CRAZY LITTLE SPRING CALLED LOVE! Eight Magical Stories of Fantasy Romance Stars and Stone Books Featuring: Elsa Carruthers, M.T. DeSantis, Traci Douglass, A.E. Hayes, L.J. Longo, Cara McKinnon, Sheri Queen, and Mary Rogers.
This delightful fantasy romance anthology features eight magical stories inspired by the awakenings and renewal of springtime. If you love gods and goddesses, fairies, djinn, druids, mermaids, sirens, and magic of all varieties, Crazy Little Spring Called Love delivers!
Traci Douglass - "When Hermes Met Eos"
One night. Two star-crossed immortals. Will their vibrant connection survive beyond sunrise?Sheri Queen - "The Girl with a Broken Wing" A story of courage and sacrifice--and finding love where you never thought to look.
Cara McKinnon - "Love at Dawn" Sometimes mortals need a little push from a god and goddess to fall in love…
M.T. DeSantis - "A Hunt for Love" Can a djinn and a clueless guy beat the clock, avoid the curse, and maybe even find true love?
L.J. Longo – “Seaweed and Silk” A mermaid: hundreds of miles from her home on the ice, on a ship with a troll, a goblin wizard, and a pack of wolves. What else can go wrong? Oh, right. A flippin’ sea monster.
Mary Rogers – “Spring Fling” A druid’s bargain gives Carson revenge against his former lover Carrie–at the price of her memories of them together. But did she truly steal his magic all those years ago? Or was the real theft his heart?
Elsa Carruthers – “Welded” Welding Witch, Rena, is on the run. She's not looking for love, but all the magic in the world can't keep the sparks from flying when her rivals, Nate and Duke, find her.
A.E. Hayes – “A Siren’s Song of Spring She is sworn to sing men to their deaths. Until one sails into her heart.
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Excerpt from Traci Douglass’s story: When Hermes Met Eos
Read on for your excerpt!
Hermes trailed behind Persephone, his mind restless. This business venture was the biggest gamble of his immortal life. He’d put everything on the line to ensure its success and because of his efforts, he’d become something of a recluse this past year as he’d worked out the details. He’d spent 24/7 checking contracts and fine print, and sweet-talking the demigods and humans necessary to implement his new messenger service. He’d even begged for loans from his siblings—Ares and Dionysus—to avoid going to Zeus for additional funds.
Hopefully, tomorrow morning, it would all be worth it.
If the venture was successful, there’d be an end to people seeing him as nothing but a jokester and a rogue. No more struggling to make a role for himself in the world despite his family’s constant attempts to keep him in the background. No more feeling the crushing weight of disappointment and disillusionment—the heavy burden of responsibility unfulfilled. He’d never told another soul, but many nights he woke in a cold sweat, wondering how he could do more, be more.
Now, he would run his own business empire and command respect. His plans would take him to the next level. Make him an untouchable, unstoppable force.
He trudged onward, thinking he should be happier to finally reach his goals, eager to join the party with his family and toast to his success.
Instead, he felt numb.
A hollow ache squeezed his chest where joy should have resided, a vague sense of accomplishment and tension.
Tension, not relief.
Perse stopped and squealed with excitement. “Do you hear that music? It’s my all-time favorite boy band! I need to get in there.”
Without looking back, she raced toward the resort, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Oceanus perched atop the cliffs, its grand staircase spilling down to the beach in a decadent spray of priceless marble and gemstones. In fact, every inch of the stately architecture glittered with rare rubies or sapphires or emeralds. Inside, all the frames of the famous artworks were gilded in solid gold and the crystal chandeliers were forged from his sister Aphrodite’s tears.
To call the place a pleasure palace was like saying water was wet. A who’s who of mortal and immortal bigwigs filled its halls, but still he was in no great hurry to get to the party. After thousands of years, these events were the same—polite conversation, chi-chi hors d’oeuvres, too much wine. He would much rather have stayed in his offices, going over his plans one last time.
He pulled out his cell phone to check his messages, then tucked the device back into the pocket of his tux. Zeus’s parties were always black tie. As he neared the stairs, however, something caught his attention near the water line.
There, then gone.
Intrigued, he moved closer, the distinct tingle of magic in his blood.
Whatever the source, it was powerful, sensual.
No. Not it.
She. A woman, cloaked in a glamour of starlight.
Beneath her guise, she appeared to be dressed for the party too, in a gown of shimmering golden yellow with heels to match. She didn’t move, just stared out at the horizon, her expression forlorn.
“Everything okay?” he called, approaching her slowly.
The woman turned and looked at him. His breath caught at her loveliness. Bright blue eyes, platinum pale hair curling down her back, her face heart-shaped, lips full—and frowning in annoyance.
“You can see me,” she said. “How? I was told this spell was impenetrable.”
“Sorry.” He stepped closer, not feeling sorry at all.
“Apology accepted.” She arched a brow, giving him a quick once-over. “I should’ve expected as much from this crowd. I told my sister I shouldn’t come.”
“Who’s your sister?” he asked, trying to figure out the identity of this gorgeous creature. He knew most everyone in the realm, but had never seen her before.
“Selene.” A wave tumbled toward them and Hermes took hold of her arm to steady her on the uneven sand. She grabbed his shoulder for balance and fresh sparks of awareness zinged through his system.
He frowned. “The goddess of the moon is your sister?”
She gave him a flat look then tilted her head toward the resort. “You should get inside.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“I’m in no hurry.”
“Why not?” She flashed a wry smile. “Got secrets?”
“Asks the woman hiding on the beach.” He grinned, maintaining his gentle grip and not planning on letting go anytime soon. Touching her felt too damned good—more than he cared to admit. “If Selene is your sibling then you must be Eos, goddess of the dawn and Spring.”
Her lush beauty didn’t fit the rail-thin, supermodel norm of the current times. Nor did she seem to conform to his usual type—polished, poised, uncomplicated. Yet there was no denying the powerful rush of sexual need swamping his senses at her nearness. She stood framed beneath the heavens like one of the Italian Renaissance masterpieces housed inside his father’s resort.
A loud bark of laughter echoed down from the revelries above, breaking him out of his romantic spell. This was ridiculous. He had big deals on the horizon and no time for one-night stands or illicit passions in the dark.
He needed to focus, now more than ever.
“Come on. I’ll escort you inside.” He slid his hand down to her elbow, not missing her slight shiver from the caress.
“I’m not going to the party.” She dug in her heels and stared at her toes. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” Her arm brushed his chest and he inhaled sharply, the touch intimate and arousing, making him want to feel even more of her against him. He couldn’t seem to stop his thumb from stroking over her silky flesh. “Tell me.”
Her tone turned resigned. “I’m doomed.”
“Doomed?” Another wave crashed on the shore and Hermes led Eos farther down the beach toward a sheltered cove, his protective instincts on high alert. “How?”
“It’s complicated.” She pulled free. This time he let her go.
“I’m in no hurry.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned a shoulder against the rock wall beside him. “It’s only ten-thirty, so we’ve got all night.”
She sighed, her warmth penetrating through the tailored fabric of his tux jacket and raising his temperature. In the moonlight, her face was just inches away, her lips parted and her azure eyes wide.
Except her irises weren’t just blue, he realized, but shimmered with the iridescent pinks and golds of a sunrise. Dark spiked lashes fringed them. She smelled like a clean, fresh rain, budding flowers and sweet green grass, and—
“Honeysuckle,” Hermes said.
“Excuse me?” Eos blinked at him.
“You smell like honeysuckle.” He grinned, the tension in his body abating slightly with the nearness of her soft, yielding presence. Her gaze flickered to his lips and that tiny glance jolted electricity straight to his groin.
Suddenly, all he could think about was kissing her.
Madness. This was pure, unadulterated madness. They were alone in the dark outside his father’s resort; party guests could stumble upon them at any moment. He didn’t even know her, not really. Not to mention the last thing he should be doing was seducing a stranger on the beach. Yet, somehow it seemed the choice had already been made, predestined.
For a guy who prided himself on his cunning and wit, he felt completely blindsided. His schemes had always demanded rational thought, calculation of every risk and consequence before he ever made a single move. Those were the things that had brought him to this point—close enough to success he could taste it. Those were also the things that kept him from getting sidetracked by romance.
Yet at this moment, steeped in mystery and magic, nothing else in the world seemed more important than the beguiling goddess at his side. He met her eyes and saw a telltale flash of answering desire.
She wanted him too.
Slowly, he tilted her chin upward, closing the distance between them to claim her mouth in a deep, hot kiss.
Eos didn’t hesitate, wrapping her arms around his neck, her body melting into his. Need and sweetness blended with the thrill of the conquest. Passion surged, pushing the bounds of his control.
Hermes pulled her closer, tighter, crushing the silk of her gown beneath his palms, demanding more. She gasped, her lips parting. He took advantage and tasted her—honey and sunshine. His pulse thudded in his ears as he drank her in, savoring every moment.
He couldn’t get enough.
Her kisses were an aphrodisiac, a high unlike anything he’d ever experienced, overpowering his senses. For a brief, insane instant, he understood why poets waxed rhapsodic about love. It was like teetering on the edge of a knife. His body urged him to ignore reason, deny logic, give in to what he wanted. What they both wanted.
To lose himself in her and abandon everything else.
No.
Catching himself at last, he wrenched away, panting, his world spinning reckless on its axis while reality continued, unaffected. Gradually, his breath calmed. The lights and noise from the resort pierced the night once more, the low roar of the waves rolling onto the shore granting a sense of stability. Chilled air cooled his insane ardor, making him question how the hell he’d blocked out reality for those few moments. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Eos looked as dazed as he felt. Her gaze darted away to look at anything but him. “That was… I don’t know what that was.”
Incredible? Intoxicating? Impossible?
“We should go,” he said.
“No.” She gathered her cloak around her once more. “I need a few more minutes to prepare.”
Hermes backed away slowly, watching as she disappeared beneath her glamour. His muscles were tight with arousal and his senses still rioted. He paused, his every instinct screaming for him to whisk her back to his rooms, to lock his bedroom door and strip off her gorgeous saffron gown, to spend a small eternity ravishing her amazing body. But that would be a bad idea, giving in to a stranger, a passing temptation.
A risk best left untaken.
I’m doomed.
He’d never discovered what she meant by those words. Now, it was too late to ask. She vanished before he could say another word.
Disappointment squeezed his chest as he climbed the marble steps to the resort.
That had been a close call. A narrow escape. Because despite the fever raging through his bloodstream, white-hot passion never lasted. Blinding desire came on strong, destroying reason, then left you alone, cold and uneasy.
Eos had been a momentary distraction from his business at hand, nothing more.
And he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted.
To find out what happens next, get your copy of Crazy Little Spring Called Love!
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Traci is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary and Paranormal Romance. Her stories feature sizzling heroes full of dark humor, quick wits and major attitudes and heroines who are smart, tenacious, and always give as good as they get. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and she loves animals, chocolate, coffee, hot British actors, and sarcasm—not necessarily in that order. Website: tracidouglass.net Facebook: TraciDouglassAuthor Twitter: @Traci_Douglass Goodreads: Traci Douglass Amazon: Traci Douglass BookBub: traci-douglass Newsletter: Click here to sign up
Thanks so much for featuring our anthology and an excerpt from When Hermes Met Eos on your blog! :)
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