Lisa Bilbrey's Blog, page 53

RELEASE TOUR: Claimed by Love by Melissa Foster

Family law attorney Gabriella Liakos has one true love, Elpitha Island, where she grew up and hopes someday to return. But Elpitha is in financial ruins, and Gabriella will do anything to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. 
Duke Ryder is a savvy real estate investor set on making Elpitha into an exclusive resort. Unlike other investors, he's not scared of purchasing a property where one family has roots so deep they practically reach the ocean floor...until he meets his beautiful, stubborn, and enticing tour host―the daughter of the owner of most of the island. Gabriella sets out to dissuade Duke from purchasing Elpitha, but Duke has other ideas. He wants Gabriella and the island. Duke's powerful seduction draws Gabriella in, but can a savvy investor who's used to glamour and glitz, and a woman interested in preserving the culture she adores find a happily ever after together? The RYDERS are the newest addition to the Love in Bloom series. Characters from each series appear in future books. Each book may be read as a standalone novel, or as part of the series.   Chapter OneDUKE RYDER BALANCED his cell phone against his shoulder, listening to his buddy and investment partner Pierce Braden talk about their newest potential investment property as he followed the rickety wooden dock onto the white sandy beach.“The dock just might be the most stable thing on Elpitha Island,” Pierce said. “Try to soak in a little sand and sun while you’re there. That’s the best part of the island.”Duke’s eyes were immediately drawn to the sprawling oak trees he’d read about, standing sentinel over the forested acreage beyond. Long, thick branches spread like languid arms draped in moss, reaching for…what? One glance told him that there wasn’t much to reach for, save for a building that looked more like a forgotten Mediterranean villa than the welcome center of the small Southern island. The stone and wood building had a deep porch that spanned the entire length of the left side with stone pillars. A wooden trellis laced with the most captivating flowering vines shaded the area. Although the structure itself was in need of repair, it was surrounded by perfectly manicured, ornate gardens, which contrasted sharply with overgrown and unkempt bushes littering the far edges of the property.“The proximity to the mainland isn’t bad,” Duke said to Pierce. He set his suitcase on the sand and looked back at the Atlantic. “It only took an hour fifteen to get here.” Elpitha was the smallest of the vacation islands off of South Carolina, and more than half of the land had been owned by the Liakos family for centuries. It was just over eight square miles, and not many investors wanted such a small tract of land, or to deal with families that were as entrenched as the Liakos family was thought to be. Some families might sell out, but they would fight tooth and nail against change, which could cause discourse on an island this small. Duke and Pierce weren’t deterred. The restrictive size of the property would only increase the value, making it an exclusive vacation spot for the elite. “With Hilton Head and the other islands so overrun,” Pierce said, “Elpitha is ripe for development. Although we’ll have to work around that name. Who wants to go to an island called Elpitha? It sounds more like a disease than an island.”Duke squinted up at the blazing sun and loosened his tie. “I don’t know. I kind of like it.” He noticed a plantation-style home tucked behind the trees in the distance. “They weren’t kidding about the strange mix of Mediterranean and Southern feel of the place. This should be interesting.” Duke knew some of the island’s history, and though he still didn’t understand why Greeks would immigrate to the South and try to re-create their country’s feel, it didn’t much matter. If he and Pierce decided to purchase the land, they would bulldoze every structure and give the island a complete Southern overhaul, making it the most desirable resort area in the South. “Chuck called earlier and said Liakos’s granddaughter Gabriella is an attorney,” Pierce explained. “He thinks they might bring her in on things. Apparently their family keeps things tight. So if you meet her, play nice.”The hollow clank of a screen door hitting its frame drew Duke’s attention. A woman stood on the porch of the old building, shading her eyes from the sun as she looked out at the water. Her long dark hair hung halfway down her back. Duke was too far away to see her features, but there was no missing her curvaceous ass and full breasts, not to mention legs that seemed to go on forever beneath her short summery dress. Duke watched with interest as he listened to Pierce relay the most recent information from the attorneys and engineers. The woman glanced at her watch, then settled her hand on her hip. A voice rang out from inside the building, and the pretty woman hurried back inside. “I just found proof of life,” he said to Pierce as he stepped onto the sandy path. “I’ll call you once I’ve done some recon.” His black leather shoes quickly lost their shine from the dusty road as he approached the building. Voices filtered out the open windows as he mounted the steps. He glanced through the screen door, spotting the brunette he’d just seen. She was facing away from him, speaking heatedly in Greek, hands flailing as her exasperated voice pitched higher. A thick-waisted man with salt-and-pepper hair sat at a table near the counter, amusement shining in his dark eyes as the brunette ranted to an older woman, and then the man said something Duke couldn’t hear.“Ugh! Baba!” The younger woman threw her hands up in the air and flew out the screen door, nearly smacking Duke in the face. He stumbled backward, giving the angry woman a wide breadth as she paced the front porch. She mumbled something in Greek and then crossed her arms, raised her shoulders, and dropped them quickly with a loud harrumph. Duke couldn’t help but drink in the flush on her smooth, sun-kissed cheeks. Her nose was small and straight, and her almond-shaped, dark—and currently angry—eyes were shadowed by lashes so long they brushed her cheeks.Having grown up with a younger sister, Duke bided his time in announcing his presence, not wanting to take the brunt of her reaction to whatever the man had said to upset her. She inhaled a deep breath, her breasts rising and pressing against the sheer fabric, then falling as she exhaled loudly. Her shoulders lowered, and the tightness around her mouth softened. She turned a full-lipped, mind-numbing smile to Duke, as if she hadn’t just come out in a firestorm.“My father believes that no matter what he says, I hear something else.” She tilted her head to the side in a thoughtful pose, and in the space of a second her eyes filled with rebellion, making her even sexier. “Hearing and agreeing are two different things.” Duke wondered what her father had just said that got her panties in a bunch. Christ. Now he was thinking about her panties.“I’m Gabriella Liakos. Welcome to Elpitha Island.”The granddaughter? Playing nice would not be a problem with this feisty beauty. Duke shook her hand, holding it a beat longer than he probably should, still mesmerized by the whirlwind of energy radiating from her. “Duke Ryder. It’s nice to meet you. I didn’t mean to intrude.” “No one intrudes on Elpitha,” she said sweetly.Duke shifted his eyes to the screen door, and she laughed softly. It was the rare type of laugh that floated like the wind and wasn’t easily forgotten. “We’re Greek,” she said with a shrug, as if that explained it all.He arched a brow.“When you combine a Greek father and a Southern mother, who learned all the best Greek ways, that’s what you get. Food, yelling, guilt, more food. Sweet love. Crazy love. More food. That’s who we are.” She dragged her gorgeous eyes down his suit to his shoes and put one hand on her hip as she had earlier, tapping her lips with the other. Duke wouldn’t mind getting his mouth on those succulent lips for some crazy love. “You’re the investor, checking out our island so you can line your pockets, right?” He couldn’t tell if the look in her eyes was teasing or serious, but her sharp tongue piqued his interest even more. Duke respected confidence, and even though it wasn’t the greeting he’d hoped for, he liked knowing that Gabriella wasn’t a pushover. “Something like that,” he answered casually. As a real estate investor, Duke knew his clients were vulnerable and, more often than not, taking a deal they didn’t really care for because, by the time he swooped in to save the day, they had gotten a strong dose of what failure tasted like. A hard pill to swallow. Which was why Duke didn’t flinch as Gabriella measured everything about him, from his appearance to his answers. While other investors were cold as sharks, Duke had never quite mastered making ice flow through his veins. But he always got the job done. Her eyes flicked toward the water, where another boat was nearing the dock. Her smiled turned genuine at the sight of a handful of children waving from the boat. She waved both arms over her head and yelled something in Greek, then settled her hands on her hips as she watched the children file from the boat.“It was nice to meet you, Gabriella,” Duke said, hoping he’d see her later. The island had a population of just over two hundred and fifty people, so he imagined it would be hard not to see the same people throughout his stay. “I’ll just step inside and see about my room and a tour.”“Lucky you,” she said, turning a steady gaze back to him, “I’m your tour host.” She didn’t wait for him to reply as she opened the screen door and hollered something in Greek to the people inside. Over her shoulder, she said to Duke, “Give me a sec to get your keys and the cart, and I’ll show you around and drop you at your place.”It took a moment for him to remember that they drove golf carts or used bicycles on the island and that cars were prohibited.She hurried inside and headed directly to her Baba, which Duke now knew meant he was her father, and said something that made the man laugh. She leaned in to kiss and hug her father, and her dress crept up, exposing the backs of her thighs and hugging her ass. He tried to ignore the stroke of awareness racing through him. She walked around the counter and grabbed a set of keys from a hook, then draped an arm around the shoulders of the woman with whom she was speaking earlier. “Mama,” Gabriella said to the woman. Her mother’s hair was a shade lighter than hers. “Talk some sense into him, will you, please?” She whispered something, then kissed her, too. The woman wiped her hands on an apron and smiled at Duke, catching him observing them. “Welcome to our island, Mr. Ryder. I’m Peggy Ann, and this is my husband, Niko.” Her warm Southern drawl took Duke by surprise after hearing her speak fluent Greek, and he realized it shouldn’t have. They were in the South, after all. He stepped inside. “It’s a pleasure to be here, and to meet you both.”Gabriella’s father nodded. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Ryder.”“I’ll meet you out front,” Gabriella said as she grabbed a large basket from the counter, then disappeared through a door in the back of the room.As he stepped onto the porch, Duke had a feeling Pierce was wrong about the sand and sun being the best part of the island. Those things had nothing on the intriguing woman who’d just slipped out the back door. KINDLE US ✯ KINDLE INT'L KOBO ✯ NOOK ✯ GPLAY ✯ iBOOKS PAPERBACK US ✯ PAPERBACK INT'L Seized by Love Kindke US ✯ Kindle Int'l Kobo ✯ Nook ✯ GPlay ✯ iBooks Paperback US ✯ Paperback Int'lAudible AUGUST 17, 2016 Chased by Love Kindle US ✯ Kindle Int'l iBooks ✯ GPlay Paperback US ✯ Paperback Int'l Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family. Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
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CHAPTER REVEAL: Sliding down the Sky by Amanda Dick

 





Release Date April 11th






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Callum Ferguson has grown up in the shadow of the sins of his father. The worst moment of his life came not at the age of sixteen, when he threw his father out of the house, but later in life, when he realised he was just like him. With a predilection for alcohol and violence, he sees his destiny every time he looks in the mirror.
Sass Hathaway, hell-raiser and successful musician, thrived in the limelight – until one night she lost it all. Drowning in an ocean of uncertainty, nursing a crippling case of self-loathing, her brother offers her a chance to find herself again.
His idea of salvation is a dilapidated bar. His proposal; she help him and his wife renovate and run it. However, when she and Callum cross paths, they both discover that salvation comes in many forms.
You can’t escape your past, you can only come to terms with it so that you can move on – but accepting your past is only the beginning. Then you must decide whether you’re strong enough to follow your heart.
(This can be read as a stand-alone, but reading ‘Absolution’ is recommended in order to get the most out of this story).   





Prologue “The sense of loss is such a tricky one, because we always feel like our worth is tied up into stuff that we have, not that our worth can grow with things we are willing to lose.” – Tori AmosCallumI spent a good part of my life hating my father. I hated the booze, I hated the way he treated my mother, and I hated the way he looked at me. I hated the man he was. I was as scared of him as I was ashamed of him. Then came that day, the day everything changed.I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. Like all the moments in my life that shaped me into the man I am, they linger. They burn through my veins like neon, lighting me up from within. It doesn’t matter how deeply I try to bury them, I know they’re there. They carve scars deep into my heart and soul. Much like my tongue might caress the gap where a tooth used to be, my brain goes over and over these moments until they finally become part of my history. I don’t realise it at the time, but I will never be the same again.Life can be stripped down to a few critical moments. We rarely recognise these moments as they’re happening. It’s not until much later, when the storm has passed, and with the benefit of hindsight, that we finally see them for what they are.I was just like him.The realisation itself was a dye, tainting everything. It leaked into my actions, my moods, the very essence of who I thought I was, until there was no point fighting it anymore. The situation I now found myself in was simply a culmination of all of that.Jail cells had a particular smell, and this one was no different. A unique blend of vomit, urine and misery, overlaid with the not-so-delicate scent of bleach.So far I’d managed to keep the booze down. I should’ve eaten, but that would’ve been counter-productive. My goal, if I’d been thinking clearly enough to have one, was to get rip-snorting, memory-erasing, coma-inducing drunk – drunk enough to forget about everything – but I couldn’t even manage to do that right. I should’ve been disappointed in myself, but I couldn’t even muster up the necessary disgust anymore.The room seemed to tilt and I leaned forward to keep up with it, my head in my hands. I tried not to think. I didn’t want to think, but even when you don’t want to think, it happens anyway. Just like when your heart hurts so much, you convince yourself that this is it – it can’t get any worse. Then someone twists a knife and you find a new level of pain.That’s what had happened to me tonight. I’d found a new level of pain, and it was cutting me to ribbons.I swallowed back a combination of vomit and tears, my nostrils twitching as I fought against the impulse. I was not going to throw up or cry. I just wasn’t. I wished I had my phone. How many calls had I missed? What was going on out there?I was in the cell with a couple of other guys, one much older, sleeping it off on the bench that ran across the opposite wall. The other guy was younger than me. I looked up at him out of the corner of my eye. He’d barely moved in the hour since I’d been thrown in here, and he hadn’t uttered a word. He was like me – the strong, stupid type. He just sat there, his back to the wall, watching everything. He didn’t look drunk, but then some of us hid it well. Instead, he looked like a simmering volcano. That look in his eye was all too familiar.Like me.Like Dad.Only, my anger was waning. Teetering on the brink for so long, I could feel it burning away, taking with it the soul-destroying sense of betrayal and even the confusion. Now, I was just broken. Broken, and drunk, and too exhausted to search for a way out of this mess.I sank my fists into my hair and pulled tight. It was pure distraction, like stomping on my foot to take my mind off a sore thumb. Maybe, if I ripped my hair out by the roots, it’d take my mind off the ache in my chest.Self-preservation kicked in though, and I let go, choking back a sob that sounded more like a gasp. I wanted to sink into a deep ocean of self-pity, allowing the water to swallow me up without a trace, but I didn’t have that luxury.I was wasting time. I had to get out of there. I had to get the hell out of there and see her, before it was too late.I lurched to my feet, the floor leaning sideways as I hurled myself at the bars.“Hey!” I shouted. “I need my phone call!”Nothing.“Can anyone hear me?”“You’re wasting your time.”I turned, still hanging on to the bars to keep my balance. The younger guy regarded me from across the cell, his eyes narrowing as if I was something he’d just scraped off his shoe.“I need my phone call,” I said again.“You have to wait, just like the rest of us. They’ll be back.”He was right. I should’ve known that. This wasn’t my first rodeo. My heart sank and the despair was instant and absolute, wrapping cold arms around me and squeezing so tight, I had trouble breathing.While I sat there, suffocating in self-pity, she could be dying.She could be dying, and I wasn’t there.




Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie buff and music lover. She loves to do DIY (if it's not bolted down, she'll probably paint it, re-cover it or otherwise decorate it) and has tried almost every craft known to man/womankind. She has two sewing machines and an over-locker she can't remember how to thread. She crochets (but can't follow a pattern), knits (badly) and refrains from both as a public service. She believes in love at first sight, in women's intuition and in following your heart. She is rather partial to dark chocolate and believes in the power of a good vanilla latte. What lights her fire is writing stories about real people in trying situations. Her passion is finding characters who are forced to test their boundaries. She is insanely curious about how we, as human beings, react when pushed to the edge. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human behaviour - love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and the complexity of relationships in general.After living in Scotland for five years, she has now settled back home in New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and two children.Her debut novel, "Absolution", was released on 29 October 2013 (with the second edition releasing on 6 January 2015). Her second novel, "Between Before and After", was released in May 2014. Her third novel, "Into the Void", is scheduled to release in July 2015.Author LinksWeb  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Goodreads  Amazon Page

#TeaserTuesday: Cover Reveal: Rise of Alpha by Lorenz Font

  COMING SOON! COVER REVEAL--April 5, 2016 NEW RELEASE--May 3, 2016 Genre: YA~Coming of Age~Urban Fantasy             With every curse comes a blessing...      All Brian Morrison wants is to be an ordinary teenager with normal teenage problems, but his uncontrollable twitching and phonic tics make that impossible. The butt of jokes in school, he is nothing but a laughing-stock until a visit to a local tarot shop turns his life upside-down.      The psychic’s strange prediction thrusts him into a mysterious world of ghastly creatures and bizarre events, and he must come to terms with the abrupt changes if he is going to survive. One mother’s plea for help presents him with an impossible challenge, but it also brings him closer to the most popular girl in school. Brian must overcome threats from all sides to honor his promise, and he is determined to succeed. His heart won’t let him turn his back on someone in need, especially when he’s fallen in love with her.      Protecting Shannon McKesson soon becomes the greatest purpose of his life. Brian discovers many things on this new journey, but the biggest one might be the truth about who he is. If only he and Shannon can stay alive long enough to unlock the mystery.
     We walked toward the building together. The corridor was filled with loitering students, waiting for the bell to ring. When we got to our photography class, we both sat in the back of the room. “Should we schedule something this weekend?” Shannon asked. “Schedule what?” I had no clue what she was talking about. “Our photo session.” She showed a hint of a smile. I remembered now. She wanted me to pose for her. Eager to please, I nodded, even if I hated the whole idea. “Where do you want to do it?” She thought for a moment. “I want a nice background.” How about my bedroom? I wanted to say, but that wouldn’t go over well, so I tried to come up with something else. “Um . . . you want nature as the background?” “Yeah.” “What about the Huntington Library? They have pretty flowers and plants there.” I couldn’t believe I was talking about this stuff with a girl. I’d come a long way. Her eyes lit up. “Oh yes! That’ll be perfect. I want to see the Corpse Flower.” Great! She’d be taking my picture next to the Amorphophallus titanium, an unattractive plant that smelled like . . . well, it lived up to its name. What a way to boost my ego. I tried to smile anyway.
 
Lorenz FontTwitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website     A professional daydreamer, Lorenz Font discovered her love of writing after reading a celebrated novel that inspired one idea after another. Since being published in 2013, she has been conspiring, butting heads, and enjoying her spare time with vampires, angels, samurais, and other creatures she has created in her head. Her perfect day consists of writing and lounging on her garage couch (a.k.a. the office) with a glass of her favorite cabernet while listening to her ever-growing music collection. She finds writing urban fantasy exhilarating and places an intense focus on angst and the redemption of flawed characters. Her fascination with romantic twists is a mainstay in all her stories. Lorenz lives in Southern California with her supportive family and three demanding dogs.

SALES BLITZ: Body, Ink, and Soul & Music, Ink, and Love by Jude Ouvrard

Author: Jude OuvrardOfficial genre of book: Contemporary Romance


 
Phoenix Silverstone more commonly known as Nix, is a twenty-one year old that has finally discovered her freedom. After living under the strict rules and protection of her mother, Nix moved out with her two best friends in a quaint little Seattle apartment. For the first time Nix is finally able to spread her wings and breathe. Together, they get a job working at a bar and for the first time everything is perfect.

Freedom, friendships, a great job and fantastic man on the verge of becoming hers. Tristan is the suave, intelligent, not to mention gorgeous law student that Nix has her eyes and heart set on. For the first time, she has her life together; that is, until her path crosses with Levi. The charming, tattooed and downright sexy bad boy that Nix knows she needs to avoid.

But when one of her friends moves out she is shocked to find that her new roommate is none other than Levi. Flirting. Desire. Undeniable temptations. Nix can’t deny the chemistry surging between them but she can’t forget her mother’s extreme hate towards bad boys.

The entire mass of guys sitting around my station flocked to Val’s, giving me some time to clean up. I looked up to find only one left, and he was watching me intently. It was the same guy Ty had greeted so enthusiastically earlier.

''Can I get you anything?'' I asked, taking empty glasses off the counter.

''A smile. Give me one and I guarantee you’ll get the biggest tip tonight.'' The slow seductive tone rolling from his shapely lips told me he wasn’t just fooling around. His green eyes stared at me like I was dessert. This guy was hot and he knew it. He was looking me up and down, biting on his lips. He was clearly not afraid to show me how much he liked what he saw. Me. His confidence and determination were fierce. The way his tousled light brown hair went every which way, hanging down across his forehead, told me right away he didn’t care about his looks. He didn’t have to.

He wanted a smile? I shook my head. ''You don’t want a drink? Just water, maybe?''

''No, just a smile. You're the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and it's just a smile I want.'' He brushed his hand through his hair, making it even more tousled.


Amazon Kindle ✯ Amazon paperback ✯ Goodreads


Levi Munroe’s life consists of his friends Tyler and Kyle, a lot of ink and having a good time, but most importantly, his heart only has one reason to beat, Nix.

Phoenix Silverstone came into his life and put him through an emotional roller coaster. No one knows what they sign up for when they fall in love, and Levi is no exception. Dealing with his girlfriend’s negligent biological father, and her old demons returning to tempt her, Levi has way more on his plate than he bargained for. It can break them or make them stronger.

Both getting to know each other more, they fall deeper in love and are ready to take on the next step. With their wedding approaching, Levi wants what is best for her. A time apart turns out to be exactly what Nix needs but in Levi’s world, it means moping around missing the girl of his dreams.

More love, more ink, more Kyle and definitely a whole lot more of Levi. Can Nix and Levi survive the reality of their life together or will it break them apart?

Tonight, Nix had planned on taking me out on a date for my birthday. She made reservations in a nice restaurant downtown and I planned on giving her the design of her next tattoo. I had been working on it since she spoke about getting new ink. That had some sort of a super power effect on me. She nearly drove me nuts. That night, sex had been way more intense than before. The thought only gave me goose bumps.

Okay, whipped man, get your ass back to work.

I had done two designs, one in color and one in black and grey. They were pretty much the same thing. She said she wanted some more flowers, and two hummingbirds, old school style. I kept her demands and I added more details to it like water droplets on the flowers and more water in the background. It looked neat. I preferred the color filled one but the choice was hers, not mine.

“What do you think, K?”

“It’s a nice one, Levi. The colors are fucking amazing. The flowers almost look alive and the water is impressive too.” He punched my shoulder.

“What was that for, punk?”

“I hate when you do something better than I can.” He admitted.


Amazon Kindle ✯ Goodreads



Jude Ouvrard is an author who writes from the heart, and reads with passion and devotion. Jude enjoys stories of drama, true love, tattoos, and everything in between. While writing is her therapy, reading is her solace. Life doesn't get better than books and chocolate, and maybe a little bit of shopping.

A romance lover, Jude writes about love, pain, heartbreak and matters that will challenge your heart. A book can tell an unexpected story, no matter which directions it takes. Jude embraces words that have haunted her for years.

Jude is a working mom who dedicates her time to a law firm and writing books. She has an energetic five-year old superhero son, and a supportive boyfriend of thirteen years. Her family is her rock; she could not survive without them. Born a country girl, she transformed into a city woman who now lives in Montreal, Canada. Although French is her first language, Jude decided to write in English because she liked the challenge.

Jude Ouvrard is the author of two novellas, "Under the Sun" and "Wonderland", and three novels, “Lost Dreams”, “Body, Ink, and Soul,” and “Ophelia.” She is currently working on sequels to her novels and a new project.

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PROMO TOUR: Deadly Dunes by E. Michael Helms

AUTHOR: E. Michael Helms
GENRE: Mystery/Suspense



Hours after hiring Mac McClellan to investigate the supposed suicide of her archaeologist brother, single-mom Jessie dies in a car accident. Jessie had just showed Mac artifacts and a copy of a map Jake found, items that indicate Hernando de Soto and his explorers might have camped on Five Mile Island during the winter of 1539-1540. Studying the map, Mac determines the site lies in the middle of a planned resort, The Dunes. Declaring the area an historic site could shut the project down. Suspicions aroused, he forges ahead, even though he no longer has a paying client.

Everywhere Mac turns, greed abounds, and no one he interviews seems innocent, even Jessie's closest friends the Deckers, who have adopted her teenage daughter. Ron Decker's construction company is building the Dunes, and he is heavily invested in its success. Then there is the oily son and ex-stripper wife of an old curmudgeon who won't sell the one lot the project still needs to acquire. Jake's estranged wife Laurel had plenty to gain from his death, and as Mac continues to dig, he begins to wonder if Jessie herself had more at stake than he was led to believe.

No one is happy about Mac's persistence, and someone is unhappy enough to crash his truck and frame him for yet another murder. But Mac isn't giving up, no matter what the cost.

Because he couldn’t keep his fly zipped, former Staff Sergeant Raymond Youngblood had gone from being a respected Drill Sergeant, United States Army, to bouncer at The Golden Pole, a strip club located on West Highway 98 in Panama City. It was the seedier part of town, with rundown motels that rented by the day, week or month, and hookers roaming the area shopping their wares.

It was easy duty. All I had to do was show up by eight when Ray’s shift began, and stay awake and alert until the joint closed at two in the morning. My biggest worry was finding a suitable parking spot each night where I could watch the front, and the side door that exited into the parking lot. A local cop pulled up behind me the second night, wanting to know if I was a john on the hunt. After I showed him my PI license and explained what I was up to, he put out the word that I was okay.

For the first week Ray was as well-behaved as a Boy Scout. Shortly after closing time he’d exit the building through the side door and stand watch over the parking lot, making sure the departing customers behaved themselves until they vacated the premises. His duties also included seeing that the female employees made it safely to their rides home. If he’d treated Bonnie with half the respect and courtesy he showed these young women, I would’ve been out of a job.

Usually by three he’d climb into his dark green Chevy Blazer and head home, with me on his tail. Traffic was light, so I’d stay a good distance behind and use another vehicle as a blocker. It was only a couple of miles to the house they rented in an older neighborhood near St. Andrew Bay. After Ray turned onto their street, I’d drive past the turnoff and double-back a few minutes later. When I saw the Blazer parked in the drive, my day was done. I was beginning to think that if Ray had been fooling around, the fling might be over. But Bonnie wanted me to keep bird-dogging him, sure that he’d trip up sooner or later.

Then things got interesting.

It was the Wednesday after Labor Day, and things were slow at The Golden Pole. Around midnight the side door opened and Ray stepped out into the parking lot, his arm wrapped around the waist of a young dancer I’d noticed before. Hot pink hair and spiked-up bangs will stick in your mind that way. I knew she was a dancer because there was a photo of her hanging upside down on a pole in the strip club’s show window I’d scoped out earlier with my zoom lens.

I was parked across the four-lane in front of an out of business pet store. I cranked the engine, but waited until they were a couple of blocks away before switching on the headlights and pulling onto 98 heading west. Less than a half mile from the club he slowed and hung a right into the parking lot of the Panama Motor Court, a single-story concrete block structure whose heyday probably dated back to the 1950s or ’60s. Ray drove past the office and its fluorescent sign with a flashing red palm tree announcing Vacancy. He brought the Blazer to a stop in front of the right wing of the upside down U-shaped structure. The Blazer was hidden in the shadows of a burned out security light and was barely visible from the highway.

There wasn’t time to stop and try to snap a photo of the two as they exited the Blazer and entered the second room from the wing’s end. I’d have to wait them out and give it my best shot when they left. I hoped to hell it wasn’t an all-nighter. I checked the mirrors and made a U-turn and parked in the lot of a twenty-four hour MacDonald’s a block and a half away. I grabbed my camera, a new Canon digital SLR I’d laid out big bucks for. I locked the Silverado, checked traffic both ways and hustled across 98.

I cut across the parking lot of the Mini-Mart next door to the Panama Motor Court, being careful to keep the camera against my left hip in case any customers might wonder what the hell a man with a camera was planning to shoot at this hour of the night. There was a drainage ditch between the two establishments, and then an overgrown hedge skirting the Motor Court’s property line. If I could work my way through the hedge, I’d probably have a good vantage point to snap away when Ray and Hot Pink exited their love nest.

In the darkness behind the Mini-Mart I underestimated the width of the ditch and landed short, my right foot finding water and mud that sent me sprawling to my knees. A sharp pain jolted through my left kneecap when I landed, but I managed to hang on to the camera. Struggling to my feet, I wondered if Frank carried workers’ comp.

I limped out of the ditch and faced my next obstacle. The hedge looked like it hadn’t been trimmed in years. I walked along the length of it, searching for an easy way through. No such luck, so I bit the bullet, picked a likely spot and plowed in. A couple of minutes and several scrapes and scratches later, I found myself on the other side, no more than fifty feet from the end of the motel’s right wing. Keeping in the shadows, I crept along the hedge closer to the motel and found a spot where the growth bulged outward enough for concealment and provided a good view of the target room. I checked the ground for sharp objects and ant beds and settled down to wait.

I killed the next hour or so by putting a dent in the ranks of the mosquito horde that wasted no time finding my hideout. A couple of minutes before two the door swung open and the girl stepped out, closing it behind her. She leaned back against the concrete wall, propped a foot against it and lit a cigarette. I trained the camera on her face and zoomed in. She took a drag and blew a long stream of smoke toward the overhang. In the glare of the bare bulb outside the door I was able to get a good look at her. Despite the wild hair and enhanced boobs bulging over the top of her low-cut blouse, she was a looker— almond eye, full lips painted a matching hot pink, high cheekbones, and a slightly upturned nose. She didn’t look a day over eighteen, but I figured she had to be legal to pass muster to work at The Golden Pole.

The camera was set on silent mode and low-light conditions, and I snapped several shots of the girl before Ray Youngblood stepped out into the night to join her. He locked the door, and then reached down and pinched Hot Pink on the butt through the tight miniskirt she wore like a second skin. She reached down and grabbed his groin, and then they both laughed and hugged. While all the grab-assing was going on, I was firing off shot after shot of the two lovebirds. I made sure to get a few wide angles also, so anyone looking at the photos would have no doubt that the location was a motel, namely the Panama Motor Court.

As soon as they climbed in the Blazer and headed back toward The Golden Pole, I beat feet across the parking lot to the office. When I stepped in I was greeted by a cold blast of air coming from a noisy window unit, and a thick cloud of cigarette smoke coming from an overweight, balding man sitting behind the counter. He was dressed in a pair of old gray slacks and a dingy white tank top T-shirt, and was staring down at a girlie magazine spread across his lap.

He looked up when I leaned on the counter. “Need a room?”

“No, what I need is information.”

The man set the magazine on a lamp table beside his ragged-out chair and stood. He scratched his big belly and yawned, showing a cavernous mouth with several missing teeth as he stepped to the counter. “Yeah? What kinda information?”

“Who’s renting Room 38?”

The overhead light reflected off his head when he tilted it back a little and looked down his nose at me. “Who’s asking?”

I grabbed my wallet and slipped out a twenty and laid it on the countertop. “Andrew Jackson.”

The man glanced down at the bill for a second, and then back at me. “Never been much of a Jackson fan.”

I pulled another twenty out and dropped it next to the first one. “Andrew Jackson and his twin brother.”

He reached for the bills but stopped short. “You a cop?”

“No,” I said, wishing I had a twenty-dollar bill for every time I’d been asked that in the past year.

He scooped up the forty bucks and opened a register filled with dog-eared pages. After flipping through a few pages he ran a chubby finger down a column of names. “Room 38. That would be Mr. John Smith.”

“Not the John Smith?”

The man scratched an armpit and grinned. “I reckon so.”

“Does Mr. Smith pay by the day or week or what?”

“Mister, I can’t go giving out that kinda information. It’s against regulations, ’less you the law, that is.”

I opened my wallet and flashed him my PI license and pinched out another twenty. “Just so happens those Jackson boys are triplets. That do?”

He took the bill out of my fingers and looked down at the registry again. “Says here your Mr. Smith’s been renting by the month.”


✯✯✯✯✯An apparent suicide, a missing map, a dead client, Mac’s latest case (and his first as a full-blown PI) takes him from the earliest history of modern Florida to a present day murder in his own backyard. The story grabs you on page one and the twists and turns won’t let go until the end.

​​ I was breathless. Read it in three sittings did not want to put it down and did not want it to end. I was lucky enough to snag an advance copy of this book, and I want to put my name in the hat right now for the next in the series. Kait Carson via Goodreads

✯✯✯✯✯Deadly Dunes is from the Mac McClellan Mystery series by E. Michael Helms. Private Detective Mac McClellan decides to continue his investigation after his client, Jessie, dies shortly after hiring him to investigate her brother’s death. Jake was an archaeologist who unearthed artefacts and a coded map to an alleged camp of famed explorer, Hernando de Soto, and Jessie was convinced he was murdered.

Mac learns that a construction company wants the site to build a resort and would do anything within their means to acquire it. The people who were close to the siblings also have ulterior motives for wanting them dead, and Mac hopes he can find the data Jake hid before the killers do. He knows they are ruthless enough to remove all obstacles in their way, including him.

Deadly Dunes is a sleuth mystery with good action and suspense. The story is an interesting one that sees its main character and narrator, Mac, constantly forgetting his P.I. training and resorting to doing things in his own amateurish way. I think the dialogue is witty and I like Mac’s dry sense of humour that seemed to irk some characters.

The story catches one’s attention with a beginning that made me curious to read on, as well as being amusing at times while Mac continues his sleuthing. E. Michael Helms writes well and I want to read other books from his Mac McClellan Mystery series, whose protagonist is compelling. Michelle Stanley via Goodreads


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E. Michael Helms grew up in Panama City, FL. He played football and excelled in baseball as a catcher. Turning down a scholarship offer from the local Junior college, he joined the Marines after high school graduation. He served as a rifleman during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War until wounded three times in one day. Helms discounts it as "waking up on the wrong side of the foxhole."

Helms' memoir of the war, "The Proud Bastards," has been called “As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written ... a modern military classic,” and remains in print after more than 20 years.

A long-time Civil War buff, Book One of Helms' two-part historical saga, "Of Blood and Brothers," was released September 2013. Book Two followed in March 2014. Seeking a change from writing about war, Helms decided to give mysteries a try. The first novel of his Mac McClellan Mystery series, "Deadly Catch," was published in November 2013 and named Library Journal's "Debut Mystery of the Month." The second Mac McClellan Mystery, "Deadly Ruse," premiered in November 2014. It was awarded the 2015 RONE Award for “Best Mystery.”

While concentrating on his mystery series, Helms dusted off a manuscript dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that sat in his desk drawer for over two decades. "The Private War of Corporal Henson," a semi-autobiographical fictional sequel to "The Proud Bastards," was published in August 2014.

With his wife, Karen, Helms now lives in the Upstate region of South Carolina in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. He enjoys playing guitar, hiking (when his body cooperates), camping, canoeing, and is an avid birdwatcher. He continues to listen as Mac McClellan dictates his latest adventures in his mystery series.

Website ✯ Twitter ✯ Amazon ✯ Goodreads ✯ Facebook


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RELEASE TOUR: The Founders by Holly Barbo

Book 1 of the Sage Seed Chronicles
AUTHOR: Holly Barbo
GENRE: YA Fantasy
COVER DESIGNER: JC Clarke @ The Graphics Shed



There are no monsters on Ose. People can be monstrous enough.

Disaster strikes the beautiful world of Ose. Marisily is one of the Sages who can help heal the planet when nuclear winter pushes the civilization back to the brink of destruction. Only she doesn’t know her own powers yet.

It is survival of the fittest as vicious outlaws destroy all that remains, kidnapping, enslaving and killing those weaker than themselves.

With a bounty on her head, alone and betrayed by her own father, can a young woman find the strength and wisdom necessary to rally the good people of Ose and rebuild their culture?

Sari worsened as the day wore on. She was too weak to fight off the effects of the abuse and the fever at the same time. Marisily was at her mother’s side when she died. She closed her mother’s eyes and wrapped her in a clean sheet. Then she sat at her mother’s side and rocked back and forth as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Eventually, her sobbing breaths quieted and she wiped her cheeks.

Dazed, Marisily resumed her duties. She had made a stew in the afternoon with the thought that the broth would be nourishing for her mother. Now she served it to her father for dinner. Jed came in from his workroom and started eating when Marisily quietly said, “Mother’s dead. I have prepared her for burial.”

Jed gave his daughter a long look before he answered. Marisily sensed he was considering saying something that she wouldn’t like and she steeled herself for it, but when he spoke all he said was, “I am sorry to hear that. She was a good wife. The only thing she didn’t do was give me a son. I’ll move her body to the workshop before I go out tonight.” He scooped another piece of meat from the stew and chewed thoughtfully. “Daughter, I don’t think I can continue to support you. I will give you a choice. Rory, the herder, needs a wife. He’s a friend of mine. I don’t believe he has ever cleaned his place and though he is eight years older than me, he is lusty enough to keep you busy. I think he could take you to wife tomorrow. Or you could leave. It makes no difference to me. As your father, I don’t need to give you a choice, but since I’m grieving the loss of your mother, I will be generous. If you are still here tomorrow morning, I’ll know your decision is to wed.” He finished his meal and pushed back from the table. “I am going into Morraton to meet with friends. I’ll bring my new wife home after I bury Sari tomorrow.” Jed put on his heavy coat and smiled to himself as the door closed behind him. He didn’t believe his daughter had enough warm clothing to survive. She would either set out tonight and freeze to death or would stay and leave with Rory tomorrow. It didn’t make any difference to him. She would be gone either way.

Marisily cleared the table, giving her father time to go down the trail to town, keeping an eye on the window until he disappeared from sight. There was no way she was going to remain. Angry at her father’s offhand comments, total insensitivity and arrogance, she was also fully aware of her danger. Marisily had been very lucky that her father had given her a choice. She had been thinking about where she would go. There was a place that she had seen several years before. At the time, Jed had been gone on a journey to obtain yarns spun in Osily. Sari and Marisily had ranged miles from the cabin picking berries. They had separated, to cover more area. Marisily thought hard about where that place was. They had meandered through the foothills during that gathering trip.

She brought out her coat, and put on all of her warmest clothes as well as a few things of her mother’s. Her father would never allow her to leave with anything he deemed his property and that included everything in the home. Marisily knelt by her bed and, rolling back the rug, she removed the floorboard. She pulled out a heavy, knitted hat, scarf and gloves that she had made for her mother’s upcoming birthday and donned them. Her mother would be happy that she was using the gift to survive. Quickly, Marisily emptied her secret cubbyhole of her journal and other small treasures. Gathering what she could carry that she felt her father wouldn’t miss, Marisily stepped outside and disappeared from her childhood home. She had no intention of ever coming back.
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Holly's world is shaped by her love of family, the beauty of the natural world and an irrepressible creative drive. She has always been curious and sees life through questions. These four characteristics color her writing voice and her stories frequently evolve from her asking "What if....?" Her tales tend to have non-urban settings with nature contributing to the plot, building discordant themes inside a seemingly peaceful refrain. My motto: Weaving Alternative Worlds with Threads From Today.

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#TeaserTuesday: Jennifer Garcia

 
This week's #TeaserTuesday is from romance author Jennifer Garcia. Hi, everyone!! Both of my books, My Mr. Manny and In My Mother's Footsteps are up for nomination at The Romance Reviews website. I'd love for you to head on over there and nominate the books you've read and enjoyed to go to the next level. If you've read either of my books, and enjoyed them, please give them a vote. Nominations are open from March 14-31. Click the covers for the nomination link.   
 
  After getting swept up in nostalgia and losing herself in a quickly progressing romance, her fantasy falls apart. She is left to raise her precious little girl, Lucia, on her own. The demands of Mia’s work schedule and Lucia’s needs increase, and their lives become increasingly hectic. It is soon clear to Mia that she needs help. Luckily, her life-saving cousin saves the day and brings the mother and daughter a male nanny – their new “manny.” After losing his high-pressure job on Wall Street, Dominic Roberts wants to follow his dreams to have a family. He’s already one fiancée down, and there are no likely prospects for another. In order to find the family he so desperately wants, he finds himself getting into the manny business. Since he is fully qualified to provide childcare and is eager to leave New York City behind, his sister-in-law is able to land him a job in California working for his first client – the beautiful and intriguing Mia Balducci. Will Lucia like the new man in her mother's life? Will Mia? And will this new trio discover the happily ever after they all so desperately seek?
   
 "The first thing I saw were his eyes, which were a shade that transcended the most beautiful green things in the world: peacock feathers, limes, and lush leaves. They were small, slanted, and topped with thick dark eyebrows, which added a hint of mystery. His hair was dark black and slicked back. The bone structure of his face was strong, masculine, and angled. I couldn’t stop looking at him. He cleared his throat and put out his hand. “I’m Dominic.” I grabbed it in a firm shake, and I felt like I could see my future in that instant. Pictures of Dominic and me together in our old age flashed before my eyes. I felt comforted, as if I were wrapped in a warm coat of love. It was an amazing feeling. After much too long of a handshake, I pulled my hand back and said, “I am so sorry, Dominic. Please excuse my manners.” I waved him in with my right hand, while holding the door open with my left. “Come in. I’m Mia, by the way. Let’s have a seat in the living room to talk.”"  
Anela Alborn’s life is a lie. After growing up without the love of a father, her mother reveals his identity. Tragedy strikes and she sets off on an adventure that leads to more than she could ever imagine. Bumping into Christian Sivers distracts her from the real man of her dreams, her father. Will he live up to her dreams? And does she follow in her mother’s footsteps?

 
“You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen,” he murmured, enunciating every word. I closed my eyes again in disbelief. People were always so mystified by my eyes, and usually not in a good way. I was teased quite a lot as a kid due to the unique color of my irises. The kids had been cruel and relentless; they would meow at me and tell me I was part cat. Even though I knew it wasn’t true, it still stuck with me and scarred me. It was difficult to adjust to the reactions I had been getting as an adult. Most adults said they liked my eyes and that it was a good thing to have them resemble the eyes of a cat, but feeling so self-conscious about it was a hard habit to break. He dropped his hand from my face, picked up his beer, and took a sip. “Please don't shut me out. It’s just that I have never seen eyes that color before. They're like cat eyes.” “I think you have beautiful eyes, too. In fact, I admired them all day. I've never seen eyes that color blue before,” I told him. Christian laughed before giving me his sexy, cocky smile, the one where just one side of his mouth lifted up, and it screamed, “Yeah, I know I’m fine.”
 

Jennifer Garcia’s lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Originally from Boston, she currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. Jennifer believes in writing love stories that connect families and touch hearts.












 
 

COVER REVEAL: Sliding Down the Sky by Amanda Dick

Release Date April 11th






Add to your goodreads shelf now










Callum Ferguson has grown up in the shadow of the sins of his father. The worst moment of his life came not at the age of sixteen, when he threw his father out of the house, but later in life, when he realised he was just like him. With a predilection for alcohol and violence, he sees his destiny every time he looks in the mirror.
Sass Hathaway, hell-raiser and successful musician, thrived in the limelight – until one night she lost it all. Drowning in an ocean of uncertainty, nursing a crippling case of self-loathing, her brother offers her a chance to find herself again.
His idea of salvation is a dilapidated bar. His proposal; she help him and his wife renovate and run it. However, when she and Callum cross paths, they both discover that salvation comes in many forms.
You can’t escape your past, you can only come to terms with it so that you can move on – but accepting your past is only the beginning. Then you must decide whether you’re strong enough to follow your heart.
(This can be read as a stand-alone, but reading ‘Absolution’ is recommended in order to get the most out of this story).   












Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie buff and music lover. She loves to do DIY (if it's not bolted down, she'll probably paint it, re-cover it or otherwise decorate it) and has tried almost every craft known to man/womankind. She has two sewing machines and an over-locker she can't remember how to thread. She crochets (but can't follow a pattern), knits (badly) and refrains from both as a public service. She believes in love at first sight, in women's intuition and in following your heart. She is rather partial to dark chocolate and believes in the power of a good vanilla latte. What lights her fire is writing stories about real people in trying situations. Her passion is finding characters who are forced to test their boundaries. She is insanely curious about how we, as human beings, react when pushed to the edge. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human behaviour - love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and the complexity of relationships in general.After living in Scotland for five years, she has now settled back home in New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and two children.Her debut novel, "Absolution", was released on 29 October 2013 (with the second edition releasing on 6 January 2015). Her second novel, "Between Before and After", was released in May 2014. Her third novel, "Into the Void", is scheduled to release in July 2015.Author LinksWeb  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Goodreads  Amazon Page

#TeaserTuesday: Forgotten Awakenings

 ~*~Summary~*~
 Two bullets — one just under her right breast and the other in the middle of her left leg. That’s all it had taken to destroy Elle Reid, to leave her weak and useless. Just two little bullets. 

Elle gave into her desires and allowed herself to love. The road to redemption hasn't been easy for her, or her lovers, but together, she, Sadie, Callum, and Derek strive for a life of peace and harmony. But will they get their happily ever after, or will a madwoman's quest for revenge shattered their dreams?





 ~*~Excerpt~*~


“She cut you.”Samuel nodded. “We’d gone out for breakfast, and when we got back, the front door was open. I told Lydia to stay outside and call the police while I went inside.”“You stupid fool,” Lydia cried. “What were you thinking?” Elle exclaimed. “Were you trying to get yourself killed?”“No, of course not!” he insisted. “But I couldn’t just stay on the porch. I found Trixie inside our bedroom. She was . . . she was on the bed, touching herself.”“Ew,” Callum groused as he, Derek, and Sadie sat on the other sofa.“Tell me about it,” Samuel scoffed, shifting so that he was facing Elle. “Sweetheart, she, um, she’s dyed her hair dark, like . . . like yours.”“Like mine?” Elle whispered.“Yeah, and, uh, I think she was wearing your clothes.”“W . . . What?” she stammered, her chest heaving as she struggled to keep her breathing calm and even. “What do you mean my clothes?”“I don’t know how she got them, but you remember the outfit you wore the day you presented your plans for Alvarez Park?” he asked. Elle bit her lip, thinking back to the day she and Sadie had met Samuel Davis. It’d been a year — a long year, that hadn’t been the easiest on them. “Um, vaguely. I remember wearing one of my black skirts, but I can’t remember what blouse I wore.”“It was your blue silk blouse,” Sadie said, her cheeks warming. “You looked hot in it. Hugged your —” “Sadie,” Elle hissed, shifting her eyes to the detectives before looking back at Samuel. “She was wearing my clothes?”“Or clothes that looked like yours,” he said. “When I found her on the bed, she smiled and said she’d been waiting for me. I told her to leave, called her by her name, and she . . .  Well, Trixie went nuts and started screaming at me, saying she was you.”




~*~Biography~*~

Obsessive, compulsive, slightly crazed, but enough about her personality. First and foremost, Lisa Bilbrey is a mom to three and a wife to one. She loves to write, and spends the majority of everyday writing. It's who she is, and what she's meant to be doing. Words are her life, the air she breathes, and the nutrients of her soul. Finding a love in the written word, Lisa Bilbrey started writing as a way to express herself and let her voice be heard. From the first word she wrote, she'd found her heart and soul. Always willing to learn, she's spends much of her time trying to improve as a storyteller.
~*~Links~*~
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COVER REVEAL + ANNAVERSARY SALE: JJ Ellis

To celebrate her 3rd anniversary in publishing, Author JJ Ellis is not only offering both of her box sets and her single title free for two days, but she is revealing the cover for her upcoming novel, Anguish: Ben's Story. 
This Mature Young Adult Novel is a continuation of the contemporary romance Harper's Rock Novel series about brothers from a small Wyoming town. The oldest brother, Ben, gets his turn in this emotional story of a young gay man and his battles with acceptance in small town Wyoming in the late 1990's and the depression that threatens to cripple him. 

Author: JJ EllisGenre: Mature Young AdultCover Artist: JJ EllisPublisher: GimmeLots Publications
One young man
One desperate decision

Being a teenager is hard enough, but when you struggle with your sexuality and falling in love for the first time, life can almost be too much to bear. Add in a diagnosis of depression and anxiety and sometimes life feels like it is caving in on top of you.


Ben Harper is determined to make it all work with the help of his best friend and new love, JC Croft. But when life conspires against him, can he come out on top or will the pressure crush him?
(Previous JJ Ellis books are free Mar. 4 &5...check out links below)




He knew it was coming the minute he opened his bedroom door. But as hard as he tried to turn around and run out to the barnyard to join his brothers, his feet just wouldn’t cooperate. As if he had no control over them, he walked to his bed and laid down.
That suffocating, drowning, gut wrenching feeling swept over him for the first time in a week. And he welcomed it with every particle of his being. As uncomfortable as it was, the sense of normalcy brought a smile to his face – until a new feeling hit him. Anger. Steady unwavering anger settled into his chest. It was anger at himself for being so loathsome, at JC for hurting him and at Abby for leaving him. It was a rage he wanted to scream to the world but couldn’t. (Previous JJ Ellis books are free Mar. 4 &5...check out links below)





(Previous JJ Ellis books are free Mar. 4 &5...check out links below)

FREE SALE - PREVIOUS BOOKS BY JJ ELLIS   MARCH 4TH AND 5TH

SUNSET DESTINY ROMANCES BOX SET (6 NOVELS, 2 SHORT STORIES)
HARPER'S ROCK NOVELS BOX SET (3 NOVELS)
FATE'S ENCORE: A BABY BOOMER LOVE STORY (SINGLE TITLE)

VISIT JJ ELLIS AT http://jjandtaellis.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/writerjjellis