Today’s featured #PNRThursday book is Guardian of the Deep by Flossie Benton Rogers.
Guardian of the Deep
by Flossie Benton Rogers
Moonspell Books
Genre: Paranormal Romance (sensual heat level)
Blurb:
Forbidden love in the fae realm…
The Succubus Layla has one job: to pursue dreaming men. Although emotional attachments are strictly prohibited, Layla has powerful feelings for the Guardian of the Deep.
Samael is a dark lord charged with maintaining order in his submerged domain. The Guardian is enamored of Layla, and they fuel their passion in his undersea home.
With forces stirring against them, the fae world becomes dangerous. Samael suggests a hideaway in the human dimension – a 1950 Montana ranch. Layla is thrilled. They can escape the threat looming over them, and she can indulge her cowboy fantasies with Samael.
When Samael disappears before their rendezvous, Layla’s dream turns to a nightmare. Peril is closer than ever. She must call on her deepest reserves and risk everything for the truth to come out. Is her love strong enough to hold the bond with her Guardian of the Deep?
Excerpt:
The draperies swept open to reveal all the glory of the deep ocean. The phosphorescence of seafae lit the waters.
And there Samael glided, every bit as splendorous as the home of his heart.
Layla moved to stand at the window and watch mesmerized as Samael cavorted among his denizens. As happened when sea water covered him, his skin from chest downward shimmered in vibrant jeweled tones—cerulean, purple, and green. The flecks in his eyes sparkled, and his long dark hair with its burnished streaks streamed out behind him. The lower half of his body had shifted to its undersea form, that of tail and fins, a brilliant-hued merman in all his glory.
Flossie Benton Rogers shares her passion for mythical realms through sizzling paranormal romances with fairies, goddesses, witches, angels, and demons. Reiki, tarot, runes, and gemstones are sometimes part of the magical mix. She is prodded on by her writing buddy, Marigold the calico, who may be a fur fairy. Flossie’s birth chart features sun in Sagittarius with a Taurus moon and Libra ascendant, as befits a 5th generation Floridian and freedom loving mystic.
For a special Thanksgiving treat, here is an excerpt from N. N. Light’s powerful and inspirational paranormal romance, Princess of the Light. Don’t forget to check out the Goodreads giveaway below.
Inspiring spiritual growth one person at a time
Blurb:
Gabriel, the Archangel and Messenger of God – yeah, that Gabriel – visits Mary Miller. He tells her, as the key, she is destined to spread the Light and vanquish the Darkness. Her first assignment is to restore the soul of the Walking Man. Sounds simple enough — until she’s thrown into the face of evil. And then, Joe Deacons enters her heart. This battle just got a lot more complicated. She must complete her mission without losing all she loves.
“Can I help you with something, sir?” The woman’s voice quivered slightly and she leaned a little, as if she suddenly needed the wall for support.
Whoa, I couldn’t help but think. I frankly felt like a moth to the flame. All I wanted to do was have a reason to get closer to her. The fact that her eyes seemed to shine with an actual light didn’t help matters. I had never felt such an automatic attraction before, and I wanted to lean closer and see what was going on with her eyes.
She was either looking at me like I was the only man in the world—and quite possibly the sexiest one—or else my open gawking had freaked her out. Either way, I couldn’t have told her which it was, because my mouth felt like a cotton ball container.
“Yes,” I managed to rasp to her. “Where is your Architecture section?”
“Are you looking for anything in particular?” Yes. You, I wanted to say. “I could look to see if it is in stock.” Oh. Are there more of you somewhere?
The sound of her voice was starting to make my heart pound.
She had an earthly beauty about her. There was nothing extraordinary in her features, yet something about her just seemed to glow.
I felt my breath quicken. Joe, what’s the matter with you? Get a grip. You’ve seen girls before.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts without worrying what I looked like and said, “Please forgive my manners, but what is your name?”
“Mary.” That just became my favorite name.
“I’m very pleased to meet you,” I said as I extended my hand to her. “I’m Joseph. Please call me Joe.”
She hesitated for a moment before she shook my hand. Electricity bolted up my arm that I wasn’t prepared for. I wondered if she could hear my heart beating. Pretty sure these emotions weren’t winning me any bro-code points.
Her face was flushed and her eyes brightened with interest. Let go of her hand, Joe, I tried to coach myself. If I didn’t let go of it soon, I might never be able to.
So I quickly let go of her hand but immediately regretted it. The whole room suddenly seemed cold and empty.
She probably thinks you’re some kind of wacko. Stop staring. You’re a logical guy… Be reasonable here. Besides, she’s probably married. I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to remember what we were just talking about. I looked up to see her glance towards the entrance. If she asked me to leave, I wouldn’t blame her.
I tried to act composed, while I glanced down at her left hand. I didn’t see a ring, so I cleared my throat and tried to act like a reasonable man again.
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mary.” Even to me, my voice sounded unnaturally thick and hoarse. I cleared my throat and looked back at her.
“Yes, it’s great to meet you, Joe. Let me show you where the section is.” She turned and simply pointed to the far left corner of the store.
Just when I thought she was through with me completely, she motioned for me to follow her.
As she led me to the back of the store, I tried to switch off my desire and concentrate on the task at hand. Focus, Joe! Decorum! The inner jokes weren’t helping. They just wanted to make me giggle like a schoolboy, and I doubted that would help matters much.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment while I tried to remember the books I came for.
She was driving me crazy! I shook my head like a wet dog for what seemed like the twentieth time and asked God for some help.
Suddenly she sidestepped and tripped. I reached out and caught her. As soon as my fingertips touched her, my whole being seemed to be on fire. You’ve gone completely insane, Joe. Maybe, I really had been working too hard lately.
Mary blushed and stammered, “I’m so, so s-s-sorry about that. There was, um, a stroller blocking the aisle.”
“Yes, I saw that.”
I knew I had to let go of her. When I did, she whirled around, stammering more of an apology. It took every ounce of my willpower not to bend down and kiss her. I should have taken that nap.
To keep from kissing her, I made a joke. “And here I thought you just wanted me to catch you in my arms to break the ice.” I hesitated and then added, “It worked.” Her light-hearted laugh made me wish I knew more jokes.
She cleared her throat, and turned back to where they were heading.
Once in front of the architecture books, Mary said, “If you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Then she stepped back and smiled politely.
“Thank you for your help,” I said, and wished I could think of something else to say to stall her.
As she walked away, I thought, I could watch you all day. I didn’t realize I was grinning until my cheeks suddenly felt sore.
Part of the proceeds of Princess of the Light will go directly to food banks in order to feed the hungry and help those in need. With only 7,500 books sold, N. N. Light will be able to set up a monthly endowment for the local food bank.
Guardian of the Deep 