Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Excerpt & Giveaway: Baby Girl by C.M. Stunich


Baby Girl
C.M. Stunich
Publication date: January 29th 2018
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
He died that night, alone, in the rain, in the dark, the boy that called me baby girl.
I was only seventeen; we were going to be together forever.
On his way to pick me up for prom, he swerved. I’ll never know what made him do it, what killed the boy I’d loved my whole life. With roses clutched in his hand, he bled out in icy wetness all alone.
His best friend is here though, and I’m pretty sure he loves me.
But after the accident, I left for a year and didn’t look back.
Now I’m back in town and my heart is like shattered glass.
Do I pick up the pieces and risk getting cut? And do I let another boy call me baby girl?




EXCERPT
Phoenix, I think frantically, searching the crowd for my childhood friend. I can't even imagine the boy I grew up with in a sleazy place like this, feeling up girls in too-small bandage dresses and waving cash around as two men beat each other to pulps for entertainment purposes.
It's disgusting is what it is.
No, the Phoenix Benoit I know would never bet on something like this.
But … if he had to, he'd fight.
My eyes widen as I spot the big Cajun man leaning against the wall kitty-corner to the one I'm now leaning against, palm splayed wide against the corrugated metal. He's shirtless and sweaty, his tattooed chest rising and falling as he watches the fight in the ring play out, ignoring the shouts and cheers of the crowd. He's tense, and tired, wrapping a white bandage around his right fist, those silver eyes distant and far away.
“Up here, come on!” the girl with the iPad shouts, waving for me to follow her up a set of stairs and along a narrow walkway. There are people up here, too, sitting in balconies that overlook the action but keep them separate from the sweaty masses. Probably the men whose cars were parked out front, the ones driving BMWs and Ferraris and Bugattis.
Their eyes track me as I walk by, like lions searching the savannah for prey.
I feel sick.
The woman with the iPad takes me to a series of seats that protrude over the people in the crowd, spotlights hot and blazing above my head. She parks me there next to a row of other girls who eye me with an even mix of curiosity and hatred. Hmm.
“Wait,” I say, grabbing the woman's arm before she can head back down the stairs. “What do I do now?”
She smiles tightly at me and gestures with the iPad toward the cage and the two men fighting inside of it.
“Pray the man you want to win, wins. And that he picks you.” She shrugs and moves back down the steps, leaving me there with four other girls and two effeminate looking young men that are as dressed up as the rest of us are.
Jesus Christ, what is all this shit?
As I step into the row of well-dressed men and women, the crowd murmurs in excitement, gazes cast in my direction. Money changes hands. My eyes flick to Phoenix.
It takes him a moment, but then he slowly tears his attention away from the ring to look up at me.
Those gray eyes go wide and all the color drains from his tanned face.
Our gazes meet and my breath leaves me in a rush, a connection thrumming between us even in a place as dirty and disgusting as this. A muscle in his jaw ticks as he pushes off the wall and makes his way toward me. Men get out of his way quick, and when they don't, he shoves them violently from his path. Heading for the steps, he speaks briefly to the armed guard at the bottom of them, and then scoots past.




Author Bio:
C.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn’t mind – especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.
She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she’s not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She’s the author of over thirty novels – romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There’s a heck of a lot to do there.
Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She’s already looking forward to it.

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Saturday, January 27, 2018

Giveaway: Savages by Natalie Bennett


Savages
Natalie Bennett
(Badlands, #1)
Publication date: January 24th 2018
Genres: Erotica, Romance
Calista
“I am the monster they created. I’m the whore they’re ashamed of.”
When life tried to break me I grabbed that b*tch by the throat and squeezed.
I thought I could overcome anything. I swore I could handle him, but after being forced to play at the Devil’s playground I ended up craving his touch.
One taste of his poison made my loyalties begin to waiver.
Romero
“I’m a living nightmare, I’m everything they fear.”
I’ve been called the Devil, deranged, and a savage. I lived by a code created by rebel souls. We were sinners and thieves that made no apologies for taking whatever the f*ck we wanted. Saving a girl in the woods was never part of my plans, but when I saw the crazy in her eyes I knew it was a match made in hell.
Now secrets are piling up, the bodies are rotting, and time is running out to finish what I started.
Forewarning, our story is more than a little f*cked up.
Authors Note:
I am not going to put a long ‘trigger warning’ on this book. I will say that Savages is a VERY cautionary tale that has no regard for hard limits. Reader discretion IS highly advised. <–18+


Author Bio:
Natalie Bennett is the creator of erotic stories that always come with a warning label. She writes about depraved alpha a**holes and women that love to hate them. Her books don't follow any specific tropes, have no set word counts, and tend to deviate away from traditional HEA's.
When she isn't in front of her computer she's spending time with her husband and their three little boys.
Natalie is an avid fan of caramel frappes, horror movies, Shameless, and of course, reading.

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Friday, January 26, 2018

Q&A and Giveaway: Daughter of the Goddess by Rita Webb


Daughter of the Goddess
Rita Webb
Publication date: November 20th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
The wind calls her to play.
Will she listen?
I was a nameless child abandoned on the temple doorsteps.
Soul, the gods called me. So they named me Nephecia.
My plans don’t include marriage to some silly nobleman. When I come of age, I will take vows and devote my life to serving the goddess of Light. As a priestess, a daughter of the goddess, I’ll make the world a better place.
The summer before my eighteenth birthday, an oracle arrives with word from the gods: I must leave the only home, the only family, I’ve ever known, to marry a stranger in a foreign land.
There must be some mistake.
If I follow my own plans, I’ll disobey the very goddess I want to serve. But how can I trust the gods have my best interest at heart?
______________________________________________________
Daughter of the Goddess is a Young Adult Fairy Tale retelling of the Greek myth Eros and Psyche, set in a fantasy world.
If you enjoy sweet love stories and fairy tales, then you’ll fall in love with Nephecia’s story. Grab your copy today.
99¢ for a limited time only!
Q&A with author Rita Webb
Where did you get the idea for Daughter of the Goddess?
My favorite Greek myth is the story of Eros and Psyche. I think it’s the only Greek myth I read with anywhere close to a happy ending, even if there was a great deal of turmoil getting there.
The philosopher in me always wondered what a soul really was. When someone says, “That music is full of soul,” what does that mean?
So Nephecia epitomizes what I believe soul means. I took her out of Ancient Greece and put her into a world of my own making.
How did the name “Psyche” become “Nephecia”?
I searched other languages for the word “Soul” and found nephesh in Hebrew.
How did the name “Eros” become “Gabin”?
Gabin is a variation of Gabriel (according to my baby name book), that means “Hero of God.” I remember something about it meaning “Beloved by God” too.
Why do you write stories?
I have 3 daughters, ages 15, 13, and 11, and I want them to grow up believing in their dreams. The only way I can see that happening is if I believe in my own.
What’s your secret to success?
My husband. He believes in me, and when I’m discouraged, he never lets me give up.
What one piece of advice do you have for new writers?
Read, write, study, write some more. Never give up. Okay, that’s 5 pieces of advice.


Author Bio:
Leaving the house to go to school, I had schoolbooks spilling out of one hand, the other holding my place in a Nancy Drew novel, and bunny slippers still on my feet. My mom was a wee bit upset.
I haven't changed much. Still always have a book (or two) in my hand or creating stories in my head, and although I don't have any bunny slippers, I love writing in my jammies and snuggly slipper socks.
With my husband TJ (my own cuddly werewolf), I home-school our three girls, who keep us busy with art, science projects, books to read, dance classes, and walks about the park.

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Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Shop My Library


So earlier in the month I decided to start selling some of my books. I ended up starting a page here on the blog to showcase the books that I had up for sale but I knew that this couldn't be a permanent solution because I had waaaaay too many books to sell and I wanted to feature them gallery style, something I was not equipped to do here on blogger. So I was shopping around for sites to host a legit store for used books on.  And I found one!

Shop My Library is now an official online used book store. In the coming months I will be adding a ton of books to the store. I have two shelves, two rows deep, full of books that will be up for sale! I will also be adding books to the shop as I read and review them. Again, if you've read any of my other posts regarding this new feature, you'll know that you won't be able to purchase advanced readers copies (there's be up for grabs in giveaways!) but there will be a ton of signed books and a ton of listings will also include swag!

You can pay a few different ways. All major credit/debit cards are accepted as well as PayPal. You can also contact me if you'd like to set up an alternate payment method (such as cash if you can pick up your book in person, digital gift cards, or if you have items/books you'd like to trade).

So, welcome to my library! Click on the Shop My Library link beneath the blog header to get to the shop and see what books I have up for grabs!

Review: Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols

IG: rainydaysandpjs
Title: Biggest Flirts
Author: Jennifer Echols
Series: Superlatives #1
Website: www.jennifer-echols.com
Version Reviewed: Finished, eBook
I borrowed this book for free from Riveted Lit.

GoodReads Synopsis:
Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laidback swagger.

As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…

Review:
It had been a while since I'd read a YA book so I jumped at the chance to read this one when it became available on Riveted Lit. I'd read oe other book by Jennifer Echols in the past, Going Too Far, and I knew that I loved it so I had high hopes for Biggest Flirts.  I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed!

I loved Tia as soon as I began reading. She was spunky and rough around the edges and not your typical YA high school female heroin. She wasn't clumsy or shy or any of those cliche things you normally see in young adult lit. She was loud and flirty and rambunctious. Will, on the other hand, was her opposite. He didn't take crap from any of his peers but he was also kind of shy and wanted a real relationship but also was willing to legitimately put in the work for it. It was great to see a teenage male that was sensitive and shy in a realistic way.

Overall, I really enjoyed the relationship between Will and Tia but also the relationship that Tia had with the other people in her life. I found myself really curious about her father and I loved learning more about her relationships with her sisters and how it affected her current life on a daily basis. 

This was truly a great young adult read and I definitely won't hesitate to read more from Jennifer Echols in the future.

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

IG: rainydaysandpjs
Title: Juliet Immortal
Author: Stacey Jay
Series: Juliet Immortal #1
Version Reviewed: Finished, Hardback
Website: www.staceyjay.com

GoodReads Synopsis:
These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume.
-William Shakespeare, ROMEO AND JULIET
Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, who made the sacrifice to ensure his own immortality. But Romeo didn't anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternal life as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.
For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart. Until now.
Now Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.
Secrets unfold and surprises abound in Stacey Jay's powerfully dark romance, which reunites literature's most tragic couple.
 Review:
I've been interested and curious about this book for quite some time. I am a sucker for Romeo & Juliet. I've always loved the story. When I was little, I watched the Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes version so many times that my mother actually stopped letting me watch it. I later bought the movie in my teens and still watch it today. So it's safe to say that this hooked me in and I was dying to read it. "The greatest love story ever told is a lie." How could I not want to read it after that tagline?

I read the book really quickly. In one day, actually. It was very well written and the story was great. It was a great and interesting twist to the love story we all know (or have at least heard of). Stacey Jay had an awesome imagination. The characters she created are dark and beautiful. The story was hauntingly good and left me wanting to seek out more fiction based on Shakespeare's characters.

Definitely a book I would read again.

Rating: 4 Stars

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Excerpt & Giveaway: Smoke City by Keith Rosson


Smoke City
Keith Rosson
Published by: Meerkat Press
Publication date: January 23rd 2018
Genres: Adult, Magical Realism
Marvin Deitz has some serious problems. His mob-connected landlord is strong-arming him out of his storefront. His therapist has concerns about his stability. He’s compelled to volunteer at the local Children’s Hospital even though it breaks his heart every week.
Oh, and he’s also the guilt-ridden reincarnation of Geoffroy Thérage, the French executioner who lit Joan of Arc’s pyre in 1431. He’s just seen a woman on a Los Angeles talk show claiming to be Joan, and absolution seems closer than it’s ever been . . . but how will he find her?
When Marvin heads to Los Angeles to locate the woman who may or may not be Joan, he’s picked up hitchhiking by Mike Vale, a self-destructive alcoholic painter traveling to his ex-wife’s funeral. As they move through a California landscape populated with “smokes” (ghostly apparitions that’ve inexplicably begun appearing throughout the southwestern US), each seeks absolution in his own way.


EXCERPT:
From the journals of Marvin Deitz:

There’s a grace inherent here. In writing things down. Like a confession signed, maybe. An admission. Nothing so lofty as a salve of the spirit, but at the very least it makes one feel a little better.
My earliest memory is of being in the marketplace in Rouen with my parents. I was probably three or four years old. I was walking with my parents amongst the stalls as fast as I could manage, amazed not at the flood of people, but at how the mass of them, the tide of them, parted for us. Because I’d thought at the time that it was me, right? My mother holding my hand, I thought it was me that made the people part ways for us.
I thought I was magic.
I did not notice at the time (but can imagine now, all too well) my mother’s downcast gaze, the way we stepped hurriedly through the leering crowd. How we did not stop to look at the untold riches of food, the bolts of fabric, the tools for sale. Things we never saw in our own village. I didn’t notice how my father gripped my mother’s arm, nearly dragging her along, her belly huge and rounded as she was pregnant with my sister at the time.
Three, four years old. I noticed the people parting for us, I remember that, but not the revulsion in their eyes, the contempt.
I would realize later, of course, just what it was the townspeople had shied away from, had leered at: my father’s coat, and the stitched image of the sword on the back.
The executioner’s mark.
And as for Joan, those decades later?
She was not loved unequivocally. She just wasn’t. At least not out loud. To do so was dangerous. But her victories, it was true, allowed some of us a rekindling of faith, a brief respite against death’s constant stutter of war and plague and occupation. The hope that God was watching over us all. The idea of it, that He believed in France’s sovereignty. That He might lift His face toward us again.
And thusly the order of her execution may as well have been passed down from the very day of her capture. The moment she was seized there outside the walls of Compiègne, it should have been clear to all that she would be put to death.
When Bishop Cauchon, toady of the English, bought her from the Burgundians after her capture, I knew the trial itself would be a hoax. A mockery. Yet I heard murmurings from serfs and landowners alike—from my darkened corner of the barroom, or on my way down the road to extract another bloody, weeping confession—and some of them hoped, prayed, that such a girl, who had served so obviously as the arm of God in the name of France, would not be allowed to die such a death. That God in His mercy would surely not allow such a thing. They prayed that Charles, their blessed King—after all Joan had done for him—would surely involve himself in the matter. That Burgundy would suddenly bend its allegiance like an arrow in the wind.
But I knew, there in the dim hallways of the heart, that men simply do what they want to do. Men do their darkness and misdeeds and later claim guidance under the banner of God’s will.
Shouldn’t I know that more than anyone? Didn’t I traffic in such matters?
She would die and they would call it divinity, because that’s what people do.
The trial was orchestrated by dozens of assessors and friars and clergymen, an ever-evolving assembly of men. The lot of them little more than castrated politicians hiding behind the guise of theology. English stormtroopers practically leaning over the benches with swords drawn throughout the entire sorry thing.
And Cauchon, ah, you should have seen him. Christ, that man. So puffed up with wine and his own righteousness and the quaking fear of an English blade suddenly tickling his balls in bed some night. Terrified, but paid well for his work, too. He would later die inexplicably in his barber’s chair, and the vengeful part of me still hopes the barber was paid to bleed him. And that it hurt terribly.
I dream of Cauchon nearly as often as I dream of Joan.
But Joan. Every avenue circles back. Everything returns to the mysterious and martyred Joan of Orléans. The young peasant girl who for a brief heartbeat of time was believed to have felt God’s lips pressed to her ear.
What of Joan of Arc?
For all of my grief and heartache and guilt, the truth is I only met her once, and that was the day I burned her alive.



Author Bio:
Keith Rosson is the author of the novels The Mercy of the Tide (2017, Meerkat Press) and Smoke City (2018, Meerkat Press). His short fiction has appeared in Cream City Review, PANK, Redivider, December, and more. An advocate of both public libraries and non-ironic adulation of the cassette tape, he can be found at keithrosson.com.




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Monday, January 22, 2018

Excerpt & Giveaway: Temptation Trials Part II by B. Truly


Temptation Trials Part II
B. Truly
(Temptation Trials #2)
Publication date: September 26th 2017
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance
The Bachelorettes Meet The Devil’s Advocate
Lust, one of the seven deadly sins, is sweeping the nation into its seductive web. In this dystopian society, Cali and Stefani have to comply by the Regime’s strict rule of arranged marriage. But Eminence, the world dictator, doesn’t play fair.
Against all odds, they both decide to put their relationships through the ultimate test on The Temptation Trials—a reality TV show where every temptation of the flesh is set before them.
As participants on the show, they soon learn that losing may cost them more than the men they love. Cali’s torn, unsure of what her future holds with Cade. Stefani worries whether her relationship with Tobias can be salvaged.
Love can be blind. The betrayal they face from the Trials burden them. Will love be their redemption, or will it destroy them?
A million questions torment their minds.
Can you love two people at once? If a person is chosen for you, can those feelings be real?
Cali and Stefani must overcome heartbreak and pull together with their loved ones before it’s too late. The abominable truth is unveiled, which sends them on a journey that will jeopardize their lives.
The will of the weak is his for the taking. Can love save their souls?
Rated Mature 18 +
Adult, Dystopian, Romance and Urban Fantasy with sexual content. This riveting conclusion is not a stand-alone. Temptation Trials Part I must be read first.

EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
 * * * Stefani * * *


Glazed, cryptic eyes pierced through me, reminding me of a strung-out junky. His face seemed vaguely familiar, right down to his golden curls. Just couldn’t put my finger on where I’d seen him before. An eerie thrill rippled my spine. The way he was staring creeped me out. I quickly skirted past him, only to have Blondie clasp my arm. Okay, now I was officially freaked. “Let go of me!” I seethed. “The time has come,” he blurted. “What are you talking about?” “The decision is made … binding.” This dude was clearly psycho. He spoke in riddles, none of which I understood. “You’ve got me confused with someone else.” “No, you’re the one.” My purse, where I normally kept my Taser, was nowhere to be found. He’d better be glad or I’d light his ass up. This whole scene was turning more bizarre by the second. I couldn’t figure out where I was. My surroundings were dim and heat began to consume me. Blondie leaned closer to me. Being nearer, I got a better look at his dilated eyes. His pupils were diamond-shaped, not the usual round. His grip tightened. “Asshole. Take your hands off me!” “You’re chosen, and you’re coming with me.” Though I struggled against him, it didn’t do any damn good. Bright light blazed up ahead, mixed with smoldering heat. I soon realized the light and scalding warmth was coming from giant flames. Doubling my efforts, I fought harder, to no avail. Blondie’s face became a blur, and darkness encompassed me—the scalding heat grew stronger. Time seemed to stand still—my mind swirled in a haze. The only thought that became clear, which seemed to chisel into my mind, was that I had to make the right choice.



Author Bio:
B Truly has wanted to be an author since she was fifteen years old and is grateful to have accomplished this dream. She has very vivid dreams and a wild imagination. She likes to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. She’s addicted to romance and gets a thrill out of action and suspense. She writes New Adult and Adult Romance, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Paranormal.
B Truly has three wonderful children and a husband who defines the person she today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Sugarland, Texas.

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Sunday, January 21, 2018

Excerpt & Giveaway: Promise Me by Kelly Walker


Promise Me
Kelly Walker
Publication date: January 21st 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Self-professed Harry Potter addict and math genius River Jacobsen can count on one hand the people who matter in her life. Really, it’s just Dean, the boy who loves her despite her odd habit of counting everything around her when she needs to quiet her mind. When Dean promised her forever she never imagined it would be a lie.
After Marine hacker Ian Maclean is mistakenly declared dead by the US government, he’s happy to correct them the moment he escapes captivity. He wants nothing more than to get home to the wife he left behind. Discovering she’s been cheating on him since the moment he deployed wasn’t in the plan. Devastated, he walks away from everything, even his name.
With the futures they were counting on destroyed, Ian and River find themselves starting over. Ian reminds River of things she’d much rather forget, but pushing him away is harder than she expected. Ian wants a second chance at happily ever after, but the more he gets to know River, the more he worries she isn’t trying to figure out how to live again, but how to die.
EXCERPT:
“Please.” I meet his eyes, so he knows how serious I am. “It’s just easier this way.”
He sinks back into his couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table, staring at me. “You know she’s going to figure it out, right? I can put the money into her account. That’s no problem. But not even I can fake it to make it look like it came from the DOD.”
Widows of dead soldiers get death benefits, but that goes out the window when you turn out not to be dead. “It’ll buy me time. And she’s not exactly Warren Buffet when it comes to money. As long as the balance is about what she expects, God only knows when she’ll look at a statement and see the source.”
“I’m just going to say this one more time: it’s not the end of the world if she learns the truth. And even if she does figure it out, that doesn’t mean she can find you. We buried your trail. And she’s not looking for an Ian.”
I close my eyes. I don’t want her looking for me. Because as good as I am at seeing what others want to hide, when it comes to Olivia Reisner, I’m blind. (pg. 39)


Author Bio:
Kelly Walker is a YA and NA author of several romantic titles, including the Souls of the Stones Fantasy Romance series. She has an unhealthy appreciation for chocolate, and a soft spot for rescued animals. Her best lessons on writing came from a lifetime of reading. She loves the fantastical, and the magical, and believes a captivating romance can be the most realistic magic of all. Kelly, her husband and her two children share their Virginia home with three dogs who walk her, and two cats who permit her to occasionally share their couch.

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Saturday, January 20, 2018

Excerpt & Giveaway: On the Edge by Dani Collins


On the Edge
Dani Collins
(Blue Spruce Lodge, #1)
Published by: Tule Publishing
Publication date: January 16th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
When Glory Cormer’s father introduces her to ‘their’ new business partner, she’s appalled. Viking-like Rolf Johansson exudes the same alpha-intimidation that jocks used to torment her through high school. After nursing her mother the last several years, she’s trying to break out of her shell and secretly pursue a writing career, but Rolf insists she go through with the rotten deal her father struck with his brother to renovate an old chalet.
Rolf envisions this mountain as a world-class resort for elite athletes and other jet setters. As a downhill champion and owner of a world-renowned sports equipment empire, he knows what it takes to get what he wants. Nothing will stop him, especially not a hotheaded wallflower who turns the ice in his veins to lava.
Bonus Story! This book contains Glory’s novella Blessed Winter, a no-room-at-the-inn Christmas romance.
EXCERPT:
“I’m saying I don’t know how to deal with it. I’m not a sensitive man. I don’t want to hurt you again.” His fingers crept all the way around her upper arm, thumb stroking her skin as he gently clasped her in his warm grip.
“So don’t,” she suggested with a flash of irritation.
“Okay.” How did he make one word sound so dangerous? Like a dare. “You tell me what hurts more. Resisting or giving in?”
And now she was falling into an eclipse, staring into eyes that were golden and black at the same time, pulling her right out of herself and twisting her around so her body was in a sensual agony, tied up and yearning.
“Should we see?” he murmured, hands touching her with light sorcery, caressing her arm, caressing her throat, tilting up her chin.
She shouldn’t be this stupid, but she did hurt. All the time. With want…
His head lowered, slanted. His mouth hovered so she could feel the magnetic buzz of ions bouncing between their lips. When he nudged, made that first contact, her mouth stung, so hot and sensitized with anticipation she gasped.
He settled his lips over hers, hot and thorough. Confident. He kissed her in a way she had never been kissed before. This man held himself back with monumental discipline, she realized, because when he went for something, he went for it, and he was a force to be reckoned with. He claimed her with irresistible precision, mouth pressing hers open so the connection went from sweet suggestion to overwhelming passion in a single heartbeat.
She opened her mouth and let him in. Kissed him back with more offering than skill, not even hesitating. Compelled. If he was screwing with her—
Whatever she had consciously been thinking sizzled into nothing. She forgot how to form thoughts. All she knew was the feel of his lips against hers, smooth and firm, pulling just enough to make her follow him, then pressing to keep her sealed inside their world.
His hand slid through her hair to cup the back of her skull. His other arm went around her, broad hand slipping beneath her loose shirt to sit against the skin of her lower back, leaving a starfish of heat imprinted there. A shudder went through her, all of her muscles checking out and giving her body over to his strength. All she could do was lift her arms and cling around his neck, plastering herself to him while they devoured each other. Tongues came into play. His. Hers. She moaned, loving the swirling textures. Reveling in their blatant consumption of each other.
He was hard. She felt him against her abdomen and pulses of reaction hit her loins, making her want to grind against him. She wanted to do it already. Now.
As she realized how caught up she was, she yanked back, gasping.
He let her put some space between them, but kept his arm around her. His cheekbones were flushed above his beard, his eyes like liquid gold.
She hadn’t minded that beard, she realized, and wanted to stroke it with her fingers. She touched instead where the soft hairs had scraped against her chin, wondering how that rough-soft abrasion would feel against her stomach. Her thighs.
Her body reacted with a rush of heat and another pulse. She was very aware of the bed right there, while his eyes were halos of light around pupils the size of the moon.
“And that,” he said, accent thick. “Is why it is my business who spends time in this room.”


Author Bio:
Award-winning, USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life. Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule’s Montana Born, but her backlist of forty books also includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy. When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. She lives in Christina Lake, BC, Canada with her husband of thirty years who occasionally coaxes her out of her attic office to visit their grown children.

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Friday, January 19, 2018

Excerpt & Giveaway: Right Side by Leigh Taylor


Right Side
Leigh Taylor
(Worth The Wait, #2)
Publication date: January 12th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance
Beatrice Remington has one great love in life. Fashion.
When Bea followed her twin brother, Henry, and his ranching dream to Oaks, Texas after graduating from fashion school; running the local boot shop seemed like a dream come true. Bea has everything she wants in life with her thriving business and a budding collection of couture formal wear designs until she watches her brother fall in love. Bea realizes the missing piece to her happiness is the love of her best friend and secret crush, Al Bosco. After years of dancing around one another, Bea sets up a date with the town vet to make Al jealous enough to claim her. However, Bea’s plan backfires and leaves her alone in Oaks with nothing but one fake boyfriend, one broken heart and one wedding dress to design.
Al Bosco has one great love in life.
Beatrice Remington.
Al has spent his entire life as the third wheel to the Remington twins. Somewhere along the line, as Henry became his brother, Beatrice became the love of his life. Only he’s never had the courage to admit it out loud. When Al shunned the family business to become a ranch hand at The Waitin’ Ranch, he set off a chain reaction that ensured he couldn’t risk bringing Bea’s heart into the chaos. As he finally breaks down and returns to his hometown to make things right so he can give Bea everything she deserves; she walks in holding hands with the town vet and looking happier than ever. Al may have a bruised ego but he’s on a mission to win Beatrice’s love once and for all. When he finally returns to Oaks, will his girl still have a heart to give to him or will Al be left with nothing but regret?
Can Beatrice and Al get on the right side before their love story becomes another scrap on the cutting room floor?
EXCERPT:
I juggle my coffee as I slide the key into my studio door’s lock and push it open. Before I can get the lights on, the smell of fresh lilac hits me.
In the faint sunlight from the small windows, I see a floral arrangement on one of my work tables.
I flip on the lights and smile as I see the beautiful display in its glory.
The lilac sprigs are white and accent lush lipstick pink roses and baby pink peonies. It’s all my favorite flowers in my favorite colors.
I wonder if they’re a gift from Leslie so I cross the room quickly.
As I set my mug and my sketchpad down, I frown when I see the handwritten note by the flowers.
Not Leslie.
I finger the sheet of legal paper with lines of prose written in Sharpie.
Doubt the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
-Shakespeare


Author Bio:
Leigh Taylor is a native Texan who now calls the Windy City home. Leigh loves all things romance related including novels and classic movies. Her love of reading and Texas inspired her to begin writing and share her characters with readers everywhere. When she isn’t working or writing about cowboys, Leigh enjoys spending time exploring her city, playing with her pets and relaxing with friends over a cup of tea or whiskey.

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Thursday, January 18, 2018

Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin Movie Blitz!




Title: Forever My Girl 
Author: Heidi McLaughlin 
Production Company: Roadside Flix 
In theaters on January 19, 2018

For Ticket Purchase Information 

click <<HERE>>

Official Movie Trailer


FOREVER MY GIRL will release in theaters on January 19, 2018

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. 

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. 

And now I’m going back. After ten years. I hope I can explain that after all this time. I still want her to be my forever girl.

Official Teaser

 



Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers. 

Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup and a Highland West/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL and her brother, Racicot. 

When she's isn't writing one of the many stories planned for release, you'll find her sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games. 

Heidi's first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Roth, in theaters January 19, 2018. 

To stay connected with Heidi visit www.facebook.com/authorheidimclaughlin  or heidimclaughlin.com

Movie Facebook Page | Movie Website

Finally Home Video

GRAB A COPY OF THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE MOVIE

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