KEYNOTE:
Journalist Skylar Shaw covers a plane crash on a Florida beach that leads her to a handsome yet mysterious Italian man...and the conspiracy that threatens all he holds dear.
BACK COVER COPY:
Romance is the last thing on reporter Skylar Shaw's mind when she covers a plane crash on a Florida beach. Her best source could be a mysterious Italian man, but he's strictly off the record—unless it involves indulging their electrifying attraction to each other. Little does Skylar know, but that crash is only the beginning.
Luca Rossi is hiding a big secret: He's a journalist, too, and his anonymous exposé on the Mafia destroyed his world. Now, after two lonely years on the run, he will do anything to possess this vulnerable American beauty. But Skylar is as relentless as the Florida glare, and the situation ignites when she reports on a gruesome murder in a swamp. Soon erotic nights will bleed into dangerous days, and nowhere will be safe from the heat.
PURCHASE LINKS:
http://amzn.to/1RxRBx6
REVIEW:
This is a really well thought out and delivered story.
Luca Rossi is just unbelievably hot and the sexual tension that builds between him and Skylar Shaw gets you hot beneath the collar.
There are revelations galore as the plot slowly unfolds that mainly surround Luca which makes a change as it's usually the heroine who has the secret past that she's running from.
Skylar is strong and independent although a little insecure sometimes which can come across as whiny but we can put that down to a few things in her back story and her age. She's the perfect match for Luca and you find yourself rooting for them the whole way through to get their happy every after.
Readers will enjoy this if they are looking for a good easy read that flows well...and of course...if you have a thing for Italian men...this will make you happy!
The author is a nationally known journalist and will be a featured author at the Times Festival of Reading in St. Petersburg, FL at the end of October.
PODCAST
EXCERPT:
They
kissed for a long time, and a fierce Florida summer storm raced ashore. The
room was dark save for flashes of lightning. When a loud crack of thunder
exploded overhead, Luca protectively squeezed her closer.
“You’re
sure you’re okay with not having sex?” she whispered.
“I’m totally okay. This
makes me happy.”
He kissed her neck, wrapping a fistful of her hair in his hand
and pulling slightly, tilting her
head.
When he bit her, Skylar traveled to a different dimension. She opened her
mouth, gasping at how his lips sent waves of heat throughout her body.
Luca
sat up, kneeling, and pulled her to him, her back to his chest. Her hands
squeezed his muscular thighs and she lightly raked her nails over his skin.
With his strong arms wrapped around her she felt small and safe. Luca’s hands
caressed her thighs under her dress, alternating between gentle strokes and
possessive squeezes. Her breasts were heavy with longing in a way they’d never
been.
She
was also kneeling, and he pulled her arms back and threaded his own through the
crooks of her elbows so she couldn’t touch him or move, while his hand raked
her front. Her dress and panties were still on, and his underwear did nothing
to obscure the erection pressing near her ass.
“I
want you to touch me,” she whispered in a tentative voice. “Will you take off
my clothes?” “Of course,” he said.
Slowly he removed her dress, pausing to
reach around and stroke her breasts. Then he eased her
panties over her hips, but only partway, so the fabric strained around her thighs.
He took a fistful of her hair and turned her head so that his lips were near
his ear.
“Tell
me if you like this,” he whispered. From behind, his hand cupped her ass then
stroked her lower. She felt one of his fingers inside of her.
She
gasped. “I like that. A lot.”
“Good,” he murmured, taking his other hand out of
her hair. “And how about if I do this?”
He
gently folded her forward so she was on all fours and then reached around and
slid his finger into her wetness, over and around her clit. The sensation of
his fingers working her with a slow rhythm in both places made her cry out
softly from the intensity. She urged her hips back into his hands and rocked.
“Oh,
Luca,” she whispered.
The
thunderstorm was everywhere now, loud and insistent. She wasn’t sure if the
electricity in the air was from the atmosphere or them. Luca whispered
something in Italian then switched languages.
“You’re
so wet.”
His
voice was hoarse, and she arched her back, wanting more. She felt damp and
creamy everywhere. For a chilling second she thought of James and how he’d once
told her that she was too slippery.
“Am
I too wet?” she asked, feeling
self-conscious.
Luca
stopped and pulled her up. Spun her around to face him and planted a long kiss
on her lips. “Sky. No. Don’t
ever ask that again. You will never be too wet for me.”
“Will
you keep touching me?”
“I think the better question is, will I be able to stop touching you?”
She slid her panties
off her legs and lay down, opening her legs. A low growl emerged from Luca’s
throat and he lay atop her, his skin hot and demanding. He ground his hips into
hers and the only thing separating them was the fabric of his underwear. She
fed on his lips, sucked on his tongue. And yet, she wanted to wait, wanted to
prolong penetration.
“Lie
next to me and touch me again,” she whispered.
He
did, trailing his nose down her cheek and pressing his open mouth into her jaw
as his hand went in between her legs. His fingers glided through her slick heat
and sweat bloomed at her hairline. Two of his fingers entered her, and she
whimpered with pleasure at the delicious, straining feeling. She spread her
legs even wider in response, and he shuddered a breath in her ear.
Lightning
crackled, illuminating the room and their bodies with brief white flashes. The
rain came, pounding loud and insistent against the roof of the mansion.
“This
is...this is perfect,” she said, feeling like she was telling him a deep
secret. She almost wanted to cry from the intensity because she felt so close
to him and knew this moment was fleeting and impossible to repeat. Thank
heavens it was dark, because her eyes welled up a little and she shuddered.
This was different, special.
And
might never happen again.
Luca’s
breath caught, and he spoke in a low whisper into her ear as he slid his
fingers over her swollen clitoris, causing her stomach muscles to twitch in
response. “It is. It is perfect. You’re right. We’re perfect together.”
She
hoped he wasn’t lying.
He
teased and touched her, circling her clit with his fingers. She was so close to
coming. So close. Her insides coiled. Tightened. Her body was ready for the
release.
“Please,
Luca. Please. Please,” she whimpered, and he responded in Italian.
“Sorry,” he
said after a breathless moment. “I’m loving you in my language.”
Skylar’s heart
skipped a beat. She
shuddered with violent need when he slowed his circles around
her clit, breathing hard in her ear and occasionally whispering words she
didn’t understand. Dimly, she realized they were words of passion and beauty,
but she couldn’t think, couldn’t speak.
His
finger’s circles around her clit grew smaller, firmer, more insistent. An
orgasm tore through her, over and over, and she cried out louder than she ever
had, turning into him and crushing her body against his. She reached the apex
of pleasure, not wanting it to end.
Through her daze she knew that no man had ever made her feel this way. The only time she had come this strong was when she pleasured herself, and she was shocked to find that another person’s touch was as good as her own.
Through her daze she knew that no man had ever made her feel this way. The only time she had come this strong was when she pleasured herself, and she was shocked to find that another person’s touch was as good as her own.
Better,
even.
Luca
held her as she trembled. Then a thought came to her. How could she be so
selfish as to not please him in return? This must be torture. She put her hand
on his chest and gently pushed him onto his back. Sliding atop his body, she
kissed him, teasing his lips with her tongue. She sat and straddled his hips,
running her hands over his chest, pausing to roll his nipples in between her
thumb and forefinger. He gasped, and his chest twitched in response.
She pressed her lips to his neck then slowly trailed her tongue down his body, her hair sweeping his flesh.
She pressed her lips to his neck then slowly trailed her tongue down his body, her hair sweeping his flesh.
“You
don’t have to—”
He
gasped when she removed his underwear, freeing his straining cock. She looked
up and said, “But I want to. I want to feel you.”
She
knelt and wrapped her hand around his erection. He was far bigger than any man
she’d been with, and she grasped his fever-hot skin, stroking him slowly from
base to head. A flash of lightning illuminated the room and she caught sight of
his gorgeous face. Luca’s brow furrowed slightly, and his lips were parted.
“Is
this okay?” she asked. God, how she hated being so self-conscious. But she
couldn’t help it.
“It’s
incredible. Please don’t stop.”
She stroked for a few more moments and he
groaned.
“I’m not... I can’t... I won’t last long, Sky.”
With a steady rhythm,
she pumped her hand up and down his cock. Then she paused. She teased.
She went faster, running her other hand down his thigh, lightly scratching with
her nails. He let out a low moan and came, and she had never heard such an
erotic sound.
Skylar slid down next to him and kissed his cheek. Feeling him pant and tremble was so satisfying. She knew he was much more experienced than she was, but his kisses afterward seemed worshipful and grateful. As if the night meant something to him.
Skylar slid down next to him and kissed his cheek. Feeling him pant and tremble was so satisfying. She knew he was much more experienced than she was, but his kisses afterward seemed worshipful and grateful. As if the night meant something to him.
After
they each used the bathroom, he took her into his arms again. They dissolved
into sleep, exhausted from desire. Skylar had one last thought before drifting
off.
This is too perfect to last.
AUTHOR:
Tamara Lush is an award-winning journalist who first started writing in grade school, penning elaborate stories inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark. After completing her undergraduate degree at Emerson College in Boston, she began her reporting career at a small, weekly newspaper in Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in The Village Voice, People Magazine, The St. Petersburg Times, The Boston Globe, USA Today and the Associated Press.
When Tamara isn’t writing or reading, she’s doing yoga, cooking for her Italian husband or chasing her dogs on a beach on Florida's Gulf Coast. She loves connecting with people on social media.
MEDIA LINKS:
Website: www.tamaralush.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tamaralushwrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TamaraLush
Thank you for this really wonderful and kind review and for featuring the book on your blog!
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