The Strix
By
Katalina Leon & Amber Skyze
Book
one The Bag Of Tricks series
Genre: Paranormal erotic-romance,
vampire, historical, parallel worlds.
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Date of Publication: July 17,
2012
ISBN: 978-1-61118-906-3
ASIN: B008MH8FTG
Number of pages: 262
Word Count: 83,134
Book
Description:
A cursed amber amulet unearthed
in Pompeii flings Arcona into a past life of witchcraft, bloodshed, revenge,
and sexual slavery to the cruel Master of a gladiatorial school. This violent
parallel world is populated with “Slayers,” blood-drinking immortals devoted to
the gods of war and mayhem.
As a Strix, or malignant witch,
Arcona once used sex and blood rituals to create a race of immortal warriors to
unleash on Rome. Now it’s time to pay.
The gladiator Tyr was one
desperately lonely lover she betrayed. Against his will, she turned him into
Upir Likhyi, a foul vampire. For two millennia he’s lived a grim existence as a
Slayer, in constant sexual arousal yet denied release; now, he's pissed off and
wants revenge. He kidnaps Arcona, planning to drink her dry and break the
curse.
Along the way Arcona and Tyr
relive their sexual slavery at the hands of Rome and blood sport in the arena,
but the real magic is they forgive and fall in love.
Too bad another Slayer wants them
dead.
Overall:
If you enjoy books with a historical and contemporary flair, then give this one a whirl. Witches, gladiators, blood, curses, betrayals and of course, some sexy vampires with attitude problems. I loved it. When the book opens up, we are in the past as a priestess tries to find her calling. It comes in the form of blood and fire. Next, we are in the present, wandering the streets of Salem. I am a sucker for witch stories, especially in Salem.
I loved the flow of this story and the imagery. You can smell the arena, the gladiators and feel the anguish of the characters. The dialogue is spot on and the erotic scenes are super hot. I hate giving too much away, but if you enjoy an adventure that crosses time, curses, vengeance, hot sex and some hotter vampires, then this book is for you. There are some elements of f/f erotica and anal play, but that only made the story even hotter.
5/5
When
did you decide to write erotica?
Katalina:
I decided to start writing erotica soon after I bought my first Ellora’s Cave
book. I realized the day of the repressed romance novel was over and I wanted
to get in on the fun.
Witches
are sexy. What inspired The Strix?
My
late friend Arcona, inspired me to write The Strix. She was Germanic and
carried a strong sense of mysticism about her. As for witches isn’t a woman who
has dark desires and is willing to take control of her world always a sexual
force of nature?
What
are some of your favorite erotic authors?
I
love too many contemporary erotic authors to name here but I’ve always admired
the crisp, clean BDSM style of my writing partner Amber Skyze. Another early
inspiration was Pauline Réage the author of “The Story of O”, which I found eye-opening
and devastating at the same time.
Martini
vs. Margarita?
Katalina:
I’m not much of a drinker, but a dirty martini with an extra olive sounds kind
of nice, especially if Daniel Craig would come to my home and join me in a
toast.
What
is your favorite erotic genre?
Katalina:
I change favorites all the time but lately paranormal and shape-shifters keep
grabbing my attention. These days shape-shifting males seem to be more
strongly associated with noble, decent and loyal behavior than human males…
What’s that about? But who cares it’s exciting to read.
Did
you craft a playlist with the book?
Katalina:
Yes, I had favorite music I played obsessively. The writing schedule moved fast
and I felt pressured to complete two full lengths novels at the same time. As
far as I’m concerned pressure calls for Nine Inch Nails. The more pressure I
felt the louder I played Nine Inch Nails. If anyone wants to see what I’m
playing while I write please visit my Katalina Leon YouTube channel, all my
favs are listed there.
So
are my book trailers. This trailer is for The Strix and features a little NIN.
Tell
us about the toughest scene you ever had to write?
Every
love scene is the toughest scene I’ve ever written. All sexual scenes are
agonizing to write. I refuse to write sexual content by formula. I want to feel
it. Anything less is not fair to the reader or me. I get tangled up in what I’m
writing and go slow.
Garden
salad or cheeseburger?
Katalina:
Why choose? I love blue cheese on both.
What
one thing would you tell an aspiring erotica author?
Katalina:
Give yourself permission to go there.
What
are you working on now?
Katalina:
A lot. Between Amber and I, book two in The Bag Of Tricks book series “Claimed
By Dragons” will be available from Loose Id Publishing September 28th.
Books three and four are close behind. Solo, I have a very sexy Irish themed
shifter tale heading to Ellora’s Cave. There’s also an ancient world historical
series on the horizon.
Thanks!
Thank
you so much for being a lovely hostess.
XXOO
Kat
Great to have you ladies here on the blog!
Author
Bio Katalina Leon:
I’m an artist, an author, mother
and wife. I write for Loose Id Publishing and Ellora’s Cave. I try to bring a
touch of the mystical and a big sense of adventure to everything I write
because I believe there’s a bold, kick-ass heroine inside all of us who wants
to take a wild ride with a strong worthy hero.
