It's Tuesday

And the Amazing Author Amber Kell is at Paranormal Romantics guest blogging for me.

Come say Hello!

Rebecca

La Cage

Saturday night, my husband and I went out to see La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway. This was his anniversary present to me. We also went out for a really nice meal at a restaurant called Marea.

Marea is an Italian style restaurant that has mostly fish, although it also has some meat and chicken, and I ended up eating steak. It's a four course meal. I started out eating a crabmeat salad, followed by a lobster ravioli, and then the aforementioned sirloin and finished off by a five choice cheese plate.

Wow. The food was so good.

We also drank the ambrosia of a really good red wine, which we fortunately walked off in our eight city block jaunt back to the theater.

That's where we saw La Cage. (Or as some of you might know it better, it's the french musical version of the Birdcage.)

The show starts outside theater where a drag queen meets you on the street, takes pictures with the audience members, and, in general, warms up the audience for the night that's about to come.

The theater itself is pretty small for the a Broadway show. There is a line of tables right in front of the stage to make it really feel like a nightclub and we were seat directly behind that in the row right behind those tables. The cast comes down off the stage throughout the show and there was one point that we were so close to Kelsey Grammer I could have reached up and touched him.

The cast was fantastic. The idea of the show is summed up, I think, in the two most powerful songs: I am What I am and The Best of Times with the idea being that you can't be really happy until you accept that you are what you are (or your family is what it is) and that these are the best of times so you should enjoy them.

We loved every second and it was really a night to remember.

If you're in New York City, I highly recommend going to see it.

Best,

RR

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Today is my second son's third birthday. He'll never read this but I want to say Happy Birthday to my darling boy. How did you get to be 3???

As I write this DH is putting together the child's new Radio Flyer Wagon while 3 small children crawl all over him. He is, in fact, amazing.

Great Review of Simon's Fate

LynnMarie at Happily Ever After Reviews just posted a great review of my book Simon's Fate and I thought I would share it here.

http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-simons-fate-by-rebecca-royce.html

Simon’s Fate was a short read that I wish had been longer. In such a short span, Rebecca Royce managed to build complex characters within the unique paranormal town of Strange Hollow. I knew I was guaranteed a good read, because Ms. Royce creates larger than life characters and entertaining plots.

Moira was very likeable and realistic. She’s a fate and tries desperately not to touch another living person to avoid seeing their entire destiny. What will Simon’s Fate tell her? Can a Fate and a vampire on the run have a life together?

Simon is a unique case. He’s a vampire that faints at the sight of blood. As soon as he meets Moira, his undead body comes to life for the first time in decades. But will his past come back to ruin his hopes at a future with the beautiful Fate?

For a quick, complex read with intriguing concepts and fun characters, give Simon’s Fate a read. I’m eager to read Rebecca Royce’s new creations. She’s a multi-talented author, capable of transporting you regardless of the sub-genre.

She gave it 4 Tea Cups.

Thank you LynnMarie!! You made my day

Best

RR

Tonight

Tonight is a big night because we are going to see Le Cage Aux Folles with Kelsey Grammer on Broadway. Review to follow tomorrow....

WOOT!

Video makes me laugh...

WARNING--There is some language in this you might not like (Cursing)

My books-Love Beyond Time

It's Thursday so I'm going to talk about my book Love Beyond Time. It is published with Eirelander Publishing. Actually, its' the first book I ever wrote.

Here is a blurb:

The fight for mankind’s existence begins with…two halves of a perfect whole.

Born one half of a perfect pair, Kal has spent his life believing his other half is gone. But when fate thrusts Isabelle into his arms, he will have no choice but to become the man he was destined to be. That is, if he can battle his own demons first.

Not willing to accept her heritage as an Outsider, Isabelle tries to hide from the truth. But when Kal’s life is on the line, she will have to step forward and embrace her powers or watch everything she has come to love disappear

I hope if you're interested you'll check out Love Beyond TIme!

Best

Rebecca

Great Review of Simon's Fate

Hi There,

I thought I'd share with you today a great review I received of Simon's Fate my novel of the Strange Hollow that was released earlier this summer with Liquid Silver Books.

Shayna from Joyfully Reviewed wrote:

http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews-2/simons-fate-by-rebecca-royce

Moira is a Fate, one who grew weary of the games her sisters’ played with people’s lives. Now “retired,” Moira has found a home in Strange Hollow, a haven for the supernatural. Moira would love her new life, it if weren’t so lonely, and it’s hard for her to connect with anyone, for whenever she touches someone, she sees their fate. But fate has a little surprise in store for the lovely Fate. When Moira enters the basement of Strange Hollow’s Visitor’s Center, she finds a vampire hiding there. Moira’s immediately drawn to him, but can there be any kind of future for a former Fate and a blood-phobic vampire?

The impossible becomes possible and sweetness manages to heighten sensuality in Simon’s Fate. The world of Strange Hollow is enchanting, to say the least, Rebecca Royce captivated me with her delightful characters and fast-paced storytelling. Who can resist a vampire with a blood phobia? Not me, and apparently not Moira either. Simon’s devastatingly sexy, but he’s also endearingly – dare I say it? – adorable with his inability to stand the sight of blood. He and Moira make one heck of a couple and I raced through Simon’s Fate because I wanted to see this delightful pair get their happily ever after with one another.

I picked up Simon’s Fate not knowing it was part of the multi-author Strange Hollow series. Not having read any of the other Strange Hollow books, I can safely say that Simon’s Fate stands on its own. I loved the townspeople of Strange Hollow so much, however, that I will be picking up more Strange Hollow books as soon as possible.

She really made my day! Thank you Shayna!

Best to all of you

RR

It's Tuesday

And I am over at Paranormal Romantics. Come say hello!

RR

Very pleased to announce....

That the next book in the Westervelt Wolves, Alpha Wolf, has been contracted. Release date to be determined....

WOOT!

Had a great weekend. We took Dear Son#2 to his birthday party. His actual birthday is this week but this last weekend was the right time for the party. The kids all had a great time and despite my fury with the Pizza place at their late delivery of the pizza, all went well. These days I'm all about having the kids parties out of the house so I don't have to do any cleaning.

What else can I tell you?

Oh, the writing on the YA is going well.

Hope you're all well!!

RR

Great Review of Screw Superman

I just wanted to share this great review of Screw Superman with all of you.

It's from the Romance Studio and it's 5 Stars:

http://www.theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/screwsupermanroyce.htm

Ana from the Romance Studio said:

"Wendy Warner is considered an oddball at work because twice a month she dresses in a costume from her favorite television show "Space Adventures" and volunteers at homeless shelters. This causes her co-workers to dislike her and make fun of her -- that is everyone but her boss Draco. Draco Powers is a real life superhero and founder of Powers, Inc. Some people call him the "Capitalist Superman" because he charges for his services. The group called The Organization is out to hurt Draco and they have decided the best way to do that is to go after his handler Wendy.

This was endearing story about two lonely people who did not realize they needed each other. It was sweet and romantic and at times sad, but always enjoyable. The plot moves smoothly without any awkward lags. The characters are well written and have surprising depth for a story of this length. The author allows the reader to feel empathy for the characters and the situations they find themselves in and hoping that things work out for the best. The secondary characters also show a lot of depth even though their roles are minor. I liked how the author makes a relationship between Wendy and Draco interesting even when both characters are so practical and that they are friends before all else. The loyalty they have towards each other is sweet and they are always there wanting the best for each other even before they even consider a physical relationship. To me the best romances are the ones where the characters start out as friends and have respect for each other. There is a very steamy sex scene in the story adds some spicy to a delightful story. It's been a long time since I have enjoyed a romance as much as this one. The superhero premise makes it all the more entertaining and interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author."

WOOT!

Rebecca Royce

Good Morning Everyone

Last night was fun.

After suffering through a migraine most of the day, which I survived only because of a really good friend (Thank you Alice!) taking DS#1 to her house for the whole day and because of my 75 year old incredibly active grandmother (Thank you Nana) taking DS#2 to her house, the park, and Friendly's for the day. (And suffering a potty training mishap. Oy) and because my helper Cathy didn't mind keeping DS#3 all day. Needless to say, yesterday it didn't just take a village, it took a planet to survive.

But somewhere around 3:30 PM, my migraine subsided. (Boy did I have some weird, creepy dreams though...I could do a whole Something Freaky Friday based entirely on the dreams I had during my Migraine.)

DH had a conference call at 8 PM last night (boo) so I ended up going out with Nana and Popop (who has 10 years on Nana and still wants to go out to eat every night. LOL) and we went to a restaurant that I like, and they like, but my husband isn't crazy about. So it was a good excuse to go.

We ate outside, it was well in the 80s all night, and then came home. DH wasn't quite done with his call yet, so I watched, and he half-watched, the movie Funny People with Adam Sandler, which I'm pretty sure was panned by critics but I LOVED, even though I think Leslie Mann and Eric Bana kind of stole the movie.

I really enjoyed it. It was funny, but also hard to watch because of the poignancy of some of the parts. Maybe thats why the critics didn't like it. Maybe it hit them too close to home?

After that, I finished reading a really good book called "Marked" by Elizabeth Naughton, which has held me riveted for days. If you haven't read it, read it. Its a wild ride. The next one, Entwined, has just come out. But, I haven't read it yet although it's lined on on the Kindle.

Then it was off to bed for me. I have no idea what time DH finished up but it was after I went to bed. Remarkably, and for me its probably the lack of the headache, we're both feeling really chipper today.

Which is good because I am taking DS#1 Peach Picking with someone I met at Kindergarden Orientation (yes, he is starting, expect much sobbing from me in about 3 weeks.) so the kids can get to know each other.

I'm not much of a 'farm' person. I like to get my fruit in the store. So wish this city/suburbia girl luck on the Jersey farm today.

Best

RR

Migraine Today...

No new post until tomorrow.

See you soon!

My Books--Wolf's Magic

Today, I'm going to post a blurb from Wolf's Magic as we move up the side bar for all of my books. LOL

Wolf’s Magic is the story of Azriel Kane, fifth brother in the royal Westervelt wolf pack. Always different from his siblings, Azriel prefers to spend his time underground in a lab than out fighting battles to save the pack from destruction. In his own way, he feels he is contributing to the pack’s success. However, when fate plants his destined mate in a cage where he can’t ignore her, Az will be forced to face up the demons that have plagued him since childhood and be the shifter she needs him to be.

Leah St. James has no idea who she is or how she came to be trapped in a cage in Azriel’s lab. The only thing she is certain about is that she is not a wolf and that she wants out of her false wolf body as soon as possible. Counting on Az to save her from the same doomed fate as the other wolves Az is given to study, from the distance of her cage she can see Az for who he really is and not the false front he presents to the world.

But Kendrick Kane is not done with Westervelt and when he steps up his game to eliminate the Kanes from Westervelt, Az and Leah will need each other to discover the truth behind his evil plans, that is if Azriel can finally reveal the secret he has been keeping since he was a child.

With Leah’s help, can Azriel finally take his place in the pack hierarchy or will they fail and lose Westervelt forever?

Thank you for the post idea Layna

That I should write today about an author that inspires me. This proved to be a little bit difficult because there are so many authors who inspire me. So, I thought I would, start with one today and then write about the others week by week.

To begin, there is Nalini Singh.

Nalini writes two different series of books. The first is called the Psy/Changeling series and the second is the Angel Fire series.

They are both amazing, unique, tales. The Psy/Changeling stories give us a new hero/heroine in each book with the Angel series stays with the same heroine in each book.

All I can say is Wow. From moment one, Ms. Singh grips you and she doesn't let go. Each book gets better and the stories never get old.

I read her books like candy, I can't get enough, and when I'm going through hard times, I read them again.

She makes me want to be a better writer. Thank you Nalini for writing them.

Next time....Christine Feehan.

It's Tuesday

And author Ashlynn Monroe is blogging for me at Paranormal Romantics

Go check her out!

Rebecca

Hot Blooded versus Cold Blooded

Its very funny.

In my family, my two kids preference in body temperatures couldn't be any more different.

One wants to sleep in short sleeve t-shirts in the middle of the winter and the other in full length, footy pajamas in the dead of summer.

Life is funny that way, isn't it?

Sorry for the No Posting today

I'm not sure if anyone regularly reads this but just in case you are out there and waiting for today's post then I will apologize up front for taking so long.

I'm pretty tired. We went to a wedding yesterday. It was for Ralph's Office Manager who also happens to be a close friend of the family. She married her high school sweetheart and they are a darling couple

Ah sigh. I do LOVE true love.

I certainly ate more than I should have and danced a ton with my wonderful husband. But, getting up today was tough. LOL.

I do love events. I love having something to look forward to.

I hope you're all having a great Sunday with your friends and family.

All my best.

And the Writing is Going Well...

I'm learning a lot writing this YA book. I love it. WOO HOO!!

Violence

I love this video from Eminem because I think it is actually anti-violence in its stance but I do recognize that people disagree with me on this subject. So please don't be offended that I posted it here.

In the 1980s writers sometimes chose to write very different romance novels than the ones we write today. Highly talented romance writers presented their heroes and heroines in horrible situations. Sometimes the hero beat her. Sometimes he raped her. Sometimes he emotionally damaged her to such a point that she stopped speaking for a year. And yet, at the end of the book, as she limped because her leg never healed from his assault, he would tell her he loved her and they would run away on the back of a white horse together.

Now today, most submission guidelines tell you that the publisher will not look at stories that include the glorification of rape disguised as seduction. I applaud this decision. But it does change the nature of the stories. Our heroes have a line they cannot cross. Ever. That means no matter how despicable we make them, they really can't be *that* bad.

Is this a problem? Is there ever a time when violence works between the hero and heroine? Thoughts?

Best

RR

I know its supposed to be Something Freaky Friday

But it is Thursday night at 9:48 and I cannot write one because the baby is screaming. Screaming. And when this happens, my brain ceases to function or be able to handle anything but the screaming baby. He is 10 months old. I have no idea what's going on...

Best to all of you.

Be back tomorrow.

Oh...and it's Friday the 13th, isn't it?

Well, that in general freaks me out. So there you go.

Best to you

RR

My Books--First Dimension

Happy Thursday everyone. Today I'm going to tell you about First Dimension. It is the novel of Safe Haven, Book 1.

The only person who can save not one but two dimensions, Hadley Pettigrew is living a simple, undisturbed life on Earth, completely unaware of who and what she is. That is, until a dark, seriously sexy stranger kidnaps her off her science vessel and forces her to change all of her beliefs about what is and is not possible in the course of twenty-four hours.

When faced with the decision of letting his princess continue to suffer or using her daughter to return to his own dimension, Hawk easily chose to kidnap Hadley. What he didn’t anticipate was how much he would admire her intellect or desire her body.

Together Hawk and Hadley will have to overcome past obstacles to carve out a new future, not just for themselves but also for more people than they ever dreamed possible. The first year in a new dimension has arrived. Who will live and who will die is almost as important as who will fall in love.

I hope if you like Fantasy, you'll check it out!

The Passage of Time

JOY! HOO-RAH!!

Noble Romance has purchased Banging Batman the sequel to Screw Superman! I am so excited. It was a great way to start a Monday morning (which was when I found out even though I'm just telling you about it now.)

Do you like the picture above? That is DS#1 at his 5th birthday party at Chuckee Cheese. They stick them into this machine and fly the prize tickets around him and he grabs as many as he can as fast as possible. When it was all over he got a gum ball machine.

Fun times.

As my first book, Her Wolf, released about 1 year ago today, I have been thinking a lot about the passage of time. When I was pregnant with my second son I sat down to write Love Beyond Time. I had this great idea. I was going to write this nine book series, get an agent, and sell a million copies of my book. I read through my 90,000 word book several times and sent it back. Immediately, I heard 'get a critique partner.'

I paused. A What?

Researching the subject, I joined a critique group and immediately had my butt handed to me by lots of authors who had been writing a long time and who saw BIG problems with my work. I used the help and hopefully helped others for about a year when I sold Her Wolf. It was a great day. It was about that time I decided to try to redo Love Beyond Time and at that point Eirelander Publishing gave me a contract on it.

What else has changed? Well, I had that second baby and when he was 2 years old, I had a 3rd. Now my oldest is 5 and standing in a ticket machine. He starts Kindergarden soon.

Wolf's Magic: The Westervelt Wolves Book 4 released this week. A year after the first one. That's amazing to me.

I hope you're all well.

Rebecca Royce

It's Tuesday

And on Tuesdays I am at Paranormal Romantics.

But today is a special Tuesday because Wolf's Magic has released. Go on over to Paranormal Romantics and you could win a copy!

Rebecca

Correction

I am writing the YA. Boy am I going back and forth about this...

For the record...

After mulling for a while, I decided to write the Werewolf book. The YA is on deck...

How to Pick?

Right now I have a YA Paranormal and a light-weight Werewolf book competing for attention inside of my head.

My muse can't seem to pick so I suppose it's up to me....

GRRR. What to do?

RELEASE DAY--LOVE BEYOND SANITY

Well hello everyone! I am so pleased to report that Love Beyond Sanity, the second book in my Outsider series, has released with Eirelander Publishing.

You can buy it here.

Here is the blurb:

What do you do when your destiny is not at all what you believed it to be?

Eighteen years earlier, Charma lost her destined soul mate. Convinced he must be dead, she kept her fears to herself so as not to destroy the morale of the Outsiders who live already with a shaky prophecy as their only guide. She spends her days in silent misery, helping others with their problems, while wallowing in hers.

Dr. Jason Randall is a man used to getting what he wants. There has never been a problem he can’t out think or a situation he wasn’t capable of handling. Until he finds himself trapped in a prison of his own mind, captured by a demon so powerful she can make his worst fears become reality.

Now they are both being hunted by not one but two demons as they lead the slowly forming group of Outsiders out of the darkness and back into the light. The two strong souls will have to decide if prophecy alone is enough reason to stay together through insane odds, or if love is their true fate.

I hope that you'll take a few minutes to check it out and if you haven't already read it, the first book in the series Love Beyond Time--Kal and Isabelle's story--is also available with Eirelander Publishing.

Best to you

RR

Stuff that gives me the willies!!!

Alright, weird stuff happens to me all the time! Seriously, I could go on for hours…but I wouldn’t want to bore you or talk about myself that long. So, I’ll tell you the last one that happened.
While out one hot afternoon, I got thirty and wanted a nice cold Coca-Cola. I reached into my purse, disappointed that I only had $1.25 on me. Of course, the Coke cost $1.50, which only annoyed me. Seriously, a bottle of pop is $1.50 when it costs probably ten cents to make. Anyways, I’m off track here. So, out of curiosity, I put my $1.25 wondering if maybe one of them was cheaper. Hey, I had to try, I was friggin’ thirsty.
Not a big surprise that after I hit every button, no ice cold pop dropped down for me. Annoyed, I hit the little button to get my change back. As it clunk down into the little holder, it seemed to go on a little longer than I expected. So, I gathered the changed up and looked it. Counted it. Then, counted it again in shock.
Yup―the machine had given me an extra quarter. With the now, $1.50 I had, I put the money into the machine and got my yummy drink to quench my thirst!!
Strange right? Yeah, well stuff like that happens to me, so often it is honestly incredible. Do you all have peculiar this happen to you like that?

CyberLaunch Party

Stop by Cyber Launch Party today and comment for a chance to win a copy of Screw Superman. See you there!

Rebecca

My Books--Yes, Captain

Yes, Captain is a short story I wrote for Liquid Silver Books.

Here is a blurb:

Lizbeth is having a rough time. After her captain and best friend Acton is kidnapped from their ship, she is forced to serve under the disgusting hand of one of her least favorite people, Troy. But things have improved because she has located Acton. Now, she just needs to convince Troy to turn the ship around so they can go and get him.

Living on Earth with no idea that he is actually the captain of a major space vessel, Acton will have to rediscover his past quickly. The Instigator and all of its crew are under attack from an enemy that will do anything to protect what it values most above other things: the sanctity of Earth.

But as Acton and Lizbeth become reacquainted, they will need their new love to help them defeat the traitor who hunts them and wants only their deaths to satisfy his desires.

Its a short story and a fun ride.

Best to all of you,

RR

Early Romances

So I thought I would take today to write about a subject that, for some reason, has come up twice in the last week for me and that would be about early books that I read that were romance novels, even if thats not what we call them.

The first would be a book called Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. I love this book. My mother gave it to me when I was about 12 years old and I can still remember it...even quote from it...today. Now, during my Pilates session (yay pilates) my instructor remarked that her daughter had to read it. I start going off about what it's about. Girl gets married to a near stranger, she's young and naive, is tortured by the housekeeper at her husband's estate, dark secrets, dead wives...

Suddenly I realized. This is a Romance Novel. No way, no how, would we call it anything else today. And yet our children read it in school like it's literature. This got me thinking. Who else could possibly, who is writing right now, be considered that in future generations?

Immediately, I thought of Eloisa James. If you like Romance and you're not reading Eloisa James, you are missing out. She's phenomenal and the truth is I don't read that much historical romance but I never, ever, ever miss her.

Okay. As I pondered this question, I looked at a post that a good friend made on Facebook about the book Forever by Judy Bloom. Wow. It all came rushing back to me. Forever. By Judy Bloom. I remember feeling like I had to hide under my covers to read it because--gasp--there was sex in that book. She's a teenager and she has sex in that book. In fact, if I recall correctly, they actually discuss his private parts at some length.

How on earth did Judy Bloom ever get that published? But the book was, and maybe it still is, a right of passage for adolescent girls. Read that book and suddenly you feel like you know something you shouldn't know, something your parents don't know you're reading. I read Forever the summer I was on a teen tour. We travelled around from amusement park to amusement park and I read Forever at night.

As the mother of 3 boys, I know I won't be sharing my early romances with them. At least, I doubt I will.

What did you read? What were your early romances?

Its Tuesday...

So let me say that I'm over at Paranormal Romantics today. Stop by and say hello...

And ALSO, Happy Birthday to my oldest son. I can't believe you're five. Sniff-Sniff.

Best

Rebecca Royce

RELEASE DAY--SCREW SUPERMAN

Hello Everyone

I am so excited today because today the first book in a new series that I am writing, called Screw Superman, is releasing with Noble Romance Publishing.

You can buy the book here.

Here is the blurb:

Wendy Warner is a bit of an oddball. Raised in an orphanage, she has found solace and friendship by watching the television show, Space Adventures, and participating in fan clubs related to the show. Every month, on the second and third Friday, Wendy comes to work dressed in a costume from the show that she wears to charity events. This has earned her the disdain of many of her coworkers but not from her boss, the president of the company, Draco Powers, who rather likes the way the uniform hugs all her curves in the just the right places.

Draco Powers is a real-life Superhero who told the world that, yes, Superheroes do exist, but, no, we won't work for free or without health insurance. Some people refer to him with derision as the "Capitalist Superman." Draco is being hunted by an organization called the Organization, whose motives are unclear and yet still cause death and destruction wherever they go.

The Organization has decided that Draco's biggest weakness is the way he cares about his employees and has picked Wendy out as their next target. To save her, Draco will have to come to terms with his real feelings for Wendy and why it is that he has so long resisted complicated relationships. But he's running out of time . . . .

And an Excerpt:

Draco Powers sat, feeling incredibly uncomfortable, in his client's too-small-for-him flowery fabric lounge chair as he turned down her offer of tea for the third time. What gave with the tea? He didn't drink the stuff. Why push it on him? The whole living room, from ceiling to floor and everything in between, looked like a floral shop had thrown up.

The ceiling boasted badly stenciled roses. Daisies exploded on the carpet, and a different flower print covered each of the couches. Even his client, who looked to be around fifty years of age with graying brown hair and unremarkably dull grey eyes, wore lilacs on her housedress. If he spent too much time in this room, he was going to get hay fever.

Forcing himself to pay attention, he listened to the smooth rhythm of Wendy's voice as she asked the requisite questions of the woman who wanted to hire him. He knew, having worked with and counted on Wendy for years, she had done some version of this questioning over the phone when the case was first sent upstairs after the online request for services had been filtered and approved. It was unusual to have Wendy so thoroughly ask the questions again.

She'd expressed her concern that something felt askew with this woman's story, so he was inclined to let his little Handler have at the flower-wearing lady until Wendy was satisfied with the answers.

Little Handler? Where had his thought come from?

"Tell me again why you aren't using the police to investigate this issue, Mrs. Marckham?"

"I tried the police. For the first six months after Lael was taken, I waited and waited for the police to recover my son. Now, I'm pursuing other means."

Clearly, or they wouldn't be there. Draco looked at his watch. They'd shown up half-an-hour early so Wendy could do this, and then, assuming she let him take the job, he could find the child and still get home on time to go on his date.

"I guess I'm confused, Mrs. Marckham. Why do you think the Superhero route is your only option?"

Color rose in the woman's cheeks. Draco wanted to sink into the chair as her gaze met his and he realized what was bothering Wendy. Their potential client fancied herself in love with him. It wasn't the first time he'd run into this problem. All Superheroes did on a regular basis. But when this woman met his gaze, and her dull eyes lit up like stars, she made the 'crazy alarm' go off in his head.

Especially when she said, "The Superheroes can do anything."

Something about this woman was off . . . .

He would still find her son. Not the teenager's fault his mama was a whack job.

Wendy started to speak and he interrupted. "That's unfortunately not true, ma'am. If we could do anything then I wouldn't have a career. We would have long ago eliminated poverty, destruction, illness, and violence from the world." Making eye contact with Wendy, he nodded to let her know that while he was fully aware of what she sensed from their client, he intended to take the job anyway. The great thing about Wendy Warner was she understood unspoken signals. She nodded back.

He might even be able to use Mrs. Markham's Superhero infatuation to his advantage. "Why don't you tell me who you think has your son?"

"It's obvious."

"Not to me, I'm afraid."

He gritted his teeth. Years ago, when he and Ace had opened Powers, Inc., he'd been naïve in thinking he should feel a tremendous amount of satisfaction helping people. Now, all they did was annoy him. If the identity of her son's kidnapper had been obvious, would he have asked her the damned question?

"Aliens took him, of course." The older woman took a sip of her tea.

He closed his mouth, opting not to speak. This turn of events was almost too delicious to be real. He sat back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. This was why he had a Handler. So Wendy could speak at this moment and he could pretend he was a statue and stop communicating all together.

Wendy straightened in her chair. He could see she'd bit down for a second on her bottom lip. His super sight revealed two minute teeth marks left on the lower part of her lip. His cock stirred to attention, as it always did when Wendy was concerned. He wouldn't act on it. No, he'd resisted her appeal for years. Nothing had to change now.

"Why do you think aliens took your son, ma'am?" Wendy's Upstate New York accent slipped out. She was usually so careful not to show it but when she got really bothered, it flew out of her like they were sitting in Buffalo or Rochester instead of Allentown, Pennsylvania. At least he thought they were in Allentown. He flew all day, every day. Sometimes, he had a hard time remembering where he was . . . .

"Who else would take him?"

Wendy sighed. "Any number of people, I would imagine. Did your son have any enemies?"

"Enemies?" Sylvia Markham laughed. "No, of course not. Everyone loves Lael. Except for the Aliens, of course."

Wendy shot him a pleading look. He wanted to smile at her exasperation. She didn't really expect him to speak, did she? He paid her to handle types of situations.

She turned back to their Alien-obsessed client. "Let's all pretend it was not aliens who took Lael. Let's come up with some other ideas."

Maybe he should let Wendy off the hook and just drop Sylvia Markham. If she really thought aliens had Lael then she needed to find herself some alien hunters, if such people existed. And they might. Superheroes existed. Maybe alien hunters did too.

"I would think, Ms. Warner, considering your attire, you, of all people wouldn't object to the well documented facts stating aliens walk among us."

Wendy went very still. He had to give her credit; she could get control of her emotions faster than anyone he'd ever known.

"While I am obviously a staunch fan of Space Adventures, ma'am, with a great love for the ideals expressed on the show and the culture of charity and responsibility, I do not, as a rule, feel there are aliens walking around on our planet right now as we speak." She set down her cup.

"Then why are you wearing that ridiculous costume?"

Wendy clenched her hands at her side. "When I leave work today, I am doing work with my fan group at the local soup kitchen near my home. As a rule, we wear uniforms so people recognize us. A lot of locals in my area are not comfortable with strangers they don't know and will refuse help out of speculation of their motives. But, if they see us coming in our regalia, then they know we're safe. Since we had your appointment today, so late in the day, I will have to ask Mr. Powers to drop me directly at the soup kitchen, as he has done before, and I won't have any time to change."

She'd never explained her reasons for wearing the uniform before. Of course, most people just stared and whispered. She might never have had the chance to come right out and explain it. Something odd panged in his chest and he rubbed over the uncomfortable feeling, wondering what it could be. He'd never cared why she wore it. Wendy was everything he could have asked for in a Handler and then some.

Not to mention she looked hot in the outfit, and anyone who couldn't see that was blind.

Her brown hair fell just past her chin, and displayed next to the red of theSpace Adventures' uniform, it looked almost golden. The high collar of the costume accentuated her long, pale neck and slightly pointed features. Her stubborn chin matched the nature of its owner. It said to the world, I'm not a push over and I don't care what you think. Her nose was small and turned up a little at the end, in a way his mother would have referred to as 'pixie-like', and spoke of a Nordic heritage in her background. It wasn't hard to picture her ancestors as Vikings. Wendy would have stood on the mast of the ship, giving orders and being revered as a goddess.

The rest of her face was heart shaped, but her brilliant brown eyes held his attention. With them, she'd held his gaze when he'd interviewed her for the position four years earlier. Only twenty-two years old then, she'd been working for one of the Associates for three months. It had been gutsy for her to think she could get a job with him so soon after signing on with the company. Yet, here she was, his most valued asset.

He'd do anything to keep her.

Dressed in the uniform, the shirt pulled at her thin waist, showing her lush curves. Her breasts were more than a handful. They were maybe two or three handfuls, and he had big hands. Tailored to fit snugly, the pants showed off a rear end made for grabbing. More than once, he'd been tempted to reach out and squeeze.

Of course, he hadn't. He didn't date—or screw around with—Handlers. That was how you got into trouble. That's why Ace no longer showed his face in the office. He'd broken his Handler's heart. Of course, the woman should have known better. His brother had a reputation for using them and then losing them. Now, however, Ace's Handler was distraught and the man couldn't come near the office without her screaming and crying. The situation was incredibly awkward.

Relegated to working from home, Ace received no help from his Handler. You couldn't fire a woman you'd just dumped. Doing so meant a lawsuit, or a payoff, and horrible publicity. His brother wanted him to switch Handlers with him. Draco rubbed his chin as he thought about the suggestion for a second. His answer wasn't going to change. No way, no how was Ace taking Wendy from him.

"Well." Sylvia Markham was still discussing Wendy's attire. "It seems ridiculous to me."

He stood and the room fell silent. Even Wendy, who could usually read him well, looked at him questioningly.

"What Ms. Warner wears to work is nobody's business except hers and mine. I'll ask you to comment on it no further." He stretched his arms over his head and felt the fabric on his black Egyptian cotton turtleneck tear. Wearing clothes was an occupational hazard for him. At least once a week, he had to replace what he wore in the middle of the day after he'd made some simple movement and ripped another seam.

"Now, let's go and see the young man's room. I think it's best if you stay here, ma'am, while Ms. Warner and I check it out. Think about the aliens. Specifically, we're going to need a description of the creatures. How many heads, limbs, etcetera."

Without another word, he walked to the back of the house. They could both follow him—or not—but it was time to get this show on the road. He was bored. They'd been here too long, and he hadn't had enough action for the day to warrant sitting still.

The morning's job had resolved nicely without him having to exert himself. As soon as he'd walked into the room, the husband had decided to stop hiding the wife's inheritance and give over the bank information she needed.

The troublesome man had restrained himself but Draco still wanted to kick his ass. What kind of man abandoned his family and ran away with their money?

Draco could have laughed at the thought if it wasn't so familiar. He didn't have to look far for an answer; his father had been the kind of man to take off. In fact, if Draco went back through all his traceable relatives, men abandoning their families formed a long history. Maybe it was in the genes. The same biological, evolutionary circumstances making them Superheroes made them bad parents.

This was exactly why he would never have children.

Opening the door to Lael's room only added to his thoughts. If his mother's living room was a bad tribute to all things floral, then Lael's room was a shrine to fake Superheroes. Superman, Batman, the Green Lantern . . . .

He knew their fictitious stories, had read the comic books as a boy. They'd represented everything he'd hoped to be as a small child, and everything he'd resented as a teenager.

Life didn't work like fiction. No one was going to let him spend days working as a mild-mannered reporter, as he rushed around occasionally saving the world from mad men. It was an all or nothing deal, and, whether his critics liked it or not, Superheroes had to live under the same constraints as everyone else. The only way to do anything worthwhile with his so-called gifts was to charge money for them.

And fuck anyone who didn't like it.

I hope you guys will all check it out! Thanks for stopping by!

Rebecca

Tomorrow is a big day...

Because Screw Superman releases with Noble Romance. Stay tuned for more info...