Welcome to Book Hooks, a Wednesday offering by members of Marketing For Romance Writers to share a little taste of our work and entice you into wanting more! Click on the links at the end to travel to other Book Hook posts, and enjoy!

We’re thrilled to announce Extasy Books has re-released our erotic romantic suspense, The Merry Widow. Thoroughly revised and edited, this is the steamy story of a mid-life widow’s sexual awakening. Following a prologue to set the stage, it opens with an erotic scene between two women – the first ever in our heroine’s life. If this isn’t your cup of tea, no problem – you might prefer our Romantic Suspense books, all of which deliver one man, one woman, hot sex, and perilous danger.

But if this appeals to you – hang on for the ride! Recently widowed and in her early forties, Merry Delany is about to plunge into a self-discovery journey that takes her places she’s never imagined, much less hoped for. Once passion is unleashed, can it be stopped?

EXCERPT

Detective Barnes sat in his home office, poring over the latest information on the Fire and Ice case. Merry had e-mailed him that the account with the current suspicious vendor had been abruptly closed. How could they have found out? Only he and Merry had put those links together. He hadn’t shared any of it with department personnel. He was quite convinced Merry hadn’t shared it with anyone.

So how did they get the information?

“Jesus H. Christ.” Could they have bugged Merry’s computer or her phone? Why the hell hadn’t he considered that possibility earlier? Would the mob hire an auditor they couldn’t keep tabs on?

He grabbed a can of pop from the fridge and ran out the door. Once again, he fastened the blue flasher to the car and drove like a madman toward Merry Delaney’s house.

He parked in her driveway and ran to the door. She’d gotten the doorbell fixed—he heard it doing its thing. But she didn’t come to the door. Maybe she was spending the night at Camille St. Jermaine’s again. He might not like that, but it was probably safer.

Jim picked his way around back and peered into her office and into her bedroom. Nothing. She wasn’t in the house. Her car was in the garage. That didn’t bode well. Not at all. Had she gone out on another date?

He was fairly certain she hadn’t been with a man since their little tryst. That fact had done some positive things for his ego. So how was he going to feel if she was out with a guy? Like a jerk. He should’ve called before now.

BLURB

The millennium arrived with such promise—will it deliver for recently widowed Merry Delaney?

So much for all the anticipation about the new millennium. Merry Delaney’s life is still in a rut and shows no signs of changing. Sex? A fading memory, gone long before her husband actually died. Excitement? Hardly the hallmark of an accountant’s life. At forty-two, what can she look forward to?

Until her best friend takes Merry’s predicament into her practiced hands. One passionate kiss unleashes possibilities Merry never dreamed of—and she wants to sample them all. Men? Women? Young? Old? Ménage? Toys? Yes, to all, to pleasure, to making up for lost time.

Enter Chicago Detective Jim Barnes, who solicits Merry’s help with a mob funds-skimming case. Can the scorching passion that soon smolders between Merry and Jim survive the escalating mob threats of exposure? Having discovered a zest for sex, will Merry ever again be satisfied with one man?