Mari Freeman - Hard Hot and Howling

Please give Mari Freeman a welcome!


Hi, Amber! Thanks for having me.
I’m so excited about Hot, Hard & Howling! Being back in the paranormal genre feels like home. Howling is the first in a three book series about some very special, half-demon sisters.
The poor Halflings, their human blood has diluted their magic, leaving them some very unreliable demon powers. Nell Ambercroft is the smart, sassy heroine of this first book. Telekinesis is her demon magic.
Nell and the sexy, restrained Werewolf, Trent Nicholas, have to find out why someone is trying to kill Nell and steal a powerful amulet her father stashed in her basement.
Nell wants Trent. She always has. Trent fears his family’s history of abuse, so he denies his feelings for the Halfling. But the steamy, hot nights of New Orleans prove more than the werewolf can resist.
Her daring demon, his raging wolf... It gets wild when things go bump in the night.





Blurb:





Book one in the Hot, Hard series.

Nell Ambercroft hasn’t done anything wrong. Lately. So why is someone trying to kill her? When a horde of moths lead her to a puzzle box in her basement, the Demon Hafling knows she’s found a clue. The box has some serious mojo working, powerful enough to kill for…and Nell’s at the top of the hit list.

Enter Werewolf Trent Nicholas. As Prime for the area, it’s Trent’s job to protect Nell and investigate the crime. Nell knows he’d rather investigate her body, which is fine by her; she’s loved the man for years. While the sex is sizzling, however, Trent continues to go cold every time he leaves the warmth of her body.

Trent’s always wanted the spunky half-Demon, but the men in his family have a nasty habit of murdering their mates. He refuses to give in to his wolf’s need to claim Nell. If he doesn’t, she might not have to worry about a killer on the loose. She could die by Trent’s hand first…








Excerpt:



By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary to exit this site.
An Excerpt From: HOT, HARD & HOWLING
Copyright © MARI FREEMAN, 2011
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Chapter One

Naked, covered in blood and with a dead human on the bathroom floor was not exactly how one wanted to greet guests. Exasperated, Nell tossed the toothbrush aside. All the scrubbing in the world wasn’t going to get that blood out.
She looked in the mirror. Curly golden hair hung wild after drying on its own as she’d tried to save the grout. Her face was still flushed from the struggle and the scrubbing. Her cheeks and chin were scratched and bloody. The scratches didn’t matter. Small wounds healed quickly for a half-Demon. Nell rubbed with her fingers to try to get smears of blood off her face. She looked around for her robe and found it lying under the dead guy’s shoulder. Nell snorted. “Great.”
She scanned the rest of the contents of the vanity. Nothing of use left. She’d tried all the cleansers under the sink and none of them were getting the rust-colored stains out. Her gaze crossed the floor. At least the pool of blood there would come up with no problem. She propped her hands on her hips. “Damn.”
“What’s going on up there?” Her sister’s voice rang from the living room. “I had a funky vision.” Sonja lived several miles up the mountain. How had she gotten there so fast?
“And of course you rushed right over.” Vision? Great. Nell and both her younger sisters were half-Demon, so their Demon powers were unpredictable at best. The curse of the Halflings, their mi-ma always said. Even their shifts were only partial.
When Sonja had visions, everyone was wary of the information contained within. The crazy things were so confusing that no one, including Sonja herself, could decipher the images. Evidently this one had been clear enough to send Sonja out into the night to come check on Nell. Hadn’t the girl ever heard of a phone?
Nell found a dirty t-shirt hanging from a hook on the back of the bathroom door and pulled it on. “Up here. Did you bring bleach?”
“Bleach?” Sonja’s voice was closer. She stopped at the entrance of the bathroom. “Oh. You know, I almost did.” She bent over the fetal body on the floor to get a better look. “Nell,” she gasped, shooting straight up. “He’s human!”
“Duh. Do you smell blood magic? I smelled it when he attacked, but since I started trying to save the shower grout, I lost track of the scent.”
Sonja raised her eyebrow. “Blood magic? Really? How would a human have the smell of that?” She stepped over the body, looking down at the object sticking out of the man’s chest. “Is that a…”
Nell cleared her throat and let out an exasperated breath. “Yeah.”
Sonja bit her lip but failed in her attempt to hold back a loud, barking laugh. “You killed a man with a dildo?”

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9172-hot-hard-howling.aspx
http://www.marifreeman.com/
Thanks again Amber! Hope to see you again this year… RomantiCon?