Excerpt: Hacienda Moon Expanded Edition by KaSonndra Leigh + giveaway

Hacienda Moon Expanded Edition
by KaSonndra Leigh
February 21st 2023
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Suspense
Tandie Harrison is a police medium struggling to pick up the pieces of her life after a devastating divorce that left her without her precious daughter and her psychic visions. With a heavy heart, she escapes the hustle and bustle of New York City and moves into the alluring plantation house, Chelby Rose. Here, she meets Eric, the home’s charismatic caretaker. Despite the ghostly warnings, Tandie finds herself drawn to him, and as their affair intensifies, so does the centuries-old curse haunting them both.

Suddenly, Tandie finds herself at the center of a dark and dangerous web full of deceit and intrigue. As fear begins to consume her, she must find the courage to face the demons of her past if she is to have any chance at a future. Hacienda Moon is a captivating story full of suspense and romance that will ensnare you from start to finish.

Note to readers and bookclubs:

This is the expanded and revamped edition of the Hacienda Moon that was originally published in 2012. Please be sure to add this version to your to-read list as this edition contains more gothic suspense, intrigue, and of course romance.

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Excerpt
The results of Eric’s handyman skills were beautiful. The final perk was the light rose-colored exterior paint, a shade considered original to the house. Eric didn’t say a word about my upgraded paintbrushes. He was too busy making sure I didn’t catch him watching me as I bent over to paint the lowest boards on the house. However, I turned around at the perfect moment on paint day and caught him staring. His face flushed so badly, I couldn’t resist doing something to celebrate my small victory.

“Wow, it’s so hot out here today.” I stretched my arms, lifting my tee-shirt up until my belly button was exposed, basking in the warmth of the late summer sun. Eric’s mouth fell open. Success! That move totally stole Mr. Intense's attention. Tucking my lips, I made a move toward an even more creative tease, bending over to pick up one of the three paint brushes I’d dropped.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“What does it look like? I dropped my paintbrushes.” I shrugged and waved the brush between us. “Did I not use the proper technique for bending over and picking it up?”

He gave me a dimpled grin and moved closer to where I stood beside the house. Glancing down at the brushes beside my feet, he said, “They do look somewhat dirty. You sure you can handle that task? You strike me as somewhat of a nice girl. With that much paint and dirt all in the heads, you have to get a little rough with cleaning them.” His gaze bore into mine, smoldering me under a hazel brown sugary-colored look this time.

I held his gaze. “Oh, believe me. I have plenty of ways to clean dirty things.”

There was about a foot of space between us now. “Is that right?”

“Oh yeah,” I answered, hoping that the pulse line on my neck didn’t show the way my heart thumped inside my chest.

His gaze drifted from my eyes down to my lips and finally ended at my left shoulder. “Then why don’t you start by cleaning that big red spider off your shoulder?” An amused smile spread across his lips, but a scream shrilled out of mine.

Eric slammed his hands over his ears. “Damn it, Tandie.”

Adrenaline spiked through me. He might as well have said my breasts were hanging out. He would’ve gotten less of a response than he did with the spider statement. “Get it off me! Do you see it? Is it still there? Get it!” I shrieked, jumping around and spinning in half circles.

“I won’t help you until you stop trying to burst my eardrums,” he said, still half-way smiling. He came over and put his arms around me, pulling me into his embrace. “Calm down, Tandie. It’s gone, all right?”

Vowing to never tease Eric ever again, I waited for my breathing to normalize and for my trembling limbs to steady as I was pressed against Eric’s chest.

About the Author:

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Meet your word sculptress...

Author of the International bestselling novels, the Prelude and the Lost Immortals Saga, KaSonndra is also a mother, designer, reader, gardener, home renovator, and a slayer of undead Egyptian mummies in Tomb Raider. She believes in karma, coffee, and seriously wishes that the producers of Xena would bring her favorite show back.

KaSonndra was born in the race-car city of Charlotte, NC, and now lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, NC, when she's not hanging out in Bardonia (Lost Immortals Saga setting). Most of her characters are based on people that she has met throughout her travels and adventures.

People tend to stop and start conversations with KaSonndra as if she has known them her entire life. Does this freak her out? Not really. Her mom says that one day she’ll get kidnapped by one of these folks. KaSonndra's response? She told her mom that if it weren’t for these lovely people, then she wouldn’t be able to create such fabulously romantic stories!

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Book Reviews: A Lovely Drop (A Story of the NeverNeath) by Darynda Jones

A Lovely Drop (A Story of the NeverNeath)
by Darynda Jones

February 13, 2020

Pages: 93

A woman who claims to do the impossible...

Andrea Grace comes from a long line of women who can do the impossible: They can eavesdrop on the past. But ever since her mother's suspicious death, Andrea has led a half-life, guarding herself from those who would kill to get their hands on her. From heads of states to the most violent criminals craving what she has to offer, every drop she makes puts her at risk.

But one fateful night, Andrea decides to anonymously help authorities solve a murder, a particularly horrendous one, and she gets a taste of what it feels like to use her powers for good. And she's hooked. She continues solving crimes with no one the wiser and does so for years until one single mistake gets her caught. And what does she do to get out of the bind she finds herself in? She tells the ludicrous, inconceivable truth.

...meets a man who believes her.

Special Agent Sebastian Strand is almost desperate enough to believe the girl's claim that she can see through the veil of time. Almost. But when he tests the defiant redhead and discovers her gift seems as real as the resentment she wears like a bulletproof vest, he asks for her help to stop a terrorist.

Now, the only element Andrea's been able to control her whole life is the only thing she needs more of as she races against time with an FBI agent hell-bent on saving the world. But will she be too late to save the embittered man's life? Or will she lose her own life, not to mention her heart, before time runs out?

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Andrea has kept her secret guarded for most of her life and when her mother dies under suspicious circumstances, she locks herself up tighter than ever and basically becomes a shut-in. When she finally joins the world again, she decides that she will help the authorities solve a murder though she does it as anonymously as possible because she doesn’t want to become a pawn for anyone. When the police and the FBI figure out there is more to her, she decides against her better judgement to help Special Agent Sebastian Strand solve a few murders. He is hot, infuriating and seems to have just a touch of a gift as well.

I thought this was a really good story but too short. There is so much room to expand this story and make it a series but sadly it seems this is a one-and-done.

Getting 5 sheep

Denise B

About the Author:
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NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Book Review: Phantom Game (A GhostWalker Novel) Hardcover by Christine Feehan

Phantom Game (A GhostWalker Novel) Hardcover
by Christine Feehan
March 1, 2022
Berkley
Two predators collide with unbridled passion in this intoxicating GhostWalker novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Jonas "Smoke" Harper has watched his brothers find their perfect mates, never imagining he'd actually meet someone who complements every part of him—even the monster that lurks within. But his instant connection with Camellia goes far beyond wanting the intelligent, beautiful, and lethal woman in his bed. They are two parts of a whole, linked to each other and to a larger network that exists everywhere around them.

Camellia has lived on her own for a long time, relying on her unique psychic abilities to keep her safe. She knows that Jonas was literally made for her, and that makes their addictive connection more dangerous than a thousand enhanced super soldiers. Once the larger threat looming over them is dealt with she's going to get far away as fast as she can. Life has taught her that the only one she can truly trust is herself.

Jonas can sense Camellia is going to run—and the hunter inside doesn't want to let go. Not when he knows how good they'll be together. So he'll just have to use all of his considerable skills to convince her to stay....

The GhostWalkers were men who had volunteered to be enhanced psychically so they would be more useful to their country. But Dr. Peter Whitney also performed experimental gene coding on them without their consent or knowledge. But because of his connections and the government who wanted his enhanced soldiers, he was untouchable and continued to experiment on people. Whitney had also experimented on girls and used in vitro to make designer babies he could experiment on. he ended up making enhanced females that were the other half of a pair to some of the enhanced men he had experimented on. The enhanced pheromones in the pair made them attracted to each other.

Jonas and two of the other members of his GhostWalker team had headed into the forest because one of them had a gut feeling something was off in that direction. But Jonas came across more than he could have imagined. An enhanced female who had escaped Whitney's experiments had run and camouflaged herself in the dense mountains. Only another GhostWalker or enhanced person who had very specific gifts would have been able to find her, and Jonas ended up being one of those people.

Camellia had been hiding for a while, and she knew that GhostWalkers and some of their wives had made their home in a building not far from her. But they had no idea she was there, and she had no plans to make herself known to them. So when Jonas was able to find her house and came to talk to her, she didn't want to have anything to do with him, but she knew he wasn't going to leave until she did.

At first, Camellia had thought that Whitney had sent the GhostWalker team to find her and bring her back to the labs, and she didn't trust anything Jonas said. But then they both realized they were a bonded pair, and that attraction made her want to talk with him. They could both hear lies, so while neither of them trusted the other at first, after talking a little and hearing no lies, they sat down and talked a bit more. Jonas had thought the feeling that he and his team were feeling might have been Camellia, but she felt the dangerous threat as well, so they knew it wasn't her.

When she, Jonas, and his team realize there are other men on the mountain, they go scout to see who they are. They quickly realize that these men are why they all have been having bad feelings about a dangerous threat. She helps Jonas and his team find out who they are and why they are there, and it's bad news, really bad news. More soldiers are on the way to attack the building where Jonas and his team and families live. When they find out why the soldiers are sent, they think they have it all figured out, but secrets are revealed, feelings are hurt, and the team realizes they've been betrayed by someone close to them. But then there's a pretty good twist and more questions are raised. All the while, Camellia is getting to know Jonas better, and they are falling for each other. She is much more than she seems and can help out Jonas and his team during the attacks. The action in this book was great.

I've really been loving liking this series, but this was definitely one of the best books in the series so far.

I give this book 5 sheep!

Mary Kirkland

Dark Thoughts Blog

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don't mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I'll get a certain reaction and they don't do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.

Book Reviews: Savage Road (Torpedo Ink Book 7) by Christine Feehan

Savage Road (Torpedo Ink Book 7)
by Christine Feehan
January 25, 2022
525 pages
Berkley
#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan explores uncharted territory in the new Torpedo Ink Motorcycle Club novel.

When Savin “Savage” Pajari and Seychelle Dubois first met, their connection was instant, their attraction undeniable. Their relationship has been full throttle since day one. Even though months have passed, the passion and love between them has only increased.

Savage completely owns what he is: a sadist in the bedroom who can only get off on his partner’s pain. He believes he’s not a good man, but he loves Seychelle with a fierceness that shocks him. He wants all of her, but only if she gives herself freely with eyes wide open.

Seychelle never imagined the lure of mixing pain with pleasure, or how much she’d crave Savage’s darkness. She’s been shaken to her core, but Seychelle is committed to Savage and their life together—even though he’s keeping a piece of himself back. And to truly make their relationship work, he has to give her everything that he is, just as she is doing for him.

Savage knows that what he really needs could break his woman if she isn’t ready. She agreed to come into his world, and he’s not about to give her up. He has to find a way to let her see the monster inside without pushing her away. But the real Savage might be more than Seychelle can bear...and he knows he wouldn’t survive losing her.

This is the second book about Savage because this man is so complex, and his story is so compelling that one book, Annihilation Road, was not enough. This book takes place a few months after the last book, so Seychelle and Savage have gotten to know each other better, but she still hasn't seen Savage at his worst yet. Savage is a sadist but he made sure that she knew that before bringing her into his life. The fact is, Seychelle likes the pain he brings her with the whips but he hasn't let himself really show her what he considers the monster inside him when he's taken too much of his friend's pain, rage, and anger inside himself.

Savage has a psychic gift that helped him and his family stay alive when they were held captive and abused as children. He could take some of their pain, anger, and rage into himself but if he takes too much, his way of releasing it is to release the monster inside himself and use the whips he's so good at using. It's either that or go to a fight club and beat the crap out of his opponent, but his family had had to pull him off of the other guy too many times before he killed someone. So it's no wonder he's afraid to let Seychelle see the monster inside him. He's not sure she'll ever be ready to be with him when he's in that kind of mindset, even though she likes some pain mixed with their more intimate times.

Savage is a control freak and wants to control Seychelle all the time, but she's also no pushover. Hence, it was fun to watch as they try to navigate their new relationship and Savage has to try and figure out how to give Seychelle the freedom she needs while still holding onto the control he needs.

Brandon from the last book is still trying to influence Seycheele because he has a psychic gift that lets him influence people with his voice but because Seycheele has the same gift, he can't influence her and he's taken that as a challenge. He is mad because Seychelle could break the psychic hold he had on a couple of women, and now he wants revenge on her for interfering.

When a hit is put out on Savage and a body is found murdered, Savage is the first person the police suspect but they have no case because he has an alibi. But that just makes the person setting him up madder and out for revenge even more. As Seychelle uses her gift on several people to see who is and who isn't influenced by Brandon's gift, it becomes apparent that Brandon isn't the only other one with a psychic gift. Someone else has been putting thoughts into people's minds for one reason or another, and because of this, more than just Seychelle and Savage are in danger.

It was fun to watch them figure out who is behind the problems and how it all fits together. I like Savage and Seychelle even though I knew going into these books that Savage was a sadist and I might be reading scenes in this book like the last one that would make me uncomfortable, and let me tell you, this book made me uncomfortable. Much more so than the previous book. Savage lets loose his monster a lot more in this book, and the only reason I was ok with it was that Seychelle is all in, it's completely consensual between them and Savage really does love her.

I wasn't sure I would like this series when I first started reading it, but this is the 7th book, and I'm looking forward to seeing who finds their mate next.

I give this book 4 out of 5 sheep.

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
One
Seychelle Dubois sat on the bathroom floor staring at the toilet for the second morning in a row. She felt like an idiot. "No, Savage, I'm not pregnant. And I'm not a secret drinker either."

"What the hell is wrong? Should I call Steele? I want you to go see him."

She pushed herself up, glaring at him. "I do not need to see a doctor. Do you remember the talk we had on privacy?" Stumbling over to the sink, Seychelle washed her face with cold water, rinsed out her mouth and then started the process of brushing her teeth.

Savin "Savage" Pajari continued to watch her in the mirror. He leaned one hip against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were arctic blue, so cold they made her shiver. It didn't help that he wore a thin pair of drawstring pants, indicating he was going out to practice with his whip. She had been avoiding watching him the last couple of days because for some unexplained reason, just the sight and sound of it turned her on like nothing else in the world possibly could. That was the last thing she needed to know right now on top of everything else-that she was truly messed up in the head, or body, however one wanted to look at it.

"Seychelle, we did have a talk about privacy, and I told you how I felt about it when it came to my woman. Now fuckin' tell me what's going on."

She took her time finishing with her teeth, rinsed her mouth multiple times and then turned to face him, leaning her butt against the sink, arms crossed to match his. "I'm having hideous nightmares. Really vivid nightmares. They make me sick." She did her best not to make it an accusation, but she knew it came out like one. What was she accusing him of? He wasn't in her nightmares.

Savage studied her face for a long time without speaking, those blue eyes burning like ice over her. He was gorgeous. That was half her problem. She could stare at him endlessly-forever. He had a body on him, all man, more muscles than was good for him, tattoos over scars and burns. He had the words Whip Master burned into his skin on his chest and Master of Pain burned into his back. The tats didn't cover either burns, although she knew Ink, a brother in his club, had done his best with the beautiful artwork on him.

"You gonna stop there and make me ask or you gonna tell me what these nightmares are about, angel? If they're making you sick, they're fucked the hell up."

There was a warning in his voice, but no expression on his face, just those blue, blue eyes, cold as a glacier, telling her he wasn't going to let it go.

They had agreed to have truth between them, but that really meant she told him the truth and he withheld things he didn't want to talk about. They'd been together for months, and she loved him far too much. It wasn't a good thing by any means.

"Last chance, Seychelle, start talking."

"It was a nightmare, Savage. People have them."

"Two fuckin' nights in a row. The same nightmare. Bad enough that you puke in the toilet and you don't want to tell me about it."

That was a straight-up accusation. Worse, he was right. She didn't want to tell him. That stance. Arms across his chest. Those eyes that wouldn't let her look away no matter how much she wanted to. He'd given her space the day before because she'd asked him to. She'd been upset. Joseph Arnold, a stalker, had been sitting in her cottage waiting for her with a gun, and Savage thought she was upset about that. She had been, of course, but that wasn't the only reason. There was a multitude of reasons she was questioning her sanity. Mostly, it had to do with herself, the things she was discovering she needed in her own sexual relationship, and that truly frightened her. She needed to come to terms with it.

There were just so many things coming at her so fast. She wasn't a person who took things in fast. She just wanted everything to slow down so she could take a breath and assimilate everything at a much different pace than they were going.

"It isn't me that is going to have the sore ass. I'm not asking again."

She detested the little flare of dark excitement that sent heat to her sex. It didn't matter how annoying she found it that he just stood there so casually. He was unmoving, those eyes of his holding her in place, probably seeing that flicker of reaction she couldn't control, knowing blood pounded in her clit and her sex fluttered just at the thought of what he intended in spite of her absolute abhorrence of his intentions.

"I shouldn't be punished because I choose not to talk to you about a nightmare I have, Savage. If I ask you about nightmares, you wouldn't tell me if you didn't want to."

"I have them all the time, angel, or I used to until you came into my life. You want to know about them, you ask me. I'll lay that shit out for you."

Of course he'd say that now. Her fingers formed two tight fists in frustrations. Why couldn't she just lie to him? Make something up? People did that all the time. She wasn't a liar. She'd never been, but maybe this one time it would be okay.

She shrugged. Tried to look away. She couldn't lie looking at him, for heaven's sake.

"Damn good thing you're just wearing that little robe, angel, and nothing else. Take it off, hang it on the hook inside the bathroom right by the shower and come on out here. I'll be waiting for you, and the longer you make me wait, the more punishment I'm going to add on."

He turned and walked away. Out of sight. He didn't go sit on the end of their bed, where she might see him. He walked out of sight, which meant he might have gone over to the chair close to the spanking bench. She nearly groaned aloud. She could close and lock the bathroom door-except there were no locks on the bathroom door. Why? Because her man had a thing about privacy.

She didn't have to go out there. She didn't have to do what he said. She was a grown woman. She made her own choices. That was the bottom line, and Savage always made that very, very clear. Everything they did together was ultimately her choice. She walked over to the mirror and stared at herself. Her eyes were dilated. Her face flushed. Already she was breathing too fast.

Why was she like this? Why did she respond sexually to something painful? Her body craved whatever Savage did to her, even when her brain refused to want it. She knew he would never stop until she told him what he wanted to know. She didn't want to tell him because what if she was right? What if the man in her nightmares was really Savage, and it was one more thing she was going to have to sort out? She was already at a breaking point.

Seychelle rinsed her face again with cold water, hoping to clear her mind. Savage was her choice. She had to sort through her problems fast. She was committed to him-to their life together. She wasn't so committed to his club. To that life. She didn't really understand it, and that was part of who he was. She needed that piece of him. He pulled her into it, then pushed her back out, and she resented it.

She took a deep breath, her lashes lifting so she found herself staring at herself in the mirror, realizing she'd just had a revelation. She didn't resent the fact that Savage had a psychic gift that allowed him to take on the anger, the very real rage his brothers and sisters of Torpedo Ink felt that made him the way he was. She was actually proud of him for that. She resented that all of them shared deep secrets and he shut her out. At the same time, he expected her to use her gifts to aid them and him when the club needed those gifts. Where was the fairness in that?

Ordinarily, Seychelle would gladly help anyone in need. Especially Savage. Any one of Savage's friends. But not like this, not when she was shut out and she was supposed to be his partner. He demanded 100 percent from her. He told her he was giving her 100 percent of him, but he wasn't.

She pushed at the hair tumbling around her face. When she did, she noticed the ring on her left hand. How could she not? It was gorgeous. A rare fancy teal-blue diamond, surrounded by diamonds that appeared to be petals hugging her finger. The entire thing glittered every time she moved. It should have been ostentatious, but it wasn't. It was simply beautiful. Savage had a way of knowing exactly what she would love.

He was trained to read body language. Every facial expression. Every single subtle hint, from elevated breathing to the parting of her lips. He knew her. And she was an open book anyway, even when she tried not to be. He had been trained from childhood in the arts of sex: giving, receiving, training one to do what he commanded, and he was very, very good at what he did. He had too many weapons to use against her, and she had fallen too fast to get her armor in place.

It wasn't that she didn't want to be where she was-she did. She had come on board with her eyes open-sort of. Living in reality was always a far cry from being dreamily in love. "Let that be a lesson to you, Seychelle," she whispered.

She couldn't blame all of it on Savage or all the frightening things he brought to their relationship. She hadn't realized the extent of the lure of mixing pain and pleasure. She'd been so attracted to him, to that darkness in him. The first time he'd spun her around in an alley, lifted the hem of her dress and smacked her bottom, she'd gotten so damp, reacting to him when no one had ever made her body come alive before. That had been a revelation-a bit confusing, actually.

She went home and immediately delved deeper into spankings and even floggers, but she didn't really understand it. She had no idea why her body would respond to such a thing when no matter what she'd tried, she'd thought she was absolutely frigid. The deeper into his world Savage took her-and granted, it wasn't very far, but she saw where they were going-the more alarmed she got. She was intrigued. Terrified, but intrigued. That wasn't a good thing in her opinion.

In her mind, when she'd gotten together with Savage, she believed she would give herself to him and there would be that moment when she would have to "suffer" for him. He suffered for those he loved, and she would do it for him. She was very confused with the way she felt about pain and the effects on her body. She didn't want to crave pain. Did she? Or did she crave Savage? She didn't even know anymore what was right or wrong. She only knew that she loved him, and she had to find a way to come to terms with all the rest of it.

Savage stood looking at the array of tools he had lined up in his cabinet over the wooden drawers built along the wall next to the tall wooden cabinet where the jewelry he had for Seychelle was kept. She hadnÕt even seen the majority of it. He had orders in to have so much more made for her. Now that he had her in his life, he was more than comfortable with his needs. He just had to get her to a place where she was accepting of their lifestyle.

O

He was a sadist in the bedroom, and he owned what he was. He had exhausted all the avenues open to him to change and knew there was no way for him to be anything but what he was. He needed to see his woman in pain in order to be aroused. He got off on that shit. Putting his handprints or his marks on her gorgeous ass aroused him. But the thought of using his floggers or whips, that was the ultimate for him-that would put steel in his cock like nothing else could. Her tears were his. Her ultimate pleasure was his, and he could give her pleasure like no one else ever could.

She had gone into their relationship fully aware. He had been careful to tell her what he was so there would be no surprises on that score. He'd laid it out as plainly as possible, but talking about it wasn't the same as experiencing it. He had been bringing her into his lifestyle faster than he wanted to. He knew that was frightening for her. She responded so beautifully though.

Her body was aroused with clamps. She loved nipple play. He loved it. They hadn't gotten to the more exciting stuff for him, but they were getting there fast. She would both love that and hate it. She was coming to enjoy her spankings a little too much. She wasn't altogether certain she liked the crop that much, but he doubted if she would care for very many of the straps, slappers and tawes he was looking at in his cupboard at the moment.

These were specialized tools, and he chose three tawes, one that would warm her little backside up properly. He would ask her questions and hope she would answer him without lying. She'd never lied to him, but she'd been considering it. The second tawes, also crafted in the rough-hewn center-split leather like the first, was slightly larger and delivered a more punishing strike. She would definitely feel it. The split leather wouldn't feel anywhere near the same as the thicker crop he'd used on her. He'd ask again, and if she still didn't answer him, there was the larger tawes, which she definitely wouldn't enjoy. It was for a severe punishment. A lie. A holdout when there was no reason. He hoped-and doubted-it wouldn't come to that.

Savage would lay it out for her like he always did. She would choose her own consequences. During a punishment she knew there was no calling out "red" for stop. Any other time during sex, she had that right. This was a different circumstance and one she'd agreed to when they first laid down the rules to their relationship.

--This text refers to the mass_market edition.

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don't mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I'll get a certain reaction and they don't do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.

Book Review: Annihilation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 6) by Christine Feehan

Annihilation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 6)

by Christine Feehan 

December 28, 2021

480 pages

All paths lead to destruction in the new Torpedo Ink novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Savin “Savage” Pajari is convinced he’s not worth a damn thing. He’s not like his brothers. He’s a sadistic monster, a killer—a man no woman could truly love. So it completely throws him when a stranger risks her life for his, pushing him out of the way and taking the hit that would have sent him six feet under. If he had any kind of sense, he’d leave her alone, but Savage can’t get the woman with a smart mouth and no sense of self-preservation out of his head. With one kiss, he’s lost.

Seychelle Dubois has spent her entire life not feeling much of anything, until Savage comes along and sets her whole body on fire. Kissing him was a mistake. Letting him get close would be a catastrophe. He’s the most beautiful—and damaged—man she’s ever met. He has a way of getting under her skin, and what he’s offering is too tempting to resist.

Seychelle knows so little about Savage or the dangerous world of Torpedo Ink, but his darkness draws her like a moth to a flame. Loving him could mean losing herself completely to his needs—needs she doesn’t understand but is eager to learn. But what Savage teaches her could destroy her.

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Savage runs with a biker gang known as Torpedo Ink. They are, in fact, more like family since they all went through something very horrible as children. They have each other's backs and celebrate when a member finds their one person. Savage is a killer and a sadist, but he's that way because the people who kidnapped him and killed his family made him that way. He never thought he'd find a woman who would love him because he's very broken.

Seychelle has a gift that lets her heal people somewhat or at least help them live longer if they are very sick. She can also feel what they are feeling and help if they are anxious, mad, or other emotions. She's a singer but there's a guy who thinks he controls where and when she can sing and she's not happy about it. So when some of the guys of Torpedo Ink ask her to sing at their club, she says she'll think about it.

Seychelle runs into Savage when she spots him trying to save a child from getting hit by a vehicle, but he's not gonna make it out of the way in time until she pushes him out of the way and gets hurt herself. Savage can't believe someone risked their life for him so he goes to the hospital to see her and is instantly attracted to her, which doesn't ever happen to him. He tries to leave her alone because he knows he's broken, and any woman he ends up with will have to deal with his demons.

They spend time together, and Savage is pretty upfront with her about what he needs, but she knows because she catches glimpses of what he does when the rage in him gets to be too much, and he needs a release. Each member of Torpedo Ink was trained from a young age to be killers, and their paranormal gifts were honed, and they were trained to use them, which helped them survive the hell they were put through. Now they seek out pedophiles so they can save the child victims and kill the offenders. That's what they've been doing in some of the other books. Unfortunately, all of the members are a little messed up mentally because of how they were raised and the abuse, torture, and hell they went through as children.

Seychelle has made enemies of a couple of different guys because she wasn't easily persuaded and helped a woman in trouble, and now a couple of guys have her in their sights. So while Savage and Seychelle are getting to know each other better, the club members are also keeping her safe.

This is the 6th book in the Torpedo Ink series, and I have been looking forward to this book the most because Savage seems the most broken. He's a sadist. His nickname is whip master for a reason. There will actually be two books just about Savage because one book couldn't do him justice. I'm looking forward to that one as well, even though I feel it will be more in-depth regarding Seychelle and Savage's relationship and how he's "training" her to like and accept the pain that he needs.

This book and this series isn't for everyone. The guys can be crass, rude, and rough because they use a lot of bad language and can be quite graphic. Because of all these things, I wasn't sure that this series would be for me. But I just keep coming back to read each book because I've gotten to know these characters and what they've been through and how hard they've tried to put the torturous childhood they had to some use, and when they find that one person they were meant to be with, it's nice to see them get a little happiness in their lives for once.

This isn't an easy read, but Savage is so much more than a sadist. He's also a guy who cares a lot about his club members. We get to see what his gift is and how he's been using it without them even knowing it. After that bombshell explodes, we see why Savage is so full of rage and in need of an outlet to release it. I would definitely read this series in order; otherwise, you might be a little lost.

I give this book 5 out of 5 sheep!

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don't mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I'll get a certain reaction and they don't do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.

Book Review: Fate Interrupted: (Moonstone Cove Book 3 (of 3) by Elizabeth Hunter

Fate Interrupted: (Moonstone Cove Book 3 (of 3)
by Elizabeth Hunter

June 8, 2021

Pages: 314

She had her life all planned out; fate had other ideas.

How did an accomplished Southern businesswoman, wife, and mother end up living on California’s Central Coast, working for a stubborn wine-maker, newly divorced, and wrestling with sudden psychic powers?

Megan Carpenter asks herself that same question nearly every day.

She’s working her way back to the business world and starting her own event planning business, but fate keeps throwing her curveballs. Her ex has an unexpected new girlfriend, her telekinetic powers keep short-circuiting, and her self-control—at least when it comes to her boss, Nico Dusi—is slipping.

Thank goodness she has the two best friends in the world. With Katherine and Toni at her side, Megan is determined to keep her plans on track, even when at unexpected theft at the winery threatens the new business she’s building.

When Nico asks Megan, Toni, and Katherine for help finding the thief, life in Moonstone Cove gets even more mind-bending. Experimental grape clones, industrial espionage, and bizarre blood stains. Even for three psychic friends, this mystery may be more than they can handle on their own.

Fate Interrupted is the third book in the Moonstone Cove series, a paranormal women’s fiction series by USA Today bestseller Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Glimmer Lake series and the Elemental Legacy.

Amazon

Megan has been working independently at the Dusi Winery event, planning and rediscovering her life after being married for 20+ years and now single. She finds Toni’s cousin Nico, who owns the winery, delicious. But she’s not one to mix business and pleasure even if technically he’s not her boss. As Nico steps up his interest, Megan tries her hardest to focus on her new event planning business and not her libido.

When a thief hits, Nico hires Megan, Toni, and Katherine to help find the thief because what was stolen is irreplaceable, not to mention it was a work in progress for the last three years. Henry is less than pleased that Nico wants Toni to work when she is very pregnant, and her due date is fast approaching. Toni isn’t one to take orders and, if nothing else, needs a little distraction from her very large, uncomfortable belly.

Hunter has done a fantastic job creating a paranormal series with women over 40 with psychic powers and some romance to stir things up.

Review: Runaway Fate: (Moonstone Cove Book 1)
Review: Fate Actually: (Moonstone Cove Book 2

Getting 5 sheep 

Denise B

About the Author:
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Elizabeth Hunter is a contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance writer. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and a former English teacher. She once substitute taught a kindergarten class, but decided that middle school was far less frightening. Thankfully, people now pay her to write books and eighth-graders everywhere rejoice.

She currently lives in Central California with her son, two dogs, many plants, and a sadly dwindling fish tank. She is the author of the Elemental Mysteries and Elemental World series, the Cambio Springs series, the Irin Chronicles, and other works of fiction.

Amends: A Psychic Mystery Series (A Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mystery, #2) by Carissa Andrews + giveaway

Amends: A Psychic Mystery Series (A Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mystery, #2)

by Carissa Andrews
July 23rd 2021
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Urban Fantasy
For as psychic as she is, shit goes sideways far too often around Diana Hawthorne.

Diana now has everything she ever wanted–her memories, and the soul mate she didn’t realize she was missing. There’s just one problem… the old gods expect her to make amends for her absence. And her work starts now.

But time lost at the oracle isn’t the only thing she has to atone for. Her friend Demetri was stripped of his powers–and it was all her fault. If she could just set things right, she’d feel a whole lot better about moving forward. Unfortunately, Demetri wants nothing to do with her and knows exactly how to keep her out of his head.

To make matters worse, in the age of social media, Diana’s abilities have gone viral. People from all over the world are clambering to get on her books. One case, in particular, hits her radar and despite herself, she can’t shake it. A 14-year-old boy is wrapped up with a deadly governmental agency and he’s scared to death. And he should be–they want to weaponize his power.

Torn between what was and what is, Diana struggles to fully embrace who she’s becoming. Will she be able to help Demitri and make things right? Or will her new role mean leaving the past behind?

Calling fans of KF Breene, Shannon Mayer, and Shayne Silvers! If you like snarky-fun humor, gripping supernatural scenes, and twists that leave you spellbound — then you will LOVE Carissa Andrews’ world built especially for Diana Hawthorne.

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About the Author:

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Goodreads-Instagram

“An author emerges from the depths of Minnesotan waters. Sci-fi/Fantasy is my pen of choice.”

Carissa Andrews is a Minnesota-based genre-bending author who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. When not writing her own books, she’s busy reading them.

Carissa’s internationally bestselling trilogy, The Pendomus Chronicles, is now in digital, print, and audiobook formats. She has hit the scene as an up and coming speculative fiction author who uses a mix of scifi and fantasy, twisted in modern mythology and alternative history. Check out The Final Five, Oracle, Awakening, and Love is a Merciless God!

Carissa has big plans for 2020. Check out her upcoming series, The Windhaven Witches.

For more information on their release, visit Carissa Andrews’ author website: www.carissaandrews.com and sign up for her newsletter notifications.

She lives in central Minnesota with her husband and brood of five kids. Not to mention, her insane husky puppies, Aztec and Pharaoh.

Carissa is also a freelance graphic designer, writer and content creator, social media manager, and marketing professional. She writes consistently on topics of science, technology, art, writing, photography, graphic design, health, self-improvement, and more. Her articles can be found published across the interwebs. Carissa is also a Top-Rated Freelancer on Upwork, and can be contacted for freelancing opportunities: http://bit.ly/UpworkCarissaAndrews

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INT)

$25 Amazon gift card

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Book Review: Reckless Road (Torpedo Ink Book 5) by Christine Feehan

Reckless Road (Torpedo Ink Book 5)
by Christine Feehan

February 9, 2021
Berkley
480 pages

Refuel your passion with a new installment of the Torpedo Ink series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

While Gedeon “Player” Lazaroff is one of Torpedo Ink motorcycle club’s roughest members, he’s also one of the calmest. Little rattles Player, except for the times his gift gets the better of him. When that happens, he has to just lie down in the dark and hope for the best. But on a night when he’s on the verge of losing it, he meets a woman who manages to soothe his fractured mind.

Zyah is a striking, ethereal beauty who seduces him with every word and move. Their night together is one of pure, exquisite bliss. But when Player gets confused and thinks their intimate encounter was nothing more than a dream, his careless dismissal leaves her humiliated and angry.

Now, Player will have to devote his every breath to convincing Zyah to give him a second chance. Because she might be the only one who can save him from himself.…

Getting back from a mission that went all kinds of wrong, Player has a migraine and his other psychic gifts are starting to get away from him. Even his buddies don't really know how bad things can get if he doesn't get back to his room and sleep for a while. But Zyah is in his room when he gets there and just being around her makes him feel better.

Amazon

Zyah is just at the party to be a designated driver so she gets permission to use one of the vacant bedrooms to practice her belly dancing. So when Player walks in and asks her to stay and talk with him, she does. They end up doing a lot more than talking and afterward when he gives her a handful of cash and tells her to leave, she's hurt and humiliated.

Zyah is not a hooker like Player thought she was so she's more than a little disgusted with him and herself and hopes to never see him. But he knows he made a huge mistake with her, he had been awake for three days and didn't realize what he was doing. So the next day he has his friends helping track her down so he can make things right and hopes that Zyah will give him another chance. He and his friends find out that Zyah had come to her grandmother's home after men broke in and threatened her grandmother and beat her up so now Zyah was looking for a new job closer to her grandmother so she could be there to take care of her.

There were several break-ins and assaults in that town but Zyah and her grandmother didn't understand why the burglars came back to her grandmother's house more than once. They must be getting faulty information about what she could have in her home from someone. Because Player wants to keep Zyah safe, he's there when another break-in happens at Zyah's home and he's able to stop it but not before he gets really hurt. Zyah and another member of his club come and are able to help heal him with their psychic gifts but it takes weeks for him to get better and in that time something strange starts to happen to him because he builds bombs in his head that can become real when he doesn't have tight control over his psychic gifts.

While Zyah and Player are slowly getting closer and getting to know one another a lot better, they have to deal with something strange happening and someone being able to spy on them in a weird way. Then they find out that someone in the community is helping the burglars and I had that wrong. I didn't realize who it was until it was revealed. All the members of Torpedo Ink had horrible childhoods but that brought them a lot closer now. So they all gather around to help Player, Zyah, and her grandmother. I really liked this book and will definitely be reading more books as they come out. I would recommend reading this series in order since there are so many characters and storylines going on.


I give this book 4 out of 5 sheep.

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don't mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I'll get a certain reaction and they don't do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.

Book Review: Desolation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 4) by Christine Feehan + excerpt

Desolation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 4)

by Christine Feehan
July 7, 2020
Berkley
Take the ride of your life with the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club in this thrilling romance novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Torpedo Ink is Aleksei “Absinthe” Solokov’s whole life. They’re his brothers, his family—his everything. But that doesn't stop him from wanting something that only belongs to him. That’s why the tough biker has spent the last six weeks at the library, reading every book he can get his hands on and watching the prim and proper librarian who makes his blood rush.

For the past six weeks, Scarlet Foley has been fantasizing about the handsome, tattooed man whose eyes follow her every move. She senses he's dangerous. She wants him to get close enough to touch. She wishes she could let him know the real woman, not the one she pretends to be. But Scarlet has a plan to carry out, and she can’t afford any distractions.

Absinthe is well aware that Scarlet is hiding something. She’s a puzzle he intends to solve, piece by intoxicating piece….

Aleksei (Absinthe) loved books, it gave him a way to escape for a little while and feel normal. But coming to the library for the past six weeks had more to do with the librarian than the books. He had been watching her and hadn't told anyone about her yet. He could command with his voice if he wanted to and he wanted to tell everyone to be quiet and stop thinking for a while so he wasn't always bombarded with emotions, but he didn't.

Scarlet Foley, the librarian was thrilled when Aleksei kept coming back to the library. She thought he was the most gorgeous man she's ever laid eyes on. She hadn't been enamored with muscles and tattoos until she met him and now she had a hard time not staring at him. But she has a huge secret so she's very careful about who she spends her time with.

Aleksei could read thoughts from those he touched but he also had other gifts. He could compel the truth and make suggestions others would follow. He's a member of Torpedo Ink, a biker gang that was trained from a young age and now seeks out pedophiles so they can save the child victims and kill the offenders. Unfortunately, all of the members are a little messed up mentally because of how they were raised and the abuse, torture, and hell they went through as children.

When Aleksei asks her out on a date, she was wary at first but she accepts and finds out that they have a lot in common including the fact that they are both speed readers. I loved that since I've been told that I read pretty fast and could relate to that fact really well. I found them to be fun, genuine, and even a little flirty. But when his club does a deep background check on her, he finds out that she's more like him than he could have ever imagined. All he knows is that Scarlet might be in danger from a very powerful man who wants vengeance and even though she can take care of herself, he wants to be there to make sure she's safe...if she'll let him.

Their relationship gets serious really fast when they're thrown into a dangerous situation and Absinthe's club gets involved in helping to keep her safe not only from the man who wants revenge against her but a rival motorcycle club who has been hired to kidnap her and bring her to the person who put a hit out on her.

I have so many mixed feelings for some of these characters. Absinthe's brothers and sisters of his club have very strong personalities and even though they care deeply about each other and the person that will become their husband/wife, they are still really messed up people. They all seem to have peculiar or even strange and sometimes dangerous sexual 'needs' that they expect their partners to be ok with. So while I liked this book much better than the first, there are still things about these people that I don't like. I'm almost scared to guess what will happen when Savage gets his book because that character is probably the most messed up and he's more than a little scary. I pity the woman that catches his eye but I'm also intrigued. Like I said, so many mixed feelings.

I liked this book a lot more than the first book. The guys of Torpedo Ink were rude, crude, and very much cavemen in the first book. But Absinthe is a more likable character and the other guys have settled down a little bit. They might still be unpolished gems but they seem to be better people since finding their partners. The women's calming personalities seem to be rubbing off on these guys. But they all genuinely care about each other which is admirable and something that I really like.

I give this book 4 sheep.

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

Excerpt:
Absinthe opened the door to the restaurant for her, scanning the room quickly for potential trouble before allowing her to do the same thing while he turned back toward the street and gave that another quick once-over. Certain no one was paying attention to either of them, he closed the door and followed his librarian’s amazing ass. She was in a black skirt with small white polka dots scattered over it. The material clung to her curves. He appreciated that particular skirt very much.

Absinthe held the back of her chair for her, ignoring the waiter who looked as if he might conk him on the head and abscond with the girl. She looked regal as she took the seat, smiling up at Absinthe, nearly taking his breath away. Whatever it was that she had affected him like some kind of aphrodisiac. Her small teeth. That mouth with her full, pouty lips that were made for a man’s dirtiest fantasies. He hadn’t had them until she came along. Not like this. Mostly he’d had nightmares. The erotic, very graphic dreams were a welcome change.

“Are you a wine drinker?” Absinthe didn’t know the first thing about wine. He could make her any kind of drink she wanted, or talk beer, but wine eluded him. If she loved wine, he was going to be taking a crash course. It wouldn’t take him long to catch up.

She shook her head. “I actually don’t drink very much. Once in a while, if it’s really hot out, I’ll have an ice-cold beer. But other than that, it’s a very occasional drink and usually I go for something girly like a cosmopolitan.”

“I don’t drink wine,” Absinthe admitted. “Like you I’m not a big drinker, but mostly that stems from wanting to be alert all the time.”

“You don’t put your feet up, relax and have tons to drink?” There was the merest hint of amusement in her voice. Mostly she was serious.

He loved the look on her face when she gave him her full attention. He focused completely on her once he was certain the few couples already eating or waiting to be served weren’t interested in them in the least.

“No, that wouldn’t work for me. I do like to put my feet up though,” he admitted. “I’m going to be very up-front with you.” It was confession time. If he didn’t say it straight up, she’d find out anyway. “I’m not good at this. I never know what to say and I come off stilted and awkward, but I don’t want to be that way with you.”

Her green eyes were hard to stay still under. She seemed to see right through his skull into his mind where chaos reigned—thanks to her.

“I’m not so great at this either,” she declared. “I guess we’re going to have to learn. I’m very competitive and I have a fast learning curve. Very fast. Wait.” She frowned at him. “You weren’t reading a help book on dating, were you?”

“Do they have those in the library?”

Her lashes swept down and then back up. A small smile teased the curve of her mouth, causing his heart to accelerate. He found himself staring. Shit. He was going to lose before he got started because he couldn’t stop staring at her.

She laughed. “I’m not telling you. I’ll read them and turn into a scintillating conversationalist in minutes, leaving you in the dust.”

He instantly learned three things. There were multiple self-help books on dating, she read extremely fast, and she really was competitive. He flashed a small grin, looking at her with hawk-like eyes, giving her the predator look just for a moment. Just to see the shiver that crept down her spine.

“I’ll have to be there first thing in the morning before your shift.”

“You know my shifts?” The smile faded, and she sounded uneasy.

He shrugged. “How was I going to ask you out? I went multiple times without seeing you, so clearly you had a shift and only came into the library during those times. I kept having to trade work with friends, and drive here from the coast, so, I found out when you worked. I came as often as I could, and just waited until we’d established a very tentative woman can charm the socks right off a shy man any day of the week.”

“Is that what we established?”

Her laughter got him every time. He found himself actually relaxing. The waiter hovered, and both guiltily studied the menu. She ordered a pasta dish and he ordered a steak. Fresh-baked bread was put on the table, and he suddenly realized he was very hungry.

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don't mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I'll get a certain reaction and they don't do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.