Natalie at IReadRomance.com
“Micah’s and Sam’s chemistry alone and along with Lily will keep you panting and wondering what will happen next for this trio.”

Play nice, now.

~~~~~~~~~~

Why Angels and Demons Are Hot

Thank you, Rhiannon, for inviting me here to celebrate the release of Beauty and the Bastard.

Angels and Demons is a hot sub-genre in paranormal romance right now. Here are seven reasons why my angels and demons are hot stuff!

1. Saul the Bastard is a badass fallen angel who works as a bounty hunter for powerful demon families. This is Rebecca’s first glimpse of him:

He stood with his back to her, silhouetted against the rain-spattered window and glittering Manhattan nightscape that stretched into the distance. Immobile as a statue, except for small movements of his head as he followed her uncle’s slow pacing, he dripped a circle of rainwater from the hem of his duster coat onto the crimson carpet. The only physical details Rebecca could make out were his height, with its suggestion of a lean build, and a wet mop of dark blond hair plastered to his head.

He seemed a man of few quiet words, similar to her uncle in this respect, and when he spoke his voice rang like a bronze bell in the depths of the ocean. It was a quality Rebecca felt rather than heard.

Uncle Alex opened a desk drawer and handed the stranger a plump brown envelope, which disappeared into the duster as the man turned to leave.

She stepped away from the door and to one side, intending to see without being seen. But when he walked into the reception room she couldn’t help catching her breath at the beauty of his sheer cheekbones and skin like cool marble glowing. He looked like no demon Rebecca had ever seen.

She remembered to close her mouth just before his ice-blue gaze swept across her, and then he was gone in a soft breeze of sandalwood.

2. Rebecca is a demon princess, whose father heads the family operation that pretty much runs Vegas, and whose uncle heads his family operation that pretty much runs Wall Street. She is also very good at her job as an internal fraud investigator. Here’s where Saul gets his first real look at her:

An hour later he scrambled over the uppermost edge and stood alongside the angel statue to look out over the city. Heavy rain had washed everything clean. The city, the streets, the building he had just climbed, and his statue: all clean. Everything was clean, except him.

Someone had occupied the apartment below him, the solitary and long-vacant one just fifty feet across the empty space from where he stood. The interior was unlit, but all the drapes and two windows had been opened. A suitcase sat like a volcanic island among a spill of clothing on the dining table, and in the room next to it, he saw the shape of someone in the bed.

A woman.

She was the flame-haired demon he’d seen briefly in Alex Fortune’s outer office the night before. She kicked the cover away like a restless child and rolled over. He watched her sleep for some moments, then dismissed her from his thoughts. She hadn’t seen him on the roof. Nothing had changed.

3. Saul is ruthlessly efficient and privately tortured. Demons fear him. Even the high-ranking ones who employ him treat him with cautious respect, and that suits him fine. He spends his leisure time drinking alone, communing silently with a bottle of good Irish Whiskey in the back of some dark bar or other. Sensible people know instinctively to leave him be.

4. Rebecca is a clever, determined, resourceful woman who enjoys her independence and freedom of movement. Unfortunately, because rogue demons from the Mojave Desert have marked her to be their next sacrifice and are hunting her in Vegas, she is forced to hide out in NYC and accept her Uncle Alex’s protection.

5. The last thing Saul wants to do is babysit a spoiled demon princess. And the last thing Rebecca wants is to have some monosyllabic iceman controlling her. They both resist the arrangement. But Alex Fortune has decided that Saul’s protection is Rebecca’s best bet for survival, and Alex always gets his way.

6.  Saul and Rebecca are forced to spend time together, two fiercely independent lone-riders striking sparks off each other at every turn while the dangerous hunters get closer and ever closer.

7. Despite their normally human appearance, angels and demons are supernatural beings whose true nature sometimes becomes visible under conditions of extreme distress or joy.

Imagine a lonely one glowing ever brighter, against his will, until he bursts into a dazzling golden light of yearning. Imagine the other denying herself and burning with a slow angry fire of suppressed passion. Imagine them forced together, falling in love despite themselves. Imagine how their passion will explode when they surrender to it.

~~~~~~

Thanks for that post, David. And those wonderful excerpts. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

Learn some more about David, and about Beauty and the Bastard here – including an excerpt.

Or better yes, BUY IT HERE!

To celebrate I’m giving away an ebook copy of the book (in the format of your choice) to a commentor below.

To enter, just tell me who’s your favourite angel or demon and why? I think you can guess who mine are.

I’ll choose a winner on Friday using random.org.

In the meantime if you feel like an excerpt you can check out the one I posted for Excerpt Monday yesterday or read the opening chapter here.

So, angels or demons, angels and demons, which ones, and why? Discuss.

Here’s an excerpt from my new novel Edge of Heaven, which comes out from Samhain Publishing tomorrow.  Please note that this excerpt contains adult content and should be read only by those over 18.

The sound of the water in the bathroom drew his attention back to Lily. And then an image flared in his mind, of what she must look like, naked, water drizzling down her milky skin, beading on her firm, high breasts. Steam wreathed around her while she washed herself, the soap suds trailing between her legs and—

“You’re doing this, aren’t you?” His mental sending was part groan of need and, from near at hand—far too near at hand—he got his response.

“Just giving you a helping hand, Mike.” Sammael’s voice came to him, its mocking tone ringing clearly around his head. “As I remember things, imagination was never your strong point. Thought a few well-placed images might help.”

Arousal surged up through him, from his groin to his brain. A gasp of air escaped him as he saw her again, on the bed, Sammael covering her, filling her. Her body arched and she cried out in wild abandon, clutching the sheets.

“It’s going to be so much fun, Mike. You’ll see. I’ll make sure of that. Every little detail.”

Abruptly the image stopped and Micah was released so suddenly that he staggered forward, gasping for air.

“And if you think that’s good,” Sammael teased, “you wait and see what I do to her next.”

“Micah?” Lily’s voice dragged him back to her reality. She stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her long hair dripping glistening trails down her exposed skin. “You okay?”

Was he? Demons were demons, and Sammael’s reputation as one of the most dangerous was well deserved. Micah struggled to bring his body back under control. His cock already stood erect and eager for her. How could he talk to her now, share the intimate contact of mind on mind, when his body, however ethereal, was hell-bent on betraying him?

“‘Hell-bent’.” Sammael laughed, his presence hovering around Micah like a shroud. “That’s funny, Mike. Real funny.”

When he didn’t answer, Lily shrugged and let the towel drop. Micah’s arousal turned to steel and he heard Sammael laugh out loud this time.

Next door. The bastard was right next door.

Lily brushed her hair and tied it into a plait, still wet. Micah drew back, trying to escape from the room yet unable to tear himself away from her. Somehow Sammael was holding him here, close to her. But if he spoke now, she’d know he’d been here, that he’d seen her naked.

His mouth went dry as she turned to face him and he beheld the full length of her.

“You’ve wanted that sweet body for so long, haven’t you?” Sammael said, and it was like breath playing on Micah’s neck and ear. “Tell me, Micah, do angels dream of sex with a woman like her in the way demons do? She’s a light. There’s nothing quite like one. It’s almost as fulfilling as the bliss of Heaven, they say. Do you ache for her, my friend? Is it the innocence that attracts, or is it something else? Let’s see, shall we?”

Lily slipped a silken nightgown on. It tumbled over her curves, clinging to her breasts. It couldn’t hide the erect nipples. Rather it emphasised them. As she climbed onto the bed, she brushed a hand over the swell of her breasts, and a shiver ran through Micah’s body.

Anticipation.

“No,” he told Sammael. “You can’t make me watch this.”

“I don’t have to make you, Micah. You can’t look away, can you?”

True, too horribly true.

Lily rubbed her palm across her breast, the material moving with her, and she sighed. Her other hand slid down to part her thighs, drawing up the bottom of the nightdress. The silk pooled like water around her as she slid a finger inside her depths.

Micah backed up to the wall, but he couldn’t escape, not from Lily, not from Sammael.

“You want her, don’t you?” Sammael said, and something gave Micah a little shove forward. “Go to her, make love to her. You know you want to.”

“It’s a breach of trust.” Micah closed his eyes but it didn’t help. Lily gave a little pleasure-filled moan and lay back on the bed, moving languorously against her own hand.

“Then allow me,” Sammael replied.

Micah’s eyes snapped open as Sammael materialised before him, naked and insubstantial as a ghost, so only Micah could see him. The sculpted muscles of his back flexed as he approached the bed, but Lily didn’t look up. She couldn’t see him, couldn’t hear him. She didn’t even know he was there.

This display was all for Micah. And he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Sammael’s hand pressed Lily’s chest and slid down. Her eyes opened, blind with need and hunger. Her hand moved more urgently and her breath quickened to a frantic pant.

Sammael’s fingers joined hers and he smiled at the bewildered pleasure that filled her face. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her mouth and she gasped, a sound so like his name.

“She’s beautiful, Micah, magnificent. How have you managed to keep your hands off her for so long?”

Edge of Heaven releases in ebook format tomorrow. Details are here.
Links to other Excerpt Monday writers

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Leslie Dicken, Historical (PG 13)
Danie Ford, Contemporary YA (PG 13)
Babette James, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical Paranormal (PG 13)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Debbie  Mumford, Fantasy (PG 13)
Ryan, Mystery (PG13)
Madison Woods, Fantasy (PG 13)
Stephanie Draven, Dark Fantasy (PG 13)

Kendal Corbitt , Contemporary YA (R)
Ali Katz, Historical (R)
Vivien Jackson, Paranormal erotic romance (R)
Alexia Reed, Urban fantasy (R)

Elizabeth Black, gay m/m erotica (NC 17)
Sara Brookes, Urban Fantasy (NC 17)
Angeleque Ford, Contemporary erotic romance (NC17)
Lisa Fox, Paranormal erotic romance (NC 17)
Christa Paige, Regency romance (NC 17)
Gail Roarke, Paranormal erotic romance (NC 17)

“I’d love to be abducted and ravished by some handsome brigand or pirate…”

When the women of the Ladies’ Sewing Circle share their private fantasies, some are shocked by Mrs. Prudence Enderby’s secret desire. But Prudence cannot imagine life without such exotic daydreams—especially since they arouse her husband, too!

Yet Prudence never imagined she would actually be whisked off the street by a mysterious masked man who has his wicked way with her in a carriage. Taking her back to a boudoir appointed for pleasure, he continues to bring every one of her fantasies to life. But nothing could be more surprising than when Prudence finally learns who is behind this gentlewoman’s ravishment…

Read An Excerpt Online
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Red Hots!

ISBN: 978-1-60928-059-8
Length: Novel
Price: 5.50
Publication Date: June 22, 2010
Cover art by Natalie Winters

Her only hope is to reach for heaven—and hang on to hell.

Lily’s psychic “gift” for hearing the dead and helping them pass over into the afterlife has left her friendless and broken, teetering on the edge of sanity. Not much of a challenge for Sammael, a demon who’s been sent to seduce her soul for hell.

But something stands between Sam and his prize. Micah, the guardian angel whose constant support keeps Lily sane. Yet Sam senses that Micah’s feelings for his charge are less than angelic.

Excellent. It’ll be his pleasure to tempt them both into pure sin.

As Lily succumbs to unearthly pleasure, she finds herself caught between the demon who sets her on fire and the angel who lifts her to unimagined heights of ecstasy. It’s a choice she can’t bring herself to make.

Then a serial killer with preternatural abilities makes Lily his next target. Danger mounts as he repeatedly outfoxes even heaven and hell. To protect her, an angel must fall, a demon must be redeemed—and Lily must travel to hell and back for the men she loves.

Warning: Contains steamy sex, bondage, voyeurism, and a ménage a trois between a tormented angel, a devilishly sexy demon and a woman who can’t choose between them. And why should she?

Read An Excerpt Online

• “good story with a well developed world and interesting characters… Both men were self sacrificing and heroic, and you really liked the heroine.  It was a good book and I would recommend it to readers that like paranormals or just enjoy a well written story.” — Elizabeth Charles, JERR
• “The author does an excellent job of building a futuristic world in a short time frame, one I want to read about again and again. Leith gives us not one but two sexy heroes and a strong physic heroine, who all find a solid, believable happily ever after. I recommend With a Touch to anyone looking for a short, hot, futuristic romance.” — Sophia Parkwood
• “The loving help and circle that Aidan and Rafael provide to Eva proved to me that love really could heal all wounds. The best thing I loved about this threesome is that even when doubts came, two of them always believed in their union. The ending will cause me to smile the next time I see a bunch of colorful butterflies. With a Touch trumped evil while bringing three hearts together in a union not even fear could tear apart.” — Jo, Joyfully Reviewed.

Want an awesome opening, to an awesome series by awesome authors???

Oh, ok then. Check this out!

Wasteland: The Wanderer by Crystal Jordan

Love is the most dangerous experiment of all.

There is only one rule in the Wasteland: survive.

The few remaining women are as reviled as they are worshipped, a commodity any man must pay to touch. And to touch a Wanderer, he may pay with his life.

For Ezra, the risk is worth the reward. People speak his name with the same reverent terror reserved for ancient wrathful gods, but he must always be ready to fend off those who would take what’s his. And what he wants to be his is Kadira.

Kadira, adopted after she witnessed the slaughter of her devoted parents, has vowed never to love or need anyone. It seems only fitting that she, an outsider, accept Ezra’s demand in trade for the fuel technology her clan needs—but her deep, unexpected need for him is the torture she’s fought all her life to avoid. Worse, the greater her wrath, the more he seems to like it.

Ezra’s mercenary half delights at having the warrior woman in his arms. His scientist half can’t resist the urge to see what makes her react—and what makes her explode.

The real experiment: if the bond they forge is strong enough to make her want to stay.

Warning: Threesomes, foursomes, boy on boy, girl on girl, boy on boy on girl, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sex at knifepoint, anal sex, ritual orgies, and, well…it’s just a really dirty book.

Buy it here!

Who could ask for more? You could? Well stay tuned for the rest of the Wasteland series… by the amazing Smutketeers!

Coming soon from The Wild Rose Press

Spanish Heat by Milaya Marks

Eager to end her dry spell, sexually deprived Serena Ryan craves fun in the sun with an anonymous hottie. Her first overseas assignment–write a guidebook on the balmy Canary Islands–supplies the heat and the opportunity. An afternoon of steamy sex with a virile stranger takes the edge off until she discovers he is none other than hotelier Antonio Delgado. Her hopes of an uncomplicated fling go up in smoke as their passion rises, along with the Spanish Heat.

Head on over to read an excerpt.