Vote For Tami Lund’s Novella, MIRROR, MIRROR!

Guess what? My novella, MIRROR, MIRROR, is in the first round of voting for the Rone Awards! How did that happen? Well…

1. One of the reviewers at InD’Tale Magazine really liked it. Here’s what she had to say:

What a fun, light-hearted quickie of a romance! Coming in at only 128 pages, it surprisingly doesn’t feel incomplete! The set-up is perfect for a novella-length story and the pacing is superbly executed to allow the story to be complete without short-changing the understanding behind the characters. The Grandma/ghost aspect was a bit confusing and the bawdy humor seemed forced at times but overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable escape that will delight anyone in need of a giggle and a sigh after a long, hard day!

2. She liked it so much, she recommended it be added to the Rone Award competition.
3. Now, readers get to choose which books go on to the final round. Final round is reviewers again, and they have to select one winner, which will be announced in October at the InD’Scribe Conference.
4. This is where you come in. I need your vote, so I can move on to the final round! Voting ends TOMORROW (April 23) so hurry!!

Here’s what you do:

1. Go here: IND’TALE WEBSITE
2. Register, if you haven’t already. It’s easy and there’s no obligation (although they do have a pretty cool monthly e-magazine, if you’re interested.)
3. Go to week 1 of the 2017 Rone Awards. (upper right corner of the website)
4. Go to the ‘Novella’ category. (first category)
5. It’s alphabetical by book title – so scroll down to M – there’s Mirror, Mirror by Tami Lund
6. Vote!
7. P.S. – since this category is so big, you can vote for two books, so if you see another on the list you like, go ahead and do it!
8. Receive my eternal gratitude!

Want to know what you’re voting for?

Okay, here’s the deal: Adelle was jilted at the altar, so she’s sworn off love. While at a friend’s wedding, she ends up visiting an old gypsy woman who claims Adelle can see her future husband in an enchanted mirror.

Yeah, right. Adelle doesn’t believe in hocus pocus, nor does she believe her hottie best friend, Ben, is anything but a platonic roommate. Even if she did see his image in the mirror. Even if she can’t stop thinking about the old lady’s words–or her bestie in a highly inappropriate way.

Here’s a sampling of what Vivienne, the old Gypsy woman, is like:

…The woman who, by Adelle’s judgment, looked to be approximately a thousand years old. Her face was heavily lined, her cheeks sagged, her nose was crooked. She wore a brightly colored scarf on her head, wispy gray hairs sticking out from under the silky material. Her body was covered with the same type of peasant shirt and billowing skirt that Adelle wore, except it was uncomfortably obvious she wasn’t wearing a cleavage-enhancing bra, because her breasts hung somewhere in the vicinity of her knees.

“Quit staring at me, girl. You’ll look like this someday, too, if you’re lucky.”

Lucky?

“Lucky,” the woman said, as if Adelle had repeated the word out loud. “You wanna know how many hunks I had in my day? There’s a reason I look so worn out.”

 

As kooky and cranky as Vivienne is, she’s damned perceptive, too:

 

“W-what do you want?” she asked, hating the way her voice cracked with her nervousness.

“Peace, love, and happiness,” the woman retorted. “But I’d settle for a romp with your date. He’s single, isn’t he?”

“Ben?” Adelle said in surprise. “No offense, but I don’t think you’re his type.”

“Why do people start offensive phrases with the words ‘no offense’?”

“Er…”

The old woman waved a veined, wrinkled hand over the candle flame. The rings she wore on every finger and her thumb glittered in the light, gold bangle bracelets clinking gently on her arm.

“Well, who do you think is his type?” the woman asked.

Adelle furrowed her brow, confused by the woman’s question.

“What’s so damn difficult about my question, girl? You know him, don’t you? He’s your best friend, so you say. If that’s the case, then you ought to know what he likes in a woman. You’ve known him for ten years. That’s almost a third of your lifetime. Answer me,” she snapped.

“I, uh, I…” Adelle stuttered over an answer. How did this obnoxious old woman know anything at all about her and Ben’s friendship? Nicole must have filled her in while she was getting her own fortune read.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “He likes good-looking girls. Blondes, it seems.”

The old woman cocked her head to the side and gave her a considering look. “Well, that puts me out of the running, I suppose. Although a box of ‘golden platinum’ could remedy that easily enough. What else? That boy can’t be so superficial that looks alone would win his heart.”

 

Yes, this novella is full of humor, a few sexy moments, and a heartwarming happily ever after. It’s the perfect read for a rainy afternoon or anytime, really. And if you vote, it just might become an award winning book!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Tami Lund writes romance novels, drinks wine, and sometimes wins awards. But only if you vote! Check out the rest of her books here: www.tamilund.com

Tami Lund’s Shifters & Lightbearers

I am Xander Wulf, and I am a shapeshifter. This means I have the ability to change forms at will. And not just one form, either, like werebears or werepanthers. I can shift into a hawk to fly over a tall, steep cliff; or I can become a cheetah to quickly get across country. I can even shift into the bear or panther I mentioned.

Or a lion. It’s good to be king.

Yes, shifters are king. We are the most powerful of the magical community. We are also the only ones who share this world with the humans. Everyone else has their own world in which to live. Well, almost everyone.

There are also the Lightbearers. Those elusive magical creatures with their golden blonde good looks and magic they get from the sun. It regenerates each and every day, as well. They can deplete their stores entirely, go sit in a shaft of sunlight, and a few hours later, the magic is back. Damned impressive.

And I want it. I want that feeling, that ability. Changing forms is not enough. My magic manifests itself only in that way. I’ve witnessed Lightbearers create light, make food, build structures—and summon weapons. They can even heal one another, all with magic.

Sometimes I wonder how shifters were able to claim the position of king, when our magic feels so … limited. But then I see how the Lightbearers scurry away, run and hide when they sense a shifter in their midst. Like lambs and wolves. They are afraid; shifters rarely feel fear.

They are afraid because my kind believes we must kill them to inherit their magic. When a Lightbearer dies, there is a great flash of light as their magic or spirit or whatever is released. Some shifter at some point along the line convinced himself that meant if he were the one doing the killing, that magic would go to him, instead of release into the air.

True confession: I’m not so sure of that. Plenty of Lightbearers have been killed by shifters. I’ve killed my fair share. And not a one of us has inherited a lick of Lightbearer magic. We convince ourselves it’s our fault; the way we kill them, the position we stood in when it happened, the fact it was nighttime instead of daytime. Whatever it took, we’ve been full of excuses for decades.

I’m all out of excuses. I still believe I can gain their magic, but perhaps killing isn’t the way. Maybe there’s another way. And maybe that feisty Lightbearer with the unruly blonde curls knows how. Hell, maybe it’s her magic I can inherit. Considering the last thing I want to do is kill her, I’m now officially convinced.

There’s another way.

Read the F*R*E*E prequel to the Lightbearer series to find out if Xander gets what he wants from the Lightbearers: FIRST LIGHT

(PS – Xander’s story continues in BROKEN LIGHT, the prequel part two, which is part of an anthology called CLAIMING MY VALENTINE. It’s fourteen shifter love stories for only 99 cents, all of which goes to charity. So why not give it a try, too?)

       

 

Tami Lund is an author, a wine drinker, and occasionally a channeler of characters from her books. If you want more, take a look at her website: TAMI LUND

A V Day Chat with Characters from Tami Lund’s Book

I know, I know, Valentine’s Day was yesterday. But considering this post is about Gavin Rowan from Of Love and Darkness, the first in my Twisted Fate series, I think you understand why it’s acceptable to post it on February 15th.

What’s that? You haven’t read Of Love and Darkness, so you have no idea what I’m talking about? You don’t know anything about Gavin, the cursed Light One, and Sydney, the Chala-who-has-no-idea she is one? Or how about William, the cross-dressing Fate who’s built like a linebacker?

No?

Well, what are you waiting for? Today through Friday it’s only 99 cents. Hurry and grab it!

In the meantime, here’s a typical Valentine’s Day in the Rowan household….

***

“I suck at this Valentine’s shit.”

William glanced up from reading the newspaper on his iPad. Gavin Rowan, that incorrigible cursed Rakshasa shifter who happened to be in love with William’s Chala, towered over him, a scowl on his unshaven face, his pale blue eyes glaring at the Fate as if it were his fault the man was lousy at being romantic.

“You suck at a great many things,” William obligingly pointed out. He was stuck with the often surly shifter because Sydney loved him, but that didn’t mean he had to play nice. Besides, playing nice rarely worked for Gavin. He tended to speak one language: asshole.

“Not nearly as good as you do, I bet,” Gavin shot back, a typical derogatory comment about William’s preference for sharing his bed with men instead of women.

“I will never understand what Sydney sees in you.” William dropped his iPad onto his lap and brushed a bit of lint off the lacy lapel of his red wrap blouse. It was a recent find and his current favorite shirt. He’d been thrilled when he discovered they made it in his size. It was often a challenge to buy women’s clothing in sizes large enough to fit a six and a half foot tall, two hundred and sixty pound man built like a linebacker. And don’t even get him started on shoes.

“I think you understand quite well,” Gavin replied with a leer. “Now, help a guy out. What should I get her?”

“You to realize it’s four o’clock in the afternoon on Valentine’s Day, right?”

“Yeah, so hurry up about it. I haven’t even acknowledged the day yet. I’m sure she thinks I have some kind of surprise up my sleeve. So tell me what to do.”

William would like to tell the man to jump off the highest cliff he could find. But that would devastate Sydney, and William hated it when his Chala was upset. He sighed and said, “You seriously can’t think of anything? You have no idea what she wants, what she likes? Her favorite pastime? Her favorite restaurant?”

“I don’t want to take her out to dinner. Everybody does that. It’s boring. I want… something different. Better. Something she’ll remember, and tell all her friends about.”

“How does the asshole in you manage to live with that giant ego? Seems like they’d be fighting for dominance all the damn time.”

“You’re a funny Fate,” Gavin replied with a smirk that said William was anything but.

“Not nearly as funny as the comedians at the Comedy Castle.”

Gavin gave him a blank look and then shook his head. “Whatever, dude. You gonna help me or not?”

“I’m trying,” William grumbled. “She does like to laugh, you know.”

“So you think I should just tell her jokes all night?”

“You really are an idiot, you know that?”

“And you’re a fruitcake. We all have our burdens to bear. So about that Valentine’s Day idea?”

With a long-suffering sigh, William reached into the V on the neck of his blouse and pulled out an envelope. He offered it to Gavin, who looked at it as if it might bite him.

“Did you seriously just pull that out of your cleavage? What the fuck is wrong with you? And what is it, anyway?”

“Tickets, you dolt. To the comedy show. Seven o’clock seating. A lovely wine bar recently opened down the street from the comedy club. I think she’d like it.” He made a show of looking at his watch. “So I’d get a move on, if I were you.”

He watched realization dawn on Gavin’s face. If he weren’t such a repulsive creature, William might even go so far as to say it lightened his face, made him almost attractive.

Gavin snatched the envelope. “Sweet.” He bolted from the room without so much as a thank you, but William had expected no less. A moment later, Sydney stepped out from where she’d been hovering in the kitchen. Unlike her mate, her enthusiasm and appreciation was clear as day, as she pulled William to his feet and squeezed him until he couldn’t breathe.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, William. You’re a doll. I’m so excited for tonight.” She clapped her hands like a three-year-old.

“You’re welcome, but tell me, why didn’t you just tell him that’s what you wanted?”

Sydney’s pink rosebud lips thinned and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Gavin probably would have refused to do it, if I’d suggested it. You know how he likes to think it was his idea. And I knew he’d come to you, because he wouldn’t be able to think of anything. And whatever you suggested is what he’d do. This worked perfectly. Now, I have to go track him down so he can tell me about our plans, so I can get ready for my hot date. Thanks again, William. I owe you one.”

She trotted away, happy as a lark, and William was once again reminded of the complexity and convolution—and sheer genius—of the female mind.

***

Tami Lund writes quirky characters, often with a strong sense of humor. She’s a big fan of bad boys who really have a heart of gold, and unexpected secondary characters who sometimes have to bash the hero and heroine over the head to get them to realize they’re in love.

What’s Old Is New Again

That’s right: Tanner and Olivia and company are ba-a-a-a-ack! If you’re already a fan of my Lightbearer series, you’ll be happy (I hope!) to know it ain’t over yet. In fact, there’s a new book releasing in February. It’s another prequel (it’s okay to have more than one, right?) and it’s called BROKEN LIGHT. If you read FIRST LIGHT, it’s Xander’s story. He might just get a happily ever after in this one.

BROKEN LIGHT will be part of the CLAIMING MY VALENTINE anthology, a collection of 14 shifter Valentine romances, all for only 99 cents, with proceeds going to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Yep, it’s for charity, and it’s a bunch of awesome reads for you shapeshifter fans out there.

Not only that, but the first three books in the series (INTO THE LIGHT, DAWNING OF LIGHT, LIGHT BEYOND THE DARKNESS) are all getting new covers and will be rereleased in the coming months. INTO THE LIGHT is already out, and the covers for INTO THE LIGHT and DAWNING OF LIGHT are done! What do you think?

If you haven’t read my Lightbearer series, I encourage you to give it a try. The first prequel, FIRST LIGHT, is free, pretty much anywhere you can buy ebooks. And INTO THE LIGHT was just rereleased. If you’re wondering what it’s like, well, here’s Tanner Lyons, the hero, telling us about his New Year’s resolutions:

***

Fucking New Year’s resolutions? Are you serious? Man, we’re just trying to stay alive here.

See, I left my pack ten years ago, when I was barely twenty years old, and I’ve been on my own ever since. Usually, I spend New Year’s Eve in a bar, drinking cheap champagne and trying to improve my pool game, hoping I’ll get lucky and some drunk, decently good-looking chick will want to hook up for a few hours after that stupid glittery ball drops.

Well, that all changed the last time my father found me and convinced me to return to the pack. I shouldn’t have gone, but he had physical proof that the Lightbearers really did exist. You see, he’s spent his entire life searching for those elusive magical people. He’s convinced the old stories, the urban legends, are true. That to kill a Lightbearer is to inherit her magic. Problem is, you have to find them, first, and no one’s seen one in five hundred years. Most of us assumed they’d gone extinct. But not my father. He can be pretty damn focused and single-minded, and determined as hell, when he wants to be.

And he was right. They do exist. In the form of a delicate yet strong blonde waif of a female, in a torn dress and with sticks and leaves in her hair, curled up in the corner of a cell in my father’s basement. Not only do they exist, but they’re gorgeous, at least this one is. And something about her calls to me. I don’t know what, because God knows she’s not giving me a damn thing when I try to talk to her, but that doesn’t even matter.

I gotta save this woman. And then I gotta have her. I don’t give a rat’s ass that she’s not a shifter or that I’m supposed to want to kill her or that she has magic I could steal, if I could just figure out how. I don’t care. I just want Olivia. Might even want to mate with her.

So, I guess I do have a New Year’s resolution this year. And I guess it’s to save Olivia Bennett from my father. No, better yet, it’s to mate with her.

Nothing like going for broke, huh?

***

Want more? Grab INTO THE LIGHT and fall in love with the Lightbearer series!

Tami Lund writes, drinks wine, and wins awards. She has a particular fondness for writing about sexy shapeshifters. So much so, in fact, that her Lightbearer series may never end…

 

 

Tami Lund Talks Lightbearers and F*ree Reads

For those who don’t know, I write a series called “Lightbearer.” It’s about these people who get their magic from the sun. They must soak up a certain amount of sunlight each day in order to regenerate their magic. And if they are cut off from the sun for too long, they’ll die.

Not that I did it on purpose when I came up with the idea, but they are sort of the polar opposite of vampires. When I realized that, I made a comment in the first book of the series, Into the Light, along the lines of Lightbearers being poisonous to vampires, since sunlight sorta kinda runs in their veins.

Wait, Into the Light isn’t really the first, not anymore. After I’d written eleven books in the series, I went back and wrote a prequel. First Light takes place five hundred years ago, back when the Lightbearers first went into hiding to escape from the shapeshifters who wanted to kill them and steal their magic. It helps explain how the urban legends started (that killing a Lightbearer means you inherit their magic), and how the Lightbearers ended up living in a secret, magically protected coterie on the shore of Lake Michigan. It also sets up the possibility of Lightbearers and shifters potentially choosing to be lovers instead of enemies (which is what happens in Into the Light).

First Light is also free, and it’s part of this double boxed set chock-full of series-starting freebies. Year of the Wolf Pack, Part One and Part Two. My book is in Part Two, which will be available January 9-14. In the meantime, there are a bunch of books for you to read in Part One, which is available now (but only until January 7, so download asap). Here’s the link: https://instafreebie.com/free/sE9T7.

If you can’t wait until January 9 to read First Light, head over to my website (http://tamilund.com/free-read/) for the link. Otherwise, on January 9, you’ll be able to download the entire second boxed set.

Happy New Year and enjoy your reading!

Tami Lund is an author, wine drinker, and award winner. She loves happily ever afters, and she loves to share special offers with readers. Join her newsletter list for more, more, more! http://www.subscribepage.com/Tami_Lund

 

 

 

 

 

Busy, Busy, But There’s Always Time for a Party

Yes, Christmas is a few short days away, and yes, it’s a busy, busy week. Wrapping gifts, planning for holiday gatherings, wrapping gifts, oh, and the daughter has midterms and of course basketball practice. Let’s not forget basketball pics. Then there’s the day job, where I’m trying to wrap everything up so I can enjoy eleven straight days of no hellacious commute without worrying I’ve left some project incomplete. Oh yeah, and I need to wrap gifts.

But wait, there’s more. Yeah, lots going on in my writing world, too. Here’s a rundown:

Young girl in a white dress

Beautiful Woman Posing With a Wolf Outdoors

Brunette Girl. Healthy Long Hair and Holiday Makeup

1. Remember that vampire novella I wrote? It’s called RESIST, and it’s part of the Blood Courtesans series. It released on November 15 at 99 cents. Well, it’s going up to $2.99, so if you want it at the discounted rate, grab it quick.
2. My witchy novella, ALL’S FAIR: LOVE & WARLOCKS, is now in KU, so if you’re a subscriber, grab it for free.
3. I dropped the price on MIRROR, MIRROR, my funny, gypsy novella, to 99 cents through the end of the year.
4. FIRST LIGHT, the prequel to my Lightbearer series, which happens to be a freebie, is going to be part of a boxed set of “series starters.” The set will be called YEAR OF THE WOLF PACK and will be two parts, and comes out in January. Yes, you read that right: two full box sets of *free* series starters.
5. I have a new release coming out on January 31. It’s called SEXY BAD NEIGHBOR, and I’m co-writing it with Misti Murphy. it’s been soooooo much fun to write, and I cannot wait to share it with you all! The super sexy cover will be revealed in mid-January. Signup for my newsletter so you’re one of the first to see it: http://www.subscribepage.com/Tami_Lund
6. I have another new release coming out on Valentine’s Day. Actually, it’s a short story that’s going to be part of an anthology. The anthology is called CLAIMING MY VALENTINE, and it’s 14 shifter shorts, and all proceeds will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Oh yeah, and my short is called BROKEN LIGHT, and it’s the second prequel to the Lightbearer series. I couldn’t resist writing Xander’s story. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, refer to #4 and download FIRST LIGHT, which happens to be f-r-e-e.
7. Geez, isn’t that enough??
8. Oh yeah, tomorrow, I’m doing a takeover on my Facebook page. It’s part of “Ellie Master’s 12 Days of Christmas” party. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s worth the time, I promise. There are a bunch of authors who have been writing something along the lines  of flash fiction. One “nice” version, which somehow didn’t end up very nice (but in a good way), one “naughty” version, which is so naughty I’m a little nervous for my turn, and one “surprise” which ended up being a KINKmas poem and was hilarious to write. On top of all that, each day, multiple authors are doing takeovers on their own pages, which translates into goodies and prizes galore. It’s a fun, fun, fun way to meet new authors and find new books to fall in love with. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1797208247205677/. And don’t forget, I’m doing my takeover at 7pm EST on 12/22. You can get to it through the link above, or here’s my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTamiLund/.
9. Okay, now I think I’m done. And I’d better get back to work. A lot going on, as you can see.
10. PS: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

 

Tami Lund is an author, wine drinker, award winner, and writer of happily ever afters. She also occasionally hangs out at Facebook parties. Don’t forget to join her Thursday at 7!

 

This Book is Shore to Please

For today’s post, I decided to feature a book written by a friend of mine, instead of bore you all with my usual whatever-it-is-I-usually-post. I’ve read this book, which just released on November 26, so I can recommend it with confidence. It’s a fun read if you’re into paranormal, beaches, and marine animals. Oh, and love. And comedy. There are plenty of snarky, funny moments in this one.

The way the premise came about–it’s book 4 in a contemporary series–is pretty interesting, too. Check out what the author, Annette Mardis, has to say…

Have you ever jokingly tossed out an idea … and it turned out to be just what you needed? That’s how Shore is Magical, my latest Gulf Shore novel and my first paranormal, was conceived.

I was doing an online chat with other authors when the subject turned to paranormal novels, particularly shape-shifters. Confession: I haven’t read too many of those books, usually preferring reality (or a reasonable facsimile of it) over fantasy.

The other authors were discussing the merits of the animals usually favored in shifter novels: tigers and other big cats, bears and wolves, primarily.

“How about a dolphin shifter?” I kiddingly suggested in full smart-aleck mode. Dolphins are one of my favorite animals and have been since I was a little girl who listed Flipper at the top of her must-see TV list.

Surprisingly—to me anyway—the other chat participants quickly and enthusiastically chorused their approval of dolphin shifters. So I thought, why not?

The challenge was fitting a paranormal story into a contemporary romance series that’s firmly rooted in real life. I spent more than thirty years working as a newspaper reporter and editor, pursuing a fair presentation of the facts as both sides saw them. Making things up doesn’t come as easily to me as to other authors.

I do a lot of research to ensure that my Gulf Shore novels stay within the realm of possibility. And I volunteer at a marine animal hospital, so I’ve seen firsthand how such operations conduct themselves.

So how do I justify a heroine whose very existence defies belief?

By making the details of her story as conceivable as possible. And by letting the other characters express their skepticism and at times outright rejection of the idea that a person can assume an animal shape, and then change back.

Despite her otherworldly ability and a lifestyle shrouded in secrecy, Marina Seaward, the leading lady of Shore is Magical, is not that different from other women. She squabbles with her sisters and takes family obligations seriously, but chafes at the strings that bind her to their restrictive traditions. Seeking true love, she’s beaten down by a jealous and controlling man but fights to preserve her identity and independence.

Marina isn’t looking for a savior or a prince charming. And that’s a good thing, because Kenshin Hamasaki is neither. He’s a good man but a flawed one, and he hasn’t fully recovered from the tragedies that nearly sucked him down a dark hole of despair.

Kenshin’s wounded heart and soul urges him to play it safe, but he’s inexplicably drawn to the mysterious stranger who risks everything in an effort to fit into his world in pursuit of her happily ever after.

Lurking in the background, however, is a dark presence from Marina’s past, who threatens to end this unlikely pairing before she and Kenshin can fully explore whether they’re destined to be together.

Find out whether Marina and Kenshin’s relationship ends in romance or ruin by snaring your digital copy of Shore is Magical, Gulf Shore book 4, available now from all major e-book retailers and from liquidsilverpublishing.com.

Here’s a snippet from one of my favorite scenes in the book, when Kenshin first encounters Marina in very enticing human form. This scene takes place in the marine animal hospital at Gulf Shore Aquarium, where Kenshin works. He thinks he’s helping to rehabilitate a rescued dolphin, but he gets the surprise of his life one night.

Looking up, Kenshin almost dropped his phone. He stared, eyes wide, mouth open, as a lithe form emerged from the pool, water cascading down her body. Where had she come from and, more importantly, why was she naked? Then he glanced behind her and received his second shock.

The rescued dolphin was—gone. Impossible. He gave his cheek a light smack to make sure he hadn’t succumbed to exhaustion and passed out. That was entirely possible, given he hadn’t slept more than two hours at a stretch since leaving Erica’s bed.

If this was a dream, it was incredibly realistic. Off the charts sexy, too.

The woman sauntering toward him was hotter than an egg yolk on Florida asphalt in August. Her brown hair framed a pair of turquoise eyes that shimmered like the sea. Her rosebud nipples all but begged for his touch, and he imagined himself at home between her long, supple legs, which were as toned as the rest of her.

The corners of her lips tipped up as if she’d read his mind. Kenshin’s gaze darted around the rehab unit, looking for backup if he needed it. But Kelsey had gone home early for a change, Flipper probably was loading up on caffeine and carbs, and Sitara was in her office catching up on paperwork.

Kenshin’s carnal fantasies dissolved amid concerns about a massive security breach.

“Who are you, and why are you here?” he demanded.

“You know who I am.” The woman’s voice was as smooth as spiced rum sliding over ice cubes. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your friends brought me here from the beach, jostling me around in that canvas thing. What do you call it?”

“Are you talking about the sling?”

“It felt like they dragged me across a rocky sea bottom. Very bad for the delicate skin.” She pouted and pointed to a chafe mark on her elbow. “Get something softer, for Poseidon’s sake.”

“This is…insane. Why aren’t you wearing clothes?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t bring any.” Cocking her head, she studied him for a moment before her expression turned playful. “Don’t you like me as I am? I thought the males of your species enjoyed seeing females without garments.”

What an odd way to say that guys lust after naked women. “You’re beautiful, and I think you know that, but it’s beside the point.”

“Is it?”

She’d come close enough for Kenshin to stroke a hand down all that lush, bare flesh, and he almost did so to make sure she was real. Common sense kicked in before he acted on the impulse. Besides being a stranger, she was, well, strange.

“Listen, lady, I don’t know what your game is but—”

“Game? There is no game. Your people rescued me, and now I’m your responsibility. Isn’t that how this works?”

Kenshin glanced around again, convinced that any minute Flipper or someone would leap out and scream, “Gotcha!” This had to be a prank. Stuff like this didn’t happen otherwise, at least not to him. But after that dolphin encounter at the reef, anything seemed possible.

Kenshin felt her warm breath on his face. It smelled…fishy? When he wrinkled his nose, she clapped her hand over her mouth. Now she was self-conscious? He looked into her eyes, an inviting shade matched only by a secluded tropical lagoon.

“What’s your name?”

“Marina.”

“Marina what?”

“Just Marina.”

Buy links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2gP4jiw

Liquid Silver: http://bit.ly/2gmfrA2

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2gvDNKr

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2gMr5rb

All Romance: http://bit.ly/2fqzBfp

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2gQwDku
iBooks: http://apple.co/2fGx24f

And now a word about the Gulf Shore series

My contemporary romance series is set in the fictional west-central Florida beach town of Gulf Shore, where you’ll taste salt on your skin and feel sugary white sand between your toes, the warm sun on your shoulders, and a sea breeze ruffling your hair.
You’ll meet swoon-worthy alpha males who aren’t embarrassed to cuddle a rescued baby dolphin in their muscular arms, and accomplished women looking for an equal partner who thinks that smart is sexy.
You’ll get up close and personal with sea life, join the “snipe and gripe” club for girls’ nights out, and fall in love with a talking parrot who acts like a little boy in a bird suit.
You’ll go behind-the-scenes at the local aquarium and out to the beach to rescue marine animals in distress and to cheer others as they return to the wild.

And once you visit Gulf Shore, you just may find yourself wishing you could stay.

Connect with Annette

Website and blog: www.annettemardis.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annette.mardis and https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnetteMardis

Twitter: @AnnetteMardis48   https://twitter.com/annettemardis48

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1QjlzGU

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/annettemardis/

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1oFBx3s

LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/1WPMaMa

Google+ https://plus.google.com/+AnnetteMardis/

YouTube: http://bit.ly/1Qa2dTj

Tsu: www.tsu.co/AnnetteMardis

iAuthor: www.iauthor.uk.com/profile/annettemardis48:9290

 

Author bio

As a girl, Annette dreamed of being an astronaut, but she stank at science and math and became motion sick riding the bus home from school. So she went with her second choice—newspaper journalist—and stuck with it for more than three decades. After years of ignoring well-meaning people who said, “You should write a book,” she finally did. And then she wrote a few more. When she’s not working, Annette usually has her nose in someone else’s novel or her gaze glued to sports on TV. She has three totally spoiled pets, enjoys being the designated sightseer on her husband’s Harley, and volunteers at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of diva dolphins Winter and Hope from the Dolphin Tale films.

Thanks for joining us on today’s blog!

 

Tami Lund is an author, wine drinker, and supporter of other authors, especially those who write awesome books.