Authorpalooza Day 4 sends us under the sea for Alice Renaud’s latest mermaid romance!

Caltha Dooran is the toughest, fiercest shape-shifting mermaid in the western seas. She has three Clans to rule, and no time for romance. But when a warlock, Jonty, turns up and asks her to come with him to London to capture a water monster, she can’t say no. In London, away from her duties, her attraction for Jonty grows… and they soon fall under each other’s spell. But will his past and her responsibilities pull them apart, or can they find the only true magic, the one that binds two souls together?

Excerpt

She was so close to him they were almost touching. She took a step back, but three teenagers squeezed in through the doors just before they closed and pushed her against Jonty. Her head was now level with his neck, and her entire body was pressed against his.

“I’m sorry about the crush,” he said. But he didn’t sound sorry.

She tried to make a joke of it but found that her mouth had dried up. He smelled so damn good. A spicy aftershave, mixed with leather and coffee, with the enticing scent of male sweat underneath. Deep inside her, something responded to the unfamiliar perfume. A part of her, long buried, was waking up … and reaching out to him.

The train jolted into life. The people behind her lurched, squashing them together. Her breasts flattened against his chest. He was rock-hard under his leathers, and as warm as a stone heated by the sun. A thrill ran through her, so strong that it felt almost tangible, like a golden snake twisting around her … curling around her breasts … sliding between her legs. She was trapped and helpless.

Worse, she was enjoying it.

Shame nibbled at her. She’d never been this close to a male before. Plenty of mermen on the islands would have loved to become her mate and govern the Clans with her. But she’d never let any of them kiss her, or even hold her hand. She’d been a good mermaid all these years. Just as her mother had wanted her to be. Her mother had been very firm on the topic of boys. She’d drummed into Caltha’s head that she should save herself for a husband worthy of her, and of the Dooran Clan.

And here she was glued to a stranger she’d met less than twenty-four hours ago. A human.

Get your copy today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FCQQ75P

https://books2read.com/u/3LglAN

Meet the author:

Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she’s a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids Marry in Green,” will be released on 1 November. Alice has also written two short stories for BVS anthologies, “The Sweetest Magic of All,” in “Mystic Desire,” out now, and “The Holiday Mermaid” in “Desire Me Again,” out in October. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!

1. Tell us about your inspiration for this story.

Caltha is a secondary, but important, character in the first and second books of my Sea of Love series, A Merman’s Choice and Music for a Merman (each book in the Sea of Love series is a standalone story featuring a different couple). She is a feisty mermaid, who is the leader of all the mermen Clans. She helps the heroes and heroines of the first two books achieve their happily ever after, so I always wanted to tell her story. But I struggled to think of a man or merman who would be a match for her… until the idea came to me that he could be a powerful warlock. It is my first story set in London, my beloved city, which has its own kind of magic.

2. What do you love about the genre you write in?

I’ve always loved fantasy, I grew up devouring fairy tales, legends and fantasy authors such as Tolkien and Ursula LeGuin. I am also a romantic at heart, and I enjoy writing and reading romance. I love happily ever afters! Fantasy romance is perfect for me. The romance part is as important as the fantasy part. Why ride a horse when you can ride a unicorn? Why have only human characters when you can have mermaids, monsters, witches and assorted supernatural creatures?

3. Do you write in other genres? 

I have written contemporary romantic and family-themed short stories for magazines, but now I want to focus more on fantasy/paranormal romance. I love historical romance too, but lack time to do much research… I dip my toes in these waters in my short story The Sweetest Magic of All, in the BVS paranormal romance anthology Mystic Desire. It features an apprentice witch and a hot warlock who go back in time to the 17th century. I have started to develop a time travel book based on that short story.

4. What’s your favorite part of the writing life?

Imagining characters, and what they get up to. Thinking up adventures for them and monsters to fight. Ideas come to me easily, it’s the writing that is hard!

5. What do you do for fun when you’re not writing? 

I love reading, romance, fantasy and historical novels are my favourites but I also read contemporary fiction and non-fiction historical books. I also enjoy watching TV and films with my husband, we like fantasy and sci-fi shows the best. I also love going for walks and watching birds. Nature is a big source of inspiration for me and my characters are very close to the natural world.

6. Authors always seem to have a teetering To Be Read pile. What’s in yours?  

I am reading the first book in the Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell, which is set in the Saxon era, one of my favourite periods in history. I also have on my Kindle two new erotic romances, “Rigged,” by Annabel Allan and “Lessons on Seduction” by Estelle Pettersen. I am also looking forward to the release of Callie Carmen’s latest book in the Risking Love series, “Joshua.” Next I have the last 3 volumes of Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series, the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. I loved the first thirteen books in the series, it’s going to be a wrench when it’s finished.

Follow Alice Renaud on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceRenaudAuthorRomance/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alicerauthor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-renaud-author-4219b6166/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicerenaudauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18670218.Alice_Renaud

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alice-renaud

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Renaud/e/B07L52P17B

Website: https://nomadauthors.com/alicerenaud/alicebooks.html

Want more paranormal romance recommendations? Check out Beth Linton’s recommendations here: https://www.bethlinton.co.uk/post/my-10-favorite-literature-classics