Luca by Brenda Rothert - Release Day!

Today we are celebrating the release of LUCA by Brenda Rothert. This is a contemporary romance, standalone, and it is the second title in the Chicago Blaze hockey romance series. 

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Book Description:

Abby

I only have one love now—the home furnishings business I’m building into an empire. Maybe money and success can’t love me back, but they keep what’s left of my heart safe. One-night stands are my way of scratching the occasional itch I get for something more. And no one’s better for that than a sexy as sin hockey player I’ll never see again after one very hot night together.

Luca

I used to love two things: hockey and women. But now my nieces and nephew are my top priority, because I’m raising them after tragedy stole their parents. Somehow I balance single parenthood and my career as a forward for the Chicago Blaze. There’s no time for women, until I get knocked on my ass by Abby Daniels. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted, but her devastating past may end us before we even get started.

Excerpt: 

“Hold still, Uncle Luca.”

My niece Emerson gives me her best glare, but she’s five and cute, so it makes me smile.

“I’m trying,” I tell her, checking out the dark purple polish she’s trying to brush onto my nails.

It’s not my inability to hold still that has more nail polish on my skin than my nails; it’s her technique. My “MANicure”, as my two nieces like to call it, started with my ten-year-old niece Cora and was then passed off to Emerson.

“I found yogurt!” Cora says as she breezes into my bathroom. “It’s got strawberries in the bottom, but that’s okay. This face mask will make you smell good, Uncle Luca.”

I try not to roll my eyes. It’ll be better than the last face mask they whipped up in the kitchen, which had butter in it and was a bitch to scrub off in the shower.

“I have to leave for practice in twenty-five minutes,” I remind the girls. “And I still need a shower. So you have ten more minutes to beautify me.”

“Will you paint my nails, too?” Cora asks me.

“Sure.”

I was shit at painting nails when I first became the legal guardian of my two nieces and one nephew a little over a year ago. With practice, though, I’ve gotten pretty damn good at it.

“How long ‘til Gram and Gramps will be here?” Emerson asks, still painting my thumb nail even though she’s looking at me.

“About four hours ‘til their flight lands, then maybe an hour for them to get to the house.”

Her toothless grin of excitement makes me ignore the nail polish I can feel on my knuckle.

“Emerson!” Cora yells. “You ruined it! That looks awful.”

Cora picks up the bottle of purple nail polish and Emerson’s happy expression drops away.

“Give it to me,” Cora huffs, holding out her hand for the handle to the polish. “I never should have let you do it.”

“Hey, now.” I give Cora a sharp look. “She was doing her best.”

Cora’s eyes flood with tears. Emerson edges closer to me, because she knows what happens when Cora gets upset.

“He won’t let us do spa days if you mess it up!” Cora cries, glaring at her younger sister. “You ruined everything!”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” I tell Emerson. “And Cora, I never said we wouldn’t do this again. We can do a big spa day after my road trip, okay?”

Cora wipes her eyes and nods, still crying. It kills me to see her like this. As the oldest, she carries more of the weight from the deaths of her parents than her siblings. We’ve been in counseling for more than a year now, transitioning through the death of their mother, my sister-in-law Danielle, to the kids’ new life with me as their guardian. The clinical terms for what Cora struggles with—anxiety and controlling tendencies—are easier for me to handle than her breakdowns.

The tension leaves the room and Emerson starts my massage, which is pretty much just her karate chopping my shoulders, while Cora slathers strawberry yogurt onto my face.

“Is your shoulder better?” Cora asks me.

“Yep, it’s all good.”

“Think my mashage helped?” Emerson asks from behind me.

She can’t pronounce some words, and I kinda hope that’ll last longer, because it gets me every time.

“It definitely helped,” I tell her.

I tweaked my shoulder at practice yesterday, and Cora noticed me wince when I was taking out the trash last night. She worries about every sinus cold and bruise I get. I can’t blame the kid. Her dad, my brother Matt, died serving in Iraq and her mom passed away from cancer a year later.

“Hey, let’s get your nails painted, Cora,” I say after glancing at my watch. “I’ve only got five minutes til I have to hit the shower.” I turn to Emerson. “Can you go get the nail polish remover, peanut?”

“Okay.” She races from the room, brown curls flying behind her.

 

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, chocolate, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.

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Exposed by Sarah Robinson - Box Set Release and GiveAway

Today we have the release day blitz for Sarah Robinson’s Exposed Boxset!

 Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!

Title: Exposed Boxset

Author: Sarah Robinson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Get Your Copy Today!

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Book Description:

Hailed by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely for Nudes as "Passionate, emotional and uplifting!", contemporary romance author Sarah Robinson brings readers a collection of sexy Hollywood romances that tackle challenging themes like the intersection of sexuality and female empowerment while also exciting readers with every page. 

NUDES Ben Lawson is making a comeback... After a few tabloid headlines, they think they know me. They don't know a damn thing. As CEO of a movie production company, I'll show them who I really am when we hit it big at the box office. My ex thought her smear tactics would ruin me, but I'm unbreakable. Rising from the debris, I swore I'd never let a woman distract me like that again. But then, my leading actress walked on the set and changed everything. Seductive, sexy, and unapologetic, Aria Rose could break me. I wanted to help her, protect her...love her. Instead, I destroyed her. Aria Rose is baring it all.... I knew better. I knew not to trust another Hollywood heartthrob with a reputation like his. He was my boss and became my ruin. I should have stayed far away from him. Ben Lawson promised me the world. He even promised me his heart. But he destroyed everything--my heart, my career, us. BARE Reed Scott is the hottest actor in LA... Being a Hollywood heartthrob has its perks, and I've damn sure enjoyed every one of them, both on and off the silver screen. The tabloids loved every second of exploiting my privacy, chronicling my mistakes in ink for the whole world to see. Accepting the lead role in a romantic dance film was guaranteed to make me a box office hit and help me rewrite my image, until the choreographer hired to train me turned out to be the only woman I'd ever loved and lost. As beautiful and enticing as ever, Teagan walks in and reminds me of the worst mistake I've ever made. She should hate me, and now she has the power to destroy everything I am. Teagan Reynolds is picking up the pieces...  Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...never going to happen. I fell in love with Reed Scott once and it nearly killed me--literally. The last thing I want to do now is teach him how to dance, but I need this job and there's no way I'm letting him take yet another thing away from me. Reed is in my world now, and this time we're dancing by my rules. SHEER Grant Mercer is on the run from his secrets… This was supposed to be an easy assignment—travel halfway across the globe and compose the musical score for an upcoming Hollywood movie by one of the biggest production companies in Los Angeles. One and done like dozens of times before. I wasn't supposed to have my entire life crumble around me the moment my plane took off. I wasn't supposed to meet her. Intriguing and covered in ink, Simone enters my life like a storm, leaving only heartbreak in her wake. I should keep my distance. Hell, she should keep hers. Instead, we did the exact opposite. Simone Reynolds is mending a broken heart… Just months after finaling in one of television's most watched singing competitions, I should be riding the high of my life. I should be celebrating starring in a musical film predicted to rock the box office. It's hard to bask in my success when my family is suffering a loss we never saw coming. And then there's Grant—brooding and rugged and an absolute pain in my ass as he messes with my movie. He's as broken as I am, but the perfect harmony is only a leap of faith away.

  Includes a bonus extended series epilogue with the entire family, and two short excerpts from the author's other novels.

 

  Enter Sarah's Giveaway:  

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About Sarah Robinson:

Aside from being a Top 10 Barnes & Noble and Amazon Bestseller, Sarah Robinson is a native of the Washington, DC area and has both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in forensic and clinical psychology. She is newly married to a wonderful man who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiasts as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescues including everything from mammals to reptiles to marsupials, as well as volunteering and fostering for multiple animal shelters. Subscribe to her newsletter at www.subscribepage.com/sarahrobinsonnewsletter Visit the author's website for more information about Sarah and her books: http://booksbysarahrobinson.net/  

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Slow Shift by Nazarea Andrews - Release Day!

Today we are celebrating the release of SLOW SHIFT by Nazarea Andrews. 

Slow Shift is an adult, paranormal m/m romantic standalone novel. Purchase your copy now while it's only $1.99.

 Read an exclusive excerpt from the book below. 

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Book Description:

One angry, grieving boy. 

Chase DeWitt is fourteen when his mother dies and he stumbles into the woods beyond his home, angry and heartbroken. He didn’t know that it would change the course of his life.

Two broken, lonely men.  

Tyler Reid is twenty three, grumpy and angry, trying to take care of a injured brother, and rebuilding a life blind hatred destroyed in one night. But he understands the boy who stumbles out of the woods and into his life, understands the grief in his eyes and the rage that makes him shake. And there is something in that familiar grief that makes Tyler trust Chase, when trusting humans has only ever lead to disaster. 

  And a falling down house they make a home.  

As the summer passes and the years turn, Chase cares for Tyler’s brother, helps him rebuilding the house in the woods, as they help each other rebuild a life beyond the little house, Chase realizes two important things: these men matter to him, could be family. And they are not nearly as human as they seem.

Excerpt: 

“Are you really ok with this?” Chase asks later that night when Tyler slips into his bedroom and curls behind him on his bed. It’s not small but it always feels like it is when Tyler is in it with him. He’s quiet, so Chase tilts his head back and says, “You don’t have to. We can find another way.” “I’m ok. We need to do this,” Tyler says. Chase nods. He touches the runes tattooed on Tyler’s ribs, the ones he marked Tyler with, and Tyler arches into the touch. “Remember you’re mine, Tyler. Whatever happens, whatever she says, you’re mine. And I won't let her hurt what's mine.” Tyler shuffles into him, presses his face into Chase’s throat, and they cling to each other as the night deepens around them.

DON'T MISS EXCLUSIVE DETAILS!

Join Nazarea's READER GROUP.

You can get exclusive news, sneak peeks, giveaways, and more!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binge watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. N is a self-professed geek and enjoys spending her spare time lost in her favorite fandoms and can often be found babbling about them on social media. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.  

AUTHOR LINKS:

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Dear Jane by Kendall Ryan - Release Day Review

   

WE ARE THRILLED TO BRING YOU THE COVER FOR DEAR JANE FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR KENDALL RYAN RELEASING OCTOBER 15TH!

   

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Author: Kendall Ryan

Publication Date:  15 October, 2018

Publisher: Self-Published

Series:  Stand-Alone

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Age Recommendation: 17 and Up

Rating: 4 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

   

I broke her heart ten years ago and left town. She hates me, and rightly so. It doesn’t matter that the rest of the country loves me, that I’m a starting quarterback with a multimillion-dollar contract. Because when I look in the mirror, all I see is a failure who was too young—and too afraid—to fight for what I wanted. But I’m not that guy anymore, and all I need is one shot to convince her. *** He has no idea what happened after he left. And now I’m supposed to work alongside him like we don’t have this huge, messy history? But I’m older now, wiser, and I won’t let anything stand in my way of doing a good job for this league. Not even one overpaid, arrogant player who thinks we’re going to kiss and make up. News flash, buddy: I am over you.  

            

My Review:

If you are looking for a sweet romance, look no further.  I quite enjoyed this second chance romance, even when I wanted to hit the Hero on the head, lol.  Dear Jane is the story of first loves, the mistakes of youth, the fear of failure, the truth in forgiveness, and the knowledge that while we can't go back in time we can go back to the people who have always loved us if we go back with our hearts and minds open.  

I really loved Jane.  She is an amazingly resilient heroine, who makes her way in the world on her own terms, through knowledge and hard work.  She has made palace for herself in a man's world and no one questions her right to be there.  I love her and Wes's back story and the way that kendall Ryan weaves in through their current relationship.  While it is a huge part of where they have come from and it plays a part in their coming back together, I loved that it wasn't the reason they came back together, that they find their older, more mature selves just as in love with each other as they had been when they were 'children'.

Wes is also a really great character, when I am not wanting to give him a good shake that is.  He knows what he wants in life and he works hard to get it, never giving up, never backing down.  Problem is he is n't the self-assured, cocky guy that the public thinks he is or that they think he should be.  he is actually quite self-depracating and unsure of himself, especially when it comes to the things that matter the most to him.  Why does he work so hard to be the best quarterback? Because of his fear that he won't be the best.  Why does he run repeatedly away from the love of his life?  Because he is afraid to lose his focus, because he is afraid he can't measure up to the man he believes and he thinks others believe he should be for her.  He is a bit of a conundrum, this star football player with the world at his finger tips, and yet he's afraid to grasp it.  

I would have really enjoyed maybe a little more backstory on the why's of his prior relationship failing.  You know me and I like to see karma getting her own when someone deserves is and considering the relationship he is leaving when he switches teams I would have liked to see the outcome of that.  I also wouldn't have minded a closer look at the rivalry between the two teams now that the 'cat is out of the bag' on his prior relationship and since he has moved teams. 

Dear Jane is a super quick sweet read and is the perfect book to give you just that little bit of romance you might need.  Its a great choice of book to pick up anytime, but especially when you are in-between reads and maybe not ready for your next 'big emotional' book.

~ HAPPY READING ~

About Kendall Ryan:

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. 

 

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The Darkest Warrior by Gena Showalter - Excerpt Spotlight

   

The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, returns with THE DARKEST WARRIOR, a searing Lords of the Underworld tale featuring a beastly prince and the wife he will wage war to keep. 

THE DARKEST WARRIOR is now available where all fine books are sold. Grab your copy today!

   

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B-A-M ~ Kobo ~ BookDepository ~ Audio

Book Description:

He is ice…

Puck the Undefeated, host of the demon of Indifference, cannot experience emotion without punishment, so he allows himself to feel nothing. Until her. According to ancient prophecy, she is the key to avenging his past, saving his realm and ruling as king. All he must do? Steal her from the man she loves—and marry her.

She is fire…

Gillian Shaw has suffered many tragedies in her too-short life, but nothing could have prepared the fragile human for her transition into immortality. To survive, she must wed a horned monster who both intrigues and frightens her…and become the warrior queen she was born to be.

Together they burn.

As a rising sense of possession and obsession overtake Puck, so does insatiable lust. The more he learns about his clever, resourceful wife, the more he craves her. And the more time Gillian spends with her protective husband, the more she aches for him. But the prophecy also predicts an unhappily-ever-after. Can Puck defeat fate itself to keep the woman who brought his deadened heart back to life? Or will they succumb to destiny, losing each other…and everything they’ve been fighting for?

     

Excerpt:

“You’ll be well-guarded here,” he continued, tilting his head to the side. “I promise.” 

“First of all, your promises mean nothing to me.”

He shrugged. “That doesn’t sound like a me problem.”

Do not lash out. Do not dare lash out. “Second,” she continued, “well-guarded things get boosted all the time and—” 

“Enough.” The lights in his irises brightened as he cupped her jaw and traced his thumbs over her cheeks. “I’m going to kiss you goodbye, wife. The barest tasting.”

What! Her heartbeat stuttered against her ribs, her blood flashing white-hot in an instant. Tingles tantalized her now aching body. After everything he’d done, he expected a make-out session in front of other people? 

“Why?” Really? I ask him why? I don’t tell him to get bent? 

Indifference tap-danced across her mind, sharp claws slicing through gray matter. She cringed, even whimpered. 

“Focus on me, not the fiend,” Puck said, perhaps recognizing the signs of the demon’s interference. 

She obeyed, peering up at him, this man who’d become her husband, who’d been at times unnecessarily cruel and at others surprisingly kind. How could she even consider kissing him? She didn’t know him, not really, and definitely didn’t trust him. 

Despite those moments of kindness, he was a liar. He had ice for a heart. Or maybe that was why she should kiss him. He wouldn’t get overly excited. He might not even get turned on. Which was what she wanted, kind of. But kind of...not. 

“You will remember me—think of me—while I’m gone,” he said, and he wasn’t asking a question but issuing a command. Protest. Now. Before you start to panic, and the demon reacts worse. 

But...the part of her who wanted him turned on also wanted him to think of her while he was gone. Wanted him know what he’d lost the moment he’d used her. 

Oh, really? What did he lose? Tell me.

Shut up.

Spiteful Gillian won. She rose to her tiptoes, saying, “Kiss me, then. I dare you.”

He met her halfway and slanted his lips over hers. Erotic flicks of his tongue coaxed more tingles to the surface and fanned the flames of desire. Hot, so wonderfully hot. The aches magnified as he thrust with more force, his divine taste and ever-increasing frenzied pace dragging a moan of surrender from deep inside her. A sound he utterly devoured, as if he’d never been so starved—or enjoyed a tastier meal. 

His skill, expert. His ruthlessness, on full display. 

Puck didn’t bother to learn her, or explore her nuances; he took, gave and demanded... everything, his tongue dominating hers with a promise of untold riches. She was helpless to resist.

     

 

About Gena Showalter: Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours!  Her books have been translated in multiple languages. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans  

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Gena Showalter’s THE DARKEST WARRIOR –Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

June 27^th

Diane's Book Blog – Excerpt

NallaReads – Review & Excerpt

Milky Way of Books – Excerpt

June 28^th

Books, Coffee & Passion – Excerpt

I'm A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Excerpt

Jen's Reading Obsession – Excerpt

TMBA Corbett Tries to Write – Excerpt

June 29^th

Busy Bumble Bee Book Reviews – Excerpt

East Coast Book Chicks – Excerpt

The Reading Cafe – Excerpt

Total Book Geek – Excerpt

June 30^th

All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

Deluged with Books Cafe – Excerpt

Feel the Book – Excerpt

I Smell Sheep – Excerpt

My Nook, Books & More – Excerpt

July 1^st

Booknerd1107 – Excerpt

Kinky Desires – Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

The Book Disciple – Excerpt

July 2^nd

Crazii Bitches Book Bloc – Review & Excerpt

Rantings of a Reading Addict – Excerpt

Reads All the Books – Excerpt

Smokin' Hot Reads Book Blog – Excerpt

July 3^rd

Moonlight Rendezvous – Excerpt

Sofia Loves Books – Review & Excerpt

Words We Love By – Excerpt

Yvonne-99loving-Books – Excerpt

July 4^th

Only One More Page – Excerpt

Rainy Thursdays – Excerpt

Somewhere Lost in Books – Excerpt

July 5^th

Evermore Books – Excerpt

Little Red Reading Hood – Excerpt

Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Up All Night with Books – Excerpt

July 6^th

Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt

Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt

Reviews from the Heart – Excerpt

Ruby's Books – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Babes Blog Reviews – Excerpt

July 7^th

BJ's Book Blog – Excerpt

Brittany's Book Blog – Excerpt

Dirty Girl Romance – Review

 

At Your Service by Lexi Blake - Release Day Excerpt

 

       

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Book Description:

Juliana O’Neil’s promising future was burned away in the heat of battle. She had been an officer with a bright future in the military, but now she is struggling to survive. Her husband gone and her career in shambles, she finds a job at Top as a hostess and tries to put together the pieces of her life. The last thing she needs is any kind of male attention, but she can’t help but be amused at her neighbor and coworker’s lothario antics. Not that she would have anything to do with him, at least not for more than one night. Javier Leones doesn’t understand monogamy. No woman could ever be enough for his endless libido, but he has to admit Juliana has his attention. For reasons he doesn’t fully understand, he can’t seem to get the gorgeous redhead with the sad eyes out of his head. After one scorching night together, he realizes he’ll never be able to get her out of his system. But with his reputation, he fears she’ll never see him as more than a one-night stand. When their passions collide, these new lovers will be forced to confront Juliana’s past and come to terms with Javier’s present. Will they find their way or will this reservation be canceled at the last minute?  

Excerpt:

    All alone with the storm. Maybe she should call Kai. And ask him to get out in the middle of this? That seemed pretty selfish especially since she knew exactly how poorly driving in storms could go. A hard flash of white light made her jump back. Nope. She wasn’t going there. She was going to stay in the here and now, and that meant finding a flashlight and trying to get some candles lit. Someone was out there working on getting the power back on, and then she would ride out the storm watching rom coms and falling asleep on the couch. It was going to be okay. Deep breath. It was going to be okay. A few moments later she’d found her one flashlight and had a nice set of candles out, and she was faced with the problem of lighting the suckers. Oh, she had a big box of matches, but she’d never struck a match without her left hand. A lighter would be easier. She could figure out a lighter maybe. Jules tried holding the box against the table with her stump while she struck the match with her right hand. She fumbled, the action so unnatural it made her slip up and break the match. And the second one. And the third one. Tears pierced her eyes, but she wasn’t going to shed them. She was going to figure this out or she would make due with the flashlight. It was all about adapting. That was what she had to do. Adapt. She wasn’t going to let this beat her. Normally she was tough. It had happened and she dealt with it, but between the storm and the conversation with Suzanne the day before about her mother and the sweetness of flirting with a handsome man she couldn’t have, she was feeling awfully vulnerable. She wasn’t going to sit here in the dark and cry. A knock on the door made her gasp and jump. Fuck. She wasn’t like this. She hated this…this anxiety she got when it rained. It was weakness and she couldn’t abide it. If you walk away from this you’ll ruin your life, Juliana. Don’t think I’ll watch you do it. You go through with this and you do it on your own. Am I understood? Sometimes she felt like she was still seven years old, and if she could just get her mom’s attention everything would be okay. Jules gripped the flashlight and walked across her apartment to the door. It was likely one of the neighbors coming to check on her. Actually, that was an excellent idea. She could go down and see if Mrs. Gleeson needed some company. There were some elderly residents she could check on and a single mom she’d met at the end of the hall. She could see if she could be of any assistance and that would get her through the night. She opened the door expecting to see anyone but the man she saw standing there. Javier Leones. He had a flashlight in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He was wearing jeans and a button down that he’d left undone enough she could see a nice swath of golden brown skin. His hair was deliciously mussed, as though he’d taken a shower and simply rubbed a towel over it to get it dry. He was big and male and so sexy it hurt to look at him, and Jules realized she could do something else to take her mind off things. Those plump, sensual lips of his broke into a bright smile. “I thought you might like some company. I know I would. I actually don’t have any candles, so I was sitting in my living room with this sad one flashlight. You look like a woman who likes some candles.” But she couldn’t light them. She hadn’t figured that part out. His face fell and he walked into her place, closing and locking the door behind him. “Hey, what’s wrong? It’s okay if you don’t have any candles. It’s cool. Two flashlights are better than one.” He set the flashlight and wine bottle down and moved into her space, his hands coming up to cup her shoulders. “Jules, what’s wrong?” She had to be stronger than this. She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.” His jaw tightened. “Don’t. Please don’t. I live with a stubborn asshole who won’t let me help him in any way. I get that we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but I thought we were friends. You help me out all the time. You’re kind to me. Fucking let me be kind to you. I spend every day trying to help someone who won’t let me. Please let me feel like I’m worth something.” If he’d said anything else, joked about the weather or told her to suck it up, she could have, but he’d opened a door. He’d been vulnerable and honest, and she found she couldn’t pay that back with stubbornness. “I have candles and I can’t figure out how to light them.” Tears rolled down her face. She was vulnerable. All the time. Even when she pretended like she wasn’t. “You can’t…” he began and then he looked down. Instead of stepping back and giving her space, he drew his hand down her arm, warming her skin where he touched her. It was dark but the moon was full and gave enough light to see the outline of his face. There was no look of horror there. He caressed her arm until he got to the place where she’d been split apart and sewn back together unwhole. He brought it up and wrapped it against his palm, his fingers closing around it until the whole thing was surrounded with his warmth. “You haven’t figured out how to do it yet. Probably hasn’t come up or you would know what to do. How long since you lost your hand?” “A year and a half,” she said. He was touching her there. No one had touched her there except her doctors and therapists. Come to think of it, no one had touched her at all since before the accident. Had it really been so long since she’d felt warm flesh against her own? He was so close, close enough that all she would have to do was go up on her toes to brush her lips against his. Would that be wrong? As long as she remembered who she was dealing with, why couldn’t she take a few moments of respite for herself? If he wanted her.  

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER~ WEBSITE ~ AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Wolf Prey by Nina West - Cover Reveal

Releasing in August 2016, WOLF PREY is the highly anticipated and stunning conclusion to Nina West's Wolf Cove Series. 

Check out this insanely hot cover for WOLF PREY! And be sure to grab WOLF BAIT & WOLF BITE today!

     

GoodReads

Book Description:

Forced to leave Alaska to run the family farm while her father recovers from a tragic accident, Abbi heads home knowing she has the one thing she wants most –Henry’s affections. She's determined to not let anyone get in the way of that again.

But love for Abbi isn't easy.

With an overbearing mother who believes she has the right to approve who her daughter loves, a childhood ex-boyfriend who will do anything to win her back, and a wealthy, handsome boyfriend who always gets what he wants, Abbi soon realizes she may have to make some impossible choices in order to take control of her life.

**WOLF PREY is the stunning conclusion to the sexy, addictive Wolf Cove Series, and should be read after WOLF BAIT and WOLF BITE.**

 

Check out this excerpt from Book 1 in the Wolf Cove Series, WOLF BAIT!

 

 I frown, peering over at the boat in question, now even blurrier than before. “I didn’t notice anyone there.”

“Not surprised. Come on. You need to go to bed.” His hand slides around my lower back and prods me toward shore.

A rare defiant streak surges. I didn’t fly thousands of miles away from my overbearing mama only to be scolded and ordered around by a stranger. I jab his chest with my finger. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not the boss of me. The boss is the boss of me. And he can boss me.” I’m not sure that made much sense.

“And who is he?” Amusement laces his tone.

“I don’t know. Some arrogant big bad wolf billionaire who sleeps with Victoria’s Secret models and changes women like underwear. He sounds like a complete jerk. But you’re not him. You’re...” I’m leaning against his chest now. A broad, solid chest, his muscles hard against me. I reach up with the hand I used to poke him to touch the few weeks’ worth of growth covering his face, my fingertips scratching across the coarse hair. “A lumberjack.”

“A lumberjack.”

“Yes. With this beard and this,” I rub my hand over his flannel checkered jacket, sitting open, and then to the shirt beneath, reveling in the ridges of his stomach. “Definitely a lumberjack. Did they hire lumberjacks to cut wood for that giant fireplace in there? They’ve hired people for everything else. I mean, seriously, who comes up to Alaska to get their pubic area waxed and their hair colored? And yet there’s a full-service salon!”

His hands have found my waist again. He takes several steps backward, pulling me along with him.

But I dig my heels in. “I’m not going anywhere until I check the water for my glasses! I have a flashlight!” I yell, earning his shush.

He heaves a sigh. “Will you let me take you back to your cabin immediately after?”

“Once I do that, I will happily go to bed with you. Not with you. I’ll go to bed. I’m not going to bed with a lumberjack.” My tongue feels thick and slow as it trips over my rambling words.

“Fine. But I’m holding on to you the entire time. The owner doesn’t need any of his employees drowning.”

“Deal.”

He leads me back to the edge and drops to his knees with me. “Sit your ass right down or you’ll end up pulling us both in.”

“That’s no way to speak to a lady.”

He snorts. “It is when she’s as stubborn as a mule and as drunk as an Irishman.”

Grab your copies of the first two books in the Wolf Cove Series!

 

WOLF BAIT

   

WOLF BITE

  About Nina West: Nina West lives in the city but spends her summers in the wilderness with her husband. She loves having a steaming cup of cocoa in one hand and a steamy story full of angst in the other. 

Follow her on Facebook and Twitter!    

 

Fatal Beauty by Nazarea Andrews - Chapter Reveal

 

Today I am helping to reveal chapter 1 from FATAL BEAUTY by author Nazarea Andrews. This book will be released October 13th and it is an Adult Thriller.

GOODREADS

Book Description:

Charlotte was a good girl. Sweet and innocent, a debutante with her Daddy’s credit card and a fiancée who doted on her. She was destined for a perfect picture life in Charleston. Until everything goes wrong. EJ grew up with everything she could ever want, and bored as hell. Nothing surprises her and nothing ever changes, and she wants out—whatever it takes. Getting involved with Anthony Jacobs is probably the worst idea she’s ever had—and that makes it irresistible. Until Charlie needs her. New Orleans. Los Angles. Vegas. Beautiful girls who know just how to get exactly what they want. It’s all fun and games, sexy nights and wild parties. But you can only manipulate your way out of so much, and when their past catches up, not even a pretty fucking smile will get them out of trouble this time.

EXCERPT:

  Las Vegas Police Department, Interrogation Room B. Detective Blackmon: State your name for the record.

Charlotte Brooks: (clears throat) Charlie Brooks.

Detective Blackmon: Your legal name, ma’am. 

Brooks: Charlotte Suzanne Brooks. 

Detective Blackmon: Have you been advised of your rights, ma’am? 

Brooks: (soft laugh) you advised me of them. So yes. 

Detective Blackmon: Do you want to tell us how you came to know Ms Ella Jane Munro? 

Brooks: Where is she? 

Detective Blackmon: Ma’am, I need you to calm down and give your statement. 

Brooks: Where the fuck is EJ? 

Detective Blackmon: At night fifty pm the LVPD were called to a hotel room secured with a credit card in your name. Upon searching it, we found drugs, weapons and almost two hundred in cash. Do you want to say anything about that? 

Brooks: I wasn’t in that room, and neither were my belongings. You verified that. My wallet was stolen. And I want EJ.

Brooks: Why the hell are you looking at me like that? 

Detective Blackmon: Ma’am… 

Brooks: (screaming) where the hell is EJ? 

Chapter 1 

 If she could look at it, with the hindsight of everything that had happened, she would say that it all began six months before Wallace Bryce Talbert went missing. The day Ella Jane Munro sold Llewellyn Koonts a hit of blow in the locker room of her father's country club. Of course, if she had the luxury of hindsight, she might have changed everything by simply going to lunch at the Greenhouse instead of tennis at the club. Then again. Charlotte had never had much use for hindsight and even less for regrets. * Charlie Brooks was an institution at the Buringtree Country Club. She had grown up in the halls, played tennis early and well, swam in the summer and pranced around the greens in tiny shorts, her blonde hair bobbing in her signature braid. She was a perfect debutant. Sweet as sugar when it suited her, and an utter bitch when it didn't. The staff at the club lived in fear of her temper. HR had to step in when she was in high school and they couldn't keep a staff--Charlie either terrorized them into quitting or demanded they were fired over minor infractions. And because she was Travis Brooks only daughter, she usually got her way. Ella Jane Munro was different from Charlie. Just as bitchy, just as demanding. Filthy fucking rich. But Charlie revealed in who and what she was born to. She never wanted anything but to be the queen bee at her private school, at the club, and Vanderbilt. Everything she did was carefully calculated for how it would reflect on her and how people viewed her. It’s why she and Ella Jane had never gotten along, despite being in the same circles. From the outside, they would have made the perfect frenemies. Self-destructive, the kind of too close back-stabbing that would fuel the wet dreams of high school boys with visions of love hate sexcapdes. Ella Jane and Charlie didn't cooperate. Ella was bored to death with country club life and everything expected of a deb. And she might be an it girl, in her blasé way, but she never aspired to steal Charlie's crown. They existed for most of their life, in a kind of live and let live détente. No one could explain why that changed. It was whispered about, of course. Two of Charleston's favorite daughters, suddenly inseparable? Everyone had a theory. No one knew the truth, though. No one would have ever believed the truth. * The door to her office opened and closed again, in the kind of way that was an announcement. She swallowed a smirk and layered another coat of pale pink on her nails. Most girls would pay for a manicure, but she had always found the ritual of her nail care to be soothing. The cash slapped down on her desk and she blinked at it slowly before letting her gaze slide lazily up to the woman across from her. Sharp green eyes, long jet black hair with a single streak of magenta in bangs cut across her forehead. A pair of designer skinny jeans and a loose, sheer black tank top scattered with polka dot skull and cross bones, lace edged cami under it showing off her amazing tits. Only Ella Jane could stalk into her office in designer jeans and a Walmart clearance top and look perfect instead of ridiculous. “Your half.” She says. Charlie finishes her last finger, admiring it briefly before screwing the lid on her nail polish and giving the other woman her attention. “When are you meeting with Jacobs?” “Tomorrow. Don’t be impatient, greedy girl.” She bites down on the acidic response that wants to rise, and arches an eyebrow silently. EJ stares at her for a long moment, before she huffs a sigh and drops into the high back leather chair across from her. “You can’t do anything until Monday anyway. Isn’t your engagement thing tonight.” It’s posed as a question, but she knows damn well when it is. Charlie goes still and her gaze clouds for a heartbeat. “Do you want me to come?” EJ asks, quietly. The offer startles a laugh from Charlie and she grins, a dry, mocking thing. “And how the hell would I explain that? No. Stay on your side of the club, and I’ll stay on mine. I’ll be fine.” There’ a tense moment, as they stare at each other, and Charlie wonders just how much EJ suspects. They weren’t supposed to become friends—it was a business arrangement. One that benefited them both and made EJ’s supplier happy. But it had evolved. It made her nervous, and nothing made her nervous. She didn’t like it. “Don’t be a bitch, Charlie,” EJ says coldly. “Then don’t fucking hover.” Charlie snaps. Anger flares in EJ’s eyes, for a moment, and then it vanished, and she stands. “Fine. Have fun with your boy.” Her tone is mocking and knowing and it stings a little as she watches EJ leave. For a moment, it occurs to her that she should apologize. She dismisses it just as quickly and grabs the stack of cash, standing and moving to the wall where her safe is. It’s crammed with cash and a small black revolver. As she adds the new stack to the others, she touches the gun. It’s soothing, and her unease and nerves settle at the touch of the cool metal. It’ a standard black Glock. Most of her girlfriends carry a tiny pink pistols they can tuck into their Coach bags with equally ridiculous sized dogs. But Travis Brooks always said that if she wanted to be man enough to carry a gun, she’d damn well carry a man’s gun. “Charlotte? We have a meeting with the partners.” She snaps the safe shut, keying the lock and spins to smile at her fiancée. Wallace Bryce Talbert the Third. Tre to his friends and enemies alike. A golden boy in her father’s law firm, and the man she had promised to spend her entire life with. He’s grinning at her, holding a hand out and she swallows her nerves and fear as she places her hand in his and follows him out of the office. * EJ pads out of her bedroom, her naked body wrapped in moonlight. A bottle of spumante sits discarded in a silver wine chiller, and she grabs it as she moves to her purse and pull out a pack of cigarettes. She smokes almost pensively, staring out the window. Behind her, she can hear him moving and she keeps her gaze trained on the window as smoke curls around her, dissipating slowly. “You should come back to bed,” he says, and she can hear the tease in his tone. She barely manages to keep from rolling her eyes as she wraps her lips around the cigarette again, pulling one last time before dropping it into a forgotten champagne flute. “You should go. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.” Surprise and anger chase across his face, and she waits to see if he’ll follow through. Clayton Poole was the heir of an ancient oil tycoon, and would be much more interesting if he would lose his temper every once in a while. He was a fun fuck, always took care to get her off, and he opened doors even she couldn’t walk though. But he was boring as fuck when they weren’t naked. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he says, lamely, and she flick a look at him as she pours a glass of spumante. “Don’t. I’ll call you soon.” She gives him a smile and kisses his cheek before returning to her bedroom. She lets out a sigh when the door shuts behind him, and settles on her bed. It smells of sex still, but she’s too drunk and lazy just now to strip the sheets. Besides, she likes the smell of sex, even if Clayton isn’t her favorite fuck buddy. There is a joint in her bedside table and she fishes it out and lights it, pulling on it deeply as she thumbs through her social media. The entire newsfeed is abuzz with the engagement party of the year, and she grits her teeth. She should have been there. Clayton had been invited—Charlie will be pissed he didn’t show, a thought that strings a smirk across her lips—and she could have crashed it. Nothing to be done once she was there. Once upon a time, it would have been amusing just to get a rise from Charlie. When the fuck had that changed? When she realized that Charlie was just as unhappy in their fucking perfect life as she was? Or was it when Charlie blackmailed EJ into sharing her distribution, earning her respect as more than another empty headed social climber. She huffs, and takes another pull on the joint. The smell of weed fill the bedroom, covering the scent of sex. Her muscles are loose and relaxed against the bed and she let’s her phone drop beside her, drifting on her high, drunk and post-orgasmic relaxation combining to pull her down into sleep. The room is pitch black, her body hot and sweating against the rough duvet when she wakes. Her mouth is dry and for a disorienting moment, she wonders where the hell she is, and what happened. Her phone buzzes against her thigh again, and she fumbles for it. “Charlie?” she croaks, and swallows. Reaches for the spumante on the bedside table. “I need you.” The whisper from the other end of the line chills her, and she shudders, rubbing away the goosebumps that trace along her arms. That’s it—those three words and nothing more. Sleep is forgotten completely as she sits up and nods. “I’ll be right there.”      

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.

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