BookHooks is a blog hop where authors share only a small snippet of a story, an enticement to read more.
Today’s snippet is from Bro, the Story Behind the Antonello Brothers. Other books in the series include At the Mercy of Her Pleasure and For Women Only. Bro is free on this website. The other two are free on Kindle Unlimited.
Khyff Antonello is off work for the day and heading for a well-earned rest. When his client mentions he knows someone with the same last name as Khyff, it gets his attention. Then he hears the person is a HalfKin like the brother he thought was dead.
“No, never mind. He wouldn’t be related to you. I just remembered. He’s a HalfKin.”
Half-human, half-feline humanoid Kin.
All the air left the room. Khyff fought to drag in a breath. “What’s his name?”
“Seth, I think. No, Senth. Yeah, that’s it. Senth Antonello.”
The light grayed around the edges.
The guy took a step forward, concern on his face. “Hey, Khyff, you okay? You look a little pale.”
Hearing the name Senth Antonello catapulted Khyff back into the past. To the point in his life when his world had unraveled, torn itself apart and dumped him into hell. He hit the floor with a smack that stung his hands and knees and he crumpled.
Bro, the Story Behind the Antonello Brothers
When you can make yourself invisible, invisible truths are revealed.
Senth and Khyff, the Antonello Brothers from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure and For Women Only, did not grow up together. They were separated at Senth’s birth. Bro shows how and why, and what event reunited them.
Join the Romance Lives Forever Reader Group and get a free copy of Bro, the Story Behind the Antonello Brothers https://kayelleallen.com/bro plus three more books at the same time.
[bctt tweet=”When you can make yourself invisible, invisible truths are revealed.” username=”kayelleallen”]
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
He’s a thief. She’s a soldier. Do opposites attract? Oh, mercy!
Amazon https://amzn.to/1f7FQ2h
Here are ten Luc Quotes. These “pearls of wisdom” come from the man referred to by many in the Tarthian Empire as the Harbinger. An alpha among alphas, the immortal Luc commands attention without being vain or flashy and he gains respect by his true concern for others. Cross him however, and there is no place in the universe to hide. Luc Saint-Cyr has been in all my Tarth books and is one of the heroes in my work in progress. I chose a few from each book. Other characters have stated they decided what to do after asking themselves, “What would Luc do?”
The book is listed in which the Luc quotes are found, then the occasion of the quote.
Luc Quotes from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
To Senth about NarrAy
“Listen to me, my young Deshai. Despite the romantic nonsense you’ve heard about Betters being extraordinary lovers, their kisses can poison you. If her saliva mixes with yours, she can control your mind. The touch of her hands will drive you insane. There are ancient myths about sirens, women who used their voices to lure men and then slay them. Betters aren’t mythical. They’re real. If she subjects you to her passion, you’ll be at the mercy of her pleasure forever.”
To Khyff, who had been falsely imprisoned
“Know the law?” The Harbinger stood, and then laughed, obviously enjoying himself. “Son, I’ve been breaking it for so many years, I know it better than any of those high-paid courtside braggarts. Besides, none of the lawyers I contacted had enough clout. I got you a judge who’ll be fair and impartial.”
To Khyff, who had delivered a coded message for him
“I can see why you were so popular at Stalkos’s place, Khyffen. You know when to shut up, and you don’t talk back.” The Harbinger made a wave of dismissal. “Fact is, my young Senthys is ready to take wing. He’s been scratching at the nest for months. Ever since you came into his life. The way he took on the task of seeing to your freedom…” He shook his head. “Senth has been impressed with you since the day you met. So have I.”
Luc Quotes from For Women Only
To Khyff upon his refusing to accept a job
Saint-Cyr remained silent. With his all-black eyes, there was no telling where he looked. Finally, he nodded. “It won’t be easy finding another detail-oriented, by-the-book, stringent, weaned-on-pickle-juice hard-ass like you. But I’ll try.”
To Khyff about Senth
Saint-Cyr tossed himself back against the cushions of the car seat. “Do you suppose the woman who ordered him killed at birth knew she was his grandmother?”
To Khyff about two cops who refused to protect Luc’s son, Senth
“They’re ready for you.” Saint-Cyr motioned to him. While they walked, he explained the charges. “They’re holding her on two counts of murder by pheromones, violation of Better Laws, treason, harboring a criminal, and reckless endangerment of public officials. She was protecting Senth. She had to threaten to kill both cops that showed up before they’d call an ambulance for Senth, because he was a HalfKin.” He threw up his hands. “The fact that he’s my son should’ve sent them running for help.” His piercing black eyes narrowed. “They were both killed an hour ago. Line of duty, so they say.”
Luc Quotes from Wulf, Tales of the Chosen
To Wulf about an enemy Wulf tried to frighten off by being seen with Luc
“Four reasons.” He laid a hand next to the shot glass. “First, the concept of scaring off one bad guy with a bigger one rarely works. That brings us to the second, which assumes your agent will fear me. He may not. Although, unless he’s a fool, he should. Third, you didn’t simply ask for my help. Fourth, you assumed I would agree to being used.”
Luc Quotes from Alitus, Tales of the Chosen
To Empress Rheyn Destoiya about Wulf and Alitus sneaking off together
“The security tail I put on Wulf said he gave them the slip at an art gallery. He was seen walking through the place with a Better less than an hour ago. A Better who was accompanied by armed Praetorian. Unless you have Praetorian guarding anyone other than Alitus, that was him. Right now, neither of them is in sight and my goons can’t find him. What am I paying them for if they can’t keep him in sight for five minutes?”
Luc Quotes from Jawk, Tales of the Chosen
To Jawk upon his arrival at Luc’s home
“I’m pleased to finally meet you, Jawk.” The man’s voice had a deep timbre befitting his size. Tall as a Kin, taller than Jawk. Broad shoulders filled out his tux. Wulf had been elegance; Luc was power.
To Jawk who argues that Luc’s ship can’t possibly work
“Do you know what the word shibboleth means? It’s an ancient word to describe the way a culture speaks. ‘Physics laws are immutable’ is a NETway shibboleth. They are only immutable to those who lack the technology to change them.”
Want to know more about Luc, or about these books? You can read sample chapters from each one at the links below. Each opens to a page on this website.
“At the Mercy of Her Pleasure is a story filled with vice and a political empire whose leader, the Conqueror, has no scruples about its application for her own benefit. Add to the mix slavery, kidnapping, blackmail, behaviour enhancing/suppressing drugs and NarrAy Jorlan, one very tempting, genetically engineered human female soldier, and the Antonello brothers, Senth and Khyff, have a lot to contend with to save each other from a life of slavery and submission. …the enigma of Luc Saint-Cyr (the Harbinger) was fascinating. I hope we’ll get to read more about him in this series.” Reviewer: Meredith Gurr, Merry’s Reviews https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1369914461
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
This review is for the current edition of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure. Here are a few reviews from previous editions.
Review 4.5 Ribbons
Apr 2010
With a dazzling cast of characters and an action packed plot, Kayelle Allen introduces us to her extraordinary Empire of Tarth and the alluring Antonello Brothers, where everything is possible and the only boundaries are only those created by her illimitable imagination.
http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/paranormal/KAAt_the_Mercy_of_Her_Pleasure.shtml
Romantic Times Book Reviews
Review 3 Stars
May 2004
Passion is the name of the game in this story. … At the Mercy of Her Pleasure is an amazing, captivating science fiction story.
http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/mercy-her-pleasure
Long and Short Reviews (formerly Whipped Cream Reviews)
Review 4 Cherries
This story definitely had the right amount of sugar and spice. Because this was a sci-fi story based on another world the author really had free rein to use her imagination.
http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/2010/04/at-mercy-of-her-pleasure-by-kayelle.html
You Gotta Read Reviews
Review: You Need to Read
Aug 2010
Overall, I wish I could recommend reading this book, but I must instead recommend reading it twice. The ending is a serious twist that throws everything into a different light. I won’t ruin it by saying any more then that.
http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-at-mercy-of-her-pleasure-by.html
I’m editing a previously released scifi romance in preparation for re-release. It’s mainstream scifi (but was erotica). Taking out the graphic content means the story itself shines for a whole new audience.
The story deserves an all new cover as well. It’s had two previous ones. The first one was by Laura Givens, and the second by Anne Cain. The Author’s Secret did this one. Since I own the business, I have to brag. Our custom covers come with a month of ad space on The Romance Studio, and a month of DMCA Take Down service from Book About.
Oh Mercy
This is the first book I ever wrote, and it’s in need of some shaping. I’ve written other books since, and this is in the same universe as they are. I’ve fine tuned details since this came out. This is not the absolute final version, but it’s not likely to change much. I’ve even rewritten the blurb to better fit the story.
I’ll be sharing info on how and why I edited various scenes as I recreate the book. This is the first in a series and contains the new blurb, as well as the first two pages.
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
Here are the blurb, and the first three paragraphs of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure. I hope you enjoy it.
—
If he touches her, he’ll be at the mercy of her pleasure.
Professional thief Senth Antonello is hired to retrieve a stolen prototype for which the imperial armada has already killed twice. When Senth’s brother is kidnapped to ensure the device is surrendered, Senth must rescue his brother, outsmart the armada, and keep the item out of imperial hands. All doable, except for one small problem. Senth must accomplish it in the company of a genetically altered woman whose pheromones could enhance the mission or crumble it into dust with a single siren kiss.
Excerpt
Once in the shadows, Senth Antonello shoved back the hood of his sensor-blocking cloak and fanned his face. The Thieves’ Guild tech let him hide from copbot scans, but it didn’t cool him. Using his fangs, he loosened first one glove, then the other, and peeled them off. He tucked them into one of dozens of hidden pockets in the cloak.
The faint sound of gang chant carried in the chilled night air. Gangs in the Crooktown District hunted mixed breeds like him. At first glance, Senth appeared human, but with his catlike eyes and fangs, no one could miss his Kin nature. In moonlight, his eyes glowed.
The chant grew louder, along with the sound of glass breaking. The deeper darkness that followed meant two things: another streetlight had met its end, and that gang was closer than Senth had thought.
You come down here I skin you. Senth flattened himself against the brick wall. I skin you, the Grand Master skins me. Let’s do each other a favor, huh, boys?
Worse, the Grand Master would inform Senth’s Sen’dai. His guild master. The crime lord all the other crime lords feared. The Man. The Harbinger. Luc Saint-Cyr.
The Guild didn’t accept non-humans, unless they were enslaved to a human member. No one could rise past level ten, unless related to a human member. Marriages and adoptions happened, regularly. So, to keep the Guild happy, Saint-Cyr was Senth’s lord and master and his adoptive father.
No way Senth wanted the Man angry with him. The last time he’d almost…
Don’t even go there. Senth shook off the thought, drew his hood forward again, and edged around the corner into a darker alley. “Ffffftt!” The Kin cuss word hissed past his fangs. Where are you? Come on, you have to be close. Senth’s HalfKin senses caught the scent of his quarry.
Pressed against the wall, Senth slipped around one last corner, and hunkered down. He melted into the concealing darkness behind a barrel, and narrowed night-sensitive eyes.
His human half brother leaned against the opposite wall of the trash-strewn alley. Khyffen Antonello’s blond hair shone in the muted light. A female pinned him, arms around his neck. She tore open Khyff’s shirt and ran her hands over his chest.
Senth folded himself into the tight space behind the barrel and settled in to wait. Protection of his brother went before any assignment, at least tonight. Family came first.
Senth’s mother had died after birthing him. Khyff, who’d been three, had been sold into slavery. Neither of them knew the other lived until a month ago. Neither had a clue about their biological fathers. Until Khyff had found him, Senth’s only “family” had consisted of the Man.
Pulling out Saint-Cyr’s note, Senth read it once more. Get your half brother and meet me at The Ghost. I have a job for you. Do it, and I’ll buy Khyffen and free him, but it’s going to cost you.
Of course it would. Senth slipped his gloves back on. The Man didn’t do anything for free. But if it got Khyff out of that hellhole, Senth would do it. Leaning out from behind the barrel, he spied Khyff.
For Women Only
His brother had clenched his fists, eyes squeezed shut, face lifted to the night sky, mouth open in a silent scream.
Senth’s master had raised him to believe that no one should have to sell himself to survive. Saint-Cyr owned one slave only, and that was Senth, and only so he could rise within the Guild. They might not agree on how but they did agree on what.
Khyff needed his freedom.
— At the Mercy of Her Pleasure will be out by the end of July, along with its sequel, For Women Only (Khyff’s story). To get one email when one of my books is released, sign up on Author Alarms. You can also subscribe to the newletter and follow the blog. Both options are listed on the left.
BookHooks is a blog hop where authors share only a small snippet of a story, an enticement to read more.
