UK Heroes Time! Jaclyn Tracey's, Eden's Black Rose. Comment for a chance to win!

Welcome to my Sizzlin’ Hot Heroes of Scotland, Ireland, England & Wales blog event. Though this week marks the last of this particular blog event, be sure to pop in throughout September as I welcome more fantastic authors. Oh, did I mention Blogmania is a mere two weeks away?! Then it's on to my autumn Song of the Muses event. Details coming soon.

This week it’s my pleasure to welcome back talented romance author, Jacklyn Tracey. She’ll be chatting about the English hero in her latest novel, Eden’s Black Rose. Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win an Ecopy of Eden’s Black Rose and a $6 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press!

Eden’s Black Rose

Eden’s Black Rose, is a paranormal romance set in London, 1896. Dr. Serina Spencer is a young woman with hidden talents that she’d like kept that way, hidden. While walking home from the morgue she inadvertently wishes for a man to show up on her door stoop, alive, in one bloody piece, betrothed to no one and interested in anyone other than himself for a welcome change.

Serina finds out the hard way it’s not so much what you wish for, but more importantly, how you wish for it, when a young man gets delivered to her door ravaged and left for dead after a vampire attack. After years of hiding her powers from the world Serina is faced with a choice—use them or lose the one man that can make her dreams come true.

Lucian St. James is not your typical royal heir to the throne, wanting nothing to do with his heritage until that option is stolen from him. Awakening in a bloody carriage with a gorgeous green-eyed beauty buried within his loins he finds out fast all things are not as they seem. Countless lies have been told, family members murdered and now Lucian and Serina find themselves in the centre of a macabre plot to knock out all heirs to the throne beginning with him on his honeymoon.

SKY: Welcome back Jaclyn, thanks for joining me this week!

JACLYN: Hey Sky, nice to be back here with you. Thank you for the invite. Hope your summer has been filled with warm sunny days and even steamier nights.

SKY: *Grins* It was indeed! Must admit, it went by way too fast. I suppose summers tend to do that though. Okay, let’s dive into your story a bit. Tell me, what inspired you to create Lucian’s character? Did he simply form as you wrote or had he been in your mind for some time?

JACLYN: Lucian St. James, my hero, started out as my villain when I first started writing this. His charms, sense of humor, loyalty and rugged good lucks quickly swayed my fingers into typing him into our hearts instead of staking him. Lucian’s personality is far too generous to be anything other than one lovable English gent.

SKY: Isn’t it amazing how our characters like to transform themselves? Lucian already sounds intriguing. Give me a little insight into his personality. Is he cunning, aggressive, arrogant, kind, humorous─share all!

JACLYN: Lucian has a strong sense of self and loyalty. He has cared and stuck by his sister, Raven, after their parents were murdered. He’s never taken the time to for himself so when he meets Serina, he’s like a love sick puppy. He can’t get enough of her. Especially after his turn, which lends havoc to the sequel.

Concealed by the darkness just beyond the campsite, he watched them sleep. A grin slowly worked its way to his face when his eyes lit upon Serina. He moved closer and added more wood to the fire to keep them warm and to keep animals away.

André.

He stifled the desire to throttle him. André lay protectively next to Serina, circling her with his body, yet not touching her. Close, but not too close. After the entanglement between them today on the mountain, they’d have to be watched. Can’t have your brother sleeping with your wife. Doesn’t make for pleasantries, period.

Witnessing them together earlier stopped his heart, for a second time. He’d never lived through anything so painful. Jasper’s bite didn’t hold a candle to watching his beloved bride come close to getting full carnal knowledge of his twin. Even knowing Jasper caused this didn’t lessen his anguish. Hearing Serina calling André by his name, eased his burden some, but none-the-less, it left a bitter taste upon his lips. He couldn’t intervene, couldn’t stop the struggles between Serina and André because his needs overrode his emotions. He needed blood and seeing his brother’s hands on Serina’s ass made him want to rip out his twin’s throat and drain his last drop from him. And dear God, how close he actually came to doing it! He left to regain what precious little control he owned. He would not turn into the monster that did this to him.

Jonah.

He cast an unappreciated glance towards the werewolf. He still couldn’t get over the word belonged in his vocabulary along with vampires and witches. Curled up in a ball, knees to chest, and no headrest Jonah’s neck looked broken. Maybe Duncan snuck in and got him after all. He waited for the rise and fall of Jonah’s chest. He knew Duncan would never kill him, but he could hate him to death, for all the good it would do. He wasn’t at all sure what to do with Jonah. The werewolf didn’t stand a chance against the vampire’s enthrallment. He held remorse for the man/wolf. Lucian read Serina’s mind and heard of his life’s tragedies. Jonah seemed stuck in a cyclic intrinsic volatile atmosphere. Oddly, he categorized himself in the same sphere. They’d become two peas in a pod, like it or not. As far as Jonah’s welfare went, he would make no decisions in haste. With time now on his side, he would wait and see how Jonah played his hand. Even though Jonah did nothing to stop Jasper from killing him, the man helped Serina and that alone won his respect.

Duncan.

He eyed his best mate, his body guarded, rigid, his breathing rough and ragged. He appeared completely uncomfortable, as if plagued by nightmares. “What to do with you, my old man?” he wondered aloud. “I need you to know things will work themselves out.” He wanted to wake Duncan and hug the man, but he resisted. He had other needs that required his full attention. The little woman lying in front of him being his first concern.

Serina.

She resembled a living angel asleep with a trace of a devilish grin on her lips. Be still my beating heart. The course of love never does run smoothly.

After sitting by the fire for an hour, he carefully sauntered to her side. Nothing stirred under foot. He placed his hand over her hands. Her warmth reached up to touch him.

She wrapped her fingers around his, held him close. Serina never woke, unaware her dream stood before her. He bent to her and inhaled her scent, held it deep in his lungs until they burned for release. Her body shivered beneath his touch as he skimmed over cures. With his lips on her neck, he waited to feel her pulse ebbing. He found it and reeled back, almost landing in the fire. It was too dangerous next to her. She was warm and alive.

He wasn’t sure what the hell he was.

Her pulse lured him to her. She was the siren, he the enthralled vampire too new at this to understand a damned thing. This undeniable urge to take her regardless of consequence pummeled his will to a mere thread. He’d bitten her once already. He told himself he’d done it out of necessity to try and protect her from Jasper. Was he kidding himself? In all likelihood yes, but he had to get control of her before he lost her to that hideous beast. What would happen if he bit her again? His incisors lengthened.

Only one way to find out!

Lucian hung his head in shame. He lacked the strength to walk away even as his body screamed for sustenance, for his wife. He couldn’t move, he felt caged, with nowhere to run. Then she stirred. She rolled over, her eyes blanketed by thick dark lashes, and her lips curled, into a smile he would treasure for an eternity. Her beauty melted his being, and brought him back to life.

Serina stretched her arms out over her head slowly, not really trying to catch anyone. She wrapped her arms around his neck and reeled him in.

Her fingers gently twirled through his silken tendrils. She took a deep breath and recognized his scent—so sweet, so damned close her heart flip-flopped.

Serina pulled his face next to hers and brushed her lips against his cheek. He felt so real she didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t want to lose the closeness she now had with him. She would not live through the loss again. “Take what you need from me, Lucian. My life is yours, my love is yours, my heart is yours. Always, I am yours,” she whispered lost in her dream. “I love you.”

“I love you too, M’lady.” Salt-laden tears spilled and wet his lips. He tried wiping them away before they reached her, but a few slid onto her cheek. With a gentle caress, he brushed them away. As he bent forward to kiss the corner of her mouth, she turned into him, her warm lips touching his. His body shuddered, his heart slammed in his chest, and his penis turned to solid rock. Thank god it still works! Yes, it was on his top-five worry list. The remaining four seemed moot at this point. As he met her lips she opened her mouth, her tongue teased.

Eyes open, Serina smiled as if she’d never seen anything more beautiful or precious in her life. She hadn’t. “You kept your promise to me. Or I must be a pretty good witch to have dreamt you up and made you real. You’re definitely better than Pinocchio.”

“Harder too!”

She couldn’t help but giggle. His sense of humor was still intact.

One more Lucianism for you:

The squeak from the door’s hinge grabbed Chyna’s attention. The over-zealous vamp wrenched her head a full one hundred-eighty degrees around without so much as moving her feet an inch in any direction. Bones cracked and the unnatural sounds filled the car. Chyna stood there with her mouth hung open, her four carried fangs visible. “Lucian you were able to breach the confines I’d set. How?” she asked curious.

Too amazed at what she’d just done to her body, Lucian couldn’t answer her. That she turned her head behind her was an implausible anomaly. That she stood in her current constitution bewildered the dickens out of him.

Duncan managed to whispered, “What Lucian did is nothing compared to what you just did. Trust me.”

Lucian elbowed him.

“What? Luce, give it up. She one-upped you this time,” he spit out.

Chyna gave a small curtsy to Duncan and then sent her sights on Serina and Payton.

Chyna’s black eyes were a complete contrast to Payton’s new stark-white color when he realized he was the new object of her affections.

Chyna held her finger to the small, blond chef. “Hold that thought, boy. You and I shall sink our teeth into something juicy in just a bit… That would be me doing the sinking and you being the juice.” She turned and lunged at Lucian while ordering Phillip, “Get up off your corpulent back you oversized eunuch and help me.”

Phillip rolled his eyes, and made no move to jump up and kiss her royal tush.

Lucian sidestepped to Duncan’s left allowing Chyna the opportunity to slam head first into the same wall she had shown Duncan and Jonah.

“Turn around is fair play.” Lucian laughed until he saw the malice in her black eyes.

Chyna let loose an ungodly cry as she ordered her sentinel to his feet. With no tolerance left for her bodyguard, she held her arms in front of her, and jerked them into the air. Phillip was ripped from the floor much like a marionette being tugged upward and suspended.

“You malicious bitch,” Phillip swore, “I’ve given you my life and you treat me like a puppet.”

Seems the toothless one has a bit of a bite after all. Lucian studied Chyna’s movements and what happened when she did. Like some old biddy with swollen ankles, he retained everything.

Just as Phillip’s feet hit the floor, the train jolted unexpectedly forward and Phillip took a hard dive, taking André down with him, again.

Crushed beneath four hundred pounds or better, André could barely breathe, certain he’d received a few broken ribs in the fall because pain radiated through his chest. Panic hastened his ability to breathe more so. André did the only thing he could think of at that point and that was scream for help. The lips moved but no sound came forth.

Ands, relax. Inhale slowly. You’re easier to read than Braille. Lucian knew André inside out. He had always been just short of fanatical when it came to his cleanliness. Despite everything going wrong, Lucian smiled. It really sunk in that he had a brother and that he was going to watch over him and enjoy him for a long time to come, of course, that was after he kicked the living daylights out of him for touching his wife. First things first! Then he’d enjoy him.

Serina watched with admiration the way Lucian handled his situation. So much on his plate and yet he remained true to himself and a gentleman. She noticed him smiling at his brother and before she knew it… I love your lips. You are so handsome. The thought came uncensored. No one needed distractions just yet, but maybe later.

I’m grateful you love my lips. Later, I plan to show you just how well they love you.

André rolled his eyes. Being able to read his brother’s thoughts placed him oddly in the middle of what should have been a private moment between husband and wife.

Would you two save it for later? Can you not see me down here dying? André tried a smile but his chest really hurt.

Serina sent her powers to André and scanned his chest. Since she had no blood bond with André, she relayed her thoughts to Lucian.

Lucian, tell André, his ribs are cracked, but his lungs and heart are safe for now, as long as no further damage is done.

’Tis been nice knowing you, Ands. Serina asks if you have any last wishes?

“What?” Both André and Serina asked at the same time.

Lucian laughed. “You’ll live to see another day, as long as we get off this train.”

SKY: Great excerpt! Turning up the temperature─Why are readers going to fall in love with your hero-lust for him?

JACLYN: Sparkling silvery-blue eyes that heat you up faster than mercury. A grin that can eat you alive and you’d willingly allow it. And a muscle clad body with an idealistic view of life that as long as you can laugh, you’ve got it made. Lucian wears his heart on his sleeve, which probably isn’t the best plan for a vamp. Makes for an easy target. Those he befriends, he hold dear to him and those who wrong him will meet his wrath.

A taste…

The carriage ride to the station allowed no time for even the quickest little tryst… but then there was the ride to Virginia Falls. Between the Pullman Limited Express train, which began its routes in 1883, and horseback up the mountain they’d make time. Lucian made certain their private car came with a butler, bath and bed. He asked the room be filled with fresh flowers, champagne, chocolates and berries, and luxurious sapphire-colored silk sheets with white rose petals scattered across them to welcome his new bride.

Entering their car, Serina pointed to a gift that lay in the center of the bed. “Lucian, really you shouldn’t have.” Regardless, she wasted no time picking the gift up and rattling it. “This is the most stunning closet-sized room I’ve ever stepped foot in. Did I ever mention I am claustrophobic?” She wasn’t kidding. Her heart kicked up a notch. Even though the tiny boxcar had all the amenities of home, it was crammed into a eight by eight foot room. The bed, the loo, the shower and a table with two chairs filled every square inch. She looked up at her husband with eyes wide. “The rose petals remind me of home, flowers all over the bleeding place. The strawberries are nice, but I have afflictions to them. I’ll turn into one giant hive if I eat them. The silky sheets look dangerous. Slippery when wet comes to mind. Guess I’ll have to hold on tight to you.” She shifted her brows in her non-prim non-proper motion.

Not quite the reaction he was hoping for. She sounded skeptical. He wanted her bubbling over with joy so he could do the same. He had his work cut out. “Go on, undo this one.” He tapped on the gift.

She pulled out a shear, black lace negligee that looked very close to the one she had on the first night they had met. Her green eyes smoldered when she turned to him. Just as he’d hoped. Maybe this would take her mind off her worries. She could place all her energies to use in other areas…. Him.

She bit her bottom lip as she squeezed around the chairs to the edge of the bed. She sat down and held her hands out to him.

“Would you undress me, M’lord, if it’s not too much trouble? I’m feeling rather overdressed for the occasion at hand. This little lace coat is beautiful. I can’t wait to put it on.”

“I told you you’d want out of that cumbersome dress.” Lucian’s husky voice offered a warm entanglement of their bodies with passion steaming the windows of the car. He stood Serina with her back to him and began to undo what seemed like an infinite number of buttons. “Did I mention to you today that you are the most beautiful goddess on the planet?”

“I’m easy. Keep ’em coming. One more won’t hurt.” Serina laughed.

He edged her gown from her shoulders, but stopped the dress from falling just short of her breasts. All in due time! Her eyes held fire and brimstone when he faced her. That glance caused his gut to tighten and his loins to feel more like watermelons tucked in his trousers. “I’m enchanted by the fact you are indeed my wife, my lover, and my heart.” He let the dress slip down over her breasts.

Every nerve in her body reacted to his touch, his scent, his caress. Her breasts became firm, her nipples hard peaks with each breath that passed over her.

He captured her at her waist, and when his lips met her skin a flame scorched its way to the juncture between her thighs.

That fast. Foreplay? Yes, it was indeed torturously fun, but she was already there. He began at her wrists, moving lazy little kisses upward. Anxious, she drew Lucian’s lips to her chest and looked down to him, pleading without words.

He shook his head no. She grunted.

Lucian wanted to take his time with her. He kissed his way over her shoulder and worked his way to her neck. Once he found that spot she seemed to adore, he nipped hard. More sounds slipped from his new bride as she dug her fingers into his hair and crushed him to her.

“Lucian…”

“Not tonight, Lady St. James. I will not give you what you want until I am more than certain you cannot take one second more. You told me I could have my way with you, so I am holding you to your word.”

SKY: Another fantastic excerpt! Thanks so much for visiting and sharing!

JACLYN: Sky, I hope you enjoyed the little snippets from the book. I have to tell you, you’re a gracious hostess. I appreciate the opportunity you’ve given me to share a little taste of Lucian. I’m certain he’d appreciate the same. He and Serina have their work cut out for them in the sequel, which is almost ready!!!

SKY: My pleasure, Jaclyn. You're always welcome!

Don't want to wait? Have to read this story now? Click here to purchase now!

Interested in learning more about this fantastic author? Visit Jaclyn at her Website.

Enjoy Blogging? Visit Jaclyn at Eden's Black Rose Blogspot.

Don’t forget, for a chance to win an Ecopy of Eden’s Black Rose and a $6 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press, be sure to leave a comment by 12 PM EST Friday, September 3rd.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Sky