Hot Reads... Masks

Contemporary erotic romance

AQP Bestseller!

Andrea Matthews can't seem to pull herself out of the emotional slump she's been in since her husband's scandalous death a year and a half ago.  So when her well-meaning best friend gives her a ticket to see the Phantom of the Opera on stage and encourages her to "start getting out," Andee's not enthusiastic.  But from the moment the tall, dark-headed man playing the Phantom steps on stage, she's riveted.  He has a confident, sensual power that shakes Andee to her core.  She can almost feel his hands stroking her, hear his gritty, erotic voice whispering in her ear.  At times it even seems as if his piercing gaze is on her and he's singing for her alone.  

When the Phantom approaches her in the dark theater after the performance, Andee discovers the magic she felt from him on stage is nothing compared to the emotional and seductive allure he holds in person.  This magnetic stranger makes her feel more alive than she's been in months.  Yet with her faith still shaken from her husband's secrets, she's not certain she's ready to trust her body and soul to someone who hides in shadow.  Who is the man—the real man—behind the mask?

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Release date:  January 2005
AQP Heat Level: 2 (Sex scenes are explicit, frequent, and contain graphic language)
Length: Novel (53k words)
Price (electronic):  $7.00
Price (paperback):  $12.50 (frequently on sale for less at Amazon.com)
ISBN (electronic):  1-59279-314-2
ISBN (paperback):  1-59279-803-9
Available in ebook formats at:  Amber Quill Press, Fictionwise
Available in paperback at:  Amber Quill Press, www.Amazon.com , www.Borders.com , www.Waldenbooks.com

Excerpt...

Andee took a deep breath, hiked her handbag up on her shoulder and headed in the direction the usher had indicated.  A few people milled about backstage, but appeared too busy with wiring and changing sets to notice her as she walked by.

She entered a darkened area, where thick velvet curtains draped on either side of her, cocooning her.  Suddenly, a warm hand closed around her upper arm, and she found herself being tugged into an alcove.

"You came."  Max's low, seductive voice swirled around her like rich, dark chocolate, and heaven help her, she wanted nothing more than to drown in it.

"Yes. Did you think I might not?" She was a bit breathless and lightheaded at being so close to him again.

He settled her back against a curtain covered baffle and twined his fingers through hers.  He was still in full Phantom costume, including the mask.  But there was enough light in the shadowy corner where they stood that for the first time, she could make out some details.  Like the vivid green of his eyes.  The intensity in them caused her heart to skip several beats.

"I honestly didn't know."  His voice was gruff-soft.  "I was afraid I'd scared you off last night."

"You didn't.   Thank you for the ticket."

"Andee...I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

His scent surrounded her, and the heat of his hard body seeped through her clothes and into the deepest core of her. "I haven't stopped thinking about you either," she admitted.

"In a good way, I hope."  His voice grew even huskier and he leaned closer.

"Yes. In a good way."  Her nipples tingled in excitement, and a pull low in her womb reminded her what it felt like to be a woman. 

His breath caressed her face a mere second before their mouths sought each other out.  This time, her natural conservative nature seemed to have dashed into hiding, and she matched his exploration with a hungry passion of her own.  His arms slid around her waist and drew her closer.  Her breasts pressed against the muscular breadth of his chest, and her belly inadvertently brushed against the rigid length of his erection.

Good God!  Had she done that to him?  The thought that she had, that he desired her as much as she did him, shocked her. 

Driven by that same surprising sensuality that had come upon her last night, she stood on tiptoe and rubbed against Max's hard shaft more purposefully.  When he responded with a low groan in his throat, she practically cried in joy.  His hand on her lower back pressed her closer still, and he gently ground his need against the part of her that wanted it most.

Once again he tasted of butterscotch, and everything about him was warm.  His mouth, his body, his masculine scent, even his hair, which her fingers had burrowed into at the nape of his neck, seemed to exude a seductive heat.

He sucked her lower lip one last time.  Shivers of pleasure rippled through her as she clung to him.

"The curtain's going to go up in just a couple of minutes.  Will you wait for me?  Here, backstage?"

"Yes."

He tipped her face up and gazed down at her.  A slow, seductive smile curved his lips, and it was a singular thing of beauty.  It sent her heart--and her desire--racing even faster.

Reviews...

4 Stars!!

"Well-written, sexy and enjoyable..." 
---Paige Traynor, Romantic Times BookClub magazine

5 Hearts!! 

"...wonderful story. Definitely recommended reading for all romance fans!"  
---Glenda K. Bauerle, The Romance Studio

5 Blue Ribbons!!  

5 Blue Ribbons!!  "It's one thing to create characters that complement each other and quite another, through action and words, to actually make the reader believe it wholeheartedly.  M.L. Rhodes does that expertly in MASKS!  ...a highly recommended read by this reviewer." 
---Tracy Marsac, Romance Junkies 

5 Stars!!

Ms. Rhodes has a sizzling production with MASKS. The story is very well written and has interesting plot twists. Andee’s character is vulnerable but has steel in her that is needed for her to have survived the past. She has withdrawn from life and sits behind a mask of her own making. Max has a mask of his own, not only in the production but in normal life. He is hiding from life just as easily as Andee is but in a different way. His character has been dealt so many blows he doesn’t know how to function in a normal relationship. The electricity and chemistry between the two characters is amazing and searing. You feel their passion in every lick and touch. MASKS is a contemporary erotic romance that you will need the toys and the tissues, as this story will leave your body and heart very satisfied." 
---Julie Esparza, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

5 Cups!!

This is a well-written story with strategically placed love scenes that left me fanning myself from the heat and wishing I were the heroine.  Issues abound for both characters and how they work through them makes for an enjoyable read, guaranteeing this book a place in any romance reader’s collection. Masks is the 6th offering by M.L. Rhodes and if the previous five are as sensuous as this one is I will definitely be hunting them down!" 
---Katherine L. Hunt, Coffee Time Romance

5 Angels!! 

"Ms. Rhodes has a story that will have readers remembering romance and how it makes them feel. I loved the way the author made Andee and Max with the all too human characteristics of self-doubt, love and compassionm and Ms. Rhodes' descriptions made me feel as if I was with Andee and Max on their journey. This is a book that I read from beginning to end without interruptions. I couldn't put it down!" 
---Donna, Fallen Angels Reviews