Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

LGBT

She was the sexiest woman in the room… Embracing Passion #NewRelease #EroticRomance #Polyamory #MFRWHooks

by

A single wrong assumption can be costly…

I’m so excited for this new release! Embracing Passion been a long labor of love – the finale to the Passion series, set in a fictional center for sex studies and sexuality.

Welcome to MFRW Hooks, where the authors of Marketing for Romance Writers
share snippets from their stories to entice you into wanting more.
Be sure to click on the links at the end to travel!

EXCERPT

Set Up: Having checked out the Center’s website from Rosanne’s business card, the detective has decided to drop in on a lecture at a college campus… 

New York, New York 2014

Sitting in the back row of the small lecture hall, Tom Walker had a difficult time believing that the conservatively dressed, articulate, non-threatening woman explaining the hazards of sexually transmitted diseases was the same provocative woman he’d confronted at the rest area parking lot.

The hall was half-filled, with possibly two thirds of the audience female. Initially it had held a distinct air of tension, but Rosanne Falcon’s quick wit and sense of humor had helped relax the mood of the crowd. Clearly, Falcon and her co-presenter, Anna Jackson, were quite experienced at working a crowd. Jackson, with a nursing background, had been reassuring about how women and men could protect themselves and obtain treatment if they failed to do so. She came across very matter-of-fact, almost motherly.

He figured Jackson had to be in her forties. Taller than Falcon, the brunette was somewhat larger in build—not overweight, but leaning that way a little. She looked like money. The rings on her fingers reflected in the light, and he knew enough about women’s fashion to be aware the pantsuit she wore was probably tailored. All in all, pleasant looking, and knew how to dress for her size.

But Anna Jackson didn’t catch his imagination like Rosanne Falcon did. Hardly anything about Rosanne’s simple one-piece blue dress was sexy, yet she was the sexiest woman in the room. Was it her poise? It wasn’t her oversized loop earrings. Maybe it was her confident smile. She knew she had everyone’s attention.

Even his presence had only caused a momentary blip. He’d purposely come into the hall after he heard her begin to introduce herself and Anna. She hadn’t appeared shocked when he took his seat. By then she was already on cruise control. She had no doubt put him aside as a problem to deal with later.

Along with everyone else, he’d laughed when she’d informed them that the slide presentation was PG rated; if they’d been expecting X-rated materials, they’d be disappointed. She and Jackson shared several slides loaded with data on sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. There’d been a brief overview of the Center and its mission with a few slides of staff sitting around tables and working at computers. A couple slides of instructional DVD covers were at least suggestive. The slide that brought the biggest gasp of surprise, then titters and whispers, showed a table with a vast array of sex toys.

Clearly amused by the audience’s response, Falcon had quipped, “Don’t laugh. Some of those can be a woman or man’s second-best friend. Ladies, how many of you own at least one vibrator?”

A few hands went up, then many more. She’d laughed and clapped her hands. “Our research data suggests that the percentage is probably a little higher than that. Sorry if I embarrassed anyone.”

BLURB

Now in her late twenties, Rosanne Falcon’s life has finally come together—a Ph.D., a prestigious research job, and two exquisite lovers, one of each gender, to complete the package. The intense bond she shares with Simone Stone was augmented rather than broken when Simone met and married Boyd Roberts, and the three have forged a fulfilling polyamory relationship. More would only be trouble.

Widowed by a tragic accident several years earlier, Detective Thomas Walker is nearing retirement after twenty years on the police force and ready to change careers. Fully convinced the hot redhead who meets truckers at the rest area he’s staked out is a prostitute, he sets out to build his case against her. He is dead wrong, but each layer he uncovers of what she really does for a living challenges long held assumptions. Can he overcome his deep-seated bias to make room for what’s possible?

BUY LINK

Now available at all ebook stores!

UNIVERSAL LINK

https://books2read.com/u/bpYaYX

Be sure to click on the links to travel to the rest of today’s exciting excerpts!

“And you met me.” #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #EroticRomance #LGBGTQ #Sale #99cents #MFRWAuthor @IHeartLesFic

by

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday, the weekly hops for everyone who loves to write – and read!
Click on the graphics to travel to the other snippets.

                                        

Picking up where we left off last Sunday from the opening scene, at their 20th college reunion; the last sentence was Janet shrugged, but didn’t withdraw her hand.

EXCERPT

She wasn’t pleased Brenda could still read her thoughts so well. “Why did you come this year? Do you come every year?”

“Not really – I’ve been to a few. I decided to come at the last minute, on a whim, really. I didn’t have anything else to do. Now that I live in New York, it’s not that hard to get here. A lot easier than when I was on the west coast.” Her mouth curved into a warm smile. “I hoped I might meet someone interesting.”

“And you met me. That must’ve been a downer.”

BLURB

Janet Baxter keeps her post-divorce life neatly compartmentalized: Secure job, spacious Westchester County home, successful adult children, dependable community volunteer activities. Why is she drawn—for the first time ever—to attend her twenty-year college reunion in New York City?

Always a free spirit, Brenda Cassidy is comfortably bisexual and has no plans to ever settle down. But a fling? The reappearance of svelte, reserved Janet Baxter in Brenda’s life is nothing less than a gift, worthy of every enticement Brenda can conjure up. Can Brenda seduce Janet into an endless night of the lovemaking they enjoyed too briefly as college roommates? What if the lady wants more?

BUY LINK

ON SALE NOW FOR 99¢

https://books2read.com/u/bzn6RL

REVIEW

Five Stars at Goodreads: “Building up the sexual tension between these two is the heart of this book. When they finally give in, I was right there with them. They are HOT! … a quick read but so well written I did not want it to end.”

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“You’re his puzzle piece… for the moment.” Embracing Passion #NewRelease #EroticRomance #Polyamory #MFRWHooks

by

A single wrong assumption can be costly…

I’m so excited for this new release! Embracing Passion been a long labor of love – the finale to the Passion series, set in a fictional center for sex studies and sexuality.

Welcome to MFRW Hooks, where the authors of Marketing for Romance Writers
share snippets from their stories to entice you into wanting more.
Be sure to click on the links at the end to travel!

EXCERPT

Set Up: Rosanne has shared her concern about the detective’s investigation with the Center staff.

New York, New York 2014

“I don’t care what you say,” Center Co-Director Harry Gage grumbled, “I don’t like the idea of a cop nosing around. Nothing good comes from that.”

Melissa Hopkins-Gage, the other co-director, shook her head at her husband, who sat on the opposite side of the office round table, with Simone Stone and Rosanne on either side of her. She knew he was only expressing his concern for their staff.

She was pleased that Anna Jackson, the Center’s part-time community education director and board member, had been able to join them this morning. In her early forties, Anna brought a certain wisdom to the Center as well as strong commitment to the Center’s broad educational mission. That she probably colored her raven hair and that her body had matured with age, displaying a slightly thicker waist and wider hips than Anna preferred, made her an asset, particularly in fantasy videos depicting a middle-aged woman’s role. Her enthusiasm in front of the camera rivaled that of her younger colleagues.

“We don’t have anything to hide, Harry,” Melissa reminded her husband. “You know that.”

Melissa glanced at Rosanne, who was uncharacteristically antsy. She’d seldom seen her friend so out of sorts. This detective must’ve shaken her up more than she was admitting. “If your detective comes to the Center, we’ll show him around. If he thinks we’re trying to hide something, then he’ll probably hang around a lot longer.”

Rosanne nodded, looking less than convinced.

“I haven’t liked this damn project you two are working on from the beginning.” Harry raked his graying hair. “It’s not safe. And it makes you look like…”

“Harry,” Rosanne interrupted, “we’ve discussed this ad nauseum. Simone and I are careful. We back each other up. We’ve nearly completed our sample selection. Simone’s already finished with her part of the data collection.”

“Right,” Harry huffed. “Because Boyd finally put his foot down. At least her husband has some sense.”

Simone thrust out her chin defiantly. “I agreed to quit because I didn’t have any more data to gain. My preliminary analysis suggests we’re developing a fairly complete picture of the trucker who seeks a liaison while on the road. Don’t make it sound like Boyd has me on a leash.”

Melissa smiled at the spunky woman, who was only two years older than Rosanne. Both women had their doctorates. Both were avid advocates for the Center and its mission. And both could twist Harry Gage around their fingers. She should know. She’d been doing that since before they married. “You know they’re not going to be satisfied until their research is done, Harry. If things were reversed, you’d feel just as strongly.”

Giving up, Harry scrunched his mouth. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t. So,” Melissa said, taking charge, “if this detective shows up, we’ll be nice to him, answer his questions, and show him around.”

“You won’t show him around,” Rosanne protested, “if we’re working on camera.”

“Of course not,” Melissa agreed. “We can show him the stages and sets when they’re not in use, which is most of the time. Do you really think he’ll track you down?”

Rosanne took a long time to respond.

Melissa knew Max’s granddaughter better than most. That flicker of emotion wasn’t exactly fear. So she was more than a little curious about the man who’d apparently stalked her from the rest area to the rental car agency. Melissa smiled to herself. She’d tuck that bit of information away, just in case.

Rosanne flexed her fingers and wet her lips. “I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t,” she said at last. “Detective Walker strikes me as a man who won’t be satisfied until he has all the pieces of the puzzle in place.”

“And you’re his puzzle for the moment.”

BLURB

Now in her late twenties, Rosanne Falcon’s life has finally come together—a Ph.D., a prestigious research job, and two exquisite lovers, one of each gender, to complete the package. The intense bond she shares with Simone Stone was augmented rather than broken when Simone met and married Boyd Roberts, and the three have forged a fulfilling polyamory relationship. More would only be trouble.

Widowed by a tragic accident several years earlier, Detective Thomas Walker is nearing retirement after twenty years on the police force and ready to change careers. Fully convinced the hot redhead who meets truckers at the rest area he’s staked out is a prostitute, he sets out to build his case against her. He is dead wrong, but each layer he uncovers of what she really does for a living challenges long held assumptions. Can he overcome his deep-seated bias to make room for what’s possible?

BUY LINK

Now available at all ebook stores!

UNIVERSAL LINK

https://books2read.com/u/bpYaYX

Be sure to click on the links to travel to the rest of today’s exciting excerpts!

Recent Release: The Earl’s Awakening, by Joy Lynn Fielding #LGBTQ #GayRomance #Regency #Review #Giveaway

by

RECENT RELEASE

Book Title: The Earl’s Awakening

Author: Joy Lynn Fielding

Publisher: Extasy Books

Cover Artist: Martine Jardin

Release Date: September 8, 2023

Genre: Regency M/M romance

Tropes: Rake/bad boy romance

Themes: Learning to live, self-discovery.

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 55 000 words/ 198 pages

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

Extasy Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

One glance, and his past life was history.

Blurb

Leander Talbot’s life changed forever when his wife died. He is now reluctantly venturing back into society, knowing that, as the Earl of Ockley, he must marry again to produce an heir. But he can’t bring himself to the sticking point. Instead, he spends his time evading the matchmaking mamas of the ton.

The dark and dangerous Duke of Arden is an infamous libertine. It is said that he seduces innocents, and there are even more sinister tales whispered of his predilections. Only the wild young blades who form his retinue know the truth, but he is shunned by all save those wishing to court notoriety.

A chance meeting brings Leander into Arden’s orbit. Ignoring the warnings about Arden’s intentions, Leander is drawn into a seductive world of sexual indulgence. There, he finds the freedom he craves from his overbearing family. By the time he suspects Arden might have ulterior motives, it may be too late to save his reputation—and his heart.

Excerpt

Leander sighed slightly. He had immersed himself in work and duty since Bella’s death, but it was only now he understood how removed from his contemporaries he had become. Most faces here were unfamiliar to him. Take the character in the corner—a dark complexion, his dress rich but careless in a way that proclaimed he cared little for the opinion of society. Leander was certain he had never set eyes on him, though the deference with which his circle of friends was treating him indicated that he was a man of some standing. He took the opportunity to ask the servant who brought him a glass of champagne.

“His Grace the Duke of Arden, my lord,” the man informed him.

The name was one with which Leander was familiar. It was a name with which all of London and some of the more enlightened provinces were familiar. Arden represented all that was decadent in the ton, his philandering ways extending far beyond opera dancers and actresses to ladies of quality. And it was not only widows or liaisons with married ladies, for it was said of him that he had ruined more than one young maiden. The number of duels that he had fought and won, the drunken orgies at which he presided, and his losses and gains at the gaming table had all assumed the proportions of legend. There were still darker things whispered about him. Only the coterie of wild young blades who formed his retinue knew the truth of these, but the intimations were there, and Arden remained unrecognised by all save those wishing to court notoriety.

Leander became aware that Arden was returning his gaze, his heavy-lidded eyes holding what appeared to be a gleam of amusement. As Leander watched, Arden raised his glass in a mocking salute before putting it to his lips and tossing back the contents.

Perhaps it was the champagne, perhaps it was the shock of realising that his acquaintances now viewed him as a prig. Whatever the reason, some demon prompted Leander to his feet. In defiance of all proper behaviour, he crossed the room to Arden and introduced himself.

Those dark eyebrows raised briefly, a noble head was inclined, and one of the young men clustered around Arden was moving from his seat, offering it to Leander.

“So you’re Ockley.” The duke’s aristocratic fingers curved elegantly around the stem of his glass and his dark eyes surveyed Leander as he sat. “I didn’t think this to be your sort of place. I’d thought you more of a White’s man.”

The provocation was there. It was well known that Arden had been pre-emptively blackballed by the respectable club lest any member lose their faculties and propose him for membership.

“Indeed?” Leander said stiffly, his somewhat lamentable temper aroused by Arden’s dismissal of him as a priggish bore. “And I thought you a legend, sir. A cautionary tale used by protective parents to keep young cubs in line.”

Reaction rippled through the assembled ranks, but Leander’s gaze was on Arden’s face. A smile touched his lips as he looked at Leander. “A palpable hit, Ockley,” he murmured. His voice was rich and soft, with a hint of steel that intrigued Leander.

“Lea.” Henry’s voice broke in. He was not precisely floored, but he was foxed enough to ignore all dictates of manners as he tugged insistently at his brother’s arm. Knowing that if he resisted, Henry would only become more forceful, Leander allowed himself to be raised to his feet. His brother had been the same since nursery days—when he wanted something, he wanted it now, and it was usually attention he craved. Leander directed a small bow towards Arden, whose smile had widened at the spectacle Henry was making of them both, before following his brother’s urgent strictures to leave immediately.

Review

I’m always eager to pick up a new LGBTQ romance set in the regency era, where we know such relationships had to be clandestine, deeply hidden, highly cloaked. Having read (and re-read, more times than I can count) all of Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novels from the era, I’m already steeped in what such a novel should look like, and The Earl’s Awakening did not disappoint.

Where the novel departs from the period regency, of course, is in its open bedroom – or ballroom, or card room, or wherever the participants engage in their flaming debauchery and wild orgies.

The novel maintains a single point of view throughout, that of Leander, Earl of Ockley. As the novel opens, his behavior in every aspect conforms with what is expected from an upstanding and desirable male member of the Ton. Having recently lost his beloved wife, he honors the needs of his lady mother and plans to re-marry to provide her with the required heir – just not at present.

Seeds of his dramatic transformation are sown in Chapter Two when he first meets the Duke of Arden at a London gaming salon and notices, in spite of himself, that “his voice was rich and soft, with a hint of steel that intrigued Leander.”

Leander’s internal struggle to deny his urgings and prevent himself from acting upon them is richly and authentically conveyed. At nearly every turning point, he responds with action – powerless to resist that hint of steel – then tries to deny that what has occurred satisfies his deepest desires. The many explicit scenes that propel his journey forward are crafted with superb eroticism.

Is he being played for a fool by a rake who intends merely to ruin him? As he comes to recognize and claim what he truly wants, will he find himself rejected? Afficionados of gay erotic romance will relish the journey and find its conclusion highly satisfying.

Five Stars.

About the Author

Joy Lynn Fielding lives in a small English market town, where she indulges her passions for vintage aircraft, horse riding and gardening (though not all at the same time).

Joy tends to wax lyrical about the fascinating facts she discovers during her research for books. Thankfully, she has a very patient Labrador who has a gift for looking interested in what she’s saying while he waits for the food to arrive.

Social Media Links

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Giveaway

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Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

“You look like you’re miles away…” #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #EroticRomance #LGBGTQ #Sale #99cents #MFRWAuthor

by

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday, the weekly hops for everyone who loves to write – and read!
Click on the graphics to travel to the other snippets.

                                        

EXCERPT

Picking up where we left off last Sunday from the opening scene, at their 20th college reunion:

Janet remembered how much Brenda used to admire her long legs and hid a smile. Janet was a good head and a half taller than her old roomie. They used to get kidded a lot about being a feminine Mutt and Jeff duo. She’d always blushed and resented that comment—did any of their friends know they’d experimented with each other sexually?

Janet swallowed hard. It hadn’t happened often—not often enough for Brenda. But…Janet raised her eyes from her drink to meet Brenda’s intense gaze.

“You look like you’re miles away, or maybe years in the past.” Brenda reached across the tiny round table to clutch Janet’s hand again. “Hey, it’s okay. Isn’t that part of what reunions are about?”

Janet shrugged, but didn’t withdraw her hand.

BLURB

Janet Baxter keeps her post-divorce life neatly compartmentalized: Secure job, spacious Westchester County home, successful adult children, dependable community volunteer activities. Why is she drawn—for the first time ever—to attend her twenty-year college reunion in New York City?

Always a free spirit, Brenda Cassidy is comfortably bisexual and has no plans to ever settle down. But a fling? The reappearance of svelte, reserved Janet Baxter in Brenda’s life is nothing less than a gift, worthy of every enticement Brenda can conjure up. Can Brenda seduce Janet into an endless night of the lovemaking they enjoyed too briefly as college roommates? What if the lady wants more?

BUY LINK

ON SALE NOW FOR 99¢

https://books2read.com/u/bzn6RL

REVIEW

Five Stars at Goodreads: “Building up the sexual tension between these two is the heart of this book. When they finally give in, I was right there with them. They are HOT! … a quick read but so well written I did not want it to end.”

 

Stigma, Then and Now #LGBTQ #EroticRomance #ExtasyBooks #MFRWAuthor

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The 15th of every month is my LGBTQ guest post at Tina Donahue’s Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas blog. Today I’m talking about stigma and some of the inspiration for Embracing Passion, book three in the Passion Series, with an excerpt.

Stigma, then and now – Inspiration for Embracing Passion

Hope you’ll stop by and check it out!

Book Information

Embracing Passion, By Adriana Kraft

Release date: August 18, 2023
Publisher: Extasy Books
Genre: Erotic Romance
Themes: Polyamory, Menage, Exhibitionism, age gap
Pairings: MF, FF, FFM, FMF

 

BLURB

A single wrong assumption can be costly…

Now in her late twenties, Rosanne Falcon’s life has finally come together—a Ph.D., a prestigious research job, and two exquisite lovers, one of each gender, to complete the package. The intense bond she shares with Simone Stone was augmented rather than broken when Simone met and married Boyd Roberts, and the three have forged a fulfilling polyamory relationship. More would only be trouble.

Widowed by a tragic accident several years earlier, Detective Thomas Walker is nearing retirement after twenty years on the police force and ready to change careers. Fully convinced the hot redhead who meets truckers at the rest area he’s staked out is a prostitute, he sets out to build his case against her. He is dead wrong, but each layer he uncovers of what she really does for a living challenges long held assumptions. Can he overcome his deep-seated bias to make room for what’s possible?

 

Now available at all ebook stores!

UNIVERSAL LINK

https://books2read.com/u/bpYaYX

Amazon series link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1ZYW1FH