"Please." A flicker of moonlight hung for an instant on her lashes, lighting the look in her eyes.
Marco forced himself to look away. "A diavolo- women!" he said through gritted teeth. "If you dare shed a tear I shall throw you into the lake."
"I'm a very good swimmer," she countered.
~ page 244 “To Tempt A Rake" (Circle of Sin, Book 3) by Cara Elliott
** Please note that this Teaser was taken from an Advanced Reader Copy and the final book may be slightly different.
About the Book (from Amazon):
Kate Woodbridge has spent most of her life sailing to exotic ports around the globe, acquiring an expertise in botany, along with a few less ladylike skills. So when a deathbed promise to her parents brings her to London to seek reconciliation with her grandfather, the imperious Duke of Cluyne, she feels like a fish out of water. Her outspoken views and fiery temper tend to set off sparks in Society-especially with the rakish Conte of Como.
A devil-may-care rogue, Marco finds the alluring and mysterious Kate a tempting target for his flirtations. But when murder strikes at the duke's country house party he begins to suspect that she's hiding a dark secret. He has his own clandestine reasons for offering to help her prove her innocence . . . And so begins a journey of dangerous deception that leads from England to the glittering ballrooms of Vienna, where Marco and Kate must duel with a deadly villain . . . and their own explosive attraction.
I always look forward to reading everyone's teasers! ~ Wendi
I simply love this series, and book three did NOT disappoint! Quite the opposite - I couldn't put it down, and Desperate Deeds literally kept me up at night (not only could I not stop reading, but I thought I heard noises in the house, and I was just certain that someone was going to jump out of the closet at me!). Not only was I captivated by the ongoing story of the A-Tac team, but I got to continue learning more about the lives of the team members. This was Tyler's story, and we meet Owen, who isn't quite what he seems... or is he?
Tyler is the team's munitions and demolition expert - she is great at building and disarming explosives. She is also the daughter of a retired General, has had multiple step-mothers, and has a half-brother she is still close to. She is also the A-Tac team member involved in helping with the transport of some prototype parts for nuclear weapons and the sole survivor when the transport is ambushed.
With the knowledge that Tyler survived the ambush and that there is a mole in the team, Tyler becomes a suspect. Feeling bruised from the ambush and grilled by the powers that be, Tyler has a passionate one-night-stand with the handsome Owen Wakefield, the teams contact from the British team's MI-5. Little does Tyler know that the one-night-stand is going to become a temporary partner in her upcoming adventure in stopping a possible nuclear disaster and finding the mole within the A-Tac team.
Owen has a troubled past with MI-5, and after his one-night-stand with Tyler, he is unexpectedly assigned to provide assistance to the A-Tac team, and to uncover the mole within their group. All the evidence points to Tyler, but as he works with her and finds himself becoming more involved, he finds it harder to believe that she is a traitor.
As numerous attempts are made to kill Tyler, she and Owen must fight for their lives as they fight against the clock to stop a disaster from happening. Their growing relationship is threatened when the team finds out that Owen may not be all that he appears to be, but Owen vows to stay and complete the mission he began.
One thing that I thought was super: the continuing undercurrent running through the entire series is that there is a mole in the team who is sabotaging the missions, and YES, you find out who it is in book three... and boy was I surprised! Of course, it made complete sense when I look back, but I thought for sure I knew exactly who it was, so it was really fun to have a few more twists and turns to keep me on my toes while reading. Not only do we find out who the mole is, the team finds out that there is a much bigger threat out there, and as of the end of the book, they are only one step closer to knowing exactly what that threat is.
This was the third book in the A-Tac series, and I loved it just as much as the first two, and I love that each book picks up right where the one before it left off. Note - it can be read as a stand-alone book... but then you'd miss out on the great story of Nash and Annie in book one, and Drake and Madeline in book two. Lucky for us, it sounds like three more will be joining the series in 2011 and 2012, can't wait!
Desperate Deeds (A-Tac, Book 3) by Dee Davis Publisher: Forever (August 2, 2010) ~ 400 pages Fiction / Romantic Suspense
About the Book:
As the demolitions expert for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Tyler Hanson has two great loves: literature and explosives. She lives by the motto “duty first” and doesn’t have time for personal attachments . . . until a steamy one-night stand turns into a professional partnership. BURNED BY BETRAYAL
When Tyler meets Owen Wakefield, a handsome British operative, she seduces him with no intention of ever seeing him again. But then the sexy Brit is brought into A-Tac, and despite Tyler’s efforts to keep her distance, she finds herself falling for him. Trusting him.
Owen seems too good to be true—and he is. He’s hiding his true motives and identity, and no matter how he feels about Tyler, he can’t keep her secrets. One of A-Tac’s members has turned traitor and helped terrorists to hijack a shipment of nuclear weapons. As witnesses start dying and evidence starts disappearing, Owen and Tyler must race to find the mole—and prevent a final, cataclysmic act of destruction.
Enter A-Tac and find out more about the special forces team and their missions!
Excerpt:
About the Author: (from the publisher's site)
Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.
Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has sold eighteen books and three novellas, including Chain Reaction and A Match Made on Madison.
She’s lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Manhattan she still calls Texas home.
Edition Reviewed: ARC - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Another adrenaline-filled and action-packed passionate romantic suspense from author Dee Davis that was incredibly hard to put down. I loved the first book because it was so easy to love the main characters as well as the story. But I think I loved this one even better... And for very similar reasons. The characters seemed so genuine, the locale provided quite the adventure, and while encompassing its own story, Dark Deceptions built on an idea of a possible leak within the team from the first book. It was so easy to get wrapped up in the story!
Dangerous Desires' storyline centers around Drake Flynn, A-Tac's Extraction Expert, and his intense attraction to Madeline Roux, the woman he and the team are "extracting" from Colombia.
It turns out that Madeline has information about a massive stash of illegal weapons that the CIA wants destroyed. Once destroyed, the team will bring Madeline back to the United States to be debriefed and to see what additional information she can provide on di Silva, the head of a massive drug operation, and Ortiz, the real muscle behind di Silva's operation which has been branching into illegal weapons sales.
Soon after the mission is started, it looks like someone has once again tried to sabotage the team, and Drake must split from the team to go after Madeline when she decides to escape on her own.
The second book by Dee Davis includes the same A-Tac team members from her first book, and adds a few new faces, including Madeline, and Tucker...
At times I caught myself holding my breath, or even smiling, but I never once grew bored. Taking place primarily in Colombia, I almost felt like I was there myself while reading the descriptions of the towns and landscapes. I got to explore the ruins, and experience explosions and the need to survive and win one for the good-guys right along with the characters Dee Davis has so cleverly created.
A powerful story that grips the reader and draws you farther into the A-Tac team. This was the second book in the A-Tac series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Note - it can be read as a stand-alone book... but then you'd miss out on the great story of Nash and Annie in book one. Stay tuned for a review of book three in the series, and it sounds like three more will be joining the series in 2011 and 2012.
Dangerous Desires (A-Tac, Book 2) by Dee Davis Publisher: Forever (July 1, 2010) ~ 384 pages Fiction / Romantic Suspense
About the Book:
As the extractions expert for A-Tac, an elite CIA black ops unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college, Drake Flynn knows how to survive behind enemy lines. But he’s about to meet one adversary he can’t subdue . . . or resist.
A RACE FOR SURVIVAL
Stranded in the Colombian jungle after a mission goes bad, Drake has only one objective: evade the mercenaries hot on his trail and deliver “the package” to U.S. officials. But “the package” has a mind of her own, and she has no intention of trading one set of captors for another. Madeline Reynard is beautiful, headstrong, and hell-bent on escape after years as a crime lord’s pawn. She’ll risk everything for freedom, even if it means deceiving the dark, handsome soldier who now holds her life in his hands.
Drake has been burned too many times to let a woman manipulate him, especially a secretive one like Madeline. Even so, they cannot deny the attraction between them. Now as enemy forces close in, Drake and Madeline must trust each other with their lives—or face certain death.
Excerpt:
San Mateo Prison, Serrania Del Baudo, Colombia
Madeline Reynard squinted in the bright light. After three days of total darkness, the dappled sunlight hurt her eyes. She flinched as the guard shoved her forward, losing her balance and careening into the exercise yard.
“I’ve got you,” Andrés said, his voice raspy, his English heavily accented as he steadied her. “I’ve been worried.”
“They put me in solitary,” Madeline whispered. “I have no idea why.”
“Sometimes there is no reason,” Andrés shrugged. “The main thing is that you’re out now. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It’s getting easier.” This was third time she’d been relegated to the dank, windowless cell in the far recesses of the prison. “I just try to think of somewhere else and let my mind carry me away.” She’d spent a good portion of her childhood locked in a closet only slightly smaller than the solitary cell. Her father had clearly believed the adage ‘out of sight, out of mind’. But the experience was not without value. If Madeline could survive living like that, she could survive anything. Even San Mateo.
A place for political prisoners, the prison lacked creature comforts. In point of fact, it lacked most everything. Which meant that days loomed long, the only bright spot, the minutes spent outside under the canopy of trees. The surrounding jungle reminded her of the cypresses back home, their gnarled arms curving downward into gray-green umbrellas of whispering leaves. The bayou had meant safety. And now the Colombian jungle offered the same.
“It’s best if you find a way to separate yourself from the reality here,” Andrés was saying. He nodded toward the people scattered about the yard. It was nearly empty, this hour relegated to women and the infirm, her friend falling into the latter category. It had been a long time since she’d had a friend. There’d always been too much to hide. Too much to risk. But now—here—her past didn’t matter.
“Are you sure they didn’t hurt you?” Andrés asked, his voice colored with worry.
“I told you I’m fine,” she reiterated as they walked slowly across the yard, her muscles protesting the movement even as her mind rejoiced in her newfound freedom. “I’m just a little stiff that’s all.”
She’d met Andrés on her second day in the yard. At first, his matted hair and filthy clothes had been off-putting. But after almost a week in this hell hole, she’d been desperate for human contact.
When he’d spoken to her in his halting English, it had felt like a gift as her Spanish was limited to schoolgirl verbs and useless nouns. Which didn’t matter when she was alone in her cell, or being leered at by the guards. It didn’t take a vocabulary to interpret their catcalls. But real conversation, without English, was impossible. And it was conversation that kept the mind sharp. She’d come to need Andrés as much as she needed food and water.
Madeline closed her eyes, shutting out the small, barren exercise yard, its occupants wretched in their filth.
“You need to keep moving,” her friend said, his hand warm against her back. “It’s important to stay strong.”
“I know you’re right, but sometimes when I think about spending the rest of my life here, it doesn’t seem worth it.”
“You won’t be here forever,” he said, his tone soothing. “Someone will come for you.”
Madeline laughed, the sound harsh. “I killed a man. There’s nothing anyone can do to change that.”
“But there were extenuating circumstances.” He frowned. “That should count for something.”
“Maybe in a fair world.” She shrugged, shivering as memories flooded through her. Her sister’s screams, her fear cutting through the haze of the drugs. The big man pinning her to the wall of the flophouse in Bogotá, one hand gripping her wrist as he tore at her clothes. Madeline had acted without thinking, the gun in her hand an extension of her anger. She’d told Jenny to run, and then checked the body, cringing as she touched his lifeless skin. Then she’d tried to follow, but it was too late.
The Colombian police had found her. The man was a prominent politician. Jenny was a drug addict. No one believed Madeline’s story. Her sister disappeared, and Madeline had wound up here at San Mateo. But if she had it to do over again, she’d do the same. Her mother had made her promise. With her last breath of life.
“Take care of your sister, Maddie. She’s not strong like you.”
Madeline had only been ten, but she’d promised. And she’d kept her word. She sucked in a breath, pulling her thoughts from the past. Jenny was safe now. She had to believe that. It’s the only thing that kept her going.
“Anyway, even if it would make a difference, there’s no one to come,” Madeline said “What about you? You told me you have family. Why aren’t they trying to help you?”
“They think I’m dead.” Andrés shrugged.
“How horrible,” she said, shuddering at the thought.
“Believe me, it’s better this way.” His expression was guarded. “For them. And for me. Sometimes the truth is better left buried.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She nodded as they stopped by the far wall of the yard. “Anyway, we have each other now, right?”
His smile was gentle. “You have been a good friend. But I’m afraid all good things must come to an end.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I’m a marked man,” Andrés sighed. “My days are numbered.”
Madeline dipped her head, tears filling her eyes. She’d heard the shots fired late at night.
“The only reason I was allowed out here with you is that I was so sick. But I am better now, and that means I will be returned to my original cell. I overheard the guards,” he said. “I’m being moved back. Which means this is my last time in the yard.”
“No. I won’t accept that.” She shook her head, panic mixing with dread. “Maybe you can pretend to be sick again. Something, anything that might keep you here—with me. I…I can’t make it without you.”
“Of course you can,” Andrés said. “You’re much stronger than you know.”
“Señor?” A guard called from the doorway, his machine gun held at the ready. “Ven conmigo ahora.”
Madeline turned to the guard, then back to Andrés, heart pounding. “What does he want?”
“He wants me to come with him.” Andrés shrugged. “It’s time.”
“No. You can’t go. I can’t do this on my own.” She waved at the yard, and the guards.
“Yes, you can.” His smile was gentle, his teeth white against the dark growth of his beard. “You’re a survivor. Never forget that.”
The guard moved impatiently, his lips curled in a sneer. “¡Apurate!”
“Uno momento,” Andrés said holding up a hand. “Here, I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and produced a grimy card. “Take this. It may be of help to you.”
She took the card, the battered face of the Queen of Hearts staring up at her. “I don’t understand.”
“If you can get this to the American Embassy, they’ll help you. No questions asked.”
“But it’s just a playing card,” she shook her head.
“Trust me,” Andrés said, closing her fingers around the card. “And keep it safe.”
“But if this truly does have some kind of significance, shouldn’t you be the one using it?”
“Señor, ahora,” the guard called, his eyes narrowing with impatience.
Madeline ignored him, her gaze locked on her friend’s. “Andrés, tell me. Why not use it yourself?”
“Because it is too late for me. I have accepted my fate. And it gives me pleasure to think that perhaps I can be of some service to you. No matter what you have done, you don’t belong here.”
“Neither do you,” she whispered, her voice fierce now. “Keep the card.”
“It is yours, my friend. I give it freely. Now I must go.” He shook his head, waving a hand toward the guard. “Use the card to find your way home, Madeline. And then forget this place ever existed.”
“I can’t do that,” she said. “Because if I did, that would mean forgetting you.”
Tears slid down her face, the first she’d shed since landing at San Mateo. She wasn’t the type to get sentimental. Andrés was right. She was a survivor. But something about the man had touched her heart. Reached a place she’d thought long dead.
And now they were taking him away.
When he reached the guard, Andrés stopped and turned, lifting a hand to say good-bye. Madeline’s heart stuttered to a stop, her breathing labored as she clung to the wall, watching as her friend disappeared into the prison.
She sank to the ground, her back sliding against the rough hewn stone of the wall, and opened her fingers, the mottled face of the Queen staring up at her. It was just a card. Unless of course she’d somehow fallen down the rabbit hole. A bubble of hysteria washed through her.
San Mateo wasn’t Wonderland. And she was no Alice. She was simply a woman who’d run out of options. Life wasn’t fair. It was as simple as that. Angrily, she dried her eyes. There were two kinds of people in this world. The ones who survived. And the ones who did not.
Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.
Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has sold eighteen books and three novellas, including Chain Reaction and A Match Made on Madison.
She’s lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Manhattan she still calls Texas home.
Edition Reviewed: ARC - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Filled with enough action and romance to satisfy just about any adrenaline junkie or romantic-at-heart, Dark Deceptions by Dee Davis is simply a great start to a new romantic suspense series that was hard to put down.
Comprised of a group of characters who seem to be more like a tight-knit family than members of a secret branch of the CIA posing as employees at an exclusive college, readers are sure to fall in love with each A-Tac member.
The story focuses on the team as they work to stop the assassination of a high-ranking political figure by Annie, an ex-CIA agent who was once Nash's (second-in-command of the A-Tac team) partner/lover. Readers will meet Avery (heading the A-Tac team), Nash (A-Tac second-in-command and Annie's previous partner), Tyler (Nash's current female partner within the team), Drake, Emmett, Laura, Hannah and Jason (members of the A-Tac team, each an expert in their field) as well as Tom (ex-CIA, now Homeland Security, was Nash and Annie's handler when the both worked for the CIA).
While assuming that Annie (a trained assassin and expert sniper, ex-CIA) has become a mercenary willing to commit treason, the A-Tac team soon learns that there may be more motivating Annie's actions: someone has kidnapped her young son Adam, and she will do almost anything to get him back.
Nash and the rest of the team must work with Annie to get her son back, and find out who is behind the kidnapping, while trying to determine if Annie can be trusted... Or if she has committed treason.
Bullets fly and passions are ignited as Nash and Annie are thrown back together into some very intense situations. I loved the roller-coaster of emotions that Nash and Annie went through in re-discovering each other and finding out if they could trust each other. A lot of their past comes in to play as they fight for the future, and I was not dissapointed by any of the twists the story took.
The book takes off with a bang and keeps going! I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the rest of the series. And best of all, there are at least two more books in the series coming out this year, and it sounds like three more will be joining the series in 2011 and 2012. Keep an eye out for upcoming reviews for Dangerous Desires and Desperate Deeds.
Dark Deceptions (A-Tac, Book 1) by Dee Davis Publisher: Forever; 1 edition (April 1, 2010) ~ 384 pages Fiction / Romantic Suspense
About the Book:
A-Tac is an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college. Brilliant, badass, and seemingly bulletproof, the members of A-Tac are assigned to the riskiest missions and the most elusive targets.
TORN BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE
Covert operations expert Nash Brennon has spent the last eight years trying to forget Annie Gallagher, his former field partner and the only woman he ever loved. Annie betrayed him when he needed her most, then vanished without a trace. Now suddenly she's back in the game - this time as a suspected traitor and threat to national security.
Annie's son has been kidnapped by political terrorists. The price for his life? Assassinate a UN ambassador. When Nash and his group find her, the smoldering passion between Annie and the man she swore she'd never contact again blazes out of control. But can Nash trust her? The stakes couldn?t be higher: Their enemy's endgame is personal, and one false move could cost them their lives.
Excerpt:
Hotel Montague – Paris
“So do you think we’re ever going to feel like a normal couple?” Annie asked as they stumbled back into their hotel room, Nash’s hands cupping her breasts, his breath hot against her cheek.
“Trust me, angel, normal is overrated.” He pushed her back against the wall, his thumbs rubbing heated circles through the soft silk of her halter top. “And anyway I kind of like what we’ve got.”
“Right,” she sighed, shivering as he kissed her neck. “Sex on the run.”
“Well, it’s not like we have a lot of free time.” His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue sending fire lacing through her belly. It was always like this. Combustible. Their desire heightened by the possibility that each time could be the last.
“Maybe we should adjourn to the bedroom?” She nodded toward the doorway of the suite, and then gasped as he pushed her skirt up around her thighs.
“What’s wrong with right here. Right now?” He teased her with his fingers, the friction of satin against skin threatening instant explosion. She lifted her hips, but he pulled back, his slow smile taunting her. “Unless of course you’ve changed your mind?”
“Not on your life.” She reached up to unbutton his shirt, her fingers tracing the scars that laced his chest. Twisted mementos of their life together. “Tell me what you want,” she whispered, her breathing labored.
“You, Annie. All I ever want is you.”
“So take me,” she taunted, anticipation coiling inside her, hot and heavy. Sometimes she thought maybe she wanted something more. Something that resembled normalcy—commitment. But not now. Not in this moment. Right now all she wanted was Nash.
For a moment their passion stretched taut between them and then, trembling with the sheer power of the feelings he evoked, she arched her back, welcoming his hands and mouth as he crushed her against him. This was what she craved. What she wanted. As long as she had Nash, she could endure anything.
Anything.
“The bed…I can’t…please.” She gasped the words as they stumbled backwards, the need so intense now she thought she might die of it.
His dark eyes reflecting her passion, Nash swung her up into his arms and in two strides they were through the door, and on the bed, the cool cotton sheets a counterpoint to the heat that pulsed between them.
Annie pressed against him, her eyes riveted for a moment on the mirror across from the bed and the image of their interlocked bodies moving in tandem. Two shattered souls desperately seeking release. She sighed, and then froze as something else in the mirror moved.
A shadow detached itself from the wall, and Annie dug her nails into Nash’s back, instinct and training overriding passion in an instant. Nash’s muscles tightened in response and moving with a precision gained from years of working together, they sprang apart, a bullet smashing into the headboard between them. Annie rolled to the floor, reaching for the gun she kept strapped to her thigh. In her ardent haste she hadn’t had time to remove her weapon.
But Nash had. He’d thrown it on the table as he’d carried her to bed.
Damn it all to hell.
From her vantage point beside the bed, she couldn’t see Nash or their assailant. Which meant she needed to move. Popping up to fire a round in the direction of the shadow, she rolled out from the bed, diving for cover behind a chair as a bullet shattered a lamp just above her head.
Nash was cornered between the bed and the wall, the bed giving protection, at least for the moment, but the gunman had the advantage. He stood between them and the door, with a large wardrobe to his left blocking her from taking a clear shot.
“Well isn’t this a pickle,” their assailant said, his accent a smooth blend of American and French. She should have known. Adrian Benoit. They’d only just been in his apartment. Looks like he was returning the favor.
“Seems we’ve got ourselves a Mexican stand off,” he drawled.
“Except that none of us are Mexican,” Nash quipped. She could see him now reflected in the mirror. And when he smiled, she realized he could see her as well. Which meant he had a plan.
“Doesn’t matter,” Benoit continued. “I’ve clearly got the advantage.”
“So what, you want us to come out with our hands up?” Nash queried, nodding almost imperceptibly toward his gun lying on the table about five feet in front of her.
“It would certainly make things easier. But what I really want are the files you stole from my computer.”
“And then you’ll let us go? Right. And I’ve got some swampland…” Nash’s laugh was harsh as he tipped his head slightly, signaling for her to stand ready. Annie nodded, already shifting her position.
“Well now, there wouldn’t be any fun in letting you live, would there?” Benoit responded, anger clouding his voice.
Annie drew a breath, rolled out from behind the chair, fired once and then dove for the table, her hand closing around the butt of Nash’s gun. “Two o’clock,” she yelled, as she chunked the weapon overhand toward Nash, still shooting in Benoit’s direction in an attempt to provide some modicum of cover. Her ploy worked, Benoit turning to return fire as Nash emerged from behind the bed in a flying leap, intercepting the gun as it tumbled through the air.
Two seconds later and it was over. Benoit lay dead in a pool of his own blood.
“Are you all right?” Nash asked, pushing to his feet.
“I’m fine,” she said as they met halfway, Nash’s arms closing around her.
“You sure?” He ran his hands down her now trembling body, double checking to ascertain if she’d told him the truth.
“Really. He didn’t hurt me. You were the one without the gun.”
“Evened the odds.” He shrugged, his voice buoyed by adrenaline, his smile edged with a ruthlessness that had kept him alive more times than she cared to remember. “So where were we?”
“I think that ship has sailed,” she said, her gaze falling on the body.
“I suppose you’re right,” Nash said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “We’ve got to get out of here before someone starts asking questions. Benoit was using a silencer. But we weren’t.”
“I’ll start wiping things down.” She pulled away, and reached for a pair of gloves, falling effortlessly into a pattern they’d perfected over countless operations.
“So what was it you said earlier?” Nash called from across the room where he was packing their gear, his tone teasing, the fact that they’d just survived death—again—already an afterthought. “Something about wondering if we’d ever be a normal couple?”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Annie smiled. She loved this man. With every ounce of her being. And the cold hard truth was that she wouldn’t change a single thing about their life. “I think,” she said, reaching down to retrieve Benoit’s gun, “that I just answered my own question.”
Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.
Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has sold eighteen books and three novellas, including Chain Reaction and A Match Made on Madison.
She’s lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Manhattan she still calls Texas home.
Edition Reviewed: ARC - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
My Thoughts: A gripping historical romance about young love betrayed, second chances, trust and forgiveness... All neatly wrapped in a story that takes place in 1815.
Olivia was the vicar's daughter, and she managed to catch the eye of Jack Wyndham, the Earl of Gracechurch. Against his family's wishes, the couple is married, and seem to be living blissful lives together... Until accusations of gambling and unfaithfulness tear them apart and create a huge scandal.
Now five years later, Olivia is working for Lady Kate, a duchess, when she stumbles upon the body of her ex-husband amid the wounded and dead on the battlefield, except he is wearing a French uniform. Hoping to save him, she switches his uniform for an English one and takes him back to Lady Kates to see if he will survive to explain what he was doing on the battlefield.
Jack survives, but suffers from amnesia and can't explain his appearance or how he came to be in possession of a letter from Napoleon to General Grouchy. With the question of being a traitor hanging over him, Olivia and her new friends don't know who they can trust.
Filled with adventure, intrigue and romance, this book is quite a page-turner. I loved it, especially as it provided a more serious, almost dark edge to the historical romance as opposed to the normal light-hearted stories I am so used to. Even better? It looks like this book will be followed by the story of Grace and Neville... This looks like a promising new series for historical romance fans.
Barely a Lady (Book 1, Drake's Rakes) by Eileen Dreyer Publisher: Forever (July 1, 2010) ~ 432 pages Fiction / Romance / Historical Romance
Edition Reviewed: ARC - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Perfect for : Personal Use
About the Book:
Olivia Grace has secrets that could destroy her. One of the greatest of these is the Earl of Gracechurch, who married and divorced her five years earlier. Abandoned and disgraced, Grace has survived those years at the edge of respectability. Then she stumbles over Jack on the battlefield of Waterloo, and he becomes an even more dangerous secret. For not only is he unconscious, he is clad in an enemy uniform.
But worse, when Jack finally wakes in Olivia's care, he can't remember how he came to be on a battlefield in Belgium. In fact, he can remember nothing of the last five years. He thinks he and Olivia are still blissfully together. To keep him from being hanged for a traitor, Olivia must pretend she and Jack are still married.
To unearth the real traitors, Olivia and Jack must unravel the truth hidden within his faulty memory. To save themselves and the friends who have given them sanctuary, they must stand against their enemies, even as they both keep their secrets.
In the end, can they risk everything to help Jack recover his lost memories, even though the truth may destroy them both?
Excerpt:
About the Author: (from the publisher's site)
USA Today best-selling author Eileen Dreyer has won five RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, which secures her fourth place in the Romance Writers of America prestigious Hall of Fame.
Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world, and admits she sees research as a handy way to salve her insatiable curiosity. She's also trained in forensic nursing and death investigation, although she doesn't see herself actively working in the field, unless this writing thing doesn't pan out.
Eileen also writes as Kathleen Korbel and has over three million books in print worldwide.
Born and raised in Missouri, she lives in St. Louis County with husband Rick and her two children. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the glare of the limelight.
Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro Forever (October 27, 2009) ~ 336 pages Fiction / Romance / Paranormal Romance
Edition Reviewed: Paperback - Review copy received courtesy of the publisher and Pump Up Your Book Promotions. Many thanks to the author, the publisher and the people at Pump Up Your Book Promotions for sending me a copy to review!
Perfect for : Personal Use
My Thoughts:Sins of the Flesh is a heart pounding romance filled with mystery, suspense, and a mercenary who may have a heart to match his brawn when it comes to the slightly less-fortunate Cat Shaw.
Caterina Shaw, a famous cellist, has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, and has agreed to an experimental gene treatment as a last hope. When one of the doctors is found murdered and Cat is missing, she becomes the main suspect.
With the police looking for her, Dr. Edwards has hired mercenaries to find and return Cat to him as he can't risk his experiment (or her strange new abilities) falling into the wrong hands. When Mick finds her, he is faced with a woman he was not expecting, bringing more questions than answers. She is wounded and confused, and he can see that she has been abused, so he finds himself determined to shelter and help her instead of turning her over to Dr. Edwards.
There is definitely a burning attraction between Cat and Mick, and as the story progresses, it becomes clear that they will have to trust each other and work together to stay alive and safe.
I really enjoyed the fast pace of the book, as it had no problem keeping my attention, and I was overjoyed to read that there is already a second book in the series.
Characters: Filled with strength and a desire to find the truth. Filled with chemistry that keeps the readers attention. Story-Line: Picks up quickly and doesn't slow down! Readability: Easy to read, hard to put down. Overall: A great start to a new series by author Caridad Pineiro!
About the Book:
Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment – a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body — and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.
Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting down is far from the vicious killer he’s been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she’s a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.
Excerpt:
The day the music died, Caterina Shaw did as well.
Not physically, although she understood the death of her body was inevitable. She had come to terms with that reality some time ago. She had even managed to deal with the blindness caused by the tumor eating away her brain. But then the pain had become so great that it had silenced the music, stealing away the only thing that had made life worth the anguish.
“You understand this treatment is new and uncertain,” Dr. Rudy Wells explained, his voice smooth and comforting. The touch of his hand, warm and reassuring, came against hers as it rested on her thigh.
“I understand,” she said and faced the direction of that calming voice.
Another person abruptly chimed in, his tones as strident and grating as a badly played oboe. “We’ll begin with laser surgery to remove the bulk of the tumor followed by two different courses of gene therapy.”
Two? she wondered and sensed Dr. Wells’ hesitation as well from the tremble that skated across his fingers. He removed his hand from hers and said, “Dr. Edwards believes that we can not only shut down the tumor growing in your brain, but possibly regrow the portion of your optic nerve that the tumor damaged.”
Caterina’s only wish when considering the experimental treatment had been to stop the pain so that she could play her cello once again. So that her last months would be filled with the vitality her music provided.
It was through her music that she lived. That her mother lived, Caterina thought, recalling the passion she had felt as a small child when her mother had played the piano for her; the way her mother’s fingers had coaxed life from the keys much like she now did with a stroke of her bow and the deft touch of her fingers on the strings of her cello.
Or at least like she had up until the cancer had put an end to her music, bringing her life to a close. Except now she was being told something different.
Caterina had never thought about eliminating the tumor. Every prognosis so far had been that she was terminal. Now these new doctors told her not only that might she live, but that she might actually see again too. She didn’t dare believe that she would be able to get her old life back completely, as well as her sight but . . .
“You think I’ll be able to recover? To see again?” Caterina asked, needing to be sure she had understood correctly.
“The risks are great, my dear,” Dr. Wells urged gently.
“But you qualify for the human trials because of the advanced state of your illness, Ms. Shaw,” Dr. Edwards added, annoyance at his partner evident in the staccato beats of his voice.
Her advanced state which could possibly bring death even with this treatment, Caterina thought. Not that she feared her end. What she did fear was letting the pain in her head rob her of the one thing she could not live without.
Her music.
She knew without hesitation that it was worth any risk to regain that part of her. To drive back the illness so she could play her cello once more and reanimate her heart for as long as she had left if the treatments couldn’t stop the tumor.
New York Times and USA Today bestseller Caridad Pineiro wrote her first novel in the fifth grade when her teacher assigned a project – to write a book for a class lending library. Bitten by the writing bug, Caridad continued with her passion for the written word through high school, college and law school. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Caridad’s passion for writing led to a determination to become published and share the stories she loved with others. In 1999, Caridad’s first novel was released and a decade later, Caridad is the author of over twenty novels and novellas. Caridad hopes to continue to share her stories with readers all over the world for years to come.
When not writing, Caridad is an attorney, wife and mother to an aspiring writer and fashionista. For more information on Caridad, please visit www.caridad.com or www.thecallingvampirenovels.com.
Extras
For Behind the Scenes blogs where readers can find out about the places where the book is set, you can go to: http://www.caridad.com/books/paranormal/sins-of-the-flesh/
Caridad Pineiro’s SINS OF THE FLESH VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 will officially begin on Nov. 2 and end on Nov. 27. You can visit Caridad’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of November to find out more about this great book and talented author!
"Which of you brave Knights of the Round Table will fight me?" Isobel called out.
"Me! Choose me! Isobel, choose me!"
~ Opening paragraph of the prologue, “Knight of Pleasure ARC (All the King's Men, Book 2)" by Margaret Mallory
*Note that this is the advanced reader edition, and the final book may be slightly different.
About the Book (from the back cover):
THE GREATEST PASSION Lady Isobel Hume is an expert swordswoman who knows how to choose her battles. When the king asks her to wed a French nobleman to form a political alliance, she agrees. But that's before the devilishly charming Sir Stephen Carleton captures her heart-and tempts her to betray her betrothed, her king, and her country.
IS WORTH THE GREATEST PERIL Sir Stephen Carleton enjoys his many female admirers-until he dedicates himself to winning the lovely Isobel. So when a threat against the king leads Isobel into mortal danger, Stephen has a chance to prove that he is more than a knight of pleasure...and that love can conquer all.
I always look forward to reading everyone's teasers! ~ Wendi
Lucan (Pendragon Legacy, Book 1) by Susan Kearney Forever (September 5, 2009) ~ 368 pages Fiction / Paranormal Romance
Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback ~ Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!
Perfect for : Personal reading
In a nutshell: As a teen/young adult I was always fascinated by the books about Arthurian legend (King Arthur, Merlin, etc), so as an adult, when I read Lucan by Susan Kearney, I was both reminiscent as well as excited to see this new paranormal twist to the classic legend of Arthur and the Holy Grail.
Lucan is on a quest to find the Holy Grail, hoping it will help his sister, and all of man-kind on Earth gain the ability to have children again. He stumbles upon a map that shows Avalon on a distant planet, not here on Earth, so he gains support in order to try to save humanity.
Cael is the high priestess and a dragonshaper on her world of Pendragon, also the home of the mystical and protected Avalon. She is also on a quest to find the Holy Grail, in the hopes of curing her nephew's illness, as well as all the sickness on Pendragon. Cael has lived a lonely life as the High Priestess; people are in awe of her and/or afraid of her abilities.
When Lucan and Cael end up working together to try to unlock Avalon and find the Holy Grail, they are both in for an amazing adventure as they learn to trust each other, work side-by-side, and try to foil a take-over by the local government. . . all while sparks are flying between the two.
With only one Holy Grail, will Lucan and Cael both be able to accomplish their missions successfully? Hmmm :) You'll have to read the book to find out!
This was a fun and very entertaining book, and I recommend it for any fans of Arthurian legend or paranormal romance.
From the Back Cover:
THEIR LOVE IS FORBIDDEN Healer and high priestess of her people, Lady Cael is fated to life without a mate. But a mysterious explorer named Lucan Rourke doesn't know her secrets, and his touch makes her crave a future that her extraordinary birthright has forbidden her. . .
BUT DANGER IS NO MATCH FOR DESIRE Lucan has just one mission on Pendragon: to find the mythical Holy Grail, Earth's only hope for survival. His powerful attraction to Cael is a distraction he can't afford, unless he convinces her to join forces with him. Yet working so closely together only heightens their passion . . . even when the terrifying truth of Cael's heritage threatens to shatter Lucan's every belief-and the galaxy itself.
The precious myths of our heritage are our way of understanding things greater than ourselves. They are tales of the inexplicable forces that shape our lives and of events that defy explanation. These legends are rooted in the spilling of our life blood, in the courage of brave hearts, in the resilience of humanity’s tenacious spirit. —Arthur Pendragon
Prologue In the near future
“Slow down, Marisa,” Lucan Roarke warned his twin. They were deep inside the cave he’d discovered in the Welsh countryside in the shadow of Cadbury Castle, and his helmet light had settled on a gaping crack in the compacted clay of the cavern’s floor. “Don’t step on that—”
“What?” Marisa looked back at him just as the ground opened beneath her feet. Falling, she flailed her arms and clawed at the cave wall for a handhold, but the loose earth crumbled beneath her fingertips, and gravity dragged her down through the crevice into the darkness below.
Lucan lunged to grab her, but the unstable earth lurched and dipped under him, throwing him off balance, and his fingers missed her by inches.
“Marisa!” The sound of splashing water drowned out his cry.
Lucan had brought his sister to Cadbury Castle for a vacation, and he’d been excited to show her this cave—his latest discovery in his quest for the Holy Grail. Although many dismissed the Grail as mythical, his years of exploration and research had convinced him the vessel actually existed.
Lucan peered through the gloom into the chasm, but his helmet light couldn’t penetrate the blackness. Even worse, the earthen sides of the hole made a steep, vertical descent. Reaching for the heavy-duty flashlight he carried in his back pocket, he yelled, “Marisa? Talk to me, damn it.”
Nothing but silence answered him.
Closing his eyes, Lucan inhaled deeply and concentrated on linking his mind with hers, a telepathic communication the two had shared since they were little.
Marisa. Where are you?
In the water. Help me. I’m cold.
Heart racing, Lucan shined the flashlight into the darkness and spotted her head above the rushing water.
“Lucan. Here.” Smart enough not to fight the powerful flow of water that tried to sweep her downstream, Marisa swam for the wall at an angle and clung to a rocky ledge.
“Hang on.”
She coughed and sputtered, then shot back, “If I let go, it won’t be on purpose. Hurry. It’s freezing.”
Lucan reached for the rope in his backpack and cursed himself for bringing his sister into the bowels of the cave. He’d sweet-talked her into coming along, desperate to break her out of her funk. Since her latest miscarriage, she’d been fighting off depression. He’d hoped this excursion would take her mind off her loss, at least for a little while. He hadn’t intended to distract her by risking her life and scaring her to death.
He uncoiled the rope, then leaned over the hole to see her lose her grip on the ledge. The current pulled her under. “Marisa!”
A split second later, a pale hand broke through the water and clutched a rock jutting from the wall. She pulled her head and shoulders above the torrent, spit water and forced her words through shivering lips. “I knew . . . I should have gone . . . to Club Med.”
He looped the rope around the biggest boulder within reach. Then he tossed the line down the narrow shaft. “Grab on and I’ll book the next flight to Cancun.”
Marisa stretched for the rope. And missed. Water surged over her head. Again she swam to the surface, but the current had carried her too far downstream to reach the lifeline.
With no other choice, Lucan jumped into the dark shaft. He fell about twelve feet before frigid water closed over his head and ripped away his glasses. His flesh went numb, but he managed to keep a grip on his waterproof flashlight. His lungs seized and his vision blurred. Forcing his shocked limbs to move, he kicked for the surface. And heard Marisa’s scream. Turning around, he swam in the direction he’d last seen her.
Already his teeth chattered. He struggled for breath, and his water-logged clothing and boots weighed him down. The raging current swept him under but his concern was for Marisa. She’d been in this icy water too long. Clenching his teeth, he kicked harder until he was finally close enough to grab Marisa’s shoulders. They only had minutes to find a way out before hypothermia set in.
He pulled her close. “I’ve got you.”
When she didn’t reply, fear poured through his system. Fighting to lift her head above the surface, he shined his light around the cave in search of a shoal or a shallow pool.
Marisa lifted a quaking hand. “There.”
Just ahead, the river forked. One side widened, the other narrowed.
Using most of his remaining strength, he steered them toward the wider fork, praying it wouldn’t take them deeper underground. His prayers were answered when they rounded a bend and the water leveled out onto a dirt embankment.
He pulled Marisa out of the river and together they lay on the bank, panting, shivering and exhausted. When she didn’t speak, he aimed the light on her. Her eyes were closed, her face pale, her lips blue. He wrung some of the water from her clothing, then rubbed her limbs with his own freezing hands.
Her eyes fluttered open. “One word . . . about my hair, and I’ll s-smack you up side the head.”
“You look good in mud.”
She slapped at his shoulder, but didn’t have the strength to land the blow.
He smoothed her hair from her eyes. “Save your strength. I don’t want to have to carry you.” She needed to walk to keep the hypothermia at bay.
“W-wuss.” She crawled up the bank until her back rested against a dirt wall.
Lucan focused on survival. “We’ve got to get moving or we’ll freeze.”
“You wrung the water from my clothes. What about you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Of course, you’re fine. J-just like when y-you were in Namibia and that Black Mamba bit you?”
“I lived.”
“Barely.” Marisa took his hand and tried to stand, but her knees buckled. She grabbed the wall behind her for support and it began to collapse on top of them.
Lucan lunged and threw his body over hers, shut his eyes and prayed they wouldn’t be buried alive. Clumps of cold mud cascaded over them and bounced aside.
“You okay?” Lucan asked.
“Oh, now I’m really having f-fun.” Marisa spit dirt. “So glad you suggested . . .” Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, “this little vacation.”
Lucan shoved to his feet. “Think what a great adventure story you’ll have to write.”
“I don’t want to be the story.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “But you love this shit. You’re probably getting off on—”
Wow. Her telepathic thought interrupted her words mid-sentence. And her amazement came through in waves—surprising waves that peaked with astonishment.
“What?” He spun around to see exactly what had shocked her and froze. He focused his flashlight on the unearthed urn, hardly believing his eyes or his luck. The intricate design made dating the piece easy. “It’s Tintagel ware.”
“Tinta-who?”
“Tintagel ware is an ancient indigenous pottery. 5th or 6th Century. More evidence that Cadbury Castle really was King Arthur’s home base.”
They both jumped aside as another slice of wall and more pottery crashed down, revealing a hidden room. At the sound of breaking terra cotta, Lucan winced. An ancient scroll poked from the shards, and he dashed to pull the paper from the muddy earth before the dampness reached it.
Old and fragile, the antiquity had survived in amazing condition. He balanced the flashlight between his shoulder and chin, unfurled his find and squinted, wishing for his lost glasses.
Marisa peered over his arm, her reporter’s curiosity evident. “What is it?”
Lucan stared, his pulse racing in excitement. The astrological map revealed the sun, the earth, planets. And many stars. But what had his heart battering his ribs was the line drawn from Earth to a star far across the galaxy. He was looking at an ancient map of the heavens. His mouth went dry. “This is a star map.”
“Why do you sound so surprised? Even the most ancient cultures were into astrology.”
“Astronomy,” he corrected automatically. “I’m no astronomer, but this looks . . . far too accurate for its time. King Arthur, remember. The Age of Chivalry.”
“Yeah, right.”
Lost in thought, he ignored her sarcasm. “This map has details the Hubble telescope might not pick up, yet it’s thousands of years old. It’s unbelievable.”
“So it’s a fake?”
“I’ll have to perform tests . . .” He squinted at the map. His gaze moved on to the distant stars and their planets. “Hell.”
“What now?”
He pointed to the map. “This moon is named Pendragon.”
“Wasn’t that King Arthur’s last name?”
He nodded and squinted. “And written right under Pendragon is the word Avalon.”
“Avalon? Is that significant?”
“Avalon was a legendary isle ruled by a Druid priestess called the Lady of the Lake,” he answered. “She helped put Arthur on the throne. And according to the stories, Avalon was also where King Arthur left the Holy Grail.”
“The Holy Grail?” Disbelief filled her voice.
“The powers of the cup are legendary. If the myths are true, the cup might cure physical ills—cancer, heart attacks and . . .” he hesitated before breathing out the word, “sterility.”
Though neither his sister nor her husband was officially sterile, like most of Earth’s population, they couldn’t have children. Her recent miscarriage had been her second in as many years. If the cup truly existed and he could find it, his sister—and hundreds of thousands of others—could finally carry a child to term.
“Throughout the ages,” he continued, ‘many men, including Arthur’s own Knights of the Round Table, have searched for Avalon and the Holy Grail. Legendary stories of the Grail’s healing properties exist in many cultures, yet no one has found it.” He pointed to the small moon on the ancient map. “Maybe that’s because Avalon wasn’t on Earth.”
“You’ve lost your mind.” She sighed, but the catch in her voice exposed her wishful thinking that after all this time despairing, she might be able to hope again.
“A search for the Holy Grail might be the most exciting thing I’ll ever do.”
“It might also be the last thing you ever do. Didn’t you learn your lesson when you went in search of Preah Vihear antiquities?”
“The golden statue of the dancing Shiva I found in the Khmer temple was worth—”
“Ending up in a Cambodian jail?”
“Just a little misunderstanding. We got it squared away.”
She cursed under her breath. “You sure you don’t have a death wish? Or are you just an adrenaline junky?”
She was only fussing because she loved him, so he ignored her rhetorical questions. Besides, he wasn’t the only twin who took calculated risks. As a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times, Marisa had placed herself in danger many times. They were some pair. She wanted to report the present to change the future. Until now, he’d believed humanity was headed for extinction and had studied the past because the future looked bleak. But if he could find the Grail, the past just might offer hope for the future.
Marisa sighed. “We need to dig out of here.”
He carefully rolled up the parchment and placed it in the dry sample bag he’d pulled from his backpack. Then he shined the light on the broken pottery. Kneeling, he began gathering as many shards as he could carry.
He reached for a particularly large piece, covered in an array of signs and symbols, when he spied daylight glimmering through a tiny opening on the far wall of the hidden room. A way out. “Time to go.”
“Now you’re in a hurry?”
“Don’t you want to find out if this map’s authentic?”
She sighed. “I’m more interested in warm, dry clothes.”
“Do you realize what we may have found?”
“We? Just you, my brother. Avalon? The Holy Grail? A cure for cancer? The idea is more than crazy. It’s nonsense. But knowing you, you’ll find a way to follow that map to Avalon.”
“If the star map pans out, you’ll want first dibs on the story—don’t deny it.”
“You’re a restless, adventure-seeking fool. That stupid map is going to take you straight to outer space.”
He could only hope.
As they deny the world, not only in the spirit realm but in the material plane, the world will cease to exist.
—The Lady of the Lake
-1-Eight years later, half a galaxy away
Cael was going to die. Not with the dignity a High Priestess was due. Not even with the respect afforded a physician.
And it was all her own fault. When she’d thought she’d seen her owl Merlin flapping frantically in the cooling conduit, she’d foolishly attempted a rescue. That had been mistake number one. Instead of calling maintenance for help, she’d grabbed a ladder, yanked off the outer grid and crawled into the duct work. Mistake number two. She’d forgotten to take a flashlight. Mistake number three. And now she was stuck in the dark conduit, half frozen, her hair held firm by the intake valve, her hand caught in the mesh screen meant to keep out rodents.
She’d shouted for help, of course, but no one had heard. With her robes and feet dangling into the hallway, she would have been hard to miss, but her coworkers never came down the hall to the High Priestess’ office. Being High Priestess wasn’t all it was assumed to be. Yes, she lived in a magnificent residence, free of charge, and her people revered her, even enacting a special law to allow her to be both Priestess and Healer, but the average Dragonian wouldn’t think of stopping by for a chat, never mind asking for her medical opinion.
While she believed her empathic ability was a gift that enabled her to use her healing skills wisely, her people too often looked at it as a curse. A curse that might blast them if they looked at her the wrong way . . . so most preferred not to look at her at all.
To her regret, she’d only treated a few patients since she’d joined the Avalon Project’s team of specialists that included astronomers, archeologists, physicists, engineers, geologists and computer technicians. Unless they had an emergency, her coworkers preferred other, less daunting healers. And if she didn’t turn up for work in the lab tomorrow, she doubted anyone would search for her. They’d assume she was attending to her High Priestess duties.
So she was stuck. Alone as usual.
And Merlin wasn’t even here. Mistake number four. Had she imagined that the owl had needed her help? She should have known better. The bird was crafty. He wouldn’t fly into a conduit that had no exit. He wouldn’t get stuck as she had. It would be just her luck if she died here of dehydration.
“Damn it.” She pounded on the metal wall with her free hand and yelled. “Just turn off the cooling coils, hand me a knife and I’ll cut myself free.”
No one answered. The suction from the intake valve threatened to snatch her bald. Again, she wrenched her wrist, but the mesh held her fingers in a claw-like grip. Tired, cold, she closed her eyes and dozed.
“Lady?” Someone tugged on her foot.
She awakened with a jerk and almost yanked her hair out by the roots. Teeth chattering, her side numb, she figured she must have been dreaming of rescue.
Then she heard the same deep and sexy yet unrecognizable voice again. “Are you stuck?”
What did he think? That the High Priestess slept here because she liked being frozen into an ice cube. “Please, can you get me out?”
A warm hand grasped her ankle and an interesting tingle shot up her leg as he tugged.
“Ow! My hair is caught in the intake valve and my hand got stuck in the mesh when I tried to free myself.”
She was about to ask for a pair of scissors or a knife, when she heard the duct metal creak and a thud. Then a man’s chest was sliding over her legs. And his movement was tugging up her gown.
Holy Goddess.
She’d never been this close to someone before. No one dared touch the High Priestess.
Yet, he’d crawled right into the duct with her and was inching his way past her hips. Both her hearts jolted as if she’d taken a direct electric charge. His heat seeped into her, and the feel of his powerful, rippling male muscles had her biting back a gasp of shock.
It was impossible not to feel the heat pulsing between them. Studying the signs of arousal in a medical book was one thing. Experiencing them was quite another.
The stranger was edging up her body, and her senses rioted. Never had anything felt this indescribably good. She wished she could see his eyes and his expression. Even her empathic gift was failing her. Her own excitement was preventing her from reading him. Was he enjoying the feel of her as much as she was him? Did he have any idea that her hearts were racing? That her skirt was above her knees?
Ever so slowly, he crawled to her waist and his head slid between her breasts, his warm breath fanning her flesh. His mouth had to be inches from her . . . oh sweet Goddess.
“The air duct really isn’t made for two,” he joked.
Her pulse leaped. Her nerves were on fire. “There isn’t enough air,” she gasped.
“It’s fine.” He wriggled until his cheek pressed hers and she could feel the fine growth of a beard one day past a shave. His broad chest warmed her. Her hips nestled his and she felt him harden against her.
She stiffened. So he wasn’t unaffected, and that fact secretly pleased her. Although it shouldn’t have.
Apparently not the least embarrassed by his physical reaction, he chuckled, his breath warm and tantalizing in her ear. “Don’t worry. It’s not like we have enough room in here to get any closer.”
She squeezed her eyes tight. “You don’t know who I am.”
“You feel . . . beautiful.” He reached above her head and ran his hand along her hair, his fingers strong and gentle. “I’m going to remove the grate so we don’t have to cut your hair.”
His muscles flexed, and he popped the vent from the duct. “Now, let’s free your hand.”
He skimmed his other hand up her body, lightly teasing her waist, the side of her breast, her cheek. She sucked in her breath as a ripple of pleasure washed through her.
“I’ll be happy to do more of that after I get you out of here,” he murmured and ran his fingers up her arm to her trapped wrist. “Hmm. I’ve got a screwdriver in my back pocket. Think you can reach it?”
She licked her bottom lip and moved her free hand across his firm hip to his curved buttock. Her fingers itched to explore. After all, she had to find his pocket, didn’t she?
“Try a little higher, sweetheart,” he urged, his voice amused.
“If you want to live, don’t call me that,” she said in her best High Priestess voice. But instead of sounding authoritative, her tone was breathy and light.
She fumbled her fingers over his buttock, enjoying the hard muscle and the sensuous curve and finally found and unsnapped the pocket. Oh . . . my. The material inside that pocket was so thin, she was almost touching his bare, warm flesh. At the thought, her breasts tingled, and certain he could feel her nipples hardening against him, she flushed.
“What should I call you?” he teased.
She hesitated. If she told him her name, he might not finish freeing her. “I’ll introduce myself once we’re out of this mess.”
“Honey, we’re way beyond the need for formal introductions—not when your sexy little hand is grabbing my ass.”
She snatched the screwdriver from his pocket. “Got it.”
He gave instructions with an easy self-confidence that told her he was enjoying himself. “Reach up my back, over my shoulder and place the screwdriver into my hand.”
She did as he asked and found herself admiring his broad back, the muscular shoulders. She was wrapped around him, and the feel of his hard male body had her trembling. She hadn’t known a man could feel so good.
His maleness was erotic, exotic. Exciting. Her blood rushed though her veins with a heat that made her feel more alive than she’d felt since she’d first taken to the skies in flight.
“You’re awfully quiet.” The rough texture of his words was almost as exciting as his muscles straining over her. “Am I too heavy?”
Too heavy? He was perfect.
She swallowed hard. “How much longer . . .”
“Until we’re done unscrewing? Now there’s a question I haven’t been asked before.” She could hear the grin in his wry tone and was grateful when he changed the subject. “How’d you get stuck in here, anyway?”
Every time he turned the screwdriver, his pecs tensed against her breasts and his erection pressed hot against her thigh.
She tried to distract herself by talking. “I thought I heard a bird trapped in here.”
She expected him to tell her she was silly, but he paused in his handiwork. “So you’re the adventurous type?”
Was she? She had no idea. From the moment she’d been born, her destiny had been set. The Elders had trained her as High Priestess. It was her duty to perform religious ceremonies, bless babies, to mediate high-level disputes. But she’d wanted to connect with people, so she’d insisted on becoming a healer, too. That was the reason she worked on the Avalon Project, hoping to find the Holy Grail and cure her world of all illness. Was that the same as adventurous?
He popped out the last screw and she tugged her hand free. Her fingers landed in his thick, soft hair. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
“You might be really sorry—once we get out of here.”
“Why’s that?” He began to wriggle down her body. “Are you married?”
“I’m never getting married.” The High Priestess wasn’t allowed to wed. Even if it wasn’t forbidden, who would want a woman who had the strength to kill her own mate?
“You have seven big protective brothers who’ll want to beat me up?” he teased.
“There’s just me and my two sisters,” she couldn’t keep the wistfulness from her tone.
“No husband. No brothers. And you don’t want to marry. Honey, you’re ideal,” he said, his tone soft and husky. Finally, he jumped down, and she found herself missing his warmth. Then his strong hands slid up her legs.
“I can get out . . . by myself.” She tried to wriggle away, but couldn’t, of course, with the duct restricting her movements. “Is anyone else there?”
“No one. It’s past midnight.”
“Thank the Goddess.” His large hands almost spanned her waist. He lifted her from the conduit and set her down on her feet. Her skirts dropped to the floor, and she smoothed them while avoiding his gaze.
As the ceremonial robes swished around her legs, her customary decorum returned. “Thank you. You saved my life. But I won’t tell anyone, so please don’t worry . . .” She raised her head and met his eyes.
“I’m not worried.” Cocking his head to the side, he’d spoken as if he found the idea absurd. He smiled as if he was seeing Cael the woman, not the High Priestess, and it charged her with intense awareness. Of him.
In the dim light she recognized him. Lucan Roarke. The new archeologist on the team had dark hair, compelling blue eyes and a sculpted jaw. And he wore glasses. Obviously he needed a new prescription, since he didn’t seem to recognize her.
“If anyone learns that you touched me, the State will execute you.”
“Really?”
“The only exemptions are during my healing duties or for blessings bestowed in religious ceremonies.”
She expected him to back away, tremble, even grovel as others in his position would have. Automatically, she braced for the normal blast of fear, but instead, he leaned toward her, his voice seductive. “Lady Cael—” Obviously he did recognize her. “I wouldn’t mind if more than my fate was in your hands.”
USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Kearney is a native of New Jersey and has a Business Degree from the University of Michigan. Her fifty plus books include contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, futuristic, science fiction and paranormal novels. She resides in a suburb of Tampa-with her husband, kids, Boston terriers and iguana. Currently she's plotting her way through her 52st work of fiction. You can reach her through her web site at www.susankearney.com.
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Knight of Desire (All the King's Men, Book 1) by Margaret Mallory Forever (July 1, 2009) ~ 384 pages Fiction / Historical Romance
Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback ~ Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review!
Perfect for : Personal reading, book club read
In a nutshell: I thoroughly enjoyed this book from both the historical as well as the romantic aspect. Knight of Desire is written in a seamless manner, pulling the reader along from start to finish. The main story begins in June of 1405, in England near the Welsh border (the prologue takes place in 1400), at which time the king and prince of England, along with their armies and supporters, were fighting Welsh rebels who were trying to invade England.
Catherine, who grew up as a friend of the prince, has been passing along information to him about the rebels she has overheard during her husbands dealings with them. Her spying and betrayal of her husband ultimately results in a win for England, and the death of her husband (a win for her). Little does she know that the King has forfeited her lands and castle, giving them to William FitzAlan, also giving him the choice to send her to The Tower or marry her.
After marriage to an abusive husband, the last thing Catherine wants is another marriage the same day her husband has been found to be a traitor and is killed in battle. . . but she finds herself married and must find a way to make the best of the situation for her son.
Ultimately, this story is one of trust, something both Catherine and William need in order to make their future a success. Catherine must learn to trust that William will not abuse her in the same manner that her previous husband had. William must learn to trust Catherine, knowing that she betrayed her first husband, causing his death.
One last note. With so many details included about the fighting between the English and the Welsh rebels, I was particularly fascinated by the Welsh nobleman's treatment of Catherine when she is captured. There is a conversation in the book that talks about how she was treated well because they were nobles and they still respected her status, but if she had been captured by commoners, it would have been very different.
Overall, I loved this book. I didn't put it down until I finished it, and I look forward to the next book in the series, Knight of Pleasure, which will be the story of William's half brother Stephen (who was charming in this book!).
About the Book: (From the Publisher)
FEARLESS IN BATTLE His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.
TENDER IN BED Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.
Excerpt:
About the Author: (from the Publisher)
MARGARET MALLORY recently surprised her friends and family by abandoning her legal career-and her steady job-to write tales of romance and adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad and rewarding the worthy-in the pages of her novels, of course. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two college-age children. KNIGHT OF DESIRE is her first book so she would dearly love to hear from readers.
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