Naughty Netherworld Press's Blog: Naughty Netherworld Press on Goodreads, page 44
November 25, 2024
Dance With Me On New Year's Eve Release Blitz #rabtbooktours
Love & Holidays, Book 3
Romance, Holiday Romance
Date Published: November 26, 2024
Fans of You've Got Mail will love this sweet holiday romance from bestselling author Alana Highbury, featuring a twist on office romance, hidden identities, and enemies to lovers.
He's the last person she wants to see at work.
He's also the one person she can't wait to talk to every night.
Ruled by social anxiety, Roxy has felt lonely and self-conscious for as long as she can remember. Her stress and self-doubt multiply when she starts working more closely with her brusque colleague Jeff, who brings out the worst in her. To escape, she immerses herself in an online game-making community where she befriends an interesting guy with similar game-making goals.
Unbeknownst to her, this online friend is none other than Jeff. As their real-life interactions evolve from hostility to a tentative friendship, Roxy faces a dilemma: Can she reconcile her feelings for what she believes are two different men?
Battling her self-doubt and conflicting emotions, she must face the challenge of finding happiness, connection, and confidence in both her virtual and real worlds.
This is a sweet, closed-door romance with no explicit scenes and no swearing, but you'll see a lot of angst resulting from the heroine's mental health issues.
About the Author
Alana Highbury is the Amazon bestselling author of the holiday romances Meet Me on Christmas Eve, Snowed In on Valentine's Day, and Dance with Me on New Year's Eve. Her novels blend rom-com, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction, and she brings two decades of professional experience and a master’s in English. When not writing, she’s usually found reading, cross stitching, board gaming, or hanging out with her family, which includes a writerly husband, two children, two beautiful, lazy cats, and a feisty cockatiel.
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Beneath the Skin Teaser Tuesday #rabtbooktours
(Empire of the Sky 5)
Steampunk Romance
Date Published: 11/29/24
Publisher: Changeling Press
Soulmates? Or simply lovers? Selena and Nancy hope their paramours can see beneath the skin.
Selena Whiteheart has her hands full. The malignant witch, Lady Neva, has kidnapped her lovers, Jacob McCleary and Captain Kit Colby. While keeping her Home Office handler, Harry Kincaid, satisfied in every way, Selena vows to rescue them, but first she must contend with a mesmerised assassin.
Meanwhile Nancy Lea, envoy in human form of the goblin king, Mon Ilson, Emperor of Space, has failed in her bid to secure peace. Queen Victoria has sent her packing with a flea in her ear. With her lover and protector, Captain Jaimee Dalgliesh, she returns to the moon to report. With three days to kill, Nancy teaches Jaimee the joys of weightless lovemaking. However, Jaimee comes face to face with a real goblin. Can he overcome his visceral disgust and love the soul beneath Nancy's stolen skin?
The soul of Agent Felicity Cressy, murdered by Lady Neva, finds a safe haven in Nancy's mind. Will Mon Ilson return her to her body, and what does he expect in return?
THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT CONTAINS MATERIAL SUITABLE ONLY FOR READERS 18+.
Excerpt
Copyright ©2024 Mikala Ash
Selena Whiteheart
1867 -- A Vixen in the Mist
I am a duplicitous witch.
Like Janus, the mythological god of beginnings and endings, I present different faces to the world. I began as Marjorie Fletcher, a naïve country virgin murdered for my body by hideous goblins. My homeless soul found refuge in the mind of Cressida Troy, with whom I fell in love. Inevitably I also lost my heart to her fiancé, Jacob McCleary, and I experienced lovemaking for the first time through Cressida. Now, as Selena Whiteheart, human agent of Mon Ilson, the goblin king and self-styled Emperor of Space, and owner of the empire’s greatest airborne gambling and bawdy house, I love the handsome and brave Captain Kit Colby.
I stood at my fireplace staring at the likenesses of Jacob and Kit inside a gold locket. I’d drawn both myself, and think I captured their essential differences rather well. Jacob, the former schoolteacher, whose intelligent gaze signified his thoughtful and considerate nature both in and out of bed, had given me my first experience of lovemaking, albeit vicariously. He was now estranged from Cressida Troy after the murder of Fleur Cumberland, which I had orchestrated. Kit, on the other hand, was a lusty warrior, a decorated hero of the savage air war against Prussia and the Hungarian Empire. As befitting his martial nature, Kit was both forceful and deliberate in his lovemaking.
I was lost for a few moments in a warm memory of passionate kisses, entwined tongues, probing fingers and hard, thrusting cocks before a wave of fear coursed through me. Tears threatened to flow as I traced their images.
I was not alone in my office. I was dimly aware of the earnest little man jabbering about an invention of his. I didn’t care about Mr. Frasier. I was immersed in a sea of despair, and the peril my charade placed not just Jacob and Kit in, but me also.
Both Jacob and Kit were captives of Lady Neva Talbot-Rhys, a powerful witch hell-bent on killing Queen Victoria. Lady Neva held the Queen responsible for her lover’s death during England’s devastating military reprisal against Prussia. I understood her wanting revenge. I felt the same about her.
I had to get them back. Lady Neva was a merciless malevolent maniac, capable of wholesale slaughter -- I’d witnessed that firsthand. My heart chilled at the thought of what horrors Jacob and Kit were suffering at her evil hands.
I wanted desperately to believe they still lived. Why else would Lady Neva kidnap them but to use them for some nefarious purpose?
Jacob had been sent by Mon Ilson to add weight to his envoy Nancy Lea’s mission to arrange a demonstration of his ultimate weapon. Lady Neva had stumbled upon Jacob during her search for Kit, and being a skilled mind reader, she would have instantly known Jacob’s value. That would have been a surprise to her, no doubt. But she was not one to miss an opportunity to cause the Queen even greater problems. She had intended to kidnap Nancy Lea as well, but fortunately she had escaped. I believed Lady Neva had probably gone to Europe to sell Jacob’s knowledge to one of Britain’s host of enemies. If that was the case, then Mon Ilson’s carefully laid plans could be wrecked and chaos would ensue, resulting in the deaths of millions. Frustratingly, our overseas agents had not detected any sign of Lady Neva. She had disappeared like a vixen in the mist.
I shuddered and took in a ragged breath of despair at what she would do to Kit. Unlike Jacob, who had political value, poor Kit she could torture at her leisure. Kit had become the object of her revenge after thwarting her plan to use the Prince of Wales to kill the Queen.
For the time being, as Selena Whiteheart, I do the bidding of the goblin king, the most powerful witch in history. For the moment our goals aligned. He too wanted Lady Neva found, for her determination to kill Queen Victoria threatened to derail his own plans of conquest.
My service to Mon Ilson requires a significant amount of time and energy, for I must hide my true intentions from him by burying them deep within my consciousness. I hate Mon Ilson. His goblins had murdered me, and then stolen my body from the grave. While I obeyed his commands, I secretly supported his overthrow by Cressida Troy, now his empress, another human with another name: Nil Ilson.
Cressida had saved my soul. Or rather my nascent magical abilities had led me to her, and her mind became my temporary safe haven. Then my magical powers were like a seed, waiting for water and heat. Unwittingly Mon Ilson supplied those himself, for when he read Cressida’s mind, he had detected me and recognised my potential as a servant. Like Pandora he opened the box of magic and let me absorb as much as I could hold.
To regain my body, I had enchanted both Cressida and Mon Ilson into believing they loved each other and convinced her to prove her loyalty to him so he would return my soul to my body. As my puppet, Cressida killed the most powerful human witch, Fleur Cumberland. Mon Ilson repaid me by returning my soul to my body and sending me to Earth to prepare the way for his conquest. I had confessed my perfidy to Cressida, hoping she would work with me to resist him. Cressida married Mon Ilson, and adopted the name Nil Ilson, and the title Empress of Space.
Mon Ilson’s plan to overthrow the British Empire required the co-opting of Queen Victoria. He meant to use the vast infrastructure of her empire to take over the world with hardly a fight. So, for the time being I’d be his enthusiastic cat’s paw until I could help Nil Ilson, Cressida, defeat him.
But first I have to find Jacob and Kit.
“Ahem. Er. Miss Whiteheart?”
The clearing throat and hesitant voice reminded me of Mr. Frasier’s presence. I closed the locket and turned to face the untidily dressed, red-haired little man. Before I’d lost myself in my own thoughts, he’d been enthusiastically engaged in a technical monologue about his new invention.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, returning the locket to my bosom. “Pray continue.”
He cleared his throat again, and after taking a deep breath began to list the benefits of his new gadget, a tamperproof roulette wheel.
“It will kill any accusation of fraudulence,” he had begun.
As if the honesty of my tables had ever been in question. The idea that I would be accused of cheating was insulting, but I continued to listen with feigned interest.
His name was David Frasier, a middle-aged inventor and factory owner from Edinburgh. He’d been introduced to me by Special Branch agent and my latest lover, Harry Kincaid. After making the introductions, Harry had excused himself, saying he had to send a message to his club.
That was a lie. The murky shade of Harry’s aura had given him away. I knew he was listening at the door. He’d asked me to be nice to Frasier as he was trying to recruit him as a spy. He visited the continent often, doing business with some prominent politicians and industrialists. The introduction to me would put Frasier in Harry’s debt.
It was for that reason I resigned myself to listen without objection to the fellow’s insulting proposition.
Frasier stopped in mid-sentence. He had been enthusiastically describing his contrivance, something to do with building a miniature mechanical computational device invented by Charles Babbage, when his face had become flushed, and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. His hands started to tremble, and his final words ended in a slur. His aura had, in an instant, transformed into a seething pulsating muddy blob, the colours bubbling through each other in a roiling mass. A moment before it had been quite normal, nervous perhaps, and very excited, but that is not unusual in men meeting me for the first time, and after all, he was trying to make a sale. The transition had been so abrupt, so unnatural, I reached out to his mind to see the cause. I sensed despair, and most of all, mind-numbing fear. Hardly a coherent thought peeked through. The one that did was unmistakable.
“Mr. Frasier, don’t do this!” I put a suppression spell over him. “Whatever it is, I can help.”
About the Author
Aussie Mikala Ash used to be a mild-mannered training & development consultant by day, and a wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night. Now she is a brazen full-time writer and nature photographer who is concentrating on having among other things, “… bags, and bags of fun!” Mikala can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.
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Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
Men In Books Aren't Better Release Blitz #rabtbooktours
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: November 25, 2024
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Pressured by her looming deadline and an unfinished romance manuscript, author Molly Covington applies her immersive research skills and goes all in. She hires a male companion for inspiration during three days of research in Las Vegas.
Enter sexy, confident Jared Washington—an extreme sports enthusiast and relationship skeptic who moonlights as a Plus One male companion. Molly’s contract puts him within arm’s reach of buying his own business and making his dreams come true.
The chemistry between her and Jared is surprisingly easy. Before their Vegas rendezvous comes to an end, one of them will need to lay all their cards on the table to discover if they’ll be lucky in love.
About the Author
Amanda and Lisa-Marie are a co-writing team of best friends who share imaginary worlds, including a short story, Shivers, published in Moments Between. Lisa Marie Potter (BIPOC) is a mom of four who grew up in Nottingham, England, and now resides in Alaska with her husband and golden retriever. Amanda Nelson grew up in Maryland and moved to Arizona, where she attended college and currently lives with her husband and four kids. Both women are members of the Author’s Guild and were part of a Manuscript Academy Podcast featuring their writing and critique group. They also review books on their socials, hike the Olympic National Park, and fight over the same fictional crushes.
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The Pawn Against the King Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Historical fiction
Date Published: October 10, 2024
The King announces a contest open to everyone, regardless of their financial status. The contest is simple: “Present me with a game that is a true simulation of battle. Whoever succeeds will be richly rewarded. However, anyone who fails and wastes the King’s time will lose their life.” A humble carpenter, confident in what he holds, requests a hearing with the great ruler. Now, he must present his idea at the risk of his life and convince the King that it is exactly what he sought.
Thus begins a mental battle between the powerful and the powerless, the strong and the weak. Genius versus authority.
Praise for The Pawn against the King
“A true gem that took my breath away with its claustrophobic atmosphere.” – Panos Tourlis, book critic.
“The pawn against the king, an ingenious concept by Giorgos Katsoulas to represent the eternal struggle between the strong and the weak.” – Yannis Chronopoulos, historical author and publisher.
"Katsoulas' ability to convey complex ideas and emotions in such a condensed format left me pondering the story's implications long after I finished reading." - K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
"The Pawn Against the King: Genius vs Authority by Giorgos Katsoulas is an absolutely brilliantly written book." - Joe Wisinski for Readers’ Favorite
"All in all, it's a fantastic short story for readers of all ages." - Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
"The Pawn Against the King: Genius vs Authority by Giorgos Katsoulas will appeal to strategists, especially those who enjoy mentally tasking games like chess." - Gabriella Harrison for Readers’ Favorite
"What surprised me was the writing style, which can be described as an economy of force, not at a tactical or strategic level, but a literary one instead. Overall, this is a great little tale." - Gaius Konstantine for Readers’ Favorite
About the Author
Giorgos Katsoulas was born on February 16, 1981, in Athens. He is an honours graduate of the screenwriting school at ANT1, but he is self-taught in literature. He has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and has received numerous literary awards. He has written 15 books of all genres, including poetry, plays, novellas, historical novels, and psychological thrillers. His greatest passion is film music, and he is also a collector of soundtracks and films.
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November 24, 2024
Dangerous Attraction #GayBookPromotions
NEW RELEASE
Book Title: Dangerous Attraction
Author: Oliver Takely
Publisher: MM Romance Press
Cover Artist: Emily’s World of Design
Release Date: November 20, 2024
Tense/POV: Third person, present tense, dual POV
Genres: Contemporary MM Romance
Tropes: Workplace romance, found family, bisexual representation, slow burn
Themes: Rebuilding trust in love for both MCs, body positivity
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 61 000 words
It is book two in the Soho Knights series. It sets up book three, but there’s no cliffhanger for the couple.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
What if Fatal Attraction was gay and Glenn Close was a sassy twink?
Blurb
In the dark streets of Soho, London, where the nightlife pulses with energy and hidden dangers, Langdon is striving to carve out a life of his own. Having endured a tough childhood, marked by a mother who never valued him, he has found solace in the company of his four best friends, who feel like brothers. Although he thrives working in a bar, Langdon is haunted by his past, feeling like a dirty secret to the men he dates.
When Eric's world crumbles after a disastrous wedding, he loses both his home and job, forcing him to seek refuge with his brother. It’s here that he encounters Langdon, and an undeniable connection sparks between them. As their chemistry ignites, they begin to explore a love that feels both thrilling and terrifying.
But their growing bond faces a sinister threat. Someone is determined to tear them apart, willing to go to any lengths, including violence, to ensure they never find happiness together. As Langdon and Eric navigate the complexities of their relationship and confront the demons of their pasts, they must also fight to protect one another from a force that seeks to destroy them.
In “Dangerous Attraction,” love becomes a battleground where trust is tested, and survival is at stake. Will Langdon and Eric find the strength to overcome the shadows that haunt them, or will they pay the ultimate price for their desire to be together?
Excerpt
Langdon was putting the bottles into a case when he heard a loud crash. It made him jump, causing him to smash his head on the low ceiling of the room. He was dazed for a second before he turned and headed toward the commotion, worried he’d stacked the crates wrong and they’d fallen. What he found was the hottest guy he’d ever seen in his life, sprawled on his back with bottles rolling around him. The guy had bright ginger hair, dazzling blue eyes, and a beard which was just long enough for Langdon to run his fingers through as he rocked him to sleep after fucking the guy into oblivion. Okay, maybe it had been too long since he’d had a redhead: Langdon’s kryptonite.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.” The guy groaned and made to get up. Langdon held out his hand, which the redhead took. He was wearing a tight T-shirt. There was nothing larger than a medium here – deliberately, knowing Joey. Langdon was the exception, as a medium wouldn’t cover one bicep. It was snug on the guy and hugged his belly. Another big turn on for Langdon. He might have a muscular physique himself, but he liked his men to have proper bodies. Langdon imagined running his tongue all over the guy’s soft belly, then snapped out of it when he realised he was still holding the stranger’s hand. Stranger? What was a stranger doing in their cellar? Then it dawned on Langdon; he was fantasising about his boss’s younger brother. Well, that was inappropriate.
Langdon yanked Eric up, a bit too hard. He crashed into Langdon and then didn’t move. In fact, Langdon felt Eric’s hands gently caress his pecs. He raised an eyebrow and Eric stepped back, going bright red. On his pale skin, it was a beautiful flush. Langdon wondered what else he could do to make Eric turn that colour, and how far down it went. Langdon needed to stop those thoughts. He was aware Eric was bisexual because Joey had mentioned it before, but he’d just been about to get married. The last thing he needed was Langdon creeping on him. Given there was now a sensible distance between them, Langdon offered his hand again.
“I’m Langdon. You must be Eric? Your brother asked me to sort you out.”
“What?” spluttered Eric.
Langdon’s face felt like he’d just looked into an active volcano, but then he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sorry, what I mean is . . .” He doubled over, laughing again.
Eric smiled, looking mildly amused, but didn’t seem to find the faux pas as funny as Langdon did.
“Joey asked me to help you get settled, so you’ll be working with me tonight.”
“Lucky me!”
Langdon flushed again. Was Eric flirting with him? He shook that thought out of his head. Eric was Joey’s brother, so he was family, and therefore off limits.
About the Author
Oliver Takely is a passionate MM romance author who revels in dark, edgy stories featuring complex, flawed characters. With years of writing experience and a creative day job, Oliver Takely is also an avid reader of MM romance, consuming 300 books in 2023. His favourite trope is enemies to lovers, but is also a sucker for a feel-good Christmas romance.
Originally from the north, Oliver now resides in the south of England with his husband and their beloved fur baby, who is treated like a princess, living their own happily-ever-after straight out of a romance novel. When not writing or reading, he enjoys holidays and indulging in lots of good food, because who doesn’t love a delicious combination?
Social Media Links
Website | Facebook | Instagram
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one of three ebook copies of Dangerous Attraction
November 23, 2024
Show No Mercy #GayBookPromotions
NEW RELEASE
Book Title: Show No Mercy
Author and Publisher: Thom Collins
Cover Artist: Kelly A Martin
Release Date: November 14, 2024
Tense/POV: Third person/past tense
Genres: Contemporary MM Romance, paranormal thriller
Tropes: Dark romantic suspense, instant attraction
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 38 000 words/160 pages
It’s a one-off standalone story. No cliffhanger.
Buy Link - Available in Kindle Unlimited
A chance encounter brought them together, but in a world of danger, it might not be for long.
Blurb
When a blind date ends in disaster, Hector is about to swear off dating for good, until he sees a handsome face across a bar and changes his mind. A drink with a troubled man called Callum leads to something far more meaningful. Hector offers Callum the chance to off load his problems.
But when they’re attacked by two men carrying knives, Hector is plunged into a dangerous world of vengeance and retaliation. His decision to stand by Callum puts his life at risk in ways he could never have imagined. Is he prepared to lose everything for a man he barely knows?
Excerpt
They made it to Hector's apartment without any further incident. He turned on the lights and held the door for Callum before locking it behind him. Callum's hand, where he gripped his injured arm, was red with blood. Hector showed him to the bathroom before going to retrieve his first aid kit.
“How does it feel?” he asked, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves.
“It's beginning to throb, but I think the worst of the bleeding has stopped.”
Hector ran warm water into the sink and poured in two cups of antiseptic liquid. “Take off your T-shirt,” he said, soaking cotton balls in the sink. “I'll give you one of mine, once we clean this up and make sure it's no longer bleeding.”
Callum sat on the edge of the bath and removed his T-shirt. He winced and gave a sharp intake of breath. Hector suspected his injury was more painful than he was letting on. He flinched again when Hector applied the soaked cotton balls to his wound.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll be gentle as I can.”
“It's fine,” Callum said. “Just do what you have to.”
The cut was about an inch and a half long. “I don't think it's gone deep,” he said. “You've been lucky.”
“I'm sure Jon-Boy was aiming for something more severe.”
“We have to report this to the police.”
Callum shook his head. “That will be a waste of time.”
“They'll be searching for you anyway. I'm sure the staff at the bar will have called it in. Especially when Jon-Boy pulled a knife on the premises. There must have been a dozen or more witnesses.”
Callum didn't reply, and Hector didn't push it. He would try again in a while. They had a duty to report what had happened. Hector wasn't about to let those thugs get away with what they had done.
Once he had cleaned the wound, Hector patted it dry then applied a fresh medical cloth and bandaged it. “I don't think it's deep enough for you to need stitches, but you'll have to keep an eye on it. You might need to visit your doctor.”
“You've done a great job. Thank you.”
Hector went to his bedroom and rummaged in a drawer. Callum was thicker-built he was, but he found a T-shirt that was too big for him and should fit Callum fine. It was only when he returned to the bathroom that he noticed the rest of Callum’s body. He was incredibly fit with a flat stomach and firm, well developed pecs. His torso was smooth and hairless—he must have shaved it. Hector tried not to stare at his perfect physique as he handed over the T-shirt.
“Come through to the kitchen,” he said. “I'll get you some painkillers.”
Hector was about to offer him a strong drink, then remembered that would not be a good idea while he had an open wound. The bleeding had stopped but it would not be worth the risk of it restarting. He got two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with water from the filter unit in his refrigerator. When Callum came into the room wearing Hector’s T-shirt, he handed him the glass and a blister pack of Ibuprofen.
“Take two. They should help soon enough.”
Callum nodded and gave a weak smile as he popped the pills from their packet. The T-shirt fitted him far better than it ever had Hector. The cotton spread tight across his impressive chest and shoulders. The small nubs of his nipples stood erect. Hector was again startled by how beautiful he was and told himself to stop looking. Callum was in trouble, and this was definitely not the time.
About the Author
Thom Collins is the author of the Jagged Shores series and the Anthem Trilogy as well as numerous standalone novels and novellas.
His new series Basic Instincts launches in spring 2025 with the novel Now Comes the Dark.
Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but in 2013 he realized cruising is the best way to see the world.
Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook The Night
Social Media Links
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up
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one of five ebooks from the author's backlist.
November 22, 2024
Deathly Colors Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Children's Book
Date Published: April 10, 2023
Explore the dark side of colors you never knew existed – with death as your trusty guide!
Colors are more than just a beautiful bouquet of lilies and roses. They are also the gorgeous black attires we wear or even the green goo from a smashed worm. But you know what else lurks behind colors? Death. And it's everywhere, watching and waiting.
Don't believe it? Well, read these dark, amusing haikus and open your eyes to deathly colors and deathly possibilities!
From ominous yellow signs to vicious creatures in the deep blue sea, this epic book will show you a bizarre world through the eyes of death.
Let the journey begin!
About the Author
Gabrielle Ferrara is an artist and entrepreneur who creates Victorian-inspired art and jewelry with ethically sourced animal remains. She has a master's degree in Museum Studies and undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Art History. Gabrielle enjoys spending her free time with family, venturing down the rabbit hole of obscurity, and talking about dinosaurs.
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November 20, 2024
The Moldavian Gambit Book Blitz #rabtbooktours
Spies & Politics, Espionage, Terrorism
A taut, fast-paced, geopolitical techno-thriller set in the dying days of the Soviet Union. The Moldavia Gambit will appeal to lovers of complex espionage, terrorism and political thrillers by authors like Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva and Mark Greaney.
Inspired by actual events and filled with authentic technical detail, the gripping tale races between Moscow, Moldavia, Paris, Washington, the skies over Eastern Europe, and geostationary orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth.
About the Author
Brad Meslin has spent more than 35 years working at the intersection of the aerospace and defense industry, private equity and national security.
Meslin founded and manages a leading advisory firm that performs diligence on aerospace, defense and government services contractors active in the defense, space, aviation and intelligence sectors in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. Advising on hundreds of transactions over more than three decades, Meslin has gained a deep understanding of the national security programs and missions these companies support, and the capabilities and systems they help to develop and operate.
Dr. Meslin earned a Master’s degree in law and diplomacy and a Ph.D. from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, with a focus on international security.
Contact Link
November 19, 2024
Wildcard Preorder Blitz #rabtbooktours
Sci-Fi Romance, BDSM
Date Published: November 22, 2024
Passion’s the pot when Rowan Kerr draws the Wildcard.
Though she lives in a world of Beyonce and iPhones, Indra Fox thinks she may be an alien. She’s too strong, too fast, and heals too quickly to be merely human. But she doesn’t know for sure, because her parents refused to tell her. Nor would they explain why she -- and her equally superhuman best friend, Diana Newman -- were raised to be warriors.
When their families are murdered, Indra and Diana seek revenge on their killers, Satan’s Horsemen. Then Diana is kidnapped, and Indra goes undercover at a strip club the gang owns to discover where her friend has been taken.
But when Rowan Kerr walks into the club, Indra realizes he’s even more powerful than she is. Rowan says he knows who she really is and what she was created to do, but she must go with him to learn the truth.
Indra will do anything to save Diana. Including embracing her destiny as something more than human.
Rowan thinks Indra could be the teammate -- and lover -- he dreams of. But she’s mad as hell about being kept in ignorance, and she’s convinced that she’s been betrayed by the woman he works for. What’s worse, she’s not wrong. Can he convince her to take a chance on him? And can Indra and Rowan defeat the very real aliens who are behind Diana’s abduction?
They’d better, or humanity will pay the price for their failure.
The following excerpt contains material suitable only for readers 18+.
EXCERPT
Rowan
I eyed the long, low stucco building as I got out of the car.
Pink neon depicted the outline of a writhing nude woman with a tail and cat ears wrapped around a purple neon stripper pole. More neon read “Pole Katz Gentleman’s Club,” in red.
You sure this is the right address? I asked my computer implant.
Qubit’s silky female voice replied, Her nanos ping from this location, and have been doing so for five hours a night for thirty-eight days. There’s a 93.8 percent chance she’s working here.
Why? She sure doesn’t need the money. I frowned at the neon stripper. Has to be hunting.
Odds are running at 87.6, Qubit agreed.
Indra Fox was going to be about as happy to see me as a serial killer finding cops at the door. And for the same reason.
I headed for the purple awning over the club’s entrance. Even without enhanced senses, I’d have been able to hear the music -- Beyonce purring about getting frisky in a limo.
Qubit displayed results from sensor scans and web searches along the periphery of my visual field, flashing the club’s layout and the number of people inside -- one hundred and fifty-three patrons and staff. Of those, one hundred and fifty-two were Nats -- natural humans. There was only one who wasn’t. Indra Fox.
Double doors led into a narrow, black-walled foyer vibrating with music just short of deafening. To my left stood a cashier’s window where a bored-looking woman in a bare-midriff Pole Katz T manned a Square station. A sign over the window informed me of the twenty-dollar cover charge.
“Hi, there,” the cashier purred, giving me an approving once-over.
Pulling out my wallet, I peeled off a twenty and handed it over.
“Thanks,” she said. “Enjoy.”
“I’m sure I will.” I turned to find a narrow-eyed bouncer glowering by the curtained entry to the main room. He wore black chinos and a black T that said SECURITY in all caps. He looked the part, too -- six-foot-three, 232.8 pounds, per Qubit’s sensors -- with skin the color of teak, a shaved head, and full-sleeve tats on massive arms. Judging from his expression, he didn’t like the looks of me. Probably because big as he was, I was bigger. I suspected he was also trying to figure out if I was a cop. Or worse, if I’d get drunk and disorderly, and if he could handle me if I did.
Dude, you wouldn’t have a prayer.
“Don’t touch the girls,” he warned. “Be a gentleman.”
“I’m never anything but.”
He looked dubious, but I gave him a twenty-dollar tip, and he relaxed as if reassured. Which might be a bit premature, depending on what happened with Fox.
I stepped past him through the curtained doorway into an eye-searing storm of thumping music and colored light. The club’s dark walls were covered with neon silhouettes of women in erotic poses, and the floor was scuffed dark wood. A curving translucent bar glowed to the right, edged in yet more neon.
You need to buy a drink first, Qubit told me. There’s an etiquette to patronizing these places, and you don’t want to draw attention.
Yeah, I’d hate to be conspicuous. I was six and a half feet tall. Conspicuous was pretty much baked into the cake. Snorting, I headed to the bar to collect an overpriced Scotch, then turned to work my way through the crowd as Qubit scanned for our target.
The focus of the room was an oval stage with a pair of sturdy chrome poles, a set of four steps at one end. A ring of plump chairs in red velvet surrounded it, occupied by rapt patrons. Additional groupings of chairs and tables clustered around that, mostly men, with a few couples scattered here and there.
A blonde Nat girl worked one of the poles to the cheers and hoots of the customers. I headed for the chairs around the stage.
If you sit there, you’ll be expected to tip every dancer, Qubit warned as I dropped into the sole unoccupied seat.
Money not being a problem -- one of the perks of working for Mama -- I shrugged. Fine. If Fox is dancing, I want to make eye contact. According to her file, the only one of us Indra had ever met was Diana Newman. I wanted to see how she’d react to me.
The blonde dancer bounced upward, grabbed the pole hand over hand and swung her way around it, arching her leanly muscled body into a seductive curve. She was down to a G-string and pasties, so she must be most of the way through her act.
I would have been interested, but I could smell her. Not that she smelled bad -- fresh sweat, some kind of floral shampoo and citrus body wash, a hint of mint from her mouthwash. But underneath that, she smelled Nat. So no, not my type, though she had the kind of lean grace you get from swinging around a pole for hours a day.
Frowning, I watched her spin and grind. Why hadn’t Mama ordered Indra Fox and Diana Newman picked up when their parents were murdered? Or if not then, once it became clear they were stalking the killers?
Instead, Mama had let the two run. Now Newman was offline too, and Fox was still killing assholes.
The blonde finished her routine. Absently, I held up a ten. The Nat sauntered over and knelt so I could tuck it into her G-string. Giving me a dazzling smile, she winked. “Want a lap dance?”
I smiled and shook my head. Looking disappointed, she stood and headed for the next bill. The guy who waved it looked a lot more enthusiastic.
This whole fucking thing is weird. Fox has capped four men in the past year. Why not pick her up before now? Mama doesn’t approve of merking people, even actual mercs.
It was a rhetorical question, but Qubit answered anyway. She didn’t share her reasoning.
There’s a shock.
Not that I was shedding any tears for Fox’s victims. According to the police files Qubit had hacked, they’d been members of Satan’s Horsemen, a mercenary gang suspected in a slew of illegal shit -- drug trafficking, prostitution, gun running, murder for hire. No wonder the cops didn’t care they’d ended up room temperature. Though judging by the crime scene pics, Fox’s temper was almost as nasty as mine.
The local po-po also suspected Pole Katz was run by the Horsemen, though a couple of raids had turned up jack in the way of evidence. All they’d managed to do was charge two girls with allowing a little too much groping during lap dances.
Any of the gang present?
About the Author
New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight has written and published more than sixty novels, novellas, and ebooks, including the Mageverse and Merlin’s Legacy series. With a career spanning more than two decades, Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine has awarded her their Career Achievement award in Paranormal Romance, as well as two Reviewers’ Choice awards for Best Erotic Romance and Best Werewolf Romance.
Angela is currently a writer, editor, and cover artist for Changeling Press LLC. She also teaches online writing courses. Besides her fiction work, Angela’s writing career includes a decade as an award-winning South Carolina newspaper reporter. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, Michael, a thirty-year police veteran and detective with a local police department.
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Nonfiction / Business
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About The Author
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