Welcome to the blog tour for KISS ME GOODNIGHT, the fourth book in the adult romantic suspense/mystery series, Claire Goodnight, by Jennifer Rebecca. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
KISS ME GOODNIGHT (Claire Goodnight #4) by Jennifer Rebecca
Synopsis Detective Claire Goodnite is finally marrying her sexy SAIC, Wesley O’Connell in this suspenseful conclusion to the series.
The hall has been booked, the flowers have been ordered, and the invitations have been sent. Everything is finally falling into place for the happy couple, or so it seems.
That is until a hunter the likes of the old DC Sniper has his sights set on New Jersey Law Enforcement and suddenly the thin blue line has a big, old target painted on their backs. It’s open season on police officers and federal agents alike. She might be the best damn detective in the state of New Jersey but even this case has Claire running for her life.
Not to mention the loss of one of her inner circle seems to have shook something loose in her mind. Claire’s memories of that long ago day when she was taken from her home as a child are surfacing one after another. But will she remember before it’s too late?
It’s like they always say, every story has its ending.
Are you ready for this one?
It’s gonna sting.
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Excerpt #2 “What’s on your mind, baby?” Wes asks me as I towel off my body. My skin is still bright pink from the hot water of my shower.
“It was just a long day.”
“I thought it was a good day?” he asks me as he wraps his arms around me pulling me in close as he rests his chin on top of my head. I love when he does this. I’m fairly tall for a woman so the fact that he is tall enough to make me feel small and delicate is kind of nice.
“It was,” I begin to explain. “We found out Anna prepaid for all of the dresses right before she died. That was tough on us both.”
“Did you pick out a dress?”
“Yeah,” I say softly knowing that there is a wistful quality to my voice.
“Is it pretty?” he asks me. His voice is quiet in the still evening of our bathroom.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “And kind of sexy too.”
“Sexy?” Wes asks me. “Tell me about it.”
“Unh uh,” I decline.
“No?” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“No. I want you to be surprised.”
“Okay, honey,” he says toying with a lock of my wet hair. “I’ll be surprised.”
“Okay.”
“Anything else bothering you?” he asks me.
“I can’t stop thinking about Rodriguez,” I admit.
“Yeah,” he agrees. “Me too.”
“Any new information?” I ask grasping at anything Wes might be willing to give me. I have to know what happened. I have this driving need inside of me to find the answer and solve the puzzle.
Wes studies me for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. I know in that instant that he is about to give me the truth, whatever that might be.
“We have nothing,” he says and the vein at his temple pulses. I can tell how angry that makes him. It makes me angry too. “There are no tapes, no notes, no faces. We have nothing.”
“I hate this,” I whisper.
“Me too, honey.”
Wes pulls the towel from around my body and places it on the bathroom counter before rolling up one of his t-shirts and dropping it over my head. I push my arms through the armholes as he lets the faded fabric drop around my thighs.
“Let’s go to bed,” he tells me holding out his hand for me to take it and I do without hesitation.
Wes walks me towards our bed and drops my hand only to pull the bedding back so that we can climb in. Wes pulls me into the safety of his arms after pulling the blankets back over us. I feel warm, and safe, and sleepy so I let myself drift off.
It wouldn’t be until days later that I would realize that I was never safe.
About the Author Jennifer is a thirty something lover of words, all words: the written, the spoken, the sung (even poorly), the sweet, the funny, and even the four letter variety. She is a native of San Diego, California where she grew up reading the Brownings and Rebecca with her mother and Clifford and the Dog who Glowed in the Dark with her dad, much to her mother’s dismay.
Jennifer is a graduate of California State University San Marcos where she studied Criminology and Justice Studies. She is also an Alpha Xi Delta.
10 years ago, she was swept off her feet by her very own sailor. Today, they are happily married and the parents of a 8 year old and 6 year old twins. She can often be found in East Texas on the soccer fields, drawing with her children, or reading. Jennifer is convinced that if she puts her fitbit on one of the dogs, she might finally make her step goals. She loves a great romance, an alpha hero, and lots and lots of laughter.
USA Today bestselling author, Meli Raine, is unveiling the covers to her adult romantic suspense series, False. See below for the covers, information on the series, and pre-order links.
FALSE MEMORY (False #1) by Meli Raine
About Book 1
Title: FALSE MEMORY Series: False #1 Author: Meli Raine Category: Adult Romantic Suspense Release Date: November 13, 2018 Links: Goodreads| iBooks | BookBub
Synopsis It all started with the bereavement flowers with my name on them.
Not the best way to wake up, right? I work in a flower shop. I know a funeral arrangement when I see one.
I know a killer when I see one, too. And one is standing in my hospital room right now, straight behind the man who saved my life.
I can’t tell anyone the truth, because that’s the fastest way to really die. So I do the next best thing. I “lose” my memory. I fake my amnesia.
Pretending not to remember a brutal attempted murder has its perks. The killer is backing down, spending less time around me, loosening the noose.
The less I claim to recall, the more my rescuer, Duff, works to help me “remember.” I hate lying to him.
But he doesn’t understand that my memory is dangerous. To me. And to him.
Except it’s starting to look like I’ve been fooling myself.
In more ways than one.
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FALSE HOPE (False #2) by Meli Raine
About Book 2
Title: FALSE HOPE Series: False #2 Author: Meli Raine Category: Adult Romantic Suspense Release Date: December 11, 2018 Links: Goodreads| iBooks | BookBub
Synopsis Coming soon…
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FALSE START (False #3) by Meli Raine
About Book 3
Title: FALSE START Series: False #3 Author: Meli Raine Category: Adult Romantic Suspense Release Date: January 15, 2019 Links: Goodreads| iBooks | BookBub
Synopsis Coming soon…
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Author Meli Raine
About the Author Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them.
Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.
Stranded on a planet that lacks food, Vela makes the ultimate sacrifice and becomes an Aegis for her people. Accepting a genetic modification that takes sixty years off her life, she can feed her colony via nutrition pills. But her best friend is still getting worse. And she’s not the only one.
Now the king is dying, too.
When the boy she’s had a crush on since childhood volunteers to give his life for her father’s, Vela realizes her people need more than pills to survive. As tensions rise between Aegis and colonists, secrets and sabotage begin to threaten the future of the colony itself.
Unless Vela is brave enough to save them all…
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My Review An intense young adult dystopian romance filled with impossible choices, longing, loyalty, and above all, love. When seventeen year old Princess Vela is caught sneaking food to her best friend, her entire future is jeopardized. But the leadership sees something in her and offers her an opportunity to prove herself worthy of taking over her father’s position of Ruler when he passes. Vela and her sister, Blanca, are each challenged to show they have what it takes to lead their people, despite their weaknesses. Vela is compassionate to a fault and Blanca is logical and analytical at the expense of compassion. Each princess is forced into a situation that tests their limits in ways neither is prepared for.
Plot The plot is intricately woven with subplotting that made this a “can’t put down” book for me. While I found some of it predictable, the author’s writing and the characters she created made me need to know what happened next. Dunn drew me into her world, which is richly built, and made me care about fictional people in a way I haven’t in a long time. I wanted a different ending, but the one I got was both gut-wrenching and satisfying.
The Characters Well-developed and incredibly real, Carr, Vela, and the rest of the cast were real to me, and I loved them wholly, never wanting to the story to end. Carr is what every book boyfriend should be with a deep sense of family loyalty and strength, with a poetic side that made me swoon. Vela was everything I want in a young adult heroine. Her compassion for others and sense of doing the right thing at any cost made her one of my favorite young adult protagonists of all time.
Top Five Things I Loved About STAR-CROSSED 1. Vela. She was by far my favorite character of 2018 and in my top five young adult protagonists of all time. She’s warm, loyal, loving, and compassionate with a strong sense of doing the right thing. Her love for her family, her best friend, and Carr made her utterly relatable.
2. Carr. Ahh, what can I say about the dreamy boy who would give his life to save his sister? There is so much to him, but the way he cares not only about his sister but Vela, too, makes him worthy of Vela’s love.
3. Impossible choices. Vela is put in charge of choosing the boy who will die to save her father’s life, but when the only boy she’s ever loved, Carr, puts himself in the running, she finds herself in a situation with no good outcomes. This is the type of situation that makes for page-turning conflict.
4. Dystopian worlds. My favorite genre because anything can happen and nothing is ever as it seems.
5. The ending. Oh my God that ending. It gutted me but it made me FEEL.
Bottom Line An outstanding young adult dystopian tale that will reside among my favorites for years to come.
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Book Title: STAR-CROSSED Author: Pintip Dunn Publisher: Entangled Teen Release Date: October 2, 2018 Pages: 400 Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction Romance Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
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Author Pintip Dunn
About the Author Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B., and received her J.D. at Yale Law School.
Pintip’s novel FORGET TOMORROW won the 2016 RWA RITA® for Best First Book, and SEIZE TODAY won the 2018 RITA for Best Young Adult Romance. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the Tome Society It list; and the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her other titles include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, THE DARKEST LIE, GIRL ON THE VERGE, and the upcoming STAR-CROSSED and
Welcome to the book blitz for RAVEN DOCK, the first book in the young adult paranormal romance series, Dark Coven, by Sara Caldwell. See below for information the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
Synopsis Seventeen-year-old Harper Duncan never fit in anywhere her family moved…and they moved a lot. But after her parents and brother die in a tragic accident, she finds out she’s adopted, and her birth mother lives in a remote retreat called Raven Dock. Harper ventures north and discovers a dark family secret: her birth mother is a witch. And she’s one too. As Harper Learns about her own hidden powers, will she choose to embrace her chilling heritage, or return to the safety of the ordinary world?
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First Vision When we finally entered the house, Olive began worrying I wouldn’t come back from my trip to visit Aunt Mary. I reminded her that I was only going for two weeks, and the retreat was in the middle of nowhere. I was a city girl at heart. I needed stuff to do, like going to movies, dancing to live music, and eating greasy hotdogs or gyro sandwiches. The thought of being stuck in some remote woodland frankly horrified me. I also wondered why Dad and his sister hadn’t spoken in so long. It must have been pretty bad to avoid each other all these years. Olive asked if I’d heard from Mary. I said not by phone, though I’d received a letter. Who knew people still wrote those?
I was surprised when Jeff had handed me the letter. You could tell that Mary handwrote it with a fountain pen, in neat cursive letters. Jeff was impressed. He loved old school stuff, like his prized LP collection. The letter was quite short. Mary wrote how sorry she was for my loss, how much she looked forward to seeing me, and that she was planning a big party in my honor. Olive made a bet that she’d serve herbal tea and quinoa. This made me laugh, but suddenly I felt dizzy.
“Are you okay?” asked Olive. Her voice seemed to come from far away. Everything was blurry. I blinked and suddenly found myself somewhere else. I wasn’t physically in this other place, just seeing it in a disembodied way, like in a virtual reality game. I was inside a school bus full of Mexican children, who were jumping between the seats as kids do. One little girl wore a white ribbon in her hair. She turned to look at me, with big brown eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something.
“Harper?” I blinked again, and Olive was in front of me, looking at me quizzically. I didn’t want to freak her out about what I had just seen, even though I was shaking inside. I chalked it up to a hallucination. After all, I was a nervous, depressed wreck. My mind was undoubtedly on a slippery psychological slope. But it sure was a strange and vivid one. I made a mental note to ask Janet about it.
The strangeness persisted as we wandered through the empty house. It felt bigger without our stuff, and our bodies zigzagging through it with the business of each day. A thin layer of dust had built up on the wooden floors, which squeaked underfoot. I looked out the front window, to where the accident had happened. All the flowers and candles were finally gone, a painful reminder that life goes on. Jeff had taken me to the spot a few days after the accident, so I could appreciate the kindness of our neighbors and strangers, many of whom had left personalized notes.
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Author Sara Caldwell
About the Author Sara Caldwell teaches screenwriting and digital media courses at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing (FIDIM) in Los Angeles. She has won many awards for her writing, including Best Original Screenplay at the Burbank International Film Festival. Sara has always been drawn to the supernatural and has produced a number of award-winning short horror films through House of Gorey Productions, along with her husband Walter Gorey. She is also a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
Like Harper in Raven Dock, Sara spent her childhood as a tumbleweed, moving around the United States and even to Guatemala, Spain and England. She’s run three marathons, authored three nonfiction books, and has three cats that enjoy perching on her shoulder while she writes at her kitchen table. It goes without saying that three is her lucky number. She’s also working on the remaining novels for the Dark Coven series, the next of which is titled Darkest Hour.
Welcome to the Blog Tour for DESTINY FULFILLED, a stand-alone adult fantasy romance, by Laire McKinney. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
Wren O’Hara is waiting for the day she succumbs to mental illness like her mother. When she is attacked by a psychotic client at work, and saved by what must be an angel, she fears the time for insanity has come.
Little does she know, her savior is an immortal warrior druid named Riagan Tenman, and that he will challenge everything she ever thought she knew about reality.
Now Wren must decide if the fantasy unfolding before her is true, or if she has finally lost her mind.
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Excerpt #4 Riagan shook off the effects of the battle much the same way Duke shook off water. He rose to his full height, erect and proud, his long body somehow more grand and powerful than she remembered. The mortal clothes tugged where the seams were not already ripped as his muscles seemed to expand and his height grow.
Riagan was changing, there was no denying that. He flexed and unflexed his hands; his face hardened into a line of will and determination. It was at once terrifying and awesome to behold.
Wren stumbled as she tried to gather her wits and close her mouth, which she knew was dangling open like an unhinged window screen after a hurricane.
His skin was beautiful, like carved white marble. She reached out a hand to caress it, for surely he was a mirage.
Just as she leaned into him, someone grabbed her wrist and yanked. It was Drake, staring hard into her face. She tried again to shut her mouth but wasn’t certain of success.
“We must hurry,” Drake urged.
“What?” she sputtered. Riagan’s scent wove around her like silk ribbon—a heady mixture of musk, vanilla, and some undefined masculine notes that made her head feel as if it were a balloon about to float away to Heaven.
As soon as Drake lessened his grasp, she moved forward again. Riagan stood before her as a powerful warrior druid, an immortal druid. Her safe place in the middle of his chest was far above her head now. She reached up to caress it, wanted to make sure it was still there, but Drake grabbed her chin and turned her face toward his.
“There will be time for that later, lass.”
She felt like she was drowning in a vat of warm, sweet olive oil. The world in front of her became hazy, and Drake’s voice came from somewhere far away. She was lusciously sandwiched between two of the most masculine bodies ever created, grateful they were taking over this situation because for some reason, she couldn’t even remember her name. Tingling shot through her body, and every cell she was made of burst alive.
Somewhere far away, in the very distant place where her brain could still think, she sensed tension in the air, urgency pulsing through the two men at her sides. When she put her hands on each of their arms, she couldn’t help but move them up and down, relishing the severe undulations of their magnificent muscles, the sheer power held beneath the skin.
One of the men growled, and she lifted her chin to find Riagan glaring at his brother, whose face was set in a smirk. Her hands stopped mid-rub, and Riagan grabbed her wrist, yanking her far away from his brother. He put his arm around her waist, hugging her against him, then propelled her forward, keeping her several feet from Drake.
For someone who didn’t love her, he surely was jealous.
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Author Laire McKinney
About the Author Laire McKinney is the author of contemporary and fantasy women’s fiction. She believes in a hard-earned happily-ever-after, with nothing more satisfying than passionate kisses and sexy love scenes, endearing characters and complex conflict. When not writing, she can be found traipsing among the wildflowers, reading under a willow tree, or gazing at the moon while pondering the meaning of it all. She lives in Virginia with her family and beloved rescue pup, Lila da Bean.
Kelly Collins is unveiling another teaser from BETTING ON HIM, the first book in her adult contemporary romance/romantic suspense series, Wilde Love, releasing October 15, 2018. See below for information on the book, preorder links, and the exclusive teaser.
BETTING ON HIM (Wilde Love #1) by Kelly Collins
About the Book
Title: BETTING ON HIM Series: Wilde Love #1 Author: Kelly Collins Release Date: October 15, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis He’s a gangster going straight. She’s a waitress going bankrupt. Will their gamble on a marriage of convenience pay off in true love?
Alex Wilde desperately wants to be free of the family’s mob business. But when his infamous father is murdered, the family attorney makes a suggestion he can’t ignore: find a bride before the funeral or they’ll force a wedding with a nice Russian gangster girl. When he meets a feisty cocktail waitress, he thinks he’s found his way out.
Faye Tandy is desperately in debt and hard-pressed to find help. Alex’s offer of a phony marriage for a ton of cash couldn’t come at a better time and she’s happy to help him exit the criminal world. The fact that he’s tall, dark, and handsome is an attractive bonus. But when she discovers the Russians have a contract out on her head, she wonders if divorced and bankrupt would be a better choice than rich and dead…
As Faye’s fake feelings for Alex turn real, she’s terrified her trip to the altar might be her last. Will Alex and Faye’s throw of the dice succeed or will they lose the lawless game of love?
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Author Kelly Collins
About the Author
Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.
Kelly lives in Colorado at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her husband of twenty-five years, their two dogs, and a bird that hates her.
In her spare time, she enjoys walking the trails and visiting the mining towns like Cripple Creek. She likes to think it’s the ambience that brings her there and not the amazing slot machine in the back of the casino.
In the winter, you’ll find her tucked into her seat at The World Arena cheering her beloved Colorado College Tigers Hockey Team. After several losing seasons she knows there’s a win coming soon. Kelly is no fair weather fan.
She has three amazing children, and she wonders how they all turned out to be engineers when only the creative side of her brain seems to work. She just chalks it up to the engineering genes her husband contributed to the mix.
Creative minds need an outlet and writing books is where she focuses her excess energy..
USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry is unveiling the cover to TINSEL, the fourth stand-alone novel in her adult contemporary romance series, Lark Cove, releasing February 19, 2019. See below for the cover, information on the book and series, and pre-order links.
Synopsis Sofia Kendrick has always cherished her tiara. As the youngest daughter of a wealthy New York family, she’s lived the life of an American princess. But after two scandalous divorces and a breakup smear her name across the society rags, the shine from her crown has dulled. People call her superficial, even gaudy.
She’s nothing more than tinsel.
Desperate for escape and starving for peace, Sofia heads to Montana for a holiday weekend with her brother. But she doesn’t get the relaxing vacation she planned. Instead, she’s put to work in a bar alongside Dakota Magee—a man who does not want her help. A man who is set on teaching her a few lessons about real life and hard work. But Sofia has a couple of life lessons of her own to teach. Like how to fall in love.
About the Author Devney is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jamison Valley series. She lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories. Devney loves hearing from readers!.
Welcome to the blog tour for THIS LOVE, the sixth book in the adult contemporary romance series, Cowboys & Angels, by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kelly Elliott. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.
THIS LOVE (Cowboys and Angels #6) by Kelly Elliott
Synopsis I was a self-appointed bachelor and happy to have the title. Everyone thought it was time for me to settle down and find a nice girl. Well, no thank you. This cowboy wanted to stay clear of relationships. I wanted the freedom that came with no strings.
But what did I know? Nothing apparently.
Everything changed when I looked into her green eyes; my world tilted when she smiled at me.
What was this feeling?
Whatever was happening had me losing my damn mind. I fumbled with my words. My body wasn’t my own. I wanted her … desperately.
Was I ready to give up my bachelor days, or was this Irish girl simply an itch I needed scratched?
This Love is book 6 in the Cowboys and Angels series
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Excerpt “Do you like kissing women and getting them all hot and bothered and then walking away? Does that get you off?”
Cord walked around his desk and headed toward the door of his office. Where in the hell did he think he was going?
He shut the door and turned back to face me. When he walked toward me, I stepped back until me legs hit his desk.
“You were hot and bothered by our kiss?”
The way his blue eyes searched me face had me panting. It was getting harder to breathe, especially with him nearly pressed against me body…again.
“No,” I lied.
“That’s not what you just said, Maebh.”
I stood up straighter and squared me shoulders. “By your own admission, and on more than one occasion, Mr. Parker, you don’t always understand what I say.”
He laughed, and I moaned internally. God, I loved his laugh. And his smile. And the way he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Why are you so interested in if I’ve fucked someone in here?”
“I’m not,” I stated, me hands going to me hips.
He leaned closer, a whisper away. “You’re lying. I can tell because your cheeks are turning a beautiful shade of pink. I wonder how vibrant that pink gets when you come?”
Me mouth opened in utter shock, and I stared at him.
“I bet they turn vibrant.”
Cord stepped closer.
“I’ve never found the right woman to bring into my private space and make love to, but there’s always a first time…”
Me tongue bathed me dry lips. Cord’s eyes followed, and he let out a soft growl from the back of his throat.
“You… You…”
Christ, what are you trying to say?
“May I ask you something, Maebh?”
The way he said my name made me knees knock together. The room was spinning.
“Y-yes.”
“Did you like the kiss we shared? Did you like my hands under your dress? My cock pressed against you?”
I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t forget how he’d made me feel when he walked away and then pretended it had never happened.
“I might have enjoyed it more if you hadn’t walked away from me like an arse.”
His smile instantly disappeared.
“Maebh, I didn’t mean to…”
My hands went to his chest to push him back, but I jerked them away when I felt the zap of energy rushing between us.
What in the world did this man do to me? He was dangerous. Very dangerous.
“I need to get back to Aisling. Have a nice one, Cord.”
He stepped out of my way, and I was relieved I wouldn’t have to argue with him.
Me eyes burned, and I couldn’t figure out why I let this man get me so worked up. I headed for the door, but before I could open it, Cord took me arm and spun me around. He pushed me against the office door. I was having a déjà vu moment.
“You didn’t enjoy any of that night, Maebh?”
A sexy smile moved over Cord’s face. “Answer me.”
Me eyes bounced all over his face as I fought to remember how in the hell to speak.
“What are you doing to me?” I whispered.
His forehead leaned against mine, and I noticed his chest heaving.
“I could say the same thing to you, agra.”
Everything stopped, and I inhaled a sharp breath.
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
Cord moved away and pushed his hands into his pockets.
“Answer me,” I demanded. “Where did you hear that name?”
He shrugged. “You better get going, the restaurant opens in a few hours, and you’ll need to be ready.”
My mouth hung open. He was going to call me sweetheart and not even tell me how he knew that word.
“You confuse me, Cord Parker. One minute you make me think you want me, the next I’m like a bug you have to squash.”
He stood there, not saying a word.
“Do you?”
His eyes jerked up to meet mine. “Do I what?”
“Want me?”
It was the boldest question I’d ever asked a man, and me neck and cheeks felt like they were on fire. But I had to know. I needed to know how he felt.
When he didn’t reply and dropped his gaze, I had me answer.
“I didn’t think so,” I said, with a nervous laugh. “Stupid fool am I.”
“Maebh—”
“It’s okay. I see the women who throw themselves at you. I won’t compete with the likes of that.”
A look of horror moved over his face.
“I know I’m not as pretty or as…experienced…” I needed to leave before I kept spewing words.
“What are you talking about? Maebh, you’re…”
Cutting him off, I tried to act peppy as I plastered on a fake smile. “Have a good one.”
And like that, I was rushing down the hallway from Cord Parker. I’d just humiliated meself, and I would never forgive meself for being so damn weak.
It was a silly crush on a handsome boy who would never be happy with a girl like me.
About the Author Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings.
Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Unconditional Love, to name just a few.
Kelly has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November of 2012.
Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings.
To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website.
Author Candace Knoebel is revealing another teaser from FIVE REASONS TO GO , the second book in her adult contemporary romance duet, Risky Hearts, releasing October 25, 2018. See below for information on the book and series, the exclusive teaser, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR,.
FIVE REASONS TO Go (Risky Hearts Duet #2) by Candace Knoebel
About Book 2 – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: FIVE REASONS TO GO
Series: Risky Hearts Duet #1
Author: Candace Knoebel
Release Date: August 30, 2018
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis One day a week. That was his rule. And it was also our downfall.
My marriage to Hank was one of convenience. When I got pregnant at sixteen, he took me in and kept a roof over my naïve head. We had an agreement—we could sleep with whomever we wanted so long as our children were kept in the dark. It worked great… until it didn’t.
Cocky Jack Swanson was never supposed to be mine. His marriage was open, but his heart was guarded… until he slowly let me in, revealing an alluring man with a painful past. With him, I felt what love could be. I felt wanted… needed. I’d never wanted to fall in love… but then I did.
And now… the rules have changed.
Jack isn’t the same man I fell for. Broken and gutted from his divorce, he’s a shell of who he once was. Sullen and worn down. I know I can bring the good in him back out, if only he’ll let me in. If only he’ll just stay, instead of giving me all his reasons to go.
About the Author Candace Knoebel is a hopeless romantic with an affinity for whiskey and good music. Her love of words began when she met the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, and has found an outlet in over twelve novels.
With two completed series, her work ranges from paranormal to contemporary, all centered heavily around romance. Currently she lives in Florida with her husband and two children, and has just completed her thirteenth novel, The Taste of Her Words.
Nazarea Andrews, is unveiling the cover to SLOW SHIFT, a stand-alone adult paranormal, releasing December 6, 2018. See below for the cover, information on the book, preorder links, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
SLOW SHIFT by Nazarea Andrews
About the Book Title: SLOW SHIFT Author: Nazarea Andrews Release Date: December 6, 2018
Genre: Adult Paranormal
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis One angry, grieving boy.
Chase DeWitt is fourteen when his mother dies and he stumbles into the woods beyond his home, angry and heartbroken. He didn’t know that it would change the course of his life.
Two broken, lonely men.
Tyler Reid is twenty three, grumpy and angry, trying to take care of a injured brother, and rebuilding a life blind hatred destroyed in one night.
But he understands the boy who stumbles out of the woods and into his life, understands the grief in his eyes and the rage that makes him shake. And there is something in that familiar grief that makes Tyler trust Chase, when trusting humans has only ever lead to disaster.
And a falling down house they make a home.
As the summer passes and the years turn, Chase cares for Tyler’s brother, helps him rebuilding the house in the woods, as they help each other rebuild a life beyond the little house, Chase realizes two important things: these men matter to him, could be family.
And they are not nearly as human as they seem.
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Author Nazarea Andrews
About the Author Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories.
When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binge watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids.
N is a self-professed geek and enjoys spending her spare time lost in her favorite fandoms and can often be found babbling about them on social media.
She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next..
Welcome to the blog tour for FIVE YEARS GONE, a stand-alone adult contemporary military romance, by New York Times bestselling author, Marie Force. See below for information on the book, buy inks, and an exclusive excerpt.
Synopsis The most brazen terrorist attack in history. A country bent on revenge. A love affair cut short. A heart that never truly heals.
I knew on the day of the attack that our lives were changed forever. What I didn’t know then was that I’d never see John again after he deployed. One day he was living with me, sleeping next to me, making plans with me. The next day he was gone.
That was five years ago. The world has moved on from that awful day, but I’m stuck in my own personal hell, waiting for a man who may be dead for all I know. At my sister’s wedding, I meet Eric, the brother of the groom, and my heart comes alive once again.
The world is riveted by the capture of the terrorist mastermind, brought down by U.S. Special Forces in a daring raid. Now I am trapped between hoping I’ll hear from John and fearing what’ll become of my new life with Eric if I do.
From a New York Times bestselling author, Five Years Gone, a standalone contemporary, is an epic story of love, honor, duty, unbearable choices and impossible dilemmas..
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Prologue Ava
We met in a bar, of all places, a dingy hole-in-the-wall favored by military members from the nearby Navy base in San Diego. I went with a friend from school who was interested in one of the military guys. Before that night, I’d never been there, and I’ve never been back. John was celebrating the promotion of one of his buddies. He crashed into me as I left the ladies’ room and kept me from falling by grabbing my arms to steady me.
Just like in the movies, our eyes met, and my spine tingled with the kind of instantaneous awareness I’d only read about but never experienced personally.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, gorgeous and fierce in his fatigues.
I noticed gold on his collar, a hint of late-day scruff on his jaw and the name WEST in bold black letters on his chest. Intense electric-blue eyes made it impossible for me to look away, even when I was safely back on my feet.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Realizing I’d been staring at him, I blinked and reluctantly broke the connection. “I… Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for the save.”
And then he smiled, and the tingling began anew.
“I’m John.”
I shook his outstretched hand. “Ava.”
Keeping his hold on my hand, he tipped his head. “You come here often?”
“Never,” I said, laughing. “I’m a first-timer.”
“What do you think so far?”
“I wasn’t impressed until about thirty seconds ago.”
As if he had all the time in the world to give me, he leaned against the wall. “Is that right? What happened thirty seconds ago?”
I thought about taking back my hand but didn’t. “I was saved from certain disaster by a man in uniform.”
“The guy in the uniform is the reason you needed saving in the first place, because he wasn’t watching where he was going. Least he can do is buy you a drink.”
“I wouldn’t say no to that.” I was proud of my witty responses and got the feeling he could more than hold his own in the wittiness department. Across the crowded room, I noticed my friend talking to the guy she’d come to see, and her brows lifted in interest when she saw me with John. He guided me to the bar, placing a proprietary hand on my lower back, and told one of the guys to give me his stool.
“Yes, sir.” The younger man bowed gallantly to me as he took his beer and moved along.
“Do people always do what you say?”
“If they know what’s good for them.” His teasing grin kept the comment from being overly cocky. “What can I get you?”
Deciding to live dangerously for once, I asked for a cosmopolitan.
“Go big or go home,” he said with admiration.
“That’s my motto.” I was so full of shit. I wondered if he could tell I was all talk or what he’d think of me if he knew I usually err much closer to the side of caution than the wild side. I wondered if he could tell I was just barely old enough to drink. I’d turned twenty-one only six months earlier.
When my cosmo and his Budweiser had been delivered, he offered a toast. “To new friends.”
I touched my glass to his bottle. “To new friends.”
“So, where’re you from, Ava?”
“New York.”
“I thought I heard New Yawk in your voice.”
I batted my eyelashes at him. “So four years at the University of California San Diego didn’t scrub the New York out of me?”
Laughing, he said, “Hardly. I know some guys from New York. One of them is from Staten Island, which is about as New York as it gets. I know New York when I hear it.”
“I’m from Purchase, upstate from the city. What about you?”
“I’m from all over. My old man is a retired general. You name it, I’ve lived there.”
“Where’s home?”
“Right here.” He turned that intense gaze on me, and I went stupid in the head. I couldn’t see anything but him. We might as well have been alone in the crowded bar for all I knew. Unlike my friend, who loved men in uniform, I was never turned on by the uniform. Until then. Until John. “You want to get out of here?”
I swallowed hard. It wasn’t like me to leave a bar with a man I’d just met. “And go where?”
“Somewhere we can talk.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
He leaned in so his lips were close to my ear. “Everything. I want to know every single thing there is to know about you.”
That’s how we started. We were intense from the first second we met until the last time I saw him five years ago today. I can’t believe it’s been five years since I looked into those incredible blue eyes or woke to him on the pillow next to me or heard his voice in my ear, whispering words that’re permanently carved into my heart as he made love to me.
The worst part is I have no idea where he is. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, being held captive or if he’s living his life somewhere else with someone else. I don’t know, and the not knowing is the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with.
I love him as much today as I ever did. No amount of time could ever change that simple fact of my life. We had two beautiful, magnificent years together, caught up in our own little bubble. He never met my family. I never met his. We didn’t make couple friends. We didn’t talk about the future. We didn’t need to. Our future was decided that first night, and it would take care of itself in due time. I honestly and naïvely believed that.
Now, with hindsight, I realize the bubble was strategic on his part. He gave me everything he had to give, including no promise of tomorrow.
Five years ago today, we watched the horror unfold on live television. A US-based cruise ship blown up by suicide bombers. Four thousand lives extinguished in a heartbeat. Our world permanently changed once again, our country declaring yet another war on terrorists. After 9/11 we thought we’d seen everything. We were wrong.
“I have to go,” he said, grabbing the duffel that stood ready in the front hall closet. He called it his “go bag.” I’d thought nothing of it.
“Where’re you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know that either.” He held my face in his hands and gazed at me, seemingly trying to memorize my every feature. “I love you. I’ll always love you.” Then he kissed me as passionately as he ever had and was gone, out the door in a flash of camouflage.
I never saw him again.
I’m not his wife or even his fiancée, so no one notified me of his whereabouts. And three months after he left, when I found a way onto the base in a desperate quest for information, no one there could tell me anything either. I tried to locate his parents and other people he mentioned, but it was like they didn’t exist. I could find no record of a retired general named West in the Marine Corps, Army or Air Force.
Furthermore, an exhaustive search for information on the John West I had known led nowhere. No high school, no college, no military service, no nothing.
Sometimes I wonder if I dreamed the two years we spent together, doing mundane things like grocery shopping, cooking, watching TV and sleeping together after long days at work. But then I’d remember the blissful passion, the scorching pleasure, the desire that ruled us from the beginning, and I’d know I didn’t dream him. I didn’t dream us. We were real, and he was everything to me.
Sitting on the floor in our apartment, surrounded by boxes, I take a few minutes before the movers arrive to memorize every detail of the place where we lived together. I’ve packed his things along with mine, and I’m moving home to New York. Today was my deadline. I gave it five years, and I simply can’t do it anymore. I can’t sit in our home among our things, waiting for something that’s never going to happen.
It’s over. It’s time for me to move on. It’s probably long past time, if I’m being honest with myself. And though I know it’s the right move at the right time, that doesn’t mean my heart isn’t shattering all over again as I dismantle the place where we were us.
My sister is getting married next month. I promised her I’d be home in time to hold her hand through the festivities. Other than occasional trips home for holidays and other occasions, I’ve been gone more than ten years. I bear no resemblance whatsoever to the girl who left home at eighteen seeking independence from her overbearing family at a faraway college out West.
I accomplished all my goals, finishing college, landing a decent job and falling in love with the man of my dreams. I found out what happens when dreams come true and how painful it is when they blow up in your face.
It’s time now to set new goals, to start over, to begin a life that doesn’t have John at the center of it the way it did here. It’ll be nice to be back with people who love me and care about me, even if they tend toward smothering at times. That’s looking rather good to me after years of loneliness and grief.
The intercom sounds to let me know the movers are here. I pick myself up off the floor and steel my heart for the day ahead. I can do this. I’ve been through worse, and I’ll survive this the same way I’ve survived everything else. Despite my resolve, my eyes fill with tears as I press the button that opens the door downstairs to the movers.
It doesn’t take them long to pack my belongings into their truck. I keep with me the things that can’t be replaced—precious photos, gifts he gave me, the clothing he left behind. After taking a final look around the apartment, I pack those boxes into my car, turn my apartment keys into the leasing office and head east, feeling as if I’m leaving behind everything that ever mattered to me.
It’s like I’m losing him all over again. I cry all the way through the desert of Southern California and well into Arizona. I relive every minute I can remember, every conversation, every special moment. I think about what it was like to make love with him and wonder how I’ll ever to do that with anyone but him. Maybe I won’t. Maybe that part of my life ended with him, and even though I’m only twenty-eight now, I’m okay with that possibility. Once you’ve experienced perfection, it’s hard to imagine settling for anything less.
The tears finally dry up somewhere in northern Arizona, but the ache inside… I take that with me all the way to New York, where I will try my very best to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and put them back together into some new version of myself.
After all, what choice do I have?
Chapter 1 Ava
My sister, Camille, doesn’t do anything halfway, including get married. She’s one of those girls I’d love to hate if she weren’t my beloved sister. Three years behind me in high school, she was class president, captain of the cheerleading squad, valedictorian and homecoming queen. I’m sure the teachers who had me first wondered how the same genes could’ve produced two such different sisters. Why do you think I moved so far from home to go to college and stayed there afterward? At least in San Diego, no one ever compared me to my rock star little sister.
A few weeks ago, she graduated from Yale Law School, at the top of her class, of course, and made Law Review, had offers from every big firm in the country and sported a three-carat diamond on her finger from the son of the New York governor.
Like I said, she doesn’t do anything halfway. So here I am at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, standing beside my sister as she marries Robert James Tilden III in a lavish ceremony. Did I mention she’s also freaking gorgeous? Well, she is, and never more so than today. She’s glowing with happiness and excitement and unfettered joy that serves as a bitter reminder of everything I’ve lost.
Pass the champagne.
If ever there was a time to get rip-roaring drunk, this is it. Rob arranged for hotel rooms for every member of the wedding party, so no one has to drive or even function after the reception. I plan to take full advantage of my new brother-in-law’s generosity up to and including room service breakfast.
Camille grasps my arm as we make our way from the rooftop where the happy couple exchanged vows to the ballroom where the reception will be held. “Help me pee,” she whispers.
I follow her to the restroom, where an attendant greets us and congratulates the bride.
“Thank you so much,” Camille says with a gracious smile for the woman.
“Use the handicapped stall,” the attendant says. “There’s more room.”
“Good call,” I say as we enter the roomy stall where Camille teaches me how to bustle her dress. I get it pinned up as best I can and then hold it out of harm’s way while she hovers over the toilet to take care of business.
“This wasn’t in my maid-of-honor job description.”
She laughs. “Sorry, but this is what sisters are for. And I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.” And I mean that sincerely. “I love seeing you so happy.”
“I am happy, but I’ll be even happier tomorrow. I’m so ready for a vacation after planning a wedding during the last year of law school. If that doesn’t kill me, nothing will. Two weeks of sand, sun, sex and booze. Bring it on.”
My heart aches with envy, making me feel small and petty. What I wouldn’t give for two weeks in the tropics with John. What I wouldn’t give to simply know he’s alive. I shake off those thoughts. This isn’t the time to wallow in the past. Today is about Camille and Rob, and I’m determined to keep my focus on her.
She stands and hurls herself into my arms. “I love you so much, Ava. I’m so glad you’re back home where you belong.”
Blinking back tears, I return her embrace. “Love you, too.” It’s good to be home. Whether I’m back where I belong is questionable. I have no idea anymore where I belong, but I’m going to figure that out. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but with you today.” That much is certainly true.
After she washes her hands at the sink inside the stall, she hooks her arm through mine to lead me out of the restroom as the attendant looks on with amusement. “Let’s get this party started.”
We line up outside the ballroom, and I’m paired with the best man, Rob’s brother, Eric. My sister has married into a rather fantastic gene pool. Not only are the Tildens wealthy and successful, they’re incredibly good-looking, too. Rob is a triplet, having shared the womb with Eric and their sister Amelia, whom they call Amy. They make a striking trio—Rob and Amy resemble their father, with dark hair and eyes, while Eric favors their blonde, hazel-eyed mother. Despite their different coloring, there’s a definite resemblance among the three of them as well as their younger sister, Julianne, a blonde spitfire who’s kept us laughing all weekend.
I instantly love the Tildens and can see why my sister is gone over Rob, who dotes on her to the point of nausea for the rest of us. I’ll give them a pass since it’s their wedding weekend, but the words get a room have frequently come to mind during the festivities.
“For Christ’s sake,” Eric mutters while we wait to be introduced. “Save it for the honeymoon.”
I glance over my shoulder to see Rob and Camille engaged in yet another passionate lip-lock and laugh at the look of disgust on Eric’s handsome face. “They can’t help themselves.”
“I need a drink. The wedding party is allowed to drink, right?”
“God, I hope so.”
“You’re up,” the wedding coordinator, a peppy woman named Mimi, says after Julianne and Rob’s cousin Nate are introduced.
“Ready?” Eric asks, extending his arm to me.
I tuck my hand into the crook of his elbow. “Ready.”
“Please join me in welcoming our best man, the brother of the groom, Eric Tilden, and our maid of honor, the sister of the bride, Ava Lucas.” The DJ draws out every syllable of my name, making me Avaaaaaa Luuuuucasssss.
We walk in to thunderous applause from the nearly five hundred guests in the ballroom. I’ll admit to being intimidated by the crowd and the noise, both of which have me hanging on to Eric a little more tightly.
As if he can feel my tension, Eric covers my hand on his arm with his free hand, and the gesture comforts me.
We stand on the side of the huge dance floor with the rest of the wedding party.
“And now, please welcome our bride and groom, Rob and Camille Tilden!”
The applause is deafening as the happy couple makes their way into the room, stopping for hugs and kisses from friends and family. They’ve been deliriously happy for two years now, ever since they met at a fundraiser for Rob’s dad when Camille was finishing her first year of law school. Rob managed his father’s campaign and runs his New York City office.
“Can we drink yet?” Eric speaks close to my ear so only I will hear him.
“Counting the minutes.” I glance up at him and realize he’s focused on me, not the bride and groom. The subtle, rich scent of his cologne surrounds me, making me want to lean in closer to him. This is, I realize in a moment of despair, the closest I’ve been to any man since the day John kissed me goodbye and disappeared from my life.
I shiver even though the room isn’t cold. If anything, it’s overly warm.
“Are you okay?” Eric asks.
I nod, but my heart aches. What I wouldn’t give to have the man I love with me today, to celebrate my sister’s marriage, to meet my family, to dance the night away. Even in the midst of so much happiness and joy, grief overwhelms me.
“It’s kind of disgusting, isn’t it?” Eric asks as he twirls me around on the dance floor after the wedding party is invited to join the bride and groom as they dance to “The Best Is Yet to Come” by Frank Sinatra.
“What is?”
“How perfect they are.” He points his chin toward Rob and Camille, who are so caught up in each other, the hundreds of other people in the room might not exist for all they care.
“It’s not disgusting. They’re perfect for each other.”
He pulls back ever so slightly to look down at me with an impish twinkle in his eyes. “You don’t think it’s the tiniest bit disgusting that any two people can be that gorgeous and that successful?”
I’ll never admit to having had a few of those thoughts myself. “No, of course not. She’s my sister. I’m very proud of her—and happy for her.”
“Uh-huh. Okay. If you say so.”
Why is he trying to bait me? “I say so.”
“You don’t think it’s the tiniest bit unfair that they got it all—looks, smarts, true love, great jobs and a fab apartment? How much you want to bet they’re going to have ugly kids?”
It’s such an outrageous statement that I can’t contain the gurgle of nervous laughter that erupts from my chest.
“Ah-ha! I knew it! You totally think their kids will be ugly.”
“I do not! Don’t say that. He’s your brother. You’re supposed to love him.”
“I do love him, but sometimes I want to punch his lights out. Everything comes so easily to him. He’s never had to really work for anything in his life.”
“And you have?”
“I’ve worked hard for everything I have. Still do.”
“What do you do?”
“I spend years researching a single company for the fund I work for, only to be shot down when I bring it to the acquisitions team. Then I have to find another company, spend years working on that proposal and hope it doesn’t get shot down, too. I’m one-for-four over three years.”
“That sounds rather…”
“Depressing?”
“Is it?”
“It can be. It’s a major bummer to invest all that time and effort only to be shot down at committee.” He leans in a little closer, again closer than any man has been to me since John left. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Those companies I spend all that time researching?”
I nod, intrigued by his secret.
“I’ve invested personally in every one of them, and they’ve yielded spectacular results.”
“Then the time wasn’t wasted.”
“Not at all.” He gazes down at me, seeming to take a visual inventory of my features in a way that reminds me of John doing the same thing the night we met—and again on the day he walked out of my life. The memory hits me like a punch to the gut, stealing the breath from my lungs. “You’re very pretty, but of course you know that.”
The most beautiful girl I ever met. John’s husky, sexy voice pops into my head, and I’m transported right back to the bedroom we painted a light gray, the bed we chose together, the sheets tangled around our bodies as he made fierce love to me, whispering sweet words I’ve never forgotten.
“Ava? Are you okay?”
Eric’s voice startles me, sucking me out of memories I wish I could wallow in. They come less frequently than they used to, and I live in fear of losing them forever at some point.
“Ava?”
I glance up at him, embarrassed to realize he’s stopped moving and is looking at me with concern.
“I… I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t.”
The rest of the wedding party, including the bride and groom, are looking at us, wondering why we aren’t dancing the way we’re supposed to.
“Let’s get a drink,” Eric says.
“But the dance…”
“Screw the dance.” He takes me by the hand and leads me to one of five bars strategically positioned around the massive ballroom. “What’s your pleasure?”
“Just ice water, please.”
He orders my water along with bourbon for himself. “Let’s get some air.”
We take our drinks to a balcony where the warm June breeze is a welcome relief after the stifling ballroom.
“Did I screw up by saying you’re pretty?”
“No, of course not.” I’m mortified by the episode. Right when I think I’m regaining my footing, a memory of John appears to show me otherwise. Sometimes I think I’m no further along on this journey than I was the day he left.
“Well, just for the record, you are very pretty. More than that, really. Gorgeous is a far better word. That was my first thought when I met you at the rehearsal.”
“Thank you.” He’s flirting with me, and I’m so out of practice, I have no idea how to respond.
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I’m better now. It was hot in there.”
“Yes, it was. Camille said you just moved back to New York from San Diego. What’d you do out there?”
Fell in love with the most extraordinary man who disappeared from my life five years ago. “I… I worked in PR.”
“Is that right? Julianne is in PR. She knows everyone. I bet she can help you find a new job. If you’re looking, that is.”
“I am, and that’d be great. I have feelers out all over the city, but I have a feeling it’s more about who you know than what you know here.” My goal is to live and work in the city so I can get out of my parents’ house in Purchase as soon as possible. After one month at home, I already know I’ve been gone too long to go back to living at home long-term. My parents are lovely, and they mean well, but they dote on me like I’m twelve rather than twenty-eight, and I’m wounded enough that it would be easy to let them take care of me indefinitely.
“We’ll set you up.”
He says that with the easy confidence of a man with connections. As the son of the governor, he’s probably fat with connections, and I’m not above taking advantage of who his family knows to jumpstart my life in New York City.
After a few minutes outside, we rejoin the party. We’re seated together at the head table, where we enjoy a delicious meal of tenderloin and shrimp. Eric entertains me with hilarious stories about growing up Tilden and how their parents had to ban practical jokes between the siblings out of fear of them burning the house down.
Despite the crowded room and the revelry all around us, in some ways I feel like we’re on a date by ourselves. He gives me his full attention, except when someone comes up to say hello to him. Then he introduces me as Camille’s sister, Ava, and includes me in the conversation. He’s charming and fun and funny and handsome, and I’m not sure if it’s him or the champagne that has me slightly dazzled, but whatever it is, I’m having more fun than I’ve had in years.
Mimi, the wedding planner, shows up after dinner with a cordless microphone that she hands to Eric. “You’re on.”
“Oh crap,” he says to me. “I forgot I have to make a speech. What should I say?”
“Seriously?”
“Nah,” he says, chuckling at my horrified expression. “I got this.”
He stands and loudly clears his throat into the microphone. “If I could have your attention, please.” When the room goes quiet, he says, “This is the part of the program where the best man is supposed to humiliate the groom with embarrassing stories that make the bride wonder what the hell she was thinking marrying such a jerk.”
Laughter ripples through the big room as Rob glares at him.
“Sadly for me and the rest of you, Rob doesn’t do embarrassing things. I know… It’s not fair and sort of wrong that someone could live to be thirty-two without a truly embarrassing story to his name. But that’s our Rob. Focused, brilliant and, despite a startling lack of flaws, fun to be around. And from all accounts, he’s found in Camille someone who’s just like him.” Sobering, he says, “Rob, we’ve been together a long time.”
More laughter follows that statement.
“And even though you’re only five minutes older than me, you’ve been an awesome big brother and best friend. I love you, and on behalf of everyone here, I wish you and Camille the best of everything. Congratulations.”
Rob stands to hug his brother while everyone else applauds.
Watching them together makes me feel emotional, which is odd because I’d never met either of them before two days ago. Still, their obvious affection for each other—and the multiple glasses of champagne I’ve consumed—made it a sweet moment to witness.
“Your turn,” Eric says, handing me the mic.
Taking the mic from him, I stand and wobble ever so slightly, cursing the champagne.
Eric’s hand on my back steadies me. I give him a grateful smile. “Unlike Rob,” I say into the mic, “Camille had an awkward stage.”
My sister groans, laughs and drops her face into her hands as her husband puts his arm around her.
“She got a big idea to cut her hair super short right before middle school started. That was an unfortunate decision. She was also the girl who’d come out of the restroom in a restaurant with a trail of toilet paper attached to her foot.”
“No!” Camille cried. “You did not just mention the toilet paper on my wedding day!”
“That’s all I’ve got,” I reply. “Like your husband, you’re too freaking perfect and obviously perfectly matched to each other. We can only hope that the six children you’re sure to have will be high achievers like their parents.”
“Ain’t nobody having six kids,” Camille says, cracking everyone up.
“I just want to say that you’re a wonderful little sister and friend. I love you, and I wish you and Rob a lifetime of the kind of joy and happiness you’re feeling today.”
“Hear, hear.” Eric raises his glass to the bride and groom, who’re indulging in yet another passionate kiss.
“And,” I say, before surrendering the mic, “on behalf of the entire wedding party, I’d like to add one more thing… Get a room. Please, get a room.”
The comment, fueled by champagne, is met with wild applause from the rest of the wedding party.
“Got one,” Rob says with a dirty grin when the ruckus dies down. “Gonna use the hell out of it later.”
“Shut up, Rob!” Camille cries, punching his chest.
That leads to more kissing.
“Booze,” Eric says, standing. “We need more booze.”
“Take me with you. Please, take me with you.”
“You got it.”
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Author Marie Force
About the Author Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. In 2019, her new historical Gilded series from Kensington Books will debut with Duchess By Deception.
All together, her books have sold 6.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list many times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction.
Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news..
Today is release day for FIVE YEARS GONE, a stand-alone adult contemporary military romance, by New York Times bestselling author, Marie Force. See below for information on the book, buy inks, and an exclusive teaser.
Synopsis The most brazen terrorist attack in history. A country bent on revenge. A love affair cut short. A heart that never truly heals.
I knew on the day of the attack that our lives were changed forever. What I didn’t know then was that I’d never see John again after he deployed. One day he was living with me, sleeping next to me, making plans with me. The next day he was gone.
That was five years ago. The world has moved on from that awful day, but I’m stuck in my own personal hell, waiting for a man who may be dead for all I know. At my sister’s wedding, I meet Eric, the brother of the groom, and my heart comes alive once again.
The world is riveted by the capture of the terrorist mastermind, brought down by U.S. Special Forces in a daring raid. Now I am trapped between hoping I’ll hear from John and fearing what’ll become of my new life with Eric if I do.
From a New York Times bestselling author, Five Years Gone, a standalone contemporary, is an epic story of love, honor, duty, unbearable choices and impossible dilemmas..
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Author Marie Force
About the Author Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. In 2019, her new historical Gilded series from Kensington Books will debut with Duchess By Deception.
All together, her books have sold 6.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list many times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction.
Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news..
Jami Wagner is unveiling the cover to LOVE MONEY, a stand-alone adult contemporary romance, releasing November 20, 2018. See below for information on the book and preorder links.
LOVE MONEY by Jami Wagner
About the Book Title: LOVE MONEY Author: Jami Wagner Release Date: November 20, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis Sam. Jett. Clint. Jimmy.
One I need to keep alive. One is stalking me. One has lied his way into my heart. And the last one … he’s going to kill me if I don’t give him what he wants.
Someone died because of me.
But this go-around, I could get the girl and solve the case at the same time.
Protecting my heart … yeah, that wasn’t in my training.
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Author Jami Wagner
About the Author JAMI WAGNER was born in Wyoming. Still living in the Cowboy State, Jami and her husband are currently writing their own love story with their yellow Lab.
Jami enjoys writing Romance and published her debut novella, Date in the Dark, in 2015. Her first full-length novel, Just One Kiss, was published in October 2015 and is the first book in her Black Alcove series. The remainder in the series, Just One Night, Just One Touch, Just One Moment, and Just One Spark are available now.
Author Elizabeth Corrigan is revealing the cover to STAYING ON TOP, the second book in her adult fantasy mystery series, Valeriel Investigations, releasing November 6, 2018. See below for the cover, information on the book and series, and pre-order links.
STAYING ON TOP (Valeriel Investigations #2) by Elizabeth Corrigan
About the Book
Title: STAYING ON TOP Series: Valeriel Investigations #2 Author: by Elizabeth Corrigan Release Date: November 6, 2018 Genre: Adult Fantasy Mystery Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis Kadin Stone should be over the moon—or at least one of the two moons that grace the sky of Valeriel City. She has a great job working as an aide for one of the best homicide detectives in the city, and her boyfriend is on the verge of proposing. Getting married means she’ll have to give up her day job, but wedding bells have been her life goal for as long as she can remember. But she’s not happy, and she can’t quite figure out why.
Until Duke Baurus DeValeriel walks back into her life.
Kadin cleared Baurus of a murder charge six months ago, and she thought that was the last she’d see of him. After all, they move in completely different circles. But Baurus has need of a homicide detective after a rising film star dies at one of his parties. He’s convinced Kadin is the only one who can solve the case. Kadin’s only too happy to lend her expertise, but as the case progresses, she gets the feeling that Baurus wants more from her, and she’s not sure what she has to offer.
As the case leads Kadin from one tawdry secret to another—secrets only she seems capable of uncovering—she questions whether marriage is what she wants out of life. But it’s not always easy to decide whether to follow your dreams or follow your heart.
About the Author Elizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. When she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Elizabeth enjoys singing, reading teen vampire novels, and making Sims of her characters. She drinks more Diet Coke than is probably optimal for the human body and is pathologically afraid of bees. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a purple Smart Car.
Today is release day for THIS LOVE, the sixth book in the adult contemporary romance series, Cowboys & Angels, by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kelly Elliott. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and an exclusive teaser.
THIS LOVE (Cowboys and Angels #6) by Kelly Elliott
Synopsis I was a self-appointed bachelor and happy to have the title. Everyone thought it was time for me to settle down and find a nice girl. Well, no thank you. This cowboy wanted to stay clear of relationships. I wanted the freedom that came with no strings.
But what did I know? Nothing apparently.
Everything changed when I looked into her green eyes; my world tilted when she smiled at me.
What was this feeling?
Whatever was happening had me losing my damn mind. I fumbled with my words. My body wasn’t my own. I wanted her … desperately.
Was I ready to give up my bachelor days, or was this Irish girl simply an itch I needed scratched?
This Love is book 6 in the Cowboys and Angels series
About the Author Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestselling Wanted series, Kelly continues to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots and giving readers stories rich with hot protective men, strong women and beautiful surroundings.
Her bestselling works include, Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Unconditional Love, to name just a few.
Kelly has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November of 2012.
Kelly lives in central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, Kelly enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings.
To find out more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website.
FRAGMENTS OF ASH (Modern Fairy Tales #7) by Katy Regnery
Synopsis From New York Times bestselling author Katy Regnery comes a dark and twisted retelling of the beloved fairytale, Cinderella!
My name is Ashley Ellis…
I was thirteen years old when my mother – retired supermodel, Tig – married Mosier Răumann, who was twice her age and the head of the Răumann crime family.
When I turned eighteen, my mother mysteriously died. Only then did I discover the dark plans my stepfather had in store for me all along; the debauched “work” he expected me to do.
With the help of my godfather, Gus, I have escaped from Mosier’s clutches, but his twin sons and henchmen have been tasked with hunting me down. And they will stop at nothing to return my virgin body to their father
…dead or alive.
** Contemporary Romance. Due to profanity and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**
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My Review A modern retelling of Cinderella, Ashley is a pawn in an evil game put into place by her stepfather, Mosier. After her mother’s death, Mosier has plans for Ash of the worst imaginable. With the help of Godfather, Gus,, she manages to disappear to a quiet countryside home where she can grieve for the mother she lost who she never really understood and stay off of Mosier’s radar. She meets damaged glass artist, Julian, with his own secrets and troubled past. Julian wants nothing to do with Ash and is even cruel to her in order to force her to keep her distance. But with the help of Julian’s sister Noelle, each breaks down their own barriers enough for a tentative friendship to form that blossoms into something more.
Plot This is more than a fairytale romance. There is a thriller element to it as well with Mosier hellbent on getting back what he believes is something he owns–Ash. And while this is loosely based on Cinderella, there is shades of Beauty and the Beast in here, too, as an isolated Julian slowly warms to the sweet nature of a beautiful girl. The story is told in alternating points of view with a glimpse into Ash’s mother’s life through her journal. Ash learns the horrific nature of her stepfather as well as her mother’s own character as the five years they spent with Mosier unfold in her mother’s handwriting. She discovers who her mother was and comes to understand her in a way she never dreamed possible.
The Characters Both Ash and Julian are well-developed with intriguing backstories. They sort of fall into familiar and stereotypical patterns, though, which given the nature of the story, isn’t horrible, but I would have loved for Ash to have been stronger and less in need of being rescued. Ash and Julian are likeable and easy to root for.
Top Five Things I Loved About FRAGMENTS OF ASH 1. Horror. The evil nature of Mosier brings a level of horror to the underlying plot. I knew from the beginning he’d never just let Ash go, so I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering when he’d make a reappearance.
2. Julian. He’s dark, wounded, artistic, and loyal. The perfect alpha male.
3. Tig. Ash’s mother had some serious issues and she’ll never win any mother-of-the-year awards, but she did the right thing when it counted and proved she was worthy.
4. Gus. The fairy godfather had some of the best lines in the book and the way he’d do anything for Ash made him lovable.
5. Ash. While I had my issues with her, I certainly understood why she was the way she was. So many times I wanted to take that young woman into my arms and hug her, tell her everything would be okay.
Bottom Line An gripping retelling of Cinderella with intensity and heat.
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Book Title: FRAGMENTS OF ASH Series: Modern Fairy Tales #7 Author: Katy Regnery Release Date: October 1, 2018 Pages: 282 Genre: New Adult Contemporary/Fairytale Retelling Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
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Fragments of Ash is part of the ~a modern fairytale~ collection: contemporary, standalone romances inspired by beloved fairy tales.
The Vixen and the Vet (Beauty & the Beast) – available now
Never Let You Go (Hansel & Gretel) – available now
Ginger’s Heart (Little Red Riding Hood) – available now
Dark Sexy Knight (Camelot) – available now
Don’t Speak (The Little Mermaid) – available now
Sheer Heaven (Rapunzel) – available now
Fragments of Ash (Cinderella) – available now
Swan Song (The Ugly Duckling) – coming soon
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Author Katy Regnery
About the Author New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.
Twenty-five books later, Katy claims authorship of the multi-titled, New York Times and USA Today Blueberry Lane Series, which follows the English, Winslow, Rousseau, Story, and Ambler families of Philadelphia; the six-book, bestselling ~a modern fairytale~ series; and several other standalone novels and novellas.
Katy’s first modern fairytale romance, The Vixen and the Vet, was nominated for a RITA® in 2015 and won the 2015 Kindle Book Award for romance. Katy’s boxed set, The English Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1–4, hit the USA Today bestseller list in 2015, and her Christmas story, Marrying Mr. English, appeared on the list a week later. In May 2016, Katy’s Blueberry Lane collection, The Winslow Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1-4, became a New York Times E-book bestseller.
In 2016, Katy signed a print-only agreement with Spencerhill Press. As a result, her Blueberry Lane paperback books will now be distributed to brick and mortar bookstores all over the United States.
Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, two dogs, and one Blue Tonkinese kitten create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home..
Today is release day for KISS ME GOODNIGHT, the fourth book in the adult romantic suspense/mystery series, Claire Goodnight, by Jennifer Rebecca. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
KISS ME GOODNIGHT (Claire Goodnight #4) by Jennifer Rebecca
Synopsis Detective Claire Goodnite is finally marrying her sexy SAIC, Wesley O’Connell in this suspenseful conclusion to the series.
The hall has been booked, the flowers have been ordered, and the invitations have been sent. Everything is finally falling into place for the happy couple, or so it seems.
That is until a hunter the likes of the old DC Sniper has his sights set on New Jersey Law Enforcement and suddenly the thin blue line has a big, old target painted on their backs. It’s open season on police officers and federal agents alike. She might be the best damn detective in the state of New Jersey but even this case has Claire running for her life.
Not to mention the loss of one of her inner circle seems to have shook something loose in her mind. Claire’s memories of that long ago day when she was taken from her home as a child are surfacing one after another. But will she remember before it’s too late?
It’s like they always say, every story has its ending.
Are you ready for this one?
It’s gonna sting.
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Excerpt There is a marching band pounding away in my brain.
I must have had too much to drink at the rehearsal dinner last night. I think. I have to get my ass ready for today—my wedding day—because if I don’t, my bestie, Emma, will have my ass.
I pry my eyes open, only then do I realize that I am not in our hotel room on the coast. I’m not in the luxury king sized bed full of fluffy euro pillows and down comforters near a window looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. I’m not where I should be. It takes my brain a minute, still feeling as fuzzy as it is, to realize that I’m not . . . safe.
The light shines through the wooden slats of the closet doors just the way that it is in my dreams.
I’m here. Right back where I started. Where I thought I would die when I was so small. Just a baby really. Where I once escaped and had naively thought I would never be back. I scoot back on the worn, torn carpet floor of the closet that I was locked in once before, until my back hits the wall. I try to make myself as small as possible hoping against all hope that he won’t see me. But as I hear the footsteps growing louder and louder, I know that there is no hope to be found. No hope at all.
The closet door swings open and I realize how stupid I have been. All this time that I struggled, that I suffered from those terrible nightmares and prayed that they would either end or I would finally remember who had tried to harm me when I was just six years old. All those times I thought I was safe, that I was free, were really nothing but lies because looking down at me with a sinister smile on his face in this little house of horrors from my haunted past is the last person I ever would have thought would be capable of this kind of thing.
I was never free, I was living under the watchful eye of a monster, a wolf in sheep’s clothing just waiting for their chance to pounce. His smile broadens and his eyes glimmer with excitement in the knowledge that he’s won. It’s finally over. This game of cat and mouse that we have been silently engaged in for twenty-four years is ending.
He pulls his leather belt free from his pants and loops it around my neck. I look up into his warm eyes, ones that I had always trusted as he tightens the leather around my neck.
“It’s you. It was always you,” I say as suddenly every memory finally clicks into place. Anna would be so proud.
I gasp as the air is squeezed out of my lungs. I struggle to pull more in even though in my brain I know that it isn’t possible. Maybe this is how it was always supposed to be. Maybe this is how my story was always supposed to end. My name is Detective Claire Goodnite and I’m about to die.
You know what they say, every story has its ending, I just wish I was prepared for this one.
I can already tell that this one’s gonna sting . . .
About the Author Jennifer is a thirty something lover of words, all words: the written, the spoken, the sung (even poorly), the sweet, the funny, and even the four letter variety. She is a native of San Diego, California where she grew up reading the Brownings and Rebecca with her mother and Clifford and the Dog who Glowed in the Dark with her dad, much to her mother’s dismay.
Jennifer is a graduate of California State University San Marcos where she studied Criminology and Justice Studies. She is also an Alpha Xi Delta.
10 years ago, she was swept off her feet by her very own sailor. Today, they are happily married and the parents of a 8 year old and 6 year old twins. She can often be found in East Texas on the soccer fields, drawing with her children, or reading. Jennifer is convinced that if she puts her fitbit on one of the dogs, she might finally make her step goals. She loves a great romance, an alpha hero, and lots and lots of laughter.
Welcome to the blog tour for WHEN YOU BECAME MINE, a stand-alone new adult contemporary romance, by A.S. Teague. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
WHEN YOU BECAME MINE by A.S. Teague
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: WHEN YOU BECAME MINE Author: by A.S. Teague Release Date: October 4, 2018 Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis I was twelve years old when I fell in love with Piper Kelley. Even at the age of eight, she was everything I wasn’t: brave, bold, and beautiful.
The night of my college graduation party, I finally made my move, but Piper only had eyes for one man—my younger brother.
With a battered heart, I left for Vegas, determined to put her behind me. But eight years later, fate proved once again that it had never cared about my plans.
Now, I’m back home, and determined not to fall into the same trap I spent the majority of my adolescence trying to escape.
But when Piper finds herself at the risk of losing her medical license, I realize just how far I’m willing to go to protect her.
I was twelve when Piper Kelley became mine.
It’s time I let her know.
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WHEN YOU BECAME MINE Teaser 1
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Excerpt #2 The knock on the door startled me, and I jumped up from where I’d been sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Piper, are you crying?” Hampton’s voice was muffled through the doorway.
Sniffing, I swiped the tears away from under my eyes and pulled in a deep breath through my nose before opening the door.
Worry filled his face as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing. I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed and he peered around me into my room, his gaze landing on my television. “Oh my God, are you watching those stupid infomercials again?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed, “They aren’t stupid. Those damn kids get me every time.”
I pulled the door open wider and he sauntered in.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” I asked, my eyes going around him to Smith. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming to dinner.”
Smith grinned. “Had a rare night off.”
Hampton’s eyes scanned me. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
I rolled my eyes and shuffled away. “I was taking a quick nap. That last shift was brutal. And then I had this dream about Channing Tatum that was rather disturbing. I turned the TV on to clear my head and got sucked in.”
He pulled at the end of my hair and then walked back into the hallway. “Funny, I just had a dream about him too. He was naked in mine. Was he naked in yours?”
“Channing is always naked in my dreams,” Smith quipped, winking at me behind Hampton’s back.
“I wish,” I told him over my shoulder, pulling a pair of jeans over my ass. “No, his foot was falling off. And I didn’t have the equipment to sew it back on.” I shuddered at the memory. “I cannot wait until I’m out of the ER. I was not made for gaping wounds.”
Hampton chuckled. “You’re going to be a pediatrician and you can’t stand wounds? You do realize that kids get hurt more than any other group of people, right?”
I rolled my eyes again, but this time at the floor. “I’m hoping to deal more with the flu. Injuries are your thing, remember?”
Hampton had just finished his residency. His test scores had blown everyone else in his class out of the water. He was on his way to being the top trauma surgeon in the state. I couldn’t have been prouder of him.
Checking his watch, he muttered, “Think I’ve got time for a shower?”
I pulled a shirt over my head, my response muffled. “Nope.” Pulling my long blond hair out of the neck of my shirt, I finished. “But have we ever been on time?”
“Good point.” Hampton turned on his heel and made a bee line for his bedroom. “Give me ten minutes.”
“Don’t let Smith in with you. We’ll never get there,” I shouted at them as they retreated down the narrow hall to Hampton’s bedroom.
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WHEN YOU BECAME MINE Teaser 2
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Author A.S. Teague
About the Author A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn’t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.
Kelly Collins is unveiling another teaser from BETTING ON HIM, the first book in her adult contemporary romance/romantic suspense series, Wilde Love, releasing October 15, 2018. See below for information on the book, preorder links, and the exclusive teaser.
BETTING ON HIM (Wilde Love #1) by Kelly Collins
About the Book
Title: BETTING ON HIM Series: Wilde Love #1 Author: Kelly Collins Release Date: October 15, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis He’s a gangster going straight. She’s a waitress going bankrupt. Will their gamble on a marriage of convenience pay off in true love?
Alex Wilde desperately wants to be free of the family’s mob business. But when his infamous father is murdered, the family attorney makes a suggestion he can’t ignore: find a bride before the funeral or they’ll force a wedding with a nice Russian gangster girl. When he meets a feisty cocktail waitress, he thinks he’s found his way out.
Faye Tandy is desperately in debt and hard-pressed to find help. Alex’s offer of a phony marriage for a ton of cash couldn’t come at a better time and she’s happy to help him exit the criminal world. The fact that he’s tall, dark, and handsome is an attractive bonus. But when she discovers the Russians have a contract out on her head, she wonders if divorced and bankrupt would be a better choice than rich and dead…
As Faye’s fake feelings for Alex turn real, she’s terrified her trip to the altar might be her last. Will Alex and Faye’s throw of the dice succeed or will they lose the lawless game of love?
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Author Kelly Collins
About the Author
Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.
Kelly lives in Colorado at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her husband of twenty-five years, their two dogs, and a bird that hates her.
In her spare time, she enjoys walking the trails and visiting the mining towns like Cripple Creek. She likes to think it’s the ambience that brings her there and not the amazing slot machine in the back of the casino.
In the winter, you’ll find her tucked into her seat at The World Arena cheering her beloved Colorado College Tigers Hockey Team. After several losing seasons she knows there’s a win coming soon. Kelly is no fair weather fan.
She has three amazing children, and she wonders how they all turned out to be engineers when only the creative side of her brain seems to work. She just chalks it up to the engineering genes her husband contributed to the mix.
Creative minds need an outlet and writing books is where she focuses her excess energy..
Author R.G. Corr is revealing the cover to FINDING MY FIGHT, a stand-alone adult romantic suspense, releasing October 25, 2018. See below for the cover, information on the book, pre-order links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
Synopsis A perfect marriage? A beautiful home? Things are not always as they seem.
To everyone they knew, Ginny’s life with Blake Daniels was perfect. When Blake’s job takes them away from home and the friends Ginny has known since childhood, things start to change. On their own, in an isolated house, the man who held Ginny up through her mother’s passing is no longer the kind, supportive man she thought she’d married. In his place now resides a cruel beast whose only desire is to control her. Ginny’s life as she knows it, becomes indelibly marked with every bruise he leaves on her, and every callous word he sends her way.
When the unthinkable happens, Ginny is forced to find the strength she needs to leave and rebuild her life without Blake. Yet nothing could have prepared her for what was still to come. Ginny believed the nightmare was over, but it was only just beginning. Her husband is back, and there’s only one reason he’s here.
For her.
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FINDING MY FIGHT by R.G. Corr (Full Cover)
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Excerpt He can’t be back. It’s impossible.
My breaths come thick and fast as I run frantically down the road. Peering around the edge of my hood, I check over my shoulder. I can’t see him. But just because I don’t see him, doesn’t mean he isn’t there… biding his time.
Hopelessness shrouds me as reminders of him continue to attack my mind. Blake… he can’t be here. He can’t be back. It’s impossible. The rushed pounding of my boots landing on the concrete causes my panic to surge. I want to cry out but what if he hears me?
Stumbling the last step to the house, I drop my keys and shopping bag to the ground below, the contents spilling over the path around my feet. A sob catches in my throat as I desperately pick up the key. I have to get inside, away from him. Raising my right hand, I try to steady the trembling with my left. When the key slides into the lock and the click sounds, I push on the door with all my weight, almost falling inside.
Leaving the shopping splayed outside, I spin around and slam the door closed. The echo reverberates around the small hallway, but I don’t pause for a second. I twist the lock and jerk the chain across. Only then, as I lean back against the door, do I fight to take control of my breaths.
How can this be happening? How can he be here?
My head judders from side to side in a state of shock and disbelief. The first tear forms before more follow, falling to my cheek.
The freedom I’ve had a taste of is now at an end. He warned me it would always be us, no matter what. He won’t let me go twice, and I know I won’t be able to survive. Not again.
Hesitantly, I tread into the kitchen. The room appears uncharacteristically dark, but I don’t put on a light. I don’t want to be seen. My focus flitters from corner to corner, door to door, searching for anything that is out of place—but everything appears to be how I left it.
I move towards the window, standing back as far out of sight as I can. Gently, my fingers slide in between the blinds so I can peer outside.
Dark clouds make their way across the sky, droplets of rain are starting to fall again, and the trees sway with the impending storm that’s been predicted. I scan over the few people that are walking down the path on the opposite side of the road.
When I don’t see him, I look beyond, to the open fields.
“Where are you?” I say out loud. “You’re dead. You’re supposed to be dead!”
Withdrawing my fingers from the blinds, I move quickly to the cutlery drawer and take out a sharp knife.
“Dead!” I whisper in desperation. The fear encroaches as I think of the unimaginable and the possibility that somehow my husband is still alive.
I retreat until my back hits the wall. Like I did months ago when I knew he was near. When I knew it was time.
I tighten my grip on the cold metal of the knife knowing that this time, I have no choice but to be ready for him.
My mouth feels dry, and I lick my lips reliving what fear feels like. The hairs on the back of my neck now stand on end and my heart thumps louder, taking over the silence.
My legs slowly start to give way, and I slide down the wall as a broken sob rips from my chest.
I thought the nightmare had ended, but as I sit, gulping back my cries in an attempt to remain quiet, I fear it’s only just beginning.
My husband is back, and there’s only one reason he’s here. For me.
When a voice calls out, my body jolts against the wall. The letterbox rattles as he calls my name through the opening.
My fingers tighten around the knife in my palm. He won’t hurt me. Not again.
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Author R.G. Corr
About the Author R.G. Corr is a mum of three who has had an overactive imagination for many years. A discussion with a friend at a soft play area, amidst the noise and mayhem of toddlers, finally convinced her to put pen to paper and create her first novel.
R.G. lives in Nottinghamshire, England and although Sherwood Forest is just down the road, she prefers the sight and sounds of Holywell Bay in Cornwall to provide the inspiration she desires. It has become one of her most loved places.
When R.G. is not working or writing, you’ll find her nose deep in her kindle swooning over her latest book boyfriend.
