Araminta Davenport has given up her librarian job to become
a full-time romance writer. Now she has an agent, a
contract with a publisher, one book already published and
the next one in the works. On top of that she has been
invited to participate in an invitation only reader's
appreciation weekend. She believes she is finally on the
road to getting everything she wants. She has no idea that
she is about to become the PRIDE OF THE LION.
Leander and his fellow warriors had been entrapped in their
animal form by the Lady of the Beasts, who did this to
protect them when Hades' minions were overrunning them. He
has been trapped as a lion form for 5,000 years and has
watched others gain their freedom and waited with forced
patience to see if his day would come. When the beautiful
Araminta climbs on his back, he knows he has 24 hours to
keep them both alive. If he fails, he will either be
helping Hades overrun the Earth or his soul and hers will
be side by side in Hell. But he has plans for the
delectable woman who rescued him so he will not fail.
Hades is determined that this one will not escape his
clutches. He has it all planned out so there will be no
repeats of the past. The phoenix and jaguar died trying to
escape with their women and the tiger and bear managed to
escape with their lives and souls intact. Only the serpent
Mordecai has joined him and he isn't enough ...
he needs ...
no he wants this lion.
PRIDE OF THE LION is the fast paced, action packed third
book of the Hades Carnival series. I read the first
two and
wondered what could author N.J. Walter possibly do to make
this one different and I was amazed. Though it follows the
same theme; the storyline and characters are freshly
creative with added intriguing touches of the world of the
Lady of the Beast. At first glance Leander and Araminta
seem to be polar opposites but are really perfectly matched
for each other and for what they have to face. The heat
generated in this book will leave you in little doubt of
their compatibility. I also got a feeling in each of the
previous books that Mordecai just might not be all bad and
I want to see what the author has planned for him. I can't
wait for the next book to see how the wolf makes his escape.
Araminta Davenport has arrived. After giving up her
librarian job to be a full-time writer, all those lonely
nights alone with her cat and her keyboard have paid off.
She’s been invited to participate in one of the biggest
reader appreciation weekends—as a professional author.
She can’t imagine her life getting any more exciting than
that…until she accidentally releases a sexy, shapeshifting,
immortal warrior from a five-thousand-year-old curse.
Finally free of his carousel prison, lion shifter Leander is
determined not to let Hades lure him to the dark side in a
quest for world domination. Nor will he give the delectable
Araminta up to the clutches of the dark one. If they can
survive twenty-four hours—and somehow resist losing
themselves completely in the sexual haze threatening to
swallow them up—the curse will be permanently broken.
But the clock is ticking, the heat is rising…and only the
ultimate sacrifice will save them both.
Warning: This book contains one shy writer who’s learning
how to cut loose, and a warrior who’s been cut loose and
he’s ready to roar. Stir in enough hot sex to make Hell
itself seem like the Arctic, and you have a recipe for one
wild ride.
Excerpt
A brilliant spotlight flashed on and she shrank back,
covering her eyes as she was momentarily blinded. She
blinked and slowly lowered her hands, needing to see if
there was anyone there with her.
She didn't see a person, but she did see a
broken–down carousel. The ride had seen better days
and only two animals remained on it—a wolf and a lion.
Drawn to it by a force she couldn't deny, her feet moved
until she was standing beside it. The paint was chipped and
worn, but there was no denying the beauty of the carved
animals. They were so realistic, so incredibly beautiful.
She ran her hand over the flanks of the wolf. His head
was slightly turned toward her, his mouth opened to reveal
several rows of sharp teeth. "You're a dangerous one, aren't
you?" She wanted to stroke his head but was almost afraid
to, he was so lifelike.
A dizzy spell caught her unawares and she thought she
heard a wolf howling in the distance. She shook her head and
reached out to catch herself against one of the posts of the
carousel. "Wow, what was that all about?" This whole place
was disorienting and it was making her feel slightly
light–headed and nauseous.
She shuffled over to the lion and sucked in a breath.
The creature was magnificent with his thick blond mane and
golden eyes. She wasn't even certain if lions had eyes the
color of old gold, or if they would be brown. Not that it
mattered. This was an artist's representation of a lion, not
a real one. Still, the animal was amazing with paws the size
of dinner plates and thick muscles rippling beneath a layer
of fur.
She reached out and touched his side and was startled to
feel warmth beneath her hand. She stumbled back, clutching
her hand to her chest. The lion slowly turned its head
toward her, opened his large, powerful jaws and roared.
Araminta's heart raced and pure terror enveloped her.
The sharp fangs of the lion seemed to glint in the muted
light. She jerked back, slipped and kept falling. She
thought she might have screamed, but wasn't certain. For a
few brief moments, she couldn't see or hear anything. It was
terrifying to be plunging through a dark nothingness that
wrapped around her and threatened to strangle her.
When she finally landed, it was with a thud on a soft
padding. The breath had been knocked out of her so she
sucked in air in big gulps. It was still poorly lit, but she
could see the outline of furniture. She was in a room of
some sort. She frowned as the objects came into better view.
It looked like her bedroom at home.
A large male arm snaked around her, pulling her back
against a massive male chest. Araminta opened her mouth to
scream, but he spoke before she could manage to do more than
squeak. "I've got you. You're safe."
She blinked once and then again. What was going on?
Where was the carousel and how had she gotten home?
Warm lips nuzzled her nape, sending a blast of heat
cascading through her entire body.
"You smell nice." A large hand cupped her hip through
the thin fabric of her nightgown, giving it a squeeze. "You
feel even better."
She knew she should do something, get out of bed, run
away or at the very least, scream. Something. Instead, she
lay there beside the strange man and absorbed his heat and
quiet strength. Something about him calmed her fear and
silenced her unease.
She turned onto her side so she was facing him, wanting
to get a better look at him. She couldn't see the color of
his eyes or hair, but there was no hiding the hard planes of
his face. His nose was broad and flat, his forehead wide.
His jaw was strong and powerful, his neck muscular.
But it was his hair that made her gasp. It was
gloriously thick and fell to just below his shoulders. She
reached out and touched it, shocked when it felt soft and
silky. She wanted to rub her face in it. Heck, she wanted to
rub her entire body over it.
Which was crazy because she had no idea who this guy
was. Still, she wasn't alarmed or upset by that fact. She
wanted to get closer to him, to snuggle against him.
A loud sound permeated the room, almost like something
was purring. It took her a second to realize the sound was
coming from him. She placed her hand on his chest and the
vibration sank into the flesh of her palm. It radiated down
her arm to her shoulder before moving lower to her breasts
and still lower until she was squirming and her panties felt
damp.
She pulled her hand back. "Who are you?"
"Yours." The stark reply made her toes tingle even as
her brain formed a dozen questions.
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