Sunday, May 31, 2015

Rough Ride Romeo on his way a kindle near you

Rough Ride Romeo
Crawley Creek 2
by Lori King
an Erotic Cowboy Romance
 
Release Date:  Tuesday, June 2

Blurb
Cowboys don’t cry, but Roman “Romeo” Freemont certainly has enough tragic history to spend his days teary-eyed. Instead he’s turned to women and liquor in an effort to soothe his aches and pains, but when a petite brunette with a feisty temper comes crashing into his world, he realizes what he’s been missing.

 Francesca “Franki” Scott has walked through fire herself. Nowadays she just isn’t a people person, and she’s definitely not interested in a wannabe playboy ranch owner either. She has a mission and it could mean life or death for someone close to her if she gets distracted. 


 Closing the gap between these two wounded souls could mean surviving yet another tragedy. Will their determination to hide their pain from themselves be their downfall, or will they come through this rough ride together?


Purchase Links:

 Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/mf39ltr
Amazon UK:
http://tinyurl.com/or3y2s9
Amazon AU:
http://tinyurl.com/othynfh
Amazon CA:
http://tinyurl.com/o2oa46o


  Forget Me Knot Cover Image
Forget Me Knot
Crawley Creek #1
by Lori King
a Steamy Cowboy Romance
 
 
Synopsis
Lacy Denvers has lost her job, and lost her way. All she wants to do now is get her career back on track and find some stability again, but first, she wants to mark something off her bucket list: She wants to learn to ride a horse. Her dream vacation to the Crawley Creek Cattle Ranch turns into a lesson in patience when the North Dakota winter proves unpredictable as ever. Wrapped in a cocoon of snow, Lacy finds the ranch to be a hidden treasure trove of cowboy eye candy, and her mouth is watering even as her brain is telling her to run.

After a devastating tragedy, a young Drannon Russo ended up fostering with the Crawley family, and found a home. He’s only moved away once and had to lean on family for support when his dreams were shattered. Being a cowboy on a ranch is a pretty lonely existence. When a beautiful redhead shows up looking for a fresh start he’s determined to give them both what they want.

Will this vacation into the heart of cattle country turn out to be a mistake, or will Lacy and Drannon find their future in each other?

Warning: Explicit romance

Purchase Links
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Mdjr2Z Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/oz69san Amazon CA: http://tinyurl.com/o6zzhhz Amazon AU: http://tinyurl.com/l827fxy


Review by pearls

Hot enough to melt a North Dakota blizzard.  In this first book of the Crawley Creek series, Lori King introduces the reader to 4 cowboys, each rugged and seductive in their own unique ways.  Drannon is the oldest, and he instantly falls for their vacationing guest Lacy.  She's at a crossroads, but the handsome cowboy threatens to detour her plans.  It is ironically this group of orphaned brothers that gives her a sense of family that she has longed for.  It was fun to meet the men and to become familiar with the beauty of the North Dakota setting.  While Lacy is asked  to change her address, she is never asked to change who she is.  In fact the brothers respect her immensely, even through all their teasing.  The passion is hot and intense.  As much as I loved meeting Drannon, I can't wait to get to know the other guys a little better, too. 


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Excerpt
 
There was a couple of inches of snow drift across the front lawn, but when she turned the corner and faced west, brown grass poked through just a dusting of snow, and the wind stole her breath from her lungs. Grey clouds filled the sky and the scent of snow was on the air.

Tipping her head down, she hurried across the yard to the massive barn doors, pausing only long enough to tug one open and squeeze through it. Compared to the cold outside, the warmth of the barn was intoxicating. The smell of animals and hay filled her nose and she sneezed loudly.

“Bless you.” The deep voice was followed by a masculine chuckle, and she jerked in surprise looking for its owner. When she didn’t immediately spot anyone she frowned.

“Thank you, um, whoever you are?”

A black cowboy hat appeared over the top of a stall next to a brown horses head. Under the hat was a strong face, with a sharp jaw and a meticulously trimmed goatee and mustache. His nose was a little large, and as she stepped closer she could see that it was also slightly crooked with a telling bump in the middle. The smile on his face was amused as he allowed her to look her fill. But his dark black eyebrow rose when she remained quietly standing several feet away from him.

Concern filled his brown eyes and he reached one long arm over the stall door opening the latch. Her vision suddenly filled with the huge sexy body of a real life cowboy and she felt her chest tighten. He was beautiful. Black curly hair peeked out from under the brim of his hat, barely curling over his ears and the collar of his heavy brown coat. His wide shoulders filled out every spare millimeter of the material, and a powerfully built chest drew her gaze further down until her eyes struck gold. Framed by perfectly cut chaps was a thick looking bulge of blue denim and zipper, and Lacy nearly groaned out loud at the many wicked images running through her brain.

“Are you all right?”

She jumped in surprise at his question and felt a hot blush creep up her cheeks. “Yes, I’m sorry. That was ridiculously rude, please excuse me.” She stepped forward with her hand out, “I’m Lacy Denvers.”

“Ah, Denvers, yes Marilyn said we were going to have a guest for a couple of weeks.”

The hand that took hers was enormous, and it engulfed her grip until she could barely see her own skin. She could feel calluses on his palm and a shiver went up her spine at the touch. What would that feel like on other more sensitive parts of her body?

“Pretty unusual for someone to book a vacation in North Dakota in the winter.”

She was taken aback by the comment, and frowned up at him. At five foot eight, Lacy wasn’t a short girl, but the cowboy was at least eight or nine inches taller than she was, so her head had to tip back to see his eyes.

“I booked the trip last summer. I wanted to get away from the city and I wanted to learn how to ride. Is that a problem?”

“Want to learn how to ride, huh?”

The teasing flirtation in his voice made her pussy clench and her breasts swell. This time it was his eyes that slowly wandered down her body taking in every bit of her before coming back up to meet her pointed gaze.

“I have no doubt that you can learn how to ride like a pro here at Crawley Creek.”

She nodded sharply refusing to acknowledge the innuendo. His eyes had turned a darker color, and his pupils had grown along with the bulge behind his zipper. The attraction was clearly mutual. Her heart was racing in her chest, and she turned back to the horse he had been working with in order to give herself some breathing room.

Author Bio
 
lori
Best-selling author, Lori King, is also a full-time wife and mother of three boys. Although she rarely has time to just enjoy feminine pursuits; at heart she is a hopeless romantic. She spends her days dreaming up Alpha men, and her nights telling their stories. An admitted TV and book junkie, she can be found relaxing with a steamy story, or binging in an entire season of some show online. She gives her parents all the credit for her unique sense of humor and acceptance of all forms of love. There are no two loves alike, but you can love more than one with your whole heart. With the motto: Live, Laugh, and Love like today is your only chance, she will continue to write as long as you continue to read. Thank you for taking the time to indulge in a good Happily Ever After with her.
 
Find out more about her current projects at http://lorikingbooks.com,
or look her up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LoriKingBooks

“She’s pretty, does she have a name?”

The cowboy stepped closer to the stall. Suddenly her palms were sweating too, and she was glad she had on so many layers so that he wouldn’t be able to see the hard nubs of her nipples poking through her shirt.

“She is a he, and his name is Toto.”

Lacy snorted and then covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Sorry, you don’t mean, Toto like the dog in Oz do you?”

“Is there another Toto?”

A giggle slipped out, and then turned into a full on loud laugh. Toto snuffed in his stall and looked at her with large brown eyes. The cowboy seemed amused at her enjoyment. He stepped closer and reached his hand up to run it over Toto’s forehead. The horse nuzzled him, and bobbed its head asking for more affection.

“Here, reach up and touch him. He’s like any other male, if you stroke him right he’ll be yours.”

His voice was low and deep, and his eyes were locked on Lacy while she reached up to run her hand over the soft white spot on Toto’s forehead. Toto truly did seem to appreciate the gesture, and he tipped his nose to sniff at her arm.

“He’s beautiful. This is the closest I’ve ever been to a real horse.”

“Toto is honored to be your first.”

Lacy’s eyes darted over to look at the cowboy. His flirtations weren’t subtle, and his eyes blatantly said that he would be up for a hot sweaty fling. She pondered for less than a breath before she turned to face him.

“Are all cowboys this forward?” She cocked her head to one side watching him.

His eyes shuttered and the heat seemed to seep out of them instantly. “I apologize. It’s not often a beautiful woman appears in the barn out of nowhere. I have some more work to do, but you’re welcome to look around, just make sure to stay out of the stalls without someone with you. All of the horses are gentle most of the time, but accidents happen. You’re such a wisp, one kick and you’d be done for.”

While he spoke, he reached back over the wall of the stall and pulled up a bucket that must have been on a hook inside. There was a collection of unusual tools inside the bucket, but she didn’t have a chance to ask him what they were before he was headed down the walkway and out the doors.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Sherri Hayes - Sensual Romance with Heart





Sherri spent most of her childhood detesting English class. It was one of her least favorite subjects because she never seemed to fit into the standard mold. She wasn't good at spelling, or following grammar rules, and outlines made her head spin. For that reason, Sherri never imagined becoming an author.


At the age of thirty, all of that changed. After getting frustrated with the direction a television show was taking two of its characters, Sherri decided to try her hand at writing an alternate ending, and give the characters their happily ever after. By the time the story finished, it was one of the top ten read stories on the site, and her readers were encouraging her to write more.


Eight years later, Sherri is the author of nine full-length novels, and two short stories. Writing has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. You can find a current list of all of Sherri’s books and sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.sherrihayesauthor.com


Connect With Sherri





Welcome to Serpent's Kiss (Serpent's Kiss 0.5)


After losing her husband unexpectedly, Katrina Mayer decided to open Serpent’s Kiss. She wanted it to be a place where she and her fellow kinksters could play and socialize.

Five years after the doors opened, the club is everything she’d hoped it would be. On Friday and Saturday nights, Serpent’s Kiss is filled with men and women who share a similar desire to explore the pleasures BDSM has to offer. The club has continued to grow, and over the years, many of its members have become friends.

The one thing Katrina didn’t expect when she’d decided to open a club was the human drama that came with it. Learning to balance her life as the club mistress has taken some getting used to, but she wouldn’t change a thing.

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Burning For Her Kiss (Serpent's Kiss #1)


Beth Davenport has no interest in getting involved with another man for the foreseeable future. To say her last relationship ended in disaster would be a colossal understatement. The only reason she agrees to put in an appearance at Serpent’s Kiss, a private kink club in downtown St. Louis, is because her best friend, Nicole, won’t quit nagging her. When she walks in the door that night, the last thing she expects to do is meet a man who will have her reconsidering her ban on men.

As a captain with the St. Louis Fire Department, Drew Parker is used to being in charge. His crew relies on him to make sure they know what they’re doing and return home to their families after every shift. It isn’t, however, what he wants in a relationship. Drew decides to join Serpent’s Kiss to see if what appeals to him in fantasy is something he wants to explore in the real world. He’s also hoping that he’ll be lucky enough to meet a woman with whom he can explore his desires. The night Beth walks into the club, he is intrigued. Drew has to get to know her better.

After what happened to her, Beth is reluctant to get involved with Drew. It doesn’t matter that he is sweet and charming. She’s been burned before and Beth doesn’t think she can survive having her heart crushed again. Drew, however, won’t take no for an answer. He wants a relationship and is determined to chip away at her defenses until she relents. Will she give him a chance, or did her ex leave her with scars too deep to heal?

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Behind Closed Doors (Daniels Brothers #1)


Elizabeth Marshall spent the last nine years doing all the things she was supposed to do. She went to a good college. Married a man with a promising future. Elizabeth even had a nice house in a respectable part of town. There was even the promise of 2.4 kids in her future. From the outside everything looked picture perfect.

Then one night, the world she lived in came crashing down. Six months later with her husband dead and her friends gone, Elizabeth moves to the small town of Springfield, Ohio to start a new life where no one knows who she is or about her past.

Christopher Daniels enjoys the simplicity of his bachelor life. After his divorce three years ago, he swore off women. He has no desire to change that philosophy.

When Elizabeth Marshall moves into the apartment below his in the small Victorian house, she makes him reconsider the motto he’s lived by for the last three years: women are trouble. She is everything his ex-wife is not, and it doesn’t help that she is his fantasy come to life.

He is determined to resist her charms; however, when someone sends threatening messages to Elizabeth, he finds himself in the role of protector. Can he protect Elizabeth and still resist the pull she has on his body and his heart?

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Red Zone (Daniels Brothers #2)


After a case ended badly for Rebecca Carson, she’s losing her mind sitting around her apartment waiting on her superiors to allow her to return to work. Since she was a teenager, the only thing she’d ever wanted was to join the FBI. Now that dream was in danger. 

Gage Daniels has made a pretty good life for himself. A nice house. A career he loves. As a professional football player, he’s used to getting almost everything he’d ever want with just the snap of his fingers. This includes women. A well-timed smile is usually all it takes to attract the opposite sex, especially in Nashville. 

When a stalker threatens Gage, the team owner calls an old friend, Rebecca’s ex-partner Travis Hansen, to help protect his star quarterback and find the person responsible. Hansen offers Rebecca the job, and she jumps at the chance. It’s work, and it will get her out of her apartment. How bad can it be?

Posing as Gage’s girlfriend, however, isn’t as easy as it seems. The man is relentless. Rebecca must work to protect Gage while staving off his advances. She’s there to do a job, nothing more. The last thing she wants is to be another notch on a hotshot athlete’s belt.

As the stalker continues to up the ante, Rebecca finds it harder and harder to keep her distance from Nashville’s star quarterback. He isn’t what she expected in one of the city’s most notorious playboys. Now all she has to do is keep him safe until they can find his stalker, and hope she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.
 

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Crossing The Line (Daniels Brothers #4)



Detective Paul Daniels has spent four and a half years mourning the loss of his wife. He’s been doing his best to raise their daughter, Chloe, with the help of his in-laws. When they inform him right before Thanksgiving that they’re going to be moving over two hours away, Paul finds himself without anyone to watch Chloe—especially when he’s called out to a crime scene in the middle of the night. Little does he know that meeting his baby brother’s girlfriend and her sister, Megan, will change everything.

Megan Carson has taken a few wrong turns in her life, but she’s doing her best to get back on track. When she meets Chloe, the little girl swiftly worms her way into Megan’s heart. The opportunity to help Paul out and watch his daughter appears to be a blessing in disguise. She quickly volunteers to be Chloe’s live-in nanny. 

Everything is working well until the three of them head back to Ohio for Chris and Elizabeth’s wedding. Paul has a little too much to drink during the reception, and he and Megan end up sharing a heated kiss. When he wakes up the next day, he has a pounding headache but remembers nothing. 

Megan, however, isn’t willing to forget. Over the past few months since she’s been playing nanny, her feelings for Paul have changed. He is everything she never knew she wanted, and now that she knows there might be something there, she’s going after what she wants—Paul.
 

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Slave (Finding Anna, Book 1)


Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.

As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Darren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?

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Need (Finding Anna, Book 2)


As Brianna comes to terms with the realization that she is no longer a slave, she must figure out what she wants for her life. Forgetting her past isn’t an option. It is an integral part of who she is now, and it will forever shape her view of life. The one thing she knows is that she cannot imagine her life without the man who saved her, but can she be what he needs? 

Stephan never imagined falling in love with the woman he rescued, but the thought of her no longer being part of his life is physically painful. The scars from her past continue to haunt her, and he is helpless to stop them. All he can do is try to help her work through the traumas of her past. Can he be everything she needs and help her move on?

The two must figure out how to navigate not only their relationship with each other, but also the outside world. A friend from Brianna’s past shows up where she least expects them, and Uncle Richard continues to enforce his well-meaning agenda to get Brianna more traditional help. As forces, both friend and foe, threaten to tear them apart, Stephan and Brianna have to navigate the turbulent waters and find what they need in each other.

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Truth (Finding Anna, Book 3)


For the last two months, Brianna has discovered something she never thought she would again. Hope. After the horror of being Ian’s slave for ten months, a fate she never imagined she’d escape, it feels as if she is living a dream. She has freedom she hadn’t expected to have again, and she wakes up every morning not fearing what the day will bring. There is also Stephan. The man who saved her from the daily torture she had to endure at the hands of Ian and his friends. The same man who makes her heart race with just the thought of him. Life is good. 

Outside forces are determined to conspire against them, however. When Brianna’s father shows up on her doorstep, it sends her world spiraling out of control. He brings with him new information about how Brianna ended up in Ian’s clutches, but will it make a difference? Will Stephan be able to find a way to make Ian pay for all he made Brianna suffer? As Brianna and Stephan try to find out the truth, their relationship is tested. She is forced to face her past head on, and deal with the ugly reality of what happened to her. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through her newest challenge, or will the fragile trust they’ve built come crumbling down around them as the truth makes itself known.

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Trust (Finding Anna, Book 4)


Brianna is lost for the fourth time in her life. Each time was unexpected, and each changed the course of her future. The first life-altering event occurred when her mother died, and she moved to Minnesota to live with her father.

The second was when she was kidnapped at the age of seventeen and forced to be a slave. She would never forget those ten months. Brianna thought her life was over.

Everything changed again the day Stephan steamrolled into her life and brought her home to live with him. She had no idea what to expect—what life with her new Master would hold. That first month with Stephan was, in some ways, more confusing than the prior ten. As a slave, she’d known her place. With Stephan everything was new and different. He’d given her freedom and so much more.

Five months after Stephan rescued her, Brianna once again finds her life flipped upside down.

In this fourth, and final, installment of Finding Anna, Brianna must unearth strength she never knew she possessed. Stephan can no longer protect her from the outside world. She must learn to trust herself, embrace who she is, and discover who she wants to be. Only by facing her demons can Brianna find true happiness and peace.
 



Download The Entire Finding Anna Series For Only $9.99


Stephan is the president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave. The moment he sees Brianna, he knows he can’t walk away. 

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing. 

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave? Will she be able to overcome the mental and physical obstacles her newfound freedom gives her? Is it possible to find herself—to find Anna again—after all that she has experienced? 

Follow Stephan and Brianna on their journey to not only help Brianna figure out who she is and what she wants out of life, but also how Stephan fits into it. Will Brianna stay with him or leave him along with all that ties her to those ten months she was held captive?



Hidden Threat


Cali Stanton has always wanted to be a doctor. But when her father is injured, she finds herself behind his desk at Stanton Enterprises. Matthew Andersen's only priority is keeping the company and its CEO safe. That is easier said than done when someone starts making threats. Things get personal when Cali becomes the latest target. Can Cali and Matthew put aside what lies between them long enough to find the Hidden Threat before it's too late?













A Christmas Proposal (Hidden Threat Extended Epilogue)


Matthew Andersen knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Cali Stanton. Since she came into his life just five months ago, his world had completely changed for the better. With everything in their lives finally coming together, he was determined to make their first Christmas a memorable one.

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Seeking Solace and being brave enough to take a risk

Sometimes to take a step in the right direction you have to run away.

Sarah Collier’s life has always been scripted for her, according to the expectations of her domineering, socially-connected Connecticut family. Everything always went as planned…until the unthinkable happened moments before walking down the aisle. On a whim, she does the first thing that comes to mind—she takes off on her honeymoon, alone. However, Sarah has never acted on spontaneity, so the impromptu trip may not be what Sarah thinks it will.

The quaint and rustic harbor village of North Berwick on Scotland’s East Lothian coast is typically devoid of tourists in the winter. So when an auburn-haired stranger who wanders into his pub on a cold, Sunday evening, Bretton Keith, self-assured and flirtatious pub owner that he is, sees the opportunity for another brief and fun fling to break up the monotony of a village winter.

As Bretton comes to know the sad and beautiful Sarah, he finds it increasingly difficult to uphold his credo of never becoming attached. Can he forget the mistakes of the past and learn to trust another with his heart? All the while, Sarah is experiencing a new-found freedom to dare think of her life in a different way, to truly consider what it is that she wants and what it is that will make her happy. Will Sarah be brave enough to risk it on a man who was so hurt by another that he swore off ever falling in love again, or will the demands of her family prove too big an obstacle to overcome?





Adrienne Dunning is simply a Southern gal who has fun playing poorly at golf when she’s not crafting novels.  She loves all forms of expression—writing, dancing, cooking, talking—and does them frequently and with abandon.  She loves creating endearing and feisty characters full of humor and just a little awkwardness to keep them "real".  Although a possible mystery series is under current exploration, her current works are primarily aligned with the contemporary romance/chick lit genres.  She is heavily active in her local NaNoWriMo chapter, and Seeking Solace, her debut novel releasing April 2015, is the resulting product of a NaNo project.  She lives in coastal North Carolina and uses that region as the setting for many of her stories.  
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter: @adriennedwrites

Friday, May 29, 2015

The Tied Man: Unbound by Tabitha McGowan - Sneak Peek



Coming Soon!!!
The Tied Man: Unbound

   


SNEAK PEEK FROM UNBOUND

Finn

Lilith returned home an hour later. “Hi there.” She grinned and strode past me, loaded down with carrier bags.
“Um, hi?” I volunteered. “Where have you been?”
“Putting my control freakery to good use,” she called as she headed towards the kitchen. She didn’t sound all that pissed off at me, and I plucked up the courage to follow her so I could apologise. “If I can’t defeat it, I may as well channel it.”
“But seriously, you goin’ to let me in on this nefarious plan of yours any time soon?”
“Yup.” Lilith emerged from behind the kitchen island. “Once I’ve sorted a picnic, you and I, my darling, stroppy Celtic fucker, are going on a date.”
“Oh,” I said, utterly thrown. After my ridiculous outburst the very least I deserved was to be sent to my room without any supper. “Can I ask where?”
“Nope.”  Lilith packed various items from the fridge into a large insulated bag. “It’s a mystery tour.”
Once everything was packed to Lilith’s satisfaction, we left the apartment. Instead of finding her immaculate Triumph Vitesse, Nat’s Jeep was parked at the kerb with its soft top folded down.
            “We’re borrowing it,” Lilith said, by way of explanation. “The poor thing doesn’t know what ‘off-road’ is – it needs a good run. As do we, so hop in.”







*****

We headed out of Santa Marita and followed the coast road for maybe ten miles, until Lilith pulled off the main drag and drove us up to a wrought iron gate partially hidden by an overgrown hedge. She leaned out of her door to enter a code into a keypad, and the gate slid open. “We’re now entering Señor Quinteras’ estate; thirty thousand acres of land, and three miles of private coastline. I did his portrait a couple of years ago, and part of the deal was that I get to come and play here whenever I like. He’s out of the country at the moment, so we’ve got the whole place to ourselves. And right now I’d recommend that you check that your seatbelt’s fastened.” I’d just glanced down to make sure it was when she slammed the little car into first gear and took off straight across the dunes.
I may have actually screamed.
On the road, Lilith was an assured and skilful driver. Off-road, she was an absolute maniac. I counted at least a dozen times when all four wheels left the surface of the planet, and I would have considered asking if we could reverse so I could collect my stomach if I hadn’t been concentrating so hard on breathing. As far as I could see there was no roadway or path to follow but Lilith appeared to know exactly where she was going.
We finally came to a halt on a sand dune that overlooked a secluded bay.
“Jesus. You weren’t a twocker in a previous life, were you?” I gasped.
“A what?”
“Twocker. You know what one is?”
Lilith shook her head.
“Fuck me, don’t tell me I’ve found something you don’t know? Car thief. ‘Take without owner’s consent.’ They have a tendency to drive like nutters without any regard for life, too.”
“Well at least I know there’s a career available for me if I the demand for erotic portraiture dries up.” Lilith applied the handbrake and jumped down from the car as coolly as if we’d just driven to the supermarket. I managed to get out without my legs folding beneath me.
“So now I’ve survived the journey, do I get to know what we’re doing here?” I asked.
“You’re going to learn to swim,” Lilith declared as she pulled her holdall from the back seat.
I made one last attempt to cling on to my rapidly-evaporating foul mood. “I might already know how to swim. Did you consider that?”
“Except you don’t,” Lilith stated. “Because if you knew how to swim, you’d have tried to get across Lake Albermarle within a month of arriving, or drowned in the attempt.”
Check.
“Anyway, I haven’t got anything to wear and there’s no fuckin’way I’m going in the sea in the nip.” I watched as Lilith got a carrier out of the holdall. “Ah, bugger it, let me guess. This is where you give me a pair of swimming shorts that are, no doubt, both a perfect fit and a colour that’s a perfect match for my skin tone. Am I right?”
Lilith laughed and threw me one of the carrier bags. “Navy blue. I’ll even shut my eyes whilst you put them on.”
And mate.
I tried to scowl at her, but the impish grin she gave me in return made it harder and harder to sustain. “Bossy posh wee mare,” I muttered, and opened the package.
“Grumpy Irish bastard,” Lilith retorted, and stuck her tongue out at me before turning her back. “Now go on, show your arse to the seagulls and get changed.”
By the time I’d stripped out of my jeans and t-shirt and pulled my shorts on, Lilith had changed into a miniscule black bikini that looked predictably amazing on her bronzed and taut runner’s frame.
“At least I can make I right tit of myself in privacy, I suppose,” I said as we walked towards the water, which was marginally less humiliating than pleading Please don’t make me do this. I can’t deal with finding yet another thing I can’t do.
 “Actually, one of the reasons I decided to bring you swimming is that I think you’ll be good at it.”
“Yeah, sure you did.”
Lilith stepped in front of me. “You have the build, for a start. Wide shoulders, slim waist. Disgustingly decent arm strength for someone who doesn’t exercise.” As she spoke she ran her hands over my body, and her flawless brown skin was stark against my own which, after a life spent in shadows both literal and metaphorical, could best be described as pale blue. Under the bright midday sun, the silver network of scarring on my hands and arms was virtually fluorescent, a horrific map of self-destruction. “And… oh God, I know it has nothing to do with keeping you afloat, but you’re so bloody beautiful. Come here a moment.”
Her eyes were full of a warmth that I really didn’t deserve as she stood on tiptoe to kiss me, delicately at first, with that subtlest of pauses to allow me to give or deny consent. With an unpleasant little stab of guilt I realised that Lilith did that every single time we kissed, or made love, or even held hands; she had never once forced intimacy on me, never assumed I would accept her touch, and had managed it so adroitly that I hardly noticed it was happening. Until now. Everything my counsellor had advised to ensure the development of my ‘personal sexuality’, Lilith had been doing instinctively from the very first moment we’d met.
Lilith waited for me. I leaned in and returned the kiss, long and hard.
 My permission duly given, her nimble tongue parted my lips and gently brushed against my teeth as she entwined her fingers in my hair, and I gave a soft moan of pleasure and pulled her lithe body against mine until my hard-on began to test the limits of my new attire. I was just wondering if there was sufficient space to get horizontal on the back seat of the Jeep when Lilith pulled away with a little sigh of regret.
“Hey, don’t stop on my account,” I said, and Lilith gave me a wicked little smile.
“No more distractions, bad man. We can finish this later, as long as you haven’t drowned.”
“Yeah, you’re fuckin’ hilarious, lady. Does the kiss of life count as a snog if the recipient’s dead?”
 “Trust me, Finn,” she whispered and hugged me close for a few moments more, until I was as brave as I was ever going to be.
“Come on then, let’s get it over with,” I said, and with Lilith at my side I waded out into the sea for the first time in my life.





 TinkNCognito Review-The Tied Man (first book in the series)

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(¸.•´ (¸.•` I wish there were more stars to award than 5. The Tied Man is a very dark, very disturbing book. I cried more than once, and I cursed quite often too. It is brutal sometimes, but the tender moments are so well done that they often broke my heart.

This book truly is dark and twisted, but it is also well-worth the read. It isn't for the faint of heart or those with abuse triggers. There is a light at the end of the tunnel if you can just get that far!









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Go to Tumblr for excerpts from Book 1, The Tied Man, as well as more sneak peeks from Book 2, The Tied Man: Unbound…




The Complete 1st chapter of The Tied Man: Unbound (Book 2 & Coming Soon) http://tabithamcgowan1.tumblr.com/post/115732226449/first-chapter-from-the-tied-man-unbound

2nd "Sneak Peek" of The Tied Man: Unbound (Book 2 & Coming Soon) http://tabithamcgowan1.tumblr.com/post/116281945204/excerpt-2-from-the-tied-man-unbound

Interview with Totally Booked from 5/31/13 regarding The Tied Man (Books 1 & 2) http://tabithamcgowan1.tumblr.com/post/115731543819/totallybooked-tabitha-mcgowan-interview




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