Sunday, November 27, 2016

Sunday's Safe Word Shelf: The Gift by Kim Dare


Summary:
The ghost of Christmas Past...

If Charles prefers leather to tinsel, that's okay. Nicky is still sure he can teach his master to love Christmas – with the aid of a perfect gift.

Just because Charles doesn't see any point in making a fuss about Christmas, that doesn't mean he can't tolerate Nicky's passion for tinsel and holly. He's never forbidden his pet from enjoying any of his Christmas traditions and he thinks that's enough.

Nicky has one ambition – to give his master a perfect Christmas. He's willing to do anything to make that happen – even if it means taking risks and asking his master for special privileges - even if it means inviting a third man into their bed.

The Spirit of Christmas Past isn't used to visiting Christmases that involve quite so much nudity, passion or kinky sex. Leading a dominant man like Charles through the Christmases isn't easy – and keeping his eyes off the frequently naked Nicky is impossible. Still, all the spirit can do is enjoy the show – because his job is to bring lovers together and fade away inconspicuously. That's the plan. However, if someone suddenly wants to thank him, who is he to say no?

Please note: This book contains an M/M/M menage scene.


Flickering firelight lent an enchanting glow to Nicky’s naked body. Charles Wilson stroked his lover’s hair, pushing the thick blond strands back out of his eyes. Nicky swirled his tongue around the tip of Charles’s cock, taking a little more of the hard shaft into his mouth each time he bobbed his head a fraction lower.

A touch to Nicky’s cheek immediately brought his gaze up. Charles studied the sleepy pleasure in his pet’s eyes. He always liked to see him happy, especially now – when it somehow seemed to be a rarer sight than it had been in previous years.

He smiled down at his pet. “That’s right, Nicky… exactly like that. Perfect.” The words were hoarse with arousal, forced through a throat that barely relaxed enough to let him breathe let alone speak properly, but his pet thrived on praise and Charles wouldn’t deny him what he craved so much.

The fire crackled in the hearth. A shower of sparks raced up the chimney. Warmth glowed over Nicky’s body. Only the black leather collar around his neck hid a small strip of skin from his master’s appreciation.

Charles shifted his posture, sinking more comfortably into the high backed chair by the fireplace. Nicky began to work him in earnest, dipping his head low in his master’s lap and taking the topmost part of his shaft into his throat.

With a hand settled snugly on the back of his head, Charles let his pet do what he wished. In the five years they’d been together, he’d learnt exactly what would please his master best. He needed no further instruction on the matter.

Moments later, Charles’s grip on his pet’s hair tightened a fraction. Nicky looked up and held his gaze as his master spilled into his mouth. He swallowed him down with every sign of enjoyment of the salty taste, murmuring around his shaft until he was finished. Only then let did Nicky let his master’s cock slip delicately from between his lips. Tidying Charles away and doing up his fly, Nicky didn’t rush away from his place at his feet. He rested his head in his master’s lap. Charles went back to stroking his hair, winding his fingers through the long strands.

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed half past ten. “You’d best go up now if you want to finish off your traditions,” Charles said.

Nicky looked up at him and hesitated. While he seemed reluctant to leave his master’s side, Charles was under no illusions. His pet would go—he never failed to carry out every one of his Christmas traditions right down to the final detail. There was no reason why that should change this year.

Eventually, the younger man nodded and stood up. He really was incredibly beautiful, all lean muscle and fair skin. Charles let his eyes travel over his body. He never got tired of looking at his pet. “It won’t take long,” Nicky said softly, as if he needed to apologise—as if his master wasn’t used to all of his traditions by now.

Charles merely nodded.

Nicky glanced at the fireplace. “Shall I?”

Charles shook his head. “I’ll see to it.”

“Yes, master.” His pet nodded his understanding, but Charles wasn’t taken in by the submission in his response.

Nicky would far rather complete the task himself. In spite of viewing a great deal of evidence to the contrary over the last few years, he was still quietly convinced his master was incapable of completing any task he saw as a submissive’s responsibility. Nevertheless, he left the room without actually voicing a protest to Charles damping down the fire himself.

As the door closed behind Nicky, Charles dropped his head back against the high chair back and stared up at the brightly coloured decorations festooning the ceiling. His pet had outdone himself this year. Everything that didn’t run away fast enough was wrapped in tinsel and sparkles.

He closed his eyes against the garish display of Christmas cheer.

Although he’d never been present for his pet’s final Christmas Eve tradition—the packing of the last present right before he went to bed—Charles could well imagine him kneeling on the floor in their bedroom, biting his bottom lip, concentrating on getting the brightly coloured paper just right. It was a far better sight to rest his eyes upon than yard upon yard of garlands criss-crossing the ceiling.

“Charles Wilson.”

Charles didn’t recognise the voice, but he knew it wasn’t Nicky. It was all he needed to know. No one else had a place in their house on Christmas Eve. Charles snapped his eyes open. He sat up straight in his chair, all sign of sleepy contentment vanishing.

A tall, well built young man stood in front of the fire. A short, white toga barely scraped the top of his thighs. The material fluttered as the heat from the fire swirled the air currents. Charles glanced across to the door. It was still closed. He should have heard anyone come in.

The man looked around the room.

Charles launched himself to his feet. “Who the hell are you?”

“You are Charles Wilson?” the stranger asked again. His voice betrayed sudden uncertainty.

Charles automatically weighed himself up against the potential threat. The man was shorter than him and more lightly muscled. If he wasn’t armed, Charles was confident he’d end up on top.

The same fact seemed to register with the man facing him across the hearth rug. He looked nervous now—or the sudden sight of Nicky’s excessive Christmas cheer had thrown him off balance. Charles felt anyone walking unexpectedly into the Santa’s grotto of their living room was entitled to lose their bearings for a few moments.

“Who are you, and what you are doing in my house?” Charles demanded. He strained his hearing. Was there anyone else in the house? If there was, were they aware of Nicky’s presence upstairs?

The man looked around him again. “I am the Spirit of Christmas Past,” he said slowly, taking in each bit of holly and mistletoe adorning the fireplace.

The tension drained out of Charles. He sat on the arm of the chair and looked the “spirit” over from a different perspective. He was quite cute, with light brown curls trailing over his ears and his ridiculous toga barely covering a fantastic physique.

One thing Charles would say about Nicky and his Christmas obsession, it did make for a very interesting December sex life. However, on this occasion, the spirit of Christmas Past, or whatever the hell his real name was, was a gift too far.

Author Bio:
Kim is a thirty year old bisexual submissive from Wales (UK). First published in 2008, she has since released almost 100 BDSM erotic romance titles ranging from short stories to full length novels. Having worked with a host of fantastic e-publishers, she has just moved into self publishing.

While she has occasionally ventured towards other pairings, Kim's first love is still, and probably always will be, Male/Male stories. But, no matter what the pairing, from paranormal to contemporary, and from the sweet to the intense, everything she writes will always feature three things - Kink, Love and a Happy Ending.


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Engaged to an Alien Popstar by Kendra L. Saunders

Title: Engaged to an Alien Pop Star
Author: Kendra L Saunders
Series: Alien Pop Star #2
Genre: Adult, Romantic Comedy, Science Fiction
Release Date: November 28, 2016
Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing
Summary:
Daisy Kirkwood and her best friend Kammie have adjusted to life on an alien planet pretty well, all things considered. And thanks to Daisy’s alien pop star boyfriend, Griffin Valentino, she has plenty of sexy new experiences to keep her busy. But it’s not possible to take a massive music nerd away from her home planet and not expect her to pine for a concert or a record store at least in once in a while.

Heading back to Earth with Griffin and his best friend Dev for a brief but much-needed visit, the girls want nothing more than to catch up on the underground music scene of New York City. Unfortunately, thanks to Griffin’s less-than-stellar space traveling skills, they accidentally pick up a hitchhiker. Or three hundred. Their many-legged stowaway beasties take up residence in the darkest, creepiest corners of Manhattan, leaving the gang no choice but to experience a very different underground than they bargained for.

Giant alien bugs aside, Griffin has some epic plans of his own for their trip, plans that involve a concert, an album… and the most outrageous marriage proposal that Earth has ever seen.


Valley of Love is an adventurous adult toy store in Greenwich Village, known as much for their insanely creative window displays as for their wide selection of unusual bondage wares. I’ve been there a few times at the insistence of Kammie, but I’ve always been too chicken to even think about buying anything. I’ve wanted to, but…

“Look at this,” Griffin says.

He’s already removing stuff from the bag, intent on his work and dropping his purchases by the handful onto our bed. He pauses, studying something that looks like a bottle of purple jelly, and then continues on. “There’s a vibrating ring in here, but the sodding thing’s too big for any of my fingers.”

Oh my God.

“I found this it at the counter. It says for her. So I got it for you.” He holds up a bottle of pink lube, his mouth tipped into a mega-smirk. I know, without a doubt, that he has no idea what that or anything else in that bag is. I don’t even know what a few of the things are. He picks up a bottle that says Attraction Spray and squirts it all over his body, then sniffs at the air with a pleased look. “Well, do you like everything? The shopkeeper said all of it is very good for couples.”

Moving closer and surveying the items spread across the bed, I can’t help grinning. “Oh, there’s no doubt that a lot of this is great for couples, Griffin. Couples made up of two men.”

Griffin squints at me. “How do you mean—two men? These are beads, Daisy.”

“Did the shopkeeper tell you what those were for? Or what any of this is for?”

At this, Griffin’s white face flushes red, the blush creeping clear to his ears. He drops the spray bottle onto the bed. “Well, of course not. I didn’t need him to tell me!”

He really has no idea. And Griffin being Griffin, he didn’t want to ask anyone, because that would mean admitting something was unfamiliar to him. “Griff, I think the shopkeeper assumed that since you were in the store with Dev, you two were a couple. He thought you were buying these things for yourselves.”

“Me and Dev,” Griffin splutters. “Me and Dev, a couple? Rubbish!”

“Well, do you know what any of this is?”

Griffin scowls at me. “Course I do!”

That’s it—I can’t contain the laughter anymore. I walk to him, gently taking hold of his hands and hoping his feelings won’t get hurt by my amusement. “I’m a little confused why you went into Valley of Love in the first place if you… well, if these things are unfamiliar to you.”

Suddenly, a bad thought hits me. My laughter dies in my throat, only to be replaced by a subtle sick feeling.

Griffin’s attracted to who he’s attracted to, regardless of gender, station, or home planet. This has, until now, made me feel rather proud that he chose me out of everyone across the universe. But has something changed? Is he getting bored of me already? Have I just been a glorious novelty for him, another alien girl he’s now figured out and wants to move on from? Has he decided he needs toys to keep our relationship interesting?

Griffin pulls his hands away from me, blushing even redder. “The shop window had a sparkling yellow elephant in it,” he says at last, idly reaching for the bottle of Attraction Spray and looking particularly miserable. “I went inside to have a better look, and then realized it’s a shop with gifts for your lover. I wanted to surprise you.”

Relief floods through me, and I step closer to take his face in my hands. “That was really sweet of you, Griff, wanting to surprise me.”

He lets out a little puff of air, shoulders falling. “But you said it’s all wrong!”

I lean forward and press a kiss to his lips. “Not wrong—some of it just might not be useful for the two of us.” I glance at the bag. “However, I can definitely show you how to use some of it…”



Author Bio:
Kendra L. Saunders is a time-and-space traveling fashionista author who writes books about magical, dark-haired men, interviews famous people, and suggests way too many bands to you via whatever social media platform she can get her hands on. She writes with good humor because humor is the best weapon for a girl who can't learn karate (or ballroom dancing).

She is the author of DATING AN ALIEN POP STAR, the magic realism novel INANIMATE OBJECTS, dark comedy DEATH AND MR. RIGHT, the upcoming romance THE UNLOVE SPELL, and has conducted interviews with NYT Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, goth rocker Aurelio Voltaire, and Project Runway winners Dmitry Sholokhov and Michelle Lesniak Franklin among many, many others.


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Engaged to an Alien Popstar #2
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Dating an Alien Popstar #1(Currently Free)
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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Saturday's Series Spotlight: Brent Marks Legal Thriller by Kenneth Eade


Series: Brent Marks Legal Thriller #5, 8, & 9
Author: Kenneth Eade
Genre: Legal Thriller

 Killer.com #5
Summary:
Experience the suspense and mystery in the 6th of this fiction series and winner of the Beverly Hills Book Awards best legal thriller from the author critics call 'one of the strongest thriller writers on the scene.

What if murder was as easy as clicking a button and nobody would ever know?

A mob of anonymous cyber stalkers torments lawyer Brent Marks with defamatory posts on the Internet in this fifth novel of the legal thriller series. When the attorney sues to enjoin their libelous publication, the stalkers hide behind the immunity of the Communications Decency Act.

What if the attorney becomes the accused?

When a mysterious anonymous killer for hire strikes, Marks finds himself accused of the murder, and in a desperate race to prove his innocence.










Decree of Finaltiy #8
Summary:
A wife, faced with divorce, hires a hit man to take out her husband, then changes her mind and is killed, or so it appears to the police and to Lawyer Brent Marks, who represents the husband. But Marks finds himself questioning whether his client has a role in the murder.

























Beyond all Recognition #9
Summary:
This fast-paced and action packed legal and military thriller introduces us to 26-year-old Captain Ryan Bennington, in command of a company during the Iraq Warand fighting a faceless enemy in the global war on terror where a split-second decision could mean the difference between killing an innocent civilian or losing an entire platoon to a suicide bomber. Ryan survives the war and comes home to conquer PTSD and chronic unemployment, only to be arrested for following the orders of his Commander to kill suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists in a small Iraqi village, who turn out, after the raid, to be civilians.

Lawyer Brent Marks takes on Ryan's defense in his court-martial trial, which will reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of the military industrial complex. In their search for a scapegoat, have the powers-that-be gone too far this time?




Killer.com #5
Prologue
The boys lined up in six squads of seven, dressed in the tomato-red shorts and bleached white shirts of their Hale Jr. High School gym uniforms. It was a bright southern California day, the sun blazing high above the field where the boys were in line. Each squad had a leader who answered to Coach Vince Nieman, who was nothing more than a grown-up boy himself: a has-been, first string high school football player who used to be good enough to land himself a spot on the bench in exchange for a college football scholarship. Now he wasn’t good enough for anything but teaching P.E. Brent’s squad leader was a C- student named Russ Carlton, a bulky, red-haired, freckle-faced bully whom, even in middle school, every one of his teachers would have voted as most likely to become a criminal - that is, except for Coach Nieman, who found his brawn useful for crowd control.

Brent hung his head down and filed in. He hated P.E. and made no secret about it.

“You’re a fag, Marquez!” Russ Carlton spouted.

“A dickless fag!” chimed in another.

“You’re a dickless fag who sucks dick!” Now there was a chorus.

“Do it, Steinman!” Russ commanded.

That was the cue for Gary Steinman, a skinny, pathetic-looking kid with a generous brown bush of frizzy, crumpled hair, to fall in line behind Brent. With both hands he grabbed the waistband of Brent’s shorts and underwear and pulled down with all his strength, until they were dangling around Brent’s ankles. Gary’s efforts were rewarded by a cacophony of belly laughter from everyone.

As Brent pulled up his shorts and began to run away, Russ affirmed to the group: “See, I told you he was a fag!”

“Yeah, what a pussy!” exclaimed Gary.

Brent ran past Coach Nieman and into the locker room.

“Where do you think you’re going, Marquez?” asked the Coach. Brent ignored him. Then he turned to Russ. “Carlton, go get Marquez and bring him back out here."

“Come on, Steinman,” commanded Russ as he ran after Brent into the locker room. Steinman followed him like a trained dog.

Brent spun the lock on his gym locker and opened it. The locker room smelled: a combination of the stench of armpits, sweaty balls, and dirty stale socks. He was just putting a leg into his jeans when the two arrived.

“Suit up, Marquez. Coach wants you back out there.”

Brent pretended not to hear Russ and kept putting on his street clothes.

“What are you, deaf, faggot?” asked Steinman.

“I heard you. I’m not going.”

“Get him, Steinman," Russ said as he shoved Gary Steinman into Brent, slamming Brent’s back against the locker. Like a cobra, Brent came back at Steinman, grabbing his left arm, which he twisted behind his back, and applying pressure upward, causing Steinman to wince as he turned and smashed his nose against the locker door.

“Who’s the faggot now, Steinman?” Brent bellowed into his ear.

“Let him go, Marquez, or I’ll fuck you up,” threatened Russ Carlton. Brent ignored Carlton and kept up the pressure.

“What’s going on here?” Coach Nieman’s voice boomed through the locker room. Brent wouldn’t let go. He pushed harder on Steinman’s arm until he thought it would break and ground his face into the locker. Steinman’s wire-rimmed glasses bent at the nose, fell off, and hit the filthy locker room floor.

“No fighting, Marquez. Let him go, now!” barked Nieman. Brent let go of Steinman and gave him a push to the floor. “You two: back outside. Marquez: to the VP’s office, on the double!”

“This isn’t over, faggot!” said Russ, walking backwards and pointing his finger at Brent threateningly.


*****

Brent left the Vice Principal’s office with a two-day suspension from school, which was fine by him. It was nothing but a wasteland of adolescent scum, as far as he was concerned. The classes were a joke, and the so-called students seemed to be in a popularity contest over who could be the most ignorant.

As Brent closed the door of his locker and turned around, there stood Russ Carlton and about eight of his friends. What a surprise.

“You wanna fight, pussy?” said Carlton, shoving Brent against the locker, the combination dial digging into his spine. “I’ll kick your ass!” Brent dared not shove back. There were too many of them. He popped back on his feet and Steinman shoved him back into the locker, followed by a body slam from Nate, another push from Joe, and a sock in the stomach from Briscoe.

“You call this a fair fight?” Brent said, gasping for air. “One against five?”

Russ cackled like a chicken. “The Mexican wants a fair fight!”

“I’m not Mexican.”

“Sorry, I forgot. I guess that’s not your brown skin, is it? You must have just rubbed shit all over it.” Russ laughed again, accompanied by his band of delinquents. He leaned into Brent so closely that Brent could smell his dead-fish breath, and he sniffed at Brent’s neck and grimaced.

“Smells like beans to me. How ‘bout you Briscoe?”

Briscoe stuck his big, long nose right under Brent’s earlobe and sniffed.

“Yup, beans and tortillas.”

“It’s official, Marquez: you’re a beaner!” said Russ, and roared with laughter, to the chorus of guffaws and chortles of his entourage.

“Tell you what. Steinman, here, has to earn his wings. Plus, that wasn’t a fair fight in the locker room today.”

“Yeah, he ain’t been initiated yet,” said Briscoe.

“Did I ask you, dog breath? Like I was saying, Steinman needs his first fight. Saturday, 12 noon, Knapp Park. Be there or we’ll come and get you, and I don’t have to tell you what that’ll be like.”

Russ slammed Brent back into the locker and walked away, followed by Steinman and each of the boys, until Brent fell on his butt on the concrete. He picked himself up, dusted off the knees of his filthy blue jeans, and decided right then and there that he would never back down from any bully.

Decree of Finality #8
Prologue
He sat at the table, patiently. At first glance, he appeared like any other ordinary person, unless you looked a little bit further. Then you could see that he was different than most people. Oh, he could put on the charm and act like everyone else. But this time, he was staring – an intense, unwavering fixation that made you want to look away, run away.

“You’re pretty brave, you know?”

“Either way, this has to be settled.”

There was a darkness in his eyes – an emptiness so deep that if you were unfortunate enough to catch his gaze, you also caught a chill. Those eyes kept staring ahead – two ebony pools with no reflection; an endless void, a black hole.

“This isn’t a game, you know.”

“I know that better than anybody. You need to call this off, immediately.”

His lips curved upward, as if to form a smile which turned into a sneer. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles began to turn red. He was a professional. Being a professional meant not only being skillful at what he did, but also being careful about whom he did it for. And who he did it to. He didn’t like to make mistakes of judgment.

“You’ve really got guts, I’ll give you that.”

“When the stakes are as high as this, you have to. So, do we have a deal?”

“There’re no refunds. That’s a rule.”

“You can keep the money. I consider it well spent.”

He leaned forward across the table, his reptilian eyes still staring forward, expressionless and empty.

“Did you bring the termination fee?”

“Yes. It’s all there.”

A black bag was placed on the table. He opened it and thumbed through it, his eyes all the while fixed. Then a malicious, sardonic grin spread across his lips.

“Then I suppose the contract is terminated.”

Beyond all Recognition #9
“You get numb to it. Numb to death, killing. That’s all I can say. You get numb to the things that happen in war, but you never can forget them. They come back in your dreams after you finally come home and they never leave.”

Slap!
Pull!
Observe!
Release!
Tap!
Squeeze!

“SPORT – called the immediate action drill. Helps remind you what to do if your rifle malfunctions. It’s drilled into your head in training. You’re breaking that rifle down and putting it together two hundred times a day and by the time you get over there, you’re doing it like a machine on autopilot. But all that training goes out the window when the first shot’s fired in combat. That adrenalin kicks in, lights you up like a firebomb. But you remember SPORT because that rifle’s the most important possession you’ve got. You’re only alive as long as its in your hands.”

Never surrender as long as there’s a means to resist. And never leave any man behind.

“General Smedley Butler said: ‘War is a racket. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It’s the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.’ Well, I know war. Probably better than I know anything. You see in the movies all their charts and maps and plans. But when you hit the ground its pure fucking chaos. The loud thumping of mortar rounds, helicopters buzzing around, rockets exploding, the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire. Guys getting hit. People screaming, calling out, ‘Medic! Medic!’. Pieces of flaming hot metal flying. Sweating like shit under all that gear, guys screaming, the fucking smoke. The blood, the heat, the flies, the bodies swelling up, the smell.”

“Get small in your foxholes! Air support on the way!”

“They tell us we don’t have to obey any order that’s illegal. Then they tell us if we don’t obey it, we’ll go to jail. Orders come down from the Colonel and I’ve got to give them to my company. Two hundred lives under my charge.”

You have to distinguish between the civilians and parties to the conflict at all times. But, make a mistake and you’ve either killed innocents or you get a whole patrol barraged by rocket propelled grenades and machine gun fire.

“Rules of engagement say you can use deadly force to protect your life. I’ve had to make split-second decisions on who to shoot and who not to shoot. We all have. Some guys have shot people carrying bags of groceries heading toward them because they thought they were insurgents coming to kill them.”

Better to be judged by 12 than carried by six.

“I enlisted on a scholarship – a higher education. I got it, but my real education started after the first deployment. It was then I realized that they we weren’t playing by the rules. We weren’t fighting for honor, for freedom. That was all a lie. But we fought. We fought for our own survival. We fought for each other. For the guy to our left and the guy to our right. I fought for the survival of the entire company. Our goal? To go home.

“I’ve given orders to guys older than me, who’ve seen more action than I have. To sergeants who know more about what goes on outside the wire than I do. I’ve sent the guys out on casualty collection – you’d be talking to your buddy one day, and the next day, you’re picking up pieces of him after he’s been blown to bits by and IED. Some guys have had to shoot dogs who picked up an arm or a leg and wouldn’t let go of it. You do what you’ve got to do because everybody comes home. Dead or alive. We don’t leave anyone behind.”

Captain Ryan Bennington suppressed the tears as the unwanted souvenirs that had been muffled and restrained ascended out of the depth of his memory and flooded his brain as he faced his accusers. Memories that had begun when he was at the top of his graduating class at West Point. Twenty-six years old and with nothing ahead of him but a great future. Two years later, he was carrying the bloody body of an 8-year-old girl as she died in his arms.

Author Bio:
Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the legal thriller and courtroom drama genre, has been described by critics as "One of our strongest thriller writers on the scene and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit." He is the author of the "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series", the fifth installment of which, Killer.com, won best legal thriller in the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Awards, and the "Involuntary Spy Espionage Series".

Said Eade of the comparisons, "Readers compare me in style to John Grisham and, there are some similarities, because John also likes to craft a story around real topics and we are both lawyers. However, all of my novels are rooted in reality, not fantasy. I use fictional characters and situations to express factual and conceptual issues. Some use the term 'faction' to describe this style, and it is present in all my fictional works."

Eade has written twelve novels, which are now in the process of being translated into six languages. He is known to keep in touch with his readers, and offers a free Kindle book to all those who sign up at his website.


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Killer.com #5

Decree of Finality #8

Beyond all Recognition #9 




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Christmas on the Strand by Loretta Wheeler

Title: Christmas on the Strand
Author: Loretta Wheeler
Series: Southern Breezes
Genre: Paranormal Holiday Romance
Release Date: December 13, 2014
Summary:
Winter on Galveston Island is a bevy of all types of weather imaginable. From gusty winds, Savanna Burke refers to as Male Gales, to a mixture of sleet, ice and once in a great while, snow. This winter, Savanna’s found the island winds are bringing change, for her, and for Terence Whittaker, Galveston Island’s well-known clairvoyant.

Come visit Galveston Island with Savanna during Christmas and find the wonder of Christmas on the Strand.

Christmas on the Strand is the prequel to a series of cozy stories titled Southern Breezes. All the stories are set on Galveston Island, sharing the lives of a group of people who visited the island when they were young and have returned to claim it as their permanent home.


Savanna was only half-listening to the couple in front of her and Roth. She was trying to find a polite way to excuse herself. She wanted to find Terence before the ladies dressed in red took the floor. She definitely didn’t want to dance with anyone but him when the song played.

An unnerving feeling washed across her and a slow tingle slid its way down her spine. She felt as though someone was watching her—intently. Turning around slowly, Savanna felt as though she was being pulled by a magnet, everything inside her quivering in response.

When she faced the opposite direction, she breathed out a soft laugh and her lips parted in the beginning of a smile.

Terence was walking toward her, smiling at her in return. His smile broadened and he did a little Samba move at her.

Savanna laughed, loving that he wanted to play, tease her. She stepped forward, her hips swaying, matching Terence’s moves.

Terence held out his hand as he reached her, capturing hers in his own. Slowly, he raised her hand to his lips, kissing the backside, then turning it over, he kissed the inside of her palm, his mouth lingering.

Savanna’s heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat. Terence drew her close, his body molding against hers, the Samba moves slowing. Whispering against the shell of her ear, his breath teased at her. “Savanna, I presume?”

She nodded. Her breath so tight she couldn’t speak.

“Then, may I have the next dance, when the pale white circling the floor gives way to the passion of red?”

Savanna leaned back and looked up at him. Where on the face of God’s earth had this man come from? What man spoke this way and looked like Gable? This only happened in the movies. And Gable, only happened once in a lifetime.

Terence lowered his arm to her waist, his fingers resting at the base of her spine, stroking her in a light up and down movement. He brushed his lips across hers and murmured in between the caress of his mouth. “Follow me...we’re going to the center of the ballroom to dance. We’re going to give the photographer his heart’s desire, something that’ll light up tomorrow morning’s papers.”

As Terence took her hand, he leaned around her, signaling behind her. Roth, Savanna thought. She’d forgotten all about Roth. She glanced back and saw a wide grin on Roth’s face and knew everything was fine.

She wasn’t allowed to linger as Terence guided her through the throng of people. Some spoke to him as they passed, quickly giving her the once over. She took a deep breath, knowing everyone was wondering who she was. And for the first time since she’d arrived on the island, she was aware of how many eyes were going to be on her.

The necklace tickled at her back, as she twined through the crowd, reminding her of how striking the dress was. Relieved, she hoped the dress would work the magic Terence and she were looking for.

They rounded the balcony staircase and Terence slowed, releasing her hand and slipping his arm around her, once again placing his hand against her bare back, his thumb caressing her. He smiled down at her. “White Christmas” is ending, so whatever they’re playing for those in red will begin soon.”

Couples waltzed past them, reminding Savanna of scenes from movies. It was the South, in full splendor, carrying forward the tradition of balls and galas. She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly. It was like a dream, something out of a postcard.

A tall blonde danced by in the arms of a handsome man. She smiled in their direction, blew Terence a kiss and waggled her fingers at Savanna.

“That’s Dusty. She’s dancing with Boone, Roth’s brother.”

“Oh...I thought he looked liked Roth. Roth told me about his brother.” She smiled up at Terence. “I feel like I’ve stepped into a movie, it’s all so perfect. Everyone knows each other and they’re all so gorgeous, it’s like they were cast for the parts they’re playing, especially Dusty.”

Terence laughed. “Funny you should say that, Dusty owns a decorating business, but she frequently performs in plays at The Grand. She’ll be delighted to know you think she looks like an actress.”

The orchestra’s strains lowered, signaling the end of “White Christmas” and the dancers slowed, winding down, drifting to the perimeter of the dance floor.

The emcee’s voice carried above the dulcet tones of the music as he announced the changing of the colors.

“Ladies and gentlemen...will those who wear the warmth of Christmas, please take the floor.”

Terence still had his arm around her waist and he smiled down at her as the music began. The harp led first, the sweeping sound of the strings like something from heaven as it called to the dancers.

“The Lady in Red” had never been played with such a haunting quality.

Terence stepped forward, his hand leaving Savanna’s back as he turned, facing her, leading her onto the floor. He kept just enough distance between them to allow everyone to see her, as he slid into a slower version of the Samba he’d danced with her earlier.

Savanna looked at this man, guiding her, enticing her, smiling at her as if only she was in the room. Her lips parted in delight once more as she watched the dance of seduction Terence was tempting her with, and suddenly, she decided to meet the challenge, give the man an answer.

Matching his rhythm, Savanna’s hips moved provocatively, and she felt the necklace at her back swaying with the movement. Terence’s eyes lit behind his mask and he drew her closer, one step at a time, their hips moving in sync until the distance between them closed. Completely.

Savanna could feel Terence’s hips against hers, his thighs so tight against her own, it was as though there was no fabric between them. And they danced, around and around, in their own version of a Samba, as they circled the floor. With a change in rhythm, Terence eased her from the Samba moves into a slow waltz, his hand finding its familiar place on her lower back.

And the cameras flashed. Again and again.

Other dancers slid past them, but Savanna barely noticed, there was only Terence and the feel of his hand on her back. And the flashes of light.

Terence placed his mouth against her ear once more, murmuring the words to the song, sending a new thrill down her back.

“The Lady in Red”—is dancing with me...”

Savanna curled her arm around his neck, whispering a reply—“Always...”

Terence kissed her ear. “And the Lady in Red”—will be leaving with me?”

Savanna stroked his neck with her fingertips, and closed her eyes—

Author Bio:
Loretta Wheeler lives in the south along with her Australian husband, their cat Lil’ Dickens, and their dog, Jack. Both pets are rescued fur-persons who are very much loved.

Most of Loretta’s writing is set in southern locales, whether in the thriller or romance genre. She says she writes of southern things because most of her stories speak to her in a southern accent. Something she recognizes easily since her own is so strong.

If you’d like to hear Loretta’s accent, you can find examples of her voice over work here: Voiceovers

To follow her on Facebook: Click Here


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