• About
  • Bright’s Ferry
  • Collections
  • Coming Soon
  • Hearts of Stone
  • Looking For More Lily?
  • Shorts/Novellas
  • Stand-Alone Novels
  • The Kringles

Lily Rede

~ Writer of hot contemporary romance, paranormal, and steamy romantic suspense.

Lily Rede

Category Archives: Hearts of Stone

Sexy and Unfinished

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by LilyRede in Bright's Ferry, Collections, Cover Art, Hearts of Stone, Rift Guardians, Safe From the Storm, Shadow of the Raven, The Kringle Boys

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

amazon, Bright's Ferry, cat burglar, ebooks, erotic romance, Halloween, holiday romance, kindle, lily rede, magic, paranormal romance, romance, romantic suspense, werewolves

It’s 2016!  Thank goodness.  Looking back over my pages, 2015 was not my best effort.  No excuses, just bad scheduling!  But it’s a new year – I have a fair amount of reorganizing to do on this blog, but more importantly, this is the year to finish the unfinished goodies that have been driving me batty for weeks if not months. Take a look:




Fun, right?  All of these are in some state of “somewhat done” to “nearly done” to “polish, polish, polish.” And they don’t include the Regency series I started last year as well!  So, my New Year’s resolutions are as follows:

  1. Update the site!
  2. An excerpt for you all every single week.
  3. Publish, publish, publish!

Hope your year is productive and full of sexy, wonderful reads you just can’t put down! I’m going to stock up on energy bars and coffee and get to it.  Stop by tomorrow for an excerpt!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • Email
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

COVER REVEAL!!! The Shattered Balance (Hearts of Stone #1) – COMING SUMMER 2014!

18 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by LilyRede in Hearts of Stone

≈ 4 Comments

My covers are starting to test my limited graphics skills…LOL…but this one was a lot of fun!

Here’s my brand new cover and blurb for the first HEARTS OF STONE book, targeted for late spring, early summer.  I’ll start rolling out the two prequels next month – SHADOW OF THE RAVEN and ENSNARED.

The Shattered Balance

THE SHATTERED BALANCE (HEARTS OF STONE #1) – COMING SUMMER 2014

In a ruthless power grab gone wrong, Erebus, the minor god of darkness, decimates the magical world and traps his enemies in stone, only to be sucked into his own eternal prison by a cunning witch.  For thousands of years, the vast statuary remains silent and hidden, until timid grad student Mira Evans stumbles upon the doorway, and with the brush of her fingers, awakes the dark deity along with a dormant Muse – passionate, angry, and surprisingly, very male…

Cal, the Muse of epic song and poetry – a virile demigod with an unflinching sense of justice but no interest in lowly humans – awakens from his stone prison with rage in his heart, his inherent need to restore order and balance overpowered by his desire for a vengeance that could destroy them all.  The lovely grad student who freed him is a distraction, albeit a sexy, smart, and maddening distraction.  Cal has no time for the seduction of a shy mortal, no matter how lickable she might be.

Too bad Mira simply won’t leave him to his plans!  She sees the man behind the rage as the magical world rises again, and as they race to stop Erebus from enslaving humanity, Mira will have to find her courage, risking everything to keep Cal’s past from consuming him and show him that the sparks that fire between them can blaze a path to a bright future together.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • Email
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

EXCERPT!!! Ensnared – A little Werewolf love…

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by LilyRede in Excerpts, Hearts of Stone

≈ Leave a comment

Along with half the country, I’m visiting family this week for the holiday, and they’re none too pleased when I sneak off to type in the middle of the endless rounds of BBQs and reunions.  So naturally, EVERYTHING is late.  Still, I didn’t want you to miss out, so here’s a nice juicy chunk of ENSNARED to keep you occupied – hopefully have this for late July.  Later this week, look for MAKING THE GRADE, followed by MORE THAN A NIGHT, and then SAFE FROM THE STORM will probably get pushed back just a bit to give me some breathing room, but certainly this month.  Phew.

Intro to hot werewolves below!  Enjoy!

Widow Mercy Field knows there’s something in the woods.  The villagers in her small colonial community whisper about wolf-like devils and abomination, and send groups of men into the dark to hunt the monsters.  But Mercy has other things to worry about – since her boorish husband’s death, the village has been pressing her to marry again, and Mercy can feel the noose tightening.  One night, as the villagers celebrate their latest wolf-hunt, Mercy stumbles upon a lone survivor in the woods – half man, half wolf – caught in a trap and snagged on a thorny briar patch.  Despite her fear, she decides to help the poor creature, unaware that Fate has stepped in to change their lives forever.

Shadrach knows his mate the moment her luscious scent tickles his nose, but can he accept a human woman from the village that slaughtered his people?  At her mercy, Shad can only let her care for him and wonder if this shy woman is the key to the revival of his pack, or a siren luring him to his doom.  Together, they must face their fears and learn to accept each other, even as the village’s horror and Shad’s loyalty to his kind threaten to tear them apart.

Ensnared - SMALL

EXCERPT:

Not a monster, she reminded herself, A man at least in part.

She mustered up the memory of stormy blue-gray eyes, brimming with intelligence and curiosity as they watched her at the well.  They were the eyes of a man.  Not like the men in the village, but not a mindless animal either.  Even now, as he watched her from his snare, his flesh torn and bloody from the briars, his body half-transformed into one of those fearsome wolven creatures, his eyes were filled with human emotions – rage, fear, anguish.

“I’ll not hurt you,” she murmured, stepping close, feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

This is the stupidest thing you’ve done yet, child, but Mercy ignored the good sense clamoring in her head and sank to her knees beside the thorny bush, flinching back as he snarled and thrashed.

“Stop!  You’ll hurt yourself further.  Can you understand me?  You must remain still.  Please.”

A low growl rumbled from his chest, but he subsided, and Mercy carefully moved the thorny branches back to examine the bloody metal teeth holding his leg tight.  She winced at the sight of the crushed limb – he may never walk again.  The rest of him was no better off, and Mercy could see that his frantic struggles to free himself had only embedded the briars deep.  His fur was matted with blood from dozens of the sharp spikes.

In that moment, Mercy knew that if he were discovered and killed, she would never forgive herself.  No creature should have to suffer like this.  She could only pray that her instincts were right about this man.

And if he eats me, it will be no one’s fault but my own.

Mercy squinted up at the sky, where the silver moon was already waning in the cold October night.  If the legends were to be believed, he would return to his human form as the full moon subsided, which explained his half-transformed state.  His powerful body was thick with muscle and lush brown-and-gold fur that her fingers itched to touch.  The shape of his face was different, too, with harsh planes and what could only be described as a snout over sharp fangs that could no doubt rip her into bite-sized pieces with little to no effort.  Mercy’s eyes wandered lower, her breath catching at the sight of his cock, thick and huge and animal even in repose.  He was powerful and male and –

And beautiful, thought Mercy, hoping he couldn’t see her blush in the dim light.

That he caught her highly unexpected shiver of arousal was bad enough.  His body stilled, nostrils flaring.  Mercy suddenly felt like prey, but oddly, she wasn’t afraid, just flustered.  She’d spent so much of her adult life trying to force herself to feel any sort of lust for her husband or any of the suitors that had pestered her since his death, but the first moment she truly felt even a pulse of wicked heat was for a savage creature in the woods.

“I need to get a few things,” she said, clearing her throat, “To free you from that, and to tend your wounds.  But you must remain silent.  I’ll only be a few minutes.  Do you understand?”

Could he possibly understand?

After a long moment, the wolf creature nodded and spoke.

“I understand,” he said, his voice guttural and harsh.

Mercy suppressed another shiver and started to rise, but a huge, clawed hand grasped hers, holding her fast.  She gasped.

Please don’t eat me.

 AT THE FIRST TOUCH of the little human’s hand, Shadrach knew.  He knew.  All those weeks ago by the well, he been in his human form and not close enough to scent her, though he’d stopped to admire her lovely, lithe form.  Now, with her perched so close, her tiny hand dwarfed in his, the scent of beeswax and sunshine wove through his senses, calming the beast, soothing the anguish of this terrible, terrible night.

He’d lost his pack in the most brutal and tragic way possible, but he’d found his mate.

A fucking human mate.  From the village.

The village that destroyed my world.

It was absurd, and fury bubbled up.  She paled as he snarled, trying to pull away, but he held her fast.  Human or not, she was his.  Unless this was just delirium.  The thought gave him hope.  The pain he’d suffered, the horrors of seeing his family destroyed, and the full moon – maybe his wolf had made a serious, but understandable mistake, searching for comfort and solace in a world of chaos and blood.

She didn’t feel like a mistake, and the pain faded to the background as Shad brought her palm to his snout for a deep sniff, nuzzling the soft skin, the little calluses that spoke of hard work, and the slight fingers.

“Your name,” he demanded.

Language in this form was never easy, but the moon was waning and his human self was starting to wrest control back from the wolf.

“Mercy,” she whispered, “My name is Mercy.”

The irony was not lost on Shad, but he pushed it away, too caught up in the need to confirm that this woman, of all the females in the world, was meant for him.  Only for him.

His tongue came out for an experimental lick, and the taste of her skin was like a drug.  She gasped as he tested the delicate flesh between her fingers, and her little wiggle was telling.  Shad cursed himself as he went hard, so swiftly he felt dizzy.  If she looked down, she’d probably run screaming at the sight, but luckily his little human’s wide blue eyes were fixed on their hands.

Deliberately, he pressed her palm to his chest, letting her feel his rapid heartbeat and his heavy breathing.  Her touch was like a brand, searing his skin.  She seemed fascinated with his fur, and threaded her fingers through his pelt of her own accord as he forced his claws down.  He was seconds away from grabbing her, and only the thought of her creamy skin torn apart by briars kept him still.  Mercy tentatively stroked his chest and Shad stifled a groan.  The scent of her arousal was in the air now, like honey and sweet spice, and though he was exhausted and dizzy from blood loss, gutted from the grief of the night’s horrors, the gentle touch of this little human suddenly seemed to be the only thing that mattered in the entire world.

“I’m going to take care of you,” said Mercy abruptly, avoiding his torn flesh as her gentle stroking moved down his sternum.

Lower, sweetheart, thought Shad, and couldn’t suppress the whimper as she pulled her hand away, Shit.

Mercy’s eyes widened as she finally noticed his cock, which twitched under her shocked gaze.  There was interest there, too, but he saw her dismiss it as she stood, brushing off her skirts.

“Try to move as little as possible,” she said, grabbing her basket and heading for the tree line.

Suddenly, Shad didn’t want her walking alone in the woods.  He should be there to protect her, to keep her safe from the dangerous creatures that roamed the dark.

He would know, as he was one of them.

He started counting the seconds even before she left the clearing, feeling vulnerable, confused, and utterly helpless as his determined, human mate swished her delectable figure into the darkness.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • Email
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

EXCERPT!!! Shadow of the Raven!!!

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by LilyRede in Excerpts, Hearts of Stone, Shadow of the Raven

≈ Leave a comment

Hey look!  An excerpt!!!  Lots of writing still to do, but I’m happy with how this is coming together.  Here’s a little excerpt from the moment Cal, the muse of Epic Song, starts to realize that Araven may be more than just another visitor to the House of the Muses, and his brother gets a little excited over the markings that are emerging on her skin…

Shadow of the Raven - SMALL

EXCERPT:

“Extraordinary,” said Kleos, moving around her, speculatively tracing the markings with his eyes to where they disappeared beneath her clothing.

Tamping down on the prickle of awareness that chased the discomfort she felt at being the object of the Muse’s focus, Araven wrapped her cloak more tightly around her.  The Muse frowned, squinting slightly, and she suddenly realized that the rumors were true.  While a Muse was semi-immortal and would live endlessly unless something violently destroyed their person, they could be damaged.  They could hurt.  Apparently even Kleos, the Muse of History, could suffer a touch of eye strain after thousands of years of reading.

They were both watching her, Kleos with impatience and Cal with that unsettling heat, and Araven began to wonder if the other rumors were true as well.

Muses don’t usually bother themselves with physical pleasure, but when they do…

“Brother, instruct the witch to disrobe that I may properly take record of her markings.”

Cal, blast him, only chuckled, and the sound wove through her, hot and sweet.

“I believe our witch is shy,” said the Muse.

Kleos peered at her owlishly.

“But, Brother, there are so few of her kind left.  In the interest of knowledge…”

“Kleos, modesty is a peculiarity of the human species.  Mortal women do not generally bare their lovely forms for inspection by strange men.  There are, of course, exceptions, but it does not appear that our witch considers herself to be one of them.”

“Oh,” said Kleos, perplexed.  The idea had not occurred to him – his specialty was the recording of fact, not emotion. “Perhaps she would be more at ease if we removed our robes as well.”

Araven’s eyes widened, and for a half-heartbeat, her long ignored libido cheered at the idea of being stripped by two virile, naked male Muses intent on examining every inch of her bare skin.  And then sanity returned, but not before the husky gasp escaped her lips.

Cal noticed. Of course.

“I fear, Brother,” he said smoothly, “That that might have the opposite effect than what you intended.  A mortal woman tends to only display herself for a lover, her plump nipples and satin skin and the delicate curve of her sex a gift for their eyes only.”

Kleos pouted, which would have been funny if Araven weren’t too busy trying to control the hard beat of arousal that pulsed between her thighs, and her suddenly aching breasts.  It had been too long since she’d felt a man’s touch.

“The markings would be most helpful in deciphering the signs I’ve read in the winds.  There is change coming, and is it vital that I maintain an accurate record.”

Cal clapped his brother on the shoulder, but kept those hot eyes focused on her.  They didn’t need to bother stripping her – Araven felt naked already.

“Leave her with me.  Perhaps when we’ve concluded our business I may persuade her to let me take a record of them.  In the interest of knowledge, of course.”

Kleos nodded, appeased if not actually satisfied, and left them with one last accusatory glance at Araven.  The door thumped shut and she realized that she was once again alone with the Muse, but now he seemed far less disinterested.

Now he looked…hungry.

“A trade,” he began, “A trade is fair.”

“What kind of trade would you propose?” asked Araven, but she already knew.

“My counsel in exchange for the knowledge you hold about our future.”

“I know nothing about our future.”

Cal’s voice dropped to a heated growl.

“Ah, my lovely witch, it is written all over your body, but I suddenly find that I am less interested in the writing than I am in the writing surface.”

He let that astonishing statement sink into her brain while he poured two goblets of wine, and then extended one to her.

“Do we have a deal?”

“Yes,” she breathed, and wondered exactly how much she had actually agreed to.

“Excellent,” he murmured.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • Email
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

EXCERPT!!! Shadow of the Raven (Hearts of Stone – Prequel)

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by LilyRede in Excerpts, Hearts of Stone, Shadow of the Raven

≈ Leave a comment

A quick excerpt from SHADOW OF THE RAVEN, which I’ve pushed back a few days to give me a little more time to edit – available next Friday 3/22.

This is from the beginning, where Araven is noticing that the world is changing around her.

Shadow of the Raven - SMALL

****

Lately, Araven had felt…uneasy.  She knelt at the edge of the garden by a monstrous nettle bush and began cutting the thorny brambles with a small knife.  Her senses were sharper, her perception greater than it had been, and Araven could feel anticipation coursing through her.

This morning, she had seen the first signs of the marks.  Just a tendril, a slight swirl of black against the creamy skin of her hip, but unmistakable.  A witch often took millennia to come into her powers, and the markings were signs of the transition.  Eventually they would spread to cover her body in an elaborate tattoo, a map of the future and the past, and a warning to those who would challenge her.

Araven knew that her mother would tell her that the appearance of the marks was an indication that it was time for her to take her place in the world.  Her mother’s markings had only just started to appear before the attack – had it happened a week later, no mercenary could touch her.  As it was, Araven had to rely on the few precious memories she had of her mother’s instruction, and then decide the best path for her own future.

The truth was, she had no desire to “take her place,” in this world or in another.  This new perception was frightening, and Araven could feel the turmoil in the world outside her precious woodland sanctuary.  Great powers were rising, and she could feel the imminence of great civilizations and leaders who would change the world.

She could sense the gods’ preoccupation as the balance of power shifted – in the cavernous halls of Odin and Freya, in the lofty towers of Zeus and his raucous family on Mount Olympus, and in the mysterious gods to the south, Osiris and Set and the deities who claimed the desert people.  Normally, they left each other alone, focused on their own concerns, with an occasional thought for the mortals who worshipped them, but as the world changed, Araven could feel the great Powers That Be turning curious eyes on the world below.

Araven shuddered and stood with her basket of nettles, breathing deeply and letting the cool comfort of the forest fill her.  She didn’t want to leave her world, to choose a side and become some deity’s pet in the conflict that she was sure was on its way.

Coward, whispered something deep inside, and she pushed it away.  The problems of the outside world were none of her concern.  She would spend her life tucked safely in the forest, amusing herself and avoiding the dangers of getting involved with the passionate magical community.

And if she was lonely, so be it.  Araven had Nifl, and she would have to be content with that.  Something electric shivered through her at the thought of touch – aside from her own hands, Araven had not felt the warmth of skin since she’d come to the woods.  Nifl offered gentle affection as only her shadow could, but Araven had begun to wonder about the pulse of a heartbeat under warm, living flesh.  She found herself staring, curious, when men came to her with requests, wondering what their females experienced with a man over them, inside them.  What was it like?

And…that’s all for now…:)  Might have another excerpt Friday, so stop by!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • Email
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Adult Content Warning

This site contains explicit content of a sexual nature intended for adults only. If you’re under 18, read something else!

  • Follow Following
    • Lily Rede
    • Join 2,119 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Lily Rede
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: