HER GILDED PRISON EXTRACT 2 + GIVEAWAY DETAILS
WH
OOPS!
I forgot to mention the giveaway details which are at the bottom of this post.
I’m also so sorry I missed such a lot of the party due to the unexpected events of this strange, sad day, but for those still awake at this odd hour, here’s a second extract.
And I hope you’ve all had a great time at TRS, who are always such great hosts.
DESCRIPTION
Lady Sybil’s perfect life is a perfect lie. Her husband spends more time with his beloved mistress and illegitimate children than he does with her. Worse, since he no longer beds her, they’re left with only a distant cousin as heir. While her husband lives, Sybil knows no erotic touches, no passion. No love. If her husband dies, her home will be entailed to Stephen, a stranger.
When Stephen visits the property that will one day be his, he’s instantly ensnared in a web of lust, longing and lies. For how can he resist Lady Sybil, a woman so full of beauty and life? A woman who deserves to be loved and worshipped and set free from the gilded prison in which she’s trapped? Stephen is determined to show Lady Sybil every pleasure she’s been deprived of, even if it means being forever condemned in society’s eyes.
Inside Scoop: This erotic Regency romance features an intense, taboo relationship between an older woman and a younger man.
A Romantica® historical erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave.
EXTRACT:
Humphry raised his eyebrows at the message brought by Mary but Sybil did not miss the almost clandestine look in her direction before he replied, “Tell her I’ll see her in the drawing room.” He hesitated, adding to Sybil, “You must have more of the bacon, dear. It’s very good.”
Sybil was not going to be fobbed off like that but she waited a moment before making her own appearance in the drawing room two minutes later.
She was just in time to hear her husband say under his breath, “It was wrong of you to venture here, Larissa, but I shall come.” At her arrival the pair drew quickly apart.
He glanced at Sybil. “Miss Laurence is asking if I’d be patron of the new school in the village and I’ve agreed.”
Sybil nodded at the large-eyed creature who’d stared at them from the passing carriage on the way to their picnic spot a few days ago.
“A new school? What a novel idea.” Sybil smiled, inviting the young lady to sit, but Miss Laurence declined after a fleeting look at Humphry.
Her father.
Sybil watched the exchange. Anguish clawed at her and she longed to inform Humphry that she knew exactly who Miss Laurence was.
The girl was looking at her with interest. There was boldness, even dislike in those enormous green eyes of hers. Sybil felt like shouting, Yes, look around you! Look all you like! You think you’re the one who’s been hard done by through my husband’s philandering?
Instead she merely inclined her head, saying softly, “I should like to be informed of its progress…Miss Laurence.”
Humphry hadn’t even dared use her real name. Hazlett!
When she overheard Mary and Betty whispering in the cold room that Mrs. Hazlett had been seen in town disguised beneath a heavy veil and with her belly nearly as large as her brazenness, Sybil had to swallow down her rage and use every ounce of her inconsistent willpower to remain silent.
Stephen intercepted Sybil near the wall of the vegetable garden. She looked upset.
One of the maids was scraping out a saucepan of gruel for the chickens so he beckoned her to follow him a short distance away and out of sight.
Although he had no claim on her, rage burned within him.
Roughly, he asked, “Tell me—” but she cut him off and her look was so sorrowful it took all his willpower not to seize her to his chest and be damned with the danger of exposure.
“Humphry was inebriated.” She turned her head away. “Nothing happened.” Changing the subject, she added, “Humphry’s ‘other’ daughter has just visited.”
He assumed a sympathetic expression but was overjoyed at the knowledge that Humphry hadn’t laid a finger on her. “Sybil, your husband has sired three side-slips with another woman. You owe him nothing. Certainly not your loyalty.” With a surreptitious look over his shoulder, he ran his hands quickly over her curves. God, he loved her body. He couldn’t wait to have her naked and all his again. “Come into the beech wood with me.”
She shook her head. “Do not forget I am lady of the manor. I have a great deal to organize before tomorrow.”
“If you’re worried about conceiving I’ve already shown—”
“Stephen…no!” She sounded stricken.
“You didn’t enjoy last night? You want nothing more to do with me?” Now he was the one stricken.
“Stephen, I’m consumed by you,” she whispered, gripping the lapels of his coat. “It terrifies me but our arrangement was because my husband could not sire an heir on me. If his enthusiasm to at least try has returned I’m in no position to refuse him.” A look of utter desolation crossed her face. “And… I cannot be sharing my bed with two men. I just can’t.”
Jealousy speared him. “You may already be with child,” he reminded her.
She closed her eyes. “Or I may not. Oh Stephen.” Her voice hitched. “I’m duty- bound to my husband.”
“You owe him nothing after the way he’s treated you.” He knew the defense was lame. That the law was on Lord Partington’s side and Sybil spoke the truth. But he couldn’t accept that he was losing her so soon.
At the sound of servants approaching, Sybil put out her hand to squeeze his shoulder as if that might comfort him. “I hate it as much as you,” she said. “However we must part now. I fear for you in case suspicion is even raised.”
“For me?” He gripped her wrists and put his lips to her palms, even though the voices were getting close. “Do not worry about the risks I take. I’m wild for you, Sybil,” he whispered between kisses. “I’d take any risk to be with you. We have two nights to be together. Let me be with you one more time? Please, my love?”
Closing her eyes, she wilted against him. “We dare not, Stephen. The risks are too great and…and…”
Miserably he finished for her, “And your husband has first claim on you.” He took a deep breath and tilted up her chin. He couldn’t believe this was the end. It was too soon. “Sybil, after I go away, regardless of whether you are with child, will you have me back? Can I see you again?” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I need you.” He looked at her helplessly. “Sybil, you make me the best I’ve ever been.”
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AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY DETAILS. FOR ONE RANDOM COMMENTER I’LL BE OFFERING A COPY OF MY ENGLISH CIVIL WAR NOVELLA, THE CAVALIER, ABOUT A PURTAN WOMAN FORCED TO GIVE UP HER CAVALIER LOVER EIGHT YEARS BEFORE TO MARRY THE MAN OF HER FATHER’S CHOICE.
NOW HER FORMER LOVER IS BESIEGING HER CASTLE.
Her Gilded Prison Extract (Adult) + giveaway
I’m not sure if the time in Australia falls within the posting times. It’s been such a sad day with the loss of our darling ten-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback Homer but a party is as good a way as any to end the day.
And a *Lovely Rose Review* from Romancing the Book which came in a few minutes ago helped a lot. You can read it here.
In the meantime here’s the blurb and an extract.
HER GILDED PRISON
Lovely Lady Sybil yearns for a love she’s never received from her husband of 20 years, however it’s not the admiration of charming Stephen Cranbourne that has her considering adultery.
It’s the fear that her husband’s inability to sire an heir will see the estate go to mutton-headed Cousin Edgar, leaving Lady Sybil’s daughters vulnerable and potentially homeless when their father, the viscount dies.
Stephen’s stipulation that Lady Sybil must enjoy what she has deemed a duty elevates the relationship to one of deep, abiding love.
But complications arise when Lady Sybil’s daughter, fiery, exquisite Araminta, sets her cap at Stephen… and an unwelcome contender for the viscountancy emerges.
Think “Downton Abbey with sex….”
EXTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
The three men were on their knees now, heads craned forward, eyes fixed with prurient interest on the amorous adventure playing out on the gossamer web before them.
“He’s launching in, for God’s sake! Dipping his wick – if you could only see it! Look at him.”
Stephen felt the young Earl of Barston’s breath hot on his arm, then intercepted his gaze: rapt, enquiring, as he whispered, “She’ll kill him for it?”
His host, Sir Archie Ledger’s coarse laugh cut in as he jostled for a better look. “You say he knows his reward is death?” He twisted his head to look at Stephen, darting a glance at his wife who sat calmly embroidering at the far end of the drawing room, before adding under his breath, “The fuck of eternal damnation, eh? I reckon that’s what I got.”
It was no secret Sir Archibald Ledger had been pressured into marriage following an indiscretion with the lovely but sharp-tongued Miss Julia Preston.
Lady Julia raised her head at the commotion and her voice cut like scissors into the schoolboy game Stephen was master-minding.
“I say, gentlemen, what’s more interesting than paying some attention to the ladies. Mr Craven, I want you to please take a seat by me and tell me all about your new benefactor.”
Archie’s voice dropped a notch and the three young men huddled closer, eyes still fixed on the spider’s web, just below the escritoire. “Take cover, gentlemen, here she comes.” His voice soured. “No, it’s no good. She’s found us. Story of my life. Fun’s over.”
Stephen, still on his knees, blinked to see first Lady Julia’s well turned ankle and then, as she bent down, her lovely face. As her lively green eyes locked with his, he felt the tug between gaze and groin, and wondered at Archie’s discontent. She was a diamond of the first water.
“What is so fascinating, gentlemen?” Her intimate murmur sounded as if it were just for him. Her gaze was certainly focussed on him as her mouth curved in a secret, knowing smile.
Stephen sucked in a breath and found he was quite unable to answer. Since he’d come back from war he was unused to mixing in such elite company, though as a boy, before his mother’s decline, he remembered frequenting houses like this.
Just when he assumed she’d solicit her husband for information she brushed his hand with hers, the smile that was just for him, still in place.
Good God, he thought he’d imagined it before. Now, with Sir Archie still on his haunches, to her right, reluctantly in the process of rising, Stephen was quite clearly being conveyed a secret message. Lady Julia admired him. He forced himself to breathe evenly as his cock sprang to attention. He could not rise now, for God’s sake. He must keep them watching at least a few seconds longer.
“She’s going to devour him.” He heard the urgency in his voice that had nothing to do with the mating spiders.
“Nothing happening.” Archie sounded bored as he groaned and gripped the table leg to heave himself up. Stephen remembered having wondered at a match which had the spindly-legged, unprepossessing Sir Archie marching the very lovely Miss Julia Preston down the aisle with such haste the season before. He’d not thought about the lovely debutante again until news spread that the couple had been blessed with twin boys within a barely timely eight and a half months of their nuptials.
Now Lady Julia looked as dewy fresh and desirable as she had when Stephen had gazed admiringly at her in the ballroom as a young man experienced in battle but completely unprepared for London society. His mother had left him little of the vast fortune she’d frittered away through drink and gambling though enough to at least deport himself like the gentleman he’d been born.
He managed, but only just.
“No, nothing happening,” repeated Archie. “I’ll wager a thousand monkeys you’re all hot air, Craven.”
Lady Julia, who’d straightened, bent at the waist to peer again at the scene which had so excited the gentlemen.
“Oh, my goodness, the spider jumped!” she squeaked, twisting round so suddenly she tripped over her husband’s arm and fell full length upon Stephen.
For a second he just lay prone beneath her, eyes wide with shock as her soft curves moulded his hard – very hard – contours – not all of them his bones … and swallowed as he broke into a cold sweat – for she must clearly recognise she was lying upon where there should be no peaks.
“Get up Julia. Craven, do you accept the wager?” Archie, who sounded as if these were everyday occurrences, took his wife’s elbow and hauled her to her feet. But not before Julia had slanted a knowing, and very provocative look, at Stephen.
“What? Er, yes,” Stephen mumbled, paying only half a mind. He rarely gambled these days. He had only to recall his wretched, fatherless youth, and the antics of his feckless, beloved, wager-mad mama.
“Good fellow!” A hearty handshake followed as Stephen rose. He took refuge behind the back of the Egyptian sofa and forced a strained smile at his hosts.
“I do love an unusual wager,” Lady Julia murmured, adopting a pose of rare solidarity beside her husband. “So this big, bold, female spider – obviously a prime article in the arachnid world – has just suffered the amorous attentions of her tiny, boring, timid, ineffectual husband.” Her knowing smile broadened and her words were heavy with emphasis as she enunciated each word. It was impossible to miss her meaning and Stephen could only wonder that Archie didn’t bristle at the obvious allusion to their own marital situation. She stroked Archie’s arm while asking Stephen in silky tones, “You’re the celebrated man of science in the room, Mr Craven. Please explain in … explicit terms … the courting rituals of the spider world.”
Stephen flicked a glance at Archie. Fortunately he appeared to be his usual good-humoured self – and just as keen for information as his wife.
He cleared his throat. “The male spider will court the female and … and then after he…”
“Impregnates her,” Lady Julia supplied with an enquiring smile.
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Bad Mouth presents Ezra + 3rd TRS Giveaway!
Oh, baby, I want to meet you! Wait, I have met you. Yes, I met Alex Skarsgard. In person. And spent half the day with him while he was on my ship to film Battleship. He was above and beyond my expectations, tall, lean, sexy, and down-to-earth. He treated me like an individual, not just some fan in a crowd. He asked about my family and talked about how hard it had to be to be away from them so much. I love that man!!! He made such an impression, I based a character loosely on Alex, and that character is Ezra.
Ezra has turned out to be a big fav among the readers of Bad Mouth. He’s a secondary character who will eventually have his own book, but for now he’s a very powerful Dominus adjuvant (vampire of the ruling caste with the ability to transform humans and procreate). So for those of you who haven’t met him yet, I’d like to introduce you to Ezra.
A rhythmic knock at the door startled her. When she glanced up, a handsome man grinned at her from the doorway. He looked Nordic with his shoulder-length, platinum-blond hair, extraordinary height, and broad shoulders. She half expected to see him pull out a giant hammer and call thunder and lightning from the heavens. A thin scar crossed from his right temple and through his eyebrow, stopping at the bridge of his nose.
“Well, well, well. You are beautiful.” Harsh—not the words, but his voice grating through his throat. Her eyes went there, but he wore a thin, muscle-hugging turtleneck. He’d followed her gaze and guessed at the question. “Terrible accident.”
He pulled up a chair in front of her desk and drew his collar down. A thick scar circled the base of his neck.
“Nearly lost my head,” he said.
She blinked a few times and realized she’d been staring slack-jawed at the man. “Uh, who are you?”
“Forgive my poor manners.” He reached forward to shake her hand. “My name is Ezra.”
Ezra. So this was Kade’s best friend, a Dominus as well. His eyes were a very light red and radiated more friendliness than a department store Santa. She’d encountered satisfied vampires, composed vampires, excited ones, wild partying ones, but a happy vampire? She’d never seen one with such a wide-open welcome in his smile.
“Have I caught you at a bad time?” He cocked his head.
“Oh, I’m sorry. No. I’m just surprised to see you here. You don’t look like an Ezra.”
He laughed. “I get that a lot. Long ago, I was adopted by a traveling missionary and renamed. Too young to remember what name I was born to.”
“Hopefully a good adoption,” she said. He gave her a solemn nod. When he remained silent, she cleared her throat. “Well, what brings you to the VLO?” She took a sip of her coffee that had grown cold while she’d napped.
“Personal business.” He winked. “My lordship tells me you gave him a heartbeat.”
She sputtered and choked on the bitter liquid, dissolving into a coughing fit. “Did he?” she asked when she could speak again.
“He did.” His smile disappeared, leaving his features as cold and hard as Kade’s when she’d first met him. “Ms. Craig, I know your reputation, and I know the history behind it. I can see you’re upset about that, but hear me out.” He waited for her acknowledgement.
“Go on,” she said.
“I’m asking you to think before you judge Kade.”
She absorbed his words carefully. Having never met him, she had no idea where he’d get the idea that she judged Kade. Though he wasn’t exactly wrong in that idea. “What did he tell you?”
“He tells me very little, but I know him well, and I’ve deduced that he cares for you.”
She did her best to ignore the warmth spreading in her chest. “It’s only been—”
He held up a gloved hand. “Please let me finish. He’s not what he appears, Ms. Craig. He’s a good man in spite of his atrocious speech. All I ask is that you dig a little before you decide anything about him.”
“What are you talking about? Dig for what?” An ominous sensation grew in the back of her mind. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like what he wanted her to find.
“I’m…limited with what I can tell you.” He sighed, his gaze rolling upward as if for inspiration. Then he gave her a very direct look. “The VLO receives copies of transformation applications?”
“Yes, we do.”
“And completed transformation records? The assignments?”
Where in the hell was he going with this? “Yes to both.”
He stood and made a short bow. “May you have a good day, Ms. Craig.” He strolled toward the door.
She couldn’t believe it. That was all he was leaving her with? “Wait!”
He stopped just shy of the exit, his grin back in place. More of a Cheshire grin this time.
“Is that it? What am I supposed to do with that?” she asked.
“Lim-i-ted, Ms. Craig.” He winked again. “I have faith that you’ll get it.” With that, he left her as speechless as when he’d come in.
Once again, thank you for reading. Please leave a comment for a chance to win my next prize, an autographed copy of The Seduction of Phaeton Black by Jillian Stone. Jillian’s in my RWA San Diego chapter, and she’s another lovely, lovely person. She’s extremely talented and I adore her writing. Any story she writes is unique and pure gold. Same as before, US residents only. If an international commenter wins, I’ll be happy to substitute a $10 Amazon GC. You can enter for any of these prizes. Just comment on the ones you’d like to be entered for, and as the note states on the home page, you have until noon EST tomorrow to get your entries in.
Thanks again for helping me spread the word that Bad Mouth is out and needs to be on your TBR! Find buy links, Goodreads link, and Authorgraph link right here.
Have you met any celebrities? Alex wasn’t my first. I was reenlisted in the Navy by David Keith, too, during the filming of Across Enemy Lines. If you haven’t, who’s the one celebrity you’d want to meet above all others? Have you read any characters who you pictured as a particular celebrity?
Yes, his tight, sexy buns are parked right on top of a launcher containing a live, multimillion dollar missile!
DIAMONDS AND SPURS-contemporary menage-MFM-ADULT EXCERPT
http://www.bookstrand.com/node/860133
ADULT EXCERPT
“You are so overdressed. I thought you said you wanted to take off your pants?”
“After you take off yours.”
Vince leaned back on his knees and tugged down Mandy’s bottoms. “I will in a sec.”
He dragged his backpack near and withdrew a condom from the side pocket.
“You planned to seduce me?”
“Shh. Hell, yes. As I said, I can’t get you out of my mind.”
That worked for her. She grinned. He moved to the side and the two them removed the rest of their clothes. She wished the light in the corner had been brighter, as his cock was shrouded in shadows.
Her wet nipples had puckered, and she wrapped her arms over her chest to keep warm. He pulled the sleeping bag over his shoulders, slid her arms to the side, and returned to the business of adoring her breasts. With one swipe of his tongue, goose bumps rippled up her arms. She shivered and he palmed her shoulder to warm her. With her free hand, she clasped his biceps and squeezed, loving the texture of his skin and the way the muscles moved even as he breathed.
Vince dropped his mouth to her belly, dragging the blanket over his head as he travelled. “So much of you I want to taste. So little time.”
She tucked the bag up to her chin. Seeing his back lift and drop the bag prevented her from knowing exactly what he was about to do. When his thumbs parted her lower lips and his tongue swiped her pussy, she moaned and immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.
“I heard that, young lady.”
The whole camp probably heard his comment. “Shh.”
He nabbed her clit, and her mind splintered. Perhaps it was the forbidden nature of the act, but every sense heightened. He licked and sucked. She lifted and bucked. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to keep from making a sound. No way could she remain still once he impaled her. Part of her wanted to urge him to give her his cock now, but the other half adored the way he incited a riot in her body. He plunged a finger in her wet opening, and her stomach tightened. She milked his finger.
He curled the meaty digit that was pressing on her most sensitive spot, and her back arched. She wrapped her legs around his shoulders and lifted her hips. Her head thrashed.
Vince crawled up her body and kissed her. “How would you like to ride me?”
Craig was Mr. Vanilla. Missionary style was his only option. “Music to my ears.” This way she could control the speed and drive him crazy. “I want to suck on your cock first,” she whispered.
This time, Vince groaned. “Be careful. It’ll be like riding a bull. You’ve got maybe seven seconds before I toss you off.”
That brought a giggle up her throat. They changed places, and she straddled him. He pulled the coverlet over her shoulders, and she slid backward until her hands and mouth were on him. He seemed thicker than Cam, but a smidge shorter. Both were massive, but from the amount of juices she was spewing, he’d fit nicely.
Although she was unable to see, his cock was an easy target. She cupped his sac and grabbed the base. She devoured him. He slipped his hands under the bag and cupped her shoulders.
“Darlin’.”
That one word said it all. He was on the edge and wanted her. Not wasting any time, she dove down on his cock and ran her tongue around in a circle. His grip tightened, and she sucked harder.
“Enough.” Vince lifted her shoulders. Foil ripped. With practiced precision, the condom found its mark before she could ask to do the honors. “Ride me, darlin’.”
“My pleasure.”
On her knees, she grabbed his cock. Instead of immediately taking him inside her, as her body was screaming for her to do, she pumped his cock a few times. Vince clamped a hand on her wrist. “You’re about to be thrown.”
She swallowed a giggle. “I’ll be good.” Or not.
She placed the head of his cock at her opening, but only lowered an inch. Her eyes popped open at his size. She’d misjudged him. He held her hips, but she wanted to be in control. With an even descent, she dropped down on him, stopping only to catch her breath. Every time she forged ahead an inch, she pulled up half the distance.
“You’re killing me, darlin’.”
Ashes of the Day ~ Excerpt Four And a Giveaway
One of the things I love best about this series is the way it allows me to travel back in time to see my characters when they were younger. In the case of some of the vamps–way, way younger. In Now Comes the Night and Ashes of the Day are the most modern in that we never go farther back than to the twins’ childhood.
In this scene, we see the twins at four years old. It’s in honor of this scene that I’m having a giveaway. Details can be found on my blog:
http://www.rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com/2013/05/ashes-of-day.html
And now for the excerpt:
July, 1975
“There, there, chiquita,” Damian murmured tenderly as he wiped the tears from Julie’s face with a soft cloth. The little girl sat on the counter next to the kitchen sink where Damian had put her while he washed the blood from her scraped knee. “It’s all right, little one. Dry your eyes. Does it still hurt very badly?”
Julie shook her head, but her lower lip continued to tremble and the occasional sob still wracked her slight frame. “N-no. Not too bad.”
“That’s my brave girl.” Damian saw no sense in driving home the point that the cause of her upset, the small cut she’d received while riding her bicycle, was already healed. He understood how she was feeling. He too found it difficult at times to recover his equilibrium once it had been sufficiently disturbed. His tendency to stay upset long after he ought to have recovered was something Conrad had never understood or properly appreciated.
“I told you we should have gone to the park,” Marc observed from his perch on one of the kitchen stools. “We almost never fall off when we ride our bikes there.”
Damian nodded. “Yes, Marc, you’re quite right.” The local park, with its smooth pavement and gently graded paths, was much easier for beginning cyclists to navigate than the uneven terrain and brick patio in their own backyard. On the other hand, there were usually other parents at the park, too many of whom might be inclined to notice cuts and scrapes that healed over too quickly. “But, as I’ve already explained to you, it gets dark very late during the summer months. It’s not practical for you two to spend much of your evenings at the park right now. Most boys and girls your age are already home in their beds and fast asleep.”
“Why can’t we go there during the day like the other children do?”
Because you’re not like the other children. Damian sighed. No. That was another point he need not mention. Marc was over-sensitive enough on the subject. “Because you’re already very lucky in that you get to stay up all night. I’m sure all those other children wish they could do the same.”
PG Excerpt from A French Affair
And, finally, my last post for the day has an excerpt from A French Affair (which you can buy here):
Excerpt:
Sydney Tyler jumped so hard that her fingers slammed down onto the laptop’s keyboard and she typed a bunch of gobbledegook.
Kashfkjsdhlfknsdlfvn sdlkch awoeduioh ahdwklc
Gasping, she clutched at her chest as her heart thumped rapidly and painfully. “What the fucking hell was that?” she said to the empty room.
Pushing her chair back from the desk, she stepped over to the window. Peering out into the brilliant sunshine, she saw something on the lawn that she had absolutely not been expecting. Workmen.
She groaned. So much for her peaceful writer’s retreat. She’d planned to get a good chunk of her novel down in the fortnight she was away, and now it looked as though her peace was going to be monumentally shattered by banging, drilling and God knows what else.
Sighing, she gave the windowsill a pathetic thump in her frustration. She might have been pissed off, but she was no vandal. And besides, she didn’t want those noisy buggers in her part of the building fixing things—having them next door was bad enough.
Sydney really could not believe her shitty luck. When she’d booked the cottage in the French village of Monthiers over the phone a couple of months ago, she’d dealt with a fellow Brit called Harry Bay, who she’d suspected was the owner. On arrival, though, a timid French woman had met her and let her into the luxurious barn conversion before handing over the keys and explaining a little bit about the local area. Apparently, in the mornings, someone came along the village streets, selling fresh bread and pastries.
There wasn’t much else to tell, it seemed, as the village had nothing except a church—almost opposite her accommodation—and a tavern. It was also lacking—she’d quickly discovered—a mobile signal. Not even a single bar illuminated her screen. Her phone was now no more than a watch, alarm clock and calendar. If there was an emergency, she was screwed. But on a much lighter note, it was one less distraction. She could just get on with what she was here to do, blissfully undisturbed.
The arrival of workmen was incredibly irritating. Her temporary landlord hadn’t mentioned there’d be anyone working next door. If he had, she wouldn’t have booked the place—the quiet and idyllic location were the whole reason for choosing this property, this area. Even though there was no way he could have known she was there to work, common courtesy would dictate that he told her. Perhaps he was just interested in taking her money and didn’t give a damn about whether she had a satisfactory stay or not. There was nothing to be done about it now, unfortunately. She’d paid for the fortnight, and she was buggered if she was going to cut and run, pissing that money down the drain. She’d just have to find a way around the disturbance, and console herself that she could leave a snarky write up on a review site when she got home.
Finding out the builders’ working hours would be a good start—she could attempt to write around them then. Or perhaps she could make use of the headphones she’d stuffed into her case, without ever thinking they’d get used. Some loud rock music would drown out the din from next door and hopefully allow her to work. It was worth a try. She hoped they were only doing a small job that would only take a couple of days, but deep down she knew they weren’t. They were renovating the whole place so it was as beautiful as the half she was in.
She was just about to go in search of the aforementioned headphones when one of the men pottering around on the lush back garden stepped away from the others. Standing in a shaft of sunlight, he pulled his arms high above his head and stretched, dragging up his t-shirt to reveal a lean stomach with a fine line of dark hair leading enticingly into the waistband of his jeans.
Oh yum, she thought, perhaps having builders next door wouldn’t be so bad after all. Especially if they all looked like him. She continued to watch as the man dropped his arms to his sides and watched the others. His dark hair was overlong and stuck out at crazy angles, as though he’d been running his fingers through it. She couldn’t see the colour of his eyes from this distance, but she could make out enough detail of his features to see that he was handsome. Gorgeous, actually. Close up he could be much less attractive, but from her upstairs window, the view was pretty fine.
Just then, he glanced across at her side of the long barn, which was divided into two holiday cottages. He caught sight of her standing there, and his face dropped. He looked back at the builders, then returned his gaze to her again. Pointing at the group of noisy men, he slapped his forehead with his other hand. Finally, he pointed at his chest, then up at her. He was indicating he wanted to come in. She paused, then nodded. Common sense told her she shouldn’t be letting a strange man into her temporary home, but then, there were several large, bulky men milling around, so if they were a dodgy sort, she and the locked door would have no chance against them, especially with no means of calling for assistance. She could scream, of course, but she doubted anyone would come. The walls of the building were extremely thick—though sadly, no match for banging and drilling—the nearest house was a little way down the road, and by day, the village was all but deserted. There was only one business that she knew of—the tavern—so the other inhabitants would have to go elsewhere to work. To nearby Chateau-Thierry, perhaps, or even further afield.
She’d just have to hope that the handsome man—probably the head honcho of their group—was also a decent one. Presumably they were a reputable company, as they’d been hired by the British owners, who were usually more wary of cowboy builders, and given the horror stories and dedicated TV programmes back home, it was understandable.
Before she got even halfway down the stairs, a knock came at the door. Okay, so he was polite enough to knock, that was good. She moved a little faster, careful not to trip in her flip flops and go hurtling downwards. Once she was safely on the ground floor, she twisted the key in the door and opened it.
*****
Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over seventy publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013, and Best Women’s Erotica 2013. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9
A Coming of Age Love Story of Betrayal, Suspense, and Renewal
Can any love Survive a treachery perfectly
fashioned to destroy it? one whose disguise is utterly flawless?
∞ ∞ ∞
Pocket Piece Cameo
By
R. Costelloe
∞ ∞ ∞
Blurb
What if the love you’ve dreamed of your whole young life is destroyed by another? And you don’t even realize it? Jill and Blake grow up in a small town. They attend the same church and public school, but are otherwise physical and personality opposites. Yet a quirk of fate and an act of kindness will draw them together through an improbably chain of events. Who would guess they would fall in love? Their love soars to stratospheric heights, only to be destroyed by a treachery that neither is even aware of. Now, thousands of miles apart, with every reason to hate each other, they each know they must heal, rebuild shattered dreams, and go on. And yet…they are ineluctably moved by forces they can’t define and do not understand. What is this restlessness they feel, even as love is pledged to another? Pocket Piece Cameo is a coming of age love story unlike any other. It tests the limits of what love can endure and what it can recover from.
∞ ∞ ∞
“…Pocket Piece Cameo is a very fine read. Rob Costelloe writes in a style like no other author I can think of. His first book Coinage of Commitment tugged at my heartstrings, and Pocket Piece Cameo had the same effect.” –Simon Barrett, Reviewer, Bloggernews.net
* * *
“I followed the story of Jill and Blake with awe. Robert Costelloe writes the classic love story of young love, where boy meets girl, and the trials they survive….The writer makes the love leap off the page and grab hold of the reader and shows them what real love can endure.” –Delane, Reviewer, Coffee Time Romance & More (a five cup review!)
* * *
“Pocket Piece Cameo” puts Rob Costelloe on the list for true romance authors. I couldn’t put this beautiful piece of fiction down. From cover to cover you will be drawn into the lives of the characters, and as they grow, see the progression of love.” –Danelle Drake, Reviewer, Reader Views
∞ ∞ ∞
Available at Amazon.com
Link to Excerpt
Link to Website
Link to Rob’s Blog
A French Affair Out Now!
Okay, I’ll stop rambling about Coming Together With Curves now and let you know about my other new release, A French Affair. It’s an erotic romance novella from Xcite Books. It’s based in Northern France and the characters have a jaunt to Paris, too, as I just couldn’t resist writing about my favourite city 
Here’s the blurb:
Sydney Tyler is renting a barn conversion in Northern France, planning to spend the fortnight getting some words down on her novel. Unfortunately, construction work in the other half of the building puts an end to her peace and quiet. Genuinely upset that the builders are going to disturb her, the property’s handsome English owner, Harry Bay, offers to make it up to her. He’s a little flirtatious, and after spotting his wedding ring, Sydney keeps him at arm’s length. Sexy as he is, she has no intention of getting involved with a married man. But when Sydney learns the truth about Harry, will their mutual attraction spur them on to work through their emotional baggage and make this more than just a French affair?
Want a copy? Go here: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/a-french-affair/
You can also add this book to your Goodreads shelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17931205-a-french-affair
*****
Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over seventy publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and 2013, and Best Women’s Erotica 2013. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9
Ashes of the Day ~ Excerpt Three
I love this scene. I wrote it way back when I was working on Old Sins, Long Shadows. It didn’t really work there and when I split book three into books three and four, it didn’t fit in Now Comes the Night, either. So, as I said, it’s been a long time coming. But I love this view of Conrad and Co. en famille, so to speak.
Excerpt:
The tension in the salon was so thick Conrad doubted it could ever be cut by a knife. It would take a sword to get the job done or, better yet, a finely honed axe. He sat in his usual armchair, attempting to read and making absolutely no headway. Again and again, his attention was snagged by the room’s other occupants.
Georgia, reclining gracefully in a chaise opposite him, appeared engrossed in a fashion magazine. Her relaxed, indolent pose and focused expression didn’t fool Conrad for an instant. She was hiding something. He could read the surge of her blood, could sense her alertness. She was no more engaged in her reading than he was. Although she didn’t so much as glance in Damian’s direction, Conrad had no doubt she was aware of his every move. As was he.
Damian had been sulking for several days now. Oh, he was subtle about it, too. His bland expression was nearly as flawless as Georgia’s. Seated at his desk on the far side of the room, he appeared contentedly busy with paperwork. Perhaps he was going over the household accounts, or finalizing plans for his upcoming party. Maybe he was making notes pertaining to the remodeling of their new rooms. Conrad had no idea what he was up to. Given the dagger-like glances Damian periodically shot in his direction when he thought no one was looking, he had no inclination to ask.
Asking either of his companions what was bothering them was simply begging for trouble. With any luck, they would both work things out on their own without any input from him.
Looking for a Story of Love at a Higher Level?
∞ ∞ ∞
Coinage of Commitment
By
R. Costelloe
∞ ∞ ∞
Each craved a love higher than others will settle for. Can they find it in each other?
∞ ∞ ∞
Blurb
Wayne and Nancy grow up on opposite sides of the country, each certain they must have love better than what others will settle for. Something stronger, something richer, something worth searching for. During the turbulent nineteen-sixties, they meet while he is attending blue-collar Drexel, and she is at neighboring, Ivy League Penn. Although irresistibly drawn to each other, they must overcome obstacles posed by the class and social differences separating them, as well as opposition from both families, and later, a twist of fate that will be the cruelest test of all. Can they reach the emotional heights they seek? Can they overcome time’s downward pulling inertia? Coinage of Commitment is dedicated to all who ever paused and wondered about the altitude love might soar to.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Rob Costelloe has created a very thought provoking book that plays on many levels….The standard of the writing is of the highest quality. He states in his biography that he has been writing since he was 8 years old, and that does not surprise me, he is a skilled and splendid wordsmith….The ending of the story comes with a very strange twist in the tale, and one that will surprise the reader.” –Simon Barrett, Reviewer, Bloggernews.net
* * *
“This is not about a light empty headed romance full of fluff but a real down to earth, soul seeking love story that could be compared to some of the great works of literature. Stories like this are few and far between…” –Terry Studer, Reviewer, Front Street Reviews. com
∞ ∞ ∞
Available at Amazon
Link to Excerpt
Link to website
Link to Rob’s Blog
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