Title: No More Masquerade
Series: Secrets of Stone #2
Authors: Angel Payne & Victora Blue
Release Date: November 3, 2014
Behind every good man…is the love of an
even better woman.
Those were just pretty words before I met Claire Montgomery. Before my fairy queen burst into my life, I didn’t recognize the bastard in my morning mirror—but her love has given me the strength to face the imposter, even embrace him. My tower in the clouds is no longer a sentence of isolation; it’s a jumping point to the stars. With Claire at my side, I’m the king I always wanted to be, the Killian Stone I always dreamed of becoming.
Which means for once, I want the mask guarding my secret to stay right where it is.
If you want the grown-up fairy tale…learn to love the dark side.
Profound sentiment. Wish I could get on board with it but the prince in pinstripes has other ideas. Life has been a dream since Killian burst into the ball offering the perfect fit—his heart and mine, not the shoes, the car or the jewelry—but the treasures have become his armor, hiding the man I yearn to know. I refuse to open his little velvet box until he opens himself, letting me see even the dark hallways of his soul…
Until he lifts all his masks for me.
Master of the masquerade…
Fate has always bowed to my bidding. I should have known it was just picking its time to exact the best revenge, to reveal the secrets that will destroy everything. Without my disguise, am I still the man Claire fell in love with…or another penniless prince vying for an unattainable dream?
Mistress of his ruin?
He always told me to be careful what I wish for. By demanding his truth, have I not only demolished the dream we had…but the man I’ve loved more than any other?
Those were just pretty words before I met Claire Montgomery. Before my fairy queen burst into my life, I didn’t recognize the bastard in my morning mirror—but her love has given me the strength to face the imposter, even embrace him. My tower in the clouds is no longer a sentence of isolation; it’s a jumping point to the stars. With Claire at my side, I’m the king I always wanted to be, the Killian Stone I always dreamed of becoming.
Which means for once, I want the mask guarding my secret to stay right where it is.
If you want the grown-up fairy tale…learn to love the dark side.
Profound sentiment. Wish I could get on board with it but the prince in pinstripes has other ideas. Life has been a dream since Killian burst into the ball offering the perfect fit—his heart and mine, not the shoes, the car or the jewelry—but the treasures have become his armor, hiding the man I yearn to know. I refuse to open his little velvet box until he opens himself, letting me see even the dark hallways of his soul…
Until he lifts all his masks for me.
Master of the masquerade…
Fate has always bowed to my bidding. I should have known it was just picking its time to exact the best revenge, to reveal the secrets that will destroy everything. Without my disguise, am I still the man Claire fell in love with…or another penniless prince vying for an unattainable dream?
Mistress of his ruin?
He always told me to be careful what I wish for. By demanding his truth, have I not only demolished the dream we had…but the man I’ve loved more than any other?
“No more running in
ice soup, Mr. Stone.” My admonishment was gentle but stern. “You’re going to
catch pneumonia.”
“Psshhh.”
“Killian!”
“I grew up in the ‘ice
soup’, baby. I’m not going to catch—”
“I can’t live without
you.” I didn’t try to hide the hoarse crack in my voice. “Okay? Happy now?”
For a long moment, all
he did was continue to stare. After that pause, he raised a hand to the space
directly over my heart—and pressed it there. “You always make me happy.”
Slowly, he drew that
hand down the center of my torso. Though the action brought a thousand shivers,
his face still captivated me the most. I couldn’t stop picturing what he must
have been like at five years old, so young and innocent, brought into the
middle of a complicated mess by adults wrapped up in their warped and
convoluted sense of “doing right”.
The heart he’d just
warmed with his fingers now swelled from the power of his honesty. Then it
swelled and ached, bursting with the love I felt for his beautiful, brave soul.
If he asked me again to marry him, I’d shout my acceptance at the top of my
lungs. As odd as it was, the pain of the last week had finally brought me the
Killian I’d been searching for.
Unable to hold back
anymore, I leaned over and kissed him. The pillows billowed around us with the
force of my passion—and his in return. His powerful body, especially the part
pressing most intimately against me, swelled and grew. He circled both arms
around my waist and clutched me tighter, inviting my mouth to stay right where
it was as he opened his lips for me.
Warmth. Invitation.
Safety, Solace. Home. He was my home.
I lost myself in that
kiss. Drowned in the luxury of his taste, the perfect feel of his tongue.
Moaned as his tongue stroked mine with increasing urgency, growing desire.
There was so much more
to our connection than the physical need of man and woman—and never more than
in that moment. The force of his need filled me, pushed me, consumed me.
When we tore back by a
few inches, Killian dug a hand to my scalp. “My queen. My Claire. You’re my
anchor in this ocean. My compass in this storm.”
Peering into his eyes
was looking to the depths of that uncharted sea. Fathoms of darkness lived
there…gray and black and pewter, liquid and shadows as mysterious as the bottom
of the Pacific or Atlantic themselves. When I gazed at him like this, the
origins of the world’s labels for him were so easy to understand. Cryptic.
Enigmatic. Secluded. Guarded. He was unbeknownst to so many, only
allowing the most worthy into his sanctum—and now, all the reasons for that
made such sense.
Right now, he’d made
me the most worthy person on the planet. The way he held me in his embrace,
touched my skin, kissed my lips…I’d never felt closer to him. I yearned to
press him for more. Dammit, why did I always want more? I needed to thank the
universe for what it had already given me this week. For now, this connection
was enough. More than enough.
It was perfect.
“Killian,” I
whispered. “When we’re together like this, when it feels like we are the only
two people on the planet, I feel like I can take on the world.” I emitted a
little girl growl as he reacted to that by slowly wrapping my hair around his
fingers. “I know it sounds corny…”
“It sounds wonderful.”
He rasped it, seating my hips more firmly against his, letting his engorged
cock slide softly between the moist lips of my sex. “Don’t stop,” he
encouraged.
Denying him wasn’t an
option. “We can do anything we set our minds to,” I told him, “as long as we’re
together. We’re a force, Killian—you and I. I’m not sure the world’s prepared
for it yet. They have no idea what they’re messing with.”
He growled again,
harder and louder. “Hmmm. My fairy has tiger claws, too. Always ready to fight
for what’s right.”
“Damn straight,
especially when it comes to the man I’m madly in love with.” I bent and kissed
him again.
“And what about the
Killian Stone you’re not so fond of?” He wasn’t playing at the question this
time. “Answer me. I’ve seen the look on your face when that bastard comes out
to play.”
“You’re right.
He is a bastard. But I love you, Killian. All of
you.” I seized the chance to splay my hand to the center of his chest now—to
the heart inside that beat so strong and sure. “You’re just one man. And when
you are this open and real with me, I love you more than my own life. I want
our lives to be one. As sure as I breathe, that’s what I want.”
We kissed again, but I
let my lips linger on his for a very long time, simply tasting him, savoring
him. I fitted my body deeper to his, eliciting a deep groan from him, matched
by my own aroused sigh. It was no longer time for talk. Nonverbal communication
could speak our remaining words—a skill my man knew just as well as fancy
boardroom speeches. Thank God.
No More Masquerade (Secrets of Stone #2)
* AMAZON * BARNES & NOBLE *
No Prince Charming (Secrets of Stone #1)
* AMAZON * BARNES & NOBLE *
* 2 Winners ~ $50 Amazon Gift Card, 1 Winner Signed Paperback of No Prince Charming & No More Masquerade & Set of Secrets of Stone Wine Glasses*
Angel Payne
Hi there. I'm Angel: book lover, writing addict, hopeless romantic, pop culture geek and avid shoe lover. **I have a monthly newsletter now! Sign up for it right here: http://eepurl.com/LoNkz. It's a cool way to get exclusive info, talk hot heroes, learn about new items in the Angel Payne store, talk hot heroes, further the pie or cake debate...and oh yeah, did I mention talking hot heroes? A bit about me... I've been hooked on books since I was a kid but it got worse in my twenties, when I discovered romances--the hotter, the better. Growing up in Southern California, with lots of surfer manliness surrounded me, was certainly a good boost for reading about delicious alpha guys and the women who adore them. When I learned I had a knack for telling these stories too, I guess you could say I was doomed--though my path toward romance novelist took a few detours via a concert-reviewing gig for my college newspaper (free show tickets...backstage passes...that was a no-brainer), artist interviews for a Beverly Hills dance music mag, personal assistant work for a record producer, dance club disc jockey, and a lot of fun in the hospitality industry. These days, I still live in California, and have found an amazing alpha guy of my own who was brave enough to marry me. We live on a street that looks like Brigadoon, with our beautiful daughter. I have the best life ever, and never forget to thank the Big Guy Upstairs for it, either.Victoria Blue
Victoria Blue lives in her own portion of the galaxy known as Southern California. There she finds the love and life sustaining power of one amazing sun, two unique and awe inspiring planets and three indifferent, yet comforting moons. Life is fantastic and challenging and everyday brings new adventures to be discovered. She looks forward to seeing what's next!
Angel Payne
Victoria Blue
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Tour Brought to You by:
What a rollercoaster this book was! I have read many billionaire romance novels, both erotic and non-erotic and I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I hadn't read the first book in this series when I was offered a chance to read an ARC of No More Masquerade and I immediately regretted that. While this book could be read without having read No Prince Charming it definitely makes more sense if you've read the first. After only a few pages, loving No More Masquerade I quickly bought and devoured No Prince Charming. I'll post a review of that one some other time. Now is the time to talk about No More Masquerade.
As I just said I've read many, many "billionaire romance" novels and I thought that this might be just one more. I was wrong, very happily wrong. This book was so much more than your typical "billionaire romance." While there were some similarities in that there is a billionaire with issues who runs his own company and there's a young woman, the similarities end there. Killian doesn't just have "issues." He has secrets. His secrets threaten to tear him apart. When the secrets are revealed (in this book) they do tear him apart. His whole world is torn from him. Killian is afraid of Claire's reaction and shuts her out, but the passion and love win out and they end up stronger than ever before.
I don't normally feel much for the billionaire hero because there are just too many of them these days, but I really felt Killian's pain. He didn't ask to be brought into the mess his life was and you could see how much it was hurting him. I'm definitely no billionaire, but I could relate and feel for him. I actually shed a few tears reading this book.
I also loved Claire and all of the supporting characters. Even those characters we thought we knew from the first book have changes of heart and are very well developed.
I've read a few of Angel Payne's books in the past and I had always planned to go back and read more. They are now going to be moved much higher (towards the top) of my reading list. I also plan to read up more on Victoria Blue's books.
I give No More Masquerade FIVE STARS!
Tour Brought to You by:
We were both so excited to read your review! It's great to get feedback and a reader's thoughts after we worked so hard and put our little hearts on the page. This book was so much fun to write, so we hope everyone enjoys it as much as you did. Thank you for sharing your blog space with Killian and Claire Kelsey! Much love! xoxo
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