Karen Docter's Blog, page 201
October 23, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Reflection (A Whitney Steel Novel – Book 1) & Retribution (A Whitney Steel Novel – Book 2) by Kim Cresswell
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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REFLECTION
A Whitney Steel Novel – Book One
BY KIM CRESSWELL
Blurb
Lunch with the ex-husband is not always a fun thing especially when bullets start flying and reporter Whitney Steel finds herself in the middle of a human cloning story that will rock the world…providing she lives long enough to get her byline.
Book Trailer:
http://youtu.be/Q7f5EtZ_gis
Audio Retail Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH25slrrYyk
Available at the following retailers:
Audible:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Reflection-Audiobook/B01IIANL36/
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Reflection-Whitney-Steel-Novel-Book/dp/B01IIAQEJ4/
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/reflection-whitney-steel-novel/id1135564817
RETRIBUTION
A Whitney Steel Novel – Book Two
By KIM CRESSWELL
Blurb
Once the leader of the Sur del Calle cartel, Colombia’s largest drug trafficking organization, Pablo Sanchez patiently waits to exact his revenge against Blake Barnett, the FBI agent who killed his twin brother over a decade ago.
After one failed attempt forces Sanchez to flee the United States, he hatches a bold new plan. This time Blake has something to lose: his fiancée, Whitney Steel.
From the neon paradise of Las Vegas to the militant-infected jungles of Bogota, Blake must risk his life and infiltrate the cartel’s inner world and eliminate the ruthless drug lord.
The price of failure is higher than ever as he’s forced to use the woman he loves as a pawn in a deadly game where the events of the past and present collide.
Audio Retail Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFartRxUiU
Available at the following retailers:
Audible:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Retribution-Audiobook/B01M0JPGQX/
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Whitney-Steel-Novel-Book/dp/B01LYXGIC1/ref
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/retribution-whitney-steel/id1159431751
Meet Author Kim Cresswell
… 
Kim Cresswell resides in Ontario, Canada. Trained as a legal assistant, Kim has been a story-teller all her life but took many detours including; working in legal and adult education before returning to her first love, writing.
Her debut suspense novel, REFLECTION, has won numerous awards: RomCon®’s 2014 Readers’ Crown Finalist (Romantic Suspense), InD’tale Magazine 2014 Rone Award Finalist (Suspense/Thriller), UP Authors Fiction Challenge Winner (2013), Silicon Valley’s Romance Writers of America (RWA) “Gotcha!” Romantic Suspense Winner (2004), and an Honourable Mention in Calgary’s (RWA) The Writer’s Voice Contest (2006).
Kim’s short novel thriller LETHAL JOURNEY won RomCon®’s 2014 Readers’ Crown (Thriller/Suspense) and was a finalist in From the Heart Romance Writers (FTHRW) Golden Gate Contest (2003). Her high-octane thrillers have been highly praised by reviewers and readers. As one reviewer said, “Buckle up, Hang on tight!”
She also recently published two high-octane Kindle Worlds novellas featuring characters from her Whitney Steel series and JET from Russell Blake’s New York Times bestselling action-packed JET series.
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Links to Kim’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.kimcresswell.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimCresswellBooks/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kimcresswell
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Kim is giving away Audible audiobooks of both** Reflection and Retribution (US & UK) to three lucky readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Good luck!
**Both audiobooks contain sexual situations, language and violence.**
Thanks, Kim, for sharing your books with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read these books!
October 20, 2016
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Cate Beauman #recipe ~ Chocolate-Raspberry Bars
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with CATE BEAUMAN!
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, CATE BEAUMAN, and her favorite recipe: CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY BARS!
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Ethan Cooke Security and their bodyguard team return to action in Deceiving Bella – book eleven in Cate Beauman’s Bodyguards of L.A. County series.
With over 7700 reviews and a 4.4 rating for the entire series, see why the Bodyguards of L.A. County is a multi-award winning series.
New to the series? No problem! Each book in the “Bodyguards” series is a stand-alone title. Although reading the books in order is preferred, it is not necessary. Each title features brand new primary characters and limited overlapping secondary characters. Don’t hesitate to jump right in!
DECEIVING BELLA
The Bodyguards of L.A. County Series Book 11
By CATE BEAUMAN
Blurb
Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.
Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.
Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.
DECEIVING BELLA
The Bodyguards of L.A. County Series Book 11
By CATE BEAUMAN
EXCERPT
They kept a slow pace, strolling in silence as the breeze plastered their clothes to their bodies and the constant sound of waves hypnotized, lulling Reed into relaxing by degrees.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight. It’s nice having company.”
He looked at Bella, staring at the fading light playing off her eyes. “The water smells better than a bunch of sweaty guys.”
“Your gym.” Her brow creased ever so slightly as she held his gaze. “What do you do for fun?”
“Work and box.”
“Sounds…like a good time.”
“I like it.”
“Do you smile?”
He frowned. “Huh?”
“I was wondering if you ever smile—or laugh. I haven’t seen you do either since we met.”
He sent her an exaggerated grin.
She laughed.
He smiled for real this time, finding her laughter infectious.
“You do smile. I wasn’t sure if you had some sort of facial paralysis we hadn’t discussed yet.”
He grinned.
“You should do that more often.” She hooked her arm through his.
He almost missed a step as the warmth of her skin met his, surprised by her casual gesture. He wasn’t used to people being so touchy-feely. “I do it plenty.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
How was it possible she smelled even better now that they stood so close? It had to be her hair. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
She stopped abruptly. “Are you seeing anyone?”
He studied her, not sure that he liked where this was going. “No. You interested?”
She shook her head. “You’re not really my type.”
He tried to ignore the direct hit to his ego. “You’re not mine either.”
Another smile warmed her face. “I think we could be great friends, and I like projects—love them, actually.”
His frown returned. “And that means…”
“It means I like you. And I love that you don’t seem to have any interest in getting into my pants.”
Years of concealing any and all facial expressions kept his eyes from popping wide. “Wow.” He ran his hand through his hair, speechless once again. “Okay.”
She laughed. “I’m a big fan of honesty—putting it right out there.”
He chuckled as he settled his sunglasses on top of his head. “Clearly.”
They started walking again.
“There’s something about you that feels…safe.”
He raised his brow, taken aback. He’d been called many things, but this was a first. “Safe?”
She nodded. “Safe. It’s a good thing, but you’re pretty serious. We need to lighten you up. You need to play more.”
“I play plenty. I box.”
She scoffed, “Beating someone’s face in can’t lead you down the road to happiness.”
Her side brushed his with every step. He imagined he should ease away, break their connection, but he liked the way she felt, that she trusted him. “There’s more to boxing than beating someone’s face in.”
She looked at him as if she wasn’t so sure.
“I’ll have to show you—” He glanced over his shoulder when he realized they hadn’t seen Lucy for a while and laughed as the dog lay on her back in the sand with her front paws in the air. “What is she doing?”
“Sunbathing.”
He laughed again, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” His eyes met Bella’s as she stared at him. “What?”
“You have a great laugh.”
To his surprise, he was having a great time. It shocked him further that he liked Bella as much as she seemed to like him. Being here with her was exactly what he’d needed. “How long do you want to stay?”
“The sun sets soon. It’s the best part.”
The sand wasn’t bothering him much, and he couldn’t remember the last time his shoulders felt so loose. “I don’t have a blanket.”
“We can sit on our shoes.” She tossed hers down. “We can plunk ourselves right here.”
Lucy rolled to her side, stood, and ran their way.
He shrugged, dropping his flip-flops to the ground. “I guess this is as good a place as any.”
“It’ll be spectacular.” She took his hand, pulling him down next to her. “You won’t regret it.”
“We’ll have to remember a blanket next time.”
She smiled. “You want to come back?”
He stared ahead, petting Lucy when she curled up next to him, breathing in Bella with each inhalation. “I could see myself doing this again.”
She gave his shoulder a bump. “Good. You can be my beach buddy.”
He nodded, liking the idea. “Yeah, sure.”
“Great.”
“Great.” He crossed his ankles in the sand, his foot brushing Bella’s as they settled in to enjoy the show. It had been too damn long since he watched a sunset.
Did you enjoy the excerpt? You can read the first chapter on my website, www.catebeauman.com , or you can finish the whole book with the links below!
The Unofficial Deceiving Bella Soundtrack
I love music! I can’t imagine a world without catchy tunes playing, especially when I’m writing. Music is inspiration. Melodies, beats, and the mood of each song help me portray emotions and feelings as I tell a story. It’s a rare day when I don’t have my headphones in place, bopping my head, while my fingers race across the keyboard. You can listen to the “soundtrack” for each book on my website www.catebeauman.com.
The soundtrack, of sorts, for Deceiving Bella:
Favorite Song by Ben Rector
Lay It All On Me by Rudimental w/Ed Sheeran
Into You by Ariana Grande
Cake by the Ocean by DNCE
Truth by Steve Moakler
Any Other Name by Thomas Newman
Rock Bottom by Hailee Steinfeld
All I Want by Kodaline
Crash by Usher
Stand By You by Rachel Platten
About Author Cate Beauman…
International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.
Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full length romantic suspense novel.
DO YOU LIKE TO WIN FREE STUFF?
SIGN UP FOR CATE’S NEWSLETTER TO BE NOTIFIED OF MONTHLY GIVEAWAY OFFERS
AND NEW RELEASE INFORMATION
http://www.catebeauman.com/getmyfreebooks
For a limited time : new subscribers will receive a free copy of Morgan’s Hunter and Falling For Sarah, books one and two in the Bodyguards of L.A. County Series!
~~~
Links to Cate’s Website, Books, & Social Media:
Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Cate-Beauman/e/B00A05KHVM/
BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cate-beauman
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/catebeauman
Social links:
Twitter: @CateBeauman
Website: www.catebeauman.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CateBeauman
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cate_beauman_author
I hope you enjoy the recipe Cate is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 282 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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One Of Cate’s Favorite Fall Desserts:
I don’t know about you but I love the fall. The air turns crisp and the scenery beautiful, but I think what I love most is the new variety of foods we often eat. We put away the grill for the year (or use it less frequently) and utilize our stoves and ovens more. Typically, I try to share healthier recipes but this is one of my favorite sinful treats. Chocolate raspberry bars are pretty easy to make and they’re great to bring to a potluck or tailgating. Whenever we share these, I go home with an empty plate.
CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY BARS
1 cup of butter, softened (2 sticks)
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Seedless raspberry preserves
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Combine softened butter, brown sugar, and flour to make coarse crumbs. Measure approximately 2 cups of the crumbs and press evenly into the greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
While the pressed crumbs are in the oven, combine condensed milk and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a saucepan and stir together over low heat until chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is combined.
Pour chocolate/condensed milk mixture over hot crust and spread with a spatula until all of the crust is covered.
Sprinkle remaining crumbs over chocolate. Drop jam by ½ teaspoons randomly over crumbs (less is more). Scatter remaining 1-cup of chocolate chips over the entire dish and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool and cut into bars.
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Thanks, Cate, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Amazon Echo Giveaway
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October 19, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: To Love And To Cherish (The Wedding Belles #3) by Lauren Layne
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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TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH
The Wedding Belles #3
BY LAUREN LAYNE
Blurb
Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, a contemporary and witty romance series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.
Alexis Morgan has spent the past six years devoted to turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan’s premiere wedding planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business is thriving, it’s time to turn towards her much neglected personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles, and the one person who’s been there for her since the very beginning. But Alexis needs someone fun, and Logan’s all business, all the time—except when a late night at the office ends with an unexpected kiss that leaves the usually cool and together Alexis reeling.
Logan has lusted after Alexis since the day he walked into the tiny Harlem apartment that used to double as her office. But the ambitious wedding planner has always been untouchable…until now. Alexis has made it clear that she’s on the dating market—and equally clear that he’s not in the running. But when Alexis finds herself in need of a date for her sister’s last minute wedding in Florida, Logan knows it’s the perfect time to show Alexis that there’s more to him than numbers and spreadsheets—and beneath the pinstripes and glasses lies a hot-blooded heartthrob. As Florida’s sultry days turn into even hotter nights, Logan’s out to convince Alexis that the fling of a lifetime could just maybe turn into forever…
TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH
The Wedding Belles #3
BY LAUREN LAYNE
Excerpt
“Hello.”
The sexy British accented startled Alexis out of her thoughts, and she glanced up, both alarmed and intrigued to find that the face that awaited her was every bit as appealing as the voice.
The man was about her age—early, maybe midtwenties—and ridiculously cute. His hair was dark and maybe just a touch too long, as though he intended to get a haircut but kept forgetting. The eyes were brown and friendly, accented by trendy black-framed glasses.
The chunky cable-knit sweater with elbow patches—for real—bordered on dorky, but then, Alexis had always had a soft spot for dorky. He had a bit of the Clark Kent thing going on, which had always been far more her type than the overrated Superman.
“Hi,” she replied quickly, realizing that she’d been staring.
His smile grew wider as he extended a hand. “Logan Harris.”
Darn. Even the name was good.
“Alexis,” she said.
“Does that come with a last name?” he teased, lowering himself to the vacant barstool beside her.
“Not to strange men,” she retorted.
“I could buy you a drink. Get rid of the ‘strange’ part.”
Alexis’s smile slipped as she remembered that romance, even flirting, wasn’t part of her plan. She’d learned the hard way that she could have one or the other—her own business or a boyfriend—not both. And even if she wanted the latter, the latter didn’t want her back.
“No thanks; I’m fine,” she said, letting the slightest amount of chill enter her voice. The ice-princess treatment, Roxanne called it.
Logan shrugged, undeterred. “All right then. May I borrow your menu?”
She nodded, and he picked it up, perusing it for several moments and paying her no attention.
It was both a relief and also a bit of an insult, if she was being entirely honest, to be given up on so easily.
Alexis tried to turn her attention back to her laptop but watched out of the corner of her eye as he finally shut the menu, waiting patiently to catch the bartender’s eye.
“Hi there,” he said, when the bartender ambled back over. “I’d like a Stella, and a maybe bite to eat?”
Alexis didn’t miss the once-over that the bartender gave Logan before the curvy redhead leaned over the bar, displaying perky boobs as she clicked her pen and pulled a notepad out of her back pocket.
“Shoot,” the bartender said flirtatiously, looking a good deal friendlier than she had when she’d spoken to Alexis.
Not that Alexis blamed her. A cute Brit could do that to a girl.
“All right then,” Logan said. “I’d like the burger, medium, with Swiss. Fish and chips, extra tartar, and . . . how’s your chicken club?”
The bartender blinked. “It’s good. But you want all that?”
“I do. Thank you.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, scribbling Logan’s order on the pad.
“Hungry?” Alexis couldn’t resist asking after the bartender moved away.
Logan gave a sheepish smile. “I’m a recovering student. I sometimes get so wrapped up in my day that I forget to eat.”
“A recovering student. What does that mean?”
He turned slightly toward her. “Someone’s showing plenty of interest in a strange man.”
She bit her lip. “I’m sorry if I was rude before. I’m just not really in the market for . . . you know.”
He gave her an easy smile. “Everyone’s in the market for a friend, Alexis.”
She opened her mouth and then shut it as she realized he was right. She could use a friend. She’d spent her entire life in Boston and knew almost nobody in New York. This guy seemed nice and nonthreatening enough—what would be the harm in a little conversation over dinner? It had been too long since she’d had somebody to share a meal with.
Logan seemed to know the moment she capitulated, because he turned more fully toward her. “A recovering student, Alexis, is a recent graduate. One who hasn’t quite absorbed that there will be no more finals, no more requisite all-nighters, and no more dorm sex.”
Alexis laughed. “Undergrad, then?”
He gave her a wry look. “How young do I look, darling? MBA from Columbia. Just finished up end of last year.”
She felt a little stab of relief that he wasn’t twenty-two.
He leaned toward her slightly. “Twenty-five next month, just in case you were wondering. As a friend.”
She tried to hide her smile and failed. “Columbia, huh? You’re a long way from home.”
“Noticed that, did ya?” He winked. “I came out here for undergrad, also Columbia. Always figured I’d go back to London and maybe someday I will, but . . .” He shrugged. “Seems I have stuff to do here first.”
“Such as?” She took a sip of her wine, dismayed to see that it was half-empty.
“Well, this will probably shock you, given my vast amount of brawn, but I’m an accountant. Or at least I will be, once I get my business up and running.”
Alexis was impressed. “Your own business?”
Most twentysomethings, even those with an entrepreneurial bent, opted to get a few years of work under their belts for someone else before branching out on their own.
He nodded. “I’m working out of my flat for now, but I’m hoping to lease some office space soon, get some legitimacy. If nothing else to get my father off my back.”
“He’s not a fan of your plan?” Alexis asked.
Logan’s shoulder lifted, and for the first time he seemed a little sad. “Both parents have had it in their head that I’d come home. Run the family business in London.”
“Which is . . . ?”
He spun his beer glass idly. “Financial consulting firm. My father’s the CEO, Mum’s the COO.”
“Wow, that’s . . .”
“Scary?” Logan supplied.
“I was going to say impressive. That they work together—without killing each other, I mean.”
“They’re in love. It’s atrocious,” he said with a wink. “What about your folks?”
Alexis laughed. “Not in love. They divorced when I was in high school. Dad’s remarried and happy now, I think. Mom not so much.”
“And you?” he said. “Are you happy, Alexis?”
She pursed her lips, surprised and yet not entirely unsettled by the personal question. “It’s been a while since anyone asked me that. Since I even thought about it, really.”
“Think it out. I’ll wait,” he said with a wink.
She didn’t have to think that long. “I’m almost happy.”
“You sound quite confident on that.”
She shrugged. “Let’s just say that I need a few things to fall into place in my professional life, but once that happens . . . yeah. I’ll be happy.”
She’d make sure of it.
Meet Author Lauren Layne…
Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart–cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian.
In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.
In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.
For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!
~~~
Links to Lauren’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/08/to-love-and-to-cherish-wedding-belles-3.html
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28552677-to-love-and-to-cherish
Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/165203-the-wedding-belles
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Google | iTunes | Kobo
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram
~~~
Thanks, Lauren, for sharing your book with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
October 18, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Mowed (An Erotic BBW ~ Big Beautiful Woman ~ Comedy Romance) by Grace Risata
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!
~~
MOWED
An Erotic BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) Comedy Romance
BY GRACE RISATA
Blurb
Curvy girl Pepper is accustomed to flying under everyone’s radar. Being a big girl hasn’t led to many dates or exciting adventures. All of that was about to change.
Through the small-town rumor mill, Pepper learns her old teenage crush just moved back to town. Jason was the star quarterback, prom king, and also Pepper’s neighbor from across the street.
One day he sees Pepper out mowing the lawn and makes her an offer of no-strings attached, no-holds barred sex that has the potential to benefit them both.
Nothing quite turns out the way either of them thought it would.
Find out what happens when the simple act of mowing the lawn turns into so much more…
WARNING: This story contains a plentiful amount of graphic sex scenes (over EIGHT of them…yes, I counted…including ones involving Barbeque Sauce, Pirates, Ice Cubes, and Handcuffs). They are all M/F and absolutely consensual. If you’re looking for a sick, twisted, dark tale – please go elsewhere, you will NOT find it here. All my stories come with a guarantee that you will crack a smile, find a happily-ever-after ending, and never have to deal with an annoying cliffhanger. There’s also no cheating, no love triangles, no unicorns, and no murder.
Let’s Time Travel!
By Grace Risata
[Blog originally published August 9, 2016]
Ok. So August is a very busy month for me. I have THREE writing projects going at once (yes, I am insane) so I’m going to answer a reader question today instead of doing the usual blog post about a random topic.
READER: Where did you get your start as a writer?
(In the effort to strive for transparency and honesty, no reader asked me that. I just thought of a funny story and figured I’d try to squeeze it into a blog post. HOWEVER….I am a reader and so it counts as me asking myself a question)
My Reply: Thank you very much for asking. As a matter of fact, I do have a very interesting writerly origin story. Let’s time travel WAY back to eight year old me in elementary school. Maybe I was only six? I think it was first or second grade. I was NOT a fan of my teacher because she liked to call me out on the fact that I had yet to learn to tie my shoes. Hey lady, some of us are late bloomers! Anyway, we had a writing project for the class. I’m sketchy on all the details because it was a super long time ago. I do know that the end result was to be a picture and a sentence on a giant sheet of paper. My drawing ended up being a pot of gold, a rainbow, and a leprechaun. Very nice, right? Don’t worry, the story gets better. It is ME after all. Evidently I wrote a dandy of a sentence. So good that my teacher showed it to my mom after class and my mom kept it for a DECADE to show me once I got older and would understand just what the heck was so funny about it. By now you’re on the edge of your seat, right? Without further ado, here is my sentence:
“I won’t let you steal my pot of gold, you horny leprechaun!”
Obviously I had no idea what “horny” meant at that age. And yes, I did keep my virginity for a VERY long time, so maybe “pot of gold” was a euphemism.
Out of the mouths of babes, right?
So in conclusion… my career as a naughty little romance writer started at a very young age, my mom is a pervert who likes to torture me with embarrassing moments, and don’t worry…you WILL learn to tie your shoes someday. Or just wait until Velcro is invented and you’ll be fine.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!!
Check out more of Grace’s blogs at https://gracerisata.wordpress.com/.
Meet Author Grace Risata
…
My professional biography is as follows (I’m not sure why it’s in the third person, evidently that’s the rule): Grace Risata is a new addition to the literary world, having published her first two books this year. Grace is very excited to share her novels, My Dirty Detour, Mowed, and Nights in the Fast Lane, and she hopes you enjoyed reading them as much as she enjoyed writing them. Grace would like to thank everyone for giving her book a chance and she welcomes all feedback. Grace is happiest when reading, eating Portillos hot dogs, and patiently waiting for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
~~~
Links to Grace’s website, blog, books, etc.
Blog: https://gracerisata.wordpress.com/
Book Purchase link:
https://www.amazon.com/Mowed-Erotic-Beautiful-Comedy-Romance-ebook/dp/B01M1FJ7IL
Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gracerisata/
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Grace is giving away a Kindle copy of MOWED to three lucky readers who comment on her Killer Book Bench blog. Thanks, Grace, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
October 17, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Baron (The Knickerbocker Club #2) by Joanna Shupe
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!
~~
BARON
The Knickerbocker Club #2
BY JOANNA SHUPE
Blurb
New York City’s Gilded Age shines as bright as the power-wielding men of the Knickerbocker Club. And one pragmatic industrialist is about to learn that a man may make his own destiny, but love is a matter of fortune . . .
Born into one of New York’s most respected families, William Sloane is a railroad baron who has all the right friends in all the right places. But no matter how much success he achieves, he always wants more. Having secured his place atop the city’s highest echelons of society, he’s now setting his sights on a political run. Nothing can distract him from his next pursuit—except, perhaps, the enchanting con artist he never saw coming . . .
Ava Jones has eked out a living the only way she knows how. As “Madame Zolikoff,” she hoodwinks gullible audiences into believing she can communicate with the spirit world. But her carefully crafted persona is nearly destroyed when Will Sloane walks into her life—and lays bare her latest scheme. The charlatan is certain she can seduce the handsome millionaire into keeping her secret and using her skills for his campaign—unless he’s the one who’s already put a spell on her . . .
BARON
The Knickerbocker Club #2
BY JOANNA SHUPE
Excerpt
Two more steps brought Will alongside her. “Are you always so difficult?”
She threw her head back and laughed—a genuine, sultry sound that hit him square in the gut. He pushed down the reaction, put it in a place with all the other things he ignored.
“Only with men who try to boss me around.”
“A lot of those in your life?”
“Just one, apparently. Any ideas on how to get rid of him?”
Will’s lips twitched from suppressing a smile. “No, unless you’re ready to give in. I won’t disappear until you leave John alone.”
She stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips. Her brown gaze lit up with fire and brimstone, her generous bosom heaving in a distractingly enticing manner. “Why do you care so much? Your money could buy whatever election you wanted, cover up any hint of scandal that might occur. Therefore, you don’t really care about what I’m doing to John. Tell me, why are you following me? ’Cause I need to tell you, I’m not buying it.”
What the hell was she implying? That he was after her? His muscles clenched as he stepped closer, hoping to intimidate her with their difference in height. Surprisingly, she held her ground, merely lifted a brow as if to say, Get on with it. He tried not to be impressed.
“First, I would never use my money to buy an election. I want to win, and I mean to do that fairly. Second, I can cover up just about any scandal I want, but all it takes is one whiff, one hint of impropriety, and my political career will be over before it begins. I’ll be a laughingstock. And there’s no way I’ll allow that to happen.”
“No, John will be a laughingstock. John’s political career will be over. And”—she made a disbelieving sound—“you act as if New York politics are clean and fair. We both know politicians are dirtier than chimney sweeps, and that’s saying something.”
“I wouldn’t throw stones at the legitimacy of other vocations, were I you.”
“Oh!” She threw up her hands and stomped away. “Leave me alone, William Sloane.”
He trailed after her, catching up in a few steps. “You’re wrong. In my world, you’re judged not only on your own actions, but the actions of those around you. The company you keep. If John goes down, I go down as well.”
“Then I can only imagine what your world would think of you keeping company with me in the Tenderloin.”
“They’d think I’d lost my ever-loving mind,” he muttered.
“Then scurry back home to Fifth Avenue. I’m sure your butler has brandy and cigars waiting. No one here is stopping you.”
“Washington Square.”
Her head swung toward him. “Pardon?”
“I live on Washington Square.” It had been a long time since he’d had to tell anyone that. The Sloanes had been in that location since the city covered up the graves and converted the space to a public park.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said with mock sincerity. “Scurry back home to Washington Square.”
“After you promise to stop your shenanigans with John.”
“Sloane!”
The voice came from behind them, so he spun to see who was there. A few people were out, but no one close enough. No one came forward or even met his eye. Who had called his name?
Strange.
Facing forward, he instantly noticed something else. He was now alone.
“Ava?” Feet planted, his gaze swept the sidewalk and the street, searching. He peered across to the other side, thinking maybe she had crossed the street. Nothing.
There was no sign of her. She had disappeared into thin air.
Meet Author Joanna Shupe
… 
Award-winning author JOANNA SHUPE has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. While in college, Joanna read every romance she could get her hands on and soon started crafting her own racy historical novels. She now lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and dashing husband.
~~~
Links to Joanna’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/08/baron-knickerbocker-club-2-by-joanna.html
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28814945-baron
Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/158563-the-knickerbocker-club
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Google | iTunes | Kobo
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
~~~
Thanks, Joanna, for sharing your book with us.
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
You’re Invited!! Join Bestselling Author Karen/K.L. Docter & 55 More Authors at 2 Friends Pimp Your Books Book-a-thon!!
YOU’RE INVITED!!
Join Bestselling Author Karen/K.L. Docter
& 55 More Authors at
2 Friends Pimp Your Books Book-a-thon
on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/events/1757724427833723/
for Author Chats, Prizes, Gifts & Giveaways
October 24 – November 6, 2016
Celebrate your love of books with Authors, Bloggers, etc.
Karen Docter’s Author Chat & Giveaway
October 26th 10:00 AM Denver/Mtn
K.L. Docter’s Author Chat & Giveaway
October 26th 10:30 AM Denver/Mtn
[I’m giving away up to ten (10) e-books to some lucky readers who stop by and chat with me!]
**See the Schedule on the 2 Friends Pimp Your Books Book-a-thon Event Page for MORE Author Chats & Giveaways…SIGN UP & INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!!!**
Go here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1757724427833723/
Bio: Bestselling Author Karen/K.L. Docter writes two different kinds of romance novels…Contemporary Romance w/a Karen Docter: Romance…With a Kick and Romantic Suspense w/a K.L. Docter: Women hunted by killers…men who’d die to protect them.
Karen’s contemporaries are delightful, spicy romances. She loves writing about real men and women with dreams and goals that don’t allow for a relationship just so she can throw them in each others path.
Her romantic suspense novels (as K.L. Docter) are also filled with romance, although the dangers the hero and heroine face are intense, usually because a serial killer is bent on ending one or both of their lives before they can fall in love.
Karen/K.L.’s an award-winning author, a four-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist, and won the coveted Kiss of Death Romance Writers Daphne du Maurier Award Category (Series) Romantic Mystery Unpublished division.
When she’s not saving her characters from death and destruction or helping them to fall in love, she loves camping and fishing with her family, reading, gardening & cooking. If she can do most of those things over a campfire, all the better!
Titles Available by Karen Docter:
SATIN PLEASURES
CATCH THAT SANTA
COP ON HER DOORSTEP, True Love In Uniform Series, Book One
A COP FOR CHRISTMAS, Coming Soon!
Titles Available by K.L. Docter:
KILLING SECRETS, Thorne’s Thorns Series, Book One
DEAD RINGER, Coming Soon!
Amazon Author Page (Karen Docter):
https://www.amazon.com/Karen-Docter/e/B008TST8TY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1476740601&sr=8-1
Amazon Author Page (K.L. Docter):
https://www.amazon.com/K.L.-Docter/e/B00JV92NFQ/ref=la_B008TST8TY_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1476740606&sr=1-2
Website/Blog: http://www.karendocter.com
Twitter: @KarenDocter
Karen Docter FB:
https://www.facebook.com/Karen-Docter-Author-112017712223396/
K.L. Docter FB: https://www.facebook.com/kldocter/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5754902.Karen_Docter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/karendocter/
SEE YOU ON FACEBOOK! HAPPY READING!!!
October 13, 2016
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Debra Salonen #recipe ~ Chocolate Cracked Earth (Flourless Chocolate Cake)
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with DEBRA SALONEN!
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, DEBRA SALONEN, and her favorite recipe: CHOCOLATE CRACKED EARTH (Flourless Chocolate Cake).
~~~
CALEB’S CHRISTMAS WISH
By DEBRA SALONEN
Blurb
How far would you go for the sake of a child?
Black Friday. Black ice. Lives changed in a blink.
The lines in Miami financier Jake Westin’s world are crisp and easy to delineate: black and red, profit and loss. On paper. Until the day after Thanksgiving when Allison Jeffries—a woman he’s heard about for four and a half years but never met—calls to tell him the world they’ve shared from opposite sides of the country will never be the same. Pam and Kenny Rydell–Jake’s best friend and only link to the “bad ol’ days” of his youth—died in a car accident on the way to a Sierra ski resort, leaving their son, Caleb, with his grandmother, who upon hearing the news of her only daughter’s death went into cardiac arrest. In an instant, Caleb’s godparents–two grieving strangers who never imagined the worst-case scenario becoming a reality—must decide how to best care for the little boy they both love.
Jake is determined to do the right thing for Caleb–even if that means facing demons from his own loss-filled childhood and dealing with the woman Kenny called “a sweetheart but wound too tight for her own good.” Allison suffers no illusion that she’d make a good mother. After all, hasn’t she let her computer business fill the gap left by a failed marriage and aborted pregnancy? But she’ll do anything in her power to give her godson the life Pam intended for her son–even if that means sharing a house with the charismatic stranger Pam teasingly called “Jake the Rake–a broken heart waiting to happen.”
CALEB’S CHRISTMAS WISH
By DEBRA SALONEN
Hello, my reader friends,
Christmas is coming. Proof positive: yesterday in Lowe’s I saw a fleet of 10-foot inflated yard Santas, snowmen, penguins and Olafs looming above the Halloween decorations. My heart sped up and my palms went damp—not from the witches and skeletons but from the fact I haven’t bought a single gift and I’m SO not ready for the holiday push. And, by the way, what about Thanksgiving?!
That said, I’ve found a great way to gently ease into the holiday mood: Christmas romances. I just released CALEB’S CHRISTMAS WISH and turned in my final edits for my December release from Tule Publishing: MONTANA SECRET SANTA—book 3 in the “Love at the Chocolate Shop series.” There’s so much I love about this holiday that sometimes gets lost in the frenetic marketing and drive to create the perfect holiday season. Reading romance helps keep things in perspective.
The best gift I can think of is time to enjoy the people in our lives because, as we all know, life is unpredictable. Accidents happen regardless of our best-laid plans. When the unthinkable happens, lives change in a blink. CALEB’S CHRISTMAS WISH examines themes of friendship, promises, loss and grieving, but with the future of a four-and-a-half-year-old hanging in the balance, there is also love, self-forgiveness, hope and joy.
If you know that families aren’t limited to the one you were born into then you will understand and appreciate the transformation of my hero and heroine–Caleb’s godparents–as they do their best to care for the little boy they love, and fall in love with each other in the process.
This snippet might surprise you because it’s written in Caleb’s point of view as he tries to make sense of what has happened. He’s speaking with a wise and kind soul who gently counsels every member of this new family. Who says Santa isn’t real?
I wish you a safe—and stellar–holiday season filled with great love, joy and time!
Deb
EXCERPT
Godparents. Caleb had heard the word, of course, but he’d never really thought about it. He knew who God was—the biggest person in the world. The One who took his real parents away.
“Don’t call them that,” Caleb said. “God is mean. Can’t they just be my parents, without God?”
The man’s thick brows flickered the same way Rom’s whiskers moved. “That’s the term given to the person or persons who look after a child if anything happens to his family. I think God would be proud to have His name associated with Jake and Allison.”
“Will God take them away, too?” He voiced the question that made his stomach ache.
Padre put down his coffee and helped Caleb climb up on his knee. “Caleb,” he asked gently. “Do you know the story of Baby Jesus?”
“Sure. That’s why we have Christmas. Ally read me the story last night before bed.”
“Then you know that Jesus is God’s son. And millions of people celebrate his birth. He was God’s gift to us. A very generous gift, considering he died, too. Just like your parents.”
Caleb didn’t answer. He didn’t like thinking about his parents. He wasn’t mad at them anymore, but he missed them very much.
“Caleb, what happened to your mother and father was a really sad thing. When something bad takes place, it’s natural to blame God. But I want you to think about this—He lost a son, too. He knows how you feel and He made sure that you have good people in your life to look after you. That’s not mean, is it?”
Caleb thought for a minute. If Jesus was God’s son, did that mean Mary and Joseph weren’t his real parents? Maybe they were godparents—picked special to care for His little boy.
“I don’t want Jake and Ally to go to heaven,” Caleb said. “Or anywhere. I want them to stay with me.”
“Have you told them how you feel?”
Caleb looked around. Ally wasn’t in the corner anymore. And Jake was looking down the hallway toward Caleb’s grandma’s room. He was frowning. “Should I?” he asked.
Padre smiled. “I think being loved by a neat kid like you would make them both very happy.”
“Okay,” Caleb said, sliding to the floor. “I gotta go tell them I want them to be my mommy and daddy forever. ’Bye.” He took a step, then stopped. His mother would have scolded him if he forgot his manners. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And Merry Christmas.”
As he raced away, Caleb heard the man laugh. It sounded a lot like Ho-Ho-Ho. Caleb grinned. Maybe Padre was the real Santa Claus. He wasn’t fat, but he did make Caleb feel better.
About Author Debra Salonen… 
Former award-winning newspaper journalist Debra Salonen is a nationally bestselling author with 40+ published novels. Debra was named Romantic Times Reviewer’s Career Achievement “Series Storyteller of the Year” in 2006. Debra’s 9-book Big Sky Maverick’s series for Tule Publishing is set in Montana, with her 10th book—part of the “Love at the Chocolate Shop” series releasing Dec. 6th. Her 10-book Black Hills Rendezvous series takes place in Debra’s home state of South Dakota. Debra lives in the foothills near Yosemite National Park in California—the setting for Caleb’s Christmas Wish.
~~~
Links to Debra’s Website, Books, & Social Media:
Buy links: Amazon / Nook / Kobo / iBooks / Google Play
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/debra-salonen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraSalonenAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebSalonen
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5258675-debra-salonen
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debrasalonen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debsalonen/?ref=badge
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Debra-Salonen/e/B00BQTFBWQ/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1476219113&sr=1-2-ent
Blog: http://debrasalonen.com/blog/
Website: http://www.debrasalonen.com
Karen
P.S. We’re at 281 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHOCOLATE CRACKED EARTH
(Flourless Chocolate Cake)
[Recipe adapted from the foodnetwork.com/Tyler Florence]
Ingredients:
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
(I used 1(one) 8-oz package of semi-sweet chocolate and 2(two) 3-oz 70% dark chocolate candy bars…because I failed to read the recipe before I went shopping. But, this worked. Simply use less sugar–see below.)
1 stick unsalted butter
9 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar , plus 1 Tablespoon (I used 1/2 cup because of the candy bars.)
2 C heavy cream (I like to whip mine with 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a few drops of vanilla flavoring)
Confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)
Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 9-inch springfoam pan.
~Put chocolate and butter into the top of double boiler and heat over about 1″ of simmering water until melted.
~Whisk egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. (This will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate.) Then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.
~Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture.
~Pour into prepared pan and bake until cake is set and the top starts to crack.
~Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake. It should come out with moist crumbs clinging to it.
~The recipe says: 20-25 minutes; mine took 35-40 minutes.
~Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan. The cake will sink slightly, but that’s okay.
~Whip cream.
~Dust with confectioners sugar (optional).
~Serve at room temperature.
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: First, I’d like to offer you all a free anthology called CELEBRATE II—5 authors, 5 celebrations of life, love and family! https://www.instafreebie.com/free/PoVGD
Second, I’m curious about whether you read holiday books throughout the year or only as the holidays approach? A simple yes or no will qualify you to win a free download of any title in my Black Hills Rendezvous series. (All titles are available in all formats, except print.) Karen will pick one respondent next week. Thanks for reading!
Thanks, Debra, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
October 12, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Submit To Me (The Dungeon Fantasy Club Book 7) by Anya Summers
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!
~~
SUBMIT TO ME
The Dungeon Fantasy Club Book 7
BY ANYA SUMMERS
Blurb
Veronica McGinnis is a single mom, more concerned with her son’s homework than dating. She lives quietly on the Scottish coast, writing articles for the local newspaper and raising her child. When her cousin Declan invites her to his huge wedding, she thinks nothing of accepting the invitation. Veronica needs to escape her humdrum existence, if only for a while. She loves being a mother, but most days, it feels as though that’s all she is. As a submissive member of The Dungeon Fantasy Club, she’s been feeling achy and needy, and downright ready to jump the mailman’s bones – which, in her small town, is the epitome of desperation.
Hunter Clarke is a famous Hollywood movie star, appearing in several of the latest blockbuster films. His name and face, as well as his potential love interests, are constantly splashed across the news, right alongside politics and the latest baseball stats. One of the founding Dom members of The Dungeon Fantasy Club, he walks a tightrope, with salacious reporters just waiting to uncover the tawdry side of his life in return for a huge payday.
Hunter has to make amends with Zoey, his best friend’s fiancée, especially if he wants to remain a member of the club, so it’s with his hat in his hands that he accepts Declan’s invitation to be one of the ushers at what promises to be the wedding of the century. Hunter couldn’t be more shocked when he enters Mullardoch Manor only to discover that one of the other guests is none other than Veronica, the first love of his life, and the woman who broke his heart.
When Hunter discovers that Veronica is a submissive club member, he tempts her into a private scene. Her sweet cries as she submits to his fervent demands make him wonder how he could ever have convinced himself that he could live without her.
Veronica’s only thought, however, is how much she needs to keep the secret she’s kept hidden for ten years. When the truth is revealed, she moves heaven and earth to shield the most precious person in her life from the fallout – even if it means leaving the one Dom she knows she could give her whole heart to.
Will Hunter be able to convince Veronica to submit to him for more than just one night?
Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual scenes including anal, as well as bondage and spanking. Though it is part of a series, it can, like the others, be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
SUBMIT TO ME
The Dungeon Fantasy Club Book 7
BY ANYA SUMMERS
Excerpt
If he’d been wearing a hat, it would have been in his hands as he entered the Mullardoch Manor proper by way of the Dungeon Level and Dungeon Fantasy Club. He exited the elevator which opened into a grand foyer. Spying the pristine marble floors and wood paneling made some of his tension ease at the familiar sight.
Hunter had prepared himself for a boatload of groveling. When you pissed off your best friend’s bride-to-be, it came with the territory. He and Zoey—aka Declan McDougal’s fiancée—had gotten off to a rocky start, due to some misinformation of rather epic proportions that he’d bought courtesy of the media. And yes, after all his years in Hollywood, he should have known better than to trust a story without verifying it first before he repeated it. In his defense, the story had included a data leak that had published his home address for every crazy fan with a camera to stalk him, which had forced him to put his place on the market. Normally he loved his fans and enjoyed meeting them, but he also valued his privacy when he was at home.
For the record, he never groveled. Quite the opposite, in fact—usually the shoe appeared on the other foot, and it was, ‘Yes, Mr. Clarke,’ or ‘Right away, Mr. Clarke.’ So the fact that he was here and prepared to make amends already made him uncomfortable about the upcoming weekend. The last thing he wanted to do was drive a rift between himself and Declan over a simple misunderstanding. They’d been friends far too long, and Hunter valued the relationship more than his own self-righteous pride.
“Declan it’s so wonderful to see you,” a feminine voice murmured, sounding like heather and peat smoke.
That voice brought him up short. He silently skidded to a halt with his rolling suitcase.
Memories of that voice, of the way it sounded in laughter, filled with tears, or as she gasped when she climaxed, hit him like a tidal wave. It decimated his system. He knew he should do something. As to what, he wasn’t positive. Leave the manor? Make a joke? As confident as he had always been, that voice and the woman attached to it had been the only thing to ever truly rattle his cage. If this were a film, the hero would rise to the challenge and act like it didn’t affect him.
But real life had a funny way of not living up to the idyllic picture presented on the silver screen.
Hearing that voice made every nerve ending in Hunter’s body stand at attention, his heart thumped madly in his chest, and he cursed its effect on him.
Waltzing into Mullardoch Manor—one of his last few, safe bastions on the planet due to the data breach earlier this fall, a place where he didn’t have to mind his every word or gesture for fear of feeding a media frenzy—only to hear the voice that visited him in his dreams, made Hunter unable to believe his rotten damn luck. She was here in Declan’s home. Never in a million years would he have thought he’d run into her here.
Meet Author Anya Summers
…
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Anya Summers and Blushing Books!
Dungeon Fantasy Club Series
Her Highland Master, Book 1
To Master and Defend, Book 2
Two Doms for Kara, Book 3
His Driven Domme, Book 4
Her Country Master, Book 5
Love Me, Master Me, Book 6
Submit To Me, Book 7, October 15, 2016
Her Wired Dom, Book 8, November 14, 2016
~~~
Links to Anya’s website, blog, books, etc.
Available October 15, 2016 on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Website: www.anyasummers.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
Twitter: @AnyaBSummers
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
Sign-up for Anya Summers Newsletter
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Anya is giving away an e-book copy of SUBMIT TO ME to one lucky reader who comments on her Killer Book Bench blogs. Thanks, Anya, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
October 11, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Blood On The Tracks (Sydney Rose Parnell Series) by Barbara Nickless
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!
~~
BLOOD ON THE TRACKS
Sydney Rose Parnell Series
BY BARBARA NICKLESS
Blurb
A young woman is found brutally murdered, and the main suspect is the victim’s fiancé, a hideously scarred Iraq War vet known as the Burned Man. But railroad police Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell, brought in by the Denver Major Crimes unit to help investigate, can’t shake the feeling that larger forces are behind this apparent crime of passion.
In the depths of an icy winter, Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde―both haunted by their time in Iraq―descend into the underground world of a savage gang of rail riders. There, they uncover a wide-reaching conspiracy and a series of shocking crimes. Crimes that threaten everything Parnell holds dear.
As the search for the truth puts her directly in the path of the killer, Parnell must struggle with a deadly question: Can she fight monsters without becoming one herself?
“A stunner of a thriller. From the first page to the last, Blood on the Tracks weaves a spell that only a natural storyteller can master. And a guarantee: you’ll fall in love with one of the best characters to come along in modern thriller fiction, Sydney Rose Parnell.” ~ Jeffery Deaver
“Beautifully written and heartbreakingly intense, this terrific and original debut is unforgettable. Please do not miss Blood on the Tracks. It fearlessly explores our darkest and most vulnerable places—and is devastatingly good. Barbara Nickless is a star.” ~ Hank Phillippi Ryan
BLOOD ON THE TRACKS
Sydney Rose Parnell Series
BY BARBARA NICKLESS
Excerpt
Editorial Note: The following is a murder scene and may be disturbing to some readers, although it is still PG-13. (What you might see on crime television.)
This is the conclusion to a scene early in the book in which my protagonist, railroad cop Sydney Parnell, has been called in by a Denver homicide cop, Detective Cohen, to consult on a crime scene. Sydney served as a Marine in Mortuary Affairs in Iraq, where she processed the dead. Because of this experience, the last thing she wants is to be pulled into a violent murder investigation.
The victim, Elise, is the niece of a family friend, Nik. (Sorry for all the names. I promise there won’t be a quiz!)
While Cohen asked the three people squeezed in the back bedroom to give us a moment, I did a quick meditation, the way the VA counselor had taught me.
I am not here. I am far away. Nothing can touch me.
“Parnell?”
The others had cleared out. Cohen was looking at me again.
I took a breath; the Xanax unfurled in my blood like a roll of velvet. I stepped to the doorway.
The killing had been savage, leaving the victim no dignity even in death. Elise Hensley had been sliced and diced, her stomach opened, her bare arms flayed. The walls of the room were sprayed with arterial blood, her hair matted with it. From the wreck of her face, her eyes stared at the ceiling.
Everywhere along the walls, written over the blood and smearing it, were symbols drawn in what looked like black Sharpie. Circles and arrows, hatch marks. A stick figure of a cat.
The work of a madman.
“Damn,” I said, thinking that this had to have been done by one of my homeless guys. By someone I knew.
“When we first saw these, we thought it was some sort of cult thing,” Cohen said.
I shook my head. “You were right about it being hobo sign. Like the cat outside.”
“What do they mean?”
“The circle with two arrows across it means to get out fast—hobos aren’t wanted here. The circle next to the square means a bad man lives here. Elise have a roommate?”
“Not according to the landlady. An on-and-off boyfriend. Maybe the guy in the missing photo. What about the next sign, the one that looks like a snowman holding a ball?”
“It means sucker. Someone who is easy to catch.”
“The killer describing himself in all of these?”
“Could be. But the cat means this is the home of a kindhearted woman. So why kill the kindhearted woman?”
“Beats the hell out of me,” he said. “Maybe because you’re a bad-hearted man.”
A tic started in his jaw and his eyes went hollow. Could be murder cops get PTSD, too.
We put on masks and entered the room. Air coming in through the half-open window chilled my face.
“Left open to hide the odor?” I asked.
“Might buy the killer a day or two. But someone phoned it in.”
“Who?”
“Anonymous call. A kid, sounded like. Teenager, maybe.”
I bent down and looked under the bed.
“Your guys look under here?”
“Yeah. A couple of beads, right? They’ll bag ’em when we’re done.”
I pulled the Maglite from my duty belt and played the beam beneath the bed. A cluster of dust bunnies shivered in the far corner. Three carved wooden beads had rolled against the baseboard, their colors bright. “Hobo beads. In case we weren’t sure about Elise’s connections. Your crime scene guys reach under the bed?”
“Only photos so far. Why?”
“The dust has been disturbed. Maybe the necklace broke in a struggle, and the killer tried to collect the beads and got scared off.” I straightened, returned the flashlight to my belt. “You find any other beads?”
“One. Against the wall there.”
He waited while I snapped my own pictures. I didn’t ask permission, and he didn’t ask what I was doing.
“Anything else you want me to look at?” I said. “I need to call Nik.”
“That’s it. Thanks, Parnell. Appreciate it.”
Following Cohen out of the room, I stopped and made myself turn back. Elise had been a beautiful woman, with bright-blond hair and porcelain skin. The sweetest smile this side of the Mississippi, Nik always said.
Automatically, because cleaning up the dead had been my job for fourteen months, I made her beautiful once more. In my mind, I closed her wounds, washed away her blood. I shampooed her hair and combed it, arranged her slashed hands upon her breast. Then I did what no mortician could. I rebuilt her shattered face and restored the flush to her cheeks, the pulse to her throat. I made her smile.
In my mind, I made her whole.
Meet Author Barbara Nickless …
Barbara worked as a raptor rehabilitator, astronomy instructor, sword fighter, piano teacher, and instructional designer before she got serious about writing. Now an award-winning author, she lives in Colorado where she loves to snowshoe, hike and drink single malt Scotch—usually not at the same time. Blood on the Tracks, winner of the Daphne de Maurier Award of Excellence, is her first novel.
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Links to Barbara’s website, blog, books, etc.
I’d love to hear from readers! Please check out my blog and website at www.barbaranickless.com. Or connect with me on Twitter–@BarbaraNickless. You can find my book in your local bookstore or at https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Tracks-Sydney-Rose-Parnell-ebook/dp/B01B1OGQH4/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_16
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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Barbara is giving away a Kindle copy of BLOOD ON THE TRACKS to one lucky reader who comments on her **Author Peek** Interview or Book Bench blogs. Thanks, Barbara, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
October 10, 2016
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Simple Gifts (Wounded Heroes Collection Book 2) by Eileen Dreyer w/a Kathleen Korbel
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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SIMPLE GIFTS
Wounded Heroes Collection Book 2
BY EILEEN DREYER w/a KATHLEEN KORBEL
Blurb
Rock O’Connor is a burned-out cop who doesn’t have time for perky artistic types without sense. Lee Kendall would much rather she never had to deal with him. But when she’s hit by a car, she finds herself being stalked by criminals who want something she has. She never expects that in an attempt to save her life, she loses her heart.
“Dramatically moving and emotionally poignant” Affair de Coeur
“Superlative” RTBookclub
SIMPLE GIFTS
Wounded Heroes Collection Book 2
BY EILEEN DREYER w/a KATHLEEN KORBEL
Excerpt
“I appreciate your concern, Sergeant,” Lee said. “But it isn’t your problem. Really.”
That was when she realized that Rock O’Connor hadn’t accepted her dinner invitation simply because he wanted to gaze into her eyes over wine and French bread. Standing one step above her, he watched her, his eyes suddenly wary. Before he said a word, she knew she didn’t want to hear it.
“I’m afraid it is my problem,” he told her in an infuriatingly calm voice.
Lee faced off with him, arms crossed, posture rigid. “And why is that?”
He was at least gentleman enough to step down to her level before facing her. “I wanted to talk to you alone, because I need to find out all I can about the people you know.”
Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. “Why?”
He didn’t even flinch. “Because I think one of them is trying to kill you.”
Meet Author Eileen Dreyer
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New York Times Bestselling, award-winning author Eileen Dreyer has published 40 novels and 10 short stories under her name and that of her evil twin, Kathleen Korbel in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, mystery and medical forensic suspense. A proud member of RWA’s Hall of FAME, she also has numerous awards from RT BookLovers and an Anthony nomination for mystery. She is now focusing on what she calls historic romantic adventure in her DRAKE’S RAKES series. A native of St. Louis, she still lives there with her family. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.
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Links to Eileen’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Gifts-Wounded-Heroes-Collection-ebook/dp/B01LY2P5RW
Website: http://eileendreyer.com/
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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Eileen is giving away an e-book copy of SIMPLE GIFTS to one lucky reader who comments on her Killer Book Bench blogs. Thanks, Eileen, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
