Christmas With... Mary Hughes + Giveaway!
Christmas
With...
Thank
you to Karina and Nocturnal Book Reviews for having me here today to
help celebrate the holiday season!
Small-town
Meiers Corners police detective Elena O’Rourke Strongwell and her
master vampire husband, Viking Bo Strongwell, are celebrating this
Christmas with a trip to Mexico to find her mother’s relatives. USA
born and bred, this is her first trip to Mexico, but it won’t be
her last!
Bo
drove our shielded Maybach into Monterrey just as the sun was rising.
I
watched the sky begin to lighten. “That was weird, driving from
Illinois south.”
“What
do you mean?” My big blond hubby, who’s built like a Viking
warship cleaving the waves, cut a glance at me with his Nordic blue
gaze.
“It
was like a backward time warp. You know, we had winter in Meiers
Corners, but it was fall in Texas, and it’s fricking summer here.”
I gestured to the flowers adorning nearly every home we passed. “This
riot of color. This heat. The really cool crèches.” I pointed to
the nativity scene outside a church, traditional Mary and Joseph but
in a manger built of what looked like bamboo, with her wearing a
bright print dress and him a brilliant cape—or I guess they’re
called serapes—instead of the bathrobes we’d used as kids at Good
Shepherd Lutheran.
“Ah,
Detective.” Caressed by his black satin voice, my title was an
endearment. “You’re such a romantic.”
“Am
not.” I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m a tough cop.”
“You’re
blushing.”
“Dammit.”
Times like this I wished for my Latina model mother’s cheeks
instead of my Irish lawyer father’s.
“You
still have a very pretty blush.”
“Sweet
Bavarian cream-filled donuts, you’re still a smooth talker. Look,
there’s our motel.”
Bo
pulled into the lot and did most of the talking getting our room.
Growing up in a town of German immigrants meant my Spanish was
pathetic, but even I knew the clerk’s friendly “Feliz Navidad”
meant Merry Christmas, and I smiled.
In
the cool of our room, I kicked off my shoes and sat. “What do you
want to do until sunset?”
He
only arched one blond brow.
“Yeah,
of course. You want to play Hide the Fang.” Vampires spell libido
N-O-W. “Can we watch some tube after?”
He
sighed. “Not another Buffy marathon? You were the one who wanted
this vacation from staking vampires.”
“I
don’t stake ’em, I use a bazooka. More efficient. C’mon, it’ll
be fun.” Sure, I was mostly a practical by-the-book detective, but
I secretly loved everything and anything paranormal. “We can play
the drinking game.”
“Which
one is that? Drink every time Buffy waves Mr. Pointy? Every time
Giles spouts a variation of ‘Buffy, you must take being the Slayer
more seriously?’ Every time Spike cuts someone with his
cheekbones?”
“Nah,
I have a new one. Every time a vamp plates up for battle. Which adds
new meaning to ‘putting on your game face’.”
“Ha.”
We’d
just settled onto the bed for some kissing when a scream resonated
through the wall.
Bo’s
head came up, his eyes going blood red as his v-nature came online.
“Rogue vampire,” he hissed. “Next room over. Spilling human
blood.” Then his irises cooled to violet as hesitation crossed his
face. “You wanted a vacation from staking.”
“We’ll
have a busman’s holiday.” I leaped off the bed, my hand already
on my knife in its secret holster, sewn into my jeans. “Can I be
bad cop this time?”
“You
can be anything you want.” Shooting me a fierce grin, Bo flickered
and was at the door, prepared to throw it open to the now-bright day.
As a thousand-year-old-plus vampire, he could stand maybe ten minutes
of sunlight. But we wouldn’t be outside more than a few seconds. He
said, “Ready—partner?”
I
grinned. Even after five years of marriage, being Bo’s partner was
still the best damned feeling in the world. “Oh, yeah! Let’s go.”
Happy
Holidays to you and yours!
Mary
Giveaway:
Mary
is happy to give away a copy of Biting Holiday Honeymoons
(adults only!) provided that the winner is able to receive an ebook
through Amazon or Barnes & Nobles.
