Visit my Website for all the blurbs, excerpts and news!!

Visit my Website for all the blurbs, excerpts and news!!
Visit my Website for all the blurbs, excerpts and news!!

Friday 24 November 2017

New Release - Nicola M. Cameron - Lady of Thorns



Hello, Katherine, and thanks so much for having me on today! Lady of Thorns is the third book in a series that was never supposed to be a series. I’ve been describing it as “Lady Mary from Downton Abbey goes head to head with Alan Shore from Boston Legal—and hijinks ensue!” While I’ve resigned DanaĆ« and Matthias to the background for now, fear not, MattaĆ« fans—book four will run in parallel to the events of Lady of Thorns and covers what happens when Matthias arrives in Hellas for his first official visit after the wedding.

In the meantime I do hope you enjoy the story of Amelie and Alain, and I can promise that they’ll make another appearance down the line as I now know where I’m going with this series. All I will say about that is: buckle up, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Mwahahahaha…





Love was never supposed to be part of the deal…

Lady Amelie de Clerq’s prickly demeanor and earth mage abilities have earned her the nickname “Lady of Thorns,” keeping potential suitors at bay and making her the butt of the nobility’s jokes. Determined to attract a husband who will love her for herself rather than her fortune, she decides to embark on a journey of sensual self-discovery.

Alain LaPorte, wily lawyer and toast of the capital’s social set, has been summoned to Lierdhe to oversee business negotiations with a neighboring earl. When Amelie asks Alain to tutor her in the bedroom arts, he agrees to introduce the virgin mage to pleasure. But lessons in lovemaking soon turn into a matter of the heart, forcing both Amelie and Alain to confront their fears about intimacy, loyalty, and love.



BUY LINKS:



EXCERPT

LaPorte returned with two goblets of wine and handed her one, the deep garnet of the liquid lit with reflected fire from the candlelight. “I’m glad you came. I must admit, I was afraid you’d changed your mind.”

Amelie took a deep sip, hoping the cool, tart wine would help soothe her nerves. “I had to persuade my maid that I didn’t require help getting ready for bed.” As it was, she wasn’t sure that she’d convinced Jeanette with her excuse that she planning on going back down to her office. “I apologize if I kept you waiting.”

“No apologies necessary.” He showed her to a pair of chairs set on either side of the fireplace and sat down. “You look lovely.”

She plucked at the light blue wool of her gown, wishing she had worn something more alluring, or at least with a lower neckline. Her mother’s closet was full of silky, clingy dresses with daring necklines, and she would have given a great deal to rummage through them. Instead, I come to him dressed like some awkward girl.

Which I suppose I am. “Thank you. You look very handsome.”

He smiled at that. “Thank you, my lady.”

A silence fell after that. She fidgeted with the goblet, wishing she didn’t feel like such a fool. The weight of his attention was tangible, causing her stomach to flutter. “I don’t know what to say now,” she confessed.

“You don’t have to say anything. Drink your wine and let me look at you.”

Her mouth dried again at that and she took a quick sip from her goblet. “I’m sorry about the plainness of my gown. I’m afraid I don’t have anything appropriate to wear to—” A seduction. “—something like this.”

His lips quirked at that. “I asked you to leave what you had on because I liked it. Pretty gowns make for lovely gift wrapping, true, but it all comes off in the end anyway. Besides, there’s a certain appeal to a gown such as yours.”

“I don’t see what that could be,” she muttered into her goblet.

“It’s what it represents. Youth, innocence, an unknown territory ripe to be explored. I suspect it’s the reason why so many men have a fondness for deflowering virgins—they relish being the first man a woman has known intimately.”

She tried to lock the question behind her jaws, but it popped out. “Do you like that?”

“Deflowering virgins?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

She slouched lower in her chair. “Oh.”

He held up a hand. “Not to say that I have anything against it, mind you. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. But I don’t fetishize it to the degree that other men do. I see it more as a starting point on a very pleasant journey.”

She hadn’t thought of it that way. “And you don’t think less of me for my request?”

“Not at all, my lady. You know what you want, and you wish an experienced tutor to help you achieve it. It’s all quite reasonable to me.” He settled in his chair, sipping his wine. “As I’m playing tutor to you in this area, are there any questions you wish to ask me?”

There were, actually. “Will it hurt much?”

“It shouldn’t. If I make sure you’re aroused and open first, you should be able to take me without discomfort.”

Take him. Those simple words set warmth rolling through her lower belly. “So, no gushing blood or rending pain, then.”

He rolled his eyes. “That might be the case if a maid beds a huge brute of a man who’s only interested in his own pleasure. But that won’t be the case with you, I can assure you. I’m confident enough in my ability to couch a lance without causing you harm.”

Even if there would be pain, she was prepared to bear it for the promise of pleasure afterwards. She wondered how many women he’d taken to bed, but found she didn’t want to know the answer. “How do we do this? Go from sitting here to naked and in bed?”
  
Alain studied her, then drained his goblet. “Like this, my lady.”




Fantasy Romance, Erotic Romance, MF
Word Count: 75,000
Series: Two Thrones (Book Three)
Heat Level 4
Published by Belaurient Press
ISBN: 978-1-53-783376-7





ABOUT NICOLA:

Nicola Cameron is an expatriate Chicagoan who has lived in England, Canada, Holland, and Sweden, and keeps a confusing amalgamation of languages in her head as a result. Currently located in the clavicle of Texas, she has finally mastered the proper use of "y'all," much to her Chicago family's dismay.

Despite a healthy interest in sex since puberty, it wasn't until 2012 that Nicola decided to try writing about it. As it turned out, the skills she picked up during her SF writing career transferred rather nicely to erotic romance. When not writing, she wrangles cats, smooches her husband, makes dolls of dubious and questionable identity, and thanks almighty Cthulhu that she doesn’t have to work for a major telecommunications company any more (because there’s BDSM, and then there’s just plain torture...).

                                           

Tuesday 21 November 2017

New Release - Elyzabeth M. VaLey - Alpha's Alpha

I am always happy to have the lovely Elyzabeth M. VaLey over here at the Lair! Give a look to her newest release with Evernight Publishing!
I am delighted to learn about the music in the book, since music played such a major role in my own latest  release, Woman as a Foreign Language!
Enough yakking from me, I'll let Lyz do the talking now!  

" Dear Katherine, thank you for having me at your blog today!

I’m excited to share my latest release with you, Alpha’s Alpha (Moon Point 2). This story is a standalone of a brand new series which revolves around the shifter bar, Moon Point. If you’ve read Evernight Publishing’s Owned by the Alpha anthology, you’ll find the first story in the series there.
Most of the time when I’m writing I have some background music playing and that usually influences my writing in one way or another. Alpha’s Alpha wasn’t any different.
Spotify open, headphones on and hands on the keyboard I set to work. From the first moment, Lee’s and Alkaline’s story was mainly shaped around Maroon 5’s music, albeit with a few exceptions. Below is a short list of some of the songs which influenced the story and a little side note so you can see what part they touched the most.
I hope you enjoy it!
1.      Animals by Maroon 5 ~ Lee and Alkaline met and kissed for the first time when this song was playing in the background.

2.      Cold by Maroon 5 ~ When the men decided to walk away from each other, this is the song I kept replaying.

3.      It was always you by Maroon 5 ~ In what part of the story do you think I played this song?

4.      Dani California by Red hot Chili Peppers ~ This song is Moon Point’s unofficial anthem. Its drunken patrons love singing to it. It’s a fun song.

5.      Lost by Icon and the Black Roses ~ At certain moments of the story both characters felt, well, lost. It’s an emotional song.

How important is music for you? Do you like to listen to something while reading? Let me know in the comments!"







Lee never thought he’d find his mate at a club, but even less so, did he expect him to be, Alkaline, the leader of the mafia organization known as the Claws. If the lion shifter were not an alpha, things might be easier, but as it is, his mate is bent on keeping them apart. Not that it matters to Lee, he’ll hunt him down and make him his.

Alkaline doesn’t do sweet. Nor vulnerable. Nor submissive. So when his lion decides that his soulmate is an alpha puma, he refuses to accept it. After all, whoever heard of two alphas mating? However, resisting Lee is harder than he ever imagined.

With two men battling for dominance, who will end up on top? And will their romance survive the match? 



Excerpt:
 






The beat of the music made the floor vibrate. The strobe lights flashed, creating a maddening effect. Lee lifted his arms toward the ceiling, and swayed his hips. He mouthed the words to the popular song, allowing the rhythm to wash over him and obliterate any thoughts and worries he still carried from the long day at work.

The animal within him stirred. Tossing and turning, it gathered energy from the pulsing tones and climbed to the surface as if awakening from a long sleep. Lee’s blood pumped faster. His vision refocused, throwing everything into sharp contrast, from the shimmering contents of beverages in clear glasses, to the glittery eye makeup of a random stranger. The club smelled like sweat and alcohol. Bodies pressed together, swaying, moving. Glass shattered somewhere followed by a chorus of “Oh!” and loud laughter. All around, people enjoyed a night out, oblivious to anything more than what lay a few feet from them. Unaware of the hunter in their midst.

Lee licked his lips. His cock twitched. It’d been too long since he’d prowled the night for a bed companion. Focused on his work as manager of the shifter bar Moon Point, sometimes he forgot to have fun, to give into his baser instincts. Normally, he’d go home, relieve himself, and fall asleep until the next day. But he was a puma, a night prowler. And tonight, after he’d closed Moon Point, he knew driving to the countryside and going for a run wouldn’t be enough. He was restless, yearning for something more which he could only describe as the need for company, for the feel of skin against skin, for the gentle caress of caring hands, if only for a few hours.

It was time to hunt.

Lee glanced around and caught the eye of a handsome stud with dark, puppy eyes. He grinned. The stranger looked away, then back at him, a small smile playing on his lips.

Game on.

Swerving his hips, Lee started to make his way toward the man and stopped. The hint of a welcoming scent caressed his senses. A desert breeze mingled with rare wildflowers. A spark lit up his core, sending a shiver of excitement through him. The top of his ears tingled. Lee spun. His heart froze, then resurged, pounding frantically.

Alkaline.

He’d never been formally introduced to the lion shifter, but he knew him on sight. He had to. One didn’t manage a bar in one of the seediest neighborhoods of the city without knowing the local gangs. Besides, Alkaline wasn’t exactly easy to miss. At six-foot-five, with shoulder-length red-blond hair, a matching beard, and slightly tanned skin, he stood out wherever he went.

Lee watched him move. His cock twitched. There was nothing submissive about the male specimen coming in his direction, parting the crowd like some kind of god. Alkaline exuded power, force, and unbridled passion.

Their gazes locked and desire rushed through him. Hell, yes. This was just what he needed. A real challenge. Lee extended his hand and Alkaline took it. The lion pulled him close with a firm tug. Hand on his waist, Alkaline guided him to the music.

Lee sucked in his cheeks to keep from laughing. Hell would freeze over before he was the one following. He pushed back, forcing Alkaline to release him. Then, rolling forward, he placed his hands on Alkaline’s hips and took the lead.

The lion snarled. His amber eyes flashed a warning. Lee didn’t retreat. His cock thickened inside his jeans, rubbing against the material. Abruptly, Alkaline dipped him slightly backwards, threaded his fingers in his hair and held, forcing Lee to stare at him.

His puma growled. Bursting through his defenses, it forced his vision to change. It turned sharper, more attuned to the man in front of him, from the tiny wrinkles in the corner of his eyes, to the small mole above his brow, to the thin coat of sweat which made his face glisten.

Alkaline glared at him. Lee’s blood pressure spiked along with his raging libido. He wouldn’t be the first to drop his gaze. He pursed his mouth. The music changed and someone slammed into them, breaking the connection.

They both moved at the same time. Lips clashed. Hungry. Hard. Lee’s fingers threaded into Alkaline’s long reddish mane and Alkaline rested his hand on the nape of Lee’s neck, bringing him closer. Their tongues entwined, desperately seeking for more, until the air ran out of their lungs and they broke apart panting. For a second, they gauged each other, and Lee wondered if he looked as bewildered and as consumed by lust as the other man.

Just when he was about to speak, Alkaline grabbed his hand and placed it over his erection. Lee groaned.

“I need to have you, now,” Alkaline said.







Find Alpha's Alpha at:

Evernight Publishing

Amazon.com

Amazon.uk

Bookstrand

 

About Elyzabeth:

Elyzabeth M. VaLey is a writer of sizzling, sexy romance who firmly believes in happy ever after. From paranormal to contemporary, fantasy, or historical, she enjoys exploring her characters' darker side and writing stories about tortured heroes, strong heroines, and all that comes between them and their love.

When she's not writing, she can be found walking in the Spanish countryside with her black Lab, exploring castles, or enjoying some tapas with her friends. 




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