Treasure Laid Bare - A Dept 57 book

Previously published in a different version as Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness. This edition has been revised and rewritten.

eBook ISBN · 978-1-59632-964-5
Publisher · Loose-Id Publishing
Genre ·Paranormal Romance
Length · Full Length Novel

If Sorcerer Garon Rothwell has sex, he loses his powers - and also the rigid control he has over his life. But when he meets bookstore owner and ex-army intelligence officer Tara Carlisle, he desperately wants to give in to the passion she evokes in him. The only thing stopping him are his own fears and a woman four hundred years dead.

Tara wants Garon, but until they catch the evil stalking her little town, she can't give in to the desire she knows they both feel. The frustration is killing her.

Erzsebet Bathory murdered over six hundred women the last time she walked the earth. Now Tara has inadvertently brought her back, she might beat her previous record.

Will Garon and Tara succumb to the passion that is burning them alive and lose the chance to stop the Blood Countess before she becomes too powerful to kill? Or is there another way?

Cover art by April Martinez

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Excerpt

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Impulsively he reached out his hand for her. She put her own in it without hesitation. Her warmth seeped through him and effortlessly passed through his defenses. “Don’t let it worry you. Most of it is harmless, and some of it can be beneficial. I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought you didn’t scare easily.”
“I don’t. Not when faced with a kidnapper or a soldier. I know how to behave then. This, though, this is different.”
Without any pressure on either side, she moved closer, and he curved his arms around her. Almost as if it were fated. But it couldn’t be. It felt good, so right. Garon tried to keep the discussion calm and impersonal, but it was too late. Deep inside, he knew it. “Whereas I’ve spent all my life in that world, the world of magic and supernatural events. A kidnapper would scare me stupid.”
“I can’t imagine that.” She lifted a hand up to his jaw, and without conscious thought, he turned his head and kissed her palm. She didn’t move away. His heartbeat quickened. A kiss. That was all he wanted. Perhaps a little more.
He bent his head to capture her lips, caressing them with the gentlest of pressures, feeling their texture. She opened her mouth, and he took what she offered, stroking her tongue with his, tasting coffee and Tara. Delicious.
Garon pulled her closer, rubbing her skin through the soft, ribbed texture of her thin sweater. Her arms crept around his waist, up his back, sending intense frissons down his spine, even through his shirt.
Garon thrust his tongue deep, wanting to taste, to push within her. Her hand caressed the back of his neck, then the tie fastening his hair came loose, and the thick waves flowed softly around them. Breathing deeply, Garon drew back a little.
She reached up a hand to twist a strand around her finger. “How did that happen?”
He chuckled low in his throat. “We did this, and this, and this.” With each “this,” he dotted kisses on her nose, her cheek, and finally her mouth.
“Helen will be furious. She wants you.”
“I know. I don’t want her. She’s a lovely woman, but I sense the predator in her. I don’t like to be stalked.”
Tara touched her lips to his. The gentle caress nearly undid him, but he held on to his wavering self-control. Just. “And I’m not a predator?”
He shook his head slightly, enjoying the tactile contrast of his lips against hers. “No. Honesty, strength, and vulnerability you let few people see.”
“Clever of you to spot it.”
He drew back a little, reaching up to cup her jaw in his hand. Soft skin, with the hardness of bone beneath. Life, pulsing warmly through her. “Like calls to like.”
“You’re vulnerable?”
“We all are.” Tiring of conversation, he drew her close and kissed her again, this time keeping his desires well reined in.
Tara felt lovely in his arms, made to fit him. A foolish, egotistical concept, but this was his body speaking, not his mind, a body that was nearly breaking away from the strong leash he kept it on. When she leant forward a little, her body giving him the permission he wanted, he had to fight hard to keep control. Every part of him pulsed, straining to the same end.
He’d never felt desire this strong before, never wanted to join with someone so completely. Irrevocably. He smoothed his hands over her back, up and down, feeling the nubs of her spine, the supple muscles bunching and bending as she moved closer to him. Her breasts touched his chest. Through layers of cloth, Garon felt her smooth skin, her nipples peaked with want. He cupped one in his hand, caressed it, felt its beauty, and gave the nipple a tug to make it tighten. He undid the shirt with careless flicks of his fingers and groaned when he came into contact with the silken skin underneath. She wore a silky bra, soft and yielding, the cup moving aside as he reached for nirvana. He bent his head to taste.
With a gasp, he drew back. “I can usually allow myself a little more freedom than this. I can’t with you.”
She stared up from half closed eyes, bewildered. “What? What do you mean?”
“Two kisses and I’m ready to fuck you on the carpet. Here and now.”
If he’d hoped his brutal description would send her away, he was disappointed. Instead, she pulled him closer. “That sounds good to me.”
“I can’t.” It came out as an agonized groan.
Her eyes opened wider. “Can’t? Won’t? What’s wrong?”
He wouldn’t let her go. Not yet. Just a few more minutes while he told her. “I can’t. If I make love to a woman, I’ll lose my powers.”

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Treasure Laid Bare is well written with sophisticated suspense and enjoyable tension that makes the anticipation of solving multiple mysteries exciting and downright delicious. The dread of guessing wrong about who was possessed insures the reader could never quite relax. The unknown added to the fun. Garon was obviously more than unusually attractive judging from every female’s reaction to his appearance, but I liked that his appearance wasn’t what he valued about himself. Tara’s past experience with men makes it hard for her to believe that Garon could seriously be interested in her when the very sexy Helen made it clear she wants him, but I liked that Tara didn’t let her fears cripple her or drop out of the competition. There are some smokin’ masturbation with toys scenes, along with thirteen young barracuda and their teacher who blatantly and shamelessly pursuit of a man whose rejection only turned them on more. There is enough sexual tension between our hero and heroine to make this reader sweat in a cool room and love with desire so potent it is worth giving up everything to have. A number of secondary characters played a role in keeping the lid on this bubbling pot of toil and trouble, including CIA Assistant Director Cristos and Police chief, Bill Bradshaw. Treasure Laid Bare is a must read for anyone who appreciates the paranormal!
Karen Haas for Just Erotic Romance Reviews 5 stars

These reviews are from a previous version of Treasure Laid Bare

Without a doubt, the Dept. 57 series is simply one of the hottest paranormal series out there. Lynne Connolly expertly combines steamy sex with superb paranormal storylines to create a series that is absolutely not to be missed!
The connection between Garon and Tara is breathtaking in its intensity. Lynne Connolly always creates scorching, credible romances and ETERNAL BEAUTY, ETERNAL DARKNESS is no exception.
ETERNAL BEAUTY, ETERNAL DARKNESS is yet another splendid offering from the talented Lynne Connolly. The touch of mystery is a nice addition to the storyline as Garon and Tara desperately try to stop Erzsabet Bathory in her new incarnation. If you haven’t read any of the Dept. 57 series, what exactly are you waiting for? Highly recommended!
Reviewed by Anne for Kwips and Kritiques. 5 clovers and a Recommended Read!

If there is one thing this reviewer can say about Ms. Connolly’s writing is that it just gets better and better. Just when you think this author has hit the highest peak she surpasses herself. Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness is, in this reviewer’s opinion, Ms. Connolly’s best work yet. This is after being spell bound by Chemistry of Evil. Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness goes even further into the mysteries of the occult, the powers released by the innocent séance performed by the 12 women and holds the reader in its web of intrigue from the very beginning. The gothic structure of the school and surrounding woods lend themselves well to the brooding mystery with the reader expecting to stumble on one of the bodies in the woods themselves.
Of all of Ms. Connolly’s books read to date, this one, above all the others, should be destined to be a movie. Each character is well developed and life like. Tara’s physical and mental strength comes through each page as does her own development and acceptance of her own skills. Garon as well comes into his own. A man who accepted his talents and resigned himself to a life alone finds his heart captured by Tara. When he declares his love it frightens as well as frees him from his own demons. Helen is the epitome of the obsessive compulsive, controlling woman who will stop at nothing to gain what she wants. She is the kind of woman who becomes a friend only to gain what she wants and is one of the most despicable characters this reviewer has read to date. Her meanness goes a long way to making the story as compelling as it is.
Gina, © Love Romances 5 hearts

I can't say enough about Lynne Connolly's imagination. Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness has all of the elements of a thriller, with enough suspense to keep you guessing, which one of characters is the killer? Garon is the perfect hero with enough vulnerability to make him feel real. Garon and Tara find that they fit perfectly together, as the town is turned upside down. I enjoyed Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness very much and would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the paranormal.
Klarissa for Joyfully Reviewed

With a whole lot of paranormal and a love that seemed boundless, Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness certainly provided the suspense that is characteristic with The Summoning series from Triskelion. I fell in love with Garon and his uncommon virtue. I could understand his reluctance to lose the power he possessed but I understood also the desire he felt for Tara. Together Tara and Garon faced an entity that would not stop until she got what she wanted but they were also able to face it together because their love for each other was stronger. If you want to read a story that gives you goose bumps but also provides you with a substantial romance to read then do not go past this story and especially this series because it will give you everything you crave and more.
Sheryl, eCataRomance reviews 4 1/2 stars

The Summoning: Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness is a wonderful story that kept me up all night. I just couldn’t put it down until the final page was read. The world that Lynne Connolly has created is unique, the paranormal elements are exciting and there are twists that I didn’t foresee which made this an unpredictable and fast paced pleasure to read. Both Garon and Tara are wonderful, fully fleshed and wounded characters that work against all odds to both be together and to fight the immense evil that has so far killed four girls. I highly recommend The Summoning: Eternal Beauty, Eternal Darkness and I can’t wait for the next in The Summoning Series.
Lyonene, for Enchanted in Romance 5 unicorns

Ms. Connolly manages to capture the attention of the reader until the last page of this story. She provides the reader with some very interesting secondary characters also. I enjoyed the many twists and turns to the story that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride. This book is a definite keeper.
Candy Cay for Coffee Time Romance

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