Beth D. Carter's Blog, page 12

Flashback Friday...Another Love Story

Caleb Tasker lost his wife to cancer but it took him a long time to put her memory to rest.  Deciding he needs a vacation, he accepts the gracious invitation of living in his friend’s Malibuhome for an over due holiday.

Delilah Ward grew up in rural Mississippi and ran away when she was sixteen, moving to Los Angeleswith thoughts of being anything but the person she was born to be.  But reality settled in quickly and the bright lights of Hollywoodsoon faded into the dark abyss of dancing on a darkened platform.

Caleb is used to love being easy and Delilah is used to fighting against everything.  They have nothing in common except a wildfire attraction that won’t let go of them.  But when tough choices need to be made, will they both be able to be honest to what they really want?  




Where to Buy…SIREN BOOKSTRAND * AMAZON * BA RNES & NOBLE * KOBO



EXCERPT


“I’m going to head to the bar,” Jake said.“You go ahead,” Caleb replied. “I want to check out the stage.”Jake grinned and disappeared into the crowd. As Caleb began to head toward the stage he happened to glance to his right and saw a beautiful African-American woman giving out beer to passing people. Even in the low light he could see disdain in her eyes as she smiled at the man standing in front of her. She held out a cold beer plucked from the icy casket in front of her, twisting off the cap with a deft flick of her wrist. She wore a one-piece bathing suit, scarlet red and cut high on the side, showing off her gorgeous long legs. Her black hair fell in a straight curtain past her shoulders and a silver headband held her bangs back. Her dark skin glistened under the overhead lights.The man stuck a dollar in a tip bucket as he walked on, taking a long drink from his beer. The woman said thanks, and as she turned, the fake smile immediately slid from her lips. Before he knew what he was doing, he had walked over to where she stood passing out beer.“Would you like one?” she said, the fake smile falling back into place. “Sure,” he answered.She popped the top and handed him one. When he took it, she turned back to look at the crowded room as if waiting for him to go. Only Caleb didn’t leave. He moved to the side as a couple more people came up to get beer.“My name is Caleb,” he said, once they were alone again.She flicked a cautious, hesitant look at him and flashed that impersonal smile. “I’m sorry for lingering but I don’t know anyone here,” he went on. “And you seem to hold the monopoly on manly drinks.”“‘Glass after glass you drain to quench his thirst,’” she quoted.“‘Each glass contains a spirit like the first,’” he quoted back without missing a beat and he could tell he impressed her when her mouth dropped open.“You know Ella Wheeler Wilcox?” she asked in disbelief.“Yes. Why is that a surprise?”She shifted back and looked him up and down. Caleb found himself strangely aroused by her perusal. “Pardon me for saying, but you don’t look like a man who quotes female poets.”“What kind of man do I look like?”She pursed her lips. “I don’t know. A lumberjack?”Caleb scratched his beard and smiled. “Close. I’m a forest ranger, actually, from Alaska.”A man walked up and the woman opened a beer before handing it over with a flirty smile. The man winked at her, nodded at Caleb, and walked away. And as soon as he was gone the brightness of her face drained away. “What’s your name?” he asked.“Candy,” she answered immediately.“Really? Well, okay.”“What’s wrong with my name?”“You don’t look like a Candy.”She raised a sculptured eyebrow. “What do I look like?”“Something classical, with maybe a touch of exotic.”She cocked her head and stared at him. Caleb had the distinct feeling that she was sizing him up, making some type of monumental decision. “Delilah,” she finally said, slowly, as if she still wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him. Then she gave a rueful laugh. “I don’t usually tell men my real name.”That confused him. “Why?”Another man walked up and a smile lit up Delilah’s face for the time it took to hand him a beer. When the man walked away, like before, the smile faded from her lovely face. “Candy is my working name,” she told him abruptly.“This work?”She shrugged and made a sweeping gesture with her hand, encompassing the whole room. “Weekend work. Pays well, I can keep my clothes on, and I’m home by one a.m.”A hideous thought entered his mind. “Are you trying to tell me that you, ah, you’re a…”She seemed to take grim amusement when words failed him. He saw her shoulders straighten as she stiffened her spine. Her dark eyes watched him, appraising him, and for some reason Caleb felt like he was on trial.“I’m a stripper,” she told him bluntly. “At The Pink Pony. Monday through Friday. Stop by if you’d like.”

The Evernighties Blog Challenge - Week 11

Keep Daylight Savings Time?
Simple answer...NO!

Spring forward, fall back.  It's the theory that if we adjust our energy output through the winter months, we'd spend less money. And while the ancient cultures did adjust their candle time according the sun position, the modern day version was proposed by none other than Benjamin Franklin.During his time as an American envoy to France, he suggested that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight. He coined the old proverb "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise".

Not true, Ben. So not true!

In 1916, during WW1, Germany became the first country to adopt the system to save energy for the war effort. Many countries across Europe soon followed suit. In the US, it was called Fast Time and was first introduced in 1918. However, it wasn't until 1942, at the height of WW2, that President Franklin D. Roosevelt reintroduced it, instituting year-round Daylight Saving Time in the US. Referred to as "War Time" it was in force continuously and the zones were called "Eastern War Time", "Mountain War Time", "Central War Time" and "Pacific War Time". After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the time zones were relabeled "Peace Time".

After the war, there were revisions for many years, and in truth, those revisions caused a lot of confusion, especially for trains, buses and the broadcasting community. Time schedules were adopted and discarded. Currently we're operating on a schedule introduced by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

There is a lot of rationale behind the practice of Daylight Savings Time, and I'm sure if you ask a hundred different engineers they'd all say DST works. But in my humble opinion, while DST might have had a solid reasoning behind it a century or so ago, I don't see the benefit of it now. We live in a society where cities never sleep (I'm in Las Vegas). Lights constantly blaze and energy is constantly wasted. Here is a map of the world with the current DTS:


Blue is the northern hemisphere in summerOrange is the southern hemisphere in summerLight grey is formally used DST Dark grey NEVER used DST
Clearly the US, Canada and Europe are in the minority. Two states don't even use it (Indiana and Arizona). It is an antiquated system that is falling out of favor almost world wide.

I say it's time to end DST.

Wordsmith Wednesday...Out of the Comfort Zone

It is very easy to stay within the confines of what is comfortable and normal in your set boundaries.  Many writers structure their stories in what their public has come to expect, and they’ve created quite an empire.  For example, Lisa Kleypas writes romance stories set in Georgian and Victorian England and her fans know the wonderful adventure they are in for when they pick up one of her books. 



Ms. Kleypas has also stretched out her fingers and stepped away from historical romance to venture into contemporary.  Some authors manage to do this transaction successfully, while others never found the right tone with readers.  The problem this can face is alienating the core fan base which expects certain standards.  Writing within your comfort zone can be rewarding and safe, but it can also trap you.  Jayne Anne Krentz found a unique way of not pigeon-holding her creative juices by creating three pseudonyms: Amanda Quick for historical, Jayne Anne Krentz for contemporary, and Jayne Castle for futuristic stories.



I personally like to change my genre’s up, which can be limiting as well.  My first book, Black Leather Pants, was a contemporary erotica romance written when I lived in Paris, France, and much of it reflected my own experiences of French life.  For my second book, An Innocent Heart, I told a Victorian era romance-mystery.  I switched things up again with a variety of stories ranging from historical ménage to futuristic dystopian worlds. I like stepping out of my comfort zone of what might be easy to challenge myself as a writer, not just an author.



The downside to switching genres is that it can be difficult to get loyal readers.  While one person may like contemporary, that same person may not like historicals.  But stepping out of the comfort zone isn’t just for writers…it’s also for readers. One thing I love about the explosion of ebook publishing is the emergence of fantasies in print.  Readers are now able to explore different passions and a side of sexuality that hadn’t been there before.  So many different love stories are visited now, from male on male love to multiple partners. Sexual practices once thought taboo, ebooks are breaking down all types of zones to fulfill the readers demands.       



Stepping outside whatever box makes you feel safe is a way of exploring a part of yourself you may have been afraid to face, whether it’s as a reader or writer.  I constantly push my own boundaries because I never want to stagnate my stories; to fall into the trap where I substitute character names but have the same plot and the same expectations. 

And I hope readers are along for the ride.

Flashback Friday...A Different Mail Order Bride

When Panthea Snow loses her family in a horrific car crash, she needs something to keep her going.  She decides to replace one family with another and signs up as a mail order bride to a man living in the far north in Alaska.  When she arrives, however, she realizes she can’t go through with it but is stuck in River Ice, Alaskauntil the snow melts in a few weeks.

She meets Paden Winters and is drawn to him despite his moodiness and ill temper.  As she gets to know him, she realizes they are both dealing with issues of healing and concealing pain.  Only Paden deals with it by cutting himself for sexual satisfaction. 

Can a woman who has an abnormal fear of blood and a man who cuts himself ever find happiness?  Or are some pains too deep to overcome?



Where to Buy…
SIREN BOOKSTRAND * AMAZON * BARNES & NOBLE 

Reviews Fantastic storyline, well written and totally hooked. Would love to see a series from this town of River Ice, Alaska. BRAVO! Ms Carter, one amazing book. Barefoot Okie 
Adult Excerpt
The demon woke up. He could feel it stirring. “Fuck!” he yelled and picked up one of his kitchen chairs and threw it against the refrigerator. The monster really liked the violence. It liked the destruction and urged him on. He opened drawers, looking for the knife. When his search of the kitchen proved fruitless, he stalked into his bedroom and checked the nightstand. There it lay, dull silver gleaming in the hallway light. He stared at the blade, straight edged and sharp. The demon moaned, calling for it.It scared him that the knife had been in his bedroom yet he had no knowledge of putting it there. His mind went blank as he reached for it, clutching it in one hand. With the other hand he unzipped his pants, popping the top button. He reached into his shorts and gripped his hard shaft, using the moisture that leaked from the tip to coat the velvety skin. He pumped, up and down, squeezing the end just enough to please the monster, the revolting demon that lived inside his headHe closed his eyes as he fisted himself. Thea came immediately to mind, the woman who’d awaked a monster long thought dead. In his mind, he undressed her, slowly, kissing every inch of skin he exposed. Sinking into the vortex between her legs and lapping at her cream, he would take the moans mewling from her mouth and feast on them. He parted her further, able to slide one finger into her sweet pussy. Her hips bucked as she cried out his name, and the hand holding his cock squeezed as he heard her breathless whimpering of his name. He could almost feel her body tighten as he sucked in her clit, using his tongue to tease the sensitive nub. And as she came, as her juices ran over his tongue and face, the hand holding the knife sliced down on his leg.He exploded in a climax that shook his very soul.

The Evernighties Blog Challenge - Week 10

Editing- love it or hate it?
I actually love the editing phase of a book because I use it as a tool to learn how to write better. Writing is an organic process, and good writers use any tool they can get to better their craft. Editing is an eye opening part of the process, let me tell you.

The first book I ever had published, titled Black Leather Pants, came out eleven years ago. The editors used highlights to point out problems, and one of mine was passive voice. In yellow highlight, every single "was" had been made clear, and there must have been hundreds!

Passive voice isn't great for books. Instead of saying "Henry was going to...", the active voice would say "Henry went...".

I wish I could say that I learned how NOT to write passively on that edit, but the truth was it took many, many more books before it sunk in. Even now my beta reader will catch a couple. The more you write, the more you edit, the better writer you become.

Another hard lesson I learned through the editing process was "independent body parts" movement. And this particular lesson was very hard to learn! This is when the body part moves independently from their fixed position. For example, "His eyes followed her movement". This visual implies his eyes popped out of their socket and literally followed her. Instead, it should be "He followed her movement with his eyes." This pops up big time in sex scenes. When editing Along Came Merrie I had a heck-of-a-time with all the IBP problems!

But I learned. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I try to send as clean a manuscript as possible to my publisher. Now as I write, I catch myself with things I wouldn't have thought twice about before. I blame all the romance books of the 70s and 80s. I based a lot of my early style off them and how they were written back then. Another indication how writing is an organic process. Now when I go back and re-read books from those eras I catch a lot of stuff that wouldn't pass muster now-a-days. For example, they allowed different POVs in the same block. It's called head-hopping and now you have to separate them out.

If you are thinking about self-publishing (Indie) then I highly recommend hiring an experienced editor. Readers are very savvy and will be quick to point out the very obvious mistakes.

Wordsmith Wednesday...A Love Story with a Tortured Hero

Once in a while you read a book that stays with you, and if you’re lucky enough, you write one. The Love Story for a Snow Princess went through many revisions and several different drafts before settling on the plot it turned out to be. I wanted to write something very different....a love story with a very broken hero.

The hero and heroine of the story are Paden Winters and Panthea Snow.  Initially, Thea was going to be a well known infamous socialite (think Paris Hilton), who was at fault for the accidental death of her best friend.  To straighten herself out, and to get away from her vices, she was going to be a mail order bride to a man in Alaska.  But something was missing in the story, especially when I introduced Paden and his problem…which was cutting himself for sexual gratification.  

I had always wanted to write such a complicated hero but hadn’t found the right voice for him, until I revised Thea.  I asked myself, what would the love drama be for someone who cut himself…and I came up with a girl who suffered from hemophobia, or a fear of blood.  Suddenly Thea’s story fell into place and so I went through some major editing and revising.  

So let's talk about my tortured hero, Paden.

There is a wide berth of understanding when it comes to sexual masochism. It is a practice that sometimes goes along with BDSM, but doesn’t necessarily have to. For the sake of writing a dissertation on the subject, I’m going to stick strictly to the sexual practice of self-harm, not to those who are labeled as “cutters”, which usually starts in the teenage years.

Many people may ask what can possibly make hurting one’s self arousing, but the answers aren’t always black and white. Yes, it’s listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a paraphilia, or otherwise known as intense and recurrent sexually arousing urges, fantasies, or behaviors. But isn’t that all sex, really? Don’t we all have fantasies somewhere deep down which manifest in someway in our approach to sex? 

In the research I’ve done, literature points out that self-harmers are not suicidal, or even attention seekers. Quite the opposite, actually. People who self-harm tend to use this means as a coping method for something in their past: anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, or a multitude of other disorders. Sexual masochism is slightly more prevalent in males and it is interesting to note that more people consider themselves masochistic rather than sadistic.

 Sexual masochism doesn’t necessarily mean being alone.  Spanking and whipping involve partners, can be used in conjunction with bondage, and even bring forth a little role-playing. Cutting, burning, and hitting can also occur in the context of role-playing. In the explosion of erotica romance, these practices are sometimes written about, in detail, and with a HEA ending. BDSM themed books are in demand and usually top the best-seller lists. But writing a believable book is important...and difficult if one doesn't truly understand or "get" the culture. It is important to relate the emotion in masochism, to make the reader feel the power behind it.


BLURB: 

When Panthea Snow loses her family in a horrific car crash, she needs something to keep her going.  She decides to replace one family with another and signs up as a mail order bride to a man living in the far north in Alaska.  When she arrives, however, she realizes she can’t go through with it but is stuck in River Ice, Alaskauntil the snow melts in a few weeks.

She meets Paden Winters and is drawn to him despite his moodiness and ill temper.  As she gets to know him, she realizes they are both dealing with issues of healing and concealing pain.  Only Paden deals with it by cutting himself for sexual satisfaction. 

Can a woman who has an abnormal fear of blood and a man who cuts himself ever find happiness?  Or are some pains too deep to overcome?

Amazon Link

New Romance from Nicole Dykes! ...Fixation Blog Tour

We're on tour with Fixation by Nicole Dykes!Read Fixation FREE with Kindle Unlimited!Two people drifting through life—one on a firmly established plan, the other with no plans at all.Both believing they know exactly what they want.But what happens when a chance encounter is so electrifying that everything they believe is threatened with destruction?Suddenly fixated on each other. Will it make them stronger? Or will everything come crashing down?An addiction so strong, the high will be unforgettable, but the inevitable low will be devastating.Add Fixation to your Goodreads TBR!Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/fixationGoodreads: http://bit.ly/2sM0vGw






Nicole Dykes is a wife and a professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. Currently residing in Kansas, she’s a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance. She currently has over 20 published books with her Monroe and Adamson series being the most popular. She enjoys cranking up the angst level, making her readers cry, and turning those tears into the coffee that fuels her writing.Facebook Instagram AmazonGoodreads Bookbubwww.redhatterbookblog.com

Q&A with Gabbi Grey about her new Ghostly Romance!

My Past, Your FutureBy Gabbi Grey
♥♥♥ GiveAway ♥♥♥Gabbi is offering a $5 Amazon GC and 2 ebooks of My Past, Your Future during the giveaway. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember you may enter every day for your chance to win so be sure to follow along on the tour with us. You may find the tour locations here http://bit.ly/2OYUyh4


Hello Gabbi!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

Q) Is your book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

My Past, Your Future is part of The Wild Rose Press’ Deerbourne Inn series.  The series takes place in the fictional Vermont town of Willow Springs.  Each book involves a member of the town and a guest at the inn.  My guest is a visiting history professor from

Scotland, visiting the local cemeteries to glean the stories of the inhabitants.  He meets a Civil War soldier who happens to be a ghost.

Q) What type of research did you do for your book?

My ghost is a black Civil War soldier, so there was plenty of research involving the war and a black soldier’s place in it.  My character was a free man in the north who felt it was his duty to fight to free the slaves in the south.  He died in a conflict in the Carolinas and now haunts the cemetery in his hometown.  I also did research into Scotland, as I wanted a history professor from another country.  I have a thing for the Scots.
Q) Do you have a writing quirk, or habit when you write?

I write while sitting in Starbucks with my trusty chinpoo therapy dog at my feet.  She’s a bit of a celebrity with the clientele in the store, was even chosen as customer of the week once.

 Q) What do you think is your strongest asset as a writer? …what is your weakest factor as a writer?

My weakest factor is self-editing.  I love to write but struggle with the editing part of the work.  I know it’s important and have spent a lot of time learning how to make the manuscript the best it can be before I hand it over to the professionals.  My strongest asset is my versatility.  This book is a paranormal gay erotic romance.  I have written books that are sweet without any sex, contemporary with mild heat, and erotic.  I enjoy writing vanilla books and BDSM.  I have every pairing out there, including a short story in a charity anthology that is a lesbian love story.  I am a firm believer in love in all shapes and sizes and my characters always get a happy ending.

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

I have written another gay romance for The Wild Rose Press and have a BDSM dark erotic in edits with them as well.  I can’t wait to share these stories with readers



About My Past, Your Future: Callum MacLaren, a professor from Scotland, visits Willow Springs, Vermont during the Winter Solstice to study and explore the rich history of St. Joseph's Cemetery. His encounter with a sexy soldier in a tattered Civil War uniform is a captivating puzzle, and the more he learns, the deeper his attraction.
A hundred and fifty years ago, Elijah Freeman was killed during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner and woke up in Willow Springs, the only home he'd known. Alone, he roams the town, unable to leave or interact with a single soul until an intriguing Scot addresses him. Even stranger, the man can see him, hear him, and touch him--a sizzling caress that leaves Elijah aching for more.
But will Elijah return to his ghostly form when the magic of the solstice fades, or is Callum's love enough to keep him in the land of the living? Genre: M/M Paranormal Erotic Romance


My Past, Your Future Buy Links: Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2URpweZAmazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Past-Your-Future-Deerbourne-Inn-ebook/dp/B083RYY833KOBO: (coming soon)iBooks: (coming soon)Publisher: (coming soon) Excerpt My Past, Your Future:
“I’m not sure I have many answers.” And Elijah wasn’t. He’d figured a few things out over the years, but much of it was contradictory and nonsensical. Still, he relaxed a little, no longer on edge. 

“Well, let’s start with you being able to touch people and them able to touch you.” As if experimentally, he placed his hand on Elijah’s. “You’re cold. Are you always cold, or is it the weather?” 

Elijah cleared his throat. This was the first human touch he’d had in years, and it affected him more than he’d ever imagined. Not that he’d spent a lot of time wondering because he’d assumed it’d never happen. Should he have tried earlier, or was it, as he suspected, only this man? 

Please don’t let go of my hand. 

Cautiously, he curled his fingers, holding on tighter. 

Callum reciprocated. 

“As for temperature. I don’t understand. I don’t feel cold now, and I don’t feel hot in the summer. And summers around here can be brutal, despite how far north we are.” 

Callum nodded. “Edinburgh, where I’m from, can get warm in the summer. But we’re closer to the northern point of the country, so it’s temperate as opposed to oppressive.” 

His thumb caressed the juncture where Elijah’s thumb met his finger, and little zings shot through him. Like the sound he associated with the electric lights when they turned on at dusk. Of course, the whole concept of electricity was beyond him.

About the Author: I live surrounded by trees, raccoons, deer, and other woodland creatures, on a mountain in beautiful British Columbia where my fur baby chin poo keeps me safe from nasty bears. Working for the government by day, I spend my nights writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances…and while I firmly believe in happy endings, I also believe in making my characters suffer before finding their true love. Gabbi's Social Links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_GreyAmazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1MFacebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGreyFacebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009821772591Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/gabbigreyauthor/a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ghostly New Romance by Gabbi Grey!

My Past, Your FutureBy Gabbi Grey
♥♥♥ GiveAway ♥♥♥Gabbi is offering a $5 Amazon GC and 2 ebooks of My Past, Your Future during the giveaway. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember you may enter every day for your chance to win so be sure to follow along on the tour with us. You may find the tour locations here http://bit.ly/2OYUyh4
About My Past, Your Future: Callum MacLaren, a professor from Scotland, visits Willow Springs, Vermont during the Winter Solstice to study and explore the rich history of St. Joseph's Cemetery. His encounter with a sexy soldier in a tattered Civil War uniform is a captivating puzzle, and the more he learns, the deeper his attraction.
A hundred and fifty years ago, Elijah Freeman was killed during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner and woke up in Willow Springs, the only home he'd known. Alone, he roams the town, unable to leave or interact with a single soul until an intriguing Scot addresses him. Even stranger, the man can see him, hear him, and touch him--a sizzling caress that leaves Elijah aching for more.
But will Elijah return to his ghostly form when the magic of the solstice fades, or is Callum's love enough to keep him in the land of the living? Genre: M/M Paranormal Erotic Romance

My Past, Your Future Buy Links: Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2URpweZAmazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Past-Your-Future-Deerbourne-Inn-ebook/dp/B083RYY833KOBO: (coming soon)iBooks: (coming soon)Publisher: (coming soon) Excerpt My Past, Your Future:
“I’m not sure I have many answers.” And Elijah wasn’t. He’d figured a few things out over the years, but much of it was contradictory and nonsensical. Still, he relaxed a little, no longer on edge. 

“Well, let’s start with you being able to touch people and them able to touch you.” As if experimentally, he placed his hand on Elijah’s. “You’re cold. Are you always cold, or is it the weather?” 

Elijah cleared his throat. This was the first human touch he’d had in years, and it affected him more than he’d ever imagined. Not that he’d spent a lot of time wondering because he’d assumed it’d never happen. Should he have tried earlier, or was it, as he suspected, only this man? 

Please don’t let go of my hand. 

Cautiously, he curled his fingers, holding on tighter. 

Callum reciprocated. 

“As for temperature. I don’t understand. I don’t feel cold now, and I don’t feel hot in the summer. And summers around here can be brutal, despite how far north we are.” 

Callum nodded. “Edinburgh, where I’m from, can get warm in the summer. But we’re closer to the northern point of the country, so it’s temperate as opposed to oppressive.” 

His thumb caressed the juncture where Elijah’s thumb met his finger, and little zings shot through him. Like the sound he associated with the electric lights when they turned on at dusk. Of course, the whole concept of electricity was beyond him.

About the Author: I live surrounded by trees, raccoons, deer, and other woodland creatures, on a mountain in beautiful British Columbia where my fur baby chin poo keeps me safe from nasty bears. Working for the government by day, I spend my nights writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances…and while I firmly believe in happy endings, I also believe in making my characters suffer before finding their true love. Gabbi's Social Links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_GreyAmazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1MFacebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGreyFacebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009821772591Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/gabbigreyauthor/a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flashback Friday ... Winning Love on a Bet

Ember has not had an easy life.  She takes care of her alcoholic mother by holding down two jobs and rarely has time for anything else.  When a rich young man asks her on a date she happily says yes to a free meal.  However, instead of dinner, she becomes the bet in a game of pool. 


Saber is the hustler who just won her, but instead of feeling threatened, she feels attracted to the obvious bad boy in leathers and tattoos.  As the night wears on she falls more and more under his spell until they can’t keep their hands off each other.  But Saber’s hustled one too many people and now Ember’s date wants his money back…one way or another.



BUY LINKS
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING * AMAZON * BARNES & NOBLE * SMASHWORDS


“My name is Saber.”


“Really?  That’s your name?”


“That’s the name I go by.  What’s your name?”


“Ember.”


He smiled, his lips curling on the ends to give him that devil look.  “Is that really your name?”


Something deep inside her flared to life, and before she realized what she was saying, her answer came out a bit flirty.  “It’s what I go by.”


He laughed and linked their fingers together.  Heat traveled from their touch, up her arm, to infuse her whole body.  Holy moly. Just touching the man made her panties wet.  Who the hell was this man that he could turn her on by just a look or touch?  Lust rolled through her, and she saw the answering need in his gaze.


“I knew it’d be like this,” he whispered.  “The first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew we’d be explosive.”


“You hustled him for money—”


“I hustled him for you,” he corrected.


“Do you … do this a lot?”

“Hustle poor little rich boys?  Yes.  And I’m damn good at it.  But I’ve never wanted anything or anyone as bad as I wanted you.”