Excerpt from Dare by Kacey Hamell

Author Kacey Hamell is back again with her newest romance, "Dare". You may recall I've reviewed two of her romances, "Sinful" and "Illusions" (she has a fondness for single word titles LOL), and interviewed her back in March. Today I have an excerpt from "Dare".

Born, raised and still living in her hometown in Ontario, Canada, Kacey found true love with her husband. As a Mom of three, Kacey has made certain that each of her children know the value of the written word and the adventures they could escape on by becoming book-a-holics in their own right. She is a multi-published erotic romance author who was encouraged to write by her beloved husband and quickly found herself writing fast and furiously. Not that she’ll ever tell him those three dreadful words that he longs to hear…”You were right.” Kacey is a true romantic at heart.

Find Kacey online:

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

 

Dare

By: Kacey Hammell

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-77130-128-2

Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, EROTICA

Format: ebook

Length: 77 pages, 260 KB

Release Date: September 20, 2012

Buying Links:  Amazon   Evernight    AllRomance/OmniLit  

Book Blurb (from author): 

Legal secretary, Olivia Warner enjoys being single and, aside from her closest gal pals, usually keeps to herself. But the night of her thirty-fourth birthday, she and her friends spend a fun-filled evening at a local bar where her friends dare her to approach a man, and spend the night with him. Olivia's not one to turn down a dare, especially from her old college pals. She only hopes the man in question is in for some good conversation, because that's all she'll give him.

Darren “Dare” Shalvis has given up on women. He's tired of being chased for his money, good looks, and prowess in bed. He prefers to meet a woman who, for once, wants nothing more from him than mere conversation. If only the woman asking him to spend the night with her wasn’t his favorite legal secretary. 

Accepting a dare has never been so tempting… 

*****************************************************************************************************

Excerpt 

She gave a small laugh and lifted the glass for a drink. 
Dare watched her lips as she drank. He wondered what they’d taste like. It was something he’d considered many times lately.
He was drawn to her, but unsure he’d ever act on it.
 Her whole demeanor said ‘hands off.’ And he wasn’t sure he was ready for the challenge.
“Tell me about it.”
“I’ll cut right to the chase.” As he turned on the stool, their knees brushed. Neither moved.
He thought he saw her eyes lit up. Perhaps Ms. Warner wasn’t as immune as he thought.
“My friends brought me here tonight for my birthday.”
“Happy birthday.”
She smiled. “Thank you. The jury’s still out whether it’s happy or not. My friends decided that as a present they’d get me a man.” She blushed and reached for her drink.
“Go on.” Intriguing.
She set down her glass and continued, “They dared me. Dared me to find myself a man and spend the night with him.”
Women…who understood them? He’d only ever participated in dares when he was younger. He didn’t think anyone took them seriously anymore.
“And you need my help, how?” Dare’s heart rate accelerated. She wasn’t asking him to…
She stared up at him, her gaze steady. “I need you to spend the night with me.”
If he hadn’t heard it with his own ears, he wouldn’t have believed it. This night was the strangest he’d had in a long time. It was as if he’d been offered a million dollars on a silver platter.
Of course, he wanted to spend the night with her. He’d fantasized about it many times. He just wasn’t clear on what exactly she was asking. He didn’t want any misunderstandings.
“Are you asking me to spend the night with you to…” Dare cleared his throat. “…be with you?”
“Oh! No, yes, I mean no. Dammit, I’ve screwed this up.”
“Relax.” He put a hand on her knee. “It’s okay. Let’s try this—do you want me to have sex with you?” Olivia groaned. Dare love that sound, and heat filled his groin.
“No. Not to have sex. God, this is mortifying.” Olivia placed her hand over his where it still rested on her knee. “Just to spend the night together—a movie, hang out, whatever—until eight a.m., when the dare is over.”
Dare laughed. She talked so fast he could hardly keep up. He’d never seen her so animated before. He liked her flustered and breathless…a lot. He wondered if she looked and sounded like that during sex.
He couldn’t go that route. Not now.
“Okay, so let me get this straight. You want us to spend the night together—with no sex—until morning? All because of a dare? Why didn’t you just say no?”
“I can’t. In college, the five of us made a pact—in blood, for God’s sake—that we’d always be friends and never back down from a dare. Trust me, right now, I wish I’d never made it.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I can imagine how you feel.”
“I’m so tired after the day we had. This was the last thing I needed tonight.”
“Yeah, when I stopped by the office today you seemed a bit irritated.”
She sighed and ran her fingers over his hand. Dare was surprised how comfortable it felt to have their knees and hands touch. He didn’t think Olivia was even aware she caressed his hands…or wreaked havoc on his libido. If her innocent touches could send him into overdrive, he wondered what would happen if she put all she had into it.
“It was the day from hell. I just wanted to meet the girls for a few drinks, then head home to soak the day away.”
Dare grit his teeth and tried not to think of Olivia in a bathtub—water floating around her body, relaxed, languid. The image could send him over the edge.
“Well, you’re in luck. I’m your man for the night."
Olivia smiled and her eyes danced. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. The last thing I wanted to do was have to pick up some random guy. I’m so glad you were here.”
 Pleased he could help her, Dare grinned. He realized he wanted to anything to put that carefree smile on her face.
“So.” He took a sip of his beer. “What do you want to do?”
She scowled. “Well, we could go back to my place. I have a spare room that you can crash in if you want.”
Surprised, Dare took in her flushed face. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We don’t exactly have to stay up all night. It’s still spending the night together, right?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, in a manner of speaking. Your friends weren’t specific.”
A smug smile crossed Olivia’s face. “No they weren’t. Which is a testament to how much they thought this through. I would have made a list of do’s and don’ts.”
They both laughed. Olivia had a naughty streak and he liked it. Liked it—and her—very much. A night with Olivia Warner wasn’t what he’d expected. Sure, he’d thought of her in his bed often, writhing and moaning with passion, but he never thought fantasy would become a reality. He couldn’t let the opportunity go. His buddies didn’t call him Dare for no reason. He could never resist a challenge. He placed both hands on her shoulders, drew her gaze from her glass, and put his cards on the table.
“What if we have an agreement?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?” “For us to spend the night together, we should have some ground rules.”
“Ground rules?”
“I will spend the night with you. More than eager to do so, except one thing.”
“What’s that?” she whispered.
He barely heard her but saw her lips move. He wanted to taste them, desperately.
“I don’t want to sleep in any spare room.”
“You don’t?” She gawked at him. Her expression was comical but Dare didn’t feel like laughing.
“No. I want to spend the night in your room.” Dare had her full attention. She stared at him, eyes wide.
“In your bed.”

 *****************************************************************************************************

If you liked the excerpt, the book is out now, so go get yourself a copy!

Blog Tour Interview with Romance Author Kacey Hammell

 

Romance author Kacey Hammell is here with us today for an interview. Canadian-born Kacey is a self-proclaimed book-a-holic, who began reading romances at a young age and became easily addicted.  As a Mom of three, Kacey has made certain that each of her children know the value of the written word and the adventures they could escape on by becoming book-a-holics in their own right.

A decade ago, while working for multiple review sites, Kacey quickly discovered that she was developing the writing bug. Thanks to the encouragement of her own beloved hero husband, she decided to try her hand at writing. 

With a love of contemporary settings, modern day romances and the happily ever after, as well as the excitement of suspense, Kacey creates stories in genres she's familiar with and that she loves most. She also loves vampires who nibble the necks of the heroines, ghosts who can't leave a loved one, shape-shifters who are sexier than hell and the thought of her very own werewolf or were-cat to tame makes her tremble! 

Readers can contact Kacey:

Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Email

Bea: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Kacey. 

Kacey: Thank you for having me here, Bea.

Bea: You developed the writing bug while working at review sites, but did you always know that you want to write? Was there anyone who inspired you?

Kacey: My husband encouraged me to write after about three years of reviewing. It was a very nerve-wracking endeavor to jump into but I did and haven’t regretted it.

Bea: Why romance? What’s the appeal for you? Do you think you might try a different genre some time?

Kacey: Romance is just a genre that keeps people believing in love, love at first sight? I started reading it when I was about thirteen and haven’t stopped. I do have a ghost story I’m working on, as well as a paranormal (Witch & Ménage) series I’ve also started. So I’m branching into paranormal but still main focus is romance.

 

Bea: Can you tell us a little about Illusions and the series it’s part of? Do you know yet how many books it will be?

Kacey: Illusions is a contemporary romance with light paranormal (the hero is a seer) and romantic suspense interwoven. Isabella & Brady, the main characters, are friends who became lovers and fight commitment every step of the way. Neither believes that love is for them and they do everything possible to avoid it. However, as their secret relationship gets deeper, and a psychotic killer is inching his way closer to home, both of them realize they can’t control everything. No matter how much they’d like to…

Bea: Are you a planner or do you wing it when you write? Any habits or superstitions that are important to you while writing?

Kacey: I write scenes first then put it all together. Sometimes I can start with page one and just go, but I have written a couple books as scenes first. No habits or anything, just go where the characters lead.

 

Bea: What’s a typical writing day like for you? 

Kacey: Just writing, researching, writing, self-edits, write some more and edit again. Some stories I’ll just write fully then go back and edit but there are times when I’ll edit chapter by chapter.

Bea: Does your family read your books? What do they think?

Kacey: Yes, my Mom even! Bit scary to have my Mom read the stories but she’s an avid reader like I am, so I couldn’t keep her from doing so. And a lot of my friends have, as well as my Mom’s girlfriends. They’ve been some of my biggest supporters and always nagging for the next one. *g*

Bea: Are any of your heroes based on, or inspired by, your husband? You described him as your “hero husband”.

Kacey: The hero’s sensitivity and caring for the ladies is greatly inspired by my husband. He is a very open, honest man who is sensitive to who I am, what makes me tick, and takes care of me. I think my heroes are quite the same in “tapping into” their woman’s moods, feelings, and ultimately they just want to care for them.

Bea: I know you do some social media. Do you think it’s important to an author? 

Kacey: Yes, I think it is. To a point though. No one wants to see promo after promo, so I try to do a couple promo things a day, while interacting with readers/other authors.  I like to know about the reader’s lives (to a point), things we can discuss (like tv, movies, books), share fun pictures and just have some fun. It’s hard to always balance all of it with writing but the readers are very important to me and I try to make myself available, via email, blog hops, interviews, etc.

Bea: Do you prefer print books or digital? Do you have an ereader? 

Kacey: I use Kindle for PC but don’t have an eReader. I’m still very invested in print titles. I find that after writing in front of the computer every day, critiquing for others, or doing interviews and such, that I just want to curl up with a print book. I do buy many ebooks mind you as I steal my hubby’s tablet often *g*, but do prefer prints.

Bea: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing? 

Kacey: Long hikes, bike rides with the family. Family gatherings, spending time playing board games with the kids, just hanging out. We’re very much homebodies and enjoy the quiet moments

Thank you Kacey for taking the time to answer my questions, and for giving us an excerpt from "Illusions". 

*****************************************************************************

EXCERPT 

Knowing she would soon run out of time before his arrival, and getting more aroused by the second, Isabella hurriedly reached for her bath sponge. Soaping it up, she cleansed her body with an eagerness she was growing accustomed to feeling whenever she had plans to see him.

Sponging all suds from her clean body, Isabella pulled the plug in the drain, and stood in the tub, reaching for a thick, blue towel from the shelf.

She rubbed vigorously at her body, drying it, and reached for the strawberry body lotion that went with her bubble bath. She poured a generous amount into her palm, rubbing her hands together to coat them in the sweet smell. Then she smoothed it over her arms, her breasts, stomach, and legs. The scent of strawberries made her smile.

Humming Destiny’s Child’s ancient hit Soldier to herself, Isabella wondered how many more minutes she’d have to wait before her soldier made an appearance.

She recapped the body lotion and tucked the towel loosely around her once again. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the sound of the front door closing.

She hazarded a glance in the mirror. With the mussed, damp tendrils of hair around her shoulders, the towel haphazardly wrapped around her, she looked like a woman eager for a man’s—her man’s—touch.

The sound of a boot hitting the floor with a thud caused her to smile, and she moved to the doorway of the bathroom.

Hearing another boot drop and the sound of heavy breathing, Isabella peered into the hallway. When he finally came into view, she was already breathless, even though she had been expecting him.

Dressed in his usual black denim, form-fitting jeans, and dark hair damp as if he too had taken a few moments to clean up, he was a sight to behold.

Isabella’s heart thudded rapidly and her legs threatened to give out. She noticed his leather jacket, undone, over a naked torso. Obviously his zealousness to be with her had him forgetting a few things.

There they were. The abs, the washboard stomach had her literally teetering on the edge of orgasm already—and he hadn’t even touched her.

Finally lifting her gaze to his face, his smoldering silver-gray eyes captured hers. She had to lean against the doorjamb for support.

He always made her speechless. His beauty, his charm oozed from him with no effort at all. How she had gone so long, so many years as friends with him and never really noticed him in such a way before? Some detective she was, not seeing what was directly in front of her.

As he moved toward her, his pace slowed, as if he knew the effect he was having on her and wanted her to crave him more desperately than ever. His face broke into a sinful grin, telling her he knew exactly what he was playing at.

Never one to let anyone, least of all this man, have the upper hand, Isabella let go of the towel she was still holding around her. It slithered downed her body, pooling at her feet. Noting his small stumble mid-stride, she relished the power she had over him.

Naked and confident, she smiled at the man she needed to feel against her. Desperate to have his hands on her, she called to him.

“Brady….”

*****************************************************************************

Kacey will be giving away a goodie package sent via snail mail (consisting of magnets, pen, notepads), plus THREE (3) ebooks of their choice from Decadent Publishing to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to the host with the most comments.

You can increase your odds of winning and learn more about Kacey by following the tour and commenting; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/01/virtual-book-tour-illusions-by-kacey.html

Review of Illusions by Kacey Hammell

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Release Date: February 28, 2012

Series: The Arms of the Law #1

Buying Links: Decadent     Amazon    

Book Blurb (from author website):

Detective Isabella Knowles, a tough-as-nails cop, lives by the law, and knows what she wants out of life. And it doesn't include marriage or all that comes with it. Everything Isabella has ever known seems like an illusion when a new relationship makes her feel more alive than ever before.  She isn’t happy about it and fights it every step of the way.

Burned by his fiancée years ago, seer and P.I., Brady Jacobs never wants another commitment in his life.  But his bachelorhood and heart are threatened when he has one of his visions and see a killer striking too close to the woman he has recently come to love.

Danger lurks close to home and neither Brady nor Isabella like that they can’t control every situation…especially matters of the heart.  

Contemporary Erotic Romance/Romantic Suspense/Paranormal(Seer)

Reviewed By: Bea

My Thoughts:

"Illusions" is the second story I've read by Hammell, and I enjoyed this one more than I did the first one. This is a quick and mostly enjoyable romantic suspense. I wish it had been a bit longer as I feel that some areas of the story could have been explored in more depth and the mystery part of the story wasn't given enough attention then BOOM! there's a crisis arising from the mystery.


I also found it unbelievable that no one in their town, not even the police, had a problem with Brady's visions and psychic ability. That just doesn't jibe with how people behave in the real world, there would be people who think he's crazy and people who would avoid him. Apart from that, I really liked the paranormal aspect of the story. I've long been a fan of stories that contain characters with psychic abilities.

Isabella had some rough times growing up and as an adult, she shies away from commitment, and doesn't believe in "happily ever after", or even in love. She hasn't had a serious relationship in a long time but she does have a friend with benefits. She keeps him a secret from her friends and family but it's obvious to the reader who it is. 


At first, Brady was content with their casual, "scratch an itch" relationship but lately, he's been wanting more. Isabella doesn't. That conflict is the focus of the story. There's a very hot sex scene early on that has me looking at door frames in a new way. :P I really liked Brady and wish I had one of my own. The secondary characters were also interesting, and I assume we'll be seeing them again. Although too short, it's a sweet story and a decent start to her new series, "The Arms of the Law".

I received a PDF from GoddessFish Promotions for review.

CBLS Blog Tour Review of "Sinful" by Kacey Hammell

Canadian-born author, Kacey Hammell is a self-proclaimed book-a-holic, who began reading romances at a young age and became easily addicted.  As a Mom of three, Kacey has made certain that each of her children know the value of the written word and the adventures they could escape on by becoming book-a-holics in their own right.

A decade ago, while working for multiple review sites, Kacey quickly discovered that she was developing the writing bug. Thanks to the encouragement of her own beloved hero husband, she decided to try her hand at writing. 

With a love of contemporary settings, modern day romances and the happily ever after, as well as the excitement of suspense, Kacey creates stories in genres she’s familiar with and that she loves most. She also loves vampires who nibble the necks of the heroines, ghosts who can't leave a loved one, shape-shifters who are sexier than hell and the thought of her very own werewolf or were-cat to tame makes her tremble!

 

Readers can contact Kacey at kaceyhammell@gmail.com

Readers can learn more about Kacey’s books and contact her via:

Facebook

Twitter

Website/Blog

Email

 CBLS Sinful Tour Schedule

Publisher: Kacey Hammell
Release Date: November 1, 2011

Series: #1 Follow the Music
Buying Links:

Amazon | aRe | Barnes & Noble (Nook)  | Smashwords | Bookstrand

Book Blurb:
 

Music was their only dream & passion...

Until they found one another...

For years, Mikayla Gallan has dreamed of providing a better life for her younger brother, Matthew, and herself. Coming from a family of musicians, Mikayla and Matthew have dreams of someday making it big. But Mikayla's first priority is always ensuring Matthew's future. When Houdini Records comes knocking on her door, offering her everything she's ever wanted, Mikayla's scared to grab onto their offer.  

Sinclair "Sin" Devlin, part-owner of Houdini Records has loved and lost and has no intentions of ever going down that path again. He's determined to put his company back on the map and is willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Meeting Mikayla Gallan, hearing her sultry and passionate voice on stage, Sin believes he has found the only woman that could save the company. He's even more shocked to realize that perhaps she's also the only woman to save him from himself.

My Thoughts:

OK, most of you know I am picky about technical matters in stories - grammar, spelling, missed words, etc. I'm generally okay with a few, as it's nearly impossible to catch every single one. But, the more that accumulate, the harder it is, for me anyway, to follow the story. I'm trying to translate it into legible English, mentally copy edit, or both. This story had me doing both:

mikayla shivered as he withdrew his hand from underneath her move and caress her ribs and stomach.

Note the lack of capitalization on the name "mikayla"; that occurs all throughout the story though her last name is  capitalized as are some other names. Some names are capitalized, some are not. I couldn't decide if it was a style thing or poor proofing. It didn't help that mikayla's last name is spelled two different ways in the story. There were numerous sentences with missed words, odd capitalizations, wrong punctuation or lack of punctuation, etc. It made the story difficult to read. Correction: The funky capitalization seems to be the result of converting the PDF to kindle format. The other issues though were in both formats

Now, the actual story. I liked the premise, and both of the leads, Sin (though, I'm REALLY tired of authors naming their characters Sin, it's beyond old.) and mikayla. Both are likable, though there was one incident early in the story that had me going WTF? I can buy, usually, love at first sight, and  people have sex with each other quickly these days but this, it just didn't fit with what we had been told of the characters up till then (sorry, I know that's vague, I'm trying not to reveal spoilers. Email me if you want to know), and I didn't buy it , nor did I buy the instant connection between them. Their romance happened very quickly and didn't feel believable. Oddly, the aspect of the romance that I found most believable occurred in the epilogue, about a year after the main story. There, we see the hesitancies, the doubts, and the ordinary problems that a couple have. The story has an HEA, humor, some steamy sex scenes, and is a quick read, but overall, it just didn't work for me.

I received a PDF for review.