Her Dark Soul ~ Available Now!

Posted in Ellora's Cave, Her Dark Soul, New Release on Friday, 29 January, 2010 by Kim Knox

A man trapped by magic, an enigmatic guardian, and a virgin who will bind them all…

Ordered to secure a precious box from the priests of Fausta. Marek isn’t told a virgin ward is part of the deal. Ash’s innocence and need drive him to touch her, taste her, to take the twisted power in her flesh and energize his own. But hidden players force Marek into doing something unthinkable.

Lucas has been caught in gold for four hundred years. His new master commands him to invade Ash’s dreams and take her virginity. If he does, she’s breached and the treasure she guards will open. He’s happy to obey. However, he finds her guarded by a man unlike any other in his long life.

Ash should deny the fire in her blood, remember who and what she is, but something inside her finds them irresistible. As their lives intertwine, they’re driven to find pleasure, using their unique blend of sex and magic to fight an enemy that would consume them all.

There’s a long excerpt, here.

And you can buy Her Dark Soul, here.

Reviews for Warflesh and Satin Spar

Posted in Ellora's Cave, Reviews, Samhain Publishing, Satin Spar, Warflesh on Monday, 8 February, 2010 by Kim Knox

Some very nice reviews :D    JERR’s Warflesh  review makes me want to read it! lol

Title: Warflesh
Author: Kim Knox
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Reviewer: Jennifer Leigh
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Heat Level: O

Fina Brodie has been genetically engineered by her government to serve a specific purpose – to give the ultimate pleasure.  She is sent in when her special brand of “negotiation” is required to complete treaties.  The Emperor has sent her to Kian, Lord of the Tir, for a public sex ceremony to facilitate securing access to spice-water, an incredible aphrodisiac.  She is horrified to learn that her escort for this mission is the one man she has always loved but could never have, Jonathon Raegh.  Unbeknownst to Fina, he is meant to participate in the ritual with her.  What secret plans do the people of Tir hold for Fina and Jon?

Let me start by telling you to just go ahead and get the fire extinguisher and a bucket of ice before you start reading.  Trust me – you’re going to need it!  The heat from Fina and Jon is there right from ground zero and it quickly builds into an inferno.  As interesting as Fina’s story is, Jon is the one I really got caught up in.  Right away he hits you with his smoldering passion and you can’t help but wish it was directed towards you.  Jon is a man full of passion.  Combine that with a woman made for sex and throw in a heap of unrequited love and you’ve got quite a conflagration.  It’s not just sexual hunger that exists between the two, but magnetism stemming from a lifetime of love and desire for each other.  Finally, thanks to this mission, their long-denied attraction is no longer forbidden.  The sex was incredible.  Thanks to the effects of spice-water, the foreplay starts just a few pages in and it doesn’t take long before the passion and buildup between Fina and Jon explodes.  Once they get to the ceremony it just gets hotter with an unbelievable ménage scene.  This story ishot, hot, hot!!!, yet you still get your HEA. This is what sci-fi erotic romance should be.

And Satin Spar reviewed by Long and Short Reviews

Satin Spar by Kim Knox
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short (64 pages)
Heat: Hot
Rating: 4 Books
Reviewed by Fern

A prehensile tail has its advantages…

Scar’s marbled skin and stunted tail aren’t all that make her stand out. Her Caraniae DNA has a strange effect on the male of the species, which makes her career as a pilot perfect. The less interaction she has with people—with men—the better. She won’t risk her wayward pheromones bonding her forever to one man.

Then there’s her boss’s new bodyguard, Anthony Tyler. The pure-human is tight-lipped about his sketchy past. He also seems determined to work her prehensile tail off.

Once imprisoned and drummed out of the Corps for conduct unbecoming, Tyler is intrigued with his ship’s unheard-of, human-Caraniae hybrid. He spent his career fighting her kind, but when a message from home throws Scar into a tailspin, he finds himself drawn to help her in any way he can. Even if it means risking life and limb to help her sweat out her anger.

Their sparring session turns into something else. Something wildly sexual. Something so wrong as to be suicidal—if Scar’s father discovers she’s bonded with anyone other than the husband he’s forcing her to marry…

Satin Spar is a racy sci-fi lover’s delight that engages the reader and stimulates the imagination. Kim Knox has created something wholly unique that is both hot and captivating, ensuring a reader will maintain an interest in the characters, the plot, and keep going to discover what is sure to be an unpredictable conclusion.

I have to confess that I wasn’t sure what to think about Scar initially. She’s not your typical heroine, but rather is a hybrid of races. The fact that she has a stubby tail threw me off from time to time, although I openly confess that it’s an issue others probably won’t even bat an eyelash at. Physical attributes aside, she’s smart, willful, and determined, which are essential characteristics when you want a strong female protagonist.

As for Tyler, well, he’s all human male. Sexy, hot, primal. I couldn’t get enough of him, and couldn’t wait until he caved to his desires and claimed Scar as the female he refuses to share. It was interesting to see a man snared by the “mating” scent for a change, and I loved the new slant Ms. Knox created in bringing two very different people, from two very different worlds, together.

There is plenty of angst and tension along the way for our hero and heroine, and the journey proves to be a thoroughly enjoyable ride. I loved the world, the creatures, the fantastical elements and rituals, and the characters who bring it all together. Fans of sizzling hot sci-fi will devour Satin Spar from beginning to end. The writing is fantastic, the concept is original, and the chemistry between Scar and Tyler will leave you breathless.

Enthusiasts of the fantasy genre, take note, and be sure to put Satin Spar on your TBR list. You get the heat, you get the passion, and the result is a very memorable, and entertaining, story.

EM: New Release Monday

Posted in Ellora's Cave, Excerpt Monday, Her Dark Soul, New Release on Monday, 1 February, 2010 by Kim Knox

Excerpt Monday Logo
Welcome to the New Release Monday. This month, in addition to our typical excerpt week, we’re showcasing new releases by several fabulous EM writers. Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

HER DARK SOUL

Is my first full length erotic romance fantasy.  You never know, it may even get into print.  I have everything crossed. :)

A man trapped by magic, an enigmatic guardian, and a virgin who will bind them all…

Ordered to secure a precious box from the priests of Fausta, Marek isn’t told a virgin ward is part of the deal. Ash’s innocence and need drive him to touch her, taste her, to take the twisted power in her flesh and energize his own. But hidden players force Marek into doing something unthinkable.

Lucas’ soul has been trapped for four hundred years. His new master demands he invade Ash’s dreams and take her virginity. If he does, the treasure she guards will open. He’s happy to obey. However, he finds her guarded by a man unlike any he’s known in his long life.

Ash should deny the fire in her blood, remember who and what she is, but something inside her finds both men irresistible. As their lives intertwine, they’re driven to find pleasure, using their unique blend of sex and magic to fight an enemy who would consume them all.

And here’s a short excerpt.  You can read another, longer excerpt here.  You can buy it here

Her Dark Soul
(c)2010 Kim Knox

Marek stopped. He released her hand and white, stinking light shrouded his fist. He pressed his knuckles against a set of heavy, blue-painted doors. There was a dull thunk and the doors swung inwards. The light died around his fingers and he took her arm. “Inside.”

Her stomach knotted and not from the harsh bite of hunger. She stared along the corridor into the dimly lit atrium. This was her life now, in this house, with this stranger.

“Don’t worry, Ashsara.”

She had to ask. “Was my name on the scroll? Does the emperor know who I am?”

“Yes.”

Marek pushed her up onto the wide doorstep and then into the shadowy coolness of the hall. He pushed the door closed behind him. The heavy thud made her heart jump. Marek stood behind her, almost pressing his body into hers, and eased back the heavy hood of her cloak.

Ash sucked in a sharp breath and all the memory of him, of his taste, of the curl of his fingers against her most intimate flesh, rushed her. His lips found her ear. Ash shivered and she fought down the quick, hot rise of need in her veins. She closed her eyes. Her wild attraction made no sense. Was it simply her time in the temple making her susceptible to the first hard male body she met? Her fingers curled into fists, her nails digging into her palm. Dwelling on Marek’s beauty? No, not a wise thought.

“Sweet as you taste, I think I can resist you.” He paused and his breath heated her skin, the pulse low in her belly seeming to fill all her senses. “Well, almost.” He smiled against the shell of her ear and her heart squeezed. “I have need of you now.”

Marek skimmed down her shoulder until he took her hand again, his warm, callused fingers pressing into her palm. He tugged her forward and she stumbled after him, her heart beating too hard.

The walls of the corridor were a blur and Marek skirted the atrium pool, leading her into a small room. He pushed her back until her calves hit a low bunk. “Sit.”

She obeyed him. The warm darkness pressed against her and she tried to stare through it, listen for movement, her body expecting Marek’s touch, fearing it, craving it. She gasped at the sudden arc of burning white light. It illuminated him as he stood beside an oil lamp hanging low on the smooth wall. Darkness swept around them again before another spark dipped into the glass bowl. Soft light filled the room, casting brown shadow into the corners.

The first pull and stretch of the leather strap and buckle on his tunic knotted her hands in her lap. Another followed and another. It was the loudest sound in the room, rising above her pounding heart, short breaths and the crack and hiss of the wick in the lamp. Marek shrugged off the tunic and dropped it over a wooden chair tucked against the wall. He tugged at his loose, linen undershirt and pulled it over his head.

Ash pressed her thighs together, but it did nothing to ease the hard pulse of her flesh. The golden light caressed his hard-muscled torso and her mouth dried. The need to run her mouth over him in quick kisses, to trace and tease her tongue along the silver scars criss-crossing his skin filled her, and her awakened imagination ran wild.

Marek tilted his head and ran his fingers down his chest. “I can feel your need building.” His eyes narrowed. “It’s powerful, wild. Yes, I can see why the priests made you a ward for this box.”

She wanted to look away from him, see where he’d placed the box he’d hugged to his body—and hers—since leaving the temple, but she couldn’t. She could only stare at his mouth, her own lips burning, eager to find him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Is that a part of your power? This ignorance?” He took a step closer and the need to snap at him for his insult died on her tongue. Marek stroked her jaw, his thumb pressing against her bottom lip. He traced its edge. He was a dark shadow looming over her and it quickened her pulse. “Then I must be careful with you.”

“Marek…”

She almost groaned his name and Ash didn’t know whether she was asking him to stop or for him to…what? Her imagination failed her. She knew nothing of men, had only caught brief glimpses of slaves, as the eunuchs kept a careful eye on all of their wards.

Marek tilted her chin up and he bent, dipping his mouth down to hers. His lips hovered, the tiny distance he kept between them driving need and frustration in a wild rush through her body.

“What would you like me to do, Ashsara?” His voice soft, deep and so very…male…fluttered her eyes shut. His hot breath teased her parched lips. “Kiss you? Or would you like my mouth on your body? On your breasts? Between your thighs?”

A gasp escaped her at the thought of Marek’s hot mouth kissing her in such an intimate place.

“Ah yes, that’s what you want.” His smiling words brushed his lips against hers. “I’d kiss you, let my tongue tease over your flesh, curl and bury itself deep inside you. Oh and then I’d fuck you so slowly. So thoroughly.”

His words burned through her, stirring the hot beat of her blood. Already the powerful surge that he had brought to her in the atrium of the temple rode fast through her body. Her breathing came hard and she fought the wild wave that would burst out against him and leave her boneless and still aching.

“Imagine me there.”

She bit out a silent curse against him, because she could see him between her bare, parted thighs, the slow movement of his dark head, his callused hands gripping her pale skin.

“Feel me there.” And both of his hands lifted the heavy material of her cloak. He skimmed his fingertips along her thin shift and then his palms rested hot against her legs. His thumbs pressed into soft skin and with a hard grin, he parted her thighs.

For links to other New Releases – click on the image below
Note: I have not personally screened these releases. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.
Excerpt Monday Logo

Ellora’s Cave Free Read: Hunting Evander is out!

Posted in Covers, Ellora's Cave, Her Dark Soul, New Release on Tuesday, 19 January, 2010 by Kim Knox

Narda is on a hunt.

Her target, Doran Van Evander has holed up on a mining planet. But her hunt won’t be simple or easy. Planet Lisala-7 is in the grip of a festival, one they’ve made compulsory. Five days of licensed debauchery and now with her body on fire from the touch of strangers, she must find her target before her time runs out. Failing is not an option. But in this game, who is the hunter and who is the prey?

The link is here

And Her Dark Soul has a cover!

A man trapped by magic, an enigmatic guardian, and a virgin who will bind them all…

Ordered to secure a precious box from the priests of Fausta. Marek isn’t told a virgin ward is part of the deal. Ash’s innocence and need drive him to touch her, taste her, to take the twisted power in her flesh and energize his own. But hidden players force Marek into doing something unthinkable.

Lucas has been caught in gold for four hundred years. His new master commands him to invade Ash’s dreams and take her virginity. If he does, she’s breached and the treasure she guards will open. He’s happy to obey. However, he finds her guarded by a man unlike any other in his long life.

Ash should deny the fire in her blood, remember who and what she is, but something inside her finds them irresistible. As their lives intertwine, they’re driven to find pleasure, using their unique blend of sex and magic to fight an enemy that would consume them all.

Pimpage: A Wolf’s Mate by RF Long

Posted in Pimpage on Tuesday, 19 January, 2010 by Kim Knox

The Wolf’s Mate: a Tale of the Holtlands by R. F. Long


ISBN: 1-60504-702-3; 978-1-60504-702-7

“It’s well written, fast paced and filled with interesting and unique characters….The best part of the story is Jeren herself. I liked her in The Wolf’s Sister but in this release, she really grows and shines, as she turns into a confident and determined woman, willing to fight for her man. I’m very curious to see what happens to these two mates with the next and last release.” – 4 Nymphs, Mystical Nymph, Literary Nymphs Reviews Only

Their love is a forbidden gift. Keeping it means a fight to the death…

A Tale of the Holtlands, Book 2

After escaping from her Holtlands home and her brother’s madness, Jeren looks forward to a new life with her beloved Shan and his people. She doesn’t expect the Fey’na to readily accept someone of her bloodline, but she’s determined to prove herself worthy. Then the jealous eyes of the beautiful sect mother, Ylandra, fall on Shan—handsome, strong, matchless among warriors—turning Jeren’s fragile new world upside down.

Shan wants nothing more than to be with Jeren, the courageous beauty who’s captured his heart. But their ancient enemy has attacked, and Ylandra cleverly uses an archaic oath to bind him to her service—fulltime. As he sets out on a suicide mission into the heart of enemy territory, he promises Jeren he’ll return—somehow—to claim her as his mate.

Jeren is left alone to make a place for herself among the elite Fey’na warriors, until a Holtlands envoy arrives bearing her ancestors’ sword. This magical artifact calls to the innate magic in her blood and forces her to make a terrible choice. She could lead the battle to free her people…but only if she forsakes Shan.

Warning: contains scary monsters, desperate acts, burning jealousy and the consummation of a timeless love.

Read An Excerpt Online

Buy now from MBaM

Everything you wanted to know about Steampunk but were too afraid to ask!

Posted in Writing on Thursday, 7 January, 2010 by Kim Knox

Long title, but I couldn’t resist.

Two days of working out Steampunk and how to write it. I am so there! :D

Steampunk Workshop
January 21-23, 2010 at Romance Divas

Featuring:

Zoe Archer

Meljean Brook

Gail Carriger

Sarah A. Hoyt

Katie MacAlister

Dru Pagliassotti

This workshop will take place at the Romance Diva Forum. All are welcome. To get access to the forum you will need to register.

Snow day :)

Posted in Writing on Tuesday, 5 January, 2010 by Kim Knox

Snow, snow and more snow…so I had to take a picture.  From inside a warm room :)

Cover Love: Breaking Chance

Posted in Breaking Chance, Covers, Samhain Publishing, Writing on Wednesday, 23 December, 2009 by Kim Knox

I’ve had to sit on this cover for weeks…but now here it is:

Blurb for Breaking Chance:

What a girl wants—and what a girl needs—are sometimes two different things…

For Melissa “Lucky” Chance, another stretch in Ganymede’s ice prison is nothing new. The flash-freeze that’s supposed to destroy her will only leaves her with an insatiable desire for the first hot body she lays eyes on. Except this time, she faces a death sentence. Her only hope of escape lies with the man known as The Butcher.

John Ramius understands the logic behind his conviction as a criminally insane mass murderer. No man should have been able to slaughter over fifty men in as many minutes, but no one sees the underlying curse that compels him to sense—and fulfill—someone’s deepest need. Chance’s skill will free him to kill the Sun-King; he will find no rest until he does.

As they run from the forces of the Jovian colonies, Ramius finds himself temporarily sidetracked, not only by Chance’s relentless desire, but by her underlying, unspoken need. Ignoring it—or his own compulsion to do every wicked thing to her imaginable—is not an option.

Only after all their defenses are stripped away do they discover that their meeting wasn’t by chance. Someone is manipulating them both, and the only way out is the path to their destruction…

Warning: This book contains explicit sex, thieves, murderers, a sentient ship and a hero who will give you exactly what you need. Not responsible for reader’s sudden compulsion to jump significant other’s bones.

Vision Board 2010

Posted in Breaking Chance, The Colonel Says..., The Master, The Master Says..., Vision Board, Warflesh, Writing on Saturday, 19 December, 2009 by Kim Knox

I was inspired by a tweet – sorry, I’ve lost the link now, bad me – to create something visual to inspire me into next year.  I think I’ve strong armed some of my writer friends into doing it too, lol  Anyway, here’s my effort:

FREE Kindle Title: Weaving Words

Posted in Free Read, Kindle Free Read, Samhain Publishing, Weaving Words, Writing on Tuesday, 15 December, 2009 by Kim Knox

Yep, I have a free title up for the next fortnight on Kindle.  15-28 December to be exact :D

Amazon Kindle Link On this page is a link to downloading a Kindle App to your PC and iPhone/iPod Touch too

Easy part of his day? Resurrecting the dead. Hard part? Keeping them alive.

Kaede is a witch whose family has been bound to a powerful House for over a thousand years. And he hates it. Despite the fact that his lord, Tarou, murdered his mother, Kaede is sworn never to harm the man who could kill him with just seven words. Now he’s been commanded to use his unique powers to resurrect Tarou’s wife from the dead, and he has no choice but to comply. Things go horribly wrong when he accidentally pulls the wrong soul back. Now it’s not just his own life he must try to save.

Vara’s day couldn’t get much more bizarre. One moment she-s a captain in the Temple Guard. The next, she finds herself transported into a world of magic and witches-and stuffed into the body of a lord’s wife. Unwillingly plunged into middle of a deadly power struggle, the only one Vara can turn to is Kaede, the witch responsible for dragging her into this alien world. A witch she finds far too attractive…

Warning: This book contains the following; magic, witches and more body-swapping than is safely sane.

And Mrs Giggles said about it: ‘Weaving Words is easily one of the most interesting short stories I’ve read in a while and I love it. I love the ghoulish way the magic works in that setting and I love the story. I love the way things turn out.’

It appears to be free to the US only, btw…

Sales and other happy things

Posted in Ellora's Cave, Her Dark Soul, Loose ID, Samhain Publishing, Shapes in the Blood, Touch of a Dragon, Weaving Words on Thursday, 26 November, 2009 by Kim Knox

Sunday was a bit of a mad day.

I got an email saying that TOUCH OF A DRAGON had reached the next round of the Loose Id Hot Hooks contest.  I now have to finish and polish that story to within an inch of its life by 1 Feb 2010.

I got another email from my EC editor, saying yes, she’d love to contract my fantasy menage novel HER DARK SOUL :D   The contract is winging its way across the pond as I type.  You can get a sneak peek of the story further down in my blog.  Here’s the link.

Then I sold SHAPES IN THE BLOOD to Loose Id.  Yep.  On the same day!  The contract is keeping the other one company, lol Here’s the unofficial blurb for Shapes.  I’m still working on the Her Dark Soul’s blurb.

Aila Parry is a disaster waiting to happen.

Bad luck dogs her, has followed her all her life, ever since her grandmother’s heated warning when she was only three years old. Food spoils, metal stresses and breaks, equipment fails…and people are wary of her, forming strange hatreds, or worse shunning her completely. Men run scared. Which is why her colleague, Nathan Ahern’s, interest stuns—and delights—her. But Nathan is not all that he appears to be. And the only need he has for Aila is the desire to spill her blood. Matt Kinnon, a tempting stranger, a man compelled to guard the human race from creatures like Nathan, offers her protection.

But can she trust a man who is as much a demon as the one who wants her dead?

And the fourth piece of good news I got was from Samhain.  Weaving Words will be offered as a Kindle freebie from 15-28 December.  So a nice little Christmas present for all new Kindle owners :D

The End of Time

Posted in Doctor Who, The Master, The Master Says... on Monday, 16 November, 2009 by Kim Knox

There was major squeeage in our house last night – mainly to do with this trailer <–Massive Master fans what can we say? *grin*

Warflesh ~ available now!

Posted in Ellora's Cave, Warflesh, Writing on Friday, 13 November, 2009 by Kim Knox

warflesh_msrFina Brodie is warflesh. Enhanced by her government to bring ultimate pleasure, her negotiation skills secure anything her superiors want. The choice of pleasure she offers has always been hers. Until now. She’s not meeting Kian, Lord of the Tir, to negotiate for their mysterious spice-water. She’s payment.

And she’s not alone in bringing pleasure to the mysterious Tir leader. The man Kian has chosen to join them in the very sexual, very public spring festival has long headed her “never ever” list. Add the spice-water, which is rocket fuel to her already highly evolved libido, and it makes her reactions to Jonathon Raegh all the more dangerous.

But the Tir have a hidden agenda, and as the aphrodisiac qualities of the spice-water ignite long-suppressed lusts, all is revealed to Kian, Fina and Jon in the heat and passion of the arena.

Reader Advisory: Let there be no confusion. The spring festival is a sexual feast between two incredibly sexy men and one very lucky woman. Get the ice water ready!

Buy link and Excerpt

Excerpt Monday: Satin Spar

Posted in Excerpt Monday, Satin Spar, Writing on Saturday, 7 November, 2009 by Kim Knox

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or site! or click on the banner above.

Blurb

Scar’s marbled skin and stunted tail aren’t all that make her stand out. Her Caraniae DNA has a strange effect on the male of the species, which makes her career as a pilot perfect. The less interaction she has with people–with men–the better. She won’t risk her wayward pheromones bonding her forever to one man.

Then there’s her boss’s new bodyguard, Anthony Tyler. The pure-human is tight-lipped about his sketchy past. He also seems determined to work her prehensile tail off.

Once imprisoned and drummed out of the Corps for conduct unbecoming, Tyler is intrigued with his ship’s unheard-of, human-Caraniae hybrid. He spent his career fighting her kind, but when a message from home throws Scar into a tailspin, he finds himself drawn to help her in any way he can. Even if it means risking life and limb to help her sweat out her anger.

Their sparring session turns into something else. Something wildly sexual. Something so wrong as to be suicidal–if Scar’s father discovers she’s bonded with anyone other than the husband he’s forcing her to marry…

Warning: This book contains violence, nekkid wrestling and hot, alien-human naughtiness.

Satin Spar
(c) Kim Knox 2009
Buy Link

“What do you want me to do?”

She smiled that wicked Caraniae smile. Her strong thighs gripped him and before he knew exactly how, he was on his back. Surprise had worked his grip free and now she pinned his arms to the cool sand. “You disobeyed orders. How?”

“That’s not what I thought you’d ask.”

She smirked. “Satisfy my curiosity first.”

Time for the sanitised truth, the woman was half-Caraniae after all. “There was a suspected nest. We went in.” The Corps had ordered an atrocity at Vistern Ridge. With the end of the war, they’d buried that order and his career. Tyler pushed back the memories; they were a part of his old life. “I refused to authorise the clean up.”

“And that’s a euphemism for…?”

The muscles in his jaw tightened. “It’s not open for discussion.”

Scar leaned forward, pressing deliciously along his erection. Her mouth hovered over his, her lips almost touching. Just a simple tilt of his head would– “Want to discuss it now?”

“Why are you pressing this?”

“What? This?” And she shifted her hips in a slow slide that had him involuntarily thrusting up to meet her. “So…why are you here, Tyler?”

She was still asking him questions. Why the hell was she still asking him questions? “Scar…?”

“Rochester told you who my stepfather is, didn’t he?”

Tyler held down a curse. Sparring with her would’ve seemed natural. Throwing her on her back and offering her whatever she wanted…yes, didn’t he look obvious now? “He mentioned it in passing.”

Scar’s expression was unreadable as she sat up. The friction made him wince. His erection mocked him. “And you just thought you’d drop by, say hello, curry favour?” She wiggled and he sucked in a breath. “Offer me this?”

That wasn’t planned.”

Her mouth twisted and there was a hardness to her eyes, hiding…what? He wanted to label it nerves, but that would be crazy.

“An unexpected bonus?”

“Scar…”

She leapt up with an unnatural agility and offered her hand. “Let me try not to kill you.”

Tyler grabbed her hand and she pulled him effortlessly to his feet. “Suddenly this is not a good idea.”

“Really?”

Tyler shucked off his jacket and threw it beyond the edge of the arena. His fingers moved to his shirt and stopped. What was he doing? A fight felt more real, more immediate to him when air brushed his skin. But now, that would be so very wrong. He kicked off his boots and pulled at his socks instead. His toes curled into the warming sand.

“Finished?” Scar lifted an eyebrow. “Can we fight now?”

“Impatient for me to beat you?”

She burst forward, but he stopped her attempt to grab him, blocking her with a palm-strike. Dropping, she tried to strike him. Another block. She swung around and struck out again. She was quick, fast and strong. It was fun to play with her–

“You’re grinning. Think this is funny?” She growled and his balls tightened.

He staggered at the kick to his shin. She leapt, crashing him to the sand, and ripped at his shirt. She nipped at his neck with her teeth and Tyler’s vision blurred. Blood raced south. Her scent burned through him and he tugged at her undershirt, the thin cotton tearing across her back.

“Ah, so that’s what you want to play.” Her lips brushed against his throat, searing the words into his skin.

His hands slid down her spine and found her tail curling tight around his right wrist. It squeezed hard. “Scar…” He couldn’t help the low, warning snarl. “This is not playing fair.”

She lifted her head and grinned at him. “I want to fight, not fuck, Tyler.”

She whipped free of him, standing back, her body loose and ready to attack him again. Tyler rolled to his feet and tried to keep his eyes off her small, firm and now very exposed breasts. Fire flickered under his skin and the only thought that consumed him was his need to get her shorts off. Some insane voice in the back of his head screamed that she had to be naked. And so should he.

“Shall we make this interesting?”

Her green eyes narrowed as she edged around him, matching his movements. “Interesting, how?”

“You take a fall, you lose clothing.”

Scar stared down at her body. She looked back up at him from under her lashes, her eyebrow lifting. “I only have these. You have trousers and underwear. What say we make it even first?”

Tyler paused, to give the illusion that he was reluctant. But that small voice wanted his fingers to fly. His mouth pursed. “Fine.” And his trousers pooled at his feet. He threw them and both of their shredded shirts out of the arena. “Happy?”

Her smile was wicked. “When you’re on your back, I will be.”

His cock twitched. Her scent drifted above the sterile odour of the filtered air and the dryness of the sand, something sweet and intoxicating. His chest tightened. He wanted her–

Scar’s foot connected with his knee and he grunted. Muscle instinct took over and he grabbed her arm, yanking her forward and kicking out her legs. She thumped into the sand, face down. Tyler straddled her thighs. “One for me, I think,” he murmured. His fingers slid down her spine, easing over her ribs until he reached her hips. He hooked a finger into her shorts and twanged them.

“Okay, you got this one,” she muttered and he was certain there was a curse mixed in under her breath. “But after I get you…” her head turned and bright green eyes speared him, “…and I will, then the one who beats the other into submission is the winner. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Tyler murmured. “Now I take my reward.”

—————————————-

Thanks for reading!

Links to other Excerpt Monday writers

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Loose ID Hot Hooks Contest

Posted in Loose ID, Touch of a Dragon, Writing on Monday, 2 November, 2009 by Kim Knox

I made the Top Ten for this Loose ID contest on Sunday!  Yes, I’m late in posting.  It’s Twitter’s fault.  I definitely blog less now that I use that, lol

So, this is the hook and 250 that got me enough votes to send me to the next round. I’ve sent in the first thousand words of Touch of a Dragon. I’m not certain whether it’ll be an in-house choice of the Top Five or readers will again get to decide, but I should know whether I made it to the next stage by 19 November.

Story Hook for Touch of a Dragon
“Do you want to live?”

Half dead and under a heap of rubble, Leona Munro isn’t going to turn down that offer. Yet accepting, spins her life out of control. She is the Chosen and what that means no one will say.

Thrown into the world of magic she secretly craves, Leona must find the strength to survive. Too many people want to use what she is to their own advantage in the war between technology and magic. She can trust no one…least of all the sinfully attractive Samuel Blake.

First 250:
“Do you want to live?”

What the hell…?

I focused on the brown hand thrust into my face, held onto it like a lifeline. Everything else around me was a scorched blur. My heart beat hard and pain rode through my flesh. Did I want to live? Where was I? What had happened? Panic bubbled and words burst out. “What sort of insane question is that?” I choked and agony shot over my skull.

“Make a choice.”

I breathed slow, wanting to ease the fear, the pain enveloping me and refocused on the man’s hand, on the ring on his third finger. Heavy, white gold and ornate, it gleamed against his smooth, brown skin. Something about it itched, tugging at my memory, but my dull brain couldn’t help me remember. I concentrated on his question instead. Letting out a slow breath, my throat hurt. “Choice?”

More sensation worked its way through my fogged brain, breaking the pounding pain beating against my skull. Flagstones scraped against my cheek, my jaw. Cold air brushed against my skin and the thin taste of smoke, brick dust, the river’s damp air slid into my lungs. I swallowed and blood and grit thickened in my mouth. All right, I was lying down outside somewhere. Which made no sense. I’d been what…heading into work? And then what? Collapsed, passed out? Now some freak with insane questions had found me. Always my luck.

Warflesh has a cover :)

Posted in Covers, Ellora's Cave, Warflesh on Wednesday, 21 October, 2009 by Kim Knox

warflesh_msr

Warflesh

Releases 13 November 2009

Fina Brodie is warflesh. Enhanced by her government to bring ultimate pleasure, her negotiation skills secure anything her superiors want. The choice of pleasure she offers has always been hers. Until now. She’s not meeting Kian, Lord of the Tir, to negotiate for their mysterious spice-water. She’s payment.

And she’s not alone in bringing pleasure to the mysterious Tir leader. The man Kian has chosen to join them in the very sexual, very public spring festival, has long headed her “never ever” list. Add the spice-water, which is a rocket fuel to her already highly evolved libido, and it makes her reactions to Jonathon Raegh all that more dangerous.

But the Tir have a hidden agenda, and as the aphrodisiac qualities of the spice-water ignite long-suppressed lusts, Kian, Fina and Jon find it in the heat and passion of the arena.

Reader Advisory: Let there be no confusion. The spring festival is a sexual feast between two incredibly sexy men and one very lucky woman. Get the ice water ready!

The link to the excerpt is here

Satin Spar releases today

Posted in New Release, Samhain Publishing, Satin Spar on Tuesday, 20 October, 2009 by Kim Knox

Satin SparDRAFTV4Satin Spar is one of those stories that every writer has.  It’s bugged me, lurked in the back of my brain and would not go away.  Seriously, Scar and Tyler have been in my head in some form for more years than I want to admit.  I’ve toyed with them, given them different settings, lifestyles, endings…and then finally, probably out of sheer desperation, I gave my heroine, Scar, a tail.

Bam! The story fell into place in about three weeks. Characters are evil, aren’t they?

So, to go all Galaxy Quest: ‘Never give up, never surrender’ when it comes to characters who won’t leave you alone. Or alternatively, give them a tail and see what happens…

Here’s the blurb from Satin Spar, which releases today:

A prehensile tail has its advantages…

Scar’s marbled skin and stunted tail aren’t all that make her stand out. Her Caraniae DNA has a strange effect on the male of the species, which makes her career as a pilot perfect. The less interaction she has with people—with men—the better. She won’t risk her wayward pheromones bonding her forever to one man.

Then there’s her boss’s new bodyguard, Anthony Tyler. The pure-human is tight-lipped about his sketchy past. He also seems determined to work her prehensile tail off.

Once imprisoned and drummed out of the Corps for conduct unbecoming, Tyler is intrigued with his ship’s unheard-of, human-Caraniae hybrid. He spent his career fighting her kind, but when a message from home throws Scar into a tailspin, he finds himself drawn to help her in any way he can. Even if it means risking life and limb to help her sweat out her anger.

Their sparring session turns into something else. Something wildly sexual. Something so wrong as to be suicidal—if Scar’s father discovers she’s bonded with anyone other than the husband he’s forcing her to marry…

Warning: This book contains violence, nekkid wrestling and hot, alien-human naughtiness.

The book link is here
And you can read a short excerpt here

Her Dark Soul: A *very* sneaky peek *grin*

Posted in Excerpt Monday, Her Dark Soul, Wips, Writing on Friday, 9 October, 2009 by Kim Knox

Excerpt Monday LogoOnce a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You=2 0don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

This is still very much a wip.  It’s unedited and still unfinished, with probably about another 20-25k to go.  I’m playing with fantasy again.  I’ve not done that for a long time.  It’s fun.

Her Dark Soul

(c) 2009 Kim Knox

A tall man, as tall as the eunuch priests was a dark shadow in the high archway.  Ash bit her lip.  He stood straight, his outline against the brightness lean and strong.  An old man the goddess had smiled on?  Was that…

All thought wiped away as he strode towards them and Ash sucked in a quick breath.  The first thought that burned back into her brain was that he wasn’t old.  Far from it.  She willed her mouth shut, because she wanted to let it gape and simply hang there.  Marek the custodian was a man in his prime, with an angled, male face browned by the sun.  His eyes and thick hair were the same colour, as dark as shadow, matching his heavy wool cloak and solid leather boots.  Tavio’s memory paled beside Marek’s beauty and Ash’s face reddened as she felt the unexpected heavy pull of need low in her flesh.

“Marek.”  Nelek hustled forward and gave him a short bow.  Marek returned it with a fluid, physical grace that had Ash’s heart beating hard.  “Everything is prepared.”

Marek’s dark gaze moved away from the First Priest to slide over her, impersonal, assessing and Ash couldn’t help herself, she held her breath.  “Nothing was said about a ward.”  His voice was as dark, as strong as the rest of him and undercut with a hint of anger.  “This changes everything, Nelek.”

“The goddess has spoken.”  Nelek’s light voice sounded pleasant, reasonable, but Ash knew him.  He had risen to his high position for a reason.  Very few got the best of the First Priest of the goddess Fausta.  “And the emperor has placed his seal upon this action.”

A muscle jumped in Marek’s lean jaw and his gaze, which had never left her, narrowed.  Her stomach turned over at the flare of bitter anger burning in him.  “Show me.”

“Marek, you doubt—“

“Show me.”

The words were a low growl that lifted the hairs on the back of Ash’s neck and tingled down her spine.  Her birthmark burned and the unexpected reaction forced her to bit at her cheek to keep back her gasp.

Nelek clicked his fingers at one of the slaves.  The man gave the priest a quick nod and ran back through the smaller door into the priests’ compound.  Within moments, he returned with a scroll, around which curved the blood red and gold of the emperor’s seal.  Marek took it, broke the seal and scanned the contents.  He frowned.

He smacked the scroll back into the slave’s open palm and moved past Nelek.  Ash’s heart hammered as he approached her.  He stopped close enough for her to breathe in his scent, a mix of leather, unknown spices and male skin.  He leaned in.  She willed her spine straight, though her fingers crushed the leather strap of her satchel as his mouth hovered over hers.

“Marek!”

Ash ignored Nelek’s shrill voice.  Marek’s dark eyes speared her, and she almost lost herself in their endlessness.  Her lips parted and she tasted his breath, sweet, hot and the temptation of his mouth flared Ash’s body with desire.  The need to tease her tongue over his full bottom lip, to see if could possibly taste as good as he did in her wildly spinning imagination drove heat hard through her flesh, tightened her breasts.  She ached to press herself against the lean hardness of his body, for him to—

“And this is the best ward you have?”  His words spoken against her skin, his lips catching hers in a light caress, broke a gasp from her.  “I could bend her over and fuck her right here.”

Ash’s cheeks flamed and she staggered back from him, her spine hitting the cool stone of the atrium wall.

Marek lifted an eyebrow and his eyes gleamed, his gaze roaming over her body as hot and sharp as any of the slaves who had watched her.  “Yank up your robe.”

Two strides and he was almost pressed against her.  His male scent, the strength of his body pulsed through her, bringing with it a raw panic and a mortifying need.  They’d said he wouldn’t want this, that the custodian would protect her.  His lips teased the shell of her ear and liquid fire flickered low in her belly.

“Want me to breach you, ward?”

Ash cried out as he cupped her, his fingers pressing against the hot, aching flesh between her thighs.  “All right, let’s give the eunuch a show.”

“Marek!”

Nelek tugged at his arm, but Ash knew it was as if the first priest tugged at iron and Marek shoved the priest away.  His finger curled and the sudden sharp flare of almost overwhelming pleasure arched her into him.  “Are you a ward?”

He growled the words against her lips and the ache for him to kiss her, the surge of unknown heat tearing up through her flesh made her heart pound.  She didn’t want to talk, she wanted to taste him, thread her fingers through his thick hair and crush his mouth to hers.

“Are you?”  His finger pressed a slow circle into her flesh and she had to grab at his shoulders, her breath little more than pants.  “Show me.  Show us all.”

Thanks for reading!

“Links to other Excerpt Monday writers
Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.
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Pimpage – Scent of Cin by Ella Drake

Posted in Pimpage on Saturday, 3 October, 2009 by Kim Knox

Scent of Cin by Ella Drake

Death brought Cin her love, a sexy half-demon she can’t resist

Half-demon Vedo resurrects the newly-dead Cinnamon Murphy, detective, bane of the Hellions — and all woman. Vedo needs her to find his son, product of a forced union with a powerful demoness, but Vedo gets more than he bargains for. Once Cin is no longer a shade, her scent becomes a lure his Nephilim nature can’t resist. Cin finds that being raised from the dead gives her uncontrollable cravings for heat, especially for the hot man who needs her help, a man she’s sworn to kill.

Before publication, Scent of Cin was the 2008 novella winner of the Stroke of Midnight Contest, sponsored by Passionate Ink.

This erotic paranormal romance is available at Cobblestone Press.
Excerpt and more information available at www.elladrake.com.

Warflesh has a release date

Posted in Warflesh, Writing on Thursday, 1 October, 2009 by Kim Knox

Warflesh has a release date: 13 November 2009

I think that’s my last release for this year! lolol I’ve had a crop, more than I ever thought I’d have, so I’m very happy :)

Consort
Flesh and Shadows
Demonic Attraction
Dark Host
Chosen One
Ruthless Beauty
Satin Spar (20 October)
…and Warflesh.

Now I have to start to fill up next year… ;) I have these so far:

Breaking Chance (March)
Emergence (June)

Her Dark Soul is at 33k. I stalled at the beginning of the week, got slapped about the head by a couple of plot bunnies, had family things, Ruthless Beauty released and I’ve sort of flitted. So today, I have to see whether a demon sub is viable and get back to Her Dark Soul at the weekend.