After a Wiccan ritual opens her eyes to her old friend, Maddie’s first week together with Ryan, goes by in a blur of knots and ropes. Creative in their endeavors, they tie each other to everything from the coffee table to the kitchen cabinets while also implementing various positions. Neither the sash of her silk robe nor the curly ribbon on a present is left unused as a device of sensual torture.

Together, they find the freedom they seek in bondage. But, when Maddie’s controlling ex-husband returns hell-bent on taking her back, will Ryan and Maddie be bound by the past or become tied to each other?

Warnings: This title contains graphic language, bondage, anal play and sex toys.

Word Count: 20,710

ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT

Roni, Romance Book Scene

"This quick read novella gives readers a delightful look at light bondage. Both Maddie and Ryan are great characters having a great time exploring the new world that has opened up to them. Expect the bedroom scenes to get scorching hot."

Dawn D, Manic Readers Reviews

Rituals is a really sweet and touching love story. The subject matter is racy (the sex is wild!) and the romance is wonderful. Maddie and Ryan are a lovely couple—obviously well matched in a number of ways! Maddie is tenacious about healing and moving on from past traumas. She's willing to confront past pain in order to achieve future happiness. Ryan is a charmer—tough enough to save the woman he loves and putty in her hands. The plot builds nicely to a tense climax and the resolution is very satisfying. I highly recommend Rituals to those who like romantic fiction with spice!

Autumn, Dark Diva Reviews, 4/5 Divas!

…Great characters and Ms. Howell wonderfully brings them to life

EXCERPT:

“Are you quite agreeable to beginning, Maddie?” Ryan asked in the formal pedagogy of days gone by. She knew he had done so for her benefit with his coy smile and his come-hither voice he adopted when he wanted to lighten the mood. While she was grateful for his attempts, he had not succeeded in easing her nerves. As she looked to the silver cord hanging in loops over his outstretched hand, she did her best to smile reassuringly back at him to return the favor. Behind the facade, her thoughts flowed like turbulent seas as she tried to maneuver through the jagged rocks of her ineptitude.

Still, she was more than ready. A restless sort of eager, she earnestly desired the proposed outcome of this new experience. It was as if she had been preparing herself for this moment for the last few years. To prove it, she nodded her head at him and dropped the white silk cape he had given her.

As she looked down over her conclusively revealed figure, she disregarded the fact that this was the first time he had seen her naked. She had chosen to participate in tonight’s rite, thought it out and drafted herself to take the final step she needed to freedom. Ignoring the way her body trembled within his field of vision, she looked at the breathtaking yards of material embroidered with delicate flowers lying in a shimmering puddle at her feet. It reflected the candles all around them making her feel for a moment she was a goddess on display at the altar.

“Kneel before me,” he requested. Yet, within his sovereign voice, she detected a slight tremor. Maddie was obedient, lowering herself before him with as much grace as she was capable of. Upon kneeling, she had caught a glimpse of how his jeans curved over a quite impressive outline, and she couldn’t get past the bulging part of his anatomy presently at her eye level. Although she was trying to focus in on his words, as she understood the vital importance of comprehending his directions, she was distracted even after he tugged closed his own robe to cover himself. Pondering for just a moment that her present state of undress had something to do with the extent of his forming erection, she reveled in the sweetness of the stroke to her ego. She had needed the boost anyhow. Looking up at Ryan as he spoke about relationships and transformation specifically in the vain of what would transpire tonight, hope filled her.