Ever hear the saying "a day late and a dollar short"? Well, that's how I feel this morning. I had it in my head (and I thought on my calendar) to post the stuff about the release of J. J. Devine's new book, INTO THE DARKNESS tomorrow (July 11), but turns out I was supposed to post it YESTERDAY! Yikes and mea culpa! So sorry, J. J. Hope posting today will suffice.
Here's the blurb:
Vampires and Witches: are they mythical creatures or something that walks amongst us every day without our knowledge?
To Raven, a twenty-five year-old, extremely sheltered woman, they
are nothing more than something to be read about in a book. To Dragon,
an eight hundred-year-old vampire, they are a way of life.
Raven truly believes she is going mad. Erotic dreams fill her
nights, causing her to question her sanity by the light of day. They
lead her into a world she never knew existed and a heritage that can
only be found in nightmares.
Dragon wants nothing more than to own the mortal soul of the
beautiful Raven, a woman who can make his ancient scars disappear, proof
that she is far from mortal.
Here's an excerpt:
Raven awoke with a start.
What happened tonight? Where am I?
Tremors overtook her, remembering
the events of the night. What had she become involved with? Vampires? Witches?
And who were they trying to fool? Moreover, for what purpose?
Dragon’s heady scent filled her
senses, drawing again her craving for blood. If she was the daughter of a
vampire, as Tristan would have her believe, then why did she not have fangs?
The urgency of her desires, more
apparent as the wetness between her legs dampened her skin, became an irritant.
Damn him, even now she craved the pleasures Dragon stirred in her.
She tried to move from the bed, but
Dragon’s strong arm wrapped about her waist, holding her in place. Well,
that explains why I can smell him so strongly.
“You told me you wanted to spend the
morning with me,” he grunted in her ear.
“That was before I knew you were a
vampire.” Her angry words caused him to release her.
Rolling to his back, he slid an arm
under his head. “I’m sorry, Raven. I should have told you.”
“There is a great deal you should
have told me. Do you think for one moment I believe you or Tristan are these .
. . these fictional creatures? Do you suppose for one moment I believe I am the
daughter of not just one of these imaginary characters, but two as well?”
Dragon remained relaxed, his
breathing even, his demeanor calm. His relaxed posture in her bed, as if her
words held no more import than a vague breeze, infuriated her.
“Are you listening to me?” The
demand in her tone was harsher than she had ever used.
He lit a lamp on the table beside
him, illuminating his face. “Are you done ranting?”
“Ranting! You make fun of something
that frightened me so gravely and you have the audacity to say I am ranting.”
Dragon’s hand came to her cheek.
Instantly, need replaced anger. She wriggled to ease the yearning between her
thighs. Her breasts felt swollen, aching for his touch.
Yet she resisted. “Stop it, Dragon.
You know what affect you have on me.”
Dragon withdrew his hand, rising so
the sheet fell, exposing his bare chest. Shifting away to fight off the
tremendous urge to ravish him, she choked out, “I want answers. Now.”
“Raven, I have never lied to you,
nor have I ever made sport of you. And I meant it when I told you I love you.”
“You’re saying that you and Tristan
are vampires. And I thought I was the crazy one.” She turned away in disgust,
even as she sensed the pain her words had caused him. She pressed a hand to her
chest to ease the pressure she felt there.
When her eyes flickered back to him,
a shocked gasp escaped at the sight awaiting her.
His mouth was open. And he had
fangs. In his mouth.
Fangs.
“Touch them!” he demanded.
She recoiled.
“I said, touch them!” He grabbed her
hand, forcing it to his open mouth. The sharp points of his fangs pricked her
finger.
Raven ripped her hand from his
grasp. “Stop, Dragon! You’re frightening me.”
“I smell your fear. Look deep inside
yourself. Fear is not the only emotion that drives this craving for the taste
of blood. Your lust for me is stronger.”
Shock overwhelmed her anew as she
studied his eyes. She could read the stream of mixed emotion pooling in their
deep, darkened depths. His voice sounded in her ears, yet his lips never moved.
“See, you do hear me. Can a
mortal woman hear what a man says within his head?”
Dragon rose, naked, from the bed.
Raven gritted her teeth against the glorious sight of him. Every muscle,
chiseled to flawless perfection. The heat between her legs grew uncomfortable. Damn
you for making me want you, even now.
Crossing the room to a small wooden
table, he poured a drink into two glasses. It looked dark and smelled rich,
inviting. Her mouth watered, a consuming sensation. He came back to stand
beside the bed, shoving a glass at her.
She eyed it suspiciously. “What is
it?”
“Proof.”
The scent of the liquid aroused her,
but she held her ground. “What is it?”
“Drink it!” Dragon’s tone was dark
and furious, his eyes glaring at her.
“And if I don’t?” She ripped the
glass from his grasp and slammed it on the bedside table in a show of defiance.
Dragon gulped the contents of the
glass in his hand, then yanked her from the bed. His mouth crashed down on
hers, the drink still rich on his lips and tongue. Unable to control herself,
she clung to him in desperation, devouring his mouth. The sweet taste of the
liquid fueled a sudden fire within.
Dragon pushed her away. Her hands
reached for the glass he had brought her and she drank down the warm, soothing
liquid in one large draught. She didn’t care if he watched her, as her tongue
licked at the remnants clinging to the corners of her mouth.
His anger seemed to rise with each
drop she took in. Now he taunted, “I believe it is you who needs to answer my
questions. Mortal women do not crave blood, my dark angel.”
Raven’s hand went to her mouth as
her stomach lurched. Dragon grabbed the chamber pot as the contents of her
stomach resurfaced.
“You bastard!” She cursed him, even
as her taste for the liquid returned in much greater force than before.
“How much more proof do you need,
Raven? Your hunger for blood is as deep as any vampire I know.”
Here's a little something about J. J. Devine:
Reading and writing have been
J.J.'s passion her whole life.
Starting
out with being the poet, everyone came to in high school to get that
"perfect" poem for his or her boyfriend/girlfriend.
She spent her weekends locked away in her
room, curled up on her bed, writing short stories for only a selected few
readers.
She has been happily married for
28 years to her trucker husband. She is
a mother of three, grandmother of three; a lover of dogs, cats, and fish.
J.J. started to pen historical
romance as a hobby when her youngest child was a year old, creating the
Acceptance Series. She got serious about
her writing career joining Romance Writers of America and Indiana Romance
Writers of America moving on to help start Crossroads Romance Writers in
2014. She penned her first paranormal
romance, Into the Darkness, in 25 days, taking herself beyond her comfort zone
and just giving the characters free reign of their story.
Since taking herself out of the
outside working world, she has dedicated her life to her writing and her
writing world and raising consciousness for Domestic Violence Awareness.
Here are the author's social media links:
