Julie Elizabeth Powell's Blog, page 31
August 12, 2017
SWITCHING IT UP & FORGING LOVE by Michele Zurlo
Double Release for SWITCHING IT UP & FORGING LOVE
A SAFE Security series
by Michele Zurlo
Genre: BDSM romantic suspense
SWITCHING IT UP
Book 2
As Brea settles into her new life as a D/s switch, treasure hunter, and David’s fiancée, her old nemesis Grayson Cuyler resurfaces with a deadly deal. Either David must accept a dangerous, unsanctioned mission or Cuyler will make sure Brea pays for her former life as a thief and con artist. Against Brea’s wishes, David and his team take on this impossible task.
Left behind, Brea and her sister/partner-in-crime Jessica hatch a plan that will take them to the Central American country of San Tesoro and put them in the clutches of the man from whom David must steal the prize that will save or doom them all.
He placed one of the throw pillows on his lap. “Come on up, Sugar.”
This was his favorite position for spanking me. It was comfortable for us both. I arranged myself across his lap with my knees underneath me and my ass lifted. The pillow he’d put on his lap took some of the stress off my knees and allowed me to maintain my position longer.
Immediately I felt the roughness of his palm against my posterior. It moved in circles, stimulating me in unexpected ways. Normally before a spanking I was a bundle of nerves, but not this time. Or maybe I was strung so tightly that the slightest touch was magnified. By the time his forays spread to my upper thighs, the small moan in my throat deepened and defied containment.
He started lightly, warming up his hand and my bottom. Soon the force doubled, and doubled again. As I cried out, I became aware of tears wetting my cheeks. Blows rained across both cheeks and my upper thighs. A few caught my pussy, and each time, my ass lifted higher to give him better access.
My ass was on fire, but I didn’t want him to stop. I begged him for more, and he didn’t let up. Now the blows centered more and more around my pussy. All of a sudden, a climax detonated in my core. Sounds of pleasure mixed with misery. Tears dripped from my eyes, and the languor of orgasm calmed my insides.
Sir picked me up and turned me around. He wrapped a soft blanket around me and cradled me in his warm embrace. “You did wonderfully, Sugar. That was a beautiful climax. Thank you for giving yourself to me, for trusting me to make sure you got what you needed. I love you so much.”
He talked to me, whispers and murmurs of praise and affection, until my sobs had quieted. I clung to him, my anchor in this maelstrom.
FORGING LOVE
Book 2.5
Jessica Zinn: Rebuilding my life hasn’t been easy, and I’m far from done. I have some habits I can’t seem to shake, like picking pockets, forgery, and manipulating men to get what I want. I don’t want to manipulate Jesse, but the lines have blurred, and I can’t separate my honest emotions from my bad habits.
Jesse Foraker: I fell in love with Jessica the first time I saw her, and I’ll wait as long as it takes for her to be ready to love me back.
The time has come for Jesse to make his move, but will Jessica’s love be the real thing, or a forgery?
On the far end of the fire escape, Jessica stared at something in her hands, and I realized what had happened. “Jessica, did you open this window?”
She started, put her hands over her heart, and closed her eyes. “Christ, Jesse. You scared the shit out of me.”
“You set off an alarm.” I turned to Dean and Frankie. “Jessica decided to take the fire escape instead of the elevator.”
Frankie scowled. I knew that look, and I felt the need to protect Jessica. My entire stance altered as I puffed out my chest and crossed my arms.
Dean put his hand on Frankie’s arm. “Let’s let Jesse deal with this. Maybe look into getting Jessica her own access code. At least then we’d know it’s her and not Brea coming and going.”
I entered a code on my phone to deactivate the threat warning, and then I poked my head back out the window. My breath turned to fog in the air. “It’s cold. Why don’t you come in? We’ll let you use the stairs or the elevator free of charge.”
She turned away from me. “I’m okay.”
Though she wasn’t wearing a jacket, she did not appear to be suffering from the cold. Reasoning that she probably wouldn’t shoot me, I shed my bulletproof vest and climbed out the window. As I came closer, she edged farther away until the railing got in her way. “Don’t jump on my account.”
A pathetic laugh or cough struggled to be heard. Whichever it was, she squelched it before it got far. “I’m not suicidal.”
“So you’re standing on a third-floor fire escape without a jacket in winter because?”
“I want a cigarette.”
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Book 1
Relocating to Kansas City with David and working for SAFE Security was everything Autumn thought she wanted…except that the job isn’t what she thought it would be, and her past seems to have a stranglehold on her emotions.
When Autumn takes a case without informing the rest of SAFE Security, she finds herself in hot water when secret victory blows up in her face. Her impulsive mistake almost costs their lives—and she soon finds herself jobless. Reeling from this failure and the way it’s damaged her relationships with David and the team, she vows to start fresh—with a new name and in a new city. Unfortunately a local crime boss has other ideas.
In the midst of a mission, David must rush back to try to stop Autumn from leaving—only to find that Autumn and her sister have disappeared. Can he find them in time to save them and his relationship with the woman he treasures?
In Treasure Me, Michele Zurlo delivers a sexy, action-packed adventure tale full of emotional twists and turns.
UNLOCKING TEMPTATION
(A SAFE SECURITY SHORT)
David thought going to a Halloween party would be a fun night out with his new bride. After all, what kind of trouble could she possibly find at a costume party? Plenty.
Join David and Brea for a hot night of intrigue and treachery.
COMING OCTOBER 15, 2017 IN SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, AN RB4U ANTHOLOGY
Follow RB4U's site for future details
I’m Michele Zurlo, author of the Doms of the FBI and the SAFE Security series and many other stories. I write contemporary and paranormal, BDSM and mainstream—whatever it takes to give my characters the happy endings they deserve.
I’m not half as interesting as my characters. My childhood dreams tended to stretch no further than the next book in my to-be-read pile, and I aspired to be a librarian so I could read all day. I ended up teaching middle school, so that fulfilled part of my dream. Some words of wisdom from an inspiring lady had me tapping out stories on my first laptop, so in the evenings, romantic tales flow from my fingertips.
I’m pretty impulsive when it comes to big decisions, especially when it’s something I’ve never done before. Writing is just one in a long line of impulsive decisions that turned out to showcase my great instincts.
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August 11, 2017
LOVE ON FIRE
LOVE ON FIRE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sometimes passion takes you and there's nothing you can do to resist it. That hot feeling overwhelms you until you can think of nothing else but him, want to do nothing else but make love.
Sometimes love sets you on fire until it consumes you.
Let these six novels of crazy hot love take you there, make you feel the heat of that passion, bring you that ecstatic joy.
Playing the Game - by USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Queen - International Digital Award Winning romance about a socialite playing the game of seduction to win against a superstar until winning feels more like losing her heart.
"Reading Queen is an absolutely scrumptious experience...with characters who come alive like Pop Rocks and carbonated beverages" --Romantic Times Book Review
Bittersweets - by bestselling author Suzanne Jenkins - A one-night stand for lawyers Terry and Alex segues into a long weekend of passion, leading to a lifetime of romance.
"...once I began reading I knew there was no turning back. Suzanne Jenkins has an incredible talent." --Anonymous Reviewer
Red Rock Rises - by USA Today bestselling author Taylor Lee - A fiery former undercover agent, as tough as she is beautiful, no one messes with Red Rock until she meets the handsome Police Chief.
“Taylor Lee does it again! Red Rock Rises introduces another unforgettable heroine and a hero who is more than her match. From the first page to the last, the sparks fly between Jesse O’Donnell aka Red Rock and the sexy Police Chief.” --Kharma Queen
Bedroom Therapy - by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York - Phone sex, fantasies and fetishes are all in a day's work for sex advice columnist Dr. Amanda O'Neal until she meets sexy detective Zack Grant, and things get personal.
"Bedroom Therapy is a torrid private investigative romance with the heated emphasis on the equatorial hot relationship between the sleuth and the doctor. The story line is fun to follow" --Amazon Review
Tempted by Mr. Wrong - by USA Today bestselling author Jacquie Biggar - How can something so wrong, feel so right?
"Jacquie Biggar had me reading well past my bedtime. The characters are so well written they could walk right off the page!" --Avonna
To Love A Hero - by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Mona Risk - Amidst a clash of cultures, an American scientist finds more chemistry than she bargains for with a national hero from Belarus
"Outstanding Read. Mona Risk's To Love a Hero is a wonderful love story complete with deception, conceit, stubbornness and the love of a lifetime for two people who couldn't be more different. Ms. Risk hits a homerun with this." --Simply Romance
Stephanie Queen is the USA Today bestselling author of the romantic detective series, Beachcomber Investigations. She lives in bucolic New Hampshire with her family, her cat, Kitty and her fun-loving friends. Besides going to the gym sporadically, Stephanie cooks and crochets and loves chocolate covered potato chips (yes, she should go to the gym more often).
She used to be a 9 to fiver working in downtown Boston, but has thrown her stylish suits and fancy heels in a closet and now hangs out in UConn t-shirts, jeans and sneakers. “If I could come back in another life as anything I wanted, I’d be a regency era heroine.” (Not surprisingly) Regency romances are her favorite secret reads.
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Suzanne Jenkins writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women's fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are a reflection of American fantasy with historical reality. Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 500,000 downloads. A retired operating room nurse, Jenkins lives in Southern California.
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USA Today Best Selling author Taylor Lee has written more than forty Suspenseful Mystery Thrillers – with a heavy dose of Sexy to Sizzling HOT Romance. Taylor says “My characters are dangerous men and women in dangerous times. Love, passion and ridding the world of evil? What’s not to like?
A master of paranormal romantic suspense, Rebecca York is the author of over 150 books. A New York Times and USA Today best-seller, she has written paranormal romantic thrillers for Berkley and romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intrigue. Her romantic-suspense series, Decorah Security, is set at a detective agency where agents have paranormal powers or work paranormal cases. She also writes an Off-World series where each story is a science fiction romance taking place on a distant planet in the far future.
Ruth and her husband travel frequently to research settings for novels and taste new dishes for cookbooks. Her many unique experiences are apt to end up in her books--like the time she encountered a coral snake in the Guatemalan jungle or took a flight in a glider plane.
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Jacquie Biggar is a USA Today bestselling author of Romantic Suspense who loves to write about tough, alpha males who know what they want, that is until they're gob-smacked by heroines who are strong, contemporary women willing to show them what they really need is love. She is the author of the popular Wounded Hearts series and has just started a new series in paranormal suspense, Mended Souls.
She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happily-ever-afters.
Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can't function without coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart. 🙂
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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Mona Risk, received an Outstanding Achiever Award from Affaire de Coeur Magazine. She's a two time winner of Best Contemporary Romance of the Year from Readers Favorite; a winner of Best Romance Novel of the Year from Preditors & Editors Readers Poll; and an EPIC Award finalist.
Mona lives in South Florida and has traveled to more than eighty countries on business or vacation. She writes contemporary romances, medical romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal fantasy. Sprinkled with a good dose of humor, her stories are set in the fascinating places she visited or more simply at home.
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August 10, 2017
THE REAPER'S KISS by Dale Ibitz
THE REAPER'S KISS
Sex and poison aren’t enough to help William forget his status as a shunned reaper with a sordid past. Rejected, disgraced, and hopeless, he straps on his emotional armor so no one will ever hurt him again. His path to redemption for his sins is side-tracked by Natalie, an exquisite human trying to save her sister from the horrors of the Other World. But then Natalie’s reckless actions sets William on a collision course between his past and his present: a demonic tyrant who wants William back in her bed; the sadistic daughter of an angel who wants revenge on his murdering mother-goddess; and the mother-goddess who demands obedience and love from William, her favorite child. After learning the dark secret of Natalie’s past, how much will he sacrifice to save her soul?
Half-smiling, he leaned against the house. The little doll was proving too entertaining to leave just yet. He could spare five minutes of his time. “What’ll it be, doll? What are you willing to do for information?”
“Anything.”
Pushing himself off the building, he strode the three steps to bridge the gap between them, moving so fast she stumbled back into the opposite house. He leaned his forearms on either side of her face, pinning her. Nectarine-scented heat leaped between them, making his muscles tremble. He was pushing the envelope, but this little piece was too tempting to walk away from now.
“Anything?” he murmured close to her mouth.
“Yes.”
Her pink tongue slipped out and ran across her lips, mesmerizing him. He could taste her anxiety and physical attraction to him. Him. No fear of what he was, or what he could do. At least for now. How long before she ran just like the Abby? He let the weight of his stone heart fall, squashing all feeling for the last person to reject him.
She panted against him, her warm breath fogging his brain. He let the arousing sensation swirl around him for a moment, savoring the feeling, wanting to lose himself in her. What harm would one kiss do?
Thinking of his past, he knew it could do a lot.
Her gaze flitted between his mouth and his eyes. “You smell like ripe grapes being toasted by the sun.”
“You can smell that?”
“Yes. Shouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know,” he murmured.
Unable to stop himself, his gaze tracked to her lips. Unable to stop himself, he leaned closer, her scent luring him in. Unable to stop himself, he ran a finger along her satiny cheek.
Unable to stop . . .
He licked her ring, the warmth of her lips melting into his tongue. Moving past it, he traced her mouth before sliding inside. Heat exploded. She opened, their tongues gliding together. Hardening, he pressed against her. Her hands looped around his neck and her fingers trailed up his skin before burrowing into his hair.
She tasted wonderful, the alcohol on her tongue mixing with wintergreen. He deepened the kiss, tasting, stroking. Time ceased to exist. He ceased to exist. All that existed were Natalie’s scent, touch, warmth. She welcomed him in, making his jeans cause unbearable pressure against his thickening erection.
More. Rubbing himself against her, he fisted her hair and pulled her head back. He nibbled her exposed neck before returning to her mouth and easing more seductive heat from her tongue until she shivered.
Gods below, so warm, so good.
A loud bang snapped him from his daze. Shaking his head, he glanced over his shoulder. Hoots followed another round of pops as kids from the party lit firecrackers. He turned back to Natalie, caught in her dreamy gaze, trapped by the warmth binding them, stunned at the depth the kiss had reached.
She brushed her swollen lips. “Your eyes are glowing.”
Silent, he congratulated himself on his saintly control. Instead of skimming her soul, he’d simply enjoyed the kiss. Still, he was treading dangerous ground when it came to her scent and warmth. Next time he might not be so saintly.
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Dale Ibitz was born in Oxford, Connecticut, grew up in the state of Washington, and then re-located back to Connecticut as an adult where she studied English at Central Connecticut State University. She never left, choosing Connecticut as her permanent home. Dale’s a fan of hiking and the outdoors, loves alternative metal music, and she never, ever starts the day without chocolate and coffee (preferably together).
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August 5, 2017
OF DECEPTION AND DIVINITY by N.D. Jones
OF DECEPTION AND DIVINITY
Death and Destiny Trilogy, Book 3
by N.D. Jones
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Designer: Jesh Designs
The arrival of a new enemy. The start of a greater battle. A destiny to be defended.
A mighty war, waged every 500 years, has returned to the realm of mortals. And with it, the Day of Serpents arrives to wreak havoc upon the world.
Assefa and Sanura struggle to complete their mate bond, as they also continue their fight in this preternatural war of fire versus water. Unseen enemies, surprise magic attacks, and betrayal lurk at every turn for the couple, and revelations about their powers and past come to light.
As Assefa and Sanura fight to seal their bond and love, destiny and divinity may have already sealed their fate.
By slow, regretful degrees, Assefa pulled out of the kiss, remembering they’d shared their first in this very spot, about four months ago. Their eyes met, and Assefa knew Sanura recalled the same memory.
Her hands came to his cheeks, cupping his face, voice tender and sincere when she spoke. “Back then, you were so much of what I wanted and everything I was afraid to have.”
Damn, how did she do that? How did Sanura remove his heart from his chest, hold it in her hands and he still breathed, still lived? Because surely the woman would be the emotional death of him, so deftly did she manage her were-cat—effortless and without artifice. Sanura simply spoke from the heart, fighting for them the way she’d promised on her birthday.
Still, they’d neither completed the final part of the handfasting ceremony, nor Sanura accepted his binding bite, taking the witch as his eternal mate the way her fire spirit already claimed his Mngwa as hers. Half a mate bond. He her mate, but she not his in the way of their people.
Her heartfelt grin had Assefa smiling in return, unwilling to ruin the moment and Sanura’s confession with his foreboding thoughts.
They’d made it through the summer without any more deaths linked to them, Mami Wara, the water witch of legend, or the prophecy. But Assefa didn’t trust the silence, the lull in indirect attacks. Too many had died—Mr. Siddig’s girlfriend, Joanna Blackwell, as well as her brother and sister-in-law, Gayle and Callum Livingston, Assefa’s housekeeper and her husband, Detective Pilar Salazar and over a dozen African immigrants she’d massacred, driven by magical or godly means, no doubt, to commit the heinous crimes.
No, Assefa couldn’t bring himself to trust the quiet, to relax and enjoy being loved and in love, to plan for a future with the woman caressing his short curls, watching him with knowing and intelligence. If wasn’t a matter of if something would happen but when. The Day of Serpents would come, of that he was certain.
“We’ll be ready. And we’ll fight. Together.”
Yes, this woman was made for him, knew him, saw him in a way unexplainable by science and the laws of nature. Preternatural, magical, and prophetic—the fire witch and cat of legend, destined to save the world or die trying.
She was right. They would fight, not because they had no choice but because their protective nature, determined hearts, and sense of truth, justice, and morality would allow nothing else. Yet Sanura was also wrong. They were not ready. And he feared, no matter what they did or how well they planned, when the lull finally gave way to terror, to war, it would take more than togetherness, more than faith and fire to save the world, to save them.
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Before trust and love can take hold, grow solid roots, and blossom into a reality larger than self, fear must be conquered and faith embraced. Yet fear of an ancient prophecy, of burning magical power, and a broken heart, Sanura Williams, psychology professor, is unprepared when Special Agent Assefa Berber enters her life, hunting a preternatural serial killer. Assefa's intelligent, chocolate eyes and intoxicating aura signature stirs her fire spirit but frightens the woman.
In a world where all is not as it seems, Sanura and Assefa must battle the gods' first creations - vile predators who threaten the safety of humans. Each confrontation, each bloody clash, will bring Sanura and Assefa closer to fulfilling the prophecy of being the Fire Witch and Cat of Legend - the ones who will save humanity from the Water Witch of Legend. Death, godly magic, and physical attraction draw Sanura and Assefa to each other, but fear and faith will determine their destiny.
In a world of mystery and magic, sometimes old bonds must be broken before new ones can be formed. Who knew that finding one’s soul mate would test bonds and unleash beasts?
Mami Wata and Oya are now free from their watery prison and ready to wage a battle five hundred years in the making. Special Agent Assefa Berber and Dr. Sanura Williams are the prophesized Cat and Fire Witch of Legend. To save the world from Mami Wata, a water goddess with a bloody thirst for power and an insatiable appetite for death and destruction, they must defeat her beasts and the Water Witch of Legend.
Assefa and Sanura are fully in love but possess only a partial mate bond. While Sanura has merged their auras, bonding Assefa’s cat spirit to her, she has yet to accept his claiming bite. Their incomplete mate bond and their new relationship are tested when Mami Wata sets her malevolent eyes on them, manipulating beasts, sacrificing humans, and creating heartache. Can their bond survive, or will they drown under the vicious tide of godly might?
N. D. Jones lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. She is the founder of Kuumba Publishing, an art, audiobook, eBook, and paperback company. Kuumba Publishing is a forum for creativity, with a special commitment to promoting and encouraging creative works of authors and artists of African descent.
A desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional African American characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers, inspired the author to take on the challenge of penning such romantic reads. She is the author of two paranormal romance series: Winged Warriors and Death and Destiny. N.D. likes to read historical and paranormal romance novels, as well as comics and manga.
SOMETHING SO SWEET by Meika Usher
SOMETHING SO SWEET
The Breakaway series, book 1
by Meika Usher
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy
SHE’S A DREAMER STUCK IN A RUT
Big dreams. Tierney Chandler had ‘em. Why else would she leave her small town—and her picture perfect fiancé—behind? Nine years later, the town’s still small, her dreams are mostly still dreams, and her still-perfect ex is interested. Maybe she should ditch her daydreams and pick up right where she left off…
HE’S A DREAMER STUCK ON HER
Jack Elliott is a baker, making his dreams come true one golden, flaky pie crust at a time. Years ago, he lost out on his chance with Tierney, but now she’s back—and he’s determined not to let his annoyingly perfect cousin swoop in and steal her away. Again.
TOGETHER, THEY CAN MAKE NEW DREAMS COME TRUE
With a little magic potpie, some stellar kisses, and a heaping helping of blue-eyed charm, maybe—just maybe—Jack can convince Tierney that he’s the dream she’s been waiting for.
“If only you’d kiss me. Then, things would be just swell.” He looked up and added, “I’ve been waiting years, you know.”
My eyes fell to his mouth. Only inches separated us. I’d just have to lean in…
“Get over here.” Jack said, his voice husky, his eyes burning into mine. And who was I to disobey an order like that?
I moved in, closing my eyes as his hands came up to either side of my face. I could feel his breath on my lips as he drew closer and closer.
Suddenly, my eyes flew open. “What if it sucks?”
“What?” Jack dropped his hands, confusion clearing away the heat that had been in his eyes seconds before. “You picked a mighty good time to doubt my kissing ability, darlin’.”
I put my hands up in a helpless gesture. “Sorry, it’s just…there’s been so much build up. There’s a lot of pressure for this kiss to be good. What if it isn’t? What if—“
Jack cut me off, crushing his lips to mine, his hands pushing through my hair.
And just like that, the world shifted. A whimper left my throat as my hands slid up his arms. Without breaking the kiss, I got to my knees and moved closer. Jack’s hands left my hair to trail down my neck and over my shoulders, settling on my waist.
Sparks scattered over every inch of my skin, ending with a full-on lights display behind my eyes. I shoved my hands into Jack’s hair and leaned closer until I lost my balance, ending up in his lap. He laughed then, the sound vibrating sweetly through my entire body. Turned out, his laugh felt better than it sounded.
With one hand behind my neck, the other resting on my waist, Jack deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into my mouth, slow, luxurious. The embers burning low in my abdomen roared to life. I brushed my tongue against his and he rewarded me with a delicious groan that broke through whatever semblance of restraint I’d been holding onto. Parting, I straddled him, then smiled before pressing my mouth to his once more.
Jack’s hands found the bottom of my shirt and his fingertips played with the naked skin there. My legs began to shake, my lungs ached, my body burned. And yet I didn’t want to stop kissing him.
A sound from my left startled us apart. We looked in time to see Jack’s fishing pole take a nosedive into the pond. I laughed and shook my head. “You, sir, are a terrible fisherman.”
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Meika Usher is a Michigan romance author, a puppy mama, and a lover of pizza in all its forms. When she's not writing snarky, sexy love stories, she can be found binge-watching Supernatural (she's a Dean girl), memorizing all the song lyrics ever (it's her superpower), or planning to see the world, one country at a time (Prague is next on her list).
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GENTEEL SECRETS by S.R. Mallery
GENTEEL SECRETS
Genre: Historical Romance
What do a well-bred Southern Belle and a Northern working class Pinkerton detective have in common? Espionage . . . and romance. At the start of the U.S. Civil War, while young men begin dying on American battlefields and slavery is headed toward its end, behind the scenes, female undercover work and Pinkerton intelligence are alive and well. But in the end, can this unlikely Romeo and Juliet couple’s love survive, or will they be just another casualty of war?
CHAPTER TEN
“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
––William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“Finally, we meet again,” he said so low, so deeply, she almost couldn’t hear it. Truth be told, she probably wouldn’t have been able to hear much of anything he said, her heartbeat was rattling so loudly inside her chest.
When he took her hand to kiss it, it amazed her how wobbly and unsteady her knees felt, as if she had just been hit hard by a low-lying branch. Yet, she didn’t fall. Instead, for the first time in weeks, a broad smile appeared on her face.
“Oh Hannah,” he murmured and leaned in close, still holding her hand. “Why didn’t you ever come back to me?”
“I swear I tried, truly I did, but I kept being stopped by my family.”
. . .“Shall we go out onto the balcony?” he asked.
Nodding, she let him guide her outdoors, away from the waltzes, and the general conversation growing more sonorous by the hour. The evening chill had remained at its peak and the distant sound of soldiers maneuvering in their tented camps served as a soft, pleasant background. . .
Standing side by side overlooking Washington, they heard the occasional clacking of carriages over the cobblestones and saw the glow of street lamps casting long shadows everywhere.
“Still reading Wordsworth and Harriet Beecher Stowe?”
Laughing, she touched him lightly on his arm. “Always.”
She could feel that same gravitational pull overcome her, the same urge to touch him as she had felt that day on the park bench, only now, with the closeness of their bodies, it was stronger than ever. She thought about what it would be like to be in his arms, to feel his breath on her face, feel his broad shoulders underneath his jacket.
When he gently kissed her, it didn’t last long. It gave her just a hint of his lips. Still, she didn’t know how to handle the new sensations instantly sparking in her body. This was unchartered territory. He kissed her again, slightly longer this time as he encircled her waist with his arms and drew her up against his broad chest. Her only thought was she wanted, no, needed, more. The third time he kissed her, she could feel the urgency sweeping them both into some unknown cavern of pleasure, and when he kissed her a fourth time, it was long and deep. She lost consciousness of anything else but how he was making her feel. When he began gently kissing her neck, her breasts tilted upward to be touched, and as shameful as she always had assumed it was, she was no longer able to suppress the ache she was experiencing between her legs––her ‘thing,’ as she once overhead a couple of the slaves call it when they were discussing a topic no self-respecting, well-bred white southern girl would ever discuss.
“Hannah, we must stop,” he growled.
“Oh, my,” she managed, her breath shaky, her chest heaving.
He drew a large, wavering breath as well. “Exactly. That’s why I had to put a stop to this. You mean too much to me, Hannah, to let things go any further.”
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Let’s face it. S. R. Mallery is as eclectic as her characters. Starting out as a classical/pop singer/composer, she next explored the fast-paced world of advertising as a production artist while she simultaneously dipped her toe into the Zen biosphere as a calligrapher. Having started a family and wanting to work from the home, she moved on to having a long career as an award-winning quilt artist and an ESL/Reading instructor before settling on her true love––writing. Her short stories have been published in descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt. Her quilt articles have appeared in Quilt World and Traditional Quilt Works.
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WICKED TAKEOVER by Tina Donahue
WICKED TAKEOVER
Wicked Brand series, book one
by Tina Donahue
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
She’s just inherited a tattoo parlor…and the hunk who comes with it.
Lauren’s in a helluva mess. Not only has she lost her corporate HR job, she’s just inherited Wicked Brand, a struggling West Palm Beach tattoo parlor…along with the virile dude who runs it. Lauren’s full-figured, sorta pretty, and wanting him badly. Dream on. She’s here to sell the place as quickly as possible for some much-needed cash and score a new position in the corporate world.
Dante’s sinfully hot with a killer smile and beautifully inked biceps. He sees the heat in Lauren’s eyes despite her conservative appearance, recognizing the dynamite woman she could be if she’d just loosen up and have some wicked fun. Dominance and submission. Making love in a public place. Having her lush body always accessible to and ready for his.
Unwilling and unable to keep their hands to themselves, Lauren and Dante turn to carnal games and seduction. Until lust turns to surprising need and friendship to something deeper that might just change their futures
His fragrance surrounded her. Something clean and citrusy, reminiscent of summer days, an ocean breeze, and sun baking naked skin.
She locked her knees to keep her balance and tried not to stare at his impressive Adam’s apple, luscious mouth, and full, kissable lips.
He hooked his thumbs in his front pockets. “Did you lose your way?”
With him, any woman would. Not only was he beautiful but intelligence burned in his eyes and reflected in his surprisingly educated speech. “I’m sorry, what?”
He regarded her suit and heels. “Are you looking for another shop?”
“No.”
Surprise registered on his face. “You’re here for a tat?”
The ones on his biceps fascinated her. They were beyond hot, straight into epic. “Not exactly.”
He nodded. His hair swayed over his broad shoulders. “A piercing?”
“What?”
“Are you here for a piercing?” He gestured to another wall filled with pictures. His biceps flexed.
Lauren wanted to touch them, feel their strength and heat.
“You can see what we offer in those photos. We also have binders of what we’ve done for past clients to give you an idea of what you might like.”
For someone who prided herself on her no-nonsense professionalism, she was having a hard time not drooling over his freaking arms. What was wrong with her? She knew better than to lust after a guy like him. That path only led to her nursing a humiliating rejection at best and a broken heart at worst. She tore her gaze from his biceps and looked at the photos he was showing her. “Do people really get their tongues tattooed?”
He grinned, showing perfect teeth. “You bet.”
“Why?”
He shrugged good-naturedly. “Why not?”
He wasn’t the least bit uptight. How Lauren envied that. “Have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Had your tongue tattooed? Or are the ones on your arms the only ones you have?”
His smile broadened. He spoke conspiratorially. “I have another, though not on my tongue.”
She hoped he hadn’t inked the prize between his legs. His equipment had to be as awesome as the rest of him. No way could anyone improve on nature’s perfection.
He regarded her thoughtfully, his gaze warming her in places she hadn’t thought about in far too long. Easily, he took in her short blond hair, her clothes, and her features, including the small mole near her mouth. There, he lingered. A faint smile touched his lips.
Lauren’s throat and cheeks grew hot. With his approving gaze, too much desire rushed through her, making it difficult to breathe.
He flushed, too. “Let me get those binders so you can look through them.”
“No, don’t. Please. That’s not why I’m here.”
His dark eyebrows lifted. “You’re selling something?” He glanced at her purse and looked around her, possibly for an organization caddy stuffed with her product line.
“Uh no. I’m here to take over.”
“Take over?”
“Uh-huh.”
He looked lost. “As in what?”
“This place.” She gestured to the parlor. “I own this business and everything in it, including you.”
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Tina Donahue is an Amazon and international bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She's won Readers' Choice Awards, RWA awards - Holt Medallion and NEC, and won a Book of the Year award. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.
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August 3, 2017
Romance Between The Pages presents...
Ever wondered about the personalities behind your favorite books? Victoria Danann's new podcast with Riley J. Ford has an incredible lineup of authors booked through the spring. No question is out of bounds. Check it out!
JILL SANDERS!
Jill Sanders is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Sweet Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Western Romance, and Paranormal Romance novels. She continues to lure new readers with her sweet and sexy stories. Her books are available in every English speaking country in digital, print, and audiobook form, and are currently being translated into different languages.
Born as an identical twin into a large family, she was raised in the Pacific Northwest, later relocating to Colorado for college and a successful IT career before discovering her talent as a writer. She now makes her home on the beautiful Emerald Coast in Florida where she enjoys the beach, hiking, swimming, wine-tasting, and of course writing.
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IRISH WAR CRY by Victoria Danann
IRISH WAR CRY
D.I.T., book three
by Victoria Danann
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Designer: Victoria Danann
Move over knights. There's a new kind of hunter in town.
Rosie hired talented Irish elf twins, Sheridan and Shivaun O’Malley for the newly formed Department of Interdimensional Trespass. Sheridan was partnered with Torn Finngarick. Shivaun, a.k.a. Shy, was more than ready for her own assignment. The nickname was a fine joke because the wild child bent on becoming a legend was anything but shy.
It’s a double date when Sher, Shy, and their partners are tasked with running down the hoard of Demon Politic using a thousand-year-old portal under St. Patricks as a revolving door from their world to ours. The revelation of their impact on the course of human history is jaw dropping and Black Swan wants the influence of outside agitation stopped.
By any means.
“Is there a woman under all those freckles?”
Shy O’Malley gaped. “Funny, Chuck.” She vocally punched out his name like it had a bad taste.
“What was that about?” Deck asked.
Declan Tikkanen was a half human Finn with an Irish elf mother. He’d been trained as a vampire hunter, but left after witnessing his partner’s death while they’d been on patrol together. He’d sought a quiet life raising reindeer in the far north, but Simon Tvelgar persuaded him to take a break from retirement and come to work for his new project, D.I.T., on a trial basis. He’d just been assigned as Shivaun’s partner.
“Nothin’.” She paused and decided she had more to say. “I just can no’ imagine why anybody would agree to be called ‘Chuck’. I mean, where is his self-respect. Does he no’ know that whenever a body says his name they’re thinkin’ ‘upchuck’?”
Deck laughed exposing very white, even teeth. He was good looking when he laughed. “You have a boyfriend, Shivaun?”
She snorted. “Aye. A trio of beauties.”
“Three boyfriends?” Deck was clearly amused.
“That’s right.”
“Humans have a word for that.”
“A good word?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No.”
“Suppose ’tis a good thing I’m no’ human then.”
Simon Tvelgar wasn’t always the staid and steady director of the Order of the Black Swan headquarters in Edinburgh who manages the most unruly congregation of talented misfits ever assembled into one organization.
No. He was once a young, beautiful, athletically gifted knight, wild and lustful as any, until he fell in love with a Scottish fae girl who on bereavement leave. He lost her to the stones of the Orkneys as they picnicked there on Lammas twenty years before. She was swallowed up and faded from view, a look of panic on her face as she reached for him while her mouth silently formed his name. He lunged to grab her, but she was simply gone.
Year after year he traveled back to the Orkney Islands and talked to locals, but Shivaun was never seen again. Simon channeled his sorrow and loneliness into work until he eventually rose to the highest position open to an ex Black Swan knight.
Now, for the first time, he thinks there might be someone who could find Shivaun. Rosie Storm.
“When it came to my attention that D.I.T. was going to Dublin, I thought of Torn Finngarick. After all he knew the culture and could, perhaps, be useful. I confess to the ulterior motive of wanting to see all the floaters brought in from the cold. He was one of the remaining few. And everybody deserves another chance. Right?
As I mentioned earlier, my wife was working for Black Swan setting up a unit called Department of Interdimensional Trespass. It seemed that creatures coming and going at will were causing havoc that had, until recently, been unexplained, believed to be fiction of the myth or folklore variety, or dismissed as interplanetary visitations. Rosie was busy hiring and training people who were going to function as police.
Anyway, I had served with Sir Finngarick when I was first knighted as the fourth member of the infamous Z Team and came to know him quite well. Most believed he was irredeemable. I did not.”
Glendennon Catch, Sovereign, Jefferson Unit
Victoria Danann is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty romances. For the past four years in a row, Victoria's Knights of Black Swan series have won prestigious Reviewers' Choice Awards for both BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES and PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL OF THE YEAR. This past year three of her series and three of her novels were nominated. Two of her series took the top two places and two of her books took first and second place in the PNR Novel of the Year category.
In addition to vampire hunting knights, Victoria writes other paranormal romance, scifi, fantasy, and contemporary romance.
Victoria co-hosts the popular ROMANCE BETWEEN THE PAGES podcast which can be found on itunes or at → www.romancecast.com
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Infected Waters by Alathia Paris Morgan
INFECTED WATERS: A TITANIC DISASTER
by Alathia Paris Morgan
GENRE: paranormal historical horror fiction
Everyone knows the tale of the Titanic…a doomed voyage…here is what actually happened on April 14, 1912. Murder, chaos, and the undead threaten to sink the ship faster than any iceberg.
As a nurse, Nora Ryan was prepared for the common illnesses, but what she discovers instead is an infection modern medicine has yet to name.
Head steward, Jonathan Davis was not expecting to meet Nora and he certainly wasn’t expecting to fight a deadly infection alongside her. As the first victim of this strange illness dies and passengers are rapidly becoming infected; these two strangers must find a way to stop these undead creatures from taking over the ship.
The trip home from England to America becomes hectic for the Lambert family when they overhear startling rumors from their second class stateroom. People are dying, and the dead are taking anyone they can sink their teeth into with them. Will their family make it to their destination or will they be caught in the rising tide of infection that intends to leave no living being behind?
“Aren’t you worried that you could catch whatever he has?” Jonathan asked as he tried not to take a step back in fear.
Pointing to his obvious scrapes, Nora replied, “The only way for this type of infection to spread would be if you had an open wound and it touched yours. I would like to know what caused it though.” Nora rose to empty the water and returned with a bottle of alcohol to cleanse the gashes. “Find someone you can trust. Have him come and hold this man down while I pour this over his wounds. I can’t stitch him up until the infection goes away.” Nora continued to prep by collecting bandages to wrap his legs, chest and shoulder.
Jonathan left to do as she asked. He returned a short time later with two of the men who had helped to carry the patient to the infirmary.
“Keep watch outside, and don’t let anyone inside.” Jonathan warned one of the men. “Now you, grab hold of his arms while I hold his feet,” he commanded his other subordinate.
“Are we ready?” Holding a towel next the patient’s neck to catch any alcohol that dripped, Nora was in place.
“Yes.” They both answered in unison.
“Tightly, now. Even unconscious, his body will react.” Nora began pouring the liquid over the shoulder wounds.
The man simply moaned and shook his head back and forth.
Waiting for his body to recover slightly, Nora moved into position by his chest.
“Lift him up onto his side under the shoulder, and do it gently. I need to make sure I get the entire side of his chest area covered. Quickly, so it doesn’t hurt his other wounds.” Nora knew the wounds on the back of his leg were going to hurt worse since they appeared to be much deeper.
Wincing as the liquid poured out, Nora wasn’t expecting the reaction from the unconscious man.
The scream of pain from the man erupted and Patrick, the man holding his arms, lost hold of him as he jerked. In the process of trying to regain hold of his shoulders, Patrick accidentally pressed on the shoulder with the scratches, causing the man to bite his wrist.
“What the bloody hell?” Patrick yelled as he tried to detach the man’s teeth from his arm. “He won’t let go! Bloody hell, that hurts!”
Jonathan let go of his hold on the man’s feet and leaned forward to pry the man’s teeth from Patrick’s arm.
“Wait. If you rip the teeth away, you’ll cause more damage to his arm.” Nora cautioned as she tried to be gentle.
“Forget what she says. Get this mad man off me now. AGHHH!”
Jonathan reached behind the patient’s head and pinched the base of his neck, causing him to release Patrick’s arm.
Covering the dripping wound immediately, Nora pulled Patrick over to the side. “Press this on it and don’t move.” Turning to get the alcohol and a fresh bandage, Nora didn’t want Patrick to think about what was coming next.
Moving his arm over the basin, Nora sighed as she lifted the bandage to uncover a perfect impression of teeth.
“It’s torn, but not ripped to shreds. Once we get it clean I can stitch it, yet when it heals, the skin will be so tight it might tear either way.”
“Just pour the stuff already. Bandage it up. I’m going to go lie down in my bunk and get drunk,” Patrick stated as he eyed Jonathan, willing him to say anything contrary.
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✯✯✯✯✯My love of "The Walking Dead" and the history of the Titanic come together in a wonderful and adventure filled story. Ms Morgan definitely did her homework regarding the Titanic which made me very satisfied. The characters were well developed. I felt like a sister to some and I even rooted for the "infected" to bite one specific character. LOL. As I was reading I swore Ms Morgan must be a fan of "The Walking Dead" as there were subtle touches of the show in the book. Whether coincidence or not it didn't change my feelings about the book and it didn't take away from the story. This gets a full 5 icebergs and I'll definitely be reading another one of Ms Morgan's stories. ~ Traci Hayden on Amazon
✯✯✯✯✯I so enjoyed this book. Take the Titanic and add a zombie; a courageous twist that many authors might not try. The book had two big pluses for me. Firstly, the author did a really good job in her depiction of this terrible historical disaster. Secondly, she entwined the zombie plot effortlessly and in a very good character driven way.
This was an entertaining, engrossing and thoroughly researched story that didn't disappoint. ~ Book Collector on Amazon
Alathia is known to those around her for having an a long time love affair/obsession with Dr. Pepper, she has asked to be buried with a can so that it never runs out in the after life. Always bossy, she uses her mothering instincts to help others and share awareness of abuse in child and domestic situations.
A B.S. in History and English gave wings to her vivid imagination in book form. A supportive and loving husband has given her the chance to make her dreams a reality. Their three daughters and three dogs keep her busy while writing is a great way for her to wind down and destress.
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