A Big CasaBabe welcome to fellow Sourcebooks Casablanca Author Tes Hilaire! Her debut romance novel, Deliver Me from Darkness, is now in stores and she's here to celebrate!
Teaser from Deliver Me from
Darkness…
Karissa stepped forward, her brown eyes
locking on his as she stared him down. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you drink
because at one point in time, many a many years ago, you were human. Maybe you
still remember the sweet sting of the alcohol hitting the back of your mouth,
the spreading warmth as it burned in your belly, and the lazy waves of
indifference that rolled in with it, demolishing all cares or worries. Maybe
you were an alcoholic, or had the propensity to be one at least, and now, being
what you are, and not being able to escape from it, you are instinctively
succumbing to the addiction. In short. You are weak.”
“Weak.” The vile word rolled like a
jagged stone in Roland’s mouth.
“That’s right.” Her mouth curled up in a
saccharine smile, small white teeth flashing as she leaned closer into his
personal space. “Weak.”
Weak indeed. If he had been a weak man,
then every time he’d gone on the hunt he’d have let instincts overtake him and
succumbed to the call of blood pumping through the veins of his prey. Just like
a weak man, when faced with a friend’s request to harbor a young innocent who
would tempt every aspect of his being, both vampire and Paladin, would have
turned his back. If he was weak, he would have continued to deny what he
already knew in his heart, in the hollow place that once held his soul: She was
his mate. And if he was weak he would have used that as an excuse to take what
he wanted from her, to claim something he had no right to claim.
He was not weak. At least, not completely.
Though there were times when he faltered. Like now, looking down into those
beautiful brown eyes that were trying to bore a hole in his head. Melted
chocolate. He wanted to drink them in, the same as he wanted to taste the full
strawberry pink lips that were currently pursed in smug challenge.
She probably didn’t even realize she had
thrown down the gauntlet, probably thought she was being defiant, showing her
strength by daring to get so close. Stupid woman. Hadn’t anyone ever told her
not to play with fire? If her brown eyes were an addiction he could drown in
and her lips an edible fruit, then her smooth skin was the fuel of his desire,
her crisp floral scent the accelerant. An inch closer and they were both going
to go up in flames.
One kiss. One taste. One moment.
He shouldn’t. She was too pure for him. She
deserved more than a mate who could only offer her pain. More than a monster
who would crave her blood as much as her companionship. He should turn his back
on her now and get the hell away from here before he did something they’d both
regret.
He shifted into her space.
Her head tipped back, hair slipping down
her back, exposing her long neck and the pulse that flitted there. A hand came
up as if to ward him off, but she stopped partway, hovering as if with
indecision. He watched self-preservation war with something else…something that
caused her lips to slacken into an openmouthed “oh” and the hand wavering
between them to fall lightly upon his chest, curling into the soft material of
his shirt.
A pulse of rosy-red fire licked at the soft
white, pinks, purples, and yellows of her essence. Roland’s nostrils flared,
scenting the concurrent change in her body chemistry: crisp lavender spiked
with spicy musk.
She might not want to be, but she was
aroused.
Hell.
Straws. Camels. Backs. Everyone had a point
when they broke. Turns out his was his mate’s desire…
***
Whoa! (I fan my hand
in front of my face) I don’t know about you ladies, but if I were Karissa,
I think I’d be all kinds of okay with Roland’s ultimate weakness. I mean, he’s
this hot, brooding, loner with these eyes that can just pin you where you stand
and this body that I could just.. Eh-hem. (I
turn my head to the side, blushing.) Okay. Sorry. That’s enough talking
about how hot Roland is, because that’s not why I’m here. Well, not the only reason. I’m here for Deliver Me’s
Launch Party! Whoot! I can’t tell how excited I am to be here today sharing
this all with you. I mean, it’s finally here, the day before my first release.
It’s been such a wild ride and…
(I jump a bit. Something
starts beeping. I shift, reaching into my back jeans pocket and pull out my
cell. Quickly I press a couple quick buttons to end the insistent noise.)
Excuse me. I jut need a second.
(I slide the phone
open, texting quickly, then look back up and give a chagrined shrug of my shoulders
as I tuck my phone away.)
Sorry, I normally don’t do that but it was Roland, and,
well…he’s not too pleased with me right now. He just got out of his guest
interview at Urban Girl and now he’s going on about invasion of privacy and
exposure of the Paladin order blah, blah, blah… You know how these OCD vampires
can be. Take them out of their comfort zone and it’s all glowy eyes and growls.
(I try for a smile,
but curse as another string of beeps erupt from my back pocket. This time when
I take out the phone I pointedly power it down.)
Anyway…Where were we?
Oh yeah. So tomorrow is the "official" release of Deliver Me from
Darkness. I hope you liked the little teaser above. If you did, and want to know more, well then
I invite you to visit me as I continue on my blog tour. There will be all sorts
of giveaways and chances to win! For a complete schedule, visit me at
www.facebook.com/TesHilaireAuthor. There is a link to my blog schedule on the
left, PLUS, if you like my author page, you’ll be entered to win one of my
signed author copies of Deliver Me from Darkness!
Thanks so much for joining me and happy reading!
DELIVER ME
FROM DARKNESS BY TES
HILAIRE – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2012
A STRANGER IN THE NIGHT...
He
had once been a warrior of the Light, one of the revered Paladin. A protector.
But now he lives in darkness, and the shadows are his sanctuary. Every day is a
struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially the day Karissa shows up at his
doorstep.
COMES KNOCKING ON THE DOOR…
She is light and bright and everything
beautiful—despite her scratches and torn clothes. Every creature of the night
is after her. So is every male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of
their kind. But she is his. He may not have a soul, but he can't deny his
heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daphne Award-winning author Tes Hilaire started
creating whole new worlds to escape upstate New York’s harsh winters before
finally fleeing to sultry North Carolina. Her stories are edgy, exciting, and
bring a hint of dark fantasy to paranormal romance. And no one ever has to
shovel snow. For more, visit www.teshilaire.com.
Tes, contrats on your debut! Sounds great.
ReplyDeleteHi Tes. Congrats on your debut release. Love the cover. I like the dark, mysterious hero. :)
ReplyDeleteCrystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com
Congratlations, Tes!
ReplyDeleteTes--well done! Congratulations, many happy dances, and how about you give us a hint about what's coming next?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite kind of hero is the guy who will tell me what the heck his book is about. He doesn't have to be brilliant, strikingly handsome, or fabulously rich, but if he has a true heart, courage, and integrity, then he'll earn his HEA and we'll make a mighty fine book together.
Thanks everyone! This has all been very exciting and, I admit, a bit overwhelming too ;-) And, Grace, as far as what comes next, I just turned in book two (Whoot!) which is about Logan (Roland's best friend). You want to talk about a man with heart, courage, and integrity? He's got all those in spades. Though, he can be a bit dense (or maybe I should say stubborn) when it comes to the love thing ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warm welcome!
Hi, Tex! Congratulations on your debut. Isn't it exciting to finally see it in print?
ReplyDeleteOf course my hero will be wearing cowboy boots, tight jeans and a Stetson. And like Grace said, I'll love him a whole lot more if he'll cooperate with me and let me tell his story!
What a fun post! Congrats on the release. I like heroes who are dangerous and charming.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn - I hear you on the cooperation aspect. Sometimes these men can be real touchy about sharing ;-)
ReplyDeleteShana - What woman doesn't like a man who's a little bit dangerous *wiggles brows*
Hi Tes - congrats on your debut! Great cover and it sounds like a great read. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite heroes are strong men, with workingman's hands, broad shoulders and a big heart.
Congrats on the release, Tes! Fun post and really liked the excerpt as well! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for what kinds of heroes I like, to be honest, ALL of them, lol! But I do have more of a weak spot for the dark and mysterious ;)
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
The type of hero I want depends on my mood when I am trying to decide which book next to read. That said, the dark, tormented, mysterious hero has featured much in my preferences in these last few years. It is just so interesting to see his secrets brought to light and to see how the heroine brings light into his world.
ReplyDeleteI had the good fortune to judge this manuscript in the preliminary round of the Daphne du Maurier contest. I loved it even then, and I'm so excited to finally be able to read the whole story! Congratulations, Tes. Well deserved.
ReplyDeleteC.H. and Winnie - Thanks so much :-) I'm still on cloud nine.
ReplyDeleteLil - dark, tormented and mysterious. You and Karissa both ;-) Thanks for stopping in!
Tamara - Aw thanks! You know I'm still all giddy from when I met you in RWA Orlanda and you told me you had been one of the judges :-)
Congrats on your debut! I can't wait to read it :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite heroes are dark, brooding and mysterious.
marieimy (at) gmail (dot) com
Congrats Tes! I like the tall, dark and handsome hero that has an air of danger to him and of course he has to be an Alpha! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteromancingthedarkside(at)gmail(dot)com
Lookd likr blogger ate my post yesterday :( I really enjoyed the excerpt. I like dark and mysterious in my reading. Also someone who is honorable and has a sense of humor and would be willing to die for you!!
ReplyDeletecatslady5(at)aol.com
Nice excerpt (and great asides during your presentation)! Congrats on the new book, it sounds great. I like quiet self-assured heroes who aren't afraid to have a soft side as well.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. Looking forward to reading it!!
ReplyDeleteCan we go with all of the above? While I prefer dark and mysterious. I have read great heroes that fall across the range.
Thanks again to everyone who commented. Our winners are: Winnie and donnas. I'll be emailing you both shortly!
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued, sounds great. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks, lfacchini (at) tampabay (dot) rr (dot) com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the book! I like a dark, brooding, alpha hero.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com