Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 320

Mia Hopkins: Hollywood Honkytonk (Sexy Excerpt + Giveaway)

Greetings, Delilah fans…

Today I’m sharing a sexy excerpt from my brand-new release, the erotic romance Hollywood Honkytonk. It’s a full-length novel starring Jack, a rising Hollywood star, and Riley, a country songwriter on the run from her douchebag ex. Together, Jack and Riley dodge paparazzi and battle their insecurities, finding love and lust in La La Land.

Hollywood Honkytonk is a standalone read and book two in my Kings of California series. These steamy books star the Lamont brothers, three sun-kissed boys from the Golden State. The Beach Boys may have sung about California girls, but let me tell you…California boys? *sigh* Just as dreamy.

To celebrate the release of Hollywood Honkytonk, I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of book one in the series, Deep Down. I’m also giving away a travel sized tube of “Better Than Sex” mascara from Two Faced. Is it really better than sex? I’ll let you decide. You can enter the giveaway below.

Thanks for reading!

Excerpt from Hollywood Honkytonk…  

“Tell me something,” she said.

“What?”

She shut her eyes, feeling like a high schooler. “Have you been thinking about me?”

“The truth?”

“I usually prefer the truth. As a rule.”

“Every waking moment. I’m having trouble keeping on task. Spacing out in the middle of interviews.” When she giggled, he feigned offense. “Don’t laugh at me. It’s bad.”

“What have you been thinking about?”

His voice sobered. “You’re a good girl, Riley. You don’t want to know what I’ve been thinking about.”

Riley turned off her bedside lamp and slid down deeper into the covers. “Tell me.”

“Are you serious?”

She’d never had phone sex. “Do you want to know what I’m wearing?”

“I don’t care what you’re wearing,” he said. “You’re naked underneath. That’s all that matters.”

Riley laughed softly. “So tell me.”

He said nothing for a long time. She heard his breathing over the phone, soft and even. “All right, if you really want to know.” His voice got deeper, hardening into dominance. “Do what I tell you. Everything. Understand?”

Her heartbeat sped up. “Yes.”

“Close your eyes. Touch two fingertips to your lips. Rub them back and forth—slowly. Very slowly.”

She did it. The intimate touch forced her to focus. Her fingertips were warm and dry. Her lips were delicate, filled with nerve endings that tingled as she brushed her skin gently, back and forth like he said.

“Those are my fingers,” he said. “I’m touching your mouth. I’m there with you.”

And like magic, in Riley’s brain, Jack appeared in her bed. Stretched out beside her, propped up on one elbow, looking down on her as he touched her lips.

“What are you wearing?” she whispered.

“What’s this obsession with clothing?” A little impatience touched his words. “Nothing. I’m fucking naked. Can you picture that?”

God, could she.

“Focus, sweetheart,” he said. “Are you still touching your lips?”

“Yes.”

“Good girl. Open your mouth slowly. Just a little. Press your thumb right in the middle of your lips.”

She did it.

“Now,” he said. “Rub the tip of your tongue against your thumb. Lick it. Make it wet.”

Jack’s voice filled the darkness. Heat suffused her body, gathering between her legs. Her pussy tingled as she licked her thumb. The light salt of her own skin made her mouth water.

“Rub that wetness over your bottom lip for me. Make it smooth and slippery.”

She dragged the wet tip of her thumb over the sensitive flesh.

“Are your eyes still closed?” he asked.

“Yes.” She struggled for breath, turned-on beyond all logic.

“Good,” he whispered. His voice was rough. “That’s my cock. Right there. Sliding along your pretty pink lips. Imagine it. Can you taste me, gorgeous?” Deep under the power of his voice, Riley heard the faint sound of him unbuckling his belt and pulling down his fly. “You make me so fucking hard, sweetheart.”

Her imagination went wild. Jack sitting in the shadows, slouched in an arm chair, shirtsleeves rolled back, his big dick in his hand—the image summoned a fresh rush of heat between Riley’s legs. She moaned. He was thousands of miles away. How did he make her feel this way?

“Now take off your clothes,” he commanded.

HOLLYWOOD HONKYTONK

Can their love survive the limelight?

With nothing but her dog, her guitar, and her cowboy boots, songwriter Riley Marion arrives in Los Angeles on the run from her abusive ex. A quiet job teaching music sounds perfect, but her low-key lifestyle is threatened when she reunites with a sexy old flame—now an up-and-coming celebrity who’s constantly dogged by paparazzi.

Charming and driven, Jack Lamont is a Hollywood actor on the rise to stardom. Ready to outgrow his playboy reputation, he’s happy to leave the hard partying to his entourage. Romantic entanglements? Jack’s not interested. At least, not until he gets tangled up with the one who got away—a smoking-hot woman whose memory has haunted him for the last ten years.

Available in e-Book & Print

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | All Romance | BookStrand | The Wild Rose Press | Goodreads 

About the Author

Award-winning author Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends. She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and waggish dog.

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SPECIAL RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Would you like to win a signed print copy of Deep Down and a travel sized tube of “Better Than Sex ” mascara from Two Faced? Enter the Rafflecopter by clicking here.

What we do when we’re not writing/reading…

Maybe you’re curious about the authors you “hang” with… We must lead these glamorous lives, right? Huh.

Here’s a rundown of a typical day for me.

6:00 — The alarm goes off and I toodle upstairs to relieve my daughter, Kelly, who slept on the couch with her phone alarm going off every two hours to wake her so she can check on my grandma who is still recovering from breaking her back, but who doesn’t think she needs help to the potty (she does!). I sit at the kitchen table and work on whatever portable, paper thing I printed to get a head start on today’s work.

7:30 — I dress grandma and help dad prepare breakfast. Afterwards, I do the dishes and then head to my office to get some work done.

8:30 — I prep my blog, review my emails, get dressed and straighten up.

9:15 — I walk across the road to my dd’s house for a cuppa in the quiet (no kids other than the 3-year-old). We love our time together, so it’s our time to gossip.

10:00 — I begin whatever editing/writing tasks I have planned for the day.

4:00 — I’m done with work. I head over to my dd’s, hang until dinner in the chaos with all her 4 kids. After dinner, we might watch a movie or catch up The Magicians or The Big Bang Theory.

8:00 — I head back home to answer more emails, maybe do some more editing, until my dd comes over at…

10:00 — to stay the night. (She does that 5 days a week, I have one night, and my aunt the other). We hang for an hour, gossiping, checking out celebrity gossip, looking at art or food pins on Pinterest.

And that’s a typical day. Not very glamorous. When my dd has appointments or games or whatever with the kids, I babysit. We take care of each other and the people we love.

And sometimes, we carve out adult time, something fun. Like last night. I organized an art night in my messy, cluttered art room with my mom, dd, and our friend Christi. We ate from cheese and veggie trays while we worked on projects — Christi painted votive candle glasses with alcohol inks; Kelly drew cartoons in her art journal; my mom worked on a watercolor painting; and I cut circles out of an Arizona Green Tea can to make earrings with and painted some dominoes.

Me, Christi and Kelly. Fluorescent lights aren’t very forgiving! LOL

Afterward, Christi, Kelly and I headed to a restaurant in town to drink daiquiris. When I came home later, I worked a little longer on decorating my dominoes…

Something mindless and relaxing, because this morning, I began the cycle again…

So, that’s my glamorous life. What do you do when you’re not writing/reading?

Jennifer Kacey: Elite Elements is Coming (Giveaway)*

Elite Metal and Elite Ghosts are two HUGE labors of love that a group of my favorite people and I put together over the last three years. It’s a shared world of three groups of military men and women brought back from the “dead” to catch a wolf. Red Wolf. Revenge against the baddest of the bad is what drives them, and to take back the lives he stole from each of them.

Elite Elements will be the final book in this epic trilogy. This is the story of the men and women who saved Elite Metal on the snow covered ground in Moscow. These are the men and women from around the world who don’t exist and pulled Elite Ghosts into the shadows with them. These are the soldiers who gave up everything to take down a wolf. And in this book…everything you thought you knew reaches the point of no return.

Elite Elements will be here in February. I. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.

In case you haven’t found Elite Metal and Elite Ghosts yet….let me blow your mind. http://www.jenniferkacey.com/books/elite-metal.html

For decades the US Marines funded a top-secret unit known as Elite Recon. A deadly group of men and women sent to infiltrate dozens of countries completely undetected. Mission objectives so extreme casualties were not only probable, but expected.

The current batch of operatives had returned from hundreds of assignments unscathed…until one mission went horribly wrong. Several men lost their lives and the group disbanded. The remaining leathernecks were scattered in the wind with new identities. They were told to blend in. Be normal. Or face being forever silenced just like their fallen brothers.

Now, two years later, each living member of the group is kidnapped and given a chance to make things right. But this time they’re no longer under the thumb of Uncle Sam. A mysterious private backer who knows about their past has brought them back together. No longer are they forced to turn a blind eye to the lost and forsaken.

Duty is their salvation.

A new life. A new future…Elite Metal.

Amazon Buy Link

 

Then we have Elite Ghosts… http://www.jenniferkacey.com/books/elite-ghosts.html

For more than two years they’ve been ghosts. Nothing but names on empty tombstones. Men and women forced to fade into the background after being pulled from the rubble. Dead Marines saved from a fate worse than death, but ordered to stand down while their lives disappeared all around them.

Some knew it could happen if a mission exploded. Double crossed by more than just Red Wolf. But now is their time to be reborn from the flames of a Phoenix. No longer imprisoned in the shadows. A half-life between them and their future. To make things right coming back to life is their only option.

Loyalty is their salvation but damage is always more than skin deep.

A new hope. A new family. Elite Ghosts.

Amazon Buy Link

In honor of the above awesomeness I’m going to have a HUGE giveaway! Three print books and lots and lots of other swag and kinky goodies! Plus a mug and tea and a pretty WIP bag to hold it all!

**GIVEAWAY – US ONLY**

Look at all the awesomeness you could win!! So tell me if you’ve ever read any of the Elite Warrior stories!! And if you have – what you’re most looking forward to in Elements!!

I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 16th!! Good Luck!!

Decadently Yours,

Jennifer Kacey

 

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas– Amazon Page

Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

Megan Westfield: To make your 2017 resolutions a reality, try multitasking your workouts (Giveaway)

Hello Delilah readers,

I’m so excited to be joining you here today.  I’m Megan Westfield and I know Delilah through a group of female military veterans who write romantic fiction. (Thanks for the opportunity, Delilah!).  My very first book, Lessons in Gravity, came out in October and is a new-adult rock-climbing romance set in Yosemite National Park.

Since we’re just a week past the new year, resolutions are still strong on my brain. For me, it seems like the meeting of resolutions always comes down to time: the fact that there is never enough of it.  As an author who has a day job and two young children to care for, there’s no way I’d be able to get everything done if not for multitasking, and one of most effective ways I multitask is by doubling up my workouts with other things.

So whether you’re a person has resolved to be more active in 2017, or a person who is amply active wants to eek out more time in the day to focus on other resolutions, here are a few ideas for multitasking your workouts.

Listen to an audio book.

All of us Delilah blog subscribers all have this in common: we love to read.  My suggestion is to play an audio book on your phone, grab a pair of earphones, and head out the door for a walk.  Or go ride a stationary bike.  Or hit the bouldering wall at the climbing gym.  This concept can be combined with many of the suggestions below for triple-tasking credit.  J

Workout on your lunch break.

This has been a habit of mine since my military days when I’d combine my allotted workout time with my lunch break so I could do a long road bike ride or go swimming at the base pool. Some private companies offer a fitness perk similar to this, but if your company isn’t one of these, an hour lunch break is plenty of time for a 30-40 minute cardio workout with a shower afterward.  Alternately, if you have a shorter lunch break or don’t have access to a shower, you could do a low-impact workout: one where you don’t get drenched in sweat and therefore don’t need to change clothes beforehand or shower afterward (ex., going for a walk, or doing high-repetition, low-weight strength training).

Walk your errands

I do not live in what is considered a “walkable” neighborhood, but there is a strip mall about a mile from our house with good sidewalks the whole way.  I save time by making the day’s workout be a walk down to the grocery store to grab a few things for the evening’s dinner, or to run a different errand at one of the other stores.

Take your kids on your workouts

For me, this means using a double jogging stroller, or carrying one kid on my back and pushing the other in a single jogging stroller.  Kids love to be outside and joining in on parents’ activities, so not only are you doubling up on the tasks of taking care of children and getting some exercise, the kids are getting a “win” as well.  My daughter is just old enough to start riding her strider bike alongside me, so this has been a fun variation for us.  And don’t forget that many gyms offer free child care!

Make your workouts a group activity

This is the same principle as #4, but instead of taking your kids, you arrange to meet up with a friend for a workout rather than of doing something sedentary. The multitasking element is that you’re having fun and maintaining connections while also being active.  My best conversations with friends happen during long jogs and walks!  Triple up by meeting with a friend for a weekday lunch-walk.

Walk or jog your errands with kids in tow

This combination of #3 and #4 is a triple-tasking method that I do almost daily. Since my kids are small enough to ride in a stroller, the basket in the bottom comes in handy for holding groceries or other goods, but a backpack works just as well.  If you live somewhere that’s truly un-walkable, you can always drive to an area that is, like a nice park that adjoins  shopping area.

***GIVEAWAY***

Let’s get a conversation going so we can share even more ways to gain more time by doubling up daily tasks with workouts.  See below!

Book Trailer

https://youtu.be/RirUUEW8rjg

Back Cover

All eyes are on Josh Knox…

Fearless. Guarded. Cut-to-perfection. Daredevil rock climber. The best in the world.

This time he’s poised to scale Yosemite’s notoriously treacherous Sorcerer Spire, with Walkabout Media & Productions filming every move.

April Stephens’s dream to be a documentary filmmaker rests on her acing her internship with Walkabout, and that means getting the abrasive Josh to give her more than one-word answers in his interviews.

The problem is, with every step forward professionally, she and Josh are also taking a step forward personally, and after watching her stunt pilot father die in a fiery crash, a guy who risks his life for a living is the last person she should be falling for. Especially because in one month her internship will have them dangling three thousand feet in the air from the side of the Sorcerer. She’ll be filming. He’ll be climbing without a rope.

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Goodreads

About the Author

Megan Westfield has dabbled in many hobbies and pastimes over the years, ranging from playing the cello to cake decorating (i.e., icing-eating) to a dozen different outdoor adventure sports. Eventually, she discovered the only way to do it all was though writing—her first and strongest passion. She grew up in Washington state, attended college in Oregon, and lived in Virginia, California, and Rhode Island during her five years as a navy officer. Megan is now a permanent resident of San Diego where she and her husband count family beach time with their two young kids as an adventure sport.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  YouTube  |  Newsletter

***THE GIVEAWAY***

Post a comment below about how you double up daily tasks with workouts (or write about a fitness barrier you find especially challenging) and I’ll enter you in a drawing for an e-copy of Lessons in Gravity at the end of the week. Triple-tasking suggestions welcomed, too!

Lizzie Ashworth: The Dane’s Bride (Free Read)

January 2017! A new year and new adventures, hopefully good ones, await us. Best of all, for the not so good days, we’ve got books! Reading takes us away from the present moment and immerses us in pleasure. My mission today is to provide a time of reading pleasure for you.

One of my personal favorites in writing and reading romance is a steamy historical. Men wielding swords, their warrior bodies muscled and scarred—whew, what’s not to like? More than the allure of warriors, though, I enjoy being transported to another time and place. Plus there’s the actual glimpse of history—what did our ancestors face in their struggle to survive? How did the relationship between a man and woman differ from what we experience now?

All those ideas and more course through a writer’s thoughts as she creates a historical romance. For myself, reading actual history or other works of historical fiction helps put me in the mood as well as instructs me on details I need to make my story rich and factual. In the story below, for example, I had read Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon series, which I highly recommend. This series is popular, so you can usually find it in your local library.

Here’s the opening scene to my story, “The Dane’s Bride.” And here’s a coupon code WQ54S you can use to get the rest of the story FREE at Smashwords. (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/610250)

Aetherlin stared at the man through the leaping flames of the firepit. Hrald, Jarl of Dunholm. Her hands clenched in want of a weapon. Taut muscle quivered in her legs, eager for escape. Breath hitched in her throat.

Fire cast his shadow to the far wall as if he were a denizen of Hell itself, his tall frame looming and pale eyes glittering in the orange-red reflection. He wore fitted leather leggings and an open vest over his muscled chest. Lengths of dark hair brushed his wide shoulders. Gold bands wrapped his biceps and forearms, badges of his prowess in battle and the respect of his tribesmen. His forehead creased in his determined expression, although the quirk of his cruel mouth bespoke lascivious thoughts. About her. And what he would do to her.

In spite of the message of anger and resistance she sent with her glare, he did not relent in his survey of her. His gaze lingered over her red marriage dress with its scrolling needlework and golden thread. Her attending lady had wept as she dressed her in the clothing ordered by her father Aetherwulf, Earldorman of Gloucestershire. These were not garments Aetherlin would have chosen, cut low to reveal the curve of her breasts to present her body as if a fattened goose. But then, she would not have chosen this day, this man. Or perhaps any man at all.

“Loose your hair, maid,” Hrald commanded, his deep voice echoing through the empty hall.

Her body stiffened. Again she thought to refuse, to turn and run. But the great hall had been emptied and the door barred. She had been given to him, to be his chattel just as the hall itself, the trenchers and tables, the servants moving in the adjacent kitchens and storerooms, his pledged warriors and lesser vassals going about their evening tasks in the courtyard, the stables. Who was she, a mere woman, to fight off this hardened warrior?

In a fury, she yanked off the narrow silver band holding the linen scarf and flung them to the floor. Her thick braid took more time as her numb fingers combed through the long wavy strands, separating and spreading them over her shoulders and chest. Golden glints of firelight reflected on the red-blonde hair. Aetherlin could not look at him, but she knew his gaze stayed on her—it burned like coals on her skin.

He said nothing for a time. The fire’s crackle barely matched the noise of her heart thudding in her ears. Did he mean to possess her here, in the public hall?

“Now the dress,” he demanded.

His voice had taken a husky tone. That recognition startled her. She wished it did not matter whether he cared about what she did. Surely he did not want her, but rather embraced the power, lands, and wealth that came with the marriage. Still, his reaction caused her to flush.

Her glance flew to his face. What did he intend, forcing her to undress in the main hall? Anyone could enter, even though he had dismissed them all. Would he shame her? What man treated his bride so coarsely?

A fiend, that’s who, she answered her own question. A filthy, bloodthirsty Dane.

His eyes had narrowed and his body leaned slightly forward so that the spiraling patterns carved into his leather vest picked up more of the fire’s light and seemed to move of their own accord. Likewise, the inked design of dragons rippled over his muscled arms as if alive. His dark hair brushed at his wide shoulders, casting his clean-shaven jaw in shadow.

Why did he not simply rip down her clothes like the ravening beast he was?  The sudden thought of such an act caused her heart to leap against her ribs. Her fingers stumbled at the clasps. The heavy woolen dress fell to the floor around her ankles. She stood in the linen shift, waiting, her breath shallow and fast.

“Do you think I wish only to see your undergarments?” he questioned in a hard voice.

“I think you wish to lower me, so that I am the least of all possible things,” she snapped back. “Expose me to your savage acts, like a village girl at the hands of your men.”

Today I sit in the snow-clad wilds of the Ozark Mountains watching the woods with my cats and hound dogs snuggled near the wood stove. I’ve been writing my entire life and can’t express how wonderful it is to share stories with readers like you. Nab more of my exciting romance short stories, novellas, and novels at your favorite bookseller.

Sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter, Liz’s Hot News. It’s a free monthly newsletter with excerpts, freebies, pre-release deals, and much more. No obligation, unsubscribe at any time. Sign up at http://eepurl.com/bHOyS9

Follow my blog for free erotic short works, hot photos, and the occasional rant at http://lizzieashworth.com/

And please—like my Facebook author page for updates on other nice and naughty works https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLizzieAshworth/

Stepbrothers Stepping Out: Ultimate Collection is here!

I’m late posting today, but I was waiting for Amazon to release my latest book—Stepbrothers Stepping Out: Ultimate Collection!

I decided that since I had so many smutty stepbrother stories written, I should make it easy (and cheaper) for readers to collect them all in one place, so the first nine stories make up this 60,000 word book! Everything except the last two SEAL stories is here, which I’m delivering at a price of $3.99—a nearly $5.00 savings if you were to purchase them all individually. And, I plan to put this volume into print, hopefully by the end of the month, for those of you who still love to hold paper books in your hands. So, be looking for that news. This volume will be exclusive to Amazon for three months to allow any Kindle Unlimited readers to take advantage, but then it’s going wide to Kobo, B&N—all the usual places!

I hope you take advantage of this offer, because I may not leave it out there long…

Stepbrothers Stepping Out: Ultimate Collection

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Delilah Devlin, comes a collection of her most delicious stories—taboo tales of stepbrotherly love, served with a sexy side of ménage! Two taboo themes sure to provide you nighttime reading pleasure!

Find out what happens when a Dominant brings his submissive stepsister for an intimate exam in “With His Doctor.” In “With His SEAL Team,” a phone sex operator knows just how to bring her sexy SEAL stepbrother back from the edge of darkness. When a secretive couple faces the dissolution of their parents’ marriage, they share one last weekend in the family’s lake house in “With His Friends.” A social media celebutante worries she won’t reconnect with her rock star stepbrother in “With His Rock Band.” And more steplover adventures await your pleasure inside the Ultimate Collection!

Get your copy here!

Ruth Kaufman: My Once and Future Love

Hello, everyone! Thank you for having me as a guest, Delilah, and thank you for stopping by!

I’d like to talk about genre switching and how I decide what to write. I loved reading medievals, and eventually decided to write one. An idea for the first scene popped into my head (see excerpt below). Figuring out why the heroine was riding a horse, who would see and what happened next led to my becoming a pantser, meaning I write from the seat of my pants rather than plotting first.

After purchasing many research books on 15th century England, sticking with that time period made sense. So I wrote three more. One, actually the second book I wrote, still remains “under the bed,” as they say. I love the story, but I wrote it via multiple characters’ points of view, while most books focus on the hero and heroine. I haven’t quite figured out how to tell the story with two points of view….

After a version of my first book, AT HIS COMMAND, won Romance Writers of America® national Golden Heart® award, I had high hopes of publishing it with Harlequin. Unfortunately, after two years and two requests for revisions, they said no. So I self-published that and three other medievals. The most recent, MY ONCE AND FUTURE LOVE, adds paranormal and Arthurian elements. Too many, or does the amount of genre blending you’ll accept depend on the story? I started a second in what I hope will be the Unsung Knights of the Round Table series.

Meanwhile, Kathryn LeVeque invited me to write a novella for her Kindle world. She assigned me the story of her hero’s best friend’s parents, which meant the setting had to be around 1200AD….much earlier than my familiar period. A lot changed in more than two hundred years! I ended up in France, because I wanted to incorporate an actual event, the siege of Chateau Galliard…where people were trapped outside in winter between the French camp and the English-held chateau.

When I get an idea, I want to see where it goes. So I’ve also written two humorous women’s fiction books and a time travel to Elizabethan England, all of which I plan to release this year. Do you follow authors you like if they genre hop, or do you prefer they stick to one time period? Anyone who comments will be entered to win an e-book of AT HIS COMMAND, in which the king commands her to marry a lord, but she’s falling for the knight sent to protect her from undesirable suitors.

Excerpt:

Sir Nicholas Grey’s scout leaned forward in his saddle, holding up two fingers to let the others know two horses approached. Nicholas heard only the slight jangling of harnesses blended with wind rattling through the trees, but relied on his scout’s uncanny ability to hear what no one else could.

He and his eight men sat alert, deep enough in the forest to avoid being seen while maintaining a clear view of the road through leafless branches. Nine armed men could frighten travelers. ‘Twas best to let them pass.

Each man watched, each horse sinking deeper into chilling mire as a mud-covered, black palfrey plodded over the rise in the road, its long mane whipping in the frigid winds.

“No rider,” Martin, the scout, murmured.

“Look again,” Nicholas replied. At first he too had thought the horse was riderless. Now he could see a woman collapsed on the animal’s back. Her dark hair draped down its flank, mingling with the horse’s mane. The palfrey placed each step as if trying not to jostle its burden.

Another horse, this one a brown rouncey ridden by a thin, balding man, galloped after the palfrey. A look of triumph brightened the man’s face as he spotted the horse ahead of him. He bent forward, extending his hand. Fingers like talons grasped the woman’s tangled hair.

“Mine!” he cried.

MY ONCE AND FUTURE LOVE

Morgan ap Myrddin must rescue his father, Merlin, from imprisonment. But enemies have wounded him, draining his powers. Annora of Amberton flees her castle to seek proof that she’s not a lunatic as her uncle declared when claiming wardship over her and her lands.

Morgan stumbles upon Annora’s cottage and enlists her aid. As he helps her in return, respect and undeniable desire spark. But he won’t succumb to the lure of a mortal woman as his father did. She’s wary of caring for a man who won’t discuss his past. When he tells her he’s a Knight of the Round Table, she fears he’s the lunatic. Secrets, danger and destiny thwart the power of love.

About Ruth

Ruth Kaufman is the author of MY ONCE AND FUTURE LOVE and the Wars of the Roses Brides trilogy, AT HIS COMMAND, FOLLOW YOUR HEART and THE BRIDE TOURNAMENT. Accolades include 2016 Booksellers’ Best Historical and Best First Book award winner and Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® winner.

An actor and speaker with an M.S. and J.D, Ruth has had roles in independent feature films, web series, pilots, national TV commercials and hundreds of voiceover projects. She enjoys chocolate peanut butter milkshakes and singing in a symphony chorus.

Website www.ruthkaufman.com

Blog: Gainfully Unemployed http://www.rjkaufman.blogspot.com/

Twitter @RuthKaufman https://twitter.com/RuthKaufman

Facebook: Ruth Kaufman Author & Actress https://www.facebook.com/ruthtalks

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7454412.Ruth_Kaufman

Amazon Author Page Ruth Kaufman

Flashback: Bad Moon Rising (Contest)

This one came out a little over a year ago. Love panther-shifters? Love a sexy Cajun drawl? Enjoy the excerpt!

Comment for a chance to win a free download of Bad Moon Rising !

Bad Moon Rising

 

On a whim, romance author DiDi Devereaux decides to travel to remote Louisiana bayou country to take possession of a house she inherited from a reclusive relative. But before she reaches her destination, she drives her car into a ditch to avoid a large animal that leaps into her path. Rescue comes in the form of a sexy sheriff, whose gruff demeanor seems to hide a feral attraction. As DiDi settles into her new home she finds herself torn between her attraction to the sheriff and the raw, handsome bad boy whose offer to help her renovate her home is a little too convenient and tempting.

Nothing in Bayou Noir is what it seems. When strange things begin to happen, her natural curiosity leads her into danger…

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Read an excerpt…

DiDi hit SAVE and shut down her computer. Her newest story was beginning to pull together—or at least, the characters were coming alive. The external plot of her novel hadn’t yet gelled, because she hadn’t discovered what secrets the sheriff and the bad boy hid.

But the characters were now fully fleshed—the two men appealing to her heroine in ways DiDi understood all too well. The question she still struggled with was which man her heroine would ultimately choose. The thought made her smile.

DiDi closed the computer lid. Of course, Sheriff Breaux and Bobby Sonnier were the models for her two heroes. All the while she’d described her heroine’s first meeting with the men, she’d described her own feelings, and how her curiosity and body had both been aroused. Which man did she, DiDi, prefer? Funny, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d thought a man so disturbingly attractive. But in this remote location, within a single hour, she’d met two.

She stretched her arms above her head and glanced at her watch—two o’clock AM. Since she was a night owl by habit, she didn’t worry. However, the room was warm. The AC chugged along, but didn’t seem to cool very well. Upon returning to the room, she’d changed to cutoffs and a tank top, but the fabric stuck to her skin. Maybe drinking something ice-cold would cool her enough to rest comfortably. She slipped the pass key into her back pocket, tucked a couple of dollar bills into the front one, and let herself out of her room.

Outside, she breathed in the thick, humid air. The night was quiet except for the distant, blended hum of insects and frogs. Maybe it was the cloying heat, but she felt restless and aroused. Her thoughts swirled with the erotic fantasies she’d been spinning into a story.

A woman caught between two men.

On the outside, one wore a white hat, the other dressed like he’d just dragged himself out of bed. But inside, both souls were painted with the same darkness.

The soda machine stood next to the office, so she walked barefoot along the sidewalk, slid her money into the slot, and hit the button for a Coke. The machine shuddered, but nothing dropped into the well at the bottom.

“Damn.” She hit the button again. Nothing. Cursing, she bent and stuck her arm up into the opening, found the bottom of her can lodged at an odd angle, and rattled it until it dropped into her hand.

When she straightened, she held the can away and opened the tab, letting it spray outward.

The can was icy cold, and she drank down several gulps before turning back to her room.

DiDi drew up short. A car had parked in front of her room. A sleek Caprice with the township’s emblem and blue lights on the top. Sheriff Breaux stood with his arms crossed over his chest, watching her.

Had he seen her wrestle with the coke, her butt in the air? Would she ever catch a break with the guy?

DiDi made herself straighten her shoulders and sauntered toward the large man. Did he always wear that expression—so dark and intense, so watchful? She caught the way his narrowed glance scanned her bare legs and feet, and she shivered.

She’d take his frown over a smile from another man any day—the gesture did things to her. Challenged her. Made her tingle in all the right places. “Evenin’, Sheriff,” she drawled, walking closer.

“Miz Devereaux,” he said, nodding.

“DiDi,” she replied, curving her lips. “I thought we were getting friendly.”

His expression didn’t soften. “It’s late. Doesn’t a city girl like you know it’s not safe to be alone outside after dark?”

“Tell me,” she said softly, teasingly as she leaned against her room’s door. “This is a small town. What should I fear? And is the danger sporting four legs or two?”

His features stilled. He stepped closer and looked down his nose.

A move like he was trying to intimidate. She didn’t know why, but his stance aroused her.

“Bayou Noir is a quiet town,” he said, his voice dead even, “but you’re a beautiful woman. More temptation than man or beast might be able to resist.”

DiDi blinked, all bluster gone. Heat soaked the crotch of her panties. He thinks I’m hard to resist? “Looks like I don’t have a thing to fear with you here, Sheriff.”

His lips crimped in irritation, and he shook his head. “Told you before, Mason,” he bit out. “Seein’ as how we’re friendly now.”

Two could play this game of chicken. She stepped close enough she could smell him. “What if I like sheriff? I like a man being in charge.”

His nostrils flared. His eyelids fell. “Careful, chère…”

“Am I really that hard to resist?” DiDi lifted her chin.

He didn’t answer, but his gaze fell to her mouth.

DiDi knew she’d roll her eyes if a character in her book licked her lips at a time like this, but she couldn’t resist the tease. She stroked her bottom lip, wetting it and watching Mason’s eyes narrow further, homing in on the simple little motion.

“You like playin’ with fire?” he muttered, his voice guttural.

“I’m not playin’.”

His eyes were shadowed, a touch sinister and frightening.

She couldn’t have said why, but she wanted to rattle him. Answer his challenge with one of her own. DiDi leaned into Mason, pressing the hand not holding the soda against his chest and rising on her toes. When her mouth approached, she saw his lips part.

But he held still, watching her with that dark, steady gaze.

She placed her lips against his and rubbed, and then did it again when he still didn’t move. Pulling back, she gave him a slight glare. His expression hadn’t changed, but that didn’t defeat her. No way could she be this hot if he wasn’t returning some of the heat.

Plus, he hadn’t warned her away with a word or a gesture, hadn’t moved back either. Not exactly a no.

Angling a hand backwards, she set the soda on the windowsill and reached up to clutch his shoulders, pushed her chest against his, snuggling closer, and kissed him again.

His hands curled gently around her waist.

Her heart sped up, her body melted. She pressed her lips harder.

However, Mason pushed her away…but his fingers didn’t let her go.

Rather than reach for him again, DiDi curved her fingers into her palms. She’d never thrown herself at a man like that, without an ounce of encouragement. Feeling like a fool, she pushed at his hands. “Don’t worry,” she said, unable to hold his steady stare now that she’d humiliated herself. “I promise I won’t attack you again.”

“DiDi.”

“What?” she snapped, lifting her face, hoping to salvage her pride.

“Dammit.” His lips slammed on top of hers. His hands let go of her waist and glided around her back, pulling her against him. And then he was walking her backward, pushing her against her door while he devoured her mouth.

DiDi thought she’d been ready for his kiss. Ready for whatever he’d bring, but under the onslaught, her head swam, her knees weakened. She locked her fingers behind his neck.

Scents intensified—the smell of thick, green forest, the exhaust of his car, his aftershave, the unique smell of his masculine musk.

Sounds—an indistinct hum before—returned, becoming louder. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked. The wind sifted through the trees, rustling leaves and creaking branches. And his heartbeat grew loud enough, insistent enough, her own matched its beat.

And God, the lush, wet thrill of that kiss! His mouth was hard, his tongue sinfully fluid, sliding along hers then tangling and twisting until she had to suck on it to keep him still and savor the sensual connection.

DiDi felt as though she drowned in a perfect moment, falling deeply into lust, her body shivering and bending toward him.

Mason broke the kiss. His gaze raked her face; his jaw tightened. “Better get inside an’ lock that door, chère.”

“And if I don’t want to?” she asked breathlessly, looking deep into his dark eyes.

“Gimme your key.”

Relief made her knees shake. He’s coming inside. She dug into her pocket for the key card and handed it over. He swiped the key and pulled down the latch next to her hip. Then he tossed the key toward the bed behind her and grasped her waist.

DiDi began to reach up to enfold him in her arms—

Scowling, Mason pushed her backward and closed the door in her face.

“Fuck,” she whispered. That had never happened before.

Wild Horses Puzzle and a Live Chat!

If you’re snowbound today, you might be looking for ways to while away your time. Do you love puzzles? Well, I had that gorgeous photograph on my blog yesterday and thought what a lovely jigsaw puzzle it would make…

If you’re game to play, just start moving the pieces!

And if you’re still looking for something fun to do later today, come join me at 2 PM Central Time for the Romance Readers Author Takeover. Again, just click on the picture, click on “Going”—and you’re there! You’ll be entertained, get free stuff, enter contests for more free stuff… Hope to see you there!

A S*E*X*Y Excerpt–and Two Hot Books!

Dear Readers and Friends,

Snow’s falling here in central Arkansas! It’s a rare thing, and we’ve got less than an inch, but schools and businesses are already closing. I know, I know. Those of you who know what real snow looks like are snickering, but folks here don’t know how to drive in the stuff!

Do you love the photo above? Horses pounding a light snow. Well, I am going to tell you about a Western that’s coming out soon, but there won’t be a hint of snow in it—the story’s hot as hell.

I have two stories up for pre-order at the moment. I’d love for you to peruse the covers and the descriptions. There’s an excerpt below from my sexy cowboy story. Enjoy!

And for those of you suffering through the harsh winter storm—stay safe! Stay inside if you can. Bundle up, drink some cocoa, and read a really naughty book. wink

Ride a Texas Cowboy

Coming January 24, 2017

Katelyn Carter came to rural Texas to lick her wounds and start over after her failed marriage, but a sexy young cowboy seems determined to show her that love is still in the cards for this single librarian.

Sheriff’s deputy Daniel Bodine answers a 911 call to remove a rattlesnake from his new neighbor’s bedroom. What he finds is an embarrassed Katelyn, dressed in little more than her pretty pink blushes. One little omission later, and he’s working for the lady as her handyman.

Burned once by a man, Katelyn fights her growing attraction but finds Daniel more temptation than she can resist. When he shows her he knows his way around a woman’s body as well as he does a hammer and a saw, she takes a walk on the nasty side, vainly hoping she can keep her heart free of entanglement.

Pre-order your copy here!

NOTE: This story was released many moons ago (2006) as “Ride a Cowboy” but has since been revised! Yes! I’ve been writing cowboys for quite a while…

Hard SEAL to Love

Coming February 7, 2017!

Former SEAL, “Big Mac” McLane, is sure he earned all kinds of bad karma somewhere when his first mission with Charter Group is guarding the “Love Boat” and its activity director. Okay, so the cruise line is sponsoring a special cruise for wounded soldiers and their families–a great cause–but Big Mac doesn’t do well around families and children, and Kylie Hammond is cute, but he feels like he has two left feet whenever she’s around. But he’s going to do his job, keep it strictly business, fade into the background whenever she’s around, but it seems Kylie has other ideas…

Kylie knows the big SEAL isn’t exactly gung-ho for his new assignment, but she can’t be more pleased. The big man’s the yummiest thing she’s ever seen, and coaxing blushes and glares from him becomes her favorite sport. But then things begin to go wrong aboard ship, people disappear, and then someone’s killed. The thing her charity most feared–a terrorist attack at sea–appears to be underway. Now, she has to trust Big Mac and his team to keep her wounded soldiers safe.

Pre-order your copy here!

Excerpt from Ride a Texas Cowboy

She studied his face. He was handsome, yes. But his gaze met hers directly. He didn’t push. He didn’t try to seduce her with honeyed words. She realized he was nothing like her husband. And she liked that little bit of uncertainty he betrayed. She wanted to say yes and see whether this gentle man was everything he seemed.

But would it be fair to Daniel? She should say no for more reasons than the obvious one. I should tell him now. But she demurred, not wanting to mention a name that would only make another’s presence tangible—her husband wasn’t a part of her life now. She wouldn’t let him be, ever again.

“Can’t we just go on the way we are?” she asked, feeling like a coward.

“And what way is that, Katelyn?” he asked softly.

“Just us.” Her hand settled on his arm and glided to his shoulder. “Just this.”

His jaw tightened, and he ducked his head. “You mean,” he said, his voice just as soft, but with a bite that raised the hairs on her arm, “I’m good enough to play with, but not to be seen with you in public?”

Shocked by the blunt words spoken so quietly, she shook her head and blurted, “We haven’t played yet.” Jesus, I just said that! She bolted to her feet.

His hand wrapped around her ankle, holding her in place. His expression was set, his eyes narrowing. “That’s right. We haven’t.” His hand slid up the inside of her leg. “Why wait? It’s what we both want.”

Inside, Katelyn screamed, That’s not what I meant! But she didn’t draw away when his fingers slipped beneath the edge of her cutoffs and stroked her pussy through her panties. Her mouth opened around a gasp as molten desire seeped to dampen the silky fabric.

“Want it here? In the sunlight?” he asked, rising to his knees on the top step. His fingers pushed aside the crotch of her underwear and traced the furrow between her labia.

Moisture pooled—in her eyes and between her legs. She didn’t want his anger, didn’t want anything to mar the beauty of the feelings growing secretly inside her. Didn’t he understand she was doing this for him? “I’m too old for you, Daniel,” she said, surprised by the quaver and the breathless quality of her own voice.

He leaned forward and hooked one hand around the back of one thigh, pulling her hips closer and glided his lips up the tender inside of her leg. “Looks like you’re old enough,” he murmured and sank a finger inside her cunt.

Her legs trembled, and she gripped his shoulders. “What will people think? I’m old enough to be your m—“

“Aunt?” He gently bit her skin. “Don’t stretch the truth.”

Her hands gripped his hair to bring him closer to the ache. “For God’s sake, I’m forty-one years old, Daniel.”

He paused, and his gaze lifted to sear hers. “I don’t give a fuck, Katelyn. I’m not exactly a boy.” Then he snaked his tongue beneath her shorts to lick at her sex.

Katelyn moaned and widened her legs. “This is wrong. You know it,” she said, swaying on her feet at the lazy strokes he plied her with. “I’m not what you need.”

He lapped her, the broad surface of his tongue skimming her lips, the tip insinuating between to tease her with glancing caresses that drove her crazy and had her squirming against him.

When he dragged himself away, his breaths were ragged. “You are everything I want,” he said, his voice fierce. His expression was set, his gaze unwavering.

She believed him. He meant it—now.

His hands gripped her upper thighs, his thumbs stroking beneath her clothing. He leaned into her crotch and mouthed her through the fabric, his steamy breath penetrating to heat her already molten core. “Jesus, Katelyn.” He groaned and pressed his face to her belly. “Take your pants off, ’cause I’m gonna eat you right here.”

The coarseness of his command and the hard grip of his hand thrilled her like nothing she’d ever experienced in her life. She stared at him, knowing that once again the pause was for her sake. He’d given her control.

She could deny him now—end this before she sank any deeper toward a love that might leave scars on both their hearts. Or she could take a chance.

Katelyn drew in a deep breath and looked out over her dusty, rugged front yard. She saw beyond the scrubby live oaks standing still as she was in a breezeless, sun-scorched day, to the sky as blue and wide-open as her possibilities—and reached for the button at the top of her cutoffs.