Adriana Kraft

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

Excerpts

What had he concluded? Embracing Passion #EroticRomance #Polyamory #MFRWHooks

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A single wrong assumption can be costly…

I’m so excited about my most recent release! Embracing Passion has 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: Today’s scene follows shortly after last week’s college campus lecture scene.

New York, New York 2014

Shuddering slightly, Rosanne settled back against the pillows and pulled the covers up to her neck. She’d done amazingly well after she’d seen Detective Walker sneak into the lecture hall. A lesser woman might’ve panicked, but she had nothing to hide. Thank goodness Anna was there to help take up the slack when she’d needed time to think.

What had he concluded about her? She hugged herself. He certainly had seen a different side of her than that initial impression in the parking lot. Did he think her a chameleon? That might not be terrible. At most lectures, she’d encouraged questioners not to use her title, but not tonight. She’d wanted him to hear over and over that she was indeed Dr. Rosanne Falcon, a competent, professional woman.

He’d been quite impressive sitting in the back row looking pensive and serious. She’d noticed him laughing several times. It was good to know that Detective Walker could laugh. She’d scanned across his area of the hall when she acknowledged she was bisexual. That didn’t seem to faze him in the least. Maybe he already knew that. He probably already had a Center catalogue, or at least had been to the Center’s web page.

She chuckled softly. Would he order any Center videos? Would he wear out his DVD machine playing and replaying her scenes?

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!

On Tour: The Ghost of Grayson Hall by MK McClintock #HistoricalRomanceMystery #HistoricalMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #CPBC @cathiedunn

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Book Title and Author Name:

The Ghost of Greyson Hall
British Agents Series, Book #4
MK McClintock

Blurb:

Once a year, an ancient secret walks the corridors of Greyson Hall, a place shrouded in mystery and whispered legend.

When Devon Clayton inherited the stately mansion in England’s wild north from his uncle, he never imagined what secrets lurked within its walls, hidden for centuries. When his friends and brothers join him for the holiday, the British Agents and their families discover that their most unusual case will bring new meaning to Christmas spirit.

They must now unravel a century-old mystery if they are to break the curse and save a love that transcends time.

A long novella set in Northumberland in December 1782 and 1892.

Also Available:

  • Alaina Claiborne
  • Blackwood Crossing
  • Clayton’s Honor

Note: The British Agent series books are written to be read as stand-alone novels. However, they each have cross-over characters, meaning characters from each book will appear in the others. The only reading order is chronological, but each title can still be read as stand-alone.

Excerpt

Prologue

In the year of 1782, among the snow-dusted hills of Northumberland, Lady Grace Canterbury of Greyson Hall disappeared.

Rumors abounded. She ran away with her Highland lover, leaving her husband and son behind. Others speculated on her declining health, claiming she’d gone away to die in solitude when the fever and pain overcame her body and mind. Those who knew her never believed the gossip and resolved through the years that ruffians kidnapped her at the command of her jealous husband.

No one ever learned the truth. Lady Canterbury vanished.

She’d left behind an infant son, who had barely found comfort in his mother’s arms. A fair-haired and handsome boy who resembled his mother in coloring, including the eyes, ice blue and startling cold if it had not been for the spray of thick, black lashes.

Before the birth, Lord Spencer Canterbury had shared with her how he longed for a fair-haired daughter who looked like her mother. However, when their son made his first appearance, she saw her husband’s joy in knowing it was a strong and healthy boy who would one day inherit the title and become master of their vast estate.

How does such a lady vanish without leaving a remnant of evidence?

For more than a century, the truth remained a mystery. Lady Canterbury became a faded memory, a story to entertain and bewilder at celebrations and gatherings. For generations, speculation continued. Descendants of the family attempted to unravel the mystery of the eighteenth-century puzzle, alas to no avail. Few took the matter seriously—after all, it was long before their time—and the image of a graceful beauty with hair as pale as the risen moon and eyes the color of waves on the sea faded into history.

Excerpt from The Ghost of Greyson Hall copyright © MK McClintock

Praise for the British Agent Series:

“Ms. McClintock succeeds in masterfully weaving both genres meticulously together until mystery lovers are sold on romance and romance lovers love the mystery!” —InD’Tale Magazine on Alaina Claiborne

“This book was perfectly-paced with mystery, romance, adventure, and so much more. I am definitely recommending that everyone who loves historical fiction in general read this book. I cannot wait to start reading the next book in this series.”
—Dreams Come True Through Reading on Blackwood Crossing

“MK McClintock has spun an enchanting tale deeply entrenched in the lands of Scotland and England that will leave you riveted to your chair until you turn the last page.” —My Life, One Story at a Time on Blackwood Crossing

“Clayton’s Honor by MK McClintock is a clean historical romance that will keep your heart beating and your palms sweating. This is definitely a novel that is going on my ‘read again’ shelf! A really good and smooth read!” —Readers’ Favorite 

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/brBdME

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ghost-of-greyson-hall-mk-mcclintock/1143812817?ean=2940167043008

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-ghost-of-greyson-hall-british-agent-novels-book-4-by-mk-mcclintock

Author Bio:

MK McClintock is an award-winning author who writes historical romantic fiction about chivalrous men and strong women who appreciate chivalry. Her stories of romance, mystery, and adventure sweep across the American West to the Victorian British Isles with places and times between and beyond.

Her works include the following series: Montana Gallaghers, Crooked Creek, British Agents, Whitcomb Springs, and the stand-alone collection, A Home for Christmas. She is also the co-author of the McKenzie Sisters Mysteries.

MK enjoys a quiet life in the northern Rocky Mountains. Visit her online home at www.mkmcclintock.com, where you can learn more about her books, explore extras, and subscribe to receive news.

Author Links:

Website: www.mkmcclintock.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MKMcClintockBooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkmcclintock/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mkmcclintock/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mk-mcclintock
Mailing List: https://www.mkmcclintock.com/subscribe
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/MK-McClintock/author/B006UV5PPI\

Would Dante understand any of that? #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #EroticRomance

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Is she a ghost? A visitor from another time and place? A siren? A temptress? Or just a meddling dream mistress?

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.

                                 

Last week’s Sunday Snippet from J. Arlene Culiner introduced me to a Nevada Native American archeological treasure I’d never heard of, in spite of spending a few years living in Nevada: The 10,000+ year-old petroglyphs at Winemucca Lake.  On the other side of the country, just two weeks ago, UNESCO announced the designation of an Ohio Native American archaeological site as a World Heritage site. The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is a vast system of mounds and rectangles with a lunar alignment created some 1600 to 2000 years ago. The phenomenon is all the more impressive because the precise lunar cycle only repeats every 18 years.

The confluence of those events led me to select an excerpt from my recent release From Beyond The Curtain for this week’s Sunday Snippet. It features a native site close to home I’ve visited often, always learning something new. The three-story caliche Casa Grande structure and its surrounding villages are more recent than the Nevada or Ohio sites. The region in present-day Coolidge along Arizona’s Gila River was a population center from about 700 to 1450 AD, and the central feature pictured below was constructed between 1300 and 1350 (now with a modern roof).

You can read about the intricate and precisely sloped canal system created by the inhabitants that enabled them to thrive for several centuries. Though the reason they abandoned their settlement in the 1400s remains unknown, one theory is that there may have been a catastrophic flood, destroying the entire canal system all at once and making the arid desert once more uninhabitable.

EXCERPT

Eight sentences…

Gwen and Dante had taken a guided tour of the grounds and the large structure—the Casa Grande—early, before it got too hot, then spent over an hour in the air-conditioned museum, exploring the exhibits and taking in the interpretive movie. Now they sat under the shade of a pergola with a view of the incredible three-story building built nearly a millennium earlier by a people thought to be primitive. The structure itself was shaded by a large modern metal roof to help preserve it from the elements, but its western wall glowed warmly in the late afternoon sun. What must it have looked like in its heyday? What ceremonies had gathered in the very space where they now sat? Gwen wished she knew.

~ ~ ~

And a little more…

Still neither of them spoke. Was he contemplating the building, or her presence beside him? Gwen repressed a shudder. Her worlds were colliding. Indigenous Southwest spirituality called to her in such a familiar way, as if both it and her Celtic roots drew from a single ancient source. She’d known this even before the appearance of Seren, who had amplified and deepened her awareness. Would Dante understand any of that? Would he run the other way? Was it her place to convince him, or Seren’s?

BLURB

Seren has bided her time for centuries, waiting for the moment when two of her descendants fall in love and release her, finally, from the place between worlds. The many gifts Seren has inherited from her ancestors—time travel, entering dreams, telepathic communication—have been unsuccessful thus far. Will Gwen and Dante be the ones?

Gwen McFarland has always been in touch with her Celtic roots. When Seren—who looks to Gwen like a Celtic goddess—materializes and invites her to a love tryst in another time and place, she does not hesitate. That Seren sometimes brings along another woman is simply an added benefit.

Fast paced trial lawyer Dante Emmanuel has no time for sentimentality or relationships. A string of satisfying sexual encounters suits him just fine. He’s mystified when a recurring figure enters his dream life, but he won’t turn down Seren’s exotic sexual talents or the dreams that now seem more real than ever.

Who will make the first move in this three-part game of chess? Timing is everything.

BUY LINKS

Universal Link https://books2read.com/u/3k6RNK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBWM7LGB/
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/from-beyond-the-curtain
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1425302

More on the monument:

I’ve added these to photos to share a little more about the monument. The first, with people standing in front of it, is to give a sense of its size. From the top tower, in its day, a person could see the entire complex of villages and farmlands in a sixteen-mile radius, all the way to the Gila River where the canals began.

The second photo is to show one of the alignments between openings in two walls across from each other. Most of these openings correspond to either solar or lunar alignment at specific times of the year.

Out Now! Meet me in Milan, by KD Sherrinford #Mystery #Romance #HistoricalRomance #NewRelease @ExtasyBooks

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The deepest secrets are often to be found out in the open
if you only know where to look.

Book Information

Published by: eXtasy Books
Author : K D Sherrinford
100 Pages ~ 29 808 words
ISBN :978-1-4874-3967-5
Publication Date :2023-09-29
Series : Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler Mysteries #3
Category : Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense and Mystery, Romance

Blurb:

While her husband, Sherlock Holmes, is off playing detective in London, Irene Adler finds herself having to play detective when her friend Renata becomes the prime suspect in the attempted murder of her husband, Luigi Amato. How can she refute the testimony of a credible eyewitness, even though her heart tells her that Renata is innocent? She needs tangible evidence, and she’s willing to do what she must to obtain it.

When Sherlock finally arrives on the scene, Irene seeks his counsel, and he agrees to assist with her investigation. However, their relationship is called into question by Irene’s dear friend Sophia, who is not overly fond of Irene’s husband nor approving of the way in which they conduct their marriage. Will Irene be able to prove her friend Renata’s innocence, or is there a more tangled web of deception at play? And will Sophia’s misgivings regarding her marriage bear unfortunate fruit?

Excerpt

Chapter Eight

Luigi turned his attention to my husband. “It is an honour to meet you, Signor Sapori. I have only heard good things about you. But, of course, I have already had the pleasure of meeting your beautiful, charming wife. That engaging smile could cast a spell over any man”. He sighed. “You are indeed a fortunate man. Love is such a wonderful thing, some say the most incredible thing. Don’t you agree?

Sherlock straightened in his chair. I could see this inference rattled him. “I’m afraid I don’t speak as eloquently as you regarding matters of the heart, Signor Amato, neither would I wish to. But I will say this.” He paused to take a sip from his glass, fixing me with his piercing grey eyes. “My wife is not here to decorate the room, Signor Sapori. She is a strong, independent woman of whom I am inordinately proud. I admire many things about her, of course. Her grace, humility and intelligence are just a few of the things that first attracted me to her But, most of all, the fact that she chose me as her husband. Nene does not walk in my shadow. On the contrary, she ploughs her own furrow. I am a better person for knowing her”.

My heart swelled as I stared at my husband in jaw-dropping, incredulous admiration. It seemed unimaginable; this profound seismic moment, Sherlock’s narrative spoken so articulately and hurtled so trippingly off the tongue and spoken with such conviction, was the last thing I expected to hear. Yet his words meant more to me than I could ever express.

Buy Links

https://www.extasybooks.com/Meet-Me-In-Milan

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJRRSN8B/

About KD Sherrinford

KD Sherrinford was born and raised in Preston, Lancashire, and now resides on the Fylde Coast with her husband John and their children.

KD had a varied career, working with thoroughbred horses and racing greyhounds. She and her husband won the Blackpool Greyhound Derby in 1987 with Scottie. Then to mix things up, KD joined Countrywide where she was employed for over 20 years and became a Fellow of The National Association of Estate Agents.

Retirement finally gave KD the opportunity to follow her dreams and start work on her first novel. She gained inspiration to write “Song for Someone” from her daughter Katie, after a visit to The Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street in 2019. Writing about Irene Adler had always been a passion; she is such an iconic character. The first two books in this thrilling series, Song for Someone and Christmas at The Saporis are available now at all major outlets. Book 3- The much anticipated “Meet Me in Milan”, has just been released at Extasy Books. KD recently started work on the 4th book in the series, Nicco Sapori’s Abduction, which will be available next year.

KD’s short cosy contemporary mystery “A Bit of a Do” will be published as part of Marla Bradeen’s fabulous anthology Malice, Matrimony, and Murder, to be released on the 13th of November.  The anthology is available to pre-order at Amazon. With twenty-four original stories from Derringer and Agatha finalists, Editors Choice Gold Seal recipients, and CWA members, there is no shortage of talent.

You can catch a recent interview of KD at this link:

Depths and Endless Possibilities

If you enjoy KD’s books, she would love you to post a review.

KD can be found at her author page https://www.facebook.com/KDSherrinford/Author.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/people/KDSherrinford/100078319333010

https://www.allauthor.com/author/KDSHERRINFORD

https://www.instagram.com/kdsherrinford

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kd-sherrinford

https://twitter.com/KDSherrinford

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23093327

You can email KD-   [email protected]

On Tour: The Sight of Heather by Ally Stirling @authorAllyS #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #ScottishFolklore #BlogTour #CPBC #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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Book Information

Book Title: The Sight of Heather
Author: Ally Stirling
Publication Date: September 15th, 2023
Publisher: Author Ally Stirling
Page Length: 338
Genre: Historical Women’s Fiction / Scottish Folklore

Blurb:

For centuries, the fae folk and spae women of Scotland were feared – and persecuted.

Life in the 1800s countryside, with its unforgiving climate, was both magnificent and harsh – testing cultures, beliefs and the loyalties of crofters.

The first in this series, The Sight of Heather, begins a journey of allegiance, sacrifice, and fortitude in a land of bold, resilient women.

Jessie’s ideal life spirals when she learns she is a first daughter in a biological line of ‘spaes’ endowed with unique gifts of spiritual sight and healing, aided by powerful ancestral stones.

Backed by a vindictive priest intent on charging Jessie with murder and witchcraft, the new owner of the Cruachan Manor plots to rout the spaes and destroy their beloved forest.

Despite grave warnings and family conflict, Jessie determinedly pursues her skills and powers, plunging her family and village into danger.

Resolute in uplifting her fellow women, Jessie consults her stones.

Faced with those who deem her evil, she must choose to relinquish her craft, or sacrifice herself to protect her culture and kin – and Lily, the next first daughter – the future of the spaes.

Excerpt

Charles folded his arms and a smirk crept out from under his moustache. He cocked his head. “Why do people live here if they struggle to make a living?”

The vice returned, squeezing the strength from Angus’s voice. “We’ve lived here for centuries … we have no desire to live anywhere else, this is our home.”

The words floated over Charles’s head, missing his ears by a country mile. “Why would the previous owners be happy with such an unprofitable arrangement?”

The words escaped from Angus’s mouth before he could arrest them. “Because they were Scottish.”

Buy Links:

Universal Link: https://mybook.to/The_Sight_Of_Heather
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFVV28FV
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFVV28FV
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CFVV28FV
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CFVV28FV
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1144046886?ean=2940167577664
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/fr/en/ebook/the-sight-of-heather
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/fr/book/the-sight-of-heather/id6465249946

Author Bio:

Ally Stirling is a Fiction writer of Scottish origin, currently living in Cape Town with her Braveheart husband, awesome children, the happiest dog in the world, and her menacing cat (aka ‘Devil Cat’).

An unexpected gift resulting in a prophetic message prompted Ally to give her passion for writing the time it demanded, and in 2018 she joined Cathy Eden’s Working with Words writers group. She credits the love, support, and inspiration of this group of talented women, her ‘writing tribe,’ for encouraging her to put words on paper. She also joined (ROSA,) and while Romance is not her genre, this association has been an invaluable source of knowledge and insight into the indie publishing world.

Allowing her imagination freedom to roam resulted in various short stories, before one in particular rooted itself, evolving into her first full-length novel. This book has now become first in a series, with the second and third ready to follow, four and five in the planning stage. Who knew her characters would be so demanding?

Her love of writing fiction stems from her belief that it transports us to magical places when life gets too real.

Addicted to her friends, coffee, every colour of wine, and any type of chocolate, she describes her clan as the family and friends who have built her castle and keep her sane, without whom she’d be short on humour and drinking games.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.authorallystirling.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorAllyS
Facebook: https://facebook.com/authorallystirling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorallystirling
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-sight-of-heather-a-journey-of-loyalty-sacrifice-and-fortitude-in-the-face-of-persecution-by-ally-stirling
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ally-Stirling/author/B0CG6TJT5T?
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3P9HmWl

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!