Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Darkness Possessed by STEPHANIE ROWE Blog Tour and Giveaway

DARKNESS POSSESSED
Order of the Blade, #9
by Stephanie Rowe

A fatal mistake stripped Zach Roderick of the powers that define him, leaving him a tormented shadow of the warrior he once was. Now, his teammate's life depends on Zach resurrecting the fire that once burned within him. As he undertakes a battle he has no way to win, he is derailed by a tempestuous beauty that awakens in him the dark desires that destroyed him once before.

The scars etched on Rhiannon Diaz's soul are so deep that she will never again be free. The once-powerful guardian is facing her last and greatest battle, and failure means a return to a sexual enslavement that is far worse than death. Her intense and passionate need for the powerful warrior who has vowed to protect her threatens the very foundation of her survival, but his refusal to abandon her drags them both into a world where wild, untamed passion rages, and surrender is their only chance.

All books in the Order of the Blade series are intended to be standalones that can be read in any order. The chronological reading order, however, is as follows: DARKNESS AWAKENED, DARKNESS SEDUCED, DARKNESS SURRENDERED, FOREVER IN DARKNESS, DARKNESS REBORN, DARKNESS ARISEN, DARKNESS UNLEASHED, INFERNO OF DARKNESS, DARKNESS POSSESSED (Available July 2014).

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Possessed-Order-Blade-Stephanie-ebook/dp/B00KY6Y2N6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1406321350&sr=1-1&keywords=darkness+possessed+stephanie+rowe
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/darkness-possessed-order-blade/id891547117?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1120006629?ean=2940149802906
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/darkness-possessed-order-of-the-blade

Join Stephanie Rowe and guest authors to celebrate the release of DARKNESS POSSESSED on Monday, July 28 from 5-9pm EST.
SIGN UP HERE:  https://www.facebook.com/events/789512917736529


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Four-time RITA® Award nominee and Golden Heart® Award winner Stephanie Rowe is the nationally bestselling author of more than forty published novels. Stephanie has received starred reviews from Booklist and high praise from Publisher's Weekly. Stephanie is the author of the bestselling Order of the Blade paranormal romance series, and she will be launching a new vampire series in Sept/Oct 2014. She also writes the intensely passionate Ever After series, and the gripping Alaska Heat romantic suspense series. She also published in teen fiction, middle grade fiction, and motivational nonfiction.

Website: http://stephanierowe.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/StephanieRoweBooks
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/stephanierowe2
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19729.Stephanie_Rowe
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Release Day Blitz- Five Weeks by Dannika Dark





Five Weeks
(Seven Series, Bk #3)
By Dannika Dark 

Blurb:
Izzy has always loved the freedom and adventure of life on the road, but she’s recently decided to settle down—as much as a rogue wolf can. When her boyfriend gets her a job working at a hot Shifter bar, she runs into the last person on earth she expected to see again.

Jericho isn't the famous rock star he once was, though he still plays in a local band and loves to party. Beautiful women come and go, but music is his only passion—until a sassy redhead named Isabelle Monroe shows up unexpectedly.

Fate reunites two former friends living with one foot in the present and the other in the past. But will they have a future when one of them is forced to choose between life and death? Old habits die hard, and sometimes the toughest addictions to shake are the ones that control our hearts.




Available for purchase at 

      


Excerpt

Friday, July 25, 2014

Releasae Day Blitz- Chasing Sunrisw ~ Lex Chase






Blurb:
On the Coastal Bend of Texas, a hidden kingdom called Darkmore lies in ruins, and King Sevon Maraté is trapped. Using Sevon as a mouthpiece and a scapegoat, Lord Dominic rules from the shadows. Born of royal verkolai blood and as beautiful as he is lethal, Sevon possesses the ability to part the Veil separating his world from hundreds of others. His gift is his chance to escape, but Dominic refuses to relinquish his tool for power. Dominic forges an ambitious plan to invade the prosperous land of Priagust. Only a select few know the mythic kingdom of shifters exists. Sevon is out of options for his people’s survival, and cooperating with Dominic is his only chance.

On their foray into Priagust, Dominic's men kidnap and interrogate a shifter named Jack. Even under torture, Jack's loyalty to his kind never wavers. But as Jack’s knowledge about Darkmore’s king and its history unsettles Sevon, a curious bond begins to form. Despite Sevon’s mistrust, Jack is determined to tame Sevon’s wild heart and perhaps earn his freedom. As invasion looms, Sevon wonders if trusting Jack will lead him into another trap or if he should forget about chasing the sunrise and remain Dominic's compliant prisoner.

Genre: Vampires, Werewolves/Shapeshifters, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, LGBT (M/M)


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Release Day Blitz ~ Witch Hunter Olivia by T.A. KUNZ






Witch Hunter Olivia

By T.A. Kunz

Blurb:

In the town of Piedmont Pointe, where paranormal is the norm, a girl can easily get herself in over her head with a single wrong move. Unfortunately for Olivia Adams, she’s about to make several.

Starting over is never easy, but it seemed like the only option to Olivia. The decision to turn her back on the Guild of Witch Hunters, the very group she devoted her entire life to, was one of the hardest things she ever did. It meant leaving her family, her friends, and her old identity behind forever. Coming to terms with what caused her to abandon her duties in the first place was even harder.

While trying to lay low and stay off the Guild’s radar, Olivia finds herself thrust back into her old ways after unknowingly interrupting an assassination hit on a powerful witch. What follows is the last thing she ever thought she’d agree to do—protect the very thing she was groomed to hunt.

To complicate things even further, Olivia begins to develop feelings for a tattoo artist who also happens to be half warlock, and no matter how hard she tries to fight it, she can’t resist her inescapable draw to him. Olivia’s forbidden relationship isn’t her only issue though, because once the mystery behind the assassination attempt starts to unravel, she’s forced to choose sides when the loyalties still tied to her past life are tested again.

So much for the idea of a fresh start.



Available for purchase at

   



Excerpt


He takes my hands in his before standing up. I feel him pull up slightly, and before I know it, I’m on my feet. My legs wobble and I stumble into his arms. Our faces float near one another and I feel his mouth break into a grin next to my forehead. I pan my eyes up to meet his, and he steadies me again by wrapping his arms underneath mine so I have a chance to catch my balance.

“Whoa, easy.” His breathy whisper has me looking up at him again. “Maybe you should sit back down.”

“No, I’m okay. Really,” I reply, finally able to stand on my own without having to brace myself with the assistance of his strong, muscular arms.

I find myself unable to take my gaze away from his baby blues, and we stand here staring at each other. It’s like I’m seeing Heath for the first time. My heart pounds within my chest, and my palms begin to moisten—both classic signs of attraction. We’re standing here chest to chest, and what I initially thought was my own heartbeat hammering furiously in my ears is actually Heath’s.

He begins to say something, but I interrupt him by bringing my hands up to his razor-sharp jawline and draw his mouth down to mine. The first contact is soft and smooth, like Heath’s lips. He seems hesitant, so I pull back to look at him.

“Something wrong?” I inquire, feeling confused by his apprehension.

“Not at all. It’s just I told myself the next time we kissed, it’d happen after an actual date.”

“Oh … well, what do you call tonight?”

“The strangest date I've ever been on?” he replies before leaning down and locking his lips with mine again. 

Warmth caresses my mouth and works its way up through my cheeks as Heath’s tongue gently maneuvers along with the kiss. His hands travel along my arms before transitioning to the small of my back, leaving trails of heat in their wake. He deepens the kiss while tugging me closer to him. My arms wrap around his neck and prop up on his broad shoulders. I feel like I've been set ablaze as Heath’s hands get antsy and begin searching my body for another resting place.

I gently guide him toward his father’s tattoo chair while maintaining our secure lip lock. When we bump into the chair, Heath laughs softly into my mouth, which only makes me kiss him harder. He eases himself down onto the chair and allows me to straddle his lap, one leg on either side of his hips. His hands run up and down my back underneath my blouse, and the intense heat almost becomes too much to handle. It feels like the sun is beating down on my skin, leaving me slightly burned, but in the best way possible.

Heath hooks his hands around my hips and slides me closer to him as his mouth trails from the crux between my neck and shoulder across my collarbone. He ends at the plunging neckline of my blouse and runs his lips over the entire area before continuing onto the other side. A moan of pleasure seeps out from me when I can’t hold it back any longer. The girth in his pants grows as he grinds into me while never removing his lips from my skin. It inches down his pant leg and rubs against my inner thigh, making me want to strip down and have him inside me right now. The more time that passes, the more it becomes a yearning or desire than just a want to be closer.



About the Author

T.A. Kunz has always had a fondness for reading thrilling mysteries and action-packed urban fantasies. So, it was no surprise when T.A. decided to write stories that they’d fall into one of those two genres. T.A. lives in Central Florida with two fur babies and a mechanical engineer who also happens to be quite the culinary badass, which there are no complaints about. Being a self-diagnosed caffeine addict, many joke that T.A.’s addiction to Starbucks coffee will likely be their downfall later in life.



You can find T.A. at 

         








Presented By


Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Cover Reveal ~ Cindy Ray Hale ~Complexity


Today is the cover reveal for Complexity by Cindy Ray Hale. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. Cover design by Virginia Rose Hodges Photography and Cindy Ray Hale. Cover photo taken by Virginia Rose Hodges Photography. Cover models are Emily Hodges and Casey Phelps. Hair and makeup is done by Tone' Jackson of TJ Styles.

complexityComplexity (Destiny #2.5)
by Cindy Ray Hale

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Young Adult

Blurb:
Olivia Clark likes to tell herself she’s too focused on following all the rules to pay any attention to Hudson Brown, the wealthy longboarder who lives up the hill. But the more he comes around, the harder it becomes to resist his charm. Then when a terrifying crisis strikes her neighbor Liliana Watson, Olivia is faced with one of the most difficult decisions she’s ever had to make. When the lines between right and wrong begin to weave into a pattern of complexity, will Olivia have the courage to follow her heart and still make the most selfless choice of all?

You can find Complexity on Goodreads



Liliana continued on her rant about her mom's latest control tactics, but I wasn't listening anymore. Across the room, a boy with messy blond hair was casually leaning against the wall of the cafeteria, gripping the straps of his backpack and talking to the high school chemistry teacher. He caught me staring at him and a corner of his mouth quirked up. I turned away, cheeks flaming.
“Who’s that?” Sara asked.
“I have no idea,” I said. “He looks like he loves himself too much.”
“He kind of does, doesn’t he?” Sara clicked shut the lid of her lunchbox. “Don’t look, but he’s totally checking you out right now.”
And of course I looked. He was still there, staring with that smile. Great. Yet another guy I’d probably have to reject.
“Not that he’d have a chance with the untouchable Olivia Clark,” Liam Goshen said from a few seats down.
I pretended I didn’t hear him and turned to Liliana to change the subject. “Do you think I’ve mastered my audition piece enough to get better than fourth chair this year?” Talking about my flutist abilities was better than listening to Liam go off on me for rejecting him last spring. Him and about five other guys. It wasn’t like he wasn’t hot. He totally was. But I didn’t date.
“Olivia, all you’ve done all summer is play your flute. I’m pretty sure you’re first chair material now,” Liliana assured me.
“You think so?”
“Sure.”
I smiled, and as I did, my eyes slid of their own accord to where the blond boy was still standing. He met my eye again and turned and slipped from the room.



cindyAbout the Author:
Cindy Ray Hale lives in a little slice of wooded heaven near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and children. She spends way too much time following up-and-coming musicians on YouTube and dreams of joining their ranks one day. She’s a bit of a health food nut and can’t live without her daily green smoothies. She tries to stay sane as she juggles writing with four kids, staying active on social media, and keeping up her book blog at http://cinnamoncindy.blogspot.com/. In addition to writing and self-publishing two Young Adult Contemporary novels, she has also written articles for "New Era" magazine and The American Preppers Network.

For more information on The Destiny Trilogy and Cindy’s upcoming books visit http://destinybycindyhale.blogspot.com/ or follow @CindyRayHale on Twitter.

You can find and contact Cindy here:
- Website
- Website for destiny
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Google+
- Pinterest



And there’s an awesome giveaway hosted by the author to celebrate the cover reveal of Complexity. Here’s what you can win:
- 25$ amazon gift card
- e-copy of Destiny
- e-copy of Synchrony
- Casey L Bond prize pack

For a chance to win enter the rafflecopter below:
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Monday, July 14, 2014

Release Day Blitz : Masters Of Seduction by Lara Adrian, Donna Grant, Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy






Surrender to sinful pleasures and forbidden passions with Masters of Seduction, the sizzling new paranormal romance novella series from New York Times and internationally bestselling authors Lara Adrian, Donna Grant, Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy.

In the realm of the Incubi Masters, pleasure is to die for and love is the deadliest game of all . . . 




Available for purchase at

      


MERCILESS: House of Gravor
by Lara Adrian

Blurb: 

Seeking vengeance for the murder of his brother, Incubus Master Devlin Gravori demands justice from the high court of the Nephilim. But fury and retribution are no match for the consuming desire he feels for Nahiri, the beautiful Nephilim warrior he claims as his hostage.







Excerpt


Nahiri awoke in the middle of a large bed in a strange room.
She shot upright the instant consciousness dawned, her hands reaching automatically for her weapons.
They were gone.
The leather sheaths that crossed her torso were empty.
No. That meant her nightmare hadn’t been just a dream. It was reality.
The Incubus in the temple…Devlin Gravori.
He really had taken her.
Nahiri’s eyelids snapped open in panic. Sunlight poured in from an open window across the room, blasting her vision.
Momentarily blinded, she squinted through her lashes, struggling to take quick stock of her new surroundings.
Creamy stucco walls. Dark hardwood floors and masculine-looking furnishings. Thick timber beams high above her head.
And beneath her, a massive bed. The mattress was as cushiony as a cloud, the cotton sheets and silken coverlet calling to mind all manner of sins.
All around her was the scent of intriguingly exotic spices and something even more enticing.
Him.
She sensed his presence even before she swung her head in his direction and found him seated in an upholstered chair beside the bed. No, not seated in it, exactly. Dominating it. The same way he seemed to dominate every space he occupied.
His big body lounged negligently where he sat, his powerful thighs spread, one arm draped over the side of the chair, the other propping his head up, fist curled loosely under the square line of his jaw.
He’d shed his suit jacket at some point, and now wore just his gray tailored pants and white business shirt. The collar was opened even farther than she recalled, just one more button loosened, but exposing enough of his tawny skin to make her mouth water with a sudden, unholy urge to taste him.
She wanted to dismiss the impulse as one he planted in her mind, but she could tell from the casual way he regarded her that any curiosity she felt in that moment was hers alone.
Nahiri scrambled off the bed. She backed into the farthest corner of the room, eyeing him warily. “Where am I? Where have you taken me?”
“You’re at Gravori House.” He cast a nonchalant look around the room. “More specifically, you’re in my bedroom.”
Even though she could have guessed as much, her heart still climbed into her throat. Since she’d gone to the temple to train at eighteen years old, she hadn’t left the sanctuary grounds even once. Let alone spent so much as a minute in a man’s bedroom.
She might be a virgin, but she had never been a wilting little girl. She was a grown woman. A skilled warrior. She refused to let him intimidate her.
“It was a bad idea to abduct me from the temple,” she informed him. “The Three will see you punished for this, Incubus, regardless of what you mean to do to me. And with or without my weapons, I am still a Blade. I will fight you every step of the way.”
“The same way you did in the High Chamber?”
Her cheeks flamed with heat at the reminder. With humiliation. Her weakness had shamed her in front of the other Blades, in front of the three priestesses who’d entrusted her with their lives. With their faith that she was the best, the strongest, of her peers.
And this demon had disproved all of that in a moment.
He would do it again if he wanted to. He could do anything he wanted to her. Nahiri could see it in the hard glint of his golden eyes.
No, for all her skill—for all her dedication to the teachings and training of the temple—Devlin Gravori could destroy her at his whim.
“I’m not interested in fighting you,” he murmured, as if he could read the troubled direction of her thoughts.
She swallowed, watching the way he stared at her from across the room. He didn’t move, and yet her body trembled as though his hands were already on her, as hot and roaming as his gaze. All the wicked, deviant things she’d ever heard about Incubi appetites poured over her in a rush of dread and terrible anticipation.
“In case you’re worried about it, I’m not interested in raping you either,” he drawled, the corner of his mouth curling around the sensual growl of his deep, rumbling voice. “Forcing a woman isn’t the Incubus way. Never been my way, at any rate.”
Nahiri hiked up her chin. “No, you’ll just bend my will until I submit. Or make me your Thrall so you can siphon my life’s energy for your own. Maybe you’ll manipulate my mind until I beg you to drain me completely. I suppose that would be more your way.”
He grunted, dark amusement in his tone. “I have plenty of women more than happy to slake my needs—all of my needs.”
As reassurances went, his did little to relieve her. He steepled his hands beneath his chin, his citrine gaze locked on her. Nahiri could hardly breathe. His dark energy was gathered about him, pulsating and vivid, but not the way she’d felt it in the temple.
He was holding his demonic allure in check now, despite the heat she felt licking along her limbs and putting a flame to her blood. He intrigued her as much as he unsettled her.
Heaven save her, but he tempted her.
Even as he terrified her, infuriated her…he stirred a dangerous longing in her.
And he knew.
The way he studied her, he knew she was struggling against an attraction she wanted desperately to deny.
One raven brow quirked nearly imperceptibly. “If I wanted to take you as my lover, Nahiri, or feed from you as my Thrall, I wouldn’t need force or Incubus magic to do it.”
The combination of her name on his lips and the terrible truth he spoke made her heart stumble in her chest. It beat shallowly, accelerating in time with her breathing.
And she tried not to notice how his gaze tracked every inch of her body, settling on her breasts as they rose and fell with each rapid squeeze of her lungs.
 He got out of the chair and stood in place for a long moment. When he finally moved, his steps were measured, unrushed. So confident, as if doubt was something he never had to trifle with when it came to women.
Of course, he’d told her as much, so his arrogance shouldn’t surprise her now.
Nahiri stood, frozen, as he approached, his thick-muscled thighs carrying him in a slow prowl across the room. He paused an arm’s length away from her.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, grateful that the tremors of her body hadn’t found their way into her voice. She could not forget for an instant that she was dealing with a demon. “What do you want from me?”
His sensual mouth twisted in contemplation. “I haven’t decided yet. But let me be clear about one thing, little Blade. You may be pledged to the Three and their precious temple, but in this House, I am Master. So long as I have you under this roof, you will obey me. As of now, your well-being, your life—everything—belongs to me.”
 She bristled, outrage shooting through her like fire. She welcomed the anger. It helped eclipse the desire that was still simmering inside her, unwanted and never to be admitted—especially to this overbearing heathen of a man.
Devlin Gravori was mad if he expected her to think of him as anything but her captor.
Her enemy.
And he might as well realize that now.
Nahiri peeled her lips back from her teeth in a furious smile. She squared off against him, ready to do battle even without the benefit of her weapons. “I would rather die before I give anything to you. Willingly or by force. I would see you dead before that day.”
He scowled as she hissed the words into his face. When he raised his hand, she thought for certain he would strike her.
Instead, his broad, warm palm came around the back of her neck. He held her in a firm grip, and brought his face terrifyingly close to hers.
When he spoke his voice was raw, as rough as gravel in his throat. “Be careful with your threats, Nahiri. Those are dangerous words. Particularly when my kin are already grieving the loss of one brother to your kind today.”
She stared up into his fierce golden eyes, transfixed by the power she saw there. By the pain and fury that hardened his handsome features and tightened the lush line of his mouth.
“On the other side of this bedroom door, I have a dozen Incubi brothers and cousins who might be tempted to take your threats against me to heart. They might be tempted toward other things too. But not so long as you’re under my watch. No one takes what belongs to me.”
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to her mouth. It lingered there, and suddenly Nahiri could hardly swallow for the lack of moisture in her throat. Her lips tingled under his gaze, aching for contact. Her temples pounded with her heartbeat, a rising, steady thrum that seemed to echo in the small space between her body and his.
Everything female in her was fixed on this man—this dark, deadly demon—and the unholy need he aroused in her.
“You will obey me,” he muttered, the command like velvet on her senses when it should grate like sharp stones. “As of right now, Nahiri the Blade, you belong to me.”


About the Author

LARA ADRIAN is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of the Midnight Breed vampire romance series and numerous other titles published independently. With nearly 4 million books in print and digital worldwide, and translations licensed in more than 20 countries, Lara's books have been called "addictively readable" (Chicago Tribune), "strikingly original" (Booklist) and "a must-read" (Fresh Fiction). She lives in New England with her husband, where she is currently at work on her next novel. 
To learn more about Lara's books and to sign up for her email newsletter, visit www.LaraAdrian.com.
You can find Lara at
            





SOULLESS: House of Romerac 
By  Donna Grant

Blurb: 

Incubus Master Canaan Romerac is focused solely on revenge against those who betrayed him and put him in the Oubliette for five hundred years. That is until he sets eyes on Rayna. Can the beautiful Nephilim heal Canaan’s wounded soul before it’s too late?
Excerpt

It took less than a day for Canaan to realize he had to get accustomed to the world much more than he had comprehended. It had taken a lot for him to walk away from the beautiful Rayna, but walk away he had.

                He might be a sex demon, but no was no. The next block over he found just the woman he needed to feed off of and restore some of his strength.

                As usual, people were eager to share useless information, but he did manage to glean facts he did need. Like the name of the town - Traders Hollow – and that New York City was five hours away by car.

                Canaan had expected the human race to make advancements, but he hadn’t expected such bold leaps as the computer, cell phones, and weaponry. Then again, the humans were rather gifted in killing themselves.

                As the day faded to night, Canaan knew he couldn't leave Traders Hollow just yet, even though he was more than ready to begin his trail of revenge.

                If the human world had changed so much, what of the Incubi and Nephilim? He needed to know every detail before he set out for the city. There would be no mistakes, no oversights. No missteps.

                Few would see him coming.

                Fewer still would know what ended their lives.

                But in the end, he would right the wrong done to him.


About the Author


Donna Grant is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels and novellas spanning multiple genres of romance.

She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.

Her childhood dream was to become a professional ballet dancer and study under the amazing Mikhail Baryshnikov. Though she never got to meet Baryshnikov, she did make it to New York City and performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Later, Donna’s love of the romance genre and the constant stories running through her head prompted her to sit down and write her first book. Once that book was completed, there was no turning back.

Donna sold her first book in November 2005 while displaced from Hurricane Rita, a storm that destroyed portions of the Texas Gulf Coast. Since then, Donna has sold novels and novellas to both electronic and print publishers. Her books include several complete series such as Druids Glen, The Shields, Royal Chronicles, Sisters of Magic, Dark Sword, Dark Warriors, and her new series, Dark Kings.

Despite the deadlines and her voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two young children, four cats, three fish, and one long haired Chihuahua. She’s blessed with a proud, supportive husband who loves to read and travel as much as she does.

You can find Donna at 

         





SHAMELESS: House of Vipera
by Laura Wright

Blurb:
Sexy Incubus Master Scarus Vipera has grown weak, and the only thing that will strengthen him again is Rosamund, the power-rich female of the Harem. But the mysterious Nephilim is determined to leave the Harem untouched, her heart intact.





Excerpt

Scarus Vipera, Master of the House of Vipera, was growing weaker by the day.
He needed sex.
Power-rich sex.
But not just any female would do. If he was to gain back his strength, he needed one of the Immortal Nephilim of the Harem.
He exited his private plane and moved down the steps toward the waiting limousine. The heat of the desert clime invaded his custom gray suit and attacked the skin, muscles and bones beneath. He despised the weakness spreading unchecked inside of him. Despised that it forced him to revisit the place that had, only five years ago, caused him both stunning pleasure and the deepest pain.
Walking out those ancient doors framed in the finest gold, he’d sworn never to return. He would find his pleasure, his power, his repast, elsewhere. He would forget. About the Nephilim who’d birthed his son—his only child—then run away. He’d forget how he’d bonded with the boy. 
Watched as his mother nursed him. Oh, he’d been a strong little male. Scarus should’ve seen how the Nephilim was doting on him, how she’d held him all through the night as though she hated to be parted from him. It wasn’t something he’d ever seen before. Normally, if the child was male the Nephilim would be only too happy to be rid of it. But not Daya. She’d taken the boy and run, both of them meeting with an accident just two days later.
The pain that had swarmed Scarus like a thousand angry wasps was both surprising and debilitating. He hadn’t been able to forget, and had lost any good nature that he’d been blessed with. Barking orders at his servants, not attending any celebrations or holidays with his family, refusing to meet with the Masters of the other Houses. He could not care for what was happening outside his palazzo in Ravello. Whether it was how the Sovereign was closing in on the end of his reign and had not been seen in far too long. Or how Devil Gravori believed that the Three were destroying all human/Incubus pregnancies to ensure that the Succubi remained extinct. He only cared about staying alive and strong for his House, and for all of those within it who relied on him.
As he approached the sleek black car, whose doors carried the Vipera House sigil of a coiled serpent, the desert wind whipped around him. To regain his strength he needed the power of the Harem.

About the Author

Unlike many of my peers in the writing world, I wasn't a writer or a reader until I left high school. During my youth I was into theater, song and dance, commercials and boys. I loved romance surely, but I had never read a romance novel until my late teens. With that said, I remember the day I did like it was a moment ago - my aunt gave me the Jude Deveraux novel, Knight in Shining Armor and I couldn't put it down until the very last word. Then I went straight to the library and got another – then another until I’d read everything she’d ever written. After that, it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire. I instantly loved those emotional, sexy reads, so much so that I began to carve out ideas for my own stories, themes that were unique to me and moved me. In 1997 I enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met my mentor and critique partners and since have never stopped writing. I was committed then and I still am now; the need to tell my own romantic stories a full on obsession. My first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well the editor who’d rejected it wanted to see something else from me. I had something (note to authors; always keep working, even after you've sent in a proposal) and sent it right away. The day I got the call telling me Desire wanted to buy Cinderella and the Playboy was the best day of my life. That is until I married my husband, and had my two beautiful children. But I must say, writing is much like motherhood – tough, grueling, surprising, delicious and for me, a dream come true.
If you’re interested…
I was born and raised in Minnesota. It’s where my love of all things green, wet and grown in the ground comes from. As you read above, before writing I was an actor, singer and dancer, specifically a BALLROOM dancer - an instructor and competitor as well. That work took me to many places like New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. I live in Los Angeles now, but I’m always thinking about greener pastures – literally.
You can find Laura at
         




RUTHLESS: House of Xanthe 
By Alexandra Ivy

Blurb:
Jian, Master of the House Xanthe, has devoted his life to returning his family to their former prominence. When he’s offered a contract to hunt down the missing Sovereign, he’s eager to accept. The last thing he expects is to encounter a stunningly beautiful angel who stirs more than his lust.





Excerpt

“I’ll give you full credit for your arrogance,” she mocked, spreading her wings as the mirage of snakes continued to crawl over her body.  She needed to keep him distracted until he’d stepped into her trap.  “Your intelligence, however, is obviously deficient.”

His low chuckle wrapped around her like a silken caress, making her nipples bead with a sharp-edged longing.

Damn.  It’d been so long since she’d been touched in anything but anger.

Too long.

“Trust me, I’m not lacking in anything.”

Muriel felt the soft stroke of fingers down the slope of her shoulder.

Incubi magic, of course.

It had to be.  She would know if the demon were that close to her.

Still, that didn’t halt the searing lick of anticipation that spread through her body. 

“Then why are you hiding from me?” she rasped.

“I’ve told you,” the aggravating male murmured.  “I want answers.”

“Answers to what?”

“Why have you created a gateway into the fortress?”

Her mouth went dry as she continued to back toward the distant wall. 

That was a question she had no intention of answering.

Instead she feigned confusion.  “What fortress?”

Without warning a pulse of heat sizzled through the air as the Incubus abruptly stepped from the shadows.

“You want to play games, sweetheart?”

Muriel hissed, reeling beneath the impact of his beauty.

He was quite simply…magnificent.

Not the ethereal loveliness of male angels.  Or the rough aggression of humans. 

He was pure male temptation.  A walking, talking invitation to sex.

Against her will, Muriel found her gaze lingering on the glossy darkness of his hair and the lean, finely sculpted features, before lowering to the slender, muscled body that made her fingers twitch with the urge to explore every hard inch.

Her heart raced as her gaze returned to his face, instantly ensnared by his golden eyes.

Oh heavens, those eyes…

They shimmered with the promise of pleasure beyond her wildest dreams.



About the Author

I’m not exactly sure when I fell in love with books.  Probably on my mother’s knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me.  I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library.
Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries?  Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few.  I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays.  In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on. 
Years later (no, I’m not admitting how many) I’m still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. 
For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold!
I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander.  Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams.  They are truly my heroes.
You can find Alexandra at
         





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