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The Purrfect Stranger – Excerpt

In preparation for its release on Wednesday, here’s a short excerpt from my new short story THE PURRFECT STRANGER. Enjoy!

You can pre-order it from ARe here: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thepurrfectstranger-676867-140.html

BLURB

Sparks fly when a failed witch makes a werecougar purr.

Valerie is a failed witch, doomed to always disappoint her very proud, magical family, until a blind date on Valentine’s Day brings her face to face with her real destiny. Keith Redstone is a werecougar on the prowl who’s a little different from the rest of his Clan. He’s clawed his way to the position of Alpha by earning their respect, but most don’t know his deepest, darkest secret. He can see magic.

When the two meet, sparks fly…very real sparks of magical energy that singe their senses and seal their fate. But how can they reconcile two very different backgrounds and traditions? Will Keith recognize their swirling magic as belonging together? And will Valerie understand what it means when she makes her very own big cat purr?

EXCERPT

Another sucky Valentine’s Day. Valerie twirled the straw in her rum and coke as she sat at the restaurant bar. She had been there an hour already. Val had wanted to get there early and scope out the place, but she’d been a little too eager to leave home and been way too early. The ice in her mixed drink had melted, watering down the concoction, but she didn’t care.

She had looked forward to having a date for the first time in years on Valentine’s night. Even if it was a blind date set up by her cousin Suzy. Suzy, who had encouraged Val to take a walk on the wild side. Those were the fledgling witch’s exact words to her older cousin who didn’t have enough magic in her to boil water. She was a disgrace to the entire Faber Clan. Teachers of magic from time immemorial. To have such a powerless child in their midst was both an embarrassment and practically a sin.

Good thing her brothers and sisters had proved to be exceptionally powerful warlocks and witches, or her parents might have been completely disgraced. As it was, not a single mage worth mentioning wanted to date the Faber’s freak child who had very little magic of her own—most of it quite useless.

But Suzy had always been a kind child. She’d grown into a gracious young woman who had a soft spot in her heart for her magicless older cousin. Suzy was her one true friend in Clan Faber. Without her, Val would’ve long ago left the family fold and struck out on her own in the real world. The world where magic didn’t intrude on every aspect of life. The world where Valerie didn’t feel like a freak all the time. A world without her beloved cousin, Suzy.

Without Suzy, Valerie wouldn’t be sitting here, waiting for a blind date.

Valerie hated blind dates as a rule, but she’d been on her share of them. Most didn’t work out. One or two had led to short-lived affairs. Yet, she was still alone. Unwanted by the magical community. Nothing terribly special among those who didn’t have a clue magic existed either. Just plain old Valerie, the eternally alone.

She was feeling single and pitiful, sitting by herself in a restaurant full of lovers on the alleged most romantic night of the year. Val sighed, trying to look invisible on her lonely barstool. All around her, people were mingling, sipping colorful drinks while they waited two-by-two for their tables to be ready. One quick glance told her she was the only single person sitting at the bar. She’d intercepted a few pitying looks from some of the other women in the room, but refused to acknowledge them.

She would sit here for another five minutes and if her date didn’t show by then, she was leaving. No matter how humiliating it would be to walk the gauntlet of paired off people on her way to the coat check and ultimately, the door.

“Is this seat taken?” A deep voice asked from above.

Expecting to see some guy and his date, Valerie looked up from her drink, only to be ensnared by dark eyes in the most handsome face she’d ever beheld. A quick check behind him showed no date in evidence, but Valerie was cautious. No way a guy this gorgeous would be on his own on Valentine’s night. Maybe his date was in the powder room?

“It’s free,” she answered shortly, turning back to her drink. She needed a minute to collect her thoughts. No doubt some slinky woman would show up to claim Mr. Handsome in a minute or two. Best not to make a fool out of herself before then.

“You’re Valerie, right?”

Be still her beating heart. Mr. Hunkalicious was her blind date? Way to go Suzy. If his packaging was anything to go by, Valerie owed Suzy big time for setting her up with this major hottie. Her radar went off at the thought. There had to be something wrong with him. Why else would a gorgeous guy like him be scrounging for a blind date on Valentine’s Day?

“Keith?” she asked, just to make sure. Her cousin had only given her the mystery man’s first name. Nothing more. Not even a description of his bodacious bod to tempt her. And man-oh-man, was she tempted.

“Yes, ma’am. Keith Redstone.” He offered his hand politely and she took it. There was something about his last name that tickled her memory, but she let it pass.

When her hand touched his, tingles of magic wove up her arm in a startling dance that teased her senses. Something special indeed. She’d never had such an immediate reaction to a man. And never one so magical. If touching hands did this, what would it feel like when he touched her in other places? “Valerie Faber.” She returned the self-introduction,

seeing no harm in giving him the power of her family’s last name. If he were the least bit acquainted with the magical world, he’d recognize it immediately and know she had powerful friends, even if her own power was negligible.

He held her hand longer than was strictly necessary, but in the end he let her go before she got too uncomfortable with the energy zinging from him to her and back again. She felt jazzed. Like little tickles of electricity were touching her skin everywhere, especially her most sensitive places.

His finger moved over the back of her hand and she felt it in the tightening of her nipples and a little pulse farther down. Oh, boy. The man’s energy was downright dangerous if it could make her squirm from three feet away. What would happen when he was up close and personal? More than anything, she wanted to find out.

But as he let her go, the niggling thought returned. There had to be something wrong with him. Some reason he had to resort to a blind date. She knew her problem. No magic. But he had magic to spare if the reaction dancing across her skin was any indication. He had power. Raw power.

As she took a really good look at him, she tried to figure out what it was that made her see him differently than the other warlocks she’d met. His magic had a different flavor. One that was more easily accessible to her starved magical senses. What was it about him?

“Looks like our table is ready.” He stood and held her chair as the maitre d’ signaled for them. Keith was the soul of politeness as he escorted her through the busy restaurant to their table.

Valerie noticed the appreciative stares of the women they passed as they got an eyeful of Keith Redstone. Oh, yeah. He was hot with a capital H. Even the married women couldn’t help but throw appreciative glances his way as they walked through the busy dining room.

And for tonight, at least, he was all hers. Goddess bless cousin Suzy.

Role Models?

see more Set Phasers To Lol

Spotlight: Visiting Paradise by Jess Dee

In my continuing efforts to spotlight authors who’ve decided to dip their toes in the self-publishing pool, check out this quick read from Jess Dee, which is only 99-cents on Kindle:

Visiting Paradise by Jess Dee

Beth Brown needs a holiday. She’s burnt out, single and madly in love with the man who pays her salary, Joe Bastion. Much as she’d like to act on her feelings, Beth’s learned the hard way not to sleep with the men she works for. As far as she is concerned, Joe is off limits.

Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to chase hard. And Joe wants Beth He’s organized the trip of a lifetime for her. Beth’s about to set sail into paradise, and she has no idea Joe’s the one who’ll be taking her there.

Product warning: This book is filled with sunny blue skies, gorgeous tropical islands and a whole lot of scorching hot loving.

Get your copy on Amazon today or read more about it on Jess’s website. Enjoy!

Spotlight: Lexxie Couper’s “The Boundaries” Series

First a little background… I’m a big supporter of authors who take the leap into self-publishing. Heck, I’ve dabbled in it myself with my Arcana series and plan to do more! I just love risk-takers who defy the status quo and try something new and uncertain. I always seem to root for the underdog.

That said, I want to support such efforts all I can. Particularly when it’s done by a friend who’s work I’ve always enjoyed. Such a person is Lexxie Couper, an Aussie with one helluva sense of humor and wicked imagination! She let me read her self-published serial The Boundaries a little ahead of time and I meant to blog about it then, but… well… events overtook me and I was very remiss in not talking about it before now. (Sorry, Lexxie!) However, I’m fixing all that today. Prepare yourself. These books are smoking hot and leave you wanting more.

The Boundaries is a series of three stories that are told in “serial” style. Meaning, when one ends, you’ll want to run out immediately and get the next one to find out what happens next!!! Check out the blurbs and see how they compliment each other:

Assassin (The Boundaries, Book 1)

Boundary Guardian Zeric Arctos knows trouble when he sees it – and Raavelian sex-slave Jaienna Ti screams all sorts of trouble. Tracking a nefarious Bliss dealer, Zeric must stay focused on the job, something almost impossible to do with Jaienna in his midst. To make matters worse, the seductive Raavelian brings out the ‘animal’ in him – an ancient blood curse he has struggled to control his whole life. The beast now threatens to consume him and Jaienna’s intoxicating kisses makes the primitive call so much harder to resist.

Jaienna Ti is out for revenge. And she’ll stop at nothing to achieve it. Posing as a sex-slave isn’t the worst thing she’s done – she is, after all an Intel-Patrol Corp termination agent, albeit a rogue one – but it’s definitely one of the more interesting roles she’s assumed. And it gets even more interesting when Zeric Arctos ‘rescues’ her.

Surely being an intergalactic sexual assassin has to come with some perks, right?

Agent (The Boundaries, Book 2)

Intel-Patrol Corp agent, Jaienna Ti has gone rogue. Now that she’s saved her sister from a life of sexual slavery at the hands of a cruel crime lord, she is fighting a battle of a different kind – one involving her heart and the brooding Boundary Guardian, Zeric Arctos.

Zeric has his own battle. An ancient curse renders him a savage beast unlike any the Boundaries has seen before. Once only anger triggered the change, but now his driving hunger for Jaienna is threatening to set the werewolf free. And he doesn’t know if he can control it.

When the head of the Intel-Patrol Corp sends an agent out to retrieve Jaienna, the two face a threat more dangerous than any before. Raq Tornada. Violent, tenacious and deadly, Raq is an agent to fear. He’s also Jaienna’s ex-lover. And he has a score to settle with her.

The Outer Boundaries is a dangerous cesspool of sin, lust and depravity.

And its about to get wild.

Animal (The Boundaries, Book 3)

The stunning conclusion to The Boundaries trilogy begins…

The brutal crime lord Hrung Crortek has seized Terran Boundary Guardian, Zeric Arctos, hoping to extract Zeric’s werewolf DNA for use in an illegal genetic serum. Now, Jaienna Ti, Intel-Patrol Corp agent and sexual assassin, is on a mission to wipe Crortek from existence—and she’s taking her ex-partner, Raq Tornada along for the ride!

But when Tornada finally reveals—in no uncertain terms—how deeply he’s in love with her, Jaienna faces a completely unexpected conflict: does she stay with the man who first shattered her heart, or does she go with the man who taught her to love again—the brooding, untameable werewolf she’s trying so desperately to save?

When lust, love, and longing become inextricably entwined, the Outer Boundaries becomes more dangerous than ever. Because Jaienna never planned on losing her heart to two men. And those two men never, ever planned on sharing her. But unless Raq Tornada agrees to help Jaienna rescue his rival, Zeric Arctos is already doomed…

Click on the titles of each to reach Lexxie’s website for more information or you can get these from Amazon by clicking the following: Assassin – Agent – Animal

Enjoy!

One Week From Today: The Purrfect Stranger

That’s right! One week from today, I’ll have a new paranormal story out with AllRomanceEbooks.com called The Purrfect Stranger. It’s set in the Tales of the Were universe and features a Redstone cousin. Remember Matt Redstone from Sweeter Than Wine? Yes, that Redstone family.

Here’s the blurb:

The Purrfect Stranger by Bianca D’Arc

A blind date turns magical when a werecougar and a witch bridge the chasm between their very separate worlds.

Valerie Faber comes from a long line of mages of incredible power. Clan Faber is so skilled, they teach other mages how to use their abilities. All, except for Valerie. What little power she does have seems to be in the realm of housepets and familiars. Not very useful to a Clan used to epic abilities.

Keith is a werecougar with a mixed heritage that makes him a little different from the rest of his Clan. He’s overcome it all to become the local Alpha, but he hasn’t yet found the woman who can make him purr in human form.

A blind date brings them together, though rarely do shifters mix with mages. After a tempestuous night together, Keith is hot on Valerie’s trail – with the help of her feline friends and a little interference from a well-meaning family member. He’ll do anything to keep Valerie in his life, including stalking her in Clan Faber’s magical fortress.

This story is a very lighthearted paranormal with a Valentine’s Day theme. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Mark your calendars. One week from today!

Spotlight: Dare Me by Lexxie Couper & Hidden Fire by Jess Dee

These two stories come out today from Samhain Publishing. Check them out:

Dare Me by Lexxie Couper

Defying death is the ultimate dare. Defying love? Well, that’s just stupid.

A Red Hot Weekend story.

Back-to-back medical degrees took Emily Knox right where she planned to be: treating patients in an alternative cancer clinic. But nothing prepared her for a cocky, cheeky Aussie who strode into her life and dared her to cure him. She told herself it was his challenge she couldn’t resist—not his daredevil charm.

Eight months later, Rob’s out of danger…and Emily’s in trouble. She’s in deep, too deep. Worse, Rob has left the clinic against doctor’s orders. There’s nothing for it but to follow him across eleven thousand miles of land and sea to give him what for—as his doctor, of course.

Rob never expected to survive the brain tumor. Nor did he expect to fall head over heels for his very proper, very English oncologist. The problem? Her Hippocratic Oath hangs between them, keeping her just out of reach. Now, with “cured” on his medical chart and his duty as best man for his best mate calling, he takes off for home to start getting his old life back.

Trouble is, while the good doctor cured his cancer, she seems to have inflicted him with something else—desire he just can’t shake.

Product Warnings: Rob Thorton is addictive. Also, there’s scorching passion, undeniable lust, soul-shattering desire, heartbreaking angst, explosive sex and of course, Australian sarcasm. Did you really expect anything else?

Buy the book from Samhain Publishing and wherever ebooks are sold.

Hidden Fire by Jess Dee

Dirty desires, dark secrets…deepest love

Fire, Book 2

Well, this is an unexpected twist. Jenna Brooks is all set to spend the weekend wallowing in misery, repairing the cracks in the façade she’s maintained for twelve years. Instead she’s…tied to a chair. Kidnapped by her own twin brother and her so-called best friend.

It’s for her own good, they say. She’ll thank them later, they say. But when they reveal her partner in captivity, she shores up her emotional barriers. It’s Garreth Halt. The one man for whom she let her guard down. What a fool she was.

For one electrifying moment, Garreth had Jenna naked in his arms, on the edge of losing her legendary control. Could have kept her there forever, too, if he hadn’t felt honor-bound to tell her the truth. Before she’d heard the whole truth, though, she’d retreated behind the fortress around her heart.

Now they’re knee to knee, with no escape. While he’s irritated he let his alleged best friend get the drop on him, a small part of him is thrilled. With one final chance to show her his love is real, Garreth methodically, wickedly, sets out to dismantle her defenses.

One dirty word at a time.

Product Warnings: Garreth may have charmed you in Winter Fire, but this time around, his blatantly sexy demands, even sexier actions and heartwarming love for his heroine are gonna make you fall head over heels.

Get your copy from Samhain Publishing today!

Enjoy!

Spotlight: Truth or Dare by Rhian Cahill

Aussie phenom Rhian Cahill has a new book out too! Check this out:

Truth or Dare

Daring to tell the truth will change the rules of this game forever.

Party Games, Book 2

When her friend deserts her at an exclusive Sydney house party, Miki Drummond retreats to a corner to observe the insanity. Watching life go by is something she does well, especially after the hell her marriage put her through.

She never dreamed she’d reconnect with not one but two blasts from her high school past. And she never expected their heated gazes to bring her body so easily back to life.

Grant Rogers and Dayne Pierce never forgot Miki. Ever. Past experience tells them to tread slowly and carefully, but that plan flies out the window when they’re all dragged into a game of Truth or Dare. Something’s up, because Miki repeatedly chooses to take a shot rather than reveal her obvious pain. Time after time.

Waking up hungover in a strange bedroom, Miki is caught in an electrically charged moment with two men who offer her unimaginable pleasure, who seem determined to keep her suspended in sweet torment—permanently.

One night of pure fantasy is all Miki dares to take, but come morning the hard truth is that walking away isn’t an option.

Product Warnings: The author cannot be held responsible for any truth you may tell or dare you make take after reading this story. And if you find yourself sandwiched between two hunky men…take the dare.

Buy your copy here: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/truth-dare-p-6614.html

Spotlight: Free For All by Jayne Rylon

My buddy, Jayne Rylon, has a new book out:

Free For All

Red Light Series, Book Four

After a courtship filled with nights steamy enough to thaw the lingering winter chill, Sarah is finally beginning to believe she might have found the one man who can support her career as a sex worker in Amsterdam’s Red Light district. But when she asks around, it’s clear Rick isn’t taking advantage of the freedom their open relationship offers. None of the sexiest girls in the district have serviced him for months.

Afraid of losing the star of her extra-naughty dreams, Sarah confronts her boyfriend about his change of heart. Rick confesses he’s no longer interested in wild times without her. Instead, he’d like to try experimenting with multiple partners, show off his sexy woman and revel in the company of like-minded hedonists. Fortunately, he knows just the place for a debauched experience wicked enough to make even an experienced hooker blush.

A sexual free-for-all is on the menu at one of Amsterdam’s infamous swingers’ clubs, and by the end of the night, Sarah is going to get the surprise of her life.

Get your copy here: Amazon or Ellora’s Cave

Trek LOLs