Sarah Ballance's Blog, page 20

Review: “The Unwelcomed Child” by V.C. Andrews (#NewRelease)

The Unwelcomed Child

by V.C. Andrews
releases January 21, 2014
Pocket Books, 400 pages
ISBN 9781451650891
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

My mother had looked into the face of evil so many times she knew what it was. It was me. I was born without a soul. . . .

Elle Edwards grew up believing that because of her mother’s sinful ways she was born without a soul; that’s why she was abandoned and left in the care of Grandmother Myra and Grandfather Prescott, who try to ensure her evil will not infect them—by raising her in a virtual prison. Because her days are occupied with homeschooling, strict religious studies, and vigorous housekeeping in their upstate New York home, Elle knows practically nothing of the outside world, even as she emerges as a young woman with impressive artistic talent. But when she makes a secret, forbidden connection to vacationers at the nearby lake—a handsome boy and his precocious twin sister—Elle’s world will shatter. Will discovering the truths about her past send her future plummeting to hell?

My Review

I read this 400 page book in one night. ONE NIGHT.

I confess…I turned those pages so fiendishly because I was waiting for the crazy to happen. Secret, forbidden connection? Oh, yes please. To that end, the book builds wonderful tension. This poor girl who knows nothing of the world learns of it–ironically enough–from a couple of wealthy kids whose idea of the real world almost certainly differs from what most of us know, but there’s a certain beauty in that. It’s one extreme to another…from Elle’s windowless room to kids who know few boundaries and tend to ignore the rest. Which is not to say they’re wild–not by any means–but there’s a certain recklessness that opens Elle’s eyes in a way that couldn’t happen with just any kid next door.

Believe it or not, Elle’s grandparents are sympathetic characters. Her grandfather in particular pushes for her relative freedom, but it’s her grandmother with the biggest fight. After a terrible falling out with their daughter, this woman is left to raise her grandchild–a child she believes to be evil…a child she could have given up but would not–who is a constant reminder of the daughter she considers lost. What this book does so well is portray the grandmother’s struggle to overcome this. She’s wrong–so wrong–but as the pieces fall into place you see she’s not the hardened creature she fronts to the world. She’s broken, and it’s that shell that keeps the pieces from falling every which way.

The path through this story is bittersweet. As the remaining pages dwindled, I worried for what wouldn’t happen…and what would. But this isn’t the kind of book that ends on a breathless moment. It ends quietly, serenely. And for the unwelcomed child, that’s just as it should be.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review**

Farrah Taylor: Love Songs for the Road (Entangled Bliss) $25 #Giveaway

Before I even start talking about my guest, I have to say the book cover just makes me smile. It looks so warm there–warm and flirty and fun and I don’t know about you but I just want to dive into this book and roll around a little. (It’s COLD here, y’all!) But I digress. Today Farrah Taylor joins us, and if you think the outside is all melty, just wait until you find out what’s inside her new release, LOVE SONGS FOR THE ROAD. Farrah, welcome!

Farrah Taylor: Love Songs for the Road

People have been asking me about the inspiration for LOVE SONGS FOR THE ROAD. It all started with a cup of coffee with my editor and friend, Stacy Abrams. We were chatting about my writing, and some recent novels she’d enjoyed editing, and she asked me if I wanted to try to pitch her an idea for a romance novel. I’d never even considered writing one before, so it was a thrill even to be asked! I jumped at the chance.

At Stacy’s suggestion, I looked over a list of popular tropes in contemporary romance (not that these differ too much from classic romance tropes…we are talking timeless story arcs, people!), and the one that screamed off the page to me was “In Love With the Nanny.” I’m not sure why, but the fact that Jane Eyre and The Sound of Music are two of my favorite stories of all time didn’t hurt. I’ll admit, too, that I’ve followed more than a few of the jaw-dropping nanny scandals in the news – the Jude Law and Arnold Schwarzenegger sagas were particularly unforgettable – and I’d always wondered about the tornado of emotions that must have been going on behind the scenes of those tabloid nightmares. Just beyond the sensationalized headlines stood human beings in terrible pain, I knew, and I was fascinated by the spectacle of such bald-faced emotions being played out on a public stage.

I didn’t want to glamorize a cheater, though. I wanted my hero to be a truly kind and generous person for whom celebrity comes second to a fulfilling creative life. For Marcus Troy, being famous is simply the cost of his being able to live his dream of making music and art. In writing both rock star Marcus and girl-next-door Ryan Evans, I wanted to create characters that were inspiring to me – the kind of people I’d like to be friends with, the kind of people whose love I would celebrate if they were in my life. (And I’m glad I did, because I spent so much time with them, sometimes it did actually feel like they were in my life. I talked a blue streak about Marcus and Ryan as an patient husband tried to get some well-earned rest on the pillow next to mine.)

Anyway, I hope readers enjoy Marcus and Ryan. I wanted to make them relatable and real and worthy of your time and interest, and I hope I succeeded!

Love Songs for the Road

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing – Bliss
Date of Publication: January 13, 2014
ISBN: 9781622661640
ASIN: B00HFUAOWW
Number of pages: 220
Cover Artist: Jessica Cantor
Find @ Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBookstore

Book Description:

A rock star. The nanny. A love that could rock their world.

The only thing rock star Marcus Troy loves more than making music is his kids. So finding just the right nanny to take on tour with them is important—as is proving to his ex he deserves joint custody. Falling for his employee wouldn’t just be fodder for the paparazzi: it could ruin everything.

Too bad the perfect nanny turns out to be beautiful, vibrant Ryan Evans. Ryan’s never left her small Montana town before, so she jumps at the chance to see the country. And as much as accidental fame doesn’t gel with shy Ryan, what does is her relationship with her capricious, smoking-hot, shockingly good dad of a boss. Marcus is nothing like what she expected. But when the whole world’s watching them, will life in the spotlight be too hot to handle?

About the Author

A reading specialist with a masters degree in Early Childhood Education, Farrah Taylor has taught first grade in Northwest Montana for over a decade. She is thrilled to be publishing her first novel, Love Songs for the Road. Farrah, a lifelong music lover who has spent far too much of her savings on concert tickets, is glad to finally be seeing a return on the investment. She lives with her husband, Ty, and son, Latham, in Polson, Montana.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farrahtaylorromance
Twitter: https://twitter.com/farrahromance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579472.Farrah_Taylor

Giveaway

Click here to enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

Gwen Hayes: “Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door” (Entangled Indulgence)

YOU GUYS. This left me speechless. SPEECHLESS. So now you absolutely MUST grab a copy of this book because clearly Ms. Hayes has MAD SKILLS. (Those of you who know me know how hard it is to silence me. That is all the proof you need.)

Gwen, take it away. I’ll be on the floor for a while yet.

Gwen Hayes: Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door

Thank you, Sarah, for having me on your blog.

And Imma let you finish, but first I want to say something about YOUR books.

For those of you who don’t know, in addition to writing, I am also an editor. I am the editorial director of the Scandalous line at Entangled Publishing. A line that happens to publish books by our host, Sarah Ballance.  One of the perks of my job is getting to read the books before they come out. The company calls is quality control. I call it: SCORE! Someone wants to pay me to read good books!

Sarah has a book coming out in April, so it was just sent to me while I was supposed to be writing guest blog posts. Guess which won out? You guys will not want to put down her book. Please look for An Unexpected Sin by Sarah Ballance in April and then send me emails about how right I was. Because she is an amazing writer.

I’ll admit that I had some reservations before I read her first book. Mostly because I was trying to find sexy suitable images for a book that was about Puritans. Yeah, let that sink in. How do we make bonnets sexy? And stock photo sites don’t generally have any idea either. Then I read Her Wicked Sin and I couldn’t shut up about it. Sarah is an amazing wordsmith. I have a feeling she could write me a soup can label and I would be riveted.

So, anyway…back to me. I have a new book out this week. It’s not about Puritans.

Imagine, if you will, two dueling relationship advice bloggers who have to pretend to be dating. He’s Mr. Virile, out there teaching guys how to be Alpha and get laid without having to get married. She’s The Girl Next Door, trying to save women from men who read Mr. Virile’s blog. They agree on one thing: they have explosive chemistry. And they each have the same goal: prove the other person is wrong about relationships.

I hope you enjoy Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door…and I hope you enjoy Sarah’s books as much as I did.

Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door

Title: Mr. Virile and the Girl Next Door

Genre: Romance

Author: Gwen Hayes

Publisher: Entangled Indulgence

Pages: 67

Language: English

Format: Ebook

Online virile.com dating columnist Dane Martin has no plans to give up his reign as bachelor extraordinaire. He has a reputation to uphold, especially with the upcoming release of his book Coming on Strong.

Holly Winters, everyone’s favorite girl next door, thanks to her blog of the same name, gives advice, but she doesn’t always take it. When she meets Dane Martin, every fiber of her being warns her to turn tail and run. Instead, she risks her future as an authority on relationships, jeopardizing her upcoming self-help book for women struggling to find commitment among the Virile sycophants.

Has the Girl Next Door tamed the most Virile man alive, or is she just another notch on the bedpost?

PURCHASE AT AMAZON

Excerpt

“I’m not going to sleep with you, you know.”

“I can be very persuasive, Holly.” He pressed a hand into her lower back firmly so that she felt, in detail, the state of his arousal.

He was thick and impossibly hard. That she caused his reaction was flattering and empowering, until she remembered that he was supposedly the most virile man in the city. This was what he did; he seduced women, making them feel good about themselves and weakening their defenses for self-preservation. Impressing them with his penis.

She shook her head. “I like sex too much to waste it on a throwaway night with you, Mr. Virile. Sorry.”

A momentary flash of confusion troubled his brow. He was not used to a challenge, it would seem, and probably most especially one about his sex appeal. “I guarantee you won’t feel like you wasted a night with me.”

“Oh, but I would. You see, sex with a stranger is mediocre, at best.”

“You obviously haven’t had great sex,” he countered.

She felt just sassy enough to press her breasts harder into his granite torso. “No, Mr. Martin, I’m afraid it’s you who hasn’t had great sex. You’re missing out on the next level. When you actually know and care about your partner, it’s…exquisite.”

Good God, there was a smoldering fire banked in those eyes of his. The promise of heat. Sex with him would be amazing, she was sure he was right about that. But neither was she wrong. When there was real intimacy, not just body parts and pheromones, sex was even better. She’d have to remind herself of that later when she was alone lamenting the lost chance she had at getting naked with a veritable sex god.

Holly broke the eye contact first, probably a sign of weakness, but it was getting too intense. This wasn’t just about her and her hormones. She had her readership to think about. Women who depended on her advice. If she couldn’t lead by example, she had no business leading at all.

“This has been entertaining, but I think it’s time for me to go.”

His hand pressed possessively into the small of her back. “This isn’t over, Ms. Winters. I intend to collect on my spoils of the hunt someday soon.”

“Oh, Mr. Martin, I promise you’ll find bigger, better game and forget all about me.”

But would she be able to forget about him?

PURCHASE AT  AMAZON

About Gwen Hayes

Gwen Hayes lives in the Pacific Northwest with her real life hero, their children, and the pets that own them. She writes stories for teen and adult readers about love, angst, and saving the world.

Gwen’s first novel, Falling Under, was released in March of 2011 by NAL/Penguin and followed up by the sequel, Dreaming Awake, in January of 2012.

In addition to writing, Gwen is a freelance editor at www.fresheyescritique.com and is Editorial Director of Scandalous Books, an imprint of Entangled Publishing www.entangledpublishing.com.

She is represented by Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency.

TWITTER  *  FACEBOOK  *  WEBSITE  * GOODREADS

Fr[ee]! “Hurricane Crimes” by Chrys Fey

Anyone in the mood for a free book? Chrys Fey’s HURRICANE CRIMES is yours for the taking!

Hurricane Crimes

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: eBook
Available on Amazon: November 25th 2013
Official Release Date: March 5th 2014
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Hurricane Crimes is FREE from January 14th (today) – January 18th!

Book Links:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Goodreads

Blurb:

After her car breaks down, Beth Kennedy is forced to stay in Florida, the target of Hurricane Sabrina. She stocks up supplies, boards up windows, and hunkers down to wait out the storm, but her plan unravels when she witnesses a car accident. Risking her life, she braves the winds to save the driver. Just when she believes they are safe, she finds out the man she saved could possibly be more dangerous than the severe weather.

Donovan Goldwyn only wanted to hide from the police, but the hurricane shoved his car into a tree. Now he’s trapped with a beautiful woman while the evidence that can prove his innocence to a brutal crime is out there for anyone to find.

As Hurricane Sabrina wreaks havoc, Beth has no other choice but to trust Donovan to stay alive. But will she survive, or will she become another hurricane crime?

Excerpt:

On the television set, which was fighting to stay alive, was breaking news. She caught bits and pieces of it as she emptied the bowl of blood-tainted water and threw out the cloth. It was about a high-speed chase that had occurred about a half-hour ago. Beth shook her head. Apparently, Donovan wasn’t the only idiot driving around during a hurricane.

She went back into the living room and began replacing all the medical supplies into the first-aid kit. Behind her, a reporter was explaining that the driver of the car was believed to be a murder suspect.

“The name of the—”

The lights flashed, prompting Beth to snatch up her flashlight.

“Donovan Goldwyn.”

Her fingers went cold around the plastic tube as ice frosted her veins. She straightened her spine and turned stiffly to the television, her heart wasn’t beating in her chest. On the screen was the picture of the man who was right now changing in her bedroom. Above it was a caption in bold letters that read—SUSPECT.

She gripped the flashlight in her frozen fingers. Her heart thudded fearfully. She stared into the immobilized violet eyes through the glass.

“Oh my god,” she gasped.

She had brought a murderer into her home!

About the Author

Chrys Fey is the author of the short stories—The Summer Bride and Fallen. She created the blog Write with Fey to offer aspiring writers advice and inspiration. She lives in Florida where she is ready to battle the next hurricane that comes her way.

Author Links:

Facebook
Blog
Goodreads
Google +

New Release: “Guarding His Heart” by Carolyn Spear (#shifter #romance)

Please welcome author Carolyn Spear, who is here to introduce her to her new shifter romance, GUARDING HIS HEART. Guys, if you want something totally original and awesome, read on!

Guarding His Heart by Carolyn Spear

A unique shifter romance set at Wiccan Haus releasing January 10, 2014.

A note from Carolyn:

Have you ever wondered why people are obsessed with Bigfoot? Have you noticed how many TV shows are dedicated to finding evidence of the legendary Sasquatch? What if those beings were really shifters, able to virtually disappear by cloaking themselves? Trevor Greene is one such being. His kind calls themselves “Watchers” and shift between the human side of their souls and the beast. As a master of stealth, Trevor employs his abilities to guard a damaged six year old boy and falls for his nurturing teacher.

Guarding His Heart

School teacher Cassidy Sinclair’s sanity is questioned after claiming to see her hero appear out of thin air. Her savior dies in her arms after intercepting a gunshot meant for her and her student, Allan Branson. The only person who believes her account is the boy’s father who arranges her one-week stay at an exclusive holistic healing spa called the Wiccan Haus off the coast of Maine.

Trevor Green, a paranormal, is recovering—again—from gunshot wounds at Wiccan Haus. His body battered and his confidence broken, he is tasked to protect the woman he almost got killed. The one he’s fantasized about for months and who thinks he’s dead.

BUY LINK

Excerpt

“What happened?”

What happened? He inhaled a calming breath and counted to ten, aware that Cemil and Cyrus had joined Sage and were awaiting his answer. Well, not Cemil. He was just being polite. As a telepath, he’d already read Trevor’s thoughts.

“She was determined to come back here and I had to stop her.”

Cemil grinned. “The best you could come up with was decloaking her dead savior right in front of her?”

“Yeah,” he snarled, “it was.” Cassidy stirred in his arms and he tightened his hold keeping her close. He savored the innocent intimacy and hated himself for enjoying it.

Dana stood between the two elevators. “Your room or hers?”

“Hers.”

He nodded toward Sage as he waited for the third elevator, the one reserved for the humans. Somehow, these siblings had charmed the elevators so that only humans could use the one designated to go to the third floor and only Paranormals could use the second floor elevator. The first elevator was reserved for the siblings alone. No one knew where that one went.

“I could use a key to her room.”

“How will you get there?” Sage asked, though he was sure she knew the answer. As always, he would wait patiently, cloaked, for his opportunity.

“Don’t worry about me. Just get me the key. She’s not going to be an easy one to keep an eye on.” The elevator pinged and Dana escorted him to the third floor.

In the privacy of the elevator, he pressed his lips to her hair. She wouldn’t know, but he would remember the silky strands caressing his cheek during the long lonely nights.

He needed to concoct a believable explanation for materializing out of thin air without threatening her sanity. Or his secret.

BUY LINK

About the Author

Carolyn Spear is a mother of two preteens and wife of a fabulous man who spoils her rotten. Gardening and writing nourish her soul and smooth out her rough edges. This is her first published work.

Get to Know Entangled Covet for Fr[ee]! #paranormal #romance

I’m lifting this description from Entangled. See it on the website here.

Free Covet Sampler

This free Covet Sampler contains excerpts from every single Covet book since the launch of the line, as well as sneak peeks of our January titles that you won’t find anywhere else! With over twenty wonderful Covet samples just a click away, there’s something for everyone.

Tiffany Allee

Jennifer Armentrout

Jenna Bennett

Boone Brux

Kendra Leigh Castle

Nina Croft

Sarah Gilman

Christy Gissendaner

Candace Havens

Mark Henry

Lisa Kessler

Angela McCallister

Kristin Miller

Abby Niles

Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Susannah Scott

Including a sneak peek at our January books…

Heather Long, Victoria Davies

FREE DOWNLOADS @ 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1dqstmg
B&N: http://bit.ly/1cTApzO
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1eCr4Lv
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1aasaOY

Jackie Ashenden: The Lure of Forbidden Attraction ($50 #Giveaway)

Author Jackie Ashenden is here to talk about the lure of forbidden attraction…and her new release from Entangled Indulgence, TALKING DIRTY WITH THE BOSS. Is anyone not hooked by that title? Yeah, that’s what I thought, lol. Read on!

Jackie Ashenden: The Lure of Forbidden Attraction

Marisa’s New Year’s Resolution: Pay off debts. Irritate the crap out of uptight uber boss, Luke McNamara. Send a couple of saucy emails about underwear to the IT department. Special Note: remember to check the email address properly!  Extra special note: Do not, under any circumstances, get pregnant.

So obviously some of my heroine’s new resolutions – as above – are not going to be kept.  No prizes for guessing which ones, hehe.  But there is one she’ll definitely keep – irritating her uptight uber boss. Whom she also finds unreasonably hot. It’s a classic attraction of opposites with a healthy dose of forbiddenness (yes, I know it’s not a word), which, naturally makes everything hotter because forbiddenness always does.

So what is so sexy about forbidden attraction?  Obviously boss/employee relationships can get tricky. There’s the power differential not to mention office politics coming into play. The fact that even if you decide to go there, you have to see that person every day, and if things go bad, you’ll STILL have to see that person every day. All in all a recipe for disaster.

Yet, sometimes it’s the very wrongness of the attraction that can be the biggest turn on. The boss. The big brother’s best friend. The sexy best friend. So much forbiddenness.

What about you? Have you ever had a forbidden attraction? Did you do anything about it or did you go there? And was it worth it in the end?

Talking Dirty with the Boss

Marisa Clair wants to get her artist dreams back on track after a life detour. That means no partying, no shopping…and definitely no men to distract her. Should be easy, but there’s something about her hot and exceedingly uptight boss and she can’t seem to stop herself from ruffling Mr. Tall, Dark and Irritating.

Financial consultant Luke McNamara lives his life strictly by schedule – his OCD simply won’t allow him to do anything else. And the very last thing he needs is a sassy blonde putting lipstick on his collar and messing with his routine. She annoys the hell out of him so why can’t he stop thinking about the color of her panties…and how free he feels when he’s with her?

Marisa and Luke’s plans to steer clear of one another are shot to hell after a hot office encounter. Now the two of them will have to learn to get along as they face a much more permanent reminder of their lack of self-control – a pregnancy.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | All Romance | iTunes

Excerpt: Chapter One

“So. Would you like to dance?”

Marisa, leaning up against a pillar in the hotel ballroom, didn’t turn around. She knew exactly who that deep, dark masculine voice belonged to. The man Caleb had just dumped on her before he walked off not ten minutes earlier. The man she’d been trying to avoid for the past few hectic days leading up to Christie and Joseph’s wedding.

The man with the biggest stick up his butt she’d ever seen.

Luke McNamara, owner of the media company that had bought Total Tech, the magazine where she worked, only last month.

She’d tried to make nice after Caleb had abandoned her because (1) since Compass Media had boughtTotal Tech, that made Luke the big boss and she couldn’t ignore him, and (2) he was Caleb Steele and Joseph Ashton’s friend and since this was Joseph’s wedding, she couldn’t blow him off, no matter how awful the conversation.

But after five minutes of feeling as if she were playing a one-way tennis match, where she kept serving conversational balls without any answering volley, she’d given up and turned around to watch the dance floor instead.

The guy might have been sexy as all hell, but quite frankly there was only so long a girl could stand there admiring him.

The waterfront hotel where her best friend, Christie, and her tech billionaire husband were having their reception was beautiful. The lights of Auckland’s harbor were visible through the big windows that lined one side of it, small twinkles of color that echoed the fairy lights strung around the interior of the ballroom.

Not far away from where she stood was the head table where Christie was sitting, currently sending meaningful glances her way.

Probably wanting her to dance with Luke. Bah. She didn’t want to dance with Mr. Smiling-Will-Kill-Me. He’d given a very stiff and not particularly engaging speech the day his company had taken over Total Tech. A speech that mainly seemed to be concerned with all the new rules he was going to institute. Such as crackdowns on e-mail and Internet usage. On punctuality. Some completely stupid restriction on workplace relationships. She hadn’t paid much attention initially—at least until the tersely worded e-mail from HR had arrived telling her to cease and desist the mild flirtation she’d been having with one of the seriously hot IT guys. Then to make matters worse, a couple of days earlier he’d instituted regulations about skirt length and “revealing attire.” And sure enough, another tersely worded HR e-mail had found its way into her in-box, detailing her “breach” of the new regulations with the cute dress she’d bought only last week. Sure, maybe it was a little short and maybe the neckline was a bit low, but it could hardly be termed “revealing.”

The first e-mail had been annoying. The second had been more personal and that in itself was enough to make her dislike him.

Then they’d been formally introduced at Christie’s little pre-wedding get-together and her initial dislike had cemented into disdain. He’d been so formal and unfriendly. And now she couldn’t really be bothered with making an effort. She was only a tiny cog in the vast wheel of his company anyway, and life was too short to spend time with a guy you didn’t like, right?

Then again, you didn’t say no to the bride.

Behind her, Luke McNamara let out an impatient breath. “I said, would you like to dance?”

Christie’s expression was pleading. Clearly all the “the guy’s a tool” comments Marisa had made to her friend didn’t count.

She rolled her eyes and Christie mouthed, “Do it. For me.”

Dammit. Christie was the only real friend she’d ever had. And sometimes you just had to suck it up and deal for your friends.

Even do something she didn’t want to do, such as dance with Luke McNamara.

Marisa braced herself. Pasted on her trademark sweet-with-a-touch-of-sauce smile and turned around.

Luke was standing behind her, looking as if he’d been born in a three-piece suit. The tux he wore was pristine, not a speck on it. Every lock of his ink-black hair in place. His bow tie straight, immaculately placed.

He was as perfect as a doll just taken out of its box and not yet played with.

Her fingers itched. For all his stiffness, he was damn sexy. All broad shoulders and lean hips, with a dark, brooding kind of vibe going on. It made her want to play with him just a little bit. Because she did like men in suits. Especially tall, powerful, buttoned-up type of men. Men just begging to have their ties tweaked, their hair ruffled. Lipstick on their collar…

Dear God, girl. You don’t like him, so quit it with the ruffling fantasies. And anyway, he’s your boss.

Good point.

Luke’s attention was on the phone he held, long fingers working the screen. Each time she’d seen him, he’d had that thing in his hands. Maybe it was surgically attached.

“Perhaps you’d like to dance with your phone instead?” Marisa observed sweetly.

Black brows twitched and he lifted his gaze from the phone. His eyes were gray. Cool and crystalline. He gave her a glance that took in every inch of her, from the top of her blond head to the green silk high-heeled sandals that matched her bridesmaid’s dress. Normally when men looked at her like that it meant something like “you’re hot.” Or “I want to take you home.” Or “I want to see you naked.”

Luke’s was more like, “What is this…thing?”

It made her feel ten inches tall.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Luke said flatly. “Why would I want to dance with my phone?”

“Sarcasm. I presume you’ve heard of it?”

“Oh, was that what it was?” With a quick movement, he put the phone away in his pocket, then twitched the cuffs of his jacket. “Do you want to dance or not?”

“A please would be nice.”

Irritation crossed his—it had to be said—rather ridiculously handsome face. Marisa tried not to scowl at the awareness that lingered in the back of her mind.

Handsome. Sure. If you liked perfect cheekbones. And straight noses. And beautifully carved mouths. Which she did. Just not on her anally retentive, rule-loving new über-boss.

“Marisa—”

“Way to go. You remembered my name.”

“Of course I remembered your name. I remember everything.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“Why would I lie?”

“I dunno. To get me into bed?”

He frowned. “I don’t want to sleep with you. You’re with Total Tech. Which makes you an employee of mine. And I don’t sleep with my employees, especially junior ones.”

That he’d somehow remembered just how minor her role was in his organization didn’t make her any more inclined to be nice to him. “Well, that’s good. Because I don’t sleep with people I work with, either.”

His brows descended. “I have to dance with you.”

Marisa folded her arms. “Have to?”

“The groomsmen and the bridesmaids have to dance together at least once.”

Damn. She’d managed to avoid it so far—couldn’t she just keep on doing so?

Christie was getting up from the table, her arm around her new husband. She glanced over at Marisa and gave her a discreet thumbs-up. Marisa could also see Caleb and Judith, Joseph’s sister and Christie’s other “best woman,” already dancing together, too, Judith scowling at Caleb.

Bugger this. Why couldn’t they have swapped partners? Judith probably wouldn’t have minded, and Marisa would have much preferred to dance with Cal. He was fun to be with. Gorgeous, too. But oh no. She had to get stuck with Luke.

Lucky her.

“Come on. The music’s starting.” His fingers wrapped around her wrist. A gentle but irresistible force tugging her toward the ballroom’s dance floor.

“Hey,” she began.

But before she could really protest, she found herself swept in among the dancers, his arm around her waist, his hand at her hip, her fingers laced with his.

It all happened so fast. One minute she was standing there wishing she could dance with just about anyone else. The next she was in his arms.

She glared up at him. “What. The. Hell. McNamara?”

His attention wasn’t on her—as per usual—his gaze fixed on some point over her shoulder. Frowning in fierce concentration.

“Hello?” Marisa persisted. “This is your partner speaking. What the bloody hell are you doing?”

Luke gave his head a minute shake and said nothing. His movements were a touch wooden, the expression on his face becoming fiercer.

Jesus, what was wrong with him? He didn’t seem like the type of guy who danced, anyway. Come to think of it, given the jerky way they were moving, he wasn’t the type of guy who danced at all.

“Hey,” Marisa said. “What are you—ow!” A large foot knocked her ankle and she stumbled.

The arm around her waist tightened to stop her from falling and she was suddenly pressed hard up against six foot three inches of solid male. One of her hands was trapped between them, her palm against his chest.

“Be quiet,” Luke said. “If you talk, I can’t count.”

“You can’t count? What—”

“If I can’t count, I can’t dance. And if I can’t dance, I’ll stand on your foot again. So be quiet and let me count.”

Marisa opened her mouth to argue. Then thought better of it. What was the point? Better just to be quiet and yeah, suck it up. A dance was only a few minutes and then it would be over.

She let out a breath, stared at the pristine whiteness of his shirt. Beneath her palm, squashed against his chest, she could feel hard muscle.

Wow, the guy was seriously built. He almost felt…good. And he smelled quite nice, too. Not at all like the guys she normally dated, the ones who drenched themselves in expensive aftershave. Luke smelled clean and fresh. A hint of soap. The lightest of aftershaves. Like water, or the ocean. Or rain.

She became suddenly aware of his hand sitting in the small of her back. The heat of it. The pressure of it through the silk. The sensation of his body against her front. So tall.

Muscular through the wool and cotton of his groomsman’s tux.

A flush swept over her skin.

Oh no. No way. This could not be attraction. Not to him. Not to Mr. Controlling Über-Boss. No effing way.

She glanced up, hoping a glimpse of the guy’s too-handsome face would annoy her so much she’d forget about it.

He was still frowning and he looked sort of like an angel. The really stern kind that usually sat on the top of tombs. The ones with swords in their hands that seemed like they’d cut you down without a thought.

Why is that hot?

Yeah. Seriously. Why?

Luke happened to glance down right at that moment, meeting her gaze.

His eyes were an amazing color. A pure, clear gray, darkening toward the center, becoming charcoal. There was an intentness to them, a focus that sharpened the longer he stared at her. His frown deepened.

And she realized two things. One: they’d stopped moving. And two: she was staring at him like a moron. Which she mostly never did. And she’d been with a lot of guys.

Nothing much flustered Marisa, especially men. But hell, she was all blushing and breathless now.

Luke’s expression had become ferocious. As if he’d felt this heat between them, too, and liked it as little as she did.

“Why have you stopped?” he asked.

“Because this dance is over.” She tried to push him away but it was like pushing against a wall. A brick wall.

“No it’s not. The music’s still playing.”

“So?”

“We can’t stop in the middle of a dance,” he said with finality. Then he moved again, pulling her closer.

Struggling would be undignified. As would letting physical attraction get the better of her. Weird. Just weird. Why was it this guy, out of all the dates she’d had over the course of the last couple of years, who had to be the one to make her break out in a sweat? Not only was he her boss, but according to office gossip, he was a bit of a womanizer, too. Two weeks, that’s all his girlfriends lasted, and if the uptightness of the man wasn’t red flag enough already, that certainly was. The whole thing just pissed her off.

“You don’t want to dance with me, just like I really don’t want to dance with you,” she muttered. “Why not call it quits now?”

“Because the dance isn’t over,” he said with maddening logic. “We can’t stop till it’s finished.”

“That’s stupid.”

He glared over her shoulder. “I don’t care whether it’s stupid or not, we don’t stop until the dance is over.”

“You don’t like me.”

“No, I don’t. But that’s got nothing to do with it. Joseph wanted us all to dance together so that’s what we’re doing.”

Marisa set her jaw. She didn’t care whether he liked her not, of course she didn’t. “Why not? Oh, wait a second, I know. It’s my clothes, isn’t it?”

“Your clothes?”

“Apparently they’re ‘not appropriate for a workplace environment.’ And I suppose I get another black mark for flirting with Leonard in IT, right? Since the ‘interaction’ doesn’t ‘promote collegial relationships.’”

Luke scowled. “Workplace rules haven’t got anything to do with me liking you or otherwise. Can we have this discussion at another time? I have to—”

“Count. Yeah, I get you have to count. Why don’t you let me lead and I’ll do the freaking counting.”

He glanced down at her again, his expression all intense glare and stern mouth. And she had the insane urge to pull his bow tie. Mess him up. Rumple him in some way.

“I’m leading,” he said in a tone that suggested the conversation was over. “So unless you want your foot to be stepped on again, I suggest you keep quiet and let me count. At least until this is over.” A pause. “Please.”

The please did nothing for her temper. She didn’t want to stay dancing with him, pressed up against him. His hand on her back. Hers on his chest. Touching.

This attraction was already making her breathless, and the longer she stayed like this, the more uncomfortable it was going to get. When it came to men, she preferred to be the one in control because there was only one end to chemistry like this. She’d been there before and it was bad. Very bad. Attractive, womanizing men were right at the top of her list of things to avoid like the plague. Especially attractive, womanizing men who were also her uptight boss.

Marisa stared at his shirt, contemplating her options. The cotton was very white. Snowy, it could be said. Her gaze followed the line of buttons to his throat, where his bow tie rested, straight and begging to be tweaked.

She slid her hand up his chest. Took one end of the tie in her fingers. Pulled.

Luke instantly looked down. “What are you doing?”

Maris ignored the demand in his tone. Slowly she flicked open the buttons of his shirt, one by one, exposing smooth, brown skin.

Oh yeah. Hot. So hot.

He’d come to a dead stop. “Marisa? What are you—”

She rose up on her tiptoes, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss onto the lapel of his shirt. Her signature deep red contrasted beautifully with the white cotton.

Abruptly, Luke let her go, and she wasn’t slightly disappointed at the loss. Oh no, she wasn’t.

“What the hell?” He was staring down at the mark her mouth had left, growing horror on his face.

Ah, finally, signs of life. “I’m making sure you look like someone’s been playing with you.”

Anger flashed in his eyes. “You put lipstick on my goddamn shirt.”

“It’s just a little lipstick.”

“Just a little—”

“Hey, I told you I didn’t want to dance, okay? So when I’m done dancing, I’m done dancing.”

Luke opened his mouth, probably to argue, but she’d made her point. She was over it.

And the quicker she got away from him the better.

Marisa smiled, blew him a kiss, then turned on her heel and walked off the dance floor.

…

There was lipstick on his collar. Lipstick. On his collar.

For a minute Luke just stared at Marisa Clair’s retreating green figure, too angry to do anything.

He hadn’t paid much attention to her since they’d been introduced at the pre-wedding party, although he already knew who she was since Compass, his media company, had taken over Total Tech and he didn’t forget a name. He hadn’t seen any real need to get to know her. She was the PA to the Total Tech editor in chief, far down in the pecking order, and besides, she seemed to be the pretty blond type who sometimes threw themselves at him. The kind who got off on his money or the fact that he was CEO of one of Auckland’s biggest financial companies. He didn’t pay those kind of women much attention.

He preferred serious, intellectual women, and Marisa struck him as neither serious nor particularly intellectual. She’d already been caught breaking several of his new rules, including the one against workplace relationships, which showed him exactly how seriously she took her job. Which was not at all.

She was irritating.

Irritating. Yes. But you weren’t thinking irritating just a moment ago.

No, just a moment ago she’d felt soft in his arms. The curves of her body fitting his in a way…

Luke forced the thoughts out of his head.

Attraction to Marisa Clair was not only highly inappropriate, it was also extremely unwelcome. He’d been dancing with her only because Joseph had asked him to. Because it was expected at a wedding.

Dancing was the very last thing he wanted to do, anyway. He loathed it. The only way he could manage was to count the beat so he wouldn’t stand on her feet. The problem was that once he started, he had to finish.

Not finishing offended every single one of his compulsions.

Luke started after her, following her lush green-clad figure as she dodged the other couples, heading back toward the head table to sit with the rest of the wedding party.

She’d gotten there by the time he caught up, and was picking up a glass of champagne and taking a good, healthy sip.

He stopped right behind her. “Why did you do that?” he demanded.

She muttered a curse, paused, then turned around. Wide, lapis-blue eyes framed by thick, dark lashes stared up into his. Those lashes fluttered. Her full red mouth turned up in a smile that could only be termed seductive. “Do what?”

Luke didn’t respond to blatant sexual overtures from women. Flirting was, in his opinion, a pointless exercise. If you wanted sex you found someone who wanted it, too, and then you went to bed. You didn’t spend hours circling around the subject or talking about it endlessly.

He frowned. “Do what? You put lipstick on my collar.” He didn’t look down. He could almost feel the stain ruining the clean whiteness of his shirt. It was slightly off-center too, which made the whole thing immeasurably worse. Looking down would make him have to go home and change it. And then he’d have an even tougher dilemma—complete the dance first or change?

“Oh yeah.” She leaned back in the chair. “So I did.”

The music was winding down and soon the song would be at an end. The dance would be unfinished.

Dammit, he couldn’t leave anything unfinished. He stepped forward, reached for her, tugged her back into his arms.

Marisa’s hands pushed against his chest, her body stiff. “Hey, stop it.”

People were beginning to cast glances in their direction. Joseph, whirling around with Christie, raised an eyebrow at him from the dance floor. God, now they were attracting attention, exactly what he didn’t want. “We have to finish the dance,” he growled. “For Christie and Joseph’s sake, at least.”

She flashed a quick look toward the dance floor, her mouth tightening at the sight of the happy couple staring pointedly back, then she muttered another curse. Her seductive manner had dropped. Now she looked as pissed off as he was. “You promise you’ll leave me alone?”

“Gladly.” Yes, he wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough.

For the next minute, they danced grimly and silently beside the table, while he tried not to notice that the silk of her back had warmed up underneath his palm. And that she smelled like…musk and spices. An earthy scent. One that he shouldn’t like, but did all the same.

She also had a way of moving that he couldn’t ignore. Liquid and graceful, especially in comparison to him.

He didn’t want to look at her, not with that red stain on his collar, but he couldn’t help himself. Her hair wasn’t plain old gold, it was a mixture of tawny and gilt, with darker undertones of caramel and toffee. She had one hand on his chest, her fingers curled into her palm. She was a lot shorter than he was.

It made him feel…odd.

“Stop looking at me,” she said, her gaze fixed on his chest.

Irritation wound through him. How aggravating to be caught staring like a teenage boy. Especially at a woman he had no interest in.

“How do you know I’m looking at you?”

“Because I can feel it. It’s annoying. Just get on with your damn counting.” She lifted her lashes, a flash of blue peeping from underneath them. “Or do you want another lipstick mark on your collar?”

The weirdest urge gripped him to lean down and kiss her. Silence that smart red mouth of hers. Disturb her the way she’d disturbed him.

He wasn’t a man who gave in to random impulses. Control was of paramount importance—especially control over the demands of his OCD. Yet this urge was almost as irresistible as the ones that had him living life by a strict schedule.

Marisa’s eyes widened, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Hey, you’re not—”

He didn’t know what possessed him. She was an employee and that should have rendered her immediately off-limits. His rules against workplace relationships were there for a reason. Rules maintained order and order was important.

Perhaps it was the one beer he’d allowed himself. Perhaps it was the red stain burning a hole in his shirt. Perhaps it was because he was angry with her.

Or maybe it was because he wanted to see what would happen.

But for an instant, his precious control slipped and he bent his head, brushing her mouth with his.

Lightning. Sparks like a match being struck. The leap of static electricity. Intense and sudden and burning. Desire, sharp as the snap of a whip, flickered through him.

He’d never experienced anything like it.

He dropped her, the pair of them springing apart like repelling magnets.

“Holy shit,” Marisa whispered. She stared at him, one hand to her mouth. A hand that was trembling.

He knew the feeling. The effects of the kiss resounded through him, bouncing off the walls like sonar, mapping the interior of him. Spreading the vibrations of it through his whole body, tuning him.

“Marisa—” he began, knowing he had to say something.

“Don’t you ever do that again.” Her eyes were intent, a furious light in them.

Dammit. What the hell had he done that for? What the hell had come over him? “Don’t worry,” he said, stiffly. “I won’t.”

“You’re damn right you won’t.” Her creamy skin had flushed and she turned her head to check out the dance floor. He noticed the blush extending all the way down her neck. “Oh, thank God, I don’t think anyone saw. Which means you’re not going to say anything to anyone about it either, okay?”

“Of course not.” He cleared his throat, his hands automatically moving to do up the buttons of his shirt. Then he realized. His shirt. The lipstick. He was going to have to change. “We won’t speak of it again.”

Her hand dropped from her mouth as if she’d only just become conscious of what she was doing. The blush on her cheeks deepened further. “We really need not to be around each other. So after this wedding stuff is done, we stay away, right?”

“Agreed.” He wouldn’t argue. She was right. Completely apart from the fact that they didn’t like each other, he couldn’t be kissing an employee. Especially one in a junior role. No matter that the kiss was a minor aberration. A moment of insanity.

One that he would make damn sure he forgot.

Her gaze had fixed on something. His mouth.

“You’ve got…” She stopped, touching her lips again.

Lipstick. He had lipstick. On his goddamned mouth.

Luke growled. Then, without a word, he turned and made his way out of the ballroom. He had to get home. Get this bloody shirt off. Wipe his damn mouth.

And forget about kissing Marisa Clair.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | All Romance | iTunes

Jackie Ashenden

Jackie has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. Mild mannered fantasy/SF/pseudo-literary writer by day, obsessive romance writer by night, she used to balance her writing with the more serious job of librarianship until a chance meeting with another romance writer prompted her to throw off the shackles of her day job and devote herself to the true love of her heart – writing romance. She particularly likes to write dark, emotional stories with alpha heroes who’ve just got the world to their liking only to have it blown wide apart by their kick-ass heroines.

She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she’s not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.

Jackie’s Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway

CLICK HERE to enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Cover Reveal: “Shannon’s Law” by Emma Calin (Tour-Wide $30 #Giveaway Plus Every Entry Wins a #FreeAudiobook)

For this cover release every commenter will receive an audiobook of Emma’s short story “Escape to Love.” Emma will be awarding a $30 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, another commenter will receive two tickets to the live launch (UK only), and three randomly chosen commenter will receive an ARC of SHANNON’S LAW. Please read on for giveaway entry!

SHANNON’S LAW Cover Reveal

Wild child inner city cop Shannon Aguerri walks a dangerous line between her methods and justice. When the bosses lose their nerve, after yet another maverick mission, she is transferred to green pastures to play out the role of a routine village cop. When she encounters signs of people and drug trafficking she homes in on serious millionaire criminals.  As a loner she has attracted men but nothing has stuck. When she meets Spencer, the hunky and widowed Earl of Bloxington, there is an immediate rapport between them. Their social differences mean nothing to their passion and need.  Already in the mix is an upper class female rival – who has long plotted her way into the Earl’s bed. The jealousy is an evil shade of green and the anger is a violent scarlet.  Often inhibited by a sense of duty and honour, Spencer is slow to reveal his feelings. When Shannon confronts him with the need to choose between her word and that of her rival, he does not immediately support her. All the same, when they are forced together to carry out a desperate rescue mission, their love is stronger than everything ranged against them.

Shannon’s Law USA  Shannon’s Law UK

(Pre-order paperback only at this stage)

Notes from author Emma Calin

I will be revealing snippets from the story, photos of places and people that inspired the venues and characters on Pinterest during my pre-launch book tour.  There are already some scrap-book cuttings posted HERE.

There is also news about the book on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/ShannonsLaw

(‘Likes’ are always appreciated…..)

I’m having two launch parties “Afternoon Tea At Bloxington Manor”. The first is online on the 28th February on Facebook and the second is LIVE at the English stately home that inspired the home of my hero on Sunday 2nd March.  A local favourite venue for me, Avington Park in Hampshire is steeped in history and tradition. (Think genuine Palladian style rather than Downton Abbey neo-Jacobean). The private owners have kindly agreed to open up for us with a tour of the house and then tea and cake – oh and launch the book of course!

Shannon’s Law Cover Reveal Draw

$30/£20 Amazon voucher

A pair of tickets to my Avington Park Launch Party 2nd March (UK only)

3 Advanced Review Copies of Shannon’s Law

EVERY entrant will receive a FREE gift of an audiobook of my short story Escape to Love.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY FOR A $30 AMAZON GIFT CARD & MORE!

About Emma Calin

Emma Calin was born in London in 1962. She currently lives in France and the UK.

She has been writing since childhood and has won numerous local, national and international prizes for poetry and short stories.

“Knockout!” is the first of the “Passion Patrol Series” a stand-alone love story set against a backdrop of international gambling corruption and deception. Interpol cop Anna Leyton finds herself torn between love and duty when her professional and private life intersects.  This book is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats.

“The Love in a Hopeless Place Collection” is a bargain anthology of 5 short stories and novelettes, available in paperback and digital formats.

“Sub-Prime” is a prize-winning hard hitting short story about courage, exploitation and love. It is a raw and brutal exposé of life at the bottom in the aftermath of recession.

“The Chosen” is also a short story,  set in modern times where working people struggle to keep their dreams alive. A world where the promise of love motivates desperate measures.

“Escape To Love” is a ‘novelette’ (longer than a short story but shorter than a novella), a gritty urban romance with suspense and mystery but a love story at it’s core.

“Angela” a short story about a late-night taxi journey.

“Love in a Hopeless Place” a novelette about a middle-aged woman striving to find her true identity.

Amazon links to books by Emma Calin

Shannon’s Law USA  Shannon’s Law UK

(Pre-order paperback only at this stage)

Knockout! (Passion Patrol Series)

The Love in a Hopeless Place Collection

Sub-Prime

The Chosen

Escape To Love

Angela

Love in a Hopeless Place

 Emma’s Links

About.me page: http://about.me/emmacalin

Emma Calin Blog: http://www.emmacalin.blogspot.com

Emma Calin Website:  http://www.emmacalin.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/emma.calin

and book page: http://www.facebook.com/ShannonsLaw

 Twitter:https://twitter.com/EmmaCalin

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/emmacalin/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4915751.Emma_Calin

Winter Reads Boxed Set: 15 Books from 15 Best Selling YA Authors ($100 #Giveaway)

Sit back, relax in your favorite reading chair and enjoy 15 Winter Reads from 15 bestselling YA authors. There is something to delight every reader in this box set – paranormal romance, futuristic sci-fi, historical, time travel, and contemporary. Many of the Indelibles have given you access to both the first and second books in their series – you’ll be reading well into the New Year!

LIMITED TIME BOX SET – from 15 bestselling YA authors

ON SALE 12/29 – 1/11 for just $1.99
Amazon * Barnes & Noble
15 Winter Reads includes:

The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn

Escaping an experimental prison, Thalia tries to hide her past and her gifts, from her friends. But her past isn’t always easy to escape, especially when it hunts you down.

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Website

Tremble (Celestra Series) by Addison Moore

Sixteen year-old, Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking. When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds.

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Exiled by RaShelle Workman

Venus wakes to find herself no longer on her home planet of Kelari, but on Earth with a week to get back or she’ll die.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads * Wattpad

Dragonfly by Leigh Talbert Moore

Gossip Girl meets VC Andrews in this contemporary family saga. Love, lies, and betrayal become the new normal when Anna enters the world of Jack and Lucy Kyser.

Amazon * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Pinterest

Open Minds and Closed Hearts by Susan Kaye Quinn

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Wattpad * Goodreads

Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

When Grace’s forest ranger dad disappears on patrol, she fights town authorities, tribal officials, & nature to prove he’s alive. Torn between a new hot boy and cute ex, she heads into the wilderness to find her dad. Soon, she is caught in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads

How to Date an Alien and How to Break Up With an Alien by Magan Vernon

Alex Bianchi takes an internship at an alien operations center to pad her college applications but doesn’t plan on falling in love with one of its residents. But as Alex’s senior year progresses, everything changes and she can’t figure out if it is interstellar or if it is just time to break up with an alien.

Twitter * Facebook * Website * Goodreads

Flutter of Luv by L.M. Preston

Dawn, the neighborhood tomboy, is happy to be her best friend’s shadow. Acceptance comes from playing football after school with the guys on the block while hiding safely behind her glasses, braces, and boyish ways. But Tony moves in, becomes the star Running Back on her school’s football team, and changes her world and her view of herself forever.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads

Watched by Cindy M. Hogan

It takes more than a school trip to change Christy’s life. It takes murder.

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Clockwise and ClockwiseR by Elle Strauss

A follow up to Clockwise, Casey and Nate travel back in time and race against the clock to rescue Casey’s rebellious brother Tim from frontline battle in America’s civil war.

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Wattpad * Goodreads

[image error]Glimpse (Zellie Wells #1) and Glimmer (Zellie Wells #2) by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

While working together to figure out what their shared vision means, Zellie discovers that Benjamin is a worthy friend and mentor. If only he could keep his hands off of her – if only she wanted him to…

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

A Spy Like Me by Laura Pauling

After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must decide how far she’ll go to protect the ones she loves.

Blog * Twitter * Goodreads

Grasping At Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

An eternal soul mate, a supernatural family who has known her for centuries, and lifetimes of erased memories: this is Maryah Woodsen’s life. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads

Lacrimosa by Christine Fonseca

In the world of angels and demons, one thing is clear – some sacrifices should never be made. Even for love.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Google * Goodreads * Pinterest

The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle

The town of Spruce Knoll hides many secrets—and many dangers, among them are that the untimely death of Eren’s parents was no accident and that she is far more than she realizes.

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Wattpad * Goodreads

Giveaway Details

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 1/11/14 - Click here to enter Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Release: The Twelve Days of Seduction by Maire Claremont

The Twelve Days of Seduction

by Maire Claremont
ISBN: 9781622664368
Entangled Flaunt

Alexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford, is aware his ward’s governess misrepresented herself to gain employment, and he’s quite displeased, even if she is one of the most intelligent women’s he’s ever met. His ward deserves a reputable governess, so he threatens to give Adriana the sack mere days before Christmas.

Desperate to convince the sexy duke not to tear her from the little girl she’s grown to adore, Adriana challenges him to prove she’s not the reputable governess he believed he hired. If he can seduce her before the Twelve Days of Christmas have come to an end, she will leave without protest.

But when they find the challenge more difficult than either imagined, can they face the consequences of their decisions?

Find it @ Amazon  |  BN  |  Goodreads

Previously published in an anthology

About the Author:

2011 Golden Heart winner Máire Claremont first fell in love with Mr. Rochester, not Mr. Darcy. Drawn to his dark snark, she longed to find a tortured hero of her own… until she realized the ramifications of Mr. Rochester locking his frst wife up in his attic. Discovering the errors of her ways, Máire now looks for a real-life Darcy and creates deliciously dark heroes on the page. Oh, and she wants everyone to know her name is pronounced Moira. Her parents just had to give her an Irish Gaelic name

Website: http://www.maireclaremont.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaireClaremont
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaireClaremont
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5778128.Maire_Claremont