Adriana Kraft

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

Excerpts

Release Blitz: Love Among the Stars by Claerie Kavanaugh #Sapphic #romance#LGBTQ #Giveaway

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RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Love Among the Stars (Entertaining Love, Book 1)

Author: Claerie Kavanaugh

Publisher: Half Caff Press

Cover Artist: Cath Grace Designs

Release Date: March 19, 2023

Genre: Contemporary F/F Romance

Tropes: Matchmaker, Celebrity

Themes: Coming out

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 40 000 words/ 250 pages

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

Goodreads

 

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

Hollywood’s best matchmaker may have finally met her match.

 

Blurb

Genevieve “Eve” Davis is Hollywood’s best, most sought-after matchmaker. Just about everyone in the City of Angels owes her for their happily ever afters. She’s been in the business for ten years and has never made a false move. The only person she hasn’t been able to hit with Cupid’s arrow? Herself.

Then Jemma, Hollywood’s most recent “it” girl, appears on her doorstep. But rather than having an extra bounce in her step, she looks like a dog just crapped all over her brand-new designer boots. The date Eve set up for her was anything but a fairy tale beginning. In fact, it was a downright disaster. The first bad review Eve has ever had. If she can’t fix this, her perfect reputation will be torn to shreds.

Even worse, the deeper she digs for that secret ingredient that will help her find Jemma’s perfect match, the harder she falls.

Book one in the standalone sapphic celebrity romance series ENTERTAINING LOVE

 

 

Excerpt

When I finally drag myself home, it’s nearly 1:00 AM. I’m asleep on my feet, but the Sandman won’t claim me no matter how hard I try. That stupid reporter’s grilling session keeps repeatedly playing in my mind. Could I have said something better? Different? More… Relatable?

Even as I lay here, I can’t help laughing. I sound ridiculous, so saying it out loud would make it worse. Right? After two hours of tossing and turning, I finally give up, kick the covers off, and wander into my living room.

I paddle across the hardwood floor—it’s so much easier to clean up all the cat hair without any carpet getting in the way—and plop on my fluffiest white sectional littered with cowgirl-themed throw pillows. I grab my favorite one. The one with Montana’s state flower on it–the Bitterroot, a beautiful purple blossom that looks like an orchids

I pick up one of the controllers, turn on the flatscreen and toy with a few buttons, but ultimately, it ends up back on the coffee table. I don’t have enough energy to play another level of Black Ops, so I flip on a random TV channel instead. Kiki hops up beside me, and I run my fingers over the underside of her chin– her favorite spot– as the television lands on yet another red carpet. Of course, it does. I know this is Hollywood, but what are the odds that I can’t escape the press even in my apartment? My parents had warned me before I moved out here, but I didn’t fully believe them until now. They do have eyes everywhere.

Sighing, I pick up the remote again–maybe there’s something good on HBO-but, as usual, Kiki’s timing is impeccable. She headbutts the control right out of my grip just as the next guest steps into the frame.

“Welcome back to the premiere of Crazy About Cupid.” The reporter waves his microphone in the air as if he’s twirling a baton, and I can’t stifle a snort. “Now that you’ve met the stars let me introduce you to the woman who started it all. I’m here with Genevieve Davis, owner and mastermind behind the world-renowned matchmaking company Matches Ever After. Genevieve, it’s so nice to see you again.”

The camera pans over slightly, and my heart skips a beat. The woman can’t be much older than me. Thirty at most. She has long, wavy brown hair, complemented by piercing green eyes. Her skin is pale and smooth, with a few freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. A dimple is barely visible on her left cheek when she smiles. Even standing an entire foot shorter than the reporter towering over her, she somehow commands the entire carpet’s attention. The back of the dress is just as stunning with a low scoop that dips almost to the small of her back and hugs every single part of her deliciously curved figure in just the right place. When she turns to face the camera more fully, I barely see a tiny scar on her left cheek above her jawline.

Kiki purrs softly, and the remote slips from my grip, landing on the cushions with a thump.

“Nice to see you too, Seth. And how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Eve; Genevieve was my mother.”

They laugh, and I settle back against the pillows as my palms grow clammy. Even her voice sounds sexy.

“Sorry, Eve,” Seth waves a hand and tries to smirk at the camera as he corrected himself. I guess I’m just so excited. Rumor has it that you’re the reason we’re even here tonight?”

Eve giggles and playfully swats his arm. ” Oh, I’m not sure I would go that far.” She adjusts the silk shawl draped over her shoulders. ” I may have introduced Cole and Phoenix, but they put in the real work to make the relationship last, and they were the ones who allowed their story to be made into a movie.”

Seth grins. “Of course, but one could argue that their story wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for you. How long have you been in the matchmaking business?”

Eve chuckles. “Seth, are you trying to make me discuss my age?”

The reporter feigns a gasp. “Who me? Never!”

Eve narrowed her eyes. “Sure, sure. Honestly, though I’ve been in the matchmaking game for as long as I can remember, even back in college, I loved setting up my friends whenever I could. I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that everyone deserves their happily ever after. Even and especially Hollywood starlets. Love is hard to find in a business like this, and I will do anything I can do to help.”

Seth nods along. “So true. What’s most incredible, though, is that my sources tell me you’ve never once made a bad match?”

Eve shrugs, but I can tell by the mischievous gleam in her eye that she’s proud of that statistic. Hell, I would be, too. “So far, so good.”

Seth whistled. “Well, you heard it here first, folks. If you live in the Los Angeles area and are looking for love, what better time to try Eve’s services? Go to her website at www.matcheseverafter.com, answer simple questions, and let the sparks fly.”

With that, he moves on to the next guest, but my mind remains stuck on that address. A matchmaker who had never made one bad move? My mom always used to say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A statistic like that fits that bill. Still, is there any harm in trying?

As if on cue, Kiki promptly climbs off my lap, allowing me to grab my laptop. When I return and type in the address, Kiki leans over her shoulder and gently nudges my cheek.

“What is it, girl? Do you think this is crazy too?”

Kiki shakes her head, and her little collar jingles around her neck. I laugh. “At least somebody believes in me.”

For the first couple of questions, I’m oddly nervous. Why is anybody’s guess. It’s not like I’m staring at an actual person who will judge me. Computer forms don’t have feelings. Nonetheless, I take my time thinking out strategic and honest answers, and by the time I finally hit send, it’s nearly 5:00 AM.

Eventually, I fall into a fitful sleep, dreaming of baby cupids dancing around my head. Maybe love won’t be so hard to find in Hollywood after all. If I have the right help.

 

About the Author

Claerie Kavanaugh has spent most of her life telling stories, but she never imagined herself writing romance. In fact, she used to think it should only be reserved for Hallmark movies. It wasn’t until college, when she discovered fanfiction, that she learned what romance was truly about: not just fluffy relationships and happily ever afters, but human connection, the desire to push one another to be better, and create hope that somewhere, somehow, everyone has someone.

When she’s not writing, she loves to travel and explore new cultures, helping other authors polish their works as a freelance editor, and singing while doing so. Broadway musicals are her soul-food, something her mother and sister know well. She constantly blasts the newest soundtrack through the halls of their Missouri home, much to the chagrin of her very sassy and spoiled cat.

 

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up

 

Giveaway

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She didn’t want to stand out… #MFRWHooks #EroticRomance #LGBTQ

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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!

For the rest of March, I’m featuring our erotic ménage story Through The Lens.

About Our Story

Does your family history contain scandal? Ours does, as recently as my mother’s grandfather, who was born a bastard in an era when that status carried far more stigma than now. His mother – a logger’s daughter who served as a camp cook – was shunned and shamed for much of her life. On the other side, my husband’s grandfather was a bigamist. A threshing crew foreman in the early 1900s, he married and had children in Missouri, then married again in Kansas. When my husband’s grandmother learned about the other family, she divorced him; their son, my husband’s father, was ten years old.

We blessed—or perhaps cursed—our Through the Lens heroine with elements of these scandals. Naturally, she’s heard some of the stories. Through the Lens chronicles her struggle with these long-forgotten roots. Will she claim them, or run the other way?

Tags: Erotic Romance, Ménage, Four-Way, Prairie, Photography, Erotic Portraiture
Release Date: June 26, 2020
Publisher: Extasy Books
Genre: Erotic Romance; Ménage

BLURB

Will Ellen Jeffers cling to the sedate past that’s familiar, or will she embrace a different version of her history—one that includes tragedy, scandal, fortitude, and freedom?

It’s 2002, and South Dakota third grade teacher Ellen Jeffers has signed up for a photography summer course and assistantship at an art academy in Minneapolis. Thirty-three, divorced for nearly a decade from her college boyfriend, she’s not seeking major change. She just hopes the course will enhance her teaching skills and her resume.

Aaron Brewster comes from privilege, and he has used that status to flaunt his family’s values and carve out a successful career as a photographer specializing in black and white erotic portraiture. Has he ever loved? His love is for beauty, sensuality, eroticism. His new uptight teaching assistant will never fit that vision. Should he send her packing? For reasons he cannot fathom, he takes her on as a challenge.

Aaron’s frontal assault shocks Ellen, but it also triggers something deep inside she’s never been willing to acknowledge. Is her beloved prairie a safe refuge, or will it become a crucible for transformation? The choice is not merely Ellen’s.

EXCERPT

Ellen’s first morning assisting Aaron with his summer class…

“Now then, if Ellen would step forward.”

Ellen snapped to attention at the sound of her name. Now what?

Aaron motioned her to a stool. “Let me demonstrate a little what I mean by perspective and how it changes what the observer is seeing and feeling. That understanding will become sharper for you when you’re looking through your cameras, but this will do for now.”

Ellen sat on the stool facing the class with her hands folded at her waist. She’d deliberately chosen to wear a blouse and skirt that came nearly to the knees because she didn’t want to stand out in the class. She tried not to grimace. So much for that.

“You’ve all been introduced to Ellen, and I’m sure you’ve chatted with her at break, so we’ve established some mutual comfort. Being comfortable with your model is extremely important when you’re doing portraiture. While you remain in overall charge of the setting and the photo, you must be tuned into your model—to what she is thinking and feeling. Many won’t tell you or can’t tell you.

“Now then, let’s take Ellen as she is.” He smirked. “Tell me what you see. What’s her mood? Who is she? Who might she want to be, and so on? Spit it out. One word or two. No more than three. Quickly now.”

“Pensive,” the college teacher said.

“Good. More. Don’t take time to reflect. You don’t have a lot of time to react in a sitting.”

“School teacher.”

Aaron laughed. “Yeah, I see that.”

“Shy.”

“Genuine.”

“Determined.”

“Capable.”

“Great! Now I’m going to pose Ellen as I want her. Swivel on your butt so you’re at a right angle to most of the group. Good. Now look back over your shoulder at them. That’s right. Hold that. Now what do you see?”

“Goodness. Mystery,” one of the stay-at-home moms said.

“Fun.”

“Temptress.”

“Almost sexy,” one of the guys said.

Holding her pose like she knew she was expected to, Ellen wanted to hop off the stool and bop that guy over the head. She tried not to wince. Had the simple change in direction made that much difference? Given the look on the faces of the students, it must have. Aaron had proven an important point. Never accept the obvious front-on position as the best or only perspective.

If she looked that different, maybe she should walk around the city with her chin resting on her shoulder.

“Go ahead and pout.” Aaron chuckled.

Without thinking, she did.

“As I thought. Even more sexy.”

She knew she must be blushing now. It was one thing to have one of the students describe her as sort of sexy—but she was supposed to be working with Aaron, not reacting to him.

By the time Aaron finished having her pose one way and then another, the students were all chattering, seemingly quite happy with their choice of instructor and class. Actually, Ellen was rather pleased, too, even if she hadn’t chosen him in the first place. Clearly, she could learn a lot from him.

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK

https://books2read.com/u/mdjMRy

 

Click on the links to travel to the rest of today’s hooks:

New Release! Opening Night, by Lisabet Sarai @LisabetSarai #EroticRomance #LGBTQ #HistoricalRomance #MM

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MM Historical Romance
6,800 words, Three flames
Smashwords and Amazon KDP
ISBN (Smashwords): 9798215446928
ASIN: ‎ B0BXCJVLC1

BLURB

Let your heart be your compass

It’s January 1887, a few days before the opening of the audacious new operetta “Ruddigore”. As if librettist William Gilbert doesn’t have enough to worry about, one of the D’Oyly Carte stars breaks his leg doing the horn pipe. Fortunately, the understudy Frank Wilson turns out to be immensely talented, as well as devilishly handsome. Wilson has set his heart on Gilbert – and he’s not going to be swayed from his course.

INTRODUCTION

A Lifelong Passion

When I was five years old, my parents took me to see my first Gilbert and Sullivan concert. I remember it surprisingly well. Organized outdoors as part of a summer music festival on the Boston Common, the performance featured the legendary Martyn Green from the D’Oyly Carte Opera company – the same troupe that originally mounted William Gilbert’s and Arthur Sullivan’s comic operas in the nineteenth century.

My father and mother were both G&S aficionados. The family must have had phonograph records of at least some of the operettas, because I could sing many of the songs by the time I was in my teens. Certainly we took advantage of whatever opportunities came along during my childhood to indulge ourselves in the topsy-turvy world of the famous pair.

The day I met my husband-to-be, he happened to mention that he was a G&S fan. I will admit, I took this as a sign that we were meant to be together. Later, he and I lived in a town that had its own G&S amateur group, who mounted a different operetta every year. Those were heady days! My parents would often travel cross-country to join us in what became a beloved ritual. During those years, I believe we saw performances of the entire G&S catalog.

Though not as generally popular as The Mikado or Pinafore, Ruddigore is probably my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan opera. This is partly due to the hints of darkness – Sullivan’s music echoing the eerier strains of Mozart’s Don Giovanni – but also the humor. The paradoxical logic that allows Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd to argue his way out of the witches’ curse is some of the best comic sleight-of-hand in any G&S play. Ruddigore also includes one of the most outstanding female characters in the oeuvre, Mad Margaret – a village woman driven to insanity by her passion for Ruthven’s Bad Baronet brother Despard. (Yes, I know, just the sort of person to whom a romance author would be drawn…)

There’s another bit in Ruddigore, though, that gave me the initial idea for Opening Night. Rollicking seaman Dick Dauntless is the foster brother and (supposedly) the bosom friend of the disguised Ruthven, and loudly proclaims his love for his brother in one of the scenes. What if that scene were to develop into a homo-erotic confession? I wondered. And then I thought about the possible repercussions, during the straight-laced Victorian period, if Gilbert were to find himself falling in love with another man.

Opening Night quotes liberally from the original play (courtesy of my mother’s Complete Works of Gilbert and Sullivan, which I inherited), but I admit to playing fast and loose with both history and the plot. I hope the result justifies this distortion – and that Gilbert would recognize the romantic appeal of my artistic license.

If you’ve never experienced Ruddigore, you’ll find a variety of recordings on YouTube, for instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litYduyL1Xw

And for those of you who don’t have the patience to watch the opera… you might enjoy this four minute summary of the plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeHbS8aA6TQ

In any case – I hope you’ll also check out my story!

EXCERPT

Opening night was tomorrow, and everyone seemed to be eager and ready. So why did he feel so weighed down, so anxious and exhausted?

It was past ten when a knock woke him from a doze that must have crept up on him despite the fear of nightmares. “Yes, who is it?”

His visitor didn’t wait to be invited in. “It’s me, William. It’s Frank.”

Gilbert bolted upright, anger providing him with sudden energy.  Red boiled behind his eyelids. “What are you doing here? I can’t have you here. Get out, this instant.”

The younger man shut the door. He sidled over in Gilbert’s direction. Gilbert backed away. “I needed to see you, William.  To talk to you, about the other afternoon. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard.”

“Never mind. Just go away now. Please, go away.”

“I apologize for being so rude, so insensitive.  I’ve been wanting you so long, it just seemed natural to say it. To show you. I should have realized how new this would be for you, how shocking.” With theatrical grace, Wilson glided to his knees in front of Gilbert, his head bowed. “Forgive me, please.”

Gilbert gazed down at Frank’s golden curls, gleaming in the harsh electric light. He smelled the man’s floral cologne. Damn, his heart was beating like thunder, and there was an uncomfortable tightness in his crotch. Damn, damn, damn.

“Get up,” he said gruffly. “Show a bit of self-respect, Wilson.”

“Not until I hear you say that I’m forgiven.”

“Fine, fine, I forgive you, now get up and go.”

Gilbert didn’t understand how he did it, but all at once Frank was standing in front of him, face to face, close, much too close. He was taller than Gilbert and had to bend to whisper.

“Thank you, William.” Then Gilbert felt the man’s mouth on his own. He felt Frank’s tongue toying with his mustache, tickling, probing, tentative at first, then bold and confident as Gilbert opened his lips.

Gilbert’s resistance melted. Frank’s arms encircled him, and Gilbert reciprocated, stirred by the sensation of strength in those young limbs. Frank tasted of horehound and tobacco, masculine and yet sweet. Frank kissed him eagerly, passionately, and from some place he had not known existed, Gilbert responded with equal passion.

He felt the hard, hot lump that he knew was Frank’s cock, grinding against his thigh. Somehow this did not terrify or appall him. He welcomed it, exquisitely aware that his own cock was swollen and sensitive.

The dark clouds that had haunted him for the past two days dissolved in the brilliance of Frank’s kiss. Gilbert did not think, did not worry or reason or judge. For the first time in a very long time, he simply allowed himself to feel.

BUY LINKS

Amazon  US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXCJVLC1

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BXCJVLC1

Smashwords –  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1354766

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/opening-night-lisabet-sarai/1143156836?ean=2940166025562

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/opening-night-17

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6445998898

Add on Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123174847-opening-night

About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub, BingeBooks and Twitter.

Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

“Your latest protégé does show promise…” #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #EroticRomance

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It’s New York! Broadway beckons…

Welcome to Snippet Sunday – ten sentences from all your favorite romance authors! You’ll find them all at this Facebook Group every Sunday:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Did you think we were leaving Meg behind? She has five more adventures coming. After her success in Seducing Cat, she says yes to what looks like a Sugar Daddy offer and heads off to her dream city, New York, with the much older Zachary Cullen to pursue her Broadway ambitions. I think all three main characters may be in for a surprise or two…

EXCERPT

Here is the opening scene:

Chapter One

“Your latest protégé does show promise, Zach.” Josette Patrice focused on the group of actors rehearsing onstage and avoided looking at Zachary Cullen as they stood shoulder to shoulder in the back of the small, semi-darkened playhouse.

“Hmm.”

Josie smiled. Was he pondering Meghan Keenan’s thespian talents, or her bedroom talents? Josie was certain the petite twenty-one-year-old would excel in both venues.

Not for the first time, Josie wondered why the highly successful fifty-something entrepreneur invested so much time and money trying to find the next Broadway star. Was it his ego, his desire to take young struggling actresses and help them make their way to New York City—specifically, to her?  Or was it the side benefit of sex with gorgeous young women that kept Zach on the lookout for talent as he traveled from one business interest to the next? Meghan was the third young woman he’d brought her over the past ten years.

BOOK INFO

A Woman for Zachary
Meghan’s Playhouse Book 2
Published by: eXtasy Books
Length: 28000 words
Heat level: Four flames
Pairings: MF, FF, FFM
Tags: Contemporary Romance , Erotic Romance , LGBTQIA+

BLURB

It’s New York! Broadway beckons, but Meg has more fun keeping an erotic triangle going with her current flame, Zach Cullen, and her drama coach, Josie Patrice.

Zachary Cullen has ignored Josette Patrice’s overtures for years, but she agrees to take on his latest protégé-slash-arm-candy Meghan Keenan in her off-Broadway workshop theater. Though the girl has incredible talent, Josie would stake her reputation on that little thing being a switch-hitter, like herself, and she doesn’t want Zach to be duped. Josie sets out to seduce Meg and expose her for what she is, but all bets are off when Meg turns the tables on Josie to hook her up with Zach.

BUY LINK

https://books2read.com/u/badVG2

FIND EVERYONE’S POSTS IN THIS FACEBOOK GROUP:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Release Blitz: Unforgiving Dreams, by Jessamyn Kingley @jessamynkingley #MM #Fantasy #Paranormal #Romance

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RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Unforgiving Dreams (D’Vaire, Book 35)

Author and Publisher: Jessamyn Kingley

Cover Artist: LJ Anderson of Mayhem Cover Creations

Release Date: March 9, 2023

Genres: MM Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Tropes: Fated mates

Themes: Love, overcoming the past

Heat Rating: 3 flames

 

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Two mates from opposite worlds must discover if the past can ever truly be left behind.

Blurb

Fifteen thousand years ago, the Fae realms crumbled. A decade ago, Noble Protector Drekkoril D’Vaire of the Light Fae woke after spending many millennia in a dreamless sleep. Upon waking, he discovered his people no longer exist. A goddess revered by the Fae had changed them into elves and sprites with no memory of the past. Thanks to a wonderful, supportive family, Drekkoril healed from the ordeal. Now he wants to find the other half of his soul.

Valiant Defender Daravius of the Dark Fae wanders from place to place, trying to put food in the bellies of his tiny family. With little knowledge of any language still spoken and no resources, Daravius’s existence is meager. Each night, he uses a spell to travel to the destroyed realm that once carved deep scars into his soul; night after night, he must relive the horror. Although Daravius wants more for his loved ones, he is lost.

Expert trackers locate Daravius and his family, and they bring the trio to D’Vaire for sanctuary. Within minutes of their arrival, Daravius and Drekkoril learn they are mates. Drekkoril rejoices and yearns for a future together, but Daravius is terrified and desperate to avoid uniting their souls. Only Fate knows which man will get his wish.

Excerpt

Getting to his feet, Drekkoril wondered where Daravius was. There was no one near him, and the blue grass grew wildly around him as if few people trod through the woods. Drekkoril was left with little choice but to walk to find his v’airsell nioll and some clue as to his location. With a shrug, he went east.

A grin crossed Drekkoril’s face when he spotted a line of people ahead of him. Although their black hair told Drekkoril they were Dark Fae, he still called out to them, but they didn’t look in his direction or respond to his repeated attempts to inquire about where he was.

“Can you not help me?” Drekkoril demanded in a near shout after several minutes of walking past the people lined up. His fists clenched as they continued to ignore him, and Drekkoril wondered why they chose silence. Surely, they were not refusing to acknowledge Drekkoril because he was a Light Fae.

“Stop yelling,” a voice Drekkoril recognized hissed. Drekkoril’s annoyance faded away as he turned to spot Daravius standing across a small land bridge. Understanding hit Drekkoril like a punch, and he realized that the line was Light Fae who’d recently gone dark and were awaiting their fate in the Valiant Defender’s realm.

“It is a relief to see you, Valiant Defender,” Drekkoril stated and bowed deeply. With an audience, it was imperative that he acknowledge Daravius’s title.

“Why are you calling me that?”

“It is your title, Valiant Defender.”

“You already know I wish to be called by my name,” Daravius retorted and crossed his arms.

Drekkoril stalked toward where Daravius stood and was horribly confused about why the people around him continued to act as if he were invisible. “I would have no one think I disrespect the leader of the Dark Fae, Valiant Defender.”

“I am not yet Valiant Defender, Noble Protector,” Daravius countered with a roll of his eyes. “And no one can hear us. I thought you had dreamed magically before. We are shades, Koril, and remain unseen too.”

“I was unaware we could dream that way, I was myself in my lone magical dream , not a shade,” Drekkoril replied. “That is a relief. I thought the divide between our people was so great that no one would acknowledge me because of it.”

Daravius stuck out a splayed hand. “You need to stop. You cannot cross to the Dark Fae realm.”

“Why not?” Drekkoril asked. “This is a dream. We are shades in it. No one can see me or wonder why a Light Fae is wondering around.”

“Because once a Light Fae crosses the threshold, they are instantly turned. You cannot be ignorant of that fact.”

Purposefully, Drekkoril continued to walk until he was inches from Daravius. The handsome dark bemollo was scowling at him, but it took nothing away from his beauty. Drekkoril wondered what it would feel like to press his lips to Daravius’s sensuous, unsmiling mouth.

What did Daravius taste like? What would it be like to caress Daravius’s beautifully decorated body with its vivid swirls of black? Would Drekkoril want to undress him slowly to savor every lovely inch, or tear his simple clothing away to stroke and kiss him?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Daravius demanded, a touch of alarm in his swirling gaze.

Daravius’s trepidation didn’t bother Drekkoril. They both had a lot to learn of each other, and the Noble Protector wouldn’t mind overwhelming Daravius with the chemistry he was convinced was growing between them. “I find you very attractive.”

“Stay back,” Daravius insisted with both of his hands in front of him to ward off Drekkoril’s imminent charge into the Dark Fae realm.

With a wide grin, Drekkoril hopped the tiny distance between their realms. “Nothing happened.”

“Your hair is still light,” Daravius exclaimed, his arms falling to his sides.

“It is a dream, Dare. A living history. We cannot change anything that happened. My magic cannot shift. Although I have often wondered if I could have ventured here without switching to a Dark Fae if the realms had remained in existence. I am a bemollo. Would it take my fairy visiting with me to alter us?”

“I would hope that you were not foolhardy enough to challenge such a notion. If your gamble was wrong, you could not undo the damage.”

“I know that, and you are correct. It is not a theory I would have pursued. But since I am here, show me your world.”

Daravius sighed heavily, and his shoulders slumped. “It is not something I wish for you to see.”

 

About the Author

Jessamyn Kingley has published over thirty titles and refuses to pick a favorite among them. With an extraordinary passion for her characters, she enthusiastically adds tales to her D’Vaire series and avidly re-reads them whenever her schedule allows. After decades living in the Washington, DC area, she now resides in Nevada with her husband and their three spoiled cats. When she is not writing or adding new ideas to her beloved notebooks, she is gaming with family and friends.

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New Release Blitz! Baby Steps, by Gemma Johns #LGBTQ #FF #Giveaway

by

Title: Baby Steps

Author: Gemma Johns

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 03/07/2023

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 63800

Genre: Contemporary, contemporary, lesbian, sexual discovery, surrogacy, children, Australia, fake romance

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Description

Fiercely independent Belle Andrews can’t quite believe where her life has ended up. Belle and Tash always thought they’d have three children, but after nineteen years and two children together, Tash walked out on her and Belle doesn’t want her heart broken ever again.

Now, two years later, they’ve established a positive co-parenting relationship, and having moved on with their lives, both agree they have no need for the embryos they created together.

Georgia has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get pregnant for many years now. She’s about to give up trying and move on. Her doctor told her that her only hope now is a donor embryo.

Belle expects her embryos are the perfect solution, but she soon learns Australian legislation mandates she can only donate to someone she’s in a relationship with.

Belle might have given up on love, but can she pretend to be in love to give someone their dream? And can Georgia pretend to be in a relationship with a woman to get the end result she’s always dreamt of?

Excerpt

Baby Steps
Gemma Johns © 2023
All Rights Reserved

“I thought Tash had the girls tonight?” Nikki asked quietly so that Cora and Ada wouldn’t hear her.

Belle shook her head. “We did a swap. She had something on tonight, probably with her new girlfriend.” Belle knew she was reinforcing what her best friend Nikki already knew—Belle had well and truly moved on from her nineteen-year relationship.

“She’s really got a new girl?”

Belle rolled her eyes. “Emily, I think she said. I don’t know. It surprised me, because she was so full on with Amanda. I thought they were it. But five minutes after their split, there was a bunch of dates with random women, and now there’s Emily. I really don’t care; it’s none of my business, except for the girls.”

Nikki instinctively looked toward the other room, where Belle’s daughters were going crazy, running and jumping. “What do you mean, except for the girls?”

“You know.” Belle followed Nikki’s gaze. “As long as they’re okay, constantly meeting new women in their other mum’s life. Must be hard.”

“Well, it’s not really constant. Hopefully she’ll stay with this one. She was with Amanda for, what? Two years?”

Belle nodded. “Depends who you listen to, but about that. But that’s half of Ada’s life. It just feels like a lot of change. Anyway, it’s irrelevant to me, and leaves me to date whomever I want.”

Nikki sarcastically stated, “Which you really take advantage of.”

The truth was, Belle had no real desire to date, and although she and Tash had split up over two years ago now, Belle had spent her time focusing on the children. She couldn’t say that Tash didn’t focus on the girls, though. Belle and Tash were fortunate that they managed to co-parent so well together, with very little tension between the two of them. Belle would be lying to say it had always been easy. In the early days, her heart broke every time she dropped the children to Tash. Seeing Tash and Amanda playing happy families just months after her relationship with Tash had ended nearly destroyed her. But, with time and perspective, Belle felt more and more comfortable and sometimes found herself even confiding in Tash at the end of a hard day.

Nikki picked up her plate and empty coffee mug and walked to the sink. “I was going to suggest a movie tonight, because I thought you were footloose and fancy free.”

“Why don’t we watch a movie on Netflix?” Belle asked, and Nikki screwed up her face.

“I suppose. Chances are I’ve seen it.”

Belle knew it was true. Nikki practically lived at the cinema.

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NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

Gemma Johns has always loved writing and wanted to write a novel since she first discovered how much she loved reading them. Her older sister told her she needed to ‘live a little’ before she wrote a novel. Years later, Gemma has now lived a lot, so finally decided to put pen to paper. Writing fiction is a part time gig for her, and she has a full time job in academia. Gemma lives in Australia with her wife and their five children. You can find Gemma on Facebook.

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