"Rituals is a really sweet and touching love story. The subject matter is racy (the sex is wild!) and the romance is wonderful. Maddie and Ryan are a lovely couple—obviously well matched in a number of ways! Maddie is tenacious about healing and moving on from past traumas. She's willing to confront past pain in order to achieve future happiness. Ryan is a charmer—tough enough to save the woman he loves and putty in her hands. The plot builds nicely to a tense climax and the resolution is very satisfying. I highly recommend Rituals to those who like romantic fiction with spice!" ~Dawn D. at Manic Readers
"This quick read novella gives readers a delightful look at light bondage. Both Maddie and Ryan are great characters having a great time exploring the new world that has opened up to them. Expect the bedroom scenes to get scorching hot." Romance Book Scene – Rated 4 out of 5 Hearts!
“Rituals by Kiki Howell is a good book. Well written. Maddie is a sweet woman, taking back control of her life. Ryan is a good guy who gets a second chance with the woman he loves. They’re both great characters and Ms. Howell wonderfully brings them to life.
Ms. Howell tells a good story with a strong plot that keeps the reader interested. Overall, this was a nice read.” ~Rated 4 out of 5 Delightful Divas by Autumn!
Ms. Howell tells a good story with a strong plot that keeps the reader interested. Overall, this was a nice read.” ~Rated 4 out of 5 Delightful Divas by Autumn!
“The story in itself is wonderful. I loved the sensuality, passion and heat. I loved the interplay between Maddie and Ryan. Their history seemed to make the heat even steamier.
In conclusion, would I read this author again? Hell, yes. I enjoyed the sex play and passion. Would I buy her books? Hell, yes. Here is a three part point scale: Hotness--5 out of 5; Story--4.5 out of 5; Romance--3.5 out of 5, for an average of 4.3 out of 5.” ~Review by Doni at Romance in the Backseat
Available now from eXcessica in eBook and Print, also available in The Healing Spell and Other Stories anthology.
BLURB:
After a Wiccan ritual opens her eyes to her old friend, Maddie’s first week together with Ryan, goes by in a blur of knots and ropes. Creative in their endeavors, they tie each other to everything from the coffee table to the kitchen cabinets. Neither the sash of her silk robe nor the curly ribbon on a present is left unused as a device of sensual torture. Together, they find the freedom they seek in bondage. But, when Maddie’s controlling ex-husband returns hell-bent on taking her back, will Ryan and Maddie be bound by the past or become tied to each other?
Warnings: Graphic Language, Sensual Bondage, Sex Toys and Anal Play
ADULT EXCERPT:
“Are you quite agreeable to beginning, Maddie?” Ryan asked in the formal pedagogy of days gone by. She knew he had done so for her benefit with his coy smile and the come-hither voice he adopted when he wanted to lighten the mood.While she was grateful for his attempts, he had not succeeded in easing her nerves. As she looked to the silver cord hanging in loops over his outstretched hand, she did her best to smile reassuringly back at him to return the favor. Behind the facade, her thoughts flowed like turbulent seas as she tried to maneuver through the waves of her doubts.
Still, she was more than ready.A restless sort of eager, she earnestly desired the proposed outcome of this new experience. It was as if she had been preparing herself for this moment for the last few years. To prove it, she nodded her head at him and dropped the white silk cape he had given her.
As he looked down over her revealed figure, she disregarded the fact that this was the first time he had seen her naked. She had chosen to participate in tonight’s rite, thought it out and drafted herself to take the final step she needed to freedom. Ignoring the way her body trembled within his field of vision, she averted her gaze to the breathtaking yards of material embroidered with delicate flowers lying in a shimmering puddle at her feet. It reflected the candles all around them making her feel for a moment she was a goddess on display at the altar.
"Kneel before me," he requested. Yet, within his sovereign voice, she detected a slight tremor. Maddie was obedient, lowering herself with as much grace as she was capable of. Upon kneeling, she had caught a glimpse of how his jeans curved over a quite impressive outline, and she couldn't get past the bulging part of his anatomy presently at her eye level. Although she was trying to focus in on his words, as she understood the vital importance of comprehending his directions, she was distracted even after he tugged closed his own robe to cover himself. Pondering for just a moment if her present state of undress had something to do with the extent of his forming erection, she reveled in the sweetness of the stroke to her ego. She had needed the boost. Looking up at Ryan as he spoke about relationships and transformation specifically in the vain of what would transpire tonight, hope filled her. She desired the creation of momentum and healing this rite promised.
Ryan was invoking the goddess of purification. As his hand gestures repeatedly moved his robe revealing to her in flashes his semi-erect state, she grinned thinking the help of a goddess may not be all the man before her wanted. The inadvertent compliment warmed her body from within to match the warmth of the midsummer night clinging to her flesh. Ryan and Maddie, in all of the hours they had spent together, had never spoken of such things between them, like attraction or love outside the bounds of their unique friendship. She had known him since she was in fourth grade, when her family moved out to the hills beyond her small southern Ohio
New Review "This quick read novella gives readers a delightful look at light bondage. Both Maddie and Ryan are great characters having a great time exploring the new world that has opened up to them. Expect the bedroom scenes to get scorching hot." Romance Book Scene - 4 Hearts!
New Review "This quick read novella gives readers a delightful look at light bondage. Both Maddie and Ryan are great characters having a great time exploring the new world that has opened up to them. Expect the bedroom scenes to get scorching hot." Romance Book Scene - 4 Hearts!
Rituals by Kiki Howell is a good book. Well written. Maddie is a sweet woman, taking back control of her life. Ryan is a good guy who gets a second chance with the woman he loves. They’re both great characters and Ms. Howell wonderfully brings them to life.
Ms. Howell tells a good story with a strong plot that keeps the reader interested. Overall, this was a nice read. ~Rated 4 Delightful Divas by Autumn!
Available now from eXcessica in eBook and Print, also available in The Healing Spell and Other Stories anthology.
Ms. Howell tells a good story with a strong plot that keeps the reader interested. Overall, this was a nice read. ~Rated 4 Delightful Divas by Autumn!
Available now from eXcessica in eBook and Print, also available in The Healing Spell and Other Stories anthology.
BLURB:
After a Wiccan ritual opens her eyes to her old friend, Maddie’s first week together with Ryan, goes by in a blur of knots and ropes. Creative in their endeavors, they tie each other to everything from the coffee table to the kitchen cabinets. Neither the sash of her silk robe nor the curly ribbon on a present is left unused as a device of sensual torture. Together, they find the freedom they seek in bondage. But, when Maddie’s controlling ex-husband returns hell-bent on taking her back, will Ryan and Maddie be bound by the past or become tied to each other?
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Warnings: Graphic Language, Sensual Bondage, Sex Toys and Anal Play
ADULT EXCERPT:
“Are you quite agreeable to beginning, Maddie?” Ryan asked in the formal pedagogy of days gone by. She knew he had done so for her benefit with his coy smile and the come-hither voice he adopted when he wanted to lighten the mood.While she was grateful for his attempts, he had not succeeded in easing her nerves. As she looked to the silver cord hanging in loops over his outstretched hand, she did her best to smile reassuringly back at him to return the favor. Behind the facade, her thoughts flowed like turbulent seas as she tried to maneuver through the waves of her doubts.
Still, she was more than ready.A restless sort of eager, she earnestly desired the proposed outcome of this new experience. It was as if she had been preparing herself for this moment for the last few years. To prove it, she nodded her head at him and dropped the white silk cape he had given her.
As he looked down over her revealed figure, she disregarded the fact that this was the first time he had seen her naked. She had chosen to participate in tonight’s rite, thought it out and drafted herself to take the final step she needed to freedom. Ignoring the way her body trembled within his field of vision, she averted her gaze to the breathtaking yards of material embroidered with delicate flowers lying in a shimmering puddle at her feet. It reflected the candles all around them making her feel for a moment she was a goddess on display at the altar.
"Kneel before me," he requested. Yet, within his sovereign voice, she detected a slight tremor. Maddie was obedient, lowering herself with as much grace as she was capable of. Upon kneeling, she had caught a glimpse of how his jeans curved over a quite impressive outline, and she couldn't get past the bulging part of his anatomy presently at her eye level. Although she was trying to focus in on his words, as she understood the vital importance of comprehending his directions, she was distracted even after he tugged closed his own robe to cover himself. Pondering for just a moment if her present state of undress had something to do with the extent of his forming erection, she reveled in the sweetness of the stroke to her ego. She had needed the boost. Looking up at Ryan as he spoke about relationships and transformation specifically in the vain of what would transpire tonight, hope filled her. She desired the creation of momentum and healing this rite promised.
Ryan was invoking the goddess of purification. As his hand gestures repeatedly moved his robe revealing to her in flashes his semi-erect state, she grinned thinking the help of a goddess may not be all the man before her wanted. The inadvertent compliment warmed her body from within to match the warmth of the midsummer night clinging to her flesh. Ryan and Maddie, in all of the hours they had spent together, had never spoken of such things between them, like attraction or love outside the bounds of their unique friendship. She had known him since she was in fourth grade, when her family moved out to the hills beyond her small southern Ohio town into a house right across the dirt road from his. They had gone from creating so-called “chemical cabins” underneath the deck of his pool with his mother’s old cosmetics to meeting in secret once they had begun dating other people in high school. The two of them had maintained their friendship, which no one else would have understood, until Maddie married right out of high school and went away to college with her new husband. Kneeling down in front of her, Ryan interrupted her reminiscent escapade of memories.
