First of all, a very happy birthday to the fabulous Elle Jade. And welcome to the celebration blog hop. We are 107 strong! I hope you will hit all the stops and celebrate with us. Lots of great books to discover and terrific prizes to win.
Top prize! $100 Gift Certificate!
When I think of birthdays I remember a special one with my late husband. We lived in Tampa at the time and a shopping and residential venue called Harbor Island had just opened. He took me there for dinner and gave me a beautiful gold bracelet. But the best part? It was opening week, they had a tall ships parade that we could watch from where we ate dinner, and then some spectacular fireworks. Of course I was sure he had arranged them just for me, because he brought a lot of fireworks into my life.
So what’s your favorite birthday memory? Leave me a comment. One lucky person will win their choice of two ebooks from my backlist. And while you’re deciding which book you’d like to have, here’s a taste of Jungle Inferno, Book #1 in the Phoenix Agency series. All of the first five books are now available and Jungle Inferno just released in print, Books #2-4 will be out later this year and they are available for preorder from audible.com as well.
For Faith and Mark, the telepathic connection they’d shared for years was nothing compared to the scorching physical connection they realized as adults. From the first moment they came together, erotic was too pale a word to describe their relationship. Together they explored each other’s deepest, darkest desires. But now Mark, survivor of an ambush to his Delta Force team, is a prisoner of a terrorist group in the Peruvian jungle, and his telepathic communication with Faith is his only contact with the world. While she searches for help to save him, they survive on dreams that took them beyond all sexual boundaries. Can she persuade the men of Phoenix to undertake a treacherous rescue and bring Mark back to her arms?
The sun was a globe of fire creeping up in the sky, turning everything below it into an oven. It was barely nine o’clock in the morning yet Mark Halloran was sure the temperature was already close to triple digits. The humidity was as thick as a rainfall. The roar and grunt of the howler monkeys was already splitting the air as they leaped from tree to tree feasting on the canopy leaves.
How the hell did people live in places like this?
Or work in them.
And this appeared to be a permanent camp, with tents, lean-tos and crude buildings. It also boasted a campfire pit and other amenities they wouldn’t have taken the time for in a transitory situation, unlike the temporary setup where the meeting had taken place. Where they’d been told the Wolf was going to meet with Escobedo’s group. A friend of a former Special Ops soldier Rick Latrobe’s, deep undercover with Escobedo’s group, had risked his life to get the message out that the Wolf was going to make a personal appearance. Unusual for him but this shipment was so large and involved so much money, Escobedo insisted.
Not at his camp, however. Not even the Wolf would be privy to its location. A meeting place not far away was set up. For the Wolf it would be in and out. Just like that. He would arrive with the shipment, Escobedo would bring the money. As soon as both parties were satisfied with the goods, the transaction would take place and that would be that.
Mark had gone to his commanding office, Major John Gregorio, with the information. The major had passed it up the chain and the word had come down to act. The United States government had waited a very long time for a chance at the Wolf. To make it a two-fer upped the ante.
A simple mission. Get in. Take out the bad guys. Get out. One less group of Al Qaeda plotters to worry about. And the arms dealer meeting with them. That was the key. That’s what he and his men had been told. It was a chance to clean out a viper’s nest and take out a key arms player at the same time.
With the weakening of the Tupac Amaru terrorist group and the decline of Shining Path, Al Qaeda had been recruiting heavily and spending big money to rebuild Peru’s terrorist structure. Another foothold in South America for the promised Islamic world.
But someone had leaked the mission, Escobedo’s group was waiting for them and now most of his men were dead. After burning the bodies of Mark’s men they’d cleaned up every trace of what had taken place and moved, all of them including the Wolf, what Mark reckoned was about ten miles away.
He grunted, trying to shift to a more comfortable position. The tent gave him little protection him from the ruthless sun and having his ankle chained to a stake barely two feet away severely restricted his movements. For maybe the thousandth time he wondered what had gone wrong and landed him in this abominable mess.
God, what a mess it had been. One minute they were finding their positions to take their shots, carefully hidden, the target painted. The next they were the targets instead. The noise of the AK47s still echoed in his ears, along with the stench of the blood of his dying men. They’d even gotten the comm guy they’d left at the insertion and extraction point with their gear.
He’d forced himself to look when they dragged the bodies into the center of the camp, piled them together and set them on fire. They stood watching with arrogant, evil grins on their faces, then opened bottles of whiskey to celebrate. Mark was sure it was a sight he’d never forget.
He knew what they wanted—the name of the man who had betrayed them. They could kill him and very well might but the source had to be protected at all costs.
Yet as much as they tortured him, for sport and pleasure as well as information, there were things he hung onto that kept his sanity intact. For one thing, despite his wounds he kept himself alert and counted the bodies. One was missing, Joey Latrobe. The kid. The sniper. Rick’s brother, who’d brought them the information. Mark was convinced he wasn’t dead or they’d have found him. No, badly wounded or not, he’d found a way to hide from them. Now if Mark could only be sure he got away.
Of course he had no idea what shape Joey was in, or even if he could give his rescuers, if there were any, information about the camp.
But what gave him real strength was his connection to Faith. God. Beautiful Faith. The woman of his dreams. How stupid was he to walk away from what they could have to play soldier? No, not that. To defend his country. His sense of honor and patriotism was stronger than almost anything. But now, if he died here in this godforsaken hellhole, the only memory he’d have would be that long weekend they’d shared before he was deployed the first time.
And the erotic dreams that came to wipe away the pain.
When he closed his eyes she was in his arms again, her lush body naked against his, her breasts pressing against his chest. His hands coasted over her satiny skin, fingertips exploring every dip and hollow.
“It’s a good thing you aren’t around when I’m planning a mission,” he murmured, his lips against her throat. “I just look at you and my cock gets so big I’m afraid my pants won’t contain it.”
Her laugh was throaty and musical, and her fingers drifted down to close around his thick erection. “Good. That’s the way I like it.”
She moved her hand in a slow pumping motion and he groaned at the heat that rushed through him. Lowering his head he closed his lips over one taut nipple, pulling it into his mouth. It hardened even more at his touch and when he dragged his teeth over it lightly her grip on his cock tightened.
“Easy.” He released the nipple and lapped around the edge of it. “We don’t want the dance to end when the music has just begun.”
“Ah, but we can always dance again,” she reminded him.
He tasted the skin in the valley between her breasts, doing his best to take control of the situation even as her fingers continued to stroke the hard, thick length of his cock. Light movements that teased him and heated his blood.
But then just being near her did that.
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You asked: Share a happy birthday memory.
My daughter threw me a surprised birthday party at my fav Chinese buffet restaurant. I thought it was just going to be family. It ended being friends and family. I truly enjoyed the celebration!
Happy 40th Ellla! A *high five* to all the authors who are joining in your celebration!
Belinda
belgre at Comcast dot net
My favorite memory would be my sixteenth birthday when my mom took a few of my friends and I out to a local Mexican restaurant. On the drive home, some local college boys in a convertible decided to moon us. We all screamed like crazy for my mom to follow them, and she did! LOL OMG! It was soooooo funny! Nothing like a mom with four teenage girls chasing after college boys with their bare butts in the air! LOL kbinmich@yahoo.com
My favorite birthday memory was my Sweet 16. I spent the day shopping with a friend because we were going out that night for my birthday. My parents had said we would do my birthday party/dinner on Sunday. But, when we got back from shopping and had dolled ourselves up my mom asked me to run something next door. So my friend and I went to go next door and between my house and theirs a huge party for my birthday had been set up. All my friends and family was there. It was a huge surprise and a lot fun.!
Happy Birthday to you Desiree!!:)
My nicest birthday was my 40th my staff at The pharmacy decorated all in black and had a nice ice cream cake. I was having trouble at home at the time and really lifted my spirits. Great group to work wi 😉 th.
My best birthday memory was getting a hotlap in a v8 racecar for my 18th birthday. Unfortunately, I was really sick on the day so I had to reschedule 6 months later. It was worth it though!
x.rock.goddess.x@hotmail.com
I love it! Such great stories. Can’t wait for the rest of them. Thanks, ladies, for sharing Ella Jade’s special day.
Happy Birthday, Ella. My favorite memory was when i met my fiance for the first time she is my soul mate and that is the best present any guy could get. joehawkshaw@yahoo.com.
my fave birthday memory is my 18th birthday. I spent the entire day in labor… my son was born the next day. BEST.GIFT.EVER.
Thanks for being part of this blog hop!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!
jrryba(at)gmail(dot)com
My kids being with me is the best birthday present 😀
hien_huynh_tx(at)hotmail(dot)com
I think my favorite was my 13th birthday. I had a few friends and we went shopping and then spent the night in a hotel with a pool. Of course, my parents were around to make sure we didn’t get into too much trouble!
peki0101(at)hotmail(dot)com
I would have to say all of my 21st birthday 😉
Happy Birthday Ella!!
crystal.glenn88@gmail.com
My fave memory my parents got married on my 9th birthday. Happy Birthday Ella!
virgilio324@gmail.com
When I turned 18.
stamper_sierra@yahoo.com
I’ve never been into the B-Day celebration stuff. Usually it’s just dinner w/ the family; just like another day to me! 🙂
Thank you so much for the chance,
Sebrina_Cassity at yahoo dot com
I think my most memorable birthday was my 40th hubby sent me to get spoiled and then we did a nice dinner with kids and family and then he and I went to the movies and came home to chocolate covered Strawberries and well from there I will keep it clean!!!!
angelalove@uwmail.com
happy birthday to ella and thanks to you for being a part of this blog hop!:)
fave memory:: this year birthday #23 my daughter was born 2 days before my birthday and we got to go home on my birthday!
indiansgirl9@aol.com
I remember my sweet sixteen party. My parents rented a hall and we had a dj. It was a huge event and I’ll never forget it.
daringzoey at yahoo.com
I kinda go for the Chinese restaurant, too! I’m addicted to Chinese food. But lordy, you’ve all had your special people throw such nice birthdays for you. Hmm. I’ll have to see what I can work into a plot.
I’m not a fan of birthdays. So to me its just another day. I guess when I was a kid the birthday parties with friends I liked.
But Happy Birthday to Ella 🙂
Happy Birthday Ella! Great Blog Hop. One of my best birthday is when my husband surprised me at work with flowers, chocolate and a pair of diamond earrings – made all my co-workers jealous. Koala571@msn.com
My favorite birthday memory is one birthday when I was 8 or 9 (I think) and my parents let me invite a bunch of people over, including all of my family, and everyone just ran around in the yard, jumped on the trampoline, got in and out of those plastic pools around the yard, ate homemade cake and ice cream that my mom made, and hit the pinata! It was super fun just to be a kid and run around with all of my friends on a great day that involved homemade yummy treats! Happy bday Ella! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com
Happy Birthday Ella!!
alslagle06@live.com
Happy birthday to ella
parisfan_ca@yahoo.com
Happy birthday to Ella! Thanks for participating in the hop. Favorite birthday memory…a bowling party with my friends for my 26th.
pjmillion(at)comcast(dot)net
Happy Birthday to Ella. thanks for the hop blog giveaway
nflannery0@gmail.com
I want to win! Happy Birthday!
kyla.stein@gmail.com
I won’t say this is a favorite memory but one in the typical life of me…. we working on the house we now live in getting it ready for moving in when I fell down a steep flight of stairs…on my birthday…we had plans to go to The Melting Pot and my sweet hubby worried about me said we could postpone, I on the other hand said let’s celebrate because tomorrow I’ll be in so much more pain…wish I was kidding….still had an awesome romantic dinner with the hubby… Happy Birthday Ella! fuades3@yahoo.com
Happy Birthday! Thanks for the giveaway!
Talkington07@yahoo.com
One of my best birthday received is my Kindle.
Kidsue99@yahoo.com
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, Ella! Thanks for sharing the wonderful day and giveaways. My sister and brother surprised me once for my birthday. They talked me into going to the local club to have a couple drinks. A lot of friends were there and they pulled me out on the dance floor and the DJ sang happy birthday and the owner had everyone throw balloons and confetti in the air. We had a lot of fun. evamillien at gmail dot com
My favorite birthday memory is my 30th b’day, I found out I was pregnant with my son…
caiidynsmommie(at)gmail(dot)com
Favorite birthday memory was when I received a dancing hamster because it was unexpected.
bituin76 at hotmail dot com
Happy Birthday Ella… Hope you have a great weekend to celebrate!
You’d think being only child I’d have great memories of birthdays.. but never had a party.. lol
vals_hemi at yahoo dot com
Happy Birthday Ella! Fantastic blog hop!
samanthadarling1986@hotmail.com
xxx
Happy Birthday Ella! Birthday celebrations are the best!
My favorite birthday was my 40th. I went shopping with my mother then got my favorite tattoo, a garter that goes around my thigh with a Derringer tucked in.
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
Happy Birthday Ella!! Thanks for the blog hop!!
Graceland for my 27th.
carrollfamily02@gmail.com
I grew up without any birthday parties (at least none that I remembered). I looked forward to turning 15, my favorite number. My 16-year-old sister threw me a surprise party, inviting most of her high school class, and all of mine over to our house. My very unpleasant father actually left us alone to have fun for a couple of hours. We were good kids, so he didn’t have to worry. My sister had also made me a “Happy Birthday pie” of my very own since I didn’t really like cake. She’d presented that to me that morning, so I didn’t expect anything else. (Not that I expected the pie.) It was a beautiful day. michelle_willms@yahoo.com
I don’t have a specific b-day memory in mind. Thanks for the giveaway!
butterflypetals7(at)gmail(dot)com
Happy 40th Birthday to Ella! My husband gave me a surprise birthday party for my 35th birthday. You have to understand, I am not easy to surprise. I’m the one who usually plans the surprises for the rest of the family. Anyway, he took me to dinner for my birthday that year (I was upset because he didn’t give me a card for my birthday and he knows how important a card is to me. I don’t care about presents, but a card says to me that someone went to the trouble of looking at all those cards and picking out something just for me) and when we got home, he told me to go ahead and open the door as he had to put something in the trash around the side of the house. Imagine my face when all my family and friends shouted surprise! It was the best present ever. 😀
Thanks for being part of Ella’s birthday hop and thanks for the chance to win.
reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com
For me it was the time my friend threw me a wonderful party in high school and it was also the day I started dating my first love 🙂
Happy Birthday Ella!
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com
Birthdays aren’t usually celebrated in my household so one year I was pleasantly surprised when my sister pulled out a birthday cake for me and had the whole family sing “Happy Birthday” to me.
Happy Birthday to Ella!!
Thanks for the giveaway and for sharing your birthday memory!!
humhumbum@yahoo.com
Thanks for the giveaway. Happy Birthday Ella.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com
My fav bday memory: We spent the night taking a long, private moonlight stroll down the beach. Happy birthday to Ella. Marie.mattingly88@gmail.com
Happy birthday! My favorite birthday memory was when I got a dog as a birthday gift.
schan26.wisc(at)gmail(dot)com
cake baked by mom
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Happy birthday Ella!! My fave b-day memory was surprise weekend road trip to St. Augustine, for a long weekend at a great B&B.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
OMG! I lovve all these stories! Hmmm. Gotta figure out how to work some of them into a plot. Absolutely. And thanks so much for helping Ella Jade celebrate her birthday.
Happy Birthday Ella! My favorite birthday memory is of my 15th birthday party (a very long time ago). My family and friends attended we had so much fun.
jmesparza821 at gmail dot com
Happy Bday Ella. Big fan of your books Desiree. Loved the excerpt for this book and would love to win and read.
My favorite bday memory would have to be my 27th. We rented out a room in one of my fav bars and had a bunch of my friends and family come join us. I got very drunk and said lots of silly things as I was told. Got lots of great pictures that tell all kinds of stories. Had a great time, even though I don’t remember everything. The pictures show we had an awesome time.
Thank you for the hop & Happy Birthday Ella.
😛 My favorite birthday memory was when my husband surprised me with a romantic getaway to the Poconos. It was fun & relaxing.
jrcarroll314@comcast.net
I have several but spending time with family is the best!!
Thanks for the chance to win!
barbistull(at)yahoo(dot)com
My favorite birthday memory is getting lovely diamond earrings from my hubby for my 40th. 🙂
Happy Birthday Ella! I hope you had a fabulous weekend!!
Thank you for your generosity,
Karen.arrowood@sbcglobal.net
blog hoppin
carjoh56@gmail.com