Thursday, January 31, 2013

New! FLY ME TO THE MOON, a sensuous fantasy romance by Linda Mooney

 
FLY ME TO THE MOON
Erotic Fantasy Romance
ISBN #: 978-0-9859300-2-8
Word Count: 12,900

Cost: $0.99

Where does a superhero go to find love?

After years of fruitless searching, Laurel finally went to an internet dating site to look for Mr. Right. What she found was her own personal superhero.


Warning: Contains lasagna and mild bondage.
 
Now Available at All Romance eBooks
 
Amazon
 
and Barnes and Noble
 
****
"Excuse me."

"Sorry." She automatically stepped aside to let the customer enter the restaurant, then realized the person didn't move once she'd retreated. Laurel glanced up to see a warm smile and a pair of dancing green eyes watching her. The face was instantly recognizable, as he looked exactly like his photo.

"Trent!"

He laughed as they hugged briefly. Despite its brevity, she could tell the man was in prime physical condition. Hugging him had been like hugging a marble statue, only better.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked as they entered the restaurant.

"No. Not long."

She discovered that Trent had made reservations. They were quickly seated and left with menus. Without looking at the contents, they both set the menus aside, then realized what they'd done, bringing about more laughter.

"I take it you come here frequently?" Trent asked.

"As frequently as time and my bank account will allow," Laurel said. In the soft glare of the candlelight on the table between them, she was amazed by how handsome the man was. It brought a fresh wave of fear and self-doubt, and she wondered how the date would end. The photo she'd sent him had been done at one of those makeup studios that glamorize the customer before taking pictures. Tonight, she looked nothing like that photo. If anything, after a hard day at work, she probably looked even less like her usual self.

How did Trent feel about dating homely looking women?

"What?"

"Huh?"

He brushed at something on his cheek. There was just the right amount of early evening shadow covering his lower face. It made him appear even more studly, if that was possible. He flashed her an uncomfortable grin. "You were staring at my face like I had something on it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was..." She gave an embarrassed giggle. "I was marveling at how much you look just like your picture."

"So do you."

She instantly dismissed it. "No, I don't. That photo was taken last year, and I had three people work on me for an hour in order to look like that. Trust me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime photo shoot."

To her surprise, he reached over and covered her hand that was nervously fingering the stem of her empty wine glass. "Trust me, Laurel. You look exactly like your photo, especially in this light. Your face glows, and you have the most incredible blue eyes I've ever seen. In fact, right this minute, I prefer the way you look now, with your dark hair disheveled and the bright spots of color on your cheek. You look real and natural. Makes me think this is the way you'd appear when you first get up in the morning."

The shock of his statement washed through her, leaving her speechless. His honesty was irrefutable. Before she could respond, they were interrupted by the waiter arriving to take their order. Once he left, Laurel opened her napkin to give her time to think up a response. Finally, the best one seemed to be the simplest one.

"Thank you."

Trent grinned. Or rather, one corner of his mouth turned upward. "I take it you're not accustomed to being complimented."

"N-no. Yelled at, yes. Ordered about, yes. But kind words?" She gave a weak shrug. She started to reach for her water glass when she stopped. The water's surface was quivering. Trent looked down to see what held her attention.

"What?"

"The water," she told him. "Look. It's moving."

"It's just a small earthquake," he smiled. "We get tremors like this all the time. Are you new to California?"

Laurel shook her head. "No. It's just that something like that is often a precursor to a bigger one."

Trent's smile widened. "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

The sound of sirens overrode the restaurant's music, and several emergency vehicles sped by. At the same time a beeping noise came from Trent's watch. He glanced at it and frowned.

"Oh, jeez. They would call me in."

"They?"

"Uhh, my bosses. They probably want me to follow that fire truck and see if I can lend a hand. I told them this was my night off, but does that matter? Excuse me for a moment." He pulled his cell phone from out of his pants pocket and punched a number. "Yes. Uh-huh. Over on the north side, near Blaylock. Got it. Look, I'm tied up at the moment, but I'll get over there as soon as I can. Uh-huh. Okay. Okay. 'Bye."

"Is it serious?" she finally ventured to ask.

"Apparently a gas line ruptured during the tremor. Came up through the street and caused a pile-up. Police are on the scene, and ambulance and fire department are on their way."

"Think The Champion will show up?"

Trent grinned again. "You never know. This is just the sort of thing a superhero like The Champion is good at. Saving the world one person at a time."

Realizing Trent was staying a while longer, Laurel reached over to the basket just delivered onto the table and grabbed a breadstick. "Can you imagine what real life might be like for a person like The Champion?"

"What? You mean private life?"

"Any sort of life outside of fighting crime and all."

"Gee, I never of thought of it, but I'd guess it would be pretty bleak. I mean, you'd have to be like Superman and have a secret identity just so you could have friends and go out on a date." He winced. "A love life would be very dangerous for your partner, which would mean your sex life would pretty much suck."

"Wouldn't you think that after a while, though, the loneliness and emptiness would get to be too unbearable?" she wondered aloud.

"Oh, yeah. I've no doubt it would." He laughed so softly she almost didn't hear it. "Wouldn't it be funny if The Champion turned to a dating service like the one we did?"

"Actually, I think it might be a perfect solution. Using the dating service to find someone who is so much like you that when a call goes out for The Champion to help, the other person understands and waits for you without question or reservation."

"It would be a dream come true, in a way." He continued to stare out the front window.

Laurel noticed how antsy he was quickly becoming. "Trent, listen, if you have to leave to go tend to that accident, I understand."

"No. No, I promised you a nice dinner at a restaurant, and I'm a man of my word. The emergency crews can get along without me." He started to say more, when her own phone went off. Rather than answer it, she took note of the number, then put the cell on vibrate and stuck it back in her purse.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" he asked.

"No. I know who it is, and I can probably guess what he wants. I'll call him back later."

"What was that ring tone? It sounded familiar."

"'Fly Me to the Moon'. It was a Sinatra hit many years ago," she said.

"Ah, right. Now I remember it. Odd that it would be your choice."

"Why?"

"My default ring is 'Come Fly With Me'."

"Really? Why that one?"

"Because I have a love of flying, just like you do."

Laurel smiled as she took a sip of water. She was comfortable with the guy even in person. Their easy banter came so naturally, it was refreshing.

He could be the one. My own personal superhero. My lifesaver. The possibility made her heart speed up, and she could feel the heat building between her legs.
 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

New! The Virgin Sacrifice, a humorous erotic fantasy romance...with a dragon.


The Virgin Sacrifice
A humorous, erotic fantasy romance
By Carolyn Gregg
Now Available from Red Rose Publishing
http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=1305 

Erotic Romance: Paranormal Romance, Dragons, Alternate World, Fantasy, Fairy Tale
ISBN: 978-1-4543-0251-3
 
Word Count: 8,188

Pages: 45

Centuries ago, the town of Vistoller was nearly destroyed by dragons, until the townspeople realized that the attacks ceased once a young maiden was swept away by the creatures. Since then, every year, on the cusp of the autumn moon, a virgin is prepared for the dragon's arrival, to ensure another bountiful season without retaliation.

Except this year, the creature has no idea what it's being offered when it's presented with Ilisi. Neither does Ilisi know what to expect when the creature takes her away.

They’re both in for the surprise of their lives.

Excerpt:
Closer and closer the dragon approached. Its immense wings seemed to fill the sky as the creature loomed closer. Before too long, it blocked out the sun entirely, and Ilisi could finally look at the enormous monster as it dipped and turned to circle the site.
It didn't spout flames from its mouth, but she knew it could. And it would, if no sacrifice had been offered. It would have destroyed the whole town with a few simple passes, and no arrows or swords could touch it while it swooped overhead.
The dragon reached out with huge talons and grasped the edges of the old castle wall that used to sit on top of the hill. It was here where Vistoller had met its match centuries ago when the first dragons appeared. It was here at the castle's remains where the yearly sacrifice was offered. Where the dragons would land and claim their victims.
It was a powerful and terrifying-looking behemoth. Black scales covered it from head to tail, including the spread wings. Two massive horns curved upward from its forehead, giving the creature a distinctive, evil appearance.
The monster turned its long black snout from one side to the other as it stared long and hard at her. Oddly, Ilisi felt no fear. Only resignation.
Until she suddenly remembered something she'd heard last year.
"Hey. Aren't you supposed to be green? You were green last year."
The dragon gave a throaty huff, then reached out with one claw, snagging the chain holding her left arm. For the first time, Ilisi cringed, believing the creature was about to disembowel her. Or worse, rip her to pieces as it attempted to remove her from the cuffs. To her surprise, the monster snapped the chain, then did the same for the iron links holding her other arm. She was about comment about the release when the clawed foot grabbed her around the waist, and the dragon launched itself into the air, carrying her with it.
Although the claw was scaly, the foot was warm. With her arms freed, she folded them against herself and tried to brave the cold air by snuggling into the dragon's grasp. Her crown of flowers had flown away. Her hair whipped her face and shoulders, and she tucked the ends under her arms.
Below she could make out the tiny figures climbing to the top of the hill to make certain she'd been taken. Maybe they were surprised by the lack of screams. From what gossip she'd heard over the years, the women always screamed when the dragon arrived. Sometimes blood was found smeared on the walls, or droplets discovered on the ground. But there was never a body. Not even body parts. It was as if the dragon devoured the offering whole.
Now she knew better. The creature didn't eat its victim at the site. It flew away with it to return it to a nest or some such place it called home where it could eat her at its leisure.
They flew over more hills, across a vast lake, and soon approached a range of mountains she'd never knew existed. Mountains so high, their tops were covered in snow and clouds. Up here the air was almost brutally cold, but the dragon didn't seem affected. In fact, after it had noticed her trying to bury herself within its grasp, it seemed to understand why, and closed its other foot around her.
The monster flew between the mountain tops, over a deep orange gorge, then across what appeared to be a lush plateau covered in trees. In the far distance she would swear she saw the sparkle of sunlight on water, perhaps from a larger lake or perhaps an ocean. She never got the chance to be certain. The dragon banked to the left and began its descent toward another pair of tall peaks. Flying between them, it began to descend more rapidly into what looked like a lake of clouds.
The wind rushed upward as the dragon dropped through the white puffs, until they suddenly cleared them. Ilisi stared in shock at the sight below. They were inside of what looked like a ring of mountains, where the steep slopes were covered with buildings. Castles upon castles jutted outward from the rock. Turrets sprouted upward like carrot tops all over the mountain sides. And between them flew dozens of dragons. Dragons of all shapes and sizes and colors.
The creature holding her dropped even further, until it leveled off and headed directly for what appeared to be a wide balcony. Huge doors were open and waiting, leading into the sheer face of the mountain.
Letting her go with one foot, it landed on the wide banister encircling the balcony. Then it released her with the other foot. Ilisi stumbled and fell on the marble-like flooring while the monster remained sitting there, watching her.
Seeing that the dragon wasn't about to pounce on her any time soon and eat her, she managed to get to her feet. Behind her, the huge doors led into what appeared to be a bedroom. A strange idea came to her, and she turned around to face the immense black creature.
"What are you? Some kind of pet? Were you sent by whoever lives here to fetch me?"
The dragon tilted its ears forward but made no other movement.
"Where are the rest of the girls you've taken? Did you bring them here, too? Are they inside somewhere? Do they know I'm coming?"
She took a step backwards, closer to the doors. The dragon made no move to stop her.
"Who lives here? Are they expecting me? Hello!" She turned to face the bedroom. "Helloooo! Is anybody here? Hell—"
"You talk too much."
The sound of a human voice at her back shocked her, and she whirled around. The black dragon was gone, but where it had been stood a tall, gangly man with jet black hair.
A tall, gangly, naked man.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

New Release from Missy Jane!


It's finally here! My first release of 2013 is now available as an ebook from Ellora's Cave Publishing here. It's a part of their Blush line, but don't let that deter you. I promise there is still some steamy lovin' between Elle and Hank, just not as much as in my other books.
It's the third in my Love Beyond Barriers series but can definitely be read alone. The story of Elle and Hunky Hank is one that just flowed through my fingers with relative ease. I had a great time writing it, though there were a couple of emotional moments. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

-Missy Jane
*Make reading a guilty pleasure...*


Blurb:
Blush sensuality level: This is a sensual romance (may have explicit love scenes, but not erotic in frequency or type).
Book three in the Love Beyond Barriers series.


A few months ago I finally moved on with my life and got away from my abusive ex-boyfriend. That should be a good thing, right? But now I’m living with Hunky Hank, my ex’s former friend turned my Knight in Shining Armor. He’s great at everything and treats me like a queen. Unfortunately that makes me feel needy when I’m trying to be more independent. When I need to be more independent. So when I started getting vibes of another woman, I knew it was time to move out and move on. So much easier said than done. It’s not so easy to leave behind the temptation of the most perfect guy I’ve ever known. He’s the only one who looks at me and instead of seeing a shattered image, he sees someone who is too hard to break.
A Blush® romance from Ellora’s Cave


Other books in this series: