Solstice Surrender
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~ Details ~
~ Outline ~
~ Reviews ~
~ Excerpt ~
~ Author’s Note ~
~ Also of Interest ~
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EROTIC PARANORMAL ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
A man of mysterious powers….
….a woman who fights her destiny.
On mid-winter’s eve she must decide..
Solstice Surrender was first published as a novella included in the Winter Warriors anthology, then re-released in December 2009 as a stand-alone title. Therefore, you can now get Solstice Surrender in paperback as part of the anthology, or in ebook format as a stand-alone title.
- No longer available as of October 13th, 2011. Some copies may linger in retail stores after this date, but this Ellora’s Cave edition will cease publication on this date.*
- Erotic MF urban fantasy romance
- Contemporary Canadian setting.
- Will be re-released in all the popular e-book formats, and included in a print anthology at a later date
- Pages: About 130 in PDF, including front matter (Short Novel-sized story)
[*This book will be repackaged and re-released shortly. If you're interested in obtaining a copy of the new edition, sign up for my newsletter, so that you get a notice of the release of the new edition, or subscribe to my RSS feed via your favourite Newsreader or via Email, to catch any announcement I make on the blog.]
Outline
Jenna MacDonald, cynic extraordinaire, flees to Banff, Canada, for the holiday season to lick her wounds in private after an assignment takes a tragic turn. But trouble manages to find her even in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. A mystery-clad stranger called Rhys Cellyn exerts a powerful influence over her mind and her body, while Jenna struggles to stay afloat in the mythical world he plunges her into. Time is against her, for at the moment of the winter solstice she must make a fateful choice.
Reviews
This one was a bit different, well written and I enjoyed the fact that when it came to choices they made their own – no coercion, no emotional blackmail. The characters were not only hot, they were smart, strong and the sex was smokin. I would, however, liked to have seen it explore them a bit further, but that’s just the piggy part of me that always wants more of something interesting.
WitchGiggles for Alternative Read.com
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I just finished the book. Heavy sigh! You write so well–excellent description so that I can see the settings, great action sequences and great lovemaking scenes, too! Thank you for this. I really enjoyed it. I appreciated the Canadian setting. Banff is such a romantic setting and the way you described it, I could put myself right there. I love exploring that beautiful old hotel. You are one of those so skilled writers who the reader knows has done days and days of research and back story so the book LIVES. Your descriptions are so well written, as are the action sequences, which are so hard to write well. And your love scenes are graphic enough to steam, but at the same time the connection forming between the two characters is so compelling. They give me that lovely little lurch somewhere in my heart!
Bonnie, a reader.
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Solstice Surrender was an excellent book. This is the must read story of the year. Her characters are fun loving and realistic. The way this author uses her words to draw you into her story is like a work of art. I really enjoyed my time in Ms. Cooper-Posey’s world; I will be coming back soon.
Jill for Fallen Angels Reviews
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In Solstice Surrender Tracy Cooper-Posey brings the paranormal element into this excellent anthology. As erotically charged as the first story, this novella is also a bit more on the emotional side. I admit that I developed a soft spot for Rhys, the hero, who has spent quite some time waiting for his mate. Fast paced and filled with love scenes of the OMG sort, this one will certainly appeal to paranormal romance lovers.
Mireya Orsini for Just Erotica Romance Review
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I really liked this story. The paranormal aspects makes it really interesting and fun to read. It kept me wondering what would be revealed next. Rhys is sensitive and sensual all rolled into one amazing package. Jenna is confused but willing to search for the truth with a strong will. This story is hotter that hot. The love scenes scorch the pages. This story is a must read for anyone who loves paranormal reads.
Angela Brewer for The Romance Studio
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Solstice Surrender begins with a scene that we all wish would happen to the bullies of the world. I found Solstice Surrender to be a non-stop action- packed adventure. Rhys’ love for Jenna is apparent in every move he makes. Imagine waiting for time on end for the love of your life. Ms. Cooper-Posey has written an engaging entry in this anthology.
The Best Reviews
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Solstice Surrender is an interesting read with suspense, paranormal, and hot sexual scenes. Rhys is a sensitive man who will do anything to protect Jenna. Jenna is strong- willed woman going through a rough time, yet is still willing to listen to Rhys. This is a great read for paranormal fans. Overall this is a great anthology that has a little of everything. Don’t pass up adding this to your collection.
Pat McGrew for Sensual Romance Reviews
Excerpt
Despite every table in the coffee shop being filled to capacity, Jenna still heard every contemptuous word the man in the taupe wool coat said. Each cutting phrase rang clear despite three tables and the blended babble of French, English and Japanese that separated them. And if she could hear perfectly well, then the petite brunette sitting next to him must be benefiting from a Dolby surround sound experience.
Shadows dusted the skin under the woman’s eyes, and she kept her gaze on her big round coffee cup. Occasionally she sipped it. Otherwise she left her hands in her lap.
“Why on earth you thought it necessary to order breakfast for five a.m. defies analysis.” He stirred his latte with violent flicks of his fingers. Yeah, he was a real prince. “I booked the guide for this afternoon and I don’t know why I should have to get out of bed before eight a.m. for anyone. My porridge was as cold as a wet herring. A complete waste of food and money.”
It was the second time he’d been through this diatribe since Jenna had been drawn to the sound of his rich English baritone and begun to listen.
Jenna looked up at the big clock behind the five girls tripping over each other behind the counter, as they rushed to fill orders. Breakfast for even the most layabout person in the world would have been three hours ago.
She glanced back at the bowed shoulders of the woman beside ‘The Prince,’ and shoved her distaste for the man up to active dislike.
“I’m sorry, Nigel.” The woman seemed to whisper compared to his penetrating bass. “I thought we might go window shopping before the hike…”
“Shopping?” He almost dropped his coffee cup in his amazement. “We come half way around the world on the trip of a lifetime, to the most stunning mountains on the North American continent and you want to shop?” The contempt in his voice would have withered the ego of Madonna. The woman shrank into herself even more.
Jenna’s top lip tried to curl up in disgust.
The woman picked up her coffee cup. Her hand trembled a little.
Dump the coffee on him, Jenna silently urged her.
The Prince rolled on as if his companion hadn’t spoken. “Your utter lack of a brain is ruining this entire tour. I should have left you at home, but then you would just get yourself into even deeper trouble there, wouldn’t you? If I didn’t dance attendance every hour…good lord, you’d probably die of cold because you’re too stupid to restart the oil heater, or something or other.”
Pressure built up in Jenna’s temples as she stared at the woman. Her gut clenched, roiling with anger. Dump the goddamn coffee in his lap! The powerful mental urging worked Jenna’s throat as if she had actually cried it aloud.
The woman swung her hand around in a ninety-degree arc until the coffee cup hovered over his thighs. Deliberately, she turned it upside down, emptying it of a steaming half-liter of rich brown mocha.
Jenna’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened.
All hell let loose.
The Prince bounced to his feet with a roar of pain, and cracked his thighs against the edge of the table with a wet slap. The impact produced a sharper scream of agony, and he plopped back down with the suddenness of a puppet whose strings had been severed. Only his chair wasn’t there anymore—his abrupt rise to his feet had pushed it back out of the way.
He hit the floor, and the thud jarred the ancient beams. Jenna felt the impact reverberate through her table and chair.
The Prince stayed down this time, while the room of tourists gasped and exclaimed in their native tongues. From across the room, Jenna heard a single snigger, quickly muffled.
The woman looked even more amazed than Jenna felt. She still held her cup out at half-mast, upside down, drops of coffee beading on the rim. She stared at it as if it had suddenly come alive in her hand.
Those nearest The Prince dived to help him as he flopped about on the floor, simultaneously trying to lift his soaked, steaming trousers away from his crotch and massage his bruised thighs.
But Jenna’s satisfaction over the swift turn of events died as she watched the woman. The brunette lowered the cup to the table with the same care one used to handle an antique crystal decanter…or a rattlesnake.
She stepped away from the cup as if it might leap at her. Then she crouched beside the man, and patted him with her napkin. “Nigel…I don’t know what to say. I have no idea how that happened. It was like watching someone else do it.”
Others around her smiled, amused. They didn’t believe her any more than the princely Nigel likely would.
Jenna had watched her pour coffee all over him. Of course the woman had done it herself. Because if she hadn’t acted from her own free will, then what had just happened here? Jenna glanced around to see if anyone stared at her, if anyone thought she had anything to do with this.
A man lounged at the table by the door, a day-old Calgary Herald in his hands. He was watching her, his face bereft of even a hint of the hilarity that gripped the rest of the room.
Her stomach clenched and a strong urge to flee the café gripped her. She drained her coffee cup, then moved towards the only exit—the door the man sat beside.
When his gaze did not move away from her as she approached, Jenna’s heart picked up speed. She talked to herself firmly. Maybe he just likes your hair, Jenna. In this tourist town casual vacation affairs start quick and end quicker.
But she couldn’t discount the pandemonium going on behind her. Every other eye in the room stayed glued upon The Prince, who swore as lustily as any dockworker while staff, customers and the brunette worked to soothe him and clean the mess up.
In a room with a mini-drama unfolding, anyone who could ignore the chaos to focus upon something else was highly motivated.
So what did he want?
The habits of her profession kicked in. Jenna took a mental snapshot of the guy’s face, cataloguing the features for future reference. Large brown eyes, thick brows and blond hair trimmed neatly. Strong jaw and neck. The neck was layered in muscle and thick, like a body builder’s. The luxurious overcoat hid the rest of him except for the polished toe of an expensive casual leather shoe. Clearly, snow and slush were not an issue for him.
One all-encompassing glance, then she lifted her chin, kept her gaze on the sidewalk outside and headed for the door in as confident a don’t-mess-with-me bearing as she could manage.
And nearly jumped out of her skin when he stood, clearly intending to halt her.
A hand settled on her shoulder, big and heavy. She felt the body belonging to the hand slide into place on her other side. A quiet voice sounded. “Keep walking, straight past him. Don’t look around. Out onto the street. Quietly, now.”
Dozens of questions arose, but she pushed them aside, focusing instead on the fact that this voice, this body, intended to help her. Somehow.
She swallowed, and kept walking as instructed. She didn’t look behind her, because a normal pedestrian wouldn’t. She didn’t look up at him, either, although she was sorely tempted. She could tell from the way his hand rested on her shoulder; he was tall.
Outside in the street, the guiding hand on her shoulder lifted away. He picked up her hand. “Can you run?”
Before she could even turn to face him, he surged ahead, shouldering his way through the crowded sidewalk, dragging her with him. All she could see of him was the wide shoulders of a black wool overcoat and black hair that curled over the collar, nothing more.
She hurried along in his wake, protected from a lot of jostling by the swath he cut through the people, but because she didn’t have to worry about their direction, she found she automatically monitored their rear. It was a trained reflex, triggered by his haste. In her profession, there was only one reason to run away from something: the something pursued you with hostile intentions.
She heard behind her the unmistakable sounds of pursuit—hurried footsteps crunching through the snow, a male voice muttering apologies as the crowd re-forming behind them was again pushed aside.
“Avaon, damn you!”
Directed at the man holding her hand? Did their pursuer know him?
Then she heard something that made her blood run cold. The pursuer whistled sharply, two short notes. A signal. A call for help.
Her adrenaline surging, Jenna put on a burst of speed and gripped the man’s hand with a strength that would defy most attempts to separate them. He’d just saved her from a bad situation and was trying to deliver her to safety. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if she let go and didn’t intend to find out.
This story was both a pain and a pleasure to write. It was enormous fun because I got to play around with a new fantasy theme that I have been mulling over for a while now, and got to write in a new sub-genre. Plus, I created a hero that even I would like to know more about. One day, perhaps…. The pain came from having to restrict myself to such a short length. Yes, it’s book-length, my preferred format, but as it’s included in an anthology, I really had to keep it short. Keeping a story short is not my best talent! Therefore, the original story had twenty years of back story for the characters, and quite a few thousand words of extra story and subplot to it before I realized what I was doing wrong, and painfully, bloodily chopped all but the essential story line out of the manuscript. But I kept the remains!
The inspiration for Solstice Surrender is explained in “What Inspired Solstice Surrender“.
This novella is available in print as part of the Winter Warriors anthology, or as a stand-alone eBook.
Tracy Cooper-Posey © 1999 - 2011 