Jungle Heat (Amazon Chronicles, Book 1)
Sarah Mäkelä
Sarah Mäkelä
Genre: Shifter Romance
Publisher: Kissa Press LLC
Date of Publication: September 17,
2014
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Book Description:
An Amazon Princess and a weretiger must find love enough to heal
their peoples’ painful history.
The Amazon Rainforest still
contains a few secrets. One of these secrets is a hidden village of women whose
history is filled with the horror of conquering men.
Adara Rukan, princess of the
Amazons, ventures away from her village to find something waiting for her.
Andrei "Rei" Makarov is a weretiger and a biologist on assignment.
Can Rei and Adara find love enough to bridge their two separate worlds?
Guest Post :
Top Ten Things I Learned Researching My Book, Jungle Heat
1. I learned about the Spanish conquistador Francesco de Orellana had a skirmish with warrior women he discovered while exploring the Amazon River.
2. The reason the Amazon named that is because the skirmish with the warrior women made them think of the Amazons from Greek mythology.
3. Jaguars and ocelots are the only big cats in the Amazons.
4. I found out about different knives like the kris that my heroine uses.
5. There were so many fun facts I learned about tigers, such as they don’t purr.
6. Tigers are also the largest cat species, which was surprising since for some reason I’d thought the lion was the biggest.
7. I discovered that the Amazon rainforest was the largest tropical rainforest in the world and that most of it is in Brazil.
8. Piranhas can be found in the Amazon River, and unlike what movies try to portray, they typically won’t attack someone unless they’re moving around a lot or are bleeding.
9. Another cool thing I learned was that it takes 10 minutes for rain to reach the forest floor once it starts to storm.
10. The Amazon rainforest is in nine different countries: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
Excerpt:
Adara raced over the dense forest floor, trying to escape the shadow
closing on her heels. Fear pumped adrenaline through her body as she ran toward
her village through the darkness. Panic tangled with the sheer need to survive.
If only I'd listened. What was I thinking, coming out alone?
She shot a glance over her shoulder. Her foot smacked against a tree
root in the moment of distraction, pitching her body forward. The fall came in
slow motion.
Cursing under her breath, she rolled onto her back. Dry leaves clung
to her blonde hair. The subtle, musty scent of slow rot rose from the rich
soil, mixed with something coming from behind her. The dark shadow loomed. Her
gaze rose to take in her pursuer, wondering if the beast would be her doom.
The tall, broad-shouldered creature towered over her. Watching. It
wasn't human or animal. The village wise woman had warned her of beings like
this, but they'd seemed like fables. How could something so fantastical be
real?
Even as she trembled with fear, this creature captivated her. The
black and orange stripes covering his shoulders and arms evoked a distant
memory, yet the design was uncommon in the Amazon.
His hair hung in straight, black strands like a human's, but his
face had the nose, mouth, and eyes of a feline. His muscular, naked body
reflected a splendid combination of both species. Sweat-shiny skin glistened
through the inch-long fur that covered him. His white chest intrigued her, all
the way to the patch of fur barely covering his groin. Leaves and branches
framed his face with a lush green background. He crouched over her. His
piercing golden eyes focused solely on her. His stare reminded her of a cat
from her village staring at a small rodent before pouncing.
As he leaned down, she grabbed her kris from the garter on her thigh
and pushed it against his stomach. She didn't want today to be the day she
died. Her people needed her. She wouldn't let this beast deny them their
princess.
The animal cocked his head at her. He brushed his lips over her throat,
whiskers tickling her chin.
Her body stiffened. What is he doing? Bewilderment spread through
her as his feline lips touched her neck. Instead of biting her, his canines
grazed lightly, gently, from just below her ear down to her shoulder, almost as
if exploring her flesh, instead of seeking to rip open her throat.
She tensed. Even with her weapon pressed against the beast's
stomach, she still feared for her life. As an Amazon princess, she wasn't
easily scared. But this feline made her heart pound. If only she had brought
Rubia with her. She wouldn't be in this situation and could've stood a better
chance against this feline.
Why does he persist in toying with me? Adara swallowed as a low burn
started in the pit of her stomach. These feelings confused her.
A soft sniffing sounded in her ear right before his tongue scraped
rough caresses on her skin. Other jungle cats marked their territory. Did this
animal believe she was his? She didn't want to find out.
Without waiting for the feline's next move, Adara drove the kris
deep into his stomach, meeting resistance as it plunged through flesh and
muscle. She forced it further as his blood flowed onto her hands, making the
hilt of the kris slick, weakening her grip.
He roared and leapt back with her kris still embedded in his
abdomen.
She scrambled to her feet. His scream so near the side of her face
made her ear ring. Bringing up a hand to her ear, Adara felt a trail of his wet
blood drip along her cheek.
He straightened his spine and strode back to her, her kris still
buried in him. It seemed as if it were nothing more than a minor annoyance to
him. She clenched her hands into fists and dropped them to her sides.
The reality of what she saw struck her. She froze. How could he act
so unaffected? He shouldn't have been able to move around so casually. It
wasn't possible. How can I outrun something like that? This can't be happening.
Her mother had always warned her to be careful when traveling through the
forest. Why hadn't she listened? And how could she feel so drawn to this animal
when he intimidated her?
"Who are you?" Gritting her teeth, she forced her voice to
resonate with the commanding tones of an Amazon huntress, and fervently hoped
it didn't betray the panic racing through her veins. Her people's beliefs
restricted them from showing fear in front of strangers. Not that they saw
many. But her tribeswomen were survivors in dangerous times. Their history
brimmed with reminders.
The feline bared pointed white teeth. "Call me Rei." His
husky voice reverberated like a deep growl.
He launched into the air and, before she could react, flattened her
to the ground. Air whooshed out of her lungs. Her eyes widened and locked onto
his.
He pinned her arms next to her head and pressed his feline lips to
hers. His tongue scraped across her lower lip, causing nips of pain to cut
through the alluring sensation.
She shook her head hard, breaking the kiss. Her breath rushed out
short and quick. Never before had she kissed anyone. His mouth on hers created
fiery stirrings within her body that felt almost too good. Her racing pulse
only spread the warmth throughout her body that much faster.
Twice a year, her tribeswomen associated with Indian men. The
younger girls were forced to stay in a hut during those visits, although Adara
had snuck out once with Rubia in a fit of rebellion. She'd spotted one of her
kin pressing her mouth against an Indian male's. Could this be what happens?
But men weren't to be trusted. Her kin had learned that the hard way
many, many years ago.
Her mind flashed to the tales she'd heard from the wise woman.
Horrible reminders assaulted her, memories of the men from long ago, enslaving
her kind, killing them ruthlessly with diseases and swords.
She could imagine the cruelty of the conquering, pillaging men as
vividly as if she had been there herself, so strongly had the wise woman
spoken. It had taken weeks for her to sleep soundly after listening to that
story.
Sudden panic swept away the lust that burned inside her. This
creature could do the same. He's chased me, after all.
"What do you want from me?" Adara asked, trying to sound
forceful, but instead her voice came out husky. She cleared her throat and
returned his gaze.
Talking with an animal! Rubia would be jealous. Her tribeswomen
would never believe this story... if she survived the encounter.
Rei smiled, warmth emanating from him. "You." His chest
rumbled, and he rolled the word off his tongue like an exotic purr.
About the Author:
NYT & USA Today bestselling
author Sarah Mäkelä loves her fiction dark, magical, and passionate. She is a
paranormal romance author, but she’s written all over the romance spectrum with
cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy...even a sweet contemporary romance!
A life-long paranormal fan, she
still sleeps with a night-light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books,
watches scary movies (and Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games with her
husband. When she gets the chance, she loves traveling the world too.
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