BLURB:
It's
1927 and Lord Zoltan Kristos, Hungary's Minister of the Interior, takes great
pains to hide the fact he's a werewolf from the world. Despite his efforts,
he's recognized when he goes to the Austrian-Hungarian border to inspect the
area for damage from a recent rare earthquake.
Zoltan
is accused of stealing Kurt Meklau's witch, Inna, and is recklessly pursed to
Volturn Manor, a residence belonging to another werewolf family, the Vargas. After
a fight with Meklau, Zoltan barely escapes and his adversary is found dead.
Sophia
Varga and Tomas Martin find Zoltan. Sophia is determine to attend to Zoltan's
injuries and protect her home, but when Kurt's father, Marcus, comes seeking
revenege, Sophia is tested like never before. As Zoltan and Sophia work
together, attraction and desire flame between them.
Will
the secrets Volturn Manor harbors offer Zoltan and Sophia the clues they need
to defeat Marcus and give them the opportunity to explore their feelings for
one another?
BUY LINKS:
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EXCERPT:
Sophia
paused, scooped out a new handful of lotion and rubbed it into the scratches on
his muscled thighs. Again, a low, uneasy breath escaped from his throat. Her
touch drove his body wild. Glancing down, there was no mistaking the bulge of
his manhood through his boxers.
Sophia paused, her gaze settling
upon his groin, then looked up at him. His jaw tensed, and he drew in a breath.
She nipped at her lower lip,
uncertainty in her eyes. "You're hard," she whispered.
"See what you've done to
me."
She raised an eyebrow, her question
unspoken.
"I assure you this has not
happened before," he said.
For a moment she studied him
intently, her eyes darkening to the color of sapphires before she continued.
He looked her over seductively. His
heart skipped a beat with desire. She rubbed the lotion into her hands and
placed them on his stomach. He groaned, reaching out with his left hand and
threading his fingers into her hair, jerking her head back so they were
eye-to-eye. She set her jaw. His pulse pounded. Something intense flared
between them, yet she kept her hands on his abdomen. Encouraged, Zoltan tugged
her toward him, pressing her chest against his. Her nostrils flared and her
brow furrowed in confusion.
He stopped, reminding himself he
needed to offer a choice. "Do you want me to kiss you?"
"No." The sound of her
denial was weak. He held her close.
"Do you want me to release you?"
"No."
"How should I solve my
predicament?"
"I don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio:
I'm
a member of Generation X, and was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. After
graduating from Central High, the U.S. Army gave me a job. I spent 11 years in the military, 7 stationed
in Germany. While in the military I earned my B.S. in Political Science from California
Baptist University in Riverside, CA in 1995. After leaving the Army in 1997, I
settled in California. The New England Patriots are still My favorite football
team. I've been married for 20 years.
Currently, I work for LAPD as a 911
Dispatcher. I'm a member of EPIC
(Electronically Published Internet Connection). I'm published with Desert
Breeze Publishing and 4RV Publishing.
Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart
Like
my Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Burkhart-Author/149938795021166
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review:
The Secret
Door
is an historical paranormal fantasy book set in Hungary during July 1927. The story
kicks off with an immediate BANG, taking the reader on a high speed (for the
times) car chase upon perilous roads and ending with a brutal fight between two
werewolves. Stephanie Burkhart mixes action adventure with Gothic romance and sprinkles
in a touch of mystery to create an entertaining tale. This is book four in the Budapest Moon series, but back story
is skillfully integrated, and the story may be read as a standalone.
Zoltan Kristos is a dark hero with a checkered past. He is a
nobleman and a werewolf, and has committed acts earlier in life, which he has
come to regret. His fight with rival werewolf Meklau is over a personal witch,
Inna, who possesses the knowledge to administer specific herbs to werewolves to
aid in their transformation and healing. During the fight, Meklau is killed,
although not directly at Zolton's hands, which brings the wrath of the story's
primary antagonist, Marcus, down upon Zolton.
Sophia Varga is the daughter of a werewolf man and a human
woman, and the mistress of Volturn Manor. She possesses some wolf traits but
remains unable to shift her form to that of a wolf. She is a courageous and
resourceful heroine, but untested as the story begins. However, the fast moving
plot provides her with plenty of opportunities to prove her worth.
Zolton and Sophia share an immediate attraction. The characters
have good chemistry, but I have to confess, the initial romantic scene as shown
in the excerpt left me giggling.
She nipped at her lower lip, uncertainty in her eyes.
"You're hard," she whispered.
"See what you've done to me."
She raised an eyebrow, her question unspoken.
"I assure you this has not happened before," he
said.
What—never?! For a
grown man, I'd have expected him to have experienced erections eight to ten
times as a day from the onset of puberty and onward. That's one heck
of a stoic hero...
All kidding aside, the romance between the hero and heroine is
thoroughly enjoyable. The love scenes
are sensual, imparting a pleasant sizzle, and nicely interwoven with the fast
paced action sequences. The take on werewolves is original but also harkens to
traditional horror, and the author does an excellent job of transporting the
reader to the post-World War I setting. There were moments when the language
choice threw me. The Secret Door is a solid choice for the reader looking for an
exciting paranormal story containing both romance and adventure.
BUY LINKS:
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Stephanie will be awarding a back list print book, either The Hungarian
or The Count's Lair, from the Budapest Moon Series to a randomly drawn
commenter at each stop, and a Grand Prize of a coffee and chocolate gift
basket: $10.00 GC to Starbucks, A Coffee Mug, Andes Chocolates, Magnets, and a
Lori Powell Original Book Bag to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US
ONLY).
