18 and Over Giveaway Blogger Fest Hop ~ Day 3

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Welcome to the 18 and Over Giveaway Book Fest Blogger Hop ~ are you ready for fun and prizes??!! Well, we got two more days packed with fun, yummy reading, and prizes. There's plenty of places to visit for sure, 101 participating blogs!! So, get around and leave comments to win.

Kay Dee Royal here, today’s host and I’ll be talking about what makes a good heroine (IMO). *smile* But, first let’s talk giveaways…

Today’s Giveaway ~ a PDF copy of One Plus One to one lucky commenter who answers ~ What kind of woman makes your favorite heroine? (Older, younger, strong, broken, driven, fearless, feminine, tortured, etc.)

Drawing will be tomorrow after noon EST (3-25) and posted in the comments.

Another chance to win ~ all names (with email addresses included) will be collected for grand prize drawing on Monday (3-26) at noon EST. US only - box of gently used romance books to one lucky winner, and also, international/US - 3 erotica e-books to one lucky winner. GOOD LUCK!!!

So…what makes a great heroine?

I appreciate a heroine I can relate to on some level…even if it’s a fantasy level. A woman strong in her convictions, yet, broken…but not beyond repair by some alpha-type male who sees her beyond the broken parts. She’s confident, but not afraid to show emotion. She’s also not afraid to show her passion, and maybe it’s a bit tigress-y. I love it. LOL

A bit complex, being outspoken at times and silent during others, but she inspires without even realizing it…and she doesn’t always recognize her own courage…sort of like, Lacinda in One Plus One.

Here’s an excerpt of One Plus One – meet Lacinda & Blade.

Lacinda:

Why did I say yes? What if the Captain saw me by the pool?

She stepped out of the bathroom in her black thong and noticed a long white plastic bag spread across the bed. Upon closer inspection she found the top of a hanger sticking out one end with an attached card.

‘Lacinda,

Flaunt your assets. Give the Captain a reason to stand at attention (at least certain parts of him). It’s best worn with nothing underneath.

Mazie’

Lacinda’s throat grew tight as she untied the bottom of the bag and slid the hanger through. Her breath caught. Her hands trembled at the touch of the silky flowing cloth. She held the rose colored gown against her body in front of the mirror. She liked what she saw. A woman she’d never seen standing in front of her mirror at home.

She pulled off the black thong. The dress skimmed over her body like cool water, a continuous caress against her skin. She looked in the mirror again. Material gathered at each shoulder baring her arms. A deep V ran down the center to her belly button. Her small breasts swelled and her nipples peaked beneath the thin light material. She turned and realized the V in the back ended almost at the crack of her butt, leaving her whole back naked. Something caught her attention on the floor.

Below the mirror sat a pair of cream colored stilettos with another card attached.

‘Don’t fall on your ass, dear.’

Tap…tap…tap. “Miss Gainesly, Travis at your service.”

Lacinda quickly slipped the shoes on and opened the door. Travis sucked in a heavy breath. His eyes moved slowly down and up.

“God.” His brows arched high. “I mean, you look lovely this evening. The Captain will be most especially surprised. I mean, not that he wouldn’t have been surprised by your company anyway. I mean, not surprised…that’s not the word…”

“I get it, Travis. Shall we go?” Lacinda needed gone before changing her mind about wearing something so revealing. Travis held his arm out, and she politely slid her arm through his.

“Walk slowly please. I’m not sure how well I’ll do with these sky scraper shoes.”

Every step sent a sensual caress of cloth against her pearled nipples, over her butt cheeks, and against the sensitive mound above her center. Heat and moisture gathered between her thighs. She needed her focus redirected to calm the building fire. But to no avail, instead she remained stuck on that damn moisture, and even more accumulated, which would surely leave a mark on the back of her dress when she sat down. She wore no underwear.

Damn Mazie, what were you thinking? What the hell am I thinking?

At the end of the hallway, they stepped into an elevator. Travis pushed a button labeled: Penthouse, Authorized Personal Only, and rode up. When the elevator stopped, he hit a series of numbers on a key pad and the doors hissed open.

“Enjoy your dinner, Miss Gainesly.” Travis left her standing in the center of the room, a room breathtakingly plush in cream and navy.

Lacinda heard the elevator doors whoosh closed and a nervous tingle spiked through her body. She would be alone with a man she’d never met in a dress which made her feel naked, just like that stupid string bikini. A shudder shivered through her body.

“Are you cold, Miss Gainesly?” A man’s voice, familiar, spoke from behind her.

Lacinda jerked around and before she saw the Captain’s face, the heel of her shoe caught in the carpet. Her foot rolled out of the stiletto and the momentum carried her sideways. Her hands flew wide in search of anything to break her fall. They found the floor, saving her face from slamming into it. Embarrassment heated her whole body. She could only guess what condition her dress was in.

How could she turn and face the Captain now?

Blade:

Blade wasn’t close enough. Even though he moved fast, he couldn’t catch Lacinda. She looked like an angel dancing in slow motion until she kissed the earth. God, her flowing hair, and that dress; it barely covered the small round curves of her breasts as she went down.

He stared at her round ass sticking in the air. Her dress had billowed up and bared her calves. It pooled around the back of her knees. One shoe lay in the middle of the floor, the other still claimed her right foot. His focus centered on her ass and the way the fluid cloth settled in her crevice, along her natural folds. Her body stirred. That gave him a punch of realization. He’d been standing there admiring her without making any attempt at helping her up.

“Lacinda, are you alright?” Blade put his arms around her, his palms settled over her breasts and hauled her up. As soon as Lacinda was on her feet, she pulled away and whirled around.

“You!” She stared daggers at him, but all he noticed was the disarray of her hair and how it had fallen onto one shoulder leaving her other shoulder naked. The strap of her dress slid down her arm, exposing a hardened rosy nipple. She followed his stare and yanked the dress back in place, which snapped Blade back into the moment.

“Yes, me. What about me?”

Her face went bright red and her brows drew in.

“Well, who the hell are you, a limo driver, a steward, or the Captain?”

Blade watched her bend down and got a peek of both breasts, until her hand flew across the gaping material. He held himself from gasping. She stood the stiletto upright, slipped her foot into it, and then glared at him.

“I don’t know if I feel flattered or stalked…or violated.”

“Tonight I’m the Captain and very excited you’ve accepted my dinner invitation. May I interest you in a glass of Sangria before dinner?” Blade moved slowly, afraid if he startled Lacinda, she’d bolt for good. The air steeped and crackled with her energy. He couldn’t tell if it was anger, embarrassment, or sexual tension, maybe a bit of all three.

Blade picked up the glasses of wine and walked back, careful not to look her in the eye when he handed her a glass. Looking directly into an angered woman’s eyes was asking for an open attack, one he didn’t wish from this woman. He casually stepped toward the patio, drew the curtains back and opened the door.

“Please join me.” He stood by the door waiting for her, hoping she’d respond positively. Lacinda released a heavy sigh. Blade ventured a look into her face. Her mellow brown eyes met his and held. His cock twitched, as a tremor shot through his body. God, he’d never reacted like this for any woman.

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt – here’s the Blurb:

Coerced by her friend, Lacinda, a woman crushed by love, winds up on a three-week singles cruise.

Blade, a man of means, discovers Miss Right under the guise of a singles cruise set up by his business partner.

Once Blade focuses his efforts he always gets what he’s after, until Lacinda throws his arrogant reputation back in his face.

Can Blade break through Lacinda’s angry barriers? Will she ever see him as anything more than a player?

See more info and buy links here:

OnePlusOne Muse Store

OnePlusOne Amazon Kindle

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