Katalina Leon is Uncaged

Uncaged book 25, is my second contribution to the Black Hills Wolves series. Portrait of a Lone Wolf, book 7 was my first. I can’t say enough great things about this amazing series. I love all the books, and each of the authors has been a joy to work with. I have at least two more Black Hills Wolves books coming in early 2016. There will be some fun surprises too.

Uncaged, has a special place in my heart. It’s dedicated to my late sister Christy. I was fortunate enough to have Christy spend her last months in my home. During one of our most poignant conversations, she confessed, “I thought my life would have more romance.” She had a few intense relationships and lots of drama, but never a loving romance with someone who really cared. Within a day of her passing, I started writing Uncaged, determined to give Christy the protective, understanding hero she never had in real life. I created Mitchell for Christy, but I hope you’ll love him too, because we all deserve a hero who can love us as we are.

Uncaged

Black Hills Wolves Book 25

By: Katalina Leon

Blurb:
....Mitchell Waya was born to rage in a cage. Every time he competes in a mixed martial arts match, he brings two secret weapons to the ring—a raging heart and the blood of a wolf. When the beast within explodes, no man stands a chance. Scaling the heights of an international career, he’s not prepared for the tragedy and scandal that overtakes him.
....At fourteen, Christy was abducted and abused by a brutal cult of survivalist. In a brave act of defiance, she attempts to escape but finds herself facing execution in a dark alley. When Mitchell appears from the shadows like an avenging angel to rescue her, she catches a glimpse of the protective wolf’s fury. They form a brief but intense bond but then Fate pushes them apart.....Four years pass. Fortunes change. Concerned about Mitchell’s welfare, Christy reaches out, but her kind deed puts her squarely in a killer’s sights, and only the courage of a wolf can save her.

 Excerpt:

“Gee!” he shouted over his shoulder. “Two cheeseburgers and fries.”

“No cheese on mine,” she added. “I’ll pay. I appreciate you taking the time to sit down with me.”

He shook his head. “Gee will put cheese on it anyway. In his mind, a hamburger comes with cheese. I’ve tried asking him to leave the cheese off mine, but he won’t do it. He’s an eccentric. I used to peel it away, now I just eat it.”

“Okay.”

“The burgers are on me. I’ve got a tab here, and I rent a room upstairs.”

“Here?” She appeared scandalized. “You live above a pool hall? I figured you owned a trophy home somewhere nearby.”

Settling into his chair. “Nope.”

“This place looks rowdy. It must be hard to sleep.”

How could he explain the clack of pool cues and blaring music filtering through the floorboards were pleasant alternatives to the angry voice in his head telling him he was a worthless jerk. “I don’t mind.”

Drumming her fingertips on the table, she glanced around. “So, the Tex Wilkins story is true? You really are broke?”

“Disappointed? You sure don’t look like a gold digger.”

She didn’t skip a beat. A spark of compassion shone in her eyes. “You deserve better.”

Her words sounded convincing as if she did care. He took a long look at her. Even a half-dozen layers of frumpy clothes didn’t obliterate a graceful frame and hint of soft curves. Tons of wild auburn hair tumbled in waves around her face. Her lush lips sent conflicting messages. A new terror entered his thoughts. He half feared she might be one of the women he’d hooked up with on the circuit and long forgotten, or didn’t recognize minus the heavy glamor makeup. He hoped to God he’d never messed with anyone this young. “Have we met?”

She seemed anxious, almost breathless. Her lips parted. “Once.”

Panic set in. “I am so sorry if I did or said anything to hurt your feelings or mislead you. During a chunk of my life, everything moved so fast it became a blur. I’m not proud of my promiscuous behavior, but I can’t say I regret it either. If I—”

Her jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”

He gulped. “Have we…the two of us…you know?”

Her cheeks flushed. “No! Absolutely not.”

“That’s a relief. I’d hate to forget someone like you.”

Turning her face, she stared at the wall. “I made a big mistake approaching you this way.”

He threw his hands in the air. “I told you not to come. Don’t pretend to be shocked. I thought you wanted a where-is-he-now interview. The more horrid stuff dug up about me the better, am I right?”

Uncaged releases August 21^st 2015.

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Bio: Katalina Leon

Katalina Leon is an artist and author who can’t commit to a single genre. Her favorite playgrounds are historical, Sci-fi, contemporary, and most of all paranormal realms. Katalina brings a sense of adventure and a touch of the mystical to erotic romance. She believes there's a daring heroine inside every woman who wants to take a wild ride with a strong worthy hero.

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Obsessed with #ParanormalRomance and #Shapeshifters? @DecadentPub @Katalina_Leon #BHW

Today, Garland & Gould has debut author Katalina Leon talking about her newest obsession....

....My name is Katalina Leon. Writing paranormal romance with wolf-shifters is my current obsession. I’ve got wolves on he brain. My contribution to the Black Hills Wolves series is “Portrait of a Lone Wolf” It’s book 7 in Decadent Publishing’s multi-author series. I’m happy to announce, I have a second book coming soon. I can’t wait to share it.

....I joined the Black Hills Wolves because Rebecca Royce invited me to. I love Rebecca. She’s someone I’d described as talented, generous and creative. I’ve worked with her on other book series and she is a high-integrity person. She’s an author to keep your eye on, and she’s here to stay. I can’t believe how much she accomplishes as an author on top of being a full time mother to three young boys. I have one boy, and I get exhausted just thinking about all she juggles.
....The Black Hills Wolves project has been in the works for two years. I signed on in March 2013. “Portrait of a Lone Wolf” is my first book in the series and my first contracted book with Decadent Publishing. The story introduces two lonely characters, Sela and Rio, who haven’t belonged to anyone or anything for a long while. Despite a rough start, they soon discover they make sense as life-mates. My heroine Sela Lopez, is a divorced, filmmaker. She arrives in the Black Hills intent on producing a documentary of the Black Hills beleaguered wolf population and gets a big surprise. The wolves of the Black Hills are more than they appear to be.
.....My hero Rio Waya—“Waya” is Cherokee for wolf, is a retired Army Ranger. He’s spent his adult life on the move, and in deliberate avoidance of Black Hills wolf-pack dysfunction. At one time, an Alpha-tyrant named Magnum, did a generation of damage to the pack. With Magnum out of way, pack members in my books return to the Black Hills and begin to explore what life in a wolf-shifter community has to offer. Of course he’s tired of being a lone wolf and is ready to take a life-mate when unsuspecting Sela rolls into town…
 

Portrait of a Lone Wolf

Black Hills Wolves Book 7

Katalina Leon

 

 

....A mixed-blood Native American wolf-shifter, abandoned by a teenage mother and ignored by an absentee father, Rio Waya has never fit in or felt worthy of love. But when he comes home to the Black Hills, he realizes he wants a mate of his own.
....Recovering from a cheating ex who started a new family behind her back, Sela López seeks escape to pull her life back together. As a documentary filmmaker and wildlife photographer, she rents a cabin in the Black Hills with plans to film the beleaguered wolf population. But she’s so busy looking through a camera lens she doesn’t see trouble coming.
....Sparks fly as mutual fears and vulnerabilities surface when Sela and Rio meet. She can’t figure out why the mysterious Mr. Waya is so anxious about having a documentary made of the Black Hills Wolves. But when his secret is exposed, all hell breaks loose. Can Rio win Sela’s trust and soothe her fears about allowing a hunky wolf-shifter into her heart?


EXCERPT:

....“López, my name’s Sela López. I’ll be a resident of Los Lobos County this summer. I’ve rented a cabin on Gray Paw Mountain.” Everyone perked up in a weird way. They looked a bit too interested in what she’d said. The response was unsettling.

....Gee glowered. “You’re the one renting the cabin?”

....She realized this was probably a good time to change the subject. “I would like my patty medium rare.”

....Damn. Why the hell had she announced to a bunch of strange men in a bar she was going to living alone in a remote cabin on the edge of a national park? Not smart.

....“López?” Gee guffawed He appeared amused as if he were privy to the funniest private joke in the world. “López means ‘wolf’! You gotta love the irony.” He gave Plaid Shirt a nudge. “Rio, did you know her name was López?”

....Rio lifted his chin. “I knew.”

....“What’s going on?” Sela’s temper flared. “Am I missing something? What’s so funny about my name? López is a common Hispanic surname.”

....Rio offered her his hand. “Miss López, my name is Rio Waya. You rented the cabin on Gray Paw Mountain from me. You’re hours late. I was expecting you to arrive before sunset.”

....She gulped. “I’m sorry. I badly miscalculated the distances out here. I thought I would call when I got to town. I hoped perhaps you could give me directions over the phone and talk me in?”

....Rio shook his head. “You’d never find the cabin by yourself in the dark. This isn’t Los Angeles. There are no street signs. The cabin’s hidden beyond miles of timber, gravel, and unmarked dirt road. You’ll have to follow me. I’ll lead us in.”

....“Wait a moment!” Panic rose in her voice. This guy, attractive as he was, was still a man. She certainly didn’t need one of those, especially during her summer of soul-healing. “I was told I’d have privacy at the cabin. I don’t want a roommate or a landlord crowding me.”

....“I won’t be crowding you.” Rio’s expressive brows sank. Obviously, he’d taken offense. “The only thing we’ll be sharing is a mountain. I’ll be living five miles away at the Los Lobos ranger station. Will that satisfy your need for privacy?”

....“Yes.”

....His lip curled with a hint of sarcasm. “At least the first matter is settled. One thing at a time.”

....“Pardon me. Is there a problem I’m unaware of?”

....“Last night’s e-mail mentioned your desire to do a documentary on Los Lobo’s growing wolf population. Filming here is not a good idea. If I had known this was your intention, I would have refused you use of my cabin.”

....She was stunned. “I drove eleven-hundred miles to get here. The documentary is the entire purpose of my trip. All I’ll do is film and photograph wolves outside the national park. Who will I hurt?”

....Rio’s gaze hardened. “The wolves.”

....“How so? I’ll treat this subject with respect. This isn’t amateur wildlife photography, like you might be thinking. I plan to win the wolves over, gain their trust, and take portraits of each one as an individual. The presentation will be like a family album.”

....“Sounds sweet, but has it occurred to you publishing photographs of individual wolves and showing their exact location outside the protection of the park puts them at grave risk?”

....“From who?”

....“Pissed-off ranchers, poachers, and any number of psychos who get their kicks owning the pelt of an animal everybody else has fawned over. Do you have any idea how many creeps out there would love to say they shot ol’ White Socks and her pups or whatever you christen the wolves? A lot. The sad part is they’ll never be prosecuted. If they claim they felt threatened, they’ll be within their rights to shoot. The wolves aren’t protected on private land.”

....“I disagree. I plan to bring positive attention to Los Lobos wolf population. In the long run, the more people aware of the problem, the safer the wolves will be.”

....His hands clenched to fists. “No offense, Miss López, but you just drove in from Los Angeles. You can’t fully grasp how complicated our situation is.”

....“I have a Jeep parked in back, loaded with film equipment. I spent the last eight months of my life doing extensive wolf research and nearly all my savings on this project. I need this to work, so please don’t insult me by saying I haven’t given this serious thought.”

....Rio stood, revealing a powerful build. He stepped closer until she was forced to tip her chin up. “I could choose to give your deposit back. I don’t have to rent the cabin to you.”

....“You could, but I won’t be stopped. I’ll figure out something else.” She stared at Rio. He returned the stiletto gaze in the most provoking way with nostrils flared. She sensed this was a crucial challenge and held her ground, willing herself not to blink. He loomed so close she felt his warm breath on her cheek.

....Finally, he broke the death-stare and looked away. “I’ll give you credit for being determined. Miss López, will you accept some helpful advice?”

....The brief but intense mini-standoff left her rattled. “Sure.”

....“My advice to you is—accept helpful advice…”

 

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