Readers Choice 2016 Nominee & Excerpt

Hi everyone. Just a quick note here. 


I'm pleased to announce that A Gypsy's Kiss has been nominated as one of The Romance Reviews Readers Choice for 2016. 

Now that it's been nominated, it needs your vote to move on to the next round. If you'd like to take a moment to vote,  just click the image or click here and that will take you the the voting page.  And I thank you in advance. 

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Here's an excerpt of A Gypsy's Kiss


This is a scene during one of Hawk's hockey games and it s one of my favorites.

Home games were always more exciting as the crimson and gold colors dominated the stands. As I skated around the rink during warm-up, I couldn’t help but glance up at the seats behind our bench every time I skated by; still hoping to see Breena’s smiling face. But I knew better. I didn’t expect to see her there now. Not after all this time.

A quarter in to the third period, we were down one goal. I hadn’t been into the game at all. I’d even missed an easy shot on goal, and the puck had gone just right of the net. On top of that, I was doing horribly in the faceoff circle. The puck soared across the ice toward me. I tracked it this time. I wasn’t in the mood to play games, and I didn’t want to lose this one. It might be cheating, but I figured I’d just be making up for the crap way I’d played the first two periods. I owed my team my best. As I took control of the puck and headed down toward the opposing team’s goal, I got checked in the side and slammed into the boards with a jolt. The asswipe jammed his elbow into my lower back, causing me to become completely incapacitated for a few seconds, and forcing me to my knees. The ref hadn’t seen the elbow shot, so there was no penalty. I eyed the jerk, number four, and swore under my breath. As I skated toward the bench to take a sorely needed break, the coach saw me and sent in Dexter Green to take my place. That’s when I saw Breena sitting in the seat behind the bench. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. I was glad she was there. I was stupid to think I’d be able to go without seeing her again. I sent her a smile, and she gave me a timid smile back.

After my brief recuperation period, I went back into the game. A few minutes later, the ref blew his whistle for icing against the other team. That meant there would be a face-off. I skated to the spot on the ice where the referee held the puck. I had to face-off with the asswipe who’d elbowed me in the back, number four. Part of the fun of hockey was the violence, and learning to navigate through the complex systems and labyrinths of physical contact while still adhering to the code. An unwritten set of rules that had been handed down from generation to generation. The code picked up where the rule book left off.

With my stick down on the ice and ready, number four put his stick down. The puck fell, and I got to it, sending it over to Tex, who took it down the ice. I skated to the corner and Tex shot the puck over to me. Number four came at me again, his gloved hand on his stick right at the level of my balls. I pivoted to my right, and he got me in the hip. This time, I dropped my stick and slung out a punch. When a player challenges another, that player must answer the call and stand up for his team. Number four was doing his best to show me up. Fights can turn the tide of the game and create momentum. This fight would be more than just my retaliation, it
would also spark some energy for the team. Something we needed if we were going to win this game.

His first punch struck me on the left side of my jaw. Next thing I knew, our gloves were off and I’d sent out a punch to his face, my knuckles colliding with the side of his mouth. His helmet flew off. I took another punch to the face, which almost sent me to the ice as my own helmet rolled away, but I managed to stay up on my skates and got in a few more slugs before we were doing the fighter hug, my fist still pounding into his neck and chin. The battle was eventually stopped by the refs, and both number four and I headed to the penalty box. We each had five minutes to sit and brood. At least the teams were evenly numbered and there wouldn’t be any power play by the other team. I turned to glance at Breena. She looked worried. She needn’t worry about me, and I didn’t want her to worry, but it made me feel excellent that she might be concerned. It had been a hockey fight. Nothing more. It happened all the time. I sent her my best cocky grin, and she rolled her eyes.

Don't forget that the second book in the Immortal Hearts of San Francisco - Captivated by a Vampire, comes out on May 6, 2016. It is available right now for a special pre-order price of only 99 cents,  so be sure to reserve your copy. 

And of course you'll want to get Tempted by a Vampire and read that first. 

All three of these books can be read for FREE with 

Kindle Unlimited.

Thank you for your time and happy reading.