Karen Docter's Blog, page 156

Congratulations Week 04-02-18, 04-09-18 & 04-16-18 Blog Giveaway Winners!!

[image error] CONGRATULATIONS WEEK

04-02-18, 04-09-18 & 04-16-18

BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Scott Bury…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Scott is giving away an ebook copy of WILDFIRE to one reader who comments on his Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, Scott, for sharing your book with us!

WINNERS: LINDA MOFFITT!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with Bonnie McCune…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Bonnie is giving away one advanced reader copy (ebook version) of NEVER RETREAT to one reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.

Thanks, Bonnie, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: ESTHER GROSS!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Sue Hinkin…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Sue is giving away a copy of DEADLY FOCUS to two readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, Sue, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: MARGARET MIZUSHIMA & KENNA MARY McKINNON!!

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Karen’s Killer Book Bench with June Kramin…[image error]

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: June is giving away an ebook copy of I GOT YOUR BACK, HAILEY (or Book 2 if reader already has Book 1) to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, June, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: YVONNE CRUZ!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Kenna McKinnon…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Kenna is giving away an ebook copy of one of her books (winner’s choice) to two readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.

Thanks, Kenna, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: HELEN DRAKE & LORI KANDER!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Book Bench with RM Alexander…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: RM is giving away an ebook copy of UNTIL TOMORROW to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

 Thanks, RM, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: ELF!!

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with C.K. Alber…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: C.K. is giving away an ebook copy of #HEARTMATCH to two lucky readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, C.K. , for sharing your book with us!

WINNER: MARY HAGAN & KATHLEEN BYLSMA!!

~~~

[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s with Candi Fox…

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Candi is giving away an ebook copy of SAVANNAH JAMES to one reader and a swag pack to another reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.

 Thanks, Candi, for sharing your book with us!

WINNER (BOOK): BN100!!

WINNER (SWAG PACK): EILEEN AW!!

 ~~~

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS!!
[image error] KILLING SECRETS, Thorne’s Thorns Book 1
By Bestselling Author K.L. Docter

Blurb: Some secrets are better left dead.

Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her little girl — the child is his key to controlling the James fortune. Frightened, Rachel flees to Denver with the child who hasn’t uttered a word since her daddy went to prison.

Contractor Patrick Thorne wants nothing to do with another of his parents’ charity cases. He failed his own wife so abysmally she took her own life as well as his unborn son’s. After two years, it’s time to concentrate on the bid he’s won and the saboteur trying to destroy his construction firm.

There is no room for trust in either of their hearts. But trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.

(All Karen/K.L. Docter novels have HEAs, no cliffhangers.)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iFFWmg

B&N: http://goo.gl/wsqVxB

Kobo: http://goo.gl/KM563U

Google Play: http://goo.gl/mogQqs

iTunes: http://goo.gl/pg58wN

[image error] COP ON HER DOORSTEP, True Love In Uniform Book 1
By Bestselling Author Karen Docter

Blurb: In the six years since her husband was killed by S.W.A.T., Carrie Padilla has spent long hours at work, rebuilding a life for herself and her son. The little time she has at home is spent keeping her eight-year-old son out of trouble, but he is all too eager to try to be the man in the house. When a handsome cop shows up on her doorstep, her errant son in tow, Carrie’s heart stutters. The sexy Italian cop sets off all kinds of bells in her system, and she knows there’s only one thing she can do to save what is left of her family, her husband’s memory, and her heart…avoid her new neighbor at all costs.

S.W.A.T. officer Jake Stefani already lost one little boy to gang violence, the dead boy’s older brother is missing, and Jake’s not about to let the same thing happen to a neighbor’s son. He drags the youngster home only to discover much more than a passing interest in the boy’s beautiful, but wary, mother. Forced to take a leave of absence after a bust goes awry, Jake can think of nothing better to occupy his time than to keep Carrie and her son safe, and locate the missing teen who holds the key to taking the gang off the streets, once and for all.

But Jake doesn’t count on his stubborn, intriguing neighbor distracting him from his job, or the passion that flares between them. He doesn’t expect her amazing son to steal a piece of his heart. Jake is ready to risk everything for Carrie, body and soul. But it’s not all up to him. If their new love is to survive, Carrie will need to be strong enough to see the man’s beating heart behind the badge, to look beyond the pain of her past, and decide that loving again is worth the risk.

[All of Karen/K.L. Docter’s books are HEA. No cliffhangers.]

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://goo.gl/bUHNMu

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cop-Her-Doorstep-True-Uniform/dp/0988258668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497628797&sr=8-1&keywords=cop+on+her+doorstep

B&N: http://goo.gl/6uoZTd

Kobo: http://goo.gl/fd92aB

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26183834-cop-on-her-doorstep

HAPPY READING!

All giveaway winners chosen by random.org from reader comments with the exception of Rafflecopter giveaways which are determined and announced offsite by publisher/authors. Thank you!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: SLICK DEAL, A Skylar Drake Mystery by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger

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 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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SLICK DEAL

A Skylar Drake Mystery

BY JANET ELIZABETH LYNN & WILL ZEILINGER

Blurb

On the eve of the New Year, 1956, oil tycoon, Oliver Wright dies suspiciously at a swanky Hollywood New Years Eve party. Some think it was suicide.

His death is soon followed by threats against the rest of his family.

Private Investigator Skylar Drake and his partner Casey Dolan are hired by an L.A. gangster to protect the family and solve Oliver’s mysterious death.

Clues lead them to Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, a Hollywood movie star playground.

A high profile scandal, mysterious women, treason and more deaths complicate matters, putting Drake and his partner in danger.

Twenty-three miles may not seem far away but false identity and corruption on this island could squash their efforts to answer the question—How in the world can a dead man commit suicide?

~~~

SLICK DEAL

A Skylar Drake Mystery

BY JANET ELIZABETH LYNN & WILL ZEILINGER

[image error] The SS Catalina

A great legacy

My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, a hardboiled series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, Slick Deal, begins News Year’s Eve 1956 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The first murder and clues lead to Avalon, Catalina.

Between 1924 and 1975, the S.S. Catalina carried about 25 million passengers between Los Angeles and Avalon Harbor. Among its famous passengers were Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, Hollywood celebrities include: actor Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Lee Marvin and many of the great musicians of the Big Band era.

[image error]In our research we found reference to people in Avalon gathering at the docks to sing as passengers stepped off the ship. Young boys and girls swam to meet the ship as it entered the harbor, catching coins and dollars in mid air that passengers tossed off the ship. It took about two hours to sail the channel to Avalon Harbor, a romantic journey to a romantic place.

By the early 1970s, newer smaller, faster vessels made it difficult for the Big white Steamship to compete for passenger traffic, and she was retired from passenger service in 1975. The S.S. Catalina was purchased at auction for $70,000 by real estate developer Hymie Singer. He bought the ship as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife and the steamship was moved for several years between Newport Beach, San Diego, Santa Monica Bay and Long Beach. At one point, there was a proposal for the Catalina to ferry tourists up the Nile River, but her 21 feet of draft was too deep for the river.

In 1985, Singer moved the ship to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, where she became the focus of a series of unsuccessful business ventures, including a floating discothèque and the Catalina Bar and Grill. In late 1997, the Catalina escaped its moorings and became stuck on a sandbar in Ensenada Harbor. The Catalina remained half-submerged and stuck in the mud in the harbor. After years of neglect, the Catalina was badly decayed and rusted, and had been stripped by looters and vandals.

In January 2009 it was announced that the ship would be cut up for scrap, which has been completed. A very sad ending to a great legacy.

[image error]We couldn’t use the Great White Steamer in our story because the steamer operated during the summer only in 1956, Slick Deal takes place in January.

SLICK DEAL is the fourth on the series…and yes we are still married!

~~~

[image error]Meet Author Janet Elizabeth & Will Zeilinger…

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn write individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1955. Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

The next Skylar Drake Mystery, fourth in the series, SLICK DEAL will be available April 16, 2018 and yes…we are still married!

~~~

Links to Janet & Will’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qR7oBY

Website: Janet Elizabeth Lynn

www.janetlynnauthor.com

Website: Will Zeilinger

www.willzeilingerauthor.com

~~~

Thanks, Janet & Will, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with SAVANNAH JAMES: Pendale High Class of 87′ by Candi Fox #recipe ~ Chicken and Stuffing

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s

**AUTHOR SPECIAL**

with Candi Fox!

Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, CANDI FOX, and her favorite recipe for CHICKEN AND STUFFING!!

~~~

SAVANNAH JAMES

Pendale High Class of 87′

BY CANDI FOX

BLURB

Welcome to the 1980’s and Pendale High. Home to arts, academics, rock stars, and smoking hot jocks.

Pendale senior, Savanah James, is about to risk everything for a chance at love. But, when she crashes and burns with her crush, Punk Metal Bassist Aaron Angel, Rock Star Stone Blackwell steps forward to save the day.

Their connection is instant, their passion undeniable.

Can Stone win her heart even after he makes a terrible mistake? Or, will the football team’s star quarterback Thad Harrison steal her away?

[image error]SAVANNAH JAMES

Pendale High Class of 87′

BY CANDI FOX

EXCERPT

Editorial Note: Edited for F-word.

Savannah was backstage in the dressing room with the rest of the Storm Riders. She’d finally settled on an outfit that Stone liked, and she felt comfortable in. The rest of the band was getting ready. She sat on the sofa sipping a Mountain Dew.

She watched Stone, Manny, and Blade fix their hair, apply eyeliner. It was the 80s, everyone wore eye liner. They all chatted, joked and seemed totally at ease. Savannah may have looked calm on the outside, but inside she was a bundle of nerves. She was about to perform in front of 20,000 people, give or take a few hundred.

She was thankful she wore shades tonight. When she was particularly nervous she’d close her eyes and just let the music take over. Savannah was only the vessel that carried the music. The music was what everyone wanted. The sunglasses allowed her to look cool on stage and close her eyes without anyone noticing.

She got more and more nervous as time for the concert grew closer. Fidgeting in her seat just wasn’t cutting it anymore. She decided a once-over in front of the mirror would help. She could make a mental checklist to make sure everything was in order. That would help her calm down.

Her strappy black velvet dress barely covered her thighs. When she sat down it would no doubt show her black lace panties. Silk thigh-highs came up to about two inches below the dress. She chose the kind that didn’t need a garter belt.

Soft black velvet high-heeled boots covered her shapely calves and ended just below her knees. They were old-fashioned looking and laced up the front. Savannah tied them in a double knot like she used to do with her sneakers during basketball, to insure they wouldn’t come undone in the middle of her performance.

Over the dress she wore a sleeveless duster that she’d made herself. The top was black velvet to her waist. From her waist to a few inches below her thighs it was black silk brocade. The rest of it was a sheer black material. It floated out behind her as she moved.

Her long nails were painted black and she wore silver rings on several fingers. Some fingers bore multiple thin rings. On one arm she wore a variety of black and silver bangles, on the other she wore thin black leather bracelets, both going from her wrists to her elbows.

Large blackened silver hoops with stars were in her first piercings, while she wore small silver studs and hoops in her other piercings. Except for the one lone ruby stud earring. She’d once worn the cross that Aaron gave her. Something she’d worn every day since then, until last night.

Last night was a gamechanger for her in more ways than one.  Given time she might even be thankful for the bitch that was hanging all over Aaron. Oh no, Savannah Cher James, you are not going to think about Aaron Angel right now. Focus!

A black velvet choker with a silver and moonstone pendant graced her neck. A tiny diamond sparkled on her nose. Aunt Judy had surprised her earlier today with the tiny diamond stud to replace the small gold hoop she wore.

Her black shades were coffin-shaped. She’d seen them in a fashion magazine over the winter and saved until she could buy them. Her black lips shone with a few layers of gloss. She’d chosen to only wear white eyeshadow with shimmer, black liner and mascara to complete her look. Her hair was straight, hanging loose down her back.

If she’d had more time she would have pin-curled it and used the hair-black that she usually streaked through her blonde hair to give it a rocker look. The curls both made her hair look shorter and gave it more volume. The perfect 80s hairdo for a rocker.

She saw Stone come behind her in the mirror. He put his arms around her waist as he pulled her close. His voice was low as he whispered in her ear. “You look good enough to eat, SJ. I’ll do my best not to be distracted by your beauty during the concert.”

She blushed and was about to reply when Aaron Angel walked into the dressing room. He spoke before he caught sight of her and Stone.

“Hey, guys. I heard that Lenny had a family emergency. I came to offer my axe skills.”

Manny walked over to him giving him a handshake and a bro hug. “Hey, thanks man. We have it covered. Stone’s girl is a fu@&in’ phenom on the bass. I’m pretty sure she was playing one in her crib.”

“Oh? Anyone I’ve heard of?”

Stone turned around, Savannah still in his arms. “I’m pretty sure you know SJ. The goddess you let slip through your fingers. Hey, your f@&k-up is my gain. Thanks, man.”

“You’re seriously going to let her play? She’s just a kid, man.”

“You’re wrong there, dickweed. SJ is all woman. She’s also a bitchin’ bass player. You’ve heard her play, man.”

His jaw clenched, Aaron replied. “Yeah. I heard her. I won’t deny she’s good, but what about in front of 20,000 screaming fans?”

“I’ll be just fine, thanks, Aaron. If Stone didn’t have confidence in me he wouldn’t let me out on stage. Storm Riders is the hottest band in the world right now. Do you think he would let me f@&k that up for a piece of ass? That’s what you’re thinking right? That somehow, he has sex on the brain and therefore I can’t be that good. Why don’t you go take my seat in the front row and see just how good I am.”

She was so pissed she was trembling. Aaron turned around, stalking out of the room without saying another word. Stone felt her shaking. “Are you alright, sugar lips?”

“I’m fine. I’m just fu@&ing pissed off at the hoser. How dare he think I’m not good enough to play on stage. I mean, who the f@&k does he think he is?”

“You’re trembling.”

[image error]Meet Author Candi Fox…

Candi Fox, co-host of the wildly popular radio show Candi and Company with over a million listeners began her venture in the paranormal at the tender age of two, when she witnessed her first apparition. From that moment on the paranormal seemed to follow her. No matter where she moved, the house she lived in the house next door, or the house down the street always seemed to be haunted.

Candi lives with her husband and furry children in Tulsa. She is passionate about the occult, saving and rehabilitating horses, horseback riding, magic, all things mystical and has her Reiki Mastery.

~~~

Links to Candi’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qIC0Wl

Facebook 1

https://www.facebook.com/CandiFox01

Facebook 2  

https://www.facebook.com/CandiFoxAuthor/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/candimfox/

Twitter 

https://twitter.com/CandiFox?lang=en

Amazon          https://amzn.to/2IriXGw

Good Reads   https://bit.ly/2Jihkw4

Website         http://candifox.com/

I hope you enjoy the recipe Candi is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 370 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

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CHICKEN AND STUFFING

1 can of cream of chicken soup

2 packets of chicken gravy mix

3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 boxes of chicken stuffing mix

1 cup of water

Mix cream of chicken soup, gravy, and water in a crockpot. Season chicken breasts on both sides according to taste. I use salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder Place chicken breasts in mixture. Put crockpot on low for 2.5 to 3 hours. Every crock pot cooks just a bit differently.  Take chicken out and shredded it or cut into small pieces. Place chicken back in the crockpot. Preheat oven to 350

Make stuffing mix in a separate pan according to box directions. Mix finished stuffing in the crockpot. Using an oval baking dish (or dish of choice). Make sure the mixture is moist. You may have to add a little more water. Put mixture in baking dish.

Bake uncovered at 350 for an hour.

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[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Candi is giving away an ebook copy of SAVANNAH JAMES to one reader and a swag pack to another reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.

Thanks, Candi, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: #HEARTMATCH by C.K. Alber

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 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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#HEARTMATCH

BY C.K. ALBER

Blurb

Nineteen-year old Jason Bryant, a lost soul, has forgotten how to care anymore. The dad he loves, the friends he has grown up with, and especially his mom have abandoned him. So, he vents while he plays blood and guts computer games every waking moment. He’s out for revenge until he meets Sam.

Samantha Brown calls being home schooled—home-prisoned. Because of a life threating health condition, she lives each day as it happens. Friends have deserted her. The parents she dearly loves are overly protective. Her sterile existence is lonely, so she searches online for a friend. She runs into Jason but refuses to fess up about her condition.

Although they are complete opposites, something clicks between them. Two deprived beings intertwine. Can they save each other?

~~~

[image error]#HEARTMATCH

BY C.K. ALBER

Excerpt

“Let’s exchange numbers,” he typed.

One minute later, Samantha’s phone rang. She answered the Facetime call.

“Hey, nothing’s ugly so far,” Jason said.

She moved her phone around the room. “This is where I live.”

“In a bedroom?” he asked.

“A hospital room.”

His brows furrowed.

“What happened? You have an accident?”

“I’m dying, Jason.”

She moved the phone to her IV, the heart monitor machine, her face.

Her voice trembled with emotion. “If I want to live, someone dies.”

“I don’t get it.” His stare sharpened. His gray eyes darkened. “Sam, I mean ah—” he paused. “I’m not feeling too well. I gotta go.”

Jason disconnected.

[image error]Meet Author C.K. Alber…

C.K. Alber, author of “The Promise Series and #heartmatch, was born in Indiana and raised and educated in both Indiana and Illinois. An extended move to Europe brought about the desire to write. She had gone from the maze of corn fields and town life to historical buildings, famous paintings, the city, and the seaside. As a “people watcher” her stories and characters began to develop, her imagination went wild regarding the settings and dialogues in her head, thus, Romantic Suspense and Young Adult became her preferred genres.

Now she lives in Colorado with her beloved, thirteen-year-old, rescue dog Luna. She is a dedicated Pescatarian, loves traveling between Washington DC and Colorado to visit family but is still a worldwide traveler when the occasion arises.

~~~

Links to C.K.’s website, blog, books, etc.

Website: http://www.ckalber.com

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2H2DIIs

~~~

[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!! C.K. is giving away an ebook copy of #HEARTMATCH to two lucky readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, CK, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: PRETENDING HE’S MINE, Love On Cue by Mia Sosa

 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

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[image error]PRETENDING HE’S MINE

Love On Cue 

BY MIA SOSA

Blurb

Mia Sosa returns with another fun, flirty romance in her critically-acclaimed Love on Cue series!

For Hollywood agent Julian Hart, representing his best friend—megastar Carter Williamson—means it’s nearly impossible to keep his personal life and career separate. To make matters worse, Carter’s younger sister has been starring in Julian’s wildest fantasies more often than he’d care to admit. He knows she’s off-limits, but when Ashley shows up on his doorstep, needing a place to crash… suddenly his greatest temptation is sleeping down the hall.

Free-spirited Ashley Williamson doesn’t do commitment. Jobs, apartments, men… why let herself be tied down? But she’s had a crush on her older brother’s best friend for years and she’s committed to making Julian want her, one towel-clad midnight encounter at a time. But just as things start heating up, their steamy flirtation is interrupted by Carter’s east coast wedding. Ashley has no desire to go home and face her reputation as the family disappointment. But living with—dare she say dating?—a successful, sexy film agent could give them something else to talk about.

Julian can’t believe he agreed to fake a relationship with the one woman he can never have. And it’s going to take more than a little willpower to remember it’s all pretend. Or is it?

BOOK INFO

Pretending He’s Mine by Mia Sosa

Series Love On Cue (Each book is a standalone.)

Genre Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher Avon Impulse

Publication Date April 10, 2018

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[image error]PRETENDING HE’S MINE

Love On Cue 

BY MIA SOSA

Excerpt

Editorial Note: Edited for language.

From Chapter Seven

The next morning, my doubts return, and I chuckle at my naïveté. Because why, oh why is the simple act of making breakfast together a challenge, too?

It’s not my fault, really. Several factors are conspiring against me.

The first? Biceps porn. Holy shit, it’s a thing. When he lifts the pan from the stove, his biceps flex like thick rubber bands. If he were to hold himself above me during sex, I’d see them at close range. Up, down, swivel, and repeat.

The second factor? That apron looks fu*@ing glorious on him. The strings are tied snugly around his trim waist, which emphasizes the nearly perfect V formed by his broad chest and shoulders. Damn, it’s hot as hell in here. I fan myself, but it doesn’t help. So when I’m sure he’s not looking, I grab the mister off the counter and spritz my face.

He catches the sound, though, and draws back. “Jesus. Did you just spray yourself with that?”

“Yeah. Why?” I pull on the collar of my T-shirt to let in some air.

He snickers, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Ashley, that’s olive oil. You need to wipe that off.”

Great. My cheeks are on fire, and now that there’s oil on them, I just might be the first human cooking surface in existence. Swallow me whole, Mother Earth.

Shaking his head at my gaffe, he preps the waffle mix while I use a paper towel to clean myself. I should use a cleanser or something, but I don’t want to miss the biceps porn—or the apron porn for that matter. Besides, olive oil must be good for the skin.

“No blueberries, right?” he asks.

“You remember.”

“Yeah. And I remember you love strawberries, but I’m not putting them in my waffle maker. I’ll toss them on top.”

“Fine with me.”

I squeeze my fists at my sides when I discover there’s more porn. Whisk porn. He’s got a mixing bowl in one hand and a whisk in the other, and he’s beating that waffle mix like he’s its daddy.

He looks up and finds me staring at him. “Everything okay?”

I nod like a human bobblehead. “Mm-hmm.”

He transfers the mix to a measuring cup and pours the batter into the waffle maker. Then he flips it over. Oooh, it’s a double waffle maker. Fancy. Unaware that he’s the new host of my personal cooking show on the Julian Channel, he bends at the waist and wipes the metal plate with a kitchen towel, giving me a DVR-worthy view of his butt. His Nielsen ratings would go into the stratosphere every time he made that move.

“Can you wash the strawberries?” he asks.

Sure, no problem. That ass is going to get someone arrested one day.

“Ash?”

Julian’s voice snatches me out of my happy place. “What?”

“The strawberries. Can you wash them?”

I shake my head and push out my lower lip. “Didn’t you hear me? I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ ”

He laughs. “In your mind, maybe, but not out loud.”

“Sorry. Watching you cook requires my full attention. You’re so precise, and there are so many steps.” I retrieve the strawberries from the fridge and rinse them in the sink. How do I get these thoughts out of my head? What can I do to stop myself from wanting him? I should probably confiscate his apron. That would be a good place to start.

Beside me, Julian wipes down the counter. When he’s done, he bumps me with his hip and reaches for a clean strawberry, breaching my personal space to get to it. I try to bump him back, but he blocks me with his body, lifts the fruit over his head, and drops everything except the crown into his mouth.

The moment he bites into it, I sway on my feet. When he slides his tongue over his bottom lip to catch the juices, I swoon. Screw you, Julian. Screw you. But not really. What I really mean is, screw me, Julian. screw me.

From PRETENDING HE’S MINE. Used with permission of Avon Impulse. Copyright © 2018 by Mia Sosa.

[image error]Meet Author Mia Sosa…

Mia Sosa was born and raised in New York City. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications and met her own romance hero (spoiler alert: she married him). Mia once dreamed of being a professional singer, but practical considerations (read: the need to generate income) led her to take the law school admissions test instead.

A graduate of Yale Law School, Mia practiced First Amendment and media law in the nation’s capital for ten years before returning to her creative roots. Now she spends most of her days writing contemporary romances about smart women and the complicated men who love them. Mia lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters and will forever be on the hunt for the perfect karaoke bar.

~~~

Links to Mia’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon http://amzn.to/2sRbu0B

Avon Romance https://goo.gl/nykrPy

Barnes & Noble https://goo.gl/i3Nvos

Google Play https://goo.gl/AS5Xkk

iBooks https://apple.co/2BKQgEh

Website https://www.miasosa.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/miasosa.author

Twitter https://twitter.com/miasosaromance

Goodreads https://goo.gl/nTBnoa

Amazon http://amzn.to/2olGP6D

~~~

**TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY DETAILS**

LINK: https://goo.gl/47SJZa

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. Three winners will each receive a paperback copy of Acting On Impulse by Mia Sosa.  This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance.  Giveaway ends 4/21/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.

Thanks, Mia, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

 

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: UNMASKED BY THE MARQUESS, The Regency Impostors Book 1 by Cat Sebastian

 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

[image error]UNMASKED BY THE MARQUESS

The Regency Imposters Book 1

BY CAT SEBASTIAN

Blurb

The one you love…

Robert Selby is determined to see his sister make an advantageous match. But he has two problems: the Selbys have no connections or money and Robert is really a housemaid named Charity Church. She’s enjoyed every minute of her masquerade over the past six years, but she knows her pretense is nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappear…forever.

May not be who you think…

Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldn’t be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldn’t be thinking of all the disreputable things he’d like to do to the impertinent scamp.

But is who you need…

When Charity’s true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he can’t marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isn’t about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what they’ve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?

~~~

[image error]UNMASKED BY THE MARQUESS

The Regency Imposters Book 1

BY CAT SEBASTIAN

Excerpt

“Regardless,” Charity said, “it would be odd if I refused his invitation to join his club. I didn’t drink all that much, and I didn’t lose any money at the tables. I promise that there’s nothing for you to worry about.” At least, nothing more than the usual. “Besides, since when do you object to a gentleman having a bit of harmless fun?”

Louisa stared at her, mouth hanging open. “Charity, you are not a gentleman,” she whispered.

Charity felt herself blush. It wasn’t as if she could protest, but the fact of the matter was that she felt more like a gentleman than she did anything else. Cheeks hot, she said, “You know what I meant.”

They stood there for a moment, regarding one another—Louisa in her white dressing gown and hair in curling papers, Charity in rumpled evening clothes, cravat rakishly askew.

“What are you going to do after I marry, Charity?” Louisa asked, breaking the silence.

“I don’t know.” Charity glanced away from Louisa’s face, taking in the peeling paint on the door frame. “There’s the gamekeeper’s cottage at Fenshawe. I could stay there,” she said, knowing it for a lie.

Louisa wrapped her dressing gown tightly around her. “But we won’t own Fenshawe after Cousin Clifton inherits.”

The “we” was generous. Charity had never owned anything, least of all the estate of Fenshawe. Robbie had owned it. And since it had been entailed, it ought to have passed to his cousin. But when Robbie died, Charity had already been attending Cambridge under his name. Her thoughts muddled by grief and confusion, it didn’t seem so terrible to keep quiet about Robbie’s death and step into his shoes at home as well. The cousin, living in Dorset, could be kept in ignorance.

Sometimes when Charity was having a hard time falling asleep, she tried to think of exactly how many laws she had broken, how many ways she ought to have been hanged or transported. But Robbie had scarcely any property that wasn’t entailed. Louisa, not yet sixteen, would have been destitute and homeless. For the two years since Robbie’s death, they had stinted and scraped together enough money out of the estate’s income to fund this season in London and put together a modest dowry for Louisa. The plan was for Louisa to marry and then they would figure out a way to set things right, to let the cousin inherit and to allow Charity to go back to being herself.

Whoever that was.

“I could live with you, after your marriage,” Charity countered, already knowing that it could never happen.

“You know I’d love nothing more,” Louisa said, and Charity believed it. “But I just realized that whoever I marry will recognize you as my brother. You can’t very well put on a gown and hope nobody notices the resemblance.”

Charity had known that from the beginning. There could be no happy ending to this deception. Even when Robbie was alive and healthy and brash and persuasive, she had understood that if she went to Cambridge in his stead there would be no going back to being plain Charity.

Even if there were, she didn’t want any part of it. There would be no more gowns, no more floors to scrub.

Neither could she continue as Robert Selby one minute longer than strictly necessary. Charity didn’t have the stomach for it.

She would be alone, adrift, with no name and no friends. She would, in fact, be in much the same situation she had been in before arriving at Fenshawe over fifteen years ago. The only difference was that this time her aloneness would be the result of her own choice, a sacrifice she had made to protect the one person who was left to her. She looked fondly at Louisa.

“Charity, where will you go?” Louisa asked with her eyes wide. “What will we do?”

She leaned forward and kissed Louisa on the cheek. “Never mind that, my girl. I have it all in hand,” she lied.

About the Book

Unmasked By The Marquess

by Cat Sebastian

Series

The Regency Impostors #1

Genre

Adult

Historical Romance

Publisher

Avon Impulse

Publication Date

April 17, 2018

Amazon  |  Avon Romance  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Google Play  |  iBooks

Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of UNMASKED BY THE MARQUESS, we’re giving away one paperback copy of THE RUIN OF A RAKE by Cat Sebastian!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy of The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance.  Giveaway ends 4/22/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

About Author Cat Sebastian…

Cat Sebastian lives in a swampy part of the South with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. Before her kids were born, she practiced law and taught high school and college writing. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s doing crossword puzzles, bird watching, and wondering where she put her coffee cup.

Author Links

    

Newsletter Sign Up

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

 

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: UNTIL TOMORROW, Dangerous Secrets Book 1 by RM Alexander

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 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~

UNTIL TOMORROW

Dangerous Secrets Book 1

BY RM ALEXANDER

Blurb

When everything is taken from you, all you have left is what comes next…

The perfect career became the perfect nightmare. Now the only solution is for Colton Paine to leave his life behind to enter the Witness Security Program. Though he has many regrets, abandoning Savana Wyler, just as she’s entering remission from cancer—and before he has a chance to tell her he loves her—rips his heart out. But Colton will do whatever it takes to protect her, even leave forever.

Relocated to a tiny northern Washington tourist town, Colton fights to regain his footing in a new life constructed of lies. Haunted by thoughts of Savana, he breaks the rules and keeps track of her. When the same people who want him dead appear on Savana’s news broadcasts, it becomes clear leaving wasn’t the answer.

Convinced Savana is left unprotected, Colton abandons WitSec in a desperate attempt to save her. But did his impetuous actions endanger them both?

Tomorrow was never more uncertain.

~~~

[image error]UNTIL TOMORROW

Dangerous Secrets Book 1

BY RM ALEXANDER

Excerpt

His whole life erased with a few keystrokes and a pile of paperwork.

Colton paced the small office waiting for the US Marshal to return. Less than twenty-four hours earlier, he’d narrowly escaped death. Now Colton Paine no longer existed. He chuckled. Colton Paine no longer existed, but he still had no idea who he was. A living, breathing ghost.

Colton rubbed a finger and thumb along his brow. Twenty-four hours thrashed through his life like a hurricane, a flash blaze which wiped out everything. He shook his head, memory of the explosion constricting his chest. The home didn’t matter anymore, or the belongings, because either way, he belonged to the Witness Security Program now. But the neighbors… Agent Mueller hadn’t mentioned the nice old couple next door, or the young family across the street whose little boy owned dimples girls would go nuts over as he grew. Colton wondered if the lack of information was an oversight or something more.

It’d be hard to live with deaths like that, to be responsible for them.

The FBI agent walked through the door with a stride that would put a gazelle to shame, papers in hand. Her jet-black hair hung straight past her shoulders and shone beneath the fluorescent lights. The badge clipped to her belt glistened with gold plating, the sidearm fully visible now that the black jacket was slung over the chair positioned behind a desk. Professional, but not heartless. Colton liked that about her.

“Okay, Mr. Paine. We are all set. A transport to a safe house is being arranged and, once there, you’ll meet a U.S. Marshal who will provide a new identity that not even I will know. The Marshal will help you settle in the new location, ensure you get back on your feet. It’ll take some time, but you’ll get there.

“Any questions before leaving?”

Questions? Colton stared at the table where his signature glared on the paper. A lot of questions, but someone would answer them all along the way. Right now, exhaustion toyed with every nerve. He wanted to sleep and one last thing before he left Denver forever. “I can’t go back to the house? Or say goodbye to my parents and brother?”

Agent Muellar lowered onto the desk corner, ankles crossed, wrist over wrist on her lap. The pose resembled models he’d seen on television, all woman. But she was tough as nails and the hardness ingrained in her gaze had Colton doubting anyone wanted to wind up on the agent’s bad side.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Paine, but I explained this earlier today. Entering WitSec means Colton Paine no longer exists. That means family, friends, coworkers, the neighbor you passed every morning—to all of them, you are simply gone. I know that’s hard for you, and for them, but if you agree to the program, there is no other way. If we’re lucky enough for Red Morrison to believe you died in that explosion, it’s all for the better.”

Dead. He couldn’t imagine what that would put his family through. Or Savana. Is that the story authorities would tell everyone he cared about, or would they not tell them anything at all?

[image error]Meet Author RM Alexander…

RM Alexander is a best-selling romantic suspense author. With driven characters who suffer the worst kinds of betrayals, RM’s novels promise a good read with unexpected twists and turns.  

When she’s not writing, RM spends time with her husband and two children. She loves to travel, especially to Walt Disney World, and is addicted to orange juice and Ghiradelli chocolate. She is often found on Twitter and Facebook chatting with other authors and readers.

~~~

Links to RM’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon:  https://amzn.to/2vh8qMn

Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

~~~

[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!! RM is giving away an ebook copy of UNTIL TOMORROW to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, RM, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with TIMOTHIE HILL AND THE CLOAK OF POWER by Author Kenna McKinnon #recipe ~ Green Bean Egg Casserole

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[image error]Karen’s Killer Fixin’s

**AUTHOR SPECIAL**

with Kenna McKinnon!

Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, KENNA McKINNON, and her favorite recipe for GREEN BEAN EGG CASSEROLE!!

~~~

TIMOTHIE HILL & THE CLOAK OF POWER

BY KENNA McKINNON

BLURB

When superhero hairdresser Timothie Hill dons his spangled cape, all HELL breaks loose in the form of his past friend and nemesis, Reginald Smith, with Reginald’s sinister invention called the Millennial Goggles that promises the subjugation of all mankind. Set in the city of Edmonton, Canada, the book includes three characters from the alien planet Draxxt, who are living amongst the citizens of Earth, including Timothie Hill himself, Dareboy, and the old witch Maude.  Now, with the end of the world at stake, Timothie must stop the leaders of the free world and the repulsive demon, Bael, from stealing the souls of six billion people of Earth in an Armageddon that has begun on Earth, or lose the unholy fight for souls altogether.

Timothie and his friends are faced with the yellow goggles created by Reginald as a game to enthrall all Earth. The goggles go viral and Timothie discovers their sinister purpose, which is to enslave their users and create a world subjugated to the wishes of a demon from Hell. World leaders, including Dennis Ducksworth, president of the United States, conspire to create a world that will result in Armageddon and the souls of Earth as Hell’s army.

Reviews

“McKinnon’s Timothie Hill and the Cloak of Power is an exhilarating superhero fantasy novel that deserves to be read!” — Laurence St. John, author of the Metatron Series

“McKinnon once again shines in this adventure featuring a caped hairdresser using his powers to keep an approaching evil at bay. A great read for readers of all ages.” — Laurie Woodward, author of the Artania Chronicles

 

[image error]TIMOTHIE HILL & THE CLOAK OF POWER

BY KENNA McKINNON

EXCERPT

A SECTION OF CHAPTER 1

“Wow, Timothie, I love the purple spikes.” The older woman perched on a silver chair while her stylist twirled his hands through her lavender hair. She settled the salon’s cape around her shoulders.

“Why don’t you try this, luv?” he asked and spun on one shiny black boot, the silver buckles sparkling in the sun that poured like honey through the spacious windows of his salon. “I can put you under the dryer, and the color will last longer. Then style your hair like this and this – that’s right. Come with me. Magazine? Coffee? Is the music too loud for you?”

“You promise you’ll make me look young again?” The woman pulled at her left earlobe and smiled. She strode to the dryer and settled herself under the hood. Timothie brought her black coffee. The roar of the dryer drowned out the sound of Jann Arden singing “Under June.”

##

In the district of Oliver, across the city, Timothie’s old friend and nemesis hunched over a pentagram carved into the floor tiles of his condo penthouse. Something sloshed in the basin by his elbow. New York, where he’d last worked in advertising, was a checkered memory. Only Edmonton was real; the gateway to Hell.

Reginald Smith chuckled. New York hadn’t worked out. They’d hated him there, like the company he worked for in Edmonton hated him until he’d promised to make them billions with an invention from the dark side. TopStrategy Marketing didn’t know they were dealing with the dark side. They didn’t care to know.

Thick clots of blood and smoke combined to choke the stocky blond man, who peered into the eyes of the summoned apparition. Bael, the head of sixty-six legions of demons in Hell, desultorily granted supernatural powers to his minions on Earth. Reginald’s lip curled below his blond mustache. He seldom made use of invisibility. Surely, there were other, more potent, superpowers denied to him.

He poured the holy water into the middle of the pentagram. Bael roared and flowed clockwise down the drain set into the blue tiles and the symbols that had summoned him. It was not yet the demon’s time to make his presence known to Earth. Reginald would help it with that awful task when the time came. This was only a trial run for the man and the demon, and Reginald made sure he was in control. He feared the power of the demon but was excited, as well.

##

Timothie threw the black cloak with the silver stars across his bulging biceps. A blast of cold air buffeted the glass doors and rattled the sign in front of his salon.

Maude slipped out the side door, knowing more than she ought to know in this moment of his transformation.”

[image error]Meet Author Kenna McKinnon…

Kenna McKinnon is a Canadian freelance writer, author of SpaceHive (2012), and Bigfoot Boy: Lost on Earth, as well as Benjamin and Rumblechum, The Insanity Machine; Blood Sister; Short Circuit and Other Geek Stories; DISCOVERY: A Collection of Poetry, Den of Dark Angels, Engaging the Dragon, and Timothie Hill and the Cloak of Power. Her most memorable years were spent at the University of Alberta, where she graduated with a degree in Anthropology. Kenna is a member of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta and a professional member of the Canadian Authors Association. She has two children and three grandsons. Her hobbies include fitness, health, drawing, reading, walking, music, cooking, volunteering, and baking for friends.

~~~

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Links to Kenna’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GVhSq9

Author’s blog: http://KennaMcKinnonAuthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennaMcKinnonAuthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KennaMcKinnon

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kennamckinnon

Amazon Author Page:     https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=kenna+mckinnon

I hope you enjoy the recipe Kenna is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 369 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GREEN BEAN EGG CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

2 cans drained green beans or a package of frozen green beans

1 can cream of mushroom soup

6 sliced hardboiled eggs

Cheese

Buttered crumbs*

Mix mushroom soup and green beans. Layer half of the green bean mixture in a casserole dish. Arrange sliced eggs in the center, and then cover with the rest of the green bean mixture. Top with cheese and buttered crumbs.

Bake in a 300 degree oven for an hour.

Note: Can be frozen.

* 1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter.

~~~

[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Kenna is giving away an ebook copy of one of her books (winner’s choice) to two readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog.

Thanks, Kenna, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: DIVINE AMBROSIA: a Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (American Goddess Book 1) by Vivienne Savage

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 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~

DIVINE AMBROSIA

American Goddess Book 1

A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance

BY VIVIENNE SAVAGE

Blurb

One woman. Three Greek gods. Dive into a captivating and humorous romance that transcends time.

Esme Caro’s dull life makes an electrifying change when not one but three hunky men begin pursuing her. After strange and unusual events start happening in town, her unexpected suitors confess an incredible secret—they believe Esme is Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and they’ve waited centuries to reclaim her. Although she’s convinced the three are suffering a shared delusion, there’s no denying that they are drop dead gorgeous, dangerous, and way too hot for her to resist.

Divine Ambrosia is a complete novel without a cliffhanger and the start to a trilogy starring a new heroine.

NOTE: ON SALE for only $.99 through Wednesday!

~~~

[image error]DIVINE AMBROSIA

American Goddess Book 1

A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance

BY VIVIENNE SAVAGE

Excerpt

Editorial Note: Edited for language

In the week since their dating disaster, Esme had managed to avoid Luke without even a brief sighting. She’d half expected to run into him Monday between classes or at lunch, but he hadn’t popped up once to bother her, nor had he appeared the next day during her usual study session between classes.

Was it possible she’d overreacted, or had he lost interest because she didn’t plan to bone him in his car?

Snow crunched behind her, and a familiar tingle raced up her spine, raising the hairs on her nape. Her pulse thundered behind her ribs at a staccato beat, ferocious as a galloping herd.

She glanced back over her shoulder but saw no one. Several shops remained open, but everyone was wisely inside where it was warm. Waving it off as snow falling from a roof, she continued on her way, until another crunch drew her attention.

This time, she swore she caught sight of a shadow further back down the way. As the panic attack subsided, she looked back again after several more feet, and this time she made out a hulking figure in a dark coat.

Esme tugged her purse around to her front and slipped her cell phone out. She thumbed the recent call log and phoned her friend. “Marie,” she hissed when the line picked up. “I think there’s some strange dude following me.”

“What? Why are you calling me? Call the police.”

“But what if I’m wrong? I’ll look like an idiot.”

“Better to look like an idiot than end up in some bad man’s sex dungeon.”

“What the f*@k? Sex dungeon? How does your mind jump to—you know what? Nevermind.”

“Where are you?”

“Edge of Spruce and Main by the university library.”

“Come to the cafe. Do you want me to tell Frank some guy was harassing you and send him out?”

Esme sagged in relief. Officer Frank would do anything for Marie, especially if it scored him a shot at getting into her panties. “Yes, please.”

“All right, I’ll—shit. He’s already in his cruiser and driving away.”

At this hour, few tourists wandered the streets and most of the souvenir shops had long ago closed for the day. Nothing stirred on her corner of the street save a stray cat merrily prancing across a dirty mountain of snow created by the plows. The shadowed figure was gone.

“I am losing my damned mind. I’m freaking out over nothing. It’s well lit, and if I can’t bumble my way a couple blocks to the cafe in the safest, most open part of town, maybe I deserve to be snatched.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay. Love you, girl. I’ll have a bowl of chili waiting when you get here.”

“Make it a bread bowl. With extra cheese. I want more than a damn pinch this time.”

“Extra cheese,” Marie agreed.

Esme ended the call and continued down the road, shivering inside her coat. The wind cut through her gloves and numbed her fingers to the bone.

The growl of a rumbling engine echoed up the street. Esme peered over her shoulder and caught sight of a motorcycle coming around the corner a few blocks down. In this weather, she couldn’t imagine how anyone could enjoy driving without a heater or walls to block out the wind.

Speaking of which, she was ready to be out of the cold herself. With hands tucked in her pockets, she continued up the sidewalk at a quick pace.

“Hey there,” a deep, husky voice called out.

She darted her gaze to the left. The biker coasted at her speed, a big man in a leather jacket and black-visored headgear designed to resemble an old Grecian helmet, complete with a scarlet brush comb on top. Despite the temptation to ask him about it, she picked up the pace and pushed on through the bitter cold.

“Oh, come on, can’t you at least say hello?”

“Hello.”

“Great, so she does speak. Pretty girl like you shouldn’t be walking alone at this hour.”

She grunted. He sounded like her dad, his tone oddly paternal… No, not paternal, warm and protective but not paternal. Marie was always telling her about street harassment and creepy old guys hitting on her when she visited her family in Sacramento, but Esme had never experienced it herself.

He paused the bike at the street corner while she waited for a long car to pass through the intersection. “I hear the recent influx of tourists have brought all kinds of shit to town. There’s perverts out,” he persisted.

“Are you one of them?” The words flew from her lips before she could reel them in.

The stranger chuckled and pulled off his helmet. Dark hair tumbled out around his shoulders, framing a face equal parts rugged and handsome, not as pretty and flawless as Luke, but breathtaking in its own kind of way, his bright blue eyes above a crooked nose that looked like it had once been broken and hadn’t set right.

Esme stared, as petrified by his resemblance to the warrior of her dream as she was aroused by it. It had to be coincidence.

[image error] Meet Author Vivienne Savage…

Vivienne Savage is the pen name of two best friends who write everything together. One works as a nurse in a rural healthcare home in Texas, and the other is a U.S. Navy veteran. Both are mothers to two darling boys and two amazing girls. When they aren’t raising children, writing fantasy, or concocting ways for shapeshifters and humans to find their match, they play online RPG games to pass the time.

All works by Vivienne range from urban fantasy and sweet adult romance to spicy shifter fiction with an erotic kick. Visit her site to determine which series is best for you!

~~~

Links to Vivienne’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B29ZYXK

NOTE: ON SALE for only $.99 through Thursday, April 12!

Sign up at http://www.viviennesavage.com/newsletter to receive an exclusive, free novel.

Website: http://www.viviennesavage.com

~~~

Thanks, Vivienne, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!

Karen’s Killer Book Bench: DEADLY FOCUS, A Vega and Middleton Mystery by Sue Hinkin

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 [image error]KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!

~~

DEADLY FOCUS

A Vega and Middleton Mystery

BY SUE HINKIN

Blurb

When Los Angeles TV news photographer Lucy Vega, whose family was killed in a car crash, investigates another crash during the worst El Niño storm in decades, she is horrified to learn the victim is her uncle. Though the medical examiner declares the death accidental, Lucy suspects otherwise. She sets out on a murder investigation of her own, and soon discovers secret underworld involvement by Mexican cartel members. Bent on finding answers, Lucy travels to Mexico, where she meets a handsome but burned out CNN war correspondent who helps her trail the cartel deep into their own territory. Corruption and brutality are rampant, and Lucy must risk all to find the truth behind her uncle’s murder.

Testimonial:

“One of the more suspenseful and fully engrossing books I’ve read in a long time, DEADLY FOCUS grabs you in the first chapter and never lets go. With a gift for instant and vivid characterizations, Sue Hinkin has created a highly sympathetic heroine in Lucy Vega whom you will never forget and will want to follow as the series unfolds. Lucy’s raw sorrow and constant struggles are so truly written and common to the human heart that your soul will recognize and feel them deeply. Thriller, mystery, and mainstream readers have a new author to follow and enjoy, year after year. Keep ‘em comin’, Sue!”

—Sonja Massie, author of more than 60 published works including the highly acclaimed Savannah Reid Mysteries under the pseudonym G.A. McKevett and the bestselling novel Far and Away adapted from the movie by Ron Howard starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman

~~~

[image error]DEADLY FOCUS

A Vega and Middleton Mystery

BY SUE HINKIN

Excerpt

It was two in the morning when her cell phone rang out with a dreamy Celtic tune—a soothing sound to wake up to, usually. Lucy rolled over toward the charger on the nightstand. Her eighty-pound yellow Lab mix, Maddie, snorted, stretched, and oozed across the warm space Lucy had just vacated on the bed.

She pushed her long, tangled dark locks behind her ears; the old St. Olaf College T-shirt Lucy wore clung to her slim body. Who the hell was trying to get her at this hour? She groped for the phone. Although she wasn’t on call, the ID identified the newsroom. She hit call back.

The line picked up immediately.

“This had better be good,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

The contrite intern explained it all quickly.

“Yeah, Brent, okay, uh-huh. You’re right, no point in Vargas coming out here, it’s only about fifteen minutes down Kanan. Okay. I’m on my way.” She clicked off the phone, turned on her bedside lamp and sipped the last inch of day-old Diet Coke from a dented can. Yuck. She’d grab a hot cup of coffee and some oatmeal at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe after she finished with the accident assignment.

Throwing off the flannel sheets, Lucy headed for the bathroom. She took a one-minute shower, threw on jeans, a sweatshirt, rain boots, a waterproof jacket with the station logo, and jogged across the stormy yard to the garage. Maddie at her heels beelined it to the dog door at the Spanish rancho style main house and disappeared outside. The pup knew the drill. The plastic flap thwacked shut behind her.

As Lucy pulled out, the door to the house opened. Eighty-year-old Elsa Christianson, her father’s cousin from Norway who was both Uncle Henry’s housekeeper and Lucy’s quasi-grandma, waved her down.

“Everything okay, sweetheart?” She wrapped a pink chenille robe tightly around her small, petite form. Skinny legs rose from tan UGGs. Her beagle, Bugle, poked his head out the door and sniffed. Maddie’s face appeared above his. A doggie totem pole. They playfully snapped at each other and disappeared into the house.

“Go back to bed, Elsa. Just a routine on-call thing.”

“Okay. But be careful honey. We’ve got to work on that special dinner tonight for Henry. Gotta whip up those Mexican-Norwegian tortillas. But no lutefisk this year. Salmon or sea bass, I promise.”

Lucy laughed as she recalled that disastrous culinary experiment from many years ago. Pickled Norwegian whitefish was something that did not have wide appeal, even smothered in salsa. “I’ll be back soon. Love you.”

Lucy couldn’t shake the sense of discomfort that had been niggling at her since she got the call from the intern. It was a rough night, but it felt like something beyond the weather threatened. Water and hillside would be flowing down the mountain along with boulders that could wipe a semi off the road. Another crazy El Niño storm. But this was all part of her job. She pushed the lever that engaged her Jeep’s 4-wheel drive.

In the deep-gray light of a rainy pre-dawn, a murder of black crows circled overhead before descending en masse into a stand of sycamore trees along the bloated, churning expanse of Medea Creek. Several of the big inky birds fought over a bloody morsel that screamed and struggled, then quieted. Finally, one of the winged creatures managed to secure the dying prey in its beak and disappear into the low, leaden sky.

Pulling into a turnout just north of the third tunnel, Lucy eased to a stop between a Los Angeles County fire rescue vehicle and a Malibu cop car—both empty. No other news folks had arrived but it wouldn’t be long. She hopped out, grabbed her gear and headed for the fire road that scaled the edge of the canyon and led down to the water. The loose, decomposing granite scree and slick adobe mud created an added struggle to the trek.

Lucy zipped the video camera into the front of her jacket in hopes of keeping it dry and secure. Despite its nylon cover, the lens was getting wet and she hated those blurry, rain-pocked weather shots the other camera operators cranked out. She knew her cinematic tastes were classic in the midst of a period where halting, unfocused, and blurry were supposed to the give the viewer a sense of raw “reality.” Reality was way overrated. She’d learned that early.

As Lucy made her way down to the scene, the L.A. County Fire Department backhoe tractor began pulling a wrecked silver Lexus sedan out of the creek. Her uncle had one just like it. Lucy looked forward to his coming home tomorrow, which was now, happily, today. She and Elsa would make those tacos with their delicious dill, mayonnaise, red onion, and cabbage salsa. The salmon would be wild caught from Alaska. Pricey, but worth it.

As she cautiously hiked her way down to the edge of the creek, one of the firefighters she’d befriended on other stories gave her a quick wave. Taut chains screeched in protest as the backhoe shivered and the car struggled to emerge. The windows were rolled up. The car’s interior resembled an untended aquarium, full of greenish water slowly draining. The windshield hadn’t shattered. The passenger side door and the pleated rear end appeared to have taken most of the hit.

A body floated against the glass. Lucy swallowed hard and held down a pang of nausea. Anxiety built in her diaphragm and the roar of the ocean rose in her ears. This was too close, too close to home. To the brutal loss of her family in a similar catastrophe.

I’m okay, I’m okay, she told herself. Focus on the story, on the work. The work saves you, always has. Lucy clambered up the bank a bit to get a better angle on the accident, careful not to slip on the sharp rocks. She took a wide shot of the roiling water surging toward the Pacific a mile away.

Documenting the dangerous, hard work of the first responders, she grabbed a close-up of the whitewater moving an empty surfboard along the shore then shifted focus to her friend the fire department rescue worker in a bright yellow rain suit.

As the car finally cleared the shore and settled on a sandy berm, he tried to open the car doors with some kind of slim-jim tool but they wouldn’t oblige. One of their colleagues appeared with the Jaws of Life but after a quick consult, he grabbed an ax and smashed in the windshield.

Water gushed forth like murky vomit. The floating body slid into view atop the Lexus’ silver hood. A shoeless foot tangled against the steering wheel.

Lucy screamed, shook her head and stumbled backward. Surely, she was hallucinating. This couldn’t be real.

Her camera dropped to the ground. For a moment, she was paralyzed.

She swallowed a sob then rushed toward the ruined car. Oblivious of the hands reaching to restrain her, Lucy threw herself into her uncle’s cold, dead arms.

[image error]Meet Author Sue Hinkin…

Sue Hinkin is a former college administrator, television news photographer and NBC-TV art department staffer. With a B.A. from St. Olaf College, she completed graduate work at the University of Michigan and was a Cinematography Fellow at the American Film Institute. She lives with her family in Denver.

About Literary Wanderlust…Literary Wanderlust publishes well-written novels and short story anthologies in the romance, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, women’s fiction, and mystery/suspense genres, as well as nonfiction. Visit us at www.literarywanderlust.com.

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Links to Sue’s website, blog, books, etc.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IvdOwX

Website and blog  www.suehinkin.com

Facebook suehinkinauthor

Amazon author page at www.amazon.com/-/eBO78SC7CFP

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[image error]SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!! Sue is giving away a copy of DEADLY FOCUS to two readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.

Thanks, Sue, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!