Published 1st July, 2013
Description:
Loupe always dreamed of getting married. She yearned for a caring husband who would take her away from her servant-like existence at home with her stepmother and two stepsisters, a man who would love her forever. Those dreams ended the day she was bitten by a werewolf. Now she’s a mindless beast on the night of the full moon—a condition that forever prevents her from sharing a marriage bed. Not even the attentions of a handsome and endearingly strong prince can convince her that the life she wants is still possible.
Etienne is a prince in need of a werewolf. A werewolf himself from birth, Etienne and his family have protected their kingdom with tooth and claw—literally—for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the spell of a well-meaning witch is slowly turning him human. Only the bite of a cursed werewolf, one who was not born with the beast inside, can save him from becoming human. He has no time for anything that will not lead him to a cure for the cure. Not even the beautiful maiden whose gentle nature soothes his soul can take his mind from his goal.
Love cares little for the best laid plans or the impossible. A grand ball. The stroke of twelve. A magic “slipper.” All kinds of things can happen when you don’t leave the ball…Before Midnight.
INTERVIEW:
Why do you write paranormal/fantasy romance?
I love mythology and the endless possibilities that
paranormal/fantasy offers. I can create a new world, a new race. I can take as
much or as little from real myths and real places as I want and the
possibilities are endless. To me, it’s just more interesting.
How explicit sex scenes must be or the advantages and
disadvantages of these scenes in the romance genre?
I think explicit sex scenes can really add a delicious
carnality to a story, but I think that the more explicit and frequent the sex,
the more wary an author has to be of letting the sex overwhelm the plot. I’ve
read a lot of books (and written one) where there was an interesting plot, but
there was so much sex that by the third scene I was rolling my eyes and saying
“Enough sex, tell me what she’s hiding!”
How do you prefer: to built the characters around the
action or the action around the characters?
I’ve done both. It depends on whether my original plot
bunny was for action or a character. I’ve also had a character completely take
over and rewrite my plot. For instance, in Before Midnight, Etienne was
supposed to be a human cursed to be a werewolf (a loup garou). It was only after I’d written four chapters that I
realized the character was firmly going in a different direction. It was a
rewrite, but I think it worked out a lot better. Especially since it spawned
the whole idea for the Blood Princes series.
What do you do to keep your books’ originality?
I have a critique partner who’s not afraid to be blunt if
she feels something is boring or overdone. Since she reads all my books (a lot
of times over and over), she is in a prime position to tell me if something
isn’t new or fresh for me. And of course, I rely on readers’ feedback in the
form of reviews and e-mails.
That being said, I try to vary up the creatures I use, the
heat level I write, and the type of plot. For instance, The Revenge in Vein
series was paranormal erotica. It was dark and mostly sex and Slavic mythology.
Under His Skin was more sensual and emotionally wringing with a selkie and a
skinwalker for main characters. And Before Midnight is sensual, but darker than
Under His Skin. It’s also more of a twisted fairy tale than a straight
paranormal/fantasy romance.
Thank you, Jennifer
EXCERPT:
“You look like you’re trying not to laugh.” Loupe furrowed her eyebrows and briefly halted scrubbing the wolf pup. “What’s so funny?”
Etienne cleared his throat. “Ah, I believe the bath was meant for you.” He gestured to the clean nightgown lying folded on a chair.
Loupe turned red from her neck to the tips of her ears. “Oh. I see.”
Etienne couldn’t help it. He laughed, a booming sound that made the two pups he was still holding in his arms bark. Loupe frowned.
“No, it’s all right, Loupe, truly,” Etienne assured her, reining in his amusement. “I’ll have the servants bring up another bath.”
“No, don’t be silly, I don’t need another bath.” She pulled the pup out of the tub and wrapped him in the large towel that had been provided. The pup’s growls were muffled as she vigorously rubbed him dry. Etienne watched, amused, as she left the pup to stagger out from under the towel and across the floor. She grabbed the sponge that had also been by the tub and dipped it in the bathwater.
Loupe looked down at her dress. The bodice wasn’t terribly low-cut, but it did give a hint of cleavage. Loupe began scrubbing the mud from her skin. The smile died on his face. Etienne’s blood heated as her motions drew his attention to the smooth mounds of her breasts. Every vigorous scrub made the tempting globes of flesh bounce in the most mouth-watering display. He took a step forward.
“There,” Loupe announced. “My dress is a bit damp, but I’m sure it will be dry by morning…” she trailed off as she turned to find him staring. He took another step and her eyes widened.
Something of his less than pure thoughts must have showed on his face because her blush returned with reinforcements and her gaze bounced around the room like a bee in a field of tempting flowers.
The wolf pups hopped around on the floor, tumbling around Loupe’s skirts. An image hit Etienne so hard he almost swayed on his feet. Loupe sitting in a chair in his bedroom, wolf pups playing on the rug at her feet and a baby in her arms…
He shook his head, struggling to gather his thoughts. No one in his family had the gift of future-sight. The image wasn’t a premonition, it couldn’t have been. He was just tired, under too much stress from the witch’s blessing.
Without meaning to, he’d crossed the room and now stood only an inch or so away. Despite his brain’s ramblings, his body seemed to be perfectly clear in its goals. Loupe titled her face up, her wide green eyes locked on his like a frightened deer watching a predator.
And he did feel like a predator. For the first time since the witch’s blessing had cursed him, Etienne felt primal, animalistic. His body moved on instinct instead of rational thought as he raised his hands, slowly sliding them around Loupe’s waist. The desire to grab her and throw her down on the floor filled him with tension and he had just enough sense to grit his teeth against the urge. He didn’t want to scare her. He just had to taste her.
The first touch of her delicate lips against his stole his breath. He slid his mouth over hers, teasing and coaxing her to relax into the kiss. She sighed, her lips parting in what he took for an invitation. He caressed her full bottom lip with his tongue, reveling in the clean taste of lemon and tea.
Loupe moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. The sound of her voice and the press of her body against his sent a fresh wave of heat through his veins. Etienne groaned and crushed her against his chest, delving his tongue into her mouth to taste as much of her as he could. The hard length of his cock strained his pants. She was so warm, so willing…
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About the author:
Jennifer Blackstream is a psychology enthusiast with both a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. Her fascination with the human mind is most appeased through the study of mythology and folklore as well as all of Terry Pratchett’s novels.
Jennifer enjoys listening to Alice Cooper, trying new recipes (to which she will add garlic whether it calls for it or not), watching television with her family, and playing with her woefully intelligent four year old son.
Jennifer spends most of her time drinking coffee from her X-Men mug and desperately trying to get all her ideas written down before her toddler can find that all magical button on her laptop to make all her work vanish.
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