Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy Since our theme is all about love this month, my post is actually about my love for cruising, but I couldn't resist throwing up the title of the Round Robin story we did way back when... Anybody who has hung around on this blog for more than five minutes knows that yer olde Aunty is a travel nut (and sometimes just plain nuts, but that's a post for another day) ! For the past few years, my travel mode of choice has been a cruise ship. Yes, I've been on fifteen cruises, several to the same destinations. I've been asked on more than one occasion: Why do you love cruises so much? My usual reply is: What's NOT to love? The ships themselves are beautiful! Most of them have lots of gleaming, polished wood. They are often decorated around a specific theme. For example, on our last cruise a lot of the common areas had a jungle motif. The indoor pool was especially beautiful, with life-sized carvings of twin elephants on one end a...

“Run!” Marcus took off at warp speed. “Yikes!” Tricia yelped as he grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hallway. Realizing running in spike heels wasn’t working, she kicked them off and snatch up the hem of her gown as she scrambled to keep up with Marcus’s longer strides. “Shorter person here.” “Kill them all!” Eric Leif, the Red, bellowed, as he raced after them with a heavy duty, and extremely sharp, sword in his hand and a wave of followers on his heels. “This was supposed to be a fun cruise!” Tricia panted, as Marcus, along with Mustafa and Jean Pierre as human bookends. “I was only supposed to walk around in pretty gowns and expensive jewelry!” “Sometimes we don’t get what we want.” Marcus flashed her one of those bone-melting grins. “And sometimes we do.” “Hurry!” Merry called out from ahead of them, her gown billowing around her with brilliant sparkles and her wand dancing in the air. “What are –?” Tricia’s question faltered as the four of them seemed to swim through an in...

By Kendra Leigh Castle Jean Pierre wrinkled his nose. “Do you know, I really detest that word. We’re Dagmorvanian royalty. Leave it at that, please.” “Sure, no problem. I mean, sorry.” Tricia looked at them, trying not to be overwhelmed by the sight of three gorgeous extraterrestrial men with their pants undone, all looking at her like they’d like her to remove what scant clothing she was still wearing. She wondered, fleetingly, what it would be like if all three of them really did want to ravish her, a faint flush rising to her cheeks. Then Merry spoke, a welcome distraction from strange and heated thoughts. “All right, boys, that’s quite enough,” she said, wagging a finger at the grinning trio. “Boys?” asked Tricia, eyebrows raised. Whatever else she might have called them, she doubted that was a word she would have picked. “Merry was our governess for many years,” Marcus said, turning Tricia’s attention with his deep, honeyed voice. There was humor in his deep blue eyes whe...

posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary The loudspeaker crackled and a strained voice spoke, "Attention all passengers and crewmembers, this is the first officer speaking. We have been boarded by pirates. They have..." Screams, shouts, and general noise reverberated behind him and across the room as he choked, then continued hoarsely, "They have incapacitated the captain and at least 4 other officers. Please remain calm--" Total and complete pandemonium erupted. Tricia stumbled and fell to her knees as people ran screaming in all directions. Covering her ears, she crawled toward the nearest wall. "This way deary!" She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and saw the kindly face of the woman dressed as her Fairy Godmother. Tricia shook her head in confusion while the woman gave her a few soothing pats. "It's me, Merry Joyful Britewell, and we'll get out of here, don't you worry." Tricia was still debating whether to ask, "How?...

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Cool hands smooth as glass encircled her upper arms. While Tricia was happy for the help to keep her upright. The last thing she wanted to do was fall at anyone’s feet; she quickly realized the idea of this man’s hands on her wasn’t welcome. “I apologize,” she murmured, pasting a smile on her lips as she lifted her head to gaze at her combination victim and savior from an embarrassing fall. “I should have watched where I was going.” Eyes the color of midnight gazed at her with the same intensity that Marcus Black had given her, but this look was more disturbing than Black’s had been. She stared at a man with the unusual combination of snowy white hair that tumbled to his shoulders and black eyes and the face of a man who couldn’t have been any older than thirty-five, although she’d swear he was even older. There was something about him that was a lot more dangerous than she wanted to contemplate. “It’s rare for such a lovely morsel to literally fa...

by Sharon Lathan Tricia's heart thudded painfully. Armand's voice, usually pleasant and musical, sounded harsh and grating as it penetrated the hypnotic haze that enveloped her. The dizzy bubble disintegrated; the suddenness of reality even more surreal than the strange encounter with Marcus Black. Or had that merely been a dream? It did seem unreal. If not for the trail of fire still burning her skin wherever he had touched her, a faint tingling around her ear, and the lingering aroma of his spicy cologne she may have believed it a hallucination. "That's what happens when you abstain from sex for six months - or has it been eight? - and then surround yourself with a ship-load of stunning rich men while the accessible one you came with would rather shag one of them too!" "Tricia? Are you ill? You are flushed and shivering! If you vomit just make sure you keep it off the dress. It wasn't cheap." "I..." His eyes narrowed, plump lips pursing....

By Kendra Leigh Castle Tricia tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, feeling her curiosity beginning to overtake her fear. She glanced around quickly, and decided that she was safe enough from being either ravished or dragged off somewhere for the time being. There were bound to be other band members wandering through. Still, for the moment, they were alone. “So you’re telling me Armand is lying?” she asked, arching a skeptical brow at him. “I mean, the sex slave dealer was a new one on me, but still. I know Armand. I don’t know you.” Not , Tricia silently amended, that I wouldn’t like to fix that problem . The dark, handsome stranger was even more compelling close-up, his fair skin a striking contrast to close-cropped ebony hair and eyes such a dark blue they were almost black. His mouth, a hard yet somehow sensuous line, curved slightly upward. “That, I'm happy to fix.” He put his hand out, and Tricia let her small hand be enveloped in his large ...

Cruising for Love Part Five By Cheryl Brooks His smile broadened as he knelt down and captured her foot in his warm hands. “I'm Mustafa, and I've never met such a beautiful blonde American before.” “First time for everything, I suppose,” Tricia said, glancing nervously over her shoulder. At least that horrid man hadn't followed her. Had he known it wasn't the ladies' room? Would he be waiting outside when she left? Tremors shook her entire body as she realized she'd never been more terrified in her life. Mustafa drew her attention back to her sandal with a deft tug on the strap. “It simply became unfastened,” he said. “There is no damage done.” “Th-thank you,” Tricia stammered. “I would have felt really stupid limping through that crowd of elegant people with a broken shoe.” “I assure you, madame,” he said, his dark, expressive eyes peering up at her through a tangle of dusky curls. “If you were to walk through that room, no one would be looking at your s...

posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary Armand hauled Tricia out onto the dance floor and away from the smoldering gaze of the dark man, but she could still feel his eyes following her. Pieter glided past, a short woman in a feathered mask with garishly tinted red hair in his arms. “Damn!” Armand whispered hoarsely near Tricia’s ear. “That’s Anita Fitzhugh. I’ve been trying to get close to her all evening.” The dark man momentarily forgotten, Tricia craned her neck to get another look at one of the grand dames of Broadway. “She’d be a perfect customer,” Armand continued. The music stopped and Anita moved away from Pieter toward the exit. “She’s going to the powder room. Follow her!” Tricia blinked at him. “Me?” “Well I can’t very well go into the ladies’ room,” Armand replied, and gave her a not too gentle shove. “Go on! Don’t lose her.” Tricia stumbled for the door, the strap of her sandal coming loose as she moved, but she had no time to stop and fix it. She hurried into the hallwa...