Please welcome our first guest of honour to the party, the fabulous Cynthia Eden! Cynthia has some of the most appealing butt-kicking heroines in the business, and here she is to to tell us more...
Kick-Ass Heroines by Cynthia Eden
I love a strong heroine.
Sure, in all of my stories, I write about
fierce, protective alpha males. But my females? They aren’t exactly delicate
princesses in need of rescue. They’re heroines who are just as tough, just as
fierce, as the heroes in my books. My heroines can kick-ass any day of the
week, and, normally, they do.
To me, a heroine’s power isn’t just in
physical strength. I enjoy heroines who
are risk-takers, quick-thinkers, and ladies who will do anything within their
power to protect those that they love.
Standing in the corner and *waiting* to be
rescued? No, thanks, the heroines I love the most enjoy getting their hands
dirty as they fight to rescue others.
The heroine in my current release, HOWL FOR
IT, definitely falls under the “kick-ass” category. Kayla Kincaid is a hunter—and her prey of
choice? The paranormal creatures that terrorize humans. Her latest assignment
has her tracking down the big, bad wolf (rather literally) in the form of the
story’s hero, Gage. But when Kayla falls for her prey, she prepares to battle
anyone—and anything—who wants to take out her man.
Here’s a little excerpt from HOWL FOR IT,
the moment when Kayla and Gage drop their secrets:
***
“Are you really going to kill me now?” Gage
asked as he pulled back to study her with a cocked head. “On our wedding
night?”
She was supposed to.
That was her job. As a hunter, she was the one sent out to keep the humans safe
in this world. When a supernatural crossed the line and started killing, her
team was sent in. They delivered justice. They were the heroes.
Only she didn’t feel like any kind of hero
right then.
Killer.
“Was screwing me part of the deal?” Gage
demanded as his voice roughened.
Her eyes slit at that. Maybe it was deserved,
and maybe it damn well wasn’t. Instead of stabbing him, she wanted to punch him
right then.
“If so,” Gage continued with a shake of his
head, “that was a rather fatal mistake.”
They were at a supernatural standoff. Claws
versus silver. If he’d just sheathe his claws…
“Cause now that I’ve
had you…” Gage smiled at her, and revealed his growing canines. Sharp. “I think I want another bite.”
He’d kept his fangs
from her. Kept the claws away last night. But it looked like he was done
playing nice.
So was she.
The bed was rumpled.
The air smelled of sex. He was naked.
She stared into his
eyes. If he knew what she was, then Kayla had no idea why he’d married her.
Sure, she’d been ordered to say the “I do” bit. She’d been told to do anything
necessary in order to get past his defenses.
Gage ran the wolf pack
in Vegas. Since the wolves had moved to town just eight months ago, hell had
hit the city. Supernatural madness. Attacks. Killings.
The pack had to be
stopped. By any means necessary.
But sex wasn’t a means. Making love was more.
Far more.
“Lower your claws,”
she told him and managed to keep her voice totally calm. Rather impressive
under the circumstances, but she’d been trained to be cold. Passionless. I’m not that way with him. “You aren’t
going to kill me.” Those words were the truth because she’d learned a few
things about Gage during their time together.
More than a few.
He wasn’t a heartless
bastard. Not a cold-blooded killer.
I won’t be wrong about him.
His eyes narrowed as
he studied her. Then that half-smile that had always charmed her curled his
lips. “Killing you isn’t what I have planned at all.”
He dropped his claws
and there still wasn’t so much as a scratch on her skin.
Gage glanced down at
his chest. She’d nicked him with the blade, and drops of blood slid down his
flesh. Blood—and the faintest plume of smoke.
The old legend was
true. Werewolves—or, in this case, wolf shifters—and silver just didn’t mix.
“Now are you gonna cut
my heart out?” he asked and his smile hardened. “Though to confess, sweetheart,
it sure feels like you already have.”
***
Thanks so much for checking out my post—and
my HOWL FOR IT excerpt about Kayla and Gage!
(And a big thank you to Marie for inviting me to the party!)
Now…how
about some contest fun? Tell me your favorite kick-ass heroine, and you will be
entered in a contest to win a $15 Amazon.com gift card. The winner will be
randomly selected.
Good luck!
Cynthia Eden
HOWL FOR IT—Available now from
Kensington Brava
To enter Cynthia's contest for $15 Amazon.com gift card, answer her question above, in the Comments. The contest will close at midnight tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow on this thread.
