This Game’s a Trap

By Sharon Clare

I want to thank Books-n-Kisses for welcoming me as a guest today to talk about my new release Rhapsody published by Crimson Romance.

Rhapsody is a paranormal romance that revolves around a board game. Remember those? But this isn’t the kind of board game you’d find on the shelves of Walmart.

In Rhapsody, when their tropical resort disappears, Jonathan and Isabelle must play a game of seduction with magical twists and turns to win their freedom from the Elvin world where they are trapped.

I’d love to share an excerpt from a scene in Isabelle’s point of view where she and Jonathan first discover their resort has disappeared:

Isabelle was vaguely aware of the stricken expression on Jonathan’s face as her knees buckled. Only with legs clenched tight did she keep herself from tottering over.

Impossible.

The sun was a blazing half disc hovering over the horizon, the trees, an ink smudge rimming the beach. Within minutes, the shore would be chilling, isolating, disorienting, all except for this one fire-lit area.

Jonathan’s gaze rose from the bizarre note she’d found. “It’s a joke, it has to be. We have to play a game called Rhapsody to get back to the resort? That’s insane.” He peered once again at the forest where ten minutes ago the resort had stretched over a few kilometers. Not a sound came from that site now, not even wind through the trees. Besides the flicker of fire, the night was still as a corpse.

“Did you find any sign of life out there?” She forced the words out evenly to tamp her panic and keep her voice from cracking.

“No, nothing. Did you know the resort has an invisible security fence? We won’t get past it if we go through the forest.”

“That’s odd. No, I didn’t hear anything about invisible security. Whoever wrote this note is playing games with us. Do you think this is a hoax put on by the resort?” Though she didn’t wish to admit it out loud, something about this scenario seemed … unearthly. A few feet from the fire lay a carpet with over-sized pillows placed for comfort and as the note suggested — pleasurable game play. She couldn’t kid herself into believing that display had been on the beach five minutes ago. The cozy fireside retreat seemed to have appeared from under the snap of a magician’s cloak.

“I doubt it. This fire came out of nowhere. The note says we can’t escape the beach. ‘Play the game of Rhapsody to win your return to Serenity Resort.’ I don’t know who the lunatic is behind this, but we’re cut off from the hotel.” Jonathan checked his watch. As if the time mattered. With the sun sinking, it was lights out any minute.

“I don’t have time for this,” he said.

Like she did? “Late for your date with the redhead?”

He shot her a wry look. “Not tonight.”

“Triplets?”

“I’ve got them lined up for Saturday.”

His dry sense of humor had appealed to her from their first conversation. She couldn’t deny she’d behaved like his Monday night date until the redhead showed up. He’d been too easy to be with, like an old friend — they’d fit like parts clicking in perfect sequence. She could blame his good looks, the wine, the atmosphere, the conversation, but the truth was she’d gone to his room Monday night because she was too weak to keep to her relationship recovery program. But that was Monday. Today was a new day. “It’s some kind of magic trick. Mirrors?”

His gaze fell on the pillow arrangement. “I don’t think so. I see the game.”

Thanks again, Book-n-Kisses! For more information on Rhapsody, please visit: sharonclare.com

A little more about Sharon: 

Sharon Clare lives in Ontario with her husband and three wonderful grown-up kids who come and go from the nest. She fell in love with writing at the University of Toronto where she graduated with a science degree in psychology and professional writing. She writes paranormal romance and has published short stories, art reviews, newsletter and magazine articles. Her favourite place to write is outside under the maple trees beside the lily pond.

Rhapsody

is available for your Kindle here: Amazon

Isabelle plans to escape the real world when she takes a tropical vacation to work on her relationship recovery program. But escape becomes too real when she realizes Paradise Resort has disappeared. She is trapped in an immortal world where she must win her freedom by seducing her opponent, a man she labeled off limits, in a board game of seduction. Her resistance is solid, safe, and steadfast until her traitorous body decides this is a game she wants to play.

Jonathan has made seducing women an art form. His needs are simple: break down Isabelle’s resistance, seduce the panties off her, and get back to the real world fast where an emergency needs his attention. He plays to win, but when Isabelle takes a penalty and they must play out her secret fantasy, Jonathan struggles to follow the objective and keep his own arousal under control. Desire grows between them as each roll of the die reveals secrets, truths, and a greater expanse of skin, until the mastermind behind the game forces Jonathan to confront his worse fear or lose Isabelle forever.

Sensuality Level: Sensual
To thank your readers for visiting today, I’d like to offer the chance to win a small travel gift since Rhapsody takes place on a tropical vacation. Please leave a comment with your email address and tell us your favourite romantic travel destination, and I’ll randomly select one commenter.