The Descendants of Ra series is one
of my new favorites! Tmonique Stephens delivers
originality, action, adventure, and romance.
She leaves me wanting more at the end of each book. Though each book focuses on a different
couple, we still see the previous characters blended perfectly throughout. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for
us in book 3.
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ETERNITY
Descendants of Ra, #1
Cursed for 2000 years, Roman Nicolis
has tracked his lovers’ soul through each reincarnation only to lose her
horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is his only salvation. He’s been her
friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover . . . until now.
A late night walk home throws Stella
Walker into the path of a killer. The last thing she remembers are the deep
blue eyes of the man trying to kill her—and the first things she sees after a
seven day coma are the same blue eyes in the handsome face of the man hired to
protect her. Is he truly the owner of a security firm or the man who wants to
finish her off? Is it fears she feels when Roman touches her or the memory of
something sweeter?
Past secrets haunt them. An angry demon stalks them.
Roman will do anything to recover
what they once had. Though Stella’s ruined childhood has made her close her
heart and body to any man, he must get past the walls around her to gain her
love and trust, for it will take their union to defeat an unexpected enemy sent
from the Egyptian Gods. A man Romans respects, and Stella trusts.
TWO HEARTS. ONE SOUL. FOR ALL
ETERNITY.
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eternity-tmonique-stephens/1112725622?ean=2940015097443
EVERLASTING
Descendants
of Ra, #2
Kill the beast.
Save your brother.
Win your freedom.
Falling in love with the cop trying
arrest you?
Problem.
To save his twin from death, Reign
Nicolis will have to bargain with Goddess of the Dead, and once more become what he despises, El Mortem, The Scourge, a
killer trained to show mercy to none. But he is haunted by those who have fallen beneath his blade. Their ghostly shapes dog his footsteps,
relentless in their torture to make him
suffer for what he was put on this earth to do two thousand years ago. Saving
his twin ensures Reign’s enslavement to the Goddess. She may own his body, but
never his heart.
Detective Alexis Lever’s career is in
shambles. Her only chance at redemption is to discover what happened to the body
of Daniel Nicolis. To do that she’ll have to thwart two men: Reign Nicolis and
Roman Nicolis. Both belong in jail. But one has stolen her heart.
Available at: Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tmonique Stephens wrote her first
novel about a reporter and a hockey player after the U.S. hockey team won gold
in the 1980 Olympics. She loves writing flawed characters who reflect the
emotional baggage we all carry. She writes complicated stories for complicated
people. Paranormal romances and fantasy novels are her favorite genre. She will
read anything about fairies, demons, or angels.
She also enjoys Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in
Creative Writing from City College of New York where she won an English
Department Award for her play Tea with
Salt in 1987.
She was born in St. Thomas USVI, but
she grew up in The Bronx, New York one mile from Yankee Stadium. She loves SyFy
and the History channels, and Asian cuisine. But her heart and stomach longs
for anything from the Caribbean.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TmoniqueStephens
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tmoniquebooks
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tmoniquestephen/
Email: Tmoniquebooks@gmail.com
Hi Tmonique, thank you so much for visiting My Secret
Romance. Your second novel in the Descendants of Ra series, Everlasting was
released in July. I have to say I really like this
series! Paranormal romance was my first love and you absolutely
reminded me why. I could not put your books down. I’m a
fan!
It’s a nice fresh take to see Egyptian gods play a role. How
long have you been interested in them? What inspired you to write a
paranormal romance series with them in mind?
What kind of research, if any, did you do to prepare for your book? Was there anything that
was most personally interesting to you?
I started flirting with the idea of
an Egyptian God series in 2005. Nothing solidified until 2008 when I started
working on Eternity. I had read a popular Greek god series and I didn’t think I
could do another Greek god series as well as that one. Then the Egyptian gods
came to mind and there was nothing on the market for what I had planned on
writing. I did a lot of online research of the Egyptian pantheon and their
hierarchy. Ancient Egypt is one of the most well document periods of history.
There is a wealth of knowledge to cull stories.
I especially loved the love triangle of Osiris, Isis, and Nephythys.
Osiris, God of the Underworld and
Isis, the Goddess of Motherhood, were married. Nephythys, the Goddess of
Judgment , slept with Osiris and gave birth to Horus, but let Isis raise the
child as hers. Later Nephythys married SET, The God of Evil, even though she
was madly in love with Osiris. A bitter SET then kills Osiris. There is more to
the myth, but in a nutshell, that’s it.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your
books?
Eternity took four years for me to write, rewrite,
and rewrite again. Everlasting took two years to write. Six months into writing Evermore and the
first draft will be completed in another six months. My writing and plotting skills
have improved. Even though I whine sometimes (most times) I enjoy the writing
process and I love my characters, especially when they go off on their own.
What was the hardest thing to cut from your manuscript?
In Eternity, I had a young boy as a
member of the family. He was a great 9 year old with a budding badass attitude.
There was a forest scene where he tried to prove his worth as a Nicolis. I
hated cutting that scene and character, but removing the storyline made
Eternity better.
Are any of your characters
most/least like you, and in what way(s)?
All of the characters are a bit like
me. They have been hurt, disappointed, doubt themselves and want love. I think
all writers put parts of themselves in their characters. Stella, the heroine in
Eternity, has my vulnerability and Alexis, the heroine in Everlasting, has my
fortitude. Emeline, the heroine in Evermore, has my determination.
If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for
themselves, what would they say?
I think Stella, in Eternity would say
thank you for finally getting it right. I put her through a lot of torture,
especially with different rewrites. But the end results were worth it.
What is your next project?
I’m working on EVERMORE, the third novel in my
Descendants of Ra series. It is Avery Nicolis’s story. I don’t want to give too
much away, but the scars he has on the outside of his body mask the scars he’s
carrying on the inside.
Do you have other ideas in the works beyond the Descendants of Ra series?
I’m in the plotting stages of a
spinoff of the Descendants of Ra series and an angel/ demons series. I’m also
working on a series of contemporary revenge novellas that will be out next
year. There’s nothing better than a
scorned woman getting revenge.
Can you leave us with a favorite
quote or teaser from your book?
This is an
excerpt from EVERLASTING:
“I have been with you for many days and could have killed
you a dozen times, but I did not.” Reign crowded Alexis until her back was
against a wall and her gun was pressed into the center of his chest. His face
was the only thing she saw. Her breath caught. Her insides fluttered.
“Do you wish me harm, Alexis? If you do, your weapon will
achieve nothing. I do not know if my sword will achieve anything, but I dare
say you would have better luck with my blade than with your gun.” The words rolled off his tongue like a
sensual sigh. She lowered her weapon and shoved it back into the holster.
Hilt first, he handed the sword to her and waited until she
had a strong grip before releasing his hold. It pulled her down and thunked
into the carpet. She tried to lift it, but couldn’t. Reign smirked and sat on
the sofa while she dragged the blade—cutting a slice in the faded carpet—to the
chair. Well-polished and honed to a sharp edge, the sword glinted as she traced
a finger over the intricate design. The cold metal tantalized her as she
imagined him wielding it above his head while he charged onto a battlefield.
The image was terrifying…and erotic.
Braided leather wrapped around the handle and scroll
characters traveled down the blade. No, not characters, hieroglyphics. “Do you
know what this says?” She stroked the metal. Puzzlement crossed his featured,
then a dawning awareness. She thought he was about to lie and say no. Instead,
he nodded.
He stumbled over the pronunciations a few times before
speaking. “‘I am the bringer. Face me and
be judged’. I have never read Egyptian before.”
“How’d you end up cursed in Egypt?” Instead of answering, he
looked away.
Okay. Next question.
“Why does the tether hold
you here?”
His gaze swung back to her. “The Vanquished. When they come
and I can no longer function.”
“Who’s the Vanquished?”
“Conquered warriors haunting my soul. They are my penance,
my tormentors. The only peace I find is when I’m within one hundred feet of the
one who balances my soul. You are that person.”
She was about to say she didn’t want to be that person when his gaze turned sultry,
swept across her face, down the column of her throat and rested on her breasts.
An internal switch flipped and she flushed. Her fingers stroked down the blade
as images of him—of them—entwined and doing things she dreamed about flickered
in her head. The positions, the thrusts, the licks, and touches. Orgasms after
orgasms. She, crying out his name.
His gaze roasted her. Those oceany eyes kissed her lips,
caressed her breasts, slid down her body and settled between her thighs where
she ached. Her finger slipped on the metal and blood ran freely. The sharp
sting seared all lustful thoughts away. Instantly, he kneeled in front of her
and grabbed her wrist. She tried to jerk away, but he held her firmly, his
thumb pressed hard on the wound.
“Apologies, your
injury is my responsibility. I never should have let you—”
“It’s okay. It’s not that bad.”
“It is. My nearness keeps causing you injury. That, I cannot
allow.” His eyes blazed full of anguish.
Strands of his long hair swept across his face, partially
hiding his expression. Alexis brushed the wayward locks away. She skimmed her
palm down his sculpted cheek and through his short beard. His eyes widened
and…he stopped breathing. Amazed that she had actually caused a man to stop
breathing at her mere touch, Alexis leaned in for a taste, that’s all she
promised. One kiss to settle the heat stirring in her blood.
Centimeters away from his lips, she paused, then drew away.
There’s a reason you're
celibate, Alexis. Too many relationships had soured and left her swearing off men for the past
year. But if there was ever a reason to end her diet, Reign was it.
He waited. Not a muscle betrayed his emotions, yet a vein
pulsed wildly at the base of his neck.
But he lied.
What if you approach this
logically? You want him. Your panties are sticking to you, you want him so bad.
So have him. Leave your heart out of it. Hell, men do it. You can do it too.
Screw him, let him work all your kinks out. Just don’t fall in love with him so
when the shit hits the fan—
I won't be the one cut by
the blades.
She pressed her lips to his.
Holy
hell! Nothing had ever tasted so
delicious, felt as delightful as his firm lips slanted across her mouth. His
whiskers gently brushed her skin, heightening her senses. His scent, woodsy
with a hint of musk, filled her lungs. She leaned into him, parted her lips,
and licked the seam of his closed mouth. He shuddered and his lips parted. His
tongue darted inside her mouth and ignited her blood.
He wanted her. She didn’t just feel in it in his touch, but
knew it as if she were peeking into his soul.
They yanked apart, she panting while Reign inhaled sharply
and exhaled deliberately. His pecs heaved as his gaze devoured her. Nothing
made sense, not the heat surfing through her body or the hunger gnawing at her
soul. Kissing Reign erased the presence of every man who had ever touched her.
Flustered, she glanced down and saw her finger still pressed between his.
He released her. She wiped away the smear of blood and found
perfect new skin. “Okay, so how did you do that?” She held up the healed digit
to his puzzled stare.
“I do not know.” His gaze shifted away.
He’s lying. Disappointment
dissolved the lingering taste of him. Wow,
that didn’t take long.
Where can your readers stalk you? Um, I mean find you on the
web. :)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TmoniqueStephens
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tmoniquebooks
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tmoniquestephen/
Email: Tmoniquebooks@gmail.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tmonique+stephens
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us.
3 comments:
Looks like a really interesting book list! I love romance books, especially ones that have that added suspense factor. I just read a great book called “Publics: Libertas Aut Mors” by Baltazar Bolado, http://baltazarbolado.net/, that also has that romance/suspense aspect which made for a really great read! Thanks for the post and suggestions, I’m going to have to look in to some of these!
Marie, my girlfriend loves those kinds of books too so I’ll have to
recommend the book you suggested to her. I was looking it up
online and found it on Amazon but just wanted to let you
know that the title is listed as “Publius: Libertas Aut
Mors”, just as an FYI. Thanks for the article and
suggestions from both of you.
Sorry, I mean Jackie! I was reading another blog looking for book suggestions as well and someone elses name was Marie! My mistake!
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