Hot Reads... Take It On Faith

Contemporary Romantic Suspense erotica

2007 EPPIE Finalist in the Contemporary/Suspense Erotic Romance category!
2006 CAPA Finalist!
AQP Bestseller!
April 2006 Book of Choice at Mystique Books!

Hotel heiress Elizabeth Sandringham is in Mexico for her wedding.  But two nights before the nuptials, her fiancé reveals he's more into his best man than his future bride.  Disgusted and disillusioned with love, Elizabeth ditches the ceremony only to end up stranded in a seedy bar in the middle of nowhere.  When a drug war shoot ‘em up breaks out, she’s kidnapped by gun-toting bad guys.  She assumes her situation can't get any worse...until the gang's leader claims her as his own.  Suddenly, Elizabeth's trouble becomes a whole lot more intimate.

Miguel Delgado is every woman's bad boy fantasy.  He’s brooding.  Dangerous.  And hot enough to singe the panties off a good girl like Elizabeth.  Although he attempts to maintain an air of steely control around her, there’s no stopping the heat that rises between them.  Even as she seeks a way to escape, she's drawn in by the powerful magnetism and erotic lure of the sexy desperado. But forbidden passion with an outlaw can only lead to one thing—heartbreak.

Unless a girl’s willing to take it on faith…

Buy it now!

Release date:  March 2006
AQP Heat Level:  3 (Amber Quill's hottest level of sensuality)
Length:  Extended Novella (39k words)
Price (electronic): $6.00

ISBN (electronic):  1-59279-515-3
ISBN (paperback):  Not available at this time

Available in ebook formats at:  Amber Quill Press, Fictionwise

 
Excerpt...

Miguel’s arms tightened around Elizabeth’s waist, and she felt his breath against her neck.

As they watched through the crack in the wall, the man in the main area of the barn plunged his thick fingers in and out of his girlfriend’s slit.  But all Elizabeth could think about was the feel of Miguel behind her, and how badly she wanted him to touch her.  Really touch her.  Stroke her.  Rub her.  Probe her.  In all the right places.  Their dangerous situation, logic, propriety didn’t matter.  All she cared about right now was that she was more turned on than she’d ever been in her life, the sexiest man she’d ever met was behind her, and she wanted to know what it would feel like to lose control with him.

In the other room, the woman screamed in climax.  But that wasn’t the end.  In a sudden movement, the man lifted her off him and jerked down his pants, letting them puddle around his ankles.  He pushed the woman face-first over the hay bale so her recently spanked and glowing rear was in the air.  He knelt behind her, and Elizabeth could see his cock—nearly purple it was so hard.  He teased it against the woman cheeks, then her pussy, and without further ado, shoved it home.  He began pumping into the woman with gusto, and she screamed him onward, thrusting back to meet him.  The sound of their damp flesh slapping together filled the barn in spite of the noise from the storm outside.

Oh, God.  Elizabeth closed her eyes.  Her legs felt like noodles.  She’d just thought she was in hell before.  That was nothing compared to this.  This desperate, painful longing, yet not being able to have what she wanted.  The heat of Miguel’s hands burned through her T-shirt.  His breath against her neck was making her insane.  His muscular thighs cradled her ass...teasing, but not giving anything up.  And she knew he was getting as hard as she was wet because she could feel the bulge of his erection, ever-growing through his jeans behind her.

Please.  Please, please, please she chanted in silence. Touch me.  Touch me or I’m going to die.

A soft growl sounded behind her.  Big hands slid up under her tee, sizzling her skin as they stroked her waist.  “Far be it for me to let you die,” he whispered, his breath a flame against her ear.

Uh-oh.  Had she said that last out loud?

But it didn’t really matter anymore when his touch teased up over her ribs and finally, finally found her swollen nipples.  As he rolled them between his fingers, he nosed her hair out of the way, and his steaming lips settled in the ultra-sensitive hollow between her neck and shoulder.  Her breath came out in ragged gasps and she let her head fall back against his chest.

She grasped one of his hands and pressed it down, urging him to explore.

With amazing one-handed dexterity, he managed the open her jeans with ease, and she wiggled her hips, making more room for his hand to get inside.  Which it did, slipping under her thin silk panties, burrowing through her curls, and, in a slow, sweet stroke, easing into the dripping heat of her folds. 

Afraid she’d cry out and give them away to the other occupants of the barn, she bit her bottom lip.  But she couldn’t stop the desperate undulation of her hips against his one magic finger that seemed to know exactly where to press, how hard, how fast.  Miguel’s other hand stayed busy at her breast, showing no mercy to her hard-beaded nipple. 

Elizabeth no longer knew what was happening in the other room.  But between the man’s grunting and the woman’s screaming and moaning, she knew she and Miguel weren’t in imminent danger of discovery.  Still...even as her body writhed and became more and more lost to Miguel’s fondling, she was fully aware of the dangerous predicament they were in, trapped here, with one of Galista’s men only a few feet away.  Yet, somehow, that knowledge only amplified her desire.

Miguel pulled his hand out of her pants, and she barely caught herself before protesting aloud.  He turned her so she faced him, and gazed down at her for several seconds.  Even in the semi-darkness she could see his dark eyes burning into her.  Was he going to reject her?  No.  Please, no. 

But then he was tugging at her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. 

He leaned in close to her.  “You can’t make a sound,” he whispered in her ear.  “Not a sound.  Can you do that?”  He gazed down at her again.

She nodded.

“Good girl.”

His hands moved to her jeans, easing them over her hips and pushing them down.  When they fell around her ankles, she kicked them off, along with her sandals. 

It was only then a wave of heat flooded her...was it embarrassment or acute awareness?  She was wasn’t sure.  Here she stood, completely nude, in a dark barn in Mexico, with a thug and his girlfriend fucking like maniacs in the room next door, and her own desperado looking at her like he could eat her alive.

Miguel just stood there, only a foot away from her, staring at her.  What was he thinking?  Was she too...?

He suddenly dragged her against him and kissed her.  Hard. Then, in another one of those hot whispers in her ear, he said,  “If every man had a woman like you to look at, no one would get anything done.  All they’d be able to think about was how fast and how often they could take you to bed.” 

His hands reached down to cup her ass.  His mouth found hers again, and she met him halfway with abandon.  The man kissed like...well, she didn’t know like what.  Maybe he stood in a class by himself.  He was a brilliant.  A master. 

She wanted to feel the heat of his skin against hers and reached between them to pull up his shirt.   But his gun holster posed a problem and she didn’t have any idea how to get it out of the way.  Without breaking the kiss, Miguel stripped it off and set it inside the Explorer.  They both pushed and pulled on his shirt, tearing their lips apart only long enough for him to get his tee over his head and discard it, then came back together as if they’d never stopped.  Her fingers explored the hard planes of his chest, brushed over the flat, rigid nubs of his nipples, then grazed his abdomen to discover his six pack was everything she’d thought it would be.  A fine line of coarse hair disappeared into his jeans.  She wanted to follow it, so she worked at his belt buckle, then practically tore at the snap and zipper on his jeans. 

Heat.  Heat surged from his groin, radiating around her hands.  She barely noticed the elastic band of his briefs as she pushed past it.  His cock was hot and hard as sin, and jutting upright against his flat stomach. When she wrapped her hand around it, it was all she could do not to groan.

He did groan, but it was swallowed by Elizabeth’s mouth and a convenient rumble of thunder that shook the barn just then.

Miguel lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.  Her wet folds settled against the fiery skin on his stomach, and the tip of his cock caressed her ass.  A quick shudder rocked through her—not a climax, but one of those mini-almost-climaxes that hinted of things to come but only left her wanting more.  She squirmed against him.

He took two steps and set her on the still-warm hood of the Explorer, then, pulling his mouth off hers, he spread her legs wide, lowered his head between them, and buried his tongue in her pussy.

Oh, Jesus.

She grabbed his head, partly to encourage him—not that he needed it—partly for support.  Her back arched and it took every ounce of her willpower not to moan—hell, scream—her pleasure.

That same magnificent technique he kissed with had its other uses.  And his tongue...good God, she could learn to worship that tongue and the things it could do.

Reviews...

"Take It On Faith is hot, Hot, HOT!  Strong characters, steamy and erotic sex, and a fascinating, suspenseful storyline kept me glued to the story and turning pages as fast as I could!  The sex scenes are so hot (did I say they were hot yet?), be prepared for many, many cold showers, or a willing partner close at hand. 

I would definitely recommend this book if you like your books (and your romance) hot, hard, and achingly erotic!  Miguel can drag me off any time." 

--Cassidy at Joyfully Reviewed

4 ½ Kisses!

Imagine being two days from your wedding, two days from starting a new life with the man you love, when suddenly all hell breaks loose.  Elizabeth Sandringham thought she had the biggest surprise of her life when her fiancée showed his true colors by admitting to her that he preferred men.  Little did she know things were about to get worse. 

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, a distraught Elizabeth ends up at a bar in the middle of nowhere and catches the attention of a thug that won’t take no for an answer.  Suddenly gunfire breaks out and when the smoke clears, Elizabeth wakes up in an unknown place with the same thug who’s getting ready to finish what he started in the bar.  In walks Miguel Delgado to her rescue.  At first, Elizabeth isn’t sure if he’s friend or foe.  One thing she does know, a jolt of hot electricity flows through her body in his presence.   

Suddenly the urgency for escape is put on the back burner.  Soon she finds herself longing for his touch, and when it happens it’s more explosive then she imagined.  This story had me on the edge of my seat from the first few pages.  It has lots of action, suspense and mostly lots of hot sex.  I only hope that if I’m in trouble there’s a Miguel around to rescue me.  My kind of book! 

--D.D. Blackman, Romance Divas

4 Blue Ribbons!

One woman’s misfortune will turn into the adventure of a lifetime and a love unlike any other she has known. 

Elizabeth’s day can’t get any worse when she leaves her fiancé, or so she thinks.  When she jumps in a cab, she just wants to get as far away as possible.  This leads her to a small town, a seedy bar and getting kidnapped by bandits.  In order to keep her from being raped, she is claimed by the leader of the gang and must do whatever he says.  Problem is after a while she comes to enjoy her captor’s touch. 

Miguel finds out that the men of his gang have kidnapped an American woman and are fighting over her.  To protect her, he takes the woman as his own.  Miguel knows who Elizabeth is and why she is in Mexico, but he can’t understand why she left her own wedding.  Miguel has his own plans and secrets, and they are certain to endanger Elizabeth.  When the time comes, will he be able to let her go? 

TAKE IT ON FAITH is a wonderful adventure story full of action and non-stop suspense.  The sparks that fly between Elizabeth and Miguel are enough to start a blaze.  The plot is fantastic and the characters are vivid.  Love scenes are incredibly steamy with plenty of heat to keep the reader turning the pages.  M.L. Rhodes knows how to take a story with awesome characters and an interesting plot and draw the readers in.

Angel Brewer, Romance Junkies

 4 Hearts!

Take It On Faith was quite a thrill to read.  From the moment the first page is flipped open until the last, you are kept on your toes and falling all over the characters to be part of their lives, passions, and pain.  M.L. Rhodes has created a completely fresh and erotic tale of a confused and hurt, yet passion filled woman who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was she? 

Elizabeth finds out just  days before their wedding that her fiance prefers men.  Without thinking, she leaves the safety of her hotel in Acapulco, Mexico, letting a taxi driver drop her off at a sleazy bar. She never gets to finish her drink before she figures out she has big mistake and needs to leave. Too late, gun fire erupts and she is taken prisoner. 

Miguel Delgado did not count on having a woman to contend with, especially one as beautiful as Elizabeth. His life is dangerous, and from the moment he takes Elizabeth into his keeping, all hell will break loose.  Miguel will find her more than just a pretty face, but a woman with a backbone and a heart of gold.  Somehow, this beauty will worm her way into this hardened man’s heart. Now both of their lives could be in danger. Open the book to see how this daring and downright delicious story unfolds… 

M. L. Rhodes has penned a spellbinding tale that heightens your senses and titillates your imagination. This reviewer cannot wait to see what M. L. Rhodes crafts next.  Stop by Amber Quill Press to purchase your copy today of Take It On Faith, you are going to love it!  

---Janalee, Love Romances