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Excerpt – Grady’s Awakening

This just went up over on the Samhain site, but I figured I’d post it here for you all to enjoy. It’s a little excerpt from GRADY’S AWAKENING, which will release in ebook formats on August 18th. Enjoy!

Copyright © 2009 Bianca D’Arc

Everything was set when Grady Prime walked back to the mess hall. He had left early, intending to intercept Gina before she had a chance to go inside. He arrived in the nick of time, calling out to her as she was about to open the door. She spun, a smile lighting her face when she saw him. She moved toward him and he stopped dead, entranced for a moment by the feminine loveliness of her.

Her smile turned questioning as she neared, her head tilting to one side. “What?”

“You are beautiful, Gina.”

A becoming blush stained her cheeks, and he could tell she was pleased with his unguarded words. He breathed a sigh of relief. This small woman could easily send him off course. She shook him up almost as much as he wanted to upset her composure—in the best possible way. So far, so good, judging by her expression.

“I have a surprise for you. Will you come with me so we can dine alone?”

Her expression softened with pleasure. She agreed, preceding him down the path. When she hesitated where the path forked, he placed his palm on the small of her back, guiding her. He kept his hand on her until they reached their destination, liking the feeling of her supple body under his fingers.

He guided her to a small clearing he’d found under the shelter of one of the largest of the redwood trees in the grove. So massive was the tree’s girth and the spread of its leaves that the ground around its base was relatively bare except for a soft layer of compacted leafy debris. With the moon just rising overhead in a twilight sky, the setting was perfect for romance.

Grady had thought ahead and had a small lantern ready for when darkness fell completely, but since the moon was nearly full and shining through an opening in the leafy canopy, he didn’t think they’d have to use it except perhaps when they made their way back to the encampment…eventually.

He’d taken a thick blanket from his quarters and spread it in the open area, then topped it with a snowy white tablecloth. The glasses, dishes and utensils he’d borrowed from the cooks were set out on top and the meal was waiting. It had been kept warm in self-heating containers the cooking staff had packed for him, ready to serve.

Grady had even gathered a few blossoms from the surrounding forest and placed them in a glass of water at the center of the tablecloth. He knew females appreciated flowers, and he also liked the scent.

Gina turned to him as they reached the clearing, and she saw what he’d arranged. There were tears in her eyes he found hard to interpret, and his heart stilled.

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I love it.” She bit her lip to still whatever emotion she was feeling while Grady’s emotions rode a wave of high and low. He didn’t understand. Was she happy or sad?

“Something is wrong?”

“No.” She turned to him, placing a hand on his forearm, squeezing once as she looked up at him. “This is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a very long time. I could almost believe I’m back in the old world, on a picnic. You thought of everything. Flowers, dinner and is that wine?”

“It is.” He began to feel better about her reaction, though the tears in her eyes worried him. “Do you like wine?”

“I do. Even living with the Zxerah, I don’t get to have it often. Only on very special occasions.”

“This is a special occasion, Gina.”

“Our first and last date.” She looked so sad. He had to kiss her. Just once. Just a light brushing of lips to take her mind off whatever he’d done to make her sad.

Grady leaned forward, taking her in his arms at the same moment he claimed her mouth with his. She was as sweet as he remembered, as warm, as delicious in every way. The salt of her tears brought a pang of regret to his heart. He didn’t want to think of how little time they had together before they had to part. He pushed that thought aside in the glory of holding her, the feel of her feminine curves that were made to fit so perfectly against his body.

She gasped when he pulled her closer and he took advantage, licking inside her mouth like he wanted to lick her lower down. Soon that wasn’t enough. He ran his hands over her lithe body, wishing the fabric that separated them away. Eventually the distraction of her clothing brought him to his senses.

He lifted away from the kiss by gradual degrees, his head spinning in the most amazing way.

“Dinner first,” Grady said when he could speak. The smile she gave him tempted him to forget dinner altogether, but good sense won out. For the time being.

He led her to the edge of the blanket, charmed when she kicked off her shoes. He followed suit and assisted her to sit, though in truth she needed no help at all. He didn’t want to completely let go of her and the lovely tone they produced when they touched. It vibrated through him, making him feel alive as nothing else. Even the new emotions coursing through him and making his life so very precious these last few months was nothing compared to the sound of their Hum.

“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.” Her quiet words brought back his wandering attention. “This is really lovely. I haven’t been on a picnic in years, and never in such a romantic setting.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He reached for the wine as he sank to his knees opposite her, across the center of the improvised table setting. Removing the already loosened cork, he poured two glasses of the light-colored vintage.

Dinner progressed from there. They ate slowly, savoring the excellent food, the exceptional company and the beautiful night. Gina enchanted him with her conversation. At first they talked of simple things, recent events and their thoughts about the Zxerah. Eventually, they strayed to more emotional topics. Gina told him about her family and her sorrow at losing them. Then she asked him about the experiment and what prompted him to take part. She went further, asking him what he thought would come next and Grady felt a sense of ease, sharing his hopes and fears with this warm, intelligent woman. Her compassion was genuine and easily seen on her beautiful face. She also had some good insights into things that had plagued him.

“It was difficult to accommodate the aggression at first. Warriors are trained to control it, of course. Even that training failed when I felt real anger for the first time,” Grady admitted. He’d never discussed this with anyone—not even the techs who had witnessed his near meltdown.

“What did you do?”

“When I started fantasizing about smearing one of the scientist’s faces against a wall, I took myself to the gym for some unscheduled training. I pummeled a training droid, all the while imagining it was that scientist.” He had to laugh at the memory now. “I actually broke the droid.” Gina gasped, then laughed along with him. “I knocked its head clean off. The gym tech said they’d never seen anything like it before.”

“We have a few of those things at our home base. They’re built solid. I can’t believe you did that!”

“Neither could I. The gym tech explained it away, saying the droid must’ve had a flaw in manufacture, but the lab techs walked wide around me for the next few days. They’d heard the story and had of course been monitoring my levels. I wore sensors at all times in the early days of the experiment. It was actually an adrenaline surge that gave me that momentary strength. The techs were dumbfounded by it at first. Apparently the level was off their charts.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about that kind of thing in humans. In moments of utter rage or dire need, an adrenaline surge can give someone a moment of super strength. It’s not common, but in the old world, it did happen.”

“Well, it hasn’t happened in Alvians—at least not at that level—in generations. They tried to get me to repeat it, but I never could. Frankly, I didn’t want to feel that kind of raging anger ever again. I was close to murdering that man. It’s not something I’m proud of or want to repeat.”

“That says a lot for you, Grady.” She raised her glass and drank, watching him over the rim of the stemmed wine glass. “And the fact that you controlled your anger and channeled it into something that wouldn’t hurt anyone. Well,” her eyes sparkled with merriment, “except for the droid.”

Bianca Gets Interviewed

It’s in this month’s Samhellion: http://thesamhellion.com/2009/july/index.htm

It should be good for a smile or two.

Bianca Gets an Ipod

Finally. Yeah, I’ve resisted the ipod thing for a long, long, long time. For one thing, I don’t really listen to music as much as I once did. For another, I really wanted the technology to settle down a bit before I made a committment. Then I realized the tech isn’t going to slow down because they’re making too much $$$ releasing a new version every year. *sigh*

Anyway, I like my Verizon phone so the AT&T service for the iphone was out. (No coverage on AT&T in the area I’m in most when I’m away from home.) I would’ve preferred to have the iphone, actually, but the AT&T is the deal breaker for me. So that left me with the ipod option. I ended up buying the 16GB ipod touch. It’s a pretty easy interface, so I’m happy with it so far.

What I’m not thrilled with is the itunes store. You can’t tell me that they have no idea what model I’m using on my account. I had to register it. Their site detects everything from the serial number to the model. I have to sign in when I go on there to buy things. So why would it let me buy something that wasn’t compatible with the model of ipod I have? I think it’s a racket. I just spent $5 on a game that won’t work with my ipod touch and nowhere can I find a place to get a refund. So that’s my $5 plus however much other idiots like me spent on stuff that doesn’t work. Bad Apple.

That’s my gripe for today. Thanks for listening (if you made it this far). Eventually I’ll have this ipod thing figured out.

Mari Carr’s TEQUILA TRUTH

Tequila Truth by Mari Carr
Buy from MBaM!
Read An Excerpt Online
ISBN: 1-60504-218-8
Length: Novella
Price: $3.50
Cover art by Tuesday DubeOne’s the loneliest number. Two’s company. Three’s a fantasy come true.

The rules of Tequila Truth are quite simple. Shots are poured, a question asked, and only absolute truth can be the answer. Kylie Halston has been playing the game with her roommates, Colt and Heath, since their freshmen year of college.

On his twenty-fifth birthday, Heath poses a question: “What is your ultimate sex fantasy?” While Colt and Heath’s fantasies are too hot for words, it’s Kylie’s sex dream that hits a little too close to home for all of them. Her wish? For a ménage a trois with two men, complete with bondage and a bit of spanking for good measure.

Colt and Heath are only too willing to make Kylie’s fantasies come true and they make a proposal—one no-holds-barred, sexed-up weekend where nothing is off the menu. The only question is, come Monday, will their platonic relationship survive the passion?

*******************

This hot novella reads like a much longer book. The characters are well developed and the story is steamy and very sexual. I liked the pre-existing friendship between the three main characters. It made the feelings deeper on all sides, which is hard to do in a novella. Again, my hat’s off to Mari and her way with words.

If you like contemporary menage and touching friends-to-lovers stories, this one is definitely for you! Check out Mari’s other books on her website.

AAD Weekend 10/23-25 – Sign up Now!

The Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend is filling up fast! Sign up by August 1^st to get the lowest membership rate of $160 for the weekend. (After August 1^st, the membership goes to $175.)The event is being held at the Suffern, NY Holiday Inn, located conveniently about 1 hour from New York City and most of the area’s major airports. Guest include:

Jacquelyn Frank
Bianca D’Arc
Sunny
Joey W. Hill
Stella and Audra Price
Rosemary Laurey/Madeline Oh
Jennifer Armintrout
Georgia Evans
Mechele Armstrong
Samantha Sommersby
Cat Johnson
Cathy Clamp
Eliza Gayle
Diana Castilleja
Leigh Ellwood
Tilly Greene
Selena Illyria
Adra Steia
Stephanie Julian
Judi Fennell
Kayleigh Jamison
Donna Grant
Robin T. Popp
Linda Mooney

Area attractions include the phenomenal shopping at Woodbury Common and the Forest of Fear, held on the site of the New York State Renaissance Faire at Sterling Forest.

The convention is limited to 200 attendees so your “face time” with your favorite authors is maximized. We’re having loads of panel discussions, parties and a fantabulous dealer’s room. We’ll also be holding a massive charity raffle to benefit the CAN and Pets Alive – a local no kill animal shelter.

Sign up now for the best rates! The conference registration is only $160 until August 1^st ($175 after August 1^st) and the hotel is $99 per night, double occupancy. Lots to do in the area will make this a weekend you will never forget!

Goto www.authorsafterdark.net for details!

Update

If any of you have been following my progress bar (at the right of this blog in the sidebar), you might notice it hasn’t moved much since Friday. *sigh* I took a long weekend and found myself goofing off badly. I actually picked up two paperbacks this weekend – a big deal since I don’t buy many paperbacks anymore. I spent yesterday reading Nalini Singh’s BRANDED BY FIRE. I absolutely love her psy-changling series and she is super nice. I really expected her to win the RITA for best paranormal this year and am astounded she didn’t. My sympathies to Nalini. If I were voting, she’d have been a shoo-in. LOL

On Saturday, I read Christine Feehan’s HIDDEN CURRENTS. Loved that too! I adore her Drake Sisters series as well as her Carpathians. They were the first paranormals I ever read in ebook form. I had this old Palm Pilot they gave me at work and I searched around in the Palm store and found these vampire books. I had no idea who she was at the time – this was more than a decade ago – but those ebook versions of DARK GOLD, DARK PRINCE and DARK…whatever (I get the names all mixed up ’cause they’re so similar) turned me in an ebook believer!

But I digress… my book, ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD, is coming along. I had a really good week last week, adding over 17,000 words to the manuscript. I’m at a crucial point in the action, which I guess is why I stalled a little. I need to think through how the next series of events is going to work. My mind works in the background while I do other things – sorta like a computer doing updates while allowing you to continue doing other stuff (LOL). I’ve been sorting through how the events are going to go down and I think by later tonight I should be ready to write it all down.

I know where it’s going and how it will end up. It’s the convoluted path to get to that point that’s up for debate. Right now I left my heroine hanging as a prisoner of a mad scientist. *evil grin* The zombies are getting stronger and the hero is super pissed off. Never get in the way of an angry alpha male warrior. I foresee he’s about to kick some ass. Big time.

I’m aiming to finish the first draft of this manuscript by early August, if possible. Then I’ll have a few weeks to self-edit before I send it in. Wish me luck!

Vivian Arend’s TIDAL WAVE

Tidal Wave by Vivian Arend
Read An Excerpt Online
ISBN: 978-1-60504-629-7
Length: Category
Price: $4.50
Publication Date: July 21, 2009
Cover art by Angie Waters

Slippery when wet…

Forces of Nature, Book 1

From her first kiss to her first sight of dolphins dancing on the waves, Alexia Colten has always held a special place in her heart for Jaffrey’s Cove. Now that she’s back to help her grandmother settle into a home, she discovers this place has lost none of its remembered magic. In fact, it seems more magical than before -— and more erotic.

After she’s gifted with a beautiful, dolphin-etched medallion, she finds herself surrounded by the golden boys of summers past. Her body is filled with longings she can’t explain and dreams of blue lights that turn into lovers.

Joshua Marley and his cousin Anthony are merfolk, a people capable of living beneath the waves as either dolphin or human. Alexia holds the medallion that marks her as the next in line to lead their people—if she can prove she can transform. Working in tandem, they’re sure they can arouse her passion and protect her from those who would use her simply to gain power.

But their strength alone may not be enough to help her face the challenge of her new position…

Warning: This title contains a conniving granny, naked men in the surf and shifters who take fun in the water to new depths. Snorkels not required.

Coming this Tuesday from Samhain Publishing!

*************

I really liked the premise of this book. I thought it was well done and even though there are dolphins on the cover and the blurb hints strongly as to the nature of the book, it kept you guessing. Viv handled this like the master she is. (Or should that be “mistress”? LOL)

The romance is touching as well as hot and the men are sexy shifters of the very best kind. If you like paranormal romance that’s not the norm, you’ll love this book. It reminded me a little of some of Christine Feehan’s non-vampire works, with the heat index turned way up.

For sexy water shifters, splash your way over to TIDAL WAVE by Vivian Arend. You’ll love it!

Cover for HALF PAST DEAD

I just got a look at this for the first time and I LOVE IT!!! What do you think? This book will be hitting the shelves in January.

I’ve also pasted the blurb for my story in the anthology, SIMON SAYS, below the cover.

SIMON SAYS 

Special Forces soldier Simon Blackwell ended his affair with Mariana Daniels three years ago, but he hasn’t stopped protecting her.  Mariana has no knowledge of the dark, deadly creatures that lurk in the forest surrounding her clinic, or of the mysterious powers that make Simon the only one who can defeat them.  But soon he’ll have no choice but to reveal the truth, and urge her to trust in an explosive passion that never faded….

Mari Carr’s RETREAT

Retreat
By Mari Carr
Jon Walker and Night Thomas lived their childhood in a cult. They embraced the lifestyle, and it was there that they were trained as BDSM Masters. Only when the cult was infiltrated by undercover agent Reilly did the boys learn of the cult’s seedy underside, and help to destroy it.

Nearly fifteen years later, Jon’s job as a high school teacher—and his lust for the school’s gorgeous secretary, Carly—bring him close to the normal life he’s always craved. Just when that life is within his grasp, Reilly returns. An incarnation of the cult has resurfaced with Jon’s evil mother at the helm, and Reilly wants Jon and Night to go undercover to stop Cassandra Walker once and for all.

Shocked by his mother’s return and his BDSM past come back to haunt him, Jon is terrified of Carly discovering his dark secrets. Including the darkest of all—his complex relationship with Night, and his unrelenting urge to share Carly with his best friend.

***********

This is one sexy hot book! I read it a while back, before I even met Mari, and it’s one of those books that you remember. You know what I mean? Like many romance fans, I read a LOT. So much so that I don’t always remember details from one book to the next. This one, I remember.

If you like contemporary kink, get RETREAT by Mari Carr. It’s got great characters with interesting backgrounds and lots and lots of heat!

Wallpaper Wednesdays

A FREE wallpaper for your computer. Click on the size you want, then right-click to “Set as Background” on most systems.

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