"Family Secrets" Excerpt

"Family Secrets," Susanne Marie Knight's newest paranormal romance is now available at Uncial Press and other Internet locations, including Fictionwise.com.

Sometimes secrets can reveal your true love.

Talia Fanetti longs for true love. She's just gotten engaged to eligible bachelor Edmund Bartholomew, so she's all set in the love department.


Or is she?
On a romantic getaway in the country, she learns her future in-laws live in a house awash with secrets. Talia soon makes a startling discovery: she has a secret as well. When Grandmother Bartholomew offers Talia a chance to find out who her true love is, will Talia have the courage to use the magic spell?
Excerpt:
"Granny, child. Call me Granny. Here, won't you have a seat?"
A light flickered, then held, allowing Talia to get her bearings.Penelope Bartholomew had huge china blue eyes, a pixie expression, and milk-white, lined-by-time skin. She sat in a comforter-covered rocking chair, and extended a shaky hand toward a Queen Anne style chair opposite her.
Talia smiled. "Thank you, Granny. It's so very good to meet you."
Once Talia was seated, Penelope laughed. She seemed disinclined to stop.
Then, as suddenly as she'd started, she fell quiet. "You're going to marry my grandson."
"Yes, I'm Talia, Talia Fanetti, Edmund's--"
"Edmund didn't tell you about me, did he?" Penelope leaned forward and peered into Talia's face as if she needed a pair of eyeglasses to see.
Talia curbed her impulse to move further back in her chair. She considered her reply. What Penelope said was true. Edmund hadn't mentioned her. But how could she tell that to his grandmother?
The rocking chair went back and forth. "Naughty boy. Edmund always was a naughty boy. Not like..."
Talia waited. Not like whom?
Perhaps Penelope forgot what she was going to say for she changed the subject. "She told you about me, though. Didn't she? Told you I had a few screws loose, eh?"
There could be no doubt as to whom Penelope referred--Celeste, Edmund's mother. Talia hedged on her answer. "Celeste did mention that your bedroom is right next to mine. This is such a lovely house. And your room is so interesting."
Truth be told, she couldn't see much other than Penelope, the tiny lamp, and the shuttered window to her right.
Penelope nodded, a sullen look on her face. "Secrets," she crooned. "Everyone has secrets. She has a secret. I have a secret." A crafty expression crept into her eyes. "And so do you!"
"Oh!" Talia didn't expect that remark. Somehow it perturbed her. She moved to the edge of the seat. "I should get back now, Granny. Edmund is bringing up my--"
"Here." Penelope thrust something at her.
Without thinking, Talia took the object. It was a book. A brown paper covered book smaller than the length of her open hand.
The title on the front was all but worn away. She couldn't read the words in this dim light.
"What's this, Granny?"
"It's a book," Penelope snapped, probably thinking Talia was an imbecile.
"I mean, what's it for, Granny?"Penelope nodded. For several seconds, she continued to bob her weary head. "Spells and potions. Rituals and ceremonies. It's my secret. One of my secrets. Use the book as the need strikes you."
"You mean it's magic?"
"Perhaps," Penelope purred. "You go now. You'll see your true love soon."
This was a little too crazy even for Talia's open-minded upbringing. She couldn't wait to escape.
Hope you enjoy! :))
Susanne
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2010 EPIC Award Finalist for Best Historical Romance: PAGING MISS GALLOWAY
Now Available: "Family Secrets"--Sometimes secrets can reveal your true love.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Naughty excerpt...

Matt only got as far as his truck before turning back around. Maggie hadn’t shut the door yet. He sucked in his breath. She was still there, standing in the threshold and watching him, with the soft glow of the living room light behind her. His gaze raked over her slender silhouette, and the way the light was shining through her nightgown. She might as well have been naked. He felt a burning need uncoil in his gut. Why couldn’t he just walk away? He knew why, because he was thoroughly bewitched by her.

As she continued to stand there, he took in the hourglass shape of her, the way her legs were slightly parted, and the shadowy patch between that her skimpy panties outlined. He swallowed hard. His eyes continued to follow the shapely line of her thighs and legs down to her bare feet, before shifting back up to the rounded fullness of her breasts.

His mouth went dry. His senses went into overdrive and his cock lengthened and grew with hunger. He hesitated for only a second before deciding to walk back. The thought of spending the night in Maggie’s bed far outweighed his intention of sleeping in his truck outside her door. He forced her to step out of his way as he plowed through the entrance way, telling himself all he wanted was a quick lay. Only the truth was he wanted more from Maggie.

Damn her!

“Forget something?”


Matt closed and locked the door, never taking his eyes off her. The sexy softness of her voice traveled over him, teasing his senses and keeping him aroused. He forced her to turn, then steered her toward the stairs that led to the loft, and her bedroom. “You said you have wants too, so let’s get to it.” He was right behind her.

He knew he was being crude but reminding Maggie of her earlier comment was a good excuse to ignore the real reason he wanted to make love to her.

A nervous laugh escaped her. “Right this minute?” She was halfway up the stairs and turned to face him. Seductive eyes moved slowly over him, pausing at his hard-on.

He didn’t like the little smile of victory on her face and clenched his teeth. “What better time?” He just barely managed to catch himself before mowing her over. His hands grasped the rails on either side of her, effectively entrapping her. With her several steps above him, his eyes were level with her breasts. An inch forward and he could take one in his mouth and wipe that smile of triumph right off her face. “Since I’m in the neighborhood, and in the mood,” he explained. “Thanks to you.”

“But I didn’t do anything,” she defended herself. “I’m innocent. No one made you come here tonight,” she pointed out.

Matt wanted to mate. His laugh was low and throaty. “Innocent!” he barked with disbelief. “You knew exactly what you’re doing, Red. You have from the beginning. And I’ve been playing right into your hands.”

“But…”

Matt let his gaze slide downward in a slow sweep that had to tell Maggie exactly what he was feeling. “No buts, honey, and no emotions, just raw, hot sex. A lot of it.” Her eyes rounded but she remained silent. “Nothing to say?” he demanded softly. “Good, than we know where we stand.” For every step he took forward, Maggie took one backwards. “Once we’ve done this a few times, then you can decide if you want to be as free with your body without the commitment.”

“A few times?” A short laugh escaped her as she continued up the stairs, backwards. “I’m not sure if I’m up to a few times,” she teased.

Matt ignored her comment and continued to stalk her until the back of her knees came in contact with the edge of her bed. He wanted to erase the gleam of amusement from her eyes but damned if he wasn’t fighting the urge to grin in return. She made wanting her too easy.

“Now what?” she whispered.

Matt’s eyes fell to her mouth. “You want a blow-by-blow description? You take off your clothes. Then we get down to business.”

A laugh escaped Maggie. “You expect me to just put out?”

He shrugged. “If that’s what you want to call it, honey.”

“Maybe I’m not in the mood.” Obvious amusement flickered briefly in her eyes.

Matt shook his head and reached out to caress her cheek—an action that revealed much more than words. “It doesn’t work that way. And besides, you forget I had my fingers inside you just a few moments ago. You were wet and hot, sweetheart.” Before either one of them realized his intentions he leaned forward and touched his lips to hers in a kiss. It was too sweet. He deepened it until passion spiraled out of control. They were both slightly out of breath when he pulled away.

Maggie surprised Matt by reaching for the hem of her gown. She brought it over her head and let it drift carelessly to the floor between them. Matt’s gaze narrowed, yet he never lowered his eyes from hers. Instead, he reached forward and curled his hand around a plump breast, grazing the puckered nipple back and forth with his thumb. His reward was the warm color spreading across Maggie’s face. As he caressed first one breast and then the other, she swayed into his touch, releasing a little, breathless sigh. Her hands fell upon his shoulders, as if she needed help to remain on her feet.

Matt’s gaze fell to her breasts, their crowned peaks tilted upward slightly, seeming to beg for further attention. Attention he was only too eager to give. He bent forward and fastened his mouth onto one. Her cry echoed throughout the small cabin. Matt lifted her to continue loving her body with his mouth and tongue, tracing a path over her quivering breasts and belly below, before returning to her breasts. As he slowly lowered her against him, his mouth moved along the curve of her throat, taking her mouth in a long, searing kiss.

They were both trembling when it ended. “What about your panties?” he asked hoarsely, his nostrils flaring wildly with desire. The scent of their arousal was heavy around them, and Matt had to steel himself to take things slow.

“What about them?”

There was a challenge in her tone that Matt was only too willing to accept. His hand glided down her body until he reached them. He toyed with Maggie for a moment, running his finger along the elastic well below her bellybutton. His journey took him to the triangle outlining her mound. His finger dipped inside, brushing along the soft curls, finding them wet at the core of her. She caught her breath, trembling. His blood turned hot.

He curled his probing finger and tore the garment from her in one quick movement.



Tory Richards
Romance with an Attitude Blog

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Gentleman and the Rogue

The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon is available now from Loose Id.

A lad from the streets meets a lord of the manor...

When Crimean war veteran Sir Alan Watleigh goes searching for sex, he never imagines the street rat he brings home for one last bit of pleasure in his darkest hour will be the man who hauls him back from the edge of the grave.

A night of meaningless sex turns into an offer of permanent employment. As Alan’s valet, Jem offers much more than polished boots and starched cravats. He makes Alan smile and warms his bed. Just as the men are adjusting to their new living arrangement, news about a former soldier under his command sends Sir Watleigh and Jem on the road to save a child in danger.

The journey brings them closer together as they travel from lust toward love. But is Alan's love strong enough to risk society discovering the truth about him?

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

New Release - MR. RIGHT-NOW!


I'm so excited to announce I have a new erotic romance out with Ellora's Cave! It's called MR. RIGHT-NOW and it's smokin' hot! Hope you enjoy it! And if you decide to pick it up, let me know how you like it!


Kate Gentry is always the bridesmaid, never the bride. When her best friend asks her to be maid of honor, it just reminds her of how crappy her luck is when it comes to finding her own Mr. Right. Her friends point out she’s trying too hard to find Mr. Right instead of having fun with Mr. Right-Now. They convince her to put her search for the perfect man on hold and have some meaningless sex with a hot guy.

Kate takes their advice and propositions the gorgeous best man, Dawson McKenna. When he eagerly agrees, she finds herself doing things she never dreamed of doing—spanking, bondage and some amazing anal sex!

Despite knowing Dawson isn’t supposed to be Mr. Right, Kate finds herself falling for him big time anyway. But since she was the one who made the rules, how can she now tell him she wants more than just a weekend fling?


Excerpt:

Dawson walked over to stand beside her. “Do you want to go to the bar for a drink?”

Kate hesitated. The bar was certainly much more intimate than the restaurant, so it would be the perfect place to carry on what they’d been doing underneath the table earlier. That would certainly be fun, but if she was really going to do this, why waste time in the bar?
She caught her lower lip between her teeth, then tilted her head a little to the side and gave him what she hoped was a sexy look.

“Or we could just go up to your room and raid the mini-bar instead,” she suggested softly.

Dawson’s golden eyes went molten. “Even better.”

Holy crap, she’d done it. She’d just propositioned a guy for sex. Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite that blatant, but it was obvious Dawson knew exactly what she meant. She felt so proud of herself she almost did a little cheer right there.

His room was on the fourth floor just like hers, but because the elevator stopped on every floor in between to let people on and off, it seemed to take forever to get there. Now that Kate had made the decision to sleep with him, she was impatient to get his clothes off and see if he was as well built as she thought. Being in the close confines of the elevator only made her hotter for him. By the time they got to his floor, she was ready to push him up against the wall and get busy right there. She actually might have done it, too, if she wasn’t afraid they’d get arrested for public indecency. She almost laughed. Wow, she was better at being naughty than she’d thought.

His hotel room was an exact replica of hers, right down to the fireplace and hot tub. It was the king-size bed against the wall that caught and held her attention, however. As she took in the fluffy pillows and white goose down comforter, she pictured herself rolling around on it with Dawson, their naked bodies entwined as they engaged in hot, sweaty sex. Just the idea started a really nice purr between her legs.

“The mini bar is probably pretty limited, but I’m sure we can find something,” Dawson said as he tossed his key card on the dresser. “What can I get you?”

Images of her and Dawson still running through her head, Kate turned to face him. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to go through with this. Before she could change her mind, she set her purse down on the bedside table and walked over to loop her arms around his neck. She hadn’t realized how tall he was downstairs, but now she had to tilt her head back to look up at him.

“Maybe we should forget about having a drink and test out the mattress instead,” she suggested softly. “I hear they’re very comfortable.”

Surprise flickered in his eyes for a moment, but he rested his hands lightly on her hips all the same. “Kate Gentry, are you seducing me?”

“I might be,” she admitted. “But only if it’s working.”

He chuckled. “Oh, it’s definitely working.”

She smiled up at him. “Then in that case, I’m definitely seducing you. I figured since we’re both obviously attracted to each other, we should hook up for the weekend.”

She tried to make the words sound casual, but inside, her heart was pounding like crazy. She didn’t know if it was from excitement or nerves, though. Maybe it was a little of both. She’d never actually seduced a man like this. And the words, “hook up for the weekend,” had certainly never, ever come out of her mouth before.

He lifted a brow. “Hook up? As in casual sex, no strings attached?”

Clearly, he was way more familiar with this type of thing than she was. She nodded. “Exactly. Once the weekend is over, we get on the ferry and go our separate ways. No muss, no fuss.”

He pulled her closer, his mouth curving into a sexy grin. “That works for me.”

She should have tried this whole seduction thing long before this. She was better at it than she’d thought. Kate didn’t reply, but instead leaned in and kissed him.





Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRo-r_ZSoww


Buy it from Ellora's Cave!
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8117-mr-right-now.aspx

*hugs*
Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"

http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/
http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

My New Book Cover!


I don't have a release date yet but I couldn't contain myself from showing off my new book cover. The Wild Rose Press artist did a great job capturing one of the new scenes in this romantic suspense.

Blurb -
Annie McCall finds a patient dead in her office, and now she’s on the run for her life. Detective Marshall Thomas is willing to break the rules to protect the beautiful doctor, but who will protect her from him? It isn't long before the only danger Annie's facing is the sizzling heat between the sheets.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS