Thanks to everyone for who stopped by and commented over the past weeks! Tomorrow night the contest closes and on Wednesday I’ll announce the winners of the big prizes. Good luck!

Just as a final reminder (and to set up your TBR pile!) these are the books we’ve seen peeks of along the way that are available now for you to purchase:

Don’t expect things to slow down after the “Summertime” contest ends. I have another release coming in a week, and I’ll be sharing snippets from that story as well as the two stories that accompany Stone’s Embrace in the Captive Souls series written by Kimberly Kaye Terry and Vivi Anna! You know there will be bribes (ahem…prizes!) offered along the way!

Here’s a quick preview of what’s coming next. As soon as this contest ends, another will start because I have a new book coming July 14th!

Lust trapped them in darkness…only love can free them…

Petra Pedersen has lived as a recluse all her life thanks to a genetic double whammy—a strange deformity and a shameful power inherited from the father she will never know. The power to incite lust in men and women with just a touch.

Exploring the garden of the mansion she’s just inherited, she comes across a fascinating stone gargoyle whose raw, passionate expression draws her to caress its broad chest. Her imagination follows her fluttering fingers. As she closes her eyes and gives herself up to the arousal, something shifts beneath her touch.

Long ago, failure to stop a demon battle trapped Octavius in a prison of stone. Freed by the woman’s incendiary touch, he doesn’t hesitate to unleash his pent-up rage and desire in a blistering fury. Yet once the haze of lust clears, he discovers he isn’t really free after all.

They are both trapped in another realm where he must choose between his last chance for redemption or returning Petra home…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Not wanting to waste the waning light, Petra hurried down the stairs and into the large open living room. French doors led to the garden. They opened easily on quiet hinges. She let them close behind her and stepped onto a tiled porch. Stair steps led to a flagstone path. From this elevation she couldn’t see the boundaries of the planting beds they were so choked with weeds.

Three steps downward, a sensation, like the softest velvet brushing past her exposed skin, glided over her as she entered the garden. The late afternoon sunlight dimmed instantly to dusk and she blinked to adjust her eyes. She had to hurry to get her first look at her new home before darkness fell.

At the end of the pathway bordered by tall bushes and made impenetrable by dense vines and weeds, she saw an opening and walked steadily toward what she assumed would be the grassy area beyond the formal garden.

Frogs croaked, crickets chirped, creating a cacophony of sound that reminded her again just how far from home she really was.

The open grass was farther than she’d thought and she considered turning back, but the smells welcomed her. She recognized a hint of roses and paused to inhale the sweet fragrance from small white flowers studding a long vine wrapped around a leggy bush.

Honeysuckle.

She smiled, recognizing the blooms from the pictures of the travel book she’d read on her flight across the sea. The scent was sweet, nearly cloying, but she inhaled deeply, entranced with her discovery. She plucked a bloom and held it cupped in her palm and continued down the narrow pathway.

At the end of the path, she exited the dense, tall foliage into a clearing. A gazebo, its lattices intact but in need of paint, stood against the darkening forest. To her left a stone bench sat next to a large statue. The fading sunlight limned the statue and lent its surface a pearlescent sheen. The figure of a winged gargoyle, its massive body upright, its arms and wings outstretched as though ready to take flight was so exact, so detailed, she couldn’t help but stare. “Oh my.”
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Today’s winner (by random number generator!) gets a signed copy of Texas Men…and that winner is “kh”!

Be sure to follow me today to the Aphrodisia Author’s loop. Your posting there will count toward the next prize!

If you’re on my chatter loop or Facebook, you know about my snake encounter yesterday. Today, when I head to the pool I’m carrying a shovel! My dad thinks it was a cottonmouth snake. Since it didn’t open its mouth, I don’t have a clue. The only think I know is it had that sharp, triangular-shaped head. Very distinctive. It’s not a pretty snake, but he’s been hanging out in our garden. We found his shed skin on a large flagstone next to the house. I’m worried about the Yorkies. They’re both so ditzy they’ll want to play with it.

Since I have a captive audience for the next four days, I’m going to remind you about my new releases. First up is Lockdown.

5 Stars from Manic Readers
“…LOCKDOWN was pure perfection…As good as the sex is I found myself totally immersed in the evil shadowing the three characters. I was downright riveted to my pages…Suspense, danger, mouthwatering sex scenes and a demon should be enough to make you pick up LOCKDOWN. I will recommend this book to everyone I know, it’s just that good!”

4.5 Stars and an orgasmic “O” from Just Erotic Romance Reviews
“…Delilah Devlin always delivers stories with real characters. LOCKDOWN is terrific at building suspense and creating tension; as a reader you can’t wait to see what will happen next…”

From Reader Views
“…LOCKDOWN by Delilah Devlin offers a uniquely different erotic tale. The sensual scenes are very well written and a pleasure to read. The plot is very complex for a novella, yet the author carries it well. I really enjoyed this story and hope that there will be more to follow along this line.”

Remember, you have to post to win the next random prize!

Progress on next Cowboy story

Yes, the contest is still going on. I still have some things to talk about and books to tempt you into trying. And when this contest winds down, there will be another one right behind it, because I have another book coming July 14th! Can I hold your interest that long? For sure there will be more excerpts. But today, I want to share a review that warmed this little writer’s heart.

5 Cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews
“…Ploys, palace intrigues, backstabbing and betrayal, shifting allegiances and true friendship, and above all, abiding love, are what make Delilah Devlin’s dark romances so irresistible.

We will be forever drawn back to her fantasies and her powerful characters. They step out in front of you, and you never forget them. Her worlds rise up around you and when you look up from her book, you are surprised to see familiar surroundings. Weeks after turning the last page, the characters will come knocking at the door of your imagination and whispering more secrets in your ear.”

And just so you know…
July’s moon is the Mead Moon. And just by it’s name, you know it’s time to part-ay! It’s the time to enjoy first harvests of all those seeds you’ve planted.

Enjoy your day! I’m hitting the pool! 😉

Guess what’s in the bookstores today?!!

If the excerpts haven’t been enough to convince you, if the scenery doesn’t tempt you, then I’ll have to keep trying. Enjoy meeting Adam Youngblood!

Oh! And you’ll have to read to the end to find today’s winner!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cass sat at her desk finishing up reports left from the previous day—or rather, trying to. She clicked on save, closed her computer, and then tilted her coffee cup, noting its half-empty state. She shoved away from her desk with a deep sigh. Truthfully, she’d have used any excuse not to sit there another minute.

She’d been unbearably “itchy”—so restless she’d started planning a new bouldering excursion for her next day off. Physical exhaustion seemed the only relief from what really bothered her.

Adam hadn’t relented. Not once. He hadn’t called. He hadn’t even used one of his flimsy “complaint session” excuses to stop by the headquarters. Apparently, he didn’t intend to collect his “pound of flesh.”

She sighed, acknowledging she was one pathetic creature when she’d settle for a man taking his revenge for the simple joy of seeing him.

Cass refilled her cup at the community pot and headed to the information desk and Mavis.

The lobby was empty except for the elderly, gray-haired woman who was busy stocking the brochure rack with a fresh batch of trail maps.

“Things always slow this time of day?” Cass asked, making conversation.

Mavis continued sliding the pamphlets in their slots. “Most folks settle in the shade about this time. Days are gettin’ hotter.”

“Gonna be a long summer,” Cass murmured.

The older woman shot her a wry glance. “We gonna talk about the weather or what’s really on your mind? You haven’t said a word about what happened the other day on the cliff.”

Cass grimaced. “Nothing happened. He tossed me a rope and took me home.”

Mavis set the brochures on the counter. Her soft blue gaze studied Cass’s face. “Haven’t seen him around here since. Something happened.”

Cass released her breath, deciding to confide because she needed someone to talk to. “I think I blew it, Mavis,” she said softly. “The night before the storm Adam caught me in the parking lot at The Stone Pony…kissing Johnny.” At Mavis’s sigh, Cass’s cheeks heated. “I know. Not smart. But it happened, and now he won’t talk to me.”

Mavis’s soft, dewy fingers pressed against Cass’s as she stood stock-still clutching her coffee cup. “I don’t know if there’s any way to fix that, hon. Adam doesn’t give his trust easy, and he and Johnny are so competitive…have been since they were boys.”

Which only confirmed Cass’s assessment of the situation. Deflated, she forced a smile. “At least he won’t be coming around every other day to complain about hikers crossing his fence.” She dragged in a fortifying breath and reached for a stack of trail maps. “I’ll take some of these with me to hand out. Better head out on patrol and make sure things stay quiet.”

Mavis gave her a pinched smile and circled the counter of the information desk. Cass strode slowly back to her desk to retrieve her radio and clipped it to her belt.

As she walked back toward Mavis to say goodbye the glass doors at the entrance swooshed open behind her.

Mavis’s eyes widened slightly, and she whispered, “Brace yourself.”

Cass lifted both brows in question, but noted the smile Mavis quickly flashed and the two bright spots of color that filled the older woman’s cheeks.

Cass glanced over her shoulder then stiffened at the sight of the tall glass of firewater that sauntered into the building.
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Psst! Be sure to post. I’m giving away something tomorrow and will look at the posts since the last giveaway to find my winner! And I’m not telling you ahead of time what it will be!

Okay, the date of release is wrong on the banner above, but it’s still pretty, isn’t it?

I’m a little tired so I’m being as lazy as possible today. The red-headed hellion and her hubby needed a little intervention late last night. I’m the person they called. (Don’t laugh!)

She’s volatile. He’s reserved. When they argue, he wants to roll his eyes and run to his office to shut the door because she gets really loud. I blame it on her Irish genes. I’m mostly German, so of course, I’m logical and get to the point of any argument. In the middle of the night I made a trip to their house. We drank coffee. I dried tears (no, I wasn’t all cozy and warm about it because someday she needs to grow up), but by the end of the night everyone was calm and grinning sheepishly. A mom’s job is never done. Take heed!

So, I’ll leave you with a couple of photos of the park that inspired the climbing scenes.

The fortress, this first photo is the cliff she finds herself stranded on in that first opening scene I shared.

A scene I won’t share (because goodness, y’all have to get the book to satisfy your full curiosity!) involves a climb up a hoodoo. Nope I didn’t mistype. See the cylindrical spires at the top of this cliff? Those are hoodoos.