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Kissed from Beyond

BLB eBook Tours-Guest Post & Giveaway from Kissed from Beyond’s authors

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Welcome back to Sugarbeat’s Books!

Today we are going to learn more about the lovely authors from Kissed from Beyond, read an excerpt and find out what books you could win!

If you missed yesterday’s post, I had the opportunity to read an review Kissed from Beyond.  I often find that when I read an anthology several of the books are pretty good, one is ok and one seems to be a filler.  You won’t find this to be true of this anthology!  All four stories are great.  So much so that I had trouble deciding which excerpt to post!  I had to toss a coin!  The winner was Keta so lets start with her.  Her part in the anthology was called Cradle of Dreams. Here’s the excerpt:

By all that was holy, Roane Bradfield appeared within Kendrick’s line of vision. Her Roane Bradfield. Dear God, it wasn’t possible, couldn’t be him. Her stomach fell, and the room spun. How she had mourned his death, cried a million tears when his name appeared in the Savannah Republican—Roane Bradfield, Killed in Action, Battle of Petersburg. At the time, the words had blurred on the page and waves of grief brought her to her knees.

It had taken her weeks to drag herself from bed every morning, months to come to terms with his death. Had she ever really come to terms with it or had she merely put one foot in front of the other and stumbled through life a phantom specter? She knew only one thing at the time—if she lived to be one hundred she would never again love a man as she had loved Roane Bradfield.

Beside her, Pitt’s back stiffened, and below her trembling hand his arm tensed. So many times, she had imagined Roane Bradfield cutting through the masses toward her, but this was no illusion. Beneath the bright chandelier, his midnight hair glistened, and even from this distance, a palpable hunger burned in his eyes. Something else burned too . . . anger.

The crowd parted and onward he came, all sinewy muscle and dark beauty—broad shoulders, narrow waist and long, muscled legs. And depthless ebony eyes. She should have known someone as vibrant and alive as Roane couldn’t die. Beneath her gown, her legs gave way and every joint in her body went boneless.

“Good, God, look who’s risen from the dead?” her fiancé said.

“Pitt, please, how can you say such a thing?” Kendick’s knees shook and she felt faint. She didn’t have the facts, but truly, Roane had risen from the dead. For a flash of a second, her heart overflowed with joy, and then she saw the look on her former love’s face. Unadulterated vengeance. He came to settle a score.

Roane stood before them, his bronzed hand reaching for hers. “Kendrick, lovely to see you again, darling.”

Sparks flared and a jolt of lightning pedaled through her veins when he brought her fingers to his lips. “Roane . . . we-we heard you were?”

“Yes, so the Dowager informs me. You thought me dead. Well, you can see I’m here in the flesh, and quite alive.”

“See here, Bradfield,” Pitt said, his voice cracking amid the undercurrents. “Kendrick is betrothed to me now. I hardly think you should address her as darling or any other endearment.”

Roane paused, his rakish gaze assessing her head to toe before he turned to Pitt. “Be a good chap, Fleming, and refresh my drink.”

With Roane’s fluted glass touching the fabric of Pitt’s waistband, her betrothed floundered for words. “I don’t believe I should abandon my fiancé in light of the?”

Roane visibly blanched at the word fiancé. “I assure you, Pitt,” he replied, his tone glacial, “Miss Moreland is in no danger while an enormous crowd looks on. In any event, I believe we have something to discuss, do we not, Kendrick?”

Roane knew her better than she knew herself. Her initial joy at seeing the decadent man gave way to rage. Heat traveled the length of her neck and scalded her cheeks. How he enjoyed making her blush . . . and cringe. She had never been able to hide her true feelings from him. By his arrogant smirk, he knew he still held the power to decipher them.

God curse the man. Only Roane Bradfield would dramatize his sudden return to life in front of an assembly of onlookers. The last thing she expected to encounter tonight was Roane in the flesh, and yet elation and an undeniable series of shivers coursed through her.

And fear.

Dear Lord, help her. The man would make her regret her actions during his absence. Roane would never believe she thought him dead, would never accept her admission she agreed to marry Pitt only when everyone in Savannah, including her, thought him lost forever. The cock-sure man would remain calm and collective while she stumbled with ineffectual explanations. If only he would stop looking at her as if he could see through her gown.

Her hand went rigid in his and then she withdrew it. Again, he studied her intently, no doubt heard the wheels of panic and terror grinding in her head. Read this, Roane Bradfield. I long to wipe that ersatz grin from your face; tear your eyes out for putting me through hell.

Silence filled the crowded room; all eyes were upon them. Within five minutes of her arrival, he had cornered her like a hapless hare. Unless she desired a scene, she would have to agree to speak with him. With a thin smile, she turned to her fiancé. “Go ahead, Pitt. Whatever Roane has to say won’t take long.”

Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the country on six acres of woodland. When she isn’t writing or gardening, she loves to commune with nature. Keta is a multi-published author in both erotic romance and gay fiction. Her latest paranormal novel Where The Rain Is Made has been nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark in the Best e-novel category. In addition, Keta’s books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Reads awards from the top professional review sites.

Follow Keta’s Haunt & sign up for her newsletter. She gives 3 books away every time it goes out.  Keta Diablo’s Haunt

Keta can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

‘Til We Meet Again is written by Stacey Kennedy.  Stacey is from my former province so that means that she likely still has snow *grins* Sorry, couldn’t resist!

Stacey Kennedy is an avid lover of the paranormal romance, urban fantasy and erotic romance genres. If she isn’t plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she’s got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at her website, she loves to hear from her readers.  She can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.  Keep in touch to find out what’s next for Stacey.

One More Rub is written by Elise Hepner. Elise Hepner lives in MD with her spastic cat, two bouncy ferrets, and her always- entertaining, programmer husband. She’s been writing erotica for over five years and just recently started her foray into erotic romance. She’s been previously published with Excessica, Cleis Press, and has a new release coming soon from Ellora’s Cave. If you’d like to learn more or explore her backlist please visit her web site. Elise can be found on Her Blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

A Love Soul Deep was written by Amber Scott. In between naptimes and dishes, Amber Scott escapes into her characters’ fates, lusts and transformations. She lives in Arizona with her husband and two children. She often burns dinner, is addicted to chocolate and still believes in happily ever after. Amber can be found on her Blog, Twitter, and Facebook. I’ve actually read several books by Amber and have enjoyed each and every one of them!

Contest Information: Two books will be given away at every blog stop. For more stops in the tour click HERE.  In order to be eligible, you must leave a comment below and tell me why you like the paranormal or erotic romance genre. Winners to be selected by the owner of the blog approximately three days after their final day of posting. Listed below are the books offered for the contest. Books will be selected at random and sent to the winners by the authors.

Keta Diablo’s Give-away – Decadent Deceptions, an erotic romance historical. Finalist in the prestigious Molly Contest, erotic romance category.  Best-seller on Amazon Kindle. This book contains graphic sex and voyeurism. More about Decadent Deceptions here:  Amazon
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=sugsboonoo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004SIR3GY&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Elise Hepner’s Give-away – Little Plaid Skirt 1 & 2 Warnings: This title contain m/f/f sex, voyeurism, f/f sex, roleplaying, random sexual partners, female masturbation, road head, and bad parenting Blurb

Stacey Kennedy’s Give-away– Stolen Dreams – The Lingering Spirit Book One.  Click Here to read the an excerpt.

Amber Scott’s Give-away– Love Lust, ebook format, a paranormal erotica novella. 5 cups-Coffee Time Romance, “Fiercely addictive.”- Jessica Subject, Mark of the Stars. Click Here for a description.

So…..that’s alot to take in!  Just remember to leave me a comment to be entered to win one of the above free books and for heaven’s sake, buy the book and see if you enjoy it as much as I did!  It is available at Smashwords and Amazon among other places.

BLB eBook Tour – Review with giveaway of Kissed from Beyond

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Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books!

Today we are going to talk about an anthology that has just been released a few weeks ago – Kissed from Beyond.  This anthology has been written by four lovely authors – Keta Diablo, Amber Scott, Elise Hepner and Stacey Kennedy.  I must admit, rather than going looking for just the cover of this book, I decided to use the badge these lovely ladies sent us to promote this tour because I absolutely love it!

Let’s get some things out of the way before we get down to discussing the four stories!  First of all, these authors are going to giveaway two books to commenters on this post or tomorrow’s post.  The books they are giving away will be discussed tomorrow, but feel free to comment now to get in the running for some great books!  Also keep in mind that this is a blog tour and this book will be discussed at quite a few sites.  If you don’t win from my blog, you could win from one of the others.  To see where they are heading next, and get the links to those blogs, click here.

Kissed from Beyond, as I said, is an anthology of 4 erotic stories. All four of these stories have something of a paranormal slant to them.  I always feel awkward reviewing anthologies for some reason.  What I’m going to do is to talk about each story seperately.

The first story is Cradle of Dreams by Keta Diablo.  Here’s the blurb:

With visions of battle still fresh in his mind, Roane Bradfield returns home to find the woman he loves betrothed to another. He corners Kendrick Moreland at Dowager Huggins’ Grand Ball and whisks her into the secluded library. One way or the other, he will know the reason the duplicitous beauty cut him from her life when she promised to wait forever.

Kendrick can’t believe her eyes when Roane suddenly appears at the ball. Has he truly risen from the dead? Amid wagging tongues and hushed murmurs, the fantasy of her every dream whisks her from the ballroom. And the expression on his face is anything but loving. Revenge, danger and powerful love collide in the Cradle of Dreams.

Roane is the abandoned lover!  He comes back from fighting to find the love of his life, the woman who swore she lived him, engaged to another man.  Imagine Kendrick’s shock to encounter him at a ball after he was declared killed in action.  Roane didn’t see her collapsing with grief at the news.  He didn’t see her crying for days on end.  He just sees her engaged to another man.  But the Roane who confronts her is much harder man than the tender lover that left her to go to war.  It is clear, however, that Roane and Kendrick are soul mates!

This was a beautifully written story.  The clarity of the writing allows the reader to be part of that initial confrontation between Roane and Kendrick.  The shock of seeing him alive, and the anger on Roane’s part at seeing his love with another man.   The chemistry between the two scorches the pages.  What is interesting about the way this story is written is that it is sort of written as a dream and has a sigh worthy ending!  The secondary characters of Mrs. Higgins and the cat, Miss Calypso are very well done.  I especially enjoyed the discussion of Wuthering Heights – reminded me why I loved that story so much!  All in all, a great story!

The second story is A Love Soul Deep by Amber Scott.  The blurb for this story is:

If only Sara had known no man would ever make her feel like Crew did, she would have let him love her. A regret that can never be undone. His death haunts her dreams and her wishful thinking only reminds her of everything she has lost? Years later, a visit to an antique store in sultry Savannah changes everything and makes her deepest wish come true. Her beloved returns to her. Her every fantasy gets the chance to be fulfilled. But she wants more than one night. She wants a lifetime and wonders what magic will let her keep A Love Soul Deep.

A Love Soul Deep has a bit of a rougher feel to it than the previous story.   This story is about Sara and her only love Crew.  Crew died many years ago, but Sara continually regrets that she never connsumated her relationship with Crew.  He was the only man that she will ever love with the same intensity.  During a trip to Savannah with two other girlfriends, she discovers a locket with a picture in it that looks just like Crew and decides that she must buy it.  This locket seems to have the power to bring her only love back to her.

I also really enjoyed this story.  Sara has spend years regretting what she didn’t do with Crew, and seemingly unable to get over her loss.  Her various encounters with Crew are vividly written, drawing the reading into the story.  At the end of the first dream, I actually had tears for Sara’s loss.  Her frustration at the interruption so realistic!  This story was written in contemporary times, unlike the first one that is basically a historical.  Completely different feel to the two stories but both great in their own ways.

The third story is One Rub More by Elise Hepner.  The blurb for this story is:

Flynn has been cursed for over a century for a social slight he never committed. A voodoo priestess hexed him and forced him into a teapot where he could only be summoned by the rub of a woman’s palm. Once free, he grants these women three sexual favors—and cuts off his own emotions in the process. Unable to break free from an invisible cage of lust and sex to fall in love again, he’s resigned to being a sex object and nothing more.

Helena has been house sitting far, far away from her complicated past in England— including her former childhood sweetheart, who wasn’t satisfied when Helena didn’t want to be barefoot and pregnant. She’s resigned to leave behind the complications of men and sex. She hopes that logic will win out over her unreliable emotions—but she’s put to the test when she accidentally summons Flynn from his teapot prison.

I loved this story!  This story is about Helena who is determined to leave men and their issues far behind.  To get away from her life, she is house sitting for a friend some distance from her home.  She buys an old teapot that has “Rub Me, Baby” inscribed in the metal.  After much arguing with her self, she rubs the teapot and starts her experience with her own personal genie!  Flynn was cursed years ago, destined to be confined to the teapot only able to grant 3 sexual favors to the women who release him from his prison.

This story is obviously a take off on the genie and the lamp story.  What could be better than a drool worthy hunk appearing to grant 3 sexual favors?  The chemistry between Flynn and Helena is scorching!  I think this is the most graphic of the 4 stories and certainly not for the faint of heart!  The interactions and converstions between Flynn and Helena are well written.  In just a handful of pages, the reader is completely absorbed in this story and rides the tide of action til the end.  Very well written!

The fourth story in this anthology is ‘Til We Meet Again by Stacey Kennedy.  The blurb for this one is:

Ethan Thomas has spent years alone, forever trapped between worlds. Once a soldier in the Civil War, he’s now a ghost bound to a chaise lounge that once belonged to him. He’s spent centuries lingering in Savannah, Georgia, waiting to be saved…

Cassandra Cole is an interior designer hired to restore an old Victorian home. As she begins to furnish the home, strange happenings erupt around her. She suspects the house is haunted. Determined to find out, Cassie will set out to discover who the ghost is, why she feels a connection to him, and what she has to do to free him. The answers will surprise her in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

Ethan Thomas has died during the Civil War and has found himself somewhat attached to his favorite chaise lounge.  He has spent years watching the world go by most recently from an antique store where his chaise is.  Cassandra has been hired to restore and decorate a Victorian home in Savannah, Georgia.  When she wanders into this antique store looking for furniture for the house, she feels compelled to buy the chaise even though it is uncomfortable and she has never liked chaises!  Once she gets the chaise to the house, she starts feeling as if she is being watched – as if the house is haunted.  Apparently it is, because Ethan has come with the chaise!

The story of Cassandra and Ethan was well told and resulted in a beautiful story.  I liked the way the author gradually revealed the story.  This isn’t a grab you by the throat story.  The reader is gently drawn in and carried along like riding down a peaceful river.  I thought the characters of Ethan and Cassandra we well written.  The various secondary characters added an interesting dimension.

All in all, a wonderful end to a very good anthology.  I went into reading this book with a bit of apprehension as I’m not really a fan of paranormal books!  I was pleasantly surprised buy all four stories.  Some are hotter than others, but all well written and believable.  I highly recommend this anthology!

Remember to comment on this post if you want a chance to win a free book by one of these authors!  Come back tomorrow and to find out more about each one!

This book is available at Smashwords and Amazon.