The Viper
( UNTAMED HEARTS #1)
by Kele Moon
Genre: Erotic / Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 19, 2014
Publisher: Loose Id
Tour Organized by: As the Pages Turn
Marcos
Rivera is a fighter. A gang member. Someone who has seen the dark side of
humankind and survived. He has lost family and gained enemies. He has stolen
cars and destroyed hearts, stripping one for money and the other for pleasure.
His past is haunted and his future is bleak.
Until
her.
Katie
Foster is a high school history teacher. Smart, strong, and sexy. She is a
woman Marcos shouldn’t want. Shouldn’t touch. Shouldn’t love. He met her in
Garnet, a backwards, hick town that’s the last place in the world he wants to
be, but he finds himself going back for a taste of the forbidden.
Katie
represents all that is good in the world, and Marcos knows he’s nothing but
trouble for her perfect life. He fights and he screws. He commits crimes and he
breaks the rules. He will never change and he will never escape his gang
lifestyle.
Or
can he?
What
happens when two different people from two very different walks of life risk it
all by giving into the passion that threatens to consume both of them? Can a
woman who only knows how to play it safe give her heart to a man who lives hard
and loves harder?
Will
she survive The Viper?
“Are you okay?” Katie asked as she sat next to Marcos on the sofa in the living room watching a travel show. He wore only jeans and was certainly more compelling than the television with all those muscles and tattoos on display, but she couldn’t help but voice her concern. “You know, if you’re not comfortable staying here—”
“No, that’s not it. I like being with you.” He reached over and squeezed her knee reassuringly. “I got into a fight with my cousin today.”
“Oh.” She picked up a fry, and took a bite as she thought about that. “It wasn’t because of me, was it?”
“No.” He shook his head and set his plate on the table. “It wasn’t about you at all.”
“Is Chuito mad you’re staying here?”
“He’s probably glad I’m staying here.” Marcos stretched out on the couch, resting his head on her thigh. He reached up, helping himself to one of her fries before she set her plate down. “It’s other stuff. Being around him is not so easy anymore.”
Katie stroked his hair, enjoying the way it felt against her fingers. “Why?”
“I think I remind him of what he’s trying to forget. Here he’s the Slayer. Famous fighter. With me, he’s…something different.” Marcos took another bite of his fry, appearing deep in thought as he rubbed his chest, his hand resting over the cross above his heart. “I dunno, maybe that’s not it at all. I mean, coño, he’s obviously that person around that Tino pendejo, and he sees him every day.”
“You don’t like Tino Moretti?”
He jerked and looked up at her with a glare. “Do you know him?”
“Yeah, he’s Jules’s brother-in-law.” She shrugged when she saw how tense it made him. “We’re not friends or anything, but—”
“I don’t want you talking to him.” He tugged on a strand of her hair to make his point. “You stay away from him, you hear me, chica?”
“Bossy.” She arched an eyebrow, because that sort of controlling tactic reminded her of Grayson. “I don’t like people telling me who to talk to, Marcos.”
“No.” He sat up and turned to her, his light eyes blazing. “You listen to me about this. Stay far away from him.”
She frowned, more than a little unnerved. “Why?”
He reached out and cupped her face. His rough thumb ran over her bottom lip. “Because I asked you to. If you trust me, you’ll do this for me.”
“Tino Moretti couldn’t pick me out of a crowd,” Katie assured him. “It’s fine. We’ve only spoken a few times.”
“A few times too many.” He was still caressing her lip, his emotions so clear to read, anger mixed with compassion. It was a strange combination, but it was there as he leaned in and kissed her. “And make sure after I leave he’s not the next muchacho to show up.”
She laughed. “I doubt I’m Tino Moretti’s type.”
“You’re every man’s type.” He kissed her again, just a tease of their lips meeting that had Katie running her hand up his bare arm, tracing the muscles that bunched under her fingers. He kept his lips a breath away from hers. “Promise me.”
“I’ve given you enough promises today.” She smiled, thinking two could play this game. If he could tease, she could too. “Are you jealous? He is a horrible flirt.”
“He thinks people are supposed to jump when he speaks,” Marcos whispered with bitterness. “Stay away from guys like that. There’s usually a reason for that kind of attitude. They’ve earned it. The hard way.”
“You have that kind of attitude,” she reminded him. “Did you earn it? The hard way?”
“Yes, chica, I did.” He kissed her again, another brush of his lips against hers as he spoke against her mouth, “You should’ve stayed away from me too.”
He pushed his hand into her hair and then fisted it. He tugged her head back with all the attitude he claimed to have earned the hard way. He studied her, the concern in his gaze being replaced by something much more carnal. “Now open for me.”
She parted her lips, and he took what he wanted. His tongue slipped into her mouth, making a wave of white-hot pleasure wash over her. It was a kiss meant to be obeyed, meant to break her and leave her wanting more.
It worked.
She would have agreed to stop talking to anyone at that moment as he fell back against the couch, pulling her with him until she was straddled over him. She held onto his bare shoulders for support as he kissed her like a man possessed. All she could think about was him. He stole every other thought in her head—like a thief—shamelessly and without remorse.
Literally colliding into each other on New Year's Eve, Katie and Marcos meet. Although Marcos (a gorgeous Puerto Rican Macho Gangster) knows this will get him in trouble with the police (and not for the first time), he cannot leave her alone to wait for the police and ambulance to show up. Injured and bleeding, Katie is impressed with Marcos' kindness and words of encouragement. So much so that he has a positive impact on this shy history teacher and spurs her to stand up for herself. I love how he teaches her, as they wait for the ambulance,how to deal with bullies. She takes this to heart and decides this is how she will stand up to her stalking ex-husband so he will leave her alone.
What is an accident becomes an obsession with these two. They both are so taken back by the other, even as they part at the accident scene, they know they will not forget each other. Marcos continues his trip to Miami where he resides, obsessing about the beautiful "gringa" that looked at him like an equal and tugged his heart strings. Katie goes off in the ambulance after defending Marcos to the Sheriff, hoping that she will see him again as she keeps his jacket keeping her warm.
This is a story of how fate steps in and brings two people from different worlds together. They are meant to be together. With Marcos being a gang member of ill repute in Miami, and Katie being a goody goody two shoes in Garnet, you would expect these two not to have much in common. Deep down, they both have the same insecurities and desires for a different life. To top this off, their physical attraction is epic ... and the rest is a romance that will tug at your heart.
Kele Moon's Battered Hearts Series introduced us to the town of Garnet and the characters we all grew to love. Now with this new series Untamed Hearts, we are getting the stories for Marcos and soon for Chuito. With Chuito I think we are going to get great surprises. This man wears a mask but has a depth to him I want to know more about.
There are a total of 4 books planned in this series. The last two books will focus on The Stallion (Tino) and The Boss (Nova). I have to admit I have been a fan of Moon's books from the beginning. In all honesty, I am desperately waiting for Nova's story. He is my Godfather come to life. At such a young age the secrets of the Moretti family are a burden he carries with grace and elegance... as well as handles them with a ruthless hand. That is a Bad Boy I really want to know inside and out!
A
freckle faced, redhead born and raised in Hawaii, Kele Moon has always been a
bit of a sore thumb and has come to enjoy the novelty of it. She thrives off
pushing the envelope and finding ways to make the impossible work in her story
telling. With a mad passion for romance, she adores the art of falling in love.
The only rules she believes in is that, in love there are no rules and true
love knows no bounds.
So
obsessed is she with the beauty of romance and the novelty of creating it she’s
lost in her own wonder world most of the time. Thankfully she married her own
dark, handsome, brooding hero who had infinite patience for her airy ways and
attempts to keep her grounded. When she leaves her keys in the refrigerator or
her cell phone in the oven he’s usually there to save her from herself. The two
of them now reside in Florida with their three beautiful children who make
their lives both fun and challenging in equal parts–They wouldn’t have it any
other way.
Author Social Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kele_Moon
Website: http://www.kelemoon.com/
Tour Giveaway Info:
Kele is offering the following prizes for the tour wide giveaway. The giveaway is open internationally and ends 08/31/2014 @ 11:59 PM CST.
1 x $25 Amazon or B&N gift card (winners choice)
5 x eBook copy from any of Kele's backlist including The Viper
Follow this link:
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Thank you so much!! Totally thrilled you enjoyed Marcos and Katie's story. . . And yes. . . Chuito is a very complex character. One of the most complex characters I've ever written!
ReplyDeleteI am glad I got to read this new book by Kele!
ReplyDelete