Guest Author & Giveaway: Mari Carr - Melissa Schroeder

Guest Author & Giveaway: Mari Carr

Co-writing
I’ve always considered writing to be a solitary career. It’s something I do alone in my office. Over the past couple of years, my eyes have been opened to an exciting new world—co-writing.
I met Jayne Rylon at Lori Foster’s Readers-Writers Get Together back in 2009. To say we hit it off instantly would be an understatement. I was familiar with her, having read her stories, Nice and Naughty and Dream Machine. I knew she was a talented writer and as the years have passed, she’s become a very good friend.
One night in the midst of a string of emails between us—this is sort of a nightly thing and for the most part, we talk about nothing—she said we should write a series together. From there, the Compass Brothers Serieswas born.
The final book in the series, Western Ties, released last week and I thought I’d share an excerpt of it with you today.
How strong are the ties that bind?

Compass Brothers, Book 4

Leah Hollister’s sex life needs a swift kick in the pants. Small-town Compton Pass, though, isn’t the place to explore her need for bondage. When she gets an invitation to a BDSM party out in LA, she wastes no time booking a flight.

Her plan to play anonymously is shot to hell when she runs into high-school crush Sawyer Compton—and he lays immediate claim to her.

Sawyer Compton commands total control, in and out of the bedroom. He never thought Leah could handle his darker urges, but one look at the white bracelet that marks her as a sub ripe for the picking, and he knows exactly how this night is going to end. With Leah in his bed.

Leah didn’t expect to enjoy the comfort Sawyer’s familiarity brings, even as his touch takes her to unimaginable heights of pleasure. When bad news from home sends him reeling, she’s more than prepared to offer him anything he needs: her body, her friendship. Even her heart—if Sawyer can loosen the reins over his own to accept her love.


Product Warnings
Invest in tissues. Lots and lots of tissues. Between spicy, set-the-sheets-on-fire bondage romps and the last Compass brother coming home, you’ll need them. 
Excerpt:
“Leah?” a familiar male voice behind her said.
Leah closed her eyes and prayed she’d imagined it. There was no way. No possible way—
“Leah Hollister?”
She sighed. Fuck. What were the chances?
Turning, she realized her night wasn’t going to end as she’d planned. She should have saved her money. Should have stayed in Compton Pass. She was screwed.
“Sawyer.” She didn’t bother with the pretense of being happy to see him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Leah,” Stacey whispered, her voice full of warning.
Sawyer narrowed his eyes, refusing to answer. His gaze started at the top, taking in her dramatic makeup, before drifting lower to her breasts, accentuated by the tight corset Stacey had loaned her. She willed herself to remain still as he finished his visual tour with a long look at her short leather skirt and stocking-clad legs.
“Enjoying the view?” she taunted. “You still haven’t answered my question. Shouldn’t you be in San Francisco? What are you doing here?”
He scowled. “That’s my question for you. A BDSM party in L.A. is a long way from a kindergarten classroom in Compton Pass. Last time I saw you, you were leading a pack of five-year-olds around my family’s ranch.”
A couple of years earlier, Sawyer had helped her organize a field trip to Compass ranch. It had been one of the highlights of the year for her students—and for her. It was also the last time she’d seen Sawyer. Two years was a long time. She certainly hadn’t expected their reunion to take place in L.A.
She sucked in a deep breath and tried to hide her disappointment. He was right. She’d purposely put herself as far away from home as possible, so that she could indulge in these two nights. One weekend to confirm a few suspicions she’d always held in regard to her sexual preferences. Sawyer was going to put a wrench in the works.
She gestured at her outfit. “I would think my role here would be obvious.” For the first time, she allowed her gaze to travel over him as well. Her body heated with arousal as she noted how unbelievably sexy he was. He wore tight dark jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged his muscular chest to perfection. No one in the place would fail to read the dominance in his stance, the aura of power he projected.
On the surface, she was shocked to find her friend in a place like this, but there was another part—deep inside—that wasn’t a bit surprised. He belonged here.
“So you’re a Dom?” She fought the urge to laugh as she asked the absurd question. Of course he was.
His gaze drifted to her arm. He grasped her wrist, pulling it up and toying with the white wristband the host had given her upon arrival.
“You understand what this means, right?” he asked, gesturing to the bracelet.
Sawyer completely ignored her Dom question. It didn’t matter anyway. It had clearly been rhetorical. He was a Compton. Anybody and everybody from their neck of the woods knew that name was synonymous with alpha male.
She gave him an annoyed look. “Of course I do.”
It was evident from his tone he didn’t think she belonged here any more than Stacey. One of the reasons she’d planned this adventure far away from home, surrounded by strangers who didn’t know her, was because rumors spread like wildfire in their small hometown. She knew about Sawyer’s sexual proclivities, and she’d always wondered if she shared a few of them.
Besides, her sweetdisposition didn’t inspire the more adventurous cowboys back home to ask her out, so her opportunities for exploration were seriously limited. Julie was right. She was a goody-goody.
Sawyer didn’t appear to like her answer, so he restated the obvious. “It means you are an unattached submissive who’s looking for a Dom. This wristband has declared it open season on you.”
She shrugged, unconcerned. “Sorry to shatter the illusion, Sawyer, but I think I can handle whatever this party dishes out. It’s not like I’m a virgin.”
He frowned. “You lost your virginity in the backseat of a Pontiac to Les Prescott after Compton Pass won the district football championship our senior year. The guy was a shithead. You should’ve chosen better.”
Leah laughed, though a ripple of desire slammed into her. It was always this way with Sawyer. Though they were just friends, there’d never been a time when she hadn’t felt his gaze on her. He’d scared off more than a few would-be boyfriends in her lifetime claiming they were only after one thing. Les had fallen into that category, but Sawyer had been playing on that championship team and had been a bit distracted that night.
Sawyer had appointed himself her personal guardian in third grade when Jordan Haskiell had shoved her down on the playground after she’d beat him in a footrace. As a result, Sawyer had endured an afternoon in the principal’s office and God only knew what kind of punishment at home after issuing Jordan a very physical, very painful warning of what happened to guys who messed with Leah. While Sawyer hadn’t pursued her romantically, he’d certainly taken the bonds of friendship to a new extreme.
Despite the fact they’d existed in different cliques at school, Sawyer hadn’t let social status stop him from being one of her best friends. He’d run with the jocks and cheerleaders, while she’d been firmly encamped with the brainiacs, less affectionately referred to as nerds by their peers. “How could you have known about Les?”
“I told you. He was a prick. He was bragging about it at school the following Monday.”
She flushed. She’d never heard of Les spreading rumors about her. “I didn’t know—”
Sawyer grinned. “Luckily, he started his boasting with me. I took him out behind the school and gave him a reason to shut his fucking mouth.”
His admission held a hint of humor, but she could tell he was angry. She decided to test the waters to see how screwed she was.
“Well, it was great to see you again, but Stacey and I were going to pop over to the bar for a drink.”
“I’ll go with you.” He confirmed her fear.
She smiled and shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re scaring off all the other Doms.”
His wolfish grin let her know that was his intent.
Her temper sparked. “God dammit, Sawyer. Go away.”
Stacey lightly touched her arm, alerting Leah that she’d spoken too loudly. Several people glanced in her direction and frowned. She was never going to achieve her goal at this rate.
Sawyer was the only person in the room who didn’t take offense at her faux pas. “You realize this is a weekend party?”
She nodded. It was starting to look like it would be a long two days.
Sawyer reclaimed her hand, slipping off the white bracelet.
“What the hell are you doing?” She tried to pull her arm free, attempting to grab the wristband back.
Sawyer’s grip was implacable. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a green bracelet. Suddenly, she felt dizzy. There was no way he would—
Sawyer slipped it around her wrist.
“No,” she whispered when he lifted her hand.
Western Ties is available at Samhain, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
~~~~~


GIVEAWAYI’ll give one commenter their choice of an ebook from my backlist? All you have to do is check out my books page, tell me which book (and eformat) you’d like to read and I’ll pick one winner tomorrow morning.

Mari Carr – Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Categories: Giveaways & Contests Guest Posts

20 Comments on “Guest Author & Giveaway: Mari Carr

  1. Hi Mari,

    I love all the stories you’ve written with Jayne. Your voices blend so well together, and you can just tell how much fun they were to write.

    I haven’t started your Cocktales series yet, and would love to read Party Naked on my Kindle.

    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

  2. I have read a few of your books and am looking forward to adding more of them to my reading list…
    If chosen, I would love a copy of Southern Comfort in either PDF or NOOK format. Thanks for sharing! Happy March!

    greenshamrock AT cox DOT net

  3. Yay for Compass Brothers’ books 🙂 I love me those smokin’ hot cowboys!

    Great to “meet” you at Melissa’s and definitely count me in for the giveaway!

    The book I didn’t have among your backlist is : Because You Love Me. Would love to get a pdf.

    anjudimello AT gmail DOT com

  4. I Love the Compass Brothers!! All four books are fabulous.

    My choice would be Power Play for my Kindle.

    ttm613 AT bellsouth Dot net

  5. I LOVE the Compass Brothers books and am reading the last one now. I went to your site and I think I’d like Spitfire. Then I’ll have to get the other two. I love series and like to read them in order. That is really neat that you and Jayne can write together. I hope you can do more books in the future. Thanks.
    Tiss
    tiss81@hotmail.com

  6. Hello Mari! The first book that I read of your was the 1st Compass Brothers book and I was instantly hook after the first page! I can’t wait to finish reading this series and start on your other books.

    melissalamb(at)musfiber(dot)com

  7. Mari – you were probably the first author I started buying regularly when I got my Kindle. I have ready at least half of your titles! Erotic Research was one of the first and one of my favorites, and I loved the In the Running follow-up story! I love all the Compass Brothers books, but this last one really hit hard, as I knew what was going to happen eventually 🙁

    I haven’t had a chance to check out the Cocktales series yet, so I’d love to read Party Naked.

    Thanks for writing and for the wonderful collaboration with Jayne Rylon. I’m looking forward to more!

    Joy
    Kindle format would be great!

    edwards96 at gmail dot com

  8. I love the writing you’ve done with Jayne. Those books are wonderful.
    I’ve read your book Black Jack, but I haven’t read White Knight yet, so I think I’ll choose that one for my Kindle.
    Congrats on the last Compass Brothers book, Western Ties.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

  9. Hi Mari! I love the Compass Brothers! I was hooked with Northern Exposure. I read through them so quickly that I did a reread before Western Ties! You and Jayne seem to blend your styles very well.
    I am continuing the Wild Irish series. I am ready for Ruby Tuesday in kindle.
    Congrats on the Compass Brothers success!!
    Mel
    bournmelissa@hotmail.com

  10. Hi Mari. Congrats to you and Jayne on the success of the Compass Brothers series. Anxiously awaiting the release of Screwdriver. Would love to add Sugar and Spice to the Kindle library. 🙂

    Val

  11. Mari, you know you and Jayne are amazing–your voices blend well together, and of course you write incredibly individually too!

    If so lucky, I’d love Kiss Me, Kate in PDF.

    f dot chen at comcast dot net

  12. Mari I adore your stories, and those Compass Brothers..wow.
    I had the review written 3 days after I read it, but it was trapped in my writing program. I didn’t want to re write it because it took me 3 days to put my thoughts and words together just the way I wanted them…*S*
    I would love to start reading your Cocktail series and any one of them would be super..:)
    Thank you for the giveaway, and I can’t wait for the next Compass Brother story.

    Darcy
    pommawolf @hotmail.com

  13. Mari I have been a fan since I turned on my Kindle and hit download. Can’t wait to sit down and go through the cocktail drink list at RT – Congrats on the upcoming release and the success of the ones already out xoxo
    I’d love to get Party Naked so I’m ready for Screwdriver :)-PDF
    drmgrl99atyahoodotcom

  14. Mari, I love the compass brothers. I just hated to see it end (haven’t read western yet for that reason). I agree writing can be very soliditary, cowriting must be fun.

  15. I’ve read the first Compass Brothers book and really enjoyed it. It’s great that you ladies are able to write together. Any more series planned?

  16. Hi Mari,

    I love all the Compus Bros. books -I just started Western Ties. I would love to read either Sugar and Spice or Party Naked on my Kindle Fire. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Heather P – hap100@sbcglobal.net

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