Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 186

Character Interview - Cursed: Samaritan Book 1 by Serafina Silk

Thanks to Fang-Tastic books for the chance to interview one of my characters. The heroine of my Samaritan series is Chris Brookbanks and she is a local journalist – like me. She finds herself hexed/cursed/infected with something which makes her have sex with complete strangers who have some longing or hang up about someone else. She’s a happily married woman who does not want this but is at peace with the fact that when it happens, it’s like she is the dead lover or whatever. But she does need to find a cure, so she enlists the help of a slightly eccentric psychic Elspeth Hardway to see what can be done. As things go on though, the book gets darker and darker as the jeopardy for Chris mounts.
That said, I’m sure she’d love to interview Elspeth one day. I’ll do it for her.

Serafina: Hi Elspeth, I’m not sure I believe in psychics. When did you realise you were one?
Elspeth: Keep an open mind, dearie. But I don’t blame you. Of course, most people who claim to be psychic are complete frauds. Do you have any Jewish friends? If you do, you’ll know they spend their entire lives wondering if God exists. That is fine, that is their relationship with the Divine. A good psychic is no different. Until I met Chris, I’d been wondering my whole life if I was a fraud.
Serafina: Well, what happened with Chris to make you change your mind?
Elspeth: Am I allowed to swear? Good – bloody hell are you joking? She drags me along to an interview to keep an eye on her, next thing she’s stark, bollock naked, having sex in front of me with a famous film star. Except...she wasn’t. The real Chris was almost invisible sitting motionless on the couch while a version of her had been taken over by the film star’s dead ex-lover and they were getting it on like Barry White was sponsoring the soundtrack.
Serafina: Wait? So there were two versions of Chris?
Elspeth: Exactly. Of course, to the film star on the floor, there was no Chris at all, just his ex-lover buffing his brass.
Serafina: So the ghost of his ex-lover borrowed Chris’ body?
Elspeth: She did! And weirdest of all, when they finished, he had no recollection of any of it. Of course, you can’t invoke that much psychic energy and mischief and not cause a whole heap of trouble. I’m trying to get her out of it but....
Serafina: When I started writing her story down, I found it hard to believe, if I’m honest. I’m a local journalist myself – yes, her account of life as a hack is accurate, but how on earth can it be possible for someone to be taken over by multiple dead women and have sex with strangers?
Elspeth: You’re a bit of a prude, aren’t you dear? I’ve met young women who do that all the time – they’re not possessed, they’re on Tinder. What’s the difference between Tinder and possession? Just a bit of experience and belief levels, my lovely.  Actually, I’m surprised I haven’t come across it before. I feel for Chris – she just wants to be a happily married mum – but as long as she doesn’t catch anything, she’ll be fine.
Serafina: What other psychic work do you do?
Elspeth: Well I used to do seances and all that malarkey, but Chris is my full time job right now. It’s a toss up between finding a counterspell or getting her to agree to an exorcism I think.
Serafina: I called it the Samaritan series because Chris is actually helping people with this isn’t she? Helping them to move on, or deal with their loss?
Elspeth: Have you actually read your own books? Chris is ok – I didn’t say her lovers were.
Serafina: What do you think will happen in Book 4?
Elspeth: Here have a ginger nut with your tea. Surely I should be asking you that? Chris is in a pretty tight spot. Sorry about the cat. You’re not allergic are you?
Serafina: Atchoo. Only a little.



Curse
Samaritan
Book 1
Serafina Silk

Genre: Erotica/Supernatural/Thriller
Publisher: Serafina!Date of Publication:  15 November 2019ISBN: 9781916066427ASIN: B081GF53QD
Number of pages: 198Word Count: 35,000
Tagline: How far would you go to help someone get over their ex?
Book Description:
When Chris gives a deathbed kiss to her best friend her safe world is turned upside-down as a strange sexual obsession and compulsion begins.
But what is driving it? And how will it affect her safe but boring marriage?
The Sex Samaritan series combines erotica and mystery as Chris' journey takes her into a dark and sensual world in which more than her family life is suddenly threatened.
Amazon
Also Available on Amazon
Book 2     Book 3
Excerpt:
With a hand on Evan’s shocked face, I reached in and pressed my lips against his. He was shaking, like he was trapped. When our lips touched, he became still. Once again, it was as if there were two worlds: the one in which we were Evan and Min, and the one in which Evan and I were sexless old acquaintances. There wasn’t time now to wonder how or why.  Unable to cut the Min side out, I just wanted to savour not being Chris the Reliable, Chris the Predictable, Chris the Wife. I could feel it. The incredible heat between Min and Evan was something exciting I had never experienced in my own sex life. Sure, when Arron and I first got together, he took me to new places. Sex with him in the early days was mind-blowing, but this was an upgrade, no question. No wonder Evan had given up trying to match the experience in the years since she left him. He broke from increasingly urgent kisses to whispers. “Why did you leave, Min? God, I love you. You will always be the love of my life.” After every line he returned to my mouth, unable to keep from the “sweet communion of a kiss,” as Judee Sill memorably described it. It’s interesting that we kiss and eat with our mouth, isn’t it? It means that you can say things like, “we devoured each other.” It makes perfect sense - I understood that now. We were devouring each other. Our arms pulled each other tighter. We were both slim. Only my swelling breasts separated us. Our hands strayed across each other’s backs, giving our arms the support they needed to pull-in a fraction closer. The kisses, the sighs and the whispered phrases of loss from Evan, seemed to go on, deliriously, forever. Yet, my body needed more. Min may have been driving this, but Chris also had to know - I knew I could not carry on without feeling what Min and Evan had felt together. It was me who lowered my hands first, to squeeze Evan’s arse. His soon followed suit and his hands pushed flat against my back and dove behind my jeans, under my panties. He tease-bit my lip, upping the ante. I groaned as, for the first time in 15 years, a man who wasn’t my husband, touched my aroused, naked flesh. And boy, was it aroused.Constricted by the material, Evan could do no more than feel and knead my cheeks, but my pussy throbbed at the thought of what I hoped was to come. Unable to wait, I brought my hands to the front, unlatching the clasp of his trousers, pulling the zip down an inch or two. There was just enough room to slip my right hand into the top of his boxers.


About the Author:
Like the hero of the Samaritan series, Serafina Silk has been a highly successful reporter and journalist, working both local and national newsrooms in America and the UK.
Like Chris, Serafina has two children and is happily married.
Also like Chris, she has interviewed many celebrities.
Cursed is her first novella – Book 1 of the ongoing Samaritan series.http://www.serafinasilk.com/
https://twitter.com/SerafinaSilk
https://www.amazon.com/Serafina-Silk/e/B081HHCY44

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shadowed by Michelle Areaux

Shadowed
Shadow and Moon Series
Book One
Michelle Areaux

Published by: Kingston Publishing CompanyPublication date: January 2nd 2020


Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult


Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Henley Abbott is just trying to make it through high school in the small town of Edison, Washington where she has lived her entire life. Constantly feeling alone, she’s surprised when she finds herself intrigued by the new boy in town, Cohen Davenport.
With the entire town talking about the new and secretive family, Henley refuses to join in on the rumors swirling about them and attempts to keep her distance.
However, as Cohen becomes intrigued by Henley, the pair seems to find a spark in a kindling friendship.
As the intensity of their relationship builds, Henley discovers a dark secret plaguing Cohen and his elusive family. He reveals a twisted past that has kept his family on the run…for decades.
Cohen should keep his distance. It is too dangerous to bring Henley into his life, but he can’t stay away from her.
And, Henley doesn’t want him to.
As Henley overcomes her own fears and trepidations, she finds herself engrossed in a battle that could destroy them both. Only their connection could help them all survive.
Intensely romantic and extremely thrilling, this novel will pull readers in from the very first page.
Fans of Twilight, The Guardian Series, and the Marked Saga will instantly fall in love with this new paranormal series.


Amazon
About the Author:
Michelle loves most fiction genres. For New Adult, she loves to read romance novels that include a hot and brooding male character. Think Travis Maddox in Beautiful Disaster. She accepts: College aged new adult romance, paranormal romance, and romantic comedies. For young adult, Michelle is a sucker for fantasy novels that include vampires (she is still on team Edward), shifters, and a modern world with monsters and demons alike. She accepts: dark fantasy, paranormal, mysteries, contemporary romance or mystery, and anything else in the young adult genre. ​
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49142658-shadowed
https://www.facebook.com/Author-Michelle-Areaux-Novels-Page-1515918905127542/
http://www.kingstonpublishing.com/michelle-areaux.html
https://amzn.to/2EhyJUd

Top Ten Favorite Horror Novels with H.L. Cherryholmes

H.L.'s Top Ten Favorite Horror Novels…in no particular order
1.         Annihilation: A Novel – Jeff VanderMeer
2.         Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
3.         The Girl With All the Gifts – M.R. Carey
4.         The Ruins – Scott Smith
5.         The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty
6.         A Head Full of Ghosts – Paul Tremblay
7.         The Shining – Steven King
8.         Interview with the Vampire – Anne Rice
9.         The Silence of the Lambs – Thomas Harris
10.       Burnt Offerings – Robert Marasco


The Lizard Queen Series - Abridged
300 years ago, in a nameless world, a prophecy passed unfulfilled. A secret society that formed to prevent its occurrence believed it was their doing, while the secret society created to ensure that the prophecy came to pass wasn’t certain it had been stopped at all. Eventually, the prophecy of Lacáruna, a female from another realm and the only being who can read the Lizard Queen’s language, fell into legend.  What no one realizes, however, is that Amy Darlidale is just a tad late.



Amazon


The Lizard Queen AbridgedBook OneH.L. Cherryholmes
Genre: Fantasy
Date of Publication: 12/7/19
ISBN: 9781798589724ASIN: B081593C32
Number of pages: 496Word Count: 235,000
Cover Artist: Ryan Valle
Book Description:
Taking a break from a stressful workweek, Amy Darlidale, a recently divorced CEO, goes out for a morning jog, crosses paths with an orange lizard, and suddenly finds herself under a starless sky confronted by oddly marked and strangely colored people claiming she's there to rescue the world from evil’s grasp and expand it Along with the young companions who found her, Licha and Jandro, the swaggering Colonel Dack Sangcertigre—a member of the secret society sworn to protect her—leads Amy in search of a plan to fulfill the Promise of a New Morphósis, which will save them all.
Confronted with raving rulers, military machinations, and crafty clergy, Amy quickly realizes there is much more at stake than merely finding the prophecy. Fires rage, clans and townsfolk are massacred when leaders proclaim a great evil has returned. While Amy searches for and finds clues within the first of nine mythic journals regarding this world’s origins, she begins to see visions and receive messages from forces unknown.
Even as she tries to understand the extent of her power others have become aware of it as well. Soon a new group with its own mysterious agenda believes Amy may have another fated purpose and only she can save herself from their terrifying trap.
Amazon


Excerpt Book One:
 “I saw an orange lizard today.” “Orange? That’s an unusual color for a lizard isn’t it? I’ve seen red ones.”  Amy Darlidale looked at the wall just above her therapist’s head. She’d seen the family photo dozens of times but had never given it much attention. This was the first time she’d noticed the pendant his young daughter wore. Was it a circle within a circle? It was difficult to make out from a distance. “Maybe your red lizard mated with a yellow one and produced my orange lizard.” John chuckled. “Maybe. Where did you see it?”“That’s the interesting thing.” Amy stopped bouncing the leg she had crossed over the other. “I saw it in my office. It ran across my desk.”“You’re kidding. How do you suppose a lizard—of any color—made it up to the twenty-seventh floor of your office building?”  “Maybe it crawled through the pipes.” Amy glanced out the window and resumed bouncing her leg.Pen in hand, John leaned back in his chair. “You seem rather distracted today.”Amy’s gaze drifted across John’s desk. When he started seeing her alone, he’d moved from the couple’s area to the desk. She liked it better this way. “That damned lizard. I saw it first thing this morning, and I can’t get it out of my head.” She uncrossed her legs. “I feel a bit silly for saying this, but it stopped and looked at me.”“There’s nothing unusual about that. A deer-in-the-headlights response. Animals often momentarily freeze when they think they’ve been caught.”“Probably.” Amy pictured the incident in her mind. “But that wasn’t what it seemed like at the time.”“What did it seem like?”She returned her focus to the pendant on the girl’s neck in the family portrait. It was a circle within a circle. “I swear it was looking at me.” She remembered how the small creature had scrambled up a pile of reports centered at the far edge of the desk and stopped there. “We sort of locked eyes for a moment. I had the oddest feeling she had been waiting for me to notice her.”“She?” Amy looked at the therapist. “What?”“You said she not it.”“I did?”“Yes. Why would you assume it was female?”“I don’t know.” “Was there some sort of marking that gave away its gender?”“No, there weren’t any markings. She was just orange. Bright orange like a…well, like an orange. Her underside was slightly more yellow.”“Okay, so you and the lizard locked eyes. Then what?”“Then she blinked a few times and ran off my desk. I shouted for my assistant and we looked in every corner and under every piece of furniture but never did find it.”“So what was it about this incident that you can’t get out of your head? Not being able to find it?”That he would assume what bothered her was the lizard’s disappearance didn’t surprise Amy in the least. John was a marriage counselor, which was why she’d started seeing him in the first place; unfortunately, despite the bi-weekly appointments for nearly a year, she and her husband, Peter, hadn’t been able to work out their problems and eventually divorced. Peter got the SUV and the boat; she got condo in Palm Springs and John. They sold the house in Brentwood. One issue that had brought the (then) couple to see a therapist was Amy’s inability to let things go. Her husband said it bordered on obsessive. Amy believed she was just determined. As it turned out, John tended to side with her husband on that particular topic and even after the divorce John still thought it was something Amy needed to work on. That’s when she started seeing him only once every other month.“No, it wasn’t that I couldn’t find the lizard. Although, I will admit that was frustrating. I’m guessing I can’t get it out of my head because, for some reason, it made me think of my father.”“What did it remind you of?” He seemed anxious to hear her answer, which also came as no surprise; Amy seldom talked about her childhood. Something else that annoyed her ex-husband.“I suppose it made me think about when he married my stepmother. A few months after their wedding I became very ill. My father said that he found me unconscious and rushed me to the hospital. I was in a coma for three days. The doctors never found out what was wrong with me.” She paused to clear her throat. Talking about her childhood always made her uncomfortable, mostly because she remembered so little of it. “But to get back to your question, the way that the lizard looked at me was exactly how my father was looking at me when I woke from that coma. I remember opening my eyes and seeing my dad watching me as if he were waiting for me to notice him. That’s what the lizard seemed to be doing.”John tapped his pen on the notepad. “I find it interesting that the first thing you said it reminded you of was when your father married your stepmother and not that you were in a coma.”Frowning, Amy asked why he found it interesting.“Why don’t you tell me?” He smiled wryly.Amy hated that smile; John only used it when he knew how she would respond. “Maybe it’s because I found my father marrying Alice more traumatic than being in a coma.” She laughed.“All right. So seeing the orange lizard brought this all back to you. My question then is why do you see it as a distraction?”As she adjusted her jacket, Amy wished she hadn’t brought up the lizard. She’d only done so because she hadn’t had anything else to talk about and didn’t want to waste a session. “I don’t really know. Seeing the lizard just brought out…a feeling, I suppose.”“What feeling?” “If I knew,” she said, mimicking his smile, “I’d be the therapist.”

The Lizard Queen Abridged
Book TwoH.L. Cherryholmes
Genre: Fantasy
Date of Publication: 12/7/19
ISBN: 9781798571132ASIN: B08159BRTX
Number of pages: 594Word Count: 279,000
Formats available: Paperback and Kindle
Cover Artist: Ryan Valle
Book Description:
It’s become increasingly clear that an all-out war is being waged by the Arañalianza, the alliance bent on making certain that the prophecy is never brought to pass, and their opposite, the Trotéjo, which is sworn to make certain it does. Although Amy Darlidale has passed tests of wits and endurance far beyond what she thought possible, she struggles for insight into the role she is presumably intended to play in this world.
Jolted by the sacrifices her protectors have had to make, she forges ahead while new relationships surface and new truths are revealed. Forced to rely on her own instincts, along with the limited knowledge she’s gained of this world in her quest, she must find a way to acquire the remaining Extiguos to piece together the prophecy.
Despite feeling constrained in her ability to combat otherworldly forces she cannot comprehend, she must now overcome a foe that poses an unimaginably sinister threat.
Amazon

Excerpt Book Two:
Amy had expected to be taken to some sort of a cell, as had happened too many times before, but instead Quoia and she were taken from the cliff tower into another part of the istanté enclave. Her mind continued to reel from the events that had occurred in the past hour. After having been abducted in Últimojo, right under the noses of her friends, and unceremoniously carted from one end of Rescatazo to another, she’d thought her ordeal was coming to an end when the clan’s spiritual leader revealed that she was a Trotéjo comrade. But no. Once again, the irony of not heeding the mysterious message sent by an unknown source while she had been out at sea wasn’t lost on her. You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? Actually, she had. Silly her.All of this had come about simply because she’d been curious as to what an adividria—an alleged diviner of fortunes and dreams—actually did. She had been called one, which had also occurred while she’d been out at sea on the Pen-Mai II, because someone had assumed only a quimera capable of evocasado, this world’s version of magic, would be able to read the Extiguos. Just outside of the Eyes of the Ultimate Cathedral in Últimojo was a long row of tents commonly referred to as Charlatan Shacks and she’d visited an adividria there. What followed led the adividria, Nayel, to believe Amy was something her Ojor Mountain clan in northern Rescatazo had been looking for. And because of that belief, Amy had been rendered unconscious, snatched up, and dragged unwillingly up the river and across the land only to learn that Nayel had been wrong and she wasn’t what the istanté clan was looking for after all. Now, instead of becoming the clan’s newest spiritual leader, she was to be thrown to the wolves (in this instance, to something called a vueltó) that outsiders had never bested. Her only consolation was that her abductor and the current spiritual leader-cum-Trotéjo comrade’s son, Quoia, was being tossed into the ring along with her. The broad-shouldered, pale-skinned quimero hadn’t been very happy to learn his fate any more than she had. In fact, he probably had been even more stunned by the turn of events than she. Amy would have felt a bit of smug satisfaction over that, if not for the staggering sense of dread crawling up her legs.The enormous, ugly istanté guards with the muscular hunched shoulders silently led Quoia and her to a room with a floor covered entirely in pillows except for a small path along the edges. Adorning the walls were more than a dozen swords of varying sizes. The room opened onto a large empty yard surrounded by high walls. The guards left them and closed the door, locking it from the outside. Quoia immediately scanned the weapons on the wall, as he circled the pillow-covered floor. Light from the flickering lanterns shined off the perspiration dotting the skin of his bald head. When Amy had first seen him—well, not the first time, the first time she’d only caught a glimpse of him before he covered her face with a rag soaked in something called cañart that had knocked her out—she’d noted that their pale-peach skin-coloring was very similar. With his square jaw and button nose, he could have passed for human, if not for the small curved horns just above his temples. The tall quimero was body-builder big with a neck as wide as his head. When he found a sword to his liking he removed it from the wall and held it out.“Take this. It should be easy for you to handle.” Amy stared at the sword in silence.“We call it a cuchelgado. Ranjeros call it a sword.”“I know what it is and I don’t care what it’s called. What I don’t understand is why we’re going to a circus. Actually, let me amend that. What I don’t understand is why any of this is happening.” 
The Lizard Queen AbridgedBook ThreeH.L. Cherryholmes
Genre: Fantasy
Date of Publication: 12/7/19
ISBN: 9781798130117ASIN: B08157XT4V
Number of pages: 657Word Count: 309,000
Formats available: Paperback and Kindle
Cover Artist: Ryan Valle
Book Description:
With all of the Extiguos now in their possession, Amy Darlidale and her companions feel they are close to discovering the truth, but that they are also running out of time.
This world seems on the verge of shrinking much faster than anyone anticipated when the surrounding nations gather for war against Pliada. The Trotéjo and the Arañalianza also plan to assemble before the mountain upon which La Reina’s castle sits, and stakes have never been higher. The quest to learn how Amy must bring about the New Morphósis has brought her full circle and the truth about her destiny as Lacáruna finally seems within reach.
But much blood continues to be shed as all sides race toward the inevitable conclusion of the journey. Amy must summon forces from deep within if she is to save this world—or is it too late?
Amazon


Excerpt Book Three:
Amy looked at the blank pages and couldn’t believe her eyes. So she closed them. When she opened them again, however, nothing had changed. The final Extiguo was no longer visible to her.“It’s gone.” Dack was giving out instructions as to which direction the others should face while Amy read the last third of the Extiguo. “It’s gone,” Amy repeated.Dack stopped and looked at her. “What?” “The words are gone.” She held up the book with the pages facing outward, even though she knew he wouldn’t see it as she did. To anyone native to this world, the symbols that were the written language of La Reina were still stamped upon the pages. “I can’t see any of the words.”Dack, Licha, Jandro, and Madu scrambled to gather around her. Sitting as she was on the footboard of the carriage that had delivered goods to the hundreds of Trotéjo hiding in Naclaquí didn’t make this easy, so she stood up. Licha pulled at Amy’s arm until the book was low enough that she could see it.“I don’t understand,” the quimera with the alabaster-white skin said. “I thought that the words didn’t disappear until you’ve read all of it.”Flipping through the book to be certain the pages were blank, Amy said, “They haven’t until now.”Madu peered over her shoulder. “Why now? Why would they disappear on you like that now?”Amy removed the lupercas, the pince-nez reading glasses, from the bridge of her nose. No point in keeping them on when there was nothing to read. “I don’t know why. It’s never happened before.”Jandro looked up at her. His eyes were wide and seemed to be floating in the black pools that were the ovals encircling them on his face. His blue-gray skin was almost silver in the glow of the moonlight. “You’ve never gone so far into one of the Extiguos and then stopped,” he said. “Could that be why?”Frustrated, Amy threw the paluz to the ground. “I don’t care what caused it. All that matters is that I can no longer read it.” She looked at Dack. “What are we going to do?”He stared at the green light of the paluz at his feet. “There doesn’t seem to be anything we can do.” “But we don’t know how it ends.” Madu’s voice went up an octave. “Yes we do,” Jandro said. “La Reina creates the—”“Not that!” Madu said, his voice higher still. The tall, lanky quimero began to pace. “Not what’s in the Translation, but what’s in the actual Extiguo. None of you seem to comprehend that nearly all that Amy read so far is nowhere to be found in its translation. For all we know, the Winged-One really did create the Morphósis and La Reina became Lacáruna.”“Control yourself, Madu,” Dack said. “Hysterics are never constructive.”“And I can assure you I am not La Reina,” Amy added.Madu closed his mouth and drew in several breaths through his long nose. He ran his hands through his thick, dark red hair a few times and slowly his shoulders relaxed. “I didn’t mean that literally. I’m only conjecturing that anything is possible.”“We shouldn’t have left.” Licha looked up at Dack, whom she stood beside. “We should have remained in the building when you sent out the group disguised as us. Amy should have kept reading.”Jandro came between them and, surprising everyone, shoved Licha back. “Stop being an idiot. We couldn’t have stayed. You heard what Dack said. Whoever caused the explosion could have sent someone to storm into Winfred’s room and what would we have done then?”“Enough.” Amy put Winfred’s lupercas in a pocket and rubbed her eyes. “Instead of focusing on what we don’t know, how about focusing on what we do. I was more than halfway through the Extiguo. We have plenty of revelations to discuss and mull over.”
About the Author:
H.L. Cherryholmes, author of The Lizard Queen Series, The Reminisce, Come Back for Me, and A Slight Touch was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico but has spent most of his adult life in California. He has a BFA from University of New Mexico and a Master's degree in Playwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, he lives in SoCal with his husband.
https://www.hlcherryholmes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HLCherryholmesBooks
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1398789.H_L_Cherryholmes

A Scot’s Pledge by Sky Purington

A Scot’s Pledge
The MacLomain Series
End of an Era Book 1
Sky Purington

Genre: Time Travel Fantasy Romance


Date of Publication: December 17th, 2019
ASIN: B07XH58Q4F
Number of pages: 180 pagesWord Count: 61K
Cover Artist: Tara West
Tagline: From friends to lovers, forbidden passion sparks between a modern day woman and a medieval Highland warrior.
Book Description:
Accustomed to watching over things for Clan MacLomain and their Viking ancestors, Julie had given up hope of traveling back in time for love like those before her. Until the day an old friend turned crush shows up on her doorstep in New Hampshire claiming he needs help in fourteenth century Scotland.
Having pledged to help his clan, Laird Tiernan MacLomain searches for his destined Broun in the twenty-first century. Yet he only wants the woman he's secretly loved for years. So he breaks the rules and brings Julie back to the medieval period with him. She might lack the bloodline needed to harness the power of the Claddagh, but he won't leave her behind.
Together, they embark on a whirlwind quest to protect King David II against Edward Balliol and his disenfranchised nobles, the 'disinherited.' They also face a dark threat nobody foresaw. Will Tiernan and Julie defeat it without the power of predestined love? Or will breaking the rules be their ultimate downfall and Scotland's ruin? Find out in A Scot's Pledge, an emotional and passionate journey into the turbulent onset of the Second War of Scottish Independence.
Amazon
Excerpt
He had her figured out. But of course, he did. He was her best friend. “How did you get that out of everything I just said?”“Actually, I’ve sensed it for quite some time now.” He remained perfectly blunt. “When you opened the door tonight, I knew you felt just as strongly as me.”“You don’t know that.”“But I do.”“How?”“Your heart for starters.” His eyes twinkled. “’Twas about pounding out of your chest.”“Maybe I’d been dancing...” yeah, right, so weak, “with my friends.”The corner of his mouth shot up. “To Christmas music?”“It can be upbeat.”“You hate dancing.”“I hate sucking at dancing.”“You dinnae suck at dancing.”“Oh, but I do.”“You just havenae had the right partner.”“We’re talking about upbeat dancing,” she reminded. “Nay, we’re talking about you trying to do what you think is the right thing,” he replied. “Pushing me away when all you really want to do is find out what it would be like…at last.”He was way too on to her. Yet what precisely was he referring to? It sounded like they might be off the topic of dancing and on to something else. “Being cryptic like your father again, I see.”“You know what I’m talking about.”Definitely not dancing. Right? “No clue.” But she could imagine so very, very well.“You want to know what it would feel like to dance with me.” His tone dropped to a sexy octave that about curled her toes. “Then, mayhap more.”“Definitely not interested in dancing,” she lied then grabbed at anything she could. “Okay, I’m just gonna give it to you straight.” She thought fast and came up with the perfect argument. “I think your magic going all wonky has you struggling for normalcy, something dependable, and that’s always been me. So you’re latching on to what makes you feel like you still have control over things.”“Latching on?” he murmured, his gaze all smoldering-bedroom-eyes now. “Good idea.” His magic wasn’t so wonky that he couldn’t flick a wrist and turn the music up. Before she darted away, he reeled her close. “You’re right. Latching on to you does make me feel better.” His eyes met hers. “In control, as you say.”This was so not a good idea. Stay strong. Step away. Think of Scotland. All the lives depending on him. You’re his voice of reason. Yet, just like it had when he embraced her earlier, all logic fled the moment she was in his arms. Her inner self-coach threw in the towel at the feel of his hard body. At the look in his gorgeous eyes. She was in way over her head here. Scratch that. She’d already drowned.“You are not entirely right, though, Jules,” he murmured, tilting her chin until her eyes didn’t stray from his. As if they ever would. “This doesnae feel normal in the least.”Had she mentioned normal at some point? Because she agreed, this felt anything but. She felt electrified, on fire, like the room—no, the whole house—was fading away. All that existed was him. His hot as hell face, his eyes, lips, the tiny braids in his hair, the plaid wrapped over his broad shoulder…“Oh, no,” she exclaimed, realizing too late he’d pulled her right into his web.
The room was really gone.
About the Author:
Sky Purington is the bestselling author of over fifty novels and novellas. A New Englander born and bred who recently moved to Virginia, Purington married her hero, has an amazing son who inspires her daily and two ultra-lovable husky shepherd mixes. Passionate for variety, Sky's vivid imagination spans several romance genres, including historical, time travel, paranormal, and fantasy. Expect steamy stories teeming with protective alpha heroes and strong-minded heroines.
Purington loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com. Interested in keeping up with Sky’s latest news and releases? Either visit Sky’s website, www.SkyPurington.com, join her quarterly newsletter (https://bit.ly/2Mw0yyO), or sign up for personalized text message alerts. Text ‘skypurington’ (no quotes, one word, all lowercase) to 74121 or visit Sky’s sign-up page (https://mobile-text-alerts.com/subscr...). Texts will ONLY be sent when there is a new book release. Readers can easily opt out at any time.
Website:   www.skypurington.com  
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2hCKgWa 
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sky-purington
Blog:   www.skypurington.blogspot.com
Twitter:   www.twitter.com/skypurington
Facebook:   https://bit.ly/2NlcFLB
Pinterest:   www.pinterest.com/skypurington
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2Mw0yyO
New Release Text Alerts: https://mobile-text-alerts.com/subscribe/skypurington

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tranquilli Bloodline Series by Celia Breslin - Deck the Halls with Books Holiday Extravaganza

Celia’s Vampire Viewing Picks for the Holidays
It’s always time to watch vampire shows in my world. Here are my recs for some fun holiday viewing!
“Amends” - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, S3, Ep10. A brief happy moment for Buffy and Angel. Plus, snow in Southern California.
“Once More With Feeling” S6, Ep7.  Because it’s the best episode ever.
“Bring on the Night” – Buffy, S7, Ep10. Multiple slayers, an uber vamp, and an Xmas tree lot.
“Reunion” – Angel, S2, Ep10. Drusilla and Darla running amok.
 “O Come All Ye Faithful” – The Vampire Diaries, S4, Ep9.  A Winter Wonderland theme-party aaaaand naughty, naughty Klaus.
“Through Your Eyes” –The Vampire Diaries,  S6, Ep10. Christmas reminiscing and one evil Kai.
“Cold As Ice” – The Vampire Diaries, S7, Ep9. Holiday toy drive and a pesky Phoenix Stone.
“Savior” – The Originals, S3, Ep9. Amid much drama, Klaus and Cami share a kiss.



HAVENTranquilli Bloodline
Book OneCelia Breslin
Genre:  urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Date of Publication:  July 2, 2013
ISBN: 9781927454862ASIN: B07XTDGHRZ 
Number of pages:  372Word Count: 174K
Cover Artist: Melody Pond
Tagline: Chosen by destiny. Bonded by blood.
Book Description:
San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli works hard, plays hard, and never allows the death of her parents and her twelve-year memory gap to get her down. But her life takes a left turn when a witch attacks her on her twenty-fifth birthday.
Three hauntingly familiar vampires emerge to reveal she possesses a latent power. To protect her from their enemies, they admit to wiping her memories clean and abandoning her as a child, but now they need her help. As she struggles to evade her new protectors and even newer enemies, she meets Alexander, an enigmatic, undead musician. Insta-attraction flares, leaving her wanting more.
With evil’s minions hounding her every move, and everything she thought she knew turned on its head, Carina must harness her burgeoning power, unravel her vampire family’s web of deceit, and fight to keep the love of her life...without getting killed in the process.
Amazon US       Amazon UK      Amazon CA
BN      Apple Books       Kobo        Champagne      GoodReads
Excerpt Haven:

Alexander plastered me against the side of his car and slanted his lips over mine. Time stopped. My fucking heart stopped, then thundered so loud in my ears I thought the world exploded around us. This is what I’d missed, what I craved. This man, these lips. I groaned. His tongue swept over my lips demanding entrance and I caved, allowing him in. He growled, a hungry, sexy as sin growl as his tongue plundered my mouth, taking, tasting, demanding ownership all over again. I let him, taking all he had to give.
DESTINYTranquilli BloodlineBook TwoCelia Breslin
Genre:  urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Date of Publication:  November 3, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77155-164-9ASIN: B00O6A77FG
Number of pages:  234Word Count: 74K
Cover Artist: Melody Pond
Tagline:  Blackmailed. Betrayed. Sometimes destiny sucks.
Book Description:
In HAVEN, San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli survives a vicious attack by her vampire family’s longtime archenemies. Several weeks later, as she struggles with PTSD and survivor’s guilt, supervillain Dixon resurfaces and kidnaps two of her best friends. To save them, Carina must comply with the evil bastard’s unusual demands. The kicker? She must tell no one what she is up to.
Meanwhile, she has a new dance club to open for the preternatural community, a fated soul mate acting secretive and distant, and a sexy, new, undead friend who’d love to take Alexander’s place in her heart and bed.
Blackmailed, betrayed, tempted…sometimes destiny has a wicked sense of humor.
Amazon US        Amazon UK      Amazon CA
BN        Champagne Books       Apple Books


Excerpt Destiny:

Alexander plastered me against the side of his car and slanted his lips over mine. Time stopped. My fucking heart stopped, then thundered so loud in my ears I thought the world exploded around us. This is what I’d missed, what I craved. This man, these lips. I groaned. His tongue swept over my lips demanding entrance and I caved, allowing him in. He growled, a hungry, sexy as sin growl as his tongue plundered my mouth, taking, tasting, demanding ownership all over again. I let him, taking all he had to give.   ORIGINSTranquilli BloodlineBook 3Celia Breslin
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Date of Publication: September 22, 2019
Number of pages: 250Word Count: 94,000
ASIN: B07Y8R94Z5

Cover Artist: Melody Pond
Tagline: The Chosen One is home. Bad little vampires beware…
Book Description:
In HAVEN and DESTINY, San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli finds love and fights her vampire family’s enemies. Now, in ORIGINS…
En route to reunite with her estranged father in Italy, Carina is kidnapped by a human organization intent on vampire genocide. Beaten, starved, and forced to fight fellow captives, she finally manages to escape. Along the way, she encounters the group’s leaders—their identities shock her to the core.
Once home, Carina warns her family of this new threat, but dear old dad is missing. In his absence, the Tribunal, the governing body for all vampirekind, lies in disarray, with an old enemy making a bid for her father’s throne. What’s worse? The usurper wants her for his queen…and slave.
With a human-vampire war looming on one side and a vampire-vampire battle brewing on the other, Carina will have to rally her troops, take back the throne, and fulfill her destiny as the Chosen One. If not, her whole world will fall, taking everyone she loves with it.
Kobo        Amazon       Champagne
Excerpt Origins:
The car stopped. I couldn’t convince myself to step out. What if this was a freaking, injection-induced hallucination? What if I was still back in the damn prison?Besnik helped me out.The mansion’s mammoth double doors eased open. The man illuminated in the doorway chased away the numbness, pumped my heart so hard it might pound right out of my chest. He opened his arms wide, calling me. My lips curled upward in the first true smile I’d cracked since the last time he’d held me in his arms. That man, my man, loved me more than any other on this whole damn planet.“Alexander.”I ran to him.Alexander’s arms closed around me, his hold so tight I could barely catch a breath. Tremors ran through his hard body, again and again.“Carina,” he croaked, voice sandpaper rough. “Carina.”Nuzzling his neck, I planted fevered kisses along his tan, heated skin. He’d fed recently to be this warm under my lips. Temptation had me licking his pounding pulse, nipping at the vein. Couldn’t resist it. My fangs slid home.Energy exploded between us, our mate bond bursting to life and tearing away whatever magical wall had separated us for far too long. My bite, the catalyst, his blood the cure. Awash in the force of our reunion, Alexander staggered then clutched me closer while I pulled out of his neck and laved the rapidly healing holes.As our power continued to bubble and stitch us back together, he whisked us into the grand entryway, planted my ass on an ornate, antique cabinet, and devoured my mouth like a starving man. His hands roamed everywhere, searching, cataloguing, as if to reassure himself this wasn’t a hallucination, that I was really here, in his arms, relatively unharmed.The more he kissed me, the more those wonderful, golden threads of our connection resurrected inside me, around me, between us, and I felt like freaking Sleeping Beauty awakened from her magical slumber by a kiss from her fated handsome prince. The silly thought made me giggle against Alexander’s seeking mouth, and then I was crying while my love cupped my face between his hands, wiped away my tears with his thumbs, and pressed tender kisses to my forehead, my cheeks, the tip of my nose…“Alexander.” I fisted his shirt tight. Please, God, let him be real. “I… I don’t want to wake up.” Please, don’t let this end.His smoky blue eyes bored into mine, his brown hair spiked in every direction, a bit longer than in my memory. It’s not a dream, baby. You’re here. You’re home.Oh my God, I can hear you. I swiped some willful bits of hair away from his forehead, touched his full lips, ran my fingers along his strong jaw, taking in the whole handsome, bad-boy package. You’re back in my head. I’d never been happier to have someone inside my mind. Silence was seriously overrated.And back in your arms.
About the Author:
Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for werewolves, vampires, and the Fae. Her stories are action-packed and typically include one of the many varieties of romantic entanglements: fated mates, second chance, rescue romance, opposites attract, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and more.
When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family, or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies, as well as everything in the Marvel Universe franchise. Of course!                                        Web site: http://www.celiabreslin.com/    
Blog: http://www.celiabreslin.com/blog/   
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celiabreslin  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBreslinAuthor   
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CeliaBreslin  
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/celiabreslin/    
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiabreslin/
Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/bxqwRL     




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enraptured: The Discovery by Barbara Bretton - Deck the Halls with Books Holiday Extravaganza

Holiday Songs
I’m not a fan of Christmas decorations popping up the week before Halloween, but when it comes to holiday music, all bets are off. We all know that music has magical properties that defy logic. Two random notes from an old top ten hit and suddenly you’re fifteen again, crushing over the boy next door.
Now multiply that burst of emotion by one hundred and you have the magic of holiday music. And not just the standard (and wonderful) Christmas carols. Some surprising choices have been known to sneak onto my list of favorites. See if you agree.
Feliz Navidad – Shoprite has the clever habit of blasting Jose Feliciano’s version throughout the store and every time it sends me dancing up the aisles, buying way more stuff than any normal human being could possible eat.
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt is a favorite of mine. This is a wickedly sexy take on the holidays.
The Chipmunks Christmas Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – I was nine years old! I can’t be held accountable for my taste in music. Of course, that doesn’t explain why it still makes me smile from ear to ear.
Good King Wenceslas – What can I say? I love this song.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – and pass the Kleenex. The title alone is enough to make me cry.
So what are your favorite (and maybe unexpected) choices?

Enraptured: The Discovery
The Sugar Maple Chronicles
Book Seven
Barbara Bretton


Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Free Spirit Press
Date of Publication:  October 15, 2019
ASIN:  B07Y2PLWXG
Number of pages:  255Word Count: 66,000
Cover Artist: Barbara Bretton
Tagline:  Welcome to Sugar Maple – where nothing is quite the way it seems
Book Description:
Chloe Hobbs, knit shop owner extraordinaire and de facto mayor of the picture-postcard perfect New England town, has faced danger to her beloved home before but this time she might have met her match.
When tech billionaire Jack Whittaker crashes his small plane in the middle of the Holiday Street Fair, the town’s future is suddenly in jeopardy. Plunged into a whirlwind of magick and mystery that includes Fae warriors and flying babies, Jack discovers a secret cave where a reflecting pool offers tantalizing glimpses into both the past and the future.
With two lives hanging in the balance, Chloe is in a race against time to uncover the secrets hidden inside the cave before it’s too late.
Amazon
Excerpt:
Are you a worrier?Since the birth of my daughter last year, I have become a world-class, gold medal-winning worrier. I worry that Laria isn’t getting enough sleep and then, when she’s snuggled down for the night, I lurk in the doorway to her room and listen for the soft sound of her breathing.  I worry that she isn’t getting enough milk. I worry about the transition to solids. I worry about childproofing our cottage. I worry about potty training and her first day of school. Mostly I worry about what she’s going to be when she grows up. All things considered, that’s pretty silly because everyone in Sugar Maple knows that Laria’s future had been determined long before she was born.But, then again, so was mine.I’m Chloe Hobbs, the half-sorceress/half-human owner of Sticks & Strings, the most popular yarn shop in New England. (And maybe the entire east coast . . . not that I’m proud of it, or anything.) I’m also the de factomayor of Sugar Maple, one of those postcard-perfect towns Vermont is famous for, a picturesque throwback to simpler times.At least, that’s what we want you to think.The truth is, there is a lot more to our small town than meets the eye. My BFF Janice, who owns the spa across the street, is a Harvard-educated witch married to a strapping selkie. Lynette, my other BFF, is a shapeshifter. She and her husband and kids keep our local theater up and running. A werewolf and his sons operate the hardware store.A Norwegian troll named Lilith maintains both our library and our historical society. Three generations of Fae run the Sugar Maple Inn and restaurant. Don’t laugh, but a team of vampires own the funeral home.And that’s just for starters.We have been hiding here in plain sight since my sorceress ancestor Aerynn fled the horrors of Salem centuries ago to found a sanctuary for other magicks like her. I’m not bragging when I say that for over three hundred years, we’ve done a pretty good job of flying below the radar. The fact that you didn’t know about us is proof of that. Thanks to a protective charm created by Aerynn, we have been able to escape discovery even while living and working among humans. I’ll admit, however, that it was a lot easier before the Internet and drones and smartphones became part of our daily lives.And there are a few old-timers around town who would say I was the biggest threat of all. We were already a popular stop for tourists looking to experience a trip to nostalgic, old school New England, when the runaway success of Sticks & Strings added a steady stream of knitters to our village. Now I’m not saying knitters are nosier than your average visitor, but nothing much gets by them. A dedicated knitter can sniff out a bargain three towns away and will do anything to reel that treasure in. But knitters go home at night, something you can’t always say about relatives.


About the Author:
Barbara Bretton is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of fifty books. Her titles have been published in twelve languages in over twenty countries by Harlequin, Berkley, Crown, Pocket, and Free Spirit Press. When Barbara isn’t writing, she can be found knitting, reading, and cooking in New Jersey with her husband and a house filled with pets.
http://www.facebook.com/barbarabretton
http://www.twitter.com/barbarabretton
http://www.barbarabretton.com
http://www.barbarabretton.net
http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabretton
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-bretton
https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Bretton/e/B000APLYGE/
http://www.goodreads.com/Barbara_Bretton
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2WW7s2h




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barbara Bretton's Mulled Cider Recipe

I love holidays. I love tradition. I especially love it when you can combine the two at Christmas time. I love piling memory upon memory until the years are nothing but a sweet blur of happy occasions spent with the people you love best in the world.
Every year I attend the candlelight tour of Rockingham, the Kingston NJ (formerly Rocky Hill NJ) house where George Washington bade farewell to his troops after the Revolutionary War ended. The docents are all in period costume. A woman in a mobcap plays the harpsichord near the front room. Upstairs you can actually touch the uniform worn by Washington’s aide de camp. If you close your eyes, I swear you can hear the General’s voice ringing out over the bucolic New Jersey countryside, peaceful now after years of bloody warfare.
The kitchen isn’t part of the main house. It’s a small building off to the side near the smokehouse. The rear wall is all hearth. Guides in long dresses and white aprons hand you mugs of hot cider and offer spicy cookies piled high on earthenware plates. Outside the air is crisp and December cold, but inside the air is warm from the fire and filled with the delicious smells of nutmeg and cinnamon and candle wax.
The following Revolutionary War-era recipe has been adapted for our modern kitchens.


Mulled Cider
Ingredients
1 gallon apple cider2 sticks cinnamon1/4 cup dark brown sugar (optional)6 whole cloves6 whole allspice1 sliced lemon
Tie cloves, allspice, and cinnamon sticks in a cheesecloth bag with kitchen string. Combine cider, sugar (if using), and spice bag. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for fifteen minutes. Discard cheesecloth spice bag.
Serve cider hot, floating lemon slices on the surface.
Enjoy!

Annie’s Gift
Rocky Hill Holiday Romance 
Book Five
Barbara Bretton

Genre:  Paranormal romance


Publisher: Free Spirit Press


Date of Publication:  2017

ISBN:1973271575ASIN:  B077BF911C
Number of pages:  80Word Count:  20,000
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron-Hill
Tagline:  Because love never dies… 
Book Description:
Everyone knows Christmas is a time for family but not for Harry Barnes. If he had his way, he would close his eyes and not open them again until January second when all the fuss was over. Once upon a time he had loved the season but that was a long time ago. His wife Annie and daughter Erin are gone and he hasn’t spoken to his only son, Sam, in years.
The Christmas candlesticks he’d lovingly carved for Annie and their children are buried in the attic under a thick layer of dust along with memories that could break a man’s heart . . . if he still had one left to break.
After years of living on military bases all around the world, Sam Barnes has moved his family back home for keeps but they might as well still be in Japan or England or Timbuktu for all the difference it makes. His father’s heart is still closed to the idea of family and there is nothing Sam can do to change it. Not even if the only thing his twelve-year-old daughter Riley wants for Christmas is the grandfather she has never met.
But then on a snowy Christmas Eve in Rocky Hill, Harry and Sam are visited by a determined mother and daughter who have just a few earth hours to bring their family together or lose them forever. 
Amazon
Excerpt:
He heard a sound like autumn leaves crackling underfoot, and then felt a soft rush of cinnamon-scented air as a small form appeared then disappeared right in front of his eyes. He watched, paralyzed with fear and hope, as she took form one more time, looking less like a hologram and more like a flesh and blood woman. The woman he had loved since he was sixteen years old. “Annie!” Her name tore from his throat and spilled into the space between them. This was his Annie, before sorrow and sickness had taken their toll. Bubbles of laughter danced in the air around her. "I did it! How about that, Harry? I did it!"He reached for her hand but it was like grasping cotton candy. His brain was a bowl of overcooked oatmeal. “I don’t know what’s going on.”The room began to spin. He could feel himself starting to go under and he put his head between his knees.“Low blood sugar,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t miss that at all.”“It’s not low blood sugar,” he managed, gulping in some air. “I’m talking to a ghost.”“If you want to put it that way, I guess you are.”What other way was there to put it? He had buried his beloved wife six months ago and now here she was in their living room acting like nothing had happened.He took another huge gulp of air then lifted his head.“I’m still here,” she said, her tone softening. “You can trust your senses.”“Why?” he asked, his disbelief beginning to show cracks. “How?”She spread her arms wide. “Look at this place! You’d never know it was Christmas Eve.”“It doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve.”“It would if you put some effort into it. Put up a tree. String some lights.” She aimed a sharp look in his direction. “Place the candles in the window where they belong.”“No.”Her brows darted into a scowl. “Did you forget your promise?”“That promise was made a long time ago. Things change.” “Family doesn’t.”“I don’t have a family anymore. When I lost you, I lost everything.”She reached out and for a second he imagined he felt the touch of her hand. But that was crazy, wasn’t it? She was no more real than Santa Claus or Easter Bunny. “I’m here because I love you,” she said. “And because you need me tonight.”Tears threatened to overwhelm him. He wanted to believe. “I need you every night, Annie. That’s never changed.”“But tonight is the night you asked for me.”One moment he was standing there next to the refrigerator with a carton of brown eggs in his hand. The next moment the eggs were on the floor in a yellow and white mess and his Annie was in his arms.He had lived long enough to know that second chances didn’t happen often in life.This time he wasn’t going to let her go.
About the Author:

Barbara Bretton is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of fifty books. Her titles have been published in twelve languages in over twenty countries by Harlequin, Berkley, Crown, Pocket, and Free Spirit Press. When Barbara isn’t writing, she can be found knitting, reading, and cooking in New Jersey with her husband and a house filled with pets.
http://www.facebook.com/barbarabretton
http://www.twitter.com/barbarabretton
http://www.barbarabretton.com
http://www.barbarabretton.net
http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabretton
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-bretton
https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Bretton/e/B000APLYGE/
http://www.goodreads.com/Barbara_Bretton
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2WW7s2h


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Playlist for A Symphony of Starlight by Allison Pang #UrbanFantasy #AbbySinclairBook4

Music plays a fairly heavy part in most of the Abby Sinclair series. Not only is one of the main characters (Mel) a violinist of surpassing skill, she owns an enchanted violin that allows her to create Doors in between worlds. In fact, many of the characters are musicians of one sort or another, and some of them play very important parts throughout the books.  

Not only that, but Abby herself has an iPod that has been bewitched (by accident) to be able to play any song ever recorded – and it often seems to have a mind of its own, playing songs that fit the scene. It has a bit of an eccentric taste, however, so sometimes its music choices are a bit on the odd side.  (That probably comes directly from me. I’m rather vintage in that I own a retrofitted iPod that has a converted SSD drive in it. It’s light and currently has maybe 25,000 songs on it with room for another 25,000, if I so desire. I collect a lot of it, so Abby’s enchanted iPod is a bit of a personal homage, I guess.)

I don’t always create musical themes for my books, but often when I’m in the writing “zone” I will have several playlists that I have as background music, though if I really need to concentrate on edits, I tend to use music without words. (I’ve got a fairly extensive collection of soundtrack OSTs and new age stuff that fits that bill just fine.)

That being said, I do have a playlist I’ve made with some of the songs referenced in the series (not all of them, but enough to get an idea) as well as some of the music that I was listening to while I was writing A Symphony of Starlight. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Symphony of Starlight Playlist from anon-10205163744794417 on 8tracks Radio.

A Symphony of Starlight
Abby Sinclair
Book Four
Allison Pang

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Date of Publication: 10/8/2019

ISBN: 978-0-9985343-4-3ASIN: B07YDZFDFVNumber of pages: 304Word Count: 97k
Cover Artist: Ravven
Tagline: Sometimes you have to go to Hell to give the Devil His due…
Book Description:          
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions . . . and sometimes unicorn puke.
In the span of a few months, mortal TouchStone Abby Sinclair has been trapped in a painting, had her memories stolen, and been Tithed to Hell, killed, and brought back to life by the OtherFolk. Now she’s pregnant and torn between her incubus lover, Brystion, and her elven king of a husband, Talivar. Otherworldly love triangles notwithstanding, she’s more than content to set the political drama of magic and mayhem aside and quietly settle into motherhood. But nothing is ever that easy . . .
Years ago, Abby’s best friend, Melanie St. James, virtuoso violinist and DoorMaker to the CrossRoads, lost her soul to the Devil in return for an enchanted violin. Now the magic of her violin is fading, and the Devil is calling in her debt to serve Him as His TouchStone. In an effort to escape the terms of this reckless bargain, she flees to the CrossRoads with her lover, Nobu.
But reneging on a deal with the Devil isn’t the wisest of moves, especially when He knows Abby is the only one who can bring Him what He wants. And when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Abby and her friends to find a way to stop the violin from consuming Melanie’s soul before it’s too late, even if the journey takes them straight into Hell itself.

eBook On Sale for .99
Amazon     Everywhere Else


Excerpt:
“Well, I’m running out of ideas. What about the thread?” I asked Kitsune. “You gave me a spool of red thread once to help me find Talivar or my destiny or something like that.”            Ion and Talivar blinked at me. “Destiny, is it?” Talivar said wryly.             “It led me to the tent with your horses,” I explained. “I’m not sure it worked the way it was supposed to, but you did show up afterward, so who knows?”            Kitsune brightened. “Ah yes. The red thread of Fate. A useful spell at times, though I don’t know if it will work for us here. Depends on how entwined you and Melanie are. It might not even lead you through the Gate at all.”            She paced, her fur seeming to shimmer slightly, and then one of her tails somehow plucked a spool from the air and deposited it at my feet. I picked it up, Brystion craning to see it curiously.             “And what is that all about?” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t like the way it feels.”            Kitsune cackled. “Mortals are bound by Fate more so than OtherFolk. It’s often wrapped so tightly around them they don’t even notice it. You were never one for such things, aye?”            He grunted at her and rolled his eyes. For a heartbeat, I could see his natural form, the dark skin, the antlers, the hooves . . . the bells braided in his hair with red thread. My mouth quirked, but I said nothing. Perhaps the incubus was bound more by Fate than he liked.            I rolled the spool in my hands, taking one end of the thread. It shivered between my fingers, almost like touching a live wire, jolts of power zipping beneath my skin.             “Focus,” Kitsune snapped. “What is it you really want? Where do you want to go?”            I shut my eyes. Melanie, I thought. I need to find her. I need to fix this. I need to save her.            The thoughts repeated over and over in my head, and as before, the spool jumped from my hand and rolled across the ground toward the Gate. Talivar skirted out of the way as it hurtled toward him, swearing softly.            The Gate lit up in an instant, the spool shunting through and disappearing in a splash of silver and gold, the red thread trailing like a tail behind it.            The fox limped over to the Gate, sniffing at the corner. The corruption on her side grew more pronounced, but her three tails lashed wildly, coating her fur with a silver light. “Abby! Let’s go! Before it closes!”            She shifted slightly, her paws becoming humanoid, and she snatched at the hand holding the thread and pulled me hard, the pair of us tumbling through the Gate. “Wait!” We swept through the entrance, but my voice was enveloped in some sort of film, a quiet I couldn’t seem to break through.            I reached for the others, but it was as though I was looking through water, a barrier stretched between us that I couldn’t quite reach.             The thread. I clenched my fist. I was still holding the goddamned thread. What happens when the thread keeping the Gate open goes through, Abby? What?            “It fucking closes,” I said. “That’s what.”            I struggled against Kitsune’s clawed grip. “We have to go back . . . The others . . .”            “There is no time.” Her voice was hollow and empty as she staggered beside me. Her tails dragged limply across the ground, the dark magic beginning to move along her fur again. “Must make it . . . Inari.”             And then she was tumbling forward, the track we were on abruptly disintegrating beneath our feet. I snatched at her, and the two of us fell, fell, fell, the red thread wrapping around us.
About the Author:

Allison is the author of the Urban Fantasy Abby Sinclair series, the IronHeart Chronicles and the writer for the webcomic Fox and Willow. She likes LEGOS, elves, LEGO elves…and bacon.
She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids, cat, and an obnoxious northern breed dog, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.
https://www.heartofthedreaming.com
https://www.heartofthedreaming.com/newsletter/
https://www.facebook.com/apang
https://twitter.com/allison_pang
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3965895.Allison_Pang



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dirty Ball: Jungle Beauty Goddesses by Cassandra George Sturges

Chapter 1: Blue Eyes Like Me
Chapter 2: Pink Like Me
The Moonlight Reprise by Kai Engel captures the uncertainty about our existence and search for truth within ourselves and where we fit into the universe. The piano in this piece of music is yearning, pleading, and discussing with its god the meaning of life—it has so many unanswered questions.
In this quote from Dirty Ball, Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar is questioning her sister Qattara about how looking different from her sisters causes her to question her beauty and self-worth.
“Qattara, how is it possible for me to feel beautiful if I don’t look like my creators, my parents. Am I wrong to feel less worthy, less valued, less important than my dark brown sisters? Why didn’t I get to choose how I want to look? Why didn’t I get to choose my own life purpose, my destiny, Qattara?”
Chapter 3: Broken Vows
Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar sees her creation Earth’s first man and falls lustfully in love with him. She uses her deity powers to explore his body.  Beyoncé’ s Naughty Girl song highlights the energy of not only what Afar does  to Mada, but also how rationalizes breaking her vows.
“From stars to dust from dust to me, don’t believe a thing you see. It’s never how it looks or seem—It’s just a wet and juicy dream.” There now, go back to sleep, she seductively commanded. Mada’s closed eyes tightened, and his breathing evened…”
Chapter 4: Nothing without You
In most relationships, we fantasize about what it would be like with a person before we manifest a physical relationship with that person. In our fantasy, this is where the most exquisite, licentious, and uninhibited merging of the souls take place. Chapter 4 is one of—if not my favorite chapter in Dirty Ball because I loved how Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar and Mada connected in another realm of reality.
“Afar clutched her chest and dropped to her knees when she saw the stone sculpture that Mada had created of them together. The sensuous beauty of the sculpture solidified her love for Mada. Her adoration for the stone masterpiece sizzled her being into the stone, causing it to liquefy as she merged into it.”
Chapter 6: Let Me In
This is the point in the relationship when both Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar and Mada both realize that it may be impossible to meet each other’s needs because of prior obligations and fate. They realize that they love each but explore whether love enough.
“In the throes of passion, Afar was almost too drunk with pleasure to push Mada away-- butterflies and humming birds swarming around the gates of her secret garden. She wanted to let him in. She felt him at the door, pushing and knocking. But, all she could think about was the one technical vow that she had not broken and how breaking it could destroy her relationship with her sisters. “

Chapter 13: Fatherless Beings
“Afar interrupts Mada, grabs the half-carved wooden bird from Mada’s hand, and declares, “I loved you. I still love you.  I will always love you. Yes, maybe I was wrong in how I expressed my love for you…but it was still love… raw love…passionate love… real love. No matter how misguided, tainted, and imperfect it was… it was still love.”
Chapter 14: Our Pink Babies
Even with all of her flaws, Afar begins to learn from her mistakes and wants to evolve and save the world that she and her sisters created.
“Rules exist because when you take away someone else’s freedom, you take away their right to choose what is for their highest good; and you take away your own freedom because you have to give up an aspect of yourself to confine someone else. When I violated your rights, Mada, I took away my own.”





Dirty Ball
Jungle Beauty Goddesses
Book 3
Cassandra George Sturges

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology Erotica
Date of Publication:  November 10, 2019
ASIN:  B08192Q5HZNumber of pages:  150Word Count:  44,790
Book Description:
The Jungle Beauty Goddesses: Dirty Ball- Book 3 is a story about love… the familial love and loyalty of family and the unbreakable bond between the seven sisters… and the power of love and how it plunges, crashes, and melds beings of different realms and realties. The Jungle Beauty Goddesses Series has been coined “Nubian Mythology a Modern Creation Story.” All life is created by sexual energy—this story is not meant to be erotic—it merely captures the sensuality of the universal powers and enthralling forces that make us human, frail, mortal, and vulnerable.

Amazon 
Books 1 and 2 Also on Amazon


Excerpt 1When her sobs turned into whimpers, he picked her up and carried her to their bathroom to take a bath together. The bathroom walls were red, with red and orange tile floors made out of ruby and carnelian gemstones. The red garnet fireplace was lit; and the deep, brilliant orange flames softly glowed throughout the room. Pink roses and candles surrounded the orange Jacuzzi. The steamy, hazy orange light filled the room accented by pink bubbles. The room smelled like a floral garden with hints of sandalwood and frankincense.
Nebula wrapped her arms around Dematter’s neck. He gently loosened her arms from his neck and sat her down on the red velvet couch in the bathroom. He bunched her long, black, wavy hair into a ponytail and wrapped a red rose around it to hold it in place. Dematter kissed the trail of tears on Nebula’s cheeks before kissing each eyelid. He kissed the tip of her nose. His tongue traced her full lips, before parting them with his tongue. Nebula’s tongue met Dematter’s with eagerness. They kissed. He removed his tongue from her mouth, sucked her bottom lip and said, “Nebula, look at me. You are the love of my life. I would never do anything to hurt you or our children. Believe in me again. Love me again.” Nebula buried her face on the side of his neck. Dematter could feel her warm tears rolling down his back. Nebula couldn’t talk. She hugged Dematter as tight as she could to let him know that she still loved him—wanted him—and needed him.

About the Author:

Cassandra George Sturges is the author of “A Woman’s Soul on Paper,” “Success and Beauty is an Attitude,” “The Illusion of Beauty: Why Women Hate Themselves and Envy Other Women,” and “Why Racism is a Mental Illness.” For many years, she was an advice columnist for Today’s Black Woman Magazine and is currently a full-time psychology and sociology professor at a college in the mid-west. She is a high school dropout who graduated with her General Education Diploma and eventually earned five college degrees including two masters and a doctorate degree. In her late forties, she began making life-size fabric sculpture, cloth dolls that turned out to be the main characters in her Jungle Beauty Goddesses coming of age, modern creation Nubian Mythology fantasy fiction, sensuous, romantic series. She is the mother of two adult children, a grandmother, and for over 20-years has shared her life with her twin flame.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3013108.Cassandra_George_Sturges
https://www.facebook.com/Authentikbeauty
https://www.authentikbeautymagazine.com/c-g-sturges-bio
https://twitter.com/georgesturges
https://www.instagram.com/cassandrasturges/
http://junglebeautygoddess.blogspot.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/AuthentikBeautyBlogs



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Charm Me Again by Tena Stetler - Deck the Halls with Books Holiday Extravaganza

Twinkle Bright – Elves Secret Santa
Direct from the North Pole, welcome to the Elves Secret Santa party! Here at the North Pole it's extremely busy, but we still have time for a little holiday fun and shenanigans.
Let me introduce myself.  I'm an elf and my name is Twinkle Bright because my elf hat has twinkle lights wound all around the scalloped edge and the pointy top.
I make yummy Hot Chocolate for Santa and the elves from a secret family recipe passed down from generation to generation. My hot chocolate keeps everyone warm and toasty inside at the North Pole. There is even an automatic dispenser in Santa's Sleigh providing him with hot chocolate during his travels on Christmas Eve.  It goes good with the cookies the children leave for him.
While I am mixing up large batches of hot chocolate, I listen to Christmas Carols from a variety of pop, country and rock artists. I always taste each batch to insure it’s up to elf standards. .  You would think I'd get tired of hot chocolate, but no -- never.  I love the steaming chocolaty drink.  I usually keep mine in an insulated mug so it stays warm while sampling the cookies in the elves' bakery.  Frosted sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies are my absolute favorites.
Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  But you must promise not to tell...anyone. 
We do a secret Santa gift exchange around here and this year I got Bob, her job at the North Pole is name checker to make sure Santa has all the correct spellings of the girls and boys. One year she spelled Chrys' name Chris and wow what an uproar. 
Luckily Santa caught it, but we had to rush to change all the tags on her packages. 
Whew! 
I'm getting Elf Bobi a package of 120 different color markers in a jewel encrusted case for marking off the correctly spelled names after she checks them.
Do you think she'll like that?
Do you like fudge?  Great, I'll share with you my favorite 


Fantasy Fudge Recipe

3 cups of sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 -  5 oz can of evaporated milk (do not use sweetened condensed milk)
1 – 12 oz package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 - 7 oz jar marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
You may add chopped nuts if you wish
Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to a full rolling boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir constantly
Cook for four minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees.
High altitude takes about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and marshmallow cream, stir until melted.
Add vanilla and nuts. Stir until blended.
Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, spread evenly.
Cool completely and cut into squares.




Charm Me Again          Sequel to Charm MeTena Stetler
Genre:  Paranormal Romance/Mystery
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication:  December 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2973-4ASIN:  B07ZDKKC4N
Number of pages:  336Word Count: 85,360
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris
Tagline: Breaking the curse is only the first step to forever.
Book Description:
Daylan, a warlock, is being haunted, but what the ghost wants is a mystery. His magical powers bring him no closer to an answer—until he encounters Josie, a Yoga instructor.
But when she is kidnapped by an ancient Fae Warrior set on revenge Daylan must rescue her before the rogue claims her as his own. During his quest, his world spirals out of control, and a devastating curse comes to light. Could the ghost hold the answers he needs?
Can he break the age-old curse to save Josie and their future, or will Daylan lose her forever?
Amazon      Amazon UK       Amazon AU      Amazon CA
BookBub     Goodreads

Excerpt Suddenly, the wind changed direction, a thin maroon line formed along the flat bottom of the dark clouds spreading across the sky where moments before there’d been only a few fluffy cotton ball clouds in a sea of blue. The maroon line widened then switched to vertical and spread open to reveal a shimmering interior.Shadows emerged from the cloud then disappeared. As he was about to comment, huge raindrops plopped on the ground followed by pea size hail that grew to softball size.Josie ran for cover and he followed. Protected under a ledge, she cupped her hands over her ears as the roaring of the storm combined with huge ice balls smashing against rocks echoed through the canyon. She elbowed him and cocked a brow in question, pointing to the vegetation that remained unharmed.His eyes narrowed. Something isn’t right. I can feel it. Magic is spinning this storm. But who—how and why? At a loss for answers, he shrugged and urged her further under the ledge to wait out the storm. Brushing the wet strands of hair out of her face, he smiled. She looked like a drowned rat but the fragrance around her reminded him of sweet spring flowers. He leaned into to her and brushed his lips over hers. Immediately, he straightened and backed away. Her eyes were still closed. Maybe I could’ve lingered…
Her eyes blinked open and she licked her lips. After a beat, she waggled a finger in front of him. “Not a good idea.”



About the Author:


Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance novels. She has an over-active imagination, which led to writing her first vampire romance as a tween to the chagrin of her mother and delight of her friends.


With the Rocky Mountains outside her window, she sits at her computer surrounded by a wide array of paranormal creatures, with a Navy SEAL or two mixed in telling their tales. Her books tell stories of magical kick-ass women and strong mystical males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Colorado is her home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle.  Any winter evening, you can find her curled up in front of a crackling fire with a good book, a mug of hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn.
Website: https://www.tenastetler.com
Authors’ Secret’s Blog - https://www.tenastetler.com/category/authors-secrets-blog/
My Say What Blog - http://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author
Twitter Page: https://www.twitter.com/TenaStetler 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187532.Tena_Stetler
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler
Newsletter: https://www.tenastetler.com/newsletter-signup/
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler
Tribber - http://triberr.com/TenaStetler
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tena-stetler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenastetler/
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tenajean2014


a Rafflecopter giveaway