Julie Elizabeth Powell's Blog, page 6
June 22, 2018
BATISTE by Victoria Danann
BATISTE
Cajun Devils, Book One
by Victoria Danann
Genre: MC Biker Romance
Ça va mal. Ça va pas bien.
New York Times bestselling author, Victoria Danann, begins a HOT new MC romance series spinning off SSMC. You're gonna love it. For true!
Take a journey into the exotic culture of bayou country in Louisiana's Lafayette and Acadia parishes. Cajun beauty, Angelique Bellefeuille, has had enough of bikers and their bullshit. Being put in danger because of her father's motorcycle club makes that conclusion rock hard solid.
When she's sent to an allied club for protection from a rival club, she's reunited with her childhood friend, Just Batiste. Only he's not the cute, fun, adventurous kid she remembers. He's large, in charge, and menacing.
The last thing Batiste needs is a distraction from the new joint venture with the SSMC, but Fate has her own sense of timing and her own sense of humor as well. Angel is partly his memory of her as a little girl and partly grown woman walking around in the mind-numbing form of a curvy, blue-eyed mischief maker.
Just when he thinks he can't get more frustrated with the little troublemaker, she's kidnapped by the very people he's supposed to be protecting her from. What will he do to get her back? Anything. Distraction or not, he vows she'll be returned unharmed or he'll personally initiate Armageddon.
When Angie went back to her room Batiste hadn’t returned from whatever biker intrigue was occupying his time. She took a couple of bottled waters so she wouldn’t have to go hunting in the night.
She supposed she was fortunate to have a room with an adjoining three quarter bath. She took a shower and towel dried her hair, but left it damp because she’d sleep cooler that way. Around eleven she turned off the lights, crawled on top of the cotton sheets and lay still listening to the night sounds of the swamp. After a few minutes a light rain added its voice and she felt herself drifting off to the lullaby of crickets, cicadas, and frogs.
She was dosing when she heard the door open. The first thing her eyes focused on was the bedside clock. It was just after midnight. As she was sitting up to see who it could be entering her room uninvited , she heard… nails on the floor?
“No worry, cher. It’s me. And dogs,” Batiste said in a hushed tone.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Takin’ care of you.”
Since she’d been half asleep, her eyes were adjusted to the low light and she could see that he was spreading a sleeping bag on the floor.
“You’re not sleeping on a wood floor.”
“Looks like I am.”
“You’re taking this protection thing kind of seriously.”
She heard the rustle of nylon as he lay down on top of the sleeping bag, but he didn’t answer. There was no more to say about that.
Nothing was more serious than keeping Rou’s girl safe. He had two dogs trained by the SSMC, worth a fortune, and a nine millimeter pistol loaded and within easy reach. That, and the fact that he wasn’t likely to sleep too soundly on the hard floor, meant things were secure to the extent of his control.
As he settled in, minimizing the discomfort to the extent possible, and got still his awareness of her nearness grew like a thing that had sentience. It was frustrating knowing she was close enough to reach out and touch. It was also the best feeling in the world, knowing she was close enough to reach out and touch. If he was sappy, he might have said being with Angelique felt ‘meant to be’. But he wasn’t sappy. Not at all.
At least that’s what he told himself as he robotically stroked Belle’s fur and stared toward the ceiling. The sound of the rain was comforting. Partly because that is one of rain’s gifts and partly because villains rarely get up to mischief in the rain. Maybe, he mused, they’re like that old wicked witch in Oz and don’t like getting wet.
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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VALLEY GIRL WARS by Cherime MacFarlane
VALLEY GIRL WARS
Southwest of Homer, Book 2
by Cherime MacFarlane
Genre: Contemporary Romance
The poacher is an ever-present threat to Ally as captain of Tore Olson's boat, Valley Girl. She doesn't understand why he refuses to go to the Alaska State Troopers. She agreed to help him by taking over the captain's chair when Tore broke his leg. She didn't sign on to evade a poacher, scramble to catch enough fish to make the balloon payment and dodge the big Swede.
Fishing on Lower Cook Inlet southwest of Homer is stressful enough without the added tension of wondering how Rurik will react to her wanting to return as captain of the family fishing boat. Her younger brother is doing fine without her. Marriage has settled the man down and Ally fears it isn't fair to ask him to give up his new position as captain of the Arina. When she does turn the Valley Girl back to Tore, what is she going to do with herself?
She put his gear away after making sure the Velcro side seam was still intact. Eyes closed slightly, he watched her move around the cabin. Every move she made was done with a grace which enticed him.
The first time he saw Alyona Ksana Petrov in the Old Salt Bar, he had to fight to keep his mouth shut so the saliva didn't mess up the front of his shirt. When the introductions got made, he almost shit a brick. How in the world could any woman who looked like a runway model be a fishing vessel captain?
By the time his first season out of Homer ended, he had to admit the woman knew her stuff. The Petrov family owned the Arina for a long time and Ally had handled the boat with ease.
She quietly closed the door on her way out. Tore's eyes popped open, and he stared at the ceiling. Ally got nervous when he looked at her too long, but he liked watching her. All that fine blonde hair and those gray eyes that changed with her moods like the waters they sailed did things to his gut.
He wanted her. Then again, outside of her brother and cousin, he didn't know a man in the fleet who hadn't wondered what it would be like with Ally. Maybe Fawke never thought about Ally; Ornery Maddox had the Cajun tied in knots.
Tore conned her into sharing the bed for all of two nights. But he got too impatient. She didn't go for the accidentally-pulling-her-close-in-his-sleep action. Ally now slept on the back of the settee in sweats. A very immature tactic on his part cost him the pleasure of having the woman next to him. He wondered if she said anything to Rurik?
In the beginning, he didn't respect the kid. Anyone with a nickname like the Russian Raider had to be full of shit. But when the kid cornered him that night in Seldovia in the basement of the Petrov family home and warned him to be good to his sister, Tore changed his mind.
And to top that, he must stop cursing their cousin, Isshy. The Old Believer hadn't screwed with his gear. Tore put his concerns about Isshy away. If Isshy's worthless brother-in-law were at the helm, Tore wouldn't have doubted the drunk pirated fish or gear or both.
The half pill slowly kicked in. Olson closed his eyes and thought about the woman at the helm that looked like an ice sculpture carved for Fur Rondy. He told his sister and dad that he hadn't found the right woman yet. He lied; the problem came when he tried to figure out how to hook her and pull her in. Not quite sure about the mechanics before breaking his leg, Tore decided it was a lucky break in one way.
Homer Bait and Switch
He's not a bad guy, but he did something that has his mother and sister upset. Then there are all the girls in town, they've nicknamed him the Russian Raider.
There's new girl in town, Lynn. Rurik feels the pull the moment he sees her. His reputation is against him and the fisherman knows it.
“I didn’t plan to take off with the money. Ally, my sister was driving our fishing boat to the boatyard to schedule a ton of work the old tub needed to continue making us money. She handed the check from the last offload of salmon to me. I was supposed to take it to the bank and deposit the money.
In all my twenty-six years, I hadn’t been anywhere out of Alaska. I stared at that check, eighty thousand plus a few hundred and didn’t want to let go of it.”
After doing something stupid, Rurik has to fix things which won't be easy.
I came to Alaska kicking and screaming in 1976, and I never want to leave. I cut firewood on shares for money to get through the winter. I swore I would not live above the Alaska Range because it was too cold there and wound up in the Copper River Basin where it got just a cold as Fairbanks.
My second husband, a Scot from Glasgow, was the love of my life. When I write Scots dialect, I experienced hearing it from my in-laws. Each time my husband got on the phone to Scotland after five seconds, I could hardly understand a word. I was my second husband's chief mechanic's helper and roadie.
I live in a cabin which is slowly being surrounded by the city and wish I were farther out. My cat and Husky-Collie mix dog are happy in our little slice of heaven called Alaska. In the silence of winter dreams of people and places provide a rich pool of ideas to explore.
As a reporter for the Copper Valley Views, Cherime MacFarlane received a letter of commendation from the Copper River Native Association for fair and balanced reporting.
Other Awards: Finalist in McGrath Book Awards 2017, Amazon Best Selling in Anthologies-twice and Hardest Working Author Award from Author Classified.
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June 19, 2018
DEFINING RILEY by JJ Ellis
DEFINING RILEY
A Harper's Rock Legacy Series, Book 4
by JJ Ellis
Genre: Young Adult
Please note: This series deals many teenage issues. This particular book touches on sex talk, closed-door sex, foul language, cancer, LGBT (bisexuality), depression, and talk of suicide. JJ doesn't go into physical and descriptive aspects of these issues but uses the issues to allow the story to move forward.
At what point will defining Riley become a matter of life or death? Is a legacy left by someone he's never met the only thing that can save him from himself?
Riley Johnson has always carried one label or another. He's the ranch kid, the bully, the jock, the closeted bisexual, the wild kid, the son of the town drunk. But these are all labels placed on him by others. Who is Riley Johnson really, in his own eyes?
Starting with the death of someone he loves, Riley's world beings to fall apart. As he tries to keep his head above water, he's faced with a choice. He can live down to the labels and be the Riley everyone believes him to be or he can search within himself and the hearts of those who care about him to find out who he really is and who he will someday become.
“Come on, sit down,” Johnny said motioning to the arm chair across from the couch. “I don’t know if you remember but when you were a little boy you guys used to come to Denver.”
“Before my mom died.”
“Yes. You and Addie were inseparable. You used to protect her from the neighborhood boy when he’d call her names.”
“And now I call her those same names, yet you’re still willing to take me in.”
“Your dad and I were best friends too. I was his protector. But then…” When Johnny paused just a moment too long, Riley’s curiosity got the best of him. “But then what?”
“Something happened that changed my life forever. I was no longer capable of protecting or being a friend or brother to anyone.”
Riley’s demeanor suddenly turned ice cold. “So, you’re saying you owe my father and taking care of me repays that debt?”
“No, what I’m saying is that you’re my nephew and I love you despite the sins of your father and since he no longer wants my protection and since I’m capable, I’m offering it to you.”
Riley couldn’t quite bring himself to look at his uncle so he set his gaze on the snag in his jeans. “But you don’t even know me.”
Johnny chuckled knowingly. “I know more than you think. Between when you guys stopped coming to Denver when you were six and when I moved home a few months ago, I was in almost daily contact with Uncle Joseph. I arranged for food baskets and grocery store gift cards, Angel tree nominations, and visits from social workers to make sure you were properly taken care of.”
“I…what? Why?”
Johnny shrugged and stood up. “I don’t know. I maybe couldn’t stand the thought of the little black-haired boy with sad eyes who used to crawl into my lap for story time going without. Maybe I missed my own child when her mother took her away. And maybe it was just time to help and be a part of the family again.”
“Thank you.” It was a whisper so soft that only way Johnny knew it was real was because he saw the gratitude in his nephew’s eyes.
Anguish
One young man
One desperate decision
Being a teenager is hard enough, but when you have a diagnosis of depression and anxiety life can feel like it is caving in on you. When you add in a new awareness of your sexuality and falling in love for the first time, life can become almost too much to bear.
Ben Harper is determined to make it all work with the help of his best friend and new love, JC Croft. But when his inner demons conspire against him, can he come out on top or will he be crushed by the pressure?
A Promise to Sadie
Michael Croft, a sensitive, artistic teen, is trying to decipher his father's tragic and complicated legacy.Then, life presents Michael with the opportunity to help his childhood friend Sadie. He agrees, knowing he would do anything for the girl he loves.
When tragedy strikes the young couple, Michael makes a promise that beings to tear his life apart. But he has a guardian angel watching over him. Can his father's broken past help him face life as it should be? Or will Michael turn his back on the lessons of the past and sabotage his own peace?
Adella's Heart
Ben Croft and Adella Johnson come from two different worlds. Ben's a high school football star who likes the party girls. Adella is autistic and prefers the majesty of the horses she works with to the social awkwardness created by teen boys.
But for Ben, there's just something about the unpretentious, pretty blonde. So, when his usual charms don't work on her, he drops the act and gets real. They form a quick and powerful bond.
It seems almost from the beginning that the world is working hard to shred everything that ties them together. And it just might succeed when each is faced with a future they never saw coming.
JJ Ellis is first and foremost a mom to five kids, four girls and one boy, ranging in age from 6-22. After that, she is a physically limited wife, blogger and now an author. She holds a degree in Communication Studies (Public Relations) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas but never thought she would choose writing as a career, especially at the age of 42. She once wanted to be a publicist in the entertainment industry, but never a writer. Then one day when she was in her mid-thirties she was going through what can only be described as an early 'midlife crisis' and ideas just started to come to her and she felt compelled to write them down. She finished her first book relatively quickly, but life got in the way and it took her eight years to revisit it and then publish her first novel. She can honestly say that now she is finally right where she wants to be.
JJ has been married to her college sweetheart (and romance novel hero) for twenty-one years and they reside in Casper, WY with their kids and one crazy mutt named Kreuger. She enjoys reading, writing, blogging, computing, and graphic design. She will try anything that will allow her creativity to be released.
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CELEBRITY STATUS by Angela Scavone
CELEBRITY STATUS
by Angela Scavone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Pearman Literary Publishing
Famous Hollywood actress, Elizabeth Stanfield, has a glamorous lifestyle with a lavish house, glittery parties, a people magazine's fifty most beautiful people fiance and best friend Billy Stone - Famous actor, producer and secret organized crime enforcer.
Everything is not as it seems...Elizabeth's fiance cheats on her, a studio head and director are hell bent on making her life miserable and it gets harder to keep her secrets protected.
The only good thing in her life is Billy, their budding romance, and connections that give them freedom to do whatever they want in Hollywood.
Will their connections be enough to keep their secrets hidden and Celebrity Status safe or are they doomed to be torn down?
“So, Mr. Stone.” I seductively moved towards him. “When do you have to be back on set?” I stood in front of him.
“Well, Miss. Stanfield.” Taking a cue from me, he put his hands on my hips and began to pull me towards him. “I don’t have to be back there for another hour.”
“Really?” I allowed myself to be pulled forward. Putting a knee on the couch on either side of his hips, I straddled him and sat on his lap. “Neither do I.”
With my hands on either side of his face, I bent down and kissed him. He pulled me closer and began undoing my blouse, slowly, one agonizing button at a time.
As I kissed him, I started to work on the button of his pants. Once I got that opened, I pulled my shirt off to speed up the process.
“A little impatient?” He laughed as I pulled his shirt over his head.
“Uh, yeah, we only have an hour.”
“Elizabeth, trust me, that’s plenty of time.”
I began kissing his neck. I could feel his arm muscles tighten as he began work the back clasp of my bra.
I moved from his neck, to his shoulder, to his collarbone, and then down to his chest. I was continuing my descent when there was a knock on the trailer door.
“Go away,” Billy commanded to the intruder.
“Billy, we need to talk.” Sonny’s voice came from the other side.
Without hesitation, I continued my journey down to his stomach as I slid off him and knelt on the floor between his knees.
“Not now, Sonny.” Billy took in a sharp breath as I circled his belly button.
“I’m not asking again.” Sonny sounded angry. “I need to speak with you and Elizabeth now. I do not like to be kept waiting.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” I said, extremely irritated, and stood up. I quickly threw on my blouse and began buttoning it up as I opened the door.
“What do you want?” I asked angrily.
Behind me Billy was buttoning up his pants and trying to find his shirt.
“Oh God,” Sonny exclaimed as he walked in. “Is this what I have to watch out for every time I come to see you guys?”
“Well, if you had listened to Billy and left us alone, you wouldn’t be witnessing this, would you?”
“What are you doing?” Sonny ignored my snarky comment and asked Billy.
“I can’t find my shirt.”
I looked around and it was on the opposite side of the trailer on the floor. I must have really flung it when I took it off him.
“It’s over there.” Sonny pointed it out.
Billy looked to where it was but didn’t move from the couch. “It’s okay, I don’t really need it right now,” he said as he crossed his legs.
“Oh God,” Sonny repeated. “I don’t know if I can handle this.”
I laughed at Sonny’s discomfort and threw Billy his shirt.
“So?” I said to Sonny. “What was so urgent that you had to bust in here?”
“We have a problem.”
“Yes, I know,” I sarcastically answered. “We now only have forty-five minutes until we are due back on set and I should be underneath Billy by now.”
Sonny made a face.
Angela lives in Ontario, Canada sharing her home with her father and her two much-loved pups. She currently works for the Board of Education behind the scenes supporting and analyzing student data, however, in her spare time, apart from her avid love of storytelling, she likes to read, spend time with family and friends and concoct dairy free recipes from scratch. Sometimes she wins some, and sometimes she loses some – tofu, banana and peanut butter pudding we are looking at you.
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SWEET AND SASSY BRIDES boxset
SWEET AND SASSY BRIDES
by Mimi Barbour, Jacquie Biggar, Alicia Street, Dani Haviland, Stephanie Queen, Stacy Eaton, Rachelle Ayala, Katy Walters, and Aileen Fish
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Do you sigh when you hear Mendelssohn’s wedding march? Does seeing a bride in shiny satin and lace bring tears to your eyes? Whether it’s a first marriage, an affair of the heart, or a second chance to get it right, our scintillating collection featuring NINE uplifting love stories is the perfect place to find that heart-warming wedding magic. Enjoy hours of Happy Ever After tales brought to you by NY Times and USA Today bestselling Magic Makers.
Together Again - Mimi Barbour, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
A young girl’s spirit travels forward in time, invades the body of Mr. Perfect & they fall in love. In her ten-year wait before they can be together again, she becomes a woman, has a baby & becomes famous as a romance author. For him - the wait is only a week. When they meet, he's expecting a sixteen-year-old girl. Her major fear - will he recognize her? Most important, will he still love her?
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Jacquie Biggar, USA Today Bestselling Author
Take two stubborn fools, mix a touch of fate, stir in some desire, and you have the recipe for a Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
The Leftover Bride - Alicia Street, USA Today Bestselling Author
Tired of always being the odd girl out, Bailey allows her old friend and surrogate big brother Devyn to coach her on the latest set-up, but when a shared tragedy from their past rears its head, she discovers love often lurks where you least expect it.
Three Are One - Dani Haviland, USA Today Bestselling Author
Her world fell apart with his suicide, but Heath was ready to help Kizzie and her daughter rebuild it - if she'd only let him.
Small Town Sassy Bride - Stephanie Queen, USA Today Bestselling Author
Lily runs away from her small town and her failed engagement to her cousin's Inn to hide. But she runs smack dab into the arms and charms of another small-town man. Or so she thinks...
Roses & Champagne Kisses - Stacy Eaton, USA Today Bestselling Author
After an accident, Finley must take over the planning of a wedding for a nightmare bride. It doesn’t help that sitting beside the spoiled woman is a tempting and tasty morsel of a man, or that he’s watching her as closely as she’s watching him.
Bride for Breakfast - Rachelle Ayala, USA Today Bestselling Author
Jane must complete the renovations of her Caribbean bed and breakfast in time for her wedding, but the entire island is intent on sabotaging her plans—unless the groom is the caretaker’s son.
The Duke Needs a Wife - Katy Walters, USA Today Bestselling Author
Can the heiress Cassandra resist the overtures of the Duke and the devious ploys of his mother, the dowager? A regency romance.
Warming the Cowboy's Heart - Aileen Fish, USA Today Bestselling Author
Cheyenne is as wit’s end with one of her rodeo kids, and she feels sorry for anyone who falls for his father Mike. Then she falls for Mike.
Mimi Barbour is an incredibly busy New York Times, USA Today and award-winning, best-selling author who has five series to her credit. The Vicarage Bench Series – Spirit/Time -Travel tales that have a surprising twist / The Angels with Attitude Series – Angels Love Romance / The Elvis Series – Make an Elvis song a book / Vegas Series – 6 books full of romantic suspense, humor and gritty conflicts / and… the fast-paced, edgy, humorous, romantic suspense, Undercover FBI Series. She also has numerous box collections and single titles to add to her credits.
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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. 🙂
Free reads, excerpts, author news, and contests can be found on her website. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter or email her via her web site. Jacquie lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and loves to hear from readers all over the world!
You can join her street team on Facebook, her exclusive Review Crew or sign up for her newsletter.
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Alicia Street is a USA TODAY bestselling author and Daphne Award-winner often writing in collaboration with her husband, Roy, as well as on solo projects. She spent many years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. A compulsive reader of every genre, she also loves watching old black-and-white movies and inventing new recipes for soups.
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USA Today best-selling author Dani Haviland, a Mayflower and Mormon pioneer descendant, recently semi-retired from selling tractor parts, tools, and roses in Alaska, relocating to a more temperate climate in western Oregon to pursue her passions: writing, gardening, and photography.
Life has changed from jumping into a skidsteer loader to plow snow to pull-starting the walk behind weed whacker, but there are still enough hours in the day for the feisty old lady to propagate people for her novels and plants for her yard. Sharing is part of her personality, so creating books and photos to share all over the world makes her happy.
Her tenacious and perky attitude is reflected in many of her cyber children, whether they be a British lord stuck in 18th century North Carolina or a 6'7" time traveling 'fairy' who is out to champion anyone who is having a rough time dealing with difficult life situations.
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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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Stacy Eaton is a USA Today Best Selling author and began her writing career in October of 2010. Stacy took an early retirement from law enforcement after over fifteen years of service in 2016, with her last three years in investigations and crime scene investigation to write full time.
Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, who works in law enforcement, and her teen daughter who is working toward her second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and on the choral and cheerleading squads at school. She also has a son who is currently serving in the United States Navy.
Stacy is very involved in Domestic Violence Awareness and served on the Board of Directors for her local Domestic Violence Center for three years.
Be sure to visit her website for updates and more information on her books.
Sign up for all the latest information on Stacy’s Newsletter!
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Rachelle Ayala is a bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She writes from sweet to steamy and believes that everyone should find love as often as possible, even if it's within the pages of a book. Rachelle is working on a sweet series of romances with pets and firemen, Have a Hart Romances, and one full of bad boys, Bad Boys for Hire. She also writes sports romances in both football and baseball, as well as many holiday romances, both sweet and spicy.
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USA Today Best-Selling author, Katy Walters e.books, and paperbacks are purchased and read in their thousands on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Katy lives in the midst of Regency towns on the South Coast of England. Her main interests are historical; contemporary suspense romance, and time travel. She is equally drawn to the paranormal based on mythology and the Dark Ages.
After studying at various universities Katy was awarded a B.A Hons (psych) B.A.(Soc.) B.A. Eng Lit & Creative Writing and an M.A. She was also awarded a Doctor of Science (Hon) for research into pain control.
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USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Fish is an avid quilter and auto racing fan who finds there aren't enough hours in a day/week/lifetime to stay up with her "to do" list. There is always another quilt or story begging to steal away attention from the others. When she has a spare moment she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their families. Her books include The Bridgethorpe Brides series and the Small Town Sweethearts series.
She also writes steamy romance under the pen-name Ari Thatcher.
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Prize: A charm bracelet featuring all the covers of the books from the boxset
DEADLY DISCOVERY by Alathia Paris Morgan
DEADLY DISCOVERY
Nova Ladies Adventures, Book Three
by Alathia Paris Morgan
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Julie, while recovering from wounds sustained in the line of duty, discovers she isn't who she believed herself to be. Her journey into the past, leads her on the path to her future, but there are those who would prefer the past not to resurface. Determined to find out the truth about her family, Julie is in a race to sift through years of secrets before the past has a chance to silence her for good.
“Well, you said you needed to talk, so spill. I’ve got hours to listen, drink coffee, and eat pie.” Allie grinned as she took a sip of her coffee.
“You really should be a cop.” Julie shook her head at Allie’s intuition, and relayed the conversation with her grandmother from earlier in the day.
“I’m very confused. What do I do about this situation?” Julie concluded.
“Do you want to go to Georgia and meet your grandmother?” Allie watched Julie’s face closely.
“Yes, but I feel like I’m betraying Grams. I mean, she’s the one that wants me to go, but doesn’t meeting Mimi Millie lessen all the things she’s done for me over the years?” Julie grimaced in frustration.
“Absolutely not,” Allie exclaimed vehemently. “She will always be your grandmother, and she knew this day would come eventually. It would be good for you to expand your horizons and meet more of your family. Admit it, you might find a handsome man to fall in love with, ’cause Lord knows, you won’t find one here.”
“Allie, I can’t meet a man there. He might be my cousin or uncle, or something weird. There are no men knocking down my door, but I haven’t been overly friendly with guys either.” Julie looked disgusted.
“Julie.” Allie laid a hand on her arm. “There are plenty of men in the entire state of Georgia that aren’t related to you. You just have to be willing to open up and let them get to know the real you.”
“I can’t. As soon as they find out that I carry a gun and run toward danger, guys run in the opposite direction. Besides, if I went out there, it would be to meet my family, not a guy. My life is here,” Julie finished, firmly running out of reasons she couldn’t date a guy.
“Really, your life is here? Where you grew up and know about everyone and their dating histories? Unless you know someplace where they have mail order grooms that don’t need a green card, then you could just order the perfect man,” Allie joked.
“See? This is why I called. I knew it was crazy to go across the country and meet people who might be criminals themselves.”
“Nope, not what I said. Besides, we have serial killers right here. You helped to take one down that you’ve known your whole life, so at least give these new people in your life the benefit of the doubt, okay? They can’t be any worse than the people here in this town.”
“Crap. Why did you have to bring up sensible reasons when I was looking for excuses?” Julie pouted.
“So are you going to tell them you’re coming, or just show up on Mimi Millie’s doorstep?” Allie asked practically.
“I’m going to wait until Grams leaves for church in the morning. She won’t know until she gets home what I’m doing.” Julie pulled out the key to the cedar chest. “I’m going to read through sixty years’ worth of letters before I go traipsing about. I might get all the answers I need and not have to go anywhere.”
“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that. I’ll just explain it to Justin that you needed to go on an epic adventure and destroy a ring at the top of a mountain.” Allie laughed at the bewildered expression on Julie’s face. “Justin made me watch this movie about a Hobbit who goes on an adventure. He said my movie education was sadly lacking.”
“Oh, I get it now. Haha.” Julie gave her a tight smile.
“All right, that’s it. Get up.” Allie stood abruptly.
“Wait, where are we going?”
“To get you packed for your journey.” Allie collected the trash to dispose of it as they left.
“But I’m not sure if I’m going yet,” Julie protested.
“Julie, do I need to call Megan on her honeymoon?” Allie was referring to their friend who had been chased by a serial killer and poisoned. She was now recovering with her new husband, and wouldn’t want to be disturbed, but the threat of calling her would be enough guilt for Julie to comply.
“No,” Julie whined. “Let’s go.”
Ding-Dong—Is She Dead
After witnessing a Mob murder in NYC, Allie Foster is placed in the witness protection program. Starting a new life in Texas is hard enough—but finding a front door hanging on its hinges while delivering Nova beauty products makes it even more difficult. A grisly trail of blood leads her to a terrifying discover… a body. After a heart-stopping moment of fear, Allie realizes her friend is still alive, although badly beaten. When she rushes Megan to the hospital, it puts Allie right back where she doesn’t need to be—embroiled in yet another mystery.
Allie offers to help her friend protect her daughter, even as a second attempt on Megan’s life reveals her husband will stop at nothing to prove he’s above the law. When it fails again, Megan’s abuser decides to take his anger out on Allie instead. With the help of a handsome stranger, Allie escapes, but now both women are in danger. Justin Greenley, the gallant protector, offers them a safe haven until the would-be murderer is caught. His family’s ranch seems the idyllic choice, but Allie isn’t sure if she should trust Justin with her life… even if her heart tells her she should.
Death by Poison
After surviving an abusive husband, Megan Butts wants nothing more than a fresh start with her daughter Sally. She’s grateful for their home at the ranch, pitching in whenever she’s not working on her new Nova business. When she offers to clean out a cabin on the property, she uncovers more than she bargained for in a stack of old diaries.
Her tentative relationship with Mark Greenley takes a nosedive when Megan starts to investigate his mother’s death by supposed suicide, uncovering a trail of hidden money and blackmail twenty-five years in the making. Mark doesn’t want to dredge up the past, but Megan is determined to dig deeper, despite her overwhelming urge to give into her inclinations to obey men, a lesson her ex tried to beat into her. When the mystery starts to endanger not only her life, but the life of her daughter, Megan must decide if her new love and life are worth the pursuit of justice.
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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June 15, 2018
FOREVER IN INK by Jude Ouvrard
FOREVER IN INK
Ink Series Book 4
by Jude Ouvrard
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: JC Clarke (The Graphics & Formatting Shed)
Editor: RE Hargrave
Kyle Layne has it all figured out. The perfect life, including a future with his dream woman, is in his grasp. Each day filling with more happiness than the one before, he couldn’t ask for a better existence.
But fate has other plans.
Like lightning from the heavens, Kyle’s dream turns into a nightmare in the blink of an eye. Lost, and filled with pain and anger, his once perfect life now resembles a broken mirror—shattered.
With the help of his best friend Levi, he finds a ray of hope in the depths of darkness. Kyle’s fragile shell is transformed into a work of art, freeing his mind and soul for a chance at a new future while memorializing his sacred past forever in ink. Kyle’s dream has died, but life starts making sense again after his tattooing career takes off and strong friendships help rebuild his sanity… until a one-night stand flips his world upside down, that is.
Can Kyle risk his battered heart in Destiny’s untrustworthy hands? After so much loss, does he dare to dream again?
There was a girl watching me from the other end of the bar. I didn’t know if she was playing games, but her flirting was obvious from miles away. Not that my taste could be trusted, but she was hot. Her dark hair and dark skin had something exotic. Of course, after this much vodka, almost any girl in the place could’ve led me on.
I nodded, hoping she didn’t want to talk—because I wasn’t having any of that—and she smiled. These days it all came down to sex. Why talk when I had no intention of seeing them again? No feelings whatsoever, no strings attached… just raw sex. Plain and simple.
“’Ello,” she said.
“Hey,” I answered before drinking my vodka like water.
“Wanna get out of here?” Her thick accent had me smiling.
“Of course.”
As quick as that we were outside. I followed her to her place, which was a studio of some sort. It was small, very small. She closed and locked the door behind me, and then started throwing her clothes on the floor.
Wow! Hell, she isn’t wasting time.
Her long dark hair hid her breasts as her eyes dared me to come forward. To claim her. There was something about the colors of her eyes which took me by complete surprise, though. One seemed brownish-green, while the other was just green. What the hell?
“Come on, hot stuff. Are we going to get started, or what?”
“Alright, alright.”
Once I’d taken my clothes off, she pushed me down on the mattress. “Look. I had a shit flight, and I’m exhausted. Let’s get rolling.”
This was the first time I’d been with a girl who came off colder than me. It felt different, and somehow made me unsure. She was sure of what she wanted, though.
My back pressed into her cold, black sheets while she crawled on top of me, taking charge as if I were a toy. She was chewing me up, not leaving me time to process anything or enjoy this. Karma, I guess, for all the times I’d played this same old game with women—flirt with them, fuck them, and then leave them without a goodbye. This time, though, the girl had a plan of her own, and not having anything better to do, I gave myself to her.
Several drinks past tipsy and more than turned on, I decided enough, that it was time to take back the power in her bed. After all, I’d had a rough day, too. Hell, I’d had rough days ever since… yeah, ever since I lost my soul.
Fueled by my pain, yet again, I gave her everything in me. All the roughness and lust. Turned out we had some kind of chemistry. Her dark tresses were all over the damn bed. She was a black fucking panther, a wild animal.
Why am I analyzing her so damn much anyway? I never care about who… I promised I would never care again.
Writhing and moving together, the sexual tension between us kept rising. My toes curled while my fingers gripped her hair and I worked to keep this going until I couldn’t anymore. Her once perfect bed had turned into a mess of sweat, tangled sheets, and exhausted bodies.
Who am I kidding?
This woman was something else.
Using my arm and legs, I held her in place against my chest after we’d both climaxed, until she got out of bed without saying anything.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm. The girls I’d met were never so emotionally detached.
“Tiff. You?”
“I’m K.”
“Well, K. I’m going for a shower. It’s been real, thanks.”
Is she really kicking me out?
“Can you lock the door on your way out?”
Shit, she is.
Amazon ✯ Amazon Int'l
As an editor, sometimes working through a manuscript becomes technical, and you don't necessarily get "sucked in." With Forever in Ink, I found myself having to stop reading to go back and edit. And, yes, I cursed Ms. Ouvrard a couple of times for making my heart race... in both good and bad ways. Kyle's story is as heartbreaking as it is uplifting. Everyone deserves a second chance.
#EditorApproved ~ RE Hargrave
Body, Ink, and Soul ✯ Music, Ink, and Love ✯ Ink Me More
"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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AS RIGHT AS RAIN by J.M. Maurer
AS RIGHT AS RAIN
by J.M. Maurer
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
After finally landing her first job at a television station, meteorologist Makayla Reading is determined to make her mark on the world. With an ex she’d rather forget and no time for a new man in her life, what she needs is a true friend to help her deal with jittery nerves and her crabby boss who makes her life miserable.
Though a don’t-fall-for-the-cameraman rule should be easy to follow, sparks fly when she meets the handsome and charming Eli Barringer. As their relationship moves beyond friendship, Makayla realizes she must not only give in to her heart but also let Eli in on a secret she’s been keeping, a decision she knows is…as right as rain.
“Hey.” Eli ruffles the hat on my head like one would do to a child, and then lifts my chin with his gentle fingers, leveling my gaze with his. “You all right?”
I blink him into focus, seeing the crease of concern deepen between his eyes. Although I’m grateful for his question, he doesn’t need to know what’s on my mind. My emotions are all over the place, scattered like debris after a storm. Plus, I’m having a difficult time pulling my sight from his eyes and keeping my thoughts on my job.
What are you doing, Makayla?
Yes, he’s gorgeous. And off limits.
He’s sexy. And still forbidden.
I’m confident there has to be some sort of don’t-fall-for-the-coworker rule I should be following. But no such rule seems to be preventing me from reacting to him the way I am.
Not wanting to alert him to what’s making me so frazzled, I respond to his question with the first thing that pops into my head. “I’m just new. And nervous.”
It sounds plausible coming out, and it’s partially the truth, a fact I’m comfortable with, given I’ve just met Mr. Beautiful.
He moves his hand to my shoulder and squeezes just enough to hold me in place, which also keeps me from sliding in my seat as Sam steers us out of the garage and onto the street. “Okay, if that’s what you’re going with, I’ll buy it. For now.”
J.M. Maurer is the author of contemporary romance, including the Emerging From Darkness Series. She is also the author of Curveball Baby, a standalone, second-chance at love, sports romance. She loves to write about strong characters and their struggles in life.
When not writing, you can find her spending time with family and friends, exploring the outdoors, or recovering after attempting most any sport. She resides in Chicagoland with her husband and son.
June 9, 2018
DARK CHILD OF FOREVER by S.K. Ryder
DARK CHILD OF FOREVER
Dark Destinies, Book 3
by S.K. Ryder
Genre: Dark Paranormal Romantic Fantasy
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
A reluctant new Lord of Night. His vulnerable human queen. If they can't change five thousand years of history now, it will change them. Forever.
Fate has cast vampire Dominic Marchant and the human love of his life, Cassidy Chandler, into roles they never imagined. Thanks to his mad sire, he is now the Lord of Night, and Cassidy, with her unique ability to merge her mind with his, has become the incongruous mortal queen of his immortal kingdom. Even as he dreams of seeing the sun again and she can’t imagine becoming a vampire, they vow to reshape their domain into a world where vampires feed on love rather than fear and leave their prey swooning instead of dead.
But not all their subjects are pleased with the change in leadership. A powerful ancient vampire and his cadre of followers serve Dominic his greatest challenge yet just when reclaiming the day looks like a real possibility. Soon friends turn up in ashes, and Cassidy and his human family become targets in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that leads them and their unlikely, vampire-hunting allies deep into the wilds of the Canadian Rockies—and straight into their worst nightmares.
With their lives and the very existence of the world of night hanging in the balance, Dominic and Cassidy must decide whether to chase an impossible dream or finally embrace their dark destiny.
The vault door in the vestibule unsealed. A vampire appeared and stood with his arms draped over the decorative gate, his unshaven face split by a lecherous grin that made Jackson rise from his chair in alarm.
“Cassidy.” Serge’s baritone voice purred with appreciation. “You ordered takeout.” Unlike his lord and master who still digested the events of the day, Serge had no idea what the human was doing there.
“Be nice,” she said. “He comes bearing gifts.”
“Oh, yes, he does.” Serge unlatched the gate and sauntered across the kitchen, barefoot and rumpled, his curly caramel hair sticking out in every direction, the vampire equivalent of a man in search of coffee.
Jackson glared at him. “Sleeping with the boss now? You’ve come up in the world.”
“Sleeping? No. Not I.” Serge puffed out his barrel chest with pride. “I stand guard over my lord.”
His lordship materialized beside Serge and delivered a gentle slap to the back of his head. “More like lie guard flat on your back,” he said in his lyrical French accent.
Serge growled much as the cat had earlier. “But I am always with you.”
“I know,” Dominic concurred with a dramatic sigh. “There is no getting rid of you.”
“And you are glad for it, blood-child. Admit it.”
Cassidy smiled at their antics. Tall, lean and grace incarnate, Dominic was the polar opposite of both the stocky Serge and muscle-bound Jackson. Even dressed in his usual exercise pants and T-shirt, both black, few would mistake him for the ordinary man of twenty-seven he had been when he was turned into a blood-drinker. Carved cheekbones and a knife-blade nose dominated his profile, and his expressive mouth could instill terror as easily as convey gentle humor. Not to mention bestow mind-blowing kisses.
But it was the eyes that were the most striking thing about him. Their quiet depths missed nothing and could flash from warm and beguiling to full black and disturbing in the space of a heartbeat. Gold flecks danced in the hazel irises now as he looked at her.
“Bonjour, mon amour,” he murmured and held out his hand.
“Bonjour,” she said, moving into his embrace.
The world around them fell away, and they stood together in the sunlight streaming through the foyer just as she remembered it. He rubbed the back of her neck with his thumb while she nuzzled into his thick hair, inhaling his heady youngling scent of winter on the cusp of spring, clean and earthy and full of warm promise.
“Indeed. He brings gifts,” Serge said, pulling them back to the moment.
Uh oh, she thought.
His tone had lost its swagger and turned dreamy. It meant he saw ‘shadows’ in the aura of whoever he was looking at, or impressions of the future. When Serge had his visions, disjointed and insubstantial as they were, something always changed.
Often not for the better.
Though Dominic appeared unconcerned, Cassidy felt the tension skitter through him, too. Neither of them dared to interrupt Serge as he studied Jackson with an intense interest that no longer had anything to do with his warm blood. The human man returned the stare, his hands wrapped over the back of the bar stool as though preparing to pick it up and use it as a weapon.
Serge turned to look at Dominic with a wide, gap-toothed grin of wonder. Then he chuckled. The gleeful sound was entirely worthy of the pirate he had been in life.
“Oui?” Dominic prompted. “Did he bring a good gift?”
Serge laughed.
Jackson offered a tentative smile. “I suspect you’ll like it.”
And just like that Serge stopped laughing.
In a flash he was by Jackson’s side, his eyes bugging out of their sockets. “Beware the fire,” he whispered on a hiss that made Cassidy’s skin crawl.
Jackson took a hasty step back.
“Beware the fire,” Serge repeated, now looking at Dominic. Then he laughed uproariously and disappeared.
Dominic closed his eyes and struggled for patience.
“What…was that?” Jackson said.
Cassidy rubbed the chill out of her arms. “That was Serge. You remember him, don’t you? Vampire you tried so hard to kill?”
Discomfort tightened his mouth as he looked away.
Dominic moved forward and placed his hands on the edge of the green granite counter top as he faced Jackson. “So did you bring me fire, Jackson?” His gaze darkened as he let the vampire rise and his senses expand.
Looking through his eyes, Cassidy saw that Jackson had changed more than she realized. His aura, once muddy red with anger, had brightened into the powerful crimson of a man whose mind and purpose were clear.
Jackson took a deep breath and pressed a fingertip onto the little black case. “In a way.”
Dominic tilted his head, brows drawing together. “This is from the lab?”
“Yes, it is.”
The lab. The Striker Foundation’s clandestine research facility, staffed with bright scientific minds compelled by Dominic to maintain absolute secrecy. The lab existed for one reason, and one reason only, and it was this now that caused Dominic and Cassidy to become stone-still with anticipation.
“They did it, Dominic. They found a way. You can have the sun again.”
His future is already written...in her blood.
Rookie journalist Cassidy Chandler wakes to an ugly bruise on her neck, a hole in her memory, and a fiancé who seems to know more about what happened than he's telling. It's enough to make Cassidy call off the engagement and move out, even if that means trading a posh South Florida mansion for a dilapidated beach house. Unfortunately, she also trades one devious man for another questionable character in her unexpected new roommate: the darkly enigmatic and exasperatingly French Dominic Marchant.
For Dominic Marchant secrecy is a matter of survival. As a newborn vampire with dangerous enemies, he's sure the headstrong young woman invading his lair with an unknown vampire's mark on her throat is about to get him killed. But the charming Cassidy resists his every effort to make her leave and even embroils him in her own tumultuous life. Before he knows it, she has stolen his heart and helps him rediscover his lost humanity. Now he's fighting to protect her not only from the ancient vampires hunting him, but also from his own deadly desire for her.
But her secretive ex isn't done with her yet, and neither is the dark prophecy Cassidy and Dominic's unlikely relationship has set in motion. Together they are swept up in a battle where nothing is as it seems, love and deception are the weapons of choice, and the only way to survive is to risk everything--for each other.
The only thing standing between a new vampire and eternal darkness is the fragile mortal woman who claims his heart.
Youngling vampire Dominic Marchant struggles to master his deadly instincts as he hunts the urban jungles of South Florida. He keeps his hunger confined to the blood of the guilty with help from Cassidy Chandler, a human woman who can literally touch his soul. Their love is his last remaining tether to humanity, which is tested beyond endurance when powerful forces from his past introduce him to terrifying new appetites he could never have imagined.
His efforts to protect Cassidy from the depravity overtaking him push their relationship to the brink of shattering. Refusing to give up on the man who is her heart, she takes an unthinkable gamble to save him. But is she fulfilling an ominous prophecy that ensnares them both? Or has she become just another pawn in a cunning game played by the five-thousand-year-old vampire who claims Dominic as his own?
Desperate to rescue her from a fate worse than death, Dominic strikes a perilous bargain with his greatest enemies only to face an impossible choice--embrace his darkest self…or destroy the woman he cannot live without.
S.K. Ryder is a software developer by day, a scribe by night and answers to Susan any time. She writes the type of stories she loves to read: heart-pounding adventures full of supernatural mysteries and relationships between strong, compelling characters. Though she calls South Florida home, she has also lived in Germany and Canada and has traveled widely, usually in the hot pursuit of wild and scenic nature. When not debugging code, complicating her characters' lives or plotting her next rafting adventure down the Grand Canyon, she can be found beach combing, scuba diving, sailing or just hanging out with a good book. When push comes to shove, she can also bake a halfway decent cake and stand on her head, though not at the same time.
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Prize: Signed paperback of Dart Heart of the Sun & Dark Lord of the Night (books 1 & 2 of the Dark Destinies series)
BUTTERFLIES AND FLUTTERBYES by Maggie Lowe
BUTTERFLIES AND FLUTTERBYES
Dreaming in Words
by Maggie Lowe
Genre: Women's Poetry
Publisher: Hydra Productions
Cover Designer: Chandra TruLove Fry
This is a collection of poems straight from the heart of Maggie Lowe. Some will bring you to tears, and some will light your face with a smile. They will touch your heart and warm your soul.
Author Maggie Lowe has been writing ever since she was able to pick up a pencil. As a child she could create worlds of all kinds. At the age of eight she wrote her first song. When she was thirteen she wrote her first fan-fiction story. At the age of twenty-five she wrote her first book that she hopes to publish someday soon. And now, at the age of thirty-three she published her first poetry book. Now she is currently working on several WIPs and looks to the future full of hope and excitement for what's to come!
