Julia Barrett's World

I’m so pleased to have Tina Donahue here to talk about the powerful world she’s created

In His Arms.

Villains you love to hate

In my recent erotic romance In His Arms, I wrote one of the darkest villains I had ever imagined

. . .Anthony Karam. A ruthless monster that captured the essence of what I feel is pure evil.

Because there is so much suspense within the story, I wanted the reader’s first glimpse of Anthony to be memorable, but not over the top. So often in real life, monsters look just like everyone else. In many cases, they’re handsome, allowing them to move freely among their victims, to captivate them with a smile, to entice them with words they long to hear.

To illustrate what I mean, here’s the blurb for In His Arms, and an excerpt:

BLURB:

Owned by one man, loved by another. . .

Abducted and delivered into sexual slavery, Lori has surrendered her will in order to survive. For more than a decade, she’s been known as Summer, a lovely submissive, her owner’s possession until he gives her to his newest lieutenant, a mysterious man called RJ. Commanding and virile, RJ dominates without cruelty and possesses without threat, engendering a mixture of safety and passion. In his strong arms, Summer enjoys carnal pleasure she’s never known and tenderness she’s craved. In his heated gaze, she experiences a sense of recognition she doesn’t immediately understand until it proves dangerous in a way she could never have imagined. Bound by desire and their growing love, RJ traverses the shadowy world of human trafficking, risking all for Summer’s freedom only to learn she harbors a fateful secret that threatens to tear her from him, leading to an irrevocable event that risks both their lives.

EXCERPT: (In this scene, RJ and Summer have just arrived at Anthony Karam’s opulent estate)

Hogan went to a set of double doors, their dark wood carved extravagantly, the same as the one at the front of the house. He opened them onto a lengthy, rectangular-shaped room topped by an arched glass ceiling and ringed by columns. Vines snaked up the supports, the verdant leaves thriving in the moist, warm interior that smelled of chlorine. Frail threads of steam rose from the Olympic-size pool. No one swam inside. The placid water reflected the muted light seeping through the glass roof.

RJ glanced at Summer. Head turned to the right, she stared. Color tinted her cheeks. Her lips parted.

He followed her gaze to a sizeable spa at the far end of the room. Vapor rose from the churning water. Within it lounged Anthony Karam.

Eyes closed, head tilted back, he’d draped his arms across the lip of the tile floor, long fingers drooping over the sides. In his mid-thirties, he had the exotic good looks Hollywood leaned toward in casting movies about terrorists, a romantic fiction that the men were more misunderstood than dangerous, their smoldering sensuality irresistible to women.

Anthony wore his wavy black hair short. Heavy dark brows complemented his olive complexion, beard-shadowed face, strong nose and cruel mouth, the bottom lip plump, nearly pouting. His Adam’s apple quivered with his swallow. The light coating of hair on his chest sparkled with the spa’s spray. Fingers curled into loose fists, he managed an abbreviated stretch. A large silver ring, its design unknown to RJ, glinted around the middle finger of his left hand. His right pinky was missing.

Hogan went to the man first, his approach noticed by Anthony who parted his heavy-lidded eyes, their color as dark as his hair. Positioning himself to the left of his boss, Hogan held his hands behind his back and waited.

Anthony ignored his trusted lieutenant and RJ. His attention went directly to Summer, his gaze touching her eyes, throat, chest, coat and bare legs, lingering there, his eyes seeming to undress her further.

A wave of possessiveness rolled through RJ…surprising, primal, unstoppable. He wanted his reaction to have everything to do with a bruised ego, another man staring so openly at a woman who seemed to want only him last night and her craving the man in return.

In the depths of his mind, he knew better. His intense attraction to Summer, unlike anything he’d experienced with his ex or other women, fueled his response and fed his desire. Last night, he hadn’t been able to get enough of her. Each hour he’d touched her and tasted her caused her to burrow more deeply into his world.

Hands at his sides, fingers loosened to hide what he felt, he watched the nonverbal exchange between Summer and Anthony. She seemed to wilt beneath the man’s steady scrutiny. Out of fear or desire? RJ wasn’t entirely certain, resolved to change both.

Plainly satisfied with his effect on her, Anthony’s eyes moved to RJ. He gave him a sleepy smile. “My friend.” His melodious voice could have belonged to an actor or singer rather than a trafficker of human flesh. Eyes drifting back to Summer, he continued to speak to RJ. “I trust you enjoyed yourself last night?”

Summer’s blush deepened. Her focus remained on Anthony.

RJ pushed back his mounting jealousy. “Very much.”

“Tonight will be better.” Anthony’s tone and broadened smile held a wealth of carnal promises.

With a smile, Anthony can order an execution or beating. He’s a villain that many of my fans have said they won’t soon forget.

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8593-50-in-his-arms.aspx

Email: tina@tinadonahue.com

Website/blog: www.tinadonahue.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000458023097

To celebrate the release of In His Arms, I’m offering a contest today. One lucky commenter will have her choice of one of my following books**:

• 1. Lush Velvet Nights – ebook
  2. Adored – ebook
  3. Deep, Dark, Delicious – ebook
  4. Close to Perfect – mass market paperback
  5. Bad Boys with Red Roses – trade paperback
  6. Take My Breath Away – trade paperback

** Winner chosen at random. Winner in continental US has her choice of one of the six. Winner outside continental US has her choice of one of the ebooks

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