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Delilah Devlin, New Releases

My Crazy Month of Releases!

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I have five, count them, FIVE releases this month! It’s crazy. And there’s no way I can adequately get the word out for them all. Here’s a quick rundown. If any strike your fancy, click on the cover and read an excerpt! ~DD

May 1 — The Warrior’s Touch


Lieutenant Farideh Kalani expected her time-traveling assignment in ancient Scythia to be difficult, but fitting in with Amazon warriors is easy compared to being partnered with Sergeant First Class Caleb MacAvoy. The Texan soldier is infuriatingly smug and undeniably sexy. Then with one kiss, he awakens all Farideh’s desires. Now she’ll have to keep an eye on her mission and try to resist her attraction to Caleb. Because he’s the one man who might be able to breach the walls she’s built around her heart….

* * * * *

May 13 — Begging For It

She needs punishment…before she deserves pleasure.

Tragedy scarred TJ Lipton. Now, the only way she can find pleasure is when its delivered with a heavy-handed dose of S&M. But finding a lover who can give her what she needs proves an elusive quest—until she finds the sex club Unfettered and a Dom named Cross McNally.

Cross understands all too well what drives TJ. He takes command of her body to give her everything she needs—restraint, the stinging kiss of a flogger, the thrill of a three-way—a sexual adventure that pulls her beyond her painful past and has her begging for more of his tender brand of domination.

* * * * *

May 26 — Her Soul to Keep

One night of pleasure…

His name is Viper—a dark mysterious enigma who rules the seedy, dangerous vampiric underworld. For one night, he will escape his murky prison and tempt an innocent.

…can last a lifetime…

Beautiful Mariah haunts him. Lures him from his den with a glimpse of his past. One she doesn’t remember. This night, he’ll be her dream lover. He’ll seduce her, make her fall in love with him—then leave her. Again.

One night of pleasure is all they must know.

* * * * *

Plus, featured in two Cleis Press collections…

Covers, romance, Shayla Black, This and That

March Mania!

Have you ever heard the old saying that March roars in like a lion and out like a lamb? For me, that hasn’t been the case at all! The whole month been roaring with one thing after another. I’m, not sure where the time is going!

The first thing I want to say is thank you to all of you who bought a copy of SURRENDER TO ME during its first week of release! It has debuted on New York Times trade bestseller list for the first time! I am humbled and thrilled. I really appreciate you!!! The book also debuted at #6 on the Neilsen Bookscan trade romance bestseller list, at #1 on the Borders romance trade bestseller list and #40 on the Barnes & Noble trade fiction bestseller list. I am super excited and I thank you so much!

I recently finished BELONG TO ME, the next book in my Wicked Lovers series! When I typed “The End”, it was with a deep sense of satisfaction. I absolutely LOVE Logan and Tara. Their relationship is so hot and tender. It kind of melted me a little. *sigh* I love this series and hope to continue writing it for a very long time. I’ll be starting Tyler’s book next, and I’m feeling really excited. I can’t wait!

I just received the cover for this book from my publisher. I really love it and think it conveys the love and passion that this couple has for one another! I am always thrilled with the amount of input they give me on my covers.

BELONG TO ME is already up for pre-sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For those of you in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I will be at signing books with fellow authors Nikki Duncan, Angi Morgan and Candace Havens at the Barnes & Noble in Lewisville, TX on April 16, 2011 at 2pm. We’re planning on making it a spring fling celebration, and I am really looking forward to it!

Lastly, there is now a group of Role Players just starting to play the Doomsday Brethren on Facebook! When they approached me about this I was so excited and honored! You can find them on Facebook by searching for Doomsday Brethren, then joining the public page.

And if you haven’t heard I have joined the Twitter revolution! You can follow me at @Shayla_Black.

Hope the rest of March is fabulous for everyone!

Shayla Black

New Doomsday Brethren releases!

I thought this week would NEVER get here. Like NEVER. I’ve never had a double-release week, so this is awesome! I can’t tell you how excited I am about ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT. I think Duke became one of my favorite heroes ever and totally surprised me…but I’m getting ahead of myself. Today, I’m going to put up a new excerpt and tease you with a few questions from an upcoming interview with Duke.

Entice Me At Twilight
Doomsday Brethren Series, Book 4 – Duke’s story
Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
ISBN: 978-1439166772
Release Date: October 26, 2010
Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Books-A-Million | Simon & Schuster | Indie Bound | Target | Overstock
Download eBook: Kindle | Nook | Kindle UK

In national bestselling author Shayla Black’s electrifying new novel, the Doomsday Brethren fight their mortal enemy for the newest weapon in a bloody magical war: the only woman a magical warrior shouldn’t claim…and the one he can’t resist.

Dangerously handsome Simon Northam, Duke of Hurstgrove, and his uptight barrister brother hardly get along, but crashing Mason’s wedding and stealing his fiancée take sibling rivalry to a new level. Duke’s family knows nothing of his magical prowess or the Doomsday Brethren, so how can he explain that mankind’s fate lies with the beautiful, tenacious bride he longs to seduce for himself?

Felicia is an Untouchable, a rare human whose presence disables magic—even the impenetrable forces surrounding Morganna le Fay’s tomb. The evil witch’s malicious powers could propel nefarious wizard Mathias to ultimate world domination . . . if he can resurrect her. To conceal herself, Felicia must heed her simmering desires to mate with Duke, but he risks binding his life—and sanity—to a lover whose loyalty may be forever torn. He faces a terrible choice: betray his brother for ultimate survival… or lose the woman who tempts him beyond control.

“A little magic, romance and gripping suspense combine to create an enchanting tale. This is truly a top-notch addition to the Doomsday Brethren series.” ~ RT Book Review

5 Blue Ribbons! “Passionate, magical, and just downright sexy…ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT is the perfect story…” ~ Romance Junkies

“…once again the reader is swept away into a world of danger and magic as the characters grow and the plot thickens. A great series and a wonderful read!” ~ Fresh Fiction

“The latest Doomsday Brethren romantic fantasy, ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT, is a stupendous thriller… Shayla Black entices readers to stay up long past Twilight to finish this terrific tale.” ~ Harriet Klausner

5 stars! “Shayla Black is a premier writer of passionate yet emotional novels. Danger, passion and emotion make ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT an attention-grabbing read during every engrossing scene.” ~ Single Titles

Top Pick! “Entice Me at Twilight is an action packed, emotionally intense novel that will enchant the heart… Another great read by Shayla Black that will be added to my keeper shelf.” ~ Night Owl Romance

“…hot and emotional, grabbing readers from the beginning, and the action will keep you on the edge of your seat. ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT is a book I highly recommend.” ~ Romance Reviews Today

Excerpt

© Shelley Bradley LLC

A sudden crash of the door against the wall, coupled with a feral growl, startled Felicia. Her blood froze and her heart flipped over. Fearing attack, she whirled. It wasn’t Mathias and the Anarki. Instead, she found danger of another kind.

Hurstgrove. His hair was uncharacteristically mussed, as if he’d raked a hand through it over and over. His pupils were dilated. A flush darkened his bronzed face. His wide chest, visible beneath his half unbuttoned shirt, rose and fell with each agitated breath. Need jumped through her belly, then pulsed lower.

“Felicia.” His normally cultured voice rattled across the room, echoing off the walls. Stark. Aggressive.

Sexual.

Oh dear God. His intent was unmistakable. He’d come to claim her.

Felicia bit her lip as her gaze traveled down, over Hurstgrove’s hard abdominals and narrow hips to see— Bloody hell. He was aroused. Very.

In response, her body throbbed, the ache deep, strong, demanding. She released a ragged breath, her yearning to touch him so deep, she clenched her fist to contain it.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the other women exchange meaningful glances.

Felicia frowned. “Hurstgrove, I—”

“Damn it! My bloody name is Simon.” He charged across the room and clasped her in a feverishly tight grip. “You are my mate. Say my name.”

She hesitated. If she did, would the added intimacy give him the green light to ravish her and draw her deeper under his spell? They should seal this union. But as desperately as she wanted him, how could sharing a bed with him not affect her heart?

No doubt he was the sort of lover who made lying back and thinking of England impossible. She shivered. It wasn’t merely the sex—at which Felicia had no doubt he’d be quite skilled—but the intimacy. His kisses. His touch. His sensual heat. His whispered words. His possession. All would deepen her feelings, put her heart in peril. The part of her that had never stopped weeping after Deirdre’s death was terrified of being that unguarded with anyone again.

Felicia tried to ease away from Hurstgrove. His grip held like iron. Both panic and excitement zipped through her.

He glared at the other women. “Get out. Now.”

Jaws dropping, Kari exited quickly, followed by Sydney and Anka. Olivia paused to pat her shoulder on her way out the door.

“Wait!” she called after them.

They went on, falling quickly out of sight. Only Sabelle lingered in the doorway.

Felicia tried to swallow her rising desire and anxiety. “What’s happening?”

Hurstgrove’s fingers dug deeper into her shoulders. “What should have happened the moment you spoke the Binding. I’m going to kiss you, then sink deep inside of you until you know exactly which brother you belong to.”

Felicia sucked in a breath, her insides pulsing at his words.

“It’s mating fever,” Sabelle murmured. “His instincts… He kissed you some days ago, sending his body into awareness. Once he spoke the Call, he became a ticking bomb.” Regret spread over her soft features. “Sorry. I should have realized…”

That Hurstgrove would become sexually demanding? Felicia stared up into his blunt, dominating stare. He wanted her; he meant to take her.

Ignoring her attraction was her best means of self-preservation. Two days ago, she could have. The past twenty-four hours had peeled back his layers, proving he was brave, committed, smart, self-sacrificing. After fleeing through the night with Hurstgrove, kissing him, Binding to him, something in her had changed. She’d cleaved to him in some way that had nothing to do with the words they’d exchanged and everything to do with her feelings for him. Knowing he’d visited a surrogate had ripped her open with a hurt she didn’t want to experience again. But if she refused him, she would.

Doing without him now would hurt her more.

Felicia rubbed at her forehead in confusion. For the first time, she was tempted to indulge in the heady rush of sensations and emotions coursing through her…even at the risk to her heart.

Still, if his fixation with her faded, Hurstgrove could crush her. If? No, when. But what would happen if she rejected him now, didn’t seal this union? Mathias would find her and kill them both.

“What’s happened to him?” she whispered to the witch.

Hurstgrove leaned closer until Felicia felt the heat of his body pouring off in waves. A drum beat of desire pounded inside her. “Buckle up, Sunshine. I plan to strip you bare and taste you, before I sink my cock inside you, so deep for so long, you won’t remember ever being without me.”

Felicia’s desire ramped up viciously.

“It’s a fever. It will pass,” Sabelle assured. “If you don’t want this, I’ll call my Aunt Millie. She can sedate him. She’ll only need to keep him under for a few weeks. A month at most.”

A month! Everything inside her rebelled against that. It was too cruel. And too dangerous.

Hurstgrove had risked everything to save her, done his best to respect her boundaries, even allowing himself to sink into this fever, rather than press her. Even now, with every muscle taut and trembling, he restrained himself, awaiting her reply.

“If we don’t sedate him?” She heard her own voice shake.

Sabelle hesitated, looking as if she was deciding how to break bad news.

Having no such qualms, Hurstgrove gripped Felicia’s chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “There isn’t anything or anyone that will stop me from taking you in every way I possibly can, every moment of every day, until you know you’re mine.”

* * *

Here’s a little snippet of my Q & A with Duke. Enjoy…

Question: I know that most of the wizards were not familiar fighting without using magic. What is it like during one of Marrok’s training sessions?

Answer: Utter hell. In fact, when Felicia asks me about my ability to perform a physical task, I assure her it’s no trouble at all because Marrok is like the most demanding personal trainer. On fast forward. In an endless loop. I don’t look forward to Marrok’s training sessions, but they’re necessary.

Question: You’re family isn’t aware of your powers. How are you able to keep your family from finding out?

Answer: Shortly after my transition, I distanced myself from my remaining family. As a grown man, my mother wasn’t terribly surprised by further cutting of the apron strings, but I apparently alienated my younger half-brother with not only my reserve, but I inadvertently seduced his French tutor, on whom he had a crush. It was the beginning of years of animosity. While painful, it served my purpose.

Question: I hear your brother is getting married. What do you think of his bride?

Answer: Lovely woman. Gorgeous, intriguing, prickly, sexy as the devil… She doesn’t belong with him. Mason and Felicia are definitely friends, but something more? I cannot see that happening. Ever. I regret that I must steal her away from their wedding in order to keep her safe, but I won’t have her in jeopardy for any reason…

I got my copies on Monday of ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT. Hope you’ll do the same!

Shiloh Walker

Buy a book…save the world…

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What’s this, you say?
It’s a brilliant idea that will solve every problem in the world. Forever…
Well, not really. But if you’re here, chances are you are a reader. Which means going out and buying one book can make a difference.

Found over at Alison Kent’s blog who found it via Editorial Lass.

For anyone who cares about the book publishing industry and wants to do their part, there’s one simple action step:

Buy a book this weekend.

Just buy one.

Buy your sister a book instead of a sweater for her birthday; buy your friend who can’t even make toast or boil water a beginner’s cookbook; buy your company’s receptionist a novel you liked because most people probably ignore him/her (it’s always a her, though, isn’t it?) and you’ll make his/her day.

Buy your holiday gifts now. Instead of a CD for your brother, buy him a book on his favorite recording artist.

Instead of going to the library this one week buy the book you were going to read–it might only be a difference of a couple of bucks in the end. One day this week, make a peanut butter sandwich, skip going out for lunch, and buy a paperback.

(…)

It doesn’t matter what. It doesn’t have to be a literary fiction hardcover. If could be a $5.99 mass market nutrition guide, a $4.99 young reader chapter book, a Harlequin romance. Your money will still prevent returns of other books (…) Even if it’s not by your favorite author or your favorite publishing house, your favorites will be indirectly affected.

It doesn’t matter where. Sure, buying at the chains will help against the returns, but you can help out the publisher with your purchase no matter how you get it, even on the internet.

So go find a shiny, pretty new book to buy.  Whether it’s $5 bucks on a new paperback at the local discount store or $25 on a book at the local bookstore, buy a new book.  It might seem weird, but if enough people pick up just one or two new books over the holiday season, it can make one big difference.  And just in case you’d like a recommendation… *G* You could pick up The Missing at any of these fine establishments.

Borders

Powell’s

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

New Releases, Shiloh Walker

Through the Veil releases today 6/3/08

Photobucket

~*~

Here’s an excerpt…

Her body ached.

It wasn’t anything new. Although Lee was only twenty eight years old, she already felt ancient. Exhausted even upon awakening,with stiff aching joints, and bruises that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Lee slowly flexed her muscles and tried to hold together the fragile wisps of the dream. But as always, it faded away, out of reach, out of mind. He faded away.

She didn’t know his face. But each night he came to her. Each night, they found each other again. He would look at her with eyes that made her burn and want and wish and for that brief period of time, she felt whole, complete and that sensation lingered with her as she drifted from sleep into awareness, but the minute she opened her eyes, all memory of her dreams started to fade. All that remained was an ache in her chest, a knot inher throat and a body that felt as though somebody had tried to beat her death.

Today, the ache was worse. The memories were fading fast although she tried to hold onto them. Like smoke, though, they faded away even as she grabbed the notepad by her bed and started to scrawl down what little she remembered. She didn’t look down while she wrote—instead she clenched her eyes tightly shut and focused on him. Even if she couldn’t remember his face, she could remember how he made her feel inside. Focusing on that instead of trying to recall the dream made the words flow easier.

Blood. Screams. Smoke. The cries of the wounded. Ugly snarls and fetid breath. People clamored around her and they had needs that she couldn’t even begin to understand. And him—

Always him. Everything seemed to revolve around him and everything inside of her yearned for him. As much as Lee dreaded closing her eyes and facing the weird dreams that assaulted her while she slept, she yearned for them as well. Because her dreams led her to him. He would make her laugh, even when the dreamswere dark as death. There was a warmth in his presence that filled an empty ache.

But not this past night. There had been distance, anger, and disgust. He’d yelled at her. His fury had been so great even now she felt chilled with it.

She opened her eyes and stared at the notepad in front of her. She hadn’t just written words. She’d sketched out faces of people she’d never met and monsters the likes of which she’d never seen.

She stared at each of the faces she’d drawn, studying their features for something that would trigger her memories again. The notebook was filled with sketches and none of them meant anything to her. Allof them set against twisted, scarred landscapes.

Some of them appeared more than others, like the old woman and the two guys. Even on paper, the woman’s smile had a decidedly mischievous bent to it, as though she was laughing and Lee had no idea why. The men were polar opposites, one pale, one dark. One looked like an angel and the other had the devil’s smile. Both of them were enough to make a girl’s heart skip a beat but if the man she dreamed of was one of them, she didn’t know which one he was.

Furious with herself, Lee hurled the pad of paper across the room and watched as it hit the wall. It slid to the ground, several of the pages bent and crumpled. With a scowl, she climbed out of the bed and stalked to the bathroom.

“He isn’t real,” she told herself as she turned the hot water on full before turning to tug off her t-shirt. “He isn’t real.” He’s not, her mind insisted, even though something inside her heart argued.

Her reflection caught her eye and she stilled, fighting the impulse to turn and look. Damn it, she was going to take all the mirrors down. She couldn’t not look, when the mirrors were there.

But every time she saw a bruise, a chill ran through her. It was no different this time. Her eye was black, swollen, raw looking it. It had been fine last night. And today,she looked like she had a bruise that had been healing for days. Her mouth trembled as she tried to make sense of what she was looking at.

The doctors had tried to tell her she was doing it to herself. They had even done a sleepstudy, and watched her all night long to determine what caused the bruising.

The study had revealed nothing. And everything.

For when she walked out of the room where they had monitored her body all night, her ankle was swollen, twisted and discolored. It had been fine the night before.

The tape of the study had shown her laying quietly on the narrow bunk, never once rising in the night. She didn’t toss. She didn’t turn. The only weird thing was a blip in the middle of the tape that lasted no more than a few eye blinks. For that brief span of time, the bed was empty. But she hadn’t gotten out of thebed. The probes and lines weren’t long enough to allow her to leave it without one of the attendants disconnecting them. They hadn’t done it.

Odder still, an attendant had been in the room during theblip. They could see him at the edge ofthe screen. But he’d never seen her move. She hadn’t done any more studies after that. Even though the doctors tried to urge her to agree, it had simply unsettled her too much. So no more studies. She’d just deal with looking like the loser of a boxing match.

Lee leaned forward and probed her eye, touching it gently,wincing at the tender flesh she encountered under her fingers. The eye itself looked fine, which was a relief. There had been one morning when she woke up and her pupil had been blown. Her vision had been blurred and the sickening pain made her think she had a concussion. By nightfall, though, the pupil had returned to normal and her vision was fine.

Today, her eyes seemed a little more bloodshot than usual and the red looked unnaturally bright against the nasty mottled blue. Almost festive, the red, white and blue.

There was another bruise on her knee, like she had fallen down. The flesh was sensitive and each step she took sent pain shooting through her knee. Much as the knee hurt, it was actually a rather light night. Lee knew from experience, though, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Light nights seemed to be followed by bad ones.

Her gut churned as that thought circled through her head. Bad ones came with concussions,broken bones—even burns. It had been awhile since she’d had a real bad night and it was like a little mental clock was ticking away the time. It wouldn’t be much longer before she woke up one morning hurt so bad that she’d wish for death, just to get away from the pain.

Even if she did heal fast, pain was still pain and she was tired of feeling so much of it.

“Morbid, much?” she muttered as she turned away from her reflection. She climbed into the shower with one goal in mind. Shower…then caffeine. With caffeine, she could face almost anything.

* * * * *

Through the Veil, Kalen could see her. Stubborn little bitch. He could still just faintly smell the sweet scent of her skin and his hands still itched to feel that satiny skin under his hands, to feel the silk of her hair brush against his body. The vivid bruise on her face infuriated him,even though her rapid ability to heal was already lessening the vivid color and the swelling.

The demon that had attacked her was dead. Dust in the wind. Not that Kalen had anything to do with it. Lee had taken damn good care of it herself. She was good at that. Always had been. Scowling, he wondered if maybe she was a little too good at it. Good at taking care of herself, good at rationalizing away problems, good at everything.

Clenching his jaw, he turned away from the Veil and prepared himself to face the coming day without her. It was a frightening thought. But it always had been. One never knew what the day might bring. Not in this world.

There had been another demon attack, this time high up in the mountains, striking the small settlement of families living there. They had refused to come down into the valley. Too close to the Roinan Gate. It was as if they thought a few miles would protect them. They had been wrong, terribly wrong and Kalen had to live with the guilt of not trying harder.

Raviners had killed the few men and taken their time with the women and children. It brought back memories too ugly for him to dwell on, staring at the their remains. He couldn’t even take a little bit of comfort in knowing that his men had slaughtered the Raviners. If he had taken them down himself, filling their bodies with the dangerous power of the pulsar he carried at his hip, it wouldn’t have been any comfort.

They were losing a little more ground every day. The demons were breeding in his world now and they didn’t just have to wait for the Roinan Gate to open for more of their numbers. There had been a time when finding a clutch of demons had been a rare occurrence and they were killed quickly, if not always easily.

They might have a ghost of a chance if they could shut down the fucking Gate.

Order

You can read a Dear Reader letter & a nice long excerpt here at Berkley’s site.

New Releases, Sylvia Day

Heat of the Night

Heat of the NightHEAT OF THE NIGHT
Dream Guardians®, Book 2
HarperCollins Avon
ISBN-10: 0061231037
ISBN-13: 978-0061231032
January 8th!

Bad boys are her weakness and no one is as wicked as Connor Bruce…

He is the realization of every woman’s erotic fantasies. Existing in the Twilight between sleep and consciousness, Connor brings them decadent pleasures, fueled by their sexual energy. But violence and strife now tear apart both worlds, and Connor must embark on a perilous quest into the mortal realm … and into the arms of one intoxicating enchantress.

Stacey Daniels has always been attracted to the wrong type of men – and the muscular, Viking-like champion on her front doorstep is no exception. She can hardly believe the wounded warrior is from another world, a world where erotic dreams are needed to survive, a world of terrible danger that has followed him to her home. Connor finds solace in her passion, but only time will tell if he can defeat the dark foe who hunts them … and if Stacey can surrender to the promise he offers with every electrifying touch.

Read an Excerpt »

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