I love to write Weres. Love that raw sensuality they emanate. Love to write that edgy, earthy sex. Love alpha characters. So in UNCONDITIONAL we’ve got a hero, a guy the heroine once knew as a human teenage boy, and a witch heroine.
It’s a second chance book, so there’s this history between them. The sweet-hot memories of a high school romance and the bitterness of the way Josh disappeared from Michelle’s life. A foundation exists the moment they get onto the page together. It’s full of tension. He’s an alpha wolf now and he knows he left in a way that hurt her. He wants her. Wants to make her feel better. Wants to protect her.
It’s hot and Michelle isn’t immune to all that testosterone. But she’s an alpha too. And she’s a cop so she’s not unused to dealing with big bossy men either. He hurt her and she’s wary.
Right from the start there’s major chemistry:
Ha. A man. He was a freaking werewolf. God.
He smelled good. Wore some seriously well-fitting and expensive clothes. Clearly he was someone here given the size of his office and the view afforded out the windows. That and the respect she’d seen him given.
Gone was the genial, laid-back football player she’d loved so hard when she was young. He was bossy now. Way bossier than he had been then. She was around bossy men all day, most cops tended to be alpha personalities. She dealt with it, knew how to handle them, how to push back when it was necessary. She was an alpha too after all.
But Josh? He emanated that energy that only his kind of alpha male had. Charismatic. Powerful. He commanded attention simply with his presence.
Josh the man made her tingly in ways she couldn’t have even begun to dream about when she was sixteen. Still, she wasn’t going to be managed or handled, even by a man as searingly sexy as the one next to her was.
“I can scent it, you know.” His voice had gone low, stroking over her senses like a caress.
“Huh?” She knew she blushed.
“Arousal.” He leaned in very close, and she told herself—quite sternly—to get up and move out of his reach. And sat right where she was, fascinated by the way his nostrils flared a little and his eyes had gone an otherworldly shade of green. “I can scent the rush of blood to your skin in your blush. The way you just got all wet.” He paused, breathing deep again, and she nearly moaned. She should be horrified, but that was not what was happening at all.
She swallowed the moan back. “I’m in charge of my parts. Tell me about what’s going on.” Her voice was breathy, so not authoritative.
He smiled. A slight tip upward at the corner of his mouth where his dimple showed. She wanted to lick it. The moment stretched between them in a way she couldn’t find the energy to disentangle herself from.
Allie.
She sat back, getting some distance, and his hand shot out, far quicker than she’d anticipated, latching on to her knee. She gulped, her heart thundering as she licked her lips.[/quote]
There’s an overlay between them. The kids they once were and the adults they are now. The things that shaped them for good and for bad. And the inexorable draw they feel toward one another.
Writing this kind of connection between human characters has different sorts of challenges. There are behaviors an alpha male does as a werewolf that would simply just not work from a human male. There’s an edge you can walk as a writer with paranormal characters and sexuality that is darker and sharper. The depth of carnality with weres is why I love to write them.
The connection characters build through sex is why I write it. So when I get to combine my favorite themes in a book? It’s as fun for me as I hope it is for you all….
She smiled at him. “Should I go in fully dressed?”
He laughed, straightening. “No, I want to undress you myself.”
He pulled her shirt and the tank under it over her head. He kissed her shoulder as he slid the bra strap down. That’s when he saw the bloom of color on her side and paused. “What is that?”
The way she started and then was very still for long moments made him realize he’d probably growled it instead of asking. The price of dallying with a wolf, he supposed. He caressed her hip, and she relaxed a little as she turned to look down.
“Those of us who aren’t shifters have to deal with bruises on the job from time to time.” Her lips curved, amusement on her features. “I hit that asshole pretty hard yesterday when I took him down.”
If Charlie hadn’t been in jail, Josh would have hunted him down and killed him for leaving a mark on his woman.
“I get bruises too. But they heal fast.”
He dropped to his knees before her, pressing a kiss softly over the bruised skin at her side, then on her belly, moving lower as he undid her pants, sliding them down her hips and legs, taking her socks with her.
Her toenails were painted bright pink. Her legs were toned and strong. Not long, she was pretty petite, but she was in shape. Powerful. He liked that.
He pressed his face to the front of the panties she wore. Pink, like the nails. Damn. Her fingers slid into his hair, pulling just a little. He took a breath scented with her. With her desire. It clawed at him, holding him tighter than her fingers ever could.
Deftly, he yanked the panties down, and she put a hand on his shoulder to step free. He looked up the line of her body to find her staring down at him, her lips parted, her pupils huge.
If he’d had any questions about how much she wanted him, the way she smelled, the way she looked, the heat coming off her skin all combined like a fist, guiding him to his feet to remove her bra and leave her there totally naked.
“Christ, you’re beautiful.”
She blushed, and he moaned, leaning down to breathe her in again.
“You like to sniff me.” Amusement was clear in her voice. “Also, it’s not like you haven’t seen it all before. And when it was in better shape.”
He scoffed at that.
“When you blush it heats your skin, and you smell really, really good. As far as better? No. Younger? Yes. But your tits are far nicer now. Your ass is higher, tighter. Your legs are more toned. There’s also the added bonus that we can fuck all night long in my apartment if we want and no one is going to come home to discover us.”
She laughed, pulling his shirt up and off, caressing all of him she could reach.
“You’re one to talk about beautiful.” She pressed a kiss on his chest, over his heart, her hands skimming across his back, helping to shove his pants down before she took handfuls of his ass and hauled him close.
So good. Skin to skin.
He felt the curve of her lips against his chest as she brushed against his cock from side to side.
Thank God she seemed to be as on board with sex as he was.[/quote]
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sZeN14q_Tzc/UgopiZ_CmzI/AAAAAAAAI1Q/4cCyb7cpAaA/s1600/LaurenDane-Copyright+David+Hiller.jpg[/author_image] [author_info] [author_info]
Today Lauren is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels and novellas across several genres. Though she no longer has to deal with Polly Pocket and getting those tiny outfits on and off, she still has trouble blocking out the sound of iCarly so she can write a love scene.
[tabs slidertype=”left tabs” auto=”no”] [tabcontainer] [tabtext]Enforcer[/tabtext] [tabtext]Tri Mates[/tabtext] [tabtext]Reluctant[/tabtext] [tabtext]Wolf Unbound[/tabtext] [tabtext]Standoff[/tabtext] [tabtext]Fated[/tabtext] [tabtext]Unconditional[/tabtext] [/tabcontainer] [tabcontent] [tab]
Nina Reyes is a just barely reformed grifter who has left her past and her criminal record behind. That is until her brother shows up on her doorstep with some rogue werewolves out to kill him.Nina gets further drawn into the web of intrigue when Lex Warden, Cascadia Pack’s Enforcer, comes to her for help and she ends up needing his protection.There are missing viral agents, the werewolf mafia, death threats, arson and a whole lot of scorching sex and acerbic wit between them.Welcome to the Northwest and Cascadia Pack.
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Werewolves mate for life. For every wolf, there’s a mate out there. So Tracy Warden is thrilled when she discovers Nick Lawrence, the sexy Enforcer for another Pack, is her mate.
But sometimes lucky wolves get to double dip in the form of the extremely rare Tri-Mate-Bond. And so it is when Tracy discovers that her Anchor bond with National Pack Mediator Gabe Murphy is far more. Suddenly Tracy finds herself with two alpha males whose hunger for her never seems to wane. But their bliss is marred by the heavy hand of the werewolf mafia whose reach goes very high up indeed.
Money laundering, kidnapping, assault and other general mayhem can’t mar the intensity of their bond, but it sure can threaten their lives.
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This story is connected to the Cascadia Wolves series but is completely stand-alone.Layla Warden had a ten-year plan and it sure as heck didn’t include a mate. She had her flashy car and her corner office and all was right with the world until Sid Rosario sat down at her table and turned her life upside down.Sparks fly as the two werewolves flirt over dinner and it’s no surprise to either of them when they end up back at his hotel room, naked and sweaty. But Sid is her mate, and they don’t figure it out until the bond is sealed. Layla, driven by confusion and fear, heads out of contact while a frantic Sid looks for her. What comes next helps a reluctant wolf find her way to acceptance.
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Overshadowed by the rising threat of the werewolf mafia, Ben and Tegan struggle to stand united.
A Cascadia Wolves story.
Werewolf Enforcer Tegan Warden has been alone since the death of her mate four years ago. Until she meets Ben Stoner at a local club and she feels something she thought died inside her. Things move very quickly and she finds herself mated to a human man who’s not altogether sure he wants a forever kind of love with a woman he’s just met.
Ben realizes in short order Tegan is not only worth forever love, but a woman who’ll stand at his side without tolerating anything other than a full partnership.
In the bedroom it’s another story, as Ben has finally found a sexual submissive with a spark, and Tegan a man worthy of her submission. Together they work toward building a permanent relationship even as the specter of danger from the Pellini Group grows in the world of wolves.
All around them, the rising violence threatens the Packs and the only thing they know for certain is one another.
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It’s the law of the Pack—or anarchy.
A Cascadia Wolves story.
For most of his life, Cade Warden has put the needs of his Pack first, setting aside everything else—even the emptiness he feels from having no mate. But Warren Pellini and his thugs have a biological weapon, threatening everything Cade holds dear.
Into his intensely focused, lonely life walks the woman he’s been waiting for.
Packless for many years, Grace Pellini has edged back into the good graces of her evil brother, walking a dangerous line to gather information to aid the Nationally Allied Packs. Cade is everything she could have hoped for in a man and a mate, even if he can be pushy and overprotective.
In the midst of their rising passion and desperate search for the key to disabling the weapon, Pellini raises the stakes by calling an ancient Challenge.
Now it’s Grace’s turn to put her protective instincts aside and stand by, Cade’s life in her hands, as her mate risks everything for his people.
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Just because Fate brings you your perfect mate doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.
A Cascadia Wolves story.
Could there be any worse fate than a road trip from Seattle to L.A.—with one’s mother—to attend a wedding? Why yes, when one isn’t married yet, like Megan Warden. Toss in a grandmother and a carload of already married sisters and it’s a recipe for sneaking sips of “special” coffee while someone else drives.
Shane Rosario has better things to do than attend a wedding where his father’s relatives will be at him nonstop about getting married and having children. If it weren’t for seeing his anchor bond, Layla, he’d have taken a pass on the entire weekend. It would be easy, since he’s become adept at hiding who and what he is.
When the two weren’t even looking, Fate steps in and before they know it, their bond is sealed. Bonded pair, married in the eyes of their people. Two people tied together in every way. Trouble is, Shane’s not sure he wants all that comes with Megan. And Megan’s certain she’s not willing to live outside her pack, pretending to be human.
The distance between them is more than geographical. It’s a widening gulf rapidly filling with resentment…an emotional divide only acceptance could bridge. Can Shane can accept himself to cross it? Only if they let love take control.
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Their second chance generates a dangerous kind of heat…
A Cascadia Wolves Story
As a cop, Michelle Slattery is familiar with the dark side of human behavior, but this case is way above her skill level. Mages have been scouring the country kidnapping witches, draining their energy, and leaving their broken bodies behind.
With Michelle’s best friend among the missing, she appeals to the Owen witches, who send her to the last place she’d thought she’d see a familiar face. The werewolves.
When a witch seeking help shows up at the Pacific Pack headquarters, Josh Neelan gets the shock of his life. She’s none other than his high school sweetheart, the one he left behind when he was bitten and turned. Their intense sexual chemistry still sizzles for a reason—she’s his mate.
As they begin to work through their issues, their rekindled romance quickly flames red hot. But the closer they get, the more dangerous the outside world becomes. And they realize magick-thieving mages are just the tip of the iceberg.
Warning: Bossy alpha wolves, witches who take no guff, sexytimes, bad words, and some violence.
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Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
Love the excerpts. Thank you for the giveaway.
I really liked Uncomditional
Congratulations on the new release . Would love a chance to read and review at The Reading Cafe. thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I love second chance books and books on Weres for all the same reasons. It’s in reading about couples with pasts that may not have went so well trying to start over again.
Love Lauren Dane! I haven’t read this series thought but I am sure it is fantastic like all her others!
This sounds so great. Loved Enforcer. So I know I will love this one. Thank you
Thanks for great giveaway!
Have not read a single one of Lauren’s books that I did not love! This woman has some great imagination!!!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway! I’m looking forward to reading Unconditional
Love books by Lauren Dane.
Love Lauren Dane’s books. Love to read Unconditional.
I was thrilled to have another Casadia Wolves story…it was worth the wait! Loved it, as I have all of the series! Wishing you all the success in the world Lauren! Shelbie =)
LOVE, LOVE LOVE your books, Lauren!!!
Sounds like a great read.
Have Unconditional already but none of the Bound by Magick
I would love to read this series. It sounds very good. Thanks for the giveaway.
I love the Bound by Magic series. I’m looking forward to getting to know the wolves and cats.
sounds fun! thanks for sharing 🙂
Nice excerpt
Thank you for sharing with us, I really enjoyed the excerpts 🙂
Major chemistry works for me.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Sounds really good!!
Sounds like a fun read. Adding to Mt. TBR. Thanks for the giveaway.
This sounds like a great book, gonna have to check out this series. Love Lauren’s books, especially Chase/Petal series & Brown Family/Delicious series. Thanks for the giveaway.
Ohh, I love Lauren’s sexy shifters. Thanks for the excerpts.