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The Mating Ritual Kindle Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

Toni, a woman on the run for her life, finds safety with the descendants of a legendary creature living deep in the mountains. An ancient mating ritual with their leader, Cormac, protects her from being claimed and mated by the other males. She gradually falls for him, but can she give up her old way of life to stay with him in the mountains?

Excerpt - When Toni finally came to, she had no way of knowing how long she’d been out. As she slowly regained consciousness, she became aware that she was in some kind of cave, lying on something that felt soft and furry. At first she thought it was a dead animal. She jumped to her feet and moved away from it, only to find that it was just an animal hide. Picking it up, she examined it before wrapping it around her cold body.

She glanced around the cave, wondering how she’d gotten there, and then her memory returned. Where was he? That a man had dragged her in there she had no doubts. She could tell the cave went further back, she could see the flickering shadows against the walls indicating some kind of lighting, but she wasn’t about to go exploring.

The loud sound of moving water reminded her that she was still near the river. She turned toward the mouth of the cave, walked to the edge, and glanced down. As far as she could tell, it was the only way out of there.If she had jumped the night before she would have killed herself. Nothing but boulders and large rocks lined the steep incline down to the river.

Something off to the side drew her attention, and she gasped, recognizing one of the men who had been after her. There was no question that he was dead. His twisted, broken body was lying just inches from the river, his bloody face and glazed, lifeless eyes were staring up at her. She shivered with repulsion and searched around for his friend, until remembering that she’d heard the sound of a splash.

Her gaze shifted across the water to the other side, wondering if he’d crossed the river or had been swept away with the current. Even if he had managed to swim across he wouldn’t have been able to climb up the embankment. More likely than not he’d been washed down the river and had drowned. At least she didn’t have to worry about the men anymore. Once she returned to the cabin she’d call Detective Todd and tell her what happened, and with a little luck, the local police were already searching for her.

Toni didn’t realize how close she was to the edge until she felt the heel of her foot begin to slip. She screamed when the reality that she was falling rushed over her. Once again a muscular arm came out of nowhere and encircled her waist. Then, with surprising ease, she was hauled against a huge male body. She knew it was male because he was naked, and there was no denying the feeling of a large, flaccid cock against her backside.

She glanced down, thanking God his arm wasn’t as hairy as she’d been expecting, but still screamed and tried to wiggle free. He was much too strong for her. He kept her tight against him, grunting when she dug her nails into his flesh. He pulled her away from the cave entrance and tossed her against the cave wall. She hit it forcefully, crying out, and clutched the fur as it started to slip down.

Toni swung around and stared at the man in shock. One thing she knew for certain, he wasn’t Bigfoot, but he was big, possibly seven feet tall. And he was definitely human, his features were rugged and strong and not unpleasant. He had long brownish hair that appeared streaked with blond, his brown eyes conveyed intelligence and something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GP1S6NG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tory Richards (November 14, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 14, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 74 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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Tory Richards
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Tory Richards is an author who writes smut with a plot. She's an Amazon bestselling author in erotic romance and romantic suspense categories. Born in Maine, she's lived most of her life in Florida where she went to school, married, and raised her daughter. She's retired from Disney and spends her time with family and friends, traveling, and writing.

Visit her website/blog here: http://www.toryrichards.com

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
17 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2014
    What did you like?
    Interesting concept. I have never read a story about Bigfoot people. Kidnapping his bride is such a classic. Everything tied up neatly, I love when there are no loose ends.

    Would you recommend this book? Absolutely.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2013
    Cute idea of Bigfoot evolved. Very sexy story with lots of mating. Nice short love story with a HEA. I recommend giving this short read a try.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014
    This book had a very intriguing take on a tried-and-true story line. Worth the read for that reason alone. Good job.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2015
    The Mating Ritual by author Tory Richards is a fast paced paranormal. I liked that this book deals with paranormals we do not normally see …Big Foot. The caveman style that Cormac our hero has really didn’t do it for me, but I suppose if you like your men caveman style he would be a draw for you. I loved the premise before the whole me Tarzan you Jane thing happened. Toni is visiting a cabin in the woods she likes, when she finds out that all the people who were on the jury of a murder trail are being killed. When the hit men come after her she begins her adventure in the woods. After all it is Cormac who saves her. Then we go into the twilight zone for a while, I really struggled with believing any woman would want to be treated the way Toni was. But again she likes that treatment which completely puzzled me. There is a lot you must suspend your belief for. However if you can do that, and not look too hard at this story it is quite good. I like for a short paranormal romance it is okay, I am glad I got to read it. However if it was a series I would not be looking for more. Just too much suspension of belief for me personally.

    Four Twinkling Stars
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2014
    I received a copy of this book from SSLY in place of an honest review.

    Toni is taking a break at her best friends cabin in the Carolina Mountains. She has been on jury duty and just sentenced this guy. He said he would get pay back. Her friend calls to tell her that two of the people in the jury have been killed and she needs to call the police. Toni thinks she will be ok because she is out in the middle of nowhere. She was wrong. On her way to get away from the people who are trying to kill her she gets saved by this thing that has a big shadow.

    Cormac is the leader of the Oh-Mah which we call Bigfoot. After years of mating with humans they are no longer hairy but they sure are tall. Cormac has decided to take Toni as his mater and will mate with her at the ritual that is old as time.

    This was a pretty good book. I love reading books like this that tells stories of things we heard about growing up. I wonder if I would do what Toni did if I was taken by a being like Cormac. Knowing my luck I would've meet with one that was abusive and treated me badly. I want to read more about these Oh-Mah people and see what the future holds. I will say that if you love books that have really hot sex in them, this is the book for you.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
    I won this novella in a contest and am so glad I did! This would fall into the erotic romance genre, and I don't read a lot of those, too often the books are all sex and no story, which doesn't interest me. But The Mating Ritual was a great little love story with some hot sex. In just a few pages Toni feels like a real person, one with few contacts and little happiness in her life. When she's saved from hitmen by Cormac, she's forced into his way of life as his new mate (hello hot sex!), but when she examines the life she's had, Toni realizes that all she's giving up is a bleak and lonely existence. In contrast the tribe that has accepted her seems like a family.

    The story moves along at a brisk pace, and the author excels at creating a sense of place. The mountain terrain is vividly described and created a strong background for the love story. And yes, folks, it's love. And lust. Mostly lust. Lots of sweaty lust!
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2013
    A Short story with a HEA, interesting bigfoot people concept, lots of mating involved. A very sexy story with a classic kidnapping his bride.

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