This is it. The last day! But NOT the last excerpt. See the bottom of this post for more information.
But the burning question has to be…where do I buy this book? (I hope that’s the burning question or else my experiment in posting all these excerpts has not worked, LOL!) The book will be at Barnes & Noble and Borders for sure. In fact, I’ve gotten reports that Borders has started selling the book in earnest yesterday. As for Walmart and Target…I don’t think you’ll be able to find it there, unfortunately. If those are your go-to places for book buying, you might want to order from one of the online stores like Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
This is the last day to enter the contest for the $20 Amazon gift card. Just post a comment! The winner will be posted tomorrow with Carly’s blog.
Alexa hardly knew what had come over her.
Okay, that was a bald-faced lie. Lust had come over her. Years and years of fantasizing about a mysterious, ghostly stranger fading into her room late at night and introducing her to decadent pleasures of the flesh. Hot dreams. Wet dreams. Dreams that had haunted her with particular vigor since her month long stay in the hospital, when she’d had little to do but sleep and surrender to the medications coursing through her body.
But now, she was healthy. She could have exactly what she wanted with a lover who wasn’t completely real–if only she took the leap.
The room darkened around her. She leaned away from Damon and watched candles and torches in iron sconces and elaborate candelabras materialize all around them. Silk draperies and tapestries unfurled from the stones on the wall. In seconds, the landing was transformed into a sensual hideaway, with the cushioned chaise as the centerpiece.
“You’re getting the hang of using the magic,” she whispered, awed by the finery glowing around her.
“Wondrous what a man can do when properly motivated,” he replied.
Before you click…please realize that the rest of this chapter is rated R. You have been warned!
Alexa sank to her knees, knowing she’d lost her mind in pursing this mysterious phantom–and not really caring. “Maybe the magic is what is making me so hot for you.”
He quirked a half grin. “Do you truly believe that?”
Leaning back fully against the chaise, Damon locked his hands behind his head and stared at her with those stormy eyes that sucked her in like a watery vortex. She didn’t know what to think–until she realized that was her problem.
Alexa didn’t want to think anymore. Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, Alexa Chandler was expected to use all of her brainpower to ensure that her father’s legacy didn’t falter. One hundred and thirty five luxury hotel properties in eight countries fell under her responsibility, along with the thousands of investors and employees. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of premium guests.
Even at home, someone always needed her. Jacob. The staff. Various and sundry members of her extended family who had no use for Alexa until they needed a suite for a good friend for their wedding, an advance on their dividends from the company or even her opinion on their latest vacation destination–which was only a roundabout way of bucking for a free room. Even the men she’d dated came up short in fulfilling her most basic desires. Or else, she’d been too afraid to accept what they had to offer, so she’d found lame excuses to send them away.
The only peace she ever found had been alone in her bedroom, in the hour between when she slipped into bed and finally fell asleep, fantasizing like a school girl about a mysterious man who would slip uninvited into her room and ask her for nothing while he gave her everything she ever wanted.
Girlish, yes.
But dammit, Alexa grasped escapism when it came, which wasn’t often. How could she now deny what she so desperately wanted? Her entire body thrummed with the gravity of her need. In every other aspect of her life, she’d always taken what she wanted without looking back. Why not here? Why not now?
“Make love to me, Damon,” she said.
He sat bolt up right, touched his fingers to the straps of her blouse and in a blink, the material disappeared, leaving only her bra to cover her breasts. And under his heated gaze, even that seemed too much.
“I will make love to you, Alexa, but not because you order me to. As a man, looking at you, feeling you against me…I have no other choice.”
The soulful longing in his voice sparked a flame inside her that raged the minute he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down atop him. Whether their clothes disappeared completely via magic or through the insistent ripping away of fabric, Alexa wasn’t sure. In a haze of heat, she knew only that her skin had ignited where every nerve ending in her thighs, stomach, breasts and arms moved against his. Instantly, the fire melted her insides until liquid warmth seeped from between her pulsing labia. She stretched her body completely over his; his sex jutted against her, hard and ready.
She couldn’t wait. What if she awoke before she’d had her fill? What if someone roused her prior to the fantasy playing out? She’d been there before. The frustration had been maddening. No, she wouldn’t wait. Not a minute. Not a second. Instead, she pulled her knees beneath her, took his cock boldly in her hands and guided him inside her.
An explosion of sensation rocked her. She cried out from the blast of ecstasy, burying her fingers into his chest hair, holding on for dear life as her body rode the wave until it crested, then fell. She was nearly unaware of his presence until he spoke.
“Why the rush, my lady?”
He curled his hands over hers and softly loosened her grip. Panting, she opened her eyes and saw a smile twinkling in his eyes. She’d used him for instant gratification.
Embarrassingly instant gratification.
Wonderful instant gratification.
“I didn’t want you to disappear,” she admitted, breathless.
He shifted so that the thickness between her legs jolted her with another wave of pleasure. “I’m certain I have no better place to be than here.”
He felt so real. So solid. Unlike the lovers from her dreams, whose very insubstantiality had haunted her. Climaxes while in the throes of sleep left her wanting more. Like just now. Her body, so starved for satisfaction, had taken the least he had to offer.
And from the look in his eye, he clearly wanted to give her so much more.
She smiled shyly, keenly aware of how their bodies were still merged and how she’d acted like she’d never had sex before in her entire life. “I suppose I jumped the gun.”
He clucked his tongue. “Clearly, you jumped something.”
Surprisingly, his chuckle didn’t send her running.
“Someone, you mean.”
He arched a brow. “Not that I mind, but such haste defies logic. Had you waited, I could do this.”
Lifting her hands to his lips, he kissed her fingers one by one, then lolled his tongue along the inside of her palm, flicking down her wrist to stir her pulse points. He then guided her hands to her breasts and smeared the moisture over her nipples until the tight pucker of arousal no longer ached, but instead pearled with needy vibrations she knew only he could alleviate.
“Your breasts are perfectly lovely. So sensitive. May I?”
His polite request left her stunned, but she dropped her hands to her sides and managed a nod, her eyelids drifting closed as he applied his singular touch. He smoothed his roughened fingertips over her, weighing the fullness of her flesh in his palms, using his thumbs to draw tiny circles around her areola, then flicking the tips of her nipples with his thumbnails until she cooed from the sensations.
She found herself running her hands over his stomach, reveling in the resistance of his abs and in the soft pelt of hair arrowing down his chest. In a dizzy swirl of sensation, he pressed his hands against her shoulders, pulled her close, then flipped her beneath him.
“Ah,” he said, his grin wide. “That’s more like it.”
She blinked rapidly. “Women on top threaten you?”
His chuckle spawned another wave of sensations within her, one more delicious than the next. “Threaten? You have an odd view of men, my lady.”
“You haven’t lived my life.”
“No, but I have lived mine. Trust me when I tell you that nothing you do, nothing you say, will threaten me in any way.”
She grinned and laced her hands behind his neck. “You said yourself that I’m a powerful woman.”
“Yes, and this intrigues me. If the men in your life have run from you because of your strength, you are simply pursuing the wrong men.”
She cradled her cheek against the pillow as she laughed. “You’ve said a mouthful,” she agreed.
He eyed her breasts hungrily. “Ah, but a proper mouthful has nothing to do with words.”
#
Damon proved his point by scooping his arm beneath her back, arching her body so he could wrap his lips around her erect nipples. Instantly she reacted, boldly scrambling her fingers into his hair and tugging him closer. Had he not been certain of her station in life, he might have thought her a courtesan, at the very least–or more likely a queen. From the moment she captured his cock, shoved it within her moist folds and milked instant pleasure from him, she’d snared him. Now it was his turn to enslave her. Only through their mutual delight would he find his way to freedom.
He flicked his tongue across the tight nub on the tip of her breast. She writhed beneath him, impatient. Needful. His tentative control slipped from his grasp. He needed to orchestrate this seduction to his advantage, but more than that, he needed to feel her, taste her, lose himself inside her until the lost years melted away.
He’d been alone too long. Longer than his entrapment. Longer still than his married life, mistress or no. He dropped lower and bathed her naked belly in hot kisses. She spread her legs so that her feet dropped over the sides of the chaise. Her need crystal clear, he thought he’d lose his mind.
And he did. In the taste of her. In the feel of her. The heat of her desire and the fire of his own, tossed all thoughts of freedom and captivity, magic and evil, from his brain. He wanted nothing more than to learn her, brand her, make her his in ways neither of them would ever forget.
She was panting hard when he finally looked up from between her thighs. She grabbed him by the cheeks and pulled him close.
“I can’t wait anymore. You’re driving me mad.”
He kissed her hard, loving how her flavors mixed and mingled with his. The tightness of wanting her made his whole groin ache, particularly when she clasped his buttocks with both her hands and drove her fingernails into his flesh, urging him inside her once again. He saw no reason to prolong the agony and immediately complied, though he did not impale her swiftly as she expected. Instead, he pressed the head of his sex into her just an inch, waited for her to gasp in pleasure, then withdrew.
“What?”
He drove into her a little deeper, relishing the sensation of her hot, moist skin against his hardened flesh and the way her breath caught in her throat when he teased.
“You are too hot,” he chastised.
Her eyes widened. “I’m too–?”
He eased back, leaving the top of his penis nestled in her tight opening, but denying her–and him–the full sensation they both so desperately sought. “Slow and steady wins the race,” he claimed.
She grabbed his buttocks and pulled him hard inside her.
“Not in my century,” she claimed.
His laugh soon turned to unbidden groans as need overtook him and he could think of nothing else but pumping them both to climax. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and the tilt of her womb nearly drove both of them mad. In a haze of pleasure, Damon felt centuries of control slip out of his grasp. Around him, candles blinked in and out of existence. The tapestries and silk sheaths rustled from an unseen wind and the music of her gratified bliss rang in his ears.
The moment of climax came hard and Damon’s entire body tensed, then released. He crumbled atop her, sated and stretched to his limit. The gentle way she curled her fingers in the long strands of his hair nearly lulled him to sleep.
“I can’t believe this is real,” she said on a stilted breath.
He pulled up onto his elbow and watched how the flames from the sconces flickered in the reflection of her emerald eyes. Her beauty truly was unsurpassed. Her intense passion enhanced her attractiveness to the point where it almost pained him to look at her. Against the pillow, her burnished hair taunted him, reminded him of the gypsy’s promise. He could only wonder how deep Alexa Chandler’s influence would remain over his destiny. She’d already released him, albeit partially, from Rogan’s cursed painting. Now, she’d brought him intense pleasure in an act so simple and basic, with any other woman, the physical actions might as well have been by rote. Yet with Alexa, Damon felt renewed. Invigorated.
Alive.
Completely. Not a shadow of a man, but solid to the core.
“This is amazingly real. A few hours ago, I was trapped in a single room, staring out at nothingness for centuries on end, too exhausted by monotony and emptiness to dream about either my future or my past.”
She released the lock of her legs around his waist, but he remained inside her. Now lax, a single movement would separate them, so he remained perfectly still.
“And now?”
He brushed a lock of her hair from her dark eyelashes. “The present has grasped my attention in a most amazing way.”
As their bodies readjusted to normalcy, Damon shifted beside Alexa and after untangling legs and arms and slick skin, they spooned. He placed his hand protectively on her belly, splaying his fingers to possess the maximum amount of skin. He concentrated and seconds later, a silk coverlet draped over them, chasing away the chill. Surprisingly, he felt the muscles in his shoulders and arms go completely lax. His legs barely seemed to exist. The only part of his anatomy having trouble embracing this laziness was his cock, and with her buttocks snuggled so tightly against him, he could hardly blame his intimate anatomy for attempting to regain its strength.
He leaned in and, burying his face in the tousled hair, took a deep breath. When he pulled back, he felt a scrape across the bridge of his nose. Brushing aside her burnished locks, he found a gold chain twisted the tight strands at the nape of her neck.
“What’s this?” he asked, tugging on the necklace.
She attempted to turn toward him as he worked to untangle the chain. “Oh, it’s a good luck charm.”
He chuckled, thinking the talisman had clearly done a brilliant job for both of them.
Working as nimbly as he could, he eased the hair from the chain, twisting and tugging until the charm came free. Only once the torn triangle fell across his fingertips did he realize what Alexa wore.
Sarina’s necklace.
The one given to her by their father.
The one she’d lost on the night of her disappearance.
Want to read one more chapter? Do you? Click here!
—————–
Comment #14, Bunny B! There’s one more winner left…come back tomorrow to see who it is!
Thank you all for following PHANTOM PLEASURES this week. I hope I’ve inspired you to buy the book and to visit Plotmonkeys daily. Starting tomorrow, we’re back to our round robin of blogging…I don’t know about you guys, but I miss hearing from Carly, Leslie & Janelle!
Remember–There’s always something new at Plotmonkey’s jungle, each and every day!
By all reports, Julie Leto was a sweet child once, somewhat shy, preferring to play quietly in her room making up stories. However, being raised with three brothers in a loud, primarily Italian household did have its influences and Julie discovered her inner tough girl. That’s probably why most of her heroines kick serious butt. Writing sassy heroines has worked out, as she’s sold over forty books to four publishers featuring strong, confident women. Julie lives in Florida with her daughter, a spoiled dachshund, a haughty lynx-point Siamese and a wide range of relatives all within driving distance.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
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Great week of excerpts!
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That was great!
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Yay! I won. Cool! Sent you an email :)
Today’s excerpt was hot, hot, HOT!!! Thanks so much for the fun and delightful week!
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Is it getting hot in here! Phew – that was some chapter!
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Wow.. six chapters. We are so lucky. Thanks for sharing them with us.
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I can’t wait to read the rest!!!
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Just wanted to let you know I have seen this in stores Julie!! (Borders, Louisville, KY)
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Wow, what a steamy excerpt. I love it.
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You are such a tease…kidding…Girl, where do you come up with these scenes…very well-done btw…it was as x-rated as I imagined it would be because of the “R” warning label…he is so smooth…She is so daring…to be bold like that…and the shocker….Sarina’s necklace…this gets very interesting…I think some of my specs are coming into play here…can’t wait to read the next chapter…Thx Jules…
I hope that everyone has a wonderful and relaxing day…especially after reading this…if you can concentrate, please send me some of those vibes because the picture that Jules’ words created is permanently etched on my mind…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Jules, the next excerpt was awesome…I can’t wait to get my hands on this book…I haven’t been to the store recently, so I haven’t seen the books yet, but if I do I will definitely let you know…Jules, I think that you have outdone yourself with this one…I can’t wait to finish this book and read the others to follow…I have a feeling that I am going to be so hooked on these characters that I won’t ever want to stop reading about them…my heart is still racing…Well done Jules…
I miss hearing from Leslie, Janelle and Carly too…
Bunny, congrats on winning the gift certificate…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Wonderful week of excerpts ~ thanks!
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Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to owning the real thing.
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Super. Thanks Julie.
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wow…that was a good chapter, just steamy enough. Looks like I’ll have to buy the book and find out what happens next. Thank you for sharing the first chapters with us and good luck on sales
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Bunny, I haven’t received an email from you at either address. With the server switch, that might be the culprit. Try my gmail account (if you didn’t already) which is julieleto at gmail dot com.
Paula, you’re too sweet. I’m glad you enjoyed all the excerpts!
Thanks so much everyone. It’s been a fun week sharing this with you, it really has.
Reports are in all over that the book is out at various Borders and Barnes & Nobles. No word on Amazon shipping yet, but I expect that by tomorrow. Thanks so much to all of you who intend to buy the book!!!
A lot of people have asked about first week sales…really, starting today, if you see it, please buy it! And feel free to turn it cover-side out if its not already…he, he, he. I do this all the time! To other people’s books, as well as my own, btw.
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Thanks for a great week of reading!
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WHEW!
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I have been a faithful reader of your works for sometime so I can honestly say that this book is a work of art. While I was setting here reading this last chapter everything else ceased to exsist. The television, the rain outside hitting my window, everything. I can’t wait to get my copy so I can go back to the castle and forget about all else.
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Awesome can’t wait for the book to come out!
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I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the story!
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Just can’t wait for the book!!!!
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Woo Hoo!! Boy was that sizzling! And I totally didn’t expect what happened next with Alexa being trapped in the castle. I’m beginning to wonder about Jacob–Is he not what he seems? Is he connected directly to Damon’s past? Is he connected to Serena? How did he get that necklace? Did he really give it to Alexa for protection or for another reason that has to do with Damon…?
The book is ordered, can’t wait to receive it so all of these questions can be answered. Once again, I bow to you Julie.
If I could write like that I’d really have something…
Have a fab day in the jungle everybody. We had a little sprinkle of snow last night.
Cher :banana:
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I popped over to your site to finish the excerpt.
I guess I am going to have to order from amazon. All I have in my small town is a Walmart and Publix. I was hoping that Walmart would carry the book.
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Congratulations, Bunny!
This has been a week of wonderful excerpts. Thanks Julie! :flower4you:
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Gigi, believe me, I was hoping Walmart would carry the book, too. But they made a decision a few months ago to carry more bestsellers and backlist books and less midlist new releases (meaning authors like me who aren’t uber-bestsellers.) I haven’t heard specifically that they aren’t carrying the book, but all indications are that they are not. Sorry! If the books sell well, maybe they’ll carry the next one.
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I’ve really enjoyed this-thanks!
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Hi Julie~
Another great excerpt and I can hardly wait for the book to come out. That stinks about Wal-Mart not selling your book!
Thanks for sharing all these great excerpts with us and I am hooked.
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It sure has been fun all week reading the excerpts – thanks for sharing…can’t wait to continue reading the book! :flower4you:
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That was… WOW! Thanks Julie for the excerpts!
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Congrats Bunny!
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Whoa baby, mighty nice excerpt today there!!!!!
Lois
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This has been a great week Julie- and what a way for the other monkey’s to get a break! I can’t wait to be out of the hospital and read the rest of the book!
Who is going to do it next?
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I just loved reading these excerpts. I already pre-ordered the book from Amazon, but they are selling it at my wal-mart. It is already out on the shelf!! (I am in Oklahoma)
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Julie, thank you so much for a fantastic week of reading!! I can’t wait to finish it. I’ll be first in line at my B&N on Tuesday. I hope this first week’s sales surpass your expectations! (I have a feeling they will.
)
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Awesome! Thanks again for all the excerpts!
It’s a great book, Julie!! I have no doubt I’ll enjoy the
rest of it.
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Damn, Julie!
I can already see this is one of those books that as soon as I’m done reading it, I’m going to go back and read it all over again the next day.
You are queen of hot.
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:flamer: :flamer: :flamer: :flamer:Talk about hot! Wow! Cannot wait to read it! Thanks for sharing the excerpts.
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Thanks for the chapters!
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Thanks for this!
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Last chapter… thanks!
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Wow! Simply Wow! And you left us with such a great hook! Lynette
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Carrie, you’re KIDDING! I’m in a Walmart?!? I honestly didn’t expect that…wow, thanks for telling me.
Okay, ladies…I stand corrected. Clearly, my book will be carried in some Walmarts!
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:flamer: WOW! What a scorching, hot excerpt Julie! :flamer:
Juile your book is amazing!
Many thanks for sharing a whole week of enticing excerpts with all your fans!
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Phantom Pleasures is resting on the top of my TBR pile. :grin1:
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CONGRATULATIONS BUNNY. GREAT CHAPTERS–AND AS SOME OTHERFS
HAVE SAID, HOT-HOT-HOT-HOT.
ALICE IN TEXAS
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Julie, these last few excerpts were exactly the kind of escape I needed from the last two days of critical analysis reading I’ve been doing for my exam. Alexa and Damon are positively steamy together and I can’t wait to read the rest of the book. I’ll have to, though, as I still have 6 days to go before I can really read anything, aside from excerpts, that is non-exam related.
Thanks so much for making my little escapes from the preparation so worthwhile. :)
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Wow!!! That was scorching, Julie! Way to have us all rushing for our own copies!
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Ooooh Lala… That was a steamy scene…
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Whew! I agree with the others. That excerpt was scorching! You definitely achieved your objective with me lol. I’m ordering it!
Hugs, Zara :hug2:
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definitely inspired… what a great book..
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Thanks for the great week
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And people wonder why women read Romance novels…
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Wow great excerpts. Thanks for sharing.
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Awesome week of great excerpts. Congrats to the winners so far.
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Thanks for all the great excerpts! Good luck everyone!
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Aw, this was so wonderful and I hate to see it end. But the book comes out this week, right? So I’ll just have to wait a few more days….
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Wow – I’m going with everyone else, this chapter is HOT – love all the excerpts! Congratulations to Bunny B! Julie, you left us with such a cliff hanger!
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Thanks for this week of excerpts. Enjoy your Sunday.
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You’ve spoiled us this week. Going to be getting this book for sure.
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Thanks for all these great excerpts. Looking forward to reading this book.
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Thanks for another great excerpt!
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Ooh, what a hot excerpt. Congrats, Bunny.
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I haven’t read any of the excerpts this week. It’s been one of those weeks. LOL However, I did go to Target yesterday to pick up laundry detergent and had to browse the book shelves. I picked up Phatom Pleasures. I thought that you might want to know that your book was in Target. I can’t wait to sit down with your book and a cup of hot tea this evening.
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What a wild ride!
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It’s been a wonderful week reading these chapters. Thanks for sharing them with us Julie!
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Thanks so much for the daily excerpts, this book is now on my tbp list!
I’m anxious to see how your book turns out!!
Pat Cochran
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Hey Jules, I always get your books from Walmart, if I didn’t already order them from Amazon…that is where I got Stripped…you are in the big leagues Chica…so don’t be surprised…you are in Sears Essentials too…in Pomfret, Connecticut, loving known as “The Quiet Corner”…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Wow, that was really HOT! Thanks for the great week of chapters, I look forward to reading the rest SOON!
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Thanks for another great excerpt, plus I checked out the new chapter too.
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Oh my! As she fans herself vigorously. Aren’t we all overbooked overtasked.
What a great escape-can’t wait to read this
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Great week, thanks. Congratulations Bunny B. Enjoy that gift card.
I’ve missed the other Plot Monkeys but have enjoyed this week. I’ll be looking for Phantom Pleasures.
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Congrats Bunny!
I bought my copy after lunch today and am getting ready to read the rest of the book today! I found it a Borders, but B&N wasn’t selling it yet. I was told by the Borders guy that some of the books with the 4/1 release date really could be released anytime after 3/25. I actually was asking about a couple of other books that were on the 4/1 release date and he said they were in, but couldn’t be sold until 4/1.
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last day for the book
i love reading the exceprts
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wow! i just caught up reading the chapters. i love your writing style. :)
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Looking forward to reading the whole book!
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Thank you so much for letting us read these wonderful excerpts from Phantom Pleasures. It was terrific and looking forward to reading the entire book. Congratulations on a GREAT story. :santawhat:
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This really has been a great week. The cliffhanger about Sarina’s necklace. I must have more.
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I have so totally enjoyed all the excerpts. You were so kind to share them all with us. Thanks Julie, you ROCK!
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Thanks for a great week of reading :flower4you:
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Another great excerpt! Thanks Julie!
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well you have sold a copy to me…thanks
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wtg bunny b
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It just gets better and better!
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Hey, I don’t know if you’ll get this message still…but I saw Phantom Pleasures at my local Walmart today! :) I got it at B&N on release day but thought you might want to know about Walmart anyway – hope you have had a good release week! :flower4you: