ROWDY GHOSTS and HOT ROMANCE

ARIADNES THREAD is another terrific Marie Treanor novel filled with twists, plot, and thigh-clenching fire. Be sure to pick up a copy to keep you warm on these chilly spring evenings.

ARIADNES THREAD
Marie Treanor
ISBN 978-1-60504-219-0
Samhain Publishing



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BLURB:
It's New Year, the house is haunted and the owner's sexier than sin. Burglary isn't meant to be like this!

Glaswegian single mother Ariadne McSween is not having a happy New Year.Instead of celebrating with family and friends in time-honoured tradition, she's helping her scallywag brother and his even less savoury friends burgle a mansion in the Scottish Highlands. And nothing is going right.

First there's the bad weather and car breakdowns. Then, instead of a quick, quiet robbery under cover of a noisy party, Addie finds herself flirting outrageously with the house's owner, sexy concert pianist and accused murderer, John Maxwell. Worse, her violent and erratic accomplice, Shug, takes their hosts hostage.

Another complication: The house turns out to be haunted, and not just by the ghost of eminent composer Christopher Maxwell. Two randy spirits drawn to the lust of living want to join the party—along with the vengeful shade of John's murdered wife.

Soon Addie becomes entangled in a host of mysteries, like why are Ariadne and her cohorts being paid to rob a house that holds nothing more valuable than dusty musical manuscripts? And most of all, how does she avoid falling in love with the chief victim of her crime?

EXCERPT:
In this particular situation, she hardly lost herself in the music. She was in the house of people she was helping to rob. She had to play extremely quietly while listening for sounds of approach. Her nerves jangled, and she had to ignore the creepy, guilty feeling of being observed that had freaked her when she first sat down. Besides which, she’d forgotten some of it and had to improvise.

With a frustrated gasp, she dragged her hands upwards off the keys as if they’d been burned. Enough of this, Ariadne!

Twirling round on the stool, she leapt to her feet—and faced the man standing in the open doorway.

“Fuck!” she uttered before she could prevent it.

It wasn’t Jim, or even Shug. Dimly lit from behind as well as from the piano lamp, she had only the impression of a large man in a kilt, arms folded as he leaned against the door-frame to watch her.

“Before we’ve been introduced?” he enquired.

His voice was Scottish, but only just. The sort that would be considered English where she came from. Worse, it was deep and low, with a devastating timbre that vibrated right to the bits you didn’t want to think about while trespassing with criminal intent.

To her alarm, he pushed himself off the wooden frame and came toward her. His kilt swung round good, strong legs—stop looking at his legs!—as he walked, leisurely and graceful as a big cat. He was tall, rumpled as you’d expect of any self-respecting New Year reveler, tieless, his kilt and unbuttoned jacket crushed, shirt open askew at the throat, his dark, curly hair falling in wild disorder across his forehead. Black eyebrows stretched upwards in straight, dramatic lines from the bridge of his nose—devil’s eyebrows—and beneath them, intense, unquiet brown eyes regarded her without blinking. Shadows lurked beguilingly below finely sculpted cheekbones. His nose was slightly hooked, adding a predatory air to already Byronic good looks.

He didn’t look happy.

It was only willpower that prevented her climbing backwards across the stool to get away from him.

Releasing her gaze, his dropped to the region of her lips, flickered lower across her body and back up to her face. Surely that wasn’t a lustful gleam in his eyes now? Trick of the light… In fact, he looked thoroughly pissed off.

“Or have we?” he asked sardonically.

Addie found her voice at last. “Have we what?” she demanded with more aggression than she’d intended.

“Been introduced.”

Christ, I hope not!

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I'll be back Wednesday with a new release from the brilliant author Melissa Bradley. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

WHERE PASSION AND LIFE COLLIDE

Today we have author MC Halliday who writes from the heart and will stir yours. Passion and depth are her creed. Well, see for yourself what MC has to say:

I admit!

I often write myself into my books. Beyond the extensive research and plotting, I seem to write my most troubling experiences into my noir mysteries and works of fantasy. One of my issues that show up in these books is the loss of my mother at a young age, my ongoing dreams she lives still or the suffering that ensued without her protection.

In, THE KING'S DAUGHTER, the heroine discovers her mother is alive:

“Solely, I be here to keep you safe.” The woman’s voice was soft, imploring.
Touched by the gentle tenderness, Magaith said, “Bear out the truth in what you say that I might have faith and depend on you.”

“I am your mother, known as Imagael. And you, my daughter to Bascogne.”

Magaith took pause, could this be? She found her voice. “The king, my father, spoke of my mother, long ago gone to the other-world.”

“I speak full truth, I am mother to you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE KING’S DAUGHTER
MC Halliday
ISBN: 1-59998-033-9
Samhain Publishing



In a medieval Eire where the Druid legacy survives, the bartered daughter of a clan king struggles in a web of dark spells to save herself ~ and her beloved knight ~ while under the watchful eye of a lough wizard.

Due to a lack of guidance but in spite of poor treatment growing up, I remained a terribly gullible, trusting girl even when the actions of others proved otherwise; exactly as the heroine is depicted in my novel of Victorian historical erotica. I could not have written this novel without the insight and courage to weave my own internal struggles through the fictional memoirs, I Came Up Stairs: A Victorian Courtesan's Memoirs, 1867 to 1871:

“It was this period of weakness and self-doubt that I believe set the stage for what occurred in the coming weeks and months. It was my need for assurance and comfort that caused me to crave love so desperately.”

"The greatest challenge of my life has been to see and accept the actual truth without great pain and struggle against it."

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I CAME UP STAIRS: A Victorian Courtesan's Memoirs, 1867 to 1871
MC Halliday
ISBN 9781770650459
Eternal Press



An epic tale of love and lovers, war and heartbreak woven into the erotic memoirs of a courtesan unashamed of her amorous adventures.

Led from filth and poverty by a gentleman in the hopes of gaining coin for his purse, Mae is shaped into a lady and tutored in the arts of pleasure. With raw sensuality, she creates a seductive dance that entices the peerage in puritanical England, and she quickly becomes favored courtesan to Prince of Wales. Her renown and riches ever rising, she continues to romp with gamely men and women of both the nobility and the lower classes. Eventually, Mae’s bohemian ways cause suffering for those she loves and her own heartbreak. Must she conform to Victorian mores, or can she remain true to her sensual desires?

These intimate memoirs reveal a young woman’s journey from the slums of Whitechapel to celebrated dancer of the Victorian music hall, and courtesan to the highest peers of the British realm. From the years 1867 to 1871, Mae recounts her varied lovers and false loves, and her heartbreaking losses in a quest for happiness.

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As much as I write a variety of genres, I believe my books would be less without the depth of my experiences reflected in the character’s challenges and the difficult path to hard won wisdom. My dedication in, The King’s Daughter:
“Everytime there is a struggle, it is a preparation for what is to come.”
Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes from the documentary, The Last Days of Left Eye

“At any place on the road of life we try to do the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time. Our journey is often fraught with rutted cobbles and wide streams but I believe each fall or flounder we might make along the way is a chance to learn, to do better.” MC Halliday

My dedication in, I Came Up Stairs, is one simple sentence:
To my mother, Maureen Grace, long gone and yet, ever the wind at my back.

If you are further intrigued, please visit my website for books currently available and links to long excerpts. I also have trailers on YouTube that might be of interest and regular posts on both Goodreads and Facebook.

We'll be back tomorrow with another side of MC Halliday you won't want to miss.:) Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

SCI-FI, FANTASY & ROMANCE - YUM!

Spellbinding author Robert Appleton is here today with his new novel THE MYTHMAKERS. The powerful cover was designed by talented artist Kanaxa. I do believe she outdid herself.

Here's what Rob has to say about himself:
I'm a native of Bolton, England, I write science fiction and paranormal mysteries. 2009 is my second year in the rollercoaster world of e-publishing (hint: don't look down, except when upside down).

In my previous lives, I served (smuggled) popcorn in a cinema, mis-filed much as a public servant, and walked away with a Film Studies degree. I've visited America, Greece, Spain, Scotland and other alien planets.

To date, my publishers include Samhain Publishing, Eternal Press, Lyrical Press, Club Lighthouse Publishing, Uncial Press, and Damnation Books. My ambition is to have an ambition. So far, it's all with the tide, baby.

You can learn more about Rob on his website or on his BLOG

Warning: This book contains moderate sexual activity, strong language, and high-cholesterol breakfasts. Also features hot nudists, naive men and other equally rare fantasy creatures.

THE MYTHMAKERS
Robert Appleton
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60504-906-9

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BLURB:
For Captain Steffi Savannah and her crew of deep space smugglers, life has become little more than a dogged exercise in mere survival. Their latest disastrous heist ended with another dead crew member—and no place left to hide. She’s even finding it hard to dredge up any excitement over the giant, crippled ship that appears on their radar, even though it’s the salvage opportunity of a lifetime.

They find that it’s no ordinary alien vessel. It’s a ship of dreams, populated with the last remnants of Earth’s mythical creatures. Including the blond, built, mysterious Arne, one of a race blessed with extraordinary beauty—and few inhibitions. Though he won’t tell her exactly what he is, in his arms Steffi rediscovers something she thought she’d never feel again. Wonder, love…and hope.

It isn’t long, though, before the Royal guard tracks them down, and Steffi and her crew are faced with a terrible decision. Cut and run. Or risk everything to tow the ship and her precious cargo to safety.

EXCERPT:
There had to be easier ways to make a living.

Steffi Savannah loosened her jaw with a gummy roll of her mouth, then shook her head to stay awake. The stars wheeled at a dizzying clip. She ducked lower into her magnetic boots, but her quads ached from crouching. The dark purple flame of her cutting torch ballooned and dripped behind the tinted welding shield in her hand. It was taking too damn long. She’d guessed at five minutes to cut the metal debris loose—fifteen minutes ago. Bright molten shards spiralled away into space as the Albatross rifled through nothingness on her way to nowhere. “Come on, you bitch,” she urged.

The two chasing ships were gaining. Once mere pinpricks of light against the dull grey cloud whirls of planet October, they now had necks and glassy beaks and shiny metal wings that reflected the suns’ amber. And an arsenal of major firepower ready to annihilate the Albatross.

“How’s it coming, Cap?” Bo Lineker’s snappy boyish voice redoubled her grit.

“Nearly there,” she replied. “Don’t wait for me. Get inside if you’re done.”

“You don’t want a hand?”

“No. I’m almost through.”

“I could—”

“Get below. Tell McKendrick to light the candle as soon as I close the hatch behind me.”

“Aye.”

The weight of resignation in his parting syllable tumbled and echoed deep inside her. She’d always hated being alone outside. Having a man to keep her company, one who’d do anything for her even though she didn’t love him in the least, was a safety cord no rig could best. She looked round but he’d gone. The unique brass hull had been sleek once. Now it was dented and greening and it barely reflected starlight anymore. Laser scarring and rivulet depressions where the seams had started to buckle groaned with old age.

Steffi shot a breath from her nostrils and gripped the cutter’s blunt handle. It rocked and rolled as the mangled wreckage lifted toward her. Dammit. She had to let go of the torch to duck. McKendrick had punched the throttle early, as soon as the ship’s rolling had stopped. Tons of twisted metal almost took Steffi’s head off as the Albatross gathered speed. Ducking backward, she lay flat on the hull. Only her knees pointed up, as her magnetic boots were still clamped. The wreckage lifted like a silver crown of thorns away, ahead of her into space. She hoped like hell the bastards would fly into it.

A large blue glove gripped her arm.

“Bo! I thought I told—”

“Sorry. Was worried about you, Cap.”

She climbed up his arm and shoulder and shook her head. “Of all the dumb goddamn…I told you to tell McKendrick to wait ’til I was inside.” She gave him her hardest shove. It made him blink. “I came this close to being ripped in half,” she added, demonstrating the distance between her forefinger and thumb. “Now get your dumb hulk ass below and help Flyte with the Psammeticum coils.”

“Soon as you’re inside, Cap.”

She wanted to hug him for being a loyal puppy, but he needed to learn what an order meant. Bo adored her. He’d often said so in bed. And a part of her was very fond of him—the sex and the sweet talk had brightened up many a dull evening—but no more than that. She knew it was pity more than love that kept her close to him. Pity for his dumb, harmless nature; for him being an orphan with no hope of anything but a mining or muscle job; and for him not minding being used for sex whenever she wanted it.

But this time, his mindless devotion had gone too far.

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I'll be back later this week. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com

BREAK OPEN THE BUBBLY

It's time to celebrate with a new Pam Champagne novel!

ALASKAN HEAT released yesterday from Samhain Publishing . If you're not familiar with the sexy suspense of Pam Champagne you really need to checkout her website and books. This fine author is phenominal at weaving a story that will have you panting for more.

Pam lives in on 25 rural acres in northwestern Maine with her husband, two Siamese cats and a black Lab. By day she works in Bangor, Maine as a legal secretary.

Other than writing, Pam enjoys the outdoors, hunting, fishing and just being outdoors. Each year she promises to maintain her perennials and a huge vegetable garden, but somehow they always manage to get away from her.

God blessed her with two beautiful children and two granddaughters.

Pam writes, hot romantic suspense novels and is currently branching into short stories and novellas.

PRESENTING

ALASKAN HEAT
by
PAM CHAMPAGNE

from
SAMHAIN PUBLISHING



Blurb:

She’ll make him finish what he started—if they live through the night.

Framed and on the run, FBI agent Joe “Hawk” Hawkins has only one chance to clear his name: hit the road for Eagle, Alaska. Things can’t get much worse, until a woman from his past steps into his path. Sophie’s a brilliant statistician, pissed off about their disastrous one-night stand—and offering him a deal.

This is Sophie’s first field assignment, and the fact that it involves Hawk doesn’t make it any easier. She’s never forgotten or forgiven the night Hawk found his way to her bed and left her wanting more. Now she’s on a double mission to make Hawk finish what he started, and get them both to Eagle alive.

The long Alaska Highway stretches before them, and long nights of sexual fireworks that rival the Northern Lights. Caution turns to trust, and then to a love neither of them bargained for.

With two rogue agents in hot pursuit, though, the end of the road may be closer than they think…

EXCERPT:

By the time Sophie turned into the dirt parking lot of a country general store claiming to have everything a person needed, from wedding gowns to worms, the temperature had risen to a mild seventy-five, or so read the old thermometer hanging on the loose clapboards. She peeled off her sweater and tossed it behind the seat.

“This is it?”

She controlled the urge to snap at Hawk. What reason did he have to sound so cranky? “What do you mean?”

He waved his hand toward the store. “You call this a store? I believe you said the place had everything. I can’t believe this.”

The accusation in his tone pissed her off. “What did you expect? A super Wal-Mart? We’re approaching the Yukon Territories. There are no big cities.” Disgusted, she climbed out, slammed the door and strode toward the store, not caring if he followed or not.

Hawk made it to the door before her and held it open. Like the gentleman he wasn’t. Sophie breezed by without a glance and headed straight to the meat section. Having been in most of the stores on the highway, she wasn’t surprised at the lack of good quality food. Today the hamburger looked fresh, as did the steak. The chicken and the package labeled pork chops looked questionable. They’d be eating beef for awhile.

Next she grabbed a bag of wilted spinach and a bunch of yellowed broccoli, shaking her head at what passed as fresh vegetables. Two loaves of bread added to her pile, and she was ready to check out.

Where the hell was Hawk? The man had been a thorn in her side since he woke this morning. Sophie found him looking at deodorant. “It’s not as if you have a million choices. Pick one and let’s get on the road.”

Hawk frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

Huh? He was the one who got up on the wrong side of the bed. Then again… “I’m short of patience this morning.”

“Tell me about it,” he muttered. “I ordered a couple of Italians at the deli. They should be ready.”

“Fine. Get them and let’s get back on the road.”

Hawk’s smile warmed his eyes along with her insides. “I’m right behind you. I’ve got to get one more thing.”

The young store clerk had almost finished ringing up her items when Hawk arrived with his deodorant, the sandwiches, a bag of chips and a bag of limp carrots with roots growing out of their entire length.

He handed the bag to the young kid. “For the bunny.”

Sophie’s skull near exploded. How dare he?

The clerk jumped right in. “You have rabbits? My family raises them…to eat. They taste like chicken, you know.”

Hawk laughed. “We’ve just got one. Cute little thing. I might have to start looking at her as a meal.”

Sophie dug her nails into his arm. “That’s what you think.”

“Ouch,” Hawk said and moved out of her reach.

The clerk chuckled, bagged their items and nodded at Hawk. “You’d better watch it. Sounds like the little bunny means a lot to your lady.”

“Yeah, we’re both attached to Furry. She’s so warm and cuddly. Why just last night—”

Sophie grabbed her bag. “I’ll be in the truck.”

She turned on heel and took a step. His voice stopped her cold. “Sophie? I don’t have any money.”

Breathing fire, Sophie stalked to the register haphazardly pulling money from her purse along the way. She slapped a handful of bills in Hawk’s hand. “Here.” The warm smile along with the twinkle in his eyes got her toes tingling, but she forced herself to turn back the way she’d come.

She never made it to the door. It wasn’t the man dressed in the red and black plaid shirt and green wool pants peering at a bulletin board that raised the alarm. Neither was it the rancid body odor emanating from his person. Nor was it Hawk’s picture on a wanted poster that freaked her out. The smelly Neanderthal sneaking covert looks between Hawk and his picture made her skin crawl.

How the hell had this happened? She refused to consider this was Stan’s doing. That left Reed and Blair. They must have printed an official-looking FBI wanted poster. She noticed the number to call was not an FBI hotline, or at least not one she was familiar with. Was Hawk’s image in every store between here and Alaska? A chill rattled down her spine. Had the poster been here when they’d come in. Surely, she’d have seen it. Were the two rogue agents lurking outside? Waiting for the opportunity to nab Hawk?

Even though Hawk’s face was smooth and clean shaven in the photograph, he was easily recognizable. Those damn whiskey colored eyes.

Before Sophie could react, an overweight woman wearing a sweatshirt sporting a colorful tied fishing fly with the slogan Check your Fly showed up behind the guy. “Move it, Everett. I wanna fish today, not tomorrow.”

Everett glanced in Sophie’s direction. She pretended interest in the magazines precariously perched on an old, teetering steel rack. He dragged the woman to his side, his wide grin revealing toothless gums. Then he whispered loud enough for anyone within ten feet to hear, “Look at this, Mel!” His finger jabbed the poster. “FBI’s offering a $20,000 reward for this dude.” His voice rose with excitement. “And guess what? He’s standing right over there.” With all the finesse of an orangutan, he lifted an arm and pointed it at Hawk still chatting with the young kid behind the counter.

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ALASKAN HEAT is a must read. Hawk and Sophie are my type of tough/tender characters. They face danger head on and know how to make good use of their bedroom time.

Be sure to Visit Pam's website to read excerpts from her other popular novels.

I'll be back next week. Until then...

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell

CHEESE PENNIES FROM MC HALLIDAY?

That's right! MC HALLIDAY is sharing an English Christmas in Canada with photos and her famous Cheese Pennies recipe on the last day at my Ten Days of Christmas. Please join us for a world of different holiday foods and traditions at http://www.sloanetaylor.com/blog.

Each day I’m giving away a free download to one person in a simple contest. The winner gets to select the book of their choice from my releases. All you need to do is email me sloanetaylor @ comcast.net, no spaces, on the day you wish to enter the contest. Type BOOKS in the subject line and the title you’d like in the body of your email. Told you it was easy! You can enter daily. I’ll draw a winner each day and announce them on my blog.

The winner for December 23 is LOUISE who chose FRANCINE ON FIRE. Her book has been sent.

Also, if you like bookmarks and postcards send your snail mail address to me, sloanetaylor @ comcast.net, no spaces, with FREEBIE in the subject line. I’ll be happy to send you a packet no matter where in the world you live.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell
TEDDI TURNS ON 2009 EPPIE Finalist - Erotica www.aspenmountainpress.com
FRENCH KISS www.eternalpress.ca
www.sloanetaylor.com www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor