Thursday, November 1, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway: "Hear Me" by Skye Warren





Revealing Details

Thanks so much for having me on Romance Book Junkies! I’m Skye Warren, author of the Dark Erotica series. I’m here to share my new release, Hear Me, which early reviews call “disturbingly arousing” and “beautifully written.”

Both the hero and the heroine have a backstory and goals, but one thing I love are little revealing details. These are little slips that the character may not even realize he/she is doing, but show a lot about how they view the world. Plus, we all have our favorite tropes. Unique characters keep them fresh.

For example, in one of my favorite BDSM romances, Accidental Slave by Claire Thompson, the hero is a very old world type of guy, so even though he runs a modern business and lives in a swanky condo, he uses expensive ball point pens to write. When the hero and heroine have a little disagreement, the heroine shows up on a Sunday morning with a bag of bagels, and “I brought bagels” becomes a kind of secret apology between them.

In Hear Me, the hero is revealed to the heroine along with the reader. First we see his simple cabin and his gruff treatment of her. Then the layers are revealed, as we see his carpentry and love of the wood. It’s also what he carves—mythology and other stories featuring women in submissive positions.

The story is told from the heroine’s POV, so divining her mannerisms becomes more complex. Naturally she wouldn’t note something she does as weird, so we have to read her through the hero’s reactions and what he says about her. For example, he once comments about the way she’s looking at him, so submissive and sweet, something we can only know from his POV.

When Hear Me begins, the heroine has no memory of herself except as a sex slave. Slowly the past unfolds, and it’s when she’s confronted with her previous self that the details really come to the fore, illustrating the difference between her life as a regular, career-driven woman and a slave.

Which will she choose?

If you like your romance angsty and your sex kinky, I hope you’ll consider the Dark Erotica series. Each one stands alone, and in some ways I think the latest installment Hear Me is the best one to start with.

I’d love to hear what you think of my book, by email or on twitter. Also, visit my website for more books in the dark erotica series, goodies and free reads.

Thanks again for having me! I’m giving away a few gift cards (see the Rafflecopter widget). What do you like about dark and/or erotic books?

Skye Warren

HEAR ME

She doesn’t remember her past, only her training. She can’t talk, not that a good slave should speak out of turn. None of that matters when she wakes up in the warm, rustic room. Her new master is distant but kind. There’s only one problem: he doesn’t want her.

Longing for the shackles of safety, she pulls from the last dregs of her will to prove her worth as a slave. It seems to be working. He responds first to her body and next to her submission. The secrets of his past haunt the cabin, fraying the tightening bond between Master and slave, but it is her own memories that may finally unravel it.

This book contains a bonus short story Escape, set in the same dark erotica world.

WARNING:
This book contains explicit scenes of sex, including dubious consent and captivity situations. The BDSM does not conform to literary conventions, making it sometimes more realistic, and other times not. This is a work of fiction not appropriate for anyone uncomfortable with these situations or anyone under the age of eighteen.
What People Are Saying

“From the story title to the striking imagery of Melody being an echo of one man’s dark need and desire, HEAR ME has a smart and eloquent literary quality that stands out from page one.” - S. Richards, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

“I think that the story line in HEAR ME is my favorite of the Dark Erotica series.” - Taboo Book Reviews

“This is a disturbingly arousing book I couldn’t put down until the last page was turned.” - Day Dreaming

“It amazes me that this story packs such an emotional punch in a short amount of time.” - Sam, E and R’s Awesomness

“Well if I could sum this book up in one word, it would be fanm**tha F**kingtastic.” - Salacious Reads

“…achingly detailed, beautifully written, and just so much to experience” - Maryse’s Book Blog
“Hear Me is sexy, exciting and it has an unusual veil of romanticism (so to speak) that totally seduces you.” - Darkest Sins



Even the earth conspired to keep her. Branches grabbed at her skin like talons; the beach was quicksand, dragging her down. Hope was too abstract to compete with the sound of men shouting behind her. Even her fear was drowned by the ragged beat of her heart.
“Melody!” The voice sounded closer than the thrashing of leaves and branches.

Run, run away, don’t look back.

Her eyes, already stunted by lack of food, filled with grit and precious moisture. If she made it to the water, she could float away. Even if only to drift down to the bottom, entombed in sand castles and chained by seaweed. They would take her prisoner; they would keep her safe.

A battered person was cracked soil, but dreams were like weeds. She could survive this. That was the goal she set for herself, huddled in the cold, damp cell. She had clung to it as they touched her, beat her. Trained her.

The line of frothy water was in her sights, but disappointment seared her. She was too far away, the sand too thick.

An extra burst of energy propelled her two more stumbling steps. Her legs gave out. She clenched and released fistfuls of sand, not even sure she was actually crawling forward.
Coolness lapped at her fingertips, surprising her. Her mind, tired and rusty, turned that information over. She had made it. Water. Safety? No, freedom.

A slow, steady thwapping noise drew her gaze upward. A small green boat bobbed in the shallow water. Gentle waves flicked its hull, almost soothing, like the caress of a flogger. The rhythm thrummed through her. Even without the sting of impact, her mind began the slide.

No. Subspace meant security but not today. Right now it meant death, and she refused to die.
She blinked away the salt in her eyes and clawed through the water to the boat. With a strength that surprised her, she climbed over the edge, tumbling into the grimy bottom. It rocked gently with her weight then settled back into the gentle bob.

The boat wasn’t tied down anywhere, but there wasn’t an oar. Not that she had the strength to use one or a place to go.

Never mind. Her wish had been granted. She would drift out to sea, like a message in a bottle.
Her head lolled against the rim of the boat. She breathed in the pungent smell of earth and moss. Her last thought before she drifted off to sleep was fanciful. She imagined a giant plucking her from the water, unfurling her like a scroll, and reading the lines slashed into her skin.

She wondered what they would say.
Read HEAR ME Now



Book Trailer:

Author Bio:
Skye Warren writes unapologetic erotica, where pain and sex and love collide. She has been called "a true mistress of dark and twisted erotica" and her dark erotica series has reached the bestseller lists at Amazon and been a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick.
Author Links:

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Images:


Skye Warren is giving away a $100 Amazon gift card and four $25 Barnes & Noble gift cards on this tour. Enter to win by leaving a comment below. What do you enjoy about reading dark books?



 

14 comments:

Charity said...

Sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the post and give-a-way!

Ellz said...

Dark books... well I am sweet by nature, but I have a dark side. Reading Dark Books lets me enjoy that dark side without getting into trouble.

Linda said...

Love the excerpt and i´m a big fan of Claire Thompson, too. Love reading Dark Erotica, as long as there´s a HEA in the end, =) can´t wait to start this one!
Happy Thursday,
//Linda

Becky said...

This sounds interesting. I loved reading the excerpt. I love reading Dark book, since that is a way to enjoy my dark side and not worry about anything.

beckyqward@gmail.com

Lexi said...

I get hooked more and more every time I read about this book! I can't even imagine what it takes to make someone forget who they are past what they are trained to do. But I can't resist wanting to read and see where your imagination takes us!

erin said...

thanks for the great post and giveaway!

June M. said...

I have already bought this book. Now if I could just shake whatever is causing me to be tired so much so I could actually concentrate and read more than a chapter or so at a time, I would be happy. Thanks so much for the great post!

Cathy V said...

Thanks for the post and excerpt. I am looking forward to diving into this book. There is something about dark erotic stories that intrigue me and I can't get enough.
Thanks for the giveaway.
kitcat76(at)hotmail.com

Carin said...

the idea of dark erotica is a very interesting one. This looks like a fascinating book
Carin
mawmom at gmail dot com

MookyJ said...

Thanks for the giveaway!

Unknown said...

Sounds really good. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

BLHmistress said...

To be honest I haven't read too many Dark Erotica but I have read some Dark Paranormal and enjoy it very much.

Thanks for the giveaway!

Denise Z said...

Have you every had one of those moments when you are reading about a book or story and you feel your eyebrows moving up your face and your eyes widening LOL Well it just happened to me. Think maybe I need to read Hear Me ;=D Thank you for sharing.

Joanne said...

I like reading dark books because the things in the book will never happen to me. It's great fantasy reading.

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