Vote for Me!

Dare has always been the hothead in the pair – her twin, Nick, he was the calm, cool and collected one. But now Nick is dead, found murdered in their local cemetery, and Dare, on forced leave from her job as a Chicago police officer, goes back to her childhood home to attend the funeral.

It becomes quickly apparent to Dare that the local authorities aren’t being straight with her, or anyone else, about what’s been going on in the little Midwestern town she grew up in. The detective in her kicks in and she decides to find out what—or who—has killed her brother, so she moves in temporarily with her father and stepmother, takes a job in a local bar, and starts asking questions.

Her focus soon fixes on Shane, her brother’s best friend—the town bad boy and bad seed. The tension between the two of them has always been palpable, and nothing has changed. Sparks fly as they collide, and while Dare finds herself sinking in deeper with Shane, the mystery of what happened to her brother—and an ever growing list of victims—grows even stranger.

Dare finds her past haunting her everywhere she goes as she continues to dig deeper into the circumstances of her brother’s death, and her future looms large as her fate as a police officer is about to be determined back in Chicago. With everything coming to a head, she focuses on one thing: What happened the night her brother was killed in the cemetery? She’s sure Shane knows… something… and she’s determined to find out what it is, one way or another.

EXCERPT:

Chris leaned against the wall, away from Shane, while he lined up a shot. Dare watched for a moment, unnoticed. The muscles in Shane’s arms showed, hard and sinewy, beneath the sleeves of his black t-shirt. He was concentrating, the cue stick steady as he leaned over the table, carefully calculating, although it was obviously an easy shot.

Dare grinned mischievously. “Hey guys!”

She clapped Shane, hard, on the back. The motion sent him forward, making the cue stick hit the ball. It rolled about four inches-and stopped.

“Aww.” Dare blinked innocently. “You would have made that, too.”

Shane turned to face her, smiling, but his eyes were cold and dark. She took a step back. Chris did as well, wide-eyed.

“I’m gonna kill you,” he told her in a low voice.

In that moment, as he advanced, she thought he was serious. He grabbed her arm roughly, jerking her toward him.

“Shane,” she gasped. “I was only-”

He pulled her tightly up against him and she tensed, waiting for him to do something, anything-and then he kissed her, his mouth slanting harshly across hers. She opened her eyes wide and gasped in surprise-it was all the opening he needed and his tongue touched hers.

His hold tightened, his hands moving down her uniform and then up the backs of her thighs. She relaxed against him for a moment, stunned, and his mouth grew soft and more gentle but still insistent, his hands wandering upwards. She gave into his hands, responding with a soft moan, letting herself melt against his hardness. She pushed him away only to stop herself, but she still couldn’t break free from the tight circle of his arms.

“Let me go,” she said, unable to keep her voice steady, her eyes narrowing. Surprisingly, he did.

“You’re a goddamned tease,” he gasped, and his eyes looked pained.

“No, I’m not.” She felt herself trembling and hoped he couldn’t see it.

He laughed softly, never taking his eyes from her. Chris watched them open-mouthed, but he wasn’t their only audience. Lee watched them, too, standing near the juke, and Sam’s eyes were glued to the scene as he leaned on his broom.

“Prove it, then.” The dark look in his eyes caught her breath and held it. He stepped in front of her, tilting her slightly quivering chin up with one finger. “Meet me at the path tomorrow at nine.”

She hesitated, looking at him, hating him, hating herself. She regained her voice by swallowing past something lodged in her throat and narrowed her eyes at him, jerking away. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I meet you anywhere.”

His soft laughter followed her as she turned and walked away.

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2009 Eppie Finalists

Posted on December 14, 2008

Thought I’d brag a little (again) about the fact that two of eXcessica’s books have been judged as 2009 EPPIE FINALISTS!

I’m so proud I could bust-a-button.

This is the 8^th year of the Eppies, and it has become a rather prestigious award in the e-publishing world.

From the EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) site:

“The EPPIE Awards have been given annually since the first EPIC conference to recognize outstanding achievement in e-publishing.

EPPIEs entries are judged by volunteers, with the largest percentage of EPPIE Judges being active EPIC Members. Guest judges, all of whom are either published authors or publishing professionals, may be used as alternate judges at the EPPIE Committee’s/Chair’s discretion. After the first round of judging the works of the finalists are sent to second panel of judges and winners are selected. The winners are announced at the EPIC conference’s gala award ceremony at the annual EPICon Convention.

The 2009 EPICon will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.”

I doubt I’ll make EPICon, but I’ll be waiting on pins and needles until March to see who wins!

A Good Student by Elliott Mabeuse

Category: romance/bdsm

Length: Super-Novel

Heat Level: eXcess 3

Price: $5.99

Warnings: This title contains graphic language, sex and bdsm elements.

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When passionate Professor Conner Devlin meets oversexed student Emma Fiore, the sparks ignite: he’ll train her to be his classroom sex slave, carrying out his every desire, while she gets to experience the forbidden pleasure of submissive love before her marriage to a dull and unfeeling man. But Emma’s sizzling and insatiable desires soon overwhelm Conner and he finds himself hopelessly in love with his young submissive. Emma accepts him as her sexual Master, but will she have him as her real-life lover?

Through the means of BDSM and the demands of extreme sex, Conner tries to break down the barriers between them and make Emma acknowledge her feelings, until one night things become too real and the games are forgotten. Conner takes Emma prisoner for real and their passions erupt in a cataclysm of raw emotion that rocks them both and fuses them in a transcendent love.

Told with intense honesty from the dominant’s point of view, A Good Student gives a rare and searing look inside a man’s heart as he’s caught in the throes of a compelling and overwhelming love and passion, all his thoughts and feelings exposed. Listening to Conner’s confessions is like having your own personal Master tell you everything he feels, with a poet’s skill and a therapist’s insight. You’ll never look at the dynamics of D/s and a man’s sexuality the same way again.

Romance at Heart Review by Rose

“Sensual, sexy, totally erotic…his characters are always punchy, up front, and delightfully real. I got wrapped up in the affaire d’coeur Elliott tells between the covers. Here we learn from a man whose life has been lacking something he was not aware of, true love and caring. (I)t is one romance on the edgy side you won’t want to miss!”

A GOOD STUDENT IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT!

EcoErotica by Selena Kitt

Category: anthology

Length: Novel

Heat Level: eXcess 2

Price: $4.99

Warning: This title contains graphic language and sex.

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Mother Earth is one hot, sexy Mama, and in this tribute to nature and the environment, Selena Kitt pays homage to her beauty, her grandeur – and her conservation. Who else could tackle topics like global warming, strip mining, animal endangerment and environmental toxicity, all while making it hot, hot, hot?

This anthology includes six sexy and environmentally provocative stories that will rock your world-and arouse and raise more than your environmental awareness.

STORIES INCLUDED (click a link to read an excerpt!):

The Break

Cry Wolf

Genesis

Law of Conservation

Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice

Paved Paradise

ECOEROTICA IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT!

***USE COUPON CODE CTUEM7FY FOR 10% OFF PRINT***