Margo Bond Collins's Blog, page 119
May 14, 2014
Cover Reveal: Struggles of the Women Folk, by T.M Brown
Genres:
African American fiction,
historical fiction,
women’s issues.
Themes :
family dynamics,
romance,
perseverance (sp)
Book Blurb
“Struggles of the Women Folk” is based on fictional characters created from stories my grandma shared with me when I was child. It is the story of Georgie, a young Black girl in the South during the 1940s. I hope that you can appreciate her pain, suffering and betrayal as you travel with her on highs and lows you won’t anticipate. This is the story of the power of a woman’s courage, love, strength and faith that exists within each and every one us, whether we know it or not..
Excerpt:
Sissy knew she wasn’t pretty, cuz erbody told her so! She had all dem black features that erbody thought was ugly: dark skin, short nappy hair, big eyes, big lips, huge breast and a big butt. None of that mattered to me, cuz she was not just my cousin; she was my best friend.
Her momma and mine couldn’t stand each other, but we didn’t care.
We’d been friends for as long as I could remember. Every day, we walked the five miles to the little shack we called skool, carrying our books and lunch pails. Momma would always have something special in my pail. There would be bread, cheese, jelly and sometimes even a slice of homemade cake. Sissy never had anything good. Most times, she only had a piece of bread or some leftover salt pork.
“Ain’t got no money to be spending on some ugly thang like you,” her momma would say. Her momma hated her. Folks say it was because she didn’t know who Sissy’s daddy was. Her momma was walking home one night when some men jumped her in the woods and made her ‘with child’. That’s what the folks called it in 1944. No one used words like pregnant, at least, not the good girls.
Get it now on:
Connect with the author:
Website: http://www.authortmbrown.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TbrownM
Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/inbox/messages/received?trk=nav_utilities_inbox
Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4197635.T_M_Brown/blog
Fabulosity Reads Book Promotions is a book touring website that promotes authors and their precious works to an extensive audience using blogs, twitter, Facebook and other Social Media, with the aim of introducing them to an appreciative readership.
They offer a diverse range of both complimentary and affordable products to help the reach of your book go that much further.
Spotlight On: The Wild Hunt by Ron C. Nieto
The Wild Hunt – Cover/Excerpt/Trailer Reveal
By Ron C. Nieto
Mature YA Paranormal
Date Published: May 29, 2014
Magic still lingers in the mist-covered corners of the world, wherever the Old Ways are remembered. However, as civilization and reason scoff at the Fair Folk, the paths to power have been forgotten by all but a few.
Lily Boyd was meant to become a faerie doctor, a warden of humans and a keeper of balance, until disbelief and pragmatism led her away from the hidden world and into a mundane life. But truth has a way to be Heard and she will be forced to face it if she wants to save her family.
Armed with nothing but her childhood memories and protected by a debt of gratitude she doesn’t understand, Lily must decide who to trust while she navigates a world that is darker and more twisted than she is prepared for.
And should she make the wrong choice, should she mistake friend and foe… the eternal balance between the Faerie Courts may shatter, and then there will be more than Lily’s life on the line.
EXCERPT
Lily woke. She didn’t have any recollection of falling asleep or passing out, but when she opened her eyes, the cottage was no longer in sight and she was no longer riding.
A dream? She stirred and a jolt of pain traveled her body.
“I would ask you not to do that,” the level voice of the stranger said somewhere behind her. “I took great pains to close your wounds and I dislike working in vain.”
Lily moved her arm ever so slightly, just enough to glimpse her hand. In the dim light, it looked covered in a mud-like paste and wrapped in rough cloth. A doctor would fret at the possible infection, and it did feel numb, but after the attack and the overwhelming events, numb was too much of a blessing to complain.
“Where am I?” she asked instead.
“Someplace safe.” He walked around and crouched in front of her, close enough for her bleary eyes to make out his features and study him. His coal black hair was wet and slicked back. Occasional droplets of water fell down his brow, running down the side of his face and neck. He had delicate eyebrows, a well-defined jaw and sharp cheekbones that gave his angular face a striking, atemporal beauty. His thin lips were smirking.
“Who are you?” Lily pressed on, fighting a sudden urge to crawl back and put some distance between them.
“A friend. The question is, dear girl”—his eyes caught the scant light and glinted, the luminescent green of lichen—“who you are. What is your name?”
“Lily,” she said. He canted his head, eyes narrowed in thought, and after a moment she added, “Lily Boyd.”
That startled a laugh out of him. He rocked forth on the balls of his feet, his crouch bringing him too close, breaking all illusions of personal space. She caught sight of his tongue, darting out to wet his lips.
“Such delicious naivete,” he said. “It truly is, is it not? Lily Boyd.” Her name rolled off his mouth, languid and sensuous, and she felt a chilling tingle down her spine. He watched her reaction and nodded, satisfied, before sitting back to give her a little more room.
“What’s yours?” she asked, trying to shake the odd sensation.
“Why are you wearing that piece of jewelry?” he asked in turn, pointing to her neck with a long, delicate finger.
On reflex, her hand went up to grab the silver charms and the movement sent another flash of pain through her arm. She gritted her teeth through the worst of it.
“It’s a gift. From my grandma,” she said when she could form words again. “Why?”
“Who is your grandmother?”
“You saved me from her house. Why were you there, anyway?”
“Such inquisitive mind.” He offered another smirk and reached out to touch the pendant around her neck. “So you are the faerie doctor’s blood, then. Giving you her protection is much like her, yes.”
“You’re not… I’m not following you.” Lily sighed, letting her head roll back and closing her eyes. Her head had begun to pound. “And you haven’t told me your name yet.”
“And I won’t.” He laughed. “But you may call me Troy if you must.”
About the Author:
Ron C. Nieto is a fantasy and romance author who has been writing in her secluded fortress for the longest time. Recently, she had a talk with her cat and decided that she should share her creations, because it was selfish to hoard them all for herself.
Author Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Pinterest | Goodreads
May 13, 2014
Cover Reveal: Chasing Love’s Wings by Zoey Derrick
Title: Chasing Love’s Wings
Author: Zoey Derrick
Series: Love’s Wings (#2)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 27 2014
Formats: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Everything in Cameron Enders’ life feels like a dream since she took a trip to a remote island where she met Tristan Michaels, Hollywood’s hottest man. Tristan never imagined that his get-away vacation would change his life and his heart.
But everything isn’t perfect in paradise once Cameron and Tristan return to Phoenix. When Cami discovers a dark secret, her dream becomes a living nightmare. She slips back into old habits, turning to alcohol to hide her pain. As the woman he loves becomes more a stranger by the day, Tristan’s world is rocked again. He’s a helpless witness to Cami’s self-destructive cycle – until she pushes too far, testing the limits of his love. Their love is far from perfect, but he will stop at nothing, chasing it all until she has everything she deserves.
Cami’s withdrawal could strengthen or destroy everything she hopes to have with Tristan. Can Cami trust him enough to give him everything or will she cling to her secrets and their pain, tearing them apart forever?
Amazon Best Selling Angels, Demons & Devils and
Paranormal Author of Give Me Reason – The Reason Series Book One comes from
Glendale, Arizona. Zoey, was a mortgage underwriter by day and is now a
paranormal, romance and erotica novelist full-time. She writes stories as hot
as the desert sun itself. It is this passion that drips off of her work,
bringing excitement to anyone who enjoys a good and sensual love story.
Not only does she aim to take her readers on an erotic dance
that lasts the night, it allows her to empty her mind of stories we all wish
were true.
Book Hooks: Meeting Mason in FAIRY, TEXAS
Welcome to the Book Hooks Weekly Meme stop for Fairy, Texas! Check out the excerpt below, then HOP to the other stops!
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Meeting Mason
I was partnered with Mason Collier, the infamous football-playing, cute, but possibly black-magicky friend-of-Bartlef I’d heard about at lunch. I looked around and saw a guy waving at me from across the room. He was looking at me kind of like he was hungry and maybe I was breakfast. It worried me.
We stood up at the same time and walked toward each other. I was so busy making sure I didn’t trip over any desks that I didn’t see Kayla headed toward me until she was right in front of me. And then she leaned in close to my face and hissed at me. “Don’t get too cozy. He’s way out of your league.”
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Blurb:
Fairy, Texas. A small town like any other.
Laney Harris didn’t want to live there. When her mother remarried and moved them to a town where a date meant hanging out at the Sonic, Laney figured that “boring” would have a whole new meaning. A new stepsister who despised her and a high school where she was the only topic of gossip were bad enough. But when she met the school counselor (and his terminal bad breath), she grew suspicious. Especially since he had wings that only she could see. And then there were Josh and Mason, two gorgeous glimmering-eyed classmates whose interest in her might not be for the reasons she hoped. Not to mention that dead guy she nearly tripped over in gym class.
She was right. Boring took on an entirely new dimension in Fairy, Texas.
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Buy Fairy, Texas
Join The Vampirarchy!
Hi, everyone! I’ve started a street team for my books on FB. Here’s how it works: anyone on the street team can get an early look at books I’m working on, a sneak peek at new covers, extra-nifty book swag, prizes, and the like. :)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vampirarchy/
Wicked Nights Blog Hop!
I love the blog hops sponsored by Anna’s Herding Cats & Burning Soup because they give me a chance to share my love of romance novels! Recently, I’ve been giving away new releases from Entangled, so I think I’ll keep that up for one more round.
So before you go, tell me what kind of romance novel you love best–what kind of Wicked Night book would you choose if you won?
Then HOP to the rest of the entries and enter to win there, too!
And finally, don’t forget to enter to win the grand prize, as well!
__________________________
Enter to Win a New Release from Entangled Publishing
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDc2NDEyMTFiMWVhMDg4MzE4NzZlNDdkNjZhMTgxOjQw/
__________________________
__________________________
Enter to Win the Grand Prize:
Entry-Form
May 12, 2014
Spotlight On: Shift Happens + Giveaway
SHE NEEDS TO CLEAR HER NAME. HE NEEDS TO CHAPERONE. CAN THEY KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL?
Blurb:
Andrea McNeilly’s job as a government agent is not asking questions, but then a routine assignment turns into a botched assassination of a Master Vampire’s human servant. Answers become a priority. Her search to discover the truth is riddled with obstacles, the largest being an oversized Werewolf who resembles a Norse god. Andy can’t afford the distraction he offers, because if she fails, she faces eternal enslavement.
Wick’s job is to monitor Andy, but he prefers more intimate activities, none of them G-Rated. His choices, however, are often not his own. His ability to help Andy is limited by his bond to the Master Vampire.
Facing many trials and challenges along her path to redemption, Andy learns the value of her freedom might be set too high.
Trailer:
Excerpt:
A large black wolf trotted into the clearing to confront me. He had a white-tipped snout, white boots and mitts and would have looked cute had he not been the most intimidating Werewolf I’d ever seen. Standing tall and solid, power rolled off of his body. His eyes bore into mine. I sniffed the air. The strong Werewolf scent of rosemary swirled around me, strong and seductive, laced with sugar. A weird fuzzy sensation spread out from my chest. Whoa.
Alpha.
My other form growled low, demanding release, straining against my skin. The energy of the wolves built—layers upon layers of excitement and impatience. The air pulsated with anticipation. They could sense the imminent kill.
Let me out! My other form repeated, throwing her power against my built up walls, howling in defiance.
When the energy of the Werewolves surged, I finally released her. My wolf form flowed out fast, wiping out the feline in little more than a heartbeat. Smaller, weaker and the size of a natural wolf, a Shifter in this form was no match for a Werewolf, especially a dominant one. I had time to meet the eyes of the Alpha for only an instant before the pack leapt forward. My limbs shook. It went against every instinct ingrained within me, but I rolled onto my back—submissive.
Buy Links:
Available in print and all other electronic formats on July 16th, 2014
Amazon.com – http://ow.ly/v1zuV
Amazon.ca – http://ow.ly/vbANV
Amazon.co.uk – http://ow.ly/vbAWV
Amazon.com.au – http://ow.ly/vbB17
Available in print and all other electronic formats on July 16th, 2014
About the Author:
Born and raised on the Haida Gwaii, off the West Coast of Canada, J.C. McKenzie grew up in a pristine wilderness that inspired her to dream. She writes Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.
Contact Information:
Website: http://www.jcmckenzie.ca
Blog: http://www.jcmckenzie.blogspot.ca
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/j.c.mckenzie.author
Twitter Page: http://www.twitter.com/JC_McKenzie
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/jcmckenzie
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JCMcKenzie
ENTER TO WIN
Spotlight On: Wonderfully Wicked, by C. J. Burright
Wonderfully Wicked
Release Date: 05/13/14
A dreamcaster with the ability to channel creatures from her nightmares, headstrong and cynical Kalila Montgomery longs for a peaceful, picket-fence life…until the man literally of her dreams kidnaps her. Survival quickly becomes her number one goal, yet a growing attraction to the man in her nightmares is impossible to ignore. While she fears he will kill her, other, more terrifying enemies surround her, and Kalila succumbs to his scheme to escape. She may be his one hope for freedom…A deadly combination of power, cunning, and cold-hearted charm, Lydon v’al Endrian fears nothing. Feels nothing.
About the Author
She started writing fantasy and paranormal romance for the cathartic experience, decided she liked it, and after two overlong, horribly written novels joined RWA and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal special interest chapter. Best classes and critique groups ever. Double doomed. Now, writing is a necessity, not just a hobby.
WONDERFULLY WICKED is CJ’s Burright’s first novel.
What’s Your Character Reading? A Guest Post by Sarah Tregay, Author of Love and Leftovers
Guest Post: What is your character reading?
Throughout Love and Leftovers, Marcie, leaves hints about what she has been reading. Marcie is on a quest for love and acceptance—despite her parent’s current relationship troubles—and some of her reading choices are little side trips in her journey.
Early on, she finds comfort—and answers—in the happy endings of the romance novels that her Aunt Greta leaves behind at the summerhouse, even though her mother doesn’t approve. (Her mom is both a feminist and an author who doesn’t think much of genre fiction.)
Other reads on Marcie’s nightstand are Sonya Sones’s verse novel, What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know; Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl series; Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon; and classics like Charlotte Brontë’s Jayne Eyre and Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. There’s a little Shakespeare left over from English class. Sam, the Goth girl at Oyster River High School, also loves classic literature and can’t live without Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Marcie’s haphazard pile of books on her nightstand mirrors the types of books I read when I was sixteen—books my mom thought were good, YA reads, and classics I read to impress my English teacher.
Love and Leftovers
by Sarah Tregay
Paperback Re-Release:
05/13/14
Katherine Tegen Books
Summary from Goodreads:
My wish is to
fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy love.
(If only it were that easy.)
When her parents split, Marcie is
dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind
her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her
emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. By the time Labor Day rolls around,
Marcie suspects this “vacation” has become permanent. She starts at a
new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.
But understanding love, especially
when you’ve watched your parents’ affections end, is elusive. What does it feel
like, really? Can you even know it until you’ve lost it?
Available from:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Book Depository
About the Author
Raised without
television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she
had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but
never did make it to the adult section. When she’s not jotting down poems at
stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her “little sister”
from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband,
two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, Fan Art,
will be released in June.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
Win a signed paperback copy of Love
and Leftovers and a guitar-pick necklace. (USA and Canada)
May 11, 2014
Hunger by Felicity Heaton + Giveaway
Hunger, the latest book in Felicity Heaton’s vampire romance series, Vampires Realm, is now available in ebook and paperback. To celebrate the release, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY at her website.
Find out how to enter the Hunger international giveaway (ends May 18th) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website, where you can also download a 6 chapter sample of the novel: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/hunger-vampire-romance-novel.php
Felicity is hosting a Facebook release party for Hunger on May 18th, so join her then for amazing giveaways, Q&A, teasers and more. All the details at: https://www.facebook.com/events/230938143763069/
Here’s more about Hunger, including an excerpt from this action-packed hot vampire romance novel.
Hunger (Vampires Realm Romance Series Book 8)
Felicity Heaton
Betrayed by one of her own and turned into a vampire, hunter Eve is consumed by her hunger for vengeance and has spent five years surviving hell, driven to take the life of the man she once loved. But just as she is about to close in on the hunter-turned-vampire, an event is set in motion that threatens to see him slip beyond her grasp forever—the leader of her bloodline has sent an escort to bring her to the family’s mansion. To a nest of the very creatures she once hunted and loathes.
A vampire assassin hardened by centuries of service, Tor is a man of discipline and loyalty, never straying from his mission or the rules set out for him, and has purged all his weaknesses, including his emotions.
But the moment he meets the broken, fiery female he is to escort to Oslo, something dangerous awakens in him, something possessive and powerful, and when he is pulled into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who betrayed her, Tor discovers he will do anything to protect the woman slowly claiming his heart and give her the vengeance she desires—even break all the rules.
Can Eve embrace her new vampire nature in order to have her revenge and find a reason to live again in Tor? Can Tor and Eve stop the man who betrayed her and the deaths of thousands of innocents? Or will he succeed in creating a new army of hybrid vampires who will rise up against the purebloods?
Hunger can be read out of order with the rest of the series and is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/hunger-vampire-romance-novel.php
Hunger – Excerpt
The hotel room smelled musty. Or that might be her. Her clothes were soaked and sticking to her skin. Tor reappeared from the bathroom and handed her a white towel robe. Eve thanked him with a smile that fell away when he turned his back on her and the scent of his blood grew stronger, thicker in the air, a tangy coppery smell that called to her.
“You’re injured.” She took a step towards him without thinking and he swung back to face her.
“It’s nothing. Just a little shrapnel.” He reached over behind him and tugged his ruined black sweatshirt off over his head. A brief tantalising flash of toned stomach muscles caught her breath in her throat before his black t-shirt fell back down to cover them. He tossed the sweatshirt and nodded towards her. “Change into that. It will make you feel better.”
Eve looked down at the robe she clutched, shame spreading through her. At times like this, she was almost glad she was a vampire and couldn’t blush. It wasn’t the thought of changing in front of Tor that would have had her cheeks heating. It was how pathetic she had been back at the airport.
She had lost it.
It was all coming back to her now in startling colour and detail. She had fallen apart while Tor had been the picture of calm and efficiency, his reactions incredible as he had swept her up against his hard, powerful body and sheltered her from the blast. If he hadn’t been there, she would have been toast.
Then, he had carried her like some knight in shining armour into the safety of the darkness and had tended to her, and all the while she had mumbled stupid stuff like a damsel in distress. She groaned internally at the way she had presented herself. When piled on top of how she had been when Tor had swept into the club and quickly dispatched her attackers for her, it made her want to bury her head in the robe and never come out again.
No doubt Tor thought she was one of those women who needed constant protection, a man on hand to do her battles for her and keep her safe.
She had kept herself safe for twenty-five years without the help of a man.
Death had torn apart the woman she had been, stripping away her strength, throwing her into turmoil. She had become the sort of weak and pathetic woman that had annoyed her when she had been a hunter.
Eve resisted sagging onto the bed and burrowing into the white robe.
She really had to man up.
Tor had offered her the shot at revenge she wanted and she was going to take it.
She was going to pull herself together and show him that she was a hunter born and bred, just as he was.
Eve turned her back on him, set the towel down on the double bed in front of her, and stripped off her jacket. When she pulled her t-shirt up, revealing her back, Tor uttered something in his foreign tongue. She shivered as his gaze ran down her spine, heating her skin, and frowned as his eyes left her. A chivalrous man? She hadn’t figured him for that type.
His boots shuffled on the taupe carpet and she continued to remove her wet things. She kicked her own boots off, struggled to get her jeans down her legs, and even pulled off her socks. She left her underwear on. A flimsy piece of protection she couldn’t quite bring herself to shed, not even when she was certain that he had turned his back to give her some privacy.
Eve donned the white robe, tied the belt around her waist and moved to face Tor.
He had turned his back. He stood facing the bathroom and her gaze immediately catalogued all the cuts in his black t-shirt. She walked forwards, her bare feet silent on the carpet, and reached towards a short gash on his right arm.
Tor tensed the moment her fingers made contact, his muscles flexing in response to her touch. She bravely ventured onwards, running her fingers down the line of the cut, one on either side of the angry wound.
“How many have metal in them?” she said and scanned his back for the worst. It was hard to tell with his t-shirt concealing them. “You’re going to have to let me take a look.”
He didn’t argue or hesitate. He grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it off, dropping it on the floor at their feet.
Eve sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of his muscular back, and not because of all the places where pieces of the jet had struck him. There were so many scars.
She absently raised a hand and ghosted it over the thick ragged scar on his right shoulder. It cut down from the delicious dip in his muscles beside his deltoid, as wide as two of her fingers together, and tapered to a point just beneath his shoulder blade, close to his armpit.
“The hunter did this?” She didn’t need to ask to know, but it felt too intimate standing like this with him, touching him in silence.
He nodded.
Eve moved a step back and assessed the new wounds, shutting out all the scars that littered his back, even the thick circular ones that sickened her. Someone had made him acquainted with holy wood and more than once. She counted at least five points where he had been stabbed with stakes and burned by them.
She shut them out, not wanting to wonder whether the same hunter who had attempted to take his arm and his life had done this grim work on him.
“You’re going to bleed when I pull these fragments out.” Eve touched one and expected him to hiss as she felt the metal buried in his flesh beneath his skin.
He didn’t make a sound. He didn’t even tense.
“You do not need to. My body will reject them.” He stepped away from her and pinned her with his cold blue eyes, no flicker of emotion in them.
“In days maybe… why live with them for days?” She searched his pale eyes but they didn’t answer her and neither did he.
Tor turned away from her and she wasn’t having any of it. She grabbed his wrist and he paused and looked down at her hand on him. His pale blond eyebrows drew down, narrowing his eyes. She wasn’t going to release him so his veiled threat was pointless.
“Why?” She wouldn’t ask him again. He had to have a reason. No hunter, no matter how hardened they were to pain, lived with something they could easily fix with another’s assistance. It was madness. The metal had every chance of burrowing deeper before his body began to heal, pushing it out. The process would be painful and drawn out over days.
Madness.
Tor lifted his icy gaze to meet hers. “It’s not your place.”
He tugged his arm free of her grip and walked into the bathroom. If he thought they were done on the subject, he was sorely mistaken.
Eve followed him into the white tiled room, avoiding the huge mirror hanging above the vanity unit in front of her. She turned to her left, towards Tor, and her eyes widened as he shoved his black jeans down, shamelessly revealing his bare backside.
Eve swiftly spun on her heel, giving him her back.
She searched for something to say and her eyes fell on the small, rather atrocious, bathroom supplies offered by the hotel. Nothing more than some shampoo and shower gel. No vanity pack. She went back into the bedroom, unzipped her bag, and pulled out her small shiny red satin bag that contained her scant pieces of make-up and other beauty items. She took out her tweezers, dumped her stuff on the bed and went back to the bathroom door.
Tor growled something dark and grunted.
Eve steeled herself, preparing for the sight of him, and then stepped inside. She frowned at him. He stood with one hand braced on the vanity and the other reaching under that arm, fingers digging in a wound on his back. Blood smeared around the wound and rolled down his fingers, dripping on the floor, leaving a stark crimson splatter on the white tiles.
“God almighty… will you stop? You’re making it worse.” She grabbed his hand and shoved it away.
He snarled at her and her heart leaped into her throat.
“I thought you were just going to let your body push the fragments out?” she snapped and ignored his answering growl. She felt the warning in that one. Her vampire instincts knew he had threatened her and meant to keep her away from him.
Eve didn’t give a damn.
She didn’t care that it wasn’t her place to help him, whatever that crap meant.
All she cared about was getting the pieces of metal out of his flesh in the least painful way and seeing he healed.
She shoved him in the shoulder. “Face forwards and shut up.”
Surprisingly, he did as ordered. Eve went to work on his back, feeling each wound and then using the tweezers to remove the metal if there was any embedded in it. She dropped each shard into a glass on the counter beside her and had filled the bottom of it before she had covered half of his back.
She couldn’t believe he had been willing to live with so many sharp pieces of metal in his skin.
“Tor?” she whispered as she carefully tugged another sliver free of his flesh and dropped it into the glass. “What did you mean by it isn’t my place? I get that you work alone… I understand what it’s like… but why refuse help?”
He lowered his head and braced his hands against the counter in front of him.
Eve worked lower and her gaze dropped to his bare backside and the twin delicious dimples above it. She dragged her eyes back up, trying to get control of herself. He had been kind enough to give her some privacy when she had been changing. It was rude of her to ogle him when he was accepting her help. She felt as if she was taking advantage of him somehow.
“You shouldn’t touch me.”
She frowned at those low spoken words. “Why not?”
He turned his head slightly towards her, enough that she could see he had his eyes closed, his eyebrows drawn down above them. His shoulders tensed as she pulled a long shard out of his side and she mumbled an apology.
“Because it isn’t right,” he said and she wished he would tell her straight and stop dancing around the reason.
She pulled another piece of metal out, her actions rougher this time, her irritation getting the better of her. He hissed as he sucked in a breath and blood trickled down his back.
“Sorry,” Eve said, immediately regretting what she had done. Guilt swept through her and on its heels came an instinct she fought hard to deny.
She would not lick the blood or seal the wound for him.
She grabbed some tissue and pressed it to the wound instead, and closed her eyes, shutting out the sight of all the blood on his back. She struggled against her instincts, desperate to shut out the voice that tempted her into running her tongue over Tor’s back, capturing every stray drop of his strong blood. She wanted it. She needed it.
She had to take it.
Tor wouldn’t argue.
He wouldn’t deny her. He would let her crawl up his magnificent body and sink her fangs into his throat, drinking deep of his blood. He would enjoy it.
Welcome it.
Eve turned away and shoved her palms against the cool wall tiles as her head spun, the sudden onslaught of dizziness threatening to sweep the ground out from under her and take her down to her knees.
Tor’s strong hand caught her upper arm. “Eve?”
The sound of her name in his deep accented voice sent heat rolling through her and caused her trembling to increase. Her knees turned to jelly, too weak to support her weight. His other hand clamped down on her side and he lifted her. The spinning in her head worsened and she gasped as her backside hit something hard beneath her.
“Eve?” Tor’s hands grasped her shoulders and he held her steady, and she wished she could find her voice to thank him for it. She clutched his biceps, holding herself upright on the counter of the vanity unit. “Eve?”
She nodded to let him know that she was beginning to feel better. The hunger was passing. She was winning.
She sucked in a deep breath and held it in her lungs, trying to shatter the final threads of the hunger’s hold on her.
“You need blood.” He released her arms.
Eve tightened her grip on him, fear bringing her claws out. She pressed them into his flesh, desperate for him to stay, unwilling to let him move. She couldn’t let him go for blood. She couldn’t. He wouldn’t understand.
“I’m fine.” She pushed the words out, trying to sound normal, sure that he hadn’t heard the wobble in her voice. “I think this whole evening has taken its toll on me.”
Eve risked opening her eyes and meeting his.
The ice glittering in them said he wanted to call her on her lie, that he knew she needed blood and hadn’t fed recently.
He stepped back instead and Eve quickly averted her gaze when his actions gave her a dazzling reminder that he was naked.
_________________
Hunger can be read out of order with the rest of the series and is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback.
Find all the links, a fantastic 6 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also how to enter the giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/hunger-vampire-romance-novel.php
Books in the Vampires Realm paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Prophecy: Child of Light
Book 2: Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea
Book 3: Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising
Book 3.1: Spellbound
Book 3.5: Reunion
Book 4: Seventh Circle
Book 5: Winter’s Kiss
Book 6: Hunter’s Moon
Book 7: Masquerade
Book 8: Hunger
About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton is a USA Today and international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!
If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton
Mailing List: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/newsletter.php
