Mature Heroine

Some couples get a “Meet Cute” guaranteed to make your heart swoon. Cliff and Carol have a rougher beginning…

Welcome to Book Hooks, a weekly sampler by author members of Marketing for Romance Writers. Click on the links at the end to travel to this week’s excerpts!

A Reluctant Santa, by Adriana Kraft
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Publisher: Extasy Books
Word Count: 12,698
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mature Heroine, Holiday Story
Heat Level: 3 flames

BUY LINK

Pre-order at Amazon

REVIEW

5 Stars

“Loved it. This was a fun book with a great storyline. Carol and Cliff had super hot chemistry that made this even better. They made for a steamy story. It’s a definite must read!

BLURB

Is it ever too late to find happiness?

They’re in their fifties. Grief-stricken (her) and battle scarred (him) from their previous loves, they don’t want to risk more heartbreak, ever. They’ll have to take it slow, talk it through, test the waters carefully. Can they make it happen at this speed, get it done in a short story, and reap the benefits of sizzling sex at their age? Why not?

EXCERPT

Set Up: Carol’s best friend, Sue, has invited them both for lunch…

“Damn!” Sue looked at Carol, then at Cliff. “Sorry, I have to run. There’s a crisis at work that apparently only I can solve. Enjoy your lunch. My treat.”

Carol shook her head as Sue scurried off, thrust a handful of bills at the cashier, and exited the restaurant.

Cliff’s soft chuckle redirected her attention. His short salt and pepper beard framed an inquisitive smile.

“I’m surprised Sue stayed as long as she did. You’ve known her much longer than I have. Is she always so obvious?”

“That’s Sue.” Carol absently brushed hair away from her eye. “What you see is what you get. A big heart, and too often more than a bit pushy. But the truest, dearest friend I’ve ever had.”

Cliff nodded. “That’s special. She left before the waiter came back to take our orders. Wonder how much she paid them! Do you want to stay? I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Besides, sharing a meal that’s already been paid for with an attractive woman who seems as skeptical about this process as me might be an opportunity not to be missed.”

Carol’s breath caught—but she didn’t want to look that interested. She shrugged. “Why not? So you don’t do the so-called blind date adventure often?”

“Never. Until Sue twisted my arm so hard I thought it would break. By the way, I should add, I’m not disappointed I came. You do seem intriguing, and what is there to lose? We have a free meal to share, and who knows what we might discover.

“Sure. We can always walk away and say nice meeting you, have a good day.”

Click on the links below to travel to more tantalizing excerpts!

For starters, Mr. Kraft and I, who write together under our pen name, are older than fifty. You can bet that as we’ve aged, we’ve learned as much as we can about sexual health in the over-fifty crowd. I’ve said elsewhere that writing these stories keeps us young, and I’ll stand by that. But this article from AARP – tweeted by Ageless Sexuality Advocate Joan Price – pulled together things even I didn’t know about the health benefits of sex after fifty: ”10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex After 50”

So even though Cliff and Carol, our Reluctant Santa and his paramour (yes, they do get it done), may not have read the article, we wonder if something about turning fifty drove them to abandon their dedication to the single life and find a partner.

Here are just a few things I learned – some of which I’d guessed, but it’s nice to see them confirmed.

“Regular romps with your partner are linked to a lower risk of heart problems.” Maybe that’s why Mr. Kraft, in spite of having a heart attack three decades ago and a triple bypass fifteen years back, now has a heart as healthy as any other male in his age cohort, regardless of heart history. I’ll add that there’s a vast amount of strength training, aerobic exercise, and healthy eating involved in addition.

Regular sexual activity (with or without a partner) boosts immunity. Who knew? It strengthens the pelvic floor (makes sense), an issue of particular concern for aging women. It reduces the risk of prostate cancer. It relieves pain – via the endorphins it releases. It reduces stress and improves sleep (all of which is likely related to the benefit for heart health).

Perhaps not surprisingly, given this wide range of benefits, regular sexual activity also increases life expectancy. Lest thinking about aging bodies getting it on disgusts you (and here’s hoping any such disgust decreases as you age!), here’s what’s happening elsewhere in the world: “In Ikaria, Greece — one of the regions of the world where people live significantly longer than average — more than 80 percent of people ages 65 to 100 are having sex.”

So we hope if you’re fifty or over, that you’re as eager as we are to think about fifty-year-olds having sex, and that you’ll enjoy our characters as they muddle through their awkward beginning. And we hope if you’re somewhat (or a LOT) younger than fifty, that you’ll keep an open mind and never give up on both the pleasure and the benefits that come with a healthy sex life.

Release Date: December 2, 2022