Ruth Cardello's Blog: http://ruthcardello.com/blog/, page 4

12 Days of Temptation, a Hot Holiday Novella is available now

Warm up this Holiday Season with. . . 



Available now!
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**only $0.99 for a limited time! 
Twelve Days of TemptationHow far would you go if you were offered a chance to fulfill your secret fantasies? 
What would you ask someone to do, if you knew they’d do anything? 
After the death of her mother and the abrupt end of her marriage, Kate is desperately unhappy to be spending the upcoming holiday season alone. She vents her frustration in a letter to the one man her mother raised her to believe in—Santa Claus. This year she is rebelliously requesting something guaranteed to raise his eyebrows. 
Brock Foster has wanted Kate since they were in high school. When he finds her letter, her Christmas wish becomes his obsession. Winning her will require skill and deception. Brock initiates a game that will bring them together and tear them apart. 
Join Kate and Brock as they discover what happens when Santa puts you on The Naughty List.

Ten Christmas Brides

Ten Christmas Brides is available now for preorder! 

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*Releases everywhere on 10/21!!
Get your copy today for just $0.99! 
Join ten NYTimes, USA Today and National bestselling authors to celebrate the holiday season with a boxed set of stories brimming with emotion, holiday spirit and happy ever afters. From sweet to sexy, suspense to small town drama, travel from Belarus to Africa to the snowy Highlands of Scotland as Santa delivers our gift to you--love, laughter and happiness this Christmas! 

Featuring: Recipe for Love, An Andrade Christmas Novella with brand new bonus scenes! 

The Andrade family was inspired by my own big family and they hold a special place in my heart. Maddy was first introduced as a minor character in Book 2 of my Legacy Collection. As the series progressed, Maddy’s voice became louder and her character started playing a bigger role in the storyline. After many reader requests and Maddy’s voice screaming in my head, her story had to be written. I hope you enjoy Maddy & Richard’s story in Recipe for Love.

It is such a great pleasure to present this bundle and to be partnered with such wonderful and talented authors. I hope you enjoy it!

Home to Me, Book Two of the Andrades is now available!

Home to Me is available now! 

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I am so excited to share Home to Me with you. The Andrade family has a special place in my heart. I grew up as the youngest of eleven children, so I love to write about protective family members who sometimes drive you crazy.What is life like with eight brothers? I still laugh about the time I called my sister while I was at work and mentioned that I was no longer getting along with my apartment landlord and was thinking about moving out. By the time I got home from work, my brothers were already loading my things into a moving truck. Everything was delivered and unpacked into my parents' home within hours. Brothers.When you read about how Kane and Gio were with Rena's first boyfriend-that was what it was like for me when I brought a boy home. I certainly argued with my brothers when I was younger, but I understand now the true blessing they are.

Come fall in love with the second of the Andrade brothers.
Nick Andrade:
Sexy, charming, bad boy. He’s never been a one woman man, but he’s willing to give it a try every Saturday with Rena.Rena Sander:
Confident, caring, a woman who plays by the rules. She’s never been in love, and thinks keeping sex with Nick contained to one day a week will protect her heart.He’s the hot fantasy she’s always craved.
She’s the only woman he’d consider reforming for.When their relationship is exposed and they must defend it, will these two lovers discover that home is in each other’s arms?
The Andrades:
Book 1: Come Away with MeBook 2: Home to MeBook 3: Maximum Risk (Coming Winter 2014!)Book 4: Somewhere Along the Way (Coming 2015!) 

Come Away with Me is on sale for just .99!

Now is the perfect time to meet the Andrades

Get your copy today for just $0.99 Hurry! This is a limited time offer (expires 10/01/14)
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Home to Me, Book Two releases on 09/30/14

Taken, Not SpurredBook 1 of the Lone Star Burn Series Fro...

Taken, Not SpurredBook 1 of the Lone Star Burn Series


From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ruth Cardello comes the steamy debut to the Lone Star Burn series.
Would-be writer Sarah Dery has just turned twenty-five and feels like her life is on hold. She’s done squat with her English degree and is just killing time working for her parents. So, when the opportunity to spend the summer working on a ranch in Texas comes her way, she jumps at the chance—figuring it might be just the jolt she needs to get her creative juices flowing.Tony Carlton is a handsome and reclusive horse trainer with a tortured past and an eye for trouble, this time in the form of a naked blonde stranger he finds in his shower.The wrong turn that led Sarah into the arms of this sexy, brooding cowboy turns out to be just what she needed to find her steamy inner voice, but will their connection be enough to break down Tony’s defenses?
Revised edition: Previously published as Gentling the Cowboy, part of the Texan Nights series, this edition of Taken, Not Spurred includes editorial revisions.
AVAILABLE ON: 
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Rise of the Billionaire is on sale for just $0.99!

For the first time, you can get Rise of the Billionaire (Jeremy & Jeisa's story) for just $0.99!  On sale until July 1st.  

Download your copy here!
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Rise of the Billionaire (Book 5 of the Legacy Collection) 

Dreaming of Alethea gave Jeremy Kater the strength to survive a difficult childhood. Now that he has influential friends who owe him some big favors, he’s determined to become the kind of man Alethea would be interested in: rich and dangerous. Jeisa Borreto was hired to help Jeremy morph into that man. It’s a job she would enjoy, if it weren’t tearing her heart to pieces. 

How can she help him change once she’s realized she’s fallen in love with the man he’s always been? 

Bedding the Billionaire is on sale for .99!

From now until May 8th you can pick up your copy of Bedding the Billionaire, book 3 of the Legacy Collection for just $0.99! 

Get it here!on iBooks
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NY Times and USA Today Bestselling novelBedding the Billionaire, Book 3 of the Legacy Collection
Lil Dartley’s life is upside down. Her previously steadfast and predictable sister is marrying an influential billionaire and needs help planning the wedding of the century in less than a month. Years of middle class rebellion have not prepared Lil for handling billionaires or paparazzi. 

Jake Walton knows a train wreck when he sees one. Lil was trouble from the first day he met her, but since her sister is marrying his best friend, he has no choice but to help her or this wedding will be in the news for all the wrong reasons. Keeping Lil safe would be a whole lot easier if she didn’t drive him crazy both in and out of the bedroom.

Come Away With Me Teaser

Come Away With MeMeet Gio Andrade and Julia Bennett on March 31st! 
Available for pre-order here: iBooks
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Here's another teaser from Come Away With Me (The Andrades).  Happy Friday! 

He leaned a little closer and Julia quickly looked down, afraid her eyes would reveal how he was making her feel. “You should be more careful, Miss Bennett. A man could get the wrong impression about you.”Her eyes flew up to clash with his. “I appreciate your concern, Mr. Andrade, but it’s unnecessary. I get along well with both Tom and Paul. We sometimes laugh. It’s what people do when they work together.”“I don’t like him near you.” His eyes burned into hers. Her breath caught in her throat. She shook her head, sure that she had misunderstood what she’d heard. “I’m sorry?”He brushed a thumb softly across her lower lip. “You heard me.” He dropped his hand, spun on his heel, and walked away.“I don’t like him near you.” His eyes burned into hers. Her breath caught in her throat. She shook her head, sure that she had misunderstood what she’d heard. “I’m sorry?”He brushed a thumb softly across her lower lip. “You heard me.” He dropped his hand, spun on his heel, and walked away.

Excerpt from Come Away With Me (The Andrades)

Here's a little sneak peek from Come Away With Me (The Andrades)
Available everywhere on March 31st!



She said the first thing that came to her head: "Halt right there." The man slowly straightened to an impressive height and turned. Julia gripped the door handle tighter. Eyes as dark as coal slowly raked over her, as if they had every right to. Gorgeous eyes. Thick, dark hair that was tussled just enough to set a woman’s imagination afire. Who knew burglars could be hot? Yes, officer, I did tackle him, but I had to. It had nothing to do with those perfectly muscled shoulders and that flat stomach. I admit, we rolled around on the floor once or twice together, but purely so I could restrain him.Julia shook her head to clear it. Down, libido, down. This is not one of those dreams where someone like him kisses someone like me, and I wake up frustrated and reach for my vibrator. This is reality, and even though he’s gorgeous, he could still be dangerous.One of his beautiful eyebrows arched at her prolonged appraisal of him, then his gaze settled appreciatively on the exposed length of her legs. “And you are?”“Security.” She referenced her uniform and name tag. “You don’t belong in here.”“You’re security?” he asked incredulously. “The singing or the stripping kind?”Instantly angry, Julia put a hand on one hip and demanded, “Do I look like a stripper?”His eyes slowly, ever so slowly, roamed over her high heels, short skirt, and riotous head of hair. She stomped a foot at his lack of appropriate response. “This is a power outfit.” She looked down and tugged at her uniform top. “Not this. But it’s coming off.” When his eyes widened, her ire rose. “Not for you. And that’s not what I meant. I have a beautiful red shirt that goes with this skirt. A nice conservative shirt. And this skirt is a perfectly appropriate length for a business meeting, according to Entrepreneur Today.” She took a deep calming breath. “Why am I justifying my outfit to a possible criminal? I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you need to leave.”“Or what? What would you do?” He stepped closer.Good question. Julia looked behind her, then back at him. See, this is why I should have taken the salesperson job at the mall. But I thought, Night security—that will give me more time to read and network during the day. Where are you, Paul, when I need you? That’s it. Paul. “I won’t have to do anything, because my partner is already on his way up. In fact, the next time that elevator opens, it’ll be him, and he is twice your size and has taken just enough steroids to have a little rage, if you know what I mean. I’ll do what I can to hold him off, but if he catches you, that gorgeous face of yours will never look the same.”A predatory smile stretched his lips. He closed the short distance between them, effectively pinning her against the wall between his arm and the door. “I don’t believe you,” he said, his voice deep and husky. He studied her as if he were trying to solve a puzzle. “Are you going to tell me what you’re really doing here?”Her voice tight in her throat, she said, “I told you. I’m security.”He opened his mouth to say something, and Julia lost control. Attraction peaked and collided with panic. Her frantically searching hand closed on a lamp on the table beside them. With one swift move she cracked him in the temple with it. He stumbled back and raised a hand to the assaulted area. “What the hell . . . ?”They both froze. His eyes lit with a fire that set her heart racing. In the doorway, a male voice broke in. “Mr. Andrade. Are you okay? What happened?”Julia put the lamp down quickly and swayed a bit beneath the realization of what she had just done. “Mr. Andrade. As in, George Andrade?”Still looming angrily over her, he said, “Gio. No one calls me George.” He addressed Paul curtly. “She works here?”“Yes, sir. For over a month.”Glittering black eyes bored into Julia as she smiled awkwardly back at him. “I didn’t recognize you.”“Evidently.” He rubbed the red mark on his left temple. Paul stepped forward with concern. “I’m so sorry, sir. This is my fault. I ran next door to get    medicine—”Gio held up one hand to silence Paul, and the gesture proved impressively effective. In this jungle, money trumps muscle, Julia thought sarcastically. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Right now—”Tomorrow. Tonight. Time. Crap. Julia glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. Shit. She turned apologetically to Paul. “Oh, my God, Paul. I am so sorry. I’ll take the heat for this. I promise. This was all my fault. Write it up however you need to. I would, but I can’t stay. I’m already late.”She made the mistake of meeting the eyes of the man who still looked dazed from his encounter with the lamp. She instinctively reached toward his temple in sympathy, then dropped her hand. “I’m sorry. I should have studied the photo book Paul gave me better. It’s just that you were dressed like . . . and then you were all . . .” She frowned. “You could have just told me who you were and none of this would have happened, but we don’t have time to go into that now. Don’t be mad at Paul, okay? He has a stomach bug. But normally, he’d die to protect you. Who else can you say that about?” She glanced quickly at the clock again and said, “I totally understand if you need to fire me, but can you do it tomorrow?”She turned and fled.After her whirlwind departure, Gio looked across at Paul. “Just tell me you didn’t issue her a gun.”Julia shook her head to clear it. Down, libido, down. This is not one of those dreams where someone like him kisses someone like me, and I wake up frustrated and reach for my vibrator. This is reality, and even though he’s gorgeous, he could still be dangerous.One of his beautiful eyebrows arched at her prolonged appraisal of him, then his gaze settled appreciatively on the exposed length of her legs. “And you are?”“Security.” She referenced her uniform and name tag. “You don’t belong in here.”“You’re security?” he asked incredulously. “The singing or the stripping kind?”Instantly angry, Julia put a hand on one hip and demanded, “Do I look like a stripper?”His eyes slowly, ever so slowly, roamed over her high heels, short skirt, and riotous head of hair. She stomped a foot at his lack of appropriate response. “This is a power outfit.” She looked down and tugged at her uniform top. “Not this. But it’s coming off.” When his eyes widened, her ire rose. “Not for you. And that’s not what I meant. I have a beautiful red shirt that goes with this skirt. A nice conservative shirt. And this skirt is a perfectly appropriate length for a business meeting, according to Entrepreneur Today.” She took a deep calming breath. “Why am I justifying my outfit to a possible criminal? I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you need to leave.”“Or what? What would you do?” He stepped closer.Good question. Julia looked behind her, then back at him. See, this is why I should have taken the salesperson job at the mall. But I thought, Night security—that will give me more time to read and network during the day. Where are you, Paul, when I need you? That’s it. Paul. “I won’t have to do anything, because my partner is already on his way up. In fact, the next time that elevator opens, it’ll be him, and he is twice your size and has taken just enough steroids to have a little rage, if you know what I mean. I’ll do what I can to hold him off, but if he catches you, that gorgeous face of yours will never look the same.”A predatory smile stretched his lips. He closed the short distance between them, effectively pinning her against the wall between his arm and the door. “I don’t believe you,” he said, his voice deep and husky. He studied her as if he were trying to solve a puzzle. “Are you going to tell me what you’re really doing here?”Her voice tight in her throat, she said, “I told you. I’m security.”He opened his mouth to say something, and Julia lost control. Attraction peaked and collided with panic. Her frantically searching hand closed on a lamp on the table beside them. With one swift move she cracked him in the temple with it. He stumbled back and raised a hand to the assaulted area. “What the hell . . . ?”They both froze. His eyes lit with a fire that set her heart racing. In the doorway, a male voice broke in. “Mr. Andrade. Are you okay? What happened?”Julia put the lamp down quickly and swayed a bit beneath the realization of what she had just done. “Mr. Andrade. As in, George Andrade?”Still looming angrily over her, he said, “Gio. No one calls me George.” He addressed Paul curtly. “She works here?”“Yes, sir. For over a month.”Glittering black eyes bored into Julia as she smiled awkwardly back at him. “I didn’t recognize you.”“Evidently.” He rubbed the red mark on his left temple. Paul stepped forward with concern. “I’m so sorry, sir. This is my fault. I ran next door to get    medicine—”Gio held up one hand to silence Paul, and the gesture proved impressively effective. In this jungle, money trumps muscle, Julia thought sarcastically. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Right now—”Tomorrow. Tonight. Time. Crap. Julia glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. Shit. She turned apologetically to Paul. “Oh, my God, Paul. I am so sorry. I’ll take the heat for this. I promise. This was all my fault. Write it up however you need to. I would, but I can’t stay. I’m already late.”She made the mistake of meeting the eyes of the man who still looked dazed from his encounter with the lamp. She instinctively reached toward his temple in sympathy, then dropped her hand. “I’m sorry. I should have studied the photo book Paul gave me better. It’s just that you were dressed like . . . and then you were all . . .” She frowned. “You could have just told me who you were and none of this would have happened, but we don’t have time to go into that now. Don’t be mad at Paul, okay? He has a stomach bug. But normally, he’d die to protect you. Who else can you say that about?” She glanced quickly at the clock again and said, “I totally understand if you need to fire me, but can you do it tomorrow?”She turned and fled.After her whirlwind departure, Gio looked across at Paul. “Just tell me you didn’t issue her a gun.”




Available for preorder: 
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Breaching the Billionaire: Alethea's Redemption Teaser

BREACHING THE BILLIONAIRE: ALETHEA'S REDEMPTION TEASER:Release Date: Jan 13, 2013

Why is Marc Stone the perfect match for Alethea?

She couldn’t take any more. She shifted until she broke their connection then continued to squirm until he released her enough so that her feet were firmly back on the floor. “Don’t. Don’t pretend this is anything but what it is. This isn’t a date. You’re being paid to keep me out of the way and that—” she waved her hand in the air beside her—“that was just the result of two people being thrown together in a stressful situation.”

He studied her face and broke out in his cocky smile. “Your job must be more exciting than mine, because this is not the norm for me.”

She shoved him back a step. “You’re not funny.”

He closed the distance between them and was suddenly serious. “Well, now you’ve hurt my feelings. Looks like I’ll have to do my best to impress you with my other qualities.”
The evidence of the quality he was referring to nudged her sex, hard and ready, as he swept down and plundered her mouth with another deep kiss. A part of her clung to the knowledge that none of this was real, but the rest of her felt it was too good to pass up. These memories would have to sustain her, because she would never put herself in this situation again.

He stopped, raised his head with a funny expression on his face, and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

She tried to pull his mouth back down to hers and said, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me,” he demanded.

“No.”

Alethea wasn’t sure what reaction she expected to her refusal, but she didn’t expect him to pick her up, swing her over his shoulder, and carry her to his bedroom. He tossed her down on his bed.
Oh, no, he didn’t.
Oh, yes, he did.
This isn’t one of my fantasies. This is real.

Still naked, she was on her knees and scrambling past him, but he caught her, flipped her onto her back and, before she knew what he was doing, he’d secured both of her hands above her head with handcuffs.

Lying beside her, he said, “I know what you’re thinking—what man has handcuffs under his bed, right? They were a gag gift from a buddy of mine. I figured I should keep them here in case I had to ride out the apocalypse. In case things got boring.” He smiled down at her as if he couldn’t see the fury in her eyes. “Not that you’re boring. Trust me, you’re the opposite of boring, but you need to learn to trust people.”

Pulling against the cuffs angrily, Alethea snarled, “And you think this will do that? All it’s going to do is be my defense for why I strangled you the second I was set free. ‘Your honor, look at the bruises on my wrists. He had it coming.’ ”
Marc ran a hand up one of her arms to just below where the metal met her wrist. “You won’t have a single mark on you if you don’t fight it.”

She tried unsuccessfully to whip her arm away from his touch but was impeded by the restraint. “You might as well tell me not to breathe. I’m going to free myself and when I do, you will regret this.”

“I see the problem.”

“Thank God. You’re coming to your senses. Get the keys now and maybe, just maybe, I’ll forget this ever happened”

Propped up on one elbow, Marc looked down at her as if she were a puzzle he was solving. “You can’t turn it off, can you? Everything is a fight to you.”

“Do these handcuffs come with earplugs? Because there are laws against torturing people with your psychobabble.”

Instead of rising to her taunt, he laughed. “I’m beginning to get you. Really get you. You’re scared right now, aren’t you? That’s why you’re on the attack.”

I’m not afraid of anything, but I’ll go along with this if it has the potential to provide a window of opportunity. “You don’t think that locking someone in a bunker, then tying her to a bed, is cause for a bit of concern?”

“I would never hurt you, Alethea. Do you believe that?”

She looked away. “Then let me go.”

He turned her face back to his and those beautiful blue eyes seemed to see her soul. “Just this once, let yourself be in a situation where you’re not in control.”

She shook her head.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “What’s the worst thing that happens? You find you enjoy it?”

She glared at him.

When she didn’t say anything he said, “If you really want me to take off the cuffs, I will. All you have to do is say it.” He ran a lazy finger over her collarbone and down the side of one breast. “Or you can trust me to take care of you. That’s what the cuffs are about. Trust. Yes, they leave you vulnerable, but everything that matters in life leaves you vulnerable. And sometimes you win by not fighting.”

His words washed over her, filling her with a warmth she couldn’t deny.
All I have to do is tell him to remove the cuffs and this is over.
No man controls me, not even for the sake of sexual experimentation.
I don’t do restraints.
So why am I not demanding my freedom?

He didn’t gloat as she would have expected a man to. Instead, he quietly waited for her decision.

An unexpected tear came to her eye and in a thick voice she said, “If you hurt me, I’ll kill you. Literally. Slowly. In the most painful way I can think of.”

available for PREORDER now on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Breaching-Billionaire-Aletheas-Redemption-Collection-ebook/dp/B00GUS99WG

and iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/breaching-billionaire-aletheas/id766610716