Writing as Nina Merrill, Mel focuses on spicy short romances–paranormal, historical, contemporary, and gothic. Intended for adult readers only.
Demon Time: First in the Escapades of Pettibone and Foxglove series.
When Knotwood Academy instructor Lolly Pettibone unearths a debauched artifact in her magical elixirs laboratory, she needs a little help to banish it.
Enter Lolly’s former professor, the magnetic but unapproachable Nicholas Foxglove. A skilled mage and agent of the arcane, Foxglove has a predilection for trouble and Lolly’s request is an opportunity he can’t resist. Magic is literally in the air and the formerly aloof professor could be an enthusiastic partner. Now that Lolly’s his peer instead of his pupil, all bets, scruples and inhibitions are off…
The first short, spicy escapade of Pettibone and Foxglove.
Approximately 10,000 words. Contains adult content.
Scarred: A stand-alone contemporary spicy gothic novella.
Antiquarian Hollis Everett thinks an autumn spent cataloguing the library of a rich, avid collector while living in an isolated island town sounds just about perfect. Collector Saxon Mallory seems just about perfect, too, despite his scars and brooding demeanor. Sexy sparks fly between the two immediately, with Saxon indulging Hollis’s secret yen for recreating scenes from Victorian erotica.
But strange events occur nightly in the gloomy old house, and Saxon’s housekeeper implies her employer isn’t as perfect as he seems. When Hollis discovers a long-hidden sketchbook, events take an even darker turn. The book is filled with erotic drawings of island ancestors in compromising circumstances. When the book disappears, Saxon is determined to get it back at all costs.
Hollis wants to help him. But something dark and desperate hunts the island at night. The islanders whisper about a monster. They whisper it might be Saxon…criminal, thief, murderer…
Suddenly, Hollis is afraid for her life. If she can find the sketchbook, she can solve the mystery–unless the monster finds her first.
Sacred and Profane: Stand-alone historical paranormal romance.
Scholarly Jennie Pierson hides behind her books, observing her own life. When she deciphers a cryptic inscription and is pulled 700 years into the past, she has no choice but to take an active part.
Chaste Templar Tibald de Bergère doesn’t know if the strange visitor from a distant place can be trusted. She seeks to convince the Templars that the king of France has slated their Order for destruction. Can he believe her? Jennie’s modern ways and journal full of Templar secrets draw the wrong sort of attention from the commander of the preceptory and a dangerous agent of the king.
Only Tibald and his companion Napier can preserve her from discovery and death, but at what cost to themselves and their secret order? Will Jennie and her lover escape the dark days at the end of the Templars’ rule over the crowned heads of Europe? And if Jennie is faced with the chance of returning to her own place and time, what will she choose?
No Accounting for Magic – What happens when straitlaced accountants find love—and magic? Mel Sterling, writing as Nina Merrill, brings these erotic tales together for the first time, proving that playing by the numbers, sorcery, guacamole, and a few too many tentacles can be delicious indeed.
Genie, No Bottle – Being cursed with a genie is bad for your dating life. Now that accountant Laura Jayne is ready to settle down, her family’s ethereal servant Samir has started acting up. He’s her best friend, and Laura’s determined to set him free. But what happens when your genie wants something else entirely?
Paint It Black – When Mason Whitlock swears he’s being haunted, neighborhood psychic Cassandra Farris doubts him entirely. Who would haunt an accountant, especially one so buttoned-up and conventional? Mason’s desperate, and Cassie begins to believe him. Good thing she’s a whiz at protective magic.
Unfortunately, only fire fights fire—and this haunting is a powerful erotic spell. Ridding Mason of it turns out to be more pleasure than work. Except once Cassie pries its victim away, the hungry, furious spirit seeks a new target: Cassie herself.
Author’s Note: Both tales are intended for adult audiences and contain graphic descriptions of physical intimacy.
Unloved: Stand-alone short contemporary romance.
For young Nona Hartley, sophisticated businessman Jude Danzig seems the perfect choice for her first lover. What begins as mutual attraction rapidly spirals into an intensely physical affair, yet when Nona confesses her growing emotional attachment, she is devastated to learn Jude could care less. Nona flees Miami, determined to forget him.
Two years later, Nona is stunned to see a man walking down her street, and even more dismayed when he stands on her front lawn in a thunderstorm, staring at her house. Is it really Jude, and if so, why is he here?
And does she still care?
When she learns Jude has bought a local competitor’s citrus grove, all bets are off. What’s worse is realizing her feelings for Jude are unchanged even after so long apart. Memories of his rejection sting, but this time there’s a difference: Jude reveals the dark secret tainting his life. Can they set aside painful memories and reach a place where neither is unloved?