It’s FRIDAY! I have a FREE read for you to enjoy this weekend. Be warned! It’s an erotic paranormal! So, it’s mostly sex. It was originally published by Avon Red eons ago. Get your copy while this offer lasts! Enjoy!

Dani’s dreams are anything but restful. Each night, a wolf waits in the moonlight to lead her into the forest for a rendezvous with a mysterious man. Like a choreographed dance, they repeat the same words, the same actions, which lead inevitably to a sensual frenzy that ends too soon. Tonight, Dani’s determined to change the course of her dream, slow the pace and find the rapture she’s sure awaits her…

Get your FREE copy here!

Other stories in the series…

Novels

Short Stories

This is just a quick note to let you know that Dark Seduction, a full-length erotic paranormal story, is out today! So, if you love a very erotic, very dark story, this one’s for you. 🙂

Get your copy here!
Available in the Amazon store, on Kindle Unlimited, and in print!

UPDATE: The winner is…Kathleen Bylsma!
*~*~*

January

I had a very busy January. Big goals and I hit them all.

Some were work-related:

1. Revise and publish my Dark Realm-related short story, “After Dark“. check
2. Write and publish my fifth Montana Bounty Hunter: Dead Horse, MT, Eli: check
3. Complete two editing jobs, one of them a whopper 87,000 words: check

Some health-related:

1. Annual physical: check
2. Start weight loss program (Weight Watchers): check & lost 12 pounds!

Some home-related:

1. Repaint my bedroom, which is 3/4 done (lots of large furniture to work around): check

All of these accomplishments were part of my 2022 Goals/Resolutions, and since I’m following the plan, so far, I’m feeling pretty good. Maybe it’s the 12 pounds I’ve lost so far, or the terrific sleep I’m getting, I don’t know. I played with insomnia for years, but since I started using a CPAP, I get very deep, natural sleep. And I’ve moved my going to bed time earlier and earlier, from midnight to about 9 p.m. so those 4 or 5 a.m. wakeups simply allow me to get so much more done before the rest of the house wakes up—I consider that a huge win.

Yes, I’m happier, getting healthier, and I hope that will be my 2022 trend!

Hate me yet? 🙂

February

I’m going to put it out there and see what happens.

For work-related, I plan:

1. To publish my short story from the Cowboys anthology as a single short story release, “Hunk of Burning Love.” I’ll have it in Kindle Unlimited sometime next week and offer it FREE for download on this website from the 11th to the 14th—my Valentine’s Day gift to you.
2. To write and publish the next Texas Vampires novella, No Tender Mercy. (Have you pre-ordered your copy?!)
3. To complete 5 editing projects in February!

For health-related:

1. I’ll continue with Weight Watchers and hope to lose another 5 pounds. I’m not pushing it, because I like how I feel. Slow is good!
2. I’ll begin some low-impact aerobics, which will include a video workout for old people (I’m not old, and my joints aren’t effed, but I like the low-impact part!), plus, I’ll add some outdoor activities, like pool maintenance and blowing the patio—counting the things I should already be doing to get ready for pool season. All of them burn calories and build muscle. Guess I should count housework, too. Blech.

For happiness-related: 

1. I’m going to work on getting my art room better organized, because…
2. I’ll be working on the #100DayProject art challenge beginning February 13th! My third year in a row. Can’t wait! The puzzle I have to work out is how I’m going to fit in daily art with everything else I’m doing!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Give me suggestions. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read… Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Just wanted to share the pretty meme my daughter made and to remind you that After Dark, a short story, is out there—FREE IN KU—for your enjoyment.

Be sure to check out all the contests you still have a chance to win listed below!

Open Contests

1. Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Flashback: Fun with Dick and Jane (Contest–2 Winners–and Excerpt) — Win a FREE book!
3. A New Short Story and a Puzzle Contest! You couldn’t ask for more on a Saturday, right? — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Diana Cosby: Nature’s Beauty – A Year to Remember! (Contest) — Win a SIGNED BOOK!

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

I have a full-length novel coming out tonight after midnight! Dark Legacy is a story I wrote back in 2005-2006. I recently got my rights back to the story, so I re-edited it and gave it a brand new dark cover! And now,  it’s ready for release—tonight! If you have a Kindle Unlimited account, you can read it for FREE! A print version is already available!

If you love a dark, erotic paranormal, you might want to give this one a go. Just be warned—it’s very sexy and might have some triggering sex some might want to avoid. I love this story. I indulged my love of ancient mythology creating this world. I loved writing the entire series, and if you like it well enough, I might write more…

Here’s what it’s all about…

Dark Legacy

How could everything have changed for Natalie Lambert so radically, so quickly?

Escaping from a tragic past, the virginal beauty arrives in New Orleans and falls victim to a series of strange, unearthly attacks. Now, for the first time in her life, Natalie aches with sexual desire. Confused, frightened, out of control, she struggles desperately to understand a world that is transforming around her. But soon, she will be powerful and magnificent in ways she could never have imagined…

A ruggedly handsome Cajun policeman, Detective Rene Broussard has come to rescue Natalie in her time of greatest need. And when he inexplicably wakes in bed beside her—both burning with a lust impossible to deny—he doesn’t care that a dark and vengeful enemy has brought them to this moment. All that matters is the irresistible curve of her body, the heat of her passion…and the forbidden pleasures the night promises.

With one sharp, sensuous, biting kiss, he will be hers for life…and beyond.

Warning: This book includes triggering scenes of questionable consent and FFM scenes.

Pre-order your copy here!

Excerpt from Dark Legacy…

Natalie couldn’t sleep.

Not because she was afraid. For the first time in weeks, her stalker was the least of her worries.

Instead, her present danger lay in her own body’s betrayal.

Heat simmered beneath the surface of her skin—a flush of warmth that spread across her chest and belly. The air around her felt close and heavy despite the fan circling above the bed.

Her heart beat too quickly. Her breasts grew heavy. Her nipples peaked against the thin silk of her nightgown. Then blood rushed to the juncture of her thighs, plumping her slick folds.

She might be inexperienced, but Natalie recognized the signs of desire.

The cause of her misery paced restlessly around the house. The creaking hinges of the doors he checked and rechecked gave away his unrest. The muffled thud of footsteps as he walked around the living room below, and the slap of his bare feet on the wooden steps when he came up to patrol the hall pinpointed his location.

He passed outside her bedroom now, his shadow darkening the space beneath the door. Natalie ached to call out to him. Was Rene exercising extreme caution or suffering like she was?

Reaching beyond the moment, Natalie wondered, why him? Why now?

An instinct—some kernel of inborn knowledge—told her this new hunger was related to the current moon cycle. Just as the changes to her body began with the first sliver of pale light from the new moon, her need unfurled like a heron’s wings with the coming full moon.

This past month, she’d been steadily shedding the baby fat that plagued her adolescence although her appetite, especially for blood-enriched meats, had increased. Her first period ever had come and gone. Then sensual awareness dominated her waking and sleeping thoughts.

For days, she’d dreamed of an anonymous lover in her bed. The things he’d done to her had left her breathless and blushing. If she managed to sleep tonight, she knew she’d find Rene’s face, his jaw taut with desire, his shoulders bunched as he hovered above her, supplanting the hazy man of her dreams.

Why him? Although handsome, he wasn’t the first good-looking man she’d ever encountered. However, from the moment he’d pulled her from the park bench into his arms, her body had recognized his claim. He’d held her close, his thickly muscled torso sheltering her from further harm. His strength and distinctive scent, a spicy heated musk, had imprinted on her mind. If she closed her eyes, she was there once more, draped across his lap in the backseat of the sedan, awakening to desire for the first time.

Everything else—the horror of the attacks, the pain of her many little wounds—had faded away. She’d felt only his hard, muscled thighs beneath her bottom and the steely embrace that had crushed the air from her lungs while he’d struggled for control.

She wanted to know those sensations again—and so much more.

Frustration humming inside her, she tossed back the bedcovers and padded to the French doors, flinging them open. She stepped into a wind that whipped her hair away from her face and the nightgown tight against her body. Infrequent drops of rain pelted her uplifted cheeks, cooling her skin.

A click sounded from the door further down the balcony. Clad only in jeans, Rene stepped out.

He was pure temptation, from brawny chest to bare toes.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said, his voice a grumpy, sexy rumble. “You set off the silent alarm.”

With her heart thudding in her chest, she turned away. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Well, how ’bout not sleepin’ inside?”

His growling irritation made her smile. She felt the same way—bitchy, edgy, wonderfully horny.

She noted the tight set of his jaw, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, and felt an overwhelming urge to seduce him. And why shouldn’t she?

The way she figured it, her days were numbered. The menace dogging her steps would eventually catch up. Why not grab for all the joy she could find in what was left of her life?

She leaned back against the balustrade on her elbows, making sure the silky gown pulled tightly across her breasts.

His gaze lowered, lingering for a moment on her beaded nipples. “Cold?” he asked, his voice a graveled, yet silky slide.

“Not really.” She decided to make sure he wouldn’t misinterpret the invitation. She sauntered toward him, stopping inches away from his rigid body. This close, she breathed in his musky male scent. The breadth of his solid chest and his height overwhelmed her, made her feel small, vulnerable—and intensely feminine.

He sucked in a deep breath. “Look, chère, whatever you’re thinkin’—it’s not gonna happen.”

She cast him a challenging stare. “Because I’m not what you want?”

He shook his head. “Damn, you’ve got to know that’s not it,” he said, his voice raw. “This just isn’t the right time.”

She met his gaze, hoping she didn’t look too needy, but wanting him to know she could be his—if he’d just reach out. “What if there never is a right time?”

His hands fisted at his sides. “I’m not lettin’ anything happen to you.”

She lifted her chin. “You can guarantee that?”

He glanced beyond her to the midnight sky and stayed silent.

Stubborn man. He thought he could withstand this chemistry of hormones and waxing moonlight by sheer will. “Tell you what,” she said. “How about a kiss? And I’ll let it drop. It’ll be enough, I swear.” At his suspicious glare, she added, “Just a kiss.”

He blew out a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Will you come inside then?”

“Yes,” she said quickly. She’d promise anything just to draw him nearer. If he felt even a fraction of her need, he wouldn’t be able to resist for long.

The muscles in his throat rippled, and he nodded. “All right. A kiss.”

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you love paranormal stories, and if so, what is your favorite paranormal creature!

I sent this out in my newsletter yesterday, so sorry if this is a repeat for you… 🙂

I recently received the rights back to some of my older titles. I didn’t immediately republish them. I sat on them while I thought about what exactly I wanted to do with them. They are stories that take me back to my roots in this industry writing erotic romance.

First, I had a series with Avon over a decade ago. A dark, erotic paranormal series, Dark Realm. They gave me back the three short stories associated with the series and the first two novels out of four. I was majorly bummed they didn’t give me back all the books. I did nothing while I wondered what could I do with only the first two titles? I’ve decided I’m going to republish them, and then write some other stories related to that world. Something tangential to the original plotline. The first two stories are full-length novels, something I don’t write anymore because I suffer from W.A.D.D. — Writer’s ADD. (It’s only a real thing to me.) So, the follow-on stories will be short novels. If you’re ready to sink into something very sexy and dark, with creatures based on my favorite mythologies, you’ll love my Dark Realm series. I’m releasing a short story next week, Sleeping with the Enemy, that’s a SHORT STORY related to the series. Have to say that twice because folks sometimes complain when the story was short even when they were warned! Don’t worry, it’s FREE in KU and only $0.99 if you purchase it. But it will give you a little tasty bite of what’s to come.

The other story I’m excited about, is yes, another vampire story. This one’s set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world — Texas to be exact. I wrote one story for Samhain years ago, but it’s one that I’ve had readers ask me for the sequels many times over the years. I plan a trilogy of stories in the Texas Vampires series, but first, I’m re-editing the story that was originally known as Undeniable. Now, it’s Her Sanctuary. And yes, it’s sexy as hell.

There are a couple more books in the works that will be more familiar to you. Something for everyone, I hope.

Happy Reading!
~DD

Sleeping with the Enemy

Sleeping with the Enemy: A Paranormal Vampire Short Story
Dark Realm series
Releases August 10th!

A lone rogue vampire mingles among his hunters in a blood bar, undetected…until a beautiful woman snares his attention. Suddenly, he’s running, leading her on a chase until she corners him, stake dangling from her slender fingertips. Now he has a couple of choices, play it sexy or safe?

Pre-Order your copy now!

Her Sanctuary

Her Sanctuary
Texas Vampires, Book 1
Releases August 24th!

A woman surviving on the edge of a dark frontier strikes a sensual bargain with a handsome stranger hiding a dangerous secret…

In a post-apocalyptic future, creatures who’ve hidden in the shadows for millennia are freed to roam in a world shrouded in darkness. Rancher Kate McKinnon runs Sanctuary Ranch—a last refuge on the western frontier. While running herd over her cowhands and integrating refugees into their self-sufficient refuge, she escapes her responsibilities the only way she has left—via radio to pockets of other survivors. One man, Ty Bennett, is her confidante, and she thinks she might be falling in love with his deep, rasping voice. Although they’ve never met, he seems to know her heart.

On a patrol to scavenge supplies, Kate and her cowboys are surrounded by a gang of renegades intent on claiming her. Rescue comes unexpectedly by a militaristic band led by the man she’s spent so many hours talking to through the dark nights. She brings him home only to discover she’s brought vampires inside the refuge.

Already half in love with the human woman, Ty offers added muscle to her defenses and promises to move her people to safety. Fighting his own nature and appetites, he seeks redemption for his many sins but can’t control his hunger to possess Kate. Getting past her prejudice and choking responsibilities tests his seductive powers.

Note: This story was previously released under the title Undeniable. It has since been revised and expanded and will be the first in at least a trilogy of new stories.

Pre-Order your copy now!

Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology

Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology
Releases October 12th!

Cowboys is filled with tales of those rough and rugged cowboys, whether they’re riding a fence line in Texas or Australia, or herding animals on a newly colonized planet!

If you crave a sexy tale about those gruff, capable men, this collection will embody that earthy alpha male hero who isn’t afraid to show the gentle, nurturing side of his complex nature along with his rough and rugged ability to protect those he loves.

Get ready to fall in love with tales filled with the earthy scent of horses, cows, and crisp, clean sweat; the sight of sun-leathered skin and crow’s feet; the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms; and the sound of a deep-voiced drawl…

Pre-Order your copy now!

Cowboy

Cowboy
Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT, Book 5
Releases October 26th!

I haven’t written the blurb yet, but it will be chock-full of fun adventures with the “Chase and Cowboy” show…

Pre-Order your copy now!

Dark Legacy

Dark Legacy
Dark Realm, Book 1
Releases November 16th

How could everything have changed for Natalie Lambert so radically, so quickly?

Escaping from a tragic past, the virginal beauty arrives in New Orleans and falls victim to a series of strange, unearthly attacks. Now, for the first time in her life, Natalie aches with sexual desire. Confused, frightened, out of control, she struggles desperately to understand a world that is transforming around her. But soon she will be powerful and magnificent in ways she could never have imagined…

A ruggedly handsome Cajun policeman, Detective Rene Broussard has come to rescue Natalie in her time of greatest need. And when he inexplicably wakes in bed beside her—both burning with a lust impossible to deny—he doesn’t care that a dark and vengeful enemy has brought them to this moment. All that matters is the irresistible curve of her body, the heat of her passion…and the forbidden pleasures the night promises.

With one sharp, sensuous, biting kiss, he will be hers for life…and beyond.

Note: This book was originally released as Into the Darkness. The author is re-releasing the book and continuing the series. There will be new stories to tell!

Pre-Order your copy now!

UPDATE: The winner of the Amazon gift certificate is…Gail Siuba!

* * * * *

If you’ve been visiting here a while, you know I love mythology, and that sometimes I interweave some of the stories I love into the stories I write. One such story is the ancient tale of Inanna. At least that was her name to the Sumerians. She has also been known as Ishtar and is perhaps the source of the story of Lilith. Inanna was the goddess of sexual love and fertility. She was bold and selfish and had a sister who was the Queen of the Land of the Dead, a crown Inanna coveted for herself.

At the heart of the stories in my Dark Realm series is Inanna. She’s never a major character, but her influence is felt throughout. She’s mysterious and beautiful, and evil to the core. Until you see her in The Land of the Dead, enslaved to the husband she lured there and left to save herself. Then you almost feel a little sorry for her. I tried to stay true to her spirit. She wasn’t completely without a heart. And she was a woman before she was a goddess, or in the case of my Inanna, a vampire. Enjoy this little glimpse inside Darkness Captured, the last of my Dark Realm stories.

Post a comment today and you’ll be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift
certificate to buy any ebook you please! 

“Delilah Devlin delivers an erotic tale of good and evil elevated to a higher level… The erotic scenes in this book are hotter than Hades and ten times more tempting. I dare you to resist!” ~ 5 Cups, Coffee Time Romance

“Another hot read of dark sensuality, riveting situations and jaw-dropping desire.” ~ Fresh Pick!, Fresh Fiction

“Devlin creates memorable characters with exceptional emotional depth. Her magical worldbuilding sets as atmospheric scene for a fast-paced story. The sexual tension runs high and the encounters are smokin’ hot.” 4 Stars, RT Book Reviews

Driven by insatiable desire, a werewolf will enter hell to rescue a princess captured by the Master of Demons…

Headstrong and proud—a royal creature of sinuous grace, all primal instinct and lethal beauty—the shapeshifter Gabriella has agreed to serve as emissary to the vampires who rule in the shadows of the New Orleans night. But she cannot resist the pull of the demon she glimpses on the other side of a mirror, and she is drawn to him hungrily, through a magical portal into the Land of the Dead. Now an eternal nightmare awaits Gabriella at the hands of a mesmerizing dark lord who satisfies her every erotic need…while slowly devouring her soul.

The powerful warrior wolf Guntram Brandt is responsible for the safety of the vanished princess he swore allegiance to years before. Yet it is more than a soldier’s loyalty that pulls Guntram down into the depths of nightmare—for Gabriella ignites within him a burning animal passion that must be satisfied.

But when offered an escape, will she follow her rescuer to safety—torn between her lustful obsession with the dark lord who has enslaved her and her fierce sensual attraction to the only wolf who could ever master her?

Gabriella landed on her knees in the middle of the Persian carpet. Once again facing the crudely carved stone walls of Alex Broussard’s magical bolt-hole. “Alex, you lousy bastard, you can’t do this to me—”

Her shout was cut short when the object of her bitter tirade grabbed the hand of the pregnant woman who’d been resting on a deep sofa inside the cavern when they’d flashed inside. He cast Gabriella an apologetic smile, palmed the crystal key to the room, and they both blinked out in a narrow flash of white light.

“Sonofabitch,” she muttered, reaching up to grab the silver-linked choker from her neck that he’d used to subdue her and ripping it off. How could he do this, leave her in his bolt-hole, after everything she’d done to help him in his quest to usurp command of the vampires?

While he’d disappeared for hours, clutching the phoenix-creature he appeared to love against his chest, she’d helped round up the sabat, nipping at the council-members’ heels to herd them toward their rooms where Nicolas posted guards to keep them in lock-down.

Malcolm, Nicolas’s next-in-command, had led away Inanna’s private security force to the barracks for “debriefing” and posted their own men around the compound to keep things quiet while Alex’s closest advisors sorted through the chaos that was the aftermath of Inanna’s expulsion into Hell.

When Alex had at last returned, looking like he’d just had the sweetest sex of his life,  Gabriella shook her fur, pulling on her human skin, ready to remind Alex about their agreement when his gaze fled up the staircase, again.

The look on his face, one filled with a mixture of impatience and tenderness, had made her heart sink. When she’d cleared her throat to remind him she was still standing there, another look crossed his face—one that had her backing up a step and stammering.

The collar had been a real kick in the ass. He’d pulled it from his pocket and apologized, all the while grappling her to the ground to loop the damn thing around her neck. “I swear. It’s just for now,” he’d ground out as she wriggled beneath him. “Just until I get everything sorted out.” Read the rest of this entry »