Spotlight & Giveaway: The Virgin Hunt Games volume 2 by Mel Teshco

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Mel Teshco to HJ!

Hi Mel and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Virgin Hunt Games volume 2!

 
Hi HJ and readers, thanks for having me back again so soon 🙂
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Ten new hunters (men) and ten hunted (women) enter the Virgin Hunt Games once again, which is held every four years in place of the old Olympic Games. The hero this time is a freed sex slave who has never had an emotional connection to a woman. The heroine is a virgin who will do whatever it takes to free her parents from evil investors.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

The Virgin Hunt Games countdown began, and the crowd’s roar of excitement shook the amphitheater.
“Ten! Nine!”
Adrenaline flooded through Tamsin Mercedes’ whole body and she fought for breath as her lungs tightened. Oh God. This was it.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Mercedes is also the name of one of my foster cats.
• I knew I wanted drugs involved somehow in this story as it negatively affects so many people on different levels.
• Though this is only book 2 of The Virgin Hunt Games I’ve written the next three in the series.
• I loved writing an opposites attract type of story, where both hero and heroine were affected in totally different ways by drugs.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

There is instant chemistry between them, the emotional connection comes much later. As in all the characters in these Games, though there are only seven days for them to get to know one another the intense danger every second of every day seems like a lifetime.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Sizzling. Sexy. Magical. Dramatic. Passionate.
 

The First Kiss…

He cupped her chin and she swallowed hard at the electricity sparking through her nerve endings. He said huskily, “Allow me to apologize in advance for fucking you. But as you are my mate for the duration of these Games, I’m left with no other choice.”
She jerked her head back, his touch suddenly abhorrent. That he apologized for having to do the deed with her was like ice-cold water thrown on her face. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”
He dropped his arm back to his side and raised a dark brow. “You might fight against it now, but I promise your screams won’t be from protest.”
He said it with such confidence, with such knowing, that she was both repelled and enticed. Although her body leaned toward the latter, the former won out in her mind. Who the fuck did he think he was? He was probably some two-stroke lover who didn’t even know where her clitoris was located!
Except the thought no sooner formed before it was rejected. If anyone knew how to pleasure a woman, she had a feeling this man did. There was a raw and primal confidence about him. Something that told her he had been with more than enough women to be sure of his ability with the opposite sex.
His eyes glittered, as though aware of her thoughts. Then he swooped his head low and pressed a slow, heart-stopping kiss to her mouth. Holy smokes, did he know how to kiss! All her fight died as every one of her nerve endings erupted into life. His mouth was drugging and intoxicating as he effortlessly commandeered her into wanting more…needing more.
When he pulled back, she ran a tongue along her electric-charged lips and gazed mutely up at him. For fuck’s sake. She wasn’t supposed to want her mate. She wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near him!

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

I have SO many (as usual!! LOL) But having the characters confess their true feelings would have to be THE moment in the book. Here is a snippet:

“I had to find you. I had to fight for you.”
She turned to him, and he wished he could see her eyes…could read them. “You don’t need to fight for me. Not anymore. I don’t want to be with anyone else. I want only you.”
His breath caught. “Your credits—”
“Will mean little if I give up everything and everyone I value to get them.”
He smoothed some wild strands of her hair behind her ear. “You don’t know what it means to me to hear you say that.” His voice cracked. “I feel the same way about you.”
“It’s crazy—we’re crazy. It’s been only six days.”
“That’s all the time I need to know how I feel about you. I love you, Tamsin. I think a big piece of me fell for you right from the start—from the moment I saw you looking so small compared to the other hunted, yet there you were, standing so straight and tall, an angel with a heart of steel, ready for battle.”

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Definitely the setting, which I’ve tried to show in different ways with every opening scene. The feel and the vibe of the whole Games, the players anticipation and nervous energy, the crowd’s crazy adrenaline. Snippet:

Tamsin was standing with the other hunted on one of the twin platforms that cantilevered out from the huge six-story tower where the Games would take place. On the other platform the ten male hunted stood tall and impressive, their muscles straining and arousals bulging as they threw the women lewd glances. Behind them, the tower loomed ominously. Each level inside the tower was fitted out to be a different kind of intricate, spectacular setting, and each was filled with perilous things—both inanimate and alive—deadly hazards that the contestants had to face and defeat—or die trying.
That was in addition to the hunt itself. A hunt in which the warrior males came after the females for one sole purpose—taking their virginity.
The Virgin Hunt Games had been established in the mid-twenty-second century by the UOC—the United Olympic Committee—after the old Olympic Games were terminated for being too boring for the jaded audiences of the day.
The rules of the Games were fairly complex, but basically, each hunter was assigned his hunted through a random drawing. A hunter who fucked his hunted before having sex with any other contestant won massive credits. And if a hunted was able to preserve her virginity she won equally massive credits. But if she lost her virginity, she was able to earn credits by fucking any hunter who hadn’t claimed his drawn hunted. Generous extra credits were given to all contestants for orgasms and kink. The person with the most credits—and who was still alive—won.
The idea was to royally entertain the eager screener audience—billions and billions of beings throughout the universe would be glued to their viewers for the next seven days, watching the participants have sex…or die. Ratings and wagering would be through the roof.
Tamsin swiped a shaky, damp hand down her blue singlet top and dark denim shorts. She figured the betting on her was probably pretty thin, given her low odds of winning. Hell, she couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. She was a twenty-year-old virgin—a human—with nothing more compelling to show for herself than sheer willpower.

Readers should read this book …

Who loved volume 1. Also those who enjoy sexy, action packed sci-fi romance and who would love to read an adult version of the Hunger Games.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently working on book six of The Virgin Hunt Games and doing a couple of contemporary side projects (Resisting the Firefighter) which helps to keep my brain from flagging.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’ll be giving away a 5 dollar Amazon gift card to one lovely commentator 🙂

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What do you love most about science fiction erotic romance? (besides the sex haha!!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt from The Virgin Hunt Games volume 2:

Sure thing! In this scene the heroine, Tamsin, and two other hunted who are twins are running from the hunters behind them. Except the hunters aren’t the only danger in the six levels of the tower…

She glanced at the twins. “There’s no time to waste.” She hurried past the predators watching them from their cages, and the twins fell into step beside her. None of them wanted to stay on this level. There was definitely something not right about all these locked-up animals.
Hadda froze with a sharp gasp. Tamsin halted and followed Hadda’s gaze, for a moment forgetting to breathe.
The door of a cage ahead on the far wall was wide open. Blood splattered the floor inside where a half-gnawed bone lay discarded. And though they were a good ten yards away from the enclosure, there was a putrid, sour-piss scent drifting in the air.
Kary looked at Tamsin, her voice coming out in a squeak. “Maybe we should have chosen the dead end way, too.”
Tamsin forced her heavy limbs to start moving, and the twins cautiously followed.
“Any idea what might have been in the cage?” she asked.
Hadda’s voice shook. “Nothing good, that’s for sure.”
Fuck. If even tough-as-nuts Hadda was giving in to fear, what hope did Tamsin have? She had nothing but her wits and adrenaline, and her speed—as if that meant anything against these predators who could probably outrun all of them.
A low, rumbling growl reverberated through the air, pushing up the hairs on the back of her neck and sending shivers down her spine. Even the hyenas stilled their boisterous yips, and the lions crouched down to stare at something behind the hunted women with wary, unblinking eyes.
Tamsin froze. “What the hell is it?”
It was Kary who answered, her voice cracking. “A Spryanox.”
Holy shit. Everyone had heard about the creature that was a native of Saberlynth. It had been highly prized on many other planets for use in ancient gladiator-style battles—alien man versus beast. The beast rarely lost.
Tamsin had assumed only Earth predators were locked up in these cages. Wrong on both counts. The Spryanox wasn’t from Earth…and it wasn’t locked up.
Hadda’s voice came out harsh yet quiet. “Don’t. Move.”
That was when Tamsin sensed the huge Spryanox stalking behind them. The claws on its six feet clicked against the concrete, its razor-sharp tongue rasped against its leathery lips as it scented the air. She’d bet its long, spiny tail was already arcing up and over its long back in readiness for attack, scorpion-style.
Fuckety fuck.
The creatures were renowned for their camouflage and their climbing ability. The horrid beast had probably been lying in wait on top of one of the cages before making its appearance behind them.
The Spryanox roared and Hadda whispered, “What should we do?”
Tamsin answered. “We turn around slowly so we can see it and know its next move.”
Tamsin pivoted first, ever so slowly, her face no doubt draining of blood as she took in the menacing creature. Its black eyes were slits. But then, it was pretty much blind and relied almost exclusively on its other senses.
It made a hissing sound and took a step closer as Kary and Hadda turned like silent, choreographed dancers. Their minds might be as one, but their fear was double. The Spryanox was a predator, a born killer. Tamsin doubted anyone could outwit it. Not even a lone hunter would be able to kill it. They’d need to band together.
Tamsin reached out to clasp the twins’ hands, drawing them with her as she stepped backward, retreating one slow step at a time. The Spryanox lifted its head, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Then it put its head close to the ground and inhaled their scent.
Shit.
It took a step toward them, then another. Hadda’s stifled sob came out as a squeak, and the Spryanox’s triangular ears lifted, then rotated their way.
Tamsin released the sisters’ hands and put a finger to her lips. The Spryanox might not see them, but any little noise would give them away. They took another step back as it took a long, loping step forward.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going, asshole?”
The Spryanox halted. Its teeth snapped together as it swung around to face the man who’d dared to utter a challenge.
Landry.
Tamsin’s heart stilled, her mouth tasting of ashes and her senses going haywire at the hunter’s obvious death wish. Her concentration lapsed and she froze, right along with the twins.
Landry’s gaze locked onto hers a nanosecond before he grinned at the Spryanox and said, “Come and get me, dipshit. I’m waiting.”
The terrifying creature took a half dozen steps forward, its clawed feet clicking and its tail angrily swishing.
Tamsin silently cursed her human weakness. Landry shouldn’t be taking the creature on all by himself. There was no way he could beat a Spryanox. Except the creature seemed indecisive now, and curiously reluctant to get any closer to Landry, let alone charge at the hunter who was all but waving a red flag.
Did it sense the hunter was a threat? Or was it Landry’s complete lack of fear that made the creature think twice?
Hadda glanced at Tamsin and asked softly, “Why is Landry risking his life for us?”
Kary cocked her head toward Tamsin and bit out, “Not us—her.”
The Spryanox pricked a triangular ear back, and Landry taunted loudly, “Come on, you ugly prick! Don’t disappoint me now.”
The Spryanox arched its spiny tail and raised its head high, like a snake about to strike. It otherwise remained motionless, assessing its adversary with its flared nostrils and forward-facing ears.
Landry glowered, frustration evident in his tight face. He probably figured any second the creature could turn away from him and choose easier prey. The moment the animal took a backward step, Landry shouted hoarsely, “Run!”
Tamsin whirled to the sisters. “You heard him. Run!”
Like pulling out of a trance, the twins turned as one and sprinted between the cages, heading toward the next level.
The Spryanox’s ears swiveled at the noise of the retreating twins, but Landry shouted some choice obscenities and clapped his hands, dragging its attention back to him.
Tamsin’s pulse thudded hard in her ears, but she forced herself to calm down. She stepped toward the beast as she unpinned the packet beneath her hair and pulled out the white pill, Karbutte. Grinding it between her fingers and being careful not to breathe it in, she ducked under the Spryanox’s lashing tail and took the half dozen steps needed to get in front of it.
She looked up at its hateful face as it paused, then lowered its muzzle, drawing in air that was no doubt saturated with her scent.
It was almost as disconcerting to feel Landry’s eyes on her back, his disbelief and panic a powerful and tangible force.
Forget about him. Concentrate!
“Tamsin, no!” Landry shouted.
The Spryanox sucked in an astonished breath at the exact same moment as Tamsin squeezed her eyes closed, lifted her palm to her mouth, and blew the powdery karbutte straight into the beast’s face.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

EARTH, YEAR 2328

One innocent virgin. One jaded lothario. One life and death Games, a dazzling fortune to the winner. But first one must survive…

Tamsin Mercedes has led a charmed life. Her loving parents, scientists who research groundbreaking drugs, have given her everything she desires…until evil investors blackmail them to develop new, highly-addictive drugs. Tamsin won’t have it. Sacrificing her innocence as a Hunted in the Virgin Hunt Games is a small price to pay them off. But first she must win…

Sex-trafficked in his youth by his drug-addicted mother, Landry Marx now knows well how to please a woman physically. But he has yet to find a woman he connects with on an emotional level…until he meets his assigned Hunted in the infamous Virgin Hunt Games. Tamsin is incredible, their chemistry explosive, and the more he gets to know her the more his guard comes down.

But what happens when Landry discovers Tamsin’s parents made the drug that killed his mother…
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Mel Teshco loves to write scorching paranormal, sci-fi and contemporary stories. Not easy with five cats, two dogs and a fat black thoroughbred vying for attention, especially when Mel’s also busily stuffing around on Facebook. With only one daughter now living at home to feed two minute noodles, she still shakes her head at how she managed to write with three daughters and three stepchildren living under the same roof. Not to mention Mr. Semi-Patient (the one and same husband hoping for early retirement…he’s been waiting a few years now…) Clearly anything is possible, even in the real world.
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