Book Spotlight: The Descartes Legacy by Nina Croft. Enter to WIN a $25 gift card! #scifirom #SyFy #giveaway

The Descartes Legacy

by Nina Croft

Lucas Grafton has spent the last ten years hunting the Conclave, a secret organization who took everything from him: his wife, his child, his very identity. Now he has a lead—an imminent terrorist attack on London—code-named Descartes.

Born with a genetic illness, Jenna Young has always known she was different. But the unexpected death of her father catapults her into a world of murder and terrorism she never expected. In order to stay alive, she must solve a twenty-five year old mystery—and her only ally a hard bitter man in search or retribution, her only clue the Descartes Highlands, an area on the near side of the moon.

Luke’s need for revenge collides with Jenna’s hunt for the past, and together they must stand against the Conclave. All the while uncovering the truth behind Jenna’s illness, a truth that will make Jenna question her very humanity.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

Excerpt:

When she pulled herself up, the room whirled around her. Somehow she managed to follow Luke out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Pushing open a door, he gestured to her to enter. “Try to sleep, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

Jenna swayed as she passed him. Putting her hand out for balance, she encountered the hard heat of his chest. Swearing softly, he closed his eyes for a second. Then he picked her up, carried her into the bedroom, and placed her gently down on the bed.

“Come on, Jenna, just a few more minutes and you can sleep.”

“I’m fine, really I am. Just everything keeps spinning.”

He straightened. Was he leaving? She didn’t want to be alone, and she had to swallow the urge to ask him to stay. Instead, he disappeared through another door and came back seconds later carrying a black toweling robe and a washcloth. He crouched in front of her, and gently wiped her face with the damp cloth.

Jenna closed her eyes and gave herself up to his touch. She was floating, suspended in time, only aware of his closeness, his hands gentle as he stripped her clothes. Her body responded to his touch, a heavy warmth building inside her.

When she was naked, he wrapped the robe around her shoulders. “Sleep.”

Exhaustion rolled over her and she lay down on top of the blanket. She would rest a little while then get up and shower. Curling herself into a ball, her injured hand held against her chest, she was vaguely aware of Luke moving around the room, picking up her clothes. His presence reassured her, and she closed her eyes.

But behind her lids, she saw the blond man who had snapped her finger. He came toward her, his eyes mocking, and the same sense of helplessness washed over her.

That had been the worst thing, even worse than the pain. The feeling she had been powerless, that they could do what they liked to her, and she could do nothing to stop them.

Tears rolled down her cheek, soaking the pillow, but she couldn’t seem to stop. The mattress depressed as Luke sat down beside her. He didn’t speak, just leaned back against the wall and pulled her into his arms. He smelled of warm man, clean sweat spiked with some exotic after-shave. Sighing, she burrowed her face against his chest, and finally drifted into sleep to the throb of his heart.

Giveaway!!

At the end of The Descartes Legacy tour, Nina will give away $25 Gift Card.

Enter the rafflecopter draw below for your chance to WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Author Bio:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Anytime, anyplace, anyone…love finds a way.

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Want Some Older Alpha Males? Check out @Clare_Dargin's guest post! #scifirom #sfrb #scifitweet

It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

Guest Post by Clare Dargin

A very cool quote that meant absolutely nothing to me when Indiana Jones first said it back in 1981 but now that its 2013 I totally understand it.  And now that I think about it, I guess it was the same thing that the makers of the Expendables were trying to say when they made those two movies.  Some guys just get hotter with time. 

From Edward Norton, Patrick Wilson, Shemar Moore to Dwayne the Rock Johnson, I love a man with a little mileage on him.  Be it with experience, age or a combination of both there’s nothing hotter than a man who’s a bit older and still got it.  Yes there are some hotties out there rockin’ their twenties but thirty-somethings and older should not be left out the game!

I guess it all started with Star Wars.  You see, when I was a kid, my dad took me and my brother and my mother to see Star Wars when it first came out.  And of course like everyone else I was blown away by the whole thing.  But my six year old mind, though enthralled by all the characters on the screen, only saw Luke as the cool friend but was enthralled by Darth Vader and had a major crush (or my child like equivalent of one)  on Han Solo.  The loveable rogue who’d seen it all, Han Solo with his cool ship and loyal best friend made me swoon.

Of course that dissipated as he fell madly in love with Leia and while Luke morphed into his acrobatic sword wielding Dark Jeddi.  I soon kick Han to the curb and fell for Luke and his hardened gaze.  The black double breasted shirt (yes ladies and gentlemen it was the 80’s what can I say? He was sharp!) pants with the tall boots and the black glove on the injured hand, he was hot!  Yes the dye was cast. 

The difference between the Luke in Star Wars and the one in Jedi was age and experience.  He’d seen it all and lived to tell the tale.  Not only did he have that compassion in his heart for the people he loved but he was willing to do what he had to in  order to defend them from the threat that sought to destroy them.  And then that hot bod too.   Mmmmmm.

Some of the coolest heroes of late have not been in their twenties.  Like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hawkeye in the Avengers.  Or if you go to tv don’t forget Aaron Hotchner and Derek Morgan in Criminal Minds two men who are forty plus!  So who says an alpha male hero has to be in his twenties to be hot?  Not me!

Colonel Medoro Keegan is just such a man.  Forty-two years old he’s seen it all and  somehow managed to keep that boyish gleam in his eye despite having lived through his fair share of hell.  A passionate man who knows what he wants and not afraid to go after it, he still understands that none of it means anything without someone to share it with. 

The second book in my futuristic romance series The Cold Warriors Universe is now available. 

A New Threat? After a long and vicious war, peace is on the horizon for Earth and its allies. However, a series of mysterious attacks on several secret military installations causes hostilities to rise once again.

Redemption. Having left under a cloud of disgrace, retired Marine Colonel Medoro Keegan is called back to duty.

Bound. His wife Caitlin, the only surviving member of her team, chooses to embrace life, albeit grudgingly, as a cryo soldier. Seen as sub-human, she is forced to serve a planet that denies her rights as a person.

Driven. Guided by their sense of duty and belief that some things are bigger than them, they are determined to risk it all.

Hope. The cost of war is high. Can their love and marriage survive? Or will it be killed off by the very same mission that brought them together?

Genre: Sci-fi romance, military romance, 

interracial/multicultural, futuristic, end of the world

Heat level: 2

Word count – 43k

Cover art by LFD Designs

Excerpt from Ice & Peace

Caitlin was a sight for sore eyes. She was beautiful. Her petite frame was perfectly accented by the curves of her figure. And her brown eyes and coffee-brown skin was smooth, creamy.

Standing at attention, she did not meet his gaze. Though it was customary not to do as a sign of military courtesy, he could tell she was not doing it for that reason. Her gaze was different. Circling her, he tried to see if he could catch her watching him out of the corner of her eye. In fact, she appeared to be staring blankly ahead.

Peering directly at her, he spoke in a soft tone. “At ease.”

She relaxed.

“Cate. Can you hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” she responded mechanically.

Pain pierced his insides. She was definitely not there. Keegan placed his hands on his hips and hung his head in defeat. The one thing that was supposed to go right did not. For whatever reason, they had placed her in a deeper state of mental control than she’d ever been in. He controlled the hostile emotions brewing with him. Touching her face gently, he felt her icy skin.

This is unacceptable! Not here. I will not let this happen here. Not under my command.

“Chief, listen up,” he said in an authoritative tone. He knew in this state, it was the only way he could speak to her and still have her respond.

“Yes, sir.” Her gaze became even more distant.

Her response fueled his anger. “You are going to hightail it down to the doc and receive a full examination. Tell him it is based on my orders. He will know what to do. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

Knowing that she was under the influence of cryo neurotransmitters, Keegan figured the only way to combat it was to get someone to reverse it. They usually wore off once she was away from the stimulus triggers for a long period of time. But considering her stimulus triggers were high-ranking officers in uniform and combat situations, being around here meant she was going to be in a drone zone for a very long time. The last thing he needed was a zombie on board, especially one in charge of the lives others.

Only the jerks in psyche warfare thought doing this to someone would be a good idea. As long as he was running the ship, none of that would be allowed. There weren’t going to be any super zombies soldiers on board his ship. And he’d rollover in his grave before he let them do it to his wife.

“After you come back from the doc, you will report to me, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are there any questions?”

“No, sir.”

“Dismissed.”

She did an about face before leaving the room. Keegan clasped his hands behind his back. In the blink of an eye, his joy had turned to sorrow. Now faced with the responsibility of looking after his wife, he wondered how could he handle the burden of command and still protect the woman he loved.

Ice & Peace is available from 

Decadent Publishing, All Romance, Barnes & Noble and Amazon 

as well at other eBook Retailers.

Also visit me on the web at:

Clare’s Blog 2: The Haven | Facebook | Twitter

Celebrating 1-year of Never Gonna Let You Go!

Good day! It's been an exciting month, with Unknown Futures celebrating its one-year book birthday, and the releases of Made For Her and Accidental Romance. Then I found out my sci-fi/futuristic/dystopian story Never Gonna Let You Go was nominated for the Love Romances (LR) Cafe's Best Of 2012 Awards in that genre category. The story ended up receiving honorable mention. :) And the nomination gave me the motivation I needed to write the next book in The Underground series, Never Gonna Desert You, which I shared an excerpt from last week.

Well, today is the book birthday for Never Gonna Let You Go. It released a year ago today, and was based on a story I originally wrote in my Science Fiction English class in high school. Here's a bit about the story:

Caught in a tangle of lies, Calla Jacobs must sort through the truth to discover where she truly belongs. A biologist for Planet Core, she finds herself ensnared in a web of deceit. Sent to Airondelle, she must work with a team to prepare the newly discovered planet for colonists from Earth. But the mission does not go as she expected. Her former lover, Erik Edwards, shuns her, sending Calla into the arms of Melina Holloway, their commander, for the attention she craves and more. A confrontation among the trio leaves her with a broken heart, and fleeing from the two people she trusted most.

Attempting to break free from the lies that bind her, she discovers Planet Core has deceived everyone. And when she returns to Earth, Calla learns just how far Planet Core’s control reaches.

Excerpt:

Pulling the camera from her backpack, Calla considered what might have happened if she’d remained in Holloway’s tent. Would they have kissed? Her stomach fluttered and dampness spread between her legs as she thought about Melina’s soft lips.

Wait! She wasn’t attracted to women, never had been before. Then why couldn’t she stop thinking about what Holloway’s lips would feel like on hers and all over her body?

She took a deep breath. Sexual relations of any kind are forbidden during the missions. While repeating those words over and over, she spotted a perfect place to set up for her study—a large crancait bush on the edge of the field where the rapat fed. The bright red berries decorated the bush in stark contrast to its deepgreen, oval-shaped foliage. She crept through the waist-high vegetation, trying to make as little noise as possible. Although the foreign planet had not been shaped by an ice age like Earth, it did boast fields all the way to the horizon similar to the prairies where she and Erik had grown up. Erik should be the one she thought about kissing, not Melina, not a woman. She knew everything about him, or once had. But Erik had turned into an asshole, and Melina wanted to be friends. Maybe more? Her body warmed at the thought.

On her way to the red-berried bush where she planned to take pictures of the creatures, she stopped to ensure she hadn’t spooked the herd while her mind wandered to places it shouldn’t. Good, they haven’t moved.

Arriving at the crancait, she spread out a blanket to lay her equipment on and turned to affix her camera to a tripod. She’d never gotten this close to the herd for her footage. She’d managed to remain downwind and the warm breeze not only helped to disguise her scent but also her movements.

With no natural predator—at least none she’d discovered—the rapat flourished on this part of the planet. Their round pig-sized bodies resembled the tapir of Earth, but with the addition of a longer, elephant-like trunk. Their lips smacked and teeth ground together as they ate their fill of grasses. The smell of their dung reminded her of molasses rather than that of any Earth animal.

After adjusting the camera to record video footage of their feeding and social behaviors, she sat down to write her notes. Instead, she could only think of Melina, and the moment in her tent, which could have led to something else, something more than friendship. Something she needed just as much. She sighed. I’m attracted to Melina. What does this mean?

Buy Links:

Amazon (Canada/US/UK) | Decadent Publishing | All Romance | Barnes&Noble | more

Giveaway!!
Leave a comment (with your email address) for your chance to WIN an ebook copy of Never Gonna Let You Go. Winner will be drawn February 3, 2013. Contest is international. Good luck!

Bio:

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from her readers.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

7 Writer Challenge - Never Gonna Desert You

Romance author Lorraine Paton tagged me in the 7 Writer Challenge. According to the rules I must go to either page 7 or page 77 of one of my works, and starting on line 7, post the next 7 lines. After that I must challenge 7 other writers to do the same.

Now, I just did this on Facebook for my work-in-progress, Never Gonna Desert You, the sequel to Never Gonna Let You Go. But, the story was still in my notebook then, and page 7 in my notebook is not the same as page 7 on the computer. If you read the previous excerpt from Facebook, it is in Brook's POV, but this one is in Melina's POV.

So, here are my seven lines from page 7:

Tapping the receive button, she braced for the call. Nothing good could come from the higher-ups buzzing her.

“Hello, Melina? Are you busy?” A string of choked sobs followed.

Melina gasped. “Brook, is that you? Are you okay?”

“No.”

Silence.

Oh god, what’s wrong? Her heart hammered in her chest. “Where are you? I’ll be right there if you tell me.”



And here's the music that is inspiring my muse while I write this story:




Now, as for tagging people, I'm not going to do that, but if you'd like to participate and show off your work-in-progress, go ahead and carry the torch. I tag YOU!

Bio:

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from her readers.

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph

Excerpts from Made For Her, a sci-fi military erotic romance

Good day! I admit, it's been a crazy week so far, with two new releases, but I'm here, and still hanging on to my sanity. LOL If you want to follow along with my new release tour, you can go here. There are giveaways and more! For today's post, I'm going to keep it simple, and share the first scene from Made For Her with you. Enjoy!

 

Captain Mikayla Jones opened the door and gazed up at the Skymaster II rocketing another group of pilots toward SFTC, the Space Flight Training Center. She’d been the instructor of most of the men and women on that flight and would come face to face with a new class on Monday morning. But she hadn’t rushed to the door to bid the squad farewell. No, she stared at the four men in uniform standing before her. She recognized three of them from the base, knew they hadn’t come with good news—they would never have arrived at her door together other than to inform her of a tragedy—but it was the fourth man dressed in black, his hands drumming a beat on his utility belt, who worried her the most. He wasn’t military. 

“May we come in?” 

Lieutenant Colonel Madison’s question yanked her back from her thoughts. “What is it? Tell me what happened.” 

The chaplain from the base stepped forward with a heavy nod. “Captain, it’s best if we go in and sit down.” 

She braced her hands on the door frame, afraid if she let them in, their bad news would be true. 

“C’mon, Mikayla.” Lieutenant Colonel Madison draped an arm across her shoulder and guided her into her home. He would be the only one to call her by her given name here, the only one who knew her well enough. “You need to sit down. It’s about Daniel.” 

She stopped in her tracks, dread pooling in her stomach, but the chaplain, Detective Krug of the Northwest Police Department, and his military police escort continued into her living room. 

“This isn’t funny. It’s our anniversary. We’re supposed to go out for dinner. He promised he’d be home. Whatever this surprise is that you’re all involved in, I’m not impressed.” Her voice hitched. “Go over to the lab and tell Daniel to come home.” 

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Detective Krug said. 

Her knees threatened to give out. “Why? He works just over there.” She pointed in the direction of the military labs where her husband conducted experiments for the government, ones so top secret, Daniel couldn’t even mention them in her presence. 

“No, Mikayla,” the colonel said. “He was contracted out to Onatria Labs.” 

She gasped. Her chest tightened. Had she misheard him? “The lab rumored to be involved in cloning? But that lab was blown up this morning.” 

She waited for one of them to tell her that her assumptions were wrong, that Daniel was okay, but they all stared at her, their eyes solemn. No, it can’t be true. 

“An anarchy group has already claimed responsibility for the bombing,” Detective Krug said. 

Drawing in a deep breath, she willed her body to stop shaking. Captain Jones could not break down, not when cadets depended on her every day to train them for flight. “Where is my husband? Which hospital is he at?” She couldn’t stand still. She had to get to Daniel, to take care of him. Their anniversary dinner no longer mattered, but she had to be with her husband. 

“Mikayla, I’m so sorry.” The colonel rested a hand on her shoulder. “But Daniel didn’t survive.” 

She stepped back, grasping for something to hang on to. A tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away. Her husband had to come home. Yet her heart had already broken. Grasping the back of a chair, she turned to the detective. “You have to be wrong. He can’t be dead. He can’t. It’s our anniversary. How do you know it was him, huh?” 

“We read his military ID chip. I’m sorry, but there’s no mistaking his identity.” 

“No!” She was no longer Captain Jones. She melted back to Mikayla Jones, wife to Daniel Jones. And she let go, falling to the floor. Rebels had stolen her husband from her. She was alone. Forever. All of their hopes and dreams, gone. Her chance at having a family, no more. She had nothing to live for. 

Madison knelt beside her and rubbed her back. “I’m very sorry.” 

But she turned away from him. “Leave me, please.” She wrapped her arms around her knees and wept for her husband.

Buy Links:

Amazon (Canada/US/UK) | Decadent Publishing | All Romance | Barnes&Noble | more

Made For Her Blurb:

After terrorists murder the love of her life, Colonel Mikayla Jones trains squadron after squadron of the clones he brought to life, to take to the skies. When she discovers a young clone of her husband in her newest class, her world spins out of control. How can she command the look-a-like when she can’t help but yearn for him to fill an ache in her heart? Dare was created to be the best. As the first Daniel clone to leave Onatria labs, he needs to prove he is more than just a DNA copy. To do that, he must rely on the wife of the man who donated his genes. But when she refuses to train him, Dare faces discharge and returning to the labs. Can he convince Colonel Jones to finish his training and find a way into her bed? Or will long kept secrets unhinge the entire clone project?

Bio:

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from her readers.

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Authorgraph