Julie Elizabeth Powell's Blog, page 47
January 2, 2017
WINTER SOLSTICE
WINTER SOLSTICE
Getting A Second Chance At Love
Genre: multi-genre romance
Sometimes, when life takes us in unexpected or unwanted directions, we hope for a second chance. Dive into this mesmerizing selection of stories that feature second chances at love or life. From drama and suspense to passion and love, get ready for multiple journeys that will satisfy the romance lover in you. From 7 best-selling romance authors who also brought you the Summer Solstice collection, enjoy these heartwarming stories while the cold days of winter set in.
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Moon Shine- Sylvie Grayson
A thrilling novel of romantic suspense from author Sylvie Grayson.
After losing her husband to a deadly illness, Julia Butler is determined to look after her family, but this is the 1930’s and times are tough for everyone. As the endless string of jobless men trudges past her farm, she does her best to hang on. Then two strangers suddenly appear at her home. They are hiding something that places her family in danger, and nothing will ever be the same.
Dr. Will Stofford has become disillusioned with women. In an effort to heal his broken heart, he leaves his brothers behind and sets up his medical practice in the Kootenays where no one knows him.
Meeting Julia throws his plans into chaos. Will can’t turn his back on a challenge and he won’t rest until he solves this puzzle and puts things right.
If marrying Julia is part of the solution, then so much the better.
Complicated Christmas- USA TODAY Bestselling author Nikki Lynn Barrett
Life is full of complications, so why not have an uncomplicated arrangement between friends?
Former figure skater Caitlin Aimes doesn't care to make life complicated. Publicly humiliated by her ex-fiancé years ago, she closes herself off to relationships and love. She never thought she'd be that girl- the one having a friends-with-benefits relationship. No complications, right?
Wrong. This holiday season, the unexpected happens, catching Caitlin and Ron off guard...
Ron Mercer lost his wife four years ago and has no plans to commit himself to another relationship. Life as a widower with two teenagers is already complicated enough. But in a world constantly changing, he finds himself in a predicament he never expected....
The arrangement they made has consequences which neither ever prepared for. Caitlin and Ron are in for a Christmas like they'd never had before.
Behind the Bar- PC Zick
Susie and Reggie return to the Behind the Love Trilogy as the main characters in this romance. Susie and Reggie have been together since high school. When they watch good friends Dean and Leah find happiness, they both know something in their relationship must change. Susie believes that means marriage; she didn't expect it to be Reggie deciding they needed a break from one another.
While on break, a handsome publisher comes back to Victory to sweep Susie off her feet, while the voluptuous Sally Jean works her charms on Reggie. Meanwhile, the Victory Tavern owned by Reggie grows into a star attraction for the town. Dean and Leah help, and Susie’s sister Lisa returns home and provides Susie some much needed answers to the questions about their father. Reggie nearly loses everything in a bet that jeopardizes the Tavern. Secrets revealed bring more questions. When Reggie realizes Susie is the woman he loves, Susie must decide if she can ever trust him again.
Before either of them can move forward to a life together, they must realize their past does not define them.
Ophelia- Jude Ouvrard
For teenage musical prodigy Ophelia Stewart, life couldn’t get any better. A loving family, a friend closer than a sister, and big dreams to pursue. A perfect life until Ophelia’s world is shattered. A disaster claiming her parents forces her into a center for emotionally damaged children taking her far from her best friend. Lost and alone, Ophelia tries to cut herself off from all the other young people there, but Teodore De Luca, refuses to be put off. Breaking through her restraint, the young man encroaches on her life, and becomes her new support system.
What does the future hold for them? Ophelia wants to achieve her dreams but will that leave a place for Teo in her life? How can she choose between the man she loves and her passion for music? Can she ever truly commit herself to him? Or is their love destined to be crushed under the weight of her career?
Lilah By Midnight- Carra Copelin
Lilah Canfield has one last chance to save her career as a country music performer with a performance at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth. Bad thing is the worst snow storm in a century has hit the Texas Panhandle making passage on the highways dangerous at best and closed at worst. When her motor coach slides off the road into a snow bank outside her hometown of Mistletoe, Texas, will Lilah make her gig and save her career? Or will she give it all up for a second chance at love?
Two years after the death of his wife, Sheriff’s Deputy Jack McCommas is ready to move forward for himself and his eight year old daughter. When he and a friend stop to help the folks in a stranded motor coach, he can't believe Lilah Canfield's standing in front of him and is literally shocked to realize the old spark is still there when they touch. He uncovers a plot to sideline Lilah’s career and realizes he has a dilemma. If he solves the mystery and she chooses her music, will he be able to let her go a second time? Or will he try to convince her to stay in Mistletoe?
The Sound Of Betrayal- Susan Ann Wall
Two years ago, Jenny Carter chose her career over the love of her life. Her career is soaring and she’s on the cusp of her dream promotion. Jenny’s too focused to even realize she’s missing a key element in her happily ever after. When her ex-fiancé Ty Sullivan unexpectedly moves to Seattle, shock is soon replaced by suspicion as he steals her client and threatens her promotion. What Jenny can’t deny though, is the way the one man she has ever loved still makes her heart race. For a second time, she’ll have to decide if her ambitions are more important than her heart.
Worse than the ultimatum he delivered in the heat of the moment, Ty regrets not leaving Boston with Jenny Carter. It took him two years, but now that he’s in Seattle, he’s determined to win her back, no matter what it takes. He’s not surprised she’s still holding a grudge, but her seething anger has him wondering how he’ll ever break through to her passionate heart. When they fall into old habits, he knows they have to break the cycle, but earning her trust could be the biggest challenge he’s ever faced.
Retribution- JL Campbell
JUSTINE CHARLES is still trying to put the pieces of her life together seven years after a disastrous extra-marital affair. She’s raising a troubled teenage daughter and six-year-old Emile, the result of her indiscretion.
A chance meeting drops the still-scorching Xavier McKellop back on her radar. Her former lover is hurt and furious that Justine has kept his son’s birth a secret. She has little choice when Xavier demands time with Emile.
Though the moments between Justine and Xavier are tense, it’s evident the flame of attraction between them still burns hot. And just as she begins to hope and dream about being with the only man who ever stirred her heart, body and soul, Justine’s life is thrown into chaos. Her daughter discovers Justine’s betrayal and Xavier’s soon-to-be ex-wife wants him back.
This time around, in her quest for love, Justine might not only lose her deepest desire, but everything she holds dear.
Sylvie Grayson loves to write about suspense, romance and attempted murder, and has published romantic suspense novels- Suspended Animation, Legal Obstruction, and The Lies He Told Me, all about strong women who meet with dangerous odds, stories of tension and attraction. She has also written The Last War series, a sci fi/fantasy adventure, the first books, Khandarken Rising, and Son of the Emperor which were released in 2015 and Truth and Treachery, Book Three was released in 2016.
She has lived in British Columbia, Canada, in spots ranging from Vancouver Island to the North Peace River and the Kootenays in the beautiful interior. She has been an English language instructor, a nightclub manager, an auto shop bookkeeper and a lawyer. She lives in southern British Columbia with her husband on a small piece of land near the Pacific Ocean.
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Nikki Lynn Barrett: I'm an avid lover of books. I've been writing as far back as I can remember, completing my first "book" by fifth grade in one of those one subject spiral notebooks. I have a passion for music, photography, jewelry and all things creative. I live in Arizona with my husband and son, but dream of being somewhere much colder and stormier. For now, I'll have to live that life through my characters and stick it out with the summer heat.
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Bestselling author, P.C. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. And she writes in a variety of genres, including romance, contemporary fiction, and nonfiction. She's won various awards for her essays, columns, editorials, articles, and fiction.
Many of her novels contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. "Florida's quirky and abundant wildlife - both human and animal - supply my fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable." Her Behind the Love trilogy - contemporary romance - is also set in Florida, but she's now working on a series set in the Smoky Mountains.
Her fiction contains the elements most dear to her heart, ranging from love to the environment. All of her novels contain elements of romance with strong female characters and descriptive settings. She believes in living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter, and passion, and through her fiction she imparts this philosophy in an entertaining manner with an obvious love for her characters, plot, and themes.
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"Drama, true love, tattoos...and everything in between!"
Jude Ouvrard is an author who writes from the heart, and reads with passion and devotion. Jude enjoys stories of drama, true love, tattoos, and everything in between. While writing is her therapy, reading is her solace. Life doesn't get better than books and chocolate, and maybe a little bit of shopping.
A romance lover, Jude writes about love, pain, heartbreak and matters that will challenge your heart. A book can tell an unexpected story, no matter which directions it takes. Jude embraces words that have haunted her for years.
Jude is a working mom who dedicates her time to a law firm and writing books. She has an energetic superhero son, and a supportive boyfriend of many years. Her family is her rock; she could not survive without them. Born a country girl, she transformed into a city woman who now lives in Montreal, Canada. Although French is her first language, Jude decided to write in English because she liked the challenge.
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Best Selling Author, Carra Copelin, writes Contemporary and Historical Romantic Suspense books set mainly in Texas about Texans. Her stories revolve around love and family.
She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and Yellow Rose Romance Writers, plus she’s a regular contributor to the blogs, Smart Girls Read Romance and Sweethearts of the West. She is a member of The Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
She and her husband live in North Central Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers baseball, and the Dallas Stars hockey team. They enjoy living close to their family and grandchildren. In addition to writing and researching for the next story, Carra enjoys her Bridge group, crochet, and tracking down relatives through genealogy.
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Big dreamer and certifiable overachiever Susan Ann Wall embraces life at full speed and volume. She’s a beer and tea snob, can be bribed with dark chocolate, and the #1 thing on her bucket list is to be the center of a Bon Jovi flash mob. Susan is a nationally bestselling, multi-genre author of racy, rule-breaking romance and women’s fiction. Her bragging rights include the Fighting Back for Love series, Puget Sound ~ Alive With Love series, Superstitious Brides Romance series, Sunset Valley Women’s Fiction series, and Devon Taggart Suspense series. She also likes to boast about her three perfect children, two amazing rescue dogs, and a happily ever after that started while serving in the U.S. Army and has spanned two decades (which is crazy since she’s not a day over 29). In her next life, Susan plans to be a 5 foot 10, size 8 rock star married to a chiropractor and will not be terrified of large bridges, spiders, or quiet people (shiver).
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J.L. Campbell is an award-winning, Jamaican author who writes romantic suspense, women's fiction, new and young adult novels. She has written thirteen books, four novellas and two short story collections.
Her novels include the Island Adventure Romance series, which currently has five exciting, stand-alone stories and features feisty women and determined men. Campbell's mission is to write stories that entertain and educate readers. She also writes under the pen name Jayda McTyson.
She is a certified editor, who also writes non-fiction.
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MoB Ptomos[/caption]
RANDOM MEETING by Maggie Mundy
RANDOM MEETING by Maggie Mundy
Genre: Contemporary romance with psychic elements
Beth is a widow and Greg is an ex-con. They are two lost souls who have a random night of sex together. Nine months later they meet again. This time, swear words roll off her tongue as she gives birth to their son. Everything changes when Greg holds Josh, but this isn’t real, they are not married, or a happy family. Plus there are ghosts on the scene who plan on taking possession of people for their own ends. Greg can offer money, but can’t offer love. Their relationship should be doomed, but sometimes the most unlikely of partners bring out the best in each other if they can only stay alive.
Greg’s lips were so close, and Beth wanted them on hers. No, she didn’t, but yes she did––okay, seriously confused here. His eyes gazed into hers, and she sensed he was waiting for her. It was just a kiss, but it had been so long. More than that, she needed him to stay and make her feel alive, if he left her alone, she might do the unthinkable. She moved forward and lips touched, just a feather-light touch. She trembled, he trembled, and from that moment, she was lost.
He moved back and smiled at her. They were like a couple of naughty kids doing something they shouldn’t. His strong hands held her face as if she were delicate porcelain as he ran his right thumb slowly along her bottom lip, then he leaned forward. His lips brushed against hers, caressing them from one end to the other. Alarm bells were ringing and saying this was much more than a kiss, but she decided to ignore them just for one moment, then she would ask him to go.
That was a lie, and she knew it.
His lips parted, and Beth tasted the sweetness of his coffee as she explored his mouth. She had forgotten how sensual a kiss could be as his lips pressed firmly against hers, and his tongue swirled and discovered every corner of her mouth. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her close as his body pressed into her. It was too long since she had felt a man against her, a man hard for her, wanting her. Her arms hung at her side. She didn’t trust herself to touch him. She didn’t trust herself to do anything. He pulled away, and she found herself leaning forward, her breathing rapid as her mouth and body ached and yearned for more.
“I’d like to stay, Beth. You don’t know me, but I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to be with you.”
She could tell him to leave, but he made her hot in places that had been cold for so long. Her need was frightening in its intensity. He stood still. She needed to be wanted by him tonight, even if he walked out the door in the morning. In fact, she wanted him to walk out the door in the morning. No one would know. Didn’t she deserve to have a night of passion with a stranger, to make up for all the pain?
“Yes.” Was that her voice? It sounded breathy. He smiled at her and then bent his head so his lips touched her neck. His tongue swirled on her skin, causing her to melt inside. Her body was hot, and yet she shivered. The yearning she sensed deep inside was almost painful, but it was a good pain. She was still alive.
He stopped and stood back.
“You’re sure about this? I can still go. I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to.”
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I live in Adelaide, Australia with my husband, one cat, two dogs and a snake. I have a motorbike that I would like to ride more than I do and I love walking at the beach and listening to the waves. I've always loved reading all forms of fiction from high fantasy and paranormal to contemporary and decided the stories in my head needed to be written down. It was either that or start on medication. Unlike many, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until a few years back. I started off doing a degree in drama but soon realized my love was in writing, though there is a play lurking somewhere on my computer. My day job is as a nurse in the operating room. I believe romance can be fun to read and write but it’s exciting to spice it up with the uncertainty that comes with suspense where the rules can be broken.
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MoB Promos[/caption]December 30, 2016
ALL JAZZED UP by Tracy Ellen
ALL JAZZED UP
Genre: contemporary romance
A pretend marriage. A real desire. Being friends with no benefits has never been hotter! Jazy Axelrod’s in love with the hunky man-whore Max Byrd, who also happens to be her best guyfriend! Even worse, Jazy soon gets Max isn't into her that way. But Max has problems, too. A woman is trying to trap him into marriage. Max begs for Jazy's help. Jazy decides to give Max more than he ever bargained for. Can Jazy seduce the cynical player in just a few short weeks to believe in her, and happily-ever-after? Or does Jazy learn real love needs no convincing? A stand-alone HEA romance.
“I can have sex with other men when we’re married, right?”
“Hell no you can’t have sex,” Max ground out between clenched teeth. “We’re supposed to be newlyweds in love. What if Angela found out?” He shook his head at my puffed out lower lip. “I’d have to divorce you. That would defeat the whole purpose of everything, now wouldn’t it?”
“Jesus, I hope you’re not going to be this grouchy when we’re married. I thought since you get to have a pregnant girlfriend running around, I could have a little dick on the side, too.” I laughed a little and corrected, “Well, not a little dick, but some dick.” At his continued glare, I spread my hands palm up with a belabored sigh of acceptance. “Okay, okay, but if I can’t have sex, then you can’t have sex.”
“Neither of us can fuck during our marriage.”
After he delivered that F bomb, we stared at each other in shocked silence for a few moments.
Max recovered first, tugging slightly on the collar of his shirt and clearing his throat. “So we agree. It’s a marriage of friends with no benefits.” Max shrugged, as if it was no big deal that his cock saw ten times the action of your average penis on the streets.
Double shit. I closed my eyes for a second at his words, trying to imagine months and months with no sex. I’ve gone nearly insane after these last four days of erotic dreams, even the odd one.
I try to be a good friend to those I care about. But what was I getting out of this damn deal, other than the guarantee of carpel tunnel in both wrists from a future filled with massive amounts of masturbation?
I nodded jerkily.
“Was that a yes?” Max demanded in a pissed tone.
“Yes, dammit.” Not that I blamed him for being irritable, since I was also feeling the pinch of the no sex rule already. “What about my big money?”
“What about it?” Not missing beat, Max went on, “Since we’ll be living together, I’ll pay all our living expenses. Agreed?”
Putting a hand to my forehead at what living together meant, I moaned, “Oh dear God.” I dropped my hand and sighed in defeat. I didn’t eat much or use much electricity, so Max’s normal bills wouldn’t increase much, wherever we lived. “Okay, agreed.”
Still somewhat reeling that I’d actually said yes to his idiotic scheme, but seeing no way out now that I’d given my word, I wriggled in my seat feeling incredibly put upon. Whenever I feel put upon, I tend to get belligerent.
Max laughed, but there was a challenging edge to his voice. “Why do you look mad if you agree?”
I blurted, “I’m not teasing about the money. I think it’s only fair I be compensated for my role as your wife.” At his blank stare, I continued hurriedly, “I mean, I know we’re friends, and generally I wouldn’t charge a friend for help, but I’m putting myself at your disposal for ten months. Ten months! I’m giving you all my time and my acting skills.” Thinking of the no sex mandate, I choked out, “I’m putting my whole life on hold to help you.”
Eyes unreadable, Max responded evenly, “True. So what do you think is fair compensation for posing as my wife for ten months?”
A straight jacket in a fucking insane asylum was the correct answer, but I replied briskly in a business-like manner, “A new furnace, a new roof, new insulation for my house, a new fridge,” I glanced at my wrists, thought for a second of my pitiful health insurance plan, and went for it all before I lost my nerve, “and some cash set aside for possible future surgeries.”
He raised his brows at that but only murmured, “How much cash you talking?”
“Umm,” I scrambled to recall my deductibles, “uh, five thousand?”
“You don’t sound sure.”
“I’m sure.” I nodded, as if I hadn’t noticed his small smile.
He shrugged. “Deal.”
“Good.” I nodded brusquely again.
Letting out a breath at his easy agreement, I didn’t care if Max was amused. I was happy the negotiations were over--asking for money did not come easy for me.
In the past, James Byrd had offered me business loans to get ahead. Max had offered me cash, no strings attached. I’d stubbornly refused both of them. I liked standing on my own two feet. My take has always been accepting money from friends was the quickest way to lose them, but this was different. This marriage to Max will be the job from hell and I’ll deserve every penny.
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Tracy Ellen was born in Indiana to middle-class parents, the third out of five hellions. She’s lived in the Midwest her whole life--in a small town, on a farm, and in the big city. Currently, she resides in the suburbs of St Paul, Minnesota with her incredibly tolerant, awesome husband and family. Always an avid reader of all genres, her writing career began in 2012 with the debut of A Date with Fate, a blend of contemporary-romance/ romantic suspense / and romantic comedy. Tracy’s goal as a writer will always be to create worlds readers can’t wait to dive into for a few hours of fun and excitement. She thrives on trying to come up with the witty banter, steamy love scenes, pulse-throbbing action, and belly-laughing humor her reader fans have come to love and expect in her novels. Please let Tracy know how she’s doing!
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MoB Promos[/caption]December 29, 2016
PALADINE by Kenneth Eade
PALADINE
by Kenneth Eade
Genre: Thriller
2016 quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly's Book Prize in Fiction
Meet terrorism's worst enemy
From the best-selling & award-winning author critics hail as "one of the strongest thriller writers on our scene" comes an unforgettable story of an unlikely "anti-hero."
Robert Garcia was an unremarkable man, tapped out of a promising military career to become a death squad assassin for the CIA. Retirement was not in the cards for Robert, so he disappeared instead. After he comes out of the cold to answer the call to aid a fellow soldier facing a bum rap, he is thrust back into the spotlight when he is in the wrong place at the wrong time and kills a terrorist, thereby saving dozens of lives. He finds gainful employment in the slaughter of jihadists, which sparks an urban social media legend that Robert, a dangerous and unfeeling assassin, is a living paladin, whose mission is to rid the earth of evil for the betterment of mankind. Social media gives him the name: "Paladine" and God help whoever gets between him and his next target.
The apartment obviously belonged to a bachelor, but it was neat and orderly, like a military man’s freshly made bed. The cushions on the couch were soft and comfortable and the Colonial style furniture practical and functional, rustic but not antique. The décor was earth tone and neutral, and the walls were peppered with tasteful framed prints, replicas of art that said nothing about the occupant. They were just hanging there so the walls would not be bare. There were no framed family photos on the tables, no stacks of well-worn books and no magazines. It was almost as if nobody lived there.
Robert Garcia was an unremarkable man. Other men, the exceptional types, could never be forgotten. Men of striking, imposing persuasion, or those with a certain superior intellect or cleverness. Robert held none of those attributes but, if you had the misfortune to have him touch your life in any way, and were fortuitous enough to live after the experience, he would be indelibly etched in your memory.
Robert’s characteristics were fine-drawn, precise. He could drift in on the night air with only a whisper of the wind, and then disappear into the shadows, the only place where he ever felt secure and content. At five-foot-eleven, dark-haired with a touch of grey around the edges, he was a chameleon that blended in with most crowds. But under the ordinary clothing he wore he had the body of a herculean powerhouse, chiseled and ripped. Née John Richards, Jr. to an American military career man who had taken a Lebanese wife, since Robert had been old enough to walk, he had marched in the footsteps of his father. When his country came calling, John Richards, Jr. proudly answered that call and served with pride as his father’s son, the nephew of his Great Uncle Sam. There was never any question of it. Working up the ranks the hard way, he made Captain, and it wasn’t long before his special traits and abilities landed him his first secret assignment, along with his first alias – Malik Abdul.
Malik was a name that had fit Robert well. He never did look or behave like a John Richards. That was a name his Anglo Father, John Richards, Sr., had insisted on giving the child and his mother dutifully went along with it. Eventually, it was adept profiling that helped Malik recognize his destiny. His swarthy skin and his second language – Arabic – made Malik a valuable asset to his country. Beyond his language prowess and physical attributes, Malik possessed a unique set of special skills, forged by intensive training and honed to perfection with experience. Malik and his band of assassins were utilized only in the most extreme of circumstances – covert operations for well-known agencies who called themselves by three letter acronyms – and the unknown ones as well.
Malik had tried to retire, tried his hand at transforming his life into the “normal” one of Robert Garcia, and had dutifully taken the number 4 train Monday through Friday, from his little brownstone in El Barrio to Two Penn Plaza, where he worked as a janitor. But Malik’s past had beckoned. It was a call he could not resist. He had come out into the open to support a fellow soldier who had been given a bum rap. About the only thing Malik had left which resembled a conscience was the soldier’s creed. He had no morals, no principles, except for those, which were burned into his hardwiring like a brand on a cow: The mission comes first; never accept defeat; never quit; and never leave a fallen comrade.
The comrade was Captain Ryan Bennington, an officer serving in the war against the insurgency in Iraq who had been sent on a mission by his superiors with instructions to breech four houses in an Iraqi village that intelligence had confirmed were being run by Al-Qaeda terrorists and kill any one of them who did not actively surrender. It was a mission the likes of which Malik – Robert – knew well, as he had been on many of them, committing unspeakable acts in the name of the War on Terror during the insurgency. Now the accused officer was being court-martialed and could face life in prison for simply doing his duty.
Robert had come back from the court-martial trial on the coast a ball of nerves, constantly looking over his shoulder. Now that the record had been set straight, Robert’s life was in a state of distress and disquietude. He couldn’t resume his job as a custodian. They could be watching for him there. He couldn’t return to the woman he had been seeing regularly, and who had given him hope that he actually could rejoin society after all that he had seen and done, and he couldn’t go back to the little apartment in the quaint brownstone on 118th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in Spanish Harlem that he had called home for the past five years. Well, he had to come back here – for only one last time, he thought, as he shut the door behind him.
***
Now that Robert had exposed himself and his new identity to set the record straight it was, once again, time to slip back into the shadows. Without a glimpse of emotion, he had left everything behind in the top floor of that little brownstone that had been collected by Robert Garcia over the years –the furniture, the clothing, the little knick-knacks reminiscent of the life he had simulated. He also left something in the apartment that had never been there before, a product of his life’s work – something that he had not produced for the past five years – the body of a dead man, five-foot eleven, olive-skinned and dark-haired. He took one last look at the life of Robert Garcia as he threw the match on the floor and then slipped away.
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On sale for only 99cents till January 3Even killers need a vacation
Paladine, terrorism's worst enemy, is back in this sequel to the hit thriller.
From the best-selling & award-winning author critics hail as "one of the strongest thriller writers on our scene" comes the continuation of the unforgettable story of an unlikely "anti-hero," Robert Garcia, a dangerous and unfeeling assassin of jihadist terrorists, has been exalted by social media as "Paladine", a living paladin whose mission is to rid the earth of evil for the betterment of mankind. In this installment of the series, Paladine crosses paths with a Russian assassin, which puts him in the middle of the controversial new cold war between the United States and Russia.
Sequel to the bestseller, "Paladine"
#1 Superhero Thriller best seller & #1 hot new release
#2 Pulp Thriller best seller #1 hot new release
#2 Terrorism Thriller best seller & #1 hot new release
Discover what critics are saying about this new terrorism thriller series:
"Robert Garcia is a vigilante known as Paladine, and in this well-written and fast-paced thriller, the author demonstrates skill not only with plot, but with character -- and character is what makes this book stand out. An ill-fated love story and an irresistible dog only deepen what could be just another hit-man-killing-jihadists story." --Publisher's Weekly, Booklife Prize in Fiction
"A satisfyingly original, compelling piece that moves well beyond genre writing and into the realm of military precision, insight, and adventure, linking action into modern-day pursuits and concerns with the precision of a surgeon. Paladine is very highly recommended reading for anyone looking for a protagonist and purpose that goes the extra mile, and then keeps on running." Midwest Book Review
"Kenneth Eade is one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit. Another top-flight novel from the master of intrigue – one of his best series yet."Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame, Top 100 & Vine Voice
Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up-and-coming author in the legal thriller and courtroom drama genre, has been described by critics as "One of our strongest thriller writers on the scene and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit." He is the author of the "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series", the fifth installment of which, Killer.com, won best legal thriller in the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Awards, and the "Involuntary Spy Espionage Series".
Said Eade of the comparisons, "Readers compare me in style to John Grisham and, there are some similarities, because John also likes to craft a story around real topics and we are both lawyers. However, all of my novels are rooted in reality, not fantasy. I use fictional characters and situations to express factual and conceptual issues. Some use the term 'faction' to describe this style, and it is present in all my fictional works."
Eade has written twelve novels, which are now in the process of being translated into six languages. He is known to keep in touch with his readers, and offers a free Kindle book to all those who sign up at his website.
MoB PromosDecember 28, 2016
Romance Between The Pages
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 January. No question is out of bounds. Check it out!
THIS WEEK'S BEST SELLING AUTHOR...
ELISABETH GRACE!
USA Today Bestselling author, Elisabeth Grace, has a hot spot for alpha males and a soft spot for happily ever afters. She lives outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband, two small children, and killer cat. Her theory is that Satan himself spawned the white furball. She’s almost always eaten a chocolate bar before 10am (don’t judge) and has a mild, but healthy obsession with model David Gandy.
December 27, 2016
BEYOND THE EYES TRILOGY by Rebekkah Ford
BEYOND THE EYES TRILOGY
by Rebekkah Ford
Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
Beyond the Eyes Trilogy was selected as one of the best Kindle Books of 2015!
"I couldn't put this down."
Paige knows evil exists in this world, but she never imagined it would want something from her.
In the small town of Astoria, Oregon, surrounded by deep forest and endless mountains, another world thrives . . . a menacing one where dark spirits dwell in soulless humans. Seventeen-year-old Paige Reed lives in this lush, picturesque setting. She's not your average teen, though she appears to be. Not only is she heartsick, but she's been receiving cryptic premonitions from a ghostly voice since the age of four. After she hears a haunting message about herself, supernatural occurrences begin to confuse her.
Nathan Caswell seems to peer into Paige's soul, evoking a magnetic energy between them they cannot deny. They're connected. But he's no ordinary guy. He tracks dark spirits and becomes alarmed when they set their sights on Paige.
When two power-hungry malevolent beings make demands on her, she realizes then the fate of mankind rest in her hands. Her world quickly turns inside out where the impossible becomes possible, and in the end she's faced with a life changing decision that will not only alter her existence but the world as she knows it.
Can a deeply troubled teen overcome her own demons in order to fight those lurking about? With the past and present colliding, Paige must make the ultimate mortal choice. Will it be the right one?
As we made our way through the crowd of moving bodies, my ears started to ring again. Okay, this was seriously getting on my last nerve, but then I reminded myself I was here to have fun and began swaying my hips when we reached Matt. My body automatically moved inside a bubble of energetic sound waves–free and unencumbered. I was no longer the freak with a mother who showed up when she wanted to and a father who had died when I was four. None of that stuff mattered, because in that moment I was one with the music and the pulsing lights. And as each song changed into pure techno melodies, I became more entranced, closing my eyes, swaying my body to the beat of the music, entering my own world.
Then something strange happened. The people around me were now far below me, and I was tethered to a silver cord attached to my dancing body. I wasn’t scared though, and found myself enjoying this sense of release. I had no worries. Even when I thought about the premonition, the fear I’d felt toward it earlier didn’t touch me. Probably since I knew I wasn’t dead. I mean, hey, the silver cord remained attached to my body, so I was good, right?
As I took in my surroundings, a guy wearing a long black coat caught my attention. He was on the high platform overlooking the floor with his hands gripping the black railing. His hood concealed his face, but he appeared to be watching the people down below.
My eyes swept over the crowd and rested on Matt standing there staring intently on my swaying body. He took a step closer and leaned forward.
Was he sniffing me?
He looked up, searching for something.
At that exact moment, the hooded guy jumped off the platform, over the black railing, and ran to the dance floor. And then Matt’s eyes locked onto mine. They were pale and glowing.
I shuddered.
The silvery cord rippled, and then yanked me toward my body, as if I was a balloon being pulled down by an eager child’s grasp. Everything rushed before me: the tables, the crowd of moving heads, and my own head, moving in a figure eight along with my body. I closed my eyes and collided into a hard, confining surface, and that was the last thing I could remember.
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"Wow. I loved every page."
Now immortal, Paige is emotionally and physically stronger than ever. She must find the location of the ancient incantations to prevent mass genocide. But the war against good and evil is spawning another war-a battle between the dark spirits themselves. Paige is saddled in the center of both growing revolutions and is ready to take on the dark forces. But Nathan's overprotectiveness prevents her from taking action, and he's hiding things.
Paige's personal life gets more complicated when Brayden arrives back in town and offers the equal partnership she desperately craves from Nathan. Then there's Carrie and Tree, her two best friends and only family she has left. Unfortunate circumstances thrust them into Paige's dark world, giving her no choice but to allow Nathan to arm them with combat techniques in hope they'll be able to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, Paige is having visions and discovering abilities she was unaware of. When Anwar comes to visit, his weird behavior alarms her. Could he be turning to the dark side?
Time is running out. Paige not only needs to find the incantations but also to untangle the bands around her heart and make a decision that could leave her with a life worse than death-a life of betrayal from the ones she trusted most.
Our ears continued to ring, but still nothing out of the ordinary caught my eyes. When we reached the parking lot, there were people filing into their vehicles and exiting the premises. I wondered if one of them could be a dark spirit. I was just about to get inside the pickup when a soft crying noise tore at my heart. It sounded heartbroken and lost. I followed the sound while Nathan stuck our bags in the backseat. I moved to the front of the pickup and there sitting on the curb was the most angelic-looking little girl I’d ever seen. She had to be about five years old, and I wondered where her mommy was. My heart immediately went out to her. She was crying in her tiny hands, leaning forward on her knees, her blonde curls tumbling over her face. She scooted her elbows above her knees while she continued to cry, pushing her blue dress up, revealing black patent leather shoes and white laced socks.
“What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you lose your mommy?” I asked, kneeling in front of her.
“Paige, no!” Nathan hollered at the same time she dropped her hands and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward her. She was amazingly strong, completely throwing me off guard.
She slowly rolled her head around her neck, her baby face contorting into a ghastly mask, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then her dark glowing eyes poured into mine. I was too stunned to do anything but stare, even though her grip felt like a tourniquet around my wrist.
“Let. Her. Go,” Nathan demanded, now by my side.
The girl jerked her head up, her glowing orbs on Nathan now. “You have no power over me,” a man’s deep voice spewed forth from her pink, pouty lips, chilling me to the bone.
“No?” Nathan said, bending so his eyes were leveled with hers. “But I can break her neck which will take you out of the equation.”
“You can’t do that, Nathan,” I gasped. “She’s a child!”
“She’s soulless, Paige,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on her. “I’m going to tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go.”
Nathan wasn’t playing around. He was serious, and his ears were red, signaling the rage boiling inside him. The dark spirit must have realized it because he released me. I stumbled sideways, falling into Nathan’s quick arms. The sheer force of it knocked us to a sitting position on the asphalt.
The little girl hopped to her feet and moved her head clockwise in little jerks, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She stepped forward and stopped in front of us. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then focused on me, dark and glowing. She grimaced and blinked, her eyes now blue. “Help me,” she said in a sweet toddler voice.
I reached for her, but Nathan snatched my wrist, locking his arms around mine. The girl scowled. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were dark and glowing again. I sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and her mouth formed a circle. Her head fell back in deep laughter. It was dark, sinister, and male.
She stopped, glared at me, and pointed. “Vos ero pessum ire,” she said in the same deep man’s voice as before. Then she turned and ran away.
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"Rebekkah Ford does it again. Fantastic Read!"
The Exciting Continuation Of The Beyond the Eyes Trilogy.
In a rainy, misty town filled with moss-covered trees and dwarfed by wooded mountains, Astoria, Oregon, holds many secrets and eighteen-year-old Paige Reed is one of them. She's immortal, has magical abilities she's discovering, and harbors King Solomon's power inside her. With his incantations, she can control the dark spirits who lurk among societies in soulless humans.
But her problems are mounting.
Her best friend slips into a coma, and Paige must tap into her newfound powers--powers she's unsure of--to save her.
Through this ordeal, Bael who once commanded a legion of black souls, forces Paige to make a pact with him, causing her to abandon the ones she loves. When she finds out where Solomon's spells are and tells Bael, she begins to have second thoughts about her agreement with him.
Will Paige risk everything to claim the spells that hold the power to control the dark spirits so she can enslave Bael? Or will her one true love find her before she makes a horrible mistake?
And most importantly, what does the Devil's third mean and what is Bael really up to?
The candles were still flickering, the incense still burning. I rose, thinking, okay cool, some magic was going on here. Awesome. At least I’d accomplished casting a circle and providing protection from outside malevolent forces. But now what? Then, something at the edge of my vision caught my attention. I turned, my gaze moving to the figure on the floor.
Holy crap!
The figure was me!
What the hell?
As soon as the realization came that I was out of my body and in the spiritual realm, I immediately thought of Carrie, knowing I had to reach her before my two hours were up.
The walls began to spin, briefly showing different landscapes: a meadow like the one I’d seen before my grandmother left me, a village nestled among emerald green hills, houses with thatched roofs, horses running wild in a vast prairie shimmering in gold, a coliseum much like the one in Rome but new and constructed out of white marble.
“Carrie!” I yelled when the scenery wouldn’t stop. “Where are you?”
The spinning reversed, then accelerated at a rapid pace. Globs of gray and black colors and an occasional bolt of lightning whipped around me. Finally, it stopped, and my stomach lurched at the dismal scenery it now displayed.
The dark, clear sky shined and glistened, reminding me of black ice. A dirt road led to a town that appeared abandoned, and there were fires burning inside large trash cans along the side of the trail.
I closed my eyes. “Carrie,” I whispered, calling up a wonderful memory from our childhood of us playing in our tree house, seeing it in my mind. A cool breeze swept across my arms, raising goosebumps. How I could feel this in my spiritual form, I didn’t know. All I could figure was because I remained attached to my body, I somehow could experience it.
When I opened my eyes, I gasped. Before me stood a shabby wooden building. Orange light flickered behind the cracked, smudged windows, and I could hear somebody softly crying on the other side of a crooked plank door. My heart squeezed at the heartbreaking sound.
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Amazon A Companion To The Beyond The Eyes Trilogy After eighteen-year-old Carrie Jacobson discovers she was a witch in a previous life, she seeks to reawaken that part of her soul. With the help of an eccentric enchantress and a boy who is more than he seems, Carrie succeeds and is spellbound by the memories of her life in Europe during the 1600s as a powerful witch named Isadora. Carrie reverts to her bewitching, more volatile form and sets out to break a curse she cast long ago on her coven.
Carrie’s boyfriend Tree cannot help feeling uneasy about the changes he sees in the woman he loves. When Carrie’s past clashes with the present and dark magic intoxicates her once again, Tree must take drastic matters into his own hands and attempt to save Carrie from herself.
With Tree’s help, will Carrie be able to resist the allure of her new powers? Or will she plunge into the deep end and give into them?
Rebekkah Ford is an award-winning author who writes paranormal fiction. She believes her fascination with the unknown derives from her childhood. When her parents were married, they were the directors of the UFO Investigator’s League. They also investigated ghost hauntings and Bigfoot sightings in addition to extraterrestrial cases. Rebekkah’s upbringing, knowledge, and experiences with the paranormal world, along with her colorful imagination, aids her in creating her stories.
Rebekkah has an irreverent sense of humor, is known to annoy her beloved cat, Church, by singing opera to him (Rebekkah is tone deaf, btw), and she believes having a dirty mind makes boring conversations more interesting.
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MoB Promotions[/caption]EIGHT by K.S. Thomas
EIGHT
by K.S. Thomas
Genre: contemporary romance
Eight seconds at a time. That’s how you beat the bull. Survive the ride. Win.
Eight seconds at a time.
It’s been drilled into me for as long as I can remember. To help me focus. Manage my fear. Stay in control.
Eight seconds at a time.
I can do anything eight seconds at a time.
Even get over her.
Riot.
When she disappeared, it was all I could think to do. Keep breathing. Keep moving. Keep living.
Eight seconds at a time.
Until eight seconds turned to eight minutes. Eight hours. Eight days. Eight weeks. Eight months.
And finally, eight years.
Only now she’s back.
And I know the only way I’m getting through this, is eight seconds at a time.
“Babe, I don’t care about your past.” She waves her hand, trying to gesture how far out of the picture it is, even when we both know it’s not nearly far enough.
“But you should.” I lift my wrist and hold it out for her to see. “Remember this?” I shake it, as if shaking her name will somehow shake her out of my system. “This is her.”
“Riot?” Juli’s growing more confused and scared every time I open my mouth. I’m not doing this very well. “Riot is a person?”
“Yeah, Riot is a person.” I drop my arm to my side again. “Stone’s her real name. She’s Sketch’s sister. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Fell in love by the time we were in our teens. She was crazy and off the walls, she was a non-stop riot, my Riot.”
Juli’s lips press together tightly, leaving a white line across her face where her mouth should be. “Until she dumped you,” she spats, clearly hoping that’s the end of my story.
“She didn’t dump me.” Hell, maybe she did. Maybe running away was her extremely elaborate way of ending our relationship. Wouldn’t be the first time I considered the possibility.
“She disappeared. Middle of the night. Her parents thought she’d been kidnapped. Cops were leaning toward runaway, but no one ever knew for sure.” I haven’t told anyone about any of this in years. Not since it first happened. It’s strange how easily it’s all coming out. Maybe it’s shock. Maybe I should just enjoy the slow spreading numbness of it while it lasts.
“Sounds very dramatic,” Juli snorts snidely. “I’m sure everyone felt really stupid when she showed up again just another moody teenager.”
My brow furrows. She’s not getting it.
“No…that’s what I’m trying to tell you, Juli. She never showed back up. She was missing this whole time. For eight years no one had a fucking clue what happened to her. She was just…gone. Until today.”
Silence.
Well, the loud rush of blood and explosive pounding of my heart from the adrenaline notwithstanding, silence.
“Why are you telling me all of this now?” Her voice is quiet. She knows the answer to her own question even if she doesn’t want to.
“So you understand…why I can’t do this right now. Us. Moving forward. Making plans. I just need…a break.”
Tears well up in her blue eyes and her usually flawless mascara smears despite her attempt to lightly dab at the corners with her fingertips. “Are you going back to her?”
I shake my head. “It’s not about going back to anyone. It’s about all the shit I have to figure out now that she’s here. Shit I can’t drag you through, Juli. Shit that I buried so far down inside me the only thing that was ever going to bring it back to see the light of day was her, and honest to God, I gave up believing that day would ever come a long time ago.”
She bites her lip, eyes turned up at me with such sadness I hate myself for putting it there. “But you wanted it to. You wanted the day to come…for her to come back.”
Always. Every second of every day I wanted it.
“I never wanted this.”
Nine.
The number of years between us.
Nine.
And that’s just one reason it’ll never work. I have eight more. One for every year I’ve been alive longer than he has. They’re simple reasons. Obvious ones. And all I should need to know to understand that giving Lucas McNealy even half a thought, is a total and complete waste of time.
Only he doesn’t seem to know that. If he did, I’m sure he wouldn’t keep showing up.
In my thoughts.
At my shop.
And on my doorstep.
Nine simple reasons.
Nine undeniable years.
NINE
THE BIKER'S BROTHER by Victoria Danann
THE BIKER'S BROTHER
Sons of Sanctuary MC series, book 2
by Victoria Danann
Genre: contemporary romance
*Please note this books contains dark material that may be unwelcome by sensitive readers*
Brand takes a job nobody wants to earn the respect of club members. Being third generation SSMC doesn't go very far in biker cred.
Camden Carmichael is running from a psycho ex. Lucky for her that her father has the means to hire Sanctuary Security to protect her until the divorce is finalized.
Two strangers set out on a road trip together. At the end of it, neither will ever be the same again.
“Off the interstates. Isn’t that going to take a really long time?”
“It’s not a race. It’s the hide part of hide and seek.”
She stared at his profile. “What exactly is the plan?”
“I’m taking you to our safe house in Austin. It’ll be home until the judge has signed off on your proceeding. My job is to make sure you get there alive.”
“Okay.”
He turned on the radio and found a classic rock station.
“Just kill me now,” she mumbled.
“What was that?”
She looked straight at him.
“The radio.” She pretended to have to scream over the music. “You’re not going to make me listen to that. Are you?”
He cocked his head as he stared at the road ahead.
“I’m nothing if not fair. What kind of music do you like?”
“Well, for starters, I like music that was recorded this century.”
He took his eyes off the road just long enough to be sure she caught the glare he gave her.
“You want to do a passive aggressive dance around what you want? Or do you want to just tell me straight up?”
She pressed her lips together, narrowed her eyes, and decided she’d underestimated Brandon. She didn’t think thugs had descriptions like ‘passive aggressive’ easily tripping off their tongues.
“Country,” she said decidedly.
He gaped. “That is utterly impossible. A girl like you does not listen to country music.”
She looked indignant.
“I certainly do. And what do you mean ‘a girl like me’?”
He narrowed his eyes and glanced at her.
“Okay. If you really listen to country music then tell me one thing about Garth Brooks that only somebody who was a fan would know.”
Without hesitating she said, “He actually wanted to be a rock star, but when he opened his mouth to sing, country came out instead of rock. So he gave into it and owned it. Although he did steal the big showmanship from rock stars. Lasers. Fire. Dancing bears.”
Brandon raised his eyebrows. “He has dancing bears?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No.”
Brandon had no idea if that was true, but because she said it with so much authority, and because it wasn’t the kind of thing a person would be likely to make up on the fly, he believed her.
“Alright. We’ll take turns.”
“Good. Me first.”
He nodded just slightly. “Find your station.”
She seemed to perk up at the small victory.
“How do you get satellite?”
Brandon smirked. “Seriously? How sheltered are you?” She frowned at the question and said nothing, since she had no idea how to answer. “This car is too old for satellite. You got radio. That’s it. Make do.”
She set to work turning the dial. He even got a little smile after she settled on a station. After all that work, before the first song was over, she was slumped against the passenger door, sound asleep.
He looked over at her sleeping form and shook his head. He could have changed the station but thought it might wake her and, for some reason, he didn’t want to disturb her. So he was stuck with listening to twang and fiddle for what turned out to be hours. By the time she woke, he was beginning to tap his fingers on the steering wheel and was thinking country might not be all that bad.
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Amazon[/caption]Two brothers, unknown to each other, are on a crash trajectory with destiny and two broken hearts.
New York Times and USA Today BESTSELLING AUTHOR, Victoria Danann, dishes up the sizzle with a new biker romance series.
"A hot, sweet romance that will make you laugh and sigh." - Cafeworld
Brigid was a graduate student at the University of Texas. It wasn't hard getting her thesis approved, but finding a Hill Country motorcycle club willing to give her access to their lifestyle was starting to look impossible. Then she got a lead. A friend of a friend had a cousin with family ties to The Sons of Sanctuary. Perfect. Or so she thought.
What she wanted was information to prove a scholarly proposition. The last thing she had in mind was falling for one of the members of the club. Especially since she was a feminist academic out to prove that motorcycle clubs are organized according to the same structure as primitive tribal society.
Brash was standing in line at the H.E.B. Market when his world tipped on its axis. While waiting his turn to check out, his gaze had wandered to the magazine display and settled on the new issue of "NOW". The image on the cover, although GQ'd up in an insanely urbane way, was... him.
After reading the article, he threw some stuff in a duffle and left his only home, a room at The Sons of Sanctuary clubhouse, with a vague explanation about needing a couple of days away. He left his truck at the Austin airport and caught a plane for New York, on a mission to find a mysterious guy walking around with his face.
INCLUDES BONUS NOVELLA: Intro to the Sons of Sanctuary MC, A Season in Gemini
"She couldn't live in my world. I couldn't live in hers." - Brant Fornight
Get your copy TODAY and find out why readers call Two Princes awesome sexy, fantabulous, and sentimental in the juiciest way!
New York Times bestselling author of thirteen romances. Victoria's Knights of Black Swan series won BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES for the past THREE YEARS IN A ROW. Reviewers Choice Awards, The Paranormal Romance Guild.
Her paranormal romances come with uniquely fresh perspectives on "imaginary" creatures, characters, and themes. She adds a dash of scifi, a flourish of fantasy, enough humor to make you laugh out loud, and, occasionally, enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. Her heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, werewolves, hybrids, psychics, or past life therapists. Her heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners... usually.
The rich characterizations come from being a lifelong student of behavior, casually, and a serious student of behavior academically. She also studied comparative religion, myths, and Dark Ages history.
Victoria lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and a very smart, mostly black German Shepherd dog.
Website ✯ Twitter ✯ Goodreads ✯ Amazon ✯ Facebook ✯ StreetTeam ✯ Newsletter ✯ Pinterest
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MoB Promo[/caption]
THE GAME BEGINS by Victoria Danann
THE GAME BEGINS
When it came to the attention of the old ones that their creations, the Earth gods, had been playing games at the expense of humankind for millennia, they put a stop to it. But the rebellious gods were far too addicted to their games to give them up. After several summit meetings, they voted to use their own children as players and locate the playing field in the most treacherous environment in the known universe. High school.
To make it even more interesting, they would strip their children of their memories and withhold the rules of the game. The players believed they were ordinary kids until they were transferred to R. Caine High School. When odd things begin to happen, the players gradually realize they have special gifts or attributes. But that doesn’t mean they can’t die.
My name is Ever Moore.
I know. It makes me wince every time I say it. When I’m eighteen, I plan to have it legally changed to something that doesn’t make people laugh. But right now I’m stuck.
My dad thinks puns are the highest form of humor. He calls it ‘word play’. That’s right. I’m the spawn of nerds. My dad creates video games. My mother is an ethics professor at UCLA who thinks the battle between good and evil begins at home.
If you want to know just how weird it can get at the Thanksgiving table, I can go one better. My grandfather was a big deal rock star in the seventies. You wouldn’t know the name of the band. So there’s no point in name dropping. After a visit, he exits with a two-finger peace salute like all the other well-adjusted hippie grandparents, but he doesn’t say, “Peace.”
He says, “Rock steady.”
Ugh!
My family is big on manners. They’re too strict to let me say what I think, especially about Buzz’s love life. My grandfather doesn’t want to be called Grandpa or Grandad or Gramps or anything close to normal. Oh no. He wants to be called ‘Buzz’. I have no idea why. That is not his name.
Anyway, the best protest I can mount is rolling my eyes. I keep trying to get his attention and roll my eyes back further into my head when he does the ‘rock steady’ thing, but he will not be deterred.
Anyway I was leading a completely typical and deliciously angsty teenage life in Austin, Texas when my parents were suddenly offered jobs in the LA area at the same time. It was weird, but weird is part of my normal. Always has been.
Since my grandad, the rocker, still lives in LA with the latest girlfriend who’s barely legal - she’s two years older than I am - moving seemed like a good idea.
To them.
Amazon ✯ Amazon Int'l ✯ iTunes ✯ Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author of thirteen romances. Victoria's Knights of Black Swan series won BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES for the past THREE YEARS IN A ROW. Reviewers Choice Awards, The Paranormal Romance Guild.
Her paranormal romances come with uniquely fresh perspectives on "imaginary" creatures, characters, and themes. She adds a dash of scifi, a flourish of fantasy, enough humor to make you laugh out loud, and, occasionally, enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. Her heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, werewolves, hybrids, psychics, or past life therapists. Her heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners... usually.
The rich characterizations come from being a lifelong student of behavior, casually, and a serious student of behavior academically. She also studied comparative religion, myths, and Dark Ages history.
Victoria lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and a very smart, mostly black German Shepherd dog.
Website ✯ Twitter ✯ Goodreads ✯ Amazon ✯ Facebook ✯ StreetTeam ✯ Newsletter ✯ Pinterest
JAX: Repentance by Victoria Danann
JAX: Repentance
Knights of Black Swan Next Generation, Book 2
by Victoria Danann
Genre: Paranormal Romance
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Victoria Danann, continues the breathtaking new take on Knights of Black Swan with a sizzling follow up to Falcon.
The Next Generation of Black Swan knights continues the struggle to rid the world of "deadheads", virus infected vampires who are barely more cognizant than zombies. Jax, one of the vampires turned by the immortals, joined the fight and became Falcon's partner.
For six hundred years Jax has seduced women, drunk their blood, and left them feeling blissfully satisfied, but without memory of the event. It was a good and manageable life as a vampire. Certainly it worked for him. Until now. The deliciously wild redhead remembers. And she's pissed.
Yorkshire 1379
Jaxon Kell was born the year before Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, on a farm near the village of Catterick, which had been built on top of a Roman fortification named Cataractonium. His family escaped the horrors of the Black Death that had killed half the population. In fact, the natural immunities that contributed to the family’s survival may have also been the critical factor that saved Jax from the usual fate of those infected with the vampire virus.
One early fall morning his father gave him a pouch with enough coins to buy a new bull. The previous bull had been grazing too close to the edge of the forest and had been bitten on the soft part of his nose by an adder. It wasn’t much of a loss for the farm because the bull was old and probably wouldn’t have survived more than two more winters anyway.
Jaxon had just turned twenty when he discovered the dead bull. The animal was hardly a pet and yet he felt sad, maybe because the bull had been a farm fixture for the entirety of his young life. It wasn’t that Jaxon had never been exposed to death. He’d learned to crack a chicken’s neck for his mother by the time he was five.
He had no explanation as to why the bull’s death struck him as different, but seeing the former symbol of virility lying on his side with legs stiff as a board, Jaxon became very certain of one thing; death should be avoided for as long as possible.
The last thing Jaxon’s father said to him, after giving instructions to buy a short-horned bull with a spotted hide and a straight back, one that had seen no fewer than eight seasons and less than sixteen, was, “And come home with a wife while ye’re at it. Ye’re overdue.”
Jaxon turned away with a scowl, trying to hide his displeasure because he was an agreeable person, not inclined to argue for argument’s sake.
So he set out walking southeast on the old Roman road that ran the length of the Danelaw, some thirty miles to York. With his youth and long legs, he knew he could easily do it in a day and hire a bed to sleep at one of several inns before nightfall.
He hadn’t given much thought to getting a wife until he was ordered to do so. Probably because he wasn’t sure that was what he wanted. But it was what people did. Farm work required lots of hands, the more the better, the younger the better. So as he started south toward York, he was thinking about what sort of girl he’d choose.
His father was descended from the Northmen who had settled Jorvik, or York as it became known in modern times, but his mother was descended from Picts. She was fine-boned with black eyes and a look that caused the more superstitious locals to think she practiced magical mischief.
Jaxon expressed both heritages in his looks. He was tall and blonde like his father, but his build was leaner and tighter, his musculature more finely cut. He had replicas of his mother’s black eyes that were other-worldly and hypnotic. Her piercing look could transfix a person and cause them to instantly forget what they’d been thinking a moment before. She had a reputation for being able to freeze a person’s tongue in the middle of speech, but that was a rumor started by the ignorant descendants of Scandinavians who simply didn’t care for the pixie-like look of the woman.
He wasn’t so unsophisticated as to not be aware of his appeal to the opposite sex. Catterick was a village, not a town, but there were enough women around for him to glean that he got more than his share of longing looks. Perhaps it was the way his fair hair fell over his brow, giving him a boyish look of innocence. Perhaps it was the contrast between that look of guilelessness and the gleam in his black warlock eyes. Perhaps it was his smile that seemed shy.
Whatever the reason, he’d been receiving impromptu offers of tumbles from maids and wives alike since he’d turned fourteen and he’d taken advantage of his share.
He thought about it until mid-morning. He broke off part of the half loaf of bread his mother had sent with him and ate as he walked. It was a nice day with no rain and soon he forgot all about what kind of qualities he might look for in a wife. Instead his thoughts turned to seeking out bawdy taverns where he might learn limericks and how to distinguish a decent ale from brine.
It was mid-afternoon when Jaxon stepped onto the cobblestone streets of York. He stopped to marvel at York Minster. Construction was still in progress, but it was a sight he wouldn’t forget. He continued until he came to the Goose and Acre Inn. He paid for a room and asked the way to the stockyards, planning to set out first thing the next morning in search of a bull and a bride. Which came first depended entirely on the order fate chose to present.
Two days later, Jaxon Kell had bought a bull, searched for a bride, and become a vampire.
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The knights are losing the war with the mutated virus. Humanity's extinction is a possibility.
Black Swan needs a miracle.
Who would guess that it might come in the form of a womanizing vampire?
"Reminiscent of My Familiar Stranger."
The next generation of the Knights of Black Swan have been inducted and vested with all the privileges and responsibilities of the B Team legends in whose shadows they took their training. K Team is coming into their prime as servants of The Order, with most of their lives ahead. Or so each one hopes.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Victoria Danann, brings us a sizzling new take on the Knights of Black Swan. The boys are all grown up and bursting at the seams looking for action.
Black Swan believed they'd found the cure for the vampire virus, but it mutated and the resurgence threatened to be the extinction of humanity within a generation. Help comes from a most unexpected source, a vampire.
Meanwhile, the new Director of Operations is cute, curvilicious and has Falcon reeling. And he doesn't need distractions when he's busy saving the world.
"Grabs hold and won't let go." - The Paranormal Romantic
The epic saga that has won BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES the past three years in a row (Reviewers Choice Awards, the Paranormal Romance Guild) continues with a new crop of vampire hunters that we already know and love.
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New York Times bestselling author of thirteen romances. Victoria's Knights of Black Swan series won BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES for the past THREE YEARS IN A ROW. Reviewers Choice Awards, The Paranormal Romance Guild.
Her paranormal romances come with uniquely fresh perspectives on "imaginary" creatures, characters, and themes. She adds a dash of scifi, a flourish of fantasy, enough humor to make you laugh out loud, and, occasionally, enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. Her heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, werewolves, hybrids, psychics, or past life therapists. Her heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners... usually.
The rich characterizations come from being a lifelong student of behavior, casually, and a serious student of behavior academically. She also studied comparative religion, myths, and Dark Ages history.
Victoria lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and a very smart, mostly black German Shepherd dog.
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