Thursday, February 07, 2008

Mariposa Soul Receives Glowing Review (review & M/M excerpt)

A new review for Mariposa Soul...


..I found Mariposa Soul to be a unique story about a man who had difficulties facing the truth about his sexuality... Adrianna Dane did a fantastic job of showcasing Andre's struggles, heartache and denials as he tried to come to terms with his feelings for Simon... Their love scenes were sweetly tender, and their encounters were sensual and very passionate. Thank you, Ms. Dane for such a beautifully written gripping story... --Nikita Steele, JoyfullyReviewed.com

Review link: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/Feb08/MariposaSoul.AD.html



Mariposa Soul by Adrianna Dane
Amber Quill Press/Amber Heat
Genre: Contemporary Gay Erotic Romance
Purchase Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/MariposaSoul.com
ISBN: 1-59279-619-2
Author website: www.adriannadane.com
Cover Art by Trace Edward Zaber

Also available in the paperback anthology, Carnal Carnivale, now available at Amazon.com.




BLURB:

Andre spends his time globetrotting around the world and flitting from bed to bed, never tempted to stay in any of them. Always searching for that soul his would recognize as the one he couldn't live without. A chance encounter teaches him something about himself he would never have expected.

EXCERPT:

Grabbing a vacant stool at the bar, he ordered a neat scotch. As he downed his first swallow, someone sat down on the stool beside him. He glanced up and swallowed hard. It wasn't possible.

The man who'd sat down next to him turned and smiled. Small lines of maturity crinkled near his eyes and Andre was held fascinated by the depth of those deep blue mirrors.

"Simon Doran," he said as he held out a hand.

Andre nodded and extended his own hand, noting the firm, callused grip. "Andre Cordaire. Yes, I know who you are. I sat in on your discussion this morning. Great job."

"Thanks. I don't do as many as I used to, but this one sounded challenging and I liked the combination of panelists they had lined up. Glad you got something out of it."

Andre took another swallow of his scotch. This was more than he could have hoped for—to actually hold a conversation with Simon Doran. Once Simon's drink arrived, as Andre watched he took a long swallow and leaned back with a sigh.

"Yeah, I needed that. Conferences are thirsty work."

Andre chuckled. "Yeah, I guess they are."

"Are you staying here at the hotel?" Simon's gaze studied Andre. He recognized that look—it probed for a way to get inside his head, to find out what made him tick. He met the look, guessing it would challenge Simon to dig past it.

Simon leaned back against the stool, visibly relaxing, and grinned. Andre felt an unfamiliar heat dig inside him at that look of acceptance. What surprised him was that Simon looked as magnetic and attractive in person as he did on television or in photographs he'd seen of him.

"I know your name. You've done some great investigative pieces recently, if I remember correctly."

Andre nodded. "Thanks. Yes. I have to say, I've followed your career pretty closely and it's an honor to finally meet you in person."

Simon chuckled. "Don't tell me you became a journalist because of me. You'll make me feel a whole lot older than I want to."

It was Andre's turn to grin. "Wouldn't think of it. I will say you inspired me in the right direction. I've always written, but you got me on the road to investigative reporting—and I have to thank you for that."

Simon nodded. "I'll accept the compliment as graciously as I can. You've obviously got the talent for what you do, at least as far as I've seen, so if I helped you find the path, that's great."

He turned his head and surveyed the nearly empty bar. "Let's find a table, get more comfortable, and compare war stories. I've got an urge to kick back a little. Do you have the time, or maybe you've got someplace you need to be?"

Andre shook his head. "No, sounds like a plan to me. I've got some free time and I'd enjoy a chance to talk with you."

They left the stools, drinks in hand and sauntered over to a vacant table.

Andre never made it to the dinner, and instead they shared a plate of chicken wings and potato skins, and another round of drinks. They had more in common than Andre ever could have expected and their conversation went on well into the night. It was the wee hours of morning before they looked up and realized how much time had passed.

"Wow," Andre remarked as he rose from the table. "I can't believe how the time has flown. I'm sorry I kept you so long."

Simon shook his head. "Hey, I enjoyed it. But it is getting late and I need to get some sleep. I'm planning to hike up the mountain tomorrow and need at least a few hours of rest."
They walked toward the front door of the hotel and through the glass doors. Andre turned to Simon and held out his hand. "I enjoyed the conversation and the panel discussion. I hope we'll have a chance to meet again."

Simon reached out and engulf his hand in a firm grip, held it for long moments, staring into Andre's eyes.

Andre felt a warmth pervade his bones and dig deep inside. He felt regret at the parting, feeling there was something more to be shared with this man. There was something about him that he didn't want to let go. For a few short hours, the loneliness that had always been a part of him had faded away.

"You live in town?" Simon finally asked as he released his grip.

"Yes, not too far from here as a matter of fact."

The doorman waved a taxi forward.

"Care to share a cab? I have an apartment in town as well."

Andre nodded and followed Simon into the taxi, and gave his directions to the cabbie, then settled back.

Andre could felt the hard heat of Simon's firm thigh almost touch him, hips close, his warmth and vibrancy reaching toward him. In a sense it made him uncomfortable that he was responding to him in much the same way he would to an attractive woman. Except it was more—something deeper inside him, something far stronger.

He looked at Simon's hand lying at rest on his thigh. He wore a gold ring with a black onyx stone. He remembered the firm grip when they shook hands. He found himself wondering how he used them to make love to a woman. Was he as smooth and in his element in bed as he obviously was when reporting? And for some reason his balls tightened at the thought of discovering how the hard touch of a man was different from the softness of a woman.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the foreign erotic thoughts running through hismind, and turned to look out the window at the passing buildings, noting the streets were beginning to fill as people rose to begin a new day. He'd never thought of himself in those terms before, not ever. So why now?

He must be tired, and then there were all those scotches he hadn't noticed himself downing as they talked through the night. That must be it.

The taxi pulled up in front of his building. He opened the door, then felt Simon's firm grip on his arm. He turned to look inquiringly.

"I mentioned I'm going hiking...well, later today. I know it's short notice, but if you don't have anything better to do, maybe you'd like to join me?"


Read another excerpt at: http://www.adriannadane.com/mariposasoul.html

Listen to a podcast of the first chapter at: http://adriannadane.podomatic.com/entry/2007-12-28T08_49_04-08_00

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