Soul Gatherer Brian Webster has long lived with the guilt of his failure to save his teenage sister. When another girl dies in his arms as she protects an ancient coin from a demon, he takes up her cause. The coin is one of thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas. United, the coins are a dark relic of immense power, and in the wrong hands, they could destroy civilization.
Lena Sharpe is on her own mission to find the Judas coins. A Soul Gatherer by day and a thief by night, she’s negotiated the most important deal of her life. When Brian intervenes and kidnaps her to obtain the coins, she attempts to escape. But the brazen warrior is unrelenting, as he is fearful that the beautiful felon has made a pact with the devil himself. And he’s not entirely wrong.
Bound together by burning desire and a similar darkness in their hearts, they race against time to recover the missing coins. But as the truth behind Lena’s bargain surfaces, Brian is faced with a desperate choice—save one or save many.
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The First Meet Didn’t Go Too Well…
The first meet between my hero and heroine in my latest release, Bound by Darkness, doesn’t go so well, especially for the hero, Brian Webster. Without giving it all away, let me just say that the heroine, an antiquities thief, catches him off guard and he ends up taking a kick where no man wants to be kicked. He’s a tough guy, and he survives.
My hero has a healthy ego, so I knew when I wrote the book that he needed a heroine who could take him down a few notches. He hates to fail and generally doesn’t. So I handed him a woman capable of making him fail. I know, I’m a cruel author. Trust me, though, it takes a lot to dent Brian’s confidence.
In romance novels, we generally like to see the hero depicted as supremely competent, able to take on the world, and heroic to the core. They don’t usually find themselves taken down by a woman. But Lena isn’t an ordinary woman. She’s a Soul Gatherer like Brian—gifted with exceptional reflexes, night vision, and rapid healing. She’s also been fighting demons on her own for over a hundred years.
Unfortunately for Brian, their second meeting has its challenges as well:
Just as he resumed his vigil at the door, the elevator chimed and light footsteps trod down the carpeted corridor toward them. Brian signaled to the others to get out of sight and hugged the wall as tightly as he could. If she swept the room with her senses before she entered, they wouldn’t have a prayer. But hopefully the lack of obvious pursuit after her getaway had eased her wariness.
The footsteps paused in front of the room and a key card snicked in the lock. The instant she shoved the door, he leapt. He took her smoothly to the hallway floor, pinning her arms to her sides and using his superior size to hold her in place.
Lena did not go down easily, however.
First, she bloodied his nose with a quick head butt. Then she kicked him in the shins. Bigger and stronger than her, he easily maintained his hold, but her hands remained free to inflict damage. She dug her fingers into his leg muscles, pinching and twisting with everything she had. His gonads still throbbed from the kick she’d delivered a half hour before, so he settled his full weight on her and wrapped his legs around her to minimize her struggles.
Nothing he did took the fight out of her. She continued to pinch, bash, and wrench every available part of his body.
“Stop,” he said hoarsely into her ear. Blood dripped from his battered nose. “We’re not the enemy. We’re Soul Gatherers, like you.”
Another head butt, this one to the mouth.
“Need some help, Webster?” Murdoch asked from the doorway, amused.
Brian ignored the comment.
“How do you think we found you so quickly?” he asked her, mashing her face into the garish carpet with his upper body. “We have access to the Gatherer database.”
Her fingernails found the bullet wound on his thigh and dug in. The healing process was already well under way, but her attack ripped the scab off.
“Fuck!”
Down the hall, a door creaked.
“Guys,” said Carlos, his voice low. “Can we take this inside?”
Brian made one last attempt to get through to her. “Think about it, Lena. If I were a demon, I’d be pelting you with fire right now, not rolling around on the ground, taking a shit-kicking for no reason.”
Her struggles abruptly ceased.
His heartbeat sped up the instant she relaxed. Partly because her perfumed scent finally navigated the swollen tissues of his nose, but mostly because he discovered one of his arms was pressed against a pair of very nice breasts. Only a rat-faced guy would even notice something like that at a moment like this, but there you had it. He was a rat-faced guy.
How do you feel about seeing the hero bested by a woman? Does it make you think less of the hero? Or make you root for the heroine? Does your impression depend on the circumstances?
Bound by Darkness is the second book in my Soul Gatherer series, and it just hit stores this week. To help me celebrate, one random commenter from today’s post will receive a signed copy. Good luck!
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Huge thanks to Annette for being our guest today. Find out more about Annette and her books at her website here.
I love the idea of a sassy antiquities thief for a heroine! The excerpt has me intrigued – I’ll have to check this series out.
Ohh this sounds good! I’d love to have it!!
hugs,
WendyK
Looks like this hero needs a healthy ego! I like the tie into Judas and the 30 pieces of silver. Sounds interesting.
It depends on the circumstances. If the hero acts ok with her besting him then it is fine. I love a strong heroine.
highlandlove–Love your handle, Wendy! I love the Highlands, Highlanders, kilts, you name it. The hero of my first book is a Scot. 🙂
GSM–Brian certainly finds Lena memorable. 😉
CrystalB–Do you think a sense of humor helps in situations where the hero takes a fall at the hands of the heroine?
This book sounds so good!!!! I have to have it!
Oh I enjoyed that snippet! Another book/ author to add to my ever growing list… The hero being bested by the heroine, why not… adds some flavor to the story!
Hi Annette! I don’t see anything wrong with having a strong heroine. I think that it just reminds the hero not to underestimate or think of the heroine as being weak. I admire a main female character that can stand up for herself. I read the first book in the series and loved it. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
My To Buy list just got longer!
I don’t have a problem with the hero being bested by the heroine as long as it is for a good reason. I have a problem with a heroine so strong willed and so certain that she is right about everything that she fools the hero into thinking she agree with him and then she does what she wants behind his back. Even worse is when she gets she ends up captured or in a dangerous situation as a result and the hero ends up having to rescue. That irritates me to no end.
I like to see the hero bested by a woman from time to time. And, if he’s able to take it all in stride, I’ll like the hero even more!
Yes, I would say it depends on the circumstances, was he an arrogant alpha type male? Maybe he deserved to be brought down a peg or two, LOL! A strong heroine is fine, as long as she doesn’t become some pushy shrew, then that turns me off.
All the best for your release!
i think a hero must have a sense of humor with his lady love – otherwise he is to serious and mopes when she throws down on him, haha
book looks great!
How do you feel about seeing the hero bested by a woman? – very intriguing indeed! I want my chance to win this book!!
Re-posted your contest at http://contests-freebies.blogspot.com/2010/05/win-bound-by-darkness-at-rrh-novel.html
Stephanie D–Thanks!
Colleen–Glad you enjoyed the excerpt. 🙂
Barb P–We can’t let that hero get too full of himself, now can we? So glad you enjoyed Drawn, and I hope Bound proves just as entertaining.
Estella–LOL! Mine is already pretty long, but I’m determined to keep at it.
Cherie J–Great points. Motivation is key, isn’t it? The heroine can’t be fighting for nothing.
Karyn–Shrews don’t appeal to me, either. Lena has good reasons for being tough–but she still debates her actions. Thanks for the good wishes!
becky jean–I like a guy who can laugh at his misfortunes. Brian has an excellent sense of humor. 🙂
No, it doesn’t seem like their second meeting went to well LOL 😉 But I’m sure everything works out….hopefully 😉
And I think its awesome as heck to see the heroine best the hero!
Cherry–This is the book for you, then. 😉 Thanks for the re-post.
Chelsea B–There’s definitely a happy ending. Just a few bumps for the hero and heroine in between. 🙂
love it cant wait to get my hands on a copy
I love strong heroines, but I think who is “bested” should depend on the circumstances.
I have your first book Annette, and I’m looking forward to the second one!
Hey, I don’t mind if the heroine kicks the hero’s ass, on occassion!! This one looks good, please count me in.
This sounds really good. I need to check out the first in the series 🙂
I don’t mind seeing the hero bested by the heroine at times. I like when he can laugh about it after and admire her for being able to do it.
Diana–Sorry I missed your comment earlier. 😦 I agree. Great heroes are made by how they pick themselves up after a fall.
wanda–Thanks!
Karen W–Are there certain circumstances that you find easier to accept than others? Thanks for mentioning that you enjoyed Drawn. 🙂
Martha–Sometimes it’s needed. 😀
Raelena–Hope you get the opportunity. Good luck in the draw.
Pam P–I agree. I think the best heroes are also the heroine’s biggest cheerleader. Maybe not right from the beginning, though, LOL.
Ooh – this sounds good!
I love a heroine that can give a hero a run for his money and not in a TSTL kind of way. That she is a good all round match for him and that the hero can appreciate that after getting over the shock of being bested by a female! 😀
After all she only managed to do that more often than not because he underestimated her . . . puts them on a more equal footing and I like that.
😀
it makes me root for the heroine!
I think it really depends on the situation, but in general, I love when a heroine’s strong/smart enough to best the hero sometimes–it makes for an exciting relationship! 🙂 Congrats on your latest–it sounds like a great one!
I loved reading your excerpt. As for how I feel about a heroine besting a hero, I am happy about it. Personally, I want a heroine who can be strong both for or against the hero.
I love it when the heroine bests the hero – at least for a little while and it doesn’t make me think any less of the hero. I love it when a heroine uses her smarts to get what she wants and in the long run, a good hero will recognize this and appreciate her all the more…
I just returned from Annette’s website and I’m a new fan. I can’t wait to start the Soul Gatherers series.
I have no problem with the heroine getting the best of the hero, just as lone as he’s not hitting back.
yum
This sounds like a really interesting series. I’m going to check it out!
Willa–Thanks! I think you hit it on the nail–underestimating the heroine just makes a great hero sit up an take notice. 🙂
Amanda–I hope you’ll root for Lena!
Fedora–A balanced relationship appeals to me, too; if the hero is so strong he can walk all over the heroine, I’m less engaged. Thanks!
Little Lamb Lost–Glad you enjoyed the excerpt. 🙂 You make a great point about the heroine’s strength working FOR the hero at some point.
Cybercliper–Lena’s strength certainly makes Brian take notice. 🙂
Tracey D–Thanks for stopping by the website and for the very kind words!
For those of you who are interested, I’m running my release contest over there until the end of May and there’s another chance to win.
Sue A–Have you seen the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith? There’s a scene where they fight in the house, and while she’s an uber-tough character, I winced when he kicked her. Shooting bullets at her was fair, but kicking her, not so much.
Wanda–LOL! Thanks!
Hi Spav–Thanks!
Hi Annette!
congrats on the release – can’t wait to get my hands on it because it really really sounds fantastic!!!
wish you all the best,
Ina
I love a heroine who can handle herself in a fight!
The except has definitely captured my interest.