Kris Bock's Blog, page 29

Get endless #Romance - #contemporaryRomance #historicalromance #fantasy and #paranormal.

Here's an excerpt from my latest newsletter. To get all of every newsletter (with lots of cute animal photos and links, plus book news and deals) sign up here. You'll also get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café. 
Good Deed of the Day: The Clear The Shelters Fund helps animal shelters nationwide. “During the summer months, shelters and rescues experience a rise in intakes due to spring kitten and puppy season. It can be especially difficult to feed and care for all of the pets that come through their doors while trying to operate and provide services to their community during these difficult times.”
Cute of the Day: Check out the adorable young skunk doing a threat display in our back yard. All the videos linked together here are from the game camera in our back yard. The skunks come at night, so we rarely see them. Look at those fluffy tails!
Pet News: Have you ever considered being a pet foster? "Foster a pet for 2-6 weeks and you won’t just be saving a life. You’ll be bringing home a furry stress-relieving friend to keep you company while you’re social distancing." At Greater Good, you can fill out a form and they'll connect your information with a shelter in your area.
Explore New Books and Authors!
Summer Breeze Book Fair: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/h6ctBsBThis group has lots of paranormal – Angels, witches, fated mates, and monsters, plus some romance and thrillers. Note that some of these are sample chapters or previews, so be sure you understand what you're getting. They're all free with newsletter sign-up, so it's a cheap way to check out new authors and series.
Romance Box Set Palooza: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/6TU0wNLGet endless Romance - #contemporary, #historicalromance, #fantasy, and #paranormal. When you love the stories and you can't get enough, check out these box sets! Get enough pages to keep you reading through the summer.
Kiss Summer Goodbye: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/skV8EFzFind your sexy billionaires, firefighters, cowboys, in small towns or big cities - they're all here in these sweet/clean #KindleUnlimited romances.
More Books on My Radar:
Bedazzled, the first book in the 4-book Beguiling Bachelor Series by Madison Michael: A steamy, modern take on the Cinderella story, Bedazzled is "a perfect read! I could not put it down from beginning to end." It’s only 99¢ or free in KU. Sign up for Madison’s email list at www.madisonmichael.net to get the prequel for free. 
My Ghostly Billionaire: A Clean Billionaire Romance, by Katie Evergreen: This title ingrigued me. "A reclusive Baron, a jilted romance writer, and a haunted castle. Can they fight the ghosts of their pasts and find true love?"
Yours at Yuletide, by Josephine Blake: A romance between a firefighter and a college student. “It was like stepping into a Hallmark Christmas Romance... Just what you want for a cold winter's night.” If that's not what you need right now, it's only $0.99 so you can grab it for this winter. Or maybe you want to forget the summer heat and imagine it snowing!

The Mad Monk’s Treasure: A Romantic #Suspense Adventure is Free! #Romance #MFRWHooks

The Mad Monk’s Treasure: A Romantic Suspense Adventure is now available – and free! – at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, and other sites. See all the options. It’s 99 cents at Amazon, but let them know you saw it at a lower price ad they should eventually match it. The link to do that is below “Product details.”

“The story has it all - action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship....”  
The Mad Monk’s Treasure by Kris Bock
Erin could hardly believe what she was seeing. Could this be it? After all this time waiting, searching, had she finally, finally, found what she was looking for?
She forced herself to sit back and take a deep breath. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t rush into things. She wanted to leap up and scream her excitement, but years of academic training held. Slow down, double-check everything, and make sure you are right!
She leaned forward and ran her fingers over the grainy photograph. With that one image, everything seemed to fall into place. This was the clue. It had to be.
She fumbled in her desk drawer for a magnifying glass and studied the symbols in the photo more closely. At a glance, they looked like your standard Indian petroglyphs. You could find them throughout the Southwest, tucked away in caves or scattered among boulder fields. She’d been on a hike just a few miles outside of town which took her past a wonderful series of handprints and spirals, and what looked strangely like a robot.
But this was different.
If she was right—and she had to be right—these symbols were a map. A map that could lead her to one of the greatest caches of buried treasure ever.
Erin flipped back a few pages, to the first photograph, the one that showed an overview of the boulder field. She confirmed that it had numbers identifying the specific rocks that the book then showed in detail. She could see a few outcroppings that would help orient anyone searching for those petroglyphs. The book also had a map of the area, and clear directions. She would be able to find the carved map. If the landscape hadn’t changed too much the last century, anyway.
She pushed that thought aside, jumped up, and did a little dance.
She reached for the phone. In a few seconds a voice said, “Yeah.” Erin could hear the sound of some tool on metal in the background.
“Camie? I found it!”
The working sounds stopped. Camie said, “You’d better not be talking about that sweater you lost.”
Erin laughed. “No, I found the clue! I know where the treasure is—well, at least, I think I’ve found the first clue that will—”
Camie cut her off. “Forget the disclaimers. You really found something? You mean, we might actually do this?”
The two women laughed into the phone together. Erin collapsed into her desk chair, her cheeks sore from smiling. “I’m so excited I can hardly breathe. Look, are you at work? I’ll come by.” She leaned over her desk and gazed down at the photo in the battered old book. “I want to show you where we’re going. We need to make plans.”
“I’ll be here waiting.” Camie’s voice purred, with a touch of twang. “Honey, we’re going places.”
Erin hung up and gazed at the book a moment longer. Who would believe she’d found the clue to one of the most fabulous hidden treasures ever, in a battered old library book? The book must have been sitting there for years, quietly hoarding its secrets. But she had found it. What better way to spend the summer, than hunting for buried treasure?
The Mad Monk’s Treasure , a Romantic Adventure by Kris Bock

“The action never stopped .... It was adventure and romance at its best.”
The lost Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends – a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider. When Erin, a quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost treasure cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver nearly kills her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, really a hero, or one of the enemy?
Erin isn’t sure she can trust Drew with her heart, but she’ll need his help to track down the treasure. She heads into the New Mexico wilderness with her brainy best friend Camie and a feisty orange cat. The wilderness holds its own dangers, from wild animals to sudden storms. Plus, the sinister men hunting Erin are determined to follow her all the way to the treasure, no matter where the twisted trail leads. Erin won’t give up an important historical find without a fight, but is she ready to risk her life – and her heart?
“Great balance of history, romance, and adventure. Smart romance with an ‘Indiana Jones’ feel. Well-written with an attention to detail that allowed me to picture exactly in my head how a scene looked and played out.”
Genre: Romantic SuspenseBook heat level: PG (no explicit sex or swearing, action scenes with mild violence)
“I couldn’t put this book down. You’ll love it.”
Visit Kris Bock at Amazon
Visit all the  Book Hooks  author blogs. You might find your next great read! 

Free #Romance and #Suspense - 2 novels free to August 3! #MFRWorg

Time for a Book Vacation with free novels!
Free until August 3:  Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café : a Furrever Friends Sweet RomanceKari doesn't have time for love when she's opening her new cat café. She’s busy hiring employees, fighting with the health inspector – oh, and welcoming 16 shelter cats. But when a sexy master baker walks in, she can’t let him get away. So what does she do with the guy of her dreams? Set him up with her sister, of course. 
If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, send it to someone else who might enjoy it!
Find the book on my Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here. I think it’s free everywhere, but it’s possible Amazon doesn’t agree, so let me know if you have a problem.)
As a bonus, check out the Furrever Friends Cat Café with a free sweet romance novella complete at 35 pages. Get Lions and Love at the Cat Café free when you sign up for the Kris Bock email newsletter.
In college, Cheyenne and Nash were inseparable. Then she followed her dream, heading to Asia to work on big cat conservation. Nash stayed behind, protecting his secret: a phobia of all cats.
Fifteen years later, Cheyenne comes home. Can Nash convince her to stay and give him another chance?
The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm, cozy feeling of cuddling a purring cat. 
Also free until August 3:  The Mad Monk's Treasure , “Smart romance with an 'Indiana Jones' feel,” is ranked 4.7 out of 5 stars with over 50 reviews.

The Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends. When a quiet history professor uncovers a clue to the lost treasure, she prepares for adventure. But she’s not the only one after the treasure. Is the handsome pilot who rescued her a hero or the enemy?

“The story has it all – action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship....” The Mad Monk’s Treasure is the first of the Southwest Treasure Hunters novels. Each novel stands alone, has a happy ending for the main couple, and is complete, with no cliffhangers. This series mixes action and adventure with romance. The stories explore the Southwest, especially New Mexico.
Find the book on my Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here. Again, I think it’s free everywhere, but let me know if you have a problem.)
Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)

Funny Cats, Small-Town #Romance, and Great Series! #MFRWorg #BookBuzz

Join my newsletter and get a glimpse into the Furrever Friends Cat Café with a free sweet romance novella complete at 35 pages. Lions and Love at the Cat Café is available in PDF, MOBI, and ePub. Get it free when you sign up for the Kris Bock email newsletter.

Cat cafés in the news: Despite the shut down, cat cafés are finding ways to allow small numbers of customers to play with the cats. Cat & Craft Café even had five adoptions last weekend! Spay and neuter programs were on hold for several months this spring, leading to a huge overflow of kittens. Cat cafés help shelters find homes for these animals.

Start a New Series for Less Than $5

I don't know about you, but I've been having trouble finding new books that fully engage me. (Blame it on quarantine brain.) Here you can check out some new series with first books from $0.99 to $4.99. The collection has plenty of romance (both sweet and spicy), some fantasy, and some really creepy looking horror novels. If you find something you like, you have the comfort of knowing there are more books in the series! See the options here.

Small Town Romances

Do you like stories of women who leave the big city for quaint small towns, or romance on holiday? Get small-town romance books free for review. Visit beaches and boardwalks, quaint small towns in the Midwest, the South, or New Zealand – all for free if you plan to review the book. Check out the choices.

Cute of the day: This Funny Cat Named Zelda posts funny pics and cat poetry, such as this gem:

She told me that it's Mother's Day

She said she wanted flowers

I ate a plant and threw it up

And stared at her for hours

A Cat Cafe Sweet #Romance on Sale #Sweetromance #ContemporaryRomance

My fourth cat cafe book, Romance and Rescues at theCat Café , is on sale for 99 cents in the Kindle Store. Holly and Duncan go on a road trip to rescue dozens of cats from a spooky house before they're trapped by a snowstorm!

Excerpt:

They sat in the van, staring out at the dark, looming house.

“I suppose it only looks like a haunted house because it’s so dark out here,” Holly muttered.

“Yeah.”

The crescent moon didn’t provide much light, but at least the snow reflected enough moonlight to faintly reveal windows and show overgrown bushes against the house.

Dustin tried to imagine the house in daylight. While he was at it, he imagined a fresh coat of paint instead of the peeling surface that made the house look like it suffered from a skin disease. He could almost picture the gloomy building as a pleasant farmhouse.

But it took a lot of imagination.

“Two stories, plus probably an attic,” Holly said. “Maybe a basement. That’s a lot of room for cats to hide.”

They looked at each other. Merlin stood on his back legs, his front paws against the dashboard. His tail rose high and flicked back and forth.

Holly drew in a deep breath. “We can’t stay out here all night.”

Get  Romance and Rescues at theCat Café ," on sale for 99 cents until July 22.

Can getting stranded in a creepy house full of abandoned cats turn these enemies into friends—or even something more?

After a rotten week, Holly jumps at the chance to go on a rescue mission. Dozens of cats are stranded in a remote house where the owner has died. They’ve been abandoned, and she can sympathize. But she did not agree to make the road trip with Dustin, her rival and biggest headache at the cat café where they both work.

Dustin has given up trying to get Holly to like him. Still, a long drive through a snowstorm and an overnight in a house full of cats might bring them together—or result in his violent demise. But what they find is worse than they ever imagined: no lights, no heat, the snow still coming down, and over twenty hungry, skittish cats. They’ll have to work as a team to survive and save the animals.

One thing is certain—if they make it back alive, their relationship won’t be the same.

The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm, cozy feeling of cuddling a purring cat.

This title stars Merlin, the Maine coon cat readers adore, and many more cats to fall in love with. It includes the tropes two against the world, antagonist to lovers or enemies to lovers, and forced proximity.

Get a free 35-page novella set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter . You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her romantic suspense novels are set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Learn more at www.krisbock.comor visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)

#KindleUnlimited #Romance and More Great #SummerReads

Kindle Unlimited Romance Reads: If you #KU, check out these #Romance Reads - whether you like cowboys or businessmen, movie extras or wayward witches, a touch of mystery or a good dash of paranormal, you’llfind them here!

Boxsets in Kindle Unlimited: Romance, mystery, fantasy, thriller – when you love the stories and you can't get enough, check out these box sets, all in Kindle Unlimited! Get enough pages to keep you reading through the summer. Check out the choices here.
I Love Reviewing YA Novels: Get dozens of #YAlit novels FREE! (Reviews are not required but you will be able to claim more free books if you read, review, and share your review links on the site.) See the choices here.

"Clean and Positive" Books: If you like clean and sweet stories, check out this group! You can discover new authors and try them for free when you try their newsletters. See them all here.
Crimes and Passion: Check out a selection of mystery, thriller, and romantic suspense novels! You can explore early 1920s Czechoslovakia, the west coast of Scotland, the lush Mexican jungles, and the New Mexico desert (in my romantic suspense, The Mad Monk’s Treasure). Prices vary – some as low as 99 cents – and they’re all in Kindle Unlimited. See them here.

Learn more about Kris Bock at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.) Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. You can also follow me on Amazon(go to my author page and click on the "Follow" button to the left) or BookBub (button in the upper right corner) if you only want New Release Alerts.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/author/krisbock
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kris-Bock/e/B006WV4I5O
Universal Amazon link: https://geni.us/KrisBock
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kris-bock
Newsletter Signup: https://sendfox.com/lp/1g5nx3

Check out the Cat Café Series with a Free Sweet #Romance Novella #MFRWHooks #Sweetromance

Get a glimpse into the Furrever Friends Cat Café with a free sweet romance novella complete at 36 pages. Lions and Love at the Cat Café is available in PDF, MOBI, and ePub. Get it free when you sign up for the KrisBock email newsletter.

Chapter 1 excerpt

Cheyenne stopped in front of the Furrever Friends Cat Café and gazed through the windows. A man crouched on the floor, holding a long stick with a string on the end. He waved the stick, and a cat leapt for the bundle of feathers on the other end of the string. The cat had to be adorable – after all, every cat was – but she couldn’t look away from the man. His crouched position didn’t hide his long legs and broad shoulders. The curve of his cheek, the angle of his jaw, the dark hair falling over his forehead – they were more familiar than her own face.

But it couldn’t be Nash. Not here. He hated cats, always had, wouldn’t go near them. That had destroyed their relationship all those years ago.

Cheyenne stared, blinked, and stared some more. The sight didn’t change. The clean café windows and bright lights inside left no doubt. He might have filled out a little, gained a touch of grey in his dark hair, but it couldn’t be anyone else.

Her ex-boyfriend was in a cat café. Playing with a cat. It didn’t make sense.

The black and white cat pounced on the bunch of feathers and pinned it to the ground. Nash appeared to be laughing. He gave the stick little tugs until the feathers popped out of the cat’s grip. 

Cheyenne’s eyes stung. At one point, she’d wanted little more than to know she might someday see this scene. But that was long ago. This came far too late. That made it worse than never seeing it at all.

Lions and Love at the Cat Café

In college, Cheyenne and Nash were inseparable. Then she followed her dream, heading to Asia to work on big cat conservation. Nash stayed behind, protecting his secret: a phobia of all cats. 

Fifteen years later, Cheyenne comes home. Can Nash convince her to stay and give him another chance?

Lions and Love at the Cat Café is available in PDF, MOBI, and ePub. Get it free when you sign up for the Kris Bock email newsletter here: https://sendfox.com/lp/1g5nx3

The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). 

These sweet romances will leave you with the warm feeling of cuddling a purring cat. Check out the series for free with this novella, or get books 1 - 4 at Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.) They’re free with Kindle Unlimited! The first three books are available in The Furrever Friends Cat Café Collection.

This is a blog hop! Go to the MFRW BookHooks blog to check out all the other great romance excerpts.

Discover Great New Reads! #BookGiveaway #FreeBook #Romance #MFRWorg

Check out a long list of romantic comedies ! You can sign up for any author newsletters you'd like (at least one, but only those of your choice) and enter to win an ereader and bundle of all the books. It looks like quite a collection! Heat level ranges from sweet to erotic, but of course you can read only the books that appeal to you. The contest starts today and ends on Wednesday, July 8.
Check out young adult romance novels, with some romcoms and contemporary romance from ten different authors: Click here for the Summer Love group

This giveaway is for any works (from short stories to full novels) in any genre with characters who break free from their pasts. You’ll find rockers and princesses, time travel and world travel, magic and myths, spaceships and Sweet Home Alabama – all free! Click here for the Independence Day Group

Need a book vacation? This giveaway is for works with the Best Friends to Lovers trope. Watch good friends turn into something more. Stories range from sweeter to hot hot hot! Click here for the Best Friends to Lovers FREE July eBook group

Check out new authors with this group of YA books. This group has more paranormal stories, with witches, a magic parcel service, a teenage werevulture, and more fantasy plus some contemporary romance. Click here for the I Love Young Adult Novels! group (books are not free in this one) 

Discover Great New Reads! #BookGiveaway #FreeBook #Romance #MFRWorg

Check out these group promos to find some great new books! Take a Family Book Vacation!

Learn about the present and past by taking trips through books, even if you can’t travel in real life. Here find books for kids, from preschool through middle grade. Whether you want a #fantasy set in the days of the Arabian Nights, an adventure about the Maya, a mystery in ancient Egypt, some Greek myths, or books for young kids, find #kidsbooks perfect for summer reading vacations.

 

Love Sweet Love - Free Romance Stories

This group promo #giveaway is for sweet and clean #romance including YA/upper YA/NA. Meet new characters and discover new authors in these free books and samples! These contemporary romance offerings are yours with  newsletter signups (unsubscribe any time).

Summer Romance - Read for Free and Review

Check out a variety of titles – sweet or steamy, contemporary or historical, with some paranormal. These books are free via Story Origin, in the hopes that you'll provide an honest review. (Reviews are not required but you will be able to claim more free books if you read, review, and share your review links on the site. Plus you'll help authors find readers so they can keep writing great stories!)

Nice Guys (and Gals) Finish First!

Love a good guy? Check out these works with main characters who are good people who try to do the right things. They may go through difficult things, but they get their happy ending. This group has lots of #fantasy and #paranormal offerings. You'll also find contemporary and historical #romance. Each is free when you sign up for the author's newsletter, but note that some offerings may be short stories or novellas. It's a great way to check out new authors for free, and you can unsubscribe from newsletters if you don't want to keep getting the news.

I hope you discover some great new reads!

News: Maine Coon #cats, zoos, and a tasty dip plus plenty of #romance, some free! #MFRWorg

I made a quick and delicious dip with a can of artichokes (drained), a couple of ounces of cream cheese, and some green chile. If you can't get real New Mexico green chile, you might be able to find a weaker canned version in the Mexican section of your grocery store, or try salsa.

Voice recognition mistake of the day: "I shook my head and turned toward the rum." That's ROOM, room I say!

Things you should be watching: Secrets of the Zoo

"Go behind the scenes at The Columbus Zoo." This show covers some veterinarian stuff, along with other activities, such as a giraffe being born or polar bear cubs taking their first swim. Lots of cute animals and enthusiastic keepers! We're watching it on Disney +. It's also on National Geographic TV or for sale on Amazon.

Cute of the day: Merlin the Maine Coon is a reader favorite in my cat café novels. If you’ve read about the big sweetie, you’ll know why! The Maine Coon is the largest domesticated cat breed. While they were bred for hunting, they are friendly and sociable. Check out some of the gorgeous Maine Coon cats with the Instagram hashtag mainecoon_of_ig. Do any of them fit your mental image of Merlin?

Need some summer reads?

Contemporary Romance - All Levels of Heat!

Take a book vacation! Some stories are sweeter, and some are hot hot hot! You’ll find exes and friends; billionaires, bosses, firemen and cowboys; and beach reads. I believe all these books are in Kindle Unlimited.

Summer Romance - Read and Review

Check out a variety of romance titles – sweet or steamy, contemporary or historical, with some paranormal. These books should all be available for free via Story Origin, in the hopes that you'll provide an honest review.

Books on My Radar:

Pussweek by Bexy McFly. “Pussweek: A Cat’s Guide to Feline Empowerment is full of hilarious spreads, quizzes, and advertisements, as well as top–notch photos of cats in all their cuteness and weirdness.” Check out the review here.

Better Endings (Tammy Mellows Series book 2 but can be read as a standalone) by Tina Hogan Grant: “A woman embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery in this heart-warming tale of love, strength, and the sea...” It sounds like this is more of a woman's personal journey, but there is a romance. Readers call it uplifting.

Work and Pleasure, by Ella Cooper: "Work and Pleasure is a stand-alone short, sweet and steamy romance filled with love and humor." Even a negative review called it cute, and it’s 99 cents or free in KU.

Visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)

Don't forget, book 4 is out. Plus Coffee and Crushes at the Café is available free for review from Booksprout or via Story Origin.