Now available! Step Into Tomorrow by Rayne Forrest

 January 17, 2023

Step Into Tomorrow

Romance/futuristic/time travel

Rhys St. Clair is the best of a select group of highly trained time specialists. When events in the layers of time run amok, it’s his job to step through the Matrix and fix the problem. A mistake in his calculations sends him back to the year 1996 and nets him more than he ever bargained for – Sophia Townsend. 

Sophia Townsend needs a life makeover. When a confused stranger shows up inside her home, with no idea of where he is, or even what year it is, it doesn’t take Sophia long to figure out the man in her living room is the most interesting guy she’s ever met, and the sexiest, too. 

When Rhys whisks her away, Sophia isn’t sure if she’s been kidnapped, or if the handsome stranger is taking her on the greatest adventure of her life. When the truth catches up to them, Rhys has only one thing left to offer her – but only if she’s brave enough to step into tomorrow with him.

_*_*_

EXCERPT

“I could’ve done better.”

“No doubt. You’ve had practice. Now open that fancy atlas you bought and figure out where we can stop for the night, because we’re stopping as soon as it gets dark. I want off this main thoroughfare before we lose the light, too. ”

Sophia gave him a surprised look then grabbed up the book and started rapidly flipping through the pages.

Rhys hoped she realized they would share a room tonight. And a bed. He couldn’t let her out of his sight. It was too risky. She’d bolt like the hounds of Hell were after her. Thank all deities she’d never see the real thing. They’d blocked the way out of the lower layers of time known as Hell.

The thought of being in a bed with her, even if he stayed on top of the covers while she was under them, brought his cock to attention. The memory of her beneath him burned in his blood. He wanted her, and he had five years to get her. Starting tonight would work out just fine.

“Oh, and find a place that has, um, what’s it called? Room service? I’m hungry.”

“Eat your crackers if you need food,” she shot back. “We can cross the state line and look for a place. Crossing the state line makes you a worse sort of felon or something.”

“Really? You mean I might become wanted by NASA?”

She groaned. “Why me? Why does it always have to be me? Why do I get the good ones?” She finally shifted in her seat to face him. “It’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Rhys. The F-B-I. Not NASA. NASA is the people who go into outer space. You know outer space. Isn’t that where you came from? Didn’t Scotty beam you down?”

His hands clenched around the steering wheel as he gave her the truth.

“No, beautiful. I didn’t come here from outer space. I came from the seventeenth layer of time. Oz.”

_*_*_*_

Step Into Tomorrow is available at:

iTunes:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445442306

Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSG2XT8B

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BSG2XT8B

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BSG2XT8B

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BSG2XT8B

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/step-into-tomorrow-rayne-forrest/1109557582

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1320615

Rakuten/Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/step-into-tomorrow-1

Universal link to additional book sellers:  https://books2read.com/u/47VzGN

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
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Rayne Forrest, Step Into Tomorrow, KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, time travel romance, science fiction romance, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, HEA romance, chance romance, erotic romance, romance novel for Kindle

A Hero's Bargain by Rayne Forrest

July 9, 2019

Google calendars are a handy tool. I check mine every day when I arrive at work. It's sort of a mess but at least my messy handwriting isn't a factor. Today a notation popped up that it's the anniversary of the first publication of Hero, now known as A Hero's Bargain. 

Hero was first released in 2006 at a little publisher by the name of Silk's Vault. It wasn't a good experience. The owner vanished owing a lot of writers a lot of money, and I was one of them. After that, I pubbed it through Whiskey Creek Press. WCP was a good place for a lot of years before they sold out. And so it came to pass that in 2016, I had the rights back to the story and I self-pubbed it with a slightly updated title, A Hero's Bargain.

A Hero's Bargain tells a bit more about the story. Ryder Vaughn crash lands his spaceship on a planet being terrorized by a mysterious creature. The locals can't kill it but Ryder has a weapon that will do the job. Our heroine, Saba, strikes a bargain with him - her body for destroying the creature. The only problem is that Ryder is not a killer. Luck is with him, though. He knows the creature isn't a monster but another spacefarer, such as himself. It's old and sick, and Ryder makes a bargain with it, too. In the end, Ryder gets the girl and safety for her people. 

I've always thought A Hero's Bargain is a good, solid story. Chapter Two should be Chapter One and perhaps one day I'll fix that. It was penned early in my writing career, but the plot holds up. I'm technically better now, but a good plot beats out good comma placement every time. 

I've always loved the world-building in good science fiction. I've always loved the romance genre. A Hero's Bargain was a good blending of the two. I keep saying I'm going to go back to sci-fi. In truth, it is my first love and has been since I read the great Andre Norton's book, Moon of Three Rings. I doubt I'll ever write again under the name of Rayne Forrest, but Kendricks/Forrest works for me. One shouldn't stray too far from one's literary roots. 

Maybe it's time to lean in that direction. I've had my fill of real-life these last few months. Creating a new world with strange and wonderful men living in it has a lot of appeal. It just might cure what ails this writer. 

KC

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/a-heros-bargain-by-rayne-forrestkc.html


A HERO'S BARGAIN

When a poker game turns ugly, erstwhile gambler Ryder Vaughan runs for his life. After crash landing his ship on an unknown world it looks like his life will be a short one - until the lovely healer, Saba Duer, finds him and saves him. Smitten, Saba has no qualms allowing Ryder to seduce her.

In Ryder, Saba sees the coming of a hero to save her people. The deadly errol that has terrorized the Ramalho Clan for so many years has been spotted on a course that will bring it to the village. Ryder has a weapon that could destroy the creature. She strikes a bargain with him to secure his help. Ryder’s not yet well and whole, but there is no choice. Saba has to let him go and face the truth – she’s sent him on a mission to die.

           

But Ryder has a plan - and dying isn’t a part of it.

  

EXCERPT

Saba couldn’t lose her nerve now. It was their only hope. She dried the mug and set it up on the shelf then turned back to Ryder. “We need your weapons, and your help. If you agree to use your weapons to destroy the errol, we’ll pay you.”

His eyebrows shot up. His eyes darkened.

“Pay me, will you? With what? A ship so I can get back to my life? Tell me you have one. Lie to me, Saba.”

Ryder had every right to be bitter over his circumstances. She understood, but his acerbic tone shocked her. She hadn’t considered anger. Anger could make him dangerous in ways nothing else would. Nonetheless, her mind was made up. It was her decision, be it folly or not.

“No. The coin I would pay you with is my body.”

His mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“I will come to your bed when you are well enough.”

He sat up, swinging his legs off the pallet and onto the floor. She jumped away from him, startled. Just as quickly her concern for her patient moved her back to his side.

“Do not! You should be still.”

Quick as lightning he grabbed her and pulled her to him. His chest was like a rock.

“Let me go!”

“I don’t think so, angel.” His arms tightened around her. His lips thinned into an angry line.

“So you’d come to my bed, would you? For what? What do you think I could do with you in my current condition, hmm? Pat you on the ass and tell you to sleep well?” His lips curled, snarling.

“Offer something better, Saba. Offer me my manhood back. Then come to my bed!” He released her so abruptly, she almost fell. She plopped down on the stool. He grimaced, his face tightening with pain.

“You will heal but it will take time,” she said, far more calmly than she felt.

He hissed, pressing his hands to his stomach. Alarmed, she jumped up. Quick as a snake, he had her again, one hand fisting in her hair, trapping her.

“Heal me, then.”

His mouth came down on hers with bruising force. She pushed against him but he was too strong. His tongue swept over her lips and suddenly, escaping him wasn’t important. Deep in her belly her womb contracted. Need, hot and sweet, throbbed with each beat of her racing heart.

His kiss gentled, coaxing her now with a soft plea to answer him. Her arms slid around his neck. Her lips opened. There was a low rumble in his chest as his arms tightened around her. Awareness of her surroundings faded. All she knew was his lips moving on hers and his warm hand slowly caressing her back. She was caught in the spell he wove, floating in some dark place where her body spoke to her of aching loneliness and whispered its hope of fulfillment.

Softly, ever so softly, the kiss ended. His lips left hers, lingering a hairsbreadth away. His hands slid to her hips, grasping them with strong fingers and pulling her to him. The hard ridge of his manhood greeted her. She looked into his eyes, gone black with desire.

“You’ll come to my bed first. Then I’ll talk to Tyree about my weapons.”

A HERO’S BARGAIN 

www.amazon.com/Heros-Bargain-Rayne-Forrest-ebook/dp/B00RUUQCAA

books.apple.com/us/book/id1084237597

Striking "one day" off my list - The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles

March 25, 2018


Many, many, many moons ago I began my writing career using the pseudonym Rayne Forrest. I had some good successes but I wanted to branch out. KC was "born" and that took off like a rocket. Here I am fifteen years later with a lot more knowledge under my hat and just as many questions as to where I go from here as I had in 2003. Changes in the publishing industry come hard and fast these days, but as with all things, a door closing means a door opening. Nature isn't the only thing that abhors a vacuum - so does publishing. 

One of my early successes was The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles. I set out in 2004 to write an intentional trilogy. I love science fiction and world building so off I went, embarking on the spaceship Rea Cheveyo. I'm still proud of myself that I finished the project and of how well it turned out. 

And the world turned...

When the publisher who had the Rea Cheveyo Chronicles closed, I mothballed the trilogy. It had a great run. The middle book was even an EPPIE finalist. It just didn't feel like the right time to shop the series around and find a new publisher. 

At the beginning of this year, 2018, I took stock of how many stories I had mothballed. It's a bit sobering. There were a few I'd actually forgotten about. The time was right to begin the work of getting those old Rayne Forrest books back out, starting with the chronicles. I decided to put both pseudonyms on the cover - they're both me so why not? 

The books are in the process of populating to the various online booksellers. By next week this time, all three will be available. I'm working on updating my website, which now includes all the available Rayne Forrest books. 

What does the future hold? Will we travel through space? One day perhaps we will. Until then, I'll just do what writers do and imagine for myself how that may be. 

Rea Cheveyo. Flowing spirit. 

I think there's beauty in that. 


KC Kendricks
Rayne Forrest

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