Guest Author: Gabrielle Bisset

Posted on 22nd June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

Today I have the lovely Gabrielle Bisset here with me on my blog. I caught up with Gabrielle and managed to ask her a few questions.

When did you first decide to become an author and what inspired you to write your first story?
I’ve been writing for years, but I guess the conscious decision to become an author came just a few years ago. I’ve written many stories before Stolen Destiny, but what inspired me to write that story was a dream. I don’t think I’d ever had such a vivid dream, and when I woke up the next morning, I knew I had to write everything I could remember down. I did and those details were the beginning of the Destined Ones series, of which Stolen Destiny is the first book.

How have you found your journey so far as an author?
My journey as an author has been an interesting one. For me, the joy is in the writing. That’s never been better. As many before have mentioned, I’m sure, it’s the business end of the author’s life that’s the work. I went with a publisher for my first book, but I’ll be indie publishing my stories after that. I’ve found the indie publishing world to be so enjoyable. It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s so much fun. I love having the choices to make and knowing they’re all mine to tackle.

Your new release, Stolen Destiny, is a paranormal romance. What drew you to the genre and why do you like writing it?
I love paranormal romance because it combines love and the fantastic. It’s a genre that allows me to write characters who can do supernatural things while still giving me the opportunity to write romance.

Can you tell my readers a little about Stolen Destiny?
Stolen Destiny is the story of Varek Leale and Callia Reynolds. As Aeveren, they have been blessed with the gifts of reincarnation and destined ones. But Varek has spent lifetimes in Nil, Aeveren prison, for murdering his first destined one in a crime of passion, and he fears hurting Callia this time around. For her part, Callia is somewhat naive because Varek is her first destined one but strong, so she fights for the relationship to grow, even as he’s telling her to forget him and use her free will to turn away from their destiny. Varek has been released by the Council to find a murderer who’s killing Aeveren parents, and he has the additional problem of having to solve the crimes before he’s allowed to stay with Callia because if he doesn’t, he’ll have to return to Nil. And things get even more difficult for the two when they have to enlist the help of one of the most powerful Aeveren to ever live, Amon Kalins. As an ancient Aeveren in his 47th lifetime, he possesses enormous powers, including the ability to manipulate time, and he wants Callia.

Stolen Destiny is also the first book in a series. What can you tell us about the series? Do you have other books planned for it?
The Destined Ones series is about Aeveren, a race of people who come from the Archangel Raziel. He blessed them with three gifts: reincarnation, destined ones, and powers. However, just as with human beings, some Aeveren are more powerful than others who have little or no special abilities. The most powerful Aeveren possess powers such as teleportation, telepathy, time travel, and even mind control. Others have heightened senses but little more. When it comes to love, Aeveren are paired with another who is destined for them, but often the interference of others, particularly those fellow Aeveren who are more powerful, makes romance difficult. The second book in the Destined Ones series, Destiny Redeemed, will be indie published in September and I hope to have the third book in the series out late this year.

What else are you working on at the moment and what releases do you have coming up?
Currently, I’m working on the third novella in a trilogy that are all set in Victorian England. The first novella, Vampire Dreams, is a paranormal romance out now. The second, Love’s Master, is an historical romance with some light BDSM and is scheduled for release in mid July. The third novella, currently without a title, is another historical romance, and I plan to release that in August. I intend on combining them into one book in late fall and in that form they’ll be available in paperback. As for the Destined Ones series, I’m working on the third book, tentatively entitled Destiny Unbound, which I hope to have released by the end of this year.

When you sit down to write, do you have a specific routine you go through? Is there anything you always have to do before writing, like finding a quiet place, grabbing a cup of coffee, or turning on some music?
I hand write everything before I type it, so I always have pen and paper when I sit down, in addition to a large glass of iced tea. I also have to be listening to music when I write–usually the 70s channel on Sirius radio. And I tend to only write at night, except for Saturdays, when I write all day.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I am definitely a plotter, particularly with my novellas. With the novel length books, I usually begin writing with an idea in mind and by the 7th or 8th chapter I begin to outline what will happen until the end. With the novellas, however, I’m very much an outliner before I even begin the story.

When you’re not writing, what sort of books do you enjoy reading, and what else do you indulge in as a past time or way of relaxing?
I love to read romance, particularly paranormal and historical. They just work for me. I also like mysteries. When I’m not reading, I love to watch movies or work in my garden. The more time I can spend outside, the better.

And finally, which character you’ve written is your favourite and why? And which character is most like you?
This is so difficult! I love Varek from Stolen Destiny, even more since I had to defend him so much to get him published as I truly envisioned him. He’s a good soul who made one very big mistake, so the softie in me loves him for that. Amon, also from Stolen Destiny, was so incredibly fun to write, though. He’s bad and so very smooth, so there’s very much something about him as the bad boy to love, especially when you see him in his story, Destiny Redeemed. I think I fall in love with every male hero I write, to be honest. And which character is most like me? I think the answer would have to be Lily from Love’s Master because she’s a strong-willed woman who likes an even stronger man.

Stolen Destiny
Gabrielle Bisset
Released from Nil to find a murderer, a prison-hardened Varek Leale is convinced no woman deserves the man he’s become, but his Aeveren destiny makes him succumb to sweet and sexy Callia Reynolds. To catch the murderer, they turn to Amon Kalins, an ancient Aeveren with the power to control time. But Amon isn’t a man to trifle with and when he wants something, he’ll use his considerable powers, devastating charm, and good looks to get it.

What Amon wants is Callia. When he manipulates time and seduces Callia away, Varek must turn to the people who set him free for help to get her back. But the Council doesn’t do anything without requiring something in return, and what they want is Amon Kalins, one of the most powerful Aeveren ever. Varek will do what he must to capture him and find Callia because if he doesn’t, she’ll be lost to him for untold lifetimes.

Find out more about Stolen Destiny at Gabrielle’s website: http://www.gabriellebisset.com/

Author Biography
College history professor by day, Gabrielle Bisset spends her nights and weekends writing erotic romance. An avid reader since childhood, she read her first romance novel before she’d entered high school and was hooked. Every step of the way since, through college and grad school, moving to Europe, marrying and having children, romance novels were with her. In addition to a love of reading, Gabrielle loved writing. After a humble start with her high school newspaper, she continued to write in college and grad school, enjoying the erotic romances she wrote far more than the research papers she was assigned. A desire to eat and have a roof over her head led to a teaching job, but the desire to write never went away.

Her first novel, Stolen Destiny, will be released by Siren Publishing on June 29, 2011. In addition, her trilogy of erotic novellas set in Victorian England will be released summer 2011. The first novella, Vampire Dreams, will be published on June 10, with the second novella, Love’s Master, and the third novella, Masquerade, out in July and August.

Find out more about this author at:
Blog – http://gbisset.blogspot.com/
Website – http://www.gabriellebisset.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabrielle-Bisset/135134056553049
Twitter – http://twitter.com/gabriellebisset

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Midsummer’s Eve Giveaway Hop

Posted on 21st June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

It’s the 21st June, which means that it’s the start of the Midsummer’s Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a reader, not a writer.

My giveaway is International, so everyone is welcome to enter, and I’m keeping entering nice and simple for everyone, so we can all just have some fun. I’m offering two sets of prizes, one for my blog and one for entries to a bonus giveaway on my website.

As my 500 Followers International Giveaway is still in progress, you will be automatically entered into that giveaway too when you join my blog.

Now, on to the prizes!

FIRST PRIZE

1 x ebook of winner’s choice (excludes Ascension and Forbidden Blood), plus book swag package including signed book cover flats, bookmarks, keyring, coaster and fridge magnet.

SECOND PRIZES

2 x book swag packages including signed book cover flats and bookmarks, and keyring.

DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING SOMETHING FANTASTIC BY ENTERING THE BONUS GIVEAWAY AT MY WEBSITE:

BONUS FIRST PRIZE

1 x signed paperback of Hunter’s Moon (Vampires Realm), plus book swag package including signed book cover flats, bookmarks, keyring, coaster and fridge magnet.

ENTER THE BONUS GIVEAWAY BY FILLING IN THE FORM ON MY WEBSITE – CLICK HERE

Giveaway is open from 21st June 2011 and closes on 24th June 2011 at 11:59pm. Winners will be selected at random on June 25th using random.org and posted here. Winners of the Bonus Prize will be posted on my website too at the link above. E-book prizes exclude Ascension and Forbidden Blood, and are available in PDF, HTML, Mobi or Epub format.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
LAST ACCEPTED ENTRY IS COMMENT #58
WINNERS

FIRST PRIZE: COMMENT #40 – Krystal Larson
SECOND PRIZE: COMMENT #33 – ioana97 / balmezandrada
SECOND PRIZE: COMMENT #13 – Michelle Bledsoe

BONUS PRIZE: ENTRY #80 – Annie (annie.tegelan)

Congratulations to all the winners!

Winners have until 11:59pm Friday 1st July to claim their prizes or a new winner will be drawn.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Midsummer’s Eve Giveaway Hop

Teaseday – Her Dark Angel – Angel Romance Book

Posted on 21st June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

Today I’m posting a Teaseday excerpt for Her Dark Angel. Her Dark Angel is the first book in the Her Angel romance series, and is a dark, sensual novella full of passion. You can get Her Dark Angel in both e-book and paperback (as part of an anthology with the other two Her Angel series novellas)

On to the tease…

Her Dark Angel
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn’t called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it’s to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.

Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He’s no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can’t resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?

Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.

ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.

ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $9.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 30000 words
rating: sultry
released: August 2010
Book 1 in the Her Angel series

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00408AQ98/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Dark-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011095184/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Dark-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-IpUY_pcZyka–k8L1kLPkQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-dark-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000277045

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/

EXCERPT

The images in the bright pool flickered past Apollyon’s eyes at lightning speed but he could see them all, could bring each into focus and pause there a moment to understand what was happening in the scene. He had watched over the mortals since eternity began, had watched the world change and forget his kind.

No one believed in angels anymore.

And his master had not called him forth from the bottomless pit in Hell in many long centuries.

Yet Apollyon waited for the call to come, faithful and patient, committed to his duty even as others around him chose to live by their own commands. Many of his fellow warriors had softened and fallen for mortal women, their devotion wavering and their commitment altering to their love. He would do no such thing. He had no interest in mortals.

His dark blue gaze darted around the silvery pool, following the history it was recording, stopping a moment on images that interested him. Wars. Death. Bloodshed. It was something that never changed. One day, his master would call him and Earth would know the true meaning of destruction.

The pool cast pale light on him as he crouched near it with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands dangling in front of him. The intricate gold metalwork on the black greaves protecting his shins and the vambraces around his forearms caught the light and shone.

With a sigh, Apollyon unfurled his mighty black feathered wings and stood. He stretched, causing the chest plate of his armour to rise as he lifted his arms, and then stared up at the endless black above him. The fires of Hell burned at his back. Their smoke filled the cavern, making him long to go to Earth. It had been eternity since he had left the pit and spread his wings, breathing the refreshing air and feeling it beat against him. He ached to soar above the cities again, unseen and unknown, and to speak with the angels that walked on Earth and watched over the mortals.

He longed to be free of the choking fires of Hell.

Apollyon was about to turn away and go to the edge of the pit when his blue gaze caught on something in the pool. He frowned and crouched again. The long strands of his black hair fell forwards as he leaned over the pool and stared at the image he had stopped before him.

A lone female.

He often saw her. She liked to walk in the park alone these days and her expression was sometimes troubled, as though she bore a heavy weight on her heart. What was she thinking when she looked like that? The park wasn’t the only place that he had noticed her. He had seen her indirectly too, picking her out of a crowd or seeing her passing through an image that had interested him, and each time his gaze had followed her until she had disappeared from view.

She stood staring up at the Eiffel Tower, her back to him and the gentle breeze catching her short red dress and tousling her long fair hair. He didn’t need to see her face to know that it was her. No other mortal captivated him as she could.

Roses framed the view, obscuring much of her legs. He cocked his head to one side and ran his gaze over what he could see. He had never seen her dressed like this. She had always worn layers of clothing in the past, her legs covered and a thick black coat encasing her slender frame. The seasons had passed so quickly and he hadn’t noticed that it was almost summer on Earth. The image changed, panning up the height of the Eiffel Tower and he wanted it to go back to her until he saw the stretching blue sky above the top of the tower.

Apollyon reached out to the pool, desperate to touch that sky and feel the sun beating down on his wings as he flew.

The image drifted away, replaced with a succession of others that he had no interest in. It was summer. He stood and imagined flying in that blue sky and how exhilarating it would be. He imagined the whole of Paris stretched out below him. He had never been there but he knew it well from the images he had seen. What would it be like to see such a city?

To see such a female in the flesh?

He shook that thought away and reminded himself that he had no interest in mortal women.

If he didn’t, why did his heart stop whenever he saw her?

Apollyon looked back into the pool and then turned away from it. His duty was to his master. He had to remain here, guardian of the bottomless pit, suffering the acrid fires of Hell, until his master called him.

He laughed.

No one was going to call him. He was going to spend the rest of eternity trapped in his own personal Hell.

A dark curse rolled off his tongue and a noise like thunder rumbled in the distance.

A familiar feeling built inside him, a sense that someone was speaking his name. He listened, trying to hear the voice of his master, knowing he would be the one who called to him. It wasn’t clear.

He felt the call but couldn’t discern where it was coming from.

Apollyon grabbed his sword, buckled the sheath to his waist, and didn’t wait for the call to come again. This was his chance to escape Hell and he would take it. His master was calling him from somewhere. He had a mission again at last.

He spread his wings and with a single strong beat lifted into the air. The wind from them blew the dark smoke back and they raised him higher and higher, until he reached the ceiling of his prison and stretched a hand up to it. The black rock parted before him and he turned and flew upwards, faster now that he could see a crack of blue sky above him. Hundreds of feet of rock passed him at a blurry speed and he finally broke free into the fresh air. He shot upwards, his black wings beating furiously against the warm air, and didn’t stop until he reached the clouds.


Apollyon hovered there, casting his dark blue eyes over the world at his feet, the chill wind blowing through his long black hair. It was as beautiful as he remembered, more so in fact. The cities the mortals had built fascinated him. He swooped lower, searching for his mission and listening for his master’s call. What did he desire him to do? Apollyon would do anything for his master. He had destroyed many cities in his name and cast many sinners into the bottomless pit. He had even fought the Devil and defeated him.

He frowned when he saw the city.

Paris.

The desire to go to the Eiffel Tower and find the mortal female was strong but he resisted it and flew over the city, trying to find his master. The call was quieter now and difficult to locate. It burned within him, relentless and driving him to search, even when he was beginning to wonder if he would be searching forever and if this was just a cruel joke because he had cursed.

The Devil would do such a despicable thing. He had a strong voice and could throw it well. He had always promised Apollyon that he would pay for all the times he had cast him back into Hell.

Apollyon swooped lower, effortlessly cutting through the warmer air, delighting at the feel of it tickling his black feathers and washing over his skin. Turning, he dived down a side street, skimming low above the heads of the mortals, causing a wind to gust against them. He smiled when they shrieked and grabbed their clothes to keep them in place. It was wrong to take such childish pleasure from doing such things, but all angels had a tendency to misuse their invisibility.

A strong beat of his wings and he was soaring upwards again. He landed on the edge of the roof of an old pale stone building and looked across the city towards the Eiffel Tower. It speared the clear sky, surrounded by lush green at the base. He was about to fly there when he felt as though someone was speaking his name again.

Apollyon focused, frowning as he tried to discern the direction it was coming from. His gaze shot back to the Eiffel Tower. There?

He ran to the far edge of the building and leapt off, waiting until he was close to the flagstones of the square below before he unfurled his wings and beat them, shooting straight across the square only a few feet above the ground. He ducked and weaved through the people and came out over a grassy bank. The river was ahead and beyond it the Eiffel Tower. He flew straight for it and then came to an abrupt halt in mid-air when he heard the call again. It was behind him.

He scoured the people below. Was his master down there, amongst them, calling to him?

His master had several guises. Apollyon’s eyes darted over the mortals, stopping for barely a second on each face. None of them matched how he remembered his master.

The call came clearer this time, beating in his heart. His gaze shot in the direction it had come from and his eyes widened.

Her?

A fair-haired mortal female stood beside one of the fountains below, her back to him and the warm breeze playing with the short skirt of her dark red dress. The jets of water from the fountains sprayed high, the droplets catching the wind and settling on his skin when it blew towards him.

Apollyon frowned.

It had to be the Devil’s work.

He had been watching her, had cursed, and then she had called him. It was ridiculous. No mortal had the power to call an angel, and he had not had a different master since eternity began and the angels had made a pact with him.

Cautiously, Apollyon swooped down, closer to her, hovering bare metres above her head. Had she called him?

She raised a hand to her face and it lingered there. He couldn’t see what she was doing. Her shoulders heaved and a wave of sorrow and anger washed over him. She was hurting.

He landed mid-way along the bridge over the river behind her and stepped down off the wall, changing his appearance as he did so. His wings didn’t want to disappear and it took several strides towards her before he was sure the mortals wouldn’t see them and that his glamour was falling into place. He changed his clothes, replacing his armour with a fine black suit, with a black shirt and a dark blue tie, and then swept his long hair back and tied it at the nape of his neck in a ponytail.

Finally, he lifted the force that made him invisible to the mortal eye and walked casually towards her. He took the blue handkerchief from his pocket, stepped up behind her, and hesitated for only a moment before touching her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he said in French, hoping he had the right language and the right words. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time and although he knew modern languages, he had never used them.

She touched her face again, her long fair hair a curtain which he couldn’t see beyond, and sniffed. When she turned to face him, she was smiling. Her hazel eyes lit on the offered handkerchief at first and then slowly ran up his arm to his chest and then towards his face. She was more beautiful in the flesh, her features soft and her eyes round. She could be an angel herself. He hadn’t realised how much shorter than him she would be. She was at least a head shorter, and petite too.

The moment her gaze met his, her expression changed. Her hand stopped close to taking the handkerchief and horror filled her eyes.

“Get away from me.” Her French held a sharp note of panic and then she stormed towards the bridge.

Apollyon frowned, looked at the handkerchief, and then went after her.

She glanced over her shoulder and her pace increased. It was easy to close the gap between them. His strides were longer than hers and her little heeled sandals were clearly not made for a swift escape.

“Leave me alone.”

Why was she running?

People were staring, murmuring to each other. She was causing a scene and he wasn’t quite sure why.

“Get away from me!” She turned to face him and then backed away, the fear still bright in her eyes. They darkened when she frowned and spoke as though uttering a curse. “Abaddon.”

He hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

She knew he was an angel.

How? Had his glamour failed? It had been millennia since he’d had to cast one. He looked around them at the watching mortals. None of them looked afraid. If they could see an angel before them as she could, they would be reacting the same as she was. People would be screaming that the Apocalypse was nigh and the world was going to end. He would be in serious trouble with his master.

He remembered that she had called him. Could she see through the glamour? Was she different somehow to other mortals?

“I don’t want to die,” she muttered almost beneath her breath and cast a fearful look his way.

This wasn’t going as he had expected. She wasn’t supposed to have been able to see that he was an angel. She was supposed to have accepted his kind offer of a handkerchief to dry her tears and told him why she was crying so he could figure out what he was doing here and whether someone was playing a trick on him.

Tears spilled down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around herself, making herself small and making him want to reach out to her and somehow ease her suffering. Whatever pain had caused her to cry, it was still strong within her heart, tormenting her. He could feel it. There was some sort of connection to her that gave him insight into her feelings, a sense that she needed him and that they were supposed to have met here today.

It was ridiculous.

A mortal could never call him. They didn’t have the voice.

He had been alone too long and was dreaming all of this, seeing things as he wanted them and not with clear eyes.

There was only one way of finding out whether she had called him somehow. He had hoped to discover it through casual conversation but that wasn’t an option now. It was time for a more direct approach.

He stepped towards her and she backed away again, holding both of her hands out as though that gesture alone could stop him if he wanted to get to her.

“Please,” she whispered and shook her head, sending more tears tumbling down her pale cheeks.

“Leave her alone.” A burly man started towards him.

Apollyon lost patience and cast his hand out, waving it across the gathered crowd. “There is nothing interesting to see here.”

Their expressions went slack and they moved as one, drifting off and back into their own lives, moving past him and the mortal woman as though they weren’t even there.

“Oh God, you’re going to kill me.”

He frowned at her. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“It’s what you do.” There was accusation in her tone and a hint of bravery.

Courage in the face of death?

A moment ago, she had been fleeing him and now she looked ready to fight.

“I have not done such a thing in a very long time.” He sighed. It was never going to leave him. Spend a few centuries as the angel of death and no one forgets. Everyone presumes you’re still in charge of taking life’s final breath from mortals. Still, it was better than the other rumour that he was the Devil. “There is a fleet of angels who do it now.”

She didn’t look as though she believed him. Her hands trembled in front of her.

“I didn’t ask for my powers. Please don’t take me there.”

“Where?” His patience was wearing thin again and he seemed to be unable to get his question out into the open. He tracked back over what she had said.

Powers?

“All the fires of Hell are in your wake… I don’t want to go there. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Apollyon looked behind him. All he could see was Paris. The edge of the stone bridge and the murky river, and the city beyond.

“You are gifted.” He looked back at her, deep into her hazel eyes. She nodded. Was this how she had called him? He frowned and looked at the fountains at the other end of the bridge behind him and then at her. “What were you doing there?”

She looked past him, blinked a few times, and then her eyebrows rose. “Nothing really. Contemplating life, I guess, and how shitty it was.”

“You did not ask for anything?” He stepped closer to her and this time she didn’t back away. She kept staring at the fountain with wide eyes. Tears lined her dark lashes. All of her fear disappeared and the pain returned. She clutched her hands to her chest, and he felt the hurt well up inside her, overwhelming her.

“Revenge,” she whispered and her gaze darted to him. “I asked for vengeance against that cheating bastard.”

Cheating? A sinner?

She had called for vengeance and he had heard her, and he had felt compelled to answer and accept her mission. He couldn’t. Contracting with her would break the one between him and his master.

Apollyon looked at her, studying her pale beauty.

She had called him and he had come. She was his master now. He had accepted the mission and the contract the moment he had left Hell.

He was going to get into trouble for this.

It had been a while since he had been on Earth though, and although the angels who watched over mortals now tolerated the old sins and only took them into account at death rather than punished the sinner during their life, he did still hate some of them.

Infidelity in particular.

“Are you really here to kill me?”

Apollyon smiled and a hint of colour touched her cheeks. “You called me and I came to you, not to take your life but to ease your suffering.”

She swallowed and looked as though she was going to deny that she was in pain. Apollyon stepped up to her and touched her face. Her skin was warm, soft, and felt good beneath his fingertips. He caressed her cheek, placed his fingers under her chin, and raised her eyes to his.

“Whatever he did to you, I will make him suffer for it, but no man is worth such tears. Your heart will heal in time and you will love again.”

Her hazel eyes searched his.

Apollyon stared deep into them, feeling a strange warmth travel along his hand from where his fingertips touched her face. It chased through him and finally settled in his chest, burning there, stirring feelings that he had long forgotten existed.

“I will give you the revenge you seek.”

Those words were distant to his ears even though they issued from his lips.

He was lost in her eyes, in the way she was looking at him with so much warmth.

Was it gratitude that made her look that way?

Or was it something else?

“Are you a goddess?” he whispered, trying to keep his thoughts on track and on his mission.

She shook her head, moving his fingers with her, and licked her lips. He made the mistake of looking at them, watching the soft pink tip of her tongue sweep over them. A surge of hunger swept through him and he took his hand away, shocked by the strength of his desire and the suddenness of it.

“I’m a witch,” she said, matter of fact, with a little shrug.

Apollyon stared at her. Was he making a terrible mistake by helping her? A part of him said to leave now before it was too late and he became too deeply involved with her.

He couldn’t though.

She had cast a spell on him.

And he was a slave to her.

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00408AQ98/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00408AQ98/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Dark-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011095184/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Dark-Angel-Her-Angel/mix-IpUY_pcZyka–k8L1kLPkQ/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-dark-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000277045

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456489836/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489836/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Her-Angel/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456489830/

Enjoyed this tease?

Posted in Her Angel Series, Her Dark Angel, paranormal romance, Teaseday | Comments Off on Teaseday – Her Dark Angel – Angel Romance Book

Manday hottie

Posted on 20th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

Ah… I’m drowning in work this week. I had a fabulous time in Istanbul last week, but my schedule is shot because of it. It’s going to be a tough few weeks.

I need Manday more than ever this week. This is just the fix I need this morning.

It’s Manday people! Here’s your sweet treat to start the week and hopefully it will bouy you up… although I’m tempted to snuggle into that duvet with him. Think he could fit all of us under there with him?

Oh, yummo!

Posted in Manday hotties | Comments Off on Manday hottie

Hunter’s Moon – character interview with Nicolae

Posted on 19th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

As part of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour, I’m interviewing some characters and doing some posts on my own blog too, Indie Paranormal Romance Books. Today, I caught up with Nicolae, the hero from my vampire / werewolf romance book, Hunter’s Moon.

If you haven’t met him already, here’s the lowdown on Nicolae. Nicolae is a dark, sexy, and rugged ex-alpha werewolf with a past that could make any woman want to kiss the guy. He’s strong, a loner since the events that led to him fleeing Europe, and can be charming when he needs to be. He’s a born leader and extremely protective, and very territorial. He won’t let anything happen to anyone or anything in his territory, even if that person is a vampire.

FH: I have Nicolae here with me today to talk about his book, Hunter’s Moon. Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Nicolae: Ah, what like? I mean, is it alright to talk about that stuff?

FH: *nods* You can tell us anything. It’s all cool.

Nicolae: Alright then. I’m Romanian, although I have lived in Canada for the past century, and I’m a werewolf. Hell, it still sounds crazy when I say that aloud, even though I’ve been a werewolf for two centuries now. I was turned in Romania and lived with my pack there. It was peaceful until the vampires came for us. We didn’t stand a chance. My sire, the alpha of the pack, and I, and the other warriors amongst us tried to fend them off. They rounded us up and took us all to the compound. It was hell. I don’t want to think about it even now. We had done nothing to deserve such brutal treatment and abuse. Our pack had lived in peace, keeping to ourselves, never treading into vampire territory. When I finally managed to put an escape plan into action, I only made things worse. I lost my entire pack that night… and fled here, to a place where I was free of the vampires.

FH: Here being the remotest place on Earth. It must have been hard for you to deal with everything that had happened, and I’m sure many women’s hearts have gone out to you already. Can you tell us about what happened in your story, Hunter’s Moon?

Nicolae: It was around a century after I had escaped Romania and the nightmare of losing my pack, and I was finally learning to deal with it all in my own way. A night time hunt with the local timber wolf pack turned that all on its head. The peace I had found was shattered by a group of hunters and a woman. Tatyana. A vampire. It was difficult for me to accept her presence in my territory after everything I had suffered at the hands of the vampires, but the threat of the human hunters drove me to take her back to my cabin and help her heal. I had needed to know what she did so I could protect the local werewolf pack and the timber wolves. I thought she had brought them with her… I couldn’t have been more wrong.

FH: In Hunter’s Moon, you meet Tatyana. How did you meet and how did you feel about her initially?

Nicolae: Looking back now, I can’t believe that I ever wanted to leave her in that clearing to die from her wounds or the sunlight. She’s everything to me. The reason for my existence. It was difficult to get past everything that had happened to me, all the pain in my past, and accept her in my life and my territory. I was never sure whether I was coming or going at first. She tied me in knots and challenged everything that I believed about the vampires, and I’m glad that she did. We’ve both had hatred bred into us, and it was time for us both to open our eyes and look at each other for ourselves, not have our judgement coloured by what we’ve been told to believe and what had happened to us in our past.

FH: You have a lot of history with the vampires of Europe and it’s generally frowned upon for a werewolf to enter into a relationship with a vampire. Was it difficult to get past the terrible thing that the vampires did to you and your pack, and fall in love with Tatyana?

Nicolae: Of course it was, but Tatyana’s bloodline weren’t responsible for what happened to me. The European vampires are often at war with each other, squabbling over territory and other petty things. Her bloodline, the Nocens, probably hate the Tenebrae bloodline as much as I do. I know that it was difficult for Tatyana too, and I think that helped me cope with my feelings and face them. Werewolves don’t have laws against relationships with another species, but vampires do. Tatyana is risking a lot by being with me. When we eventually return to Europe, we’ll have to be careful about it. If the Law Keepers discover that Tatyana is with a werewolf, they’ll hunt her down and kill her. Not that I would let them get close enough to try, but it’s always there at the back of my mind.

FH: How has life been since the events that happened and brought you together?

Nicolae: Peaceful. It might sound crazy, and sometimes I feel as though I’m dreaming, but everything has settled down again since the end of our story. Tatyana is slowly building a relationship with the local werewolves, and even the local timber wolf pack is beginning to accept her. She’s hunted a few times with us, and has learnt that catching the deer we’re chasing isn’t the way into a wolf’s heart. She lets the timber wolves have the glory now, and they’re getting along better for it. Hell, even I wanted to snarl at her when she beat us to the deer that time. *laughs* She’ll make a good pack member one day, when she stops trying to be the alpha female. She’ll tell you different of course. Sometimes, when we hunt together and it’s just us, I let her win. Don’t tell her I said that. She’ll wring my neck if she thinks I’m letting her beat me to the prize… but it’s all worth it. Seeing her smile, seeing her happy and proud… that’s something I’ll do anything for. Even losing a hunt. She’s beautiful when she’s standing over a fresh kill, empowered by her victory. And hell… she’s a saucy vixen afterwards too. My little alpha female.

FH: Your story, Hunter’s Moon, is a book in a series. Can you tell us a little about the series and can we expect see more of you in other stories in this series?

Nicolae: Shouldn’t you be the one telling me that? *laughs again* I’m sure we’ll cross paths again at some point. The series you write based on the werewolves of my home continent and the vampires of the pure European bloodlines truly reflects the darkness and the danger of our world, but also the intense passion and the deep love we feel for our mates, even if the ones we fall for happen to be the enemy.

FH: Describe yourself in one word?

Nicolae: I’m thinking. *looks pensive* Failure springs to mind, but Tatyana would argue about that. Let’s see. She would say… complicated. I would probably say… possessive. It’s the wolf in me. *cracks a charming smile*

FH: Thank you for meeting with me today and chatting. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?

Nicolae: Only that I want your solemn promise not to mention any of what I’ve said when you interview Tatyana. If she comes back knowing any of this, I’m hunting you down.

FH: Hmm, I’m not sure that’s much of a threat. I would probably pay to have you hunt me down. *looks at audience* Wouldn’t you?

Here’s a little information about Hunter’s Moon and the places it’s available:

Hunter’s Moon
F E Heaton
The horror of the night he failed to save his werewolf pack from the cruelty of their vampire masters has haunted Nicolae for one hundred years, driving him deep into the Canadian wilderness in search of peace. That peace is threatened when unfamiliar hunters and the scent of blood lead him to a beautiful woman and a hard decision—face his past and help her or risk losing everyone he cares about again.

Bearing a heart filled with grief and with vengeance on her mind, Tatyana is intent on killing the hunters she’s tracking and returning to her vampire bloodline, but her plan didn’t include being shot with poisoned arrows or rescued by a glowering alpha werewolf who stirs forbidden hunger in her.

When the hunters make their move, will Nicolae be able to stop them before it’s too late? Will he be able to overcome the darkness in his heart and embrace his desire for a vampire? And can Tatyana face her fears and risk her life for the sake of forbidden love?

ebook price: $2.99
paperback price: $6.99
genre: paranormal werewolf romance
length: 65000 words
rating: sultry
released: February 2011
Book 9 in the Vampires Realm series

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Hunter’s%20Moon
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P5NQ0W/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004P5NQ0W/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004P5NQ0W/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hunters-Moon/F-E-Heaton/e/2940011207600/
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/hunter-s-moon/_/R-400000000000000351166

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1460978544/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1460978544/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunters-moon-f-e-heaton/1030625714

Posted in 2011 blog tour, 2011 releases, character interviews, Hunter's Moon, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, vampire romance, vampires, Vampires Realm, werewolf romance | Comments Off on Hunter’s Moon – character interview with Nicolae

Forbidden Blood (Vampire Venators Romance Series #1) – Out Now!

Posted on 18th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

It’s an exciting day for me today. I have a new release out. This time it’s a vampire romance book and the first inn my new vampire romance series, Vampire Venators. I loved writing this book and I’m really hopeful for the series as a whole. I know it’s my second vampire romance series, but it’s very different to Vampires Realm. I think you’ll all love it, so why not take advantage of the hot summer offer on this book (ends July 1st) and get it for a beautiful $0.99! That’s a saving of $3!

Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.

Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire’s grasp, it turns out she’s the lead he’s been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn’s world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.

Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.

ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66030

Click here for details on how to get this book for only $0.99 as part of my hot summer offers!

Posted in forbidden blood, new release, paranormal romance, vampire romance, Vampire Venators, vampires | Comments Off on Forbidden Blood (Vampire Venators Romance Series #1) – Out Now!

Love Immortal – paranormal vampire romance – Six Sentence Sunday

Posted on 12th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

This week I’m participating again in the fabulous Six Sentence Sunday where authors choose six sentences from their current WIP or books that are already released and share them on their blog.

My six chosen sentences this time come from Love Immortal, an epic paranormal vampire romance novel that is available now in e-book and paperback.

“Let me see,” she whispered, low and coaxing, no longer nervous.

His lips parted to reveal the barest hint of pointed canines. Caught in a trance, transfixed by the sight of them, she rubbed the pad of her thumb across his lower lip. He breathed in sharply, his reaction empowering her, and his mouth opened. His fangs glistened in the moonlight, white and sharp, but they didn’t frighten her.

What did was the way his gaze shifted to her neck.

Love Immortal is out now in e-book for $3.99 and paperback for $12.99. Here’s the blurb and cover, and the links to retailers:

Love Immortal
Felicity Heaton
Rescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she’s ever seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she never knew existed. There, she discovers that she’s the latest reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.

With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?

Can she crack the armour around Julian’s heart and seize her happily forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren with the fragments of his heart after everything he’s been through?

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 157000 words

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Love%20Immortal
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HYHHME/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004HYHHME/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HYHHME/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Love-Immortal/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011179648/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Love-Immortal/book-OyQ9CMW5Jkaf0K_UwfVfGw/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/love-immortal/_/R-400000000000000340123

Available in paperback from:
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1456487884/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456487884/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Love-Immortal/Felicity-Heaton/e/9781456487881/

Posted in Love Immortal, paranormal romance, Six Sentence Sunday, vampire romance | Comments Off on Love Immortal – paranormal vampire romance – Six Sentence Sunday

Forbidden Blood – Vampire Venators Series #1 – Chapter Five

Posted on 11th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

As part of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour, I have been posting chapters of my next release, Forbidden Blood.

Forbidden Blood is a dark vampire romance novel, and the first book in the Vampire Venators series, and will be released on June 18th 2011. I’ve already posted chapter one, chapter two, chapter three and chapter four. That means that today is the final chapter I’ll be posting, and with it I’m adding a little about the series.

Enter a dark world where humans live alongside nine species of demon without knowing it and a mysterious circle of ancient beings called the Sovereignty battles to protect mankind. For each of the nine species, Venators are chosen, hunters who are given the power of the Sovereignty and fight in their stead to defeat those in their species who seek to harm humans and demons alike. It is a world of vampires, werewolves, therianthropes, angels and other demons, each with their own distinct society and world they desire to protect–a world they desire to keep separate and hidden from ours.

Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.

Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire’s grasp, it turns out she’s the lead he’s been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearn’s world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exterior—hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.

Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.

genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 18th 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series

CHAPTER FIVE

Amber woke slowly to an unfamiliar view. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, and could see the edges of the brown walls either side of her and the window behind her that formed another wall. She felt very calm, as though she had slept deeply. It surprised her. After what she had been through last night, she had expected not to sleep at all. She had drifted off waiting for the nightmares but felt as though her dreams had been pleasant, or non-existent.

Perhaps her dreams and reality had swapped places. She was living a nightmare and dreaming her old life now. The fear that had settled in her heart last night hadn’t gone anywhere. It was quieter now, lessened by the steps Kearn had taken to protect her, to make her feel safe, but it wasn’t going away. Deep inside her heart, a voice whispered that she should fear Kearn too, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to feel that way, not even when a part of her knew that there was something different about him.

It didn’t matter what he was. He was protecting her and she could help him. They needed each other. In order to swap her dreams and reality back around, she had to be strong and get through his, and she would, with Kearn at her side.

The quiet noise of the flat panel television built into the oak wardrobes opposite the foot of the bed filled the silence along with her breathing. She stretched. Kearn’s bedroom was soothing. She wanted to sleep here forever.

The bed was soft and warm, the room peaceful and quiet, and she felt safe.

Amber rolled onto her side and took a deep breath. The brown pillows smelt like Kearn. She hadn’t noticed it before. It was a warm smell. She smiled. Probably a very expensive warm smell.

There was no doubt in her mind that Kearn’s job paid well. The car, the apartment, and the terribly modern décor that gave it an air of something out of a perfect homes magazine, all pointed towards money.

Another smile touched her lips when she remembered him insisting on her taking his bed. Very chivalrous.

And then there was his brother.

They looked alike in some ways and the very opposite in others. She imagined Kearn with blue eyes and black hair cut short around the sides but longer on top. They would definitely look alike then.

His brother had a different personality though. He was open, playful, and seemed to take great amusement from saying things that Kearn thought weren’t suitable. If they hadn’t told her that Kyran was the older brother, she would have thought him the younger.

Kearn seemed so cold in comparison, and more distant than she had first placed him. His behaviour around his brother, the flashes of anger swiftly chased by sorrow that had crossed his face at times, and the way he had ended the night so abruptly, all of them increased her feeling that Kearn was hiding something. What did he want to conceal?

Kyran had said that he knew vampires and he knew what his brother did to them. What did Kearn do to them? She had been about to ask him when she had felt incredibly sleepy. The tension in the apartment had risen the moment Kearn had closed the bedroom door on her and then the front door had slammed. Had they argued? Because of her?

Amber sat up on the double bed and pulled the brown duvet to her chest, covering her bare breasts with it.

Why would they argue because of her?

Because Kyran had been too friendly or because he had said something he shouldn’t have?

Amber looked over at the bedside table.

And why were her clothes gone?

She scrambled across the double bed and peered down at the floor in case they had fallen off. They were gone. Her shoes were too. Only her black handbag remained.

Had Kearn taken them?

She blushed from head to toe at the thought of him coming into the room while she had been sleeping in his bed wearing only her knickers.

Her eyes widened.

He had even taken her bra.

Her cheeks burned now.

Amber wrapped herself in the brown duvet and shuffled carefully to the bedroom door. She opened it a crack and looked out into the main room. She couldn’t see Kearn. The television in the white dividing wall above the low rectangular open fireplace was off. The apartment was silent save the noise of the television behind her.

Kearn was gone.

She hitched her duvet toga up and went back into the bedroom, crossing it to the bathroom. There was a white bathrobe on the back of the door. She dropped the duvet and put on the robe. It was too big for her but it was better than walking around Kearn’s apartment in only her knickers.

She made the bed, turned off the television and then returned to the bedroom door and opened it.

There was no sign of her clothes in the living area, or in the kitchen in the right hand corner opposite it. The glasses and bowl were on the drainer, and Kearn’s bloodied shirt was gone. She picked up one of the glasses, filled it with water and drank it down in one go. Her stomach growled. Food. She hadn’t eaten in almost a day.

Amber checked the pale wooden cupboards. The first two being bare didn’t bother her, but after the fifth, she started to find it strange. When she had checked every cupboard and found only a few glasses and some other kitchenware, but not cutlery or plates, she was disconcerted. She approached the large white refrigerator with caution, fearing what she would find in it. Vampires drank blood. What if the fridge was full of bits of people or blood bags stolen from the local hospital?

She grabbed the refrigerator door and yanked it open.


A blank white space greeted her.

Her heart pounded against her ribs.

She was going crazy.

She had to stop being so suspicious.

Vampires killed people. Maybe he didn’t keep his food in the house. Maybe he ate street food of the vampire kind.

Amber shut the fridge door. She really was being stupid now.

Kearn hunted vampires.

Maybe he ate out all the time. There were people who did that. She had seen television programs where famous people had never used the expensive stove in their oversized kitchen. Kearn could be just like them.

Or he could eat blood.

She walked out of the kitchen, trying to distance herself from her thoughts as easily as she could distance herself from the refrigerator.

She stopped at the black front door of the apartment.

There was a note stuck to it, written in neat cursive script.

Do not even consider leaving. I shall return by the time you have showered and shall bring you breakfast. Kearn.

She tried the handle anyway. Locked. Some of the locks she could open from the inside, but one of them needed a key.

Well, that was considerate of him. He stole her clothes and locked her in his apartment, and then offered her a shower and said he would bring her breakfast. He was confusing her more every minute that she knew him.

Breakfast?

Amber glanced to her left, through the small study area to the bank of windows that formed the wall there. The sun was heading towards the horizon, casting a golden glow over the rooftops of London. He had a strange concept of meal times, but then he hunted vampires. It was probably a job he could only do at night.

She perused the books in the beech bookcase that lined the wall of the study opposite the open fireplace, her fingers tripping from spine to spine. There were many novels on the side nearest the front door, but closer to the wooden desk in front of the window, the books were all factual, and some of them were definitely not available in stores. Books on demons, vampires, werewolves and other creatures. All of them old and large, and leather-bound. None of them had authors or publishing houses on the spine. She took a thick, heavy tome on vampires, placed it down on the desk and opened it carefully to somewhere near the middle. Her gaze scanned the neatly hand written paragraphs on the yellowing page and stopped on a name she recognised.

She had to read it three times to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

Earl Huntingdon.

She cast a quick glance around the apartment, her heart starting to race and tremble at the thought of being caught snooping in Kearn’s things, and then read the passage about the earl.

A vampire.

Kyran knew vampires. Was that why Kearn didn’t like Earl Huntingdon? Perhaps there were good vampires after all and that was why Kyran was friends with him.

Or perhaps not.

Amber read the page, enthralled by the things it said about the earl and his bloodthirsty ways. He sounded dangerous, the sort of vampire that people had written tales about centuries ago, like Vlad the Impaler. He sounded like the sort that Kearn should kill.

She went to turn the page and read on but stopped herself. Reading about the horrible things vampires did to people and to other vampires would only frighten her. She closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She was better off not knowing. They said ignorance was bliss after all. When Kearn had caught the vampire, she would be going back to her life. Kearn wouldn’t be there to protect her from the scary vampires. She would be alone again and she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life afraid, fearing that someone like Earl Huntingdon would somehow find her. She wanted to live life.

Dragging herself away from the study, she walked around the wide white dividing wall of the modern double-sided fireplace and stopped dead when she saw a black jacket and Kearn’s gun on the end of the long black couch against the bedroom wall. The setting sun glinted off the silver gun, luring her to it.

She stopped at the window-end of the couch beside the gun and stared hard at it, memorising the weapon’s exact position on the jacket so she knew where to place it so Kearn wouldn’t know what she had done. With her heart in her throat, she reached a trembling hand out to the gun and closed the fingers of her left hand around the grip. Her whole arm shook as she lifted it. It was heavier than expected and felt cold against her fingers. She kept it pointed away from her, afraid it would go off, and studied it. It looked like a gun from a movie, sleek and modern, and dangerous.

What kind of bullets did it take? They had to be special to kill vampires.

Amber tried to figure out how to open it, turning it one way and then the other, and even looking closely at the bottom of the grip. In the movies, people changed the clip so quickly she never saw how they got it out. She lifted her other hand, tempted to pull the top part of the gun back and then stopped herself. She didn’t know what would happen if she did that. If she blew out a window or made a hole in the white wall, Kearn would know that she had been messing around with his gun. Afraid of the consequences if that happened, Amber placed the gun back down in the precise spot and position she had found it, and stepped back from it. She didn’t like it.

Turning away, she walked back to Kearn’s bedroom and through it to the bathroom. Take a shower. Kearn had said he would be back when she had showered. She looked at the large white cubicle to her left. Take a shower she would.

She stripped off the bathrobe and her knickers, and closed the bathroom door. The clear shower door squeaked when she slid it open. She turned the water on and stepped under the jet, showering quickly and holding her hair up so it didn’t get too wet. It would frizz if it did and she didn’t want to look like a prize poodle around Kearn.

Amber shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. Her head spun. She closed her eyes and waited for it to clear. It had done that from time to time last night too. Was it the vampire trying to control her?

She shuddered at the thought. She didn’t like the idea that someone could control her and make her do things against her will. She unravelled the bandage on her hand. The cut across her palm was still raw and it was bleeding in places again. She washed it in the sink and then looked for a new bandage, finding some in the cupboard in the black sink cabinet. She carefully wound it around her hand, tight enough that it would stop the bleeding, and pinned it.

The vampire had wanted her to taste her blood but she hadn’t been tempted this time. Was his hold over her fading?

The sound of a door closing made her look up at herself in the mirror. Kearn.

She clawed her hair back into a neat ponytail, slipped the robe on, and tied it.

Kearn was in the kitchen when she walked out of the bedroom. He glanced over at her, his green eyes as impassive as ever. Not even the sight of her in his bathrobe fresh from the shower provoked a reaction. He crossed the room and held two large black paper bags out to her. There was a store name she didn’t recognise written on the side in a white cursive font. She peered inside the first one at the clothes. The second had a cardboard shoebox in it.

“What is it?” She looked at Kearn.

“Your outfit for tonight.” He dropped another similar bag on the couch facing the window and she looked in it too. Her own clothes. He had taken them to a store and, judging by the bags, it had been somewhere expensive.

Kearn held a small brown bag out to her.

“What’s this?” She took it from him.

“Breakfast,” he said without any trace of emotion, his eyes not leaving hers. “Coffee and pastries. I asked the woman what you might like.”

Amber frowned. What she might like? As though a stranger would know such a thing. Couldn’t he have judged for himself? Maybe he didn’t know what food tasted like. Maybe vampires didn’t eat anything other than blood.

Maybe he just didn’t eat pastries. She had known men in her past that didn’t touch sweet things. He could be like them.

“What about you?” She placed the clothes bags down on the couch beside the other one and eyed him closely, studying his face.

“I ate when I was out.”

Amber stared at him. He stared back, colder than ever. He really wasn’t very talkative. The effort of trying to make conversation with him was exhausting.

Kearn walked around her and along the length of the couch beside the wall to the far end of it. He leaned over and paused with his hand just above his gun. He kept his back to her as he picked it up.

“Do not ever touch it again,” he said and went into his bedroom, closing the door.

A few minutes later the shower was running and Amber was still standing in the middle of his apartment feeling guilty for snooping and wondering how the hell he had known she had touched the gun. It had been in exactly the same place as he had left it.

He was an enigma.

He had no food, a lot of money, and treated her coldly even though she was helping him. She looked at the clothing and the food that he had bought. She couldn’t figure him out at all. She had never met anyone so distant either. Was it his work? Maybe he was just unused to company. He hadn’t been that at ease with his brother too.

Maybe he wasn’t human.

She couldn’t push that thought away. Whenever she gave it a chance, it came back.

Amber walked over to the kitchen island and placed the brown paper bag down on the granite top. She sat on one of the black and wood stools that followed the curve of the island, and opened the bag, removing the white paper cup of coffee. She took off the lid and scooped up some of the foam with her finger. Cappuccino. Just the fix she had needed.

There were a lot of different pastries in the bag. Covering his bets?

The bedroom door opened and Amber looked over her shoulder at Kearn. He rubbed a brown towel against his wet hair. Water dripped from the ends of the long silver strands and rolled down the bare strip of chest and stomach visible between the two sides of his black shirt. His body was delicious. Just what she wanted to eat for breakfast. His muscles shifted and bunched with each move he made as he dried his hair, a feast for her eyes only. She stared, unashamed of what she was doing. If he was going to put it out there, then she wasn’t going to shy away.

Kearn tossed the towel back into his bedroom, ran his fingers through his hair, and then walked over to the jacket on the couch. He picked it up and placed it over the back of the couch facing the window. Amber sipped her coffee and kept watching him, or at least his body. He ruined her fun by buttoning his shirt and tucking it into his black trousers.

He came over to her and looked at the paper bag. She took another sip of her coffee and drank her fill of his face, putting to memory the curve of his lips as they parted and the way a line formed between his dark silver eyebrows when he frowned. He was undeniably good looking and was starting to creep back into sexy territory.

“Want one?” Amber offered the bag, part of her doing so out of politeness and the other part wanting to test him.

His green eyes shifted from the contents of the bag to her hand that was holding it. Blood was seeping into the bandage again.

“Take it if you want it,” she said and his eyes met hers, incredulous and searching. It was the first sign of something other than cold calculation in them today. He almost looked shocked.

“No, thank you.” Kearn pushed the bag back at her. “You should dress. We need to arrive at the club before everyone else so we do not look as though we are together.”

She took a long leisurely sip of her cappuccino, unwilling to be rushed by him, and then slipped down off the stool.

When he had said they would go to a club, she had expected them to be together the whole time. The thought of being alone when the vampire could be stalking her was frightening but she had promised to play bait for him. She picked up the bags of clothes from the couch. What sort of bait did Kearn have in mind? The clothes would give her a hint.

She walked into his bedroom, kicked the door closed, put her coffee and pastries down on the side cupboard and dumped the bags on the bed.

Refusing to hurry, she ate a croissant and drank half of her coffee, and then devoured another pastry.

Amber pulled the large shoebox out of the first bag and opened it.

She tipped the contents of the other bag out on the bed beside it.

Her eyes widened.

“What the hell!”

That’s the final chapter of my sneak preview for Forbidden Blood, but you don’t have to wait long to get your hands on this book now. It’s released on June 18th, just next week! Have you all enjoyed the book so far?

Posted in 2011 blog tour, 2011 releases, forbidden blood, paranormal romance, vampire romance, Vampire Venators, vampires | Comments Off on Forbidden Blood – Vampire Venators Series #1 – Chapter Five

Angel romances, Assassin’s Creed and blog tours

Posted on 10th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

This week has been long, but not exactly fruitful. Thanks to my obsession with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and my need to play it every day for at least a couple of hours, my focus is shot. I have managed to struggle with my short attention span and bring it under control enough that I have managed to get the final two chapters of Her Guardian Angel re-written and ready for editing, but other things in my schedule have suffered.

I can’t lay the blame solely at the feet of Ezio from Assassin’s Creed. I think in part my lack of concentration and focus this week is down to overworking. I’ve been working non-stop recently and it was only a matter of time before my mind shattered and I wanted to do something other than author related work.

I’m just thankful that once I get the final two chapters of Her Guardian Angel edited, I can put it to rest for a while, and that I managed to get it done before heading off on holiday for a few days. A much needed holiday, that’s for sure!

When I return, I’ll be thrown straight into the release weekend of Forbidden Blood, but I think I can deal with that if I get everything on my list done and dusted, and therefore only have to worry about release stuff when I get back. I am looking forward to the release of Forbidden Blood. I want to see what readers think about the take on vampires in this one and whether there’s interest in the series. I already have a vampire romance series on the go, so it will be interesting to see what sort of reception this one gets. The Vampire Venators series is quite different to my Vampires Realm series, so hopefully there’ll be room for both of them.

I’m having a dilemma at the moment about what to write next. My schedule is very tight right now, but I really want to get the next Shadow & Light Trilogy novel written, edited, and released this year. I’d love to get it done for September and move Masquerade to October or December. Hmm. It’s tricky though and it is providing me with a bit of a headache. I keep working my calendar, shifting things around and seeing if I could write it and get it edited in time. It’s possible, but it would mean some seriously long days. Going to crunch the numbers again later and see if I’m just asking too much of myself.

I have to take into account that I’m signed up to around one hundred appearances this year at various blogs too. I need to make sure that I have time to get the articles for them written as well as getting books written or edited. On top of this, I want to start offering a flash fiction in my newsletter every month, and I have a few short stories that I want to write as freebies too.

I think I might quietly go away now and have a breakdown. Lol. When I took the leap to become a full time author, I had figured it would be easy and that I’d be able to get stuff done in no time because I had all day to do it rather than just a few hours a day. Wrong! Stuff just came along to fill those hours!

Right, I had best go get on with said stuff.

Felicity

Posted in forbidden blood, Masquerade, Shadow and Light Trilogy, Vampire Venators, Vampires Realm, writing | Comments Off on Angel romances, Assassin’s Creed and blog tours

Review: Kiss the Night Goodbye by Keri Arthur

Posted on 9th June 2011 by Felicity Heaton

Having read the books one to three in Keri Arthur’s Nikki and Michael vampire romance series, I had to read book four, even though I had been a little disappointed by the third book, Chasing the Shadows.

So here’s my candid review of this paranormal romance book by Keri Arthur.

Kiss the Night Goodbye
Keri Arthur
Nikki James wants nothing more than to pass the Circle’s strict entry exams so she can get on with the business of planning her wedding to Michael. But when one of the testers attempts to kill her, she realises buying a wedding dress is the least of her worries.

Especially when Michael is shot and kidnapped.

The trail leads her to the ghost town where Michael had once killed a madman. She’s not surprised to discover that Weylin Dunleavy, the brother of that long ago murderer, has set in place events that will mirror the past in order to raise his brother’s spirit from hell. Nor is she truly surprised to discover that a barrier of magic surrounds the old town, leaving her to battle Weylin with only her wits, strength and the one psychic gift she cannot fully control.

The one thing that does surprise, the one thing she cannot accept, is the fact that Michael no longer remembers who she is…

Review
Nikki and Michael are back in the final story in Keri Arthur’s vampire romance series. Nikki has been busting her backside improving her fitness and her control of her psychic abilities since Michael has done the decent thing and not only asked Nikki to marry him, but has allowed her into the darker and more dangerous side of his life.

The story opens with Nikki once again trying to pass the Circle’s entry exams and gets more than she bargained for in her latest attempt—someone trying to kill her. Thanks to the link forged between her and Michael that has increased not only her powers but Michael’s too, Nikki escapes without much trouble. The only problem is that her bad luck isn’t about to end there. Someone shoots and kidnaps the lovely slice of vampire that is Michael and it’s down to Nikki, masquerading as Seline because the bad guy is fairly intent on getting some payback for an event that happened in the past involving Seline and Michael, goes out to save the day.

Nikki’s problems get worse from there. The town where she must go is surrounded by a magical barrier and everyone is acting as they had a few hundred years back. Michael doesn’t remember her, and she certainly doesn’t look like herself, and she has to be careful because while the barrier has put a stop to most of her powers, her “personal magic” that comes in the form of pyrokinetic abilities given to her by the people she met in book two of the series, is still active. If Mr Bad Guy finds out that she’s got some tricks up her sleeve, he’ll kill her and Michael, and probably most of the town. Michael has a fairly hefty spell tattooed into his back that Nikki needs to wash off, but it isn’t going to be easy when he can’t remember her. It takes all of her wits to convince him to help her and to make him remember her, and to defeat the bad guy in this one.

It was good to see another new location, although caves did creep back in as there’s plenty of mine shafts in the area to cause Nikki’s usual panic attacks and Michael’s worry (when he starts remembering her). I enjoyed the difference in their relationship in this one, although found it a bit questionable in parts since she basically seduces Michael whilst looking like someone else. Talk about psychologically damaging the guy when he eventually remembers and realises that he’s been messing around with Seline… well, Nikki looking like Seline, but the outside package is the physical attractant in sexual relationships. That must have disturbed him.

I liked the bad guys in this one. They’re nice and sinister and have a nasty objective, although I think they could have put up more fight. Repetition was back again, and Michael is going to need to get stronger bones because I swear he’s broken his arm in the past two books! My only real downer on this one was the repetition, and some very horrendous editing that drove me insane. The author breaks one of the cardinal rules of writing – remember what you called things! She goes from calling the town “Hartwood” in the first few chapters, to “Hartwell”, and eventually back to “Hartwood” for the final few chapters. There’s also other glaring editing errors. Again, the book dropped marks for poor editing. In fact, it was so bad in parts that I was cringing as I read it. This means that yet again my reading enjoyment was spoiled. It could have been a wonderful book with a better editor on hand to fix the errors and point out all the repetition. There’s also some amazing spelling problems like the word “wlndowsill” in chapter 15. Nice. The relationship does grow nicely in this book though, and at least Nikki isn’t moaning at Michael all the time. I liked the progression in their powers and how tied to each other they were, but I had hoped for a stronger ending too. Call me an old romantic, but I want to see a wedding, not just be teased about it. Definitely read this book if you’ve read the first three. Definitely read them in order.

Read reviews of Kiss the Night Goodbye by Keri Arthur on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6076368-kiss-the-night-goodbye

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