Kissing Dracula

by JoAnne Kenrick

They may sparkle one year, and be grotesquely ugly the next. But one thing's for sure, vampires are here to stay and have a long line of expectations to live up to. Although new rules are added, mixed up and deleted with each work of fiction, I prefer the cliche; no reflections, fear of garlic and religious artifacts, sunlight will kill them and of course killing them can be a bit tricky unless you shoove them out into the day or chop off their heads. Buffy will tell ya, though. The best way to kill a vamp is a stake through the heart.

These classic vampires are my favorite kind, not just to read about or watch on the big screen in all their sexy glory. Nuh-uh. I also love to write about them, too. And Dracula's Kiss is a product of my huge love for this genre, I sure hope my passion for vampires shine in this story.

Gothic. Dark. Mysterious. Sexy.

I wanted to go back to the idea of classic vampire movie plotlines, where vampires haven't been outted and have to be somewhat cunning to get by without getting caught...and Slains Castle, Cruden Bay in Scotland, offers a fantastic back-drop for such a story. 16^th century ruins on a cliff-edge, and Bram Stoker supposedly used this location for inspiration for Dracula's humble abode. It's just too darn perfect not to use this as the place where Alec Murray finally meets Cathela.  BUYLINKS

What is Dracula's Kiss about? We're talking  sexy Scottish vampire, spooky castle ruins with connections to Bram Stoker's Dracula, a halloween ball, and a darkly delicious cocktail named Dracula's Kiss. In the style of the classic vampire movies I do so love, Cathela wants to be allured to the dark side by a vampire...in her fantasies. But can she handle it when her desires becomes a reality? If ever there was one of my books that I want to see turned into a movie, this would be it. And if it was, it'd imagine it to be a cross between Embrace of the Vampire and Queen of the Damned...but set in Scotland.

BLURB: 

Cathela's Office Halloween Ball is a complete bust. She spills out her Dracula's Bride costume, and her vamp fetish chases away her boyfriend. Only redeeming feature to the night? Necking multiple shots of Dracula's Kiss—a lush Black Cherry Vodka cocktail—and an interlude with a gorgeous man dressed Gary Oldman style.

No one comes close to satisfying Alec Murray's needs until he meets Cathela during some lame-ass party for bankers. One taste of her blood, sweet yet darkly dangerous, he knows she's perfect for him.

A night of goth bondage is planned for one. For the other, a night of sexual control is a must. A perfect fit. Alec is compelled to reveal his true nature, but can their relationship survive his dark secret?

EXCERPT

What’s the worst that could happen? I get lost? The ruins aren’t that big. I’ll have a little wander around then take a taxi back to the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel and sober up.

The ceiling height dropped with every tiny step she took, and she could no longer stretch out her arms without bumping into walls. The tight space terrified her. Heart pounding, she rounded a bend and laughed with the ridiculousness of the situation, unable to believe she had accidentally on purpose arrived at the dungeons. Thick, steel bars still enclosed two of the cells and heavy-duty iron handcuffs were chained to the walls. She crept into the first chamber and glided her finger along the iron of the torturous restraints. Imagining the pain and horrors that must have happened there, she shuddered.

“Have ye been naughty? Do I need tae teach ye a lesson and lock ye up?” A voice penetrated the darkness around her, shattering her little game of pretend cat and mouse. She spun to see who’d followed her. Not wanting to be caught in a drunken state, she prayed it was a stranger. But in the same moment, she hoped for someone she knew who wished her no harm. No one would hear me scream for help.

Her candle snuffed out from a breath, and not her own. The chill exhale kissed her neck and skated down her body like an icicle drip. The horror of it sent her hurtling backward. Had it not been for the wall behind her, she would have landed on her butt.
“Who’s there? Bar dude, is that you?”

DRACULA'S KISS BUYLINKS

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JoAnne Kenrick, an ex-Ghost Tour Guide turned Romance Author, is a Welsh lass who has lived in various countries around the world. She now calls North Carolina her home, where she lives with her husband, two children and a lazy cat. When they aren't demanding her attention, she can most likely be found watching a vampire movie, reading or baking up a British favorite in her N.C. kitchen. That is, when she isn't writing or chatting up a storm on social networking sites. www.joannekenrick.com Her current release, Sweet Irish Kiss, is an ARe bestseller!

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