The first book was more of a hot romance, a story of newfound
love during a crime scene in the Garden District. It occurs between a detective
and a stripper who might also be a possible murder suspect. Detective Frankie
Choteau is called to investigate the possible murder of successful businessman,
Bob Kales. Along with the dead body, he finds the victim’s exotic Native
American fiancée, Kajika Fortier, an exotic dancer at N’awlins Exotica complex.
From the moment they meet, sparks fly between the two, sending poor Frankie
into a tizzy. And since the feelings are mutual, the two are instantly drawn
together and so becomes the base of this 6 book series. Seemingly from their
romance breeds some chaos around them, starting with the brutal attack of
Frankie’s partner Kenina Porter to the sudden heart attack of Frankie’s long
time mentor Frank Ballard.
Now in book two, more trouble is ahead. Frankie and Kajika
face challenges in their new relationship. Frankie has come out to his peers
and some of them aren’t treating him the same. The tragedy of young black men
being killed In the inner city is mounting and pushing Detective Choteau to the
brink of exhaustion. He thinks about quitting and wants Kajika to be by his
side a lot more often, but Kajika balks at this and the two separate.
Added into this book is a serial killer looking for his next
victim, sexual tension between supporting characters Vance Morain, the
aforementioned Kenina Porter, and Orrin Daugherty as well as Kajika’s new found
“family members.” This is what I wanted book one to be; more of a mainstream
book with the romance supporting the main plot. Still I’m very happy how both
books have moved along; never a dull moment in either book.
In this one there are some twists and surprises as well as a
little violence. I feel I pushed the limits with this book to add more intrigue
into this already complex collection of stories.
If you haven’t picked up the books yet they’re available at
Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords. Thanks for listening to me today. Please enjoy
a blurb and snippet form the newest book and don’t forget to enter the contest!
Blurb
Kajika Fortier loves his job, the attention he gets from
onlookers, and Frankie Choteau. However, his new partner’s jealousy, mood
swings, and over protectiveness drives Kajika to the brink but at the same
time, excites him to no end.
To complicate things further, a murderer is on the loose
looking for blood. All three of the killer’s victims are strippers which not
only makes Frankie nervous about Kajika’s safety but leaves him questioning his
love for being a homicide detective. Coupled with the stresses of cold cases as
well as some fellow officers shunning him for coming out, Frankie is having
second thoughts about staying in New Orleans. Despite the encouragement from
Vance, Kenina, and Orrin as well as new chief Quinn Murray, Frankie is
wondering if his life’s passion really is to catch the killers.
Will the new couple survive these new issues that impede
their nearly perfect union? Or will the relationship fail, thus leaving Kajika
alone and a target for New Orleans latest serial killer? Detective Choteau and
Kajika’s commitment to one another is being tested in more ways than one and
they only have one another to lean on.
Excerpt Two
Kajika
stepped out of the tub, grabbing the towel nearby to dry off. He’d been looking
forward to spending the night and the early part of the day with his man, but
duty called, causing Frankie to run out the door without saying anything more
than ‘I’m gone’ and ‘I love you’.
Damn job.
Sometimes
Kajika wished Frankie worked a nine to five instead of the dreaded detective
position he held at the police station. They hadn’t had much time with the
workload being so large due to shortage of staff, and it affected their
relationship more than Kajika would’ve liked. At first he thought he could
handle it; the excitement of his hot homicide detective out in the streets
solving murders. Such a dangerous career but with it came nice money and
accolades. Although Kajika was scared to death of blood and dead bodies, he
loved hearing about some of Frankie’s cases, including the more intriguing ones
that had yet to be solved. Tonight though, he would’ve traded all that in for
his Frankie to be by his side.
In bed with me, where
he should be.
Kajika
finished wiping down and wrapped himself in his terry cloth robe to get ready
for bed. He’d thought about staying up and watching some television, hoping
that Frankie might return sooner than later, but he knew the truth. When called
in, detectives don’t make it back home within a couple of hours. More like a
few hours, or even half the day, would pass before he’d see his man again. As
long as he came home safe, Kajika would deal with the amount of hours he spent
away from their warm bed in Kenner, Louisiana.
On
the way to the bedroom, Kajika wrapped his hair in the towel, drying his long
strands. He glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced when he noticed the
big and small hand hovering over the two.
“Shit.
Now I know I won’t see you until breakfast.” Kajika clicked his teeth and
stomped on the trail of rose petals, angered by their night being interrupted.
He pushed their bedroom door closed and leaned against the wood. “Damnit. We
haven’t done a whole lot other than late night cuddling, quickies in the
bathroom or on the kitchen floor. I need more than that, Frankie…I need−”
A
long buzz sounded from the dresser, and Kajika moved quickly to see who was
calling.
Frankie.
Frankie,
or at least Kajika hoped it was, calling him with the news he’d be returning
home sooner than expected. Although farfetched, Kajika could still wish his
husband to be back early. He gulped hard and said a little prayer before
clicking the connect button. “Hello?”
Silence
then a sigh. “Babe, it’s me… I… I got some real bad news to tell you,
sweetheart, but I’d rather you hear it from me as opposed to anyone else.”
Kajika
released a deep breath and shrugged. “Are you okay, love? Something bothering−”
“Naw,
I’m good, boo, but−” Frankie stopped a moment and blew hard through the phone.
Kajika
plopped on the bed and crossed his legs, wondering what the heck his man was
talking about. Bad news? What could it
possibly be? Kajika nibbled on his bottom lip while he toyed with the
frayed threads on his housecoat. “What is it, lover?”
“Babe,
the murder I got called in for was…” Frankie ceased speaking again and sounded
a little choked up about it.
Kajika
held his breath and blinked twice in succession. “Who Frankie? Come on, just
spit it out, right…who…”
“Lana
Miles, babe. Lana’s been strangled to death.” Frankie spoke quickly to get the
words out.
Kajika
stared straight ahead, and his heart caught in his chest. Oh my God! Unable to cope with what he’d just heard, he dropped his
phone and immediately the tears welled under his eyelids. Lana? Oh my God, who killed her? She was a good person…she…
“Kajika?
Babe, you there? You okay, love? Talk to me, honey.”
Michael Mandrake pens
complex characters already comfortable with their sexuality. Thorough these, he
builds worlds not centered on erotica but rather the mainstream plots we might
encounter in everyday life through personal experiences or the media. To find
out more please visit http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com.
Author Sharita Lira: In one word,
crazy. Just crazy enough to have 3 different muses running around in her head,
driving her to sheer exhaustion with new plot bunnies and complex characters.
This happily married mother of two beautiful children loves music,
computers, reading, and still enjoys reading and writing fanfiction. She’s a
proud member of the Erotica Readers & Writers Association, as well as an
advocate for rights of LGBT citizens. She’s
also a contributor to the heavy metal ezine Fourteeng.net.
For more information, please visit http://www.thelitriad.com as well as her Facebook
fanpage, The Literary Triad.
Prizes
1 ebook copy of ILIR
1 Coffee Mug
1 Starbucks Gift Card
Bag of Beads from New Orleans
1 All Romance Gift Card
1 N'awlins T Shirt
Jewelry Inspired by N'awlins Exotica
Booksmarks,
Postcards, and pens from Sharita Lira/Musesa Rafflecopter giveaway
Sounds good. Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletemarsh10@netzero.com
Thanks for the comment Shorty and thanks to JC for hosting me
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