Sunday Snippet: All Day Sucker

December 3, 2017

Happy December! The most wonderful, crazy time of the year is in full swing. I'm excited for holiday and really need to get my house cleaned up so we can actually celebrate. LOL

The mega crossover of DC shows occurred this week and it did not disappoint. So many things happened with interesting pairings and twisty turns. Supergirl and Arrow kicked off the fun and the crazy times spilled over into The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Great to see some familiar and new faces. I won't get into much more, but the double wedding ended up being a surprise for me. YAY!

Riverdale continues to go places I don't expect. I have such a love / hate relationship with this show. I'm actually so happy we didn't have any Lodge parent appearances. I loved Hermione last season but this season I'm very "meh" about her. I also loved getting some insight into Sheriff Keller's personal life. I'm not necessarily a big Mayor McCoy fan, but I like the interesting twist with them. I also, somewhat shockingly, liked the beginning of Chuck's redemption. I'll stay tuned to see if that comes to anything.

I need to catch up with Gotham. I had way too much work to get through and took a full break from television on Thursday.

I did manage to catch up with Murdoch Mysteries yesterday and enjoyed both episodes I needed to see.

I'm still watching holiday movies on the Hallmark channels and should get started on television episodes this week. I'll probably begin with the Doctor Who specials. That's kind of my thing; I always begin with those.

That's it for this week's television wrap-up. Tonight's post is from All Day Sucker, a sexy short free read that shares a title name with my alter egos, ML Skye and Skylin O'Thomas.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Archer and Bree, Cupids of the First Order, have an eternity together, which means they like to keep things interesting. Archer plans a dinner party as a surprise for Bree but she ends up blowing his mind instead.

And a preview snippet…

Archer Stewart greeted the assembled guests. "Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'm sure Bree will be here momentarily." Hopefully with clothes on.

His lips curved. With Bree, he never knew. One of the most memorable moments he had happened when she'd dropped into the grotto without a stitch on.

They'd had many ups and downs since then—a brief but intense affair followed by a stint apart then a reconciliation where Bree put her immortality on the line to break the curse Ares put on Arch.

Not in his wildest dreams did he think she'd be willing to give up being a Cupid of the First Order.

Thankfully, she didn't have to. After fulfilling Aphrodite's required servitude to her temples, Bree once again had free reign of the realm.

Which meant the last decade counted as a solid check in the win column.

Merry quirked an eyebrow. "Are you sure Bree doesn't have other plans?" Her lips twisted into a half-smile.

Arch shrugged. "None that she told me about." Bree liked to fly by the seat of her miniskirt but she usually let him know if she had something going on.

Bartholomew wrapped his arms around Merry from behind. "Ignore her. She likes stirring the pot when Bree's not around to do it."

Merry flashed a wide grin. "It's the only time I get any practice."

Arch chuckled. "Bree's definitely got a lock on kicking up a ruckus." And she made it look easy.

Flora joined in. "And her snark is always spot on. The barbs she slings aren't always tipped arrows." She nodded toward Xander and Lucia. "Just last week she had the dynamic duo howling with laughter when she described her crazy match-up of the guy with three dogs to the woman who does cat rescues. They'll need a bigger place if they hope to have room for all those animals."

Arch opened his mouth to reply but a whoosh-pop-blip sound came from the front room of Bree's bungalow. Clicking heels on the slate tile drew closer.

Bree's voice entered before she did. "Arch, you'll never guess—" She stopped short. "What's going on?" Her eyes went wide then narrowed a little but her lips spread in a wide smile.

Arch breathed a small sigh of relief. A slinky red dress hugged Bree's curves and her hair tumbled over one shoulder. Her standard cherry-colored toenails peeked out from glittery ruby pumps. Apollo's teeth, he loved it when she wore his favorite shade.

He beckoned her into the room and wrapped an arm around her. "I planned a surprise dinner party for our anniversary." Pressing a kiss to her temple, he tilted her chin to plant another on her mouth.

Bree hugged him and nodded to their guests. "I'm definitely surprised and very happy to have you all here." She eased away from Arch, snagging his hand in hers. "And I can't wait to dive into all this yummy food, but… I need to borrow Arch for like five minutes." Tugging him toward the kitchen, she motioned for the guests to start digging into the food.

Dammit. Arch hoped he didn't fuck up the entire evening.

When they entered the small kitchen, he grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I'm sorry, Bree. Should've run this by you before inviting everyone over—" He stopped talking when her fingers worked the fastening of his pants loose.

His dick sprang to life and filled her palm.

She gave him saucy smirk. "Arch, my love, I'm not mad about your little surprise." Pushing the trousers past his hips, she let gravity take care of the rest. "In fact, it's sweet and charming and perfectly wonderful…" She glanced up, her gaze hidden partially by her eyelashes.

Arch had a feeling he'd like wherever she decided to take him on this foray. "But…" His cock swelled further when Bree licked her lips.

She lowered down, getting up close and personal with his groin. "I've been thinking about you all day and I have to have at least a taste or I'm going to go mad…" Her mouth enveloped the tip of his shaft, her tongue doing a wicked dance around the head.

Arch resisted the urge to go deep. He braced his arms on the counter behind him and arched forward. Bree pulled away and swirled her tongue around the head again.

She gave him a sultry smile. "I really want to spend the time to treat this like an all-day sucker, but, alas, we have guests." Sucking him deep, she swallowed around his girth.

Arch groaned, cursing his stupidly bright idea.

Bree eased away, circling his dick with her fist. "I promise to make this up to you later." She let go and helped him get his pants back up.

When she started toward the dining area, he caught her arm and slid his palm over the curve of her ass. "You know I love how naughty you are, right?" His fingers inched up the fabric of her dress and met nothing but skin. "Oh, sweet Bree. Turnabout is fair play." Easing his hand between her legs, he found her warm and wet. "Mmm. Expect a long and strenuous evening." He swatted her bare behind then tugged the skirt down.

Bree angled her head around. "Looking forward to a very lengthy romp." She wiggled her ass and strolled out into the dining area.

Arch grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine and quickly followed.

I loved revisiting Archer and Bree. This will probably be the only preview since this is a super-short flash fiction for a free read. Hope you enjoyed the brief look.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Celebrate Your Freedom to Live, Love, & Read—Freedom Hop

LET FREEDOM RING!

Welcome to the Freedom Hop, a great sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

~*~

How wonderful is it to have the independence to choose how we live our lives, who we love, and what we read?

I'm lucky enough to have always had the choice and I've used my liberty to do what I love… write about hot romances between men and women, edit for authors who write about all kinds of love—from best friends who become lovers to same sex couples and relationships that include multiple partners, and read all of the above with voracious abandon.

When writing as Skye Ritchey, I tend to focus on magic, fantasy, and paranormal or supernatural settings, characters, and stories. Exploring things not of our realm is whimsical and freeing. Being able to imagine what a character can do or how they react to the world around them is exciting and challenging.

For this year's Freedom Hop, I'm sharing short samplings of all my current titles and a longer excerpt of my most recent release, Cupid's Curse, which I'm giving away for the blog hop. I had the best time writing Bree and Archer. Both characters had very strong voices and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote their story.

~*~

Cupid's Curse

Available on Amazon ~ $2.99

Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

Excerpt:

The push-pull-whoosh feeling weighed on Bree and she shoved everything else aside and readied herself to pop in on Arch.

She blipped, shimmered, and landed with a flourish—something she'd perfected by lots of practice—to find Arch comfortably sprawled on the overstuffed couch, chatting it up with Merry Deerfield.

Stupid cow.

And Arch didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable having Miss Merry practically sitting in his lap.

Stupid man.

But worse, neither one paid her any attention.

Not part of the plan. But she could adjust.

Tilting her head sideways, she cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry… I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Arch flicked a glance toward the hour glass by the viewing pool. "Would it matter if you were?" His tone clearly indicated it wouldn't have bothered him.

Bree didn't like to be on the defensive as soon as she arrived. It made her off kilter. Her bravado saved her.

She tossed her head and sent a bored look in Arch's direction. "Not to me, but I imagine it would to you." Her gazed shifted to Merry. "And your friend, of course." Bree waited a beat. "No one likes to be caught with their pants down."

Arch snorted. "Except you."

Okay, totally not fair. And it only happened one time, dammit.

Bree hid her embarrassment behind an audacious front. "Well, yes…" She flicked her gaze toward Merry again. "But I'm not standard fare around here."

To Merry's credit, she only rolled her eyes in response to the insult.

Arch didn't hold back. "Bree, you're not standard fare anywhere." He got up and gave Merry a hand. "You're more like an overused trend… not worth the price."

Bree flinched. That one hurt. But she couldn't blame him for lashing out.

Arch's voice went flat. "You're also late."

Bree recovered quickly. "For which I'll happily apologize." She remembered her conversation with Aphrodite and grinned. "It really couldn't be helped."

Arch shook his head. "Let me guess… you were tied to a bedpost and lost track of time?"

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

Brand Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

~*~

AUTHOR GIVEAWAY

To celebrate our freedom to live, love, and read, I'm giving away Cupid's Curse, which is the introductory book in the Meddlesome Gods branded series. More titles are coming this fall.

To enter, please leave a comment and let me know how you like to spend the 4^th of July. Non-US readers, let me know what would celebrate with fireworks.

~*~

More books by Skye Ritchey

A Magical Affair

Available on Amazon ~ $3.99

A mansion atop a wellspring of magic lets Romy, Heath, and Stacie live out their fantasies.

A Little Yule Magick

Available on Amazon ~ $1.49

Boyd and Sygin use a Little Yule Magick to get their holiday off on the right start.

An Idyllic Affair

(With ML Skye)

Available on Amazon ~ $3.99

On the run from their enemies, an island sanctuary gives Geoff and Linnea time for An Idyllic Affair.

~*~

Please stop by my website

Celebrate with more fireworks! Visit the other participating authors.

Embrace the Magic—Cupid's Curse

Welcome to the weekly blog hop hosted by the Paranormal LoveWednesdays blog.

Readers: Embrace the magic, the mystical, the totally out there. Witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, magicians, wizards—the dearly twisted begins we all know and love. Authors are sharing short excerpts or blurbs from their books or works in progress.

Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Today I'm featuring a brief look at Arch's dilemma and how Bree is (or is not) handling making a quick match.

"You know what happens to me when I go too long without making a match. You don't have time for taking breaks."

She shrugged. "There's no one out there that appeals to me."

Arch made a garbled, choking sound. "They're not supposed to appeal to you, Bree. You just have to find someone who needs a mate." He took two steps forward, ready to strangle her.

Bree held up a finger, knowing his intent. "I wouldn't. You'd just have to wait for someone to be called in to take my place." She went back to smoothing off non-existent hangnails.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

Insert Series Banner

~*~

Please stop by my website

Embrace more great reads! Visit the other participating authors.

Embrace the Magic—Cupid's Curse

Welcome to the weekly blog hop hosted by the Paranormal Love Wednesdays blog.

Readers: Embrace the magic, the mystical, the totally out there. Witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, magicians, wizards—the dearly twisted begins we all know and love. Authors are sharing short excerpts or blurbs from their books or works in progress.

Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Today I'm featuring a brief look at Arch and Bree's interaction. These crazy cupids can't seem to get their act together.

Arch didn't hold back. "Bree, you're not standard fare anywhere." He got up and gave Merry a hand. "You're more like an overused trend… not worth the price."

Bree flinched. That one hurt. But she couldn't blame him for lashing out.

Arch's voice went flat. "You're also late."

Bree recovered quickly. "For which I'll happily apologize." She remembered her conversation with Aphrodite and grinned. "It really couldn't be helped."

Arch shook his head. "Let me guess… you were tied to a bedpost and lost track of time?"

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Embrace more great reads! Visit the other participating authors.

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Cupid's Curse #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

While Cupid's Curse isn't set around Valentine's Day, it is about cupids and making perfect matches.

This week, we see a little of how the curse affects Arch.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

Arch laid on the bed in agony. He'd passed the skull-splitting migraine stage and had entered into the hellish zone of the next phase—a non-stop hard-on. The headache receded into a continuous dull throb, but remained constant reminder of his curse.

How could it possibly be a week since Bree had arrived? What in Aphrodite's name was taking the woman so long? Arch's cock felt like it would break in two at any moment.

He sat up slowly, willing the stiffness between his legs to subside long enough so he could stand. The pound of the headache settled in with a thrum along his hairline and at the base of his neck. He had to find out what the hell Bree planned to do about finding a match.

Slowly, trying not to stimulate his hard length too much, he made his way to the grotto. Bree sat on the chaise, filing her nails, looking rather fetching in a red micro mini and form fitting, white T-shirt. Her feet were bare and the racy candy apple-colored polish on her toes drew attention to her well defined legs.

Arch had a thing for those legs. Especially when she wrapped them around him, urging him to pound her harder.

Not a good place for his thoughts to go right now. He'd rather live with the pulsating, radiating throb of his dick than get tangled up with Bree again.

Clearing his throat, he got her attention. "Filing your nails? I thought you were working hard to find someone."

Bree continued scraping the edge of the emery board across the blunt tips. "Oh, I haven't found anyone yet. Just taking a break."

Arch saw more red—the bold hue of his anger. "You're what?"

Bree narrowed her eyes. "You heard me. I know you're not deaf." She switched hands, her right foot tapping up and down in rhythm with the file.

"You know what happens to me when I go too long without making a match. You don't have time for taking breaks."

She shrugged. "There's no one out there that appeals to me."

Arch made a garbled, choking sound. "They're not supposed to appeal to you, Bree. You just have to find someone who needs a mate." He took two steps forward, ready to strangle her.

Bree held up a finger, knowing his intent. "I wouldn't. You'd just have to wait for someone to be called in to take my place." She went back to smoothing off non-existent hangnails.

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Smokin' Hot—Hot and Swoon-Worthy: Cupid's Curse (A Meddlesome Gods novella)

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

After a forced hiatus where I descended into deadline hell, I finally get to rejoin my fellow authors with a new Hot for Friday blog post. YAY!

This week we're tasked with posting a piece of dialog where our hero gets to take center stage and deliver a swoon-worthy line to the heroine. I can't wait to read some smooth moves from our heroes.

For my feature, I'm posting one of my favorite exchanges from my current Ellipses Press release, Cupid's Curse, a Meddlesome Gods novella.

For a little background, here are the series and book taglines:

When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

And the swoon-worthy dialog…(from Arch's point of view)

Bree rolled her eyes. "I don't flit." She backed away from the console. "I make an entrance." He snorted rudely, but she ignored it. "Look, I'm not chained to this location the way you are." She glanced back at the pool. "I get bored and need to go explore." She shot him a wry look. "You should try it sometime. Oh… wait. That's what landed you here on a permanent basis." Her bubbly giggles made his head throb harder. "Can I help it if I enjoy having fun?"

Arch steamed. "Apparently not." He almost shook with the pain. "Are you going to help me out here or not, Bree?" His glance dropped down, the rigid hardness unmistakable.

~*~

Trust me when I say these are words Bree has been waiting to hear. :D

Available on Amazon

Ellipses Press, Ltd.

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to drop by my website

And don't forget to enjoy the other Hot for Friday posts!

Embrace the Magic—Cupid's Curse

Welcome to the weekly blog hop hosted by the Paranormal Love Wednesdays blog.

Readers: Embrace the magic, the mystical, the totally out there. Witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, magicians, wizards—the dearly twisted begins we all know and love. Authors are sharing short excerpts or blurbs from their books or works in progress.

Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

~*~

My current release Cupid's Curse, a Meddlesome Gods novella, features Cupids of the First Order Archer Stewart and Bree Daniels. They're about to face a complicated work situation when Bree has to take a turn at finding a perfect match, something she's avoided for a very good reason. She can't put the task off any longer or she'll lose her immortal status, a designation she covets above all other things. Almost.

Cursed by the god of love, Archer can't leave the matching grotto until Eros exhausts his anger. His many gaffs after a spectacular break up with Bree backfired in such a way he may never be released. Arch can live with being stuck in one place, but if he and he fellow cupids don't make a perfect match quickly, the nastier side effects of his curse kick in. Thinking Bree will ever settle down and share her long life with him proves to have been his biggest mistake of all.

Bree has no doubt Arch blames her and their ill-timed split for his current predicament. Having no choice but to complete her duties—meaning she'll have to see him again—she seeks assistance from Aphrodite to help get Arch's curse lifted. Even if he hates Bree, she can make one thing right—because she hasn't found anyone else in the realm of cupid who holds her interest the way Arch does. And she's tried. A lot.

Arch is beyond shocked when Bree shows up, ready to make a perfect match. But when the days roll by, and the terrible effects kick in, he begins to suspect she's only toying with him. In a way, she is, but she's bound by the goddess of love to follow a strict plan if Bree wants to get Arch released from his Cupid's Curse.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Embrace more great reads! Visit the other participating authors.

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Cupid's Curse #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

While Cupid's Curse isn't set around Valentine's Day, it is about cupids and making perfect matches.

This week, we meet Archer Stewart.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

Flora got up and walked around to the back of the couch. Her cool hands massaged his temples and he groaned at the additional relief they provided.

Stupid damn curse.

"Hey, at least the more unpleasant aspect of your predicament didn't kick in." Her hands stilled on his head. "But I would've been happy to help you out if it had taken any longer." She reached down and gave his shoulders a squeeze.

Flora's reference to the worst part of the curse almost made the headache come back.

Arch glanced up. "I appreciate the sentiment, Flo." He grasped her hand in thanks. "But something tells me Martin might come after my head if you ever provided assistance in that area."

She came back around and dropped down beside him.

"Being on the god of love's bad side is quite enough, thanks." He sighed.

Flora nodded. "Eros certainly holds a grudge. And Martin would be more understanding than you think, especially when you pretty much have no choice—once things progress that far."

Arch grimaced. He hated that aspect more than anything.

"Has it ever…? Got to that point for you?"

Twice. In the eighteen months since Eros had cursed him, Archer had been near out of his mind two times. If two days passed without a match being made, the headaches started. At five days, the pounding in his brain took on epic proportions. Seven days without a perfect hook-up and the nastier side-effects kicked in. Arch got a raging hard-on that wouldn't go away, unless he masturbated for relief. By day ten, hand-jobs no longer worked—only sex with penetration would provide a solution. The two times he'd reached that point, he'd been lucky enough to have willing participants within an easy call. The couplings lacked finesse—he'd been near out of his mind in pain—and word spread quickly, rallying the other cupids and encouraging them to make their matches in a timely manner.

Arch shuddered. "Flo, I'd rather not talk about it."

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Cupid's Curse #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

While Cupid's Curse isn't set around Valentine's Day, it is about cupids and making perfect matches.

This week, we meet Bree Daniels.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

Bree Daniels had a dilemma. Up next for a turn at the matching chapel—she'd put it off as long as she could—she'd end up face-to-face with Archer Stewart. And he would not be happy to see her.

And didn't that just figure? Because she couldn't wait to lay eyes on him—and maybe her hands and other body parts, too. If he didn't try to strangle her before she had the chance.

She didn't really blame him. Her track record with him sucked so far. First, there were the less than stellar circumstances they'd met under. She'd arrived naked from a beach in Belize. The hook-up she'd had took a weird turn and the guy hid her clothes. Already late, she decided not to waste time and popped into the grotto sans anything but skin… which completely made a bad impression with Arch.

But they'd muddled through that debacle and found some common ground. Enough that they spent some time together. Got to know each other. Spent a glorious week at the Four Corners.

The sex had been incredible.

But Arch wanted more… and Bree didn't feel ready to be tied down.

Her reluctance didn't go over well.

And then came the curse. Poor Arch couldn't leave the grotto until Eros removed it. And she'd been the indirect cause.

Gads… when I screw up, I really do it up right.

She needed some deified intervention and found herself standing outside Aphrodite's private chambers.

If anyone could help Bree fix the mess she'd made, it would be the goddess of love.

Raising a hand, she rang the chimes and waited to be summoned inside. 

The tinkling trill drew Aphrodite's attention away from choosing an appropriate piece of clothing. "I'm not decent, but come in anyway." Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, had no shame when it came to immodesty.

Bree entered Aphrodite's lovely suite and watched as she stepped into a gorgeous frothy robe.

"Bree. How lovely to see you today." The goddess sat down at her vanity and admired the view.

Bree stepped further inside the sanctuary and opted for formal politeness. "Mistress, I seek advice." A safe opening when one didn't know the mood of the goddess. 

Aphrodite raised a brow. "Oh, come on, Bree. You know I don't stand on ceremony." She picked up a make-up brush, waited a beat then laughed. "Okay, I do. But not with you." She waved Bree to a nearby slipper chair.

Bree relaxed and sat down. "Thanks." She started feeling good about coming to see Aphrodite.

The other woman swept a lovely pink color on her cheeks, but watched Bree carefully. "You look pensive, my dear. What worries you?"

Bree blew out a breath and decided to just lay it out. "I'm due for my turn at the matching chapel…" When Aphrodite gave her a knowing look, she hastily added on the truth. "Okay, overdue for my turn, and I've sort of got a problem."

Aphrodite smiled. "Hence the advice seeking part." She laid the make-up brush aside and turned to face Bree. "Okay. Spill."

Bree suddenly didn't know where to start. "Uh, you know the guy who's cursed? Archer Stewart?" When the goddess nodded, she continued. "I haven't had a matchmaking session since he's been stuck there. Purposefully."

Aphrodite's patience wore thin. "And?"

Bree opted to spit it out in one go. "And we had a thing and it sort of went kinda south… and well, now I have to face that smokin' hot guy or lose my privilege as cupid."

Aphrodite mused. "Hmm. You've done it to yourself this time, haven't you?"

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Sygin and Boyd, adept mages, are looking forward to their winter break, being alone in the big manor for Yule is their most cherished tradition. But a series of mishaps may keep them from their celebratory festivities.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Smokin' Hot—Book Girlfriend Celebrity Lookalike: Cupid's Curse

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

We already got to know our book boyfriend celebrity lookalike. For this week's entry, we get to cast our book girlfriend celebrity lookalike.

FUN!!!

As mentioned in my boyfriend casting post, I almost always have an actor or actress serve as inspiration when I'm writing. It's great to have visual imagery as a point of reference when creating characters.

I'd love to share my vision of hotness for Cupid's Curse, coming soon from Ellipses Press, Ltd.

So… without further ado…

Please meet the truly gorgeous inspiration for Bree Daniels.

Anna Silk

Anna stars as Bo, a succubus, in Lost Girl. Bree is a very sexual being, but she's also got a few vulnerabilities, even if she tries damned hard not to show them. Anna's character—hello, Succubus!—really gave me a needed boost to get inside Bree's head. And Anna's look is what I wanted, too. No hardship to cast Anna as Bree.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Bree Daniels had a dilemma. Up next for a turn at the matching chapel—she'd put it off as long as she could—she'd end up face-to-face with Archer Stewart. And he would not be happy to see her.

And didn't that just figure? Because she couldn't wait to lay eyes on him—and maybe her hands and other body parts, too. If he didn't try to strangle her before she had the chance.

She didn't really blame him. Her track record with him sucked so far. First, there were the less than stellar circumstances they'd met under. She'd arrived naked from a beach in Belize. The hook-up she'd had took a weird turn and the guy hid her clothes. Already late, she decided not to waste time and popped into the grotto sans anything but skin… which completely made a bad impression with Arch.

But they'd muddled through that debacle and found some common ground. Enough that they spent some time together. Got to know each other. Spent a glorious week at the Four Corners.

The sex had been incredible.

But Arch wanted more… and Bree didn't feel ready to be tied down.

Her reluctance didn't go over well.

And then came the curse. Poor Arch couldn't leave the grotto until Eros removed it. And she'd been the indirect cause.

Gads… when I screw up, I really do it up right.

She needed some deified intervention and found herself standing outside Aphrodite's private chambers.

If anyone could help Bree fix the mess she'd made, it would be the goddess of love.

Raising a hand, she rang the chimes and waited to be summoned inside.  

The tinkling trill drew Aphrodite's attention away from choosing an appropriate piece of clothing. "I'm not decent, but come in anyway." Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, had no shame when it came to immodesty.

Bree entered Aphrodite's lovely suite and watched as she stepped into a gorgeous frothy robe.

"Bree. How lovely to see you today." The goddess sat down at her vanity and admired the view.

Bree stepped further inside the sanctuary and opted for formal politeness. "Mistress, I seek advice." A safe opening when one didn't know the mood of the goddess.  

Aphrodite raised a brow. "Oh, come on, Bree. You know I don't stand on ceremony." She picked up a make-up brush, waited a beat then laughed. "Okay, I do. But not with you." She waved Bree to a nearby slipper chair.

Bree relaxed and sat down. "Thanks." She started feeling good about coming to see Aphrodite.

The other woman swept a lovely pink color on her cheeks, but watched Bree carefully. "You look pensive, my dear. What worries you?"

Bree blew out a breath and decided to just lay it out. "I'm due for my turn at the matching chapel…" When Aphrodite gave her a knowing look, she hastily added on the truth. "Okay, overdue for my turn, and I've sort of got a problem."

Aphrodite smiled. "Hence the advice seeking part." She laid the make-up brush aside and turned to face Bree. "Okay. Spill."

Bree suddenly didn't know where to start. "Uh, you know the guy who's cursed? Archer Stewart?" When the goddess nodded, she continued. "I haven't had a matchmaking session since he's been stuck there. Purposefully."

Aphrodite's patience wore thin. "And?"

Bree opted to spit it out in one go. "And we had a thing and it sort of went kinda south… and well, now I have to face that smokin' hot guy or lose my privilege as cupid."

Aphrodite mused. "Hmm. You've done it to yourself this time, haven't you?"

~*~

Coming Next Week!

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to stop by my website

And don't forget to enjoy the other Hot for Friday posts!