Title: Hot Shade
Author: Tamara Lush
Published: September 30, 2015, Boroughs Publishing
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Journalist Skylar Shaw covers a plane crash on a Florida beach that leads her to a handsome yet mysterious Italian man...and the conspiracy that threatens all he holds dear.
Romance is the last thing on reporter Skylar Shaw's mind when she covers a plane crash on a Florida beach. Her best source could be a mysterious Italian man, but he's strictly off the record—unless it involves indulging their electrifying attraction to each other. Little does Skylar know, but that crash is only the beginning.
Luca Rossi is hiding a big secret: He's a journalist, too, and his anonymous exposé on the Mafia destroyed his world. Now, after two lonely years on the run, he will do anything to possess this vulnerable American beauty. But Skylar is as relentless as the Florida glare, and the situation ignites when she reports on a gruesome murder in a swamp. Soon erotic nights will bleed into dangerous days, and nowhere will be safe from the heat.
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Tamara Lush is a new to me author. It was a pleasure to be able to read her
latest book, Hot Shade. This is a
romantic suspense story that has hot sun, hot sand, hot Italian men, oh and a
plane crash and the Italian Mafia just for fun!
I usually need to parcel out my reading of romantic
suspense. It gets to be too much for me
and I need to take breaks. This book was
not quite to that intensity. The premise
is laid out pretty early and other than not knowing exactly how it would play
out, it was pretty obvious who the major player were in this game of hide and
seek.
Luca Rossi was well written as a writer in hiding after his anonymity
was compromised. He has been on the run
for two years. Skylar Shaw may be the
one reason he would stop running. I appreciated
her tenacity in going after the story. She
was determined to get inside the man and find out what made him tick.
Together, the s3xual tension escalated until Skylar felt
safe enough to take things further.
Rainstorms and Florida heat made things even more sizzling!
Overall, a good effort by this journalist turned
author. The story was well laid out and
well written. I would have enjoyed a bit
more suspense or surprise to bring some freshness to the story. Worth looking at other works by this author
in the future.
*ARC received for an honest review
Excerpt
They kissed for a long time, and a fierce Florida summer storm raced ashore. The room was dark save for flashes of lightning. When a loud crack of thunder exploded overhead, Luca protectively squeezed her closer.
“You’re sure you’re okay with not having sex?” she whispered.
“I’m totally okay. This makes me happy.”
He kissed her neck, wrapping a fistful of her hair in his hand and pulling slightly, tilting her head. When he bit her, Skylar traveled to a different dimension. She opened her mouth, gasping at how his lips sent waves of heat throughout her body.
Luca sat up, kneeling, and pulled her to him, her back to his chest. Her hands squeezed his muscular thighs and she lightly raked her nails over his skin. With his strong arms wrapped around her she felt small and safe. Luca’s hands caressed her thighs under her dress, alternating between gentle strokes and possessive squeezes. Her breasts were heavy with longing in a way they’d never been.
She was also kneeling, and he pulled her arms back and threaded his own through the crooks of her elbows so she couldn’t touch him or move, while his hand raked her front. Her dress and panties were still on, and his underwear did nothing to obscure the erection pressing near her ass.
“I want you to touch me,” she whispered in a tentative voice. “Will you take off my clothes?” “Of course,” he said.
Slowly he removed her dress, pausing to reach around and stroke her breasts. Then he eased her panties over her hips, but only partway, so the fabric strained around her thighs. He took a fistful of her hair and turned her head so that his lips were near his ear.
“Tell me if you like this,” he whispered. From behind, his hand cupped her ass then stroked her lower. She felt one of his fingers inside of her.
She gasped. “I like that. A lot.”
“Good,” he murmured, taking his other hand out of her hair. “And how about if I do this?”
He gently folded her forward so she was on all fours and then reached around and slid his finger into her wetness, over and around her clit. The sensation of his fingers working her with a slow rhythm in both places made her cry out softly from the intensity. She urged her hips back into his hands and rocked.
“Oh, Luca,” she whispered.
The thunderstorm was everywhere now, loud and insistent. She wasn’t sure if the electricity in the air was from the atmosphere or them. Luca whispered something in Italian then switched languages.
“You’re so wet.”
His voice was hoarse, and she arched her back, wanting more. She felt damp and creamy everywhere. For a chilling second she thought of James and how he’d once told her that she was too slippery.
“Am I too wet?” she asked, feeling self-conscious.
Luca stopped and pulled her up. Spun her around to face him and planted a long kiss on her lips. “Sky. No. Don’t ever ask that again. You will never be too wet for me.”
“Will you keep touching me?”
“I think the better question is, will I be able to stop touching you?”
She slid her panties off her legs and lay down, opening her legs. A low growl emerged from Luca’s throat and he lay atop her, his skin hot and demanding. He ground his hips into hers and the only thing separating them was the fabric of his underwear. She fed on his lips, sucked on his tongue. And yet, she wanted to wait, wanted to prolong penetration.
“Lie next to me and touch me again,” she whispered.
He did, trailing his nose down her cheek and pressing his open mouth into her jaw as his hand went in between her legs. His fingers glided through her slick heat and sweat bloomed at her hairline. Two of his fingers entered her, and she whimpered with pleasure at the delicious, straining feeling. She spread her legs even wider in response, and he shuddered a breath in her ear.
Lightning crackled, illuminating the room and their bodies with brief white flashes. The rain came, pounding loud and insistent against the roof of the mansion.
“This is...this is perfect,” she said, feeling like she was telling him a deep secret. She almost wanted to cry from the intensity because she felt so close to him and knew this moment was fleeting and impossible to repeat. Thank heavens it was dark, because her eyes welled up a little and she shuddered. This was different, special.
And might never happen again.
Luca’s breath caught, and he spoke in a low whisper into her ear as he slid his fingers over her swollen clitoris, causing her stomach muscles to twitch in response. “It is. It is perfect. You’re right. We’re perfect together.”
She hoped he wasn’t lying.
He teased and touched her, circling her clit with his fingers. She was so close to coming. So close. Her insides coiled. Tightened. Her body was ready for the release.
“Please, Luca. Please. Please,” she whimpered, and he responded in Italian.
“Sorry,” he said after a breathless moment. “I’m loving you in my language.”
Skylar’s heart skipped a beat. She shuddered with violent need when he slowed his circles around her clit, breathing hard in her ear and occasionally whispering words she didn’t understand. Dimly, she realized they were words of passion and beauty, but she couldn’t think, couldn’t speak.
His finger’s circles around her clit grew smaller, firmer, more insistent. An orgasm tore through her, over and over, and she cried out louder than she ever had, turning into him and crushing her body against his. She reached the apex of pleasure, not wanting it to end. Through her daze she knew that no man had ever made her feel this way. The only time she had come this strong was when she pleasured herself, and she was shocked to find that another person’s touch was as good as her own.
Better, even.
Luca held her as she trembled. Then a thought came to her. How could she be so selfish as to not please him in return? This must be torture. She put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him onto his back. Sliding atop his body, she kissed him, teasing his lips with her tongue. She sat and straddled his hips, running her hands over his chest, pausing to roll his nipples in between her thumb and forefinger. He gasped, and his chest twitched in response. She pressed her lips to his neck then slowly trailed her tongue down his body, her hair sweeping his flesh.
“You don’t have to—”
He gasped when she removed his underwear, freeing his straining cock. She looked up and said, “But I want to. I want to feel you.”
She knelt and wrapped her hand around his erection. He was far bigger than any man she’d been with, and she grasped his fever-hot skin, stroking him slowly from base to head. A flash of lightning illuminated the room and she caught sight of his gorgeous face.
Luca’s brow furrowed slightly, and his lips were parted.
“Is this okay?” she asked. God, how she hated being so self-conscious. But she couldn’t help it.
“It’s incredible. Please don’t stop.”
She stroked for a few more moments and he groaned.
“I’m not... I can’t... I won’t last long, Sky.”
With a steady rhythm, she pumped her hand up and down his cock. Then she paused. She teased. She went faster, running her other hand down his thigh, lightly scratching with her nails. He let out a low moan and came, and she had never heard such an erotic sound.
Skylar slid down next to him and kissed his cheek. Feeling him pant and tremble was so satisfying. She knew he was much more experienced than she was, but his kisses afterward seemed worshipful and grateful. As if the night meant something to him.
After they each used the bathroom, he took her into his arms again. They dissolved into sleep, exhausted from desire. Skylar had one last thought before drifting off.
This is too perfect to last.
Tamara Lush is an award-winning journalist who first started writing in grade school, penning elaborate stories inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark. After completing her undergraduate degree at Emerson College in Boston, she began her reporting career at a small, weekly newspaper in Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in The Village Voice, People Magazine, The St. Petersburg Times, The Boston Globe, USA Today and the Associated Press.
When Tamara isn’t writing or reading, she’s doing yoga, cooking for her Italian husband or chasing her dogs on a beach on Florida's Gulf Coast. She loves connecting with people on social media.
Note: The author is a nationally known journalist and will be a featured author at the Times Festival of Reading in St. Petersburg, FL at the end of October. http://www.tampabay.com/expos/festival-of-reading/index.page
Author social media links:
website: www.tamaralush.com
facebook: facebook.com/tamaralushwrites
twitter: twitter.com/TamaraLush
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