Guest Post by Tara Quan
New Year’s Eve is a night filled with bright colorful lights, rambunctious outings, and a good amount of mischief. It also marks the passage of time, bringing to mind our hopes for the future, the exhilaration that comes with change, and fond memories of days past. Part of Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand line, my paranormal romantic comedy Fireworks at Midnight features a struggling college graduate who is just coming to terms with the thrills and perils of newfound independence. When her best friend’s older brother rolls back into town, this intrepid young witch is faced with help she doesn’t want, protection she doesn’t need, and the reality that this warlock cop no longer thinks of her as a “troublesome little sister.”
Add a pinch of magic, supernatural mayhem, and Madame Eve’s renowned matchmaking service, and we’ve got the beginnings of a stormy love story. Those who’ve read my Christmas release Frosty Relations will already know Dulcina “Sweets” Gato, this tale’s smartass heroine. In keeping with the holiday spirit I’m giving away a $15 gift card. To enter, leave a comment here and drop your details in the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post.
Fireworks at Midnight (A Witch’s Night Out, 3)
Recent college graduate and part-time cat familiar Dulcina “Sweets” Gato is having the worst New Year’s Eve in living memory. End of year expenses trigger serious cash flow problems, and her microwave just went up in smoke. To make matters worse, her best friend’s overprotective big brother is back in town, and his return threatens to put a huge crimper on her nocturnal activities. The only thing she can look forward to is Madame Eve’s 1-Night Stand service. After all, she’s sick and tired of being a 21-year-old virgin.
Enforcement Agent Mikal Knight is a warlock on a mission. Having finally scored a transfer to Washington, D.C., he’s now at liberty to pursue the object of his desires—his baby sister’s best friend. But first, he has a vigilante to track down and a mysterious matchmaking service to investigate. Sent on an undercover operation, he resigns himself to a pointless 1-Night Stand on New Year’s Eve. As luck would have it, his mystery date’s identity might let him kill several birds with one stone.
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Comedy, Interracial/Multicultural
Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Her characters, armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com
Excerpt:
His gaze drifted to her chest. A gust of wind sliced over it, tearing off the top- most button. She jumped in her seat. “What the hell?”
“Welcome to Strip Interrogation. The rules are simple.” Her toes curled at the playful yet predatory gleam in his stormy eyes. Yup, he got her invitation loud and clear. “Whenever you give me a crap answer, I take away a stitch. Any questions?”
She licked her lips. “Is this how Enforcement trained you to question helpless witches?”
He crossed his arms and put on a mockery of a stern expression. “[…] The gloves come off when there’s a badass in the car.”
Her cheeks warmed at the backhanded compliment. Placing her hands primly on her lap, she squeezed her upper arms together to better showcase what little boobage she had. When she heard his warning growl, she batted her eyelashes. “What’s your question, Detective?”
He bared his teeth at her, but his breath had turned shallow. […] In a quicksilver move, he lunged forward and captured her nape with one hand. Holding her shoulder in place, he looped his free arm around her waist, splayed his fingers against her lower back, and yanked her toward him. The motion tipped her off balance. With a yelp, she placed her hands on the seat and straightened her arms. The position arched her back, lifting her breasts like an offering. […]
He settled his thumb between her collarbones. “I warned you about the skirt.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Damn, was that menacing tone sexy. “Any chance we can work this out? I’m running low on winter clothes.”
With his free hand, he explored her abs, his fingers lingering on each groove long enough to send a tingle down her spine. His hungry expression more than paid for the hours she’d spent doing crunches. “What do you have in mind?”
Having devoured plenty of inspiring reading material, she had a long list of things she wanted to try. “I’m all stocked up on underwear.”
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