As much as I adore the sunshine, I prefer to spend my lazy days, when I can squeeze one in, sitting in the shade of my porch with a good book and a glass of iced tea. I’m stocked up on tea and I’ve been adding to my TBR pile for quite some time now in anticipation of a quiet little reading vacation.
Even as a kid, a good book was always a treat. I
preferred one to, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, chocolate. I was
hard-core, even in the early days. I think it was right after my horse-crazy phase
that I discovered mysteries in the form of the Hardy Boys. They had several old
copies of that wonderful series in our school library and I devoured them. I
was truly hooked on reading before my grandmother introduced me to the very
innocent Harlequin romances that she and her friends frequently exchanged. The
titles and subject matter of the books that I enjoy these days have certainly changed, but not my interest in a great
romance that includes some action and adventure.
I’m kicking off the summer a little bit early and
delving into Dragons & Dirigibles by our own Cindy Spencer Pape, because I
can’t get enough of her wonderful Steampunk series, The Gaslight Chronicles.
Next up, Binary Witness by Rosie Claverton because I couldn’t resist the blurb,
It Had to Be You by Delynn Royer because I’m fascinated by the thirties and
sometimes a book just screams “Buy me!” and Josh Lanyon’s, Stranger on the
Shore because I buy anything the man writes. And that’s just the top of my
list!
I haven’t done this in a bit but I’m going to leave
you today with a video and a snippet of Assassin’s Kiss. If I had to choose the
book that I had the most fun writing, it would have to be this one. The idea
for Kira and Sebastian’s story came from one of those ‘what if’ moments that
most author’s enjoy (truthfully, I don’t know of any of us that don’t enjoy those
moments) and has remained a favorite.
Assassin’s
Kiss- Erotic Romance/Paranormal/Shapeshifter
By
Paris Brandon
Copyright
2009
Ellora’s
Cave
Excerpt: Erotic/Paranormal/shifter: Pg13
“Are you sure
the woman who turned you over to the priest was your mother?” He was getting
more agitated and Kira wished she had something to cover herself, something to
hide behind. But this was no time to pretend she was playing a part, pretend
she was normal. She fought to steady her voice.
“She told me I
was the spawn of a demon and never tired of reminding me that I’d ruined her
life.” She swallowed her bitterness and stuck out her chin. “Now, before this
wonderful afterglow wears off, why don’t you tell me what you were doing
seeking out the company of mercenaries?”
“I was planning
on killing them all before you showed up looking for a date.” He narrowed his
eyes. “Do you know who your sire is?”
She tamped down
a memory so small and sad it barely hurt anymore. “No,” she bit off. “She never named him.”
“Then you’re a Halfling?” He’d almost stumbled over the
word and she suddenly felt colder, more alone.
“We’re all
Halflings. Aren’t we?”
He clenched his
jaw so tight she wondered how he managed to say, “No. We’re not.”
For one blinding
second she almost let the panic overtake her. She hadn’t found her own kind,
only another place she didn’t belong. Unease, like dozens of tiny pinpricks
skittered over her, raising the fine hair on the back of her neck. “Would you
like to explain that?”
“There isn’t
time. Now, can you swim or would you rather I carried you out of here before
Fontaine’s tracker, Diego figures out he’s been following a false trail since
dawn?”
“They’re
following me?” His anger made more sense now. “You could probably move faster
if you changed and just pointed me in the right direction.”
Three angry
strides brought him up against her, his gaze dark and glittering. “Actually,
they’re following me. I’m guessing that you don’t have the energy to change or
the gash in your side would have healed by now. Rescuing you made you my
responsibility, so I’m going to ask you one more time. Can—you—swim?”
She’d come a
thousand miles to find others like herself, someone to answer all of her
questions. He might once they were safe. It wasn’t as if she had a lot of
choices right now.
“I can swim,”
she said, then mumbled, “sort of,” under her breath as he turned away and
slipped through the waterfall.
Her “sort of”,
was a very clumsy, fast–as–she–could–manage, dog paddle. He was still frowning,
rigid with anger when he pulled her naked from the water. He yanked one arm up,
nearly tipping her over. The poultice was gone, the long pink line along her
ribs wasn’t.
She shivered,
feeling his strength and his anger as he slid his hands up her arms and flicked
away the specks of water. Blood sizzled through her at the touch of his fingers
trailing down her arms possessively. As if he didn’t want to give up touching
her but at the same time looked as if he might regret it.
He stepped away
abruptly, motioning her to follow. With the wind at their backs, the air
currents carried his scent—warm earth, human, the musky, familiar hint of
jaguar. She wanted them all wrapped around her like a protective mantle. Wanted
him pounding into her again, driving away the loneliness. Not even his anger
dampened her desire to be held again. She
was pitiful.
Half–an–hour
later they reached the tree where she’d left her clothes tucked into the black,
plastic garbage bag containing her meager possessions. He’d tracked her from
here. The knowledge sent a shiver through her and she didn’t honestly know
whether it was from excitement or fear.
She quickly dug
past two pairs of frayed shorts, a dingy thermal long–sleeved shirt and a small
straw doll that she carefully re-wrapped in its threadbare flannel blanket.
Finding what she wanted, she pulled the tattered khaki tank–top over her head
before tugging a pair of loose, army surplus fatigues over her bare hips.
“If it’s not a
deep dark secret, I’d like to know a little bit more about this Halfling
business.” She was trying to ignore the fact that he was still naked. His smirk
told her he wasn’t bothered a bit. “Could you at least tell me where we’re
going?”
“Sangre` de Luna,” he said, tensing as he
sniffed the air.
Before she could
ask how much farther Sangre` de Luna
was, a jaguar’s cry ripped through the jungle. He lost his smirk, reached down
and grabbed her bag.
“Run.”
How about you, do you buy books faster than you can
read them? What’s on your TBR list that has you wanting to carve out a couple
of hours of undisturbed reading pleasure? I’d love to knowJ
Until next month,
Happy Reading!
Paris Brandon
