Melting
Shadows
Rhea
Rhodan
Genre:
Romantic Suspense, with a Fantasy twist
Publisher:
Rhea Rhodan
Date
of Publication: March 4, 2016
ISBN:
978-1523859375
ASIN:
B01CEYVHGU
Page
Count: 259 (Kindle)
Page
Count: 342 (pb)
Word
Count: 80K
Cover
Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book
Description:
When
fantasy and reality collide, only love can be believed.
Shattered
by a brutal attack and forced to flee, painfully withdrawn Dr.
Prudence Marsh buries her emotions under numbing logic. For years,
her escapes to a fantasy world created to survive her hellish past
have been nothing more than a guilty pleasure. But when the host of
the safe house turns out to be a dead ringer for her dream warrior,
she fears she’s lost her precious mind along with everything else.
Ex-SEAL
Max Delaney has been known to dabble in a hot, delicious mess—or
two, or three. He has no idea how to handle a cold, sour one.
Blackmailed into babysitting Dr. Marsh in his hidden bunker while she
finishes a top-secret project sucks. Until he falls for her. Then it
blows. Every clue Max unravels buys him more questions. Every step
forward lands him two steps back, flat on his ass.
Demons
past, present, and future haunt Max and Prudence as they stumble
along the twisting path to love. Merciless enemies and shifting
alliances drive both to desperate measures, tumbling them over the
border between shadow and substance—where each must choose what,
and whom, to believe.
Excerpt:
He whispered praise
in her ear, “That’s it. Now don’t you feel better?”
She shivered in
response, though her hands at his back had warmed. He smiled into the
fresh scent of her hair and wrapped her more tightly in his arms. She
was his now; even if she didn’t know it yet.
With firm, subtle
pressure, he brought her head to rest on his shoulder. Her hands
tightened around him, then, finally, her body relaxed fully into his.
Her sigh was what
did him in, what scrambled his brain and sent the jolt to his heart,
then racing lower, hotter. He swallowed hard. Patience was suddenly a
whole lot scarcer than it had been a minute ago.
The Balconies. Any
one of the half dozen private patios facing the ocean would do. Each
of the double doors was chaperoned by a broad back discreetly turned
from the couples enjoying the seclusion they offered. It was one of
the unique and best features of the club.
With experienced
ease, he guided his plunder across the dance floor to the nearest
unoccupied one. “You’re a bit flushed. Would you like some ocean
air? The view is great.”
She blushed and
murmured something indistinct he chose to take as assent. Another
covert tip and nod to the bouncer—the same one who’d been at the
VIP gate, still wearing the frown—and their path was clear.
The moon cast a
diamond-strewn path across the water and glimmered in her depths of
her eyes. He wanted to climb into that fire and stay there until
Judgment Day.
After a few gulps of
the salty night air, she said, “Thank you, Mr. Delane. I’m afraid
the effects of the alcohol may have—”
“It’s Delaney."
He squeezed her hand. “Calling me Max would solve the problem, you
know."
“I’m still not
certain I’m comfortable—”
“We can’t have
that. I want you very comfortable.” He kept his voice low and
soothing, ran his hands up her tantalizingly bare arms to cup her
face. She gasped at his touch, her eyes widened and her lips parted.
He’d meant the
kiss to be subdued, a simple brushing of mouths, and that’s how it
started. But he couldn’t stop what followed. Couldn’t keep his
hand from gripping the back of her head; holding it at the best angle
for his access; from tracing her lips with his tongue and gently
opening her mouth to accept it; prevent his other hand from roaming
between the cool satin of her hair and the warm silk of her dress to
the swell of her sweet, tight ass; squeezing it, and pulling her
close. Close enough for her to feel the rock hard extent of his
hunger. Close enough for him to feel the moist heat of hers—God
help him with what control he had left.
Her arms circled his
waist, her delicate, surprisingly strong hands pressed into his back,
stroked, pulled at him in helpless, inexperienced little tugs that
made him want to push up her dress and set her on the railing, wrap
those long legs around his waist, and—
“Please, Delane.”
The desperate ache in her plea squeezed him like a fist and echoed
all the way to his toes. He shook with the effort to clamp down on
his lust.
“‘Max.’ Say
it, Prue. Say it and I’ll take you to paradise, sweetheart. C’mon,”
he whispered it into her ear, then nipped it tenderly. Understanding
why he needed that particular surrender wasn’t important, winning
it was.
He slipped the hand
on her ass under her dress, ran his finger under the lace of her
panties, reached to stroke the hot velvet, teasing her, driving
himself to the knife edge of desire.
“Oh…ah…M-M-Ma—”
A warning rush of
overused air boxed his ears a few seconds before a shrill voice
pierced them. “There you are, Max, darling! I thought this was our
balcony. Remember? A couple of weeks ago we…”
Bam. Just like that,
Prue froze in his arms. He opened his eyes and saw the shutters slam
over hers, dousing the lighthouse, leaving him at sea in empty
darkness.
About
the Author:
Award-winning
author Rhea Rhodan resides in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She’s been
telling herself stories since long before she learned to write. She
attended the University of Minnesota with a focus on Journalism, then
Brown Institute for Broadcast Journalism. After many adventures,
misadventures, and a couple of short marriages, she found the love of
her life in Regensburg, Germany, and has been living happily ever
after since.
She
journaled those adventures extensively (some might say rabidly)
beginning in middle school, but didn't combine her writing and
story-telling until several years ago, when one of the stories
grabbed her by the throat and shook her like a rag doll until she
gave in and wrote it. Having tasted freedom, her muse refuses to
return to the confines of her head, and has successfully turned the
tables, keeping her at the keyboard to appease it.
She
welcomes feedback and fan mail :>). You can join her on Facebook
and Goodreads, too. Rhea is always happy to meet new friends.
For
(very) occasional updates with great contests, subscribe to Rhea's
newsletter on her website.
Tour
Giveaway:
$50
Amazon Gift Card
Thank you for having me on Paranormal Tendencies. The Amazon gift card is for $40 (sorry for the confusion). Here is the Rafflecopter link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc1321/
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me, Mindy. The Amazon gift card is for $40. Sorry for the confusion. Here is the Rafflecopter link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc1321/
ReplyDelete