Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 107
November 2, 2014
Can she save Finn AND love Dare? #NOCTE by Courtney Cole @Court_Writes #GIVEAWAY #NewAdult
We are beyond excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Courtney Cole’s NOCTE! NOCTE is a New Adult dark romantic psychological suspense novel. Hang on tight because this book will blow you away…
Available from:
Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Amazon | iBooks
EXCERPT:
Glancing up, I suck my breath in when I find dark eyes connected to mine, eyes so dark they’re almost black, and the energy in them is enough to freeze me in place.
A boy is attached to the dark gaze.
A man.
He’s probably no more than twenty or twenty-one, but everything about him screams man. There’s no boy in him. That part of him is very clearly gone. I see it in his eyes, in the way he holds himself, in the perceptive way he takes in his surroundings, then stares at me with singular focus, like we’re somehow connected by a tether. He’s got a million contradictions in his eyes….aloofness, warmth, mystery, charm, and something else I can’t define.
He’s muscular, tall, and wearing a tattered black sweatshirt that says Irony is lost on you in orange letters. His dark jeans are belted with black leather, and a silver band encircles his middle finger.
Dark hair tumbles into his face and a hand with long fingers impatiently brushes it back, all the while his eyes are still connected with mine. His jaw is strong and masculine, with the barest hint of stubble.
His gaze is still connected to mine, like a livewire, or a lightning bolt. I can feel the charge of it racing along my skin, like a million tiny fingers, flushing my cheeks. My lungs flutter and I swallow hard.
And then, he smiles at me.
At me.
Because I don’t know him and he doesn’t know better.
Book Trailer:
NOCTE Synopsis:
SAVE ME AND I’LL SAVE YOU….
My name is Calla Price. I’m eighteen years old, and I’m one half of a whole.
My other half—my twin brother, my Finn—is crazy.
I love him. More than life, more than anything. And even though I’m terrified he’ll suck me down with him, no one can save him but me.
I’m doing all I can to stay afloat in a sea of insanity, but I’m drowning more and more each day. So I reach out for a lifeline.
Dare DuBray.
He’s my savior and my anti-Christ. His arms are where I feel safe, where I’m afraid, where I belong, where I’m lost. He will heal me, break me, love me and hate me.
He has the power to destroy me.
Maybe that’s ok. Because I can’t seem to save Finn and love Dare without everyone getting hurt.
Why? Because of a secret.
A secret I’m so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming.
You won’t either.
ABOUT COURTNEY COLE:
Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.
Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.
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The Love Brothers are here! COVER REVEAL for Liz Crowe’s new series! #LoveBros #giveaway
Hello and welcome to the cover reveal and giveaway for Liz Crowe’s upcoming series, Love Brothers. I enjoy Liz’s stories, so I definitely wanted to be a part of this event. Not only am I donating a prize for the Rafflecopter giveaway, but I’m also going to be part of the Facebook chat on Monday, November 3rd. Join me from 12PM to 1 PM EST for fun and prizes!
Be sure to scroll all the way down to see the fabulous trailer and enter the giveaway!
Without further ado, here are the fabulous covers…
Love Garage
Available: January 5, 2015 (ebook) | March 14, 2015 (Print)
Available for pre-order: Amazon
Antony Love is the quintessential responsible oldest brother of a boisterous, Italian/Irish family, placed in charge at a young age by his parents who are busy running the family business. He manages his siblings with a fair but iron hand, until his life is shattered by personal tragedy leaving him the shell of the man he once was.
When outspoken matriarch Lindsay Halloran Love becomes ill, the youngest brother Aiden shows up at Antony’s garage, having dropped out of school (again), needing work and a place to crash. Antony provides both, with three caveats: “Don’t smoke in my truck, don’t be late for work, and don’t mess with my girlfriend.”
But Aiden Love, budding novelist, gets one glimpse of Rosalee Norris, young widow of Antony’s lifelong best friend and all bets are off.
Set in horse country near Lexington, Kentucky, The Love Brothers Series is a saga of family devotion that runs as wide and deep as the Ohio River–except on Sundays when brothers Antony, Kieran, Dominic and Aiden work out their frustrations on the basketball court, Love brother style.
The Love Brothers: A family saga with humor, heat and heart—not to mention beer, bourbon and basketball.
Love Garage opened bright and early the next morning, a Saturday, a day Aiden had hoped to spend recovering.
“I get so many oil changes and random small jobs on Saturdays, it doesn’t make sense to be closed and let the jackasses with the Quickilube at Walmart get the business,” Antony insisted when Aiden groaned with dismay upon being awakened after two hours of drunken sleep. It didn’t help that the awakening occurred at the business end of a thrown pillow. “Get up, Romeo. You owe me rent money.”
He did, slowly, queasily hitting a shower, sore all over, his skin mottled from bug bites. But nothing topped the glorious agony of a bourbon hangover like the one that had him firmly in its evil grasp.
He slouched out the door, cursing Antony, cursing Tricia, cursing her ex-husband for throwing her in his path last night. But mostly cursing his own weak-ass uselessness. He rested his head against the cool comfort of the truck window until Antony hit a bump or two, which sent extra pain jolting down his spine.
“Sorry,” his brother muttered, glancing over at him.
“No, you’re not.”
“Got me there. And you’d better warn me if you’re about to toss your cookies. I won’t have that in my vehicle, got me?”
Aiden rubbed his neck and nodded, swallowing the urge to throw up all over the pristine interior on principal. “Why d’you hate me so much? You used to like me.” He stared over at his brother, heart thumping, ears humming, throat closing up with nausea. He despised waking up still drunk.
“I don’t hate you.” Antony turned onto the main road headed into town.
“Could’ve fooled me. You’re a real asshole anymore. Worse than Dom.”
Antony merely shrugged, not rising to that tried-and-true bait. So they spent the rest of the ride to the garage in silence. Once there, Antony sat gripping the wheel. Aiden waited, hoping he’d get something out of him—something he would assure him that the man he thought he remembered as the protective, funny, and loving guy he’d grown up with still existed inside the guy walking around wearing Antony’s skin.
Finally, he let go of the wheel, exhaled, and squared his shoulders as if prepping for battle. Aiden made a mental note to talk to Kieran about how badly Antony had descended into his life of non-stop mourning and jerk-hood.
“So, Rosalee, not putting out for you or what? You need to get laid maybe? Knock the edge off?”
The glare Aiden got for saying those particular words did make him worry Antony might punch his aching head through the passenger-side window.
He clenched his jaw in the way Aiden remembered from their childhood. “That is so far outside the realm of your business as to be in another galaxy. Get to work and don’t say her name to me again.”
And with that, Aiden was left with the fleeting thought that mentioning Rosalee directly was probably not a good idea. He surely didn’t need Antony to guess that her name was on his lips, or front and center of his mind.
He shook his head—a Bad Plan because it summoned the pounding agony back with a vengeance. Groaning, he climbed out and shuffled over to the door.
A new day began at Love Garage.
Coach Love
Available: January 5, 2015 (ebook) | March 14, 2015 (Print)
The smoldering intensity of first love ~ the forbidden fantasy of temptation ~ the cold hard facts of real life.
When one man’s hopes are dashed apart in a split second after years spent chasing a dream, he returns home to Kentucky furious at the world and everyone around him.
Kieran Francesco is the middle son of the volatile, tight-knit Halloran-Love family. His role as peacemaker and the one true athlete is well established. He now faces life devoid of the sport he adores after a horrific, career-ending accident, which places him in a new and entirely uncomfortable position—that of the brother with no future.
Over the course of a few tumultuous months Kieran is plunged back into life at the center of the Love family, where he must cope with one self-destructive brother, one ill-timed reconnection to an old flame and a series of bad choices that land him in more trouble than he’d ever known existed.
COACH LOVE, book 2 of The Love Brothers, a family saga of sibling loyalty that runs as deep and wide as the Ohio River—at least until Sunday, when Antony, Kieran, Dominic and Aiden work out their frustrations at the weekly Love brother pick-up basketball game.
As he drove the twenty or so miles from his parents’ house into town Kieran’s head began to clear. The windows were down and the tunes cranked. The sun shone. Signs of summer–one of his favorite seasons–were all around him. Parks packed with families, all the basketball courts and swimming pools overflowing. The sight of a gaggle of boys on bikes riding alongside him for a while, singing along with whatever random, crappy rap song currently polluted the airwaves made him smile.
“Hey, it’s Kieran Love!” one of the punks shouted after a few blocks. “Can you come over and shoot a few with us?”
He waved and drove on, gratified but sad, the sound of their cheerful unhappiness at his refusal filling his ears, taking the stretch of four lane road at seventy miles an hour, pressing the gas pedal to the floor, the throaty, powerful roar of the car’s engine revving him from head to toe.
It would be all right because he and Melinda loved each other. They had from the moment they’d met. He passed some grandpa in a Toyota, as the deep green fields surrounded by picturesque white fences and dotted with horses filled both sides of his vision.
He’d been home and recuperating from radical knee surgery with the best prognosis he could hope for after such a nasty break–to walk normally, much less play the occasional pick up game. His depression had been deep, wide, and terrifying. He woke every day at his parents’ house, unwilling even to get out of bed, not that he could without help for the first few weeks.
Antony had tossed a laptop computer at him one day when he’d been sulking, unshaven, and eating an entire bag of potato chips, something he’d not done since the age of ten when his fate–bound for basketball fame and fortune–had been determined.
“Here, find a job, find a date, find something,” he’d said before yanking the empty chip bag away and smacking Kieran’s head hard enough to make his ears ring.
“Ow. Leave me alone, asshole. I’m grievously injured,” he’d said, not caring about the swear-free zone he inhabited.
“That’s three dollars young man,” his mother had called out from the kitchen.
“You live with this, jerk, and see how you feel about finding ‘a date.’“ He’d hooked his fingers around the words, heart in his throat at how badly he’d wanted to call Cara right then.
But by the next weekend he was caning and limping his way toward the door to some faux-fancy Italian restaurant in Lexington, rubbing his freshly shaved face and trying not to sweat through his dress shirt. The woman from the internet site sat at the bar, twirling an olive-laden swizzle stick in her martini glass, long, slim, bare legs crossed, feet encased in sky-high patent leather heels. He’d exhaled, beyond relived that he’d not been cat-fished by some troll, or worse, a dude.
He’d hesitated then, something in him telling him to turn around and leave, fast. But at that moment, she’d flashed him the whitest, most perfect smile he’d ever seen and he’d been hooked. He still didn’t know how. They’d gone out for three weeks before she let him kiss her. It’d been another three weeks before he got anywhere near her tits. It had been a solid four months before he scored but that encounter had been, in a word, epic.
Melinda liked to talk dirty, wear heels and a garter belt while he fucked her. Loved doing it with all the lights on and in semi-public places. She gave head like a pro at first, before he’d given her an engagement ring.
Her bitchiness had come across as extreme decisiveness, sort of hot in way, he’d admit, since he tended toward the spontaneous and unplanned–”wishy washy” as he now understood it thanks to Melinda’s re-categorization of his personality. Her tight grip on her emotions and her surroundings, the OCD way she ordered her life did grate on him at times but he figured she tolerated his innate sloppiness and willingness to wake on a Sunday without a plan in place for the rest of the day. When he realized he sat across from her at some overpriced, hipster restaurant near her office after going out with her for eight months, ready to present her with a ring he could barely afford, it had shocked him without seeming to even faze her.
“Well, of course I’ll marry you, but you’ve got to find a better job,” she’d drawled as she sipped her champagne.
“A new job?” He’d gotten the teaching gig at his old high school and couldn’t imagine any job he’d want or like better. She made six figures for Christ’s sake, at least he thought she did.
Elated, drunk with lust and achievement, he’d tried to get his long legs adjusted under the small table jammed between all the others and covered with small plates of “tapas” which, best he could tell were “appetizers” only twice the price and half the helpings.
“I’ll do anything you want, Melinda. You saved me, honest to God you did.”
She’d fluttered her inky black lashes and gazed at him with an expression that convinced him he’d made the drastic move for the right reasons. The following year had been a combination of frustration, anger and high school level blue balls. The double drama Antony and Aiden had foisted on the Love family during that time hadn’t helped but it had distracted him. He’d taught his classes, helped out with the basketball team pro bono without telling Melinda and had been happier than he’d ever been as a pro athlete.
The fact that she maintained her uber-bitch persona around his family killed him. But he was hooked.
Still.
Mostly.
Love Brewing
Available: March 1, 2015 (ebook) | March 14, 2015 (Print)
Every family has one—the black sheep, the problem child, the prodigal. But Dominic Sean Love could teach all of those guys a lesson or two. Stuck in the middle of a boisterous group of siblings, he’s given “acting out” a new meaning from the day he drew his first breath.
While he’s the one son who follows his strict father’s footsteps into the Love family business, he’s also the one who butts heads with him the hardest. Their epic clashes are the stuff of family legend. But they have made peace and work side by side to take Love Brewing to the next level of success.
Until Dominic does the one thing his father can never forgive.
Diana Brantley has been Dominic’s friend, girlfriend and ex-girlfriend so many times she’s lost count. When he shows up at the farm she’s slowly transforming into a wildly popular farm-to-table resource for restaurants all over the U.S. her first impulse is to shoot first and ask questions later. But she doesn’t. And their lives entwine once more, for good, bad and ugly.
Working (pre-edited) Excerpt:
Dominic would give anything be able to talk to Kieran. They’d gotten close in the last months since he’d required a rather alarming rescue from a jail down in Georgia and his brother had shown up, very few questions asked. But no, Kieran had his own issues and likely at that very moment was busy trying to convince his high school girlfriend to marry him, even as she was poised and ready to marry someone else.
“You need dry clothes,” Diana said, interrupting his pity party.
He shrugged and kept his gaze fixed on the view of rain. “Your garden looks like shit. When’s the last time you bothered to pull weeds?”
She snorted. He smiled. He used to love it when she’d do that. He’d honestly had no intention of showing up here today. The Brantley farm remained way off the beaten track, if the track around Lucasville could be considered “beaten” in any way. When he’d raced out of the stifling hot sanctuary and hotwired Kieran’s car he’d driven off without a single thought in his addled head other than “escape.”
But when he’d finally released his death grip on the steering wheel he’d looked through the windshield and found himself facing the old two-story farmhouse where he’d lost his virginity—not to Diana but to her sister Jen, an older version of the girl he’d been hanging around with since God was a boy. The whooshing sound that had deafened him for the last couple of days had receded ever so slightly at the sight of the place.
He’d not been anywhere near it in over six years, ever since he’d run out here to get solace from Diana when Gina had bolted for New York. Her reaction to his surprise visit had been decidedly less hostile then. He groaned and ran a hand down his wet face.
No one to blame but yourself for this reception, numb nuts.
As if on cue, one of the dogs whined and bumped his leg with its huge muzzle.
“Bossy bitch,” he said softly, giving her another scratch behind the ears. The animal gazed at him adoringly.
Yeah, at least dogs always loved him.
He glanced up and caught sight of Diana tugging on something dry that looked way too big for her. The sight of it sent a thrill of something he didn’t want to acknowledge as jealousy down his spine.
You have less than no place being jealous of anything about her, he reminded himself. She stared at him as she buttoned up the light blue, obviously man-sized shirt. He had to restrain himself from blinking too fast at the onrushing memories threatening to mow him down.
“Put on a few pounds eh Di?” he said, leaning back against the rough barn wall. The dog practically crawled up onto the hay bale and laid its head in his lap. Damn thing weighed over eighty pounds and smelled like rancid pond water, but he didn’t stop it.
“Fuck you,” she said, turning away and giving him a lovely view of the backs of her slim, tanned legs. “Come up to the house and get some dry clothes on, you dumbass.” She stood there, wearing that shirt that made his chest tight, pondering where it had come from, her legs bare and beautiful. It made him want to weep. He set his jaw and turned away from her.
“I missed you and your ladylike ways,” he said, almost absently, as he turned back to study the rain pounding against the window. “Ow!” The towel pop flicked his neck, then his thigh. “Damn girl, you on your period or what?” He rubbed his leg and noted that he was, indeed, soaked through and could use a change of clothes. Too bad he hadn’t thought of that when he ran away from what remained of his former life.
“I can feel your crybaby BS from clear across this barn,” she said. “Makes me wanna laugh.”
He turned fast, angry at her words. But her gaze comforted him. And suddenly, he realized why he’d found himself here, on what could be labeled as the worst day of his sorry-ass thirty years.
“How’d married life work out for ya,” he said, shoving the dog off his lap and getting to his feet.
“How d’you think? I mean, I’m sure it was the talk of the town.” She kept staring at him, not moving. For a split second, Dom found himself headed toward her, needing to feel her skin, taste her lips. But he stood, keeping the four or so feet between them, the dogs milling around their ankles making worried noises. An errant drop of water fell from a lock of hair over his eyes. The moment felt fraught and he cursed himself for causing her pain, again. And again.
“Well, I guess the guy was lucky to escape with his balls intact,” he said, finally. “You’re still as ugly as homemade sin,” he lied.
The corner of her lips lifted. He let himself exhale.
It was on now. And he knew she’d let him stay here as long as he needed.
Amazon best-selling author, beer blogger, brewery marketing expert, mom of three, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.
Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
Don’t ever ask her for anything “like a Budweiser” or risk bodily injury.
Website | Beer, Books & More Blog | Facebook Fan Page | Facebook Fan Group
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October 31, 2014
Ready for a #spanking ~ #MySexySaturday from PHOENIX SPANKED in #SpankorTreat #99cents
Thank you so much for joining me for week 66 of My Sexy Saturday!
SEXY DATE NIGHT!
Here’s seven from the SPANK OR TREAT 2014 ANTHOLOGY,
a collection of 16 stories now available for 99¢. Enjoy!
Set-up: In my story, PHOENIX SPANKED, Marta (a phoenix) flew through the house when she knew it was against the rules. And now, she must accept her punishment. Though it’s not a sexy date night, it’s a sexy moment between Marta and Lucinda…
The door opened, and her lover stepped inside. Gone was the long, black robe she wore when casting spells. Instead, she wore a black, thigh-length fishnet dress over her purple and black tiger-striped bra and thong, the same colors as her hair. Pink gloss coated her luscious lips, but the black eyeliner highlighted her dominance. Marta focused on the sexy sway of her hips as she drew nearer, ignoring the oak paddle hairbrush in her hand.
“You know you’re not supposed to fly in the house.” Lucinda smacked the paddle onto her palm, not reacting to the sting, as if it didn’t hurt at all.
But Marta knew the truth, and it would soon be her ass on the receiving end of those slaps. She’d disobeyed an agreement made a year ago, when they’d moved into their new house. Now, she had to accept the consequences.
As Lucinda sat on the edge of the bed, her dress rose up her thighs. Marta licked her lips. If only she could skip her spanking to run her hands along her lover’s exposed flesh, part her legs, and taste her sweet juices.
Marta sighed. If she didn’t accept her punishment, she wouldn’t receive the pleasure that always followed. She kneeled on the floor before lying across Lucinda’s lap. “I’m ready to accept the consequences of my actions.”
“Good.” Lucinda’s husky voice sent shivers down her spine, a temporary reprieve from the flaring heat since the onset of her change. If her wife didn’t hurry, she’d burst into flames before she was properly spanked.
“Five spanks, this time.” Lucinda rubbed her ass. “You deserve more for interrupting my session with Tavo, but I’m willing to show some leniency due to your state of mind.”
~ About SPANK OR TREAT 2014 ~
From sweet witch stories to passionate nights with a demon, the SPANK OR TREAT 2014 ANTHOLOGY offers sixteen sexy spanking stories with a paranormal twist. Inside you’ll find magical cookies, a phoenix in trouble, a husband’s special gift to his wife, and even a snowball fight with a mage. The romantic pairings range: M/F to F/F and M/M. Whether you prefer a paddle, a bare hand, or even a whip, you’re sure to find at least one story sure to please.
ONLY 99¢ FROM:
Available at other retailers soon.
Be sure to check out other MY SEXY SATURDAY excerpts!
October 30, 2014
A #1NightStand on All Hallows’ Eve ~ FLIRTING WITH FIRE by Tara Quan & #Giveaway @LaylaTarar
I owe my lovely hostess a huge thank you for having me over today. My paranormal romantic comedy, Flirting with Fire, was just released by Decadent Publishing. It features a clueless fire mage, his fed-up cat familiar, and Madame Eve’s renowned one-night stand service. On All Hallows’ Eve, this witch and warlock iron out the kinks of an outdated employment contract in a spectacularly fiery fashion (and once you read the blurb, my very odd description will make a lot more sense).
In celebration, I’m giving away a $15 gift card.
To enter, leave a comment here, and drop your details in the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post.
Flirting with Fire
A Witch’s Night Out, 1
by Tara Quan
Apprentice witch Catalina Gato is prohibited from assuming her human form in front of her new employer without his express permission. Since he doesn’t know he’s a warlock, he can’t give it, leaving her in a familiar’s limbo. To make matters worse, she’s barred from leaving his house, and her attempts to enlighten him of his true nature results in burnt notes, charred walls, and exploding laptops.
On All Hallows’ Eve, she gets one night of freedom. Deciding some no-strings-attached sex might take the edge off the intense attraction she feels for her clueless boss, she signs up for Madame Eve’s service. When she meets her masked mystery date at the Castillo Capital, she realizes she might have gotten much more than she bargained for.
After being gifted a one-night stand from his annoying best friend, attorney Leo Difuoco reluctantly ventures to the Castillo Capital to celebrate Halloween. When he meets his oddly familiar green-eyed date in a Cat Woman costume, flames literally ignite, sparks magically fly, and life as he knows it changes forever.
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Comedy, Interracial/Multicultural
Available from:
Amazon | B&N | AllRomance | Decadent | GoodReads
Her lips pursed, [Cat Woman] stared down at him for a long moment. Then she muttered, “What the hell,” and dropped her very attractive behind onto the opposite seat. “So, this is your idea of an easy place to pick up chicks in costume?”
Not only was the question out of place, it bore an uncanny similarity to something he might have said to his cat. “Well…one in particular, I guess. What’s your name, by the way?”
“Cat.”
She had to be joking. Or she obfuscated on purpose. He decided on the latter. After all, keeping one’s identity hidden made for a great exit strategy. “Mine’s Leo.”
She lifted the leather menu and opened it, blocking his view of her face. “I know.”
Madame Eve must employ a double standard, revealing the identity of men and not women. Another possible theory was Jack had forged the card and kept the woman’s details a secret on purpose. Both explanations seemed plausible. “What else do you know about me?”
She flipped a page. “Everything.”
Talk about unfair. Cat Woman must have received an actual profile, complete with a photo and an option to decline the date. “It might not be all true.”
She tilted the menu forward an inch, revealing the top half of her masked face. “What?”
“The profile you read. Jack has a weird sense of humor. You shouldn’t trust any of it.”
Her eyelids lowered into a slight squint, something the non-human Cat he knew had a habit of doing whenever he forgot to grab his keys. “I don’t follow.”
“It’s obvious you received some basic information about me.” When she shook her head, he waved off the denial. “It’s not a big deal, but I thought I should tell you someone else filled everything out. Since I hadn’t been offered a file on you at all, we should pretend this is a normal date and start over.”
With a shrug and a swift nod, she put the menu down, pulled her gloves off, and reached an arm across the table. The smile she sent him made his stomach do an unsettling flip. “My name is Catalina Gato. I’m a maid, accountant, and shape-shifting witch with a clueless boss and very meddlesome sister.”
What a sense of humor. Considering her costume, cat burglar would have been funnier, but she deserved bonus points for saying it all with a straight face. He took her hand and fought the odd urge to grab her, kiss her silly, and tear her clothes off.
The candle’s flame changed from blue to white. Then the fire shot up in a straight line, six inches high. Another round of nervous clapping followed.
Their palms still touching, he frowned. “Someone here must love Halloween. These special effects are over the top, not to mention dangerous.”
She shook her head and broke contact. Hints of disbelief and resignation laced her bell-like laugh. “Do you think Gomez has recovered enough to send a waiter our way?”
Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com
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October 29, 2014
5 Facts About Witchcraft by author @PippaJayGreen & a #Giveaway! #PNR
Hi, I’m Pippa Jay, author of scifi and the supernatural with a romantic soul. As a teen, I was actually a practicing witch. Mostly simple spells for good fortune and protection, though I had some others as well (much like my character Hal refers to in the story as something much worse he could have done). But I certainly didn’t fly around on a broomstick or turn people into toads. In fact, a lot of what we believe about witches isn’t exactly true. So here are five facts about witchcraft that you might not know, and that helped me in creating my story about a heartbroken warlock.
The word “witchcraft” is believed to derive from Old English – “wicce” meaning “witch” and “cræft” for “craft”.
During the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Europe, many women were burned at the stake as witches merely because they had red hair. As a redhead with a family of redheads, I’m kind of upset about that.
Most people found guilty of witchcraft weren’t burned at the stake at all, but hanged instead. One person is recorded as having been crushed by large stones. Eww!
Not all those accused of witchcraft were women. Just as often men were accused and found guilty of witchcraft, and sometimes children as well.
England’s Witchcraft Act of 1735 remained in place until 1951, and a woman was convicted in 1944…but on the basis of holding fake séances to defraud people. In the US, witchcraft was actually acknowledged as a legitimate religion in the 1980s (though there are still laws against fraudulent divinatory practices).
So there you go. Please tell me in the comments who is your favourite witch and enter the rafflecopter for your chance to win a pentagram necklace and six jasmine-scented glitter candles!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Can one night of magic heal his heart?
Twelve months ago, Hal’s world crashed and burned, taking the love of his life with it. He’s waited all year for that one special night when the souls of the departed come home, hoping his candle will summon back one in particular to heal his broken heart. But the forbidden knowledge he’s learned could call something far worse, and put more than his own soul at risk…
The thud and chink of beer bottles and glasses on the bar announced Dan’s return.
“So?”
Hal shook his head. “Not tonight.”
“Oh, c’mon, man. Just one beer.”
Hal dropped his gaze to the glass he was still drying with a vehemence it didn’t deserve, avoiding his friend’s pleading stare. “Thanks, but I’m not in the mood.”
Dan made an exasperated sound. “Look, I know it’s nearly a year—”
Pain lanced into his chest. “Stop.” He looked up.
A frown creasing his tanned face, Dan glared back, but he shut up.
Hal sucked in a breath. He didn’t want to fight with Dan over this. The guy had stopped Hal’s life completely falling apart after last Halloween. “I know what you’re trying to do,” he murmured, and relief flickered in Dan’s brown eyes. “But I’m not ready to let it go.”
“I’m not saying you should, man. But how about getting back into some social interaction? You can’t spend the rest of your life as a recluse.”
“I won’t.” Hal smiled. Dan had no idea.
“Then come out for a beer.”
“Another time.”
“Tomorrow then. I know you’ve got the Halloween shift off.”
Hal put down the glass he’d abused. “I’m busy.”
“Oh, yeah? Doing what? Trick or treating?” Dan scoffed. “What is it with you and Halloween? You never struck me as religious enough to find it offensive, but you don’t go out and have any fun either. So how come you always take the night off?”
Hal looked around the bar at all the tawdry holiday decorations, and debated how to answer. Maybe Dan thought he was a closet Christian or something. The truth would shock the hell out of him. Especially with what Hal had planned this year. “My…family don’t see it as something to joke about.”
“Oh. Strict Catholic or something?”
“Something like that.” Hal smiled at the thought of his parents taking Holy Communion. But let Dan interpret it any way he liked.
AVAILABLE FROM:
All Romance eBooks | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | B&N
After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published through BURST (Champagne Books), a scifi romance novella—Tethered—published by Breathless Press, a YA paranormal romance—Restless In Peaceville—published by Lycaon Press, four self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply, The Bones of the Sea, Reboot and Hallow’s Eve), and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).
You can stalk her at her website, or at her blog, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.
You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Wattpad
A SEXY #Halloween story ~ And it’s FREE! #menage
Hello! Are you looking for a short sexy read for Halloween? Check out the short story I wrote a couple of years ago, LAST MINUTE CUSTOMERS. It’s a very short MFM menage story that takes place on Halloween night. Best of all, it’s FREE! Enjoy!
LAST MINUTE CUSTOMERS
After a long day of helping her customers find the perfect costumes for parties and trick-or-treating, Mandy is ready to close up shop. She just wants to crash on her bed for a few hours before she has to get her party supply store ready for the next holiday. But two sexy last minute customers keep her from locking the door, and she helps them find the perfect outfits. Little does Mandy realize these men want more than just what her shop offers. They want her.
Caution: Contains HOT MFM sex, including anal and double penetration.
Available from:
October 28, 2014
Alice tumbles down the strangest rabbit hole yet ~ THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY by Heather Lyons #giveaway
THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY
by Heather Lyons
From the author of the Fate series and The Deep End of the Sea comes a fantastical romantic adventure that has Alice tumbling down the strangest rabbit hole yet.
After years in Wonderland, Alice has returned to England as an adult, desperate to reclaim sanity and control over her life. An enigmatic gentleman with an intriguing job offer too tempting to resist changes her plans for a calm existence, though. Soon, she’s whisked to New York and initiated into the Collectors’ Society, a secret organization whose members confirm that famous stories are anything but straightforward and that what she knows about the world is only a fraction of the truth.
It’s there she discovers villains are afoot—ones who want to shelve the lives of countless beings. Assigned to work with the mysterious and alluring Finn, Alice and the rest of the Collectors’ Society race against a doomsday clock in order to prevent further destruction . . . but will they make it before all their endings are erased?
Available from:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble (coming soon) | Kobo | iTunes
THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY Goodreads
I tell him sweetly, “Call me luv again and you’ll have to go get yourself a nice piece of meat for the bruised eye you’ll be sporting.”
He pretends to swoon, an arm across his forehead. “Be still me heart.” And then, with a rubbery grin, “Do you talk this dirty to all your beaus?”
I’m halfway down the hall when he catches up with me. “You’re no fun, little Miss Alice.”
It’s my turn to playact, a hand pressed against my heart. “That wounds me deeply.” And then I smack his hand as it brushes up against my pocket. He yelps, but thankfully there are a few more feet between us now.
“Steal from me, and I’ll do more than gift you with a black eye. Keep your hands to yourself. Understand?”
“No fun at all,” he mutters sadly once we’re upon the elevator.
Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—she’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.
Author Links:
Website | Author Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
October 27, 2014
Meet Jesse Cordell from WAKE ME by @AlexaBourne #PNR #romsuspense
Thank you to Jessica for inviting me. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought someone else with me. Jesse Cordell is the hero of my new book, WAKE ME, and I figured your readers might like to get to know him a bit more.
Alexa: Okay, Jesse, here we go. What was your 1st impression of Sarah when you saw her at the crime scene?
Jesse: She was hot, but she had shifty eyes so I knew she was hiding something.
Alexa: Did your opinion of her change when she claimed her dreams come true?
Jesse: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, come on. Somebody’s looking good for a murder and she springs that on you? I’m not stupid. I knew better than to listen to her about the dreams.
Alexa: What about when your partner & boss tried to seal up the case against her?
Jesse: I knew in my gut she might be crazy, but I knew she hadn’t committed a crime….well, not a murder anyway.
Alexa: What do you like to do for fun?
Jesse: I like going to the different festivals Austin is famous for. And of course, I’m a huge Longhorns fan. I’ve got season tickets to the football games so I do a lot of tailgating. I also like to run around Lady Bird Lake to relax.
Alexa: So, I know you grew up in Austin. What do you love about it?
Jesse: I love the weather during all the seasons except summer. It’s hot! There are some crazy people, ones I’ve seen through my job, but there are some awesome people, too. A certain positive vibe travels throughout the city. We’ll come up with a way to celebrate almost anything.
Alexa: What made you want to be a police officer?
Jesse: (shifting in his seat) My mother was a con artist. When I found out, I lost all faith in her. I decided I wanted to work for the good guys, for the victims.
Alexa: Do you ever speak with your mom now?
Jesse: Nope. Not since she left me with my uncle when I was around 10. Can we go back to talking about Sarah?
Alexa: Okay, last question. What’s your favorite thing about the woman in your life?
Jesse: (A wide grin covers his face.) I’m not allowed to mention that online without getting in trouble. BUT, she’s a great woman. She struggles with things in her life, but in the end she always does what’s right and takes care of the underdog.
Alexa: Thanks so much for joining me, Jesse! Stay safe on those Austin streets.
Jesse: Thanks. I’ll do my best.
Alexa Bourne is giving away THREE prizes throughout her Wake Me Blog Tour!
Leave comments in any (or all!) of the tour stops and you will be in the running!
For this stop, who (dead or alive) would you most like to interview and why?
Find the rest of the stops on the tour here.
WAKE ME
by Alexa Bourne
Her psychic dreams come true.
Sarah McKinley’s attempts to take her foreknowledge of crimes to the Seattle Police Department marked her as a troublemaker and were never taken seriously. Starting over in Austin, she plans never to reveal her gift, but shortly after she arrives, the dreams begin again, and the local police want to know why she has knowledge only the killer could possess.
Detective Jesse Cordell watched his mother con people with her “psychic ability” all through his childhood. He hones in on Sarah, who has means, motive, and opportunity to have murdered the victim in his current investigation. Instinct tells him she didn’t commit the crime, but she definitely knows more than she’s letting on.
Can he put aside his doubts and join forces with her, against everything he believes in, to find the real killer? Or will he do his job and put her behind bars? After all, there’s no such thing as the “psychic ability.” Or is there?
Available from:
Alexa Bourne is a teacher by day and a romance writer by nights, weekends, and all school holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance and is thrilled to have the chance to share her stories with readers everywhere.
When she’s not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV, and thinking about exercising. Okay, she also spends way too much time interacting with readers and writers on social media sites. But don’t tell her editors! Find out more about her and her books on her website, www.alexabourne.com.
Social Media:
Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Website | Blog
Email: alexa@alexabourne.com
October 26, 2014
Meet the narrator of ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER PLANET ~ Audrey Lusk @VoxPulchris #audiobook #ACX_com
Hello my dear readers! Have you tried audiobooks yet? I know, I know, just another format to get books in. But, it’s a format I’ve just recently started to enjoy. I listen to audiobooks while I’m cleaning, making dinner, driving alone (my kids and hubby don’t like to listen to the books I like), and walking the dog. Others I’ve talked to who listen to audiobooks use them to pass the time when doing housework and driving long distances, like back and forth to work.
In the summer, Another Night, Another Planet was released as an audiobook, and I had the opportunity to interview my wonderful narrator, Audrey Lusk. Here we go…
How long have you been narrating audiobooks?
AL: I started working through ACX just over a year ago, but I’ve done volunteer readings for years.
How did you get started?
AL: I’ve always done acting, and love reading aloud. As soon as someone mentioned there was a way to do this for money, I jumped at the chance. For all its flaws, ACX makes this pretty accessible to anyone who can read and produce a good finished product.
What are your favorite types of stories to narrate?
AL: Ones with great characters, where I can really get IN to the roles I get to play. That’s always been the most appeal to me – being able to play all the characters.
What are your favorite scenes to narrate?
AL: Great dialog, with snappy lines that are fun to deliver. I am, at heart, an actor and love a meaty role or five. The most challenging stuff, though, is really touching moments, when I have to try not to cry.
What are your least favorite scenes to narrate?
AL: Boring scenes (or entire books) where nothing is going on. The scenes that should have been left out. You know, “How are you?” “I’m fine, how are you.” “I’m good. It’s a nice day.” Etc. Like the crap you had to memorize in elementary French, but without the weird “r”s. Oh, and sentences that just don’t make sense, though I can make them sound like they do.
In Another Night, Another Planet, what was your favorite scene?
AL: Tough choice. No spoilers, but the makeup scene, when they’re finding out what went wrong before was really nice, but I also love the opening chase scene, as he’s trying to keep from getting caught. Good action is a lot of fun.
What format of books do you prefer to read or listen to?
AL: I’m good with most forms of books – just depends on my mood, so I guess i don’t really have a preference.
Who is your favorite author?
AL: Agatha Christie. For all that some of her work got a bit formulaic, she did a lot with taking stereotypical characters and peeling away to reveal underlying differences – and often with just a single word or phrase.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
AL: What is this earth-thing you call “spare time”?
LOL I can totally understand. What projects are you working on next?
AL: Currently I have a number of books on the recording list – I got a bit behind this year and am still digging my way out from under – but I’m also working on publishing some of my own short stories for kindle, and recording them as well, of course. I’ve also managed to get stories into several anthologies, from “Take the Heat” edited by Skye Warren, to a couple of upcoming books from the Coming Together series, and I’m also part of a new venture called Eclectic Anthologies.
Find Audrey Lusk here:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Titles (ebooks & audio) on Amazon
Another Night, Another Planet
Erotic Sci-Fi Romance
Limited by status…
Ava is a housekeeper aboard Star Spirit, a luxury cruise ship travelling between the Milky Way and the Belvarian System. Coming from a middle-class family on Earth, she is considered by passengers as nothing more than an object to be tossed away when they’re done with her.
Shunned because of his lineage…
Banned from several planets across the universe, Nate struggles to run his interstellar shipping business. But the DNA of an exterminated race runs through his blood, giving him a diluted form of their powers, and leaving him labeled as a terrorist.
Both searching for the one…
Through her 1Night Stand dating service, Madame Evangeline matches these two together for a celestial escape on the pleasure planet, Elatia.
Will Ava and Nate find what they’re looking for, or will their date be just another night on another planet?
Audio Book Available From:
Audible | Amazon | iTunes
At Amazon, if you buy the Kindle format
(only 99¢ for the month of October!),
you can get the audio book for a reduced price.
Listen to a sample here:
October 23, 2014
Read PHOENIX SPANKED, an F/F #spanking story for #SpankorTreat 2014
SPANK OR TREAT 2014
Spank or Treat 2014 has come and gone. I hope you had a chance to read all of the wonderful stories and enter the multiple giveaways. All winners will be announced on October 31, 2014.
If you didn’t get a chance to read PHOENIX SPANKED and the rest of the stories, or would like to have a digital copy of them all, be sure to check out the Spank or Treat 2014 anthology coming November 1, 2014 to most ebook retailers.
For more spanking fun, visit Saturday Spankings each week.
