Today I welcome Ashe Barker to my blog. She comes bearing gifts! She’s brought with her information about her new book and a spicy excerpt.
Hi Amelia, and thank you so much for inviting me to your blog to give a shout out about The Highwayman’s Lady.
I’m really excited about this story, Gray is a hero I’ve been hatching for a while now, and it just reached the point where he had to emerge. He’s a rogue and no one could mistake him for a gentleman, but I hope readers will love him as much as I do.
Here’s the blurb…
After the death of her mother, twenty-year-old Imogen Bennett faces the prospect of being coerced into marriage by a scheming relative, but fate intervenes when a masked highwayman accosts her on the road. Desperate to escape the unwanted wedding, Imogen pleads with the mysterious, handsome rogue to rescue her.
Alistair Graham – Gray – is a proud Scotsman who rebelled against British rule, and since the defeat of the highlanders at Culloden he has taken to robbing rich Englishmen travelling through Scottish lands. He is no gentleman, but he is certainly not a man who would ignore a young woman’s pleas for help, and he agrees to do what he can to assist the beautiful girl he has waylaid.
Imogen finds herself drawn to Gray, and though he warns her that he expects a woman’s complete obedience both in bed and out of it, she cannot resist offering her virgin body to him. He takes her hard and thoroughly, leaving her utterly spent yet still aching for more, and when her shock at her own wantonness leads her to speak disrespectfully to him he bares her bottom and punishes her soundly.
A highwayman is no suitable match for a lady, however, and Gray fears that her association with him can only put them both in danger, so he makes her promise that she’ll tell no one about what took place between them and then ensures that she is delivered safely to the home of her honourable cousin in Kirkleven. Yet despite her best efforts to put Gray out of her mind forever, in her heart Imogen knows she will always belong to the man who rescued her, mastered her, and made her his. But will her highwayman ever return to lay claim to his lady?
Publisher’s Note: The Highwayman’s Lady is an erotic romance novel that includes spankings, sexual scenes, anal play, elements of BDSM, and more. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
And an excerpt….
“You take my virginity and I may not even see your face.”
“I took nothing you did not wish to give up to me. And you understood the terms of our arrangement perfectly well.” His tone has hardened; it is clear he does not find my remarks to be to his liking. And I find I do not care.
“Sir, you are not a gentleman. Not in the least. You took advantage of me in a weak moment.” I pause, considering my situation. “I wish I had not met you.”
“Had you not met me, Miss Bennett, you would likely be dead now. And I must beg your forgiveness if my memory fails, but I do not recollect ever giving you cause to suspect I may be a gentleman.” His tone has hardened yet more. Gone is the warmth and humour of just moments ago.
“Mr. Graham, you are quite lacking in any semblance of a moral compass. And furthermore, I—”
“Thank you, Imogen. My character is somewhat flawed, I must agree. I had thought this to be quite obvious given my choice of profession, so your apparent disappointment in me is perhaps a little unwarranted. No matter. We have other issues to deal with, not least your punishment for disobedience. And for your dishonesty. And for your less than perfect powers of recall. You will remember, I hope, that not more than a few minutes ago I explained that I would reward honesty. Indeed, I did so. The reverse is also true—dishonesty will attract punishment.”
“What are you talking about? I am not dishonest. May I remind you, sir, that it is you who takes a living from robbing innocent travellers, not I.”
“I might dispute the claim that all those I encounter on his majesty’s highways are innocent, but as to your general point, I accept your view of that. However, it is your dishonesty at issue here, not mine. I am referring to your seeking to deny your desires and to the fact you seem to have conveniently forgotten the enthusiasm with which you embraced our lovemaking. I find I must insist upon absolute veracity in such a matter and I made that known to you from the outset.”
“Mr. Graham, I—”
“Did I coerce you just now?”
“That is not the point, sir.”
“But it is. It is exactly the point, Imogen. I gave you a choice. I made it clear to you that my assistance was not contingent upon you agreeing to my wishes, that I would help you to escape your stepbrother in any case. You choose to give me your virginity and may I say I am most appreciative of the gesture. You have proven to be quite excellent in the matter of bed sport, despite your lack of experience or finesse. I expect you will improve further with practice and I will be delighted to aid you in that endeavour during the short time we are to be together. First though, I would be grateful if you would be so good as to arrange yourself across my lap. Face down.”
“What? Why?” I splutter, reaching again for the blindfold.
He puts a stop to that by capturing both my wrists in one of his hands and tugs me over his body, my stomach landing across his thighs. I am kicking, wriggling, screeching my protests at this treatment. A hard slap across my naked bottom brings my din to an abrupt halt.
Buy Links
Grab The Highwayman’s Lady now on Amazon
About Ashe
I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years, erotic and other genres. I still love reading, the hotter the better. But now I have a good excuse for my guilty pleasure – research.
I tend to draw on my own experience to lend colour, detail and realism to my plots and characters. An incident here, a chance remark there, a bizarre event or quirky character, any of these can spark a story idea.
I live in the North of England, on the edge of the Brontë moors. When not writing – which is not very often these days – my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, tortoises. And a very grumpy cockatiel.
I have around thirty titles on general release with publishers on both sides of the Atlantic, and I have several more in the pipeline. I write M/f, M/M, and occasionally ring the changes with a little M/M/f. All my books feature BDSM. I write explicit stories, always hot, but they offer far more than just sizzling sex. I like to read about complex characters, and compelling plots, so that’s what I write too.
I have a pile of story ideas still to work through, and keep thinking of new ones at the most unlikely moments, so you can expect to see a lot more from me.
Keep in touch with Ashe. Stalk her here…
Thanks for stopping by, Ashe!
Amelia Smarts 