Two Heroes Are Better Than One

Or at least I think so.

Naming his Mate was my first foray into the world of male/male Romance, and I have to say…I loved it.

The whole concept stemmed from my best friend’s challenge, “Make me a hero!” As all friends do, I said, “yeah, yeah,” and brushed it aside to think on later. The more I thought on it, the more appealing the idea became. In my head, at least. In real life, I tend to struggle when writing a heroine’s emotions. I’m not exactly one of those ‘petals of a rose’ sorts and I curse like a sailor, so writing a story featuring two male leads turned out to be a lot of fun. Just opinion of course, but it seemed as though the dynamic between Damien and Mike was easier to establish from the start once I figured out where I wanted to go with the plot.

Oh and the intimate scenes…yep, I find those much easier to write as well. I tend to favor a more aggressive, ‘take what he wants’ hero, and that particular type of male lead works extremely well with another male.

Long story short, I thoroughly enjoyed dipping my toes into the world of male/male romance, and I can say with certainty, Naming his Mate will not be my last m/m oriented romance.

Naming his Mate

M. Limoges

Black Hills Wolves #17

Decadent Publishing

GBLT Paranormal/Erotic Romance

Release Date: May 1, 2015

Length: 64 pg.

Blurb

Small-town sheriff, Mike Hadley, would love to experience a headache-free day for once in his life. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. While investigating a rash of disappearances and dealing with his ornery lover, he’s thrown into a whole new world he never imagined existed.

Damien Marks has finally found a place to call home in Los Lobos, South Dakota, with the Black Hills Pack. He also stumbles across something he never thought he would—his mate. Falling hard, he decides he needs to come clean and tell the truth. But will his sexy lover accept what he is?

Embroiled in a potentially dangerous situation, both men have to decide where their loyalties lie—with duty or love?

Excerpt

Mike Hadley adjusted his gun holstered on the belt at his waist and tugged his jacket over the weapon, concealing it from clear view. There wasn’t any doubt he’d incite a riot if he walked inside with his piece visible.

Coming here, to this place in the middle of nowhere, shouldn’t have troubled him. He’d stepped into shittier, more unstable situations than this hole-in-the-wall bar, but damn if a thread of apprehension didn’t prickle the length of his spine as he stood outside of the entrance. One small detail kept him from strolling into the establishment like he owned the place, and he sincerely hoped that minor detail stayed home tonight.

He rolled his neck from side to side in a bid to loosen the tension in his shoulders. With an air of confidence he didn’t quite feel, he pulled open the heavy steel door and strode inside the Den.

Thirty seconds was all it took for activity to grind to a screeching halt. The drawl of a country ballad playing on the music box in the far corner thumped through the stifling air. Weighted stare after weighted stare met his gaze head on as he scanned the bar’s occupants. Their open hostility battered at his senses.

He wasn’t welcome. That much was apparent, but he would deal with it. Despite a bar full of unfriendly locals, the absence of one in particular shaved off a degree of his unease.

Of course, his anxiety hardly mattered. As sheriff of the small town of Collins, South Dakota, it was his job to investigate a rash of disappearances over the last several weeks. Unfortunately, the trail had led him to the neighboring, inhospitable town and people of Los Lobos.

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Author Bio: Melissa Limoges lives along the Gulf Coast with her OCD cat, Mr. Tibbs. Tax appraiser by day, romance writer by night, she enjoys anything coffee related, traveling, and reading happily ever afters.

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All’s Well That Ends Well

 By M. Limoges 

    

Often times we come across certain familiar tropes in many of the books we read. Be it as an entirely new spin on an old fairy tale we’re all familiar with. (Personally, I’m a fan of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ themed reads.) Or we might find similarities with tales written by a certain Elizabethan playwright.

That’s right. I’m talking about Shakespeare.

To be completely honest, I’m not exactly a fan. Never have been, but, and I’m purely speculating here, several common themes in his plays still influence a lot of the books we read today. From star-crossed lovers and masquerading characters to tragic errors in judgment and a reexamination of one’s character, many threads of Shakespeare’s tropes survive in today’s fiction.

And that brings me to the point of this post. As I began writing Taming his Mate, I quickly realized there were slight undercurrents of the Bard’s Taming of the Shrew. You know the one…prickly heroine who refuses to acknowledge her relationship with the hero. He spends the duration of the play wrecking her defenses. Granted, I didn’t quite drive my hero to the extremes Shakespeare took with Petruchio in order to tame his shrew, or in my case—mate. Of course, I chalk that up to societal differences between our times.

Perhaps I’m odd in that I love to see a hero chase after a heroine. I love to see him chip away at her defenses. Albeit, the heroine often has her reasons for refusing, as was the case with Taming his Mate. But hey, all’s well that ends well, right?

Blurb: 

It’s a good thing Stephen Dorsett is a patient Wolf—especially since his stubborn mate refuses to accept the bond between them. Though she’s run from him for years, he’s determined to show her she belongs at his side. Nothing will stand between him and his sexy, spitfire she-Wolf.
   Kate Matthews lives with a horrible secret. And though she’s loved Stephen for as long as she can remember, she could never be the mate he wants or deserves—especially if he ever learned the truth about her.
   When hunters threaten the safety of the Black Hill’s Wolves pack, Kate overcomes her fears and lays her life on the line. Will Stephen and the rest of the pack accept her once her life-long plight is at last revealed?

Excerpt:

A high-pitched howl reached through the barrier of sleep and tugged Kate Matthews into semi-consciousness. Rolling onto her side, she groaned and smothered her head beneath her pillow. Another bay penetrated the memory-foam fabric jammed over her ears. Throwing the cushion on the other side of the bed, she flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling fan as yet another howl shattered the last vestige of sleep.

Damn it, Stephen.

Kate flung the covers off her legs, jumped from the bed, and stomped across the chilly hardwood floor to her bedroom window. Squinting in the darkness, she spotted one of her tennis shoes beside her foot and grabbed it. Armed, she jerked the window open and hurled her makeshift missile at the large, gray wolf loitering on her back lawn. The beast swerved clear of the canvas bomb at the last second.

An iridescent pop of light gave way to the human form of Stephen Dorsett. As moonlight illuminated his nude body, he gazed up at her, wearing an amused expression that pissed her off and turned her on at the same time.

“And a good morning to you, Sunshine.” His voice oozed with syrupy sweetness, infuriating her more.

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Author Bio: Melissa Limoges lives along the Gulf Coast with her OCD cat, Mr. Tibbs. Tax assessor by day, romance writer by night, she enjoys anything coffee related, traveling, and reading happily ever afters.

Author links: Website || Facebook || Twitter || Goodreads 

***Giveaway*** 

I’m feeling spry today, let’s throw a $10.00 Amazon gift card in the mix. Just leave me a comment with your email address and tell me your favorite trope in romance. I’ll pick one commenter on March 06, 2015.

The Short Version of Things

By M. Limoges

In theory, one might think a short story or novella would be much, much easier to craft than a full length novel. Personally speaking, it’s not.

In fact, constructing a somewhat decent short story in a small span of time is rather difficult to accomplish. All stories must have a moving plot, the right amount of pacing, a certain amount of backstory, and character depth. Managing those feats is complicated enough in an 80,000-120,000-word novel, but try condensing all that and packing it into a 15,000-25,000-word short story or novella. Phew, can you see the sweat bead on my forehead now?

Claiming his Mate was the first short story I’ve ever written. And I have to say, once I found the right pacing and flow, I really enjoyed writing this story. Now, I think I find it easier to write short stories and novellas than I do full length. Go figure. J

Blurb:

Member of the Black Hills Pack in Los Lobos, South Dakota, Jace Matthews is sent to check out the new owner of a piece of land adjoining his packs. Once he steps into her small bookstore in Collins, he’s taken by surprise by the small, prim woman behind the counter. At once, he recognizes his mate. While the wolf inside urges him to complete the bond, Jace knows he must take his time with his human mate. But when danger arises, threatening Michelle’s life, Jace is done waiting. It’s time to claim his mate.
   After she inherits her aunt’s property, Michelle Sanders moves to Collins, South Dakota, to escape the monotony of her routine life. Unfortunately, the only person she manages to befriend is not only the hottest guy on the planet, but also gay. However, she never expects a favor for her sexy new friend to result in a series of weird events that will change her life forever.

Excerpt:

Jace Matthews’ eyes followed the rhythmic sway of his mate’s heart-shaped ass as she walked up the aisle to the sales counter. Damn, he couldn’t wait to strip her bare and sink his teeth into that tender flesh. Suddenly, those tempting globes stopped. He blinked and his gaze shot up to find Michelle frowning over her shoulder at him.

Shit.

Embarrassed she’d caught him staring, he snatched the closest book on the shelf beside him, waving it in the air like a kid who’d won a life-sized stuffed animal at the county fair. “Got it. Thought it might be out of stock.”

Real smooth, jackass.

She arched a delicate brow over the rim of her glasses. “Are you ready to check out, Jace?”

“Yep, I think this’ll do it.” He soaked up the sound of her sweet voice and followed her to the register.

Two months ago, when he’d come to check out the new owner of a large parcel of land adjoining his pack’s hunting territory, he damn sure hadn’t expected to find Michelle Sanders. Once he’d stepped inside the small, quaint bookstore she’d owned in Collins, he’d caught a scent that had eluded him for thirty-two years.

     His mate. 

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Author Bio: Melissa Limoges lives along the Gulf Coast with her OCD cat, Mr. Tibbs. Tax assessor by day, romance writer by night, she enjoys anything coffee related, traveling, and reading happily ever afters.

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Goodreads