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Romantic Suspense

It was a soft kiss… #MFRWHooks #RomanticSuspense #Romance #Kiss

February 2, 2022 by Adriana Kraft 4 Comments

A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?

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!

EXCERPT

Last week their lips barely brushed at the end of what turned out to be their first date — this week they get another chance at a real kiss.

Nadja shuddered, sitting on her living room couch. Kevin sat next to her. He was too close. He was too far away. Her skin warmed and then just as quickly chilled. When had she become such a tease? She never toyed with men. She never bantered with them. Not like this.

Was it Kevin’s seemingly boundless patience she was testing? Or was it his perseverance? Maybe it was her perseverance.

She raised the wine glass to her lips and peeked at him. They’d exchanged views on a wide range of topics. She’d been surprised by his varied interests. But he hadn’t even tried to put his arm around her.

“Do you miss Ukraine?”

“Yes. I miss the high hills, the beautiful buildings, and the dancing.”

“But you don’t plan to go back?”

She shook her head. “Not to live. This is my home now. I have my shop, and Ivett and her husband. And I can speak my mind without worrying about what others may think.” She paused. “At least most of the time.”

He nodded and studied her thoughtfully. “Nadja.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t read minds very well. Are you going to jump out of your skin if I kiss you?”

She wet her lips but couldn’t smile. “I’ll try not to.”

He placed an arm around her shoulder and turned her chin toward him with his other hand. She held his gaze as he dipped his head until his lips slanted across hers. It was a soft kiss. Not at all demanding. His lips coaxed hers into responding. She draped her arms around his neck. She feared she might dissolve in his arms.

He leaned back only enough to whisper, “You taste like cherry.”

“My lipstick,” she explained.

“I like cherry.”

“Maybe you’ll want to taste again.”

BUY LINKS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1140503297
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-am-not-for-sale
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115419
https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale

REVIEW

Five Stars from N. N. Light

“The romance is so hot, you may have to call the fire department. But it’s the character development throughout I am Not for Sale which makes this such an incredible story.”

BLURB

It’s nothing personal…

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son.

Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?

CLICK TO TRAVEL:

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Filed Under: Blog, Romantic Suspense Tagged With: romance, Romantic Suspense

“…does that make this a date?” #MFRWhooks #RomanticSuspense #Romance

January 26, 2022 by Adriana Kraft 10 Comments

A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?

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!

EXCERPT

Kevin curled his fingers around the car door latch and turned back to Nadja. “Hmm, kissing me on the cheeks—does that make this a date?”

She broke into a large smile. “I’m not positive. Don’t misread a European custom.” She hesitated, then leaned across the space separating them to brush her lips lightly across his. She settled back in her seat and quietly watched his eyes sparkling.

“That’s an American custom,” he said, “for ending a date.”

“Don’t be so narrow-minded,” she teased. “I believe that custom is fairly common worldwide for ending a first date. Good night,” she added quickly. “I’ll see you on Friday.”

“You bet you will,” Kevin said, opening the door.

She watched him until he entered the motel. She hadn’t planned on their evening turning into a date. But it had. How? When? Why?

It had seemed like such a natural thing to kiss him. It had only been a kiss, and not much of one at that.

So why did her lips still tingle?

BUY LINKS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1140503297
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-am-not-for-sale
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115419
https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale

REVIEW

Five Stars from N. N. Light

“The romance is so hot, you may have to call the fire department. But it’s the character development throughout I am Not for Sale which makes this such an incredible story.”

BLURB

It’s nothing personal…

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son.

Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?

CLICK TO TRAVEL:

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Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts, Romantic Suspense Tagged With: crime fiction, danger, fiction, romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense

Stress – But not a complaint! #EroticRomance #RomanticSuspense #MFRWAuthor

January 5, 2022 by Adriana Kraft 2 Comments

Do you let stress derail you plans?

Um, yes. Today’s Wednesday. I always have a post ready ahead of time for the MFRW Book Hooks weekly blog hop – but not this morning. I wasn’t even aware I’d missed it until I started running into the BookHooks posts of other authors on social  media this morning.

Stressors? On top of political turmoil and Covid fears, we lost a very dear friend Christmas day, and as so often also happens when I’m under stress, I didn’t pay enough attention to self-care and have developed a minor infection (short lived and easily cured, I hasten to add).

Stress doesn’t necessarily always stem from negative events – we’re thrilled our granddaughter is getting married this weekend. We can’t be there, and I put pressure on myself to get our gift to her in a timely manner. Which went out FedEx this morning.

I’m not writing all this on our blog to complain, but to talk about the impact of stressors on the best laid plans. Sometimes we have to simply step aside, accept what life has handed us, and change direction.

This is what Merry Delaney faces with the intrusion of Detective Jim Barnes into her life. Widowed for over a year, Merry is happily exploring all the dimensions of her new sexual liberation and has no plans to stop or slow down for anyone. Jim is investigating a mob funds-laundering scheme related to drug trafficking, and one of Merry’s accounting clients is under suspicion. She’s just discovered that some of her files have mysteriously disappeared from her home office computer…

EXCERPT

Merry looked up from the computer screen to see the object of her concern stalk into her office. He didn’t look any more relaxed than earlier. He held out his hand to her. She saw three tiny objects.

She cringed away from his hard stare. “What are they? Where did you find them?”

“Each of your three phones was tapped.”

“Shit. You were right about the computer, too. I don’t know why the security programs didn’t block the hacker. Somebody knows what they’re doing. You didn’t find anything else?”

“I’m not an expert on that, so we’ll wait for the people I called.”

“So we don’t know if anyone is listening as we speak.”

“Probably not.”

Merry slammed a fist on her desk. “This is too much. Having you spy on me from bushes is one thing, but this guy or woman is lurking in my space.”

“As I said, Merry, I doubt they have the house bugged. We’ll know for sure in a couple hours.”

“Good. I don’t like this, Jim. Not one bit.” She chewed on her lower lip. “It’s scary.”

“I know it is. Come on,” he said, offering her a hand. “Let’s go outside. Just in case.”

She grabbed his hand and led the way out onto the patio. “Would you hold me, please?” She directed him to the chaise lounge and sat on his lap. “Put your arms around me, please. I’m chilled. I’ve never been this scared. I was just trying to help—to help those young girls stay off drugs.”

BUY LINKS

All our backlist, including The Merry Widow, is on sale at Extasy Books through the month of January:

  Extasy Books

Additional Buy Links:

Amazon   Kobo   Barnes & Noble

Apple    Google Play

Goodreads     BookBub

Please visit all the Book Hooks bloggers who were timely at this link – you’ll be glad you did:

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Filed Under: Blog, Erotic Romance, Excerpts, Romantic Suspense Tagged With: crime fiction, Detective, erotic romance, Extasy Books, Romantic Suspense

Nadja Petrov – Adventuresome Heroine #RomanticSuspense #Steamy #NewRelease #MFRWAuthor

December 13, 2021 by Adriana Kraft Leave a Comment

Do you like adventure? Do you love an adventuresome heroine?

Nadja Petrov has already experienced more adventures than most of us will ever know, long before her story opens in I Am Not for Sale.

You can read all about those adventures on Lyndi Alexander’s BLOG today. I won’t give away the adventures still in Nadja’s future – I hope you’ll buy the book 😊. I’ll just say two things.

Thing one – part way through the story, Nadja tells the hero “I’d do anything to protect what’s mine.” She’s going to have to live up to this promise.

Thing two – our reviewer, Mrs. N., loved living in Nadja’s shoes. We hope you will, too.

It’s nothing personal…A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?

Five Stars

Highly recommend: I couldn’t stop reading… the perfect blend of blistering hot romance and suspense… it’s the character development throughout I am Not for Sale which makes this such an incredible story. NN Light’s Book Heaven

 

 

Breaking News

I Am Not for Sale is a finalist in the Steamy Romance category for the N. N. Light 2021 Book Awards!

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Romantic Suspense Tagged With: adventure, Extasy Books, new release, Romantic Suspense

“I gave it to you to tide you over…” #NewRelease #MFRWsteam #RomanticSuspense

December 7, 2021 by Adriana Kraft 3 Comments

Welcome to Steam Hop, a monthly offering by members of Marketing For Romance Writers for readers who like their scenes hot and spicy. Click on the links at the end to travel to other Steam Hop posts, and enjoy!

Today’s excerpt is from our newest release, I Am Not For Sale.

A desperate espresso café owner, a determined coffee franchise rep, a quiet Midwestern town, anonymous threats out of the blue—where does the true danger lie?

EXCERPT

Set-up: Today’s excerpt occurs just after Kevin’s first visit to Nadja’s cafe. Her Aunt Ivett has been watching through the door that connects their two shops…

Ivett looked around, probably double-checking that they were alone. She leaned forward and spoke softly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have given you that crystal dildo two years ago. I gave it to you to tide you over—not to replace a man.”

Scowling, Nadja huffed, “You know I don’t like calling it a dildo. It’s my magical crystal wand.”

“Did you ever try the rabbit I gave you?”

“I don’t want to use anything mechanical. The crystal is natural and communicates its own vibrations. And I’ve told you before, I do enjoy it. It warms me.”

“Not as much as a man would. I’m sorry I gave it to you.”

“Don’t be sorry. Maybe I simply haven’t found a man who intrigues me enough to make time for him.”

BLURB

It’s nothing personal…

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son. Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?

REVIEW

Five Stars from N. N. Light: “The romance is so hot, you may have to call the fire department. But it’s the character development throughout I am Not for Sale which makes this such an incredible story.” https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/i-am-not-for-sale-bookreview

BUY LINKS

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/

Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1140503297

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-am-not-for-sale

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115419

ExtasyBooks https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59582104

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/i-am-not-for-sale-by-adriana-kraft

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Filed Under: Blog, Erotic Romance, Excerpts Tagged With: erotic romance, hot romance, Romantic Suspense, steamy

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ~ What is Nadja grateful for? #NewRelease #Steamy #RomanticSuspense

November 25, 2021 by Adriana Kraft Leave a Comment

A slice of Arizona we are grateful for: Sabino Canyon

The Heroine of I Am Not for Sale, Nadja Petrov, is grateful to be living in America after growing up under the communist thumb in Ukraine, and I am grateful for a ten-day trip to Ukraine a couple decades ago that became our inspiration for her character.

The people I met in Ukraine on that trip had so many stories to share with me about what life was like before and after Ukraine became independent from Communist Russia in 1991. Mr. Kraft and I wanted to be able to convey some of this background in our novel, so we have set it in 2005.

Our heroine, born in 1976, was being groomed for the Russian Ballet, but all that came to an abrupt halt in her fifteenth year, when the regime changed. I think if you asked her today, she’d be grateful her life took a different path and brought her to America.

I was fortunate, however, to be able to attend a Ukrainian Ballet performance of Prokofiev’s Cinderella while I was in Kyiv, at the Kyiv Opera House, pictured here.

Nadja is grateful for the presence of her mother’s sister, Aunt Yvett, in her life, especially since the death of Nadja’s mother two years before our story opens. Yvett gives us a vehicle for some of the older Ukrainian memories, especially the role of the Orthodox church, which was outlawed until 1991. I heard stories of families secretly staying in touch with priests and taking their children to be christened under the cover of darkness. While in Ukraine, Yvett helped make sure the faith did not die, and she brought it with her to America. Perhaps surprisingly, there’s an entirely different side to Yvett’s character—she supplies Nadja with explicit videos to enhance her, um, skills.

So yes, Nadja is deeply grateful for the turn her life has taken – but to probe any deeper into her gratitude would give away too much of the story. We hope you’ll want to find out for yourself – and we wish all our readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Blurb

It’s nothing personal…

It all seems simple enough—Ukrainian immigrant Nadja Petrov is determined to hold on to her thriving new coffee shop, Nadja’s Literary Cappuccino, and Java Beans District Rep Kevin Langley is equally determined to move into her North Iowa town with a franchise and run her out of business.

He scopes her out, she keeps a watchful eye on him, and the sparring begins. But there are other players involved, and the web of intrigue soon threatens Nadja, her shop, and her aunt as well as Kevin, his potential franchise, and his son. Within this cauldron simmers a sexual attraction between Nadja and Kevin that catapults them to overcome their fears of intimacy and commitment. Their lovemaking is tender and raw. Their love is nearly lost in tragedy—can it survive doubts, fire, and even a death?

Review

Five Stars from N. N. Light: “The romance is so hot, you may have to call the fire department. But it’s the character development throughout I am Not for Sale which makes this such an incredible story.” https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/i-am-not-for-sale-bookreview

Buy Links

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7WQH12/

Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1140503297

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-am-not-for-sale

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115419

ExtasyBooks https://www.extasybooks.com/I-am-Not-for-Sale

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59582104

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/i-am-not-for-sale-by-adriana-kraft

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Filed Under: Blog, Romantic Suspense Tagged With: Gratitude, new release, Romantic Suspense, steamy, Thanksgiving

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