JEBARAL - Linda Mooney

Runner’s Moon, Book 1

Whiskey Creek Press Torrid - www.whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com

ISBN: 978-1-60313-000-4

August 2007

Erotic Sci-Fi Romance   

Heat Rating: Sensual

Laughlin and Tumbril Harbor, near the eastern seaboard, United States - Present day

The Arra are an alien race who dominate and destroy other intelligent species for profit. The Ruinos are one of those races, nearly extinct now, a group of them has managed to escape the Arran ship they were aboard and find refuge on Earth. Thirty-one Ruinos made it to safety, but will they ever really be safe when the Arra are determined to recover their “cargo”?

Jebaral “Jeb” Morr knows the best strategy to avoid the Arra, is moving from place to place. However, leaving Laughlin means never seeing Hannah Pitt again. Sweet and soft-spoken, the waitress brings all kinds of protective feelings to the fore, but she’s already been claimed by a male, Carl Jamison, a pitiful specimen who treats her badly. Besides, what are the chances that she would accept Jeb’s real self?

Hannah Pitt knows that her fantasies about her favorite customer, Jeb Morr, will never come true. He’s not going to look at her one day and realize that she’s all he’s ever needed. But, at least she can talk to him in the mornings at the diner and enjoy his friendship. Then one day Jeb says he’s leaving town and Hannah’s dreams are crushed.

On the morning of Jeb’s last day in town, Hannah doesn’t show up for work and when he goes to check on her, he finds her covered in blood and nearly unrecognizable. Jeb knows that the time has come to claim Hannah, to protect her from further harm and discover if she’s his mate.

In JEBARAL, two very wounded souls are treated to the best medicine any world can offer, true love. Jeb suffered many years of abuse and torture by the Arra, and with the exception of his brother, Simolif, he has no surviving family. I can’t imagine the difficulties of making a new home in another country, let alone on another planet, with no allies and no understanding of the society around me. Jeb’s ability to blend in and make a life for himself is admirable indeed. Hannah left one bad situation, an abusive parent, to fall into yet another bad relationship with Carl, something that unfortunately is all too common. Despite the hard knocks she’s taken, Hannah has managed to retain hope and a surprisingly giving attitude. But still, being confronted with the knowledge that the man you love is really an alien, complete with very sharp teeth, could give any woman pause. But Hannah’s heart is true, and if they can avoid the dangers that both Carl and the Arra pose, I see great things for this couple’s future.

Jeb’s brother, Simolif, better known as Simon, believes that hiding in big cities is preferable to small towns, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come running to aid Jeb and Hannah. Simon is amazed that Jeb has found someone to love and it gives him hope that someday, he too, will find his mate. Barb is Hannah’s only friend and loyal to the core, she wants the best for Hannah and thinks that Jeb may be just who she needs. Wendy Newburg runs a hotel in Tumbril Harbor, she’s a steady sort and proves that small town hospitality isn’t a myth. Sheriff Klotsky is the law in Tumbril Harbor and the kind of man you want on your side. Carl is a scum, he’s convinced that he “owns” Hannah and the thought of the things he’s done to that poor girl, and the things he wants to do to her, makes me feel ill.

For a romance that will warm your heart and stimulate your imagination, you can’t go wrong with JEBARAL. I can’t wait to read the next books in the Runner’s Moon series, TIRON (coming in December) and SIMOLIF (arriving in April 2008). Stop by Whiskey Creek Press Torrid and get your copy of this tender love story today.

Lori Ann