Promo Post & Review: In The Firelight by Sybylla Matilde

Synopsis


***** Mature Content, Sexual Situations, Adult Situations, Strong Language *****

She found him on a snowy night. He sparked her desires and inflamed her dreams.
Independent and feisty, Shea Madison has a tussle on her hands. Living in and loving her quiet little corner of Montana, she’s fiercely determined to fight a real estate developer trying to turn her quaint little mountain town into a touristy ski resort. So, when an outsider shows up to study the effects on the area, she instantly attempts to sway his impression… even if it means a little harmless flirting with the enticing visitor.

Rhys Weland’s charade has one purpose—to bring the locals around to the idea of the resort, primarily the ringleader, Ms. Shea Madison. Embroiled in his deception, he’s stunned by the feelings she draws from deep inside him. Her integrity and sincerity quickly have him second-guessing his twisted morals. Her spirit arouses his soul. Her sensuality steals his breath.

In the dark of the night, in the warmth of the fire, the passion smoldering between them combusts. But just when it all seems to make sense, one small stubborn mistake shreds the fragile bond between them. Will an impetuous act reignite their flame, or will their love vanish like sparks in the air?

A serene, snow filled setting..a damaged girl that thinks the love ship has sailed and a hot, brooding man whore that is sent to win over girl..recipe for hotness?  Yes, and Ms. Matilde delivers as always!  Let's start with the fucking smoking hot cover..mmm

I already messaged the author to tell her to keep watching and practicing her porn skills because they are paying off where it counts..her books!  So as a loyal reader of her books, I say keep doing whatcha your doing! 

Rhys was sent to close a deal, to win over the local “lumberjack” woman that is hell bent on keeping the big box ski lodge out of her hometown..little did he know that under that Carhartt jacket was “the one” a hot little bodied, firecracker that was meant for him!  First meeting you knew these two would be an explosive  commodity.

Whether it was dressing rooms with only a curtain, storage closets in libraries or the floor of a cabin, these two had a chemistry that can not be denied.

Shea had thought she found not only love but a ticket out of small town Montana.. when that fell through she had fallen into a life of solitude where her only company was her dog Wolfie and an occasional elk.  Until Rhys, found in a snowy ditch and captured her heart from the start.

These two were both lost to their closed in lives and didn’t even realize that they were missing out on actually living. Being  vulnerable and exposed to each other, finally had them realize what they had in each other..

I loved this book and every book I read from this author gets better and better..keep em coming!

The Store (Rhys POV) 
Funky little diners always had the best food, Rhys thought as he ate the last of his hash browns, cooked to a crispy perfection, and looked around Mac’s Café.
Decorated with a fifties nostalgic vibe, lots of chrome and red vinyl.
A big pie case. Actually, looking a little closer, it had likely been decorated in the fifties and then never updated. After Frankie got that damn little car out of the snowbank, he’d followed Rhys back to the rental place to see what he could do to assist in getting something bigger. Something more rugged.
Fortunately, they’d worked to get a four-wheel drive in for him, and it had just arrived. Rhys was ecstatic. By then, though, he was also starving. Frankie had suggested this as a great place to have lunch, so here he was, having lunch with the tow truck driver who really was a bit odd. Very polite and not technically unfriendly, although he didn’t talk much. Lots of nods and one-word answers. Throughout the entire restaurant, there was a distinct hum in the air, a ripple of intrigue. More than once, people had turned their gazes towards him, then talked to those around them in lowered voices. Visitors were obviously a bit of an anomaly here.
One younger lady in particular, probably early twenties, kept gazing over at him with stars in her eyes. Too bad Shea didn’t look at him that way. It would make this job so much easier. Just the thought of Shea got his blood pumping.
The thought of that kiss.
He’d looked down at her and he just had to. He knew he shouldn’t have moved that fast, but something about the way she was standing there, the light reflecting off the sparkling snow outside and the way it lit her wide hazel eyes, he just… had to. And the way she tasted… damn… He had to get a hold of himself. Something about her was throwing him off his game. He couldn’t afford for that to happen.
This wasn’t a social call. This was business. Rhys looked across the table at the stoic tow truck driver.
“So, Frankie…” Rhys asked, “how long have you lived around here?”

“All my life,” Frankie responded. And then… nothing. Rhys nodded, thought for a moment, and then spoke again.
“So you’ve known Shea for a while then, huh?”
Frankie lifted his gaze and studied Rhys suspiciously as he chewed on his chicken fried steak. Looking back down at his plate, Frankie simply answered, “Yep.” Hmm… topic closed, Rhys thought to himself. “So, anyway,” Rhys began again, “Thanks again for coming to get me so quickly. I’ll get lunch.
” Frankie chewed a little more and swallowed. He nodded and said,
“Thanks.” Then he promptly began shoveling food back in his mouth.
“You’re not a terribly talkative guy, are you, Frankie?”
Rhys grinned. “Nope.” Frankie didn’t even lift his gaze this time. “Not so much…” And more silence.
“Okay,” Rhys finally said,
“well, I’ll go pay. Back in a minute.”
As Rhys stood at the cash register and the waitress rang up their meals, he looked back over at Frankie. The starry-eyed young lady was sitting at their table talking a mile a minute with hand gestures and all kinds of expressions ranging from excited to grumpy to pleading. Frankie gave her about as much attention as he’d given Rhys. Nice to know it wasn’t just special treatment for outsiders. The young woman bolted out of the chair and out the door as Rhys began to head back over to the table. Laying a tip on the table, Rhys thanked Frankie again for the tow.
 “See you around, I guess,” he said. “Yep, more than likely,”
Frankie replied and took another bite without looking up. Rhys stepped out the front door to Mac’s Cafe and looked up and down the street. Little starry-eyed lady was headed into a small grocery store just down the street. Rhys smiled to himself. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was Shea’s truck parked out in front. Hmmm… He stood there for a moment, contemplating his next move. Wondering if his starry-eyed admirer was in there talking to Shea right now. Maybe about him. He took a deep breath, telling himself to keep his cool this time. He needed to treat her like a scared kitten. No sudden movements. Don’t frighten her away again. Don’t push her.
But, damn… she was so pretty. And that kiss… Down boy. Get your shit together, he thought. After a few moments, he headed towards the store. A loud jingle sounded as he opened the old plate-glass door. The little mercantile was kind of like walking into a time warp, even more so than the little café. In a way, this little town turned his gut a bit, making him almost nostalgic of his youth near Frenchtown. It almost made him… miss it. Which was weird. Really weird. A quick scan of the room, and he saw three figures standing at the front counter. The starry-eyed young woman from the restaurant had been talking a mile a minute before he’d walked in.
'He’d seen her mouth blathering away through the glass door. But now, she was utterly silent.
As was the older, heavyset woman standing behind the counter who had been in the process of ringing in a few groceries until he’d walked in. And then she just froze. Solid. Didn’t move a muscle. She just stood there and stared at him with a can of something in her hand. And the third figure just had to be Shea. There was no doubt in his mind, even though he couldn’t see much of her with her thick wool hat and heavy Carhartt coat. But there was that cute little ass, and heavy auburn locks tumbled around her shoulders. She seemed to be doing her best to be invisible, not moving. Not turning. Not looking his way. Barely breathing, from what he could tell. Oh, yeah. That was Shea. For a moment, the ladies remained stock still as he took a few steps towards the counter. Shea murmured something quietly and turned away quickly, running smack into a display of Peanut Butter PopTarts and scattering boxes across the floor at her feet with a loud tumbling crash. She knew it was him, Rhys thought to himself. They must have been talking about him before he walked in. And she was all kinds of freaked out about it. Oh, this was perfect. “Here,” he said as she scrambled to the floor to pick up boxes, “let me help you with those.”
“Um, thanks…”
Shea kept her head down and spoke quietly. She didn’t raise her head, even towards the shelving. It was almost comical watching her try to place boxes on the shelf without so much as looking at it. Okay, game on. “Shea?”
Her hazel eyes rose to meet his.
“Hey…” she sheepishly murmured.
Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and her breathing seemed a bit… stilted.
Damn. She was cute.
“Funny running into you here,”
Rhys grinned. “And very nice to see you again.”
“Not really so funny. It’s a small town, Rhys.”
Rhys watched as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and he instantly felt his cock get hard thinking of the taste of her kiss. She tore her gaze away from his, looking back at the lady behind the counter.
“So, um… you about done there, Laura?”
Her voice almost squeaked as she spoke. He loved that she was so affected by him. Laura didn’t move. She just stared. Her mouth was open so wide that, had it been summertime, she’d be catching flies. Shea’s eye narrowed with a scowl at the older woman’s lack of response. The little starry-eyed girl looked back and forth between Shea and him a few times before turning her wide open expression to him.
“So,” she said, shooting Shea a dirty look before turning back to him,
“Rhys, huh?”
Rhys wasn’t sure how to read this girl. She seemed to be exuding a combination of annoyance, obviously directed at Shea, and fascination.
“Yeah, and you are?”
For a moment, she seemed a little stunned by his direct attention, then shook her head a little before speaking again. “I’m Trinity. It is, really, so nice to meet you.” She flashed him an inviting smile that, at almost any other time, would have had him sniffing around her skirt and wondering how to get her alone. But Shea’s presence was a bit overwhelming, and this sweet little piece didn’t have the slightest appeal to him for some reason. Rhys tossed a grin at her and said,
“Nice to meet you.”
Then he focused back on Shea.
“So, Shea… I’d like to thank you. You know, for last night.”
Shea’s eyes went wide and Rhys couldn’t help but smile. The lady at the cash register wheezed. The girl named Trinity gasped and gaped. Shea began to shake her head.
“No, no… it was nothing, you know. Just helping to get you a tow.”
Her voice was low and husky, almost a whisper, as though she was trying to speak so the other two women couldn’t hear her… even though they were barely a foot away.
“Yeah, but to bring me back to your place. And then, the phone was out and we couldn’t call…”
And now for the kill shot. “To let a complete stranger spend the night? Not many women would feel comfortable with that.” He shot her his best seductive smile.
“Not many women would have kept me, um, such good company.”
Rhys heard Trinity squeak. There was a thump as the cashier dropped the can she was holding, and a slow roll sounded as it traveled across the old wooden floor. But Rhys focused his attention completely on Shea. First, her eyes showed pure shock at his words. Disbelief. Her mouth opened slightly in a beautiful little ‘o’ shape before she pursed her lips tightly and narrowed her eyes. A flash of something ignited in those hazel depths, and he braced himself for her response.
“What the hell? Don’t make it sound like that.”
Oh yeah, she was pissed. She turned to look at the starry eyed girl beside her. “It wasn’t anything like that.” “Um… oooookay…” Trinity smiled. “Trinity… really…” Shea explained in a rushed, tense tone.
“I found him stuck in snow bank. I couldn’t just leave him there!”
“Oh, of course not,” Trinity gleefully nodded. “So, you, um… you took him home with you. That’s so… huh.”
Looking down at her bare wrist, Trinity exclaimed, “Oh, my. Look at the time. I’m late for a hair appointment. Toodles.” And then she zipped out the door with a loud jingle of the bell. Shea looked back at Rhys with a fierce expression. Her skin flushed and her eyes sparked angrily.
“You son-of-bitch! You have no idea what you’ve just done. You have no idea what kind of mouth that girl has. Oh my God! Everyone is going to think we’ve slept together.” She glared back over to the cashier.
“Laura, if you ever decide to move again and want to finish ringing up my groceries, I’ll be back to pick them up tomorrow.”
Turning on her heel, Shea stormed out the door, Rhys following close behind her. Halfway to her truck, she realized he was there and whirled around at him. “What?” she growled, and the fire in her stormy gaze took his breath away for a split second.
“Go to dinner with me,” Rhys heard himself say.
 What the fuck? Where did that come from?
“Are you out of your fucking mind? No!”
Well, if nothing else, it seemed to be keeping her off balance, that was for sure. May as well go with it.
“Is something wrong?” he grinned mischievously, cocking his head to the side.
“Yes! My God! You don’t even know me! I met you less than twenty-four hours ago, and you may not realize it, but you have just sacrificed me to the Snowcreek gossip mill!”
The more she spoke, the more aggravated she became… and, damn, she was stunning when she was mad. The spark that lit her eyes. The rise and fall of her breasts as fumed before him. A slight breeze from the mountains blew a tendril of hair across her face, and he had the strongest urge to brush it away from her soft, flushed cheek.
 “Shit! And she’s going to get her hair done. And do you know what they’re going to be talking about? You! You and me!”
You and me… he’d love some of that ‘you and me.’ Some naked ‘you and me.’ The passion that poured out of her at the moment had him hard as granite. Sure, she was passionately mad… at him. But, my God, she was a sight to behold. What would she be like all fired up with lust?
 “Huh,” he smiled. “I’m guessing you’re a little perturbed with me.”
“Ya think?” Shea grumbled sarcastically with a scowl.
Unthinking, going on pure instinct, following his dick instead of his brain, Rhys stepped towards her and backed her up against her truck. Her breath caught in her throat and her mouth fell open. His hands settled at her waist, under the unzipped coat she wore. Her slim waist that curved down to the flare of her hips and that beautiful little ass.
“I know you a little better than that, sweetheart. I know how delicious your kiss can be. Remember?”
She was so close again. The faint, clean smell of her hair surrounded him and her eyes darkened at the mention of that kiss. She had felt it, too. That current that jolted through him when they kissed had left a mark on her, as well. He slowly dipped his lips to hers, feeling her tremble beneath his hands. He could almost taste her and her chin lifted slightly, turning her face up to his. Shit. He was going to lose it again. Do something. Say something.
 “So, is that a, um… no for dinner?” he whispered a hair’s breadth away from a kiss.
Her eyes flew open just inches from his. Passion morphed to anger in a split second, and she pushed angrily at his chest.
“Argh!”
Rhys took a step back and watched her clamor into her truck. She didn’t look at him again as the engine roared to life, her tires spinning when she hit the gas. Wow… she was something… Rhys grinned widely and waved as she drove away. Oh, yeah… this was going to be fun

 

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Sibylla Matilde grew up in the mountain valleys of Southwest Montana exploring the dusty Old West gold country on the back of a horse. She attended a two-room schoolhouse beginning in 1st grade & had the same teacher until she changed schools after 7th. Beginning at about age 12, Sibylla discovered historical romance, feeding off of work of Jude Deveraux & Lisa Kleypas. She loves a book that can make the reader run the gamut of emotions, from the sweet glow of new love to gut-wrenching heartache. She is a true romantic & always has stories floating around in her head, living in a fantasyland until she writes them down to free them.

Music is her emotional trigger. Growing up with a Wagnarian-loving mother, Sibylla was raised to treasure music that digs deep into the psyche, drawing out elation, sorrow, grief, desire. The soundtrack to her life includes many genres spanning centuries. She looooooooves Thirty Seconds to Mars (rather obsessively, actually... but, really, how can you NOT be crazy about this guy!? Jared Leto. Shhh. ) & pimps them out to all her friends through Spotify. She also delights in Met Opera HD broadcasts at her local movie theater & hopes (listening Met?) to someday see Diana Damrau reprise her role as Mozart’s Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte.

Sibylla lives with her husband and hero who saved her from her own calamitous, young-adult self. He makes her laugh daily, even when things are tough. He's proved to her that love really can heal a shattered soul. In 18 years, they have never had a fight, although argue regularly with their two teenage kids who have, unfortunately, inherited their father’s quick wit (unfortunate as it is a quick wit that Sibylla, herself, definitely does not possess – there is a reason she is a writer & not a stand-up comedian). They live a quiet life with their two weird little rescued Chiweenies. Wait… teenagers & little yap-dogs? OK, maybe not so quiet.