Which Man of the Shadowcat Nation is Your Perfect Match? Take The Quiz

Hello All! And thank you so much to La Mamma Verde for having me. I’m here promoting my latest paranormal romance release, Sarai’s Fortune (Shadowcat Nation #2).

The Shadowcat Nation is a series of paranormal romance novels featuring mountain lion shifters. The men of the Shadowcat Nation are all Alpha males shifters, and each one is a great man in his own way.

I thought it would be fun to introduce each of these heroes and give you a fun quiz where you can find out which one is your best match! Each one is sexy, powerful, strong, and gorgeous. We’ve met three of the men now–Nick, Jaxon, and Zac. The other two—Shane and Gage—are both featured in the third and fourth books which are coming soon.

Nick

A natural diplomat, Nick is in charge of inter-dare relations between his Keller Dare and the others of the Shadowcat Nation. Nick has thought only of one woman for years, but waited for her to grow up before claiming her as his mate.

Jaxon

Jaxon is the Alpha of the Keller Dare who rules because he has his people's respect. Stealthier than even the woman who finally presents him enough of a challenge, he plays by his own rules. Especially when it comes to love.

Zac

Zac Montclair is the leader of the polar bear shifters, a position he took on at a young age when his parents were killed in front of him. His calling in life is to protect and prosper the people he loves.

Shane

Shane Callahan has no use for the Shadowcat Nation after his Alpha ordered his wife's death. He's lived for years with the polar bear shifters as one of their Protectors, although before that he was an accountant. Shane thirsts for revenge, and only the love of a spunky woman could pacify him.

Gage

Gage McAvoy is set to be the next Alpha of the McGraw Dare of cougar shifters. He's prepared to marry the Alpha's daughter to take that role, until he meets the one woman who makes him rethink his life.

Take the quiz and find out which man of Shadowcat Nation is your perfect match! Share in the comments. I’d love to hear. 

https://www.playbuzz.com/abigailowen10/which-shadowcat-nation-hero-is-your-best-match

Sarai’s Fortune

Shadowcat Nation

Book 2

Abigail Owen

Genre: paranormal romance

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Number of pages: 246

Word Count: 60,000

Book Description:

Zac Montclair's first priority is to protect his people. With the escalating war between factions of shifters over land and resources, he has agreed to an alliance between his polar bears and the Shadowcat Nation of cougar shifters. But the treaty comes with a condition…he must accept one of their Seers into his Timik and put her under his personal protection.

Sarai Bouchard doesn't need her supernatural gift to know that Kyle Carstairs's obsession with controlling her ability will eventually result in her misery and demise. Her power is essential to her people's survival, so when Kyle goes rogue, she's sent to Zac Montclair to keep her safe. However, her visions reveal that while staying will lead to their becoming lovers, it also leads to his death. Leaving Zac will result in her own.

If Sarai can't find a way to change the future, she will be forced to choose…save her lover or save herself.

Excerpt Book 2:

Sarai concentrated on precise, sharp movements with as much power as she could muster. She’d only been working out for ten minutes or so. She’d started the day similarly  yesterday. She cooked breakfast, eating with the guys. She dragged George and Scott on more sightseeing trips. Today she’d decided to explore a small portion of Central Park. She didn’t try to lose them this time. When they’d got home, they’d hit the gym.

Now, Sarai tuned out Scott and George—who were sparring across the way from her—to focus on her own drills.

“How about you try that out on a man who moves and reacts.”

Sarai spun on her heel to find Zac standing behind her. He was wearing running pants and a tight tank top, which meant she didn’t need to use her imagination to picture the muscles of his arms and chest. They were on display. Her own personal show. Sarai swallowed.

Then she computed what he’d said. How was she going to get out of this? The truth was she couldn’t spar. Her visions messed her up. But that was a secret she had no intention of sharing with three people.

“Not really a good idea.”

He stared at her for a long moment. Then he glanced over her shoulder at George and Scott who’d stopped to listen. “I’ve got this, fellas. Why don’t you go back up to the apartment?”

There was no doubt in her mind that was a command, not a suggestion. Clearly the guys thought so too. She watched them leave the room with wide eyes.

As the door closed behind them, Zac’s hands landed on her shoulders, turning her to face them. “Okay, kuluk. It’s just you and me now. What are you not saying?”

Sarai had never felt this vulnerable in her life. Or this scared. This man got to her in a way no one else ever had. How was she supposed to resist that?

“Why is this so important to you?”

He moved his hands from her shoulders to frame her face, his fingers threading through the dark blond strands of her hair. “Keeping you safe is important to me. I need to know how much you can defend yourself if you have to. It will help me determine just what I need to prepare for. No surprises. Okay?”

Sarai took a deep breath. He couldn’t have meant it that way. Just the thought of being important to this big, strong man connected with the frightened, lonely little girl who’d spent her life just trying to survive. But she couldn’t think that way. She had to leave him, and that knowledge made her want to cry.

Seeing her hesitation, he brushed her cheeks softly with the pads of his thumbs. “Let me help you with this burden,” he murmured softly, his voice a hypnotic, deep rumble.

Sarai bit her lip. Sharing this with him really wasn’t that big a deal. She knew she could trust him.

On a deep inhale, she gave a tiny nod and started talking before she could change her mind. “Okay.”

He gave her one of those rare little half-smiles, making her suddenly very glad she had agreed to capitulate. Thankfully, he released her and stepped back, giving her room to breathe.

About the Author:

Award-winning paranormal and contemporary romance author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

Website/Blog: http://abigailowen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Abigail.Owen.Books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AOwenBooks

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbyowen/

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Interview with Anna Durand

Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

Anna Durand is currently my only pen name. I specialize in steamy romances, with a focus on paranormal; however, one of works-in-progress is a contemporary romance and I'm thinking about diving into historical.

Aside from my writing, I'm a freelance librarian—which means I create cataloging-in-publication data for other authors and small publishers. Once upon a time, I scrubbed the ashes off the floors of public libraries, waiting for my prince to come…okay, not really. But I did work in libraries and I have a master's degree in library science. These days, I devote as much time as possible to writing.

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

Intuition is the second book in the Psychic Crossroads series. Though this story completes the journey of Grace and David, who were the main characters in the first book (Willpower), Intuition stands on its own. The book is about alienation and redemption, for Grace, David, and the secondary characters too.

Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

My work-in-progress, The Mortal Falls, centers on a healing vortex behind a rock shop that connects two worlds. The vortex was inspired by a real place in my home, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and it is really is behind a rock shop. The similarities end there, though, because—as far as I know!--the real vortex has no supernatural ties to another world.

Here's a glimpse of the real-life vortex:

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

My hobbies are pretty mundane, but I enjoy them. I live in the wild woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, so I love to explore the outdoors and the wildlife. Right outside my house, I have several birdfeeders and birdhouses, which afford me the chance to watch the birdies. I photograph them too, and I also snap pictures of nature.

Another hobby of mine is making jewelry, out of everything from fire-polished crystal to freshwater pearls.

Here's one of my favorite nature photos, of a wildflower:

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

I'd love to try historical romance and urban fantasy. I read tons of books in those genres, and I have some seeds of ideas.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?

So far, my favorite is the hero from my work-in-progress, The Mortal Falls. Nevan is a sylph, a powerful elemental being, but he just can't understand mortal women—and the heroine, Lindsey, in particular. He has a wicked sense of humor and he saunters around in nothing but a loincloth. What's not to love? He has problems too, just like humans, and struggles with his forbidden attraction to a mortal. I'm having a blast writing him, especially in the scenes where he teases Lindsey with double entendres.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

Intuition is the second book in the Psychic Crossroads series. I've already begun planning the third book, though as non-plotter, that means I'm letting the ideas percolate in my brain until a workable story pops out. Book three will focus on Sean Vandenbrook, who was a secondary character in the first two books. The story takes place five years later, when he's no longer a teenager and has settled into his psychic abilities—until he develops a new power he can't control, and gets into trouble with some nasty people.

What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

I'm working on Reborn to Conquer, the third installment the Reborn series, as well as The Mortal Falls, the first book in a new series. I've also started writing a hot contemporary romance tentatively called Fired Up.

What book are you reading now?

Hunter's Moon by Lisa Kessler.

What is in your to read pile?

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones, Unseen by Rachel Caine, and The Bride Says No by Cathy Maxwell—among many others.

Intuition

Psychic Crossroads

Book Two

Anna Durand

Genre: paranormal romance

Publisher: Jacobsville Books

Date of Publication: 6/15/2015

ISBN: 978-1-934631-71-3 

ISBN: 978-1-934631-74-4

ASIN: B00XK88MB8

Number of pages: 270

Word Count: 106,000

Cover Artist: Lisa A. Shiel,

Five Rainbows Services

Book Description:

Book 2 in the multi-award-winning Psychic Crossroads series

Ultimate power comes at the ultimate price.

Torn apart by their haunted pasts, Grace Powell and her fiancé David Ransom are struggling to reclaim their passionate bond. She yearns for a normal life — one without danger and paranormal powers — but David can't renounce his obsession with hunting down rogue scientist Karl Tesler, who abducts and tortures psychics. David endured Tesler's tactics himself, but despite what Grace believes, he's not out for revenge.

Tesler covets her unprecedented abilities and her connection to a vast and mysterious source of psychic energy known as the Golden Power. He will stop at nothing to possess her, and David will do anything — even abandon and lie to her — to protect Grace from the mad scientist.

With a psychic stalker on her trail, Grace charges into a desperate mission to uncover the truth about David's obsession and his secret past. But Tesler's agents are closing in on her, and a terrifying new enemy is rising…

As events drive Grace and David toward a battle of epic proportions, they must risk everything — their relationship, their lives, and even their souls — to defeat an enemy who wields unspeakable psychic power. Can a bond borne of true love save them, and the world?

Available at Amazon   Smashwords   iTunes   Google Play

Excerpt:

Grace Powell slammed the front door. The cool air inside the house flushed away the sultry October heat pasted to her skin. She stalked across the living room, down the hall, and into the bedroom. She fumbled for the light switch, her fingers slipping off the plastic. Dammit. No one but David Ransom detonated her temper like this. She flicked the switch, and light flooded the room. The bed stood empty, the sheets crumpled at the foot.

They'd fled the house in a near-panic, racing from their home to the Cincinnati airport with tires screeching, all because of a thirty-second phone call David received at one a.m. Another tip from a questionable source. Another threadbare clue in his quest for vengeance. Another search that yanked him away from Grace. Away from their home, their life.

The emptiness of the bed tore at her heart like tiny claws. Sharp. Hot. Fresh tears pricked her eyes, and she gnawed her lip to stave off the downpour. No crying.

She fingered her engagement ring. A tear sneaked out of her eye to roll down her cheek, painting a hot trail on her skin. No crying, dammit.

She resisted the impulse to tap into their telepathic bond and check on her fiancé. It was an invasion, one she understood all too well, but how else could she know David was all right? She had to trust their latent connection, however faint, to warn her. If he stumbled into trouble, though, what could she do from here, over a thousand miles away?

Her heart clenched. Losing her parents ripped her world asunder. She could not lose David too. Her head told her she wouldn't, yet the fear chilled her down to the essence of her being.

She trudged into the bedroom, kicking off her shoes. The lonely tear crept into her mouth, infecting her tongue with a salty tang. She tugged the cell phone out of her jeans pocket and tossed it onto the bedside table. Her muscles, stiff and sore, begged for a rest. She collapsed onto the mattress on her back. Her gaze hit the ceiling, where little acoustic balls clung to the paint, stuck there against their will. I know the feeling.

When they'd reached the security checkpoint at the airport, she'd longed to plead with David to stay. Instead, she cranked her lips into a smile, pecked a kiss on his cheek, and all but shoved him through the gate. Her stomach wrenched into knots recalling that moment, as he strolled into the main terminal. When he paused to glance back, she prayed he would change his mind. But he simply waved, then strode out of sight.

Grace rolled onto her side. Her nose bumped into David's pillow. She drew in a long breath. The spiciness of his aftershave flooded her senses, along with another scent—a subtle, masculine smell unique to David. Indescribable. Delicious. Warmth suffused her, seeping into her heart and mind, smoldering in parts of her that ached for him. She inhaled another draft of his scent, her body responding as if he were there, caressing her. He may drive her nuts at times, but…

Oh, the way he kissed. Her lips tingled from the memory of it.

A chill whispered over her skin. Every hair on her body stiffened. Her sixth sense burst out of its slumber, clanging alarm bells in her psyche. Someone is here.

She bolted upright and whipped her head left and right. Nobody there. She swung her legs off the bed and pushed up onto her feet, nabbing her .357 Magnum revolver from the bedside table. A chill trickled down her spine. Eyes watched. Invisible, ethereal, but real. She turned toward the doorway. Nothing lurked there.

Why couldn't she pin down the source of the sensation? Her paranormal radar was blanked out, as if overwhelmed by  input.

Psychic energy crackled through her. Behind you. She whirled around, thrusting the gun up, clamped in both hands, and confronted—

The lamp.

Hell. She'd let her unease blossom into paranoia. Nobody hunted her anymore. Probably. Tesler wouldn't find her here.

Her cell phone buzzed. A text message had arrived.

David. She snatched up the phone, tapping the screen until the message popped up. As she scanned the words, a shiver rattled through her.

"Come to me," it said, "I can help you. 1325 Meroz Road."

She didn't recognize the phone number the message came from, and no name was given. Oh sure, she'd rush right out to the address texted to her by an anonymous whackjob.

The phone buzzed again. Another text message: "Your lip is bleeding."

Her lip? She dabbed a finger on her mouth. It came away wet. Blood stained her skin. How did the texter know she bit her lip? Her heart pounded. Without moving, she searched the shadows for a figure, a camera, something to explain this, though she knew she'd find nothing. A thick curtain shielded the window. The person sending the messages could either see through solid objects or had another means of viewing her. Extrasensory means.

The phone tumbled from her hand, clattering on the floor.

No, she was jumping to conclusions. An intruder must've stolen into the house. With the revolver in hand, she sprinted out of the bedroom, down the hallway, through the kitchen, and into the living room. Vacant. All vacant. She rushed back to the bedroom and dug through the closet, scoured the dresser, even dropped onto her belly to investigate the space under the bed. No cameras. No stealthy intruders. Not a damn thing. Which left her with one unthinkable possibility.

Maybe she should call the police.

What for? They couldn't help her with this kind of problem.

"You belong with me."

She jumped. Her head smacked into the bed frame. She clutched the gun tighter. Where had the voice come from?

No, no, no, not again. Nausea swelled in her stomach, bile rising high in her throat. The voice did not originate in this room, or from outside. The source was much, much closer. Someone rammed the words into her mind.

A psychic intruder just hacked her brain.

About the Author:

Anna Durand is a multi-award-winning writer, a freelance librarian, and an audiobook addict. She specializes in sexy romances, both paranormal and contemporary, featuring spunky heroines and hunky heroes. In her previous life as a librarian, she haunted the stacks of public libraries but never met any hot vampires hunting for magical books.

Website: http://www.annadurand.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAnnaDurand

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaDurandFiction

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/annadurand

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Anna_Durand/

Amazon: http://amzn.com/author/annadurand

Authorgraph: https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/TheAnnaDurand

Top 10 Places I’d Like to Visit: LIP SERVICE by Adele Downs Plus a Giveaway

The Grand Canyon 

Mount Rushmore

Sanibel Island, Florida, to dig for shells

Venice, Italy, to ride in a gondola

Sicily, Italy, to taste the food

Tuscany, Italy, to see the countryside

Norway, to see the Northern Lights

Ireland, to meet the people

Scotland, to see the castles

London, England, to feel the excitement

Lip Service

Adele Downs

Print Length: 116 pages

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Release Date: April 27, 2015

ASIN: B00WT1EA2W

Genre: Hot contemporary romance

Book Description:

Getting Between Jack…

Orphaned at a young age, Legs Anderson owes her Aunt Ada everything. The stoic old lady raised her, and Ada’s warnings about men—and the Harris boys in particular—have stuck, even after her death. Of course, that could be because Ada stuck around, too.

…And His Legs

Patience is not one of Jack Harris’ virtues, and he’s waited too long to start a life with the woman he’s loved since childhood instead of them just knocking boots. Now Ada is interfering from beyond the grave, haunting the old Victorian house she bequeathed to her niece and reinforcing Legs’s fears of commitment.

But Jack won’t give up. No matter what trouble may follow, the house will be renovated, Ada will learn to let go, Legs will put her money where her mouth is… then Jack’ll put his lips everywhere else.

Available at  Boroughs Publishing     ARe     

Amazon    BN   Kobo    Smashwords

Teaser Excerpt:

"Move in with me, dammit. You’re the most stubborn woman I ever knew.”

Legs topped his coffee cup with fresh brew, easy as you please. “No more stubborn than you, since you keep askin’ the same old question. I have my own place.”

Jack frowned and stabbed his egg yolks, making them run. “Then let me live with you.”

“In my aunt’s house?” Legs asked like he was crazy.

“It’s your house now.”

“I’m trying to fix it up. I have to patch and paint. There’s no room for your things.”

“I’ll help you and then you’ll have plenty of space for me. And my stuff.”

Her ponytail shook with her reply. “Ada won’t like it. She’ll think it’s immoral.”

Jack leaned forward. “You talk about her like she’s still with us. She’s been gone over a year, sweetheart.” His voice dropped an octave and his brow creased. “Don’t you think she’d give in after all this time?”

Legs wrinkled her nose. “No. She thinks you’re a wanderer.”

Jack tossed down his fork. “I own a sporting goods store! I go fishing!”

He touched her hand when she got close enough and drew little circles around her wrist bone with a fingertip. The preschool teachers from Let’s Explore stifled sighs at the next table. “It’s time to let go, darlin’.” His expression turned earnest. “She raised you, I know. But I want to be with you now. It’s time to let me in.”

“Not if it means letting her go. I’m sorry, Jack. I just can’t do that to her.”

Jack sighed and returned to his breakfast. “We’ll talk about this again tomorrow.”

About the Author:

Adele Downs writes Contemporary Romance inside the office of her rural Pennsylvania home. She is a former journalist, published in newspapers and magazines in the USA, UK and Caribbean.

Adele is an active member of Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter where she serves as past-president. She has written several articles for RWR magazine (Romance Writers Report), and she has presented workshops for writers.

When Adele isn’t working on her current project, she can be found riding in her convertible or reading a book on the nearest beach.

Website: www.adeledowns.wordpress.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoradeledowns

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Adele_Downs

Tsu:  www.tsu.co/Adele_Downs

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Tarot Readings at The Little Shop of Secrets

Hi.  Thanks so much for hosting my new paranormal romance on your blog.  If you haven’t heard of it before, the Remembering Raven series is a five-book series about the vampire, Viktor’s re-discovery of his long-lost love, Raven.  He finds Raven as a psychic in an occult shop in New Orleans.  Throughout the series, Viktor helps Raven remember their past life together, however, their reunion is over-shadowed by a serial killer who is murdering young women.  Specifically, young women that Raven has previously done Tarot readings for.  

Since Raven’s job is as a Tarot card reader at The Little Shop of Secrets, I thought you would enjoy a list of the Major Arcana Tarot cards, many of which you will read about during Raven’s readings with her various clients.

I recently had my cards read by a local psychic.  That event was actually the inspiration for this series.  It was a fun and interesting adventure, to say the least!  Three of us went in together.  We STILL talk about our readings!

Remembering Raven: Allegra

Remembering Raven

Book 3

Lacey Edward

Genre: Paranormal romance/suspense

Publisher: Asselin Group Online Publisher

Date of Publication: May 22, 2015

ASIN: B00Y1NZJIK

Word Count: 20,000

Book Description:

Raven LeClaire is starting to move past the two horrible murders that have targeted her Tarot reading clients. Although she has vowed to stay actively involved with solving these highly puzzling deaths, she is finally allowing herself to get closer to the handsome Viktor Thorssen. The two of them feel the centuries old connection between them and have given into everything that sort of bond brings with it.

Raven’s best friend and business partner, Allegra Canelle, has been acting like a school girl since she has met the elusive and mysterious Philippe. Because of her relationship with him, Allegra has been shirking all of her responsibilities including holding up her end of things at The Little Shop of Secrets. She agrees to sell her half of the shop to Raven so that she can be free to spend more time with Philippe.

Raven is finally beginning to be truly happy in life. She has a thriving business that she can now call her own. Viktor and she had a relationship filled with both undying love and passion. Not only that, but she has recalled much of their previous life together in the 14th century.

Not everything is happy, though. She has seen danger ahead for Allegra as well as a new Tarot client and neither of the women will listen to her. When tragedy does strike seemingly without warning, Viktor makes a decision that will change the lives of all of them. Believing that he is doing the right thing, he is not fully prepared for the reaction that he gets from Raven.

Whatever else may happen, however, Viktor is determined not to lose the love of his life – his soul mate – ever again. No matter what it takes to keep them together, he will do it.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/evxEIxVuT3E

Available at Amazon

About the Author:

Lacey Edward was born and raised in Canada.  She writes mainly paranormal romance fiction but enjoys throwing in a little mystery and suspense for good measure and to keep things interesting.  Her first experience with vampires was the Barnabas Collins book she read in grade eight.  She devoured it and never looked back – well, maybe over her shoulder once or twice.

Lacey lives in the country with her husband and two daughters.  They enjoy skiing and sliding in the winter, swimming, golfing, and boating in the summer, and music all year long.  Lacey also tries to keep up her mixed martial arts skills, just in case one of her unsavory characters comes to life…

For up to date promotions and release dates of upcoming books, sign up for the latest news on her website: www.laceyedward.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laceyedwardauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/laceyedwardbook

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/laceyedward

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Release Day Blitz Two Princes: The Biker and The Billionaire by Victoria Danann

Two Princes: The Biker and The Billionaire

Sons of Sanctuary

Book 1

Victoria Danann

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: 7th House Publishing,

Imprint of Andromeda LLC

Date of Publication: June 16, 2015

Number of pages: 300

Word Count: 90,000

Cover Artist: Victoria Danann

Book Description:

Brigid Roan is a graduate student at the University of Texas. She had no trouble getting her thesis approved, but finding a Hill Country motorcycle club willing to give her access to their lifestyle had started to seem impossible. Then she got a lead. A friend of a friend had a cousin with ties to The Sons of Sanctuary.

What she wanted was information to prove a proposition. What she didn’t want was to fall for one of the members of the club. Especially since she had set out to prove that motorcycle clubs are organized according to the same structure as primitive tribal society.

Brash Fornight was standing in line at the H.E.B. Market when his world tipped on its axis. While waiting his turn to check out, his gaze had wandered to the magazine display and settled on the new issue of “NOW”. The image on the cover, although GQ’d up in an insanely urbane way, was… him.

After reading the article, Brash threw some stuff in a duffle and left his club, The Sons of Sanctuary, with a vague explanation about needing a couple of days away. He left his Jeep at the Austin airport and caught a plane for New York, on a mission to find the guy who was walking around with his face.

Two brothers, one a player, one a playboy, are on a collision course with destiny and a woman who thought she won a prize when she was allowed a look inside the Sons of Sanctuary MC.

Available at Amazon  BN   Kobo   iTunes

Excerpt:

“Sir?” Brash Fornight gradually became aware that someone behind him in the grocery checkout line was trying to get his attention. “Sir?” He refocused and glanced behind him. The woman leaning on a cart overflowing with chip bags and cookie boxes nodded toward the cashier indicating that it was his turn to move forward. Brash looked her in the eye and had to give her props. Most people wouldn’t have the balls to try to herd a guy wearing Sons of Sanctuary MC leather.

The club employed a woman who cooked and did grocery shopping several times a week as part of her job description, but Brash didn’t like to explain his relentless craving for peanuts and he liked being teased about it even less. He didn’t know whether it was the Vitamin B or the fat or just because he liked the taste, but he couldn’t imagine going a day without them.

That’s how he came to be standing statue still In the grocery checkout line, being prompted by some woman with more nerve than sense. While he was waiting, his eyes drifted over the magazine display and settled on the cover of “NOW”, on the Most Eligible Bachelor edition no less. The debonair figure staring back was wearing Brash’s own face and body. He looked different with short hair and a four thousand dollar suit with the shirt fashionably open at the neckline, but the similarity was inescapable.

On impulse he grabbed the magazine and tossed it onto the conveyor belt with his week’s stash of peanuts.

He stuffed the bags into the saddlebags of his bike and roared toward home, nervously tapping his fingers on handlebars at red lights, riding on shoulders to keep from slowing down. He was anxious to get to the privacy of his own room and read about Branach St. Germaine.

Two beers, one jar of peanuts, and one “NOW” article later, Brash was sitting on the edge of his bed looking at the wall, seeing nothing but his own heavy thoughts. He pulled out his phone, looked up a website, and waited on hold for ten minutes to hear the time of the next flight from Austin to New York.

There was a flight to Newark in a little over three hours. He looked at his watch and calculated the time it would take to drive from Dripping Springs at that time of day. As he booked the flight, he stood up, walked to the small closet, grabbed a duffel bag, and began shoving stuff into it. Ten minutes later, he closed his door and locked it, threw the duffel over his shoulder, and headed straight for the office downstairs. He dropped the duffel on the hallway floor beside the closed door and knocked.

“Yeah?” Brash looked inside, glad that his dad was by himself, and stepped in. “What’s up?”

“I’m takin’ personal time, Pop. Gonna be gone for a couple of days.”

“What the hell is ‘personal time’?”

The gruffness made Brash smile. “It means I’m not gonna be here if you call and I’m not tellin’ you why.”

The Sons of Sanctuary President looked up at Brash, over the top of his readers, and narrowed his eyes. “You got a secret?”

“Everybody’s got secrets.”

Brandon Fornight studied his son for a minute. “True enough. Is it the kind of secret that could affect this club?”

Brash shook his head. “Don’t see how.”

“Well, then. See you… When did you say you’d be back?”

“I didn’t.”

“Bein’ purposefully vague, are you?”

Brash grinned. “That’s why they call it personal time. But I expect to be back Friday.”

“You gonna have your phone with you?” When Brash nodded, Bran looked back down at his ledger in a deliberately dismissive gesture. “Well, get outta here then.”

Brash parked his bike in the airplane hangar. The structure had already been on the property when the club had bought it and turned it into a compound twenty years earlier. They used part of it for vehicle maintenance and repair and part for parking.

Some of the guys who were working looked over and shot curious glances his way when Brash threw his duffel into his pickup and started it up, but it wasn’t their way to ask questions. The Sons figured that if somebody wanted you to know something, they’d tell you.

Brash took a cab to a midtown hotel, wondering all the way why human beings would choose to live in such a place. As he slid his credit card across the hotel counter to the agent on duty, he glanced at the name, Brandon Fornight. It seemed unlikely that it was a coincidence that that the mysterious look-alike’s first name began with the same four letters. He ordered room service and pulled out his laptop.

Getting intel on the guy didn’t take advanced ops. Within an hour Brash knew where Brannach St. Germaine worked, what kind of car he drove, what kind of women he dated, who his tailor was, and where he liked to dine. There was no shortage of photos online, but the one that grabbed his attention wasn’t one of the many with starlets or debutantes on his arm. It was the one taken with his arm around his mother as they were arriving together for some red carpet fundraiser. Brash had an almost irresistible compulsion to reach up and touch her face on the screen in front of him.

The knock on the door signaled that room service had arrived. It cost a fortune, but looked and tasted like shit. So he closed the computer and went out for a walk to clear his head and find something edible.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling Author, Victoria Danann, is making her debut into Contemporary Romance with releases in May and June 2015, after taking the world of PNR by storm.

Her Knights of Black Swan series won Best Paranormal Romance Two years in a Row (2013, 2014). ~Reviewers Choice Awards, The Paranormal Romance Guild.

Victoria’s paranormal romances come with uniquely fresh perspectives on “imaginary” creatures, characters, and themes. She adds a dash of scifi, a flourish of fantasy, enough humor to make you laugh out loud, and enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. 

Her heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, psychics, past life therapists, or financial analysts from Dallas. Her heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners – usually – whether they be elves, demons, berserkers, werewolves, or vampires.

The first book of the Knights of Black Swan Paranormal Romance Series, My Familiar Stranger, was nominated for Best Paranormal Romance of 2012 by both Reviewers’ Choice and Readers’ Choice Awards. All of her books have opened on the Amazon Best Sellers list and earned Night Owl Reviews Top Pick awards.

Many have appeared on Listopia Book of the Month as #1 across all genres.

For books published in 2013, Black Swan won three awards.

1. Best Paranormal Romance Series

2. Best Paranormal Romance Novel – A SUMMONER’S TALE

3. Best Vampire~Shifter Novel – MOONLIGHT.

In 2014, Solomon’s Sieve won Best Vampire Novel.

If you’re interested in me personally, I am also a classically trained musician who defected to Classic Rock and that’s my first love. Yeah. Even more than writing.

This is Roadhouse, the very best in Classic Rock, taken near The Last Concert Cafe, Houston Texas, 2011. I was the utility player which means I played rhythm guitar, keyboards, sang backups and a few leads.

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