Dear Readers and Friends,

I’ve been at a writer’s retreat since last Saturday. Every now and then, I soooo need time with other writers to recapture that spark. I pre-posted this blog before I left, and as it was the day Head Over SEAL released, that’s what’s on my mind! So, read on… 🙂

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s tough for me to let characters in my stories go. That was the case with Big Sky SEAL. I loved writing about Jamie and her friends at Montana Bounty Hunters, and I loved her new boyfriend, Sky. So when it came time to write something for Susan Stoker’s Special Forces Kindle World, I picked right up with their Happy Ever After.

So, while those two stories are books 10 and 11 of the Uncharted SEALs series, they are standalone, but connected to each other. Hope I haven’t confused you! And I hope you’re ready for more Sky, Jamie, and her dog Tessa!

Happy Reading! And if you’re ready to read stories about those Montana Bounty Hunters, let me know, because I’m ready to write them!

*~*~*~*

Head Over SEAL

Happy Ever After for a SEAL and a bounty hunter requires true dedication…

A former military dog handler, now Montana bounty hunter, Jamie Burke’s still trying to adjust to life with a live-in boyfriend. With a testy personality, Jamie’s circle of friends is very small, and includes one very loyal canine best friend. Which is how she likes it. She also likes uncomplicated, but her feelings for her boyfriend, Sky Reynolds, are anything but simple.

With ex-SEAL Sky away on a weeks-long mission, she jumps at the chance to work with the Charter Group again, happy to do anything to keep her too busy to worry about him. She heads to Mexico with her dog Tessa to be part of a team working to discover the whereabouts of a cache of weapons stolen from the Army. She’s thrilled when Sky meets her at the airport.

However, Sky’s not happy Jamie’s in the middle of this op. Having nearly lost her months before, he’s going to stick close. Not a tough job it turns out, since they’re staking out a beachside mansion from the mansion next door. Things heat up as they reconnect, but Jamie and Sky both worry about their future, until a cartel arms dealer arrives and bigger worries mount…

Get your copy here!

Cooking up a series with wounded soldier, BDSM theme, western setting

Too much for three short novels? I wondered, but I had to give it a shot.

Three siblings, raised in rugged, beautiful Wyoming…

ROPED: The youngest, Jared, has come back from Iraq missing a leg. He’s not certain he can still function as the alpha Dom he was, until a submissive nurse shows him he’s still the man he was, just as capable as ever to claim her with gentle domination. He’s all in to give her everything she needs, even if her kinks don’t always coincide with his own.

HITCHED: Brad, the local bad boy, owns a BDSM club. He wants to own Keely, but she’s reluctant to be seen with him outside the club—until they’re marooned together in a blizzard. He uses the time with her to show her she wants him, reputation and all, for her very own Dom.

LASSOED: A Retired NFL star now home on the ranch, Matt has wanted Diana, the oldest sibling, since high school. Having escaped a cruel master, Diana has vowed to make a switch. He’s willing to play sub to win her, but as they get reacquainted, she realizes his hot vanilla loving is just what she needs now as she recovers.

I will be running an exclusive giveaway through Book-a-licious.com from July 10 to July 21. There will be one grand prize of a Kindle Fire and the complete e-set of Roped, Hitched & Lassoed.  Five more e-copies of the set will go out to the runner ups.  Here is the direct link: https://app.viralsweep.com/sweeps/full/e80abe-21399&framed=1.  Winners will be announced on Saturday, July 22.

A reader recently asked me what sorts of research were required to write this series. Honestly, I did more studying about the Wyoming settings, which I’d never visited before in my writing. I’d written BDSM-themed books before, but I found I had to do a bit of indepth study about shibari, or rope bondage, as well as some nonfiction reading about the psychology of domination and submission as it affected Diana regarding the past abuse she endured.

As for Jared and his injury, I delved into the usual processes of recovery for a person who has lost a limb. I didn’t want him to seem debilitated physically, but I needed to show his doubts and fears about how his changed body will impact his relationships. I hope I achieved all I set out to do while writing these books!

Ann Jacobs

Website: https://annjacobs.net
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Email: ann@annjacobs.net

The Lake District in the north of England has inspired some of the most romantic poetry and literature in the world. It’s no wonder William Wordsworth – one of the most famous poets of the Romantic era – made the Lake District his home, calling it “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found.”

Courtesy of Pixabay

The shining lakes, the green mountains, and the dramatic changes in weather in the Lake District make the perfect backdrop for a romance novel. The heroine of my novel Felicity at the Cross Hotel has travelled to the Lake District from her home in Norfolk – a part of England that’s renowned for being completely flat. Here is Fliss’s first sight of the spectacular view looking down on my fictional lake, Emmswater:

“The jagged mountains of the Lake District rose and fell in great dark peaks on the skyline, their sides flecked with splashes of bright, mossy green. Soft fields crept down into the valley, dotted with the fluffy white forms of sheep, and lying at the centre of it all was the gleaming lake.

Fliss took in a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill her lungs.  ‘What a magical place,’ she said to the man standing next to her. ‘ And look, the sun’s come out.’ She held up a hand to the pale sky. ‘Where I come from is so flat. I’m starting to get vertigo here, but in a really good way. Like being on the roller-coaster at Great Yarmouth fun fair.’”

Some people find living in mountains claustrophobic, but my heroine is trying to escape the stresses of working in her father’s business, and instead of feeling hemmed in she finds the mountains exhilarating. I wanted to capture this feeling of wild escape when she looks down on the wonderful landscape.

The setting of the Lake District is also a novelists’ dream because of the dramatic actions the landscape can inspire. The beauty of the scenery can become threatening, as swiftly as the clouds that roll in from over the mountains. Patrick Cross, the hero of my novel, is grieving the death of his friend, who died because of an act of recklessness while diving the still, green waters of the lake. There have been many deaths in the mountains and lakes of Cumbria, and I’ve used the symbolism of the landscape to reflect the contrast between the beauty and the danger.

It’s a shame that nowadays some parts of the Lake District are inundated with tourists, and the roads in summer are very often clogged. But it’s only in recent times that the Lakes have become a tourist destination, and there are many quieter areas that have remained unchanged for centuries. Alone in this magnificent landscape, away from the traffic, you can’t help but feel a part of a long, long history of the soil that stretches back thousands of years.

Lots of people have fallen in love in this wonderful setting, but there are some exceptions. Bill Clinton was famously moved to propose to Hillary for the first time by the shores of Ennerdale Water, but she turned him down. Obviously there are some people who remain unmoved by the romance of the Lakes!

Ennerdale Water, scene of Bill Clinton’s proposal. Attribution: Trevor Harris, via Wikimedia Commons

Will love blossom for Patrick Cross and Felicity Everdene, the hero and heroine of my novel? Here is the blurb to Felicity at the Cross Hotel:

A quaint hotel in the Lake District. The Cross Hotel is the perfect getaway. Or is it?

Felicity Everdene needs a break from the family business. Driving through the Lake District to the Cross Hotel, past the shining lake and the mountains, everything seems perfect. But Felicity soon discovers all is not well at the Cross Hotel …

Patrick Cross left the village of Emmside years ago never intending to return, but his father has left him the family’s hotel in his will, and now he’s forced to come back. With a missing barmaid, a grumpy chef, and the hotel losing money, the arrival of Felicity Everdene from the notorious Everdene family only adds to Patrick’s troubles.

With so much to overcome, can Felicity and Patrick bring happiness to the Cross Hotel … and find happiness for themselves?

Amazon universal buy link for Felicity at the Cross Hotel: https://mybook.to/FelicityCH

About the Author

Helena Fairfax is a British author who was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She’s grown used to the cold now which is just as well, since these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in the north of England, right next door to the windswept Yorkshire moors. Helena walks this romantic landscape every day with her rescue dog, finding it the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy endings. Subscribers to Helena’s newsletter receive news of free stuff, competitions with prizes, gossip, and links to cool websites she’s been looking at when she should have been writing.

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They say “write what you know” and I feel like I’ve been studying for Unmistaken Identity, book one in my Fanboy series, my whole life. It started with the lack of cable TV out in the country where I grew up. We had one channel, two if there was good weather, and on one station my brother and I watched many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Little did I know how much that would help me in my marriage.)

As the little sister, I wanted to do whatever my brother did, and he was a comic book guy. I followed him to the arcade, browsed comic books next to him, and played with his action figures the rare times I was allowed in his room. My grandma recorded movies that we constantly borrowed. In those days, there was little parental concern over what we watched. Before I was barely double digits in age, I was watching RoboCop, Batman (Micheal Keaton era), and Howard the Duck. (Little did I know how much that would help me in my marriage.)

Speaking of my marriage… Almost twenty years ago, my friend was telling me about his new roommate. “I mean, I like those shows, too, but he really likes them.” Turned out I really liked his roommate. Now there’s arguments over whether my hubs and I can go to Guardians of the Galaxy on our date night or if we have to take our older kids.

I’ve learned the difference between the comic universes of DC and Marvel—my brother is Marvel and my hubs is DC. So my kids get Spiderman-related gifts from my brother while my nephew runs around in Batman shirts and has a Justice League lunchbox thanks to me. We gotta keep the balance.

Despite all of this, I still have a hard answering one of the frequent questions I get from my kids: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I default to flying because it’d be like rollercoasters with no lines to stand in for ever. What would you choose?

Unmistaken Identity

Mara Baranski is living the fangirl’s dream, running a comic book shop that supports her and her ailing mother. She is even given the chance to buy the building—for a dollar. That is, until her dear friend and landlord dies before the sale goes through. Now Mara has forty-five days to clear out her shop or convince the resentful son of the old owner to change his mind—if she can only corner him long enough to ask.

Despite being abandoned by his father years ago, Wesley inherited all of his dad’s assets and ambition—but not his gullibility. When the tantalizing woman at his nightclub turns out to be the woman who scammed his lonely father, he seizes the chance for a little revenge. But after using a fake name to get close to his target, Wes is soon coming up with excuses to keep his identity secret a little longer.

As the forty-five days count down, Mara’s loyal customers swoop in to help save her store. Even more, her handsome new boyfriend is making her believe in happy endings again. Too bad secret identities only last forever in comic books.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks  | Kobo

Excerpt…

She had to hunt Wesley Robson down tonight, didn’t want to waste more time on her search. As it was, the night would be too short for decent sleep. Saturday was game day at her comic book shop. Participants showed early and played intensely for hours. Board games, card games, electronic games. She would jump in and play them all, or run around the store helping customers.

It was her favorite day of the week, but still a long one.

What did Wesley look like, anyway? She would’ve seen him if she’d been able to go to the funeral. By the time she’d found out about Sam’s sudden death, though, he’d been gone and buried. There had to be a picture of his boy online. Just as she pulled out her phone to do a search, someone settled onto the barstool next to her.

“Macallan 12.”

The deep voice resonated through her bones. She almost groaned. He had the rumble of a rugged man, a primal mating call in her opinion. Admittedly, her last few dates had put the “boys” in fanboys, not men who knew their way around a woman.

She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. Her fingers tightened around the stem of her glass.

Holy hotness, Batman! He reminded her of one of her favorite superheroes. Jet-black hair, sky-blue eyes nearly glowing under the club lights, wide shoulders. If he wore a cape and had a large S on his shirt, she’d sit on his face. She’d still consider it, given his charcoal slacks and white-striped shirt, which likely had been cinched by a tie all day. The first two buttons were undone and his sleeves were rolled up. What was that style called? Industrial hot-as-hell businessman.

“What’s your poison?”

She shot him a surprised glance. He gestured to her already half-empty glass.

What had the bartender said it was? “I think it’s named after some rapper.”

He chuckled with genuine humor. “Are you here with the bachelorette party?”

When hell froze over. “No.”

The bartender leaned over the counter to hand him his drink. “The lady said she was looking for the owner.”

Stay out of it, dude. Wait, he knew the total package next to her? Maybe the new arrival also knew the owner. “Do you know Mr. Robson?”

His eyes crinkled with his smile. Even the man’s teeth were perfect. “Why would you want to find him? I’ve heard he’s an ass.”

She rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.”

Hotness savored a long sip of his…whatever a Macallan was. “You’ve gotta tell me what he did to you.”

The pink bangs that framed her face dropped into her eyes. She feathered them away. His gaze traced from her hand to her dual ponytails, the plain brown hair streaked with pink. Instead of blond highlights, or lowlights, or whatever stylish women did, she’d chosen pink—because it was fun and girly. One of the few splurges she allowed herself.

Her hair often drew attention, not always the flattering kind. But she enjoyed his. “He’s shutting down my store. Tearing down the whole damn building. ‘Upgrading.’” She gave the last word air quotes.

His right eye twitched and he stared at her for a heartbeat. Humor drained from his expression and his gaze narrowed slightly.

Her heart rate increased at being the object of such scrutiny. She wanted more, but she also felt like she’d done something wrong.

Finally, a grin curled his full lips. “That bastard.”

About the Author

Marie Johnston writes paranormal and contemporary romance. Before she was a writer, she was a microbiologist. Depending on the situation, she can be oddly unconcerned about germs or weirdly phobic. She’s also a licensed medical technician and has worked as a public health microbiologist and as a lab tech in hospital and clinic labs. Marie’s been a volunteer EMT, a college instructor, a security guard, a phlebotomist, a hotel clerk, and a coffee pourer in a bingo hall. All fodder for a writer!! She has four kids, an old cat, and a puppy that’s bigger than half her kids.

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I can’t help falling in love with those very sexy black ops agents

Do you love them, too? Leave me a comment and you could win one of their very special Phoenix agency mugs.

First a thank you to the fabulous Delilah Devlin for hosting me today and second, I am excited to tell you that Delilah will be one of the launch authors for The Phoenix Agency Kindle World.

Some time ago inspired by my very hunky firearms instructor, former Delta Force,  an a former Force Recon Marine, I created The Phoenix Agency, a series about men who continue to serve even when no longer in uniform.

They served their country in every branch of the military – Army Delta Force, SEALs, Air Force, Marines. We are pilots, snipers, medics – whatever the job calls for. And now as private citizens they serve in other capacities, as private contractors training security for defense contractors, as black ops eradicating drug dealers, as trained operatives ferreting out traitors. With the women in their lives who each have a unique psychic ability, they are a force to be reckoned with. Risen from the ashes of war, they continue the fight to save those in need.

They are Phoenix.

There are five partners in the agency, and each has their own story. Jungle Inferno, Captain Mark Halloran’s story, set the stage and introduced the agency and all then player. It released in June. Extrasensory, Dan Romeo’s story, releases this month. Yet to come are Scent of Danger, Rick Latrobe’s story featuring a Caucasian Ovcharka, a dog with psi abilities; Freeze Frame, Mike D’Antoni’s story; Feel the Heat, Troy Arsenault’s story, and Formula for Danger, which introduces Cole Martin and Lone star Phoenix.

I invite you all to join The Phoenix Agency Facebook Group where you can ask questions, read profiled of the characters and enter contests. On October 31 The Phoenix Agency Kindle World launches, and we have some very talented and exciting authors who will bring you their own Phoenix stories.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/219551688549846/

Meanwhile, check out Books 1 and 2.

Jungle Inferno

For Faith and Mark, the telepathic connection they’d shared for years was nothing compared to the scorching physical connection they realized as adults. From the first moment they came together, erotic was too pale a word to describe their relationship. Together they explored each other’s deepest, darkest desires. But now Mark, survivor of an ambush to his Delta Force team, is a prisoner of a terrorist group in the Peruvian jungle, and his telepathic communication with Faith is his only contact with the world. While she searches for help to save him, they survive on dreams that took them beyond all sexual boundaries. Can she persuade the men of Phoenix to undertake a treacherous rescue and bring Mark back to her arms?

Get your copy here!

Extrasensory

Mia Fleming’s precognitive her visions about Carpenter Techtronics are so vivid, she resorts to sending anonymous emails to the company. She’s also having visions of a gorgeous man who arouses her to the point she’s satisfying herself just to get some relief. She’s shocked when the man shows up in her office, demanding to know what she knows  about Carpenter.

Dan Romeo is just helping his friend track down the person threatening his company when he meets Mia. One look at her and he has a hard time thinking about anything but indulging in off-the-charts sex with the intriguing woman—until bodies begin falling. As Mia’s visions escalate, so does the explosive sex between her and Dan, as well as an unexpected emotional connection. When Mia is almost killed, Dan and his team must race to find the culprits before they can strike again—or put Mia down for good

Pre-order here!

You can find me everywhere on the Internet:
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Why do I love writing cowboy heroes in paranormal settings?

To digress a bit, back in 2008 when I was first ebook-published with Siren Publishing, I was on the private loop with several other authors. How it came about I don’t know, but we began lamenting the loss of the take-charge, sexy as hell Western hero. They were scarce in them there *romance novel* parts at the time.

Anyhow, we authors got into this wonderful—at times tongue-in-cheek—and creatively hilarious discussion—you know, story ideas for an erotic romance starring our favorite “cowboy, sheriff, gunslinger, wrangler, land baron, rancher, marshal, and have-gun-will-travel hero.” After all, we’d grown up in the heyday of the TV Western, the longtime staple of prime time programming. Western movies also filled the silver-screen.

Of course, our heroines *would* be riding off into the sunset with the hero—instead of tragically dying, leaving for some dramatic reason, or marrying some other man.

As our digital conversation rapid-fire continued, we tossed *wild-wild west* story scenarios back and forth. From that point forward I longed to write a Western erotic romance. Yet with paranormal twists and turns. I’ve been passionate about the supernatural side of life since age thirteen, and read tons of books—one of the first being about the American prophet, Edgar Cayce. Most everyone knows a bit about the amazing Edgar Cayce, especially his health readings.

Okay, to return to the American cowboy. Yep, their hero-star had fallen. Temporarily. As it turns out that loop discussion was prescient. With the vengeance of a wronged gunslinger, Western romances in all heat levels reared up. Spirited stallions, indeed.

In 2009 I began writing my own erotic menage romance, BRANDED BY THE TEXANS. Then, around 2011, as I reckon it, or remember it, the cowboy archetype in all its rough-tough alpha glory hit a new fast stride.

WOW-WEEE! Since then, the explosion of cowboy romance, of cowboy erotic romance has been amazing to behold. Today, the hot sexy cowboy hero—and other alpha-hero variations such as the space cowboy—often dominate the romance genre.

Why? Many of us just can’t resist a real man. That is, what I call a real man [that’s a topic for another time]. Yep, many of us romance readers can’t resist an honest-to-goodness, tall-in-the-saddle American cowboy—whether in a historical setting, a contemporary setting, or what I call an ‘otherworld’ setting.

I come by my love of the cowboy hero honestly. You could say it’s in my genes. My maternal grandfather was a cowboy farmer in Kansas. He was damn fond of his cattle, and he loved horses like I do. His pride was a half-Arab pinto stallion he had when my mom was growing up. I only have a picture, but the horse was a real beauty. And, on top of that, my maternal grandmother, his wife of course…well, some of her ancestors were from Kentucky—the *fast horses, whiskey and wild women* Kentuckians. Fast horses, I love riding a horse who wants to run.

On a last note, since I’m an amateur trends forecaster, it is my contention that the shooting-star rise of the American cowboy in romance novels will only continue—and shoot for parts unknown in our greater galaxy. ~grins~

Given the current-day social dynamics and challenges, this ‘true grit’ spirit is surfacing, awakening, and quickening. You can see it happen all over our beautiful country, especially in the Western states. The cowboy and cowgirl Americana culture is standing tall, and flourishing. Many of these folks are ranching for real. Returning to the basic goodness of this lifestyle is part of humanity’s renaissance. And it is here.

~~~~~~

BRANDED BY THE TEXANS

What can three Texans do to a woman’s body and heart?

Kylie is about to find out.

Beyond her wildest dreams.

On a parallel Earth.

It’s 2009… Kylie is on the run from the law for a crime she didn’t commit. A promising doctoral student, she’s lost everyone and almost everything, except for what she stows in her car. Now, Kylie has to salvage the rest of her life. But, where in this age of GPS tracking, TV’s Most Wanted and cameras everywhere?

It’s 2009… Dillon, Dono and Dash are three brothers desperate for a wife to brand as their own. The Union made women scarce in the Three Star Republic by releasing a bio weapons’ plague during the border wars. These tough-as-leather Texans will do anything to keep the right woman, even if they have to lasso her like a wild filly and love on her until she loves them back.

~~~~~~

Excerpt from Branded by the Texans

Dillon hitched his boot on the first rail and leaned forward, resting on his crossed arms. Swishing their tails, four of their year-old fillies munched on the fresh hay they’d been given in the morning. They were part of the next generation in the ranch’s breeding program to create the hardiest and best-looking stock.

Joining him, Dono and Dash keenly studied his expression, once they’d planted themselves.

“I don’t want to know,” Dillon forestalled any explanation. Looking away from his brothers, he eased himself by watching the fillies, yet kept Dono and Dash in his peripheral vision.

“We need more of a plan than just the garden,” Dono began.

“What kind of plan?” Dillon kept his tone neutral.

“You know that hole in the dimensional wall near Pine Springs at the gas station? I hear tell it’s still open.” Dash propped his boot up.

“Talked to Craig last Saturday,” Dono continued. “He says they still get vehicles with license plates and the people want to pay with credit cards. When they ain’t single women, he pretends to take the information and tells folks to make certain they get back on the main road the same way they came through town because a bridge is out.”

“Craig keeps a whole dang list of bachelors like us—”

Dillon shook his head, stopping Dash. “I’d lasso a woman for us quick as a rattlesnake strikes and bring her home. That’s accepted here. It don’t seem right when the woman is from a parallel world.”

“Hell, you could be doin’ the woman a favor,” Dash persisted. “Pamela says there were all sorts of women from her Earth who were looking for what she called their ‘soul mates’ and having no luck.”

“Talk about wanting a woman, big brother. How long will it take us to lure a woman here, even with the niceties? Right now, unattached women are scarcer than hen’s teeth.” Dono punched the fence plank, emphasizing his frustration.

“Yeah, and the fallout from the plagues has caused a low birth rate.” Dash kicked the dirt, barely stirring any dust from the low mountain ground of northwest Texas. “Besides, I don’t want no close-to-the-cradle bride. I want a real woman.”

Dillon dropped his head, staring at nothing. “Yeah, I agree. I want a woman not a child that still needs raisin’. What does Craig want from us?”

“Stud service for his two mares,” Dono quickly answered. “I know he’s been after our line for a long while.”

“Shoulda known. Dang it, they’re poor stock. What’s he offerin’ exactly?” Dillon raised his head and eyed his brothers.

“We tell him our general preferences, and he puts us at the head of the list for that type of female. One of us has to be within ridin’ distance of his fill-up station or someone else gets the call.” Dono’s gaze glittered with his desperate hope.

“It’s still faster than tryin’ to lure a woman here or canvassing the whole republic for a bride.” Dash used his most convincing voice.

“Let me guess, you two already told Craig our preferences.”

Dono and Dash nodded as one. “Just like we discussed,” Dono seriously replied.

“And how is this plan supposed to work? There are no roads to drive the Tesla or the trucks into Pine Springs. And the ranch don’t take care of itself.”

“We all take three day shifts,” Dash answered too enthusiastically. “It’s only half a day’s ride down our mountain path.”

“Besides it will give us a chance to make more barter deliveries to the general store.” Dono slightly grinned.

Dillon figured he knew that he and Dash were winning their big brother over. “You two got this all worked out, have you?” Turning at the waist, he leaned on the top rail again.

“We’ve been talkin’ a lot, figuring it out, yep.” Dash tossed back his long auburn hair. An unruly forelock had fallen over his eyes. “You’re not the only one loco and longin’ for a woman around here.”

“Must be true.” Dillon heard the dry retort of his voice. “Since you two got stud hormones that won’t be eased by pounding fists on each other. Promise to stop, and I’ll go along with this plan.” Dillon drilled them with his gaze. “Act up again, and I’ll stop it deader than a border raider’s blasted ass.”

“Wahoo!” Dash leaped straight up.

Dillon scowled. “This doesn’t get you two out of garden duty.”

Dono jabbed Dash’s ribs with his elbow. “Come on. She’s not gonna want a steady diet of meat, canned vegetables, biscuits and beans.”

Watching his brothers gallop toward the fenced-off plot with Maisy and Wayward hot on their heels, Dillon briefly shook his head.

One of the fillies, a chestnut he called Stargirl because of the marking on her forehead, approached and nuzzled his chest. He rubbed her gleaming neck. Her winter coat had fallen out mostly and she shone with a deep red color. “You’d make a good mount for a woman, my Stargirl.”

Despite his misgivings over the whole dang scheme, Dillon shrugged. He could kill two birds with one stone. They could all be on the lookout for a woman while increasing their trade with the general store. Their ranch’s tanned hides and smoked beef were always in demand. To their benefit, they’d stock up on needed items as well as purchase more of the luxuries. A woman would appreciate that.

~~~~~~

HAPPY READING!

Savanna
Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance

~~~~~~

Kylie and her Texans, Dillon, Dono, and Dash invite you to read their love story ~

BRANDED BY THE TEXANS…Kylie is running from the law, and finds herself with three rough tough cowboys who need a whole lotta lusting and loving ~  A Siren-BookStrand #1 Bestseller ~ Rated: SEXTREME ~ Available in Ebook and Print at the usual vendors.

Link: https://bookstrand.com/branded-by-the-texans

You can find me at:
Savanna Kougar ~savannakougar.com~
ShapeShifter Seduction ~shapeshifterseduction.blogspot.com~
Title Magic ~titlemagic.blogspot.com~

Yes, Friends, here’s a full-length novel FREE to newsletter subscribers and certain other special friends (see details below!). This time around, Delilah fans are very special! Jump into another world and another time as you meet Caerwin and the man who will destroy her life.

We’ve all met men like that, haven’t we?

Caerwin of the Cornovii, a young woman with a promising life ahead. How could she anticipate the horrors about to unfold? Nothing in her experience prepared her for the Roman Army or this commander who would make her his sex slave. Yet between her hatred for him and his deliberate conquest of her body, a strangely luminous emotion takes fragile life between them.

Here’s a scene from the book Caerwin and the Roman Dog. Warning: this exchange is non-consensual.

Her wrists chafed raw at the bindings. Shadows grew dark on the forested hillside and frogs sang in the marshes. Overhead, cloud bands took on the late gold and crimson of sunset. Thin columns of smoke rose from campfires and the smell of roasting meat sent gnawing pangs to her stomach. Chills gripped her body and her teeth chattered in the spring cold.

“Have you tired sufficiently that I dare bring you inside?”

She startled at his voice. He had bathed and wore a long draped garment with a broad red band around its hem. He stood with hands on his hips, watching her. She turned her face away, afraid to speak.

“I asked you a question,” he said, wrenching her head back by her hair and holding her face toward him. “And I expect a respectful answer.”

“You will have no respect from me,” she said, her lips moving stiffly in the cold. “I will kill you at my first chance.”

He gripped her hair tighter forcing tears to her eyes. “Antius,” he shouted. “Come.”

An older man with dark eyes and an oversized nose emerged from the tent. Gripping her arms on both sides, they brought her inside. Warmth from a charcoal-heaped brazier filled the interior. A narrow sleeping platform occupied the far corner, while a small table with chair sat near the entry. Oil lamps flickered and a heady scent wafted through the air.

She stumbled forward as the men dragged her to the center post where her wrists were briefly untied. Her ripped dress was removed and her upper arms and ankles then tied loosely to the post behind her.

“Bathe her,” the tall man said with a wave of his hand. “She stinks of her kind.”

Antius hurried to fill a pan with warmed water and set it near her feet. With a sponge, he scrubbed her face and neck then proceeded down her arms and legs. The warm water soothed at first but then the scratches burned and chills swept over her as air hit her wet skin. Her teeth chattered loudly.

“A drink, Antius. Give her warmed wine.”

The cup rattled against her teeth as the wine came to her mouth. She clenched her teeth with no intention of drinking, but on the man’s order, Antius held her head back by her long braids and poured the sweet wine through her lips. Some of it escaped to trickle down her neck, but more of it filled her throat with acidic warmth. When the goblet emptied, Antius returned to the bathing.

Humiliation consumed her as the sponge scoured every inch of her flesh. Once the bathing had finished, the squat dark-haired man scrubbed her with a dry cloth until her skin heated. He then applied herb-scented oil. She stood naked and gleaming in the lamp light as the tall man came to inspect her.

“My name is Marcellus,” he said. “I am your master. You will learn to do as I say, or you will die.”

“I wish to die,” she said hoarsely. Her tongue felt thick. The day had lasted an eternity and the shock of its events had hardly begun to settle in her. The wine hit her empty stomach and spread dizziness across her forehead.

He waved his hand dismissively. “Easy to say. But death doesn’t come quickly to women in our camp, not to one such as you. Without me, you would wish to die many times before your last breath.”

His touch spared no part of her as he examined his trophy. How many war trophies had he already captured? Surely the Romans took what they pleased. Virico had spoken often of the intelligences carried from other tribes, how the Romans swarmed like a plague of insects covering the land, how bargaining for life came with terrible sacrifice of freedom and hard-won goods. She would not bargain.

She bit her tongue against another remark as Marcellus’ hands cupped her breasts then her buttocks. Her eyes dipped in the effects of the wine and her warming after so long in the cold. He took his time touching her, one hand now between her legs as he fondled her most private parts with studied concentration. A particular spot captured his attention. He stroked her there, inciting tremors in her legs.

“Ah, she is a woman, Antius,” he said with a laugh. “I will tame you,” he said, leaning his face close to hers as his fingers continued a wretched play. “You will cry out on the end of my prick, and joyfully.”

Giveaway

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About the Author

Lizzie Ashworth lives in the wilds of the Ozark Mountains with three cats, two hound dogs, and too many deer in her yard. She’s been writing her entire life and wants her readers to know how much she enjoys sharing her naughty stories.

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