Delicious Tease Day #44: Shayla Black

Good morning, everyone! I’m popping in today to talk about my paranormal romance series, The Doomsday Brethren. I love writing these complex characters, relationships, and situations. Each one of these heroes has been through hell and back, and each has a very different heroine by his side for the journey to happily-ever-after. If you haven’t tried these books yet, here’s a sampling of the first few:

TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESSDoomsday Brethren Series, Book 1

Read the first chapter
“This orgasmic paranormal…will have Black’s fans panting for the next installment.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly
“Tempt Me With Darkness is a hot, exciting romance filled with intriguing characters and a great storyline. I can’t wait for more in this imaginative, sizzling new series!” ~ New York Times Bestselling author Lara Adrian
5 out of 5! “As the first book in Shayla Black’s intriguing new series, Tempt Me With Darkness is a fantabulous kick off to what promises to be an incredible adventure. With the heat and intense emotion we have come to expect from Ms. Black, and the action she is showing a distinct flair for, you cannot possibly pass this one up.” ~ A Romance Review
5 out of 5! “With her fascinating world of immortals and magickind, beloved author Shayla Black’s Tempt Me With Darkness hooks readers from page one and keeps us enthralled to the very end. This is a wonderful new series with a depth and passion that will make readers crave the next installment.” ~ Two Lips Reviews

SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW Doomsday Brethren Series, Book 2

Read the first chapter
“Dramatic… A page turner!” ~ RT Bookclub
5 out of 5! “SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW is highly addicting and emotionally gripping. The plot sizzles with twists and turns that kept me engrossed long after I finished reading. Highly recommend…” ~ Romance Junkies
“Ms. Black blends magic, mystery and romance into a suspenseful tale. Her masterful storytelling comes through on every page.” ~ Paranormal Romance Writers
“Innovative storylines and a marvelous cast of characters make paranormal romances by Shayla Black exceptionally noteworthy. With fascinating circumstances, appealing characters and a delightful brand of humor, SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW is a rewarding paranormal romantic adventure.” ~ SingleTitles.com

POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHTDoomsday Brethren Series, Book 3

Read the first chapter

Recommended Read! “Page-turning magical suspense… Wring[s] emotion from every pore… leaves readers clamoring for more.” ~ Fallen Angels Reviews
“I could not stop reading. POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT is absolutely perfect.” ParaNormal Romance Reviews
5 out of 5! “From the first page on, Possess Me At Midnight vibrates off the pages. A superb well-rounded story…” Realms On Your Bookshelves
“Intense. Gripping. Wonderful…” ~ Two Lips Reviews

And if you haven’t tried the Doomsday Brethren and would like a little taste, check out “Fated,” my free read available here. And to start you off right on a Monday, here’s a little snippet:

There’s a bloody unwelcome sight.
Ronan Wolvesey wandered into his usual haunt, The Witch’s Brew, with his twin brother, Raiden, close behind. The rowdy London pub always drew a noisy, unusual crowd: athletic types, businessmen, goth girls…and many of magickind’s unmated. A surprise, considering its owner was pure human.
It was that very human Ronan now watched, all swinging golden curls and enormous blue eyes, as Kari Keswick leaned over the bar, her brief blue t-shirt exposing a band of soft skin at her midriff. She spoke to another wizard, a big dark-haired one with gray eyes and the look of a predator. Tynan Someone-or-other, he’d been told.
Fighting a gust of wind, Ronan slammed the little pub’s door. Kari didn’t look his way. Instead, she gripped Tynan’s shoulder as she looked into his eyes and smiled softly.
Bloody hell! He feared this wretched feeling poisoning his blood was the emotion humans called jealousy. He’d rather swallow battery acid.
“Your eyes will burn holes in her if you stare any harder,” Raiden murmured.
“He’s been here too often this past month, talking to Kari.”
“Why do you care? It’s not as if you’ll spend tonight alone. In fact…” He looked away. “I see two splendid possibilities by the window. Come on.”
Raiden saw such possibilities every place they went, and rarely was he wrong. Ronan knew he would not spend the night alone…but he fantasized about spending it with Kari. If he approached her now, she would likely refuse him—just as she had for the past two years. Until now, he’d assumed Kari didn’t want to cross that human-wizard line. Given her present company and their coziness, it appeared her refusal was more personal.
“In a moment.” Ronan headed for the bar.
Raiden grabbed his arm. “She’s not for you. Forget her.”
Ronan refused to concede defeat. “Shove off.”
“She’s hardly the most beautiful female you’ve ever seen. Last week’s blonde was more stunning by half. What was her name?”
He had no idea, and that was the problem. He grew weary of waking up in a different bed, beside a different body every morning. At just ninety, he was young by magickind’s standards. He couldn’t live this way for another ten minutes, much less eight or nine centuries.
“There’s something about Kari,” Ronan confessed. “I’ve nearly gone mad trying to discern it.”
“The fact she said ‘no,’ a word you never hear?” Raiden shrugged. “Plenty of other lovelies. Pick one and move on.”
As if all women were interchangeable. For Raiden—and the rest of the Wolvesey clan—they were.
“Chat up the girls by the window, then. I want to pop over to the bar, say hello.”
Raiden rolled his eyes. “Be quick. Besides, she looks…busy.”
At that, Ronan turned back to Kari to find her laying her soft pink lips against the big wizard’s cheek. She looked so delicate and fair against his strong, sun-bronzed jaw. Then Tynan grabbed her hand and squeezed.
The sight ripped a hole in Ronan’s chest. He clenched his jaw so hard, it was a wonder he didn’t grind his teeth into powder.
Stalking across the bar, he yanked out a stool near Tynan’s. It screeched across the old stone floor. Still, Kari did not look his way.
To his left, the heat from the brick hearth flamed to ward off the coming winter’s chill. Heavy alternative rock played in the background as some wizards laughed at their attempts to play billiards without magic. Human females at the end of the bar toasted something with stout red wine. Ronan scarcely noticed any of it. As always, Kari drew him in utterly, her smile shining as brightly as her golden hair. Her otherworldly blue eyes seemed to take up half her sweet face. A glance at her bowled him over.
There was something…fresh about her. Almost pure. If he could figure it out exactly, maybe he could rid himself of this odd obsession.
“Kari?” he called.
She blinked several times, then tore her gaze from Tynan’s. The other wizard released her, giving her permission to greet him. Was she bedding the wanker? In love with him? The thought screamed across his brain like a battle cry.
“Ronan.” She sidled down to his end of the bar. “A scotch?”
“Double, no rocks.” He glanced down at Tynan. “New…friend?”
“I see your brother has already made yours for the night.” She looked just over his shoulder at his brother with a sarcastic twist of her pretty pink lips. “I hope you’re in the mood for a brunette tonight. It appears she’s yours by default. Raiden always takes the redheads.” Then she looked at her watch and whistled. “Quick work. That’s a record, even for him.”
Ronan grimaced. He didn’t like coming here to find women, but his twin insisted nowhere else was more expedient or target-rich.
“I don’t care who Raiden’s found. He can have them both. I came for you,” he confessed.
Kari reached behind her for a glass on the shelf. “We’ve been over this. I won’t spend the night with you.”
“Why? It’s not because I’m a wizard.” He glanced at Tynan. “Clearly.”
“Don’t ask me again. Please.” She slammed the glass on the well-worn bar between them.
Ronan grabbed her hands. They were soft and fragile, and at a mere touch, desire burned him alive, eating at his composure. “You’re like a fever to me. I need to touch you.”
“That line work for you often?”
Kari thought the admission he’d had to choke out was a ploy? He scowled. “It’s not a bloody line.”
She shook her head, blonde curls brushing breasts he’d dreamed about touching, and extracted her hands. “Like any fever, you’ll recover from it.” Kari then withdrew a bottle of scotch, filled the glass, then shoved it his way. “Six pounds.”
With a sigh, Ronan shoved his money across the bar. “I simply want to talk to you.”
“No, you want to shag me. And then forget me as you have every woman you’ve ever met here and shagged for the past two years. The notches on your bedpost are long, as is the line. I have neither the time nor inclination.”
With that, she turned away and headed to the other end of the bar.
Bugger!
Raiden motioned him over, and Ronan went, pasting on a smile. He glanced at the brunette. Pretty enough. Nice mouth. Small hands. Maybe he could close his eyes and pretend she was Kari. It would hardly be the first time. But now that he knew wizards weren’t off limits, he vowed someday—soon—that he would have Kari for a night.

Remember to leave a comment for Shayla for a chance to win signed copies of the first two books in the Doomsday Brethren series. Happy Monday, everyone! Have a great week :)