Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 97

Sunday Snippets from my paranormal romance books - Her Guardian Angel, Forbidden Blood and Love Immortal

It's Sunday, and it's Christmas Day, so Happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! I hope that Santa brought you lots of new books or an ereader, and that you have a great time with your family and friends today.

Since it's a special day, I'm sharing snippets from three of my paranormal romance books. It's a mixture of angels and vampires for your reading pleasure today. I have snippets from Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel romance series #4) , Forbidden Blood and Love Immortal! All of them are available in paperback or in ebook at Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Sony Reader Store and other retailers.

Click on the book covers to read more about the book, including excerpts.

He stood with his back to her, the warm breeze tousling his black hair, his broad shoulders relaxed as though he wasn't facing two dangerous men.

But what stole her breath, what made her heart flutter in her throat, was his clothing.

Gone were his jeans and shirt and boots.

In their place was something she could only describe as armour but it seemed ridiculous that he would be wearing such a thing. The deep blue back plate shone like mother of pearl in the fading light of evening, reaching only mid-way down his back, and had two long slits over each shoulder blade. She could see his tattoos through them. Strips of armour in a similar material covered his backside like a short skirt but revealed the dark material beneath. His muscular thighs were bare and taut, exuding strength as he stood firm with one hand at his side and the other still clutching hers. The armour encased his bare forearms too, brilliant blue and edged with shining silver and decorated with rearing silver unicorns.

Amelia stared at him, head light and fuzzy, confused and unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

Marcus was wearing armour.

"Come on." She grabbed his arm.

He looked at her hand on him, slender but strong. She walked away, luring him along the length of the bar to where she had been sitting, and he followed her blindly.

Kearn's eyes stuck like glue to the back of her neck, catching teasing glimpses of the nape of it and the black velvet choker through her dark hair. He longed to part the brown waves and kiss there, to run his tongue over her skin and taste her, and feel her shiver in pleasure. He wanted to ease his fangs in deep and slow, claiming her and her blood as his and his alone. Nothing compared to biting someone, to the incredible rush from the connection and the intense intoxicating feel of their blood in your veins. It was what he had been born to do—to take life from the blood of humans like a thief.

Like a beast.

And right now, he wanted to take all of Amber. He wanted to strip away the mask and show her just what he was underneath—a creature lost in her, thirsting for her body and blood.

For her love.

"Then what are you?" Lauren risked a step towards him, relieved when his expression altered and all sign of his anger melted away. "Tell me so I can understand. There's so much I still can't get straight in my head. Please?"

When his look softened, concern touching his pale eyes, her heart warmed and she took another step forwards, wanting to be closer to him. Her fingers itched with the temptation to reach up and pull the funnel neck of his coat down so she could see his face. She wanted to see if he was as handsome as she was picturing. She needed to see him.

"Yours," he whispered and her heart leapt. A wave of warm tingles spread through her. He looked away from her and then back again. All affection was gone from his eyes. His tone was empty. "Your Arcadian. Your protector."

I hope you enjoyed these Sunday Snippets!

Saturday Snippets from my Paranormal Romance Books - Winter's Kiss, Ascension and Prophecy: Child of Light

It's the weekend which means that it's time for my Saturday Snippets. Since it's a special weekend, I'm posting snippets from three of my paranormal romance books each day!

Your Saturday Snippets fix this week comes from Prophecy: Child of Light (Vampires Realm romance series #1) , Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm romance series #8) , and Ascension ! Ascension and Prophecy: Child of Light (Vampires Realm romance series #1) are available for just $0.99 and Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm romance series #8) is available for just $2.99 for a limited time at Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Sony Reader Store and other retailers.

Click on the book covers to read more about the book, including excerpts.

"I'm not a child!" She retaliated and his fingers closed tightly around her arms again as he stared into her eyes. They moved over her, hunger burning in him as he ran them down her body and back up again.

"You really aren't."

She stilled in his grasp, her eyes becoming wide at first as she caught his meaning and then drooping again as the moment of recognition passed and the pleasure of the feed fogged her brain.

Her flesh felt so warm under his fingers. The borrowed heat from the blood and the alcohol made her even more alluring than she had been in the cemetery. He pushed her away, wanting to shut out the desire he felt for her. A deeper sensation coiled in the pit of his stomach, spreading into his chest and drawing him to her as she stood before him with a drunken smile on her face. She was too tempting right now and he was too weak to resist if she made a move.

He looked down into her eyes and stepped towards her again. He licked his lips at the same time as she cleaned hers of blood. He wished it were his tongue doing that, not hers.

The sun broke the horizon.

Slumping into the corner, Winter closed his eyes and his head fell forwards. He would need to sleep light in case Willem caught up with them. His eyes opened when Nika knelt beside him, her knees brushing his thigh.

"What is the matter?"

She toyed with her cloak and smiled nervously. He frowned and sat up, assessing her heartbeat and the flush of heat through her body, trying to discern what was wrong. Was she becoming sick again? Her heart beat erratically. Deep rose stained her cheeks.

His body jolted when her hand caught his and her fingers curled around to hold it, their tips brushing his palm.

"Kiss me, Winter, please?"

When she was like this, the magic making her hungry, it wasn't her in control. It wasn't her who reacted to him in lustful ways. It was her magic. It wanted more than just blood. It wanted his power. It wanted his body.

Lealandra suddenly pulled back, releasing him and gasping at air. Her chest heaved with it, bosoms pressing against her rich purple corset top and threatening to spill over. He stared at them, watching the rough rise and fall, tempted to reach out and touch, to take this to the next level regardless of his knowledge that she was barely in control. Until the power in his blood was absorbed into hers, the magic held the reins.

She knocked the air out of his lungs when she slammed into him, her hands on his shoulders, gripping tight. Her mouth was on his before he could stop her, the taste of his own blood stirring his demon until it verged on taking control. He grabbed her arms and shoved her away.

Red eyes glared at him with pure anger.

I hope you enjoyed these Saturday Snippets! What books would you like to see snippets from?

Indie publishing year in review - becoming a top 50 KDP author, signing a Spanish book deal, and more

I don't often talk about my self-publishing adventure or my life as an indie author of paranormal romance books and the odd science fiction romance, but I thought that I would take a moment to talk about it as we head towards the final days of 2011, because other indies seem to be genuinely interested in it.

I get emails asking about my self-publishing story and I think I've spoken enough about it in the past on various blogs that most people know how I got to where I am today, so in this post I'm going to focus on 2011 only, with the odd flashback to 2010 and my life prior to the ebook boom, roaming the wastelands of the book publishing world in search of the mirage that was ebooks hitting the big time.

What happened in 2011?

2011 was the year that I would really begin my journey as an indie author. I didn't really know it back at the end of 2010, at least not before that crazy Christmas week, and even then I didn't have a clue as to just how things were going to change for me.

Prior to this year, I had been waiting for ebooks to make it big and for the world to sit up and take notice of them. I have been self-publishing my books since 2006, when I formed Alinar Publishing with fellow author Alexandra Marell / Candy Nicks. Our vision was to create a friendly umbrella company for a select few authors that we knew so we could publish our books on places like Fictionwise. The idea was that we would work as a cooperative, helping each other promote our books to a wider audience. Every year we heard that ebooks were going to make it big and every year we waited for it to happen. I sold well back in those days. Probably more books that most authors who were e-published. It's nothing compared to what I sell now, or what most indie authors can. Times were hard, and they were difficult times to work through. There wasn't a chance that a self-published author, or even most e-published ones, could live on their royalties. Of course, it's a whole different world now for indie authors. It's really not that difficult any more to make some money on your ebooks because there is now a platform and a market for them, and indie books are more widely accepted by review sites and readers.

To get a feel for why 2011 was going to be a monumental year for me, I need to go back to 2010 and a decision I made.

In July 2010, I sold a whopping 2000 books on Amazon. Considering that I had released nothing new for around a year because I had been pursuing finding an agent with a book I had been working on the previous year, this was impressive to me. That translated to around $2000 earned. I figured that I could just about scrape by on that and the royalties I received from Smashwords per quarter, and with new books coming out in August, October and November 2010 and then a steady flow after that, I would be able to survive with perhaps only a small amount of contracting as a web developer to top up my earnings. It would have been a definite drop from my £40,000 a year salary as a developer without the contracting but all of a sudden being a full-time writer was a possibility. I had always joked with my husband about staying at home and writing all day, and it was meant to be nothing more than something we would laugh over. It wasn't supposed to become a reality. Sales went up and down, but by November I had crunched the figures a thousand times and decided that they were steady enough to provide a small income and that I could take a shot at it. If it all went wrong, I would go back to contracting and then eventually back into a full-time developer position.

So, in December I handed in my notice at the company I was working for in London. I was on a three month notice, so would have to wait it out until the end of February 2011 before I became a full-time indie author. I set aside what I could each month as a contingency fund to see me through the bleaker months. I am a realist after all. I don't expect the ebook boom to last without a little backlash at some point. I'm still waiting for it to happen. I sit here every morning grabbing my daily sales figures, watching them like a hawk, and have done that since early 2010 when I first put my books on Amazon.

I don't think anyone could have predicted what happened over the Christmas week in December 2010. Sales on Amazon tripled, and sales at other retailers I sell at via Smashwords also shot up. I think many indie authors on Amazon KDP were left gobsmacked by the sky-rocketing sales figures they were seeing and as we went into the New Year we were all left waiting for the bubble to burst. I know I was watching my figures wondering when they were going to return to normal.

Well, they didn't. I went from selling around 2700 in November, to 4400 in December, and then 8300 in January 2011. It didn't go down as I had expected. In February I came close to selling 10,000 books in one month on Amazon. Considering this was also the month where I was out of action for two weeks because of my ear operation, I was surprised to see the numbers still rising. I put it down to the fact that in January I released Love Immortal , a vampire romance novel, and in February Hunter's Moon came out, which is the ninth book in my Vampires Realm series .

In March 2011, I became a full-time indie author. I had visions of just working a few hours a day on writing, as I had when working as a full-time web developer, but that just isn't the way I work. I think I have worked around 8 to 11 hours a day since going full-time. That may seem crazy to some people, but it works for me and it allows me to do my writing and do everything else that I have set out to do in order to build my author platform. Believe me, even with that many hours put in each day, I am still behind on a multitude of things. March was also the month that I broke the 10k barrier of sales on Amazon.

I was receiving around $13,000 in royalties each month. I don't tend to talk sales figures because I don't like to feel I'm throwing it in people's faces. I feel extremely fortunate that readers enjoy my books enough to keep buying them, and that all my hard work over the past five years as an indie author has begun to pay off. I try to tell myself that I have worked damned hard to achieve what I have and that I should probably be a little more proud of my achievements than I am. I know that some indie authors like to see how others more established than them are doing, so I hope this buoys them up and gives them a reason to keep pursuing their dream.

In March, I also made the decision to leave Alinar Publishing. It wasn't an easy one to make because I had grown with the authors there but I felt it was time to focus on my own career so I could really make a go of it and wanted to move on. I don't regret it. Life is too short for regrets. It was great while it lasted but it was also a lot of work and time for me that I felt was better spent on my own books and career. I no longer had the time to run another website. Not if I wanted to improve my own and do all the other things I had written down on my plan for the year, such as touring blogs with my books.

Settling in to life as a full-time indie author was hard at first. I remodelled my office, strove to find some harmony in working from home and headed to cafes whenever that wasn't working, and often lost focus due to the internet. The internet is the bane of a writer. It sucks up your time and your productivity bombs.

In April I released my next book, Ascension , and kicked off my first official blog tour. I had done a few posts at blogs prior to this for my previous books, Love Immortal and Hunter's Moon , but this was the first time I would be writing posts about my books, character interviews, and a ménage of other things all in a concentrated period. My blog tour basically lasted a year. I arranged dates throughout the entire year as I knew I would be releasing at least another three novels, one of which was the next book in a popular series of mine, Her Guardian Angel . I met some wonderful people at the book blogs and it was great working with them and getting to know them as I toured with each of my books, and touring their blogs again in 2012 is part of what I'm looking forward to most about the coming year.

It took me quite a while to find my balance as a full-time writer. I'm still not sure that I've found it but things began to improve in May, even though my sales figures had dipped again because I removed some books from sale in April.

In June, something incredible happened and I still smile whenever I think about it now. I received an email from a large Spanish publisher who were interested in translating some of my books. We discussed them all and they were quite settled on publishing my Her Angel series in Spanish. They had a few paranormal romance authors on their books already, such as Christine Feehan and Kresley Cole, and wanted my angel romances for the same imprint as the Christine Feehan books. I agreed and then we did the usual contract back and forth. I don't have an agent at the moment, but I was lucky enough to have my friend Maria's husband offer to take a look at the contract and his advice was invaluable.

We agreed on everything in the end and the first book, the anthology of my Her Angel novellas Her Dark Angel , Her Fallen Angel and Her Warrior Angel will be published in February 2012 with Booket. It's very exciting not only because this is the first time I have received an advance from a publisher, but because I'll get to see my heroes speaking Spanish and will see the books in large retail stores whenever I visit Barcelona and on top of that I designed the front cover image for the book too. I supplied a design idea for it when we were discussing the cover design they had come up with and they loved it.

So my life as an indie author was on the up. To celebrate the release of Her Guardian Angel at the very end of July, I put Her Dark Angel on offer at 99 cents on Amazon Kindle and some of the book blogs I had been working with were kind enough to promote the offer for me. Her Dark Angel sold 2000 copies in that first month, and went on to sell 3000 in the next two months. In total it sold close to 14,000 copies between January and November 2011 on Amazon Kindle, making it my best seller for the year and also pushing it into the best seller positions on Amazon. It was number 1 in paranormal romance on UK and US.

By the start of November and the release of Heart of Darkness , my sixth novel of the year, I had worked my way into the top 50 Amazon KDP authors and had sold over 100,000 books in 2011 under my two names of Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. I hadn't really considered how well I was doing before this point. I wasn't thinking about my book sales in terms of the year. It was a monthly thing for me and I wasn't adding up the figures as I went, rolling one month into the next. I wasn't even keeping track of how well particular books were doing. My focus was on total daily sales and trying to keep those on track.

I think the sales figures don't just show my hard work and the benefit of new releases, but they reflect the increase in ebook sales in general too. In the whole of 2010, I sold 22,000 books at Amazon. Bearing in mind that I didn't have my entire backlist of books added until summer 2010, I thought this figure was rather good. If December ends up like November, then I have experienced around a 550% increase in my book sales this year on Amazon alone. According to people like Bowker, ebook market share has increased by 10% this year. If a 10% increase in market share, plus the amount of hours I put into promotion, marketing and writing, and the steady number of releases I put out, equals a 550% increase in sales, then I think I shall probably do the same again next year! I only wish I could break into the Apple and BN market more. At the moment, around 79% of my book sales come from Amazon, and 21% come from other retailers. Around 10% of that is Apple, and probably around 5% is BN. I put the low BN numbers down to the fact that as a UK indie author, I can't use their Pubit! scheme and that they promote Pubit! books more than they promote books from Smashwords etc.

But I digress.

In November, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews. I couldn't compete with the authors I was up against, but was honoured to see my book there alongside Lara Adrian, J R Ward and Gena Showalter. It's at this point I began to feel that I really was close to making it and living the dream I'd had about being an author. I adore those authors, and Christine Feehan. They are some of the top paranormal romance authors and it was thrilling to see my book there competing with theirs, and it will be thrilling to see my book in Spanish bookstores next to Christine Feehan next year.

As we head towards the New Year, I do feel as though I'm on the verge of making it. I have big plans for next year, for the next few years in fact, and will continue to pursue my dream and do all I can to make it happen. I'm realistic. I've never had fantastic luck like some people and a lot of making it big in publishing is luck. That isn't going to stop me. With a lot of hard work and effort, good old fashioned elbow grease, I feel I can achieve anything that I put my mind to or set my heart on. I'm never one to back down from a challenge, so I'll be striding into 2012 with my head held high and determined to beat the system and snatch a shot at my dreams.

What I'm taking away from 2011 isn't about book sales or royalties though. It's the sense that I can make it, that I have what it takes and I write books that people want to read and even fall in love with. That knowledge inspires me and gives me the strength to keep going, to keep pushing and keep trying. What I'm taking away from 2011 are all the kind words people have sent to me, whether it's in emails, on Facebook or Twitter, or in reviews for my books. It's all the laughs I've shared with the people I've met on Facebook. All the friendship offered to me by bloggers around the world who have taken a moment out of their busy schedules to host me on their blog or help me promote my books. I'm taking away the kindness I was shown by everyone I met, the appreciation and praise for my books, as that's what gave me the most pleasure this year and that's what will keep me writing in 2012 and for a long time to come. Being an author isn't about book sales and royalties. I spent four years without much of those, but kept going because of the people I met and the love they showed my books. I write because I want to reach readers, not make a fast buck. I want to give something to people, a world full of possibilities and romance, and fantastic heroines and heroes they can fall in love with. I am thankful to everyone who has read my books, and doubly thankful to those who took a few minutes to let me know they had enjoyed them. I am grateful for all the friends I made in 2011, and I'm looking forward to stepping into 2012 with you all at my side.

If you're an indie author with a question, or anyone with a question, feel free to leave it in the comments section and I'll reply to you as soon as possible.

Run a review blog? Like paranormal romance books? I'm looking for new reviewers!

Do you run a review blog and do you like adult paranormal romance books? I'm asking because I'm looking for more review sites to add to my list of places to send review requests to in 2012. I have a small list so far but I would love to expand it. I'll also be touring extensively again, so if you like guests, then I may come knocking!

I write paranormal romances that often feature dark deadly vampires, sexy werewolves, sinful angels, and hot demons. If you love paranormal romance authors such as Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Gena Showalter, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan then you will probably enjoy my books.

I will be releasing several new books next year, including a four book series of vampire erotic romance novellas and the tenth book in my popular Vampires Realm series and the fifth book in my best selling Her Angel series.

If you would like to get a feel for my writing, then check out my 2011 paranormal romance books:

Love Immortal - Vampire Romance Book
Hunter's Moon (Vampires Realm series #9) - Vampire / Werewolf Romance Book
Ascension - Paranormal Romance Book
Forbidden Blood - Vampire Romance Book
Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel series #4) - Angel Romance Book
Heart of Darkness - Vampire Romance Book


So, if you're interested in reviewing my books in 2012, please drop me an email to: author at felicityheaton dot co dot uk

Or leave a comment!

If you're interested in reviewing any of my books from 2011, I can send you copies of them too. Like I said, I'm always on the look out for new review websites, especially if you post reviews at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Apple iBookstore.

Thanks in advance!

Personalised signed paperbacks of my paranormal romances now available

You can now get your hands on personalised and signed copies of eight of my paranormal romance novels. I have set up a small store area on my author website where you can place an order for the signed paperbacks, my romance trading cards, or my Limited Edition beaded bookmark thongs that I hand make.

The paranormal romance books that are available for purchase as signed copies are:
Love Immortal by Felicity HeatonAscension by Felicity HeatonForbidden Blood by Felicity HeatonHer Angel (Her Angel series #1-3) by Felicity HeatonHer Guardian Angel (Her Angel series #4) by Felicity HeatonSeventh Circle (Vampires Realm series #7) by F E HeatonWinter's Kiss (Vampires Realm series #8) by F E HeatonHunter's Moon (Vampires Realm series #9) by F E HeatonEach are priced at the same retail price or lower than Amazon.com, and postage and packaging costs are on the page. I have limited copies of each book, and once they're gone, they're gone for good, so be sure to grab your copy ASAP to avoid disappointment!

Also available at my store are romance trading cards for Heart of Darkness and Ascension, and four different Limited Edition beaded bookmark thongs.

Visit the store: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-books.php

270000 words written and 680000 words released as an indie author in 2011

I was thinking about how many words I had written since turning my hand to writing original fiction (around two million as of this moment) and how many of those I had released this year, and was curious about how many I had actually written this year. It turns out a lot less than I released, but that makes sense as I had a lot of books waiting in the wings for me to edit them and then publish them.

I know many will find the figures a little odd, but I don't always rush to get books out the moment I have written them. Yes, I write fast, but I that doesn't mean I'm in a hurry. I can easily write a 120,000 word novel in under a month, but that's only because I have written a lot of books and my speed has picked up over the years and the stories. I often take around two to three times as long to go through the various editing stages of the book as I do to write it. A 120k novel normally takes me around 3-4 months from start to finish.

Technically, I wrote 270,000 words in 2011, and around 160,000 words of those are actually for books I'm releasing in 2012. Only one of my releases in 2011 was written this year, and that was Her Guardian Angel, the fourth book in my best selling angel romance series Her Angel.

The first drafts of Heart of Darkness and Hunter's Moon were written in 2010, and the first drafts of Love Immortal, Ascension and Forbidden Blood were all written in 2009. I like to take my time when it comes to editing so I can do a quality job on it and really polish the book until it shines. There always tends to be a backlog of books in my editing pile, because my muse likes to throw new books at me and sometimes I give into his wicked whispers to write the book straight away, especially if it's a novella.

So, while I may have only written 270k in 2011, I did publish closer to 680,000 words this year. The reason the figure is so high is because I published several paranormal romance novels whose word counts were in excess of 100k.

I think that 680,000 words is probably a record for me in terms of most words released in one year, and is probably a very high figure for any author to release in one year, even an indie author like me.

In 2012, I will probably be releasing two to three novels and four novellas, which will total around 350,000-400,000 words. I will also be writing other novels and novellas for 2013, so expect my writing figure to be a lot higher next year as I will be doing my best to get more books down in first draft for editing in 2013. I think my figures will probably be somewhat reversed next year, with the writing figure higher than the published figure.

Here's a breakdown of my indie published releases this year, their genre, a little about them, and their word counts:
2011 Paranormal Romance Books
Love Immortal Felicity Heaton
Rescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she's ever seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she never knew existed. There, she discovers that she's the latest reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.

With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?

Can she crack the armour around Julian's heart and seize her happily forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren with the fragments of his heart after everything he's been through?

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 157000 words
released: January 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal



Hunter's Moon F E Heaton
The horror of the night he failed to save his werewolf pack from the cruelty of their vampire masters has haunted Nicolae for one hundred years, driving him deep into the Canadian wilderness in search of peace. That peace is threatened when unfamiliar hunters and the scent of blood lead him to a beautiful woman and a hard decision—face his past and help her or risk losing everyone he cares about again.

Bearing a heart filled with grief and with vengeance on her mind, Tatyana is intent on killing the hunters she's tracking and returning to her vampire bloodline, but her plan didn't include being shot with poisoned arrows or rescued by a glowering alpha werewolf who stirs forbidden hunger in her.

When the hunters make their move, will Nicolae be able to stop them before it's too late? Will he be able to overcome the darkness in his heart and embrace his desire for a vampire? And can Tatyana face her fears and risk her life for the sake of forbidden love?

genre: paranormal werewolf romance
length: 65000 words
released: February 2011
Book 9 in the Vampires Realm series

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Hunter's%20Moon



Ascension Felicity Heaton
A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic.

With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig's blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy.

Old feelings come flooding back as Taig allows her into his world and Lealandra finds herself fighting not only for survival but to win his broken heart again and heal the pain in their past. Can he forgive her for walking out on him all those years ago and will he ever believe her when she tells him that he's not a monster but the man that she loves?

genre: paranormal / urban fantasy romance
length: 91000 words
released: April 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Ascension



Forbidden Blood Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.

Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn's world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.

Forbidden Blood is a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
released: June 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood



Her Guardian Angel Felicity Heaton
A simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.

A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia's trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.

Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn't turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there's more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world—a world where God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from death—Marcus, the angel she's falling in love with.

On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus's angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.

A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.

genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 110000 words
released: July 2011
Book 4 in the Her Angel series

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel



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

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

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

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

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 130000 words
released: October 2011

Read a sample or find out where to buy @ http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Heart%20of%20Darkness

30 Days of Vampires: Writing vampires with a balance of darkness and light in my paranormal romances

Lori Devoti was kind enough to invite me to her amazing 30 Days of Vampires event and I was clever enough to accept. I'm over at her site today talking about how my love of vampires began, why I love writing them and why I write them the way that I do, always paying homage to the myths of old and always striving for darkness as well as light in my vampire heroes and heroines. I'm also sharing an excerpt fro my latest vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness too.

You can read the post over at her site, and don't forget to comment in order to enter the giveaway for an ebook copy of one of my vampire romances!

Read the post and enter the giveaway: http://www.loridevoti.com/30-days-of-vampires-vampires-a-balance-of-darkness-and-light-prize/

Teaseday - Prophecy Trilogy - vampire romance books

Today my Teaseday post comes from another of my current books on offer. In fact, it is for the entire Prophecy Trilogy but I can only share an excerpt from one so chose the first in the series, Prophecy: Child of Light . The Prophecy Trilogy is part of my popular Vampires Realm romance series .

At the moment, I have a fantastic offer on a selection of my ebooks. There are plenty of fantastic reads to choose from, all priced between $0.99 and $2.99 and in a range of lengths between novella and long novels, and a variety of paranormal romance sub-genres including sinful angels, sexy vampires, seductive werewolves, and even a super-hot demon and sassy witch pairing. Offers end 15th January 2012.

The Prophecy Trilogy books are on offer for only $0.99 each, which means you get the entire trilogy for just $2.97 and save yourself $6! How great is that? You can get the books on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Smashwords and other retailers.

Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

Here are the blurbs for the three books in the Prophecy Trilogy and then an excerpt from book one and a link to a 70,000 word excerpt...


Prophecy: Child of Light [book 1] F E Heaton
A vampire unlike any other, Prophecy lives life in the dark until the night she encounters Valentine, a gorgeous vampire who is both her enemy and the man who will change her life forever.

Convinced that the prophecy about her is wrong and unable to ignore the vision of them that he saw in her blood, Valentine goes against his orders to execute Prophecy and kidnaps her instead. The attraction between them grows as they search for the truth behind the prophecy, battle a dark evil that threatens to destroy the world, and attempt to evade their families and the Law Keepers.

When the truth about her is revealed, will Prophecy be strong enough to face it? Will they discover a way to save the world from Hell? And will they finally see past the hatred bred into them by their families and surrender to their love?

The first novel in the Vampires Realm series, Prophecy: Child of Light, is part one in an epic tale of love and war that is sure to capture your heart and leave you craving more.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Prophecy:%20Child%20of%20Light%20[book%201]
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDNV4/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDNV4/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Prophecy/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000801048/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-prophecychildoflight-601470-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/prophecy/_/R-400000000000000248920
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Prophecy-Child-Of-Light/mix-rDOnD6cECkGermYtAHD9Dw/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7757
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDNV4/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDNV4/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781452391625
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Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452391625



Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea [book 2] F E Heaton
The final battle draws closer. Prophecy's world becomes darker and more dangerous, pushing her to the limit and testing her strength and her heart, almost breaking her. Old friends turn their backs, leaving her to fight with the help of an unlikely ally and forcing her to call on the devastatingly seductive and powerful Lord Hyperion for assistance.

Struggling to rescue Valentine from the malicious hands of her blood brother, Arkalus and the lord of Aurorea, Kalinor, Prophecy discovers just how powerful she is and how far people will go to stop her from fulfilling her destiny. Lives are lost, battles are won, and the scroll foretelling the prophecy is finally completed, but nothing can prepare them for what lies ahead.

When her visions show her the path that must be taken, will Prophecy be able to do what is necessary? Are Prophecy and Valentine ready to command the power they'd never thought would be theirs? And are they strong enough to fight the evil of their true enemy?

Following on from Prophecy: Child of Light, the tension rises and love grows in Prophecy: Caelestis & Aurorea, a thrilling second part to this story that draws you into a dark, dangerous world of vampires, magic and the war to end all wars.

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Only $0.99 (normally $3.99) as part of my Winter Warmers deal - offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Prophecy:%20Caelestis%20and%20Aurorea%20[book%202]
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDNZK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDNZK/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Prophecy/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000801109/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-prophecycaelestisandaurorea-601474-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/prophecy/_/R-400000000000000248919
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Prophecy-Caelestis-Aurorea/mix-yK0J1P9NEUGrLDB1ENNISw/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7768
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDNZK/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDNZK/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781452345550
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781452345550
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781452345550
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452345550



Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising [book 3] F E Heaton
An enemy with unimaginable power and bloodlines with centuries of hatred bred into them, two things that threaten to tear Prophecy and Valentine apart as they fight for their lives and their future together. Their vain attempt to join their houses into one army drains the last of their strength, leaving them more vulnerable than they've ever been. The tension escalates between the bloodlines, and, more dangerously, between Valentine, Prophecy and Venturi. As everything crumbles around them, defeat seems inevitable.

In one decisive move, their enemy turns the tables against them, taking what is most important to Prophecy and leaving her to fear that the terrifying visions she's been having are coming true. An enemy becomes a friend, guiding her in her time of need, and a friend becomes an enemy. Death, destruction and danger surround her, but the help of an old ally brings her the army she needs and the dark moon brings her the power to fight the legions of Hell.

When the time comes, will Prophecy be able to do what's necessary or will the sacrifice she must make be too painful to go through with? Does she have the strength to stop Hell from being unleashed into the world and save the ones she loves at the same time?

The dramatic conclusion to the Prophecy story, Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising is a gripping tale of love and war that will take hold of you, set your heart racing and not let you go until the very last page.

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Only $0.99 (normally $3.99) as part of my Winter Warmers deal - offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available.

Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Prophecy:%20Dark%20Moon%20Rising%20[book%203]
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035LDO2C/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035LDO2C/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Prophecy/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940000801130/
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-prophecydarkmoonrising-601475-139.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/prophecy/_/R-400000000000000248921
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Prophecy-Dark-Moon-Rising/mix-oNMCVDI6LkyfWvOVDW0AZg/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7771
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0035LDO2C/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0035LDO2C/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781452395913
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781452395913
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781452395913
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781452395913
 

EXCERPT FROM PROPHECY: CHILD OF LIGHT
When he approached them, Valentine nodded at the two guards that were flanking the main entrance of his family's house. The rain was falling fast now, the wind driving it hard against the façade of the old mansion and saturating the heavy black coats the guards wore. He mused that they wouldn't provide much protection against the weather tonight.

Stepping out of the darkness and into the brightly lit hall of his home, he unbuttoned his long coat while he walked along the corridor and through the entrance reception room. Shaking the excess water off his jacket, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, ignoring the vixens of his household as they called to him. He didn't have time for making sport tonight.

Tonight he had more serious business to attend to.

His thoughts drifted to the female vampire. She had been slim, her dark tunic top and trousers clinging to her figure as she'd defiantly stood before him in the rain. Her long hair had been soaked and had hung in loose tendrils. The darkness of it had made her face seem even paler than it probably was, drawing his attention to it. Her round dark eyes had spoken volumes to him, but all in a language that he couldn't understand. There had been something about her that had drawn him in until he'd been powerless to resist seeing what she held in her blood. Little had he known that what he would see would only confuse him. If instinct had told him that, he would have let her go.

Let her go?

By the Devil, he wished he had.

He wished she'd answered his damn questions, wished he'd never laid eyes on her.

He stopped just short of the heavy wooden doors that led into the main reception room.

What was he doing?

Taking a weary step forwards, he pushed the doors open. Everything felt heavy, his limbs, his heart, and his head. It all conspired to make him feel as though he couldn't take another step towards his destination, and that he couldn't tell his lord what he'd discovered tonight.

The sounds of merriment drifted into the background as he pushed on, walking into the room and closing the doors behind him. He could feel all eyes on him and he knew what they were thinking.

He didn't belong here.

He was too young to be a part of this hallowed scene, this sanctum for the elder vampires of his family, this place where they hid themselves away from the idle play of the children. His place was here, whether they liked it or not. He'd worked hard to attain his position. He'd spent over two centuries as a loyal servant to his lord and a dutiful son of his bloodline.

He looked down at his hand, almost seeing the smear of blood that had stained his fingers not thirty minutes ago. Her blood. That's all it was. Just blood. There was nothing more to it. It was responsible for the disquiet he felt inside. It was always a danger when drinking from another of the seven pure bloodlines. They had power, enough to intoxicate the drinker and make them believe the things that the blood whispered to them.

"Good hunting?" A voice cut through the noise and reached his ears.

Peeling his jacket off, he handed it to Cornelius who was approaching him from the side.

"No…interesting hunting," he answered, stopping a few feet inside the room.

Cornelius arched a brow at the soaking wet coat and then neatly arranged it over his arm. Valentine gave him a look that warned him not to complain. The only reason that Cornelius could enter this area of the house was because the young vampire was his aide. That title meant bearing everything that he threw at him—even wet coats. He knew his friend would do almost anything he asked so long as it afforded him such standing amongst their family and so long as he treated him well.

"Did you run into him?" Cornelius asked.

Valentine touched a lone finger to his lower lip, remembering the sweet taste of her blood. He could smell it still, knew it continued to stain his lip for all to see.

"No…a her."

His eyes scanned over the plush plum walls of the room, their height almost reaching forty foot. He ignored all the looks he was receiving while he searched the balcony and then the floor in front of him.

"Who?"

When he failed to find who he was searching for, his eyes fell to rest on an ornate mahogany door directly opposite him. His stomach squirmed for a moment and then settled when he reminded himself of his duty to his family. It was just her blood trying to work its will and contaminate him. That was the only reason he felt this way.

He nodded towards the door. "That would be telling. Is he in?"

Cornelius frowned. "He's engaged with Indigo."

"Not any more he isn't. This is more important than pandering to that girl's needs." Valentine moved swiftly towards the closed door, continuing to block out the mutterings of his elders.

"What is it?" Cornelius hurried after him.

"You shall hear in time. I have to tell him first. I shall be a dead man if you know before him."

"You already are a dead man," Cornelius said as one of the men guarding the door stopped him and held him back as Valentine passed.

Valentine smiled and continued walking towards the door. His friend always had a habit of wanting to know everything first, but this time he couldn't risk his lord's anger by letting Cornelius know before Kalinor heard.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to relieve some of the tension in his body and then pushed the mahogany door open, striding confidently into the room.

He ignored the alluring smile that Indigo gave him when she pulled away from her mate and slowly covered herself, drawing her black hair down over her bloodied neck. Blanking her attentions, he looked straight at Kalinor.

When his lord looked back at him, Valentine walked quickly towards him. He took Kalinor's hand, pressed a kiss to the ring on his finger and then looked up into his eyes.

"Valentine," Kalinor greeted him dryly with an empty smile that barely masked his annoyance over the disturbance. "Couldn't this have waited?"

"I am afraid not, my lord." Valentine bowed his head. He didn't need to look up in order to see the displeased look that his lord would be giving him.

Kalinor rarely bestowed it upon him though. Usually it was one of the other vampires in the household who was on the receiving end. He'd seen it often enough to know exactly what Kalinor would look like. His lord would be leaning against the large ebony desk, his long arms folded across his chest and his blue eyes watching him intently for a sign of why he was being disturbed.

Risking a glance, Valentine saw that he looked exactly as predicted.

Kalinor preened his sandy brown hair back into place and then scratched under his thin jaw before moving around his desk. He carefully arranged the tails of his long, ornately embroidered black jacket into place and sat down. Valentine watched him wave a hand at Indigo, silently dismissing her, and then found Kalinor's eyes meeting his again.

Valentine moved to the chair on the opposite side of the desk, sat and met Kalinor's gaze.

The elder vampire stared at him and Valentine tried to quell the desires that were rising up inside him, rebelling against his better judgement as they whispered words of insubordination to him. He told himself it would be more than disloyal to do as they asked.

It would be a sin.

It would be illegal.

He struggled to maintain a cool façade as his lord sniffed the air and fixed him with a dark look. He knew immediately what the problem was.

He stank of blood.

Not the delicate perfume of human blood.

It was the stench of vampire blood, of Caelestis blood.

He had to tell him now. It was his duty. He swallowed hard as everything inside him told him not to.

Kalinor raised a brow.

"Is something wrong, Valentine?" Kalinor said the words with cold calculation as their eyes remained locked with each other's. "Did something happen on the hunt? I've known you since you were barely turned and it's been a long time since I've seen you like this."

Valentine stood sharply, bowed his head a fraction and then walked to the other side of the room. He never could keep still. He had to pace in order to get his thoughts together and clear his head of the vision her blood had given him.

He had to clear his head of the vision of her.

There was something about her, something enthralling. The tiny trace of blood he'd taken from her had tasted so sweet, like honey on his tongue, and now a part of him was fighting against his better judgement and begging him not to tell his lord about her.

He could keep her to himself.

He shook his head to rid it of such a ridiculous notion. His allegiance was to his house, to the family of Aurorea, not to a female vampire of the house of Caelestis. Besides, if he didn't tell him now, Kalinor would have him executed when he eventually found out about her and discovered that he'd known of her existence all along.

But what he'd seen in her blood. It couldn't be a lie. No vampire on earth had the power to make their blood lie. It was truth, and he had seen it with his own eyes and felt it in his heart. To tell his lord of her existence was to sentence her to death and that would have terrible repercussions.

He stared at the window, watching the rain streaking down it while he pulled himself together and reminded himself that he'd served this house loyally for over two centuries. Now wasn't the time to be disloyal, not when he'd worked so hard to get where he was. Not when he was so close.

"You seem troubled."

He heard Kalinor stand and he looked at him out of the corner of his eye. His lord looked worried. He was drawing too much attention to himself. He had to tell him now before he grew angry.

"You did not succeed tonight in finding the hunter that plagues our city, but that does not mean you will not prevail. You will defeat him. I'm as certain of that as I am of you becoming the Law Keeper for Aurorea one day."

Valentine closed his eyes as he felt those words plunge into his chest, twisting there like a knife. He would be a Law Keeper one day, if only he could find his voice and confess to his lord what he'd found tonight and why he smelt of their enemy.

He took a deep breath and felt tranquillity fill him.

"The prophecy," he said the words slowly and looked directly at his lord.

Kalinor's eyes widened, his jaw tensing while he waited to hear what he had to say.

Valentine began to pace, not wanting to see his lord's eyes when he told him about her. He could feel Kalinor's gaze following his every move, could sense the anticipation as it hung in the air between them. His lord would know that this was the reason he'd seemed so distracted and agitated tonight. He could no longer go back and keep her to himself. He had to go forwards and do his duty.

"Go on." Kalinor encouraged him.

Valentine sighed.

"I had no luck in hunting the man responsible for taking two of our best. I ran into something else…something…" He closed his eyes briefly and replayed the image of her lost in the taste of blood and the thrill of the hunt. Opening his eyes, he looked at the floor and frowned. "Enthralling."

"Enthralling?" Kalinor moved towards him, but Valentine moved away, going to the window and staring out of it at the darkness.

He watched the rain sweeping across the garden and clasped his hands behind his back.

"She exists," he said and waited.

It wouldn't take his lord long to piece together what he was saying. He would know that the blood he could smell on him would have something to do with it. He didn't resist when Kalinor caught hold of his shoulders and turned him to face him. His lord's eyes came to rest on the small spot of red that was still marring his lips.

"She's one of them?" Kalinor said.

Valentine nodded in confirmation.

"I found her hunting, alone. She appeared to be executing her first kill. They have kept her hidden well…only she did not wish to remain that way." He looked deep into his lord's eyes and searched them for an answer to his next question. "Is she dangerous?"

Kalinor smiled.

It was true then. Valentine remembered what he'd been told as a youngling, what all vampires were told. In the future, a dark day would dawn and with it would come the end of their existence, all at the hands of one of their own. The one he had met tonight was the child of the prophecy. She was going to destroy their kind.

 Kalinor walked towards the door and stopped with his hand on the handle.

"For now, this goes no further than the elders. As an envoy, I will visit the house of Caelestis. You will be there at my side to recount what you witnessed tonight and we will see what they have been hiding from us." Kalinor looked back at him and gave him a grim smile. "Then you will have the proud honour of destroying the abomination."

Valentine's stomach dropped when he heard those words. They had been spoken with a smile that said what a true honour it would be to be known as the vampire who had stopped the prophecy from coming true. He stared at the door his lord had walked out of and felt empty inside.

He would be responsible for destroying the abomination?

What honour was there in murdering her? He couldn't see any, not as his lord could.

He shuddered inwardly at the thought of killing her.

He didn't want to be the one responsible for her death, didn't want to take eternity away from her. There was nothing honourable about what Kalinor had asked him to do.

He could hear Kalinor shouting commands to the house elders when he walked back into the main reception room and stared blankly at the floor.

He should have listened to her blood. He shouldn't have tried to ignore the vision it had given him. Raising his head, he spotted the blond mess of hair that belonged to Cornelius through the heads of the elders and headed directly for him.

He caught him by the arm and started up the stairs with him. "Come with me. I need your assistance."

* * * *

Prophecy was soaked to the skin by the time she had made it over the high wall surrounding the grounds and back to the house. Scaling the drainpipe again, she pushed the sash window up and slipped back into her room. She clawed her wet hair out of her face, closed the window as quietly as possible and then let out a sigh of relief.

She was so stupid.

She should have listened to her mother when she'd told her that she wasn't strong enough to hunt. The other vampire had been so much more powerful than her. She hadn't been able to stop him from biting her and she didn't know what to make of his reaction. At the time, she'd just seen it as an opportunity to escape, but as she'd made her way home, she'd begun to think about it. He'd been stunned by what he'd seen, and she couldn't fathom why.

It wasn't as if she'd led a long or interesting life. She had spent over twenty years trapped in the same house. What was interesting about that?

At least she was back safe now, and no one had to know that she had been gone. She would change her clothes, dry her hair and then go down to see her mother. No one had to know.

She froze when she heard a noise in the darkness and realised that she wasn't alone.

"Brother," she greeted him coldly when he stepped out of the shadows by the door and moved towards her.

Turning away from him, she carefully covered the marks on her neck and stared out of the window, waiting for him to speak.

"Prophecy," Arkalus said softly and came to stand behind her. He moved to touch her shoulder but she stepped forwards and evaded his fingers. She saw his hand drop to his side out of the corner of her eye. How long had he been waiting for her to return? She'd been gone for hours. "Where have you been?"

She bit her tongue and continued to stare out of the window.

She could feel his eyes as they raked over her wet hair down to the smooth skin of her exposed shoulders.

"One day, you won't be able to turn me away so easily."

She frowned at his words, a thinly veiled threat that he emphasised by brushing his fingers lightly over her shoulder. Her jaw set tight and she turned her head away from him, disgusted by his attentions and wanting nothing more than to be alone.

Unable to hold her feelings inside, she found her mouth moving before she could stop it. "You'll be waiting a long time."

Her words had no impact. It was as though she'd never spoken them. His fingers moved to play with her hair, his tone becoming so intimate a whisper that it made her stomach squirm.

"What makes you think I won't tell mother about your disappearance tonight?" He leaned in a little closer to her and her whole body tensed.

She tried to make light of it, hoping that he'd leave her alone and find someone else to bestow his attentions upon. "If you did that, mother would want to know why you didn't tell her earlier… why wait so long? You'd be in as much trouble as me."

He seemingly ignored her comment and stroked his fingers gently over her shoulder. She shuddered when he pressed a light kiss to it, the tendrils of his long brown hair grazing her skin. It brought the stranger back into her head. She remembered the way his lips had grazed her neck. An echo of the feelings he'd ignited then danced through her.

"You won't be able to turn me away forever. I'm a patient man…" Arkalus whispered it into her ear. She leaned away from him, trying to escape his touch. "As soon as mother passes the house to me, I'll take you as my mate and you won't be able to stop me."

She closed her eyes when the air shifted around her and then the door slammed. She let out the breath she'd been holding and slumped into her chair, thinking about what he'd said.

It was no secret that he wanted her as his own. The whole house knew. He'd been courting her for as long as she could remember, but she had never once shown any interest in him. Recently he'd taken to threatening her, and the more he did the more she wanted to lash out at him. She wished he would go back to how he used to be, acting like a brother to her rather than attempting to be a lover. She wished her continual rebuffs would show him that she didn't want anything to do with him in that way, but they only seemed to drive him on.

So long as their mother, Iona, was walking the earth there was nothing he could do without her consent, but Prophecy knew that one day she would be gone and then it would be her duty to do as the head of the household commanded.

The idea of being Arkalus' bride made her sick to her stomach, but she wouldn't be able to stop him if Iona was out of the equation.

Something told Prophecy that regardless of what he'd said, Arkalus was growing ever more impatient. If she didn't agree to his terms soon then there was a chance that he would take the death of Iona into his own hands in order to ensure that she was his.

Changing out of her wet clothes, she slipped into a long black satin dress and lay down on her bed. She closed her eyes and pushed away from the thought of being claimed by Arkalus, and returned to her previous ones.

Who was the vampire she'd met tonight? Was he one of the Aurorea responsible for the death of one of her house or was he something else? He'd been alone, just like she had, not hunting with the pack like most vampires did. The way he'd looked at her after tasting her blood seemed like an image frozen in her mind. It haunted her.

He'd looked stunned, shocked by the visions he'd received from her blood, and it made her shudder to think of what he'd seen to make him look like that.

She'd suspected for some time now that she wasn't like the other vampires of her house. They all spoke about her behind her back. Serenity had told her that much. Prophecy had caught fearful looks in their eyes sometimes and now a vampire from the other house was looking at her in exactly the same way.

Curling up on the bed, she emptied her mind of all thoughts until there was only him.

His dark hair, his green eyes, and the way he looked at her as though he could see straight through her, down into her heart.

There was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but one thing she knew she could be sure of.

This wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

DOWNLOAD EXTENDED EXCERPT PDF

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Prophecy Trilogy books are only $0.99 each as part of my Winter Warmers deal - offer ends 15th January 2012. Find out more about the offer and where it is available.

Exclusive vampire romance seasonal short story at Felicity Heaton facebook page

Just a reminder as we draw closer to the holidays that fans of my Felicity Heaton Facebook page can read an exclusive seasonal vampire romance short story! The story is based on my Vampires Realm series and catches up with Prophecy, Valentine and Venturi.

Here's a snippet of the story. If you want to read the rest, go to my Facebook fan page and LIKE it, and then click on the Exclusive Content link in the left menu below my profile picture!

Mistletoe Kisses
Prophecy trudged along the frozen gravel drive, her toes and fingers numb and burning, and her heart as heavy as her eyelids. As if the past month spent fighting demons back so they could temporarily close the gate to Hell in Venturi's Romanian castle hadn't been tiring enough, she had told her driver to drop her off at the house of Aurorea on her way back from the airport in Prague.
Valentine hadn't been home.

She'd had to walk across Prague through inches of freshly fallen snow to reach her own mansion.

Her home stood before her, warm and golden in the frigid winter night, welcoming and soothing some of the ache from her body and her heart.
Where was Valentine?

She wearily nodded her thanks when one of the guards at the entrance of the house pushed the door open for her and held it while she walked through. Warmth curled around her, the smell of log fires and quiet chatter of the vampires moving around the grand vestibule bringing a smile to her lips. A few of the vampires paused to greet her but she didn't stop walking. If she did, she probably wouldn't be able to start again. She wasn't going to stop for anything other than a hot bath and a glass of blood.

Prophecy mounted the elegant staircase to the first floor. More of the tension eased from her bones with each step closer she got to her apartments. She couldn't wait to sink into a hot bath. Venturi would have to wait for his phone call. He had insisted she contact him as soon as she returned and would be angry with her if she didn't, but she was certain he would understand when she explained that she had walked across half of Prague in freezing conditions. Perhaps she could phone him from the bath. She would call Valentine too. He knew that she was coming back tonight. It wasn't like him not to be around when she returned from her trips to Romania. Normally he was there at the airport, checking her over the moment she stepped off the small private jet her bloodline kept, and then kissing the breath from her.

Had something happened to him?

Read the rest at my Facebook page!

Manday Hotties Hop!

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

I know I had Josh Kloss on my blog as my hottie last week but I just have to have him on again this week because I have so many gorgeous new pictures of him!






Don't forget to clicky click him to make him bigger!


Visit the other blogs in the hop: