Today we have the great new paranormal romance, Bearliest Catch by Bianca D’Arc. Be sure to check it out and grab your copy, and enter her giveaway
About Bearliest Catch:
Drew spends his days fishing in the Pacific, far from Grizzly Cove, seeking the peace of the ocean. Jetty lives in the ocean, part of a hunting party of mer folk, in near-constant danger now from the evil creature that roams the deep. When they meet, sparks fly and the ocean comes alive with danger. Can they get her people to safety?
Drew spends his days fishing in the Pacific, far from Grizzly Cove, seeking the peace of the ocean. Jetty lives in the ocean, part of a hunting party of mer folk, in near-constant danger now from the evil creature that roams the deep. When they meet, sparks fly and the ocean comes alive with danger. Can they get her people to safety?
Excerpt
The way she was looking at him was making him think things that might just be a tad inappropriate. Or not. He’d try his luck after dinner and see if she was as receptive as he thought. But for now, he was on a mission to feed her before she left. He wanted her to remember how well he took care of her so that she’d want to come back.
“It’s beautiful. The waters are still perfect—a safe place to swim and raise young. The pod will appreciate that. We have a few children living in the sea right now, but they’re reaching an age where they should probably start learning about life on land too. This looks like a good place for them to do it.”
“There aren’t a lot of children in town yet, but there is one little girl who would probably love to have some playmates. She’s about five years old and a panda shifter.” Drew thought of young Daisy, who had come here with her mother after her father had died, back in China.
Daisy was the sweetheart of the town and every heart melted when she held her arms out to be picked up. Daisy and her mother, Lynn, had known tragedy, but they were slowly healing and making a new life for themselves here in Grizzly Cove.
“A panda? No kidding? She must be absolutely adorable.”
Drew smiled. “You have no idea. She’s equally cute in either form. And her mother is a force to be reckoned with. I’m actually surprised you didn’t get a chance to meet them today. Lynn is usually in town for lunch, since she runs one of the galleries. Remember the one with all the bamboo?”
Jetty laughed. “I should’ve guessed. Pandas love bamboo, don’t they?”
“They do. I was surprised that Lynn wasn’t in today, but everyone needs a day off now and again, right?” He put the steaks on the grill, then walked over to refill her wine glass.
Unable to resist her allure, he sat down on the edge of the wide chaise, facing her as they sipped their wine. The mood was intimate. Quiet. Charged.
“What did you think of the town? The people?” he asked over the rim of his wine glass.
“The town is charming. The people…” She paused, seeming to think. “The women were nice, the men, a little intimidating.”
“Not to you, surely?” he asked, knowing his Jetty was made of sterner stuff.
She laughed. “No. Not to me. But if you take all those men as a group, I can see where humans—and a lot of Others—would be somewhat intimidated. You’re a powerful unit.”
“We were the best the Special Forces had to offer. When we were working all together, nothing could stand in our way.” He knew he was speaking no less than the truth, and he felt pride in what his friends and he had accomplished.
Of course, he’d been sidelined well before the other guys. Personally, he thought maybe his injury had been the beginning of the end for his team. Right after he almost got blown to bits, the other guys had started thinking seriously about retiring. Oh, they’d brought up the idea once or twice over the years, but after Drew got hurt, it seemed like priorities had changed.
They wouldn’t admit to it, but Drew knew. He could put two and two together. While he’d been healing, his team had been starting the process that eventually resulted in Grizzly Cove. He hadn’t asked John about it outright yet, but he would one day.
John was a long-term strategist. He always planned things out—years in advance, sometimes. Grizzly Cove was one of those. John had revealed that he’d been quietly buying up the land around here for decades before he was ready to reveal his plan for the town to his men. They’d gone along with it, to a man, which said something about John’s leadership and the faith his people had in him.
“Why did you all decide to retire?” Jetty asked, unknowingly opening an old wound.
Drew sighed. He could gloss over it, but for some reason, he wanted her to know the truth.
“In my case, it wasn’t a choice. I got blown up by a roadside bomb, and they had to send me back State-side to glue what was left back together.” Jetty was frowning, but she didn’t say anything, which was good. He wouldn’t be able to get it out if she interrupted. “My mom took over my healing, and thanks to her stubbornness and determination, I lived. And I didn’t lose any limbs, though that was a close thing, she tells me.”
She sat forward, putting her hand over his, but it felt like she knew not to say anything until he’d finished. They were in tune already.
“I spent months healing from something that would’ve killed anyone else. Anyone without my mom pulling for them.” They both knew that for a shifter to take months in healing, the wounds had to be serious. Most shifters healed incredibly fast due to their accelerated metabolisms. “The mental scars were harder to deal with than the physical ones.”
“Which is why you seek the peace of the ocean,” Jetty whispered, moving closer. Drew didn’t object when she reached out and put her arms around him, offering the comfort of her embrace. “I understand that. Perhaps better than anyone here.”
She cupped his cheek in her palm and turned his face toward hers. And then, they were kissing. It was a gentle kiss filled with understanding and banked passion that threatened to overtake them given the slightest provocation. Drew had never felt anything like it with any other female. Jetty was special.
Mate special.
The way she was looking at him was making him think things that might just be a tad inappropriate. Or not. He’d try his luck after dinner and see if she was as receptive as he thought. But for now, he was on a mission to feed her before she left. He wanted her to remember how well he took care of her so that she’d want to come back.
“It’s beautiful. The waters are still perfect—a safe place to swim and raise young. The pod will appreciate that. We have a few children living in the sea right now, but they’re reaching an age where they should probably start learning about life on land too. This looks like a good place for them to do it.”
“There aren’t a lot of children in town yet, but there is one little girl who would probably love to have some playmates. She’s about five years old and a panda shifter.” Drew thought of young Daisy, who had come here with her mother after her father had died, back in China.
Daisy was the sweetheart of the town and every heart melted when she held her arms out to be picked up. Daisy and her mother, Lynn, had known tragedy, but they were slowly healing and making a new life for themselves here in Grizzly Cove.
“A panda? No kidding? She must be absolutely adorable.”
Drew smiled. “You have no idea. She’s equally cute in either form. And her mother is a force to be reckoned with. I’m actually surprised you didn’t get a chance to meet them today. Lynn is usually in town for lunch, since she runs one of the galleries. Remember the one with all the bamboo?”
Jetty laughed. “I should’ve guessed. Pandas love bamboo, don’t they?”
“They do. I was surprised that Lynn wasn’t in today, but everyone needs a day off now and again, right?” He put the steaks on the grill, then walked over to refill her wine glass.
Unable to resist her allure, he sat down on the edge of the wide chaise, facing her as they sipped their wine. The mood was intimate. Quiet. Charged.
“What did you think of the town? The people?” he asked over the rim of his wine glass.
“The town is charming. The people…” She paused, seeming to think. “The women were nice, the men, a little intimidating.”
“Not to you, surely?” he asked, knowing his Jetty was made of sterner stuff.
She laughed. “No. Not to me. But if you take all those men as a group, I can see where humans—and a lot of Others—would be somewhat intimidated. You’re a powerful unit.”
“We were the best the Special Forces had to offer. When we were working all together, nothing could stand in our way.” He knew he was speaking no less than the truth, and he felt pride in what his friends and he had accomplished.
Of course, he’d been sidelined well before the other guys. Personally, he thought maybe his injury had been the beginning of the end for his team. Right after he almost got blown to bits, the other guys had started thinking seriously about retiring. Oh, they’d brought up the idea once or twice over the years, but after Drew got hurt, it seemed like priorities had changed.
They wouldn’t admit to it, but Drew knew. He could put two and two together. While he’d been healing, his team had been starting the process that eventually resulted in Grizzly Cove. He hadn’t asked John about it outright yet, but he would one day.
John was a long-term strategist. He always planned things out—years in advance, sometimes. Grizzly Cove was one of those. John had revealed that he’d been quietly buying up the land around here for decades before he was ready to reveal his plan for the town to his men. They’d gone along with it, to a man, which said something about John’s leadership and the faith his people had in him.
“Why did you all decide to retire?” Jetty asked, unknowingly opening an old wound.
Drew sighed. He could gloss over it, but for some reason, he wanted her to know the truth.
“In my case, it wasn’t a choice. I got blown up by a roadside bomb, and they had to send me back State-side to glue what was left back together.” Jetty was frowning, but she didn’t say anything, which was good. He wouldn’t be able to get it out if she interrupted. “My mom took over my healing, and thanks to her stubbornness and determination, I lived. And I didn’t lose any limbs, though that was a close thing, she tells me.”
She sat forward, putting her hand over his, but it felt like she knew not to say anything until he’d finished. They were in tune already.
“I spent months healing from something that would’ve killed anyone else. Anyone without my mom pulling for them.” They both knew that for a shifter to take months in healing, the wounds had to be serious. Most shifters healed incredibly fast due to their accelerated metabolisms. “The mental scars were harder to deal with than the physical ones.”
“Which is why you seek the peace of the ocean,” Jetty whispered, moving closer. Drew didn’t object when she reached out and put her arms around him, offering the comfort of her embrace. “I understand that. Perhaps better than anyone here.”
She cupped his cheek in her palm and turned his face toward hers. And then, they were kissing. It was a gentle kiss filled with understanding and banked passion that threatened to overtake them given the slightest provocation. Drew had never felt anything like it with any other female. Jetty was special.
Mate special.
Author Bio
Bianca D’Arc is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 romance novels. She has twice won EPPIE Awards for her work, along with the Australian Romance Readers Favorite Erotic Romance eBook of 2008 for her first werewolf romance, Lords of the Were. She is a native New Yorker who worked as an executive on Wall Street during the summer of 2001. She changed careers after the tragic attacks of 9/11 and started seriously pursuing publication in 2005. She has a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry, a Masters in Library Science, and a Juris Doctor, but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She loves her garden and plays the piano, ukulele and guitar. Connect with Bianca!
Website: www.biancadarc.com
Enter Bianca’s Giveaway:
No comments:
Post a Comment