(As stolen from Mari Carr – Today there are two new releases from International Heat that I’m thrilled to shout out about. The first by Rhian Cahill and the second Bianca D’arc.)
Rhian Cahill has a great new book coming out today. Seven Minutes in Heaven is here just in time to heat up your holidays!
It?s all fun and games until their hearts are on the line.
Are You Game? Book 1
Cassandra Moreland?s hard work to build her party-planning business is starting to pay off. There?s only one thorn in her side?a six-foot-five wall of testosterone throwing his weight around while she supervises her friend Lil?s first party. Butting heads doesn?t work. Ignoring him really doesn?t work. Not when he makes her pulse race and her palms sweat. But no way will she give in to his demand to shut the rowdy party down.
Lucas Wilhelm, head of McDermott Security, can?t believe the pint-sized brunette has the balls to go toe-to-toe with him. Strangely enough, that sassy mouth of hers isn?t ticking him off. It?s tightening his groin and stirring something much hotter than anger.
A stolen moment in a pantry leads to a challenge that pushes each other?s sexual boundaries to the limit. Except the rules go up in flames when they realize they?re not just playing around. They?re playing for keeps.
Product Warnings
Contains an alpha male who?s used to being in charge, and a tough-as-steel woman who isn?t going down easy. Involves the use of beads, but not in the way you might think.
Luc relaxed the muscles in his arms and did the one thing he really didn?t want to. He set Cassie on her feet. Whoever had been hammering on the door had stopped, but the damage was done. Regret was written all over her pretty face. Scrubbing a hand over his stubbled jaw, he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
?Luc,? he said
Cassie?s gaze met his, one delicate eyebrow arched.
?My name. It?s Lucas Wilhelm. I?m head of McDermott Security, a position I?ve held for ten years.? Luc added the last part in the hope of reassuring her.
?Oh. Um, well?? She lowered her eyes, hiding the uncertainty swirling in their honey-coloured depths.
Placing two fingers under her chin, he tipped her head back until her gaze met his once more. ?Don?t back down now, Cass. Where?s the woman who?s fought me for control for the last couple of hours gone??
She shook her head, dislodging his fingers. ?She just had common sense kissed right out of her.?
The small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth pulled at his gut and eased his mind. He hadn?t been sure at first, but now he didn?t doubt she?d bounce back from their mind-numbing lip-lock. Luc had expected they?d be explosive, he just hadn?t realised how unstable their chemistry was. He?d have to keep his hands off her until they were in more suitable surroundings or they?d find themselves sans clothes. There was one sure-fire way to keep her at a distance though. Strip her of control.
?As of now, this party is over.?
?What?? Her eyes narrowed to slits.
If looks could kill, the one she aimed his way would slice him to ribbons, and Luc figured she?d used it to de-ball many a man before him. Good thing he?d spent years developing a tough exterior. Although she?d found a way under his skin already, he wasn?t about to cower beneath her hostile stare. Luc embraced the hum in his veins. The zap delivered courtesy of her returning ballsy attitude. He?d never gone looking for a fight. Sure he?d been in plenty, but he?d never started one. Except now. With Cassie. And there was no denying the thrill thrumming in his blood. He was more than looking forward to their combat. He was eager for it to begin.
?As you can hear, there?s no longer music blasting through the house and that?s thanks to Lachlan McDermott ripping out power cables. If I were you, I wouldn?t be surprised when your DJ files a damage report and insurance claim.? Luc smiled as a growl rumbled in her throat. He?d never heard that particular sound from a woman, and he?d certainly never found it a turn on coming from any man, but there was no mistaking the tightening of his sac or the hardening of his erection.
?Damn men.? Cassie shoved passed him and flung open the door, using it to push him out of the way.
Before he got his head in gear and made it out from behind the door, she?d disappeared into the kitchen. With long strides, Luc followed only to witness her sexy arse vanish through the far doorway. Covering the distance in seconds, he found his men doing as he?d ordered. Between them and Cassie?s staff, the guests were quickly being ushered from the house in a tidal wave of drunkenness. His search for Cassie was hindered by the surge of bodies moving towards the front door, with his chances to spot her zero he let himself be swept up in the tide. When he reached the front yard, hire cars and drivers lined the street. Inebriated partiers tumbled into backseats, car doors slammed and departing vehicles were quickly swallowed up by the night.
With the party down to the last few stragglers, he turned back to the house determined to find Cassie while his men dealt with the remaining guests. He found her back in the kitchen. Leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, he folded his arms, crossed one ankle over the other and watched as she gave orders while packing box after box with glasses. The image of efficiency, her movements were economical and fluid, her speed and accuracy proving she?d done this a thousand times before. Luc relaxed and enjoyed the view. His pants grew snug and he had to shift his stance to alleviate the pressure.
——————-
Whew baby. Bianca D’Arc has written a book sure to spice up your holidays! She’s back and better than ever with the next book in her Brotherhood of Blood series, Wolf Quest.
Love and magic lie at the heart of this storm?as well as a whole lot of danger.
Brotherhood of Blood, Book 7
When Major Jesse Moore, brother to the Wyoming Pack Alpha, is sent to Iowa to check on his sister-in-law?s cousin, knocking politely isn?t an option. Sounds of a struggle send him storming into her kitchen?where he finds anything but a damsel in distress. The tiny human woman knows how to handle herself in a fight, and all Jesse?s senses shout she?s his mate.
Exotic-animal vet, Maria Garibaldi has never trusted the magic her aunt and grandmother claim is her birthright. She?s always known about the Others, but she had no idea she was also part of their world. When Maria sets out with Jesse to find the parents of a young grizzly shifter she found and treated, she learns the meaning of temptation in the form of the ex-Special Forces soldier.
As passion flares, the trail leads them toward the eye of a massive storm?where an unspeakable evil awaits the right moment to destroy the good in the magical world.
Product Warnings
Things get explicit when a werewolf wants his mate and he doesn?t care where they are. Outdoors, indoors, wherever and whenever?never get between a wolf and his woman.
Jesse kicked the door in and found what he?d expected, though not exactly the scenario he?d anticipated. There was a struggle going on all right, but the two men attacking the young lovely in her nightgown were definitely on the defensive. One was already out cold, slumped against the far wall, while the other was face down on the kitchen floor, his arm twisted behind him in what had to be an excruciating position. The woman crouching over his back had a fierce expression on her lovely face and her dark hair flipped out to the side almost in slow motion as she turned her head to look at Jesse.
?What do you want?? She couldn?t have growled any better if she?d been a female werewolf in half-shifted battle form.
The thought made Jesse grin as he aimed his weapon at the ground, away from her.
?We thought you might need some help, but I see you have matters in hand here.?
?We?? she asked, arching one eyebrow as she pulled the man?s arm a little tighter. The guy grunted in pain but she wasn?t letting up.
Jesse gave the signal over his tactical radio and the rest of the team appeared in the hall leading to the kitchen. The woman would be able to see them if she looked up, but the dude on the ground with his cheek pressed into the linoleum wouldn?t. Jesse gestured toward the hall with his eyes, hoping she?d get the message.
Wonder of wonders, she did. This girl was on the ball. Of course, he shouldn?t have expected anything less from Sally?s cousin. His brother?s new wife had already proven to be more than a match for a male Alpha werewolf.
And Jesse was definitely Alpha. And male. And a werewolf.
All his senses were standing on end in the gorgeous female?s presence. A bare hint of her scent wafted to him and his hormones raged.
Whoa. Down boy.
?Ma?am?? Jesse made himself get back to business. ?We?ve been pursuing these boys. They?re wanted in connection with a kidnapping in Wyoming. I?m sorry we had to barge into your home, but I thought you might need assistance. As team leader, I take full responsibility, and I promise we?ll repair any damage our entry may have caused.? He glanced significantly back at the kitchen door. It was badly splintered and still swinging slightly on its hinges.
She didn?t ease off the man on the floor. ?Look, buddy, I don?t know you. For all I know you could be working for these guys, just waiting for me to let this one go.?
?While I applaud your caution, in this instance it?s misplaced. If you?ll allow me?? He didn’t wait for an answer before pulling a dart gun from the holster on his thigh and plugging the struggling man with sleep juice.
She didn?t even have time to blink, which was a good thing. Jesse sure as hell didn?t want to tranq her by mistake. Oh, no. He wanted her awake and spitting at him. He wanted the chance to try to gentle her. To woo her.
Woo her? Where the hell had that come from? Damn. She was every bit as attractive as her cousin and twice as alluring to Jesse?s senses. He?d thought his brother was a lucky man when he?d found Sally, but the mild envy he?d felt had nothing on the downright possessive streak that stirred in him at seeing Maria Garibaldi in her nightdress.
The dude under her went slack as the fast-acting drug kicked in.
?What did you just do?? she accused, outrage in her silky voice. Damn. He could listen to her for hours and never tire.
This thought from a man who found most women intensely annoying when they started to chatter? He was in trouble. Big trouble.
?He?ll wake in a few hours. I figured you wouldn?t mind since you knocked the other one out cold.? He glanced at the other man, still slumped against the wall. Signaling his men to enter the kitchen, he stepped closer to Maria. ?We?ll take these guys off your hands, ma?am.?
Maria stood faster than he would have credited as he stepped forward. She was really quick for a human. Maybe her alleged magical ancestry gave her some physical advantages.
?You can have them, but I?m not going anywhere. And you can think again if you expect me to agree to anything else you may have in mind.?
He holstered the dart gun and held his hands out, palms up in the intergalactic gesture of I come in peace.
?We mean you no harm, Maria.? Her chin jerked up defiantly when he used her first name. ?It?s okay. We really have been following these guys for a couple of weeks. Two of their friends kidnapped a young boy in Wyoming. We got those two, but these guys have been leading us cross-country.?
Arlo and Len had secured the unconscious man?s wrists and feet with zip ties. They?d also disarmed him while Jesse had been talking. Maria had been splitting her attention between them and Jesse for the past minute or more. She was like a caged animal, ready to strike and unsure what was coming next. He had to calm her down but he wasn?t sure how.
?Why here?? she whispered. ?Why me??
Now there was a question. Jesse paused. He wasn?t sure how much she knew about the magical world around her. She might be like her cousin Sally, who had been completely unaware of the weres, bloodletters and other kinds of magical beings living alongside the human population. Or she might know a lot more than Sally had. He?d noticed a couple of low-level wardings in Maria?s backyard. Nothing that could stop a werewolf of course, but enough to let a magic user know that someone was trespassing on their land.
?Do you know what I am?? Jesse tested the waters.
To his amazement, she sniffed in his direction. That wasn?t something a human would do. She looked at the man on the floor before speaking as if to make certain he was fully asleep.
?Were?? She didn?t seem too sure of her answer.
Jesse grinned at her, letting her see the slightly sharper teeth of the predator.
—————–
Happy double reading
Jess
