had the power of suggestion and could manipulate thought to make people do her bidding/look the other way. It seemed odd that she wasn't using those powers to stop people from capturing her all the time and using her when she was so obsessed with being free.
The whole story felt as though it was trying to be really sensual and erotic, and it came at the expense of a good storyline. The blurb reveals everything too. Nothing really new within the actual pages of the book. I think the story would have been infinitely better had we not known from the outset that Jewel was the jewel, and had the author kept it a mystery and had a big reveal. Knowing everything from the start just made reading it feel fairly pointless.
I think after the first book in the series, this one fell ridiculously short of the mark. I mean, Heart of the Dragon is up there, at the pinnacle of a mountain, as close to Heaven as it can get, whilst Jewel of Atlantis is slumming it in the valley, staring adoringly up and wishing it was up there with that dragon book too.
Gray wasn't one tenth of the man that Darius in Heart of the Dragon was. He was just a walking dick. Or as my husband called him when I talked to him about the book: a sex pest. Also, are all the heroines in the books going to be virgins? Because that will get old real quick.
The writing lacked sparkle in places, with some weird word choices and some sentences that I had to read several times to understand, but I'm coming to expect that of Ms Showalter now. I think it's the Harlequin way. There isn't as much repetition in this book though, if you forget you ever read Gray's endless thoughts about naked women, which is good.
The story benefitted greatly from the fact that I was trapped in an airport waiting for a delayed flight for several hours, and with another four hours flight time on top of that. If I hadn't been a captive audience, I might have walked away from this one and placed it on my did-not-finish pile. What it didn't benefit from was the fact that I read this book hot on the heels of finishing Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian, another fabulous instalment in her Midnight Breeds series (I'll be reviewing that book too).
All in all, Jewel of Atlantis felt very flat and never really gripped me. I didn't care about the characters, and the plot really lacked sparkle. It takes a lot for me not to finish a story once I start reading, but it was close this time.
Read reviews of Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6590320-jewel-of-atlantis
June 28, 2011
Teaseday - Her Fallen Angel - Angel Romance Book
Today I'm posting a Teaseday excerpt for
Her Fallen Angel
.
Her Fallen Angel
is the second book in the
Her Angel
romance series, and is a sensual romance novella full of passion and action. You can get
Her Fallen Angel
in both e-book and paperback (as part of an anthology with the other two
Her Angel
series novellas)
On to the tease...
Her Fallen Angel
Felicity Heaton
Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He's stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, but he's seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she's beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can't resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie's love for him and threaten to tear them apart.
He's an angel.
Annelie can't believe it when Lukas says that their feelings for each other aren't a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he's on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn't commit. Lukas isn't about to give up and accept his fate though. He's determined to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, and to show her that the intense passion they share is real.
When Lukas and Apollyon discover who framed him, will he be able to stop them from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?
ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.
ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 30000 words
rating: sultry
released: October 2010
Book 2 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Fallen-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011118494/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Fallen-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-E8HR8KevVkqhEsSrPJICdQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-fallen-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000299382
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
EXCERPTLukas was looking worse for wear.
Annelie had never seen him drink alcohol. She had often wondered why he came to her pub but stuck to soft drinks. Seeing him slowly sliding down towards the bar, his head propped up on his hand and his eyes closed, she was no longer surprised that he lay off the booze. He couldn't handle it.
His scruffy sandy locks fell forwards when his head slipped from his hand and he jerked up. He rolled his eyes a few times while blinking and then pulled a face as he inspected the damp elbow of his black shirt and the wet bar where he had been leaning. A sigh lifted his shoulders and he stared at the half-full glass of whisky in front of him. Perhaps she should have cut him off after his third, but his charming smile had persuaded her to supply him with a fourth, and a fifth. She regretted it now. At the time, he had looked as though he would be fine. Now, he looked as though he was going to pass out.
Perhaps she shouldn't have given him the first shot. What if he didn't drink because he was an alcoholic and she had just ruined his recovery? She could never live with herself if that was the case.
She handed some change to a patron and walked along the length of the dark wooden bar to Lukas, neatening her appearance as she did so. She tugged the hem of her back baby-doll t-shirt down to sit smoothly along the waist of her black jeans, and combed her fingers through her long red hair. She always felt as though she looked like a mess when things got frantic behind the bar, and she wanted to look her best for Lukas.
The pub was quieter now that it was approaching closing time. A few regulars remained along with a group of people she didn't recognise that sat in the corner near the old bay windows. She could finally speak to Lukas without interruption.
Annelie leaned on the damp bar opposite Lukas and swept his fair hair out of his eyes. He leaned away, almost fell off his stool, and then looked at her. She felt an all too familiar jolt when his green eyes met her brown ones and her heart fluttered in her chest when he smiled lopsidedly.
"You okay?" She went to take her hand away but he took hold of it, bringing it down to the bar and toying with her fingers.
His gaze fell there, a look of fascination entering his eyes, and she told herself not to read into it.
So what if this was the first bordering-on-intimate contact they'd had? So what if he had made her heart stop the moment he had first walked into her pub three years ago and it had stopped every time she had seen him since? It didn't mean anything.
At least, it didn't mean anything to him.
Sure, they had talked and whiled away the hours, and Lukas was an amazing listener and always seemed genuinely interested in her problems and helping her solve them, but he had never once shown any interest in her beyond friendship.
She wished that he would.
He was drop dead gorgeous. Six feet plus of masculine beauty. And she wanted to pounce on him whenever he walked through the door.
Which had been almost every other night until recently.
He had gone away for three long weeks without a word, leaving her wondering if something terrible had happened to him. Then the moment he walked back into her life, he hit the drink, hard.
Lukas didn't answer her. His green gaze remained fixed on her hand and he turned it this way and that, his hands warm and gentle against hers. Her heart whispered that this was interest beyond friendship.
Someone stepped up to the bar at the far end and she waved to Andy to serve him. She couldn't leave Lukas until she knew what was going on in his head and why he was suddenly drinking, or at least until she was sure he wasn't about to fall off his stool and hurt himself.
Annelie bent lower so she could see his face. His gaze finally left her hand and met hers again, bright in the lights from the rows of drinks behind her.
"I said you okay?" She searched his eyes.
His pupils were wide. He raked his gaze down over her chest, fire following in its wake, and then back up to her face. It remained fixed there, as though he was studying her, intense and focused. A blush crept onto her cheeks.
"Hell of a week." His reply was so quiet that she barely heard him.
"You've been gone three."
His eyebrows rose. "Three?"
She nodded. He released her hand and ran his over the messy finger-length strands of his hair, preening it back. He brought his hand down, pinched the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes shut.
"Hell of a three weeks." Lukas smiled but she saw straight through it.
Something was up. Andy tried to call her over but she waved him away again. Andy had been tending bar long enough to handle problems on his own now. Lukas needed to talk. She had seen it the moment he had sat down tonight, but the pub had been so busy that she hadn't been able to talk to him other than taking his order. He had never really spoken much about himself and the one time he needed to she hadn't made time for him. He had always made time to listen to her. What sort of friend was she?
"I was wondering where you were." Her tone was jest but her heart meant the words.
Lukas looked at her as though hearing that had made his day and then dropped his gaze to his drink. He ran his finger around the rim of the whisky glass and then sighed.
"Sorry about that."
She never had been able to place his accent. It wasn't British. She had asked him about it once and he had simply said that he had lived in many places. She had told him her whole life story and he hadn't even told her where he was from. She was fine with that though. It added a sense of mystery to him that she liked.
He picked up his glass and she took it from him.
"I think you've had enough of that." She tipped the contents away behind the bar and stashed the glass there. "How are you getting home tonight?"
He frowned, propped his head up on his palm, and closed his eyes. "The usual way."
"I can't let you drive."
A smile curved his delicious lips. "I don't drive. I fly."
She laughed. "Well, I can't let you drink and fly."
He was drunk if he thought he could fly home.
Annelie covered his other hand with hers and he opened his eyes, their green depths meeting hers again. They were sharper now but not enough to satisfy her.
"I'll give you a lift if you wait until we've closed." Hopefully he would have sobered up a little by then and could direct her to his place. She had never seen him outside work before.
He stared into her eyes for what felt like hours and then nodded. Annelie took her hand back and smiled, relieved that he would wait for her. She didn't want him going home alone and perhaps she could talk to him during the drive and find out why he was suddenly drinking.
The bar would close in twenty minutes but it would be at least another hour before she had finished cleaning up. She glanced back at Lukas. He rested his arm on the counter and used it as a pillow, his eyes closing. He hadn't drunk that much, but it was still best that he slept it off. Andy would go home when the pub closed and she would be quiet while she counted the money and cleaned the place.
Before long, the pub was empty except for her and Lukas. Annelie tied her long red hair back into a ponytail and wiped the bar down, avoiding disturbing Lukas as he slept. She stopped by him and stared at his face. He looked so peaceful and gorgeous when asleep. She hesitated and then, with her heart in her mouth, brushed the tangled strands of his fair hair from his forehead. His lips parted and he murmured something. She smiled and brushed his skin again, lightly so he wouldn't wake, but enough contact to make her feel a little giddy. When had she fallen for him? It had come on so slowly over the past three years that she hadn't realised she had those sorts of feelings for Lukas until he had gone away, and then she had been worried that he wasn't coming back.
But here he was again, at her bar in the same stool he always occupied, and she was happy to see him.
Even if he was asleep.
He stirred and blinked slowly, as though trying to wake himself.
Annelie didn't take her hand back. She was feeling brave tonight.
"How are you feeling?" She combed her fingers through his hair.
Lukas frowned, his green eyes fixed on the distance, and then groaned. She took that as a negative answer.
"No better yet?"
He nodded, moving her hand with him, and she stroked the curve of his ear. A smile touched his lips and then faded again when he closed his eyes.
"I'm almost done. I'll have you home soon." She went to walk away but he caught her wrist, sat up, and looked at her with such earnest eyes that her heart beat harder.
"I ever tell you that you're pretty?" Those words rocked her to her core. Her pulse raced and her throat turned dry. She shook her head and he reached out with his other hand and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. There was nothing but honesty and warmth in his eyes. They sparkled with it, looking brighter now even though the lights were lower, entrancing her. "Your beauty puts angels to shame."
Annelie tried to convince herself that it was the drink talking. Tried and failed. She had worked in pubs since she was in her early twenties, almost ten years ago, and had run this one since her parents had retired early. She had enough experience to spot levels of inebriation. Lukas's eyes were sharper and his words weren't slurred. He wasn't drunk anymore. He was definitely still tipsy, but that excuse didn't hold with her heart. It believed him. He really did think that she was beautiful. She blushed. It burned her cheeks before she could get the better of herself. She worked at a bar. She was used to men telling her that she was beautiful at the end of the night, but the way Lukas said it, the fact that it was him, made her believe him.
"You really are." His hand slipped from her cheek to her jaw and he grazed his fingers along the curve of it. He smiled and her heart thudded. He was beautiful. She had never seen a man like him, with such deep green eyes and a smile that could make her heart pound and body tremble. "Beautiful."
"Hush." She took his hand away from her face and held it a moment. "Quit making me blush, Lukas."
His smile held. "I love the way you say my name. Say it again."
Annelie rolled her eyes. "Lukas."
"Not like that." He drew his hand towards him, luring her with it, until she was close to him. She stared into his eyes, her mind racing forwards to contemplate things it shouldn't be. He wasn't going to kiss her. Even if he was looking more sober now, she couldn't let things go down that avenue. "Say it like you mean it. Like you said it just then."
Annelie looked deep into his eyes, lost in them and the way the flecks of pale gold seemed to shift and move against their emerald backdrop, and blinked slowly. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Lukas."
"Mmm, that is more like it." He pulled her closer and tilted his head.
Annelie broke free, pulse rocketing, and ignored the disappointed look on his face. She couldn't kiss him, no matter how tempting it was.
"Let me finish cleaning and I'll take you home." She hurried away to the other end of the bar, not daring to look back at Lukas, not while she wanted to kiss him and was weak enough to go through with it.
By the time she had finished cleaning, Lukas was looking far more sober and he was watching her. Annelie could feel his eyes on her, following her around the room as she placed the chairs upside down on the tables. She would wash the floor in the morning before opening time.
She walked over to Lukas and he turned on the stool to face her. His eyes held fire that burned within her, enticing her to kiss him after all. She cleared her throat, averted her gaze, and nodded towards the door.
"Come on." She didn't wait for him to get down off the stool. She started towards the door and Lukas was soon beside her. She snuck a glance at him. He always looked good in the black shirt and jeans he wore. They hugged his figure just the right amount, giving subtle clues about how sexy the body they hid was and luring her into picturing him naked. Even when she shouldn't be.
She closed the door behind him and locked up.
"You okay?" She pocketed her keys and started down the quiet dark road with him towards the car park at the back of the pub.
"I have been better." He tilted his head back, staring up at the night sky, and sighed. There was such a look of melancholy in his eyes. What was he thinking?
"Where did you go, Lukas?" She took her car keys out of her pocket, turned the corner into the car park, and pressed the button on the fob. The lights on her small car flashed. "I really was worried about you."
He stopped and looked at her. She turned and met his gaze, letting him see that she wasn't just saying that. He had disappeared without a word and it had frightened her. She had missed him. He stepped up to her and touched her face again, his palm warm against her cheek. His eyes held hers and she swore she saw another flicker of affection in them.
"I had to go away. I should have told you, Annelie. I should not have worried you." There was black magic in his voice and the way he said her name, soft but with an underlying note of passion, and she was under his spell. He stroked her cheek, sending a shiver through her, and smiled into her eyes. "I did not think I would be gone so long. I promise I will not do it again."
Annelie told herself to break free but she couldn't. She didn't want to. She wanted to stand there in the warm night, feeling hot from head to toe because of Lukas's caress and the ardent look in his eyes. She wanted to believe that his words meant what she thought they did and that he liked her and things between them would be different now. She hadn't looked at another man since Lukas had walked into her life, had dreamed the impossible of him falling for her, and now it felt as though the impossible was possible after all.
Lukas wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She stepped into his embrace, her heart thundering against her chest, and stared up into his eyes. His fingers stroked her neck, his thumb brushing over her chin and then under her jaw. He tilted her head back, his eyes fixed on hers, and lowered his mouth. She shivered when their lips met and then pressed her hands against his firm chest and melted into him as he kissed her. It started out slow, a bare meeting of lips, but before she could draw another breath, his mouth covered hers and he stole it away.
It was everything that she had imagined it would be. She craned her neck, slid her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him, their lips meeting and parting, tongues tracing each other. He groaned and it was music to her heart, driving her on. She licked his lower lip, tangled her tongue with his, and kissed him harder, her breathing coming faster now.
Sense reared its ugly head but she shoved it away, not interested in anything her mind had to say on the matter. The kiss was divine. Lukas was divine. It didn't matter that he was still a little tipsy and that they were kissing in the middle of an unpleasant car park. She knew in her heart that this wasn't the drink talking.
He pulled back, breathing hard, and his eyes searched hers. The fire in them matched the inferno burning within her. Did she look so hungry too? She wanted to devour him.
"Annelie..." He started and looked as though he was going to kiss her again, but then he stepped back. "I am sorry. If I have offended—"
"No."
His eyes darted to hers.
She couldn't bring herself to say it. She wanted him too. She had wanted that kiss more than anything. She was on the brink of saying it but other words came out instead.
"We should get you home."
He looked disappointed again and nodded. Annelie walked to her car, cursing herself, feeling Lukas trailing behind her. She was aching all over to feel his hands and lips on her again. Why couldn't she have just said what she had wanted to? Lukas, it was fine that you kissed me because I want to do that to you and a lot more besides. It was so easy to say it in her head.
She walked around the car and glanced at him. His eyes were on her again, drifting over her body, bringing the fire back in their wake. She burned for him. She burned so much that she felt as though she was going to die if he didn't touch her and kiss her again, if he didn't quench the flames as only he could.
If she had said what she had wanted to, would he be kissing her again now? Would that divine body be against hers and his hands be on her, skimming over her in the way she was craving, bringing her to life with passion and need?
Annelie yanked the car door open and got in. Lukas slid into the passenger seat beside her and she started the engine, put the car into gear and drove. He was quiet, only giving her directions across London to where he lived. When they reached it, she pulled the car to a halt in a space outside and stared at the building. It was a beautiful pale Georgian four-storey townhouse.
"You live here?" She couldn't quite bring herself to believe it. She had never figured Lukas for a moneyed type. He had never once looked as though he had more than a few hundred pounds to his name.
Lukas nodded and got out of the car, not waiting for her. Had she put him in a bad mood? Her eyes followed him. He was walking in a straight line, not wavering at all, and seemed sober now. If he kissed her again, she wouldn't be able to resist him anymore. She wouldn't have a reason to.
Annelie stepped out, locked her car, and hurried across the quiet road to him. He waited at the black front door of the building, his gaze on her again. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him to say something. All he had to do was invite her in. If he invited her in, she would take it as a sign that she hadn't messed anything up and that he still wanted her.
His eyes held hers for what felt like hours and then he spoke.
"I just want to be clear about one thing. I did not kiss you because of the drink." He glanced away and then met her gaze again. "There is a reason I like to sit at the bar and talk to you, Annelie. There is a reason I kissed you."
He looked as though he had wanted to say more but she didn't give him a chance. She ran up the steps, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He stumbled backwards into the door and wrapped his arms around her waist, his tongue delving into her mouth and duelling with hers. This was Heaven. She couldn't hold in her moan.
Lukas fumbled with the door behind him and they fell into the entrance, still locked in each other's arms, their mouths fused in a kiss that drove Annelie crazy with hunger. She moaned again and kissed him harder, pouring out her passion and need into it until it became choppy and rough, a clashing of lips and teeth. Lukas's groan sent a wave of heat scorching through her and she gasped into his mouth when he grabbed her backside. She hopped and wrapped her legs around his waist and he hit the wall with her, pinning her there, his body hard against hers and making her tremble with the images of them that flashed through her mind. She wanted all of them to happen right now, this instant, wanted to live out every hot dream she'd had of Lukas.
"Which floor?" She managed between kisses, too hungry for him to break contact for more than a second.
"Fourth." There was a laugh to his voice that brought out her smile. He kissed her again and turned with her, heading for the stairs. Was he serious? He couldn't carry her all the way to the fourth floor while kissing her.
Lukas seemed intent on proving her wrong. He held on to her, his hands grasping her backside, his body shifting between her hips in the most delicious way, and kissed along her jaw as he took the steps two at a time.
Annelie didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings. All she could think about was what would happen when they reached his apartment and how good it felt to be in his arms. She kissed his throat, earning quiet moans from him whenever she nipped it with her teeth or sucked. The rougher she was, the louder he groaned, and it drove her on, making her want to bite him harder.
She wriggled against him, hot all over, moist in her knickers, and moaned when he nibbled her neck, kissing and licking it, sending shivers dancing over her skin and stoking the fire of her hunger for him. She leaned her head back and he held her closer, devouring her throat, taking her higher and higher, and not only towards his apartment.
"Almost there," he whispered into her mouth and her temperature soared with anticipation. He kissed her throat, her cheeks, and then her lips. He paused there and said the one thing that shattered her reservations, the one thing she had wanted to hear above all else. He breathed it against her lips in a husky voice, turning three simple words into the most erotic thing she had ever heard. "I want you."
Annelie trembled in his strong arms, swept away by her need and his passion, and she kissed him.
She wanted him too.
And she was damn well going to have him.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Fallen-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011118494/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Fallen-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-E8HR8KevVkqhEsSrPJICdQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-fallen-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000299382
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
Enjoyed this tease?
On to the tease...
Her Fallen Angel
Felicity Heaton
Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He's stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, but he's seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she's beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can't resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie's love for him and threaten to tear them apart.
He's an angel.
Annelie can't believe it when Lukas says that their feelings for each other aren't a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he's on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn't commit. Lukas isn't about to give up and accept his fate though. He's determined to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, and to show her that the intense passion they share is real.
When Lukas and Apollyon discover who framed him, will he be able to stop them from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?
ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.
ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 30000 words
rating: sultry
released: October 2010
Book 2 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Fallen-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011118494/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Fallen-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-E8HR8KevVkqhEsSrPJICdQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-fallen-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000299382
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
EXCERPTLukas was looking worse for wear.
Annelie had never seen him drink alcohol. She had often wondered why he came to her pub but stuck to soft drinks. Seeing him slowly sliding down towards the bar, his head propped up on his hand and his eyes closed, she was no longer surprised that he lay off the booze. He couldn't handle it.
His scruffy sandy locks fell forwards when his head slipped from his hand and he jerked up. He rolled his eyes a few times while blinking and then pulled a face as he inspected the damp elbow of his black shirt and the wet bar where he had been leaning. A sigh lifted his shoulders and he stared at the half-full glass of whisky in front of him. Perhaps she should have cut him off after his third, but his charming smile had persuaded her to supply him with a fourth, and a fifth. She regretted it now. At the time, he had looked as though he would be fine. Now, he looked as though he was going to pass out.
Perhaps she shouldn't have given him the first shot. What if he didn't drink because he was an alcoholic and she had just ruined his recovery? She could never live with herself if that was the case.
She handed some change to a patron and walked along the length of the dark wooden bar to Lukas, neatening her appearance as she did so. She tugged the hem of her back baby-doll t-shirt down to sit smoothly along the waist of her black jeans, and combed her fingers through her long red hair. She always felt as though she looked like a mess when things got frantic behind the bar, and she wanted to look her best for Lukas.
The pub was quieter now that it was approaching closing time. A few regulars remained along with a group of people she didn't recognise that sat in the corner near the old bay windows. She could finally speak to Lukas without interruption.
Annelie leaned on the damp bar opposite Lukas and swept his fair hair out of his eyes. He leaned away, almost fell off his stool, and then looked at her. She felt an all too familiar jolt when his green eyes met her brown ones and her heart fluttered in her chest when he smiled lopsidedly.
"You okay?" She went to take her hand away but he took hold of it, bringing it down to the bar and toying with her fingers.
His gaze fell there, a look of fascination entering his eyes, and she told herself not to read into it.
So what if this was the first bordering-on-intimate contact they'd had? So what if he had made her heart stop the moment he had first walked into her pub three years ago and it had stopped every time she had seen him since? It didn't mean anything.
At least, it didn't mean anything to him.
Sure, they had talked and whiled away the hours, and Lukas was an amazing listener and always seemed genuinely interested in her problems and helping her solve them, but he had never once shown any interest in her beyond friendship.
She wished that he would.
He was drop dead gorgeous. Six feet plus of masculine beauty. And she wanted to pounce on him whenever he walked through the door.
Which had been almost every other night until recently.
He had gone away for three long weeks without a word, leaving her wondering if something terrible had happened to him. Then the moment he walked back into her life, he hit the drink, hard.
Lukas didn't answer her. His green gaze remained fixed on her hand and he turned it this way and that, his hands warm and gentle against hers. Her heart whispered that this was interest beyond friendship.
Someone stepped up to the bar at the far end and she waved to Andy to serve him. She couldn't leave Lukas until she knew what was going on in his head and why he was suddenly drinking, or at least until she was sure he wasn't about to fall off his stool and hurt himself.
Annelie bent lower so she could see his face. His gaze finally left her hand and met hers again, bright in the lights from the rows of drinks behind her.
"I said you okay?" She searched his eyes.
His pupils were wide. He raked his gaze down over her chest, fire following in its wake, and then back up to her face. It remained fixed there, as though he was studying her, intense and focused. A blush crept onto her cheeks.
"Hell of a week." His reply was so quiet that she barely heard him.
"You've been gone three."
His eyebrows rose. "Three?"
She nodded. He released her hand and ran his over the messy finger-length strands of his hair, preening it back. He brought his hand down, pinched the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes shut.
"Hell of a three weeks." Lukas smiled but she saw straight through it.
Something was up. Andy tried to call her over but she waved him away again. Andy had been tending bar long enough to handle problems on his own now. Lukas needed to talk. She had seen it the moment he had sat down tonight, but the pub had been so busy that she hadn't been able to talk to him other than taking his order. He had never really spoken much about himself and the one time he needed to she hadn't made time for him. He had always made time to listen to her. What sort of friend was she?
"I was wondering where you were." Her tone was jest but her heart meant the words.
Lukas looked at her as though hearing that had made his day and then dropped his gaze to his drink. He ran his finger around the rim of the whisky glass and then sighed.
"Sorry about that."
She never had been able to place his accent. It wasn't British. She had asked him about it once and he had simply said that he had lived in many places. She had told him her whole life story and he hadn't even told her where he was from. She was fine with that though. It added a sense of mystery to him that she liked.
He picked up his glass and she took it from him.
"I think you've had enough of that." She tipped the contents away behind the bar and stashed the glass there. "How are you getting home tonight?"
He frowned, propped his head up on his palm, and closed his eyes. "The usual way."
"I can't let you drive."
A smile curved his delicious lips. "I don't drive. I fly."
She laughed. "Well, I can't let you drink and fly."
He was drunk if he thought he could fly home.
Annelie covered his other hand with hers and he opened his eyes, their green depths meeting hers again. They were sharper now but not enough to satisfy her.
"I'll give you a lift if you wait until we've closed." Hopefully he would have sobered up a little by then and could direct her to his place. She had never seen him outside work before.
He stared into her eyes for what felt like hours and then nodded. Annelie took her hand back and smiled, relieved that he would wait for her. She didn't want him going home alone and perhaps she could talk to him during the drive and find out why he was suddenly drinking.
The bar would close in twenty minutes but it would be at least another hour before she had finished cleaning up. She glanced back at Lukas. He rested his arm on the counter and used it as a pillow, his eyes closing. He hadn't drunk that much, but it was still best that he slept it off. Andy would go home when the pub closed and she would be quiet while she counted the money and cleaned the place.
Before long, the pub was empty except for her and Lukas. Annelie tied her long red hair back into a ponytail and wiped the bar down, avoiding disturbing Lukas as he slept. She stopped by him and stared at his face. He looked so peaceful and gorgeous when asleep. She hesitated and then, with her heart in her mouth, brushed the tangled strands of his fair hair from his forehead. His lips parted and he murmured something. She smiled and brushed his skin again, lightly so he wouldn't wake, but enough contact to make her feel a little giddy. When had she fallen for him? It had come on so slowly over the past three years that she hadn't realised she had those sorts of feelings for Lukas until he had gone away, and then she had been worried that he wasn't coming back.
But here he was again, at her bar in the same stool he always occupied, and she was happy to see him.
Even if he was asleep.
He stirred and blinked slowly, as though trying to wake himself.
Annelie didn't take her hand back. She was feeling brave tonight.
"How are you feeling?" She combed her fingers through his hair.
Lukas frowned, his green eyes fixed on the distance, and then groaned. She took that as a negative answer.
"No better yet?"
He nodded, moving her hand with him, and she stroked the curve of his ear. A smile touched his lips and then faded again when he closed his eyes.
"I'm almost done. I'll have you home soon." She went to walk away but he caught her wrist, sat up, and looked at her with such earnest eyes that her heart beat harder.
"I ever tell you that you're pretty?" Those words rocked her to her core. Her pulse raced and her throat turned dry. She shook her head and he reached out with his other hand and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. There was nothing but honesty and warmth in his eyes. They sparkled with it, looking brighter now even though the lights were lower, entrancing her. "Your beauty puts angels to shame."
Annelie tried to convince herself that it was the drink talking. Tried and failed. She had worked in pubs since she was in her early twenties, almost ten years ago, and had run this one since her parents had retired early. She had enough experience to spot levels of inebriation. Lukas's eyes were sharper and his words weren't slurred. He wasn't drunk anymore. He was definitely still tipsy, but that excuse didn't hold with her heart. It believed him. He really did think that she was beautiful. She blushed. It burned her cheeks before she could get the better of herself. She worked at a bar. She was used to men telling her that she was beautiful at the end of the night, but the way Lukas said it, the fact that it was him, made her believe him.
"You really are." His hand slipped from her cheek to her jaw and he grazed his fingers along the curve of it. He smiled and her heart thudded. He was beautiful. She had never seen a man like him, with such deep green eyes and a smile that could make her heart pound and body tremble. "Beautiful."
"Hush." She took his hand away from her face and held it a moment. "Quit making me blush, Lukas."
His smile held. "I love the way you say my name. Say it again."
Annelie rolled her eyes. "Lukas."
"Not like that." He drew his hand towards him, luring her with it, until she was close to him. She stared into his eyes, her mind racing forwards to contemplate things it shouldn't be. He wasn't going to kiss her. Even if he was looking more sober now, she couldn't let things go down that avenue. "Say it like you mean it. Like you said it just then."
Annelie looked deep into his eyes, lost in them and the way the flecks of pale gold seemed to shift and move against their emerald backdrop, and blinked slowly. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Lukas."
"Mmm, that is more like it." He pulled her closer and tilted his head.
Annelie broke free, pulse rocketing, and ignored the disappointed look on his face. She couldn't kiss him, no matter how tempting it was.
"Let me finish cleaning and I'll take you home." She hurried away to the other end of the bar, not daring to look back at Lukas, not while she wanted to kiss him and was weak enough to go through with it.
By the time she had finished cleaning, Lukas was looking far more sober and he was watching her. Annelie could feel his eyes on her, following her around the room as she placed the chairs upside down on the tables. She would wash the floor in the morning before opening time.
She walked over to Lukas and he turned on the stool to face her. His eyes held fire that burned within her, enticing her to kiss him after all. She cleared her throat, averted her gaze, and nodded towards the door.
"Come on." She didn't wait for him to get down off the stool. She started towards the door and Lukas was soon beside her. She snuck a glance at him. He always looked good in the black shirt and jeans he wore. They hugged his figure just the right amount, giving subtle clues about how sexy the body they hid was and luring her into picturing him naked. Even when she shouldn't be.
She closed the door behind him and locked up.
"You okay?" She pocketed her keys and started down the quiet dark road with him towards the car park at the back of the pub.
"I have been better." He tilted his head back, staring up at the night sky, and sighed. There was such a look of melancholy in his eyes. What was he thinking?
"Where did you go, Lukas?" She took her car keys out of her pocket, turned the corner into the car park, and pressed the button on the fob. The lights on her small car flashed. "I really was worried about you."
He stopped and looked at her. She turned and met his gaze, letting him see that she wasn't just saying that. He had disappeared without a word and it had frightened her. She had missed him. He stepped up to her and touched her face again, his palm warm against her cheek. His eyes held hers and she swore she saw another flicker of affection in them.
"I had to go away. I should have told you, Annelie. I should not have worried you." There was black magic in his voice and the way he said her name, soft but with an underlying note of passion, and she was under his spell. He stroked her cheek, sending a shiver through her, and smiled into her eyes. "I did not think I would be gone so long. I promise I will not do it again."
Annelie told herself to break free but she couldn't. She didn't want to. She wanted to stand there in the warm night, feeling hot from head to toe because of Lukas's caress and the ardent look in his eyes. She wanted to believe that his words meant what she thought they did and that he liked her and things between them would be different now. She hadn't looked at another man since Lukas had walked into her life, had dreamed the impossible of him falling for her, and now it felt as though the impossible was possible after all.
Lukas wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She stepped into his embrace, her heart thundering against her chest, and stared up into his eyes. His fingers stroked her neck, his thumb brushing over her chin and then under her jaw. He tilted her head back, his eyes fixed on hers, and lowered his mouth. She shivered when their lips met and then pressed her hands against his firm chest and melted into him as he kissed her. It started out slow, a bare meeting of lips, but before she could draw another breath, his mouth covered hers and he stole it away.
It was everything that she had imagined it would be. She craned her neck, slid her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him, their lips meeting and parting, tongues tracing each other. He groaned and it was music to her heart, driving her on. She licked his lower lip, tangled her tongue with his, and kissed him harder, her breathing coming faster now.
Sense reared its ugly head but she shoved it away, not interested in anything her mind had to say on the matter. The kiss was divine. Lukas was divine. It didn't matter that he was still a little tipsy and that they were kissing in the middle of an unpleasant car park. She knew in her heart that this wasn't the drink talking.
He pulled back, breathing hard, and his eyes searched hers. The fire in them matched the inferno burning within her. Did she look so hungry too? She wanted to devour him.
"Annelie..." He started and looked as though he was going to kiss her again, but then he stepped back. "I am sorry. If I have offended—"
"No."
His eyes darted to hers.
She couldn't bring herself to say it. She wanted him too. She had wanted that kiss more than anything. She was on the brink of saying it but other words came out instead.
"We should get you home."
He looked disappointed again and nodded. Annelie walked to her car, cursing herself, feeling Lukas trailing behind her. She was aching all over to feel his hands and lips on her again. Why couldn't she have just said what she had wanted to? Lukas, it was fine that you kissed me because I want to do that to you and a lot more besides. It was so easy to say it in her head.
She walked around the car and glanced at him. His eyes were on her again, drifting over her body, bringing the fire back in their wake. She burned for him. She burned so much that she felt as though she was going to die if he didn't touch her and kiss her again, if he didn't quench the flames as only he could.
If she had said what she had wanted to, would he be kissing her again now? Would that divine body be against hers and his hands be on her, skimming over her in the way she was craving, bringing her to life with passion and need?
Annelie yanked the car door open and got in. Lukas slid into the passenger seat beside her and she started the engine, put the car into gear and drove. He was quiet, only giving her directions across London to where he lived. When they reached it, she pulled the car to a halt in a space outside and stared at the building. It was a beautiful pale Georgian four-storey townhouse.
"You live here?" She couldn't quite bring herself to believe it. She had never figured Lukas for a moneyed type. He had never once looked as though he had more than a few hundred pounds to his name.
Lukas nodded and got out of the car, not waiting for her. Had she put him in a bad mood? Her eyes followed him. He was walking in a straight line, not wavering at all, and seemed sober now. If he kissed her again, she wouldn't be able to resist him anymore. She wouldn't have a reason to.
Annelie stepped out, locked her car, and hurried across the quiet road to him. He waited at the black front door of the building, his gaze on her again. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him to say something. All he had to do was invite her in. If he invited her in, she would take it as a sign that she hadn't messed anything up and that he still wanted her.
His eyes held hers for what felt like hours and then he spoke.
"I just want to be clear about one thing. I did not kiss you because of the drink." He glanced away and then met her gaze again. "There is a reason I like to sit at the bar and talk to you, Annelie. There is a reason I kissed you."
He looked as though he had wanted to say more but she didn't give him a chance. She ran up the steps, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He stumbled backwards into the door and wrapped his arms around her waist, his tongue delving into her mouth and duelling with hers. This was Heaven. She couldn't hold in her moan.
Lukas fumbled with the door behind him and they fell into the entrance, still locked in each other's arms, their mouths fused in a kiss that drove Annelie crazy with hunger. She moaned again and kissed him harder, pouring out her passion and need into it until it became choppy and rough, a clashing of lips and teeth. Lukas's groan sent a wave of heat scorching through her and she gasped into his mouth when he grabbed her backside. She hopped and wrapped her legs around his waist and he hit the wall with her, pinning her there, his body hard against hers and making her tremble with the images of them that flashed through her mind. She wanted all of them to happen right now, this instant, wanted to live out every hot dream she'd had of Lukas.
"Which floor?" She managed between kisses, too hungry for him to break contact for more than a second.
"Fourth." There was a laugh to his voice that brought out her smile. He kissed her again and turned with her, heading for the stairs. Was he serious? He couldn't carry her all the way to the fourth floor while kissing her.
Lukas seemed intent on proving her wrong. He held on to her, his hands grasping her backside, his body shifting between her hips in the most delicious way, and kissed along her jaw as he took the steps two at a time.
Annelie didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings. All she could think about was what would happen when they reached his apartment and how good it felt to be in his arms. She kissed his throat, earning quiet moans from him whenever she nipped it with her teeth or sucked. The rougher she was, the louder he groaned, and it drove her on, making her want to bite him harder.
She wriggled against him, hot all over, moist in her knickers, and moaned when he nibbled her neck, kissing and licking it, sending shivers dancing over her skin and stoking the fire of her hunger for him. She leaned her head back and he held her closer, devouring her throat, taking her higher and higher, and not only towards his apartment.
"Almost there," he whispered into her mouth and her temperature soared with anticipation. He kissed her throat, her cheeks, and then her lips. He paused there and said the one thing that shattered her reservations, the one thing she had wanted to hear above all else. He breathed it against her lips in a husky voice, turning three simple words into the most erotic thing she had ever heard. "I want you."
Annelie trembled in his strong arms, swept away by her need and his passion, and she kissed him.
She wanted him too.
And she was damn well going to have him.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Fallen-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011118494/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Fallen-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-E8HR8KevVkqhEsSrPJICdQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-fallen-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000299382
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
Enjoyed this tease?
June 27, 2011
Manday hottie
It's Manday again, and time to start the week with a very sexy treat. It's absolutely sweltering here in the UK today, and this picture is doing nothing to cool me down. Have a little look for yourself...
Yummy, right?
Yummy, right?
June 24, 2011
We interrupt this broadcast...
This week has not been a good week. First it took me a while to get back into the swing of things after my trip to Istanbul, Turkey. The muse went AWOL, which isn't like him, and when I eventually dragged him back, he just wasn't interested in writing Masquerade.
Or maybe that was me not interested in writing it.
It's not so much that I'm not interested, just that I feel there are problems with the story and some things just weren't clicking for me. I felt it wasn't going to be a success as it was. I did get up to around 30,000 words of the story written this week, and with them came a few revelations that have led me to re-think the plot and the story, and the characters involved. Not a bad thing. Better I put it on the back burner now so I have time to think about it and get it perfect rather than having to rewrite huge tracts of it at a later date when a deadline is tight.
The trouble is, I had planned to get this story written and released on September 10th this year. See the problem there. Very short deadline in which to write something to fill the gap. Not sure yet what I'll do but I do have another story in mind for release this year as my second Vampires Realm story. I'll think of something to release in September, but it might be a short story or novella rather than a novel. I'm going to crunch the figures in my schedule and see what comes out. It might be that I shift the release of Heart of Darkness to September 10th from October 22nd, and then write something new in time for the October 22nd release date.
You'd think being an indie author it would matter what date I release stuff, but I have a whole year's worth of guest blog dates in place and I refuse to disappoint the people who have kindly offered me a slot on their blog. I also have advertising in place too.
If I can't get anything written in time, then I will probably use those dates to promote my first two releases this year, because I didn't have the tour in place then and they could do with some promotion.
It wasn't just Masquerade not quite feeling right that has put me behind. It's my main computer too. It upped and died on me recently during a Windows Vista Service Pack 1 upgrade and I've had to reinstall everything. Thankfully, I had backed up all my files to my external hard drive before upgrading to the piece of poop that is the Service Pack 1. Why Windows allow this SP to still be used when they know it has faults is beyond my comprehension, but I think it just goes to show how crap Microsoft is.
Needless to say, I'm mightily miffed at Windows and it's eaten up my whole day fixing the cursed computer in question. There goes my writing time. Got to reinstall lots of drivers, programs, devices, and put all my files back on my computer now. Bleh.
I had really hoped to get Masquerade written but perhaps it's a good thing that my release order has changed. Heart of Darkness features a guard as the heroine, and hunters as the enemy. Masquerade has the hero and heroine as guards, and vampires / vampire hunters as the enemy too. Might be too similar, even though the stories are quite different.
I think that I will probably keep Heart of Darkness as my October 22nd release, and then have When Darkness Falls, which is a Vampires Realm novel, as my December release. Masquerade will have to wait until next year before it's released.
My other option is to write Descent, the second story in my Shadow & Light Trilogy for release in December.
Choices, choices. It's difficult really. I guess it will all come down to if I have enough time. I picture When Darkness Falls as a novel of around 65,000 words, while Descent will likely reach 90,000-100,000 words. Obviously it takes me longer to write, edit, polish and proof a novel that length.
Maybe this is all just fate telling me that I'm a crazy lady to want to release 8 full novels in the space of just a year. It's saying "slow down, chillax, follow the flow" which I could happily listen to!
Back to work for me. For a change it isn't writing that's beckoning me rather it's the techy stuff of reinstalling and rebuilding a computer. It's been a while. I've had this one for two years or so without it giving me hell. My previous one required a fresh Windows install everything few months!
I'll keep you guys posted on what I decide to write for when.
:)
Or maybe that was me not interested in writing it.
It's not so much that I'm not interested, just that I feel there are problems with the story and some things just weren't clicking for me. I felt it wasn't going to be a success as it was. I did get up to around 30,000 words of the story written this week, and with them came a few revelations that have led me to re-think the plot and the story, and the characters involved. Not a bad thing. Better I put it on the back burner now so I have time to think about it and get it perfect rather than having to rewrite huge tracts of it at a later date when a deadline is tight.
The trouble is, I had planned to get this story written and released on September 10th this year. See the problem there. Very short deadline in which to write something to fill the gap. Not sure yet what I'll do but I do have another story in mind for release this year as my second Vampires Realm story. I'll think of something to release in September, but it might be a short story or novella rather than a novel. I'm going to crunch the figures in my schedule and see what comes out. It might be that I shift the release of Heart of Darkness to September 10th from October 22nd, and then write something new in time for the October 22nd release date.
You'd think being an indie author it would matter what date I release stuff, but I have a whole year's worth of guest blog dates in place and I refuse to disappoint the people who have kindly offered me a slot on their blog. I also have advertising in place too.
If I can't get anything written in time, then I will probably use those dates to promote my first two releases this year, because I didn't have the tour in place then and they could do with some promotion.
It wasn't just Masquerade not quite feeling right that has put me behind. It's my main computer too. It upped and died on me recently during a Windows Vista Service Pack 1 upgrade and I've had to reinstall everything. Thankfully, I had backed up all my files to my external hard drive before upgrading to the piece of poop that is the Service Pack 1. Why Windows allow this SP to still be used when they know it has faults is beyond my comprehension, but I think it just goes to show how crap Microsoft is.
Needless to say, I'm mightily miffed at Windows and it's eaten up my whole day fixing the cursed computer in question. There goes my writing time. Got to reinstall lots of drivers, programs, devices, and put all my files back on my computer now. Bleh.
I had really hoped to get Masquerade written but perhaps it's a good thing that my release order has changed. Heart of Darkness features a guard as the heroine, and hunters as the enemy. Masquerade has the hero and heroine as guards, and vampires / vampire hunters as the enemy too. Might be too similar, even though the stories are quite different.
I think that I will probably keep Heart of Darkness as my October 22nd release, and then have When Darkness Falls, which is a Vampires Realm novel, as my December release. Masquerade will have to wait until next year before it's released.
My other option is to write Descent, the second story in my Shadow & Light Trilogy for release in December.
Choices, choices. It's difficult really. I guess it will all come down to if I have enough time. I picture When Darkness Falls as a novel of around 65,000 words, while Descent will likely reach 90,000-100,000 words. Obviously it takes me longer to write, edit, polish and proof a novel that length.
Maybe this is all just fate telling me that I'm a crazy lady to want to release 8 full novels in the space of just a year. It's saying "slow down, chillax, follow the flow" which I could happily listen to!
Back to work for me. For a change it isn't writing that's beckoning me rather it's the techy stuff of reinstalling and rebuilding a computer. It's been a while. I've had this one for two years or so without it giving me hell. My previous one required a fresh Windows install everything few months!
I'll keep you guys posted on what I decide to write for when.
:)
June 23, 2011
Review: Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter
It's that special time of year again. Time for holidays! That means reading as much as possible to me and I managed to squeeze in three books during a recent trip to Istanbul in Turkey.
The first book I read is also the first in a series. It's Gena Showalter's Heart of the Dragon, and it's part of her Atlantis series of books.
So here's my candid review of this paranormal romance book by Gena Showalter.
Heart of the Dragon
Gena Showalter
Searching for her missing brother, Grace Carlyle never dreamed she would discover a secret world populated by mythological monsters--or find herself facing a sword-wielding being whose looks put mortal men to shame.
But there he was, Darius en Kragin, one of a race of shape-shifting warriors bound to guard the gates of Atlantis, and kill all travelers who strayed within its borders.
Now Grace's life was in his hands, and Darius had to choose between his centuries-old vow and the woman who had slipped beneath his defenses and stolen the heart of Atlantis's fiercest dragon.
REVIEW
I went into this book not expecting much which is perhaps why I got so much out of it. Just like how I really enjoy a movie when I go into the cinema with zero expectations about the film. We enter the book in the past, with Darius as a child taking on the role of a guardian responsible for killing anyone who enters through the portal in his palace. Understandably he's a little reluctant to kill, but he's driven by a need to protect his dragon people and Atlantis from the kind of brutality that his family suffered. This teasing glimpse of a feelings-laden Darius really provided a sharp contrast to the man we meet shortly afterwards—a battle-hardened and emotionless killer.
Grace Carlyle comes face to face with this beast of a man when she is sucked through one of the gelatinous portals and into Atlantis during her search for her missing archaeologist brother, Alex, who had sent her a package containing a medallion shortly before disappearing off the face of the planet. Grace's first reaction to the hulking great monster of a man that is Darius is the same reaction I had. Hubba hubba. The man is a god, and it's because of him that I fell hard for this book.
He's a super-sexy warrior with everything a female reader wants in that type of hero—strong, protective, possessive, and deadly. Plus, he had the added bonus of being so cold and detached. I love it when a heroine has to work to prise open a man's closed-off heart and release his emotions as well as his sexual desire. It's explosive when that happens, and it certainly happens with a bang in this book.
Showalter mercilessly teases with a series of "almosts" that had me panting for the hero to give up his inane obsession with his duty and his need to not get involved with Grace and kill her instead. I admit, I was miffed when the suitably strong and unwilling to give up on finding her brother or getting into Darius's pants Grace went home rather than submit to the delicious dragon warrior, but I guess it helped to show Darius's commitment to having her as his... or was that his commitment to killing her?
The only downside to this book is that we're reminded several times too many about Darius's duty to kill Grace, and some parts of the book just didn't feel right. Nothing between the hero and heroine was out of place, but hopping into the head of her brother and a female dragon threw me a bit as I didn't want to read about them. I wanted to stay with the sexy Darius and his would-be mate, Grace. I also felt the sudden relationship between Alex and his female dragon was a bit forced considering that Darius had earlier observed that Javar, another dragon, and this female had been very into each other during their marriage-of-sorts. I think it probably would have been best as a separate story that happened afterwards, but you'll have to read the book to see what I mean as I don't want to give any spoilers. I also felt that the dragons could have been described more clearly when they transformed into their beastly counterparts. I didn't really get a feel for what they looked like and whether they retained any sort of human features or how big they were as dragons.
The big fight at the end was good, although I would have liked more action as it was resolved quickly and fairly easily, or perhaps just better description would have sufficed and I would have been satisfied.
In terms of writing style, there were a few instances where I had to read a sentence over a couple of times to make sense of it, but I find that happens to me a lot in Showalter's books, so I can't moan too much about it. The writing is very Harlequin too. It's hard to describe but has that Harlequin light and easy feel about it. Not too dark. Not as dark as I like.
All in all, this is getting a four star review from me because I really did fall hard for Darius. He's worth reading this book for... honestly... go get yourself a copy or borrow one from a friend / library.
Read reviews of Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7721523-heart-of-the-dragon
The first book I read is also the first in a series. It's Gena Showalter's Heart of the Dragon, and it's part of her Atlantis series of books.
So here's my candid review of this paranormal romance book by Gena Showalter.
Heart of the DragonGena Showalter
Searching for her missing brother, Grace Carlyle never dreamed she would discover a secret world populated by mythological monsters--or find herself facing a sword-wielding being whose looks put mortal men to shame.
But there he was, Darius en Kragin, one of a race of shape-shifting warriors bound to guard the gates of Atlantis, and kill all travelers who strayed within its borders.
Now Grace's life was in his hands, and Darius had to choose between his centuries-old vow and the woman who had slipped beneath his defenses and stolen the heart of Atlantis's fiercest dragon.
REVIEW
I went into this book not expecting much which is perhaps why I got so much out of it. Just like how I really enjoy a movie when I go into the cinema with zero expectations about the film. We enter the book in the past, with Darius as a child taking on the role of a guardian responsible for killing anyone who enters through the portal in his palace. Understandably he's a little reluctant to kill, but he's driven by a need to protect his dragon people and Atlantis from the kind of brutality that his family suffered. This teasing glimpse of a feelings-laden Darius really provided a sharp contrast to the man we meet shortly afterwards—a battle-hardened and emotionless killer.
Grace Carlyle comes face to face with this beast of a man when she is sucked through one of the gelatinous portals and into Atlantis during her search for her missing archaeologist brother, Alex, who had sent her a package containing a medallion shortly before disappearing off the face of the planet. Grace's first reaction to the hulking great monster of a man that is Darius is the same reaction I had. Hubba hubba. The man is a god, and it's because of him that I fell hard for this book.
He's a super-sexy warrior with everything a female reader wants in that type of hero—strong, protective, possessive, and deadly. Plus, he had the added bonus of being so cold and detached. I love it when a heroine has to work to prise open a man's closed-off heart and release his emotions as well as his sexual desire. It's explosive when that happens, and it certainly happens with a bang in this book.
Showalter mercilessly teases with a series of "almosts" that had me panting for the hero to give up his inane obsession with his duty and his need to not get involved with Grace and kill her instead. I admit, I was miffed when the suitably strong and unwilling to give up on finding her brother or getting into Darius's pants Grace went home rather than submit to the delicious dragon warrior, but I guess it helped to show Darius's commitment to having her as his... or was that his commitment to killing her?
The only downside to this book is that we're reminded several times too many about Darius's duty to kill Grace, and some parts of the book just didn't feel right. Nothing between the hero and heroine was out of place, but hopping into the head of her brother and a female dragon threw me a bit as I didn't want to read about them. I wanted to stay with the sexy Darius and his would-be mate, Grace. I also felt the sudden relationship between Alex and his female dragon was a bit forced considering that Darius had earlier observed that Javar, another dragon, and this female had been very into each other during their marriage-of-sorts. I think it probably would have been best as a separate story that happened afterwards, but you'll have to read the book to see what I mean as I don't want to give any spoilers. I also felt that the dragons could have been described more clearly when they transformed into their beastly counterparts. I didn't really get a feel for what they looked like and whether they retained any sort of human features or how big they were as dragons.
The big fight at the end was good, although I would have liked more action as it was resolved quickly and fairly easily, or perhaps just better description would have sufficed and I would have been satisfied.
In terms of writing style, there were a few instances where I had to read a sentence over a couple of times to make sense of it, but I find that happens to me a lot in Showalter's books, so I can't moan too much about it. The writing is very Harlequin too. It's hard to describe but has that Harlequin light and easy feel about it. Not too dark. Not as dark as I like.
All in all, this is getting a four star review from me because I really did fall hard for Darius. He's worth reading this book for... honestly... go get yourself a copy or borrow one from a friend / library.
Read reviews of Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7721523-heart-of-the-dragon
June 22, 2011
Guest Author: Gabrielle Bisset
Today I have the lovely Gabrielle Bisset here with me on my blog. I caught up with Gabrielle and managed to ask her a few questions.
When did you first decide to become an author and what inspired you to write your first story?
I've been writing for years, but I guess the conscious decision to become an author came just a few years ago. I've written many stories before Stolen Destiny, but what inspired me to write that story was a dream. I don't think I'd ever had such a vivid dream, and when I woke up the next morning, I knew I had to write everything I could remember down. I did and those details were the beginning of the Destined Ones series, of which Stolen Destiny is the first book.
How have you found your journey so far as an author?
My journey as an author has been an interesting one. For me, the joy is in the writing. That's never been better. As many before have mentioned, I'm sure, it's the business end of the author's life that's the work. I went with a publisher for my first book, but I'll be indie publishing my stories after that. I've found the indie publishing world to be so enjoyable. It's a lot of responsibility, but it's so much fun. I love having the choices to make and knowing they're all mine to tackle.
Your new release, Stolen Destiny, is a paranormal romance. What drew you to the genre and why do you like writing it?
I love paranormal romance because it combines love and the fantastic. It's a genre that allows me to write characters who can do supernatural things while still giving me the opportunity to write romance.
Can you tell my readers a little about Stolen Destiny?
Stolen Destiny is the story of Varek Leale and Callia Reynolds. As Aeveren, they have been blessed with the gifts of reincarnation and destined ones. But Varek has spent lifetimes in Nil, Aeveren prison, for murdering his first destined one in a crime of passion, and he fears hurting Callia this time around. For her part, Callia is somewhat naive because Varek is her first destined one but strong, so she fights for the relationship to grow, even as he's telling her to forget him and use her free will to turn away from their destiny. Varek has been released by the Council to find a murderer who's killing Aeveren parents, and he has the additional problem of having to solve the crimes before he's allowed to stay with Callia because if he doesn't, he'll have to return to Nil. And things get even more difficult for the two when they have to enlist the help of one of the most powerful Aeveren to ever live, Amon Kalins. As an ancient Aeveren in his 47th lifetime, he possesses enormous powers, including the ability to manipulate time, and he wants Callia.
Stolen Destiny is also the first book in a series. What can you tell us about the series? Do you have other books planned for it?
The Destined Ones series is about Aeveren, a race of people who come from the Archangel Raziel. He blessed them with three gifts: reincarnation, destined ones, and powers. However, just as with human beings, some Aeveren are more powerful than others who have little or no special abilities. The most powerful Aeveren possess powers such as teleportation, telepathy, time travel, and even mind control. Others have heightened senses but little more. When it comes to love, Aeveren are paired with another who is destined for them, but often the interference of others, particularly those fellow Aeveren who are more powerful, makes romance difficult. The second book in the Destined Ones series, Destiny Redeemed, will be indie published in September and I hope to have the third book in the series out late this year.
What else are you working on at the moment and what releases do you have coming up?
Currently, I'm working on the third novella in a trilogy that are all set in Victorian England. The first novella, Vampire Dreams, is a paranormal romance out now. The second, Love's Master, is an historical romance with some light BDSM and is scheduled for release in mid July. The third novella, currently without a title, is another historical romance, and I plan to release that in August. I intend on combining them into one book in late fall and in that form they'll be available in paperback. As for the Destined Ones series, I'm working on the third book, tentatively entitled Destiny Unbound, which I hope to have released by the end of this year.
When you sit down to write, do you have a specific routine you go through? Is there anything you always have to do before writing, like finding a quiet place, grabbing a cup of coffee, or turning on some music?
I hand write everything before I type it, so I always have pen and paper when I sit down, in addition to a large glass of iced tea. I also have to be listening to music when I write--usually the 70s channel on Sirius radio. And I tend to only write at night, except for Saturdays, when I write all day.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I am definitely a plotter, particularly with my novellas. With the novel length books, I usually begin writing with an idea in mind and by the 7th or 8th chapter I begin to outline what will happen until the end. With the novellas, however, I'm very much an outliner before I even begin the story.
When you're not writing, what sort of books do you enjoy reading, and what else do you indulge in as a past time or way of relaxing?
I love to read romance, particularly paranormal and historical. They just work for me. I also like mysteries. When I'm not reading, I love to watch movies or work in my garden. The more time I can spend outside, the better.
And finally, which character you've written is your favourite and why? And which character is most like you?
This is so difficult! I love Varek from Stolen Destiny, even more since I had to defend him so much to get him published as I truly envisioned him. He's a good soul who made one very big mistake, so the softie in me loves him for that. Amon, also from Stolen Destiny, was so incredibly fun to write, though. He's bad and so very smooth, so there's very much something about him as the bad boy to love, especially when you see him in his story, Destiny Redeemed. I think I fall in love with every male hero I write, to be honest. And which character is most like me? I think the answer would have to be Lily from Love's Master because she's a strong-willed woman who likes an even stronger man.
Stolen Destiny
Gabrielle Bisset
Released from Nil to find a murderer, a prison-hardened Varek Leale is convinced no woman deserves the man he's become, but his Aeveren destiny makes him succumb to sweet and sexy Callia Reynolds. To catch the murderer, they turn to Amon Kalins, an ancient Aeveren with the power to control time. But Amon isn't a man to trifle with and when he wants something, he'll use his considerable powers, devastating charm, and good looks to get it.
What Amon wants is Callia. When he manipulates time and seduces Callia away, Varek must turn to the people who set him free for help to get her back. But the Council doesn't do anything without requiring something in return, and what they want is Amon Kalins, one of the most powerful Aeveren ever. Varek will do what he must to capture him and find Callia because if he doesn't, she'll be lost to him for untold lifetimes.
Find out more about Stolen Destiny at Gabrielle's website: http://www.gabriellebisset.com/
Author Biography
College history professor by day, Gabrielle Bisset spends her nights and weekends writing erotic romance. An avid reader since childhood, she read her first romance novel before she'd entered high school and was hooked. Every step of the way since, through college and grad school, moving to Europe, marrying and having children, romance novels were with her. In addition to a love of reading, Gabrielle loved writing. After a humble start with her high school newspaper, she continued to write in college and grad school, enjoying the erotic romances she wrote far more than the research papers she was assigned. A desire to eat and have a roof over her head led to a teaching job, but the desire to write never went away.
Her first novel, Stolen Destiny, will be released by Siren Publishing on June 29, 2011. In addition, her trilogy of erotic novellas set in Victorian England will be released summer 2011. The first novella, Vampire Dreams, will be published on June 10, with the second novella, Love's Master, and the third novella, Masquerade, out in July and August.
Find out more about this author at:
Blog - http://gbisset.blogspot.com/
Website - http://www.gabriellebisset.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabrielle-Bisset/135134056553049
Twitter - http://twitter.com/gabriellebisset
When did you first decide to become an author and what inspired you to write your first story?
I've been writing for years, but I guess the conscious decision to become an author came just a few years ago. I've written many stories before Stolen Destiny, but what inspired me to write that story was a dream. I don't think I'd ever had such a vivid dream, and when I woke up the next morning, I knew I had to write everything I could remember down. I did and those details were the beginning of the Destined Ones series, of which Stolen Destiny is the first book.
How have you found your journey so far as an author?
My journey as an author has been an interesting one. For me, the joy is in the writing. That's never been better. As many before have mentioned, I'm sure, it's the business end of the author's life that's the work. I went with a publisher for my first book, but I'll be indie publishing my stories after that. I've found the indie publishing world to be so enjoyable. It's a lot of responsibility, but it's so much fun. I love having the choices to make and knowing they're all mine to tackle.
Your new release, Stolen Destiny, is a paranormal romance. What drew you to the genre and why do you like writing it?
I love paranormal romance because it combines love and the fantastic. It's a genre that allows me to write characters who can do supernatural things while still giving me the opportunity to write romance.
Can you tell my readers a little about Stolen Destiny?
Stolen Destiny is the story of Varek Leale and Callia Reynolds. As Aeveren, they have been blessed with the gifts of reincarnation and destined ones. But Varek has spent lifetimes in Nil, Aeveren prison, for murdering his first destined one in a crime of passion, and he fears hurting Callia this time around. For her part, Callia is somewhat naive because Varek is her first destined one but strong, so she fights for the relationship to grow, even as he's telling her to forget him and use her free will to turn away from their destiny. Varek has been released by the Council to find a murderer who's killing Aeveren parents, and he has the additional problem of having to solve the crimes before he's allowed to stay with Callia because if he doesn't, he'll have to return to Nil. And things get even more difficult for the two when they have to enlist the help of one of the most powerful Aeveren to ever live, Amon Kalins. As an ancient Aeveren in his 47th lifetime, he possesses enormous powers, including the ability to manipulate time, and he wants Callia.
Stolen Destiny is also the first book in a series. What can you tell us about the series? Do you have other books planned for it?
The Destined Ones series is about Aeveren, a race of people who come from the Archangel Raziel. He blessed them with three gifts: reincarnation, destined ones, and powers. However, just as with human beings, some Aeveren are more powerful than others who have little or no special abilities. The most powerful Aeveren possess powers such as teleportation, telepathy, time travel, and even mind control. Others have heightened senses but little more. When it comes to love, Aeveren are paired with another who is destined for them, but often the interference of others, particularly those fellow Aeveren who are more powerful, makes romance difficult. The second book in the Destined Ones series, Destiny Redeemed, will be indie published in September and I hope to have the third book in the series out late this year.
What else are you working on at the moment and what releases do you have coming up?
Currently, I'm working on the third novella in a trilogy that are all set in Victorian England. The first novella, Vampire Dreams, is a paranormal romance out now. The second, Love's Master, is an historical romance with some light BDSM and is scheduled for release in mid July. The third novella, currently without a title, is another historical romance, and I plan to release that in August. I intend on combining them into one book in late fall and in that form they'll be available in paperback. As for the Destined Ones series, I'm working on the third book, tentatively entitled Destiny Unbound, which I hope to have released by the end of this year.
When you sit down to write, do you have a specific routine you go through? Is there anything you always have to do before writing, like finding a quiet place, grabbing a cup of coffee, or turning on some music?
I hand write everything before I type it, so I always have pen and paper when I sit down, in addition to a large glass of iced tea. I also have to be listening to music when I write--usually the 70s channel on Sirius radio. And I tend to only write at night, except for Saturdays, when I write all day.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I am definitely a plotter, particularly with my novellas. With the novel length books, I usually begin writing with an idea in mind and by the 7th or 8th chapter I begin to outline what will happen until the end. With the novellas, however, I'm very much an outliner before I even begin the story.
When you're not writing, what sort of books do you enjoy reading, and what else do you indulge in as a past time or way of relaxing?
I love to read romance, particularly paranormal and historical. They just work for me. I also like mysteries. When I'm not reading, I love to watch movies or work in my garden. The more time I can spend outside, the better.
And finally, which character you've written is your favourite and why? And which character is most like you?
This is so difficult! I love Varek from Stolen Destiny, even more since I had to defend him so much to get him published as I truly envisioned him. He's a good soul who made one very big mistake, so the softie in me loves him for that. Amon, also from Stolen Destiny, was so incredibly fun to write, though. He's bad and so very smooth, so there's very much something about him as the bad boy to love, especially when you see him in his story, Destiny Redeemed. I think I fall in love with every male hero I write, to be honest. And which character is most like me? I think the answer would have to be Lily from Love's Master because she's a strong-willed woman who likes an even stronger man.
Stolen DestinyGabrielle Bisset
Released from Nil to find a murderer, a prison-hardened Varek Leale is convinced no woman deserves the man he's become, but his Aeveren destiny makes him succumb to sweet and sexy Callia Reynolds. To catch the murderer, they turn to Amon Kalins, an ancient Aeveren with the power to control time. But Amon isn't a man to trifle with and when he wants something, he'll use his considerable powers, devastating charm, and good looks to get it.
What Amon wants is Callia. When he manipulates time and seduces Callia away, Varek must turn to the people who set him free for help to get her back. But the Council doesn't do anything without requiring something in return, and what they want is Amon Kalins, one of the most powerful Aeveren ever. Varek will do what he must to capture him and find Callia because if he doesn't, she'll be lost to him for untold lifetimes.
Find out more about Stolen Destiny at Gabrielle's website: http://www.gabriellebisset.com/
Author Biography
College history professor by day, Gabrielle Bisset spends her nights and weekends writing erotic romance. An avid reader since childhood, she read her first romance novel before she'd entered high school and was hooked. Every step of the way since, through college and grad school, moving to Europe, marrying and having children, romance novels were with her. In addition to a love of reading, Gabrielle loved writing. After a humble start with her high school newspaper, she continued to write in college and grad school, enjoying the erotic romances she wrote far more than the research papers she was assigned. A desire to eat and have a roof over her head led to a teaching job, but the desire to write never went away.
Her first novel, Stolen Destiny, will be released by Siren Publishing on June 29, 2011. In addition, her trilogy of erotic novellas set in Victorian England will be released summer 2011. The first novella, Vampire Dreams, will be published on June 10, with the second novella, Love's Master, and the third novella, Masquerade, out in July and August.
Find out more about this author at:
Blog - http://gbisset.blogspot.com/
Website - http://www.gabriellebisset.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabrielle-Bisset/135134056553049
Twitter - http://twitter.com/gabriellebisset
June 21, 2011
Teaseday - Her Dark Angel - Angel Romance Book
Today I'm posting a Teaseday excerpt for
Her Dark Angel
.
Her Dark Angel
is the first book in the
Her Angel
romance series, and is a dark, sensual novella full of passion. You can get
Her Dark Angel
in both e-book and paperback (as part of an anthology with the other two
Her Angel
series novellas)
On to the tease...
Her Dark Angel
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn't called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it's to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.
Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He's no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can't resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?
Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.
ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.
ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 30000 words
rating: sultry
released: August 2010
Book 1 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00408AQ98/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Dark-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011095184/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Dark-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-IpUY_pcZyka--k8L1kLPkQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-dark-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000277045
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
EXCERPTThe images in the bright pool flickered past Apollyon's eyes at lightning speed but he could see them all, could bring each into focus and pause there a moment to understand what was happening in the scene. He had watched over the mortals since eternity began, had watched the world change and forget his kind.
No one believed in angels anymore.
And his master had not called him forth from the bottomless pit in Hell in many long centuries.
Yet Apollyon waited for the call to come, faithful and patient, committed to his duty even as others around him chose to live by their own commands. Many of his fellow warriors had softened and fallen for mortal women, their devotion wavering and their commitment altering to their love. He would do no such thing. He had no interest in mortals.
His dark blue gaze darted around the silvery pool, following the history it was recording, stopping a moment on images that interested him. Wars. Death. Bloodshed. It was something that never changed. One day, his master would call him and Earth would know the true meaning of destruction.
The pool cast pale light on him as he crouched near it with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands dangling in front of him. The intricate gold metalwork on the black greaves protecting his shins and the vambraces around his forearms caught the light and shone.
With a sigh, Apollyon unfurled his mighty black feathered wings and stood. He stretched, causing the chest plate of his armour to rise as he lifted his arms, and then stared up at the endless black above him. The fires of Hell burned at his back. Their smoke filled the cavern, making him long to go to Earth. It had been eternity since he had left the pit and spread his wings, breathing the refreshing air and feeling it beat against him. He ached to soar above the cities again, unseen and unknown, and to speak with the angels that walked on Earth and watched over the mortals.
He longed to be free of the choking fires of Hell.
Apollyon was about to turn away and go to the edge of the pit when his blue gaze caught on something in the pool. He frowned and crouched again. The long strands of his black hair fell forwards as he leaned over the pool and stared at the image he had stopped before him.
A lone female.
He often saw her. She liked to walk in the park alone these days and her expression was sometimes troubled, as though she bore a heavy weight on her heart. What was she thinking when she looked like that? The park wasn't the only place that he had noticed her. He had seen her indirectly too, picking her out of a crowd or seeing her passing through an image that had interested him, and each time his gaze had followed her until she had disappeared from view.
She stood staring up at the Eiffel Tower, her back to him and the gentle breeze catching her short red dress and tousling her long fair hair. He didn't need to see her face to know that it was her. No other mortal captivated him as she could.
Roses framed the view, obscuring much of her legs. He cocked his head to one side and ran his gaze over what he could see. He had never seen her dressed like this. She had always worn layers of clothing in the past, her legs covered and a thick black coat encasing her slender frame. The seasons had passed so quickly and he hadn't noticed that it was almost summer on Earth. The image changed, panning up the height of the Eiffel Tower and he wanted it to go back to her until he saw the stretching blue sky above the top of the tower.
Apollyon reached out to the pool, desperate to touch that sky and feel the sun beating down on his wings as he flew.
The image drifted away, replaced with a succession of others that he had no interest in. It was summer. He stood and imagined flying in that blue sky and how exhilarating it would be. He imagined the whole of Paris stretched out below him. He had never been there but he knew it well from the images he had seen. What would it be like to see such a city?
To see such a female in the flesh?
He shook that thought away and reminded himself that he had no interest in mortal women.
If he didn't, why did his heart stop whenever he saw her?
Apollyon looked back into the pool and then turned away from it. His duty was to his master. He had to remain here, guardian of the bottomless pit, suffering the acrid fires of Hell, until his master called him.
He laughed.
No one was going to call him. He was going to spend the rest of eternity trapped in his own personal Hell.
A dark curse rolled off his tongue and a noise like thunder rumbled in the distance.
A familiar feeling built inside him, a sense that someone was speaking his name. He listened, trying to hear the voice of his master, knowing he would be the one who called to him. It wasn't clear.
He felt the call but couldn't discern where it was coming from.
Apollyon grabbed his sword, buckled the sheath to his waist, and didn't wait for the call to come again. This was his chance to escape Hell and he would take it. His master was calling him from somewhere. He had a mission again at last.
He spread his wings and with a single strong beat lifted into the air. The wind from them blew the dark smoke back and they raised him higher and higher, until he reached the ceiling of his prison and stretched a hand up to it. The black rock parted before him and he turned and flew upwards, faster now that he could see a crack of blue sky above him. Hundreds of feet of rock passed him at a blurry speed and he finally broke free into the fresh air. He shot upwards, his black wings beating furiously against the warm air, and didn't stop until he reached the clouds.
Apollyon hovered there, casting his dark blue eyes over the world at his feet, the chill wind blowing through his long black hair. It was as beautiful as he remembered, more so in fact. The cities the mortals had built fascinated him. He swooped lower, searching for his mission and listening for his master's call. What did he desire him to do? Apollyon would do anything for his master. He had destroyed many cities in his name and cast many sinners into the bottomless pit. He had even fought the Devil and defeated him.
He frowned when he saw the city.
Paris.
The desire to go to the Eiffel Tower and find the mortal female was strong but he resisted it and flew over the city, trying to find his master. The call was quieter now and difficult to locate. It burned within him, relentless and driving him to search, even when he was beginning to wonder if he would be searching forever and if this was just a cruel joke because he had cursed.
The Devil would do such a despicable thing. He had a strong voice and could throw it well. He had always promised Apollyon that he would pay for all the times he had cast him back into Hell.
Apollyon swooped lower, effortlessly cutting through the warmer air, delighting at the feel of it tickling his black feathers and washing over his skin. Turning, he dived down a side street, skimming low above the heads of the mortals, causing a wind to gust against them. He smiled when they shrieked and grabbed their clothes to keep them in place. It was wrong to take such childish pleasure from doing such things, but all angels had a tendency to misuse their invisibility.
A strong beat of his wings and he was soaring upwards again. He landed on the edge of the roof of an old pale stone building and looked across the city towards the Eiffel Tower. It speared the clear sky, surrounded by lush green at the base. He was about to fly there when he felt as though someone was speaking his name again.
Apollyon focused, frowning as he tried to discern the direction it was coming from. His gaze shot back to the Eiffel Tower. There?
He ran to the far edge of the building and leapt off, waiting until he was close to the flagstones of the square below before he unfurled his wings and beat them, shooting straight across the square only a few feet above the ground. He ducked and weaved through the people and came out over a grassy bank. The river was ahead and beyond it the Eiffel Tower. He flew straight for it and then came to an abrupt halt in mid-air when he heard the call again. It was behind him.
He scoured the people below. Was his master down there, amongst them, calling to him?
His master had several guises. Apollyon's eyes darted over the mortals, stopping for barely a second on each face. None of them matched how he remembered his master.
The call came clearer this time, beating in his heart. His gaze shot in the direction it had come from and his eyes widened.
Her?
A fair-haired mortal female stood beside one of the fountains below, her back to him and the warm breeze playing with the short skirt of her dark red dress. The jets of water from the fountains sprayed high, the droplets catching the wind and settling on his skin when it blew towards him.
Apollyon frowned.
It had to be the Devil's work.
He had been watching her, had cursed, and then she had called him. It was ridiculous. No mortal had the power to call an angel, and he had not had a different master since eternity began and the angels had made a pact with him.
Cautiously, Apollyon swooped down, closer to her, hovering bare metres above her head. Had she called him?
She raised a hand to her face and it lingered there. He couldn't see what she was doing. Her shoulders heaved and a wave of sorrow and anger washed over him. She was hurting.
He landed mid-way along the bridge over the river behind her and stepped down off the wall, changing his appearance as he did so. His wings didn't want to disappear and it took several strides towards her before he was sure the mortals wouldn't see them and that his glamour was falling into place. He changed his clothes, replacing his armour with a fine black suit, with a black shirt and a dark blue tie, and then swept his long hair back and tied it at the nape of his neck in a ponytail.
Finally, he lifted the force that made him invisible to the mortal eye and walked casually towards her. He took the blue handkerchief from his pocket, stepped up behind her, and hesitated for only a moment before touching her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he said in French, hoping he had the right language and the right words. He hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time and although he knew modern languages, he had never used them.
She touched her face again, her long fair hair a curtain which he couldn't see beyond, and sniffed. When she turned to face him, she was smiling. Her hazel eyes lit on the offered handkerchief at first and then slowly ran up his arm to his chest and then towards his face. She was more beautiful in the flesh, her features soft and her eyes round. She could be an angel herself. He hadn't realised how much shorter than him she would be. She was at least a head shorter, and petite too.
The moment her gaze met his, her expression changed. Her hand stopped close to taking the handkerchief and horror filled her eyes.
"Get away from me." Her French held a sharp note of panic and then she stormed towards the bridge.
Apollyon frowned, looked at the handkerchief, and then went after her.
She glanced over her shoulder and her pace increased. It was easy to close the gap between them. His strides were longer than hers and her little heeled sandals were clearly not made for a swift escape.
"Leave me alone."
Why was she running?
People were staring, murmuring to each other. She was causing a scene and he wasn't quite sure why.
"Get away from me!" She turned to face him and then backed away, the fear still bright in her eyes. They darkened when she frowned and spoke as though uttering a curse. "Abaddon."
He hadn't heard that name in a long time.
She knew he was an angel.
How? Had his glamour failed? It had been millennia since he'd had to cast one. He looked around them at the watching mortals. None of them looked afraid. If they could see an angel before them as she could, they would be reacting the same as she was. People would be screaming that the Apocalypse was nigh and the world was going to end. He would be in serious trouble with his master.
He remembered that she had called him. Could she see through the glamour? Was she different somehow to other mortals?
"I don't want to die," she muttered almost beneath her breath and cast a fearful look his way.
This wasn't going as he had expected. She wasn't supposed to have been able to see that he was an angel. She was supposed to have accepted his kind offer of a handkerchief to dry her tears and told him why she was crying so he could figure out what he was doing here and whether someone was playing a trick on him.
Tears spilled down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around herself, making herself small and making him want to reach out to her and somehow ease her suffering. Whatever pain had caused her to cry, it was still strong within her heart, tormenting her. He could feel it. There was some sort of connection to her that gave him insight into her feelings, a sense that she needed him and that they were supposed to have met here today.
It was ridiculous.
A mortal could never call him. They didn't have the voice.
He had been alone too long and was dreaming all of this, seeing things as he wanted them and not with clear eyes.
There was only one way of finding out whether she had called him somehow. He had hoped to discover it through casual conversation but that wasn't an option now. It was time for a more direct approach.
He stepped towards her and she backed away again, holding both of her hands out as though that gesture alone could stop him if he wanted to get to her.
"Please," she whispered and shook her head, sending more tears tumbling down her pale cheeks.
"Leave her alone." A burly man started towards him.
Apollyon lost patience and cast his hand out, waving it across the gathered crowd. "There is nothing interesting to see here."
Their expressions went slack and they moved as one, drifting off and back into their own lives, moving past him and the mortal woman as though they weren't even there.
"Oh God, you're going to kill me."
He frowned at her. "Why would you say such a thing?"
"It's what you do." There was accusation in her tone and a hint of bravery.
Courage in the face of death?
A moment ago, she had been fleeing him and now she looked ready to fight.
"I have not done such a thing in a very long time." He sighed. It was never going to leave him. Spend a few centuries as the angel of death and no one forgets. Everyone presumes you're still in charge of taking life's final breath from mortals. Still, it was better than the other rumour that he was the Devil. "There is a fleet of angels who do it now."
She didn't look as though she believed him. Her hands trembled in front of her.
"I didn't ask for my powers. Please don't take me there."
"Where?" His patience was wearing thin again and he seemed to be unable to get his question out into the open. He tracked back over what she had said.
Powers?
"All the fires of Hell are in your wake... I don't want to go there. I haven't done anything wrong."
Apollyon looked behind him. All he could see was Paris. The edge of the stone bridge and the murky river, and the city beyond.
"You are gifted." He looked back at her, deep into her hazel eyes. She nodded. Was this how she had called him? He frowned and looked at the fountains at the other end of the bridge behind him and then at her. "What were you doing there?"
She looked past him, blinked a few times, and then her eyebrows rose. "Nothing really. Contemplating life, I guess, and how shitty it was."
"You did not ask for anything?" He stepped closer to her and this time she didn't back away. She kept staring at the fountain with wide eyes. Tears lined her dark lashes. All of her fear disappeared and the pain returned. She clutched her hands to her chest, and he felt the hurt well up inside her, overwhelming her.
"Revenge," she whispered and her gaze darted to him. "I asked for vengeance against that cheating bastard."
Cheating? A sinner?
She had called for vengeance and he had heard her, and he had felt compelled to answer and accept her mission. He couldn't. Contracting with her would break the one between him and his master.
Apollyon looked at her, studying her pale beauty.
She had called him and he had come. She was his master now. He had accepted the mission and the contract the moment he had left Hell.
He was going to get into trouble for this.
It had been a while since he had been on Earth though, and although the angels who watched over mortals now tolerated the old sins and only took them into account at death rather than punished the sinner during their life, he did still hate some of them.
Infidelity in particular.
"Are you really here to kill me?"
Apollyon smiled and a hint of colour touched her cheeks. "You called me and I came to you, not to take your life but to ease your suffering."
She swallowed and looked as though she was going to deny that she was in pain. Apollyon stepped up to her and touched her face. Her skin was warm, soft, and felt good beneath his fingertips. He caressed her cheek, placed his fingers under her chin, and raised her eyes to his.
"Whatever he did to you, I will make him suffer for it, but no man is worth such tears. Your heart will heal in time and you will love again."
Her hazel eyes searched his.
Apollyon stared deep into them, feeling a strange warmth travel along his hand from where his fingertips touched her face. It chased through him and finally settled in his chest, burning there, stirring feelings that he had long forgotten existed.
"I will give you the revenge you seek."
Those words were distant to his ears even though they issued from his lips.
He was lost in her eyes, in the way she was looking at him with so much warmth.
Was it gratitude that made her look that way?
Or was it something else?
"Are you a goddess?" he whispered, trying to keep his thoughts on track and on his mission.
She shook her head, moving his fingers with her, and licked her lips. He made the mistake of looking at them, watching the soft pink tip of her tongue sweep over them. A surge of hunger swept through him and he took his hand away, shocked by the strength of his desire and the suddenness of it.
"I'm a witch," she said, matter of fact, with a little shrug.
Apollyon stared at her. Was he making a terrible mistake by helping her? A part of him said to leave now before it was too late and he became too deeply involved with her.
He couldn't though.
She had cast a spell on him.
And he was a slave to her.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00408AQ98/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Dark-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011095184/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Dark-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-IpUY_pcZyka--k8L1kLPkQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-dark-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000277045
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
Enjoyed this tease?
On to the tease...
Her Dark Angel
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn't called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it's to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.
Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He's no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can't resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?
Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.
ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.
ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 30000 words
rating: sultry
released: August 2010
Book 1 in the Her Angel series
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00408AQ98/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Dark-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011095184/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Dark-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-IpUY_pcZyka--k8L1kLPkQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-dark-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000277045
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/
EXCERPTThe images in the bright pool flickered past Apollyon's eyes at lightning speed but he could see them all, could bring each into focus and pause there a moment to understand what was happening in the scene. He had watched over the mortals since eternity began, had watched the world change and forget his kind.
No one believed in angels anymore.
And his master had not called him forth from the bottomless pit in Hell in many long centuries.
Yet Apollyon waited for the call to come, faithful and patient, committed to his duty even as others around him chose to live by their own commands. Many of his fellow warriors had softened and fallen for mortal women, their devotion wavering and their commitment altering to their love. He would do no such thing. He had no interest in mortals.
His dark blue gaze darted around the silvery pool, following the history it was recording, stopping a moment on images that interested him. Wars. Death. Bloodshed. It was something that never changed. One day, his master would call him and Earth would know the true meaning of destruction.
The pool cast pale light on him as he crouched near it with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands dangling in front of him. The intricate gold metalwork on the black greaves protecting his shins and the vambraces around his forearms caught the light and shone.
With a sigh, Apollyon unfurled his mighty black feathered wings and stood. He stretched, causing the chest plate of his armour to rise as he lifted his arms, and then stared up at the endless black above him. The fires of Hell burned at his back. Their smoke filled the cavern, making him long to go to Earth. It had been eternity since he had left the pit and spread his wings, breathing the refreshing air and feeling it beat against him. He ached to soar above the cities again, unseen and unknown, and to speak with the angels that walked on Earth and watched over the mortals.
He longed to be free of the choking fires of Hell.
Apollyon was about to turn away and go to the edge of the pit when his blue gaze caught on something in the pool. He frowned and crouched again. The long strands of his black hair fell forwards as he leaned over the pool and stared at the image he had stopped before him.
A lone female.
He often saw her. She liked to walk in the park alone these days and her expression was sometimes troubled, as though she bore a heavy weight on her heart. What was she thinking when she looked like that? The park wasn't the only place that he had noticed her. He had seen her indirectly too, picking her out of a crowd or seeing her passing through an image that had interested him, and each time his gaze had followed her until she had disappeared from view.
She stood staring up at the Eiffel Tower, her back to him and the gentle breeze catching her short red dress and tousling her long fair hair. He didn't need to see her face to know that it was her. No other mortal captivated him as she could.
Roses framed the view, obscuring much of her legs. He cocked his head to one side and ran his gaze over what he could see. He had never seen her dressed like this. She had always worn layers of clothing in the past, her legs covered and a thick black coat encasing her slender frame. The seasons had passed so quickly and he hadn't noticed that it was almost summer on Earth. The image changed, panning up the height of the Eiffel Tower and he wanted it to go back to her until he saw the stretching blue sky above the top of the tower.
Apollyon reached out to the pool, desperate to touch that sky and feel the sun beating down on his wings as he flew.
The image drifted away, replaced with a succession of others that he had no interest in. It was summer. He stood and imagined flying in that blue sky and how exhilarating it would be. He imagined the whole of Paris stretched out below him. He had never been there but he knew it well from the images he had seen. What would it be like to see such a city?
To see such a female in the flesh?
He shook that thought away and reminded himself that he had no interest in mortal women.
If he didn't, why did his heart stop whenever he saw her?
Apollyon looked back into the pool and then turned away from it. His duty was to his master. He had to remain here, guardian of the bottomless pit, suffering the acrid fires of Hell, until his master called him.
He laughed.
No one was going to call him. He was going to spend the rest of eternity trapped in his own personal Hell.
A dark curse rolled off his tongue and a noise like thunder rumbled in the distance.
A familiar feeling built inside him, a sense that someone was speaking his name. He listened, trying to hear the voice of his master, knowing he would be the one who called to him. It wasn't clear.
He felt the call but couldn't discern where it was coming from.
Apollyon grabbed his sword, buckled the sheath to his waist, and didn't wait for the call to come again. This was his chance to escape Hell and he would take it. His master was calling him from somewhere. He had a mission again at last.
He spread his wings and with a single strong beat lifted into the air. The wind from them blew the dark smoke back and they raised him higher and higher, until he reached the ceiling of his prison and stretched a hand up to it. The black rock parted before him and he turned and flew upwards, faster now that he could see a crack of blue sky above him. Hundreds of feet of rock passed him at a blurry speed and he finally broke free into the fresh air. He shot upwards, his black wings beating furiously against the warm air, and didn't stop until he reached the clouds.
Apollyon hovered there, casting his dark blue eyes over the world at his feet, the chill wind blowing through his long black hair. It was as beautiful as he remembered, more so in fact. The cities the mortals had built fascinated him. He swooped lower, searching for his mission and listening for his master's call. What did he desire him to do? Apollyon would do anything for his master. He had destroyed many cities in his name and cast many sinners into the bottomless pit. He had even fought the Devil and defeated him.
He frowned when he saw the city.
Paris.
The desire to go to the Eiffel Tower and find the mortal female was strong but he resisted it and flew over the city, trying to find his master. The call was quieter now and difficult to locate. It burned within him, relentless and driving him to search, even when he was beginning to wonder if he would be searching forever and if this was just a cruel joke because he had cursed.
The Devil would do such a despicable thing. He had a strong voice and could throw it well. He had always promised Apollyon that he would pay for all the times he had cast him back into Hell.
Apollyon swooped lower, effortlessly cutting through the warmer air, delighting at the feel of it tickling his black feathers and washing over his skin. Turning, he dived down a side street, skimming low above the heads of the mortals, causing a wind to gust against them. He smiled when they shrieked and grabbed their clothes to keep them in place. It was wrong to take such childish pleasure from doing such things, but all angels had a tendency to misuse their invisibility.
A strong beat of his wings and he was soaring upwards again. He landed on the edge of the roof of an old pale stone building and looked across the city towards the Eiffel Tower. It speared the clear sky, surrounded by lush green at the base. He was about to fly there when he felt as though someone was speaking his name again.
Apollyon focused, frowning as he tried to discern the direction it was coming from. His gaze shot back to the Eiffel Tower. There?
He ran to the far edge of the building and leapt off, waiting until he was close to the flagstones of the square below before he unfurled his wings and beat them, shooting straight across the square only a few feet above the ground. He ducked and weaved through the people and came out over a grassy bank. The river was ahead and beyond it the Eiffel Tower. He flew straight for it and then came to an abrupt halt in mid-air when he heard the call again. It was behind him.
He scoured the people below. Was his master down there, amongst them, calling to him?
His master had several guises. Apollyon's eyes darted over the mortals, stopping for barely a second on each face. None of them matched how he remembered his master.
The call came clearer this time, beating in his heart. His gaze shot in the direction it had come from and his eyes widened.
Her?
A fair-haired mortal female stood beside one of the fountains below, her back to him and the warm breeze playing with the short skirt of her dark red dress. The jets of water from the fountains sprayed high, the droplets catching the wind and settling on his skin when it blew towards him.
Apollyon frowned.
It had to be the Devil's work.
He had been watching her, had cursed, and then she had called him. It was ridiculous. No mortal had the power to call an angel, and he had not had a different master since eternity began and the angels had made a pact with him.
Cautiously, Apollyon swooped down, closer to her, hovering bare metres above her head. Had she called him?
She raised a hand to her face and it lingered there. He couldn't see what she was doing. Her shoulders heaved and a wave of sorrow and anger washed over him. She was hurting.
He landed mid-way along the bridge over the river behind her and stepped down off the wall, changing his appearance as he did so. His wings didn't want to disappear and it took several strides towards her before he was sure the mortals wouldn't see them and that his glamour was falling into place. He changed his clothes, replacing his armour with a fine black suit, with a black shirt and a dark blue tie, and then swept his long hair back and tied it at the nape of his neck in a ponytail.
Finally, he lifted the force that made him invisible to the mortal eye and walked casually towards her. He took the blue handkerchief from his pocket, stepped up behind her, and hesitated for only a moment before touching her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he said in French, hoping he had the right language and the right words. He hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time and although he knew modern languages, he had never used them.
She touched her face again, her long fair hair a curtain which he couldn't see beyond, and sniffed. When she turned to face him, she was smiling. Her hazel eyes lit on the offered handkerchief at first and then slowly ran up his arm to his chest and then towards his face. She was more beautiful in the flesh, her features soft and her eyes round. She could be an angel herself. He hadn't realised how much shorter than him she would be. She was at least a head shorter, and petite too.
The moment her gaze met his, her expression changed. Her hand stopped close to taking the handkerchief and horror filled her eyes.
"Get away from me." Her French held a sharp note of panic and then she stormed towards the bridge.
Apollyon frowned, looked at the handkerchief, and then went after her.
She glanced over her shoulder and her pace increased. It was easy to close the gap between them. His strides were longer than hers and her little heeled sandals were clearly not made for a swift escape.
"Leave me alone."
Why was she running?
People were staring, murmuring to each other. She was causing a scene and he wasn't quite sure why.
"Get away from me!" She turned to face him and then backed away, the fear still bright in her eyes. They darkened when she frowned and spoke as though uttering a curse. "Abaddon."
He hadn't heard that name in a long time.
She knew he was an angel.
How? Had his glamour failed? It had been millennia since he'd had to cast one. He looked around them at the watching mortals. None of them looked afraid. If they could see an angel before them as she could, they would be reacting the same as she was. People would be screaming that the Apocalypse was nigh and the world was going to end. He would be in serious trouble with his master.
He remembered that she had called him. Could she see through the glamour? Was she different somehow to other mortals?
"I don't want to die," she muttered almost beneath her breath and cast a fearful look his way.
This wasn't going as he had expected. She wasn't supposed to have been able to see that he was an angel. She was supposed to have accepted his kind offer of a handkerchief to dry her tears and told him why she was crying so he could figure out what he was doing here and whether someone was playing a trick on him.
Tears spilled down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around herself, making herself small and making him want to reach out to her and somehow ease her suffering. Whatever pain had caused her to cry, it was still strong within her heart, tormenting her. He could feel it. There was some sort of connection to her that gave him insight into her feelings, a sense that she needed him and that they were supposed to have met here today.
It was ridiculous.
A mortal could never call him. They didn't have the voice.
He had been alone too long and was dreaming all of this, seeing things as he wanted them and not with clear eyes.
There was only one way of finding out whether she had called him somehow. He had hoped to discover it through casual conversation but that wasn't an option now. It was time for a more direct approach.
He stepped towards her and she backed away again, holding both of her hands out as though that gesture alone could stop him if he wanted to get to her.
"Please," she whispered and shook her head, sending more tears tumbling down her pale cheeks.
"Leave her alone." A burly man started towards him.
Apollyon lost patience and cast his hand out, waving it across the gathered crowd. "There is nothing interesting to see here."
Their expressions went slack and they moved as one, drifting off and back into their own lives, moving past him and the mortal woman as though they weren't even there.
"Oh God, you're going to kill me."
He frowned at her. "Why would you say such a thing?"
"It's what you do." There was accusation in her tone and a hint of bravery.
Courage in the face of death?
A moment ago, she had been fleeing him and now she looked ready to fight.
"I have not done such a thing in a very long time." He sighed. It was never going to leave him. Spend a few centuries as the angel of death and no one forgets. Everyone presumes you're still in charge of taking life's final breath from mortals. Still, it was better than the other rumour that he was the Devil. "There is a fleet of angels who do it now."
She didn't look as though she believed him. Her hands trembled in front of her.
"I didn't ask for my powers. Please don't take me there."
"Where?" His patience was wearing thin again and he seemed to be unable to get his question out into the open. He tracked back over what she had said.
Powers?
"All the fires of Hell are in your wake... I don't want to go there. I haven't done anything wrong."
Apollyon looked behind him. All he could see was Paris. The edge of the stone bridge and the murky river, and the city beyond.
"You are gifted." He looked back at her, deep into her hazel eyes. She nodded. Was this how she had called him? He frowned and looked at the fountains at the other end of the bridge behind him and then at her. "What were you doing there?"
She looked past him, blinked a few times, and then her eyebrows rose. "Nothing really. Contemplating life, I guess, and how shitty it was."
"You did not ask for anything?" He stepped closer to her and this time she didn't back away. She kept staring at the fountain with wide eyes. Tears lined her dark lashes. All of her fear disappeared and the pain returned. She clutched her hands to her chest, and he felt the hurt well up inside her, overwhelming her.
"Revenge," she whispered and her gaze darted to him. "I asked for vengeance against that cheating bastard."
Cheating? A sinner?
She had called for vengeance and he had heard her, and he had felt compelled to answer and accept her mission. He couldn't. Contracting with her would break the one between him and his master.
Apollyon looked at her, studying her pale beauty.
She had called him and he had come. She was his master now. He had accepted the mission and the contract the moment he had left Hell.
He was going to get into trouble for this.
It had been a while since he had been on Earth though, and although the angels who watched over mortals now tolerated the old sins and only took them into account at death rather than punished the sinner during their life, he did still hate some of them.
Infidelity in particular.
"Are you really here to kill me?"
Apollyon smiled and a hint of colour touched her cheeks. "You called me and I came to you, not to take your life but to ease your suffering."
She swallowed and looked as though she was going to deny that she was in pain. Apollyon stepped up to her and touched her face. Her skin was warm, soft, and felt good beneath his fingertips. He caressed her cheek, placed his fingers under her chin, and raised her eyes to his.
"Whatever he did to you, I will make him suffer for it, but no man is worth such tears. Your heart will heal in time and you will love again."
Her hazel eyes searched his.
Apollyon stared deep into them, feeling a strange warmth travel along his hand from where his fingertips touched her face. It chased through him and finally settled in his chest, burning there, stirring feelings that he had long forgotten existed.
"I will give you the revenge you seek."
Those words were distant to his ears even though they issued from his lips.
He was lost in her eyes, in the way she was looking at him with so much warmth.
Was it gratitude that made her look that way?
Or was it something else?
"Are you a goddess?" he whispered, trying to keep his thoughts on track and on his mission.
She shook her head, moving his fingers with her, and licked her lips. He made the mistake of looking at them, watching the soft pink tip of her tongue sweep over them. A surge of hunger swept through him and he took his hand away, shocked by the strength of his desire and the suddenness of it.
"I'm a witch," she said, matter of fact, with a little shrug.
Apollyon stared at her. Was he making a terrible mistake by helping her? A part of him said to leave now before it was too late and he became too deeply involved with her.
He couldn't though.
She had cast a spell on him.
And he was a slave to her.
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
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