Adriana Kraft

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

romance

Her laughter seldom reached her eyes…The Best Man #EroticRomance #BadGirl

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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!

This month, in addition to our upcoming release, we’re focusing our promotions on our backlist erotic romance The Best Man.

Kitty Paige is definitely a bad girl. Will she meet her match? We thought the best way to introduce you to her was to let you see her through the eyes of our bad-boy hero.

EXCERPT

Leaning against the banquet room wall, Jared Jacobs surreptitiously studied his prey one more time. The tall shapely blonde in the canary yellow dress and yellow stilettos had drawn his attention from the moment he’d seen her walking her daughter down the aisle.

She’d escorted the bride with her chin up and with a satisfied smile on her ruby lips. Apparently she and her daughter didn’t mind thumbing their noses at custom. Unlike many mothers of the bride he’d seen, this one did not carry a Kleenex in her hand. She probably didn’t have any in her tiny clutch purse, either. Tears wouldn’t come naturally to the fair-skinned female exuding confidence at the chapel and here at the reception.

She appeared to laugh easily enough with acquaintances at the table where she was seated. But a careful observer would note that her laughter seldom reached her eyes. Like him, she was a sharp observer. She’d assessed everyone in the room, particularly the men. When her gaze had settled on his from across the room, she’d lingered ever so briefly before moving her attention to the person standing next to him.

The small band began to play in earnest. Considerable banter and movement was occurring at the head table, where the groom helped his bride to her feet. Jared smiled. The traditional first dance was about to begin.

He glanced back at the woman in yellow. Why hadn’t she sat at the head table along with the wedding party and the groom’s parents? He liked a woman who did things her way—to a point. He welcomed a challenge of most any kind. He had little doubt the woman in yellow would be a challenge.

BLURB

The Best ManBad boy meets bad girl – is that all there is?

Passionate, hardworking and every inch a businesswoman, Chicago realtor Kitty Paige likes her sex raw and edgy, and she sees no reason to limit herself to just one man. Never married and not quite forty, the striking blonde has successfully raised her daughter, Susan, and is already pushing her new-found freedom to the limits.

 

Wealthy commodities middleman and racehorse owner Jared Jacobs is father of the best man at Susan’s wedding. He is smitten by the vision in yellow who exudes sex as she escorts her daughter down the aisle. Also single, the handsome mustached California ranch owner with mischievous eyes views his sex life as a series of splendid love affairs. He sets out to make Kitty next on the list.

Together and apart, their chemistry is explosive, and their sparkling repartee and steamy sex catch both partners by surprise. Jared is first to recognize he’s fallen in love. When Kitty panics, can Jared finesse his every move and reel her in?

BUY LINK

UBL https://books2read.com/u/bzKpPq

 

Be sure to click to travel to the rest of today’s enticing book hooks!

“…maybe you’ll want to stay for coffee.” The Merry Widow #MRFWHooks #EroticRomance #Excerpt #BookSale

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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!

Here’s little steam from The Merry Widow to heat you up against the wintry weather…

EXCERPT

Jim tried to breathe normally. That wasn’t going to happen as long as he stayed in this woman’s presence. Her lips started to move. He tried to focus on what she was saying.

“No apology required. If I remember correctly—my brain is still somewhat fried—I wasn’t holding back any. I don’t want a different detective.” Merry gave him a sultry smile. “Your cock will do quite fine. I’ll gladly attest to that.”

He crossed the foyer in a flash and crushed her to his body. He kissed her hair, her forehead, her lips while her hands roamed across his back and buttocks.

“Jesus,” he exclaimed, feeling himself harden again. “I’m not a twenty-year-old.”

“Thank God.”

He jerked himself from their embrace. “I don’t know what your game is, lady. I don’t know what you want. But I’m finding it damn hard to walk out of here.”

Merry laughed. She actually laughed at him.

She gripped his arousal. “You don’t seem to have much difficulty getting hard again.” She lowered her hand. “I’m not into games, Detective. Maybe I’m too old for that. I don’t have any particular wants other than some good, mind-blowing sex—which you’ve already demonstrated the capacity for. That’s all I ask. No strings. No commitments. No expectations. No anything but hot sex.”

“Hmm. I’d be one of many if I sign on?”

“Probably.” She never hesitated. She never blinked.

“Never done it that way before.”

Merry smiled. “Neither have I, but I’m learning it can be quite stimulating—quite invigorating, actually. And after so many years of abstinence, I’m not looking for a lovey-dovey relationship. Maybe someday, but not now. I’ve made a commitment to myself to be open to new sexual experiences, new opportunities.”

“Your commitment is to yourself?”

She shrugged. “Yes. And I don’t feel a bit guilty about that. I’ve sacrificed so much of myself because of commitment, I’m setting about to reclaim part of myself.”

“So I was merely part of that reclaiming.”

“Maybe. I enjoyed it. I think you did, too. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe once was enough. Or maybe you want to stay for coffee.”

 

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?

BUY LINKS

On Sale through 12/31 at Extasy Books, 40% off

https://www.extasybooks.com/the-merry-widow

Buy at other retailers:

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/mK61gP

 

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

Always Cambridge by @AuthorHKCarlton #Sale #MafiaRomance #Suspense

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Today I’m thrilled to welcome Kymmie Carlton back to our pages. I fell in love with the Always Cambridge series and its kick-ass heroine immediately, and I highly recommend the entire series, not just for all the characters you’ll root for, but also for all the unpredictable twists and turns in the story. You’ll never get bored!
Take it away, Kymmie!
~ o ~
Hello Everyone! Hope you had a Happy Christmas. Can you believe we are heading into a New Year? Wow! And what can you say about the last few years we’ve had? Here’s to a better 2023.  
 
As we look forward though, it’s also a time for reflection and looking back. I’ve been thinking a lot lately of my first series, The Always Cambridge Saga. This story and characters have been with me a very long time. The series was published back in 2014, with a six month marathon of rapid release dates. A book a month, from April to September. Phew! It was a hectic time, for a fairly new author, but to finally share the story with readers was a dream come true.
 
Romantic Suspense, Mafia Romance, Family Saga, Organized Crime

The Always Cambridge Series chronicles the life of Holly Cambridge through her tumultuous childhood and violent teen years and the consequences that stem from being the daughter of mob boss, Bill Cambridge.

 
This story is a true saga and coming of age story, following Holly from the age of nine, through her violent teen years, and eventually into her forties. Each book starts where the last leaves off. The violence and sexual content amps up in later installments, reflecting Holly’s age as she matures and circumstances change. Holly evolves from a shy, young girl who only wishes to make the world a better place and perhaps atone for her father’s evil deeds, into a courageous warrior who will sacrifice her own life to protect the people she loves.
 
Our lucky heroine also has a trio of formidable men who weave their way in and out of her tumultuous life. Randy Phillips, her beloved body guard, Special Agent Alex Orton, from the FBI, and most surprisingly of all, Victor Mayhue, the son from a rival crime family. But Holly is no damsel in distress, she doesn’t need a man to swoop in and save her, no, she’s quite capable of taking care of herself. In fact, often she rescues them.
 

Always Cambridge : Book One

His only duty is to keep her safe, but he can’t save her…


Holly Cambridge is just a typical kid, or so she thinks, until one day, she takes a good look around and realizes her friends don’t have bodyguards dogging their every step.

At the age of sixteen, Holly is assigned a new bodyguard, Randy Phillips. He is a tall, muscular, God-like force in the young, impressionable and lonely girl’s life. He is her friend, her confident, her conscience, and the older man she adores beyond reason.

Randy Phillips is fully aware of his young charge’s adolescent crush on him. Although he is flattered by the adulation, he maintains a safe distance and professional demeanor until Holly is wounded in a rival family blood feud, and the course of both their lives is changed forever.

 

 


Excerpt from Always Cambridge, Book 1

Warning for Language and Violence
 

***This is the pivotal scene that changes everything for Holly and Randy

“Randy!”

Patrick appeared in the doorway of Cambridge’s office. I’d been sitting here all goddamn afternoon trying to figure out what was up with the computer system when all I wanted to do was get back to Holly. It was times like these that I realized I still had a lot to learn. Maybe I should have let her come with me. She would have diagnosed the problem and had it fixed by now. And she’d be with me and I wouldn’t be worried about her and my stomach wouldn’t hurt. I rubbed the back of my neck again trying to brush away the cold feeling.

“Randy! They’ve been hit.”

“Shit! Which patrol?” I asked still distracted. When Paddy didn’t answer right away I looked to where he stood in the door. He was pale and I could see him trembling from where I sat.

“Jeffy and Dale,” he answered gravely.

A cold hole punched into my chest. “Holly?”

He nodded once. “They’re all down.”

I raced past him, pulling on my coat as I ran. I jammed into the nearest car in the courtyard—a whole procession of them were ready to leave. “Hurry the f*ck up!” I yelled.

Everyone in the car was talking as we pulled away. I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. My head was buzzing. It was full of noise. My chest hurt. I felt cold but I could feel sweat beading on my forehead and running down my back.

Could we not go any f*ckin’ faster?

“Are the cops there?” someone asked.

“Yeah, cops are everywhere. EMTs are there too.”

I felt like I was going to jump out of my own skin. “Hurry the f*ck up,” I cursed at them as we came to a stop.

“F*ck off, Phillips. I’m goin’ as fast as I can. Traffics backed up because of the…”

I didn’t hear the rest. I couldn’t take it anymore. I bolted from the car and ran towards the food bank. About a block away, I was stopped by cops barring anyone entrance. They had barricades up and yellow tape to keep people out.

F*ck! I had to get to her. I should have been there!

I looked around. Down the alley. Up to the rooftops.

I pushed the guy in front of me hard, so he’d collide with the cop who wouldn’t let me through. While they wrestled, I sprinted down the alleyway, through the back door of the bakery, ran through the store and out the front door. Now I was on the inside of the barricades. There were people everywhere. I kept my head down, moving without being noticed.

The rest of the guys arrived at the cordoned off area. I heard the Cambridge name and the cops went into a f*ckin’ frenzy. I took off, using them as a distraction. There would be some arrests, I knew. We were armed for this war.

As I approached the food bank I saw broken glass everywhere. The plate glass windows were gone from every store in the vicinity, shattered. As I moved closer to the black Cambridge car I could see that it was riddled with bullet holes.

I saw Dale first. He was face down, his body half on the sidewalk, half on the road. Behind the car, a pool of blood ran like a rivulet down the crease between the curb and the road.

Holly! Her name resonated in my head.

Everything around me seemed to be moving in slow motion. Even me. I wanted to go faster but I couldn’t seem to get my body to catch up with my racing mind. The only thing I could hear was my own ragged breathing and my heartbeat drumming in my ears, and the blaring sirens off in the distance.

Holly!

Jeffy was on his back, closer to the building. The back of his head was gone.

Holly!

Trent lay face down on the sidewalk, his big body blocking the door of the food bank, as if he’d tried to put himself between the bullets and…Holly!

An ambulance was backed up against the curb, back doors wide open. Cops stood in front of the store entrance, taking pictures and numbering spent casings.

F*ck! They were all dead!

Holly!

I moved towards the door. I saw EMTs and a stretcher inside the building. One of the paramedics came to the door and said to a uniform, “We’re ready to transport. Can you move this guy so we can get out?”

“Yeah. I think we’ve got all the pictures we need. Just need a chalk line.”

“Hurry up, this one’s getting shocky,” came another voice from inside.

“Holly?” Was that my voice?

“You can’t go in there?” said one cop.

“How’d you get here?” asked the other.

Mrs. Small was just inside the door holding a bandage to her head. Her shirt and face were covered in blood. I pushed at the cop, suddenly more frantic than ever to get in there. The clawing inside my chest was gonna blow. The cop held me back.

“Holly!” I roared.

“Please let him through,” Mrs. Small cried. “He’s the young lady’s young man. She needs him. Please.”

“We can’t let you in there. You’ll contaminate our crime scene.”

“Oh, God!” My head swam. My vision tunneled. Crime scene. “Please!” My own voice echoed in my head. “Please. Just tell me. Tell me she’s not dead!”

 

 

The Always Cambridge Saga in reading order:
Always Cambridge
Running
Misfortune of Birth
Law and Order : Crime and Chaos
Afterlife
Always Holly
 A
Or On Sale at eXtasy Books
Check out the fantastic reviews on Goodreads
The Always Cambridge Series
Violence. Danger. Sex.
The Mob, the Feds, and so much more!
The twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat but keep the tissues handy, too. Romantic Suspense/Mafia Romance at its best.
A Huge Thank You to Adriana for the tremendous ongoing support, especially for the Always Cambridge Series. 
Happy 2023 Everyone! May your new year be filled with new adventures, good fortune, health, happiness, love, family, friends and enough blessings to fill a book.

 

“Take me Deeper…” a holiday #Menage #MFRWSteam #HalfPrice #Sale

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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

It’s the holiday season – Hubs and I wrote Santa’s Boss to show that Santa isn’t just for kids…

BLURB

Joy Danser has believed in Santa since childhood—now Nick Polaris shows her Santa can deliver an adult package beyond her wildest dreams!

Assistant Mall Manager Joy Danser thrives on authenticity. All her mall Santas must have real beards so children can believe. But even she is unprepared for the very real Santa who visits her bed invisibly this Christmas season. Is she dreaming, or has she gone mad? Joy consults Sophia Nardiz, manager of the Magical Gypsy shop at her mall. Sophia reads her palm and gives her a cryptic message: she is at a crossroads, and she must trust her intuition.

Owner of the Magical Gypsy chain and a true Gypsy himself, Nick Polaris is thrilled to play Joy’s Santa, in the mall and in her bed, but he knows it’s only a lark. For true love, he’ll need someone with Gypsy blood. How can he ever abandon the Scottish redhead he enjoys so much?

EXCERPT

Chapter One

“Take me deeper, babe,” Ted Meeks encouraged, lying spread eagled under Joy Danser on their bed.

On her hands and knees between his legs, Joy worked her jaw muscles until her mouth and throat surrounded his entire cock.

“Better,” Ted groaned. “Smooth and steady. Let’s see how long you can manage.”

Joy wanted to snicker. Even after two years of living together, his need to turn sex into a challenge annoyed her. She’d outlast Ted. She always did. Relaxing her muscles, she bobbed slowly up and down his shaft. It would only take a sudden shift in pace or a deft twist of the hand around the base of his cock, and he’d be spurting down her throat in a flash. Or if she squeezed his balls just right. Or, a surefire way of making him come would be slipping her middle finger in his ass. She could win this challenge whenever she chose to.

She suctioned slowly up his shaft until she only held its fleshy crown in her mouth. Ted’s hands curled around her shoulders as if he feared she might leave him. Chuckling around his cock, she drifted back down its length until her lips again smacked against his loins.

Inching her way back up, she felt his hand slip between her legs and begin to palm her pussy. She blinked her eyes open wildly. All ten of Ted’s fingernails still dug into her shoulders. What the hell? Who the hell? She started to rear up.

A large hand pressed against her back. “Easy, Danser. It’s just me, Santa. You wanted to believe,” a deep male voice chortled. “So, here I am.”

The words reverberated in her head. They hadn’t been spoken aloud. She was sure of that. Santa! Damn, her job had finally gotten to her. She was going crazy. She swore she felt soft whiskers caressing her lower back and then her rump. At work, she supervised the eight temporary Santas at the mall as part of her assistant manager position. Yes, she’d been envious of how easily the boys and girls believed and marveled when the Santas went out of their way to listen to them and please them. She’d only hired the best. Each had to have an authentic beard. It could be dyed white, but it had to be real.

“My beard is authentic. You must feel that. Mustache, too.”

“Oh my. You can read my thoughts.” His lips and mustache traced the contour of her rump. She didn’t balk when he grazed the insides of her thighs. She shifted her knees further apart.

“That’s right. Open for me. You may want to remember Ted now and then, or even he may begin to wonder what’s happening to you.”

BUY LINKS

HALF PRICE AT EXTASY BOOKS https://www.extasybooks.com/santas-boss

BUY AT OTHER RETAIL OUTLETS https://books2read.com/u/3nXJd6

Meanwhile, don’t miss all the other amazing books on sale at Extasy Books.

Backlist Christmas stories are 50% off, and all other backlist releases are 40% off.

Click on the graphic to check them out:

And don’t forget to check out the rest of today’s steamy excerpts!

Do you Play by the Rules? #RomanticSuspense #CrimeFiction #Danger

by

Looking for a steamy read full of danger and suspense? Check out my romantic suspense, The Heist.

BLURB

A heist? A murder? It’s villain’s choice.

A special-order art theft? Tedious, but seamless – until small town museum director Kara Daniels calls in the experts. Furious her favorite trio of priceless impressionist paintings has been stolen from its traveling exhibit on her watch, Kara is determined to save not only the paintings, but her future in the art world. She’ll stop at nothing to entrap the thief.

Ted Springs knows the underbelly of the criminal world a little closer than he might like—but he’s turned it to good advantage, first as a police officer, and now as detective for the Upper Midwest Arts Council. His job? To guarantee the security of the valuable paintings in the Council’s traveling exhibits.

Heat sizzles when Ted and Kara collide—can they work together, before it’s too late?

EXCERPT

Set Up: Embarrassed from an earlier encounter where she literally bumped into detective Ted Springs, Kara is cautiously bantering with him as she drives him from the airport to Elk Grove.

“If you ever get to know me, you’ll find there’s nothing unreal about me.”

He exhaled slowly. “And do you think I’ll ever get to know you?”

She giggled softly. “Not in the way you’re thinking.” She thrust out her chin. “At least not while you’re working this case.”

He took his time to chew on that information. “Fair enough,” he said. He wished he knew what he’d done or said to disarm her. Maybe it had been the memory of their brief encounter. “Not that I need more incentive to wrap this museum situation up quickly.” He paused. “Do you suppose we’ll be able to hug now and then like friends, now that we’ve cleared the air? Shaking hands seems so stodgy.”

Kara laughed quickly and then peeked over at him with a devastating smile. “As long as you don’t paw my boobs.”

Smiling, he didn’t miss a beat. “How about your rear?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “That is a different matter. Your large hands did leave a pleasant impression on my ass.”

So she didn’t mind a little flirting even while he worked the case. “Good. I believe in first impressions, and I always like to be clear about the rules of the game. Now maybe you should tell me how you think one or more people entered the museum supposedly without a key.”

She scrunched her mouth. “So do you play by the rules?”

“I didn’t say that. I just like to know what they are.”

BUY LINKS

Available in e-book and print

https://books2read.com/u/4D65wD

Always free to read at Kindle Unlimited

If he looked at her with bedroom eyes… The Heist #Excerpt #KU #steamy #RomanticSuspense

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Looking for a steamy romantic suspense?

The Heist, by Adriana Kraft

BLURB

A heist? A murder? It’s villain’s choice.

A special-order art theft? Tedious, but seamless – until small town museum director Kara Daniels calls in the experts. Furious her favorite trio of priceless impressionist paintings has been stolen from its traveling exhibit on her watch, Kara is determined to save not only the paintings, but her future in the art world. She’ll stop at nothing to entrap the thief.

Ted Springs knows the underbelly of the criminal world a little closer than he might like—but he’s turned it to good advantage, first as a police officer, and now as detective for the Upper Midwest Arts Council. His job? To guarantee the security of the valuable paintings in the Council’s traveling exhibits.

Heat sizzles when Ted and Kara collide—can they work together, before it’s too late?

EXCERPT

Set up ~ the museum has just been broken into for the first time, but nothing’s been stolen. Even so, the Arts Council is sending out a detective to improve their security.

The entire day had cast a pall of suspicion over Kara and her staff. Even the police had discounted the entire unforced entry as a likely prank by an insider.

Would Ted Springs want to talk with everyone? Talk. She remembered Sasha’s expression when she’d used that term. They both knew Springs would be more into interrogating than talking, even if this was supposed to be a consulting trip. He’d have to gather information in order to give them the best advice he and the Council could offer.

Clearing her desk, Kara smiled at Sasha’s chauffeur-babysitter reference. Springs might need someone to drive him about, and she’d probably get Irving involved in that, but it was definitely her job to meet him at the airport and to see that he was dealt with professionally. He wouldn’t want or need a babysitter.

She allowed her mind to wander to their first meeting in the Council’s Chicago offices. It had been a random event, an embarrassing experience. She’d barreled into him while exiting Alice Erikson’s office. Coming along behind her, Alice had made the introductions, saving an awkward moment as Kara disentangled herself from Ted’s arms. She’d never given their meeting much thought, other than to be aware he’d taken more time than needed to free her. She’d never expected to see him again.

Did he remember their brief encounter? Given his reluctance to let go of her quickly, she surmised he was a boob man. She had no difficulty recalling his firm chest as she’d crushed into him, or his strong arms keeping her from falling or retreating.

It was his booming laugh that stuck with her most. “We ought to try that again sometime,” he’d chortled, settling her back on her own feet.

He’d acknowledged the introduction by shaking her hand and jesting, “Too bad I have to rush off.”

Kara rapped her fingers on the desktop, not pleased with the burning embarrassment she still harbored from that initial meeting. That was one of the reasons she had to drive to Lincoln to pick up Ted Springs at the airport. If he looked at her with bedroom eyes, she’d straighten him out immediately.

BUY LINKS

Available in e-book and print

https://books2read.com/u/4D65wD

Always free to read at Kindle Unlimited