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Free Read Weekend: Demon Seduction, Chapter Two

Welcome back to Harlequin’s free paranormal read weekend! Chapter one of Demon Seduction by Pat White was posted last week…now here’s Chapter Two…

Elizabeth didn’t feel threatened exactly, yet her nerves skittered as she stepped into the quaint cottage. She helped Marcus to the couch and glanced around the room. A hearty fire crackled in the fireplace and she wondered who’d tended it while he was on his walk about.

Glancing at the walls, she noticed worn classic novels lining wooden bookshelves and an oil painting on the opposite wall. Created with warm, red tones it featured a naked man and woman in the throes of passion, the woman’s head tipped back as her lover brushed his lips against her neck. Elizabeth’s skin warmed.

“I’m sorry, it embarrasses you?” Marcus said.

She ripped her attention from the painting. “Of course not.”

He didn’t have to know how utterly prudish she was, how innocent and naïve. She was rather inexperienced because typical blokes didn’t appreciate her qualities of focus and determination, nor did they fancy a girl who dressed in baggy jeans, a knee-length slicker and combat boots, with a fifty-pound pack of equipment strapped across her shoulders. Elizabeth didn’t fool herself. She wasn’t sexy or alluring, and that was fine by her. There was work to be done in the fight against creatures of the dark realm.

“Please, sit,” he offered.

“I could warm water for tea,” she said.

“That would be lovely.” He smiled.

Her stomach did a back flip. She snapped her attention from those fascinating blue-green eyes of his and went to put the water on. Truth was, she hadn’t taken the time to properly size up his looks, what with all the excitement of paras in the woods and Mickey’s confrontation.

She sighed. The destruction of her equipment wouldn’t stop her. She kept back-up materials at her flat in London. Later, she’d think about that, after she eased her conscience and tended to Marcus, the innocent bystander.

She glanced over her shoulder to get a proper look at her host. He was striking, with high cheekbones and an angular face. Yet he had a friendly look about him as well. Curious. Maybe that’s why she didn’t feel threatened. No, it was something else that put her at ease.

A Harlequin Winter Vampire Sneak Peek

by Amy Wilkins, Digital Production Coordinator

As part of author Lori Devoti’s 30 Days of Vampires blog bash, I’m guest-blogging again about the vampire books coming out this winter from Harlequin! Head over to Lori’s blog to get the scoop on the following books:

• Holiday with a Vampire II by Lori Devoti and Merline Lovelace (Silhouette Nocturne, Dec. 2008)
• Mortal Enemy, Immortal Lover by Olivia Gates (Silhouette Nocturne Bites, Dec. 2008)
• The Devil To Pay by Michele Hauf (Silhouette Nocturne, January 2009)
• Honor Calls by Caridad Piñeiro (Silhouette Nocturne Bites, January 2009)
• Love at First Bite Bundle by Kimberly Raye (Harlequin Blaze eBooks, February 2009)

Are there any paranormal books you’re looking forward to this winter?

~Amy

A Confession: I Really Do Love Flying Cockroaches by Bonnie Vanak

Bonnie Vanak has written about some creepy critters in her paranormal romances for Silhouette Nocturne: werewolves, evil shapeshifters…even flying cockroaches! Bonnie tells us about the different species that appear in her new ebook, Broken Souls, and how her werewolf hero and heroine find love — despite the cockroaches!

by Bonnie Vanak, author of Broken Souls

I live in Florida. We have giant palmetto bugs. I mean, they’re disgusting. They fly into your hair. They’re big. Scurry away faster than, well, cockroaches, when you run after them with a can of Raid.

Recently, I read an article about how the hissing cockroach from Madagascar may soon infiltrate Florida. These bugs are up to five inches long. When they’re threatened, they hiss at you.

I chortled as I relayed the fact to my green-faced co-workers.

Then I confessed my little secret. I really do love flying cockroaches. Not in my home, or in my hair (not even on a bad hair day). But wow, they’re a perfect addition for one of my Nocturnes.

For my Nocturnes, I created a race of werewolves called the Draicon. Their enemies are the Morphs, former Draicon who turned evil when they killed a close relative for greater power. Morphs can shift into any life form, including snakes, scorpions, and cockroaches.

In Broken Souls, my Nocturne Bite, Katia, the heroine, remembers how her family home was infiltrated by Morphs shapeshifting into roaches to slide between the rags she and her father stuffed beneath the door to keep them out. In that particular battle, she fled, the important promise she made to her father lost in memory.

Except for those disgusting cockroaches. She remembers those.

She must recall what promise she made, and find her father to expunge her guilt for abandoning him as he was overwhelmed by Morphs (shapeshifting from those cockroaches). So Katia performs the very dangerous, and outlawed blood candle spell to call forth her father. She does this because Baylor, who loves her and brought her to his pack, wants to mate with her. He’s given her a deadline, yet she must discover first if her father is alive. Katia believes her first loyalty is to her own blood.

The problem is, she doesn’t know what she’s calling forth. If her father is alive, will he have turned into a Morph himself? Capable of turning himself into a flying cockroach?

Sure does raise interesting questions for a family reunion.

When I created the Draicon, I knew I wanted them to have destined mates. Yet I also wanted to explore the idea of what happens to Draicon who lose their destined mates.

Are these werewolves destined to live unhappily ever after?

Not in my world. This is why I wrote Baylor and Katia’s story in Broken Souls. They are two lost, broken souls whose destined mates are gone. Facing them is the important question: what is more important, loyalty to family or love for a possible mate?

Baylor was more a villainous type in The Empath, my first Nocturne. He was suspicious of Nicolas, Damian’s beta wolf, and gave him a hard time. In Broken Souls, he becomes a true hero determined to win the love, and Katia, the Draicon who also lost her destined mate.

Baylor is determined to protect Katia and remain loyal to the core to his pack. He nearly loses his life in a Morph fight to keep his people safe. But for Katia, he will do more. He will risk not only his life, but his carefully guarded heart.

Baylor and Katia are sorely tested in Broken Souls. Yet in the end, all works out well. Broken Souls is, after all, a romance. Despite the fact that their destined mates are gone, Katia and Baylor discover that they can find true happiness.

Even with those nasty cockroaches. Because not even a nasty flying roach can separate those determined to make their own destiny to share their lives, and their hearts.

Introducing Free Read Weekends: Demon Seduction, Chapter 1

Who doesn’t need a little extra reading material over the weekend? So starting today, and continue every Friday, Harlequin’s Paranormal Romance Blog will be posting a chapter from a paranormal story right here! First up is Demon Seduction by Pat White:

Ash Demon Marcus has been dispatched from the dark realms to find and seduce Elizabeth Burke. He is to learn what she knows about PCell, a top secret division of the British Secret Service intent upon eliminating creatures of the paranormal—and use that information to destroy PCell!

But Marcus has felt a connection to Elizabeth for a long time, ever since he rescued her from being ravaged by his cousin ten years ago! Can he go through with a plan that calls for him to do essentially the same thing—without falling in love with her?

Click the link to read Chapter One!

Author Jane Porter’s Twilight Madness

It seems like everyone has got Twilight fever, including Harlequin Presents author Jane Porter! With the movie coming out this weekend, Jane joins us to discuss what’s so appealing about Stephenie Meyer‘s vampire series…

by Jane Porter, author of King of the Desert, Captive Bride and Flirting with Forty

I’m on a fast, furious deadline due to health interfering with my writing—must write a chapter a day until book is finished Dec 3rd—which often means writing late into the night to make sure each chapter isn’t just down, but perfect. But this coming Friday night I’m taking a break from writing. You see, Twilight madness has hit me, too, and I’m joining a dozen girlfriends at the local theatre for the 7:20 pm showing of the movie based on Stephenie Meyer‘s book.

I’ve read all four of Stephenie Meyer’s books in the series and I’m not the only one in Twilight’s thrall. A week ago I attended a book club in Woodinville, Washington and every woman there but one had read one or more of the Twilight series. I was so impressed! These weren’t teenage readers, either, but women between 40 and 60, all neighbors and friends, many with teenage kids who turned their moms onto the series. Author Megan Crane was the one who turned me onto the books and I’m so glad she did. Last week I had more fun discussing Stephenie’s books than my own which made me think that I should do a fun contest to celebrate the movie Twilight with a Twilight contest.

I held the contest last week, the prize being a copy of Twilight, which is the first book in the series, a small box of yummy See’s chocolates (I have a thing for See’s, especially those Bordeaux), and Jane Porter goodies and the response was huge. Of the fifty posters, most had read the series, although some hadn’t but wanted to. Only one reader hadn’t liked the books at all.

At the book club in Woodinville we talked about the popularity and appeal of the books. These are vampire stories. And shapeshifter stories. We’re talking paranormal here with some mild violence but no love scenes, at least not until book four and even then it’s not explicit. So what’s the charm?

For me, the charm is in the wonderful characterization, and Stephenie’s skill in making me believe this could happen, or want it to happen. I loved her very small town setting of Forks, Washington and her family dynamics of a teenage daughter living with her loving, but a little crusty, father. It’s storytelling at its best, which transcends genres and just becomes great reading, appealing reading, reading that tugs on your heart and captures your imagination.

I’ve bought my ticket for Friday’s movie. I can’t wait to have a girls night out. Are you going to see the movie? Have you read the books? And if so, who turned you on to Twilight in the first place?

Winner of Michele Hauf’s Winter Kissed Contest

The lucky commenter who won a free copy of Winter Kissed from author Michele Hauf is….

Stacie Mc, who said “I love cuddling up under a big fluffy blanket with a good book and a mug of cocoa. That’s my favorite part of winter.”

Congratulations Stacie! Please email Michele at toastfaery [at] gmail [dot] com with your snail mail address so she can send you your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered and shared their favorite things about winter!

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Who’s Your Favorite Vampire?

To help celebrate Lori Devoti’s 30 Days of Vampires, Harlequin employees are guest posting about our favorite vampires from books, TV, and movies. Some of the responses:

• Dr. Carrie Ames from Jennifer Amrintrout’s Blood Ties series
• Angel and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
• Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale) in the Underworld movies
• Count Saint-Germain in the novels by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• Louis (played by Brad Pitt) in Interview with the Vampire
• Betsy, Queen of the Vampires, in Mary Janice Davidson’s “Undead” series

Tell us why this vampire is your fave and any other vampires you love in the comments!

Lori Devoti’s 30 Days of Vampires Blog Bash

To celebrate the release of the Holiday with a Vampire II anthology from Silhouette Nocturne (containing “A Christmas Kiss” by Merline Lovelace and “The Vampire Who Stole Christmas” by Lori Devoti), author Lori Devoti is having a 30 Days of Vampires bash over at her blog. Each day will have a new guest-post and prizes, interviews, excerpts and essays all on vampires. Plus, there’s a contest with a grand prize of $100 worth of blood-sucker books and goodies! Check out Lori’s kick-off post here for more details.

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Psst! Can’t wait until December for HWAV2? It’s available already at eHarlequin.com in print and ebook format. And the first Holiday with a Vampire anthology by Maureen Child and Caridad Pineiro is still available as an ebook as well!

A Different Kind of Shapeshifter by Michele Hauf

Michele Hauf has created an entirely unique shapeshifter hero for her novella “A Kiss of Frost” in the Winter Kissed anthology from Silhouette Nocturne. Read on to discover who this special hero is and how you can win a free copy of Winter Kissed!

by Michele Hauf, author of “A Kiss of Frost”, Winter Kissed

I’m familiar with werewolves and werecougars, werejaguars, smoke-men, selkies, and the like. But a hero who is made of frost and can shift to human flesh? That’s a little different.

The idea to write “A Kiss Of Frost” was sort of a no-brainer for me. I’ve lived in Minnesota all my life. I love snow. Seriously. Frost patterns on the windows? That rocks. Snowbanks sparkling in the sunshine? Sigh… So I had to write Jack Frost as a hero. Or Jal, as I call him. But what’s so alpha macho about a dude who creates frost patterns on your windows? Well, my guy is a god/faery who does have a job: he’s an assassin. Actually, Old Man Winter sends Jal after environmental offenders. One touch from my hero’s frost and bye-bye!

What if he touched a woman’s soft, warm skin? Jal can take on human form and flesh if he chooses, and oh man, does he choose to be in a form that will allow him to communicate with the sexy snowflakeologist, Kate Wilson.

But there are very obvious worries when one is dating a frost god. Firstly, if he gets too warm…could he melt? Well, you’ll just have to give it a read and find out. 🙂

I’ll give away an autographed copy to one commenter who tells about their favorite part of the winter season.

Michele

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UPDATE: The last day to enter the contest with your comment is MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, so be sure to share your winter pleasures before then for a chance to win! ~Amy