Happy Release Day! Guest Post and Excerpt: The Druid Series 9: Baird (The Druid Series #9) by Marata Eros

Description: 18++

Siana has disappeared. As an Exotic and Druid warrior queen, she is not fully beholden to the magick call of sex slavery as her sister Druid witches. She does not realize as she runs, Baird and Kael follow with opposing agendas.

Now that Jessamine is within the subjugation of the undead, the Druid females will be ruled by the fair hand of Imogen and her Reaper mates, Carrig and Quinn.

Altho, and the gifted Druid female Seraphina, cannot reconcile the inception of their relationship, and her promise to be his as payment. Altho seeks shelter from the Reaper leader, Maghnus… only to discover what is important was not as he thought.

Can Siana obtain the freedom she wishes and the love she denies? Will the new kingdom of Reapers succeed in the protection of their Druid females? Do Altho and Maghnus hold the key to revolutionizing the power structure of both Druid and Reaper?

GUEST POST

A Slice of Sin 

How do you want your romance served up? Cold, like day old pizza? You know exactly what you're getting, without surprises and it's a no-fix easy edible? 

Doesn't sound yummy? 

You're not alone. Romance is almost always great. It's proven to be the fastest, most-sold genre of those available to the demographic who reads the most: women. 

Did you cut your teeth on the speedy and short Harlequin romances of the 1980s? Or was it Danielle Steel? Possibly Twilight sucked you in. Or more recently, Fifty Shades. See—I don't even have to say the entire title. It's so widely known a half title reference works just as well. 

What kind of romance is hot right now? Well, I don't have a statistician at-the-ready but if reader and writer buzz is spot-on, it's the dark stuff. 

I recently read, The Decimation of Mae by UK author, DH Sidebottom. It was so disturbing, I just couldn't help but finish it. 

That sounds wrong. But when there's compelling writing, I'm gone. Done. Finito. I crave it. The subject matter is almost second to the compulsion the author throws at me. Is it better when there's an element of romance? Yes. Do I need it to feel compelled to read the book? No. 

My work is dark. All of it. And I'm certainly not the first author to write dark fiction. There's been plenty before me. It's just now, women are beginning to expect the unexpected. Reader demand at its finest. BDSM? Not off limits anymore. Non-consent? Depends. There's a entire new branch of romantic erotica falling under the “taboo” sector. What is that? Well, anything that delivers non-vanilla fare. Erotica is so widespread now Amazon took steps at the first of the year and fractured the erotica genre into over a dozen categories. Want erotic horror? Romance? It's there. 

So how does that change things for the better? For starters: readers get to broaden their inventory. It's not that mainstream isn't great (I like mac & cheese like everyone else). But there's something about having literary options that pleases the avid reader to almost zealot proportions. I read 2-4 books per week, depending on my ability to sleep-deprive myself. I get excited when Pixel of Ink appears in my inbox and a book I've been salivating over comes on sale. Or, a reader says I have to read such and such. As was the case with TDoM. Three different readers of my work said I had to read that work. So I did. I even paid full price at around $3. It took me 6+ hours to finish TDoM and it only cost me the price of a large coffee. Awesome value. Lots of bang for that buck. 

I just need the next slice of dark. Like a decadent dessert that never disappoints, I want to read something for guilty pleasure, to look forward to each night, until the last, metaphorical bite. 

If you're just breaking into dark fiction, there are a few great reads out there. Start with the one above. Or, if you're unsure, look in the “also-bought” section to find other dark “desserts.” 

They won't expand your waistline, just your mind. 

I'm always up for that. 

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About the author:

Marata Eros (a pen name for Tamara Rose Blodgett), is the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author of A Terrible Love. Marata has more than thirty-five titles in multiple genres including Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance as well as her highly successful Dark Erotica series.

Marata lives in South Dakota with her husband, children and fur kids. She is an ardent reader of many genres. Tamara enjoys interacting with her readers via Twitter, blog and newsletter as often as possible. Please stop by and say hi :)

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