A
Pirate’s Curse
Legends of the Soaring Phoenix
Legends of the Soaring Phoenix
Book
One
M.L.
Guida
Genre: Historical paranormal
romance
Publisher: Buffalo Mountain Press
Date of Publication: June 30, 2013
ISBN: 978-1490592992 (print)
ASIN: BOODQ3BOLC
Number of pages: 326
Cover Artist: Kim Killion, Hot
Damn Designs
Book Description:
Like a dark angel, Captain Kane
O'Brien rescues Hannah Knight and her father from drowning after vampire
pirates murder their crew and sink their ship. Struggling to control and hide
her telekinetic powers, Hannah discovers the honorable and bold captain
possesses his own secrets.
Every full moon, Kane turns into
a vampire. Finding out Hannah not to be the cabin boy she resembles, but a
beautiful, luscious woman, tempts all his appetites. Desperate to be free of
his curse, Kane considers handing Hannah over to a demon. But after Hannah uses
her power to save his ship from his immortal enemy, Kane can no longer deny his
attraction and vows to protect Hannah with his life.
To find true love, they must
combine their powers to defeat evil vampires, thwart Hannah's misogynist fiancé
and escape a crafty demon.
Excerpt:
Lightning crashed outside. Hannah
trembled and her fingers clutched someone’s wet shirt, but ’twasn’t hers. Rain
pelted against a window or was it against the walls. The beating of a heart
matched the rain. Was the heartbeat hers or someone else’s? Her brain refused
to unravel the situation.
“Easy lass.” She liked the roll
of the male voice rich with an Irish timbre and snuggled deeper into a wet
chest.
He laid her gently down on a soft
mattress. “You foolish lass,” he whispered, his spicy breath washing over her,
as he brushed her hair out of her face.
The captain? Kane, yes that’s
right. He had picked her up. His face came in clearer. His wet hair dripped
down onto his soaked shirt. His damp eyelashes outlined his emerald eyes, the
same eyes studying her with concern. Why was he concerned? She wanted to say
something, but couldn’t form the words and a moan escaped her.
“Blimey,” he uttered.
“Have I done something wrong?”
His handsome face turned grim.
She blinked, struggled to rouse herself, and shook her head, but the dull ache
refused to allow her to focus on anything but Kane’s stormy eyes.
His soft fingers, brushing hair
away from her eyes, sent shivers down her. “What were you doing out there? One
angry wave could have carried you out to sea where only Poseidon himself could
find you.”
Kane's words were more like an
endearment than a scolding. Pain gripped her and her jumbled thoughts and
blurry vision played havoc with her senses.
’Twas a sin, but she couldn’t
tear her eyes away from his tempting lines. His mouth was angular, firm. What
would it feel like to kiss him? She had never been kissed. How strange if a
pirate was the first man to kiss her. Why was she thinking about kissing?
Inappropriate. Completely
inappropriate.
“You’re wet,” he murmured. He
wrapped his arm, around her, pulling her to a sitting position, steadying her
on the bed. She put her hand on her forehead, her other hand resting against
his chest. His white shirt was so creamy against his tanned skin that she
leaned forward, stuck out her tongue, and licked him.
He sucked in his breath. “What
are you doing lass?” His accent heavy and strained.
“I wanted to see if you tasted
like cream.”
“Jaaysus, do I?”
“No, you taste like wet
pirate.”
He pushed her back. Nimble
fingers undid her shirt. “What are you doing?”
“You’re shivering,” he murmured.
“We have to get you in dry clothing.” He gently slipped her arms out of the
sleeves.
Damp air gripped her and her
teeth chattered. Cold sweat broke out around her. How could she be cold when
sweat ran down her body as if she were out on deck in the hot sun?
She opened her eyes or at least
one did. Her right eye throbbed and remained shut. Why couldn’t she open it?
She grabbed his hand. “No.” He shook off her limp hand.
“Hmmm, you’re wet, too.”
The mattress was surprisingly
soft against her back and he was so handsome. Her naughty arms longed to reach
up around his neck and pull him down on top of her where she could indulge in
exploring his sinful lips. A shocked giggle escaped her mouth.
He
scowled. “Are you laughing at me?”
She
shook her head, suppressing a grin. “Not at all.”
His
tanned, leaned fingers went to the buttons at her untied the laces of his tunic
she wore.
She
froze. “What are you doing?”
“Don't
worry, lassie, you're treasures are safe from me.”
Her mind refused to answer. Kane
jerked off her boots and undid her breeches. Was he going to rape her?
She tried to scream but her words
caught in her throat. Mother of God, she was naked.
She swayed on the bed and tried
to summon her anger or her power, but all she could feel was the splitting pain
in her head. Closing her eyes, she whispered, “I can’t think. Pain keeps
clouding my thoughts.”
Kane ran gentle exploring fingers
through her hair and she sighed.
His soft touch dulled the pain
and she leaned into his hand. “That feels so good.”
His finger ran over the back of
her skull and a sharp pain stabbed her head. She winced. “Ow.”
“You’ve got a nasty bump on the
back of your head, lass.” He parted her hair, sending chills through her. “’Tis
not bleeding. A good sign, but your thunderin’ head won’t thank you in the
morning.”
“I like your
fingers playing with my hair.”
His fingers slid across her head
and glided through her damp strands. “You do?”
“Your hands are gentle. Soft.”
“Soft?”
She clasped his hand, caressing
it with her thumb. The roughness spoke of his days in the sun, but he wasn’t
always rough. She brought his hand to
her cheek, nestling against him. “Maybe not soft, but you’re gentle with them.
I like the feel of your hands on my skin.”
“Lassie,” he said. “You’re
testing my limits.”
About
the Author:
M.L. Guida lives in Colorado near
the Rocky Mountains. She loves to take her cocker spaniel, Sadie, for walks on
the trails behind her house. The preternatural has always interested M.L. and
even as young girl, she'd read Alfred Hitchcock's The Three Young
Investigators. Her favorite book in his series was the Mystery of the Green
Ghost. It was a big hit in the third grade.
Today, she continues to love the
paranormal and one of her favorite shows is Supernatural. Yes, she's a Sam and
Dean Winchester fan. Her favorite monster is a vampire. Bram Stoker and Ann
Rice got her hooked. Who wouldn't love a sexy man biting you on the neck?
M.L. Guida just finished
obtaining her Master of Arts in Creative Writing and now currently, has two
masters. The other is a Master of Social Work.
She currently is writing for
Passion in Print with her Angels of Death series and has a contract with
Lyrical Press and will be releasing a new paranormal novella in March 2014. She
is currently working on her new Legends of the Soaring Phoenix and plans to
release the first novel in the summer of 2013.
She is a member of Colorado
Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America.
@ml_mlguida
No comments:
Post a Comment