Title: Sacrificed to the Sea Monster
Author: Ava M Taylor
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance
Book Blurb:
The ocean is deep and dangerous.
No one knows this better than Vanessa. Her father died while working at sea. Her mother faded away. Now Vanessa’s alone and old enough to be sacrificed.
Five sea monsters block the entrance to her village’s fishing bay. This means five women will be sacrificed to the sea monsters in the hope the village will be able to go fishing this year. Vanessa knows she’ll be one of them.
She chooses the ocean over the village. She takes a leap of faith. But the ocean is deep and dangerous. Will Vanessa save her village at the cost of her life? Or is this just the beginning of her fated journey?
18+ Excerpt:
She turned from the ocean and made her way back down the rocks. Uncertain of her mood, he stood his ground. She picked her way across the rocks and sand. He wanted her. He wanted to lay her on the white sand and take her in every way he had already and then start taking her in new ways.
Her head snapped up and her eyes speared him. Still angry
“Jerk,” she strode up to him. “You. You give me a choice and I think… I think you’re different. You make love to me. You tell me you want to protect me. Then because I see something which makes me think, you’ve suddenly got me off in some damn city. Why?”
“I wondered if you had dreams before you were sacrificed,” Beric said. “I wondered if you wanted a chance at something different.”
“Dreams. The only dreams I remember ever… no.” Vanessa paced away from him. Shaking her head, she turned back. “I told you about my parents. I told you what my mother called me. You think somehow I’d be happy living in a concrete barren city?”
“The ocean is a harsh environment,” Beric said.
“I know,” Vanessa said. “I’ve lived on the edge of it my entire life.”
“That’s my point. I wondered if you wanted to pursue something other than being by the ocean.”
“You’re an idiot,” she put her hands on her hips. For a moment, she wondered how ridiculous she looked standing completely naked on a miniscule beach having a fight with her sea monster boyfriend. The ridiculousness of it made her lips twitch.
“Probably,” Beric admitted. “Look at you. You aren’t a water baby. You’re a goddess. I love you and because I love you, I wondered if being here with me was the best thing for you.”
“Still an idiot but how could you think I was sad,” Vanessa said. “When we’re underwater, I know exactly what you’re feeling. Doesn’t it work both ways?”
“I might have been focused too much on my own thoughts,” Beric confessed. “This life…”
“Is with you, right?”
“Absolutely,” Beric said.
“You’re the first person to give me a choice,” Vanessa said. “The boys growing up always called us a sacrifice, meaning we were useless. Some tried to use it to their advantage, let me fuck you and we can be attached, so you don’t get sacrificed.”
“Bastards,” Beric muttered. “I stole you from the village.”
“You rescued me and gave me a choice,” Vanessa said. “This is the one and only time we’re having this discussion. Do you want me as your mate?”
“Yes,” Beric said.
“Then don’t try sending me away,” Vanessa poked him in the chest. “I came to you voluntarily and I intend to stay. If you don’t like it, then you go to the damn city. I’ll take the ocean any day.”
He grabbed her finger and licked the length of it. He watched her nipples harden. “You think you get the ocean over me?”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What’s your favorite part about being a romance author?
If I tell a story and the readers tell me it made them laugh or cry or feel an emotion, it’s the best. I know I’ve done the best possible job of telling my story.
Here’s my tip to add romance to your love life:
Think outside the box. Romance does not have to be a candlelit dinner. It could be your lover knows you’re having a rough day and they make an effort to keep your down time stress free. Appreciate the small gestures, maybe your lover is up before you and gets out your favorite cup and has it waiting for you exactly how you like it when you stumble to the kitchen.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card.
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs February 1 – 28, 2023.
Drawing will be held on March 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
Ava M Taylor (Eileen Troemel) writes action packed and emotionally powerful erotic romance. Her characters are vivacious and real. Her stories - whether contemporary or fantasy - always have a happy ending. She takes the reader to places they never expected to go. She makes fantasy flesh!
Social Media Links:
Thank you for featuring Ava M Taylor's book. She's one of my pen names! I thoroughly enjoyed creating these characters and the story. I'm working on the second in the series and have more planned.
Thank you, Ava, for sharing your book in our Love and Romance Book Festival!
Congratulations to Ana on this fabulous promo! The excerpt sold me! I'm off to add this book to my TBR pile!