#ThrowbackThursday – A Trip to Miami

An old joke, but funny. What’s a Cuban girl’s favorite whine? I want to go to Miami!

Lately I’ve been working on a lot of Works-In-Progress that are set in Miami and with winter still with us in the Northeast, I’m dreaming of warm nights and the beach. Plus it will let me do research on all the different locations in my WIPs. Being able to go there will really help up the authenticity in the stories. So here’s hoping one of them sells! For now, a snapshot from one of our earlier trips to Miami!

#TeaserTuesday – Sneak Peek at Desire Calls a Vampire Romance Novella

Today I’m offering up a sneak peek at Desire Calls, one of the novellas in The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novels. This novella features Stacia and Blake, two characters that you meet in the earlier books in the series. I love these two characters because they are so over the top! I’m also glad I was able to finally give them their happily-ever-afters. Enjoy the sneak peek! You can purchase the full novella for only 99 cents for a limited time or get it for free in The Calling is Reborn Box Set Volume 1 for only 2.99!


Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Gyu96j
Apple Books: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1451916740
B&N: http://bit.ly/2TJNKnQ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/desire-calls
Playster: http://bit.ly/2TzBnLi
Scribd: http://bit.ly/2TJPFsV

The Calling is Reborn Volume 1
Contains Darkness Calls, Danger Calls, Temptation Calls and a free bonus novella Desire Calls
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EaYkPm
Apple Books: Coming Soon!
B&N: http://bit.ly/2N8Jxrj
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2N5T1nq
Playster: http://bit.ly/2N75EyC
Scribd: http://bit.ly/2N7FTOC

Teaser

Welsh vampire Blake has given up on any chance of love.

From the moment Blake Richards runs into sexy college coed Meghan Thomas, he imagines that it’s possible for him to actually fall in love once again. But when he loses control during their lovemaking, he has to decide between letting Meghan die or turning her. Blake turns her earning her eternal hatred and losing his chance for love. Until he runs into vampire elder Stacia and her power and humanity call to him in unexpected ways and make him believe that love just might be possible with the beautiful immortal.

Vampire elder Stacia hasn’t felt the pull of love in centuries.

Hidden from humans and feared by her own kind due to her immense age and powers, Stacia has few friends and even fewer lovers. The other elders urge her to give up on eternal love, but something inside Stacia says that if she does she will lose the very last bit of the humanity in her heart. But after a chance encounter with Blake, his spirit and strength intrigue her and she imagines that finally she may have found the man worthy enough to be her eternal companion.

Excerpt

This excerpt is for Mature Audiences only due to sexual and graphic contest

Chapter 1

The piazza always provided a fine selection for dining, Stacia thought as she sat on the railing along the edge of the Bernini fountain in Rome’s Piazza Navona. She gazed at the choices available in various spots around the square. French. German. Italian, of course.

Her stomach rumbled with hunger. It had been a day since she had eaten. Placing a hand over her belly, she rose and sashayed toward her first pick, but as she neared the Frenchman, she realized he was beyond lubricated. The stench of cheap wine clung to his shirt and oozed from his pores.

Shaking her head, she thought of the oft-repeated adage all those television chefs used — If it’s not good enough to drink, it’s not good enough for cooking — or in her case, for eating. That cheap stuff just left a bad aftertaste in your mouth along with a wickedly nasty buzz.

She preferred something cleaner on her palate tonight.

Which definitely had her bypassing the Aryan god she had noticed just a short distance away from the Frenchman. Germans were always a trifle heavy in her belly, although the broad set of his shoulders and well-muscled chest made her reconsider. She loved her men big and strong and so she lingered by the front of the outdoor cafe where he was seated. Even made eye contact with him for a moment.

Amazing crystal blue eyes, twinkling with interest. That much was clear.

Stacia smiled back, thinking that maybe he might be worth a nibble. Maybe they might actually even click, finally providing her with true pleasure after nearly two thousand years of undead life.

Mr. Tall, Blonde and Brawny rose from his chair, seemingly intent on making a move in her direction, but suddenly an equally tall, blonde and muscled woman joined him. Seeing that his attention was on Stacia, his companion began a harangue loud enough to make heads turn. The man plopped down into his chair like a dog with its tail tucked between his legs.

No spirit. That was so not good, Stacia thought and moved onward, still in search of something to satisfy her hunger.

She needed a man who could not only take a lickin’, but gave as good as he got. And not just when he was in a fight. It had been a good long while since any man had really satisfied her in bed, one of the downsides of having lived so long. Of being a vampire elder.

Even her own kind avoided her at times, aware that with her age came vast power, but also vast hunger. For blood. For sex. For control over lesser vamps. She didn’t want to admit that in her case, she still hungered for love. For real passion and desire.

Things she hadn’t felt in way too long.

Some of the other elders might say that she was foolish to yearn for such things. That she should let go of the last little bit of humanity within her that prompted such desires. Then and only then could she truly relish the immense vampire power that her age provided.

Stubbornly, though, Stacia refused to relinquish that last trace of humanity. Of want for something more than an eternal existence filled with only . . .

A fine looking American caught her eye as he laughed at the antics of his rowdy friends in front of one bar. He was as big and blonde as the whipped Aryan she had bypassed earlier, but as his gaze met hers, she saw steel there. Luscious grey eyes were framed by a sheath of shaggy sunbleached hair.

Stacia circled Mr. Surfer Dude, making eye contact and clearly letting the young man know that this might just be his lucky night.

It worked without her even using a bit of her vampire power. A flirtatious smile and her feminine wiles had been enough.

He approached, leaned down from his greater height and in awfully accented Italian, asked, “Parla Inglese?”

“Do we need to talk?” she said with a sexy wink and inclined her head in the direction of a nearby alley.

The young man smiled broadly and after a quick glance back at his friends, who hooted and carried on at his “score”, he took hold of her hand and followed her.

Stacia led him farther and farther back into the narrow alley, although not so far that he would think anything was amiss. Just far enough that he would think a strong shout could still be heard out in the piazza. Not that she would give him the opportunity to call out.

Toward the middle of the alley, the night closed in around them, with only the dimmest light from the full moon above. Clothed in darkness, the young man surprised her by becoming the aggressor, grabbing her forcefully and pinning her to the jagged brick wall.

“Like it rough, do you?” she said, but he didn’t answer since with quick hands he had already undone the laces on her leather vest and was gazing down at her breasts as they spilled free.

When he bent to suck at them, she moaned, thinking that he was exceptionally gifted with his mouth. Between her legs, the throb of human desire rose up, aching for fulfillment.

She quickly undid his jeans, reached past the loose folds of denim to the boxer shorts below.

How she loved this new fashion that made it so easy to free him. To stroke the rather magnificent length of him.

He bit down on one nipple as she caressed him, dragging a gasp from her.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, although he was already lifting the almost non-existent hem of her black leather miniskirt to cup her bare buttocks and urge her upward.

With a surge, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around him. Drove down, crying out as the long thick length of him penetrated her. He was deliciously big, much like the rest of him.

His own groan was from the gut as she leaned back against the brick wall and he pounded into her, all finesse forgotten as he strove for release. As he looked down and watched the play of his hips against hers, as if fascinated by that sight. His blonde curls brushing the naked skin between her legs.

Stacia considered the emotions flitting across his face. Passion rose, dilating his eyes into shards of slate grey. Almost charcoal grey she realized as he met her gaze before dipping his head down again to suck on her breasts.

Inside her, heat built. Desire awakened the demon that hungered for so much. She threw her head back, allowed the beast to emerge so that it could experience it all. The dark of the night, enveloping them in its secrecy. The strength of his youth, bringing her closer and closer to completion. The musky smells of their lovemaking, pushing her over the edge.

She called out her physical completion and laid her face against his. Bent her head and kissed the crook of his neck. His skin was damp. Salty. His blood surged, singing through his veins as his heart beat quickened while he strove for his completion.

Sweet, sweet blood. Pulsing beneath her lips.

In a heartbeat, she loosed the beast, her fangs bursting forth and piercing the fragile skin of his neck.

He called out then in a strangled cry laced with pain, but also with the acknowledgement of passion like no other he had ever experienced — the passion borne from a vampire’s kiss.

Blood spilled onto her lips from her fangs as she drank, experiencing the surge of strength and lust that came from feeding. From his sweet, young blood bringing the rush of life to her undead body.

He tasted like the ocean and sun. Salty. So tasty that Stacia could have kept on going until she drained him dry, only he had done well by her tonight, satisfying one hunger while leaving another unfulfilled.

The young man’s knees weakened from the loss of blood and Stacia hopped off him. With her greater vampire strength, she gently eased him to the uneven pavement of the alley.

He was rather handsome, she thought, gazing down at him as he stared up at her, disoriented. The bite mark at his neck was already healing and come the morning, he would remember nothing. Feel no worse off than if he had a bad hangover.

And she would feel . . .

Still alone, she thought, hurrying from the alley as if by doing so, she could escape the bleakness of her existence.

Once out in the piazza, she realized that it was time to move on. She would not find satisfaction here.

New York would be good this time of year, it occurred to her as she strolled through the square. Lots of fine dining there and the wanna-bes at the Blood Bank were always good for a laugh.

Imagine, wanting to be human again, she thought. What good was that? she asked herself, ignoring the little voice in her head which reminded that with all that humanity came . . .

Love.

#ThrowbackThursday A Trip to Mexico

I’ve been very lucky that my day job has let me visit Mexico on a number of occasions. I’ve been to Mexico City, Guadalajara and Tequila. Fascinating places, great food and good-hearted people.

I’ve been fascinated by the Aztecs and the Maya since I read The Conquest of Mexico and Peru as a kid. It’s no wonder that I decided to set two of my books in Mexico: Aztec Gold and The Fifth Kingdom. The Fifth Kingdom in particular is one of my favorite books and it features the Sun Stone, a symbol of Mexico, in the story. That’s the Sun Stone in the bottom left of this photo! It was truly a pleasure to share with you how the Aztecs lived and their culture, as well as their gods and goddesses.

P.S. – My fascination with the Maya was in large part responsible for inspiring the Sin Hunters and the special powers that you first see in THE LOST.

BOXED IN by Rebecca York is Available Today for #99cents

Congrats to my friend NYT bestselling author Rebecca York who is releasing a new paranormal romantic suspense book today! Even better, it’s just 99c as a new release special price for the month of June. BOXED IN is the 16th Decorah Security Series book, but can be easily read as a standalone novel.

Order or Visit Rebecca here:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qMieH1
B&N: http://bit.ly/2qJKmvq
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2p5EYpc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rebecca-York-122426234846/
Website: http://rebeccayork.com/

Blurb:

Olivia Weston is sure her boss has imported a shipment of stolen antiques. And when Decorah agent Luke Garner handles one of the items, an ornate puzzle box, the spirit of a warrior, locked away for centuries, takes possession of his body. Zabastian, the guardian of the box, forces Luke to help him return the object of power to its rightful owners. As Olivia sees Luke change before her eyes, his transformation both frightens and arouses her. And both men who inhabit Luke’s body want her. But they must also learn to work together to protect the mysterious artifact from a trio of murderous thieves who will risk anything to steal the prize. And in the end, will the warrior allow Luke and Olivia their happily ever after?

EXCERPT: Luke offers to help Olivia unpack the shipment.

He walked toward the cases, then stopped at the table where she’d set the objects she’d already removed. The box was there. At least, it looked like the right box.

Now that he saw it, he had the feeling he shouldn’t pick it up. He did it anyway, turning it over in his hands. “What’s this?”

“My friend, Beth Lawrence, says it’s from an old religious cult. The Moon Priests.”

Somehow, hearing the name sent a shiver over his skin.

“She says they were supposed to have magic powers.”

“Oh yeah?”
“When I touch it, I get this tingling sensation.”

He did too. He should put the damned thing down. But he felt compelled to move his fingers over the sides of the chest. When he pressed the lower right side of the box, a panel sprang back.

“Hey!” He propped his hips against the table as he turned the box, holding it up to the light and looking at the design. Then he pressed a flower on the left side. Again, a panel opened.

“Stop,” Olivia said, her voice uneven.

He shook his head. From the moment he’d seen the box, he’d known he had to get his hands on it.

“I think it’s . . . dangerous,” she said, but now her voice seemed to be coming from a far distance. “You remember that chest in the Raiders of the Lost Ark?”

“What about it?”
“When the Nazis opened it, something bad happened to them.”

“This isn’t the lost ark.”

“It’s from an ancient religion.”

“And?”

“And . . . it’s giving me the creeps.”

He nodded, but now it seemed impossible to put the box down. Instead, he kept working on the pressure points. More panels opened, and then the top sprang up.

A white mist came blasting out of the box like it had been fired from a cannon and struck him in the face. In the next moment, he fell to the floor unconscious.

#TravelTuesday More than a Mission & Secret Agent Reunion

Several years back I was lucky enough to be part of a romantic suspense series from Harlequin that included MORE THAN A MISSION and SECRET AGENT REUNION. I loved writing these stories set on a fictional island as well as London and Rome. Especially MORE THAN A MISSION which is one of my personal favorites and was also turned into a comic in both Japanese and Chinese!

These were emotional stories about sisterly love and devotion and of course, romances with strong alpha heroes and action-packed suspense. Plus, they gave me an opportunity to do some first hand research in London and Rome. While I was in London, I also did research for another romantic suspense book that I had planned to revolve around the Knights Templar. That book is still in my ideas journal and I hope to get back to it one day when I have more time to write.

For today, on this Travel Tuesday, I’m sharing some photos from the places I visited and which inspired MORE THAN A MISSION and SECRET AGENT REUNION and will eventually make it into another book! For now, I want to leave you with these images. Just click on a thumbnail to see the full photo!

A visit from Alexa Verde and the Smoke and Mirrors #BoxSet #KindleUnlimited

smoke-and-mirrorsWe have something different going on today! Thank you to Alexa Verde for visiting with me to share her latest collaboration with 8 other Christian Romance authors. I read Alexa’s first book COLOR OF DANGER and couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait to read this one.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS is their box set of 8 BRAND NEW “hidden identity” romantic suspense novellas from today’s bestselling Christian authors. Even better, it’s only 99 cents or free on Kindle Unlimited!

Here are blurbs from 2 of the 8 new books in the set:

TAKEN by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Sally Bradley: Cam Winters has never talked about his past, about life before he became a Christian. Jordan Foster knows that Cam’s a strong, caring man–a man she can see herself with. But he refuses to ask her out for fear of what her brother, one of his closest friends, might say. So Jordan takes things into her own hands. When Cam admits to sharing her feelings, the two fall quickly in love–just as that past that Cam won’t ever talk about returns for Cam and those he loves. A group which now includes Jordan.

SCENT OF DANGER by Alexa Verde: To find her missing sister, small-town cop Maya Hutchinson risks her life by posing as her glamorous twin. Under escalating attacks, Maya accepts protection from dashing senator’s son Connor McNamara. Cop turned PI, Connor McNamara has his own secret mission and is forced to choose between family loyalty and love. When the scent of danger draws near, will Connor and Maya survive long enough to forgive and accept each other?

Check out this short teaser from Alexa’s SCENT OF DANGER!

    Stilettos were murder.

    Maya Hutchinson breathed a sigh of relief as she kicked off her painful shoes and snatched them from the floor. The marble surface felt smooth and cold underneath her bare feet. She plodded along the empty hall where she’d sneaked to get away from the crowd.

    Hurried footsteps behind her made her wince. But before she had a chance to turn around, she was pushed into the nearest room. The door was immediately shut in her face. The click of the lock turning was followed by footfalls disappearing in the distance.

    It took her a moment to get over the initial astonishment. Then she tried the handle, but of course it was useless. What was she going to do? Unlike her sister, she’d never mastered the art of lock picking. She should’ve taken lessons from her twin when she had a chance.

    Maya pushed down a wave of helplessness and knocked on the door with her stilettos. Finally, those things were good for something besides killing her feet.

    “Help! Somebody! Anybody?” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

You can click here to check out more or purchase SMOKE AND MIRRORS or use this link: http://amzn.to/2cBTUD4

#TeaserTuesday TO LOVE AND SERVE and DARE TO LOVE in Taming the Vampire

Taming the VampireAs I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I’m in a great new new anthology – TAMING THE VAMPIRE – with some friends who also write vampire romance. My contribution to the collection is DARE TO LOVE, a new story in THE CALLING IS REBORN Vampire series. The anthology is only 99 cents for a limited time and best of all, these are ALL NEW stories! Not re-releases and not available anywhere except in the anthology. You can read more about the anthology here: http://bit.ly/tamingvamp

You can purchase TAMING THE VAMPIRE at these online retailers:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bfy9Js
Kobo http://bit.ly/2by9MsM
iBooks: http://apple.co/2byaNAP
B&N: http://bit.ly/2byaGoW

DARE TO LOVE features vampire slayer Benjamin, a sexy alpha hero who first appeared in TO LOVE AND SERVE.

Today I have a little teaser for you from and excerpt for you from TO LOVE AND SERVE where Benjamin first makes his appearance.

Teaser TO LOVE AND SERVE

    He lived alone for centuries until she came into his life. . .

    Southern vampire Ryder Latimer had never expected to love again or to live again until FBI Agent Diana Reyes came into his life and made him believe it was possible to believe in the future. When a mission goes horribly bad, Ryder risks his life to save his lover. When he takes a bullet for her, he contaminates her with his blood, saving her life, but condemning her to a slow death as his vampire cells take over her body.

    Since her father’s death years earlier, she had dedicated her life to protecting others…

    Diana Reyes’s father had died in her arms and since that date, she’s served others in order to obtain justice and keep the world safe. When sexy Ryder Latimer saunters into her life, he challenges what she believed was meant to be her life. There’s just one problem: Now when she really believes in the possibility of happily-ever-after, her life is slipping away from her and Diana must decide whether to become a vampire in order to stay with the man she loves.

Excerpt

Click here if you cannot see the TO LOVE AND SERVE excerpt below.

Click here for more about TO LOVE AND SERVE and check out the new cover for the book!
To-Love-and-Serve-Vampire Romance