Saturday Spotlight – Dressed in White by Sandra Sookoo

Release date: March 17

Series: Colors of Scandal #1

Blurb: Surviving the wilds of Cornwall is more life changing than they thought.

Miss Caroline Sloane is on her way to Poughill, Cornwall. In highhanded fashion, her estranged grandfather has arranged a marriage for her to a sea captain she’s met but once, and she wishes to convince him otherwise. She’ll marry for love or not at all, but an accident with the crowded mail coach on which she’s traveling throws her existence into chaos.

Alan Blackmore, the Earl of St. Clair, has been summoned to his Devon estate by his ducal father. His engagement, designed by the duke years ago, has now come due and he must wed to merge holdings. The last thing he wants is a leg-shackling, for he enjoys his life of a rake too much, and he means to tell his father off, but one dark, rainy night on mud-slick roads changes his course forever.

Lost and injured in windswept and rugged Cornwall, the first order of business is survival. As their wounds heal, Caroline and Alan come to know each other while living a simple, uncomplicated life. A friendship of necessity slowly grows into something passionate and scandalous, but when reality returns to rescue them, they both must decide what is more important: duty, tradition, or an unexpected love.

Excerpt:

Caroline watched him. What would become of him when they were rescued and forced to separate? Her chest tightened with a pain akin to the loss of a loved one. I can’t contemplate that now. Loath to leave him to mundane tasks, she asked, “What was your dream for your life when you were a child?”

A delighted grin curved his mouth, which drew her attention to it. “When I was ten, I desperately wished to become a pirate. To sail the seas, ferret out treasure, and charm the ladies.” His chuckle reverberated through the small room. “Mostly, though, I wanted the freedom to sail where the wind took me. To explore, to listen to people who are different from me.” Then his grin slowly faded. “In many ways, that experience would have done me more good in handling my responsibilities now than what I spent my life on.”

“It’s not too late. Use that dream—that determination—to help you as you put your estate in order. Noble superiority won’t bring you where you need to go.” She nodded in encouragement. “The people will listen to you if you wish to understand their viewpoints.”

“How can you know that?”

“I believe in you.” It was the truth and as deep as she wanted to go for fear of showing her budding emotions.

“You are a gem.” Alan gawked at her. “What if I’m an utter failure? I’ve never tried my hand at being responsible for anyone except myself.”

“Then try again differently tomorrow. Eventually, you find the knack.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t trying and failing better than never doing anything at all?”

He nodded. “I suppose.” For long moments, he studied her. “What did you dream of as a little girl?”

“Nothing as grand as you, I’m afraid.” Caroline shot him a tiny smile. “I wanted the kind of love my parents shared. My father left his birthright for that love. He put my mother above his duty.” She glanced at him. “One has to be incredibly lucky for that kind of romance; that is something I don’t have.”

“Neither do I,” he said in a soft voice.”

Yet here they both were, survivors of a horrific accident. “I was incredibly fond of music. I wanted to play the pianoforte. We were too poor for any of that.”

“Perhaps the future will present you with that chance.”

“I can hope.” Her chin trembled, for they both knew it was unlikely to happen. “Beyond that, I don’t want to be forgotten. How sad if no one will ever remember me.” Tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away, for they were silly. “I want to make a difference in someone’s life. And…” One stupid drop fell anyway. “…I won’t know if I’ve done that because who would tell me?”

“Ah, Caroline.” Alan surprised her when he swiftly stood, closed the distance between them, his limp barely noticeable. Then he held her face between his palms and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. The heat of his hands warmed her skin. “You already have made a difference. In my life. And you can be damned certain I’ll never forget you.”

Her heart pounded so loudly she feared he could hear as their gazes locked, so close their breath intermingled. His eyes darkened. Trembles played down her spine. “Alan…” She dropped her focus to his mouth. Would he kiss her? Drat, she shouldn’t wish for that, for nothing could come of it. Still, she’d never been kissed in all her nine and twenty years.

Why shouldn’t her first come from this man who shared this incredibly poignant time with her, so that she wouldn’t be such a novice when she wed?

“Botheration.” He tore himself away, mumbled a few unintelligible words, and then left the cottage without his crutch or another word.

Caroline stared after him as cold confusion engulfed her, and his words ringing in her ears.

Buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083G621JN

B & N: https://tinyurl.com/vyhuglq

Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/uf3tasr

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/wlf6d2l

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.sandrasookoo.com

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/sandra.sookoo

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/sandrasookooauthor/

Amazon page: amazon.com/author/sandrasookoo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrasookoo/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sandra-sookoo

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sandrasookoo/

Saturday Sexcerpt – Safe from the Flames by Sandra Sookoo

Jan23

This is an excerpt from Sandra’s recently released Liquid Silver novella Safe from the Flames

A soft sound from within the bathroom jarred her from her reflection. As Hadyn opened her eyes and debated the merits of peeking out, a hand snaked around the edge of the curtain, wrenching it open. Darren stood before her, his eyes dark with emotion.

“What’s wrong?” Profound panic flooded her insides as she scrambled to cover her nakedness as he stared. “Darren?” His intense gaze raked her from the soles of her feet to the roots of her hair, intimate as if he’d physically touched her.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to be with you. Here. Now.” He joined her in the tub, fully clothed except for his shoes and socks. Those were missing. “I can’t explain it, and don’t want to argue with it.” With an air of finality, he pulled the curtain closed.

She blinked the water from her eyes as he voiced the same thing she felt. “But your clothes…” Her words died away when he pulled her into his arms. The water drummed into her back. She slipped her arms around his neck to rub her fingers over his close-cropped hair.

“I figure if we’re gonna do this, we might as well start with the cold shower and keep your body heat down for as long as possible.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “And trust me, we’re gonna do this. I can’t ignore the pull anymore.”

Regardless of the constant stream of water, liquid heat shot through her body to gather between her thighs. Hadyn met his gaze, caught in the green depths, willing to drown, then she tugged his head down and captured his mouth with a tentative kiss. He tasted sweet, like cherry-flavored hard candy, and she idly wondered if he kept such a thing in his truck, but then everything flew out of her mind except him. The tensed muscles of his shoulders beneath her fingers, the feel of his powerful hands as they gripped her waist, the masculine smell of him, citrus and sweat combined.

She sighed against his mouth, sucked on his bottom lip and grinned when he groaned and tightened his arms around her. She surrendered herself to him in that moment as she nipped a path along his jaw, stroking the stubble-covered skin with her tongue, tasting salt, and continued her quest down his strong throat, feeling the corded muscle beneath his skin. When she discovered a sensitive spot beneath his left ear, she teased the area until Darren growled and turned them both around, pressing her back into the tiled wall.

Tremors of need built within her, increasing with intensity as he held her wrists above her head with one hand while the other teased a nipple, worked it into a hard, tight bud. Hadyn whimpered and tried to pull out of his grasp. His body blocked most of the shower water. She stood, shivering with cold and need. He rolled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, holding her gaze, smiling when she moaned. Finally, he released her wrists but used both hands to torment her breasts, giving them both equal attention before he added his mouth.

“Darren, oh yes, like that.” Breathless, pleasure swallowed her words with a sigh when his teeth closed over a sensitized bud. She slid her hands down his wet t-shirt to grip his tight, denim-covered buns. “Get out of these clothes. I want to see you.” She ran her hands around his waist then under his shirt. Her fingertips traced each defined plane, each sculpted muscled on that magnificent chest.

“Not yet.” He grabbed a bottle of vanilla-scented body wash and poured a fair amount into his palm. “I want to feel every inch of you first.”

“Oh.” Her mouth worked, but no sound came out as Darren worked the soap into a rich, thick lather and smoothed it over her shoulders, pushing it down over her arms and chest.

“Turn around.”

She didn’t argue. Her body practically hummed under his ministrations. The soap slicked her skin and Darren’s hands slid all over. He lifted each breast, worked the lather over the skin over her stomach, skimmed along her hips until her fingernails scratched at the beige tiles. “Darren.” She tried to face him, but he nipped at her earlobe.

“Not yet.”

Heat licked through her bloodstream. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart hammered so hard she feared it might explode. His hands caressed her back, smoothed the soap down over her buttocks, but when his fingers slipped between her legs, the heat erupted into a raging bonfire.

Hadyn froze as fear paralyzed her. She would burst into flames right here in the tub, regardless of the water that intermittently trickled past Darren’s broad shoulders. “I need to go before it gets dangerous.”

“No, baby, you need this.” He coaxed a finger along her slit, barely skimming her opening. “And yes, it will get dangerous, but that’s part of the fun.”

You can buy a copy of Safe from the flames here:

www.liquidsilverbooks.com

Until next time – Be Naughty,

Tina

AuThursday – Sandra Sookoo

Jan21

Please welcome fellow LSB Author Sandra Sookoo. We recently shared a release date. So Sandra, how long have you been writing?

A: Truthfully, I’ve been writing since I became aware of books and stories. I used to entertain my classmates in literature and writing classes with my stories. I’ve only been writing for publication for the last couple of years.

Q: What inspired you to write your first book?

A: My very first book? The neighbor boys. I wrote them into this “epic” fantasy book as knights. I was twelve. I’ve since burned the “book”. Since then, what usually inspires me to write something is an idea, a dream, or a suggestion from a friend. Or, if I read a really crappy book and think I can do better than that. Or, if I read a really good book and think I could do something sorta like that, but only put this sort of spin on it.

Q: Which country would you most like to visit and why?

A: I think, if I could get my hubby on board with the long flight, I’d like to visit Italy. I’d love to see how the food in northern and southern Italy differ and maybe gain some new recipes. Of course, there’s also the awesome ruins, etc.

Q: Which author would you most like to meet and why?

A: I don’t know if there’s just one I could name off the top of my head. Every author is important in their own way.

Q: What do you feel is the most important aspect for all new authors to remember when writing or creating their own stories?

A: Be true to yourself. Write the story of your heart, the one you believe in. Don’t follow the trends since they have a tendency to shift and vanish when you’re trying to find your rhythm.

Q: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

A: I think the hidden message in all my work is that love makes acceptance, tolerance and differences possible

Q: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

A: Well, now that I’m putting hotter love scenes in my writing, some family members frown on it LOL I don’t think I could have come as far as I have without the support of my critique partner, beta readers and friends in the industry.

Q: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

A: I can’t pick a favorite. I love to read across genres according to my mood, and that’s how I write as well. Picking a favorite author would be a bit like picking a favorite child.

Q: How do you make time to write?

A: I consider writing as a business. If I don’t write, I can’ finish a book. If I can’t finish a book, I can’t get it contracted, etc. While hubby’s at work, I write. This year, it’s my intention to take two days off a week from writing in order to relax. So far, my muse is not liking that idea.

Q: What books can we expect to see in the near future?

A: The next few months are pretty busy for me in regards to book releases. On January 8^th, my first full-length paranormal book, The Art of Fang Shui, will release. And on January 11^th, my pirate novella, Angel’s Master, releases from Liquid Silver. Both of these books are near and dear to my heart and I can’t wait until the general public gets to read them.