Welcome to the blog tour for HUNTING DANGER,the fifth book in the adult romantic suspense series, Redemption Harbor, by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Katie Reus. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
HUNTING DANGER (Redemption Harbor #5) by Katie Reus
When a childhood friend needs help, Nova doesn’t hesitate. They endured the foster system together, forging a bond Nova can’t ignore. Relying on her friends from Redemption Harbor Consulting—including Gage, the computer genius she’s falling for—is out of the question. She used to work for the CIA and she’s trained—she can handle this. Besides, the whole team is working on their own important jobs. She’s not going to drag anyone away when she’s not sure it’s necessary.
Is the one he can’t have…
When Nova asks for time off out of the blue—and use of the company jet—former Marine Gage takes note. Of course, he notices everything about Nova. But as one of her bosses, his growing attraction to her is a line he won’t cross. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll let her run straight into danger—and a quick hack of her computer proves she’s gotten in over her head. Gage is coming along for the ride, whether the sassy assistant likes it or not. He’ll do whatever’s necessary to save her friend…and keep Nova out of the clutches of a lethal enemy who won’t hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way.
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Excerpt #4 Nova smiled at Jim the pilot as she reached the short set of stairs to the Learjet. “Thank you for getting here so quickly,” she said, even though she knew it had absolutely nothing to do with her.
No, the guy was on standby because Brooks Alexander paid him a crapload of money. It was his job. But there was no reason she couldn’t be polite.
He nodded once, his gaze sweeping over her appreciatively, but thankfully not in a creepy way, before he straightened. “Glad you’re here. I’ve already filed the flight plan and done the preflight checks so we’re ready to go as soon as you settle in.”
She quickly moved up the stairs and froze the moment she ducked inside the plane—when she saw Gage sitting in one of the plush leather seats, a laptop in front of him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Immediately she winced at her loud tone.
“I think I should be asking you who the hell this is?” He turned his laptop around on the small table as she stomped inside. She was vaguely aware of the pilot ducking inside then closing the hatch. But she ignored him as he headed to the cockpit, focused only on Gage.
She wasn’t exactly surprised to see Brody Kingston’s face on the screen. Damn it, she should have done a better job of erasing her tracks. Or maybe Gage shouldn’t have been such a sneak. “You checked up on what I was doing?”
“Yep.” There wasn’t one ounce of apology on his face either. His annoyingly handsome face. That she wanted to punch just a little right now.
“Why?”
He snorted. “Don’t change the subject.”
She glanced over her shoulder as the engines rumbled to life. Then she turned back to Gage. “You need to get off this plane. You’re not invited.”
He stood, though he had to bend down slightly to avoid hitting his head on the roof as he towered over her. “I’m going. Now start talking.”
Glaring at him, she took a seat across the aisle instead of sitting in front of him or next to him. Then she crossed her legs away from him as she strapped in.
“You can give me the silent treatment all you want,” he said, dropping back into his seat. “I can just guess what you’re doing. Did you date this guy?” He seemed to struggle with the question.
Frowning, she looked at him. “Seriously? That’s the best you could come up with? No, I didn’t date him. I don’t know him. My best friend is engaged to him. And something is wrong.” She sighed, realizing it was better to simply tell Gage everything she knew, which wasn’t a whole lot. So she quickly ran through the texts she’d received from Layla.
In the background, the pilot let them know they would be taking off soon and to make sure they were strapped in. Both she and Gage ignored him.
Once she was done, Gage seemed somewhat more at ease. “That is definitely strange. Why didn’t you just come to one of us? We would have come with you. Obviously.” Now that frown was back and even deeper than before. He looked all sexy when he got frustrated like that, deep in thought.
Something she didn’t care about. She didn’t.
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Author Katie Reus
About the Author Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her book Avenger’s Heat recently won the Georgia RWA Maggie Award for Excellence in the fantasy/paranormal category.
Welcome to the blog tour for UNLOCKING SHADOWS, the fourth book in the adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, by USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.
UNLOCKING SHADOWS (Keys to Love #4) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING SHADOWS Series: Keys to Love #4 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Shadows Gwen Kendall spent ten years in the Navy and used the last four to create a life for herself she could be proud of away from the confines of her overprotective family. Being the only woman in the Kendall clan tended to be a bit overwhelming at times.
Chad Schaeffer had been hired on to help restore an old farmhouse for one of the returning Kendall siblings. He’d heard about the trouble the family had encountered and honestly didn’t want to go anywhere near their properties. He had a change of heart when he saw the most recently returned Kendall sibling stepping out of her car with a key in her hand.
Gwen had waited a very long time to have a place to call her own, just as she had waited for the right man to share her life. One night of seduction convinces her she’s found both, but someone wants to take it all away. It’s been said that old houses retain a piece of each person who has lived there, but she never counted on the dark shadows wanting a piece of her.
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Excerpt #1 It wasn’t long until Chad was by himself, giving him a chance to finish his beer. It was warm and didn’t taste nearly as refreshing as when he’d first popped the can, but it was better than listening to her family fight.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey, back.” Chad was still leaning against the windowsill. He was surprised that Gwen had come back upstairs, almost wishing she’d stayed with her family below. He’d already made the decision to distance himself from her a bit more. Her seeking him out would only give Lance and the others the wrong idea about what kind of relationship they had, providing them with more fodder than they already had. “I’ll start on that list you gave me first thing Monday morning. Oh, that reminds me.”
Chad shifted so that he could reach in the front pocket of his jeans for his key ring. He set his empty beer can down beside him and tried to lift the metal lip in order to remove Gwen’s house key. “
You’ll be wanting this back now that you’ve moved in.” Chad didn’t have the nails needed to pry the ring apart, so he reached into his other pocket where he carried a small pocketknife. “I’ll make sure I’m here before you leave for work on Monday morning.”
Gwen slowly crossed the bedroom floor that had turned out better than he’d expected, not stopping until she was standing inches from him. Her blue eyes weren’t focused on the keyring, but rather on his lips.
Damn, if she didn’t just raise the temperature in this house by twenty damn degrees.
Her lashes slowly lifted until her gaze connected with his.
“I’m tired of knocking around about this, Chad,” Gwen murmured, reaching out and gently resting her hand on his. “Keep the key. You’re going to need it when you come by tonight.”
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com..
Welcome to the blog tour for HARDWIRED, the first book in the adult romantic suspense series, Navy SEAL, by Andrea Bills. See below for information on the book, buy links, a guest post on the top ten songs that remind her of the plot, and details on her giveaway.
Synopsis When Navy Seal Operative Luke Kiersey is finally granted leave after five years, he finds himself driving to a house he doesn’t recognize in a town he’s never been to. The house is home to a beautiful woman and a little girl with big blue eyes. Day after day, he drives back only to hide in the shadows and wonder why he can’t seem to walk away from them.
His therapist says is PTSD.
His handler tells him he’s just not cut out to be part of the civilian world.
Luke can’t help but feel like it’s more.
The dog tags that once hung proudly around his neck, now feel like a collar; leashing him to a life that he fears he didn’t choose. After the terrible things he’s done in the name of freedom, could he possibly be worthy of something as precious as the woman and child he continues to watch?
When the two worlds collide, Luke needs his mind to be stronger than the implant the government placed in his back. They’ve told him he can’t survive without the implant they use to control him, but Luke’s wondering if he can survive without the little girl with big blue eyes and the gorgeous woman she calls mamma.
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Guest Post – Top 10 Songs That Remind Me of the Plot Just know that I’m rubbing my hands together with excitement over discussing my playlist for Hardwired. When I was first asked for a playlist for the first book I wrote I had no idea that was a thing. I of course listened to music while I was writing, but I didn’t make a playlist, but now I’m much more in the know so I’m prepared.
First and foremost to the song that gave birth to this entire book. Halsey’s Gasoline. I heard this song while on a road trip, and pulled off the interstate to get my thoughts written down so I wouldn’t lose them. Luke was born on the side of Interstate 70 just outside of Washington, PA.
Taylor Swift- I Know Places– Perfect on the run song.
Eric Church- The Outsiders– This song makes me think of Luke, Dean and Kip as a unit.
Taylor Swift- This Love– I love all the ocean elements of this song, it just fit so perfectly. It’s definitely Luke and Jen’s love song.
Miranda Lambert- Tin Man- This song personifies Jen for me while she grieves.
Kenny Chesney- Wild Child– Bella has to have a song too, coincidentally enough I always think of my own daughter when I hear this song.
Cody Jinks- Loud and Heavy– The opening of this song gave me all the feels when writing Luke’s SEAL scenes. The lyrics are powerful.
Brett Young- Would You Wait for Me– This one just seems to obvious for a military romance
Thank you so much for having me here and helping me celebrate Hardwired!
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Author Andrea Bills
About the Author Andrea is a wife, mother and writer from small town West Virginia. She spends her time while she’s not dreaming up lovers and villains alike chasing after her two kids and husband.
Her overactive imagination and her husband’s wacky dreams attribute to her love of the written word. Guilty pleasures include reading all night and Reese Cups.
New York Times bestselling author, Marie Force is revealing an excerpt from her upcoming FIVE YEARS GONE, a stand-alone adult contemporary military romance, releasing October 9, 2018. See below for information on the book, pre-order inks, and the 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?
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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 UNLOCKING SHADOWS, the fourth book in the adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, by USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.
UNLOCKING SHADOWS (Keys to Love #4) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING SHADOWS Series: Keys to Love #4 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Shadows Gwen Kendall spent ten years in the Navy and used the last four to create a life for herself she could be proud of away from the confines of her overprotective family. Being the only woman in the Kendall clan tended to be a bit overwhelming at times.
Chad Schaeffer had been hired on to help restore an old farmhouse for one of the returning Kendall siblings. He’d heard about the trouble the family had encountered and honestly didn’t want to go anywhere near their properties. He had a change of heart when he saw the most recently returned Kendall sibling stepping out of her car with a key in her hand.
Gwen had waited a very long time to have a place to call her own, just as she had waited for the right man to share her life. One night of seduction convinces her she’s found both, but someone wants to take it all away. It’s been said that old houses retain a piece of each person who has lived there, but she never counted on the dark shadows wanting a piece of her.
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Excerpt Gwen Kendall sure as hell didn’t belong in Blyth Lake.
Shiny black hair that resembled the luminous color of a raven was flawlessly cut to frame her sculpted face. Her porcelain skin surpassed the most beautiful porcelain doll, while her full lips were smoothly covered with red lipstick that basically begged to be worn off. She also had a figure that rivaled that of any obsolete hourglass.
Gus and Noah’s abrupt manifestation by Gwen’s side was a wakeup call, and Chad had to clear his throat so that he could call out a greeting. That last thing he needed to do was act like an imbecile in front of Gwen while Noah and their father looked on.
He was a grown ass adult, but even he agreed the word ass should be emphasized considering his reaction.
One would think he’d never seen a beautiful woman before.
Chad discreetly rubbed his eyes as he leaned against the white pillar of the wraparound porch that had been painted to draw in buyers, though that time was well over a few years ago. The previous owners only had so much discretionary income to put into the house, so they had chosen mostly surface elements to polish the curb appeal, as they called it. Which was a great reminder that the external shell didn’t always represent what was on the inside. For all he knew, Gwen’s time away had stolen her shy demeanor and she was hell on heels— not that she was wearing heels out here today.
“Chad, it’s been a long time.”
He was so fucked.
Gwen smiled brightly as she looked up at him from the sidewalk, her melodic voice like honey being slowly dripped down his skin. Fortunately, she waited until she’d taken the two steps to be by his side to hold out her arm in greeting. He now had a better rein on his responses and didn’t even let on that the faint scent of vanilla enveloped him as her fingers ever so slowly closed around his.
“It’s good to see you back, Gwen.”
Chad was grateful for an excuse to release her hand, extending his arm to Gus. The older man was friends with Miles and had been for years. It was good that there didn’t seem to be any animosity between the two regarding Clay’s recent stupidity. Their families were now too connected and entwined for there to be any residual hostility… or so Chad kept telling himself that on a daily basis.
“Are you here by yourself?”
Gwen’s question threw him a bit, but he caught himself before showing his surprise. He didn’t miss Noah’s wince, though. There had apparently been a conversation about Clayton’s recent lapse in judgement, and of course, Wes and Chad were guilty just by association. It didn’t matter that their older brother made his own choices.
Gwen had clearly made up her mind about the Schaeffer men.
If that’s how she wanted to play it, then that was fine by him.
“Yes,” Chad replied, letting her know in no uncertain terms by his steel tone that he was capable of keeping this professional moving forward from this point. “I was going to be the one handling your project, for the most part. If you’d prefer someone else heading up the renovations, I’m sure Noah can make a good recommendation.”
Gwen Kendall was the prime example of how one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. He should have known better, too. Well, he got her message across loud and clear.
Chad would do them both a favor and stay far away from wherever she showed her pretty face in town.
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com..
USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne, is revealing the first chapter from UNLOCKING SHADOWS, the fourth book in her adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, releasing September 18, 2018. See below for information on the book and series, pre-order links, and the exclusive excerpt.
UNLOCKING SHADOWS (Keys to Love #4) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING SHADOWS Series: Keys to Love #4 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Shadows Gwen Kendall spent ten years in the Navy and used the last four to create a life for herself she could be proud of away from the confines of her overprotective family. Being the only woman in the Kendall clan tended to be a bit overwhelming at times.
Chad Schaeffer had been hired on to help restore an old farmhouse for one of the returning Kendall siblings. He’d heard about the trouble the family had encountered and honestly didn’t want to go anywhere near their properties. He had a change of heart when he saw the most recently returned Kendall sibling stepping out of her car with a key in her hand.
Gwen had waited a very long time to have a place to call her own, just as she had waited for the right man to share her life. One night of seduction convinces her she’s found both, but someone wants to take it all away. It’s been said that old houses retain a piece of each person who has lived there, but she never counted on the dark shadows wanting a piece of her.
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Excerpt
Chapter 1
Twelve years ago…
Hope.
How could an individual still have such an impractical yearning after facing such a malicious, unrelenting evil?
Emma Irwin still desperately grasped at the prospect that she’d be with her family soon. She’d tell them all about the things that people took for granted, such as how much she loved them. She’d apologize to her older sister for acting so childish and to her mother for not doing the dishes like she’d promised this morning. The simplest acts of kindness weren’t hard to perform, yet she’d never realized how selfish she’d been until just this moment.
Until she’d found herself in a situation that was her father’s worst nightmare.
Emma bit back another sob as the old wooden dock underneath her back jostled her from side to side in time with the storm. The gusting winds from the gale had churned up the lake, and the choppy waves were slamming into the weathered planks. Cold rain was descending from the black sky overhead, washing away her tears as if they never existed.
When a crack of thunder overhead was followed a second later by a streak of lightning, it was a harsh reminder that she was still alive.
Emma shifted so that her bound hands didn’t dig into the small of her back quite as badly. She struggled to free herself from the thick white zip tie secured tightly around her wrists, refusing to accept that she would die at the hands of someone she’d once trusted.
How could he do this to her?
The hard, half-inch wide plastic cut into her skin, a cruel reminder that she was at his mercy.
His muttered curses were drowned out by the torrential downpour, which served her well. He wouldn’t be able to hear what she was doing behind him.
The wooden deck jarred abruptly, providing her the momentum to roll forward. Her cheek scraped against the wet, rough plank as she leveraged herself to her knees. The cold rain had numbed her skin long ago, but that could easily have been from the terror that had flooded her system when she realized that a man she’d known her entire life was a monster.
“I’ll give you a family of your own.”
Emma screamed as he suddenly appeared before her. “Please,” Emma choked out, having strained her voice after he’d all but thrown her into the bed of his truck. “Please don’t do this. You know me. You know my family. I have a family.”
“You were unhappy.”
“I wasn’t,” Emma denied emphatically with a shake of her head, swallowing back the sob that rose in her throat. “I wasn’t unhappy. I love my family. I do. I always have.”
Emma could have continued pleading, but her frantic claims would have fallen on deaf ears. She began crying uncontrollably. He wasn’t hearing anything she said, and he’d even turned away to throw what looked like a pile of chains into a boat that wasn’t even his.
Her mind registered his horrific intentions, and she instinctively managed to scramble to her feet.
She ran as fast as she could despite of her wrists being bound, ignoring the rain pelting her face and the wind attempting to knock her off the deck and into the lake. She’d just learned to swim this past summer, but she’d done so with the use of her hands. She’d most likely drown immediately without being able to move her arms.
Adrenaline kept her moving forward, though she blinked furiously to clear her vision so that she could make it to land.
There!
Up ahead.
Headlights pulled into one of the cabins that Birdie rented out to fishermen or families on vacation. She instinctively began screaming, but the rumbling thunder overhead drowned out her cries for hope.
That didn’t stop her from trying again.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
“No, no, no, no.” He’d grabbed ahold of her wet strands of hair, yanking her back against him with such force that it knocked the air right out of her lungs. She couldn’t scream, and she couldn’t even cry. “I’m taking you home.”
Emma didn’t need to be told that she would die if he got her into that boat. She fought his constricting grip around her upper body, kicking and twisting in an attempt to free herself at all costs.
It was of no use. He was too strong, and the lights she’d seen were no longer there.
The hope she’d been holding onto had been doused by the rain and swallowed by the darkness of his soul.
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com..
Welcome to the blog tour for FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS, the second stand-alone book in the adult contemporary military romance series, Warrior Fight Club, by New York Times bestselling author, Laura Kaye. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS (Warrior Fight Club #2) by Laura Kaye
Synopsis This fight club has one rule: you must be a veteran…
Resisting her only makes him want her more…
Private investigator Billy Parrish is good at three things—fighting, investigating, and sex. MMA training with the other vets in the Warrior Fight Club keeps his war-borne demons at bay—mostly, and one night stands ensure no one gets too close. But then his best friend from the Army Rangers calls in a favor.
Shayna Curtis is new to town, fresh out of grad school, and full of hope for the future. With a new job starting in a month, she’s grateful when her brother arranges a place for her to stay while she apartment hunts. But she never expected her roommate to be so brooding. Or so sexy.
Billy can’t wait for Shay to leave—because the longer she’s there, the more he wants her in his bed. To stay. He can’t have her—that much he knows. But when fight club stops taking off the edge, Billy lets down his guard…and starts fighting for what’s his.
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Excerpt #1 Shayna sat nearly plastered against Billy’s side, because the restaurant had squeezed the seven of them into a booth that would’ve been more comfortable for four or five. Only the fact that Mo sat in a chair at the end of the booth made it work, but it was still a tight fit.
Shayna was not complaining.
Because Billy smelled like soap and a clean-scented aftershave and something that was all him—combined, they made up a mouthwatering scent that she wouldn’t have minded drowning in. The whole night she’d been over-aware of the press of their thighs and the way they kept bumping arms until they’d finally broken down in laughter over how difficult it was to cut their steaks without elbowing each other in the face.
Billy turned to Shayna. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes. Thanks for letting me tag along,” she said.
He shook his head. “You’re not tagging along. I wanted you here. And everyone wanted to meet you.”
“It’s true,” Sean said. “Because it’s not everyday someone gets a jump on a Ranger.”
Billy threw the guy an unamused look, and Shayna laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far,” she said.
“Thank you,” Billy said.
“Wait.” Dani held out her hands and surveyed the lot of them. “I need this story from the beginning.”
Which kicked off twenty minutes of her and Billy fighting to tell their versions of the story—sans all mention of her getting naked at the end of it, thank God—while everyone laughed and taunted Billy and high-fived Shayna.
Dani and Tara were totally on her side all the way, and that had Billy refusing to share the piece of cheesecake that he’d agreed to split with Shayna when they ordered it.
She tried to maneuver her fork around his arm, but he blocked her, making her laugh even as she pleaded for a bite. “Come on. It’s not my fault that all your friends think it’s funny that I broke into your house.”
He smirked at her. “That isn’t earning you any cheesecake.”
“It’s my cheesecake, too,” she said, trying again.
He easily blocked her next attack. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”
“Quit being a dickweasal,” she said, laughing as she tried again.
He grinned and held the dessert plate further away. “Dickweasal, am I?”
“Oh, do you prefer jizzmuffin?”
Mo’s eyebrows went way up. “Listen to the genius coming out of this girl’s mouth.” Everyone laughed. “Is this also courtesy of your brother?”
“Brothers,” Shayna said, not failing to claim Dylan, too. For once. “And yes. I had to be able to insult them back, didn’t I?”
Grinning, Mo grabbed the plate from Billy’s hand when he wasn’t looking.
“Hey!” Billy said, a comically outraged expression on his sexy face.
“Creativity like that takes fuel, brother, that’s all I’m saying.” He handed the plate around Billy to Shayna.
About two-thirds of the cake was left, and Shayna promptly licked the whole top of it. “I licked it. It’s mine now. Take that, assclown.”
The whole table howled in laughter. Mo was actually crying.
And she thought Billy’s expression had been comical before. His jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
She slid a big forkful of the sweet, creamy deliciousness into her mouth. “Oh, believe it,” she said around the bite.
As he watched her, his gaze shifted. From outraged to playful to challenging. And she didn’t think she was imagining more than a little heat in those dark eyes, either. “You think I’m put off by a pretty woman’s tongue, Shayna Curtis?”
About the Author Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and monster puppy, Schuyler, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Today is release day for FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS, the second stand-alone book in the adult contemporary military romance series, Warrior Fight Club, by New York Times bestselling author, Laura Kaye. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS (Warrior Fight Club #2) by Laura Kaye
Synopsis This fight club has one rule: you must be a veteran…
Resisting her only makes him want her more…
Private investigator Billy Parrish is good at three things—fighting, investigating, and sex. MMA training with the other vets in the Warrior Fight Club keeps his war-borne demons at bay—mostly, and one night stands ensure no one gets too close. But then his best friend from the Army Rangers calls in a favor.
Shayna Curtis is new to town, fresh out of grad school, and full of hope for the future. With a new job starting in a month, she’s grateful when her brother arranges a place for her to stay while she apartment hunts. But she never expected her roommate to be so brooding. Or so sexy.
Billy can’t wait for Shay to leave—because the longer she’s there, the more he wants her in his bed. To stay. He can’t have her—that much he knows. But when fight club stops taking off the edge, Billy lets down his guard…and starts fighting for what’s his.
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Excerpt Billy unlocked the door and gestured for her to go first. She hit the lights for the living room, and he dropped their bags onto the living room floor next to the door.
She turned and frowned, because it wasn’t like him to—
Billy’s hands were suddenly in her hair and his forehead was against hers. “You drive me fucking crazy, Shayna.”
“I-I do?” she asked, totally caught off guard but nearly euphoric at his words. “Good crazy, o-or—”
He nodded. “Good crazy. Even though, fuck. I should resist wanting you. I know I should.”
“No, no you shouldn’t,” she said, nearly breathless. “Why should you?”
His eyes were dark fire as they bore into hers. “You’re just starting out in life. Everything ahead of you, full of possibilities. But me…I’m a busted, used-up soldier without an army or a war. And I’m supposed to be looking out for you, not taking advantage of you.”
Shayna didn’t know what to respond to first. She hated that he saw himself that way. Shaking her head, she grasped at his wrists, holding him to her. “We had that conversation already. You can’t take advantage of someone who wants what you’re doing. And I…I do. God, you have to know how much I crushed on you when I was younger. Living with you has only made that stronger, Billy. Nothing about you looks busted or used-up to me. Nothing at all.”
He came closer, close enough that they touched everywhere, and he searched her eyes. “Ryan wouldn’t approve of this, of me.”
The closeness made it clear just how turned on he was, and the demanding press of his erection against her belly nearly stole her breath. “Ryan doesn’t get a say…” Her words trailed off, because as much as she believed them in this moment, they resurrected a memory she didn’t want to recall.
Of a time she’d uttered nearly those exact words to Dylan. And the consequences had been catastrophic.
“What do you want then?” Billy asked, pulling her from a lane of memories she didn’t want to go down. “I don’t want to assume, and I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything because you live in my house. Jesus, just saying that makes me feel like a lecherous asshole.”
“You’re not. And I don’t feel pressured. I just want you.”
Suddenly, Billy’s lips were on hers and his tongue was in her mouth and his hands tightened in her hair. She moaned at the suddenness of it, at the goodness of it.
He walked her backwards towards the steps. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered around the edge of a kiss.
His hands moved to her waist and went to the hem of her white tank top. “Can I see you?”
Shayna nodded, pulling away from their kisses only long enough for the shirt to pass over her head, leaving her standing there in a lacy white bra and her jeans. He dropped her top to the floor.
“So fucking beautiful. Can I touch you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, sucking in a breath as he spread out his big hand against her throat and then dragged his fingers downward until he was cupping her breast.
He caught one of her bra straps and dragged it off her shoulder until he bared her nipple to his fingertips. He hauled an arm around her waist, bringing them closer even as he leaned down to kiss her exposed flesh. “Can I taste you?”
Jesus, those questions in that deep rasp were so freaking sexy that she could hardly stand it. “Please.”
About the Author Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and monster puppy, Schuyler, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne, is revealing another teaser from UNLOCKING SHADOWS, the fourth book in her adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, releasing September 18, 2018. See below for information on the book and series, pre-order links, and the exclusive teaser.
UNLOCKING SHADOWS (Keys to Love #4) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING SHADOWS Series: Keys to Love #4 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Shadows Gwen Kendall spent ten years in the Navy and used the last four to create a life for herself she could be proud of away from the confines of her overprotective family. Being the only woman in the Kendall clan tended to be a bit overwhelming at times.
Chad Schaeffer had been hired on to help restore an old farmhouse for one of the returning Kendall siblings. He’d heard about the trouble the family had encountered and honestly didn’t want to go anywhere near their properties. He had a change of heart when he saw the most recently returned Kendall sibling stepping out of her car with a key in her hand.
Gwen had waited a very long time to have a place to call her own, just as she had waited for the right man to share her life. One night of seduction convinces her she’s found both, but someone wants to take it all away. It’s been said that old houses retain a piece of each person who has lived there, but she never counted on the dark shadows wanting a piece of her.
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com..
USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne, is revealing another teaser from UNLOCKING SHADOWS, the fourth book in her adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, releasing September 18, 2018. See below for information on the book and series, pre-order links, and the exclusive teaser.
UNLOCKING SHADOWS (Keys to Love #4) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING SHADOWS Series: Keys to Love #4 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Shadows Gwen Kendall spent ten years in the Navy and used the last four to create a life for herself she could be proud of away from the confines of her overprotective family. Being the only woman in the Kendall clan tended to be a bit overwhelming at times.
Chad Schaeffer had been hired on to help restore an old farmhouse for one of the returning Kendall siblings. He’d heard about the trouble the family had encountered and honestly didn’t want to go anywhere near their properties. He had a change of heart when he saw the most recently returned Kendall sibling stepping out of her car with a key in her hand.
Gwen had waited a very long time to have a place to call her own, just as she had waited for the right man to share her life. One night of seduction convinces her she’s found both, but someone wants to take it all away. It’s been said that old houses retain a piece of each person who has lived there, but she never counted on the dark shadows wanting a piece of her.
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com..
Welcome to the release week blitz for MISSION: ANACONDA, the third book in the adult military romantic suspense series, Division Eight, by A.D. Starrling. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, the book’s playlist, and details on her giveaway.
MISSION ANACONDA (Division Eight #3) by A.D. Starrling
Synopsis It should have been a simple mission. They should have been in and out in a day. Except it wasn’t. And they didn’t.
When a CIA double agent working for one of the most influential cartels in South America comes up with a lead that could help the U.S. government and their allies slow the growing scourge posed by drug lords in the region, ARMOR is assigned the task of extracting a bookkeeper and his family out of their clutches. But the mission goes horribly wrong and two of ARMOR’s agents end up in the hands of the enemy.
There’s no love lost between Gaby Hawkins and Miles Dawson. Especially not after the kiss they exchange in a bar following a stupid dare. But when they find themselves at the mercy of the cartel, the two are forced to rely on each other to mount a getaway.
Lost in the jungle without their weapons or a means to communicate with ARMOR, Gaby and Miles have to survive on their wits and locate the hideout where the bookkeeper has been taken.
While the rest of ARMOR scrambles to discover their whereabouts, a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds between the missing agents and the cartel men tracking them. And as the danger grows, so do the feelings between the two. Feelings that are changing into something neither of them anticipated.
Time is running out for Gaby and Miles. Can they survive the perils of the jungle, outsmart their foe, and complete their mission? And will they finally realize how wrong they were about each other and how very right they are together?
Mission:Anaconda is the third novella in the high-octane, romantic military suspense series Division Eight, from bestselling author AD Starrling. If you like action-packed, sexy stories with strong-willed heroes and heroines, then you’ll love this gripping black ops series.
Get this adrenaline-fueled read today and continue the adventure!
About the Author AD Starrling’s bestselling supernatural thriller series Seventeen combines action, suspense, and a dose of fantasy to make each book an explosive, adrenaline-fueled ride. If you prefer your action hot and your heroes sexy and strong-willed, then check out her military romantic suspense series Division Eight.
When she’s not busy writing, AD can be found looking up exciting international locations and cool science and technology to put in her books, eating Thai food, being tortured by her back therapists, drooling over gadgets, working part-time as a doctor on a Neonatal Intensive Care unit somewhere in the UK, reading manga, and watching action and sci-fi flicks. She has occasionally been accused of committing art with a charcoal stick and some drawing paper.
Find out more about AD on her websitewww.adstarrling.com where you can sign up for her awesome newsletter, get exclusive freebies, and never miss her latest release. You’ll also have a chance to see sneak previews of her work, participate in exclusive giveaways, and hear about special promotional offers first.
Here are some other places where you can connect with her:
For a limited time, you can pick up UNLOCKING FEAR, the first book in the adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, by USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne, for free. See below for information on the book, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.
UNLOCKING FEAR (Keys to Love #1) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING FEAR Series: Keys to Love #1 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: January 23, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis About the Keys to Love Series
Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Fear, Keys to Love #1 A chance mishap with a sledgehammer was the sole reason a chilling nightmare was unleashed in Blyth Lake.
Noah Kendall’s grisly discovery left him in the middle of a murder investigation and a neighbor who knew more than she was willing to say. Reese Woodward had returned to town with dark secrets, and he was determined to unravel them. While evil lurks in the darkness, seduction burns between them…only time was their enemy.
Will her secrets destroy what they’ve built, or can he earn her trust before the killer strikes again?
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Excerpt #2 Reese didn’t waste time and quickly jogged across the side of her yard to reach her porch. She took the steps at a rapid pace, almost missing what was out of place before she lunged over the rotted board.
Only there wasn’t decayed wood where there had been since she’d arrived over a week ago. At least, she didn’t think there was as she stared down at her feet.
Reese unhooked the small key ring she’d clipped to her belt loop on her jean shorts, sliding the key inside the deadbolt. She avoided the area as she leaned forward and slipped her arm inside to flip the light switch.
Instantly, the porch was bathed in a golden hue.
Sure enough, the old board had been replaced with a brand – new plank. All it needed now was a light coat of finish or stain in order to match the others. Chad must have stopped by earlier today, though she was surprised that he hadn’t driven over to Noah’s when the dirt road had basically turned into a parking lot.
She was appreciative that Chad had fixed the porch, but her previous anxiety had settled in her shoulders.
Had he been the one in the woods earlier?
Her gaze was immediately drawn in that direction, though the light from the porch made it hard for her to see so far out in the darkness. That didn’t stop her from dragging her gaze down the edge of the trees. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled.
Someone had been watching her.
Or was it all in her mind?
She did find a body today, and one that had been hidden for many years without fear of discovery. What if that wasn’t all that had resurfaced? She had come here to town to stir up long forgotten pain, and while in the process, she’d uncovered someone else’s secret.
Distant sounds from next door carried over in a gentle breeze that had finally resumed. An owl began to call for its mate, and a few of the crickets in her yard started to chatter.
Everything was returning to normal, yet she couldn’t shake off the impression that it was all a prelude to the coming crash.
Someone was still there out there. He or she had to be wondering why Reese had come here and unlocked their fear of discovery.
Had she just made herself a target?
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Author Kennedy Layne
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com.
USA Today bestselling author, Kennedy Layne, is revealing a teaser from UNLOCKING SHADOWS, the fourth book in her adult mystery/romantic suspense series, Keys to Love, releasing September 18, 2018. See below for information on the book and series, pre-order links, and the exclusive teaser.
UNLOCKING SHADOWS (Keys to Love #4) by Kennedy Layne
About the Book Title: UNLOCKING SHADOWS Series: Keys to Love #4 Author: Kennedy Layne Release Date: September 18, 2018
Genre: Adult Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Military Romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis Their homecoming wasn’t so welcoming. Four brothers and one sister each gave twelve years of their lives to serve their country and fulfill their family’s legacy of service. As each of them return to their home of record, they weren’t prepared for what awaited them—an unforgiveable sin that has been hidden for twelve long years. Secrets and lies are concealed in the dark shadows of the very town they were raised in, and the Kendall family will have no choice but to rely on one another to unravel the sinister evil that they all hold the keys to unlock.
About Unlocking Shadows Gwen Kendall spent ten years in the Navy and used the last four to create a life for herself she could be proud of away from the confines of her overprotective family. Being the only woman in the Kendall clan tended to be a bit overwhelming at times.
Chad Schaeffer had been hired on to help restore an old farmhouse for one of the returning Kendall siblings. He’d heard about the trouble the family had encountered and honestly didn’t want to go anywhere near their properties. He had a change of heart when he saw the most recently returned Kendall sibling stepping out of her car with a key in her hand.
Gwen had waited a very long time to have a place to call her own, just as she had waited for the right man to share her life. One night of seduction convinces her she’s found both, but someone wants to take it all away. It’s been said that old houses retain a piece of each person who has lived there, but she never counted on the dark shadows wanting a piece of her.
About the Author Kennedy Layne is a USA Today bestselling author. She draws inspiration for her military romantic suspense novels in part from her not-so-secret second life as a wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant. He doubles as her critique partner, beta reader, and military consultant. They live in the Midwest with their teenage son and menagerie of pets. The loyal dogs and mischievous cats appreciate her writing days as much as she does, usually curled up in front of the fireplace. She loves hearing from readers–find out how to connect with her at www.kennedylayne.com..
Welcome to the blog tour for BRING DOWN THE STARS, the first book in the adult contemporary military romance series, Beautiful Hearts Duet, by bestselling author, Emma Scott. See below for information on the book, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.
BRING DOWN THE STARS (Beautiful Hearts Duet #1) by Emma Scott
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: BRING DOWN THE STARS Series: Beautiful Hearts Duet #1 Author: Emma Scott Release Date: August 20, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary Military Romance Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis I fell for Connor Drake. I didn’t want to; I fought against it, but I fell in love with him anyway. With his words. With his poetry. With him. The gentleness and beauty of his soul that speaks directly to mine. He writes as if he can feel my heart, hear its cadence and compose the exact right lyrics to accompany every beat and flow.
I’m in love with Connor…so why do I feel an inexplicable pull to his best friend, Weston? Grouchy, sullen, brooding Weston Turner, who could cut you down with a look. Fiercely intelligent with a razor sharp wit and acid tongue, he’s the exact opposite of Connor in every way, and yet there’s electricity in the air between us. The thorny barbs Weston wraps around himself can’t keep me away.
But the more time I spend with these men, the more tangled and confused my emotions become. When they both sign up for the Army Reserves during a time of increasing strife in the Middle East, I fear I’ll never unravel my own heart that sometimes feels as if it will tear straight down the middle…for both of them.
********** Bring Down the Stars is an emotional, angst-filled novel of unrequited love by bestselling author, Emma Scott, and is inspired by the classic tale, Cyrano de Bergerac. (Roxanne) It is Book I in the Beautiful Hearts Duet, coming this summer. Book II, Long Live the Beautiful Hearts, to be released a few weeks later. #lovetriangle #confusedhearts #notamenage
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Excerpt I took the cement stairs into the library and entered the cool, hushed confines of the main reading room. None of the long mahogany desks with green-shaded lamps were empty. One of the university clubs had taken over two-thirds of the space. The rest of the tables were filled with students like me, trying to get a head start their course load.
I finally found an empty seat at the end of a table, opposite a blond guy engrossed in reading. His open backpack spilled books and papers into what I hoped could be my table territory.
“Excuse me,” I whispered. “Can I…?”
He looked up, his expression vaguely hostile. Piercing blue-green eyes set in a stunningly handsome, if angular, face met mine. High cheekbones, sharp chin and long straight nose. He looked chiseled out of smooth stone at first glance, then his features softened for a moment as his gaze swept over me. Something like recognition lit up his eyes, and I could see the gears of his brain turning as he studied, analyzed, and then came to a conclusion. Not a good one, I guessed, because his expression hardened again.
“Yeah, sure,” he muttered. He stood up, leaning his tall, slender frame over the table to corral the books back into his pack.
“Thanks,” I said, thinking if he wasn’t a basketball player or a runner, he was a model.
All right, girl, get a grip.
I sat, cracked my textbook and settled in to read. I wasn’t through two pages when the words blurred to nonsensical gibberish and my skin prickled with the sensation of being watched.
I glanced up, straight into the ocean eyes of the guy across from me. A million thoughts swirled in their soft depths before they quickly glanced down. He slouched lower in his chair, disappearing behind his book—the collected poems of Walt Whitman. Part of me wanted to melt. Good lord, a hot guy reading poetry? I was only human.
And this is how you wound up with a broken heart in the first place.
I must’ve been frowning at the book because the guy held it up and said, “Not a fan?”
I blinked back to reality. “No,” I said. “I mean, yes. I love Whitman. And poetry in general. I just… Never mind.”
He regarded me a long moment, then slowly closed Whitman and picked up Atlas Shrugged from his short stack of books.
“Ugh, that’s even worse,” I muttered without thinking, and then shook my head. “God, sorry, I left my filter at home. Don’t listen to me.”
His lip curled. “Is there anything in my collection you approve of?”
A hot, smart asshole, I thought. Game on.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m not in a good mood today and it’s making me forget my manners. I’ll leave you to read your capitalist propaganda in peace.”
The guy’s eyebrows shot up, disappearing under the blond hair that fell across his brow. “Not a fan of Rand either?” He smirked knowingly. “No, of course you aren’t.”
My blood heated at his flippant tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The guy nodded at my textbook—Global Responsibility and the Third-World Hunger Epidemic—and shrugged, as if that answered everything.
“Oh.” I frowned. “Well… yes. I mean, Rand’s point of view is purely capitalist and mine isn’t. Not by a long shot.”
The student sitting to my right exchanged glances with the girl sitting across from him. Then both packed up their books and left.
“We’re being disruptive,” I said to my across-table neighbor. “We need to stop talking now.”
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes intent on me. “So what’s your point of view?”
“My what?”
“You said your point of view isn’t capitalist.” He raised a brow. “So what is it?”
“Humanist, I suppose. Since you asked. I think everyone, regardless of race, creed, income-level, or sex should be granted the same shot as anyone else.” I raised a brow at him. “But you don’t?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?” he said with a slight chuckle. “Since we’re tossing labels around, I’m a realist.” He held up his book. “And not a fan of Rand either.”
“You’re not?” I leaned back too, crossing my arms. “Are you just messing with me or what?”
“Maybe,” he said. “What do you care what I think anyway?”
My mouth fell slack. “I don’t. Thanks for reminding me.”
“No problem.”
“Wow, you’re rude.”
“That’s the word on the street.”
“I can see why.” I lifted my own book up to signal conversation over, but my eyes wouldn’t focus. I could feel the hum of his presence like a field of electrical wires, getting under my skin and infiltrating my thoughts. The buzz went beyond distraction. It felt like a challenge had been laid down.
And I never walked away from a challenge.
I lowered my book to see the guy’s glance hide behind his book again.
“Well?” I demanded.
“Well what?”
Why are you watching me?
“Why are you reading Ayn Rand if you don’t like her either?”
“Required reading for an English Lit minor.”
“And your major? Let me guess, pre-law.”
“God, no,” he said.
I raised my eyebrows but he offered nothing more. “Are you going to make me run through Amherst’s list of majors until I guess which one is yours?”
“Yes,” he said. “Alphabetically, please.”
A laugh burst out of me against my will, and the guy almost smiled. Every one of his hard angles softened.
“Economics,” he said. “But I don’t know what I’m doing with it.”
“That feels like the most honest thing you’ve said to me so far,” I said.
“And that’s important to you?”
“Yes,” I said, my laughter dying away as I remembered Mark and that girl, naked in the bed I’d slept in just the night before. “Honesty is very important.”
He lifted one shoulder.
“You don’t agree?” I asked.
“Being honest is sometimes mistaken for being rude.”
“You must be really honest,” I said.
Again, he almost smiled. “Must be.”
Satisfied that I’d held my own against this beautiful but hostile member of the opposite sex, I went back to my book…for eight entire seconds before my skin started prickling again. The electric hum of his attention was impossible to ignore.
When I looked up this time, he didn’t look away but cleared his throat.
“I’m Weston Turner.”
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Author Emma Scott
About the Author Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy thoughtful, realistic stories with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy my novels.
Today is release day for BRING DOWN THE STARS, the first book in the adult contemporary military romance series, Beautiful Hearts Duet, by bestselling author, Emma Scott. See below for information on the book, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.
BRING DOWN THE STARS (Beautiful Hearts Duet #1) by Emma Scott
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: BRING DOWN THE STARS Series: Beautiful Hearts Duet #1 Author: Emma Scott Release Date: August 20, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary Military Romance Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Synopsis I fell for Connor Drake. I didn’t want to; I fought against it, but I fell in love with him anyway. With his words. With his poetry. With him. The gentleness and beauty of his soul that speaks directly to mine. He writes as if he can feel my heart, hear its cadence and compose the exact right lyrics to accompany every beat and flow.
I’m in love with Connor…so why do I feel an inexplicable pull to his best friend, Weston? Grouchy, sullen, brooding Weston Turner, who could cut you down with a look. Fiercely intelligent with a razor sharp wit and acid tongue, he’s the exact opposite of Connor in every way, and yet there’s electricity in the air between us. The thorny barbs Weston wraps around himself can’t keep me away.
But the more time I spend with these men, the more tangled and confused my emotions become. When they both sign up for the Army Reserves during a time of increasing strife in the Middle East, I fear I’ll never unravel my own heart that sometimes feels as if it will tear straight down the middle…for both of them.
********** Bring Down the Stars is an emotional, angst-filled novel of unrequited love by bestselling author, Emma Scott, and is inspired by the classic tale, Cyrano de Bergerac. (Roxanne) It is Book I in the Beautiful Hearts Duet, coming this summer. Book II, Long Live the Beautiful Hearts, to be released a few weeks later. #lovetriangle #confusedhearts #notamenage
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Excerpt Later that night, Connor lay sprawled on the couch with SportsCenter blaring, scrolling his phone. I sat at the kitchen table, tapping my pen against an empty page in my notebook and contemplating running as my Object of Devotion. I couldn’t muster the blood and guts to put it to paper. I liked running. It served a purpose, but did I want to make it my life?
“Oh shit,” Connor cried from behind me.
“What is it?”
“I accidentally texted her.”
“Who?” I said, knowing damn well who.
“Autumn. I was fucking messing around and I hit that stupid predictive text thing, then panicked and hit send.”
“So what?”
“I don’t text or call a girl until at least three days have passed.”
I set down my pen and turned around. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. It looks desperate to text her the same day.”
I hid a smile. “What did you text?”
“Just ‘yes’.” His eyes widened. “Shit. She’s texting me back.”
Connor jumped up from the couch and came to where I sat, standing next to my chair as we both watched his phone.
Yes…? ☺
Connor typed, Hey.
I smirked. “Really?”
“Yeah, so?”
A pause, then a new text bubbled up. What’s up?
“Now she’s annoyed,” I said. “Or impatient.”
Connor looked to me. “What do I say?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“You’re good at this shit. How many papers did you write for me at Sinclair?”
“This is not the same thing.”
“Ballpark.” Connor made a face. “Dude, she’s waiting.”
I frowned, thought for a moment. “Tell her the truth.”
“Hell no—”
“Tell her the truth but make it better. Tell her you were messing with your phone while thinking about her. Tell her that you wanted to talk to her so badly, your subconscious made it happen.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
Connor’s fingers flew, and then he hit send.
There was a pause and no answer.
Connor frowned. “What’s this mean?”
“It’s good. I mean she’s thinking about what you said.”
The rolling dots of Autumn’s reply came in.
The old ‘accidental text’ move? I feel like I’ve seen that before…;-)
“She’s not letting you off the hook so easily,” I said, smiling despite myself. “Don’t deny. Tell her she’s one hundred percent right. You’ll make any excuse to talk to her.”
“That’s perfect, man.”
Connor typed and hit send.
I like your honesty, came the reply.
“Hey, it’s working.” Connor beamed. “Now what?”
It was working, and I didn’t like what it was.
“I don’t know, man,” I said, waving a hand. “Type something. Whatever you’re thinking.”
“I want her to go out with me.”
“Then ask.”
With a horrible fascination, I watched Connor type, So, dinner?
“Jesus, dude,” I said.
“What? That’s exactly what you told me to do.”
“Not like that,” I said. “I told you she needs romance.”
I don’t know, she wrote. I have so much work to do already.
“Fuck,” Connor said. He nudged me with his phone. “Wes, man, you do it.”
I blinked. “Do what now?”
“Ask her out for me. The right way.”
I stared.
“Look, this girl is special. I’m not too proud to admit I need back-up getting things rolling with her.” He grinned that winning smile. “C’mon. Just this once.”
“But…”
Connor shoved his phone into my hand. “Come on, man. Do what you do. Write something witty and poetic. Something that’ll impress her enough to get me another text. Another…anything.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Write something that knocks her on her ass and gets me in the door. That’s all I ask.”
I looked at Connor’s phone in my hand and Autumn Caldwell’s text, waiting for an answer. I felt my best friend’s expectations literally breathing down my neck as he leaned over me.
Ignoring the small ache in my heart, I thought about what I would’ve said to Autumn had it been my phone in my hand, and began to type.
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Author Emma Scott
About the Author Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy thoughtful, realistic stories with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy my novels.
New York Times bestselling author, Laura Kaye is revealing an excerpt from FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS, the second stand-alone book in the adult contemporary military romance series, Warrior Fight Club, releasing September 7, 2018. See below for information on the book and series, pre-order links, and an exclusive excerpt.
FIGHTING FOR WHAT’S HIS (Warrior Fight Club #2) by Laura Kaye
Synopsis This fight club has one rule: you must be a veteran…
Resisting her only makes him want her more…
Private investigator Billy Parrish is good at three things—fighting, investigating, and sex. MMA training with the other vets in the Warrior Fight Club keeps his war-borne demons at bay—mostly, and one night stands ensure no one gets too close. But then his best friend from the Army Rangers calls in a favor.
Shayna Curtis is new to town, fresh out of grad school, and full of hope for the future. With a new job starting in a month, she’s grateful when her brother arranges a place for her to stay while she apartment hunts. But she never expected her roommate to be so brooding. Or so sexy.
Billy can’t wait for Shay to leave—because the longer she’s there, the more he wants her in his bed. To stay. He can’t have her—that much he knows. But when fight club stops taking off the edge, Billy lets down his guard…and starts fighting for what’s his.
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Excerpt A note from Laura Kaye:
I’m so excited to share Fighting for What’s His, because this story is such a sweet, sexy, and funny roommates-to-lovers and brother’s best friend story! Need more to pique your interest? Enjoy this excerpt:
“I got the bandages you asked for. I’ll grab them,” Shayna said.
Without looking at her, Billy nodded once. She heard the frustrated breath he released as she left the room. When she came back up, he was waiting at the top of the steps. “I got it from here, thanks.”
“I can help—”
“I’ve got it,” he said again, not quite meeting her gaze.
“You helped me, so why can’t I help—”
“Shayna.”
“Billy.” She understood how guys like Billy and her brother thought. She’d been around enough Rangers to know they hated needing help. But that didn’t mean they didn’t actually need it. “You won’t be able to reach the back of your shoulder. Let me help.”
He let out a harsh breath, then turned away. “Fine.” He disappeared into his bedroom at the back of the hallway.
She followed the rectangle of light spilling from the master bathroom and found him gathering supplies from the medicine cabinet. For a moment, she just stood in the doorway, because she could feel the anger rolling off of him. “I’m sorry if carrying my stupid desk made your shoulder worse.”
He slanted her a look, and it was clear that he was attempting to beat back his frustration. “It didn’t, so don’t worry.”
“I’m kinda predisposed to think things are my fault, so it can’t be helped.”
He frowned, and this time all the frustration bled from his expression. “Why do you say that?”
Because my idiocy and stubbornness killed my brother. That was what she thought, but what she said was, “I don’t know. Old habit.”
Billy shook his head. “Well, this isn’t your fault, Shayna. And I’d be willing to bet that whatever else you’re worrying about isn’t either.” He closed the toilet lid and sat heavily, and Shayna was glad that he looked away, because his words had unleashed a sting at the backs of her eyes. “I hate that I need help with this. Not that you’re the one helping.”
There went her belly again. “Just pretend I’m Ryan,” she said in a quiet voice.
He smirked up at her. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you probably wouldn’t care if a buddy was patching you up, right?”
He shrugged with one big shoulder. “Anyone ever told you that you can be too damn perceptive?”
“I am a photographer, after all. It’s literally my job to notice things.”
“Mine, too,” he said, tossing an appreciative glance over his shoulder. Their gazes collided. Held.
Made Shayna’s heart beat harder. “So, do I need to do anything special or just clean, bandage, tape?” she asked as her gaze scanned over his burn scars.
“Put antibiotic cream on before you bandage. Otherwise, that’s it. And be sure to pat rather than wipe. Because of the movement of the joint, this spot is the one area that has struggled to heal.”
She washed her hands and ran warm water over a wash cloth, then did as he said. “Let me know if I hurt you.”
“You won’t,” he said. “I can’t feel much where its scarred. My nerves are mostly shot back there.”
Shayna debated whether humor would help or hurt the situation, then went for it. “Well, in case you have one left, I don’t want to get on it.”
One beat passed, then another. Billy chuckled, and the sound did funny things to her chest. “Appreciate that, smart ass.”
She put a playful sauciness in her voice as she said, “You noticing my ass, Billy Parrish?”
He didn’t answer, even though his mental debate as to how to respond seemed to ring loudly, making her laugh as she tended to him.
“This is pretty much the same thing I had to do when I got the tattoo on my shoulder,” she said, smoothing antibiotic cream over the rent skin. She grimaced as she did so, not because she found it unpleasant, but because she worried about hurting him despite his reassurances.
“How many tattoos do you have?” he asked in a low voice.
The question reminded her that he’d seen one of them—her most intimate one, and heat filtered into her cheeks as she positioned the bandage. “Four. The one on my hip, and three on my back and shoulders. Once you have one, it’s kinda addicting.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmhmm,” she murmured, concentrating on the tape. “I think the bottom piece of tape might need to wrap under your arm a little to hold it in place. Is that okay?”
“Whatever you say, Goldilocks.”
“That’ll be Dr. Goldilocks to you, ya git.” She smoothed the tape down.
He chuckled again. “What’s with the colorful cursing?”
She grinned. “I grew up with brothers. Am I offending your sensitive ears, Ranger Parrish?”
“Hell, no,” he said. “I’m a fan.”
“There,” she said, surveying her work. Satisfaction warmed her belly, because she’d gotten to help him. And he’d called her pretty. And said he was a fan of the crazy crap that came out of her mouth. “All done.”
He rose and peered in the mirror. “Perfect, Shayna,” he said, their gazes meeting in the mirror.
And she could’ve sworn he said, “Perfect Shayna,” without the pause between. Especially when he looked at her like he was doing right now.
As if she had on far too many clothes. And Jesus did she suddenly agree.
“Any time you need patched up, consider me your girl,” she managed, still meeting the heat in those brown eyes.
Brown eyes whose reflection looked her up and down. “Don’t you mean woman? Consider you my woman?” he teased, throwing her earlier words back at her. “You know, when I need patched up.”
Shayna released a shaky breath. “Yeah. Exactly.”
He gave a slow nod, then turned to look at her directly, bringing them toe to toe. “Then, consider me your man when you need muscle. Now, how about I go move your car and help you build a desk?”
About the Author Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and monster puppy, Schuyler, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
New York Times bestselling author, Laura Kaye, is revealing the cover to FIGHTING THE FIRE, the second stand-alone book in her adult contemporary military romance series, Warrior Fight Club, releasing October 16, 2018. See below for information on the book and series and preorder links.
FIGHTING THE FIRE (Warrior Fight Club #3) by Laura Kaye
Synopsis The more they fight, the more desire consumes them…
There’s only one thing firefighter Sean Riddick doesn’t like about Warrior Fight Club, and that’s Daniela England, the sexiest, snarkiest, most irritating woman he’s ever known. But MMA training keeps the Navy vet grounded, so Sean’s not about to give it up, no matter how many times he goes toe to toe with Dani—or how bad he wants to take her to the mats.
A former Army nurse and the widow of a fallen soldier, Dani is done with the military and with military men. Fight club is the only thing that eases her nightmares, which means she has to put up with Riddick. He might be sex on a stick, but he’s infuriating and everything she’s vowed to avoid.
But when an accident throws Sean and Dani together, all that fight bursts into a night of red-hot passion. Now they’re addicted to the heat and must decide if the one person they’ve most resisted might be exactly what they’ve both been looking for.
About the Author Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and monster puppy, Schuyler, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Welcome to the blog tour for A LOT LIKE PERFECT, the second book in the adult contemporary/military romance series, SEALS of Superstition Springs, by USA Today bestselling author, Kat Cantrell. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
A LOT LIKE PERFECT (SEALs of Superstition Springs #2) by Kat Cantrell
About the Book Title: A LOT LIKE PERFECT Series: SEALs of Superstition Springs #2 Author: Kat Cantrell Publisher: Brazoria House Books Release Date: July 16, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary/Military Romance Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
Synopsis From USA Today Bestseller Kat Cantrell comes a sweet small town romance series with a touch of magic.
What kind of man falls for the woman meant for his buddy?
Navy SEAL Isaiah West has trouble calling himself “former” military, but after an involuntary discharge, redefining himself is the only option. The small town of Superstition Springs seems as good a place as any to regroup while he figures out where he’s supposed to go next—and deal with how that last operation in Syria messed up his place on the team.
Aria Nixon has long accepted her role as the “plain” sister and really, she has no use for a man who only sees her looks anyway. So when her Aunt Serenity’s love prediction mentions the word “makeover,” it’s game on to prove she can get noticed without one. Who better to help her get the inside track on how a man thinks than…a man? Isaiah specifically, who has his own prediction to sidestep.
But in a mystical place like Superstition Springs, nothing ever goes as expected. It turns out Isaiah and Aria have a lot in common, and what’s with the attraction between them? Not supposed to happen. She can’t fall for Isaiah. He’s too perfect, too much what she wasn’t looking for and too likely to break her heart when he leaves. And Isaiah isn’t about to admit he’s got feelings for the woman he’s supposed to be helping attract an entirely different guy—his teammate. They should stay friends. Right?
Welcome to Superstition Springs, town in progress…SEALs of Superstition Springs is a clean and wholesome series starring heroes you can share!
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Excerpt 1 “This is a freebie, strictly to win the bet,” Isaiah said. “Your sisters are going down. We cannot lose. I’ll be like Donkey, Shrek’s trusted sidekick. Right by your side to help complete the quest with no thought to my own personal safety as we traverse a hostile countryside in search of the dragon’s castle.”
The look Aria gave him brought him up short and he trailed off. Okay. Not on board with the Shrek metaphor. Maybe she’d never even seen the movie and plus, it was a cartoon. Probably he should have picked something more manly, like Lord of the Rings, another personal favorite. A quest was a quest.
“Before you get too far into this,” Aria said just as he opened his mouth to backtrack. “You should know there will be no makeovers like in the second movie. What you see is what you get. There will be no magic potions turning me into the non-ogre form of Fiona.”
Isaiah had to grin. “She never drank a potion. It was Shrek who got a makeover from the potion. Besides, I would never do that, mostly because I’m not into winning that way. But also because you don’t need any magic potions. You’re going to win because you’re you, and Tristan will be thrilled to have the Aria that you are right now.”
Color climbed through her face again in the most interesting barometer of her feelings and he liked having that tell. His compliment had pleased her. He wanted to do it again.
“I’ve seen all four of the Shrek movies at least ten times,” she said and he had the distinct impression she’d veered away from the subject of Marchande on purpose. “So I know the fairy godmother changed Fiona back into her human form. I’m just trying to go along with your point and also make it clear that there will be no new hairdo or anything.”
“Really? Ten times?”
He’d probably seen them all twenty times. But there was a lot of downtime when you were a SEAL waiting for deployment. The other guys preferred to read or watch depressing shows like Game of Thrones, but he’d had enough violence in his day job that he didn’t like it in his entertainment. Lord of the Rings notwithstanding since the violence was mostly toward the bad guys.
She shrugged. “The Shrek movies are great. The real question is why you picked that as the theme for our…association. Whatever you want to call it.”
What, like an almost thirty-year-old man couldn’t like cartoons? He bristled. “There’s nothing wrong with Shrek. It’s a quest movie. A twist on regular fairy tales.”
Defensive much? He hadn’t even touched on how it had this element of hope that had always resonated with him. If things could work out for an ogre, the same might be true of an orphan who’d never known a solid home for more than a few months at a time. He hadn’t seen the movies as a kid. It was only as an adult that he’d found the DVD in a pile of others at the base one day and the strange title plus the odd looking green monster on the cover had intrigued him enough to see what it was about.
“Oh, I know. That’s one of the things I like about it. I just meant that you’re more like Shrek, going on a quest to find the princess on behalf of the king. You said you were going to be like Donkey. I was just thinking that if you intend to be the annoying talking sidekick, maybe I should reevaluate this whole thing.”
His shoulders relaxed as he laughed. “Point taken. I’ll be more like Shrek, the delivery boy.”
“You’ve seen those movies more than once.” Her smile widened as she punched him companionably in the arm. “Don’t try to deny it.”
About the Author USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Cantrell read her first Harlequin novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily ever after, she can be found at a taekwondo tournament, watching Big Bang Theory or dancing with her kids to Duran Duran and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in North Texas. She was a former Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a former RWA® Golden Heart® finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
Today is release day for A LOT LIKE PERFECT, the second book in the adult contemporary/military romance series, SEALS of Superstition Springs, by USA Today bestselling author, Kat Cantrell. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive teaser, and details on her giveaway.
A LOT LIKE PERFECT (SEALs of Superstition Springs #2) by Kat Cantrell
About the Book Title: A LOT LIKE PERFECT Series: SEALs of Superstition Springs #2 Author: Kat Cantrell Publisher: Brazoria House Books Release Date: July 16, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary/Military Romance Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
Synopsis From USA Today Bestseller Kat Cantrell comes a sweet small town romance series with a touch of magic.
What kind of man falls for the woman meant for his buddy?
Navy SEAL Isaiah West has trouble calling himself “former” military, but after an involuntary discharge, redefining himself is the only option. The small town of Superstition Springs seems as good a place as any to regroup while he figures out where he’s supposed to go next—and deal with how that last operation in Syria messed up his place on the team.
Aria Nixon has long accepted her role as the “plain” sister and really, she has no use for a man who only sees her looks anyway. So when her Aunt Serenity’s love prediction mentions the word “makeover,” it’s game on to prove she can get noticed without one. Who better to help her get the inside track on how a man thinks than…a man? Isaiah specifically, who has his own prediction to sidestep.
But in a mystical place like Superstition Springs, nothing ever goes as expected. It turns out Isaiah and Aria have a lot in common, and what’s with the attraction between them? Not supposed to happen. She can’t fall for Isaiah. He’s too perfect, too much what she wasn’t looking for and too likely to break her heart when he leaves. And Isaiah isn’t about to admit he’s got feelings for the woman he’s supposed to be helping attract an entirely different guy—his teammate. They should stay friends. Right?
Welcome to Superstition Springs, town in progress…SEALs of Superstition Springs is a clean and wholesome series starring heroes you can share!
About the Author USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Cantrell read her first Harlequin novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily ever after, she can be found at a taekwondo tournament, watching Big Bang Theory or dancing with her kids to Duran Duran and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in North Texas. She was a former Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a former RWA® Golden Heart® finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
Welcome to the blog tour for A LOT LIKE HOME, the first book in the adult contemporary/military romance series, SEALS of Superstition Springs, by USA Today bestselling author, Kat Cantrell. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
A LOT LIKE HOME (SEALs of Superstition Springs #1) by Kat Cantrell
About the Book Title: A LOT LIKE HOME Series: SEALs of Superstition Springs #1 Author: Kat Cantrell Publisher: Brazoria House Books Release Date: July 16, 2018 Genre: Adult Contemporary/Military Romance Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
Synopsis From USA Today Bestseller Kat Cantrell comes a sweet small town romance series with a touch of magic.
What kind of man falls for the woman meant for his buddy?
Navy SEAL Isaiah West has trouble calling himself “former” military, but after an involuntary discharge, redefining himself is the only option. The small town of Superstition Springs seems as good a place as any to regroup while he figures out where he’s supposed to go next—and deal with how that last operation in Syria messed up his place on the team.
Aria Nixon has long accepted her role as the “plain” sister and really, she has no use for a man who only sees her looks anyway. So when her Aunt Serenity’s love prediction mentions the word “makeover,” it’s game on to prove she can get noticed without one. Who better to help her get the inside track on how a man thinks than…a man? Isaiah specifically, who has his own prediction to sidestep.
But in a mystical place like Superstition Springs, nothing ever goes as expected. It turns out Isaiah and Aria have a lot in common, and what’s with the attraction between them? Not supposed to happen. She can’t fall for Isaiah. He’s too perfect, too much what she wasn’t looking for and too likely to break her heart when he leaves. And Isaiah isn’t about to admit he’s got feelings for the woman he’s supposed to be helping attract an entirely different guy—his teammate. They should stay friends. Right?
Welcome to Superstition Springs, town in progress…SEALs of Superstition Springs is a clean and wholesome series starring heroes you can share!
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Excerpt #2 The moment Havana slid into the passenger seat, Caleb discovered that sin did indeed have a scent and she’d taken a bath in it. The punch took his breath, and his eyes crossed with the effort to keep her effect on him from being broadcast in a very graphic way. Never had he had such a physical reaction to the way a woman smelled. Maybe it was a simple matter of replacing Rowe in that seat, who had called shotgun for the entire drive from the base in Coronado. The lady constituted a class A upgrade over his brother, that was for sure.
“Where to?” he wheezed and cleared his throat as he started the engine.
“Just over the hill. Drive down Potter’s and take a left.” When he cocked a brow at her, she laughed. “You’re going to want to learn your way around if you aim to stay, city boy. All our roads are named after the family who owns the house built on it.”
“Let me know when we get to an actual road then, okay?” he said tongue in cheek as the Yukon bounced over three deep ruts in a row. Improvements to the thoroughfares wouldn’t be out of line before anyone did a thing to the town itself.
Caleb headed north, opposite how he’d driven into town, so this was new terrain. Though it looked pretty much the same. As he took the curve in the road and the SUV rolled over a hill, the land spread out beneath the road, shimmering in the sun. A ribbon of dark blue water snaked through a bed of earth, and as he got closer, the water got clearer.
Not the same. Not the same at all.
“That’s the Colorado,” Havana murmured. “Not the Grand Canyon one. The Texas one, but it has some pretty cool things about it too. Park over there and I’ll show you.”
The landscape grew greener and denser the closer to the water they got, popping with color against the blue sky that stretched in all directions for a million miles. A rock formation the color of sand jutted out of the ground, and without hesitation, she clambered up onto the smallest one, then the next until she’d almost scaled it. No fear in that one. Not to be outdone, he followed her easily, drawing up next to her where she had perched on the tallest rock.
A large, clear pool had formed where the river had cut away limestone, creating a perfect, well-hidden swimming hole. The water was a gorgeous color, almost the blue of the Caribbean or Thailand, and with sunlight glinting off the surface, it wasn’t hard to imagine you’d been transported to someplace else. As if you’d been cut off from the real world and sent to a… a fairy realm. Or something that sounded less dumb.
The light breeze caught a lock of Havana’s bright red hair and flung it over his arm, binding them together as they surveyed the outcropping from their high vantage point.
Something grabbed him by the throat, and it got hard to swallow.
Beyond the pool, the landscape sloped away to become slightly hilly but also stark in a way that made you think about your place in the world. Some areas in the Middle East were like that too, but Caleb had always felt like an outsider there. Here the land welcomed him, embracing him in a way he couldn’t quite put into words.
There was something… extra. Something he couldn’t deny.
That mystical element he hadn’t wanted to believe existed—this was it. He could feel it seeping from the stone through his soles and up into his bones. From the moment the teams had decided they were done with a few extraneous SEALs who’d become a liability, he’d needed a place to land where he could believe again. Havana had unwittingly given that to him.
“Welcome to Superstition Springs,” she said and spread her hands wide to encompass the entire pool.
About the Author USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Cantrell read her first Harlequin novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily ever after, she can be found at a taekwondo tournament, watching Big Bang Theory or dancing with her kids to Duran Duran and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in North Texas. She was a former Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a former RWA® Golden Heart® finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
