When a mysterious outsider shows her the impossible, can she unveil old secrets… and step into destiny?
Angelina Arbonne is obsessed with history. Driven by a passion for travel, the thirty-five-year-old archaeologist has no time for love. But she can’t resist knowing more when she’s stalked by a hopelessly gorgeous stranger who claims he’s a vampire king.
With her handsome suitor leading her through the hidden society of the long-lived, Angelina’s heart begins to beat to an intriguing new tune. But with an ancient magical war brewing, dating a two-thousand-year-old is giving her second thoughts about becoming an immortal queen…
Can they bridge their improbable age gap and enjoy an eternal happily ever after?
A New Queen is the compelling first book in the A History of Vampires paranormal romance series. If you like intelligent characters, original storylines, and historical themes, then you’ll adore Amanda Lewis’ enthralling tale.
**The Weight of Birds – 2020 Silver Medal Winner – Contemporary Christian Romance, Reader’s Favorite Awards**
Amanda lives in Alabama, with her husband and cat. She enjoys IKEA cinnamon rolls and trying new recipes of macaroni and cheese.
To subscribe to The Story Behind the Story newsletter, and become a member of the Society of M.O.E., please visit https://www.patreon.com/theamandalewis
Dangerous. Tortured. Desperate. King Ryker of the Draquonir will make one last sacrifice to save his people and his kingdom before he loses control of the raging beast inside him. Dragon kind are dwindling, no longer able to hunt for their true mates in this contemporary, high-tech world.
Ryker must do something no dragon has ever done before; have a child with a human woman he has no desire to touch, a woman his dragon refuses to take as a mate. Arrangements have been made. A queen chosen. A loveless, chaste marriage of convenience. No passion. No dragonfire. Nothing but contracts and medical procedures to sire an heir. This is the only way his race will survive.
Katy Toure is tired of cleaning up her identical twin’s messes, but when her sister calls in a panic, unable to get to an important business meeting worth millions of dollars, Katy just can’t say no. All Katy has to do is walk out of her dead-end job, grab her sister’s passport, fly to Italy, pretend to be her sister for a few days, sign some contracts and take the vacation she’s always dreamed about.
No one will know she’s an imposter. No one ever knows.
But Katy has never tried to fool a dragon who scents his mate..
“Buona sera, mia regina. May I join you for a drink?”
The deep voice came from a man standing next to her and Katy tore her attention from the dancing couple to look up. And up.
Their gazes locked and Katy forgot to breathe. She flushed with pleasure. Excitement. The fantasy sex god had arrived as if on cue. And he’d just called her something his, she knew at least that much Italian. Her toes curled. Her nipples hardened into tight, aching pebbles. Desire bolted through her body as the air nearly crackled with sexual tension. Out of all the hot, single Italian women in the club, he singled her out. Picked her. A glance to the side showed at least half a dozen women glaring daggers at her. She didn’t care.
“Yes. I mean, sì, signore.” Katy’s voice took on a husky sound she’d never heard before. But then, she’d never been this aroused by just looking at a man either. Sex god might be an understatement. He was gorgeous. Perfect. His smell…
God, his smell.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as his cologne surrounded her and made her body burn. Her breasts grew heavy and her panties were instantly soaked with desire.
She wanted more. She wanted to bury her nose in his neck and nibble on his skin. Rub herself all over him. Absorb him. Mark him somehow, as hers.
“I’m going crazy.” She whispered the words to herself but didn’t open her eyes. Not yet. Not when she could still taste his scent on her tongue and her body was on fire. She needed to gain control of herself. Calm down.
He slid into the seat next to her and placed his hand, palm up, in the center of the table. A blatant invitation.
Katy didn’t want to resist. She needed to touch him. She slid her hand into his and gasped as heat filled her entire body. Raw lust. Desire. It was like she’d fallen into a hot bath and her mind went blank. All she could think about was kissing him the way the couple on the dance floor had been kissing. Pressing her body to his. Feeling his strong hands grip her hips. Melting into his heat. Reveling in his scent as it enveloped her.
“Dance with me.”
Katy’s heart pounded in her chest. The club was loud, the music thumping. She shouldn’t have been able to hear his quietly spoken words, but his voice was so deep it carried straight to her ears, vibrated through her body and set her core to throbbing. His English was perfect, the accent exotic. Sexy. Not quite like the other Italians she’d spoken with while shopping. She couldn’t quite place it. Didn’t care. “Yes.”
Katy allowed Ryker to lead her onto the dance floor. As the music pounded around them he pulled her in close. She went readily into his arms, her body suddenly pliant, melting into his strength. He growled low, pulling her in even closer. Molding her body to his. He bent his head slowly toward her, allowing her time to resist. She wanted this. Wanted his lips on hers. Without conscious thought, her gaze grew slumberous, her long, dark lashes swept down to cover her eyes as she waited breathlessly for his kiss.
His lips were pure fire. Heat flowed through her like nothing she’d ever felt before as he conquered her mouth with his own, his large frame folding around her until she felt like they were the only two people in the world. She’d read novels where one kiss made a woman forget her own name but had never experienced it. Until now.
“Ryker.”
“Hmmm?” His response sounded as drunk on desire as she felt. They had melted into one body, one being, and she clung to him without shame or hesitation. She moved with him on the dance floor, the music barely registering. He moved, so she moved. His scent filled her lungs, made her feel like she was a wild thing and somehow, he belonged to her now. Was hers to do with as she wished.
Becca Brayden spends her days writing and her nights dreaming up her next hot adventure with even hotter alien hunks. A Colorado native, she has lived in New Zealand, Florida, Alabama, Kansas and loves to travel in direct proportion to how much she hates to cook. Chocolate makes her happy, licorice makes her cringe, and despite the cult following – she hates pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice lattes. (More for you!) Natural wanderlust has given her a deep love for Mediterranean food and a bookshelf filled with everything from philosophy to sexy romance.
She believes that if we are to save our great planet and all its amazing inhabitants, we must put aside our differences and collectively work together!!
You can catch her enjoying a cup of hot cocoa at her website www.BeccaBrayden.com
Grace Goodwin is a USA Today and international bestselling author of Sci-Fi and Paranormal romance with nearly one million books sold. Grace’s titles are available worldwide in multiple languages in ebook, print and audio formats. Two best friends, one left-brained, the other right-brained, make up the award-winning writing duo that is Grace Goodwin. They are both mothers, escape room enthusiasts, avid readers and intrepid defenders of their preferred beverages. (There may or may not be an ongoing tea vs. coffee war occurring during their daily communications.) Grace loves to hear from readers.
After returning to her hometown, inheriting her late cousin’s estate, and solving a mystery, Harper Kagel was ready for some rest and relaxation. When some friends from her Cold Case Club make plans to head to a nearby bed and breakfast, Harper looks forward to a few days in the lap of luxury.
The secret crime solving society no sooner leaves the Steepwick town limits when there’s a development in an age-old cold case. Their excitement over the possibility of solving this mystery pales in comparison to something else–a murder in their backyard.
Promises of days lounging by the pool give way to sleuthing as the intrepid group takes on the challenge of finding a killer. Once she returns home, Harper has the added pressure of sensing the presence of her ancestors in her newly inherited home.
But what are the ancestors trying to tell her? And will it cause a rift with the newly regenerated relationship she has with her ex?
Harper, Einstien, and the rest of the Cold Case Club find themselves on the trail of another criminal. And this is a very complicated case with lots of off links. I honestly couldn’t follow how they figured it out. It was just too convoluted and intermingled with a different case they had been working on.
While the mystery didn’t seem to flow for me, the last part of the book really focuses on Harper and her relationship with her past and her family. I loved this part and wished there was more of a focus on Harper and her character growth. I enjoy the other ladies in the Cold Case Club, but they tend just to run together, and I can’t keep them apart.
Much of this book takes place at a beautiful bed and breakfast on a cliffside with a gorgeous view, but I never really got to see a lot of it. After it was described once, it seemed like it was forgotten until parts of the location were important to the investigation. I wanted to feel the warm sun while they were talking at the pool and shudder as they looked over the edge of the cliff, but I never really felt any of that.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
