Thirteen
Nights
Divine Temptation
Book 1
Sabrina Garie
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Cover
Artist: Kelly Martin
Book
Description:
Annie’s always been
different. An empathic Amazon, she hides her emotional anomaly beneath her
legendary fighting skills. To avoid passing on her genetic disorder, she’s
always avoided the Thirteen Nights Ritual—the annual breeding rite among the
warrior races of the Greek Pantheon. Only months away from 30, she is now
duty-bound to participate. When she meets Tai, a half-human warrior who revs
her up beyond legal limits and nurtures the gentleness she’s had to keep
secret, thirteen nights of pleasure don’t seem nearly enough.
As a half human,
Tai has survived by being faster, more lethal, and a whole lot smarter than his
brethren. While the male warriors accept him for his achievements, the Amazons
have never given him a second look. Until he meets Annie, whose smile is warm
and real and whose body shudders with desire—for him. Determined to have her,
he hacks into the Thirteen Nights database and rearranges the pairings to make
Annie his breeding partner. Together, their strength and tenderness combust
into pure love.
But Tai’s actions
are forbidden under Amazon law, subject to a death. To stay together and alive,
they must take on the Greek Pantheon and win.
Excerpt:
By reading any further, you are
stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please
exit this site.
An Excerpt
From: THIRTEEN NIGHTS
Copyright © SABRINA GARIE, 2013
All Rights
Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
A strong drink in hand, she found her seat by matching the number
on her name tag with the table number. Following the instructions on the card,
she swiped it over the datapad and put her thumbprint on the screen where
directed. That would tap into her medical records to ensure genetic
compatibility. A bell rang in the distance and the first male slid into the
seat. A small human. She smiled politely but knew that weak frame could never
handle an Amazon lover. Humans were not forbidden, but strongly discouraged.
Not all were as frail as this one, but humans usually wanted more than the
Amazon vows permitted. The bell couldn’t come soon enough. Annie clandestinely
hit the no button on the pad.
A giant of a man swaggered into the now-open seat, all testosterone
and appetite. Linebacker shoulders, six-pack abs straining against a muscle
shirt chosen to show them off, thighs so big they could choke a horse—and
probably had. Elaborate tattooing covered his left arm from shoulder to wrist,
detailing every victory, every kill. Similar markings ran diagonally across
Annie’s back.
He touched his card to the
pad and instantly his resume popped up on her screen. Black belts in karate,
kendo and Kung Fu, expert sniper, awarded the Golden Shield—the Gargarean
symbol for valor—six times, hobbies included hunting, archery and jousting.
Okay, the man could kill, but who was he really?
“I’ll give you a good ride. You’ll be well-sated. I’ve fathered
two already, one on a first-timer.” Typical Gargarean—built for show and
incapable of mincing words. His eyes burned over her, intent blazing so fierce
she felt the heat crawl across her skin. It was said the male warriors went
celibate for six months before a breeding to build their lust to a fever pitch.
From that look, she’d say it was true for this one.
She nodded, splaying well-manicured, fire-engine-red nails on the
table. The male covered one hand, pushing the his palm against the tips.
“Yes,” he rumbled. “They’ll feel good tearing through my back when
you lose control.” He laid his left arm out in front of her, an invitation to
test the strength of him, and show off his prowess. As expected, she walked her
fingers along the planes and angles of his muscles, periodically digging her
nails in to test his reaction to different pain levels—to see if he really
could handle her and show respect for his military achievements. Those muscles
would ripple well under her fingers and nails.
A Gargarean in his prime,
proven in battle and the bedroom. She should want this. Damn the little voice
in her head that told her that it wasn’t enough for the father of her child, so
she rated him acceptable, not preferred. Some part of her she kept well-buried
thought it would be nice to find someone with an interest beyond weapons and
bloodletting. Someone who could handle, I
don’t know, maybe a conversation. The next twelve nights joined at the
groin could be a lifetime.
Each new Gargarean who
plopped down in front of her merged into the next one until she couldn’t
distinguish among them. They all rang the same—deadly, dominant and completely
interchangeable. She knew she was a desired partner, and would be many of these
men’s first choice. The male warriors liked to boast about knocking up the
first-timers, it was worn as a sign of their sexual prowess. The DNA
compatibility test would have to choose one of them for her. She didn’t really
care.
Lost in frustration, she
didn’t register the newest candidate in front of her. The blue light on the
screen identified him as Gargarean, but he lacked the giant muscular
proportions of the male warrior race, that scent of pure dominance and
heightened testosterone. Oh, his eyes revealed menace and the lethality of the
warrior-bred and his arm tattooing was as detailed and complex as the bigger
men who came before him. But he had the lean, muscled strength of a human
soldier, the power he emanated more subtle and highly controlled. From the way
her lower body pulsed, she liked it. A lot. When she eyed the screen with more
focus, the mystery resolved itself. Tai,
human father, Amazon mother, given to the Gargareans at birth. That
explained his size. “How did you survive their training as a youth?”
“Your mind can bring you to
places your body cannot.”
“That’s not a very
Gargarean philosophy.” Or Amazon for that matter, even though she agreed with
him. “How would your background play out over the twelve nights?”
“Each night more attuned to
your needs than the next. You would be seduced across all dimensions, pleasured
in the realm of mind, body and spirit.” He flashed her a smile that promised
all kinds of sin, but those deep brown eyes, so tender and soulful, pledged
warmth and humor. With that, her panties were drenched, her nipples bullet
hard, and tingles ran up her spine straight into her brain. Swallowing, she
struggled to pull it all back under control and explore this possibility in
more detail.
“Your expertise is…” She
lifted an eyebrow. “Cyber security.” She placed her hand on the table as she
did for all the others. Instead of using his palm to test the bite of her
nails, he ran his finger across her knuckles and down her thumb, a lingering
caress that promised gentleness, not just a good, hard ride. When he offered
her his arm, she did the same up his wrist to his elbow, watching lust flicker
in his eyes as her fingers glided across his skin. “You’re not like your
brethren, in many ways it seems.”
“No, but I think that’s the
pot calling the kettle black and it pleases you.” His voice lowered a decibel,
the sound a rough caress around her body. “Why? Most of your sisterhood reject
me out of hand for my size, my human heritage, even my talents.” His gaze
locked onto hers and held it in an iron grip. He might be small for a warrior
of the Greek pantheon, but he made it clear he was no less potent and he wasn’t
going anywhere without an answer.
“Because you’re
different…like me.” She was not at all sure she should have confirmed his
observation but she felt no deception coming from him. “It tempts me.” She gave
him her biggest, sexiest smile.
“Choose me.” His gaze still
tethered to hers, he glided his forefinger along her lips in a quiet tease.
“I’ll make it worth it to you.”
My Review: 4 stars
I liked this book. It was interesting and creative. Sabrina brought a tale to life utilizing the mythology of not only the Amazon women, but also included Gods from a variety of pantheons, including the Greeks. Tai and Annie enter into a relationship that is forbidden by the laws of their people. Tai does it willingly, because once he's seen Annie she's all he wants. He makes their pairing up happen, and then puts everything into getting Annie to break the rules and fall for him as well. Sometimes, breaking the rules IS what's called for. This was a great read, interesting lore and well written. Well done, Sabrina.
About
the Author:
Sabrina
Garie is on a journey to create the most kick-ass heroine romance fiction has
ever known and the hero who can take her. A believer that big, audacious goals
spice up life, she relies on coffee, red wine and laughter to make those goals
(and her characters) come alive.
When
not at the computer, she wrangles vegetables and extra helpings of homework
into her fashion-loving progeny, kowtows to a fat cat and reads, a lot.
Since
it is more fun to travel in packs, come along for the ride.
Catch
the train at www.sabrinagarie.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sabrinagarieauthor
Twitter: @sabrinagarie
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Sabrina_Garie
Other Blogs: www.darkertemptations.wordpress.com
Thanks so much for hosting me and for the great review.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Sabrina!!
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