Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me
Carnal Urges, an all-new standalone mafia romance from J.T. Geissinger is available now!
The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.
He blames me for starting a war. Consorting with his enemies. Getting his men killed. Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh. With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.
But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.
When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.
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Excerpt
We drive. He takes phone calls, one after another, speaking in Gaelic through each one. After maybe a dozen, he hangs up and turns to me.
“Don’t try to run. It’s safer for you with me than anywhere else right now.”
“Trust me, my feet hurt too much to…What do you mean, it’s safer with you?”
“Exactly what I said.”
We gaze at each other as the limo speeds through the night. Wherever we’re going, we’re going there fast. “So all that stuff you threatened me with on the plane—”
He interrupts, “What kind of guns have you handled?”
When I blink, he growls, “Answer the fucking question, please.”
Please. Astonished, I open my mouth, then close it again. My second attempt is successful. “. 357 Desert Eagle. Glock G19. AK-47.”
His brows lift. He’s surprised by the AK.
“Stavros had rifles lying all over the place. He liked to shoot at fish in the lake.”
“Of course he did. Fucking Russians.” He shakes his head in disgust, then leans down and pulls a small black pistol from a holder around his ankle.
He hands it to me.
“If we’re separated, use it on anyone who approaches you, even if they seem friendly. Even if it’s a little old lady, shoot that bitch between the eyes.”
I stare at him with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide.
He sends me a mirthless smile. “At last. Silence.”
I can’t form words. This psychotic blue-eyed gangster has rendered me speechless.
When I finally manage to regain control of my tongue, I say, “How do you know I’m not going to shoot you?”
“Are you?”
I consider it. “Maybe.”
“Decide. We don’t have much time.”
“You’re insane, is that it?”
“Believe me, lass, I sometimes wonder.”
Pulling a beefy silver semi-automatic handgun from his waistband at the small of his back, he continues. “Things are going to get bad. We’re going to take fire. The car is armored, but if the tires are compromised, we have about eighty kilometers before they die.”
He stops and looks at me. “That’s roughly fifty miles.”
I see. He doesn’t think I’m brain damaged, he thinks I’m just plain stupid.
“I don’t give a shit about the tires. Rewind to the part about things getting bad and start over. What the hell is going on?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“If you can hand me a loaded gun and tell me to shoot an old lady between the eyes, you can tell me what’s happening. We’re past the honeymoon stage. Besides, I can handle it, no matter how bad it is. Spill.”
I could swear that flash in his eyes is admiration, but it’s probably just an urge to wrap his hands around my neck and choke me.
And not in the good way.
“War is what’s happening, Tinker Bell,”he says ominously. “War and all the bloody business that goes along with it.”
“Oh, swell. You’re being cryptic. I just love an incomprehensible Irishman. They’re my absolute favorite.”
“Careful. You’ll exhaust yourself using your entire vocabulary all at once.”
“Can you tell from my tone how much I want to smash the butt of this gun into your face?”
“Can you tell from my face how much I want to smash the palm of my hand into your butt?
”“That was stupid.”
“Says the girl who jumped from a speeding car.”
“I would’ve jumped from a skyscraper if it meant I wouldn’t have to be near you.”
“If I’d known that, I would’ve taken you straight to the top of the Hancock Tower.”
I roll my eyes. “Just tell me the truth. I swear I won’t burst into tears. The last time that happened was before I’d even gotten my first period.”
He pauses, his gaze assessing. “Tell me how it’s possible that you’re not scared of me, or of this situation, or of anything else as far as I can see, and I’ll tell you what’s happening.”
I give it serious thought for a moment. “Honestly? I’m just badass like that.”
After a short, disbelieving silence, Declan starts to laugh.
It’s a deep, rich, sexy sound, beautifully masculine. I hate myself for liking it. And for noticing what nice white teeth he has. And how strong his jaw is. And is that a dimple in his cheek?
He stops laughing abruptly, looking as disturbed by the unexpected outburst as I am. Guess he wasn’t expecting that, either.
“Got that out of your system?”
Glowering, he says, “Aye.”
“Good. So who’s going to be shooting at us?”
“MS-13.”
More gangsters. I’m in up to my eyeballs. “Because…?”
“They don’t like me.”
I stare at him with my lower lip pinched between my teeth.
He says drily, “Thank you for showing restraint. It must be incredibly difficult.”
“You have no idea.”
“There’s another reason they’re after me.”
When he only sits there gazing at me in inscrutable silence, I prompt, “Anytime you feel like enlightening me, I’m all ears.”
“You.”
About J.T. Geissinger
J.T. Geissinger is a #1 internationally bestselling author of emotionally charged romance and women’s fiction. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense, edgy suspense, her books have sold millions of copies and been translated into several languages, including German, Hebrew, French, Czech, and Japanese. The film & TV rights to her Night Prowler series have been optioned by the BAFTA-winning studio that created VFX for movies such as Avatar, X-Men, and The Avengers.
She is a three-time finalist in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book and the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy.
She’s a Southern California native currently living in Nevada with her husband and rescue kitty, Zoe.
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*** ARC KINDLY PROVIDED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. ***
I read Carnal Urges in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down, I guess part fascinated and somehow trying to process what the hell just happened since the ending of the first installment.
Once Sloane and Declan’s story started, all bets were off, bombs everywhere like a war in the making and no one would be left unscathed. These two were explosive and incandescent, burning with rage and passion, where the captive wasn’t the usual one, challenging and winning every one over. Roles were reversed, lines were blurred and secrets and hearts all over the line.
This rocky start surprised me, as much as the main characters. Stunned, overwhelmed or totally feeling madness in the air? Totally.
Sarcastic, cruel and sexy, suspenseful with dry humor. I totally fell for it.
Sloane and Declan lived their lives at the fullest, two strong personalities who both had experienced some tough times. Protecting their hearts, mostly for Sloane, who had built such strong walls. Only one person could read her, her best friend Natalie and now the man who captured her, reading her like one else.
I adored how she could destabilize the mob. That woman was in the hands of the Irish mob so she didn’t show any fear and went with it. Loyal to her friend and not surrendering at all. She was a queen among monsters, a woman who could be full of contradictions but so true to herself, a survivor who learnt to be that tough and independent, who never once was in love with someone, until that tall, dark and dangerous man.
It would take all the patience in Declan’s soul to slowly crack Sloane, someone who was almost giving him whiplash in the beginning but in awe with her, fierce and bold, sometimes letting her guards down. Holy moly, that character was just… smoking hot, intense and never holding back once he was determined to make her his.
Ruthless, protective but with a soft spot. A man who has fallen in love and is ready to kill anyone who would harm Sloane.
Of course I was a little wary about their relationship, between the captor and his captive, how it would make that sense. How the author would make it believable to me. Carnal, savage and primal. You could feel that the main characters felt hopelessly, intensely thought the good, the bad and all the things in between
The author managed through the main storyline to add some interesting subplots, where all the stories started to entwine, with each book adding that part to the pile. I have to say that some were utterly insane to me but I guess I still haven’t properly processed all the things I have read.
It was just that kind of journey on full speed, action packed, erotic and emotional that kept me reading until the last time, with that last moment when you knew that everything would blow up in the next book. Just saying that this second installment was such a great addition to the series. Damn more mysteries to unravel for sure and another explosive and entertaining story to come.
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