Title: Caressed
By A Crimson Moon
Author: Amanda J. Greene
Blurb:
Consumed by madness and tormented by
dark memories of blood and death, Hadrian Lucretius, King of the Validus Clan,
has returned after living in self-imposed exile for nearly three hundred and
fifty years.
To maintain
peace with the vampires, Eva Maldonado is offered as a sacrifice to the crazed
vampire king by her father, the alpha of the Silveria Shifter Pack. Hadrian’s
reputation is both legendary and lethal; he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, lusty,
and soulless. When Eva arrives at the ancient fortress high in the Carpathian
Mountains, she is shocked to find a ravaged man with dark burning eyes filled
with loneliness and dangerous desire.
Would she be
his lover…or his prey? His savior…or his victim? Would Hadrian lure her into
madness or would their perilous passion be their redemption?
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Excerpt 2
Her steps faltered as she came to a bend.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
She was not alone.
Eva froze and strained her senses. Her
hearing and eyesight was slightly better than a human’s but nothing compared to
a full shifter or—she swallowed hard—a vampire. Unable to detect anything, she
slowly crept forward. Placing her back against the twelve-foot tall hedge wall,
she peeked around the corner.
A man sat on a white marble bench, his
elbows resting on his knees, his head hung low. She could only see his
perfectly hard profile and her heart skipped a beat as her breath caught. High,
bold cheekbones and a straight, stern jaw descended to thin, yet enticing lips.
His hair was black and buzzed in an extremely short military fashion. To her
disappointment, his eyes were closed, but she knew they would be intense. He
was dressed in all black, a stark contrast to the white that surrounded him.
Raw power radiated from him. He was pure
unadulterated male. Lethal. She knew instinctively this vampire was the crazed
king, Hadrian Lucretius. The man—no, the beast that had ensnared her in the
hall.
His eyes remained closed as his lips
pulled back from his long, white fangs tinted with red.
Blood.
She knew she ought to be horrified but as
before…he was making her lust. Her body was hot and heavy, her breathing came
in soft gasps, and heat spiraled through her core as she recalled the feel of
his powerful body looming over her.
“I know you’re there.” His voice was deep
and heavily accented though his style of speech was modern. He spoke again, but
she did not comprehend his words. She closed her eyes and savored his voice.
Dark. Seductive. She shivered, not from cold, but from pleasure.
Nothing made sense. She knew her reaction
was insane. She knew she should be terrified and run as fast as she could back
to the castle and the safety of her room. But, she could not bring herself to
leave, nor did she want to run. Her heart stuttered at the thought of him
chasing her and something wild deep within her roared to life.
In a rush of movement, she was pulled
forward and spun about. Her back slammed against the hedge, a cool, strong hand
wrapped about her throat. Her cry of shock quickly faded to a gasp of delight.
He stood before her, pinning her to the hedge. Her senses flared, taking in his
fresh scent. He smelled of pine, wilderness, and male. His eyes gazed deeply
into hers as if searching for her very soul. They were fathomless, obsidian
pools that swirled with malice, grief, and…desire.
Her heart thundered in her ears as her
lips parted, drawing in rapid breaths, filling her lungs with his irresistible
scent. Again, she wondered at her response, but lust clouded her mind, blocking
all rational thought.
She dropped her gaze to his broad
shoulders and chest, which were covered only by a short-sleeved black shirt.
Her fingers twitched at the thought of running her hands over the hard muscle.
He was lean, solidly built, and tall, clearly over six feet.
He crowded her. Trapping her.
She loved it.
Hadrian’s gaze focused on her pulse.
Eva’s heart beat wildly, teasing him. His fangs felt heavy in his mouth and
they ached to pierce her slender throat.
The run had helped him immensely, driving
away those hateful memories. He thanked God he had recovered before his ward
had stumbled upon him in the labyrinth. The memories always left his mind
tainted.
Blood.
He had wanted blood. No. Needed blood.
Death. Yes, he had craved to taste death, to savor it. He had hunted in the
forest and fed from a rabbit. It’s tangy blood and tiny life had brought him
precious little relief. It was enough. It would keep him from tearing her
throat open and gorging himself on the sweet elixir.
She
would be spicy, exotic, and oh, so hot.
He ran his tongue over his fangs and Eva
sighed. The scent of her desire grew stronger. He took in a deep breath and
shuddered. Intoxicating. His erection strained against his pants as heat
consumed him. He wanted to teleport her to his bed, feel her soft body beneath
him, her hips rocking with his as he claimed her, filled her. Her lust sang to
him like a siren’s song and fired his icy blood.
“We meet again, little one.” He brushed
the elegant column of her throat with his thumb, pausing over her pulse with
every stroke. “I did not expect it would be so soon.”
Hadrian kept his hand on her neck as he
stepped back to appraise his prey. He had known she was small, but his mind had
been completely consumed with lust and hunger earlier to focus on detail. She
was barely over five feet and slight of frame. Fragile. He could snap the poor
girl; easily break her like a doll. He eased the pressure on her neck at the
thought. Her face was delicate with almond shaped eyes that were down caste,
concealing their color. She also had well defined cheekbones and stubborn chin.
Her luscious, pouting lips were peach in color. Hadrian shivered as he imagined
their taste. He could not remember the last time he had felt another’s lips
pressed against his. Never had he kissed the women he took to his bed…not since
he had been a mortal man, not since his wife. But damn, her mouth was tempting.
He dropped his gaze to her body. She was
tightly bundled in a thick jacket, the blue a perfect complement to her smooth
sun kissed skin. Her dark brown hair was pulled back and fastened in a braid
that came to her hips. He resisted the urge of freeing her locks, having the
absurd desire to run his fingers through her hair.
He released her throat to press his hands
to the hedge on either side of her head. Her gaze met his and Hadrian bit back
a curse. Amber. Pure, amber stared back at him. Not yellow, as he thought
before when he had found her in the hall.
Stunning.
For an instant, his gaze grew sharp. Eva
tried to look away, but his hand caught her chin and forced her to face him.
“Look at me, little one.”
She raised her hands, intending to shove
him away, like she knew she should. This was wrong. He was a vampire. No, he
was a crazed vampire king and she was, well, a lowly half-breed, who was also
his ward. Nothing could happen between them. As if I would want something to happen between us, she told
herself.
His thumb brushed over her bottom lip,
the caress was simple and yet completely erotic. He sank his body into hers and
Eva lost her breath. .
Hadrian slipped his hand down her neck to
her nape; his fingers began to play with the stay strands of hair that had
escaped her braid. His ravenous gaze roamed her body. Despite the bulkiness of
her jacket, he could feel her generous curves. The blue material covering her
chest strained ever so slightly against her breasts as her hips cradled his,
her stomach was flat and soft against his painful erection.
“Shall we continue what we started in the
hall?”
Eva swallowed hard as she thought, Oh, God, yes!
His finger danced over her shoulder and
her chest to the zipper of her jacket. She watched as he slowly drew it down,
heat coiled in her core.
Eva couldn’t think. She couldn’t move.
The heat of his strong hands burned through the thin material of her pajama
tank top as he spanned her waist. She did not notice the cold but shivered in
anticipation. His fingers slowly slid up her sides and paused at her ribs, just
below her aching breasts. She arched her back and he hissed.
“Terror,” Hadrian whispered. “You should
be feeling terror.”
Eva squeaked in response, unable to
speak.
He leaned his head down, his breath
brushed along the sensitive flesh of her throat.
“You should run,” he said. Would I let her escape? Yes, he would.
He would use what remained of his will to remain still as she raced through the
labyrinth. He should set her from him and demand that she go.
All Eva could do was nod. She knew he was
right. She should be screaming. She should be praying that Falcon would come to
her rescue. This dark vampire had her trapped. Hadrian, the mad king, had her
at his mercy. She tried to remember the evil rumors, hoping they might be able
to draw her back into reality. Nothing came. All she could think about was how
much she wanted to feel his hands on her body, hips lips against her skin and
his—
“Touch me,” Eva gasped. Desire controlled
her mind as lust gripped her body.
His black gaze jumped with dangerous
delight. He spun her about, forcing her back against his chest, his hands
gripping her hips as he pressed her front towards the hedge.
Heaven help her, a bolt of treacherous
excitement ran down her spine to curl her toes. She pressed her hips back and
groaned at the feel of his hard cock against her ass.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, his
lips brushing her ear.
“Y-yes.”
“Who?” His demand was rough and, God, she
loved the anger that laced his voiced. On some level, she knew she must be
losing her mind to desire this vampire. She did not care. She wanted him. Now.
Primal, sexual need coursed through her in sweet agonizing pulsating waves.
“H-Hadrian Lu-Lucretius,” she answered.
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Review
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Review
I devoured this book - or at least I did as fast as I was able. I should have given myself a full day and I would have easily been able to read it in one sitting instead of two. Damn the need to sleep. It was actually an excerpt that I read from Caressed by a Crimson Moon, which peaked my interest in the Rulers of Darkness Series, and although I thoroughly enjoyed book one and two, book three is definitely my favourite. Hadrian and Eva's story is practically a "beauty and the beast" tale complete with a huge foreboding castle that yes, has a massive and very impressive library. Both have great histories/back stories and it was wonderful watching their characters grow, learn and strengthen, but I have to say their story was what held my attention. Explosive sexual chemistry and tension from the start, which was helped and complimented by their strong personalities and their traumatic personal stories, you are on the edge of your seat constantly waiting for them to realize what is going on and how well it all fits together - especially on Hadrian's part. It was great watching this so called beast learn that he deserved beauty and a happily ever after. A thoroughly satisfying read as well as a super hot and fabulous third book to the series, and as always, the author has left us on a high by hinting at what is next to come in the series, and I for one cant wait to sink my teeth into book 4. (This book was received from author in exchange for an honest - and long over due - review.) |
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About The Author:
When she is not writing, Amanda can found playing
the role of a full time university student who works part time. She lives in
Southern California with her very supportive husband and their sweet cocker
spaniel. Doing all the above and being a military wife is not easy, but
rewarding! Of course, she accomplishes everything with a strong cup of coffee
in her hand.
Amanda J. Greene:
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