K.T. Castle's Blog, page 7
December 18, 2017
Lottie Loves
by Samie Sands
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Hi, everyone!
I’m super excited to have Samie Sands visiting today. She’s a great writer and her new book Lottie Loves is a great addition to her books, her first contemporary romance and I’m loving it! Don’t forget to scroll all the way down to participate in her giveaway and to read her guest post: How to date a Rockstar.
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GENRE
Contemporary Romance
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BLURB
“Will you marry me?”
Four words I’ve waited my whole life to hear. Four words I was sure would change my life forever…and they did. Just not in the way I expected.
Finding out my extremely gorgeous rock star boyfriend was about to propose had the complete opposite effect I thought it would. Rather than catapult me into a future I’ve always wanted, it plunged me back to a past I tried to forget.
Now I can’t get him out of my head. I can’t help but wonder what could have been, how our lives would have ended up if he didn’t leave me behind, a shattered mess.
All these memories are dangerous. They’re bringing my past back to ruin my future. And worst of all, they’re taking me right back to him, my childhood sweetheart, my first love…my biggest regret.
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EXCERPT
I yanked my phone angrily out of my pocket, not at all in the mood to talk to anyone, least of all the name that I saw plastered across the screen.
Danny.
I rolled my eyes, almost stuffing the phone back in my pocket, really not wanting to speak to him. My mum had put me in the worst mood, and for the first time ever I wasn’t excited to talk to the man I loved.
Just as my hand slid into my jeans, my heart pounded uncomfortably against my chest, and I rapidly changed my mind. I couldn’t ignore Danny, not when he’d done nothing wrong. Just because I was all shook up and pissed off, it wasn’t his fault. Plus I had no idea when he would call again, so I shouldn’t miss this opportunity.
“Hi…” I started, but Danny jumped in almost instantly, not letting me get a word in edgeways.
“Lottie? Are you okay? It isn’t true, I promise you. I didn’t…it isn’t what it looks like…I…” He sounded panicked and stressed, which meant he wasn’t making any sense, causing everything within me to halt in shock. Danny was a pretty laid back person when it came to most things, so to hear him like that meant that something really bad had happened. I just couldn’t work out what it was…
“Woah, slow down.” I tried to sound calm, but even I could hear the hollow twinge to my tone. “What the hell are you going on about?” I stood outside the front door to my home, unable to even think about hunting through my bag for the key when something so potentially life changing was about to happen.
“You mean you haven’t seen it yet?” He gasped weakly, his words cracking painfully with emotion. I shook my head silently, waiting for him to continue. “I…I thought you hated me already. I thought you knew.” He panted a few times, and I noticed my breaths becoming as ragged as his, as if my body was trying to prepare me for what was to come next. “The newspapers…they’re saying some things. Some awful things…but they aren’t true, I promise you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, everything swirling around inside of me until I almost felt sick with it all. My brain wasn’t quite processing any of Danny’s words, but my body had already come to its own, very unwelcome, conclusion. “What the fuck are you saying, Danny?”
“At the industry party last night…there was this girl…”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
[image error]Samie Sands is the author of the AM13 Outbreak series, published by Limitless Publishing. She’s also had short stories included in Amazon best selling anthologies and work featured on Wattpad. Lottie Loves is her first book in the contemporary romance genre.
To find out more, please check out samiesands.com.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Wattpad
Lottie Loves US | Lottie Loves UK | Amazon
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GIVEAWAY
Samie Sands will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC or a book
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How to Date a Rockstar
by Samie Sands
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Dating a rockstar is amazing, full of glamour, glitz, shows, money, and fun. There can’t possibly be any downsides to it, can there? I mean, aside from all the fans who throw themselves at your man, of course! Here are 5 tips to make sure your rockstar romance goes the distance:
1. Communication isn’t always the best…
As Lottie learns in Lottie Loves, Danny can’t always speak to her when he wants to, even when he really should! Things are bad and she really needs to find out what’s going on from him, but his commitments to the band mean he can’t do what he wants.
2. Be yourself!
You’ll need to have your own life so you aren’t to worried about what he’s doing all the time. Have your own career, hobby, and circle of friends to help you when times get tough.
3. Don’t always listen to rumors.
Lottie freaks out when rumors start circulating about her man, which sends her back down memory lane, all the way to her first love. If he’s famous, people will try to say certain things about him. Be secure enough in your relationship to trust him most of all.
4. Most of your romance will happen in private.
You can’t have many drinks in bars or secret dinners if his fans are always watching. Most of your time will be spent Netflix and chilling, but that way you get to keep him all to yourself for just a few hours.
5. Look forward to your melting eye-contact moments.
Lottie and Danny meet in a wonderful moment of eye-contact when he’s up on stage playing a gig. Those magical sorts of moments will make all the hard things worthwhile!
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December 13, 2017
Ford, My Review
Read a sneak peek below and be sure to grab your copy today!
About FORDThere are three things Ford Garrison wants more than anything: to build, to report to no one, and the chance to live his life without the prying eyes of the good folks of Eagle’s Ridge. Having spent ten years in the Navy as part of their construction battalion, he was able to live out most of that dream. Two out three wasn’t bad, right? Now that he’s out of the service, things aren’t falling into place quite as easily as he hoped and he ends up back home with all eyes on him.
It wasn’t as if Callie had gone out of her way to end up in Ford’s path, but somehow that happened all on its own and the town gossips were having a field day! Could she help it that she was living in the house Ford had hoped to claim as his own or that the work on his grandmother’s ranch meant they were living not fifty-feet away from each other?
Ford was determined to come home, do a job to help his grandmother and leave. Callie James is a distraction and she represents everything he has spent years running away from. Now he’s at odds with his friends, his family and himself about where his home and future are going to be.
Could he walk away from Eagle’s Ridge a second time?
Get your copy of FORD today!
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Excerpt
“What are you working on out here? More wreaths?”
With a soft laugh, she pulled back and stepped out of his arms. “I am. Doing something like this is normally very soothing for me. When I got home, I came right out here rather than going into the cottage.”
“And did it help?”
Callie shook her head. “Unfortunately, it was so quiet out here, and I’ve already made four of these wreaths so I didn’t even have to think about what I was doing.”
“So your mind immediately went to your mom.”
She nodded. “Exactly.”
Stepping around her, Ford examined the wreath. It looked exactly like the one she had given him for his grandmother’s front door, but now he took the time to look at the details. It seemed so simple at first glance, but when he realized how much time went into weaving the lights and how tedious that could be, he was more than a little impressed. The vine was fragile, and he knew he’d more than likely crush some of it if he tried to do it himself.
Unable to help himself, he reached for one of Callie’s hands and studied it. It was small and delicate. Her fingers were slim and smooth. No wonder she could do work like this. He looked at her face and saw her studying him, her expression serious.
And Callie rarely looked serious or intense. Her features were always relaxed or smiling. This was…different.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “I was just noticing how intricate this work is,” he said gruffly. “I’m a little in awe of what you do.”
“Me? But…what you do is so much more—”
Ford placed a finger over her lips and shook his head. “I’m in awe of you,” he repeated, and slowly pulled her in close again.
Callie’s lips parted on a soft gasp as her eyes met his. And those beautiful eyes seemed to have a million questions in them, and Ford only had one answer.
He kissed her.
Slowly. Sweetly. He savored her as she melted against him. She hummed as her arms wrapped around him and in that instant, Ford knew what he had to do.
He lifted his head and looked down at her. Her lips were wet and her cheeks were flushed and she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. So many nights over the last week they’d been like this, and right now, Ford knew he wanted more.
“Come home with me, Callie,” he murmured against her lips before resting his forehead against hers.
“Yes.”
Never had a single word sounded sweeter.
About The AuthorSamantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
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My Review
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“That’s today’s lesson, Ford. Expect the unexpected.”
Ford learn the lesson his grandfather taught him the hard way. That’s the only way strong intelligent men like learning, isn’t it. Ford is the last book of the 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers series and it didn’t disappoint at all.
Ford Garrison is from the good part of the city, but he has always felt under the microscope… small town and all that. As a Navy SEAL, he used the skills he learned from his grandpa in construction. And even if he inherited his family construction company, he was nothing to do with it or his hometown. That is, until he needs to come back home to help her grandmother fix her house after an accident and he finds the girl living in the guesthouse.
Pulling back a bit, she looked up at him–and Ford knew right then and there that those blue eyes of hers were lethal.
Callie James is a sweet kindergarten teacher (some sort of kryptonite for Ford). Her mother used to work for the Garrison’s and she had a major crush on Josh when she was younger. Ford’s grandma, a former teacher, invites Callie to live with her to be closer to school. Little did Callie know that soon Ford will be living next to her while fixing the house.
“Come home with me, Callie,” he murmured against her lips before resting his forehead against hers. “Yes.” Never had a single word sounded sweeter.
The moment Ford got into her bed (thinking the guesthouse was empty, of course), they felt attracted to each other. But Ford is so adamant of staying in town for too long that he’s stubborn not to see how much he likes Callie. Ford is in constant battle with his feelings, on the first hand he wants to get in, fix the house and get out of there, avoiding everything his hometown has to offer. One the second, there are his feelings about his grandmother and Callie.
She swallowed hard and willed herself not to cry. “You’ve had so much pressure on you to stay from people who love you, so I need to be the person who loves you enough to let you go. Go and be happy. Wherever that may be.”
Callie is such an amazing lady. She trully wants Ford to be happy, enjoy him while she can. Even if she also has her own personal issues, the biggest one being her mother retiring and moving away. They’re clearly into each other, but what will happen at the end? We certainly have a happy ending. But you need to read the book in order to see how Callie gets under Ford’s defenses.
She wasn’t alone in how she felt, and he hated that he had walked about before he’d had the courage to tell her how much she meant to him. Which was…everything.
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December 12, 2017
Noah, My Review
by Cristin Harber
About NOAH
Navy SEAL Noah Coleman knows how to do two things well: underwater demolition and hand-to-hand combat. So renewing his enlistment is a no-brainer until he receives a message about his cousin’s aggressive terminal cancer. A quick trip home confirms the worst, which means his niece Bella will become his responsibility.
Elementary school guidance counselor Teagan Shaw has known Bella since her son announced the two were best friends. The shy little girl is also on Teagan’s radar because of Bella’s early signs of gifted aptitude. But Teagan is more concerned about the military man thrust into the role of single parent.
While Noah adjusts to civilian life and Eagle’s Ridge, he and Teagan begin forging a friendship. But Teagan has a secret, a shadowy figure from her past who is intent on returning to torment her.
Fall in love with seven sexy and irresistible soldiers who find their courage and heart tested like never before in the battle for love! This multi-author collaborative series of contemporary romance novels is brought to you by bestselling authors Barbara Freethy, Roxanne St. Claire, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Julia London, Cristin Harber and Samantha Chase. You won’t want to miss a single one!
Get your hands on NOAH now:
✦Amazon http://smarturl.it/NoahAmzF
✦iBooks http://smarturl.it/NoahiBooks
✦Barnes & Noble http://smarturl.it/NoahBN
✦Kobo http://smarturl.it/NoahKobo
✦Google Play http://smarturl.it/7BridesGP
About The AuthorCristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy, steamy romantic suspense and military romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.
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My Review
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I was super excited about reading yet another book of the 7 Brides For 7 Soldiers series, specially this one because it was written by Cristin Harber. Noah in the cover didn’t do much for me (he’s so much more handsome in my imagination), but if you judge cover by their looks, don’t let this one fool you. It is really good.
Heaven helped the woman who he had children with. Never mind. A family wasn’t in his future. He was a SEAL, through and through.
Noah Coleman is a navy SEAL through and through. He was happy as one, dedicated to his career and didn’t see himself as anything else. He didn’t envision himself in a relationship, and much less with a family. But life has unexpected surprises, and his dear cousin, the one she considered a sister, dies leaving him with the responsibility of raising her daughter Bella. Imagine what such an event could do to a man’s life. Fortunately, he didn’t have to figure it all out on his own.
NOAH: Just wondering. Did Bella say…
NOAH: Drive careful, Mrs. Shaw?
NOAH: Drive careful, Ms. Shaw?
Teagan Shaw is Bella’s school counselor, she also happens to be a friend of Noah’s late cousin and the mother of Bella’s best friend, Will. She happens to be a single mother who Noah feels immediately attracted to. She’s a great person and human being. I love how grounded she’s portrait and how very centered she is. But it wouldn’t be interesting if things were simple.
“I’m sorry someone gave you a reason to be this defensive,” Noah said quietly.
Noah and Teagan are attracted to each other from minute one. They both feel a connection that it’s almost tangible through the pages of the book. But Noah isn’t the only one in a complicated situation. He is learning to be a father, and raising a gifted daughter, while Teagan is also raising a boy completely on her own. ‘Cause her boy’s father is not at all interested in Will, not even when he unexpectedly shows his face for the first time since the five year old was born.
“And, I can scale any wall.” There wasn’t a hint of innocence behind that SEAL’s smile. “Now that I know the history behind it? Doesn’t worry me at all.
I thought it was smart of them both to stop and think things through before then jumped into a relationship. It was the very paternty thing to do. Even if Noah was ready to get all in (as I did), Teagan was the voice of reason. Noah didn’t even completely gotten his head around his cousin’s death and didn’t have much clue of how to raise Bella. He was learning as he went and relied a lot on his family, friends and Teagan. It was good that she told him they shouldn’t rush into things, even if she did it because she was also insecure.
“This isn’t a game for me, Teagan. I’m not going anywhere. I wouldn’t do that to Bella.”
Eventually it is bigger than them, and there’s a series of events that bring them finally together. However there’s a series of things that they need to go through regarding Bella’s mother’s death and Will’s father.
“I like figuring this out with you. Having time with them, but then just you and me.”
I loved that Noah and Teagan got their happily ever after. I also enjoyed the little participation that other characters from the rest of the series made. I’m really enjoying how all of these amazing authors are giving us one great series.
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December 11, 2017
My Review of Torrid Little Affair
The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. And I have the perfect candidate all picked out.
My new assistant is tempting beyond belief with her curvy body and take-no-shit attitude. All those luscious curves, and a juicy ass I’m already in love with. God, the things that I would do to that ass…
But it’s the haunted look in her eyes that speaks to me. Like she’s taken just as much shit in her past as I have—maybe more. We both deserve a little fun.
Love can’t fix everything. Mind-blowing sex and a few killer orgasms, on the other hand?
I have a feeling those might do the trick.
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A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras
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My Review
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Torrid Little Affair is the third book in the Forbidden Desires series. I liked the book a whole lot, and had no problem reading it even if I haven’t read the rest of the series.
The way the book started was great. The main characters, Cooper and Corinne meet in a rather embarrassing situation, where Cooper confuses her for an escort and basically asks her to get on her knees and do him. Imagine meeting someone that way? It takes a little for the reader to understand where Cooper Kingsley is coming from.
Mostly, though, I just wasn’t ready to see Gavin and Emma yet. Wasn’t ready to face seeing them as a couple and pretend to be happy for them. Fuck that.
Before his book began Cooper’s heart had been broken. Worse part was that he was heartbroken because the woman he thought he was in love with, Emma, chose his brother Gavin over him. Which just made me curious about reading their book. Regardless of what happened then, we get to see how Cooper heals and find a project that might clear his mind and give him what he needs with no strings attached.
“I’m not asking for a relationship, Corinne. I’m not asking for anything, really. I just think we might be able to help each other out. In a strictly physical way.”
Corinne O’Neil is a girl that has a simple life and she liked it. She has been unemployed for a while before she lands a job as Cooper’s assistant which has everything she needs, including the kind of health insurance that makes it the perfect job. The people around her wante her to expand her horizons and allow her life to be better, to not just be good but be happy. She’s convinced there isn’t anything else for her and she made her peace about it a long time ago. Once she meets Cooper and he makes her an offer for an after-hours, underneath the sheets, kind of relationship that she can’t refuse, her world is turned upside down. She decides to back down from the only sex no strings attached relationship and only have a healthy professional one.
So I’d gone down on her, Lots of bosses had probably done that to their assistants, right?
This quote made me laugh! And, isn’t it usually the other way around? Anyway, of course they couldn’t keep emotions out of their relationship, that was a given. It was really interesting to see how they got out of that mess only to get back there for good. I adored Cooper, he was completely into Corinne and devoted to her from day one even if he was portrayed as a complete douchebag at the beginning.
“Tell me to stop. Tell me to be careful with you.”
“No.” Her eyes met mine with a clash of want and need. “Take me how you need me.
Cooper was the one to realize that they were perfect for each other. Corinne on the other hand was probably the one that fell in love, and there’s a situation in her life that she can’t ignore. Something in her life that doesn’t allow her to have a relationship with Cooper.
Not because I didn’t want more–I wanted everything. But if she wasn’t willing to give herself to me completely? Well, I wasn’t willing to let go of what little parts of her I could have.
There’s a lot of great characters in the book. Most of them know from the beginning that Cooper and Corinne belong together. Only one of them knows Corinne for long, Mauve, and even if she wants Corinne to embrace her love for Cooper, Corinne doesn’t listen. The rest of the characters come from Cooper’s side: his brothers, Quinn and Gavin, his sister-in-law, Emma, and his brother’s assistant and Corinne’s trainer, Alyssa (who I hope ends up with Gavin). All of them want to help them out, but they don’t understand what is holding Corinne back and I’m not going to spoil the story for you.
I’d handed my heart over more than once because I wanted to believe I’d been in that kind of love. No fucking way I was going to hold back now that I’d actually found it. Not anymore.
I really like the story and would recommend it to all contemporary romance readers. This book made me curious of the rest of the series and I’ll probably be reading them. It’s a great story that I enjoyed and kept me reading to the very end.
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December 10, 2017
Delta: Redemption
ABOUT DELTA: REDEMPTION
“My name’s Victoria–No last name. Don’t ask.”
That was all that the woman would share when Delta team’s expert trigger man, an Australian named Ryder, pulled her from the pits of a human trafficking nightmare and took the gun from her hand.
He didn’t mean to steal her revenge but survival was the priority. Now that Victoria’s home? She had a past he was trying to understand while keeping a secret from her that might tear her apart.
But he’s not the only one. When she goes missing, Delta team discovers that Victoria No Name was a one-woman vigilante force, taking on whoever crossed her path, from gun runners to a drug pushing motorcycle club.
She was exactly who Ryder thought she might be, and now he was coming in to help–whether she wanted backup or not.
Get your hands on DELTA: REDEMPTION for .99c now!
READ AN EXCERPT FROM DELTA: REDEMPTION
The tears came. She couldn’t stop them, and she hated the path they burned down her cheeks, hated that Ryder was witness to her unraveling, just like he’d been in Russia.
He rested his hand on her back, not speaking, and he didn’t move to shush her. His palm simply rested there.
“Ryder.” She fell against him, and he wrapped his arm around her.
“Easy, love,” he whispered. “Take a breath.”
“I can’t.”
His chin touched the top of her head, and the arms that she knew could hug her like all hell did the job, wrapping her away from the world until the tears stopped.
“Feel better?”
Nodding, Victoria drew in a deep breath, wiping under her eyes. “Could you hand me a tissue?”
He was already halfway off the bed as if reading her mind and handed her the box. Again, Victoria wiped her face. With another fresh tissue to cover her eyes, she could barely look at him.
“This can’t be what you signed up for,” Victoria mumbled. “Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
She balled the tissue up and hazarded a glance in his direction. “Why did you come here?”
“I was worried about you.” Ryder tilted his head back to the bed. “Can I sit again?”
Victoria’s eyes squeezed shut, but she nodded.
“I don’t have to. Never mind.”
She blinked and refocused on him. “What?”
“I didn’t mean to invade your space.”
Her head dropped. Ruined. He saw nothing but a ruined woman who was so fragile he misread what she meant with a simple look. “I didn’t—I wasn’t… I made a face. Or I didn’t mean to make a face.” She cringed. Such a mess! She couldn’t even get her words right. “I sound like an idiot!”
“You don’t.”
“I do. I’m not someone people worry about. Ever. I worry about people. That’s what I do. Did! I took care of people, and now look at me. I’m broken.” A sob caught in her throat. “I thought I was strong, and now, I’m this.”
He came to her bedside, swooping next to her. “Victoria.”
“Something happened to me. Over there.” She sucked a breath as she collapsed against the pillows. “And I can’t.”
He put a careful hand on her forearm. “Listen to me.” He ducked down close. “I don’t know what’s the right or wrong thing to say now, so I’m just going to say this.”
He came closer so their eyes met. His head was almost level with hers on another pillow, but he held her gaze and didn’t let go.
“Please don’t tell me to get up,” she whispered. “To get back to my life.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Ryder shifted so his weight was semi-on the bed, but he didn’t break their stare. “We brought everyone home, and every girl said you were their savior, that you put yourself in front of guards for them, that you made sure they had food. If nightmares struck, you coaxed them back to sleep. You were their guardian angel in hell.”
Her eyes burned again with tears, but she wouldn’t look away from his emerald ones.
“Whoever you are, love, wherever you’re from, you take as long as you need to get back the strength it took to become you, and I will stay by your side to help you if that’s what it takes.”
“Why?” Her voice broke along with a stray tear.
“Because I admire warriors.”
About the AuthorCristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy, steamy romantic suspense and military romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.
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Bad For You
by J. Daniels
“If you’re a fan of Kristen Ashley, then you will love this book.” -Aestas Book Blog on Four Letter Word
He didn’t want to be bad. He just didn’t have a choice…
Shayla Perkins isn’t the kind of girl who makes the same mistake twice, especially when it comes to Sean “Stitch” Molina. So when he gives her the world’s biggest rejection, that’s it–she’s done. Until the sexy, silent, unavailable Sean makes Shay a very personal offer. Of course, it still doesn’t mean he’s interested in her. Or does it?
Sean has done things in life. Bad things. And he’s paid the price. All he wants now is to make up for his past by doing good in the present. And no one deserves more good than Shay. Beautiful on the inside and out, Shay is the kind of woman who should be cared for and protected–especially from a man like Sean. He’s tried to keep his feelings for her in check, but a single, reckless impulse pulls them closer than ever before.
Soon the two are sharing their biggest dreams and satisfying their deepest desires. But what will happen if the only way to truly give each other what they want most…is to let each other go?
“The perfect mix of funny, hot and heartwarming. I enjoyed it immensely!” –Mia Sheridan, New York Times bestselling author, on Four Letter Word
PRE-ORDER NOW
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Chapter One
Shayla
I wanted to tell her no. I wanted to lie to Gladys or Dorothy, whatever this sweet old lady’s name was seated in my section, and say we were fresh out of ranch dressing, and the little cup of it that came with her large garden salad was the last drop. If I didn’t and obliged her request, it would mean walking back over to the kitchen window I avoided like the plague and speaking to him—Sean “Stitch” Molina. The keeper of the dressings. The cook at Whitecaps Restaurant. He hoarded the ranch back there, and the only way to get more of it was with words.
And we didn’t do words anymore. Not as of eight months ago.
So, instead of doing my job as a waitress, I contemplated the dishonest route, which could very well get me fired.
Was I willing to roll those dice? Maybe. It might be worth a shot. My boss, Nate, could overlook my wrongdoing. He was understanding enough.
We’re fresh out of ranch, I could tell the lady. And all other dressings, for that matter. I am so sorry. Could I maybe get you another refill? Or something else not located in the kitchen?
I thought on this plan—it could work. Maybe she would believe me. Or maybe she would rethink her request and decide she no longer needed more dressing.
Help a fellow woman out here, Millie. Christ.
“I just need a little bit more,” the lady requested with a gentle smile. “Would you be a dear? I won’t trouble you for anything else, I promise.”
“Of course,” I replied, the response compulsively leaving my tongue. I couldn’t fight it. I couldn’t lie. I’d feel terrible.
Besides, this was my job. If someone requested more ranch dressing, I got them more ranch dressing, even if it meant speaking to the man I was completely and pathetically infatuated with, no matter how badly it hurt me to do so.
I gave the lady a smile in return before moving away.
My steps were slow as I weaved between tables and headed toward the kitchen. I tried to keep my head down, to focus on the tile floor disappearing beneath my feet, but I couldn’t.
I had to look.
Who was I kidding? I wanted to look.
As I approached, Tori was leaning close to the window that separated Sean’s domain from everyone else’s. She slid two plates of food off the ledge, commenting, “Looks good. Thanks, Stitch,” before walking off to deliver her orders, winking at me as she passed.
Sean only went by Stitch when he was here, I was assuming. I wouldn’t know for sure since I’d never spent any time with him outside of work. It was a nickname Tori and I had given him when he’d cut himself a bunch of times during his first week on the job, and he didn’t seem to mind being called that.
Back then, he didn’t seem to mind a lot of things, like listening to me talk and talk about anything and everything, putting my problems on him in between waiting tables, my stresses, my fears, needing a person to vent to and him being the only person I wanted to vent to because of the way he listened and looked at me.
No one had ever seemed so interested in what I had to say before.
Like what I was saying meant everything to them. Like it was a privilege just to listen.
And no one had ever looked at me the way Sean did—glances that only ever lasted a few seconds at a time, but those few seconds of eye contact—holy crap. I thought my skin was going to combust it would tingle and heat up so quickly. The man had a stare unlike any stare. Equal parts intense and intimidating. But his eyes, sweet mother of God, his eyes were unreal, this rich, golden copper color. And when they were on you, you didn’t just see that beauty—you felt it.
It was a two-punch combo that turned me into a puddle. No man had ever affected me that way before.
And that effect wasn’t going away. I was still feeling it.
Even now with us not speaking to each other, or rather, with me not speaking and him not listening, I still couldn’t get Sean out of my head. I missed what we used to have, yes, but it was more than that. It was so much more.
A man I barely knew, who seldom spoke, and who had never showed interest in me in that way had somehow taken hold of my heart and twisted it all up. I didn’t understand how it had happened, I just knew it happened.
Pathetic, right?
I reached the counter silently, which was a miracle considering how loud my heart sounded in my ears. Keeping my breathing quiet, I looked through that window and peered into the kitchen.
Sean had his back to me as he flipped burgers and stirred something in a pot. I allowed my eyes to travel the length of him, something I hardly ever let myself do anymore. We shared quick glances now, that was it.
Sean was well over six feet tall—way taller than me. His back was broad. His hair was long, a beautiful caramel color, and almost always pulled back; his arms were covered in tattoos and roped in muscle; and he had a thick, short beard that hid what I just knew was a strong jaw.
Sean was beautiful. And he was intimidating. Not just how he looked, but how he acted too.
He smoked. He drove a motorcycle. He never smiled. He rarely said a word. Everything about Sean said leave me alone, but eight months ago I couldn’t.
And eight months ago, I didn’t think he wanted me to.
I thought that was why he looked at me the way he did and listened so well. I wasn’t even nervous when I finally asked him out after hearing about a local party. I was excited.
I wanted Sean. I wanted to kiss him and touch him and God, hear his voice more. I had gotten so little of it. I wanted to do everything with him. And I thought we would. I thought we’d go to that party together as friends and leave as something more.
But Sean wasn’t interested in the more I’d been after. He wasn’t interested in me at all.
Now, that was perfectly clear.
Sensing me, or maybe he was finished minding the burgers and whatever he was stirring in the pot—I didn’t know for sure, since I was still letting my eyes wander—Sean spun around and stepped forward, snapping my gaze off his body in a panic. Our eyes met.
Mine widened.
His narrowed angrily, like I’d pissed him off and he hated me for it, and further hated me for catching him pissed off about it.
I didn’t understand that look, but no way was I asking about it. I was doing what I came over here to do, and then, hopefully, staying far away from this window the rest of the day.
Maybe I could convince Tori to put in my orders.
“My lady needs more ranch,” I informed Sean, swallowing thickly when my voice came out sounding stressed and distorted. “Could I get a little more for her?”
Sean’s gaze lowered to my mouth like he was waiting for more words, which didn’t make sense to me, until I considered the one word I left off he was most likely waiting for.
“Please?” I added.
His eyes lifted to mine and stayed narrowed. His nostrils flared. His jaw set.
I almost apologized for being polite and for not lying to that woman about our condiment supply. Things were so awkward now, I couldn’t stand it. I missed how easy this used to be.
Memories flooded my mind in an onslaught as I stood there waiting, and my back stiffened. I pictured Sean watching me with care and concern. I remembered the smiles behind his beard I used to catch, and the way his eyes would follow me through the restaurant and brighten when I would wave. We were friends. I wanted to scream at him for ruining that. I wanted to scream at myself for still caring. What was wrong with me? He had completely shut me out. We were nothing now. We were this.
But with a quick hand, Sean snatched a dressing cup off the shelf and ladled some ranch into it before I spoke another word. He sat the cup on the ledge, removing his hand before our fingers touched, and briskly turned back to the grill without giving me another glance.
“Thank you,” I mumbled at his back, turning before I lingered another second.
He shut me out. I needed to do the same to him.
I delivered the cup of ranch to the sweet old lady, picked up a check for a table who didn’t wait for change, and took care of their tab at the register. Then because I didn’t have any other tables needing anything from me at the moment, I moved to a vacant booth far away from that window and busied myself filling ketchup bottles.
The next time anyone needed extra dressing, I’d send Tori.
Three Days Later
I am getting one of everything.
Twisting the dial on the radio, I quieted the music I was listening to when the truck ahead of me pulled forward, allowing room for my Civic to squeeze up next to the speaker.
Mouth already salivating, I rolled my window down.
“Welcome to Taco Bell. Can I take your order?”
My stomach growled as I surveyed my choices.
I eyed the fiesta taco salad. The quesarito. The never-ending list of combos and the specialty options. Everything intrigued my taste buds.
I stuck my head out the window and directed my order at the speaker. “Can I have a number six, please? Chicken supreme with a soft taco? And a Mountain Dew.”
“That’ll be six fifty-seven at the second window, please.”
I couldn’t pull forward yet, so I kept my foot on the brake, and just as I was about to roll up my window to keep the cool March air from filling up my car any more, a song I knew and loved began playing low through the speakers.
I had no idea what the name of the song was or who sang it, but I knew every single word. And this was not a song you didn’t crank up and sing along to with your windows down.
Fingers twisting the dial until music poured out of my car, I started moving my hips in time with the beat and smacking the steering wheel, eyes closing and fingers snapping as the lyrics left my mouth.
“Oh oh oh oh oh oh,
You don’t have to go, oh oh oh oh oh
You don’t have to go, oh oh oh oh oh
You don’t have to gooo.”
The drum kicked up. I shook my head and felt pieces of my short, dark hair lash against my cheeks.
The girl giggled through the speaker.
Smiling and not feeling one bit of shy about the audience I was entertaining, I leaned halfway out the window and sang to her as loud as I could, reaching and pointing like she was front row at my concert.
“Ay ay ay ay ay ay
All those tears I cry, ay ay ay ay
All those tears I cry, oh oh ah ay
Baby, please don’t goooo.”
She laughed harder this time, whooping and cheering me on.
“How’s that?” I asked. “Think I got a career in singing if all my other options fall through?”
“You bet!” the girl yelled. “That was sick!”
Giggling at myself, I sat back in the seat and turned the volume down halfway, noticing through the windshield the space between the truck in front of me and the car in front of it.
My eyes narrowed. I beeped twice. I was starving, and this was not the time to be messing around. What was this person doing?
The truck jerked forward, gears grinding over the music, loud enough I actually cringed. It was an old, beat-up Chevy, covered in dirt and rusted all along the back, with most of the paint chipped off and the muffler barely hanging on by a thread. The well loved and very well used vehicle was probably on its last leg, as was the worn smiley-face sticker half peeled from the bumper, leaving only one eye and half a mouth showing.
That thing had definitely seen better days.
Staring at all that rust, I had a moment of panic when I imagined the truck dying on its owner and blocking my path. Come hell or high water, I’d get my chalupas. Though I really didn’t feel like stepping out of my car and walking inside where the lunch rush sat. I was wearing sweats covered in bleach stains, a baggy sweatshirt, zero makeup, and not a lick of dry shampoo. No way was I presentable for the public yet.
This was why God invented drive-throughs and curbside service—so women like me could sleep in on their days off and rush out the door when a hankering hit without even bothering to glance at themselves in a mirror.
But when the truck made it up to the window to pay without a hitch or stall, most of that panic left me.
And when the driver pulled away after collecting their order and turned out onto highway, all of that panic left me.
I rubbed my hands together. Come to Momma.
“Hello!” I greeted the young girl with a smile and a wave, feeling like we had one of those lifelong friendship connections since I’d just serenaded her.
Grabbing my bag off the floor in front of the passenger seat, I dug around for my wallet.
“No need for that!” she said, turning my head and pausing my search. “That guy just totally paid for you. God…I love it when that happens. It doesn’t happen enough. It’s such a treat!”
I sat up and looked at her more fully. “What? What guy?”
“The guy in the truck.”
“Really?”
Nobody had ever done that for me before, and I used drive-throughs a lot. Well, shit on my head. My first random act of kindness, and I had rushed the poor thing along.
I suddenly felt bad for beeping.
“Yep,” the girl said, smacking her gloss-covered lips. “He asked me how much your order was and gave me enough to cover you both. And he wasn’t bad looking either.”
I leaned closer to the window, my interest in this mystery man spiking off the charts. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. He had that dark, smoldering look about him. Real sexy.”
Nice.
“Did he say anything? Leave his number on a napkin or something?”
“No.” She shrugged. “Just paid for you and left. He acted in a rush.” The girl turned to pack up my order.
Huh.
If he was interested, he would’ve gone beyond just paying for my food. I would think he would’ve at least waited before speeding out of here—at least pulled over and given me opportunity to thank him.
Maybe he was just doing a good deed?
Letting myself think on that, I smiled and took my drink. “I’d like to pay it forward. How much is the person’s order behind me? I’ll take care of them,” I said while blindly digging my wallet out of my bag.
“Really?” The girl clapped her hands together and squealed. “This is awesome! And they say there’s no good people left in the world.”
I laughed and made a face like I was agreeing with her, though I really didn’t. I knew a lot of good people. Dogwood Beach was full of them.
And I was blessed to have a lot of those people in my tribe, supporting me, giving me friendship and love, and others, not necessarily in my tribe, but around me enough I got to see their good.
Still, I understood this girl’s excitement. It wasn’t every day a complete stranger did something out of sheer generosity. And selfless to boot. Who didn’t stick around to take credit when credit was due? That was practically unheard of.
It’s funny how a simple gesture can affect you. But kindness was powerful that way. It not only had the ability to alter moods, but it was also infectious. People wanted to spread that good around once they got it put on themselves.
Hell, I was doing it. Maybe the person behind me would do it too, and so on. We could all pay it forward.
Smiling, I thought about that mystery man in the beat-up truck, wondering if he knew just how inspiring he was. How good he was. I hoped someone was telling him.
After safely securing my bag of deliciousness in the front seat, I got the total of the order from the car behind me, paid, got my change, cranked up my stereo again, and sped off, leaving my window cracked so I could serenade Highway 355.
J.Daniels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sweet Addiction series, the Alabama Summer series, and the Dirty Deeds series.
She would rather bake than cook, she listens to music entirely too loud, and loves writing stories her children will never read. Her husband and children are her greatest loves, with cupcakes coming in at a close second.
J grew up in Baltimore and resides in Maryland with her family.
Sign up to receive her newsletter and get special offers and exclusive release info: http://authorjdaniels.com/newsletter/
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December 6, 2017
Marisol’s First Anniversary
How’s are you planning on celebrating the Holidays?
I know you have wonderful plans for the following weeks, which include enjoying a good book. Me too!!! I have lots of books in my TRL and can’t wait to get started with them. I just finished A Little Torrid Affair by Kendall Ryan and started Noah by Cristin Harber. You’ll be able to read my reviews here soon.
I wanted to say hi and to let you know what I’m up to for the next few weeks.
First of, Marisol’s Wedding (second book in The Bridesmaid’s Checklist series) is having it’s first year anniversary. Because of it, my books are only $0.99 thoughout December. I’ll also have a giveaway in Rafftlecopter, as well as a Blog Blitz on December 20 (If you are or know a blogger that might be interested, please tell them about it. Click here to sign up.)
I’m also taking over on 30 Days of Christmas with 400 other authors, including wonderful and beautiful Jay Crownover (You know she’s one of my favorite authors and she’s having Shelter released soon. You have to read it!). I’ll participate on the 9th, 12th and 22nd of the month. I’ll have several giveaways, along with those that other authors will offer and my books will also be free on those dates.
I hope to see you there, ’cause December is going to be lots of fun. Please help me celebrate and share the joy.
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December 5, 2017
Noah
Hello, everyone!!!
Today I have a great book for you, Noah by Cristin Harber. I’ve been working my way through 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers and I have to tell you that I’ve enjoy them a lot… like A LOT!! I’ve got my hands on Ryder, Noah and Ford and they’re all HOT!!
Cristin Harber’s 7 Brides for 7 Soldiers novel, NOAH, is available now!
Read a sneak peek below and grab your copy today!
About NOAH
Navy SEAL Noah Coleman knows how to do two things well: underwater demolition and hand-to-hand combat. So renewing his enlistment is a no-brainer until he receives a message about his cousin’s aggressive terminal cancer. A quick trip home confirms the worst, which means his niece Bella will become his responsibility.
Elementary school guidance counselor Teagan Shaw has known Bella since her son announced the two were best friends. The shy little girl is also on Teagan’s radar because of Bella’s early signs of gifted aptitude. But Teagan is more concerned about the military man thrust into the role of single parent.
While Noah adjusts to civilian life and Eagle’s Ridge, he and Teagan begin forging a friendship. But Teagan has a secret, a shadowy figure from her past who is intent on returning to torment her.
Fall in love with seven sexy and irresistible soldiers who find their courage and heart tested like never before in the battle for love! This multi-author collaborative series of contemporary romance novels is brought to you by bestselling authors Barbara Freethy, Roxanne St. Claire, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Julia London, Cristin Harber and Samantha Chase. You won’t want to miss a single one!
Get your hands on NOAH now:
✦Amazon
http://smarturl.it/NoahAmzF
✦iBooks
http://smarturl.it/NoahiBooks
✦Barnes & Noble
http://smarturl.it/NoahBN
✦Kobo
http://smarturl.it/NoahKobo
✦Google Play
http://smarturl.it/7BridesGP
Get a Sneak Peek
Noah drew in a slow breath, searching for the right words. But they didn’t come. Who knew what those were supposed to be when they’d gone through the heartache that had pitched them together.
“Teagan.” He pressed them forward until her back met the cedar wood wall. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Her chin tilted up, her lips parting with tiny breaths he wanted to capture with a kiss.
“And that’s foreign to me.” He towered over her, but he gave her enough space that she could roll away, plenty of room so he could take in more than just her face. But she smelled like flowers. Not sweet but strong and wild. Noah ducked his cheek to hers, brushing his lips close to her ear.
Her palms smoothed the front of his Henley. Not pushing away, not grabbing for more.
Together they were back at the same line as in the kitchen earlier. The one they’d both eased away from. But this time they toed the line, savoring and wondering, testing whether the Do Not Cross was a figment of their imagination, a simple cautionary tale that they’d concocted for no good reason, or if hormones and arousal were calling the shots.
Teagan slid her cheek against his mouth, and he stifled a groan.
“Neither do I,” she whispered. “No clue.”
He chuckled quietly, leaning his weight against her. “It’d be easier if one of us knew.”
Pressed between them, her fingernails scratched down his stomach, and he nuzzled his nose against her neck, breathing against her skin and memorizing how she smelled. Teagan’s soft murmurs made the hairs on the back of his neck stand, and he let his lips drift to her cheek.
“I’m going to kiss you on one condition,” he whispered.
“What’s that?” Teagan’s breathlessness made his heart pound harder.
He let the rush roll through him then teased her lips with his, not making contact, keeping them a breath apart. “That neither of us will be sorry.”
“Promise.” Teagan’s fingers tightened against his chest. “I won’t be.”
Come back next week to read my review!
About Cristin HarberCristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy, steamy romantic suspense and military romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon’s Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.
Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Team Titan Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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Only For You
Today I have the release blitz for Only For You by Melissa Foster!
Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Only For You
by Melissa Foster
About Only For You
Single mom Bridgette Dalton doesn’t have time to stop and smell the roses—not even in her own flower shop. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t noticed Bodhi Booker. Her ruggedly handsome next-door neighbor would be the perfect candidate for a no-strings fling. Having loved and lost, Bridgette’s not ready to hand over her heart…but she could use a distraction.
Bodhi has one rule: never leave anyone behind. As a special operative, he knows that each new mission is more dangerous than the last. He’s never made a promise of forever to a woman, not even to the beautiful widow who has him tied in knots. And if there were anyone who could tempt him into putting down roots, it would be Bridgette and her adorable son.
But as his next deployment nears, they make a startling discovery. Their passion, meant only for the here and now, might already be blossoming into something more…
***
ONLY FOR YOU is being published by Montlake (an Amazon imprint) and won’t be available on other ebook retailers, but you can download a FREE ereader app to read it here, or order the paperback.
Get Your Copy Today!
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About Melissa Foster
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa’s fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, and the Wild Boys After Dark. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented.Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.
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Excerpt
She wrapped her hand around his long fingers, and his eyes heated, never wavering from hers. She’d never met a man so intense. Her nerves were on fire as she led him toward the table where some of her family members were talking. Awareness of the significance of her decision, of the signals she was sending, slammed into her, and she slowed to catch her breath. Was she ready for this?
He put a finger beneath her chin and lifted, as he’d done at his front door, gazing thoughtfully down at her. “Would you rather I leave?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m just . . . I’m good.” And she was. She’d needed that pause to acknowledge and accept what she was feeling. She was nervous, but she wanted this. She wanted him. Her smile came genuinely, and earned her one in return. “Come on.”
She became more nervous as they approached the table. Willow was practically sitting in Zane’s lap as they mooned over each other. Piper and Talia were scoping out some guy across the room, and Ben was in a heated discussion with Aurelia. She shouldn’t be nervous. This was her normal.
Except normal didn’t usually include holding hands with a man she wanted to strip naked and devour.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the naked neighbor.” Mischief danced in Piper’s eyes as she pushed to her feet and strutted around the table in her skinny jeans and slinky little blouse. She set her hands on her hips, running an assessing eye over Bodhi.
His jaw clenched.
“Bodhi, this is my sister Piper. She works in construction and is around guys all day, which means she has absolutely no filter. Please take her with a grain of salt.”
He flashed a cocky grin. “For the record, I had a towel on.”
“For the record,” Piper said, “she wished you didn’t.”
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December 4, 2017
Musings of a Gossip Queen
Check it out and be sure to pre-order your copy today!
Musings of a Gossip Queen
by Victoria Bright
About Musings of a Gossip Queen
Thoughts of the day:
Silas is a sex bomb
Madison is determined to ruin my life
Nothing online is EVER private, no matter how insane your “strong” password is.
#FML
Gossip queen Blake Spencer thought she received the opportunity of a lifetime when she was offered a writing position as a gossip columnist at Hot Topic magazine. By day, she’s a model columnist that quickly earns the respect of her team and boss but by night, she writes all the secrets of those around her in a password-protected blog.
When the office mean girl has Blake’s not-so-private blog hacked and uploaded to the magazine’s home page, the secrets are out and Blake’s “awesome life” starts to crumble around her. With her friendships, budding relationship, and job on the line, Blake will have to decide whether being a gossip queen is worth losing everything she’s worked to rebuild.
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Exclusive Chapter Reveal
Monday, January 12th
4:37 a.m.
In bed
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
I huff and take a pillow and hold it over my head. My neighbor, Taylor’s, headboard bangs against my wall, so hard that I’m sure she and her slutty fuck buddy, Brendan, will end up in my bedroom after a while. Who the hell wakes up at four in the morning and thinks, “Hey, how about we bang and see if we can put a hole in the wall this time?” It wouldn’t even be such a bad thing if Taylor’s moan didn’t sound like someone was shoving their dick in a dog’s squeaky toy. It’s a miracle that Brendan can stay hard long enough when his girlfriend sounds like something straight out of Animal Planet. My Shih Tzu, Milo, jumps up on my bed and begins yapping at the wall. Fucking great.
“Down, Milo,” I mumble, blindly reaching out to pet him. He whimpers for a few moments before yapping some more. “Shh…shh, it’s okay, boy. Hush, boy.”
The poor dog probably thinks his favorite toy was stolen. He jumps off the bed and runs out of the room. I press the pillow harder over my head, hoping to muffle the sounds coming from next door. Milo returns back to the bedroom, the bell on his collar jingling as he pads across the floor and jumps on the bed. Just as I close my eyes again, Milo barks and starts chewing on his squeaky toy.
How is this my life right now?!
5:01 a.m.
Still in bed
Annoyed AF now
They’re STILL going at it. What the actual FUCK?!
Of course Milo is keeping up with his squeak toy.
5:33 a.m.
Still in bed
Fed up
There’s less than thirty minutes left until I have to get ready to be at the office, but here I am wasting it listening to these humping hyenas through my paper-thin walls. I hate this piece of shit apartment and my dickhead neighbors. Bastards.
5:41 a.m.
Obviously still in bed
Ready to slap a bitch
I sit up in bed and pound the wall with my fist. The noise stops momentarily as Taylor laughs. Yeah, he-he hell, I think, settling back under my blankets and closing my eyes. As soon as I get comfortable, the pound fest starts once again. “SERIOUSLY?” I shriek, sitting back up. I get on my knees and face the wall, pounding on it with both fists. “PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP, YOU CUNTS! SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
“Fuck you!” Brendan yells, pounding the wall with his fist. Taylor laughs again, which does nothing but piss me off.
“Fuck YOU and your nonexistent dick, Brendan! How about I call the cops?” I counter.
There’s a loud squeak as if someone’s hopping off the bed. “Who the fuck is Brendan, Taylor?” he questions.
Whoops. Wrong guy.
I giggle to myself. It isn’t my job to keep up with who she’s taking to bed. Though she’s a sweet girl, her apartment door is a revolving one. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were to be later revealed that her apartment is in fact some incognito brothel or something else sinister or prostitution-like.
I settle back into bed and close my eyes, a slight grin settling on my face as their moans of passion turn into bickering. Hey, anything to stop the pounding on my wall and the mewling projecting from her strained vocal cords.
It’s as if city people transformed at night. During the day, Taylor’s great. Her bubbly personality, fiery red hair, and freckles drew me in when I first moved into the building. It’s tough enough trying to adjust to moving to NYC after leaving everything and everyone I know behind in North Carolina to obtain my dream job at Hot Topic magazine, but she welcomed me with open arms and even showed me around. But as soon as her “boyfriend” (and I use this term loosely, because in the two weeks I’ve been here, she’s already introducing a new one) comes over and waves a penis in her face, she morphs into Wolverine or something, howling at the moon during sex.
Milo continues chewing on his toy, feeling as if he’d won the squeak war by out-squeaking the Squeak Queen. After I’ve had enough of his noise, I lift the pillow from over my head, feel around the bed for the toy, and throw it out the door.
5:54 a.m.
In bed
Ha, Wolverine.
If she sounds like that, I wonder what her “O” face looks like. On second thought, I probably don’t. I don’t think I’d ever be able to look at her the same.
6:00 a.m.
Alarm
DAMN IT TO HELL! I LITERALLY JUST DRIFTED OFF TO SLEEP! FUCK MY ENTIRE LIFE, AFTER LIFE, AND REINCARNATION (well, if it exists) WITH A CACTUS!
To make sure I’d get up in the morning, I purposely had my alarm clock on the other side of my bedroom. Yeah, nice going, Blake. I stare up at the ceiling as the radio blasted at high volume, contemplating whether or not I really need this job. I mean it’s only my first day; no one would care if I didn’t show up, right?
“PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! TURN THAT RACKET OFF!” the guy in Taylor’s apartment yells, pounding on the wall. A smirk pulled at my lips. Looks like that makes us even, Not-Brendan. I ponder whether or not I can survive off of soup kitchen meals and huddling around a New York City fire with a cool group of hobos in an alley. My mind reels at all the possibilities of how I can decorate my soon-to-be new cardboard box home. Thanks to sites like Pinterest, I’ll have the coolest cardboard box on the block.
Who the hell am I kidding? I can’t survive a day being homeless. I couldn’t even survive a night of camping in Girl Scouts when I was younger. Looks like I need this job after all. Milo confirms my thought when he jumps onto my pillow and licks my face.
“Okay, okay, I’m up,” I mumble, picking him up and moving him aside as I sit up. If I had a decent night’s rest, I would be excited about my first day at Hot Topic tabloid magazine. It isn’t every day when you land your dream job. To be able to gossip and get paid for it? Perfect! All those years of gossip blogging has finally paid off! But how in the hell am I going to be able to scoop up any dirt on anyone when the only thing I want to do is bury my head in it and sleep?
My senses immediately jump into high gear the moment my bare feet touch the icy, wooden floor. Milo pounces off the bed and run in circles in front of me, his bell jingling as he moves about. I feel around the cold floor for my slippers and put them on before pulling myself off the bed, feeling my way across the room to the alarm clock. I can hear Milo moving around but can no longer see him in the dark.
“Milo? Where are—FUCK! GOD DAMN IT!”
I hop around on one foot as I cradle my throbbing toe. Stupid bedpost!
Milo whimpers nearby, the jingling disappearing down the hallway as he leaves the bedroom. I stumble around my room, using my hands as a guide as I cautiously cross over to the alarm clock and slap the snooze button on top of it. What a way to start a morning.
6:05 a.m.
Living room
“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” I say to a yipping Milo, bouncing around on one foot while trying to shove my other foot into my Ugg boot. He runs around in circles in front of the door and continues to bark and growl.
“You gotta go potty, boy?” I coo, slipping on my coat and grabbing his leash. “Who’s a good boy? Milo’s a good boy! Yes, you —OW!”
I jerk back when he snaps at my hand and growls. Glaring at him, I snap the leash on his collar and open the door. Of all the dogs I could’ve adopted, the one I happen to choose turns into a dickhead when he has a full bladder. Such an ungrateful pup.
6:09 a.m.
Outside
Milo prances down the stairs as we make our way out of the apartment building. When we reach the second floor, I pause momentarily when the door to apartment 2C opens and a man that isn’t Mrs. Keller’s husband walks out. He’s fairly young looking, appearing as if he belongs in an Abercrombie or Ralph Lauren ad. He definitely doesn’t look like anyone who would creep around with a married woman who looks a bit like a surprised goldfish with too much botox and a botched nose job. Ew to the no.
I start to move along. Eh, it’s probably nothing. Or at least I thought so until the guy turns back around and nearly shoves his tongue down her throat. She leans against the door frame with a dreamy expression on her pale face as she watches him leave. The moment her eyes fall on mine, she gasps and quickly steps inside and all but slams the door. Geez, does everyone in the building like to sleep around?
The guy leaves just in time though. As soon as my foot hits the first step and puts me on the first floor, Mr. Keller walks into the building, brushing arms against the man that’s probably just banged his wife from here to Mars. He looks up from his phone and utters an apology and continues walking, giving me a small smile and nod as he passes. Luckily the guy left when he did; otherwise I would’ve been late for work watching this Jerry Springer episode air. I can see the title of it now: I’m a Cradle-Robbing Cougar.
6:29 a.m.
Still outside because Milo is being a cunt
“Damn it, Milo, can you just pee already?” I grit, shivering against the sharp winter wind that whips around me. He keeps stopping and sniffing the same area about forty times and barking at the passing people going to their cars. Milo continues to bark long after the people disappear, so much so that someone from our building sticks their head out of the window and yells, “Quit that barking, you little rat!”
I look up to see who it is, but only see the window closing instead. Milo trots back over to the same spot by the tree that he’s sniffed twenty times already and does his business.
Fucking finally.
6:34 a.m.
Outside of my apartment door
Taylor’s apartment door opens just as I pull my keys out of my jacket pocket. Dressed in nothing but a long t-shirt, she kisses the blond-haired beau and smiles. “Thanks for last night,” she purrs.
Yeah, and thanks for waking me up before I had to be awake, I think. Milo barks and growls at him, averting their attention to me.
“Oh, good morning, Carolina,” Taylor says with a small wave. “Sorry about all the noise.”
Her fiery red hair is thrown in a messy bun, a few tendrils framing her perfect oval face. Her pink lips pucker as she blows a cloud of smoke in my direction and smiles, showing two rows of perfect white teeth.
Fucking models, I tell you.
“Yeah, sure,” I mumble, averting my eyes away from her when I notice her nipples pushing through the cotton material of her shirt. My fingers fumble with my keys until I locate the right one. “And for the millionth time, my name is Blake.”
“Well, Blake, maybe you should get laid yourself so you won’t be so worried about what we’re doing. My lady is a screamer,” the guy says with a cocky grin, grabbing Taylor by the hips as she giggles.
“Oh Cliff, don’t make me blush,” she says, kissing him once more.
Gag.
More like his lady swallowed a chew toy if he wants to be technical. Sure, she has the body and face of a porn star or Playboy Playmate, but that moan of hers won’t get her very far. I wonder if they have any kind of surgeries to fix that kind of thing…
I bring my attention back to Taylor, refusing to acknowledge the meathead standing next to her. “Or maybe you can be more courteous and remember that other people have actual jobs to go to—”
“I have a job, thank you very much,” Taylor says with a frown.
“I mean a steady one,” I say, narrowing my eyes at her.
“If it weren’t steady, I wouldn’t be able to afford to live here, now would I?” she counters.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. There’s been a few times in my short weeks of being here where she’s sat on my couch crying because another girl was picked at a casting call. Her whining usually consists of, “What am I going to do,” or “How am I going to pay rent this month,” and my personal favorite, “Maybe I’m not meant to be a model.” Well, I’ll have to agree considering she’s yet to book a serious gig that doesn’t involve her taking her clothes off.
“Riiight…I’m going to go now. See you around,” I say, unlocking my door and quickly closing it behind me once I’m inside.
“Your neighbor is a certified bitch,” I hear the guy say as I remove the leash from Milo’s collar. Taylor only laughs in response before the hall goes quiet after another set of disgustingly cute goodbyes. Bleh.
6:52 a.m.
Bathroom
Do I really need this job? Like, on a scale of one to ten, how fucked will I be if I don’t go to work and just go back to bed?
6:54 a.m.
Still in the bathroom
You need this job, Blake. This is your dream job. Get it together!
6:55 a.m.
STILL in the bathroom because I can’t get it together
Maybe I could just—”MILO! STOP HUMPING MY BUNNY SLIPPERS, YOU FURRY LITTLE PERVERT!
7:47 a.m.
Bedroom
I look at my reflection one more time in the mirror and sigh. The girl looking back at me doesn’t reveal any of the mixed emotions I feel. She looks confident and assertive, ready to take on the world. Her beige turtleneck sweater dress accentuates all of her curves and her black leggings and thigh-high boots completes her look. Nerves run rampant within me as I pass a brush through my brown mane once again, wishing I’d curled it instead of frying it with the hair straightener. Pretty sure if I don’t stop brushing my hair, I’ll probably be bald before I even get to the train station.
7:56 a.m.
Front door
“Okay, Milo, be a good boy while mommy is at work, okay?” I say to him as he jumps on the couch. He simply looks at me, his tail wagging and his tongue flopping around his face. I won’t be surprised if a herd of dogs pass me as I leave the building to attend some kind of weird gangbang Milo set up on BangPuppies.com. With the way my dog behaves sometimes, I’m almost certain he lives a secret life I don’t know about.
I lock up my apartment, twisting the doorknob just to make sure. Taylor exits her apartment just as I turn around. Shit.
“Oh, hey again, Carolina,” she says, locking her door and turning to face me. Her t-shirt from before has been replaced with a bright blue windbreaker and black, skintight running pants that are made up of mesh material from the middle of her thigh down to her ankles. She may as well have worn shorts.
“Hi, Taylor,” I say, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. Not knowing what else to say to her other than to state the obvious, I continue. “Going for a run or something?”
“I may as well since I’m up so early. With my job, I have to look good, you know,” she says with a smirk before bounding down the stairs.
“With my job, I have to look good, you know,” I mimic under my breath as I follow behind her.
We both reach the second floor at the same time, running into Weird Marty and his elderly mother who always smells like cheap perfume and mothballs.
“Looking for a workout, baby? You know where to find me,” he says, dabbing at his forehead with a dirty handkerchief. I can’t see how he can be sweating profusely as chilly as it is in the building. His “white” tank top is dingy and spotted with stains of different shades and sizes, the collar of it soaked in sweat. Gross.
“You’re not much of a workout, Marty. I think I’ll stick to running,” Taylor replies with a flip of her ponytail.
My eyes widen as I gawk at her. “You….him…no!”
“No is right,” she says and laughs. “Only way that guy would end up with me is if my body was found chopped up in his freezer or something. That guy screams John Wayne Gacy.”
I snicker. She’s right about that. He definitely looks the part with his balding head, the lopsided grin that’s always plastered on his face, and his black beady eyes that always follow you. The only thing probably saving a lot of women in the building is the fact that he lives on the second floor and can hardly carry his own body weight up the flights of stairs, let alone a body to dismember.
We step out of the building and into the windy air. Taylor begins to stretch. “Are you nervous?”
I turn to look at her. “About what?”
“I remember you saying you were starting a new job at that gossip mill or something. You’ve been chewing your lip the whole way down here.”
“I’m more anxious than I am nervous, I guess,” I say with a light sigh. “Still can’t believe I work at a magazine.”
“A shitty one at that.” When I glare at her, she holds her hands up defensively. “Hey, they have a reputation of putting some very hurtful things out about people, sometimes without even knowing the facts.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be like that,” I snap. Well, maybe. Perhaps.
“I sure hope not,” she says, slipping her iPhone into a pouch strapped to her upper arm and untangling her ear buds. “I’ve seen a lot of friendships and relationships damaged due to gossip and tabloids. Don’t get sucked into the madness.” With a parting wave, she turns and runs in the opposite direction of me until she fades into a group of commuters. Realizing the time, I skip down the stairs and rush down the sidewalk. I better pray I make it there in time or else I’ll need to start thinking about how I’m going to decorate my cardboard box for when I’m homeless.
8:20 a.m.
Train
The train is crowded as it usually is, but I lucked out and am able to find a seat near the back. I pull out my iPad Pro, flip out my keyboard, and open my password-protected Tumblr blog.
Blake Unfiltered blog post #782
A few thing important things before 9 this morning.
1) Taylor would make a horrid porn star. Instead of modeling, she should try out for a Planet Earth animal voiceover or something. And her new guy looks like an Ashton Kutcher reject. Can you say desperate? Can’t believe he had the nerve to tell me I needed to get laid so I’d stop worrying about the noise. I wouldn’t have to worry about the late night wolf calling if my own dog didn’t take it as a dog toy challenge at nearly five in the morning. Just thinking of the sleep I missed and how tired I am pisses me off.
2) I should really hide my bunny slippers from Milo. Wouldn’t be surprised to come home one day to see a bunch of baby bunny slippers moving around. Okay…that was just dumb. That couldn’t even physically happen.
3) The lady in 2C is going to get caught one of these days and it’ll be glorious. How in the hell do women cheat on their husbands or boyfriends and then end up kissing them on the mouth after all of that? Just the thought of swapping spit and God knows what other kind of bodily fluid makes me want to vomit my entire existence.
4) Marty really does have a John Wayne Gacy vibe about him. Totally creepy and predator-like. He actually reminds me of that weird guy that was in the second Human Centipede movie. Oh my fucking goodness. What if he’s creating a human centipede in his apartment?! Nah, his mom would probably have a fit, but that’s if his victims don’t die of suffocation from the extreme mothball stench that permeates their apartment and entire hallway of the second floor.
Today I start at Hot Topic magazine. Still can’t believe I’m working at a magazine! The opportunity to meet celebrities, do what I love (which is writing, of course), and getting paid to gossip is an absolute dream. Hopefully today will be great! All in the name of gossip, right?
xoxo,
B
About the Author:
Victoria Bright is from a small town in North Carolina and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina. You can usually find her hoarding bottles of Cool Blue Gatorade, playing The Sims when not writing, or obsessing over Camaros.
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