Book Tour: Jungle Heat by Sarah Mäkelä
Jungle Heat (Amazon Chronicles, Book
1)
Sarah Mäkelä
Genre: Shifter Romance
Publisher: Kissa Press LLC
Date of Publication: September 17, 2014
Book Description:
An Amazon Princess and a weretiger
must find love enough to heal their peoples’ painful history.
The Amazon Rainforest still contains a
few secrets. One of these secrets is a hidden village of women whose
history is filled with the horror of conquering men.
Adara Rukan, princess of the Amazons,
ventures away from her village to find something waiting for her.
Andrei "Rei" Makarov is a weretiger and a biologist on
assignment. Can Rei and Adara find love enough to bridge their two
separate worlds?
Excerpt:
Adara
raced over the dense forest floor, trying to escape the shadow
closing on her heels. Fear pumped adrenaline through her body as she
ran toward her village through the darkness. Panic tangled with the
sheer need to survive. If only I'd listened. What was I thinking,
coming out alone?
She
shot a glance over her shoulder. Her foot smacked against a tree root
in the moment of distraction, pitching her body forward. The fall
came in slow motion.
Cursing
under her breath, she rolled onto her back. Dry leaves clung to her
blonde hair. The subtle, musty scent of slow rot rose from the rich
soil, mixed with something coming from behind her. The dark shadow
loomed. Her gaze rose to take in her pursuer, wondering if the beast
would be her doom.
The
tall, broad-shouldered creature towered over her. Watching. It wasn't
human or animal. The village wise woman had warned her of beings like
this, but they'd seemed like fables. How could something so
fantastical be real?
Even
as she trembled with fear, this creature captivated her. The black
and orange stripes covering his shoulders and arms evoked a distant
memory, yet the design was uncommon in the Amazon.
His
hair hung in straight, black strands like a human's, but his face had
the nose, mouth, and eyes of a feline. His muscular, naked body
reflected a splendid combination of both species. Sweat-shiny skin
glistened through the inch-long fur that covered him. His white chest
intrigued her, all the way to the patch of fur barely covering his
groin. Leaves and branches framed his face with a lush green
background. He crouched over her. His piercing golden eyes focused
solely on her. His stare reminded her of a cat from her village
staring at a small rodent before pouncing.
As
he leaned down, she grabbed her kris from the garter on her thigh and
pushed it against his stomach. She didn't want today to be the day
she died. Her people needed her. She wouldn't let this beast deny
them their princess.
The
animal cocked his head at her. He brushed his lips over her throat,
whiskers tickling her chin.
Her
body stiffened. What is he doing? Bewilderment spread through her as
his feline lips touched her neck. Instead of biting her, his canines
grazed lightly, gently, from just below her ear down to her shoulder,
almost as if exploring her flesh, instead of seeking to rip open her
throat.
She
tensed. Even with her weapon pressed against the beast's stomach, she
still feared for her life. As an Amazon princess, she wasn't easily
scared. But this feline made her heart pound. If only she had brought
Rubia with her. She wouldn't be in this situation and could've stood
a better chance against this feline.
Why
does he persist in toying with me? Adara swallowed as a low burn
started in the pit of her stomach. These feelings confused her.
A
soft sniffing sounded in her ear right before his tongue scraped
rough caresses on her skin. Other jungle cats marked their territory.
Did this animal believe she was his? She didn't want to find out.
Without
waiting for the feline's next move, Adara drove the kris deep into
his stomach, meeting resistance as it plunged through flesh and
muscle. She forced it further as his blood flowed onto her hands,
making the hilt of the kris slick, weakening her grip.
He
roared and leapt back with her kris still embedded in his abdomen.
She
scrambled to her feet. His scream so near the side of her face made
her ear ring. Bringing up a hand to her ear, Adara felt a trail of
his wet blood drip along her cheek.
He
straightened his spine and strode back to her, her kris still buried
in him. It seemed as if it were nothing more than a minor annoyance
to him. She clenched her hands into fists and dropped them to her
sides.
The
reality of what she saw struck her. She froze. How could he act so
unaffected? He shouldn't have been able to move around so casually.
It wasn't possible. How can I outrun something like that? This can't
be happening. Her mother had always warned her to be careful when
traveling through the forest. Why hadn't she listened? And how could
she feel so drawn to this animal when he intimidated her?
"Who
are you?" Gritting her teeth, she forced her voice to resonate
with the commanding tones of an Amazon huntress, and fervently hoped
it didn't betray the panic racing through her veins. Her people's
beliefs restricted them from showing fear in front of strangers. Not
that they saw many. But her tribeswomen were survivors in dangerous
times. Their history brimmed with reminders.
The
feline bared pointed white teeth. "Call me Rei." His husky
voice reverberated like a deep growl.
He
launched into the air and, before she could react, flattened her to
the ground. Air whooshed out of her lungs. Her eyes widened and
locked onto his.
He
pinned her arms next to her head and pressed his feline lips to hers.
His tongue scraped across her lower lip, causing nips of pain to cut
through the alluring sensation.
She
shook her head hard, breaking the kiss. Her breath rushed out short
and quick. Never before had she kissed anyone. His mouth on hers
created fiery stirrings within her body that felt almost too good.
Her racing pulse only spread the warmth throughout her body that much
faster.
Twice
a year, her tribeswomen associated with Indian men. The younger girls
were forced to stay in a hut during those visits, although Adara had
snuck out once with Rubia in a fit of rebellion. She'd spotted one of
her kin pressing her mouth against an Indian male's. Could this be
what happens?
But
men weren't to be trusted. Her kin had learned that the hard way
many, many years ago.
Her
mind flashed to the tales she'd heard from the wise woman. Horrible
reminders assaulted her, memories of the men from long ago, enslaving
her kind, killing them ruthlessly with diseases and swords.
She
could imagine the cruelty of the conquering, pillaging men as vividly
as if she had been there herself, so strongly had the wise woman
spoken. It had taken weeks for her to sleep soundly after listening
to that story.
Sudden
panic swept away the lust that burned inside her. This creature could
do the same. He's chased me, after all.
"What
do you want from me?" Adara asked, trying to sound forceful, but
instead her voice came out husky. She cleared her throat and returned
his gaze.
Talking
with an animal! Rubia would be jealous. Her tribeswomen would never
believe this story... if she survived the encounter.
Rei
smiled, warmth emanating from him. "You." His chest
rumbled, and he rolled the word off his tongue like an exotic purr.
About the Author:
NYT & USA Today bestselling author
Sarah Mäkelä loves her fiction dark, magical, and passionate. She
is a paranormal romance author, but she’s written all over the
romance spectrum with cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban
fantasy...even a sweet contemporary romance!
A life-long paranormal fan, she still
sleeps with a night-light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books,
watches scary movies (and Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games
with her husband. When she gets the chance, she loves traveling the
world too.
Thank you for posting about my new release!
ReplyDeleteSarah is a wonderfully descriptive writer.
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