Welcome to the book blitz for AVENGER, an adult western romantic suspense novel by B.J. Wane. See below for, information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
Synopsis Poppy Fynn gets bored easily, never staying with a job or relationship for long. After a year of cancer treatments, she’s in remission and ready for a change. Her new position as manager on an Idaho sheep ranch excites her as much as the neighboring, sexy, attitude-riddled rancher. Her encounters with Dakota Smith amuse her until he takes over her tour of his private club. Then, all she wants is more of him, any way she can get him.
Searching for the man Dakota Smith knows is responsible for his mother’s murder is his top priority, and he doesn’t have the time or patience for a relationship. So, why does he find himself concerned over one irritating redhead’s underweight appearance and the fatigue he sees on Poppy’s face when she pushes herself? Unable to resist getting involved, he vows nothing will keep him from avenging his mother, no matter how close he and Poppy become.
Thwarting an attempt on Poppy’s life shakes Dakota, but not as much as finally locating the man who killed his mother. Soon he’s forced to choose between honoring his vow of revenge or go to the only woman he’s ever loved when she needs him the most.
He was the only man who made her heart pound and her pulse jump, but would his quest for vengeance destroy their chance for anything more?
Her brazen personality and signs of poor health demanded his attention and threatened his vow to avenge his mother.
She never considered forever until him. He refused to get involved until her.
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Excerpt #1 With a startled cry, Poppy toppled to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of her as she landed on her back. The approach of pounding horse hooves shook the earth under her, then a pair of broad shoulders and a glowering, drop-dead gorgeous face blocked the blue sky above her. Even while struggling to get her breath back, she couldn’t help smiling in giddy pleasure.
Hard hands helped her up as he rumbled in a deep voice, “Your sheep are trespassing.”
Since she caught a hint of concern in that annoyed statement, she dismissed his complaint with an equally inane comment. “Your cattle are mingling with my sheep.”
He seemed to get a good look at her as she stood, one hand keeping hold of her arm while he swept the other across her ribs and around to her back. “You,” he growled, his acknowledgement of their prior meeting sounding like an accusation.
“Yep, me. Oh.” Her breath caught as he brushed off her butt, then she leaned forward, widening her grin. “I think you missed a spot.” His huff of exasperation amused her, and she patted his rock-hard chest. “Lighten up. Life’s too short to go around wound up so tightly.”
“I wouldn’t be wound up so tightly if you didn’t keep showing up like a thorn in my side,” he bit out. “If you’re not hurt, I’ll help you gather your livestock. I’m Dakota Smith, in case old man Sanders hasn’t told you. And you are?”
“Poppy Finnegan,” she answered, stepping back and reaching for Hank’s reins when Dakota released her arm. “And, no, Jerry hasn’t mentioned you.”
“What the hell kind of name is Poppy?” he asked in derision.
Okay, that disparagement irked Poppy. His continued discourtesy chipped away at her good humor, and she snapped, “What the hell kind of name is Dakota?”
He thumbed the brim of his hat up enough for her to get a good look into his coal black eyes. “An honored family name, passed down through generations.”
So, she touched a raw nerve. At this point, she didn’t care. “Well, I’m a colorful flower.”
“You’re colorful, I’ll give you that. Come on, let’s get to work.”
He sighed, and her annoyance dropped away. “If we leave them long enough, we could start a livestock breed of doodles.”
“Don’t even think it.”
Poppy gave up trying to get a smile out of Dakota. Instead, she mounted Hank, making sure she kept a good grip on the reins, and rode toward the herd without another word or looking at him again.
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Author B.J. Wane
About the Author Author of sizzling hot romance with a touch of suspense. Long and Short Reviews erotic romance of the month winner for Hannah and the Dom Next Door and gold star recipient for Amy’s Redemption. I live in the Midwest with my husband, love dogs and enjoy reading and working puzzles. We have traveled extensively throughout the states, Canada and just once overseas, but I now much prefer being homebody. My favorite genre to read is suspense.
Author Katie Mettner is revealing the cover to HONEYBEES AND SEXY TEES, the second book in the adult contemporary romantic suspense series, Butterfly Junction, releasing July 20, 2021. See below for information on the book and series, preorder links, a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
HONEYBEES AND SEXY TEES (Butterfly Junction Series #2) by Katie Mettner
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: HONEYBEES AND SEXY TEES Series: Butterfly Junction Series #2 Author: Katie Mettner Publisher: Breaking Night Press Release Date: July 20, 2021 Genre: Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
Synopsis The devil is in the details, and the Lady of the Lake holds the clue.
Honey Blois is no stranger to pain. The lasting effects of an abusive childhood have made her life challenging, but it’s the ache of unrequited love she can no longer bear. When her confession goes unanswered, she has no choice but to fall out of love with her best friend.
Mathias Jørgensen is living a lie. The billionaire playboy buries the pain of loving the one woman he can’t have with flashy cars and bad decisions—until Honey’s letter comes to light. With renewed hope for the future, he vows to find his way back to the boy she fell in love with if it’s the last thing he does.
And it might be.
As the pair blurs the line between friends and lovers, his unscrupulous past demands a reckoning. To save the woman he loves from a watery grave, Mathias will have to remember every last detail of the life he’s desperate to forget.
About the Authors Katie Mettner writes small-town romantic tales filled with epic love stories and happily-ever-afters. She proudly wears the title of, ‘the only person to lose her leg after falling down the bunny hill,’ and loves decorating her prosthetic with the latest fashion trends. She lives in Northern Wisconsin with her own happily-ever-after and three mini-mes. Katie has a massive addiction to coffee and Twitter, and a lessening aversion to Pinterest — now that she’s quit trying to make the things she pins.
Welcome to the book blitz for ALPHA, the first book in the adult contemporary romance/romantic suspense series, Alpha Elite, by USA Today bestselling author Sybil Bartel . See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
The Teams trained me to be a killer. War taught me to be ruthless. Then an ill-fated mission proved I was human. Combat wounded, The Navy cut me loose. I had a choice. Fade into obscurity or use the skills I had.
Alpha Elite Security was born and three years later, my company was the most sought after security contractor in the world. Five global locations, ten company jets, every one of my employees military trained—we were the best of the best. Overseeing operations, I didn’t have time for women, or anything other than growing my company. My success rate unmatched, I’d never lost a client.
Then I got a call, the only call that would get me back in the field. She was missing. The woman I’d left behind seven years ago. Now I had one objective.
Code name: Alpha. Mission: Extraction.
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Excerpt #2 I didn’t give a damn about the guard in the hall.
I wasn’t even thinking about the cameras.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her throat vibrated with a moan. I was taking what was mine. What should’ve been mine seven years ago.
Slanting my mouth over hers, I sank my tongue into utter madness.
But before I could claim her with a single stroke, the cold steel of a barrel hit my temple. “The sheikh wants a word.”
Releasing her mouth but not her, I ground out a response instead of wiping the fucking floor with the asshole’s face. “Tell Mr. Al Ka’abi the next time one of his guards pulls a gun on me, it’ll be the last.”
“How about you tell him yourself.” The guard pressed the barrel harder into my temple. “Now.”
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About the Author
Author Sybil Bartel
Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.
Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…
But Seriously?
Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.
She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.
To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.
USA Today bestselling author Sybil Bartel is unveiling the cover to ALPHA, the first book in her adult contemporary romance/romantic suspense series, Alpha Elite, releasing May 24, 2021. See below for the cover, information on the book and preorder links.
The Teams trained me to be a killer. War taught me to be ruthless. Then an ill-fated mission proved I was human. Combat wounded, The Navy cut me loose. I had a choice. Fade into obscurity or use the skills I had.
Alpha Elite Security was born and three years later, my company was the most sought after security contractor in the world. Five global locations, ten company jets, every one of my employees military trained—we were the best of the best. Overseeing operations, I didn’t have time for women, or anything other than growing my company. My success rate unmatched, I’d never lost a client.
Then I got a call, the only call that would get me back in the field. She was missing. The woman I’d left behind seven years ago. Now I had one objective.
Code name: Alpha. Mission: Extraction.
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About the Author
Author Sybil Bartel
Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.
Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…
But Seriously?
Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.
She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.
To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.
Welcome to the blog tour for RATTLESNAKE ROAD, a small town mystery romance, by Amanda McKinney. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
RATTLESNAKE ROAD (A Small Town Mystery Romance) by Amanda McKinney
Synopsis ★ From bestselling and award-winning author Amanda McKinney comes her most evocative and twisted small-town Mystery Romance… ★
Everyone hits rock bottom, only the brave escape.
Welcome to 1314 Rattlesnake Road.
A quaint two-bedroom log cabin nestled deep in the woods of the small, southern town of Berry Springs—the perfect hideaway to escape your past.
Tucked inside thick, mahogany walls lay mysterious letters, forgotten and untouched for decades. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame breathtaking views of jagged cliffs, deep valleys, and endless lies. Mature oak trees, tall enough to touch the clouds, carry the whispers of the haunted, of stories untold.
Inside sits Grey Dalton, emotionally battered and bruised, her only wish to pick up the broken pieces of her life. But outside, await two men, one a tattooed cowboy, the other a dashing businessman.
One will steal her heart, the other, her soul.
Rattlesnake Road is a standalone mystery romance about love, loss, hitting rock bottom, and clawing your way to the other side.
Your escape awaits…
(Due to serious subject matter and mature content, please be aware that this book might be an emotional trigger for some readers.)
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Excerpt #1 Eight hours, and the nightmare would be over. This completely unexpected, slap-you-in-the-face nightmare.
I often look back on that day, thinking that if things hadn’t happened the way they did, how different my life would have been.
It wouldn’t have been a lie when I promised “for better or for worse.” It wouldn’t have been a lie when I told myself I had everything under control.
I might have become a PTA mom, the mother of two strapping young boys, whose greatest worry in life was snagging her eight-karat diamond ring on her cashmere sweater. A trophy wife, a gracious hostess, a homemaker in our many homes across the world.
My life would be easy. Secure. Simple.
Until it wasn’t.
Before the day that changed all that, I foolishly considered my life to be stable and controlled. My life. But the assumption that my life was my own was the biggest misconception of all.
The reality is that our lives are not our own. Instead, a culmination of events, most of which are out of our control, governed by the ripple effect of our reactions to those events. We fight that knowledge, deny it, numb it with drugs and alcohol, but at the end of the day, we’re all merely the point of a pendulum slowly being pulled back, waiting until the day we’re released to our fate.
This was my day.
The day the universe let go. The beginning of a journey that took me to the deepest depths of hell.
I remember the hyper-awareness of that morning. The way the single bead of sweat trickled down my back as I paced back and forth. My heart, a pounding staccato, in sync with that stupid instrumental jazz music my husband demanded play through the speakers of our Upper East Side penthouse suite. Every day—every single day—starting at six a.m. The kitchen stank like old, burned coffee from the pot I’d started an hour earlier but had yet to drink.
My palms were cold and clammy as I wrung my hands, staring at the city beyond the window. Little did I know how different the view from my windows would soon be.
“You took them?”
Startled at the deep voice behind me, I turned.
William stepped into the kitchen, tucking his navy dress shirt into his Tom Ford slacks, his dark hair wet from a shower and combed flawlessly to the side, as usual.
Disdain brewed in my churning stomach as I took in the perfection of my husband. While William had been enjoying a shower, I’d been fighting off a panic attack, clutching a prescription bottle in my hand.
Words weren’t able to penetrate the haze of my emotions, so I simply nodded in response—the last fake response in a house built on lies.
“Okay.” William returned my nod while he adjusted his shirt to his liking. “It will all be over soon.”
Blinking, I stilled.
It will all be over soon.
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Author Amanda McKinney
About the Author Amanda McKinney is the #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than fifteen small-town romantic suspense and mystery novels. She wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY in 2017, after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Her books include the bestselling series, STEELE SHADOWS SECURITY, the multi-award-winning BERRY SPRINGS series, BLACK ROSE MYSTERIES, and many more to come.
Set in small, Southern towns, Amanda’s books are page-turning murder mysteries peppered with steamy romance. She lives in Arkansas with her handsome husband, two beautiful boys, and three obnoxious dogs.
Text AMANDABOOKS to 66866 for the latest on new releases, promos, and freebies!.
Welcome to the book blitz for SNITCH, the second book in the adult romantic suspense series, Something Real, by Leslie Georgeson. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
SNITCH (Something Real Series #2) by Leslie Georgeson
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: SNITCH Series: Something Real Series #2 Author: Melanie Summers Release Date: May 4, 2021
Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense
Links: Goodreads | Amazon| Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR
Synopsis Pakhan. Head of the mafia. That is my destiny. Nothing can stand in my way. I won’t allow it.
Until she shakes things up. Willow Anthony. I didn’t even know she existed until her voice floated through the trees, singing a melody that captivated me. I had to meet her.
Willow’s not what I expected. She’s shy. Sweet. Innocent. A challenge. I crave her as much as I long to be the king of the entire Russian bratva. I want her to sing for me, and me alone. I want to make music with her in a very carnal way.
She has no place in my world. But now it’s too late.
I have to choose: Willow or the brotherhood.
To save her, I must become what I swore never to be.
How can I protect her and not betray my family?
I can’t.
The music will stop.
And I will lose it all.
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Excerpt A boat had slipped silently up to the bank behind Willow’s house, docking in the wild willows that grew along the shoreline.
Intruders.
I crept across the grass, my gun ready, my senses alert, listening for the faintest sound, scanning for the slightest movement, feeling for the barest of breaths…
I reached the willow bushes, my skin prickling as I sensed their eyes on me. They had snuck in while Willow was sprawled across me in the swing, and I’d been distracted by her.
I ground my jaw, disgusted at myself.
Distractions got people killed.
I tensed as a group of men stepped out from behind the willows, their weapons pointed at me.
Five total.
I immediately recognized the sheriff who’d harassed us on the lake earlier. His four goons were all beefy, rough-looking, and looked more like hired thugs than deputy sheriffs. Who the hell was this guy and why was he here?
My inability to resist Willow had now brought her right into danger. If anything happened to her, it would be all on me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she ended up getting hurt.
“Sacha Plotnikov.” The sheriff smirked at me. “I don’t think we were properly introduced earlier. My name is Malachi Russell, Sheriff Russell to you. I knew your father. I must say I’m quite disappointed to see you following in his footsteps. I had hoped you’d see the light and chose a brighter path to follow.” He sighed dramatically. “But, alas, I was wrong. Like father, like son.”
My spine stiffened. “Do I know you?”
“Well, we did meet once, long ago. You were just a boy. So, I will say, yes, you should know me.”
My gaze sharpened on Russell. A chill crept down my spine.
Russell glanced toward Willow’s house. “Looks like you’ve been getting cozy with your pretty neighbor. If you don’t want anything to happen to her, I would suggest you listen to me, and listen very carefully. Because I have a special job for you. If you don’t obey me like the good little doggy I know you are, then I’ll take out my frustration on your neighbor. And I know you don’t want anything to happen to her, now, do you?”
I kept my face expressionless, but my heart hammered with dread. My grandfather’s words about allowing Willow to become a weakness hit me hard in that moment. The thought of these men touching Willow, hurting her, made my pulse skyrocket. I couldn’t show a weakness, or they would pounce. In order to protect her, I had to act like I didn’t care.
I shrugged. “She’s just a quick hook-up like all the others. She means nothing to me.”
He narrowed his gaze at me. “Is that so?” He turned to the thug on his right. “Go get her, Diego. Bring her here. We’ll just see how little she means to him.”
A tall, beefy Hispanic dude, Diego sent me a sneer, then strode across the yard toward Willow’s house.
I did my best to tamp back my fear.
Run, Willow. Hide.
“Now,” Russell pulled my attention back to him. “While we are waiting, let’s discuss our potential new partnership.”
His remaining thugs moved closer, their guns trained on me.
“There is no partnership,” I ground out, keeping my ears tuned to any sound from Willow’s house. I needed to be ready to act quickly so I could help her, if necessary.
Russell’s gaze filled with contempt. “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you?”
My left hand clenched into a fist while I fought to keep my right hand from pulling the trigger like I desperately wanted to do. I wasn’t ready to die yet. If I shot Russell, his thugs would kill me. And if I died, no one would be able to protect Willow.
About the Author Leslie Georgeson writes romance and suspense, sometimes with a dash of sci-fi or paranormal tossed in to make things more interesting. She is the author of the popular military romantic suspense series, THE DREGS, which was nominated for the 2018 TopShelf Indie Book Awards. Her other titles include the UNLIKELY HEROES series, the UNDERNEATH series, the standalone romantic mystery, NO SON OF MINE, and the newly released romantic suspense duet, THE PACT. Book one, The Mocking Man, is now available on Amazon.
Leslie lives with her husband and daughter on a quiet country acreage in Idaho. She is currently working on The Honest Liar, the second book in THE PACT, and anticipates an early May 2020 release.
Welcome to the book blitz for RAPID AGENDA, the second book in the adult romantic suspense series, High-Risk Agenda, by USA Today bestselling author Maureen A. Miller. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
RAPID AGENDA (High-Risk Agenda Series #2) by Maureen A. Miller
Synopsis
A spill in the rapids hauls two strangers into a harrowing and romantic adventure.
Chuck Borgas is ready to get back in the jungle. A lost city and a team of archeological students are waiting for him in Guatemala. He is waylaid at the airport by a bizarre woman who latches onto him like she’s his long-lost buddy. Smoking hot women don’t usually throw themselves at him. Ever. Finally ditching the stranger, he realizes she has left a bag behind. One glimpse into that sack and Chuck knows he’s stepped into a heap of trouble.
Faith Sanders is part of a small task force returning smuggled artifacts to the Guatemalan government. Her team is ambushed by members of a drug cartel, but she manages to escape. Alone and determined to get the artifacts to their destination, she is forced to improvise as the cartel closes in on her. That improvisation lands her in the arms of a handsome stranger.
Realizing that she has jeopardized the man at the airport, Faith has to decide which is more important…saving his life, or completing her mission.
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Excerpt #1 Why were these cartel punks keeping her?
If they were after the bag—thanks to her, they knew where it was heading. There was no need to keep her.
Faith swallowed. What were the alternatives? Leave her on the side of the highway? She didn’t think men like this left loose strings. They left declarations. She had done her research on some of the most unsavory Central American cartels. They didn’t leave loose strings. They left bodies. Statements.
Twenty-six. She was twenty-six years old. A trainee. Was that an excuse for stupidity? For mistakes?
Her knowledge of the language was passable, but she couldn’t decipher the low timbres of the exchange in the front seat. The man in the passenger seat turned his head to leer at her. Perspiration or hair gel plastered his black hair back from a high forehead.
“When we get the skulls back, we chop you head off so it can join them.”
Lovely.
Faith crossed her arms to try and conceal the tremors racing through her limbs. They had not handcuffed her. She searched the back seat and grimy car mats for something she could attack them with. Reading her thoughts, the man hefted the barrel of his gun over the seatback, aiming it at her.
“No, no, señorita.” He wagged the gun back and forth. The motion drew her attention to a tattoo poking out from beneath his shirt sleeve. The snout of a pig was exposed.
Faith sucked in a quick breath. The Cerdo Loco cartel.
“I threw the bag in the garbage at the airport,” she vowed futilely.
Gel-head sneered, revealing the tip of a badly yellowed tooth.
“We saw you get on the bus with it,” he claimed. “We saw da man you got on with. We go to Tikal where the bus goes. We find the man. We find the bag. We chop your head off.”
About the Author USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller worked in the software industry for fifteen years. She crawled around plant floors in a hard hat and safety glasses hooking up computers to behemoth manufacturing machines. The job required extensive travel. The best form of escapism during those lengthy airport layovers became writing.
Maureen’s first novel, WIDOW’S TALE, earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. After that she became hooked to the genre. In fact, she was so hooked she is the founder of the JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE website.
Recently, Maureen branched out into the Young Adult Science Fiction market with the popular BEYOND Series. To her it was still Romantic Suspense…just on another planet!.
Welcome to the book blitz for STRYKER’S GIRL, the first book in the adult romantic suspense series, Red Eagle Ranch, by USA Today bestselling author, Alyssa Bailey. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
STRYKER’S GIRL (Red Eagle Ranch Series #1) by Alyssa Bailey
Synopsis
He needs to fire her or claim her before it’s too late.
Avery gets caught in a web of deceit when she agrees to help save her family farm. As her life begins to tangle chaotically, her attraction grows for her new boss, Stryker Red Eagle, but he is the enemy… or is he?
Stryker’s ordered life is turned upside down when Avery arrives as a woman, not the male assistant he thought he was getting. She is stealing his concentration, and something is going on with her that he can’t figure out.
To save his sanity, Stryker needs to either fire Avery or claim her as his own. But then the real trouble begins.
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Excerpt He was a moody man, and she didn’t have time for that even if he sent her libido into orbit. It had only started as an offer for a temp job, but once Ben discovered where she was going to work, he had demanded she add the family agenda. She was only out for a connection between him and the farm and then something that would break that link. Once that was found, she would likely need to slip away quickly and quietly. And that just sucked.
She waited to see if there would be any movement from Renee’s office, but when all was quiet for a few moments, she walked closer. Good, maybe she could sneak into Stryker’s office and look through some of his papers while they were otherwise occupied.
Avery locked the front door. Her heart pounded, and her blood rushed as she worked on scanning through all the paperwork in the inbox and then in the outbox on Stryker’s desk. Automatically picking up a dirty coffee cup from Stryker’s desk, she tried to open a file cabinet but found it was locked. There was a noise in the office next door, and then the front door opened. Caught with nowhere to go, she carried his cup out of the office.
Declan walked in the door and pocketed his keys. “Who locked the door?”
“The last one to go in or out of that door was Stryker.” Not a lie but not an answer to the question asked.
Declan paused. “Is Stryker in there?” He nodded in the direction of the room she was exiting.
“No, I was dropping off something and grabbing his coffee cup to clean.”
“He’s washing his cup now?”
Avery frowned and looked inside the cup. “Well, I am. This is disgusting.”
Declan laughed. “I could get used to you. But a word to the wise. I’d have it washed and then refilled with coffee as soon as he walks in the door, so he doesn’t notice right away that you’ve washed it.”
“Why? Doesn’t he like it cleaned?”
“Nope. Says it adds character and flavor to his next cup.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Right.”
“Hey, I’m Declan, but I don’t have time to chat. I’ll see you at dinner or lunch soon. Yeah?”
“Oh, um, yes.”
“Good.”
That was too close for comfort. Avery wasn’t up to this spy business. Going behind people’s back kept her stomach in an uproar. The honesty in her bones was rioting, and it was more than a little uncomfortable. Something told her if Stryker ever found out, she would be one sorry woman.
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Author Alyssa Bailey
About the Author
Alyssa Bailey is a USA Today and Amazon No. 1 bestselling author of Historical and Contemporary Suspense romances, Alyssa writes light, realistic romance novels full of sizzling alpha males and the spicy adventuresome women they love. My characters live in Cowboy Country, Regency/Victorian England, and the Contemporary realm all with a touch of suspense and a Happily Ever After.
A proud Texan living among the wealth of Alaska’s beauty, I watch eagles fly overhead, whales and salmon frolicking in the sea, seals clapping for attention, and bears in the neighbor’s garbage. I vacation where rattlesnakes and scorpions roam beside black widow spiders, cattle country, rodeos, and horses that are eager to take you on your own happy trails.
Thank you for reading my adventures of love with a touch of something special.
Welcome to the book blitz for WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS, a standalone adult romantic suspense by C. Chilove. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
Synopsis Lieutenant Colonel Brenden Jasper lives a life of secrets, danger, and clandestine missions. As commander of the most elite Black Ops unit in the world, nothing is more important to him than protecting the country he loves. But there’s a reason only the toughest, battle-tested, alpha men can call themselves members of the Black 2131 brotherhood. None but those in the highest realms of government even know of its existence, and it’s Brenden’s job to avoid emotional entanglements so he can keep it that way.
Dr. Paige Nichols has spent her life ruled by logic and reason, teaching and analyzing art history, so nothing could have prepared her for the completely overwhelming attraction-at-first-sight when she sets eyes on Brenden. Their chance encounter at a party opens her up to a tantalizing dark side she never knew she had—and leaves her wanting so much more. But a man with a dark side often comes with way too many secrets…ones that could put her life in danger.
Though their chemistry burns hotter than ever, when danger comes knocking on Paige’s door, Brenden will have to walk a fine line between duty, honor, and love.
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Excerpt #3 Her feet came back to the ground and she tip-toed, kissing him again. She missed this man in spite of him vanishing for two days without a trace. Looking into Brenden’s eyes was all she needed. She felt safe, free, and now it was possible to breathe again.
“What is it?” Brenden closed the distance between them.
Paige took a deep breath fighting against her crumpling face. “Just happy to see you, that’s all. Two days is too long.”
“Quit being a girl, Nichols.”
“I am a girl, Jasper.” She crooked her head until she could see around him. He stepped to the side giving her a better view of the kids playing with the adorable, little chocolate Lab. “Oh my God.” She stepped closer and kneeled beside the little girl from down the street. “Your dog is so cute!”
“It’s not mine.” The little girl giggled as Raja went up on hind legs and nuzzled Paige in the chest. “It’s his,” she pointed at Brenden.
Paige stroked the puppy a few times before standing. She swallowed hard before coming face to face with Brenden. His beautiful eyes took her hostage and everything she had been upset about from days past vanished. He had come to mean so much to her in a short time and the realization that she meant something more to him was at her feet.
“She’s beautiful, Brenden.” Paige gulped hard, attempting to steady her thrashing heart rate. “What did you name her?”
“Raja,” the little kids chorused beside them.
“She’s yours, Nichols.” Brenden’s deep husky voice plucked a tear from her eye. His long index finger pushed it away as his large hand cupped her neck. “Just like I’m yours. We’re a loyal breed. I’m sorry.”
Paige wrapped her arms around her boyfriend’s neck, silencing him with a passionate kiss as he held her body like they were falling against gravity and kissed her back to the depths of her soul.
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Author C. Chilove
About the Author
C. Chilove is a southern girl residing in the beautiful Sunshine State. When she’s not writing, she’s cheering on her little ballerina, being protected by her daring ninja, cooking yummy dishes for her hubby, or exploring flea markets and antique stores for hidden treasures.
Welcome to the blog tour for CADILLAC PAYBACK: RISING TIDE, the second book in the adult romantic suspense series, Cadillac Payback, by AJ Elmore. See below for information on the book and series, an exclusive excerpt, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
CADILLAC PAYBACK: RISING TIDE (Cadillac Payback Series #2) by AJ Elmore
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: CADILLAC PAYBACK: RISING TIDE Series: Cadillac Payback Series #2 Author: AJ Elmore Release Date: April 15, 2021 Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT
Synopsis It has been a year since the fire in the Ninth Ward that solidified Maria’s place in the ranks of her grandmother’s operation.
Though tensions are high among her remaining crew, things seem to be going well…until Abuela starts moving pieces and changing the ranks.
Suspicions ride even higher when Isaiah shows up well after he left the life behind, and without an explanation.
Will Maria be able to hold it together, or will she lose Joshua and Frederick, as well? What part does Isaiah play?
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Excerpt #2 I hear voices behind me, but I don’t have room for any more bodies in my space, so I ignore them. When I look back to Maria, she flings her eyes past me. She’s mad, too, that much is easy to see. But then the tension melts, her eyes drop impossibly wide, and her mouth silently opens.
Her obvious shock is like a PTSD trigger, and it blindsides me so that for a moment, I can’t move either. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that look on her, and somehow I expect that if I turn around, I’ll see her brother risen from the dead.
Josh moves closer to her, so that he’s almost touching her, and he glares past me. The voices behind me die, and so does the movement. Abruptly, I’m right in the middle of a silent firefight that I don’t comprehend.
I step to the side as I turn around, so that I’m at her other shoulder. Abuela’s directives be damned, I will always be her right hand. I fight the urge to draw arms within these walls as my vision lands on the offending party.
For a moment that lasts longer than I would ever admit, he looks like just another guy – an uppity thirty-something in a snob’s clothes, not packing any heat on his hip or shoulder. But the moment passes, and those angular cheeks and broad jaw are too familiar. He’s barely been gone long enough for me to forget that I took his seat only because he left.
He’s a bit thinner, a lot browner, and all kinds of dressed up. I can’t say I was torn up when he left us, but he did leave us. He turned his back on what was supposed to be his crew. Never mind that I was willing to do the same thing, on one tiny difference of condition. I wouldn’t leave without her, but he did. It made sense, but that didn’t make it OK.
Then the details begin to click into place like a well-oiled machine. The man beside him is Jorge, our most recent heroin hero, on the scene with a deal to end all deals. The guy worthy of a family dinner in his honor.
Jorge is skinny, greasy, and appalling in a general sense. He wears his long hair in a slick, low ponytail, and sports a long, equally greasy goatee. At the moment, he’s standing half a step behind Isaiah, openly assessing the threat that hangs vaguely between the other four people in the hallway.
Isaiah, here, in one of the most guarded and secret locations under Abuela’s extensive network. With Jorge, who just made a really impressive connection and got a pat on the back. What the fuck has Izzy been into this past year?
Isaiah isn’t armed, so there’s no threat, but Josh and I are formed up on Maria as though a SWAT team is about to storm the windows and doors. Whatever internal hang-ups we have be damned, nobody from the outside will ever get a glimpse of that. We stand together.
Except this isn’t even my division anymore.
Izzy’s eyes scan over the three of us, slow and methodical as one might expect, and brave. He looks each of us directly in the eyes. He doesn’t shove his hands in his pockets. He doesn’t walk away. There’s no cigarette in his hand. He just stands his ground. He’s different in his stature, more comfortable, less cautious.
He was always the best among us at reading people, but he was only barely better than me, and that’s just because he had a little empathy where I had no time for that shit. It only takes me a moment to see what Maria did to him.
She destroyed what little he had left, from whatever life he had before. He’s more like me than ever, and all it takes to tell me that is the reckless gleam in his eyes. Maybe for the first time, I can relate to him, and no one has said a word. I think he wants someone to say something. I think he wants to snap.
Welcome to the blog tour for GOLDILOCKS, a standalone new adult romantic suspense by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jay Crownover. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
GOLDILOCKS by Jay Crownover
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: GOLDILOCKS Author: Jay Crownover Release Date: April 15, 2021 Genre: New Adult Romantic Suspense Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT
Synopsis For Olivia Adams, the world has always been too big or too small.
Forced to live her life caught between what she wanted for herself and the unfair choices and crazy obsession of those around her for as long as she could remember, Ollie has always felt confined and trapped. It was hard for her to imagine a future beyond the crushing control of those who wanted to make sure she paid the price for her role in a tragic accident that ruined several young lives. However, having no hope and living in a constant state of fear never stopped Ollie from dreaming of different ways to break free and how to reunite with the one person who always made her feel safe. Huck is the only one who ever made her feel like there was a place in his world, right by his side, that would fit her just right.
The world has always forced Huck Snyder to be a guy who runs either too hot or too cold.
Unwanted and barely tolerated, his temper burned hot and bright, often leading him into trouble. After the accident, he was tossed out, disowned, and forced to fend for himself. Struggling to survive, Huck quickly realized the only way he would make it was to freeze out every single memory and moment from his past. Especially those surrounding Ollie. He allowed his heart to harden into a block of ice and refused to let anyone close enough to melt it. Years have passed, and Huck has adjusted to the constant cold that permeates through his new life. He was in no way prepared for the only girl who could ever control his inner fire to show back up. Ollie is on the run and doesn’t seem to mind the chilly reception she receives when she shows up unannounced on Huck’s doorstep.
Fire and ice no longer define Huck because when he’s with Ollie, it’s easy to remember that the temperature between the two of them has always been just right.
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GOLDILOCKS Out Now!
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Excerpt #1
I was a girl born to be caught forever between two extremes. And between two brothers. I grew up in a home that was opulent and over-the-top massive. Everything was accented in gold, and the artwork on the walls were originals from the masters. There were rugs and silverware that cost more than my mother made in a year as the head housekeeper of the sprawling estate. Before I could even talk, I was juxtaposed between outrageous wealth and abject poverty. I was never sure on which side of the coin I fell, because while I was privileged enough to attend the fancy private school where the homeowners sent their two sons, I was by far the poorest kid attending the academy. I received the best education money could buy, but it was no secret I was a kid bound for community college or trade school, not the Ivy League like the rest of my classmates.
I was also trapped in a bitter back and forth between good and evil throughout my entire existence. I grew up in the shadow of two boys who were as different as night and day. My mom cared for both of them like they were her own…and treated all three of us the same. That couldn’t be said for the rest of the adults who haunted the halls of the ostentatious mansion. Both boys were the same age, born mere weeks apart. One was the rightful heir to the family fortune, his mother the reigning society queen of the small, ritzy New England town where we lived. She called all the shots and was scary powerful in the right circles. Her child was the favored son. He could do no wrong in the eyes of the elite.
I knew better.
He might look like the prince of the castle, and the hero of every fairytale, but I knew he was the villain. He didn’t look it with his blond hair and bright blue eyes. He hid it well behind a perfect, pearly white smile and carefully crafted charm. He looked like a dreamboat, but underneath the polished façade, he was a living, breathing nightmare.
The other son was always an afterthought. No one wanted him. Not the mother who had him in order to blackmail his father and had quickly abandoned him after she got paid. Not the father who couldn’t be bothered to focus on either of his sons or care how hateful his wife was to his bastard child. He was gone for most of the boys’ childhoods, and when he was around, it was never pleasant. I learned at a very young age it didn’t matter how big your home was or how hefty your bank account was, you could never escape a fractured family by avoiding the problems that created the cracks in the first place.
The forgotten son didn’t fit in with the rich kids and social climbers any better than I did. He was an outcast. A blemish on the image of one of the most well respected families in the nation. He was a burden and a problem that couldn’t simply be swept under the rug. I never understood why the father brought him home and promptly washed his hands of the boy, but as I got older and started to pick up on subtle clues, I wondered if he hated his wife. Forcing her to raise the dark-haired boy who looked exactly like him was his ultimate revenge on the bossy, demanding woman who took no joy in anything other than looking down on those she deemed
beneath her.
The illegitimate son should’ve been bitter and angry that he’d been born into a family that only acknowledged him when they wanted to hurt each other. But unlike the golden child, he was easygoing and affable, not taking much of anything too seriously. He was a jokester and liked to play around. He was cute, and so much softer than his half brother. He looked for trouble and liked to cause a ruckus because he was bored in that fancy school and didn’t care about gaining anyone’s favor. He was the ultimate rebel and my very best friend in the whole wide world from the time I could walk until the moment I betrayed him.
He wasn’t the kind of guy who popped up in fairytales very often. He was too goofy, and his unpredictable temper could be scary. He generally saved his anger for only one person, his brother, but when it was unleashed, he was like a whole different person. For me, he was always the hero in every situation and story. There wasn’t a person with whom I wanted to spend all my time, or one I looked up to more than the second son. Next to my mother, he was my favorite part of my forever-conflicted life.
Much to the annoyance of the supposedly perfect son.
One treated me like a beloved little sister and watched out for me from the get-go. The other treated me like a possession, like something that belonged to him and him alone. I figured out the hard way that it was very possible to be caught between right and wrong. Anyone removed from obscene wealth would think those two things were absolute with no room for interpretation. When money was involved, right was more like a suggestion, and wrong was a judgment call. I lost count of how many times the second son was punished for outshining the first simply because it made the family look bad. It was predetermined who was supposed to shine and who was supposed to fade away, but the bastard child had nothing to lose, so he refused to play by the rules that were created against him. I grew immune to the legitimate son receiving praise for abhorrent behavior. He was a bully and a beast, and his mother encouraged the hell out of him, making everyone around him feel like they were less than.
Especially his half brother.
I was enamored with one boy and terrified of the other. I lived my life like a human ping pong ball bouncing back and forth between them. One was my savior, the other an enemy I couldn’t escape. One tried to protect me with everything he had, while the other used my one and only weakness—my mother—to manipulate me and make me behave exactly the way he wanted.
If my life were a fairytale, when the second son promised me a life beyond everything I knew, I would have believed him. I would have waited and trusted that there was going to be a happily ever after for at least one of us.
But my life was more like a horror story. The golden child always got his way, and not only did I throw away my life and any chance at happiness, I also betrayed the only boy who ever made me feel like I belonged. In the end, I was more of a villain than the perfect, wicked boy I hated with every fiber of my being ever was.
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Author Jay Crownover
About the Author Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.
Today is release day for GOLDILOCKS, a standalone new adult romantic suspense by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jay Crownover. See below for information on the book, buy links, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
GOLDILOCKS by Jay Crownover
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: GOLDILOCKS Author: Jay Crownover Release Date: April 15, 2021 Genre: New Adult Romantic Suspense Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT
Synopsis For Olivia Adams, the world has always been too big or too small.
Forced to live her life caught between what she wanted for herself and the unfair choices and crazy obsession of those around her for as long as she could remember, Ollie has always felt confined and trapped. It was hard for her to imagine a future beyond the crushing control of those who wanted to make sure she paid the price for her role in a tragic accident that ruined several young lives. However, having no hope and living in a constant state of fear never stopped Ollie from dreaming of different ways to break free and how to reunite with the one person who always made her feel safe. Huck is the only one who ever made her feel like there was a place in his world, right by his side, that would fit her just right.
The world has always forced Huck Snyder to be a guy who runs either too hot or too cold.
Unwanted and barely tolerated, his temper burned hot and bright, often leading him into trouble. After the accident, he was tossed out, disowned, and forced to fend for himself. Struggling to survive, Huck quickly realized the only way he would make it was to freeze out every single memory and moment from his past. Especially those surrounding Ollie. He allowed his heart to harden into a block of ice and refused to let anyone close enough to melt it. Years have passed, and Huck has adjusted to the constant cold that permeates through his new life. He was in no way prepared for the only girl who could ever control his inner fire to show back up. Ollie is on the run and doesn’t seem to mind the chilly reception she receives when she shows up unannounced on Huck’s doorstep.
Fire and ice no longer define Huck because when he’s with Ollie, it’s easy to remember that the temperature between the two of them has always been just right.
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GOLDILOCKS Out Now!
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Author Jay Crownover
About the Author Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.
Today is release day for CADILLAC PAYBACK: RISING TIDE, the second book in the adult romantic suspense series, Cadillac Payback, by AJ Elmore. See below for information on the book and series, an exclusive excerpt, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
CADILLAC PAYBACK: RISING TIDE (Cadillac Payback Series #2) by AJ Elmore
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited Title: CADILLAC PAYBACK: RISING TIDE Series: Cadillac Payback Series #2 Author: AJ Elmore Release Date: April 15, 2021 Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT
Synopsis It has been a year since the fire in the Ninth Ward that solidified Maria’s place in the ranks of her grandmother’s operation.
Though tensions are high among her remaining crew, things seem to be going well…until Abuela starts moving pieces and changing the ranks.
Suspicions ride even higher when Isaiah shows up well after he left the life behind, and without an explanation.
Will Maria be able to hold it together, or will she lose Joshua and Frederick, as well? What part does Isaiah play?
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Excerpt I roll the Indian into the garage lot, and park it. I let the engine growl for a bit before I shut it off. The only time I enjoy turning heads is when they hear this streamlined beast coming. This bike came back from the dead. Only true fans could understand.
Josh is already here, the garage door is up, and so is his hood. A greased-up Cajun by the name of Spanky is checking out the car’s guts. I think that’s his name, anyway.
Spanky is one of the few associates of mine whose interest lies almost solely in a legal trade. He knows where to get old parts for real cheap, and though sometimes I don’t know what the fuck he’s saying to me, he’s reliable. He owns the place, and for a fat sack, he lets me use his space when he can. He’s used to seeing the Caddy. The Challenger is a new treat.
I swing a leg over my bike, then replace my road goggles with my wire-framed glasses. The days are fading earlier the closer we get to fall, and the air has cooled from the mid-summer shroud of humidity and heat. The ride over was nice, wind against my face, carrying what last bits of aggravation lingered from the earlier part of the day.
Everything changes tomorrow, but tonight, I’ve agreed to do a tune up on Josh’s Challenger. He offered me money, but I won’t take it. I just want to get elbow deep in that machine.
I’ve dressed down in a pair of stained jeans, my old motorcycle boots, and a pristine white t-shirt. It’s something of a ritual, the process of getting a clean shirt dirty. I can hear Spanky jawing at the engine in an appreciative tone, and I smirk as I approach. Josh is watching Spanky’s backside with a look of confusion, which he turns on me, like I can somehow explain.
I say, “She’s a damsel, eh, Spanky?”
“Daaaaayum straight,” he answers, with a drawn out “Wooooooeeeeee” as punctuation.
He straightens and gives me a half-cocked grin. The grease on his cheeks makes what’s left of his teeth seem almost white. Somehow I think under that layer of muck, his skin is pale as a newborn, and he never sees the sun without a solid mask of grit.
He points at a large dirty cooler full of ice and clear beer bottles, and says, “Youawnt’un?”
I shake my head and hand over a rolled-up fast food bag, which contains a few flat, oozing burgers and his weed. His eyes light up when he sees it. As much as he’d love to stay and drool over Josh’s toy, he’d just as rather go get high and down some disgusting food. He nods to us, and disappears into the bowels of the garage.
“What the fuck?” Josh mutters under his breath as he snags a beer for himself.
He eyes the label, Miller High Life, and his expression turns down in distaste. It’s so haughty that I almost give him shit for being such a picky bitch. He pops the top anyway and takes a swig.
I’ve been riding for a while, so there’s already a layer of road dirt on my face. It was the best way to find the space to breathe after everything clicked just out of place at the Garden District house. That moment has been carefully boarded up and stored for later inspection.
There’s a strange ease in knowing the secrets are out, at least as far as our inner crew is concerned. The mandate has been passed, all applicable parties have been notified. Effective immediately. Except not really. Tonight I’m a free agent, floating too far from the ground to control my landing.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kaylea Cross is revealing the cover to ADRIFT, the third book in the adult romantic suspense/military romance series, Kill Devil Hills, releasing July 27, 2021. See below for information on the book and series, preorder links, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
ADRIFT (Kill Devil Hills Series #3) by Kaylea Cross
As Hollywood’s newest darling, Becca Sandoza is vigilant about guarding the image and reputation she’s so carefully created. Her career has allowed her to escape her past, but her newfound fame turns out to be a sharp double-edged sword. The nightmare she’s been trying to escape for twenty years has resurfaced. The man responsible knows all her secrets, and his silence comes at a heavy price. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep the past buried and protect the person she cares about most. But when it seems like she’s trapped with no way out, Becca finally turns to the one man she can trust—the one man capable of making her body burn and her heart ache with a yearning she’s never felt before.
THE ONLY MAN WHO CAN PROTECT HER.
Chase Davenport took everything he learned as a Marine Corps combat veteran and is now a sought-after stuntman. Hollywood is every bit as competitive and unpredictable as he expected, but the biggest surprise so far is Becca Sandoza. She’s got a reputation as an ice queen with the media, but it’s clear to him that’s only a mask she puts on to protect herself. Behind the scenes she’s down to earth, kind, and just being around her brings out all his protective instincts. So when she comes to him for help with a dangerous situation, he steps up. She might be totally out of his league, but the more time they spend together, it quickly becomes clear there’s more between them than scorching chemistry. And when the threat suddenly escalates with no warning, Chase will do anything to save her—no matter the cost.
About the Author New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, and has been nominated multiple times for the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.
Today is release day for DARK LEGACY, the first book in the adult romantic suspense series, Legacy, by USA Today bestselling author, Jen Talty. See below for information on the book, buy links, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
Synopsis Shannon Brendel, a therapist for troubled teens, wants to find the daughter she gave up when was sixteen. She doesn’t want a relationship. She only wants to know her child is safe and has a better life. One free from her father’s dark legacy. However, when she begins the search, she will lead the evil man she feels she helped create right to her daughter’s doorstep. This is a man she’s vowed never to see again. A man who could easily pull her back into the depths of hell her father had placed her in. He is a man who is hell bent on revenge and will stop at nothing to see that Shannon, and their daughter, pay the ultimate price.
Jackson Armstrong, a private investigator will take just about any case except those involving adoption. He has his reasons. So, when his super sexy neighbor asks him to help her find the little girl she gave up years ago, he says no. That is until Shannon’s patients start mysteriously disappearing, showing up dead, and Shannon becomes the best suspect. Jackson will do what-ever it takes to prove Shannon is innocent and protect her and her daughter.
But will it be enough to save them from such a dark legacy.
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Author Jen Talty
About the Author Jen Talty is a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Paranormal Romance. In the fall of 2020, a short story of hers was selected and featured in a 1001 Dark Knights Anthology. She is currently contracted to write in the With Me in Seattle series by Kristen Proby with Lady Boss Press as well as Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha and Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors. For more information, visit Jen’s website.
Welcome to the blog tour for LETHAL PROTECTOR, the third book in the adult romantic suspense/military romance series, Rifle Creek, by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kaylea Cross. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
LETHAL PROTECTOR (Rifle Creek Series #3) by Kaylea Cross
Single mom Tala Baldwin is no stranger to sacrifice. After losing her leg while serving her country, she’s now training to become a competitive biathlete. With her daughter off to college, she’s able to shoot for her dream of making the national masters team. Even her Christmas break in Rifle Creek doesn’t slow her down. She’s asked her trusted friend Braxton to help her train—all while trying to pretend she doesn’t ache for him. Braxton was there for her during the darkest day of her life and he’s been there for her since…but only as a friend. In fact, he seems more determined than ever to hold her at arm’s length—until a deadly blizzard traps them in the mountains with a wanted killer hot on their trail. Now Tala once again finds her life in his hands as they face the lethal threats together.
Now he’s at his breaking point.
Sgt. Braxton Hillard is a master sniper, renowned for his ability to operate without emotion. Except with Tala. She’s all he’s ever wanted—but can’t have. For four long years he’s kept his distance. She’s way too good for him and she would realize that if he ever made a move. But the attraction between them is too powerful to deny, and once she makes it clear she wants him, he can’t keep his distance any longer. As they fight to survive in the mountains, all bets are off. Braxton is ready to sacrifice everything to protect the woman he loves—even his own life.
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Excerpt #1 Tala stopped, looking up at him, her pulse skipping at the focused look on his face. She couldn’t read his expression but his stare was intense. As if he had something important on his mind that he needed to tell her.
“Is…everything okay?” she asked slowly.
He shifted his feet but didn’t answer, and his hesitation worried her.
“Brax? Is something wrong?”
He glanced away, ran a hand over his jaw, then focused on her again. “What you said earlier. About me being part of the family.” His voice was low, taut, the muscles in his jaw and shoulders tight.
She frantically tried to gather her scattered thoughts, wondering what had upset him. “What about it?”
“Is that how you see me? As family?”
Something in his tone, in the silent tension coming from him, gave her pause and warned her to phrase her answer carefully. Especially when she took into account the things he’d said earlier. Was he hinting that…
Voicing her feelings aloud made her feel incredibly vulnerable, but she needed to be honest right now, because this would change everything, one way or the other.
Holding his gaze, she drew a steadying breath before answering. “If you’re asking if I think of you in a brotherly way, then… No.” Not even a little.
He stilled, his gaze sharpening, the leap of heat of that dark stare sending a ripple of shock—and hope—through her. “So how do you think of me?”
She looked away, fighting a blush as her discomfort level skyrocketed. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself or be humiliated if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. “I…”
“Tal. Look at me.”
She did, and felt herself drowning in those deep brown eyes, all the feelings she’d repressed for years suddenly rushing to the surface.
“Say it,” he rasped out.
I’ve wanted you forever.
The unspoken words got tangled on the tip of her tongue. But she couldn’t look away. Couldn’t drag her eyes from his, her pulse pounding in her ears as she waited for him to say something. Do something to put her out of her misery.
He took two steps toward her, stopping inches from her boots to reach both arms past her. He leaned in to cage her against the truck doorway with his big body, his hands on either side of her head, the muscles in his arms, shoulder and jaw standing out.
And his eyes. The sudden, volcanic heat in them made the breath stall in her lungs.
Shock punched through her, followed by a wave of molten desire as she stared up at him, his face mere inches from hers. She had to be reading this wrong. Had to be, because he was staring at her like he wanted to devour her and was struggling to hold back.
“Tal.” His voice was low, his taut expression making her heart thud against her ribs. He’d only ever looked at her like this in her dreams.
“What?” she whispered back, anticipation and need swirling inside her.
About the Author New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, and has been nominated multiple times for the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.
Today is release day for LETHAL PROTECTOR, the third book in the adult romantic suspense/military romance series, Rifle Creek, by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Kaylea Cross. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and a link to add it to your Goodreads TBR.
LETHAL PROTECTOR (Rifle Creek Series #3) by Kaylea Cross
Single mom Tala Baldwin is no stranger to sacrifice. After losing her leg while serving her country, she’s now training to become a competitive biathlete. With her daughter off to college, she’s able to shoot for her dream of making the national masters team. Even her Christmas break in Rifle Creek doesn’t slow her down. She’s asked her trusted friend Braxton to help her train—all while trying to pretend she doesn’t ache for him. Braxton was there for her during the darkest day of her life and he’s been there for her since…but only as a friend. In fact, he seems more determined than ever to hold her at arm’s length—until a deadly blizzard traps them in the mountains with a wanted killer hot on their trail. Now Tala once again finds her life in his hands as they face the lethal threats together.
Now he’s at his breaking point.
Sgt. Braxton Hillard is a master sniper, renowned for his ability to operate without emotion. Except with Tala. She’s all he’s ever wanted—but can’t have. For four long years he’s kept his distance. She’s way too good for him and she would realize that if he ever made a move. But the attraction between them is too powerful to deny, and once she makes it clear she wants him, he can’t keep his distance any longer. As they fight to survive in the mountains, all bets are off. Braxton is ready to sacrifice everything to protect the woman he loves—even his own life.
About the Author New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, and has been nominated multiple times for the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.
Welcome to the blog tour for SMOKE SCREEN, the second book in the adult romantic suspense series, The Blue Trilogy, by K. Nilsson. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
SMOKE SCREEN (The Blue Trilogy #2) by K. Nilsson
About the Book – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited
Title: SMOKE SCREEN Series: The Blue Trilogy #2 Author: K. Nilsson Release Date: October 29, 2020 Genre: Adult Contemporary Rockstar Romance Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR
Synopsis
She was a distraction. He was a mistake. Now they’re in each others’ way.
Rookie investigator Devyn Foster knows the pain of losing family. It’s what drives her to do what she does – finding the missing and the lost and returning them to their families.
Her latest assignment is no different, finding the computer a whiz who disappeared while working on a mysterious project. Even though his case has gone cold, she won’t let his elderly parents suffer. She will find him and return him back to them.
But that was before the one-night stand that changed everything…
Private Investigator Max Carson has never let anything—or anyone—stop him from getting the job done. So when he’s hired to track down a software program that could change the world, that’s exactly what he’s going to do… until he finds himself in a dead heat with a woman who’s just as determined as he is to get the job done on her own terms.
Now Max has to deal with two problems: how to get Devyn out of the way… and out of his heart.
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Excerpt #3 Ben Rosenberg
Malibu
After Devyn told me about being chased home, I needed to see she was unharmed and determine if someone exposed her cover.
Heading south on the coastal highway, I wove my way through traffic to the flat I got for her. The building was a monstrous high rise overlooking the marina. The car park was multi-level and I had a key card to enter.
Swapping out her registered license plates for the dealer plates was a brilliant idea. She didn’t want a hire car when she changed flats for the job. Parking next to her, I checked the MINI Cooper’s tire wells for tracking devices and found none.
The lift was steps away and I took it to the top floor. I knocked three times—it was our code. There was movement behind the peephole. Good girl. She waved me inside with an empty wineglass. Devyn coiled her curls into a messy bun and held it in place with a chopstick.
The little spy gave me a brief hug and locked the door behind me. “Can I get you something?”
“The usual,” I replied.
Padding to the kitchen, Devyn put her goblet in the sink and got a bottle of water for me. I twisted off the top and took a few swallows. “So, you had a James Bond chase scene.”
“No. There were no missile-equipped motorcycles or bullet spraying helicopters. But I wish I had a Lotus,” she cracked.
She had circles under her eyes.
“Did you recognize anyone inside it?”
Devyn shook her head. “Not with the blackout windows.”
“When did you notice the automobile?”
“Soon after I left headquarters.”
“Did you recognize the car?”
“No. It was my second day.”
Did someone suspect she was a mole, or was it random?
“Do you think it a stalker?”
She hesitated for a heartbeat, “I don’t know, maybe?”
“Did you spot anyone familiar?”
The little spy fell silent, then she shook her head.
She just lied to me.
I sat next to her on the couch.
The laptop was open on the coffee table and the glasses were on the floor. I picked them up.
“Oh, you used these. May I?”
She gave me a quick nod. I sent the images to my cell phone.
While I sorted through the files, my trainee fidgeted.
The clips began with her orientation class. I had questions about the people she met, some of whom she liked.
I pointed to a man with a plaid shirt and gelled hair. “Who is this? You two are rather friendly.”
The corners of her mouth tilted. “That’s Sam. His office is next door. He’s a brilliant guy, but also a space cadet.”
Her running commentary amused me. The videos included an attractive redhead, a convincing hologram, and people around a conference table.
The day’s clips captured her trip through security. One man was familiar. I pointed to the suited shark in the images. “Who is he?”
“Oh, him? He’s a security guy,” she replied.
Hmmm.
I replayed the clip, then noticed the collection of photos she had of him. Devyn’s cheeks reddened. It was a romantic attraction—the connection was mutual. It would be better if I didn’t comment on it. I could do something about the situation without my protégé’s knowledge.
Despite the temptation, Devyn proved her worth to Leslie while capturing screen images of the computer and a preview of the servers’ contents.
I moved away from the photos. “One last question about the chase. Did you get the license number?”
Devyn sat up straight, reached for her briefcase, and removed a note from the side pocket.
“I forgot all about this,” she said, sheepishly handing it to me.
The note mentioned the make of the automobile and included a plate number. The writing wasn’t hers.
“Well—I darted into a carport…”
When she finished, I wanted to throttle her.
Devyn yawned. “It’s been a long day.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll run down the plate. I’m glad you’re okay.”
I reminded her to engage the deadbolt and secure the jammer.
I walked through the door, closing it behind me.
“Always the mother hen,” she chided.
I didn’t leave until I heard her turn the bolt and flip the latch.
Mother hen? Me?
When I arrived home, I inspected the images, the workplace, her co-worker, and—The Praetorian, a guarded man with a dangerous persona. The way he watched Devyn was worrisome. Heat burned in his eyes when he stared at her. Devyn was not unaffected. He would point his cock elsewhere and leave my beautiful, contrary, protégé, alone.
I looked up a contact number I hadn’t used in years. The person would get my message across to the mercenary.
“Hello,” said the voice on the other end of the phone.
“There’s an overgrown wolf-pup stalking my ward. I believe he’s yours. Call him off.”
About the Author K. Nilsson’s love of reading began with the Bobbsey twins. When she ran across some Italian True Romance novellas stashed in the attic, the musty serials hooked her on adult fiction. Though black and white photos were dramatic enough to know what the stories were about, she taught herself to read in Italian and translated them to her friends. She’s an unapologetic reviewer of books, restaurants, and vacation destinations. An amateur photographer, K. loves taking editorial photos and documenting her travels. Her personal philosophy, sleeping is a waste of time.
Welcome to the book blitz for THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL, the third book in the adult romantic suspense series, Maximum Security, by New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin. See below for information on the book and series, buy links, and exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL (Maximum Security Series #3) by Kat Martin
Synopsis To prove her father’s innocence, she’ll have to turn a killer’s sights on herself
When her father is accused of espionage and treason, journalist Jessie Kegan has no doubt the man she looked up to her entire life is innocent. Worse yet, before Colonel Kegan can stand trial, he’s found dead of a heart attack…but Jessie knows it was murder. Forcing aside her grief, she’s determined to use her investigative resources to clear her father’s name. But going after the truth means Jessie soon finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who wants that truth to stay buried with her father.
Protecting Jessie Kegan is a job bodyguard Brandon Garrett can’t refuse. Jessie isn’t just a client at Maximum Security—she’s the sister of his best friend, Danny, who was killed in Afghanistan. With dangerous enemies gunning for Jessie from every angle, keeping her safe will mean keeping her close, and Bran finds their mutual attraction growing, though being Danny’s sister puts Jessie out of bounds.
With their backs against the wall, Jessie and Bran will have to risk everything to expose her father’s killer—before his legacy dies with his daughter.
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Excerpt #4 They ordered-in Chinese and Bran turned the TV on in the living room, but neither of them were in the mood to watch. Jessie knew exactly what she was in the mood for. She hadn’t thought about sex this much in the last three years. Now, every time she looked at Bran, having sex with him was all she could think of.
Everything about him turned her on. The cadence of his voice, the way he laughed, the way he moved. Just watching him amble across the living room sent a curl of heat into the pit of her stomach.
What would it be like to kiss him? Run her hands over all the lean, hard muscles she had seen and couldn’t get out of her head? What would it be like if he made love to her?
Would she ruin it the way she had when she had tried before? Start thinking about Ray Cummings and the intimate way he had touched her? Conjure images of the rape he had planned to carry out the third night if she hadn’t managed to escape?
Fidgety and unable to relax, she headed for the pool, Bran reluctantly accompanying her. Exercising in the warm water was the perfect stress reliever. She glanced over to where he paced the deck at the opposite end of the pool, tall and lean-muscled, blue-eyed, and built. Nothing better than swimming–except for hours of erotic sex with the man of her fantasies.
It seemed so outrageous she found herself grinning as she stroked to the far end of the pool. She was still smiling when she came up out of the water, dripping and adjusting her swimsuit, just a few feet away from him.
“What’s so funny?” Bran asked, as grumpy tonight as he had been the night before.
She looked into his hard, handsome face and some little devil made her say it. “If you really want to know, I was thinking what it might be like to have wild, uninhibited sex with you.”
Hunger flashed in his eyes so quickly she took a step back. “Is that so,” he drawled, his gaze running over her, assessing every curve her orange-striped bikini displayed.
Her whole body flushed with heat as she realized she wasn’t the only one who’d been thinking about sex.
She swallowed. “I was imagining what it might be like, but I… I know if we tried, I’d screw it up. After Ray, I’ve got, you know, hang-ups.”
His gaze grew more intense. “What kind of hang-ups?”
She picked her towel up off the mesh table next to a lounge chair and quickly dried off, then slipped on her white terrycloth robe. Fortunately, the overhead lights began to flash, signaling it was time for the pool to close.
“Time to leave.” She started walking back to the room, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. By the time Bran opened the door and checked inside to be sure it was safe, she was starting to relax.
“What hang-ups?” Bran he as he closed the door behind them.
Jessie’s stomach instantly knotted. What had possessed her to mention it? But Bran had opened up to her yesterday, which meant she owed him the same courtesy today.
Trying to appear nonchalant, she shrugged. “You know, kissing’s okay, but if a guy starts touching me, my mind flashes back to Ray Cummings and I-I start thinking about the way he touched me, where he touched me, and pretty soon sex is the last thing I want to happen.”
Bran’s jaw looked iron hard. “He rape you?”
She swallowed and shook her head. “On the third day, just before he got home, I managed to get loose. I couldn’t get out of the basement, so I searched for a weapon.” Her lips trembled as the memory became all too clear. “I found a wooden box and pried a board loose. The board had a nail in the end so I held it like a bat, and I-I waited till he came down the stairs.”
“Go on,” Bran said so softly she felt a chill.
“He always wore this black knit ski mask with a red ring around the mouth, which made him look even more terrifying. Knowing what he planned to do gave me courage. The minute he stepped off the bottom step, I swung the board as hard as I could and smashed him in the side of the head. As soon as he hit the floor, I starting whacking him over and over with the nail in the end of the board. He was unconscious and bleeding when I took off running.”
“Finish it,” Bran said when she paused, more a demand than a request.
Her voice trembled. “The woman in the house next door let me in and called the police. Ray was still unconscious when they got there. Turned out he was a serial rapist. He had abducted four other women and locked them up just like me. Eventually, he released them somewhere, but they couldn’t identify him or the place he had taken them. I was the only one who escaped.”
She was shaking. She didn’t realize she had tears in her eyes till Bran pulled her into his arms.
About the Author Currently living outside Missoula, Montana, Kat Martin is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. Before she started writing, Kat was a real estate broker. During that time, she met her husband, L. J. Martin, an author of Westerns and high-action Thrillers. Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. She spends her winters in Arizona.
“I love to travel and especially like visiting the places where my books are set,” Kat says. “I love history and enjoy spending time in museums and art galleries. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and historical houses. It’s fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era.”
To date, Kat has over seventeen million copies of her books in print. She is published in more than two dozen foreign countries, including Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, China, Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, England, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Japan and Greece.
Kat is currently writing her next Romantic thriller.
The Wild Rose Press and author Chrys Fey are revealing the cover to A FIGHTING CHANCE, the sixth book in her adult romantic suspense series, Disaster Crimes, releasing January 11, 2021. See below for the cover, information on the book and series, preorder links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.
A FIGHTING CHANCE (Disaster Crimes Series #6) by Chrys Fey
Synopsis *A FIGHTING CHANCE is Book 6 in the Disaster Crimes series, but it’s a spin-off featuring a new couple, so it can be read as a standalone.*
Thorn has loved Amanda from afar, giving her whatever she needs as a survivor of abuse—space, protection, and stability. He yearns to give her more, though, to share his feelings, kiss her, love her, but he’s worried the truth will frighten her away.
And Amanda is afraid. She’s scared of her attraction for Thorn. Most of all, she’s terrified of her ex-boyfriend, who is lurking nearby where no one can find him. When she grows closer to Thorn, Damon retaliates, jeopardizing their happy ending.
Up against an abusive ex and Mother Nature, do Thorn and Amanda have a fighting chance?
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Exclusive Excerpt Amanda looked up from the current list of up-to-date payments for classes. A movement outside the glass storefront caught her eye. She tilted her head to see a man coming up the sidewalk from the side where the picnic bench sat. Through the vertical blinds, she glimpsed a square face—a short, rugged beard and long, dark hair pulled into a man bun. Her breath fled from her lungs. Her body went from icy cold to flaming hot in the span of a millisecond. She dropped to the floor and slid under the counter, beneath the ledge where they put their purses and cell phones.
“What—” Beth peeked at the windows. Then she snapped her fingers at April and pointed at the stools.
April jumped into action. She pushed the stools in so they blocked Amanda. The bell attached to the door jingled as April removed the jacket she wore and draped it across the stools, creating a curtain to shield Amanda.
From a crack, Amanda watched Beth move to stand in front of the twins, who were in their walkers playing peacefully. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to be closing.”
“I don’t give a shit. I’m here for Amanda.”
The sound of Damon’s voice had her heart beating even harder. That voice had haunted her nightmares, had come back to life in her memories.
Beth cocked her head to the side. “Who? There’s no one by that name here.”
About the Author Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press.
