Yesterday’s winner is announced at the bottom of this post! ~DD

Note from Jen, half of Ashleigh Raine:

(Just a note from DD: If you’ve never been to Ashleigh’s website, there is a very cool page dedicated to half of the writing duo’s adventures as a walk-on actress in Hollywood movies and TV shows.)

Nationally bestselling author, Anya Bast, gave us a great cover quote for this book, and I can’t thank her enough for it: “Forsaken Talisman is a romantic, action-packed adventure you won’t want to miss, filled with characters the reader will care about from the first paragraph. Ashleigh Raine delivers a thrilling story that will have you turning pages well into the morning hours.”

Forsaken Talisman, book two in the Talisman Bay series, is Dusty and Skylar’s love story, but you also get to spend time with many other characters you met in book one of the series, Lover’s Talisman, as well. More mysteries are unveiled, surprise relationships are evolving. If you haven’t read the series yet and you enjoy paranormal romantic thrillers with hot sex, we hope you’ll give this series a try.

Forsaken Talisman by Ashleigh Raine

Is she a victim of a madman’s agenda, or a willing player in his demonic games?

Book two in the Talisman Bay series.

Kidnapped and mind-wiped by the Shadow Walkers’ greatest nemesis, Skylar has no memories of her own, except for her name. All she knows is what memories she does possess belong to someone else—as does her face—and that she can’t trust anyone, including herself.
Shadow Walker Dusty Clements goes against direct orders to rescue Skylar and take her into hiding. It’s the only way to get to the truth, and keep her out of the hands of an enemy who could use her to wipe out the entire organization. The last complication Dusty needs is to fall for her.

As Dusty and Skylar work to uncover the secrets of her past, they discover a mystery more than twenty years in the making, and a love they can’t deny.

The enemy has one more trick up his sleeve though—a magical kiss capable of probing the deepest secrets of the mind. All he needs to bring the Shadow Walkers down is to get his lips on Skylar one more time…

This book was previously published but has been completely revised, rewritten, re-edited, with an addition of more than 20,000 words.

Warning, this title contains the following: Sex in an interdimensional cave. Hot men ripping demons apart bare-handed. Liberal use of the f-word as verb, adjective, threat and sexual promise. Oh, and wet and soapy sex in the shower followed by warm bodies sliding between cool sheets—yes, sex in a bed. It’s almost normal!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

An excerpt from Forsaken Talisman

2009 (c) Copyright Ashleigh Raine

For the past couple hours, Dusty had made Skylar feel good with the tenderness and strength behind his words, his caring, gentle touch.
Once his lips got involved, whoa boy, “good” was no longer an accurate description. Phenomenal. Mind-blowing. Awesome. None of those quite described the sheer joy blossoming within her.

This man, this handsome, sweet, strong and sexy warrior, was kissing her. His lips, warm and soft, brushing against hers, felt like the most natural, the most innately right thing in her world. As though the integral part of who Skylar was, her being, her id, her psyche, recognized and rejoiced in the connection.

He was holding back though, keeping his mouth closed, being as careful with her as he’d been all night. Maybe he just needed to know exactly how he made her feel.

“My knees are weak.” She spoke the words against his lips, unwilling to draw away. She hadn’t finished with his mouth, with those pliant lips she wanted to suck and nibble on, the ones currently pulling away from her own.

Darn it.

His fingertips brushed from her temple to behind her ear, pushing loose strands of hair off her forehead. “What was that, sweetheart?” He searched her face, his eyes showing a mix of concern and…desire?

Yes, desire. Raw need. The same feelings burning her up inside, making her ache to wrap herself around Dusty, to feel their hearts beating in time.

“Earlier you said you wondered if a girl’s knees got weak when you kissed her.” It was getting hard to talk, to form a coherent thought, because all she wanted to do was let go and feel. He’d kept his hand on the base of her spine for so long his heat had bled through the thin fabric of her nightgown. She imagined it leaving a mark, branding her skin…and that thought made her hotter. His other hand skimmed along the back of her neck, before sweeping up to cradle her face. “You make my knees weak, Dusty, and I want more, I…” turning into his palm, she kissed it, “…I don’t want you to stop touching me.”

His smile, and the desire making his light brown eyes spark with gold, made her heart beat so hard she thought it might crack a rib.

“You’re sure?”

She nodded.

Still smiling, he dropped a kiss in the middle of her forehead. “Then open…” he kissed the tip of her nose, “…your…” a thumb swept over her lips, “…mouth.”

She did, fast enough to scrape her teeth over the pad of his thumb.

“Damn, Skylar.” Dusty’s words sounded trapped in his throat.

It was enough to spur her on. She nipped his flesh again. This time he let out a sound, something between a chuckle and a moan, and crushed their mouths together.

His kiss overwhelmed her senses, stealing her breath, setting her body abuzz. His tongue slipped between her teeth, stroking her own with velvet softness. He tasted of passion and fire. She stole into his mouth, seeking more of his delectable warmth, and wrapped her tongue around his. In response came a low, drawn-out growl of need, and an infinitesimal tightening of his arm at her waist.

She liked the noises he made, the growls and groans. What would he do if she lightly scratched his nipple—

Oh.

This time she felt the sound, a rumble deep in his chest, followed by her name on his lips as they moved along her jaw. Teeth scraped down her neck, whiskers abrading the sensitive skin as he sucked and nipped at the rapidly beating pulse in her throat. Now she was the one making noises, mewls and gasps and moans, knees so weak she couldn’t tell if she was standing anymore or if Dusty supported her with the strong hand anchored on her lower back…

Read more excerpts and deleted scenes here: Ashleigh Raine’s Website
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Jen (the far from normal but not as weird half of Ashleigh Raine)
LOVER’S TALISMAN, the revised, spiffier version, available now at Samhain Publishing
FORSAKEN TALISMAN, revised & rewritten with 20,000 more words, now available at Samhain Publishing

The winner of the download for the Cavemen anthology is…Beth C! Beth, email me!