Doing It the Hard Way: Ellora's Cave [Paperback]

T. J. Michaels (Author), Shiloh Walker (Author), Madison Hayes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ellora's Cave | Publication Date: February 10, 2009

When it comes to seducing their sexy ladies for a lifetime, these three gorgeous guys wonder why anyone would want it easy, when the hard way is oh-so-much more fun....

T. J. MICHAELS

Jaguar's Rule

After an irresistible night of passion with Reya, muscle-bound Aaron longs to hold her close forever. Little does he know that the tall, sleek beauty has a carnal secret -- and he's the one who needs protection.

SHILOH WALKER

One Night with You

When the deliciously sexy girl of Logan's dreams, Bo, gets engaged to another man, the hard-bodied hunk kidnaps her to a remote cabin hideaway for a red-hot weekend that is sure to set her heart on fire.

MADISON HAYES

Miss October

Tavia doesn't pick up hitchhikers -- until towering alpha male Bolt Hardin makes her a deal she can't refuse. He stakes his claim on her luscious body, and opens her mind to a scorching new world of kinky possibilities.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

TJ Michaels was born into a musically eclectic family. She sings, even outside of the shower. She also loves to read. You'll find her with her head buried in a book every day of the week, whether it's her own creation or something snagged at the bookstore.  So, where does this writing stuff come from? Working for a pretty interesting organization allows her to interact with even more interesting customers. With an imagination expanded beyond belief after the birth of her two (now teenaged) children, spinning life's experiences into tales is a blast! And now that books have caught up to technology, TJ's eBook reader is shown no mercy, forced to entertain her at all hours of the day or night. Even in the dark!

Her favorite compositions are multicultural romances in various genres, some naughty, none nice. With several works in the wings, TJ loves to spin, create, and explore whatever world her mind decides to conjure. She currently lives in Colorado with her two children, and enjoys working as a technical resource with a company that provides analytic solutions to large pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Shiloh Walker, the author of over 30 stories for Ellora's Cave, began writing when she was 12.  Married since she was 19 to her highschool sweetheart, she lives int he midwest with her husband and their two children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

One

The big male swatted at the female's head but missed. She'd eluded his huge paw, jumped to the side of the unconscious human lying facedown on the ground, his blood mingling with the wet grass. The female crouched again, ready to spring and prepared to fight for the human. He didn't doubt he could take her, but the set of her powerful shoulders and the gleam of the moonlight off her bared canines made him think twice. He'd seen this particular female before, often out in the jungle. None of the other males ever approached her. Perhaps she was a formidable foe?

But he wasn't just another male. He was a prime of his species, a jaguar, a fully grown panthera onca who always got what he wanted. He decided he wanted her.

She thought he was after the body she guarded. Good, let her. He would back off for now, taking the opportunity she'd unknowingly given him to watch her closely and see just what kind of female he was dealing with. But he had no doubt that in the end, she would find herself underneath him while he thrust with powerful strokes into her body. Oh yes, she would yield. He would see to it. And perhaps afterward, he would keep her.

Uhhnnn, owww. Aaron was sure someone had split his head open and used a metal baseball bat to work sand into the wound. And those voices! God, why wouldn't they just shut up? The buzz overlaying the words of whoever needed to shut up drilled through his brain.

Each breath sucked into his lungs felt shallow, as if he couldn't drag in enough air, and every breath out left behind a tight burning sensation. Why couldn't he take a deep breath and hold it? Pain this intense could only mean one thing -- he was dying.

The voices were louder now. Damn it. Ready to glare at the people talking when his head pounded like a drum at a rock concert, he was somewhat surprised at the gritty feel behind his lids as he forced them open. He blinked then blinked again, but the blurry images wouldn't clear. They just moved back and forth in the dimly lit room. The sound of a million cawing birds filled his ears, and the sweet scent of wet grass floated on a cooling breeze across his skin. His bare skin. Did they have bare skin in the hereafter?

He blinked a few more times, wincing as the side of his head exploded with a new round of pain. And who was the bearded old man leaning close to his face? He wanted to lift his hand to smack the man and tell him to back up a bit. The garlic on his breath made Aaron's stomach lurch but the pounding in his head was so fierce, just the thought of blowing chunks made him grit his teeth to hold back the bile while the vein in his forehead threatened to burst. The old man was speaking. What? Sounded something like mud, or blood, or...he just couldn't make it out, his thoughts were too scrambled. Oblivion had been pretty sweet compared to this. Perhaps he could slip back into it?

But not before he caught a glimpse of the angel standing just behind the garlicky old man. Now he remembered, sort of. Lightning. His plane had gone down in the jungle after the engine under the left wing caught fire. The image was blurry but he knew an angel when he saw one. Was she here to take him to heaven? He was sure he'd done at least a few good deeds to warrant making it through the pearly gates.

This angel had milk chocolate skin and a set of piercing, almond-shaped, light gray eyes that made his pulse skip a beat or two. And her hair, a shoulder-length mane any woman would kill for. Thick and curly, it hit her shoulders at the perfect length and made his fingers want to reach out and touch the silky black-as-sin tresses before he floated away to the hereafter. The image of his angel wavered.

"Wait! Come back, beautiful! Can't we spend some time? Maybe talk awhile before I leave this plane?" Could she hear his urgent whispers? Of course she could, all supernatural beings had great hearing. So why didn't she respond? Instead, she just looked at him with a strange mix of pity and irritation. What the hell kind of angel was she anyway? She was supposed to be smiling at him, preparing him for his journey. Well, she obviously wasn't interested in doing her job. Maybe if he lodged a formal complaint with God, she'd get fired.

The garlic master was back. His stomach lurched. Damn it, old man, he shouted in his head, and immediately regretted the ferocity of his thoughts. Now his neck, shoulders and ribs joined his head, pounding relentlessly against his skin from the inside out.

The older man stuck him on the top of his hand with something and the beauty faded away fast, but not before he got a good glimpse of the swell of the angel's breasts and the curve of her shoulders. Since when did cherubs wear tank tops? It sure looked good on her. And how could he be in so much pain and still manage to achieve a hard-on? Damn, she's sexy, he smirked at himself as his eyelids fluttered closed. Hell, even in his state of impending death, he was thinking with his cock instead of his brain.

I'm no better than the half-assed angel, he thought as sleep claimed him.

Reya followed Dr. Matons out of her bedroom and closed the door with a quiet snap. After brewing herself a cup of tea, she joined her old friend out on the screened veranda and plopped down in her favorite plastic patio chair. The smell of the passing storm was heavy in the air, along with the scent of charred wood and jet fuel. In spite of the evening's hair-raising events, she was calm and determined.

Vanilla and clove scented smoke floated up from Dr. Matons's pipe. She should have never asked her aunt Sulu to send the stuff. Now the old curmudgeon would never again settle for the local tobaccos.

"Well, our little patient was lucky tonight," Dr. Matons drawled around his pipe.

"Little patient?" Reya queried with amusement. She was sure she'd never met a man so long his feet practically hung off the edge of her bed, or a more muscularly perfect specimen as the one lying in her bedroom. She and Dr. Matons had spent the past several hours removing glass and plastic from various patches of skin. They'd stitched the deeper cuts across his back, wrapped his chest tightly and cleaned off all the blood. She'd seen every inch of his magnificent body and there was nothing, and she meant nothing, little about him.

"It's a good thing you were out on patrol when his plane went down. I don't know if he would have made it otherwise," the doctor said, blowing out a ring of thick smoke. "He is certainly handsome, as men go." His eyes crinkled at the sides as he watched her. The old matchmaker. Always looking for someone to pair her up with. Even an unconscious man in serious condition.

When she didn't answer but stared out into the night, he continued. "I gave him a strong painkiller, but he's not out of the woods. Do you mind if I sleep here so I can check on him during the night?"

"No, I don't mind at all. Why don't you take the office? The futon in there is pretty comfy. I'll take the couch." Her eyes hadn't strayed from the tangle of ferns and vines leading into the dark canopy of jungle no more than a hundred yards from her back stairs.

"You're not planning on going back out in this deluge, are you?"

"The storm is almost past. I'll be fine. Besides, something weird happened out there tonight. If you're still awake when I get back, I'll tell you about it."

The moon, pale and obscured by dark thunderheads, was the only light shining onto her second-story veranda. Reya unlaced her boots, toed them off and set them beside the screen door that led down the back stairs. Dr. Matons continued to puff on his pipe while she peeled off her tank top and blood-spattered pants, tossed them in a pile and loosely tied a small bundle around her neck.

"Be careful, my dear. Wake me when you return," Dr. Matons called quietly. Extinguishing his pipe, he rose and slipped through the sliding-glass door and into her living room.

Reya watched his retreating back until the subtle snap of the office door told her she was alone. Shirt, pants and shoes in a neat pile on the floor, she dropped to her knees. Muscles rippled and bunched as raw power surged through her limbs -- heady, thunderous power as her body shortened then stretched. Her tall frame shuddered as thick fur burst through her pores, replacing smooth skin. The cooling breeze ruffled the sleek fur on the tufts of the ears of a black jaguar as she stalked down the stairs and loped into the surrounding jungle.

Copyright 2009 by Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc. Jaguar's Rule copyright 2006 by T. J. Michaels

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; Original edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416578269
• ISBN-13: 978-1416578260
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 2 out of 3 stories ain 't worth it..., July 3, 2011

By 

AV_lexi - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Doing It the Hard Way: Ellora's Cave (Paperback)

***WARNING, SPOILERS***
-Miss October, by Madison Hayes,erotica at its best, 107 pages, 4,5 stars.
Story:
Octavia October (no comment here...) has a rule of not picking up hitchhikers.
The sight of a hard, testosterone radiating male by the side of the road with
his thumb up in the international sign of hitchhiking doesn't move her. But
after a flat tire a little further down the road, he catches up with her and
offers her a deal. His help for the ride. Tavia finally accepts under the
condition to take him to his destination the next day since she has a date
back home she doesn't want to cancel. The hitchhiker a.k.a. Bolt Hardin is to
stay in her place overnight and the fun begins. His attraction to sassy Tavia
makes him interfere with her date, seduce Tavia and get rid of the boyfriend,
all sooooooo manly done. The outcome is delicious. And kinky. And totally worth
reading this story.
Impression:
A gem. Half the story I was holding my stomach from the laughter and the other
half I was fanning myself. Madison Hayes's writing is delightfully refreshing
with a generous dose of humor and a keen sense of actual male phychology
truthfully depicted on paper. The chemistry between the two characters is
delicious and the plot rolls in a creative beat. As for the sex scenes... This
is pure erotica. The kind of erotica that makes the reason to buy an Ellora's
Cave anthology of short romance stories. And this story, was totally worth it.

-Jaguar's rule, by T.J. Michaels, shapeshifter's story, 116 pages, 1,5 stars.
Story:
Aaron James crushes into the jungle with his plane and is rescued by Reya,
a female jaguar shapeshifter who defends his injured body from another
rogue male jaguar that shows up at the crash. Aaron while tended in Reya's
place feels drawn to her, an attraction that goes both ways. Amidst Reya's
busy schedule in the wildlife sanctuary, patrolling the jungle for rogues and
Aaron's attentions for her, Reya falls in love with him and Aaron decides he
wants her in his life permanently. But first, he needs to rescue her from the
rogue jaguar that's been attacking females around the sanctuary. Reya's
shapeshifting secret is revealed, Aaron doesn't blink an eye, the rogue is put
down and everyone lives happily ever after.
Impression:
Not a memorable one. The story had the components of a full length novel
only they were patched and compressed within 116 pages. Lots of secondary
characters that did not offer a thing to the plot, undeveloped romance that
could be unfolded much more efficiently had the author paid attention to the
couple in question, rushed out conclusions and shallow leading characters. I
couldn't wait to get it over with.

-One night with you, by Shiloh Walker,contemporary romance,71 pages, 2 stars.
Story:
Logan has been in love with Bo since the first time he laid eyes on her. Bo
has had a crush on Logan for years. After one night together, her fate is
sealed. She is ruined for any other man. But that doesn't consolate Bo.
Terrified of her feelings for Logan she runs away and around the globe for 4
years. Until she comes back, dates another guy and agrees to marry him. But
Logan knows that Bo is meant for him alone and and kidnaps her two weeks before
the wedding in a remote cabin to prove it to her with nonstop mind-blowing sex.
Bo after the shock -and sex- of her life comes to her senses. Wedding called
off.
Impression:
Guess I had high expectations of SW. Scratch that. I guess I had expectations
of her story in general. When it comes to romance stories of "angst", where the
characters get separated out of fear of their own emotions, one night of amazing
sex isn't enough to clear the fog in their brains. Hmmm, maybe more... but
however, in Bo's case there was no clearing of what she wanted. She realized
Logan actually loved her but she kept fighting her acceptance of him to the
very end of the story. In Logan's final question "I've been going without you
for years, Bo, and it 's hell. I don 't want to do it anymore. (...) Come on,
Bo. Tell me.", she murmured something in his ear and that was it. Next page is
the epilogue. And it doesn't even take place between the two leading characters.
Instead, the rejected fiance is in it!
I ended the story with quite a bitter feeling. Though the sex scenes had the
usual SW brand -intense, passionate and explicit- everything else lacked. There
was no decent development of the plot and definetely no decent closure. I fully
understand that it's a short story included in an anthology, but I felt like it
deserved more attention from the author in respect to the readers that pay a
decent amount of money (in this case, 19.80$ in its full price) to get
anthologies such as this one. I 'm almost relieved I got it on bargain price,
but still I feel like I want my money back...

All in all, the selection of this anthology was disappointing, considering 2
out of 3 stories weren't worth spending time and full-price money on. I gave it
2,5 stars in general, but "Miss October" is where the money lies... Guess if it
was included in a more succesful selection it would have had better luck...

2.0 out of 5 stars One good, two forgettable, August 24, 2011

By 

Melissa S. (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doing It the Hard Way: Ellora's Cave (Paperback)

I thought this was going to be a great mix of stories.
T. J. MICHAELS and SHILOH WALKER: I found their stories to be just hmmmm.....
average and a little forgettable.
However, Madison Hayes story was sexy, hot, and funny.
The characters in Miss October will blow you away. That story alone
was well worth the price for the book. Miss October deserves 5 Stars.
Even though it's a short story, it contains an explosive one you will not want
to put down. I wanted it to be a full size book!
Madison Hayes also has "Calendar Girls - Flavor of the Month" from Ellora's Cave-Miss February,
Miss April, and Miss December in one book.
But my favorite is Miss October!!