Tag Archives: samhain publishing

Out Now – Beast Untamed by Faye Avalon (@faye_avalon) #erotica #romance #pnr

Beast UntamedBook Blurb:

Beasts of Bodmin Moor, Book 3

To guard his woman, he must claim his mate.

Ex-special forces operative Nathan Quinn enjoys women, but he just doesn’t trust them. Thanks to a mother who abandoned him, he prefers no-strings relationships, and has no intention of ever marrying or mating with a fellow shifter.

He focuses his energy on building his security business until a human woman catches his eye—and firmly rejects his charm. Which only challenges him to work harder to break down her barriers.

Born of ambitious, emotionally cold parents, Erin Howard’s craving for attention led her down a slippery slope to an abusive relationship. Now on the run from her ex, she plans to lay low and stay away from possessive, dominating males. But who says she can’t enjoy a little hot sex without a shred of commitment?

Soon their attraction explodes into something so fierce, that Nathan feels the primal need to mark Erin as his. But his fallback plan—distance himself—creates the space for Erin’s past to drive the final, possibly fatal, wedge between them.

Product Warnings

Contains a sexy panther shifter with an attitude problem, a human female intent on playing things safe, and an anxious dog learning to co-exist with the local cats.

Buy Links:

Samhain: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5808/beast-untamed

Amazon:  http://mybook.to/BeastUntamed

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beast-untamed-faye-avalon/1123127162?ean=9781619234413

All Romance:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-beastuntamed-1997437-340.html

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/beast-untamed

*****

Excerpt:

Nerves fluttered in her belly, but Erin breathed them away. She was going to enjoy herself tonight. She was going to be normal, make conversation, have fun.

But when the door swung open in response to her knock, those nerves came flooding back with a vengeance. The man towered in the doorway, his dark and brooding good looks like something in a magazine devoted to warrior gods of times long ago.

“You must be Erin,” he said, the hint of a smile softening almost harsh features. “Come on in.”

He stepped back, and Erin was about to enter when Talia came down the hallway. “Great. You’re early. We can have a drink before we get going. You’ve met Caleb?”

Erin looked up at the man. Handsome, and built. No wonder Talia always had a satisfied smile on her face.

No sooner had she accepted Caleb’s outstretched hand than Talia reached out and all but pulled Erin into the house. “Come and meet everyone.”

Everyone?

Erin’s knees went wobbly, her stomach pitching in a way that had her evening snack threatening to revolt. Maybe she wasn’t ready for this after all. It was too soon. She needed time to adjust, to work out exactly who she was going to be, before she thrust herself into life again.

Talia had other ideas and guided her into a room off the hall. Stepping across the threshold, she heard Naomi’s laughter. Her new friend had her arms wrapped around the neck of a formidable-looking man who in turn had his arms wrapped around her.

“Break that up, you two,” Talia instructed. “Save it for your wedding night.”

“That’s days away yet,” Naomi complained, smiling up at the man who was obviously Tynan. “He can’t keep his hands off me for that long.”

“My female speaks the truth,” Tynan said. “Anyway the mating has already—”

“Ahem…” Talia loudly cleared her throat, and the couple looked over. “We have company.”

Erin had the distinct impression she’d interrupted something, and not just a heated embrace between an engaged couple. But the smiles that headed her way, and the companionable way Talia slid an arm around her waist, made her think she’d imagined it. She must be so on edge lately that she was seeing spooks where none existed.

“Come and meet Tynan,” Naomi said, grabbing her away from Talia. “Ty, this is Erin. She hasn’t been in Bodmin very long, and she works at the tea shop, remember?”

A look passed between the couple, and again Erin felt as if she was missing something.

But then Tynan smiled and held out his hand. “Good to meet you, Erin. Hope you’re ready for a raucous evening.” He slipped an arm around Naomi’s shoulder, and the simple gesture was filled with possessive intent. “According to my woman, you’re all going to party enough to set the moor alight.”

“Well, I…”

“Don’t listen to him,” Naomi said. “Tynan, take her coat. We’re having a drink here while we wait for a couple of the other girls to arrive. What’s your pleasure?”

“Lime and soda if you have it.” She smiled when Tynan helped her out of her coat.

“Forget that.” Talia ushered her onto the sofa. “No soft drinks allowed tonight. Unless you’re allergic or sworn off alcohol on religious grounds. No? So, what’ll it be?”

“White wine would be good.”

While Caleb went across to the drinks cabinet, Talia sat next to her on the sofa. “Love your dress.”

“Thanks.” Erin tugged the skirt of the simple navy shift down to her knees. “Naomi said I had to wear something good.”

“I said something sexy.” Naomi plunked herself on Erin’s other side and eyed Erin’s dress. “I would have preferred more of a cleavage,” she said in a hushed tone that only the girls could hear. “But I’m not complaining.”

Grateful, Erin took the drink Caleb handed her and took a healthy swig. Conversation turned to logistics regarding transport for the evening, with Tynan and Caleb sitting side by side on the opposite sofa. Good Lord, Erin thought, taking several surreptitious sips of her wine. The room positively hummed with masculine appeal. She couldn’t remember ever seeing two more intimidating men in her life, or two more attractive and virile, but while they seemed tough and formidable, she didn’t feel especially uneasy in their company.

It was apparent from the looks and smiles the men each shared with Talia and Naomi that there was a whole bucketload of love in the room. In their men’s presence, the women seemed relaxed and completely at ease with themselves. Erin wondered how that must feel, considering her own experience had only ever been one of fear and intimidation.

The sound of the front door closing and heavy footsteps pounding down the hallway brought Erin from her reverie before she could take a painful trip down memory lane.

If she’d thought the testosterone levels couldn’t rise any higher, she hadn’t been prepared for the man who stepped into the room. Built like a tank, his shoulders filled the doorway, while the heavy scowl pushed the first real fluttering of fear into her since she’d arrived.

“If you expect me to drive that piece of garbage, you could have at least washed it first.”

The deep timbre of his voice and the edge of vitriol in his tone caused Erin to slink down a little in the seat, but since his attack was aimed at Tynan, she tried to steady her breathing. Her heart hammered anyway, her mind scanning back to a time when a similar attack was aimed at her.

“You want me to fill that junk trap with gas for you? Then you’d better make it worth my while by getting on that bed and spreading your legs for me. Now.”

Oh God. Oh God.

“Are you okay?”

Erin glanced up into Talia’s concerned gaze. “Yes, fine. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I’ll get a cloth.”

Erin looked down, surprised when she saw the damp patch on her dress. Bloody hell, her hand had shaken so much that she’d spilled her drink.

She looked up into the dark, steady gaze of the man who had just arrived. He eyed her with little interest, but her stomach jumped like a train.

“Here.” Talia mopped at Erin’s dress, then turned her glare on the man. “Why did you want to come in here and scare my guest, Nathan Quinn?”

“Didn’t know anyone else was here. Thought you females had left for the evening.”

“This is Erin,” Naomi said. “She’s just moved to the area.”

Another pointed exchange of looks, but Erin knew she was reading too much into everything right then. They must all think she was a bloody loony.

The man called Nathan turned his gaze to her and inclined his head.

She tried for a smile but wasn’t sure she made it. Her whole body was reacting as if to a threat, and she feared she was about to go into full panic mode.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road,” Naomi declared and stood. “I can hear the others arriving, which means we’ve got that serious partying to do. And you guys have some serious poker to play.”

She took Erin’s glass and handed it to Tynan, then kissed him full on the mouth. “That should keep you for a while. Enjoy your game.”

In response, Tynan put the glass down and hauled Naomi up against him. “That won’t keep me for five damn minutes. Come here.”

Erin felt she should turn away when the kiss morphed into the kind that required locked doors and darkened rooms.

“Don’t mind them,” Talia said drawing her into the hall where Caleb held out their coats. She turned to her husband. “You’re really sure you don’t mind driving us? We can get a cab if it’s easier, then you can drive to Truro with Ty and Nathan. That way you’ll get to enjoy a drink.”

“I said I’d take you. I don’t want you out of my sight any longer than necessary.”

The big man smiled down at her, his eyes gleaming. Talia rewarded him with a soft kiss, her palm resting lightly against his cheek.

While Caleb didn’t haul Talia against him to give her the same treatment Tynan was currently giving Naomi, Erin felt equally uncomfortable. The possessive look Caleb gave his wife made her feel like she should turn away from something intensely private and intimate.

Naomi came into the hall, flushed and pleased with herself. “Ready?”

Moments later, after brief introductions to the two women who had arrived, they were piling into Caleb’s SUV. From the backseat, Erin found herself glancing back to the house, hoping against hope she didn’t catch sight of Nathan again.

The man made her feel uneasy and anxious. They’d barely shared a glance, but he’d looked at her like he knew something nobody else did. She shuddered at the thought, remembering Naomi had told her that Tynan was his business partner, and they were security consultants. That meant he would know how to access official files, documents, people’s history.

At Naomi’s instruction beside her, Erin clipped on her seat belt and vowed to keep a very low profile where Nathan Quinn was concerned.

Copyright © 2016 Faye Avalon
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

*****

Author Bio:

Faye Avalon enjoys writing sexy stories about strong men and the savvy women who rock their world. She has taken a roundabout journey toward her writing career, working as cabin crew, detouring into property development, public relations and education, before finally finding her passion: writing spicy romantic fiction.

Faye lives with her super-ace husband and one beloved, ridiculously spoiled dog. They regularly expand their family by boarding puppies destined to become guide dogs. Between writing, reading, running around after manic puppies and grabbing some quality time with her husband, Faye enjoys a challenging yoga session or a night at the movies.

Links:

Website:  http://www.fayeavalon.com

Blog: http://www.fayeavalon.wordpress.com

Twitter: @faye_avalon

Facebook: www.facebook.com/faye.avalon.1

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/fayeavalon1/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fayeavalon/

releaseblitzbutton_beastuntamed

Release blitz organised by Writer Marketing Services.

Out Now! Beast Denied by Faye Avalon (@faye_avalon) #paranormal #PNR #shifters

Beast DeniedBook Blurb:

To embrace the future, they must defy the past.

Beasts of Bodmin Moor, Book 2

Naomi Flynn never intends to mate or marry. Either one would leave her open to the manipulation she’s sworn never to endure again. Besides, no panther male will want her once they know the truth behind what happened a decade ago.

She’s happy to burn up the sheets in a buddy-with-benefits arrangement, until a craving for a three-way sexual adventure thrusts her right back into the arms of the man she can’t afford to remember.

Tynan Galloway doesn’t intend to stand by and watch the woman he wants throw herself at every male with a pulse except him. Ten years ago, a brutal assault robbed him of his destiny as a protector of the pack, but damned if Naomi is going to be another casualty of his fate.

In the heat of a fantasy come true, Naomi’s resolve to keep her emotional distance weakens. But when Tynan discovers she’s in potential danger, he dares her to deny he’s the only man who can protect her. Never expecting she’ll go to extremes to prove him wrong…

Product Warnings

A hot panther shifter with something to prove, a heroine with a secret to keep, and a threesome arrangement which brings out the teeth and claws.

*Top Pick* Night Owl Reviews

“captivating paranormal romance…fast paced…sizzling chemistry…spine tingling tension.”

https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Reviews/Evampire-reviews-Beast-Denied-by-Faye-Avalon

 

Buy Links:

Samhain: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5747/beast-denied

Amazon: http://myBook.to/BeastDenied

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beast-denied-faye-avalon/1122833125?ean=9781619233034

All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-beastdenied-1955321-340.html?referrer=6bdb1f9160564c0525b41f36e51861a0

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/beast-denied

 

Excerpt:

Pushing through the jittery discomfort, Naomi moved until her back was to the men. She reached around to unhook her bra, then held the unfastened cups close to her chest. Turning back, with the men’s gazes focused on her still-covered breasts, she let the straps fall away. There was a sense of power, Naomi thought, in holding a man enthralled, or in this case, men. While it might have been better easing herself into this particular game more gradually, there was sometimes a lot to be said for simply plunging in at the deep end.

Reminding herself this was her choice, her fantasy, she let her hand fall away, and the bra fell to the floor.

Malcolm groaned, his prick bobbing again. Derek had barely moved, but his throat contracted as he swallowed.

Twisting around again, Naomi hooked her fingers into the sides of the wispy black panties and began to lower them down over her hips, the cool brush of air on her bared backside sending shivers along her sensitive flesh.

“Fuck. Get over here before I come just by looking at you.”

Malcolm, Naomi thought. The more gregarious of the two. Derek was far more intense, quietly watching her as the three of them had chatted in the bar, and now while she performed her striptease.

When she turned back, Derek was on his knees at the end of the bed. His eyes gleamed dangerously, and he grabbed her wrist, yanking her onto the mattress. She tumbled facedown, the breath knocked out of her.

Hands trailed over her naked flesh, sliding up her thighs, cupping her rear, stroking her back. Roughly, she was tossed onto her back, and she looked up into Derek’s menacing gaze. His cock pressed against her leg, while Malcolm cupped her pussy.

Oh shit. What was she doing? She didn’t know these men. Had no idea what sort of people they were apart from the fact they were down from London on business and, like her, were looking for a good time.

She was such an idiot. She needed her damned head examined.

Her strength was greater than that of human women, but when she tried to scramble up, Derek pressed her back with ease. “You’re not going anywhere until we get what you’ve been promising all evening.”

Malcolm laughed and pressed his finger inside her. “She’s up for it,” he said on another laugh. “Just likes to make it more exciting, don’t you, babe?”

He pushed deeper, making her flinch. “Like that, don’t you?”

“No. This was a mistake. I—”

Derek shoved Malcolm aside, then scrambled between Naomi’s legs, pushing them apart with his knees. She tried again to get up, but he pressed a hand to her shoulder, weighing her down. “Give me a damn condom.”

Malcolm tossed him the foil packet, and, keeping his gaze on hers, Derek ripped it open. His feral look pushed fresh fear into her stomach, and with every ounce of strength she possessed, she tried to scramble up. She couldn’t budge him.

Derek released his hold on her shoulder to slide on the rubber, but before she could take the chance to escape, Malcolm pinned down her arms.

Panic clutched at her throat, nausea churning her stomach. Oh God. This was so not how she’d thought it would be.

With his face a snarling mask of determination and sickening lust, Derek yanked up her hips.

“I… I’ve changed my mind.”

Her throat was so tight, she could barely enunciate, and it was evident he hadn’t heard her when he grabbed his cock and leaned over her.

“I said, no!” With sheer will, she directed every fiber of strength into her arms. Energy pulsed along her muscles, firing the nerve endings, and she sucked air into her tight lungs. Releasing her breath, she shoved upward, and Malcolm toppled back. Naomi had a glimpse of the shock lighting his face before she pushed at Derek’s shoulders. When he recoiled, she took advantage of the surprise factor and scrambled off the bed.

She almost made it to the bathroom, intent on getting her dress and hightailing it out of there, but Derek caught her around the waist.

Naomi lashed out, shoving her foot against his chest with such force that Derek went hurling into the air and across the room. He landed awkwardly against the walnut bureau, blood oozing from his cheek.

While Malcolm stood motionless by the bed, watching openmouthed, Derek wiped a hand across his face. He stared at the blood-smeared hand and staggered dazedly to his feet. Naomi didn’t hang around. She grabbed her dress from the bathroom and hurried into it. Snatching up her bag, she beat a hasty retreat.

She dashed out into the empty hallway and, with her dress half-zipped, fled down the hotel stairs. The lights in the reception area were dimmed for the night, but she focused on the revolving door ahead of her. When she pushed at it, nothing happened. She gave it another shove before realizing they were probably locked for security reasons. Glancing in the direction of the reception desk, she saw a young man hurrying toward her.

“Is everything okay?” His pale eyes were full of concern. “Can I help you with something?”

“Just let me out of here,” she said. “Please.”

He hesitated, and Naomi considered summoning that superhuman strength she’d found upstairs to get the doors open.

“What the hell’s going on?”

Her mind buzzed, her body still trembled, but through the mayhem of it all, she recognized the voice from behind her. She took a moment to center herself, to find a degree of balance, which bordered on impossible as memories slammed into her.

Tynan Galloway.

Naomi had spent the past decade well over a hundred miles away from him, and during the months she’d been back in Bodmin had managed to largely avoid him. Now he decided to show up at the lowest point in her existence. Well, not the lowest, but she wasn’t going there right then, and certainly not with him looming beside her.

She turned, her hands trembling around the strap of her bag, and met his piercing emerald gaze. It had haunted her for so long, the devastating hue of it. But now, facing it again, her heart trembled.

“I just need to leave.” She swallowed before addressing the young porter. “Can you please open the door?”

His concerned gaze slid over her short black dress as, she imagined, did Tynan’s. “Are you sure everything’s all right, miss?”

“Everything’s fine. I just—”

“Brandy,” Tynan said to the porter. “Double, I think.”

Before Naomi could object, the young man nodded and slipped away. Tynan took her arm and headed for a nearby chair. She tried to shake him off. She’d had quite enough of being manhandled for one bloody evening.

“I don’t want brandy. I just want to leave. I’ve had a crappy night.”

Still with his hand on her arm, he swung her half around so her back was to him. “Is that why your dress is unzipped?”

She took the inference. “It’s none of your business.”

“If you’re sleeping with a sleazebag who throws you out in the middle of the night before letting you get dressed, I’m making it my business.”

He zipped her dress, then plunked her down on the chair and pulled another one close so he could sit facing her. His knees bumped hers.

The contact shot a wave of longing through her. “All I want is to get out of here. And what are you doing skulking around hotel lobbies in the middle of the night? Doesn’t high-tech hacking keep you busy enough?”

“Yeah.” He frowned, effectively ignoring her barbed comment. “But there’s always room for more excitement.”

Seeing as she’d had more than enough excitement for one night, Naomi found it hard to agree.

The porter came back with brandy, hovering over her like a mother hen while she dutifully sipped at it. At Tynan’s nod, he moved away back to the reception desk and left them alone in the dimly lit hall.

“Want to tell me about it?”

She peered at him through narrowed eyes. “No.”

Tynan kept a steady focus on her, almost as if he could see right down to her very soul. She remembered that look. She hated it.

“Did he hurt you?”

He asked the question so quietly, so gently, her eyes filled and she turned away. She was coming down, all that adrenaline leveling out and leaving her raw, exposed. She’d felt that way once before with Tynan, a long time ago. She hated that too.

 

Copyright © 2016 Faye Avalon
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

Author Bio:

Faye Avalon enjoys writing sexy stories about strong men and the savvy women who rock their world. She has taken a roundabout journey toward her writing career, working as cabin crew, detouring into property development, public relations and education, before finally finding her passion: writing spicy romantic fiction.

Faye lives with her super-ace husband and one beloved, ridiculously spoiled dog. They regularly expand their family by boarding puppies destined to become guide dogs. Between writing, reading, running around after manic puppies and grabbing some quality time with her husband, Faye enjoys a challenging yoga session or a night at the movies.

Links:

Website:  www.fayeavalon.com

Blog: www.fayeavalon.wordpress.com

Twitter: @faye_avalon

Facebook: www.facebook.com/faye.avalon.1

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/fayeavalon1/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fayeavalon/

releaseblitzbutton_beastdenied

Out Now! – First Beast by Faye Avalon @faye_avalon #PNR #romance #erotica

First BeastBook Blurb:

To protect his pack, he must guard his heart.

Lost on Bodmin Moor, twelve-year-old Talia Summers was cold, hurt and terrified, before being saved by a black panther that materialized out of the night.

Years later, Talia returns to the moor in search of that magnificent beast, but instead finds a man leading a clan of shape shifters. Yet the connection she remembers is strangely absent. She despairs of ever finding it again—until a stranger steps into her shower.

Back to claim his rightful place, Caleb McLeod’s fierce attraction to his half-brother’s female is tempered by the fact she’s a human. Worse, a journalist. He’ll not have his people’s survival threatened by a human female who continually pushes the boundaries of pack rules.

His solution? Mate with her. Control her. And if his brother doesn’t like it, they’ll simply have to share. For now.

But suspicion and lies threaten the growing bond between Talia and Caleb, and the past has a way of catching up. A way of destroying the bridge built between two worlds…between two hearts.

Beasts of Bodmin Moor, Book 1

Product Warnings

A red-hot panther shifter with an over-the-top possessive streak, a human reporter trying desperately to retain her independence, and enough sexual heat to set fire to the moors of Cornwall.

Buy Links:

Samhain Publishing:  https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5660/first-beast

Amazon:  http://myBook.to/FirstBeast

Nook: http://bit.ly/1PUTE0u

All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/1O0TGhG

 

Excerpt:

Since she’d deliberately gotten home early, Talia headed straight to the kitchen to put lasagna in the oven. She intended to make the evening special, to make up for some of the tension between her and Joshua.

Since the day was hot, unbearably so, she headed to the shower.

She’d expected Josh to be home, but wasn’t overly worried. He’d likely taken himself off to the moor and hadn’t yet gotten her text asking him to join her.

Thinking it might bring them closer if he’d shared that part of himself, Talia had once asked him to shift in front of her, but he’d steadfastly refused. It was his time, he’d said. Something he couldn’t share with anyone, even her.

Many times when she woke in the night he would be gone. On his return, he’d often wake her and they would make love. Lately, he’d come home with a restless energy. She’d feel him slide into bed, turn over and slip into a troubled sleep.

Maybe it was all part of being a shapeshifter. Something to do with the phases of the moon.

She stripped off her work clothes, put the shower on cool, and stepped beneath the spray. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feel of the water against her skin and let the tension of the day slide off her shoulders.

Over the spray of water, she heard the click of the back door. Joshua was home. She didn’t call out. He’d hear the shower soon enough, and by the time he reached the bathroom he would have stripped out of his clothes.

How was it that all their problems seemed to fall away when they had sex? Here, they were compatible. Here, they saw eye to eye.

So why did she still crave something that possibly didn’t even exist?

Unbidden, her thoughts slipped back to that night she’d gotten lost on the moor. Why in heaven was she thinking about it so often these days? It was as if something called to her, made her more aware of her longing for what she’d experienced back then. Josh had been a young panther, he’d told her, running solo for the first time. Most of his kind didn’t experience shifting until they reached puberty, and they had to run with more experienced members until they learned the secrets and challenges of the moor.

She’d been so desperate to learn more, to talk to him about that night and how much it had meant to her, but he was always circumspect. Probably because shifters weren’t supposed to talk about their experiences on the moor, especially not with humans.

Pushing the thoughts away, she continued to soap herself, anticipating the moment the bathroom door would open and Joshua would stand there in all his glory and ready to play. With her free hand, she reached out and rubbed at the steamy shower screen, giving herself a clear window through which she would be able to see him. She could hear his footsteps—weird how attuned she was becoming to sound, scent and vision. It was almost as if her own senses had sharpened since she’d mated with a shifter. Perhaps that was a side effect? She’d have to check it out with Joshua. That was, if he’d be willing to discuss it.

The footsteps seemed to wander from room to room, and she speculated as to what particular game Joshua was playing. Had he thought of yet another inventive way to string out the anticipation? To make her wait for him so that she was so hot by the time he reached her that she’d be desperate to jump him?

She’d be damned if she’d call out to him, because that was probably one of his intentions. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and determined to play whatever game they were in the middle of. She unhooked the shower attachment, and held it ready at chest level, so that when he opened the door to the shower cubicle, she’d be in the perfect position to blast him.

She bit down on her bottom lip. Denied the warmth of the shower water, she shivered from both the cool air on her flesh and the thought of what was to come. Knowing Josh, he’d be pissed when she drenched him, but a pissed and aroused Joshua was often a joy to behold.

The footsteps grew louder and seconds later, the slow squeak of the door signaled his arrival. Since her peephole had steamed up again, she couldn’t see him, but smiled as the dark shadow approached the cubicle door. She hummed softly, sashayed a little, so that he’d think she was unaware of his presence and was simply enjoying her shower.

The shadow remained outside the door, perfectly still and strangely menacing. Something niggled, seeming a little off. Did Josh seem taller, broader? She mentally nudged it away as a trick of the light, and possibly her own arousal. But goose-bumps lifted the tiny hairs on her arms and she gripped the showerhead tighter.

Without warning, the cubicle door swung open and Talia had the breath knocked out of her momentarily as the cold snap of air whooshed into the small space. Narrowing her eyes, she raised the showerhead and let the spray hit Josh full in the face.

“What the hell?”

The deep curse that echoed around the bathroom and the strong hand that clasped her wrist belonged not to her husband, but some brute of a man who towered over her while she stood naked and trembling.

“Who…what do you think you’re d-doing?”

With his free hand, he wiped his drenched face. “My question exactly, sweetheart.”

His deep green eyes glared at her, his grip tightening around her wrist so that she dropped the showerhead to the floor. In the process, it sprayed them both with water, soaking his dark gray T-shirt and jeans. It earned her another dark curse.

She tried to scream, but nothing came out. So she did the next best thing. She fought. Kicking, hitting out with her free hand, and meeting nothing but rock-solid muscle.

“Get out!” She lashed out once more, tugging furiously at his grip on her and trying in vain to get free of him. Her breath backed up in her lungs, all her muscles tight and trembling. “Let go of me!”

He wiped his face again, the lower part of it sporting dark stubble. Talia let her gaze skim over him, trying to memorize his features for when she had to give a description to the police. God. He was built like a truck. His neck alone would rival the span of her waist, while his chest rippled and heaved beneath the soaked shirt.

Suddenly aware of her nakedness, she ceased her perusal. “If you don’t let go of me, I’ll scream. So help me, I’ll scream loud enough to wake the dead.”

He only grinned at that, yet there was little humor in it. Feral, she thought dazedly. He reminded her of a determined predator…

Bloody hell. Was he a shifter? A member of a visiting pack? It seemed to happen pretty frequently, but from what she knew, they didn’t engage in breaking and entering.

The thought that this man might be a shifter terrified her. She knew of their strength, of their power. Of their primal charm and charisma…which had to explain the sudden resurgence of arousal that powered through her trembling body.

“Go ahead and scream. There’s nobody around to hear you.”

He was right, of course, and she shivered with alarm. Most of their neighbors were at work, and the house itself was on the edge of the moor, its strategic position giving the pack’s leader both status and tactical strength.

She raised her chin and made herself stare him straight in the eye. “You don’t scare me.”

Another feral grin. “Is that so?” He glanced insolently down at her breasts and the hard, pebbled nipples that rose to attention. “But it sure looks like I do something to you, sweetheart.”

She gasped, and he abruptly released his hold on her and stepped back. Since he was still blocking her exit from the cubicle, Talia couldn’t reach the towel she’d placed on the railing outside without brushing her body against him. She crossed one arm to cover her breasts, then reached down to palm her hand over her center.

When he glanced to where her hands were purposefully placed, she suffered the punch of his assessing gaze and felt more naked than ever.

“If you leave now, I won’t report you,” she stated, thankful that her voice had regained some of its authority. “Just go.”

In answer, he raised his arm over his head and grabbed the back of his sodden shirt. Effortlessly, he shrugged it off and dropped it to the floor.

Eyeing his chest, Talia swallowed. She’d thought Joshua’s chest was ripped, but this man’s was something else. Scars scored the wide expanse of hard, solid muscle, crisscrossing as if someone had planned to create a specific pattern there. But they did little to mar the sheer masculine perfection of his upper body. Down the right side of his torso, a deeper, angrier-looking scar traveled from his ribcage to disappear beneath his jeans.

So lost in her heady examination, she didn’t realize he’d moved closer to her.

She jerked back, flattening herself against the cubicle wall. “Don’t you dare touch me.”

He spared her a glance. “Just undertaking some damage control. If my jeans get any wetter, I’ll need to ditch them, then there’ll be two of us naked in this shower.” He reached around her to turn off the faucet. “From your overreaction so far, I’m not sure you’d be too happy about that.”

“My overreaction?” The absolute nerve of the jerk. “You’ve barged in here, threatened me—”

“Wasn’t aware I’d done anything to you.”

She half expected him to add yet, but he strolled across to the railing and picked up the towel she’d placed there. He tossed it to her, making her almost giddy with relief. If he was going to let her dry herself, surely his intentions weren’t quite as dishonorable as she’d feared.

She wrapped the towel tightly around herself, keeping her gaze firmly on him. He went over to the rack and selected another towel with which he proceeded to dry himself.

Her fears shot into orbit again when he positioned himself in front of the bathroom door, effectively barring her escape the way he had in the cubicle. Gingerly, she stepped out. If she could at least get access to the bathroom cabinet, she might be able to select something to use as a weapon.

“What’s your name?”

The question took her by surprise and she jerked her chin toward him. “I should be asking you that. So I know who to report when I make my statement to the police.”

Perhaps in retrospect, she shouldn’t antagonize him, but the nerve of the man. Breaking into her home, terrorizing her, demanding to know her name as if she were the intruder.

He laughed. “And just how many arrests has old Bill Tucker made recently?”

“You know him?”

“Since I was a kid. And if we’re talking arrests, maybe I should be the one pressing charges.”

“I don’t know what you mean. Now will you please stand aside and let me out of this bathroom?”

He threw the damp towel onto a nearby chair. “You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart. At least not until you answer my question.”

Since he’d planted his feet and crossed his arms over his massive chest, Talia swallowed down fresh tension. “What…what question?”

“Just what the hell are you doing in my house?”

Author Bio:

Faye Avalon enjoys writing sexy stories about strong men and the savvy women who rock their world. She has taken a roundabout journey toward her writing career, working as cabin crew, detouring into property development, public relations and education, before finally finding her passion: writing spicy romantic fiction.

Faye lives with her super-ace husband and one beloved, ridiculously spoiled dog. They regularly expand their family by boarding puppies destined to become guide dogs. Between writing, reading, running around after manic puppies and grabbing some quality time with her husband, Faye enjoys a challenging yoga session or a night at the movies.

Visit her at www.fayeavalon.com or on Twitter and Facebook.

Links:

Website:  http://www.fayeavalon.com

Blog: http://www.fayeavalon.wordpress.com

Twitter: @faye_avalon

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/faye.avalon.1

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/fayeavalon1/

releaseblitzbutton_firstbeast

Out Now! Indecent Exposure by Faye Avalon (@faye_avalon)

Indecent ExposureBook Blurb:

She’s gotten herself into hot water, and the heat just keeps on rising.

Gina McKenzie didn’t make the same mistakes her mother made with men. She just made different ones. Like letting a good one get away—and trusting a bad one to keep her kinky tastes private.

With an ex-lover holding a naked bondage video over her head, she’s forced to reunite with an old college crush to get the dirty on him. Back then, she resorted to humiliating Mitchell Coleman to keep her heart safe. Now she has no choice but to compromise him in the worst possible way.

When Gina walks back into Mitchell’s life and starts seducing him, desire wars with suspicion. Last time this happened, she tossed him to the wolves. If she’s going to serve herself up on a plate, he intends to make her see exactly what she missed by rejecting him all those years ago.

But Mitch soon realizes that Gina has an agenda other than heating up the sheets—and this time he’s not going to let her play him for a fool.

Buy Links:
Samhain Publishing: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5441/indecent-exposure
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GjHubG
Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/1OyItYZ

 

Excerpt:

releaseblitzbutton_indecentexposure“Your place or mine?”

He gave her one of those long appraising looks that set her pulse racing. “I keep searching for the hidden message here.”

She shrugged and hoped to heaven her casual manner was convincing. Especially since her stomach was now doing serious somersaults. “I find you attractive. I’d say it’s reciprocated, unless I’m no longer an expert at reading men’s signals. And we’re both adults. Neither of us are in a serious relationship. Why can’t we act on our impulses?”

“Where do you live?”

Hell, this was really going to happen. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. She pushed away her half finished meal, her throat tight. “Putney.”

“My place is nearer. Chelsea.”

With her heart beating out of her chest, she glanced away. Could she really go through with this? Could she do this to him?

Before she could question that further, he huffed out a laugh. “Seems you’re still playing the same games.”

She looked back at him. “Meaning what?”

“Coming on to me, but backing off every time I get close to taking you up on what you’re offering. The one consolation is at least this time I can read the signals.”

To hide the fact he hadn’t entirely missed the mark, she shook her head. “And still I don’t know what you mean.”

“Signals. Signs.” Raising his wine glass, he nodded toward her lap. “I’ll bet your knees are clamped so tightly together right now, I wouldn’t get between them if I tried.”

Deliberately, she relaxed her knees. “Maybe I’m worried you’re planning to get back at me for stealing your pants that time.”

His eyes sparkled, but she couldn’t be sure if it was with humor or wicked intent. “I’ve forgiven you for that. Despite the humiliation you caused me.”

“Huh. Some humiliation. I bet your friends slapped you on the back for almost getting me naked, before assuring you I wasn’t worth worrying about.”

She knew she had a reputation in college. That she led most of the guys on before unceremoniously dumping them. But despite her frivolous reputation, she never slept around.

“Most of them called me an idiot for letting you get away with it so easily, but they didn’t know what I knew.”

“What was that?”

He pursed his lips. “My theory. About you.”

“Which is?”

“I think you’re all talk. You always were.”

“And you’d know, of course. Seeing as you’re an expert on women.”

“I know my way around them.”

She bet he did.

 

Author Bio:

Faye Avalon enjoys writing sexy stories about strong men and the savvy women who rock their world. She has taken a roundabout journey toward her writing career, working as cabin crew, detouring into property development, public relations and education, before finally finding her passion: writing spicy romantic fiction.

Faye lives with her super-supportive husband and they regularly expand their family by boarding puppies destined to become guide dogs. Between writing, reading, running around after manic puppies and grabbing some quality time with her husband, Faye enjoys relaxing with a calming yoga session or spending a night at the movies.

A keen yoga enthusiast/teacher, Faye loves to travel, follow F1 motor racing, decorate the house when the mood takes and, of course, hit the keyboard at every opportunity to write. She holds a BA in Humanities and MA in Education.

Links:
Website:  http://www.fayeavalon.com
Blog: http://www.fayeavalon.wordpress.com
Twitter: @faye_avalon
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/faye.avalon.1
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/fayeavalon1/

What Scares Me by Teresa Noelle Roberts (@TeresNoeRoberts)

thingsthatgohump300x200Witches’ Waves, Book 4 of my paranormal romance series Duals and Donovans: The Different (this is actually the fifth book set in this world, but one, Fox’s Folly, is a prequel to the rest), is all about witches and shapeshifters, or as I call them in my world, duals. The most terrifying thing in the series, though, is a creation of ordinary humans: the Agency, put in place to combat dangerous paranormal (“Different”) activity, but now a force for repressing all non-humans and humans with paranormal abilities.

I suppose this says a lot about what frightens me in real life. OK, I admit I won’t watch The Walking Dead because zombies freak me out. But for the most part, the stuff of horror movies doesn’t make me bat an eyelash. Ghosts? I’m pretty sure I’ve encountered a few. Two seemed sweet, melancholy and lonely, more touching than frightening. The other was a dead friend, still much as he had been in life. Creepy entities such as vampires or demons? I’ve read (and written) enough fantasy and paranormal romance books that I fancy I’d know how to manage such beasties. (Probably by running like a scared rabbit, since I don’t have a mighty magical sword or any sorcerous abilities.) Besides, they might be sexy, like in my favorite books. Magic? I’d love to experience it for real, after writing about it for so long. People being evil and dangerous to their neighbors out of bigotry, on the other hand? It’s all around us, it sometimes starts from lofty motives, as with the Agency, and it scares the hell out of me. The terrifying elements of horror novels always have a solution in the pages of the book. It takes people working together, willing to risk it all, to hold real-life, mundane evil, the kind of evil that thinks it’s doing good, at bay.

And ultimately, that kind of courage and ability to work together against evil is what Witches’ Waves is all about. Well, that, true love, hot ménage sex, the power of the ocean, beautiful bisexual men who love an ass-kicking blind heroine, and an adorable, potentially lethal infant.

You know, the usual stuff.

 

witches wavesWitches’ Waves (Duals and Donovans: The Different, book 4)

Out 11/18/14 from Samhain Publishing. Pre-order now!

 

The ocean is on their side. But the fight is on land—and it’s about to get dirty.

Duals and Donovans: The Different, Book 4

Long held captive as the Agency’s secret weapon—a blind witch with visions—Meaghan has come to a line she refuses to cross. Rather than betray the infant “child of five bloods” to the Agency’s scientists, she chooses death. Except when she throws herself into the ocean, she doesn’t die. Her repressed water magic comes to life.

When the sodden, delirious witch drifts into Kyle’s arms, his otter dual instincts tell him to get her to the Donovans as fast as possible. Even though one particular surfer-dude Donovan broke his heart.

Declan Donovan continually kicks himself for pushing Kyle away, but his touchy combination of water, earth and lightning magic is too volatile, and Kyle wanted more than Deck was ready to give.

When they come together to help Meaghan control her new magic, it leads the Agency straight to the child of five bloods. They’ll have to dive head-first into total trust—in their magics, in themselves and in each other—to save the child and stop the Agency once and for all.

Warning: Contains an oceanful of sex between an ethereal blind heroine who swears like a pissed-off Marine, an overly serious otter shifter, a would-be beach bum who may be descended from a Norse god, in permutations as fluid as the sea – and themes of abuse and recovery.

 

Here’s a taste:

Anger flared in Kyle’s dark eyes. “Trickster’s tits, Deck, she’s been in an Agency compound since she was little. I’m the first guy she’s ever met who wasn’t using her as a fucking lab experiment. Yeah, I’m intrigued, but I’m not going to go there. How the hell would she know if she’s really interested or if I just gain by comparison to sadistic Agency freaks?” He snorted. “She can’t even see my manly charms. She’s blind.”

But, demons and devas, Declan could see his manly charms. The short, dark-brown hair, as sleek and lush as his otterside’s pelt, dark eyes a man could drown in, cutting cheekbones, strong, lean body that quivered with erotic tension. He couldn’t see the well-muscled chest and back, the near-perfect abs, the angular lines on the sides of Kyle’s hips or the big uncut cock. But he knew those “manly charms” too. Knew them and had remembered them in explicit detail every moment he’d been alone, ever since he was fool enough to tell Kyle he needed time.

Kyle was one beautiful man. But that serious, thoughtful tone behind the flippancy so natural to an otter dual took him from beautiful to damn well irresistible.

With each step forward, Declan told himself no. But he kept walking. It didn’t help that Kyle met him halfway.

Declan froze at the last second. He’d rejected Kyle once, run like a rabbit from something he realized too late he wanted. Just because Kyle was still attracted didn’t mean he’d want to take the chance of being hurt again, especially not with the lovely, mysterious Meaghan depending on him.

But when he opened his arms in invitation, Kyle was in them, pressing his slender, sinuous body against Declan’s more solid one, drawing him down into a kiss.

Almost as soon as they touched—certainly as soon as their lips met—Declan’s cock snapped to awkward attention.

He needed. Lord and Lady, he needed. Something about Kyle made everything feel all right, made him feel like whatever challenges they faced, whatever the Agency might do, they’d be able to handle it.

He was pretty sure it wasn’t anything deep and metaphysical. He was on such a hormonal high that everything seemed like it was fine.

Kyle was in his arms, Kyle was kissing him, Kyle’s energy was caressing him everywhere and Kyle’s hands were doing their best to do the same. Declan slid his own hands down to cup the other man’s firm ass. With a muffled groan, Deck ground their crotches together. Arousal, sharp and hot and almost painful, shot through him.

Deck’s red magic was as squirrelly as his other powers, sometimes as erratic as a teenage virgin’s, sometimes nearly as strong as Elissa’s, though a lot more chaotic. Right now it was running so high the world turned red and crackled with energy, and they both had all their clothes on. Instinctively, he shunted the power the two of them were raising to strengthen Meaghan’s shields. The poor girl was almost as naked as a normy and more psychically open than his cousin Portia. At least Portia didn’t have seizures when she telepathically tapped into someone else’s thoughts.

Then Kyle’s hand snaked into his pants and Deck was glad that the red magic could do its thing without his brain involved now that he’d directed it, because his brain and his body both wanted to focus on Kyle.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon US /Amazon UK /B&N Nook / Kobo

 

glamour cropped 2Bio:

Teresa Noelle Roberts started writing stories in kindergarten and she hasn’t stopped yet. A prolific author of short erotica, she’s also a published poet and fantasy writer—but hot paranormals and BDSM-spiced contemporaries are her favorites. Or they were until she discovered that SF romance offers new possibilities for wild sex and imaginative adventure, so she’s added that sub-genre to her repertoire. Oh, and she’s also half of the writing team known as Sophie Mouette, writing mostly light-hearted spicy romances (with forays into erotica).

Teresa is a crunchy granola girl who enjoys belly dance, yoga, medieval re-creation, playing in the ocean, cooking, and growing more vegetables than she and her husband can possibly eat.  She’d enjoy sleeping, too. She thinks. But it takes so much time!

She shares her home in southern Massachusetts with her husband, a Leo in law enforcement, and two overstuffed cats. She and her husband often plan vacations around food, history, and/or proximity to water.

Find Teresa at www.teresanoelleroberts.com, like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTeresaNoelleRoberts or follow on Twitter, where she’s @TeresNoeRoberts.

And check out her alter ego Sophie at www.sophiemouette.com.

*****

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