Snippet from La Déesse Noire: The Black Goddess

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La Déesse Noire: The Black Goddess
by Mariana Gabrielle

“Yes, Kali’s mother.” She twisted the glass by its stem. “Rohana.” She lifted her eyes to his, holding his gaze effortlessly, turning her finger lazily around the edge of the glass, setting the crystal singing. “My oldest friend. We were children in the royal court of the second Rajaram of Satara. Our mothers were tawaifs, of course, and so we knew the tradition would be passed on to us.”

“It’s so unfortunate that—”

Her laughter was sharper than broken glass, cutting like a bloody blade through his sincere compassion for any woman forced to life in the demi-monde.

“Unfortunate, my lord? Unfortunate? That we should be raised up among the most influential women in the Maratha? That we should have the ear of the highest nobles and ministers, more powerful than any woman outside the royal family?” Her eyes narrowed, but the bitter laughter drifted into a chuckle that pitied only his delusion.

“No, my lord, what is unfortunate is Kali was not exalted as I, as her mother, to blossom into the full promise of her power. It is unfortunate she is forced to this life as entertainment for Englishmen who have no concept of her value. I wish you not to doubt these words, Lord Rookscombe: were Kali in the India where Rohana and I learned our trade, you would not be high enough in the nobility to warrant an introduction. You would never lay eyes on her.”

Rook sat up straight, ready to defend his family name, his title, and his honor, but found no words equal to the look in her eye as she continued, “A night in her bed—one minute in her bed—would be an impossibility, for she would be the favored concubine of a rajah or maharajah, as were her mother and grandmother. A man of your rank, a minor landowner, would risk death for looking askance at her.”

Pre-sale links for June 10 release:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/19cKUjY
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Fc31m3
iTunes: http://apple.co/1E4ajHF
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1K1vMGq
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Bx1OCV

Kali Matai, London’s most famed Indian dancer and courtesan, harbors a lifetime of secrets, as more lives than hers depend on it.

 Sired by a British peer, born of a paramour to Indian royalty, she has been destined from birth to enthrall England’s most powerful noblemen—though she hadn’t counted on becoming their pawn. Finding herself under the control of ruthless men, who will not be moved by her legendary allure, she has no choice but to use her beauty toward their malicious and clandestine ends.

When those she holds most dear are placed in peril by backroom political dealings, she enlists some of the most formidable lords in England to thwart her enemies. But even with the help of the prominent gentlemen she has captivated, securing Kali’s freedom, her family, and the man she loves, will require her protectors stop at nothing to fulfill her desires.

Pre-sale links for June 10 release:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/19cKUjY
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Fc31m3
iTunes: http://apple.co/1E4ajHF
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1K1vMGq
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Bx1OCV

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