Come and join the fun at The Romance Review’s Year End Splash Party November 1st-30th! Surrender: Coalition Mates will be just one of the amazing books featured, there’s lots of great giveaways and fun to be had!
For my book giveaway, there will be a multiple choice question about Sally, who is our heroine in Surrender. You will find the clue to your answer in this teaser below, enjoy!
Surrender: Coalition Mates 4 Excerpt:
Sally made her way down the hall to the great room and quickly noticed that she seemed to be the last one to join. Most were speaking quietly in small groups, and a few were talking with the alien women that had rejoined them. The hyper little woman with the pink hair from earlier, however, seemed to be waiting for Sally to emerge because as soon as she spotted her, she jumped up and rushed toward her in an excited waggle that reminded Sally of a crazed squirrel looking for a place to stash her nuts.
“Hi, Sally!” the vibrating dynamo squeaked out. “So did you figure out what you’re going to do? I’m going to study marine biology! I’m so excited I could almost burst. I’ve always wanted to go to university but could never afford it back home. Isn’t this just the greatest thing that could ever happen?”
It was all Sally could do to not laugh outright at how excited the odd little woman was. Devyn was literally out of breath and panting when she finally stopped talking. The little dynamo obviously should be medicated or something to bring down the ‘perk’, but what she’d said did make Sally think about what was happening. Was this the greatest thing that could’ve happened? Obviously not. But was it the worst thing that could’ve happened to her? Sally had to take a hard look at her life as a whole. She wasn’t really leaving anything behind on Earth, no job, no family, no pet even. The only real friend that she had was Evie and she would be here with her, so there was nothing to do but adapt to her new situation as best she could. That was one thing life had taught her, you adapt or you get left behind.
“Yeah, that sounds great, Devyn. I’ve applied to enter the courtesan guild here on Sirus, so I hope it works out,” she answered, sounding much less enthusiastic than her neighbor.
“Oh.” Devyn’s eyes grew impossibly larger at that information. “That sounds exciting. I heard that the Sirotians have some sort of mind-control abilities. Guess that’s why they’re supposed to be the best at seducing people, huh? I wonder if they can teach you that?”
That was news to Sally. But she had to assume in this situation that she was no longer the smartest person in the room when it came to learning about all these alien species. Good thing they were teaching classes! But one of Sally’s hard, fast rules in life was, even if you don’t know exactly what’s going on, fake it till you make it. Uncertainty was a show of weakness that Sally had learned from a young age that she couldn’t indulge in. Predators always went for the weak or confused in the herd, and Sally wouldn’t ever be prey again.
“Well, Devyn, in my experience, as long as a man has a penis, he’s generally not that hard to seduce,” she answered with a liberal amount of sarcasm loud enough that a few of the other groups of women were chuckling when they heard her comment.
“Ladies! Please take a seat, and we will begin with your cultural and etiquette lessons. Now, there is a large amount of information to absorb, so you will be taking these classes daily for the time that you are with us, along with the curriculum for whichever career path you have chosen,” Lady Samal said as she casually went to the front of the room. It was obvious from her demeanor and grace that she had a lot of experience with speaking in front of groups.
As the rest of the women found comfortable seats on the low couches, Sally saw Caric come back into the room and speak in a low tone to the older woman. Sally couldn’t hear what was said, but clearly, whatever it was surprised Lady Samal from the look on her face. Then, when both women immediately turned to look speculatively right at her, Sally assumed Caric had just informed Lady Samal about her career choice. She couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal, but if Lady Samal was involved in the guild of her choice, she had better turn the charm on right now instead of waiting for her interview. Better safe than sorry, right?
Sally immediately put on her game face, ready to dazzle and distract with charm and charisma. Never frown. Never let them see what you’re really thinking or feeling. After all, when you put on a show, people rarely look deeper than the façade that you easily offer up. Sally could only hope that it wasn’t only human nature that adhered to the “out of sight, out of mind” adage. So with her empty bucket filled with bravado and bullshit, Sally smiled brightly, volunteered to help with any demonstrations, and absorbed as much information as she possibly could for the rest of the afternoon. As the women walked back to their rooms after their dinner meal, Sal’s face actually hurt from smiling so much. She couldn’t wait to get into her room and close the door so she could actually breathe. It was exhausting being someone else all the time. For a fleeting moment, Sally couldn’t help but wonder if this new world might be an opportunity to try to be herself for a change, but almost before the thought was done, it was replaced by all of the cruelty and disappointment that had littered her childhood. No, she couldn’t take that risk again.
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Sarah Marsh 