Adriana Kraft

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

Excerpts

Was it coincidence… #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #RomanticSuspense #Sale #99cents #MFRWAuthors

by

Whose mask will crumble first—
the enigmatic professor of Celtic Studies,
the undercover cop masquerading as a co-ed,
or the campus stalker,
biding his time to strike again?

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

                                        

It’s October – time for something scary! My romantic suspense novel The Unmasking is on sale for $0.99 for the entire month of October. The story opens on Samhain/Halloween and has a truly creepy villain. Today’s excerpt follow last week’s – Nancy’s in the college lecture hall.

EXCERPT

She watched Professor Bayfield talk briefly with several co-eds gathered around the podium. What were they seeking from the handsome professor? What did he see in them? He dismissed them quickly and began gathering his things.

Was it coincidence that two of the rapes had taken place only hours after his lectures on Celtic culture? The rapist might have attended one or more of the lectures. The question remained: Had the rapist given the lectures?

Book Information

Title: The Unmasking
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: B&B Publishing
Length: 87,000 words, 375 pages
Tropes: Lady cop, Undercover Detective, college campus, small town
ASIN B00IDVB6KQ

BLURB

Is anthropology professor Matt Bayfield the Blackthorn College rapist, or a potential ally? Aloof and unapproachable, Matt has academic ambitions. He can’t escape Blackthorn College soon enough, and he doesn’t want any entanglements to slow down his exit.

Nancy Appleby would like nothing more than to solve the string of campus rape cases before Thanksgiving so she can go home. The last thing she wants is a relationship to complicate her life—but she’ll settle for a fling, especially when the sex sizzles.

The stalker has his own carefully crafted timetable, with a special date just for Nancy. Can Matt and Nancy force him out of his hidey-hole before it’s too late?

WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING

5 Stars, Amazon reviewer Rochelle: “They got me! I didn’t figure it out!”

5 Stars, Amazon reviewer Wendy: “wonderfully told, suspenseful, erotic romance”

BUY LINK

On SALE for $0.00 throughout October

Available on Kindle Unlimited

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDVB6KQ/

Coming soon! Accidental Contact #sapphicromance #LGBTQ #ShortStory #PreOrder #99cents #MFRWHooks

by

It was up to fate now…

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!

My Sapphic short story Accidental Contact is up for preorder and will be released on Friday November 3 – just $0.99 at all retail outlets!

BOOK INFORMATION

Accidental Contact, By Adriana Kraft
Release date: November 3, 2023
Genre: Erotic Romance
Length: Short Story
Pairing: FF
Tropes: Cougar Story, New York City, Snowbound, Just One Bed

BLURB

Natalie and the much younger Bridgette are real estate agents who’ve often traveled together for business seminars.

Now they’re snowbound in New York City in a hotel room with only one bed. Will Natalie dare to make her move?

 

EXCERPT

“Are you ready for me to shut off the TV?”

“Yes. I’ve heard enough chatter by pundits.”

“Me, too.” Natalie hit the off button, set the remote aside, and rolled onto her side to face the wall. The mattress shifted as Bridgette turned to face the opposite wall. “Good night,” Natalie murmured.

“Good night. I’m looking forward to being snowbound with you in New York.”

Closing her eyes, Natalie didn’t respond. She concentrated on breathing in and out. The predicted blizzard was a pleasant surprise that might prove to be the tipping point.

She’d done all she could do. It was up to fate now. She wouldn’t risk being rejected by her younger colleague. They’d traveled together several times representing their firm at realty conferences. She’d been surprised how comfortable they were as  travel companions, respecting each other’s routines. Bridgette chattered too much, but then Bridgette had probably had to adjust to some of Natalie’s idiosyncrasies, too.

Usually they shared a room with two beds. When they’d checked in at the front desk, Natalie had somewhat berated the clerk for their sleeping arrangements—but she was the one who’d explicitly requested one queen bed when making the reservation. She’d also anticipated correctly that given the size of the conference, there’d be no available rooms with two beds.

Natalie wished she could make the next overture, but she couldn’t. Pride intervened. She had no idea whether the twenty-six-year-old lying next to her would be interested in a forty-year-old divorcee who hadn’t been with a woman since college.

BUY LINK

Pre-order Accidental contact

https://books2read.com/u/47djkE

Want to sample a little steam from Accidental Contact? Here’s a taste… https://wp.me/p9O7pv-3u4

And don’t forget to travel to all the other yummy excerpts!

Will he strike again tonight? #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #RomanticSuspense #Sale #99cents #MFRWAuthors

by

Whose mask will crumble first—
the enigmatic professor of Celtic Studies,
the undercover cop masquerading as a co-ed,
or the campus stalker,
biding his time to strike again?

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

                                        

It’s October – time for something scary! My romantic suspense novel The Unmasking is on sale for $0.99 for the entire month of October. The story opens on Samhain/Halloween and has a truly creepy villain. Today’s ten sentences follow last week’s – Nancy’s in the college lecture hall.

EXCERPT

Nancy scribbled more notes and then focused on the men in the room.

Was he in the lecture hall? Would he strike again, tonight? Or would the rapist stay in his hole, biding his time?

Professor Bayfield concluded his lecture. Nancy leaned back in her chair, flexed her cramped fingers and welcomed the assurance of the small service revolver pressing against her lower back.

Sergeant Nancy Appleby of the Stevens Point, Wisconsin police force had been on the Blackthorn campus for two weeks and had made no progress in identifying the rapist. She’d enrolled in two classes and moved into a small off-campus walk-up, attracting little attention.

Only two persons in Trillium, Minnesota knew her true identity, and why she was there: the president of the college, Joan Williams, who also happened to be Nancy’s favorite aunt; and Lucy Washington, an officer with the college police department. The president had sought outside help to solve a string of rapes because she believed that not only was the security of campus women at stake, so was the future of the college. On leave from her own department, Nancy registered for classes as Nancy Crane, assuming her grandmother’s maiden name.

Book Information

Title: The Unmasking
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: B&B Publishing
Length: 87,000 words, 375 pages
Tropes: Lady cop, Undercover Detective, college campus, small town
ASIN B00IDVB6KQ

BLURB

Is anthropology professor Matt Bayfield the Blackthorn College rapist, or a potential ally? Aloof and unapproachable, Matt has academic ambitions. He can’t escape Blackthorn College soon enough, and he doesn’t want any entanglements to slow down his exit.

Nancy Appleby would like nothing more than to solve the string of campus rape cases before Thanksgiving so she can go home. The last thing she wants is a relationship to complicate her life—but she’ll settle for a fling, especially when the sex sizzles.

The stalker has his own carefully crafted timetable, with a special date just for Nancy. Can Matt and Nancy force him out of his hidey-hole before it’s too late?

WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING

5 Stars, Amazon reviewer Rochelle: “They got me! I didn’t figure it out!”

5 Stars, Amazon reviewer Wendy: “wonderfully told, suspenseful, erotic romance”

BUY LINK

On SALE for $0.00 throughout October

Available on Kindle Unlimited

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDVB6KQ/

Will Natalie dare to make her move? #MFRWSteam #EroticRomance #LGBTQ

by

Welcome to the MFRW Steam Hop,
where the authors of Marketing for Romance Writers
entice you with steamy excerpts from their erotic romance stories.

Scroll to the end for more of this week’s tempting excerpts.

For this month’s steam, I’m sharing from my forthcoming sapphic short story, Accidental Contact.

EXCERPT

Groggily, Natalie peeked at the red numerals on the hotel clock. Midnight—they’d only been in bed for an hour.

Her eyes blinked wide open. There was a hand on her breast. She wiggled her fingers. The hand was definitely not hers. She held her breath, taking stock of her situation.

Steady breathing warmed the back of her neck. She was in danger of becoming intoxicated with Bridgette’s scent. She squirmed her bottom only to discover something solid—Bridgette’s torso, curved around hers. Fortunately, they were about the same height.

Natalie couldn’t discern whether Bridgette was awake or if she was sleepwalking in bed. She rechecked the clock. It had taken her nearly five minutes to assess her situation, and she still wasn’t sure what was happening. Her breathing faltered. She did know her nipples were growing incredibly restless.

Shutting her eyelids, she withdrew into her body to concentrate on one particular nipple. The one Bridgette’s thumb lay within an inch of.

Careful not to move any other part of her body, Natalie placed her hand over Bridgette’s. Natalie tensed, but Bridgette didn’t jerk away. The breathing on the tiny hairs of her neck remained steady.

Cautiously, Natalie moved their hands lower until Bridgette’s fingers curled around her boob. Arching back her neck, Natalie encouraged those fingers to curl tighter around the silk fabric concealing her breast. Reflexively, she nestled her butt closer to Bridgette, and Bridgette’s body undulated slightly, responding to the accidental contact.

Natalie lay for long minutes not daring to move. She tried to calm raging emotions. Finally, she resorted to breathing in tandem with Bridgette. That worked. She relaxed a bit.

She became keenly aware of Bridgette’s breasts crushed against her back. She blinked—they must’ve been there all along. She’d been so needy about her own breasts she hadn’t even noticed Bridgette’s. Where was Bridgette’s other hand? Without turning to look, Natalie decided it must be somewhere on the pillow above her head.

The room had suddenly turned incredibly hot. Natalie smacked her lips. Taking great care not to disturb Bridgette’s side of the covers, she inched the blankets down nearly to her waist. The cooler air did nothing to quell the fire raging inside her.

BOOK INFORMATION

Accidental Contact, By Adriana Kraft
Release date: November 3, 2023
Genre: Erotic Romance
Length: Short Story
Pairing: FF
Tropes: Cougar Story, New York City, Snowbound, Just One Bed

 

BLURB

Natalie and the much younger Bridgette are real estate agents who’ve often traveled together for business seminars. Now they’re snowbound in New York City in a hotel room with only one bed. Will Natalie dare to make her move?

RELEASE DATE NOVEMBER 3, 2023

PRE-ORDER NOW AVAILABLE

Universal Book Link

https://books2read.com/u/47djkE

 

CLICK ON THE LINKS TO TRAVEL TO MORE STEAMY EXCERPTS

Who will be the next victim? #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #RomanticSuspense #Sale #99cents #MFRWAuthors

by

Whose mask will crumble first—
the enigmatic professor of Celtic Studies,
the undercover cop masquerading as a co-ed,
or the campus stalker,
biding his time to strike again?

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

                                        

It’s October – time for something scary! My romantic suspense novel The Unmasking is on sale for $0.99 for the entire month of October. The story opens on Samhain/Halloween and has a truly creepy villain. Today’s ten sentences are the opening of chapter one…

EXCERPT

Who will be the next victim?

Nancy Appleby scanned the co-eds in the small lecture hall. Each could be his next prey. Each looked much younger than she remembered being as a full-time student. Each woman hung on Professor Bayfield’s well crafted words.

Was it the topic, Celtic Myths and Rituals, or was it the aloofness of the tall, dark-haired lecturer with the strong protruding chin that mesmerized? He did command attention. Although his tone was mild, Bayfield played with his audience like a polished actor. Clearly he was in control. Though he gestured but rarely, he moved like an athlete, comfortable in his body.

Book Information

Title: The Unmasking
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: B&B Publishing
Length: 87,000 words, 375 pages
Tropes: Lady cop, Undercover Detective, college campus, small town
ASIN B00IDVB6KQ

BLURB

Is anthropology professor Matt Bayfield the Blackthorn College rapist, or a potential ally? Aloof and unapproachable, Matt has academic ambitions. He can’t escape Blackthorn College soon enough, and he doesn’t want any entanglements to slow down his exit.

Nancy Appleby would like nothing more than to solve the string of campus rape cases before Thanksgiving so she can go home. The last thing she wants is a relationship to complicate her life—but she’ll settle for a fling, especially when the sex sizzles.

The stalker has his own carefully crafted timetable, with a special date just for Nancy. Can Matt and Nancy force him out of his hidey-hole before it’s too late?

WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING

5 Stars, Amazon reviewer Rochelle: “They got me! I didn’t figure it out!”

5 Stars, Amazon reviewer Wendy: “wonderfully told, suspenseful, erotic romance”

BUY LINK

On SALE for $0.00 throughout October

Available on Kindle Unlimited

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDVB6KQ/

On Tour: The King’s Command, by Rosemary Hayes @HayesRosemary #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #Huguenots #LouisXIV #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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Book Information 

Book Title: The King’s Command: For God or Country
Author: Rosemary Hayes
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2023
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Page Length: 415
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor, but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie and her family are committed Huguenots, and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics. Others around her break under pressure, but Lidie and her family refuse to convert. With spies everywhere and the ever-present threat of violence, they struggle on. Then a shocking betrayal forces Lidie’s hand and her only option is to try and flee the country, a decision that brings unimaginable hardship, terror and tragedy and changes her life forever.

“One of the very best historical novels I have ever read.” Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert

Buy Links: 

This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bW6zGG
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CB4RH68S
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

Review

Do you have French Huguenot ancestors? If so, have any stories come down to you about their experience – what they endured, why they chose the risk of leaving France, how they decided to come to the country where they eventually settled? My answer to the first question is yes, but the scant information that was passed down through family stories and recorded over a century ago turns out to contain many errors. I blogged about my own Huguenot history yesterday and hope you will take a peek at it: https://wp.me/p9O7pv-3sP

In The King’s Command, author Rosemary Hayes has brought us a thoroughly researched and detailed account of life for one Huguenot family in southwestern France. Her story opens in 1680, some five years before King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes and required all protestants to convert to Catholicism: “One king, one country, one religion.” That the family are her direct ancestors and she has been able to visit the French town where they lived has added greatly to the richness and veracity of her fictionalized account.

I especially appreciated the author’s careful parsing of each step of the transition from respected freely worshipping tradesmen and professionals to a persecuted minority with no rights to property, profession, freedom of religion, or even life itself that took place in France over the decade of the 1680s and beyond.

The persecution and exodus were not a single event, although the crisis peaked in 1685. By opening her novel five years earlier, the author has succeeded in conveying  not only the gradual escalation of attacks and curtailment of rights that preceded the revocation, but also how news traveled, how families learned what was happening to others like them, how they first attempted to protect themselves and their assets, and how they began to consider whether to stay or flee. The peril and travails of her family in their escape is a story shared by thousands, many of whom did not make it.

The novel is well written, engaging, and rich with accurate historical detail. I found it easy to imagine my own ancestors, likely in a different region of France, gradually learning and observing those same changes and weighing their options as the depredations and dangers increased and came closer to home. A highly recommended read.  Adriana Kraft

About Rosemary Hayes:

Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes  in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out)  to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.

Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.

Rosemary has recently turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by the French Huguenots during the reign of Louis XIV.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.rosemaryhayes.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HayesRosemary

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosemary-Hayes/e/B00NAPAPZC

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/80106.Rosemary_Hayes

Tour Schedule Page:  https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/blog-tour-the-kings-command-by-rosemary-hayes.html