Lynelle Clark's Blog, page 16

Book review by Charelene: Montana Hearts by Darlene Panzera. #Giveaway

MONTANA HEARTS: HER WEEKEND WRANGLER by Darlene Panzera (on-sale 10/6, Avon Impulse)
Darlene Panzera returns with a sweet new Western series perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber's heartwarming romances
Bree Collins has finally come home to Fox Creek, Montana, to manage her family's guest ranch. She knows she can handle any challenges that come her way, but when the infuriating Ryan Tanner reappears in her life, Bree suddenly has doubts about her ability to stay professional—and away from the handsome cowboy.
Ryan Tanner is in a bind. He needs to train a young foal for the upcoming show but its mother would rather bite his hand off. Just his luck the cute cowgirl from his past arrives back in town. Bree just so happens to have a reputation for taming animals of this nature. Ryan is willing to make a deal with her, but he has no intention of being swayed by her sweet smile or the tenderness she shows his young son.
Yet when fate brings them together, falling for one another becomes the easiest thing in the world. Ryan might just want to wrangle this cowgirl's heart…but will Bree give him the chance?

BOOK REVIEW by Charelene
4 well deserved Stars

I Received this arc for an Honest Review
The author created a heartwarming novel that shows Family love and Loyalty. Exactly what "Country" is about. I enjoyed the writing style as it made me feel the book so much more as each scene is being described.
The author also keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to solve the mystery on your own. The characters are well written and are easy to relate to. From GrandMother to Baby but the story ended to soon and I was left wanting more. 
Montana Hearts is a Down to earth novel without those clishes and is not drowned with unnessasery sex scenes. This is a Romance Novel that will leave you smiling and a fuzzy Love feeling in your heart. 
I would recommend this to all romance lovers.

Goodreads  and Amazon 





AMAZON ** B&N ** HARPER COLLINS  
** GOOGLE PLAY  ** iBOOKS

Excerpt:


 She walked over and tugged on Puzzles and Games, a newer book wedged tightly between the thick, dusty jackets of The Secret History of Yellowstone Country, and Ranching Ain't What It Used To Be. And the entire book case leaned toward her.     Catching the frame of the shelves with her hands, she spun around, and used her body weight to shove the burdensome book beast back into position. But every time she stepped away, the case threatened to fall. Somehow the bottom had become unbalanced. She glanced at the clerk behind the counter and opened her mouth to call for help. Then Ryan Tanner walked toward her and she involuntarily jumped in place.     They'd grown up together, riding the same school bus and sharing the same classes day after day right up through the twelfth grade. But after high school she'd relocated to New York to attend college. Then she put her business degree and love of fashion together to snatch the assistant managerial position at the Manhattan branch of Silvain's, a national fashion retail conglomerate which specialized in hip clothing and accessories. Over the years she'd run into Ryan only briefly during her occasional visits home.      And she had no desire to see him now.     Ryan was the kind of guy a girl dreamed about but could never have. At least not exclusively. He was a charmer who took the opportunity to flirt with every female he met. And he'd tried to charm her the night of their high school senior prom, the night her horse died, in an attempt to delay her from getting home too soon...and saying goodbye.      Of course, they were adults now, both almost twenty-seven, she with her glowing resume and he with a seven-year-old son. She thought she'd forgiven him and let bygones be bygones.      She was wrong.

About Darlene:
DARLENE PANZERA writes sweet, fun-loving romance and is a member of the Romance Writers of America’s Greater Seattle and Peninsula chapters. Her career launched when her novella “The Bet” was picked by Avon Books and New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber to be published within Debbie’s own novel, Family Affair. Darlene says, “I love writing stories that help inspire people to laugh, value relationships, and pursue their dreams.”

Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene is now a resident of the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and three children. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her family and her two horses, and loves camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.

Join her on Facebook or at www.darlenepanzera.com






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BOOK SALE!!! Unspeakable Truths by Alice Tribue. Everything I ever learned about fairy-tales was a fucking lie…

Title:  Unspeakable Truths Author: Alice Tribue Sale Blitz: October 27 Genre: Contemporary Romance Hosted by: S.B.B. Promotions

Everything I ever learned about fairy-tales was a fucking lie…Four years ago, my life was everything I wanted it to be: I had everything I wanted, everything I needed, in my best friend and newly wedded husband—Tyler.Yet, hours after we said "I do," I lost him.Forever...The dreams we'd shared, the future we'd planned—all of our hopes and desires, were ripped away in mere seconds.And now, four years later, my life still feels like a hopeless eternity.So, I guess it's quite fitting that the last person I want to hear from is currently standing at my front door.He wants to tell me the truth about that night, he wants to be my new knight in shining armor, but the thing is…He was the best man...


PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR REVIEW HEREOR DELETE THIS SECTION IF YOU ARE NOT REVIEWING.

Alice Tribue lives with her husband and children in New Jersey. She has a bachelors degree in communications and is currently working on her masters degree. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, and when the weather permits lounging out on a beach.


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Time for eternity by Susan Squires. Tempted by Fate...Seduced by Danger...A regency paranormal romance.

BOOK INFORMATIONTITLE – Time For Eternity SERIES – The DaVinci Time Travel Series, Book 1 AUTHOR – Susan Squires GENRE – Regency Paranormal Romance PUBLICATION DATE – October 27th, 2015 LENGTH  – 384 pages PUBLISHER – Independent COVER ARTIST – Rebecca Poole, Dreams2Media
BOOK SYNOPSISDesire and destiny collide in this novel—first in a stunning new series—from New York Times Bestselling author Susan Squires.Tempted by FateOnce, Frankie Suchet loved Henri Foucault—and it cost her everything. For two centuries, she has cursed the French duke who gave her his blood and then disappeared forever. Today, this sexy vampire is a bartender living in San Francisco. And Frankie has been granted the chance to go back in time…to kill the man who made her what she is. But becoming “Françoise” again means losing all memory of the risk Henri poses to her future…and her heart. Seduced by DangerFrance, 1794. The Reign of Terror is in full swing. From the first, Henri is an enigma, saving Françoise from an angry Parisian mob. Drawn to his seductive vitality, Françoise discovers there is much more to him than she once knew. Henri’s devotion to rescuing innocents from the guillotine is his sole passion—until he encounters Françoise’s intoxicating blend of innocence and experience. And as their attraction explodes into dangerous desire, the only way to save each other may be to sacrifice their timeless love…“Superb writing…and intricate characterization make each novel by Ms. Squires and absolute winner.”    —Romantic Times BOOKreviewsBUY & TBR LINKSAMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE CA AMAZON KINDLE UKiTUNES EXCERPT

She drifted closer to the edge of the crowd, drawn by him. She must harden her heart to match his, and commit a sin in the eyes of God and man. He would lose a few months of living. She would live again.“What have we here?” he murmured. She heard him clearly with the vampire hearing he had bequeathed her. The curve of his lip was all insouciant condescension. He strolled forward, surveying the mob. “Monsieur, surely you will help us!”Frankie turned at the sound of her own voice. She gasped. There she stood, the she who had been, Françoise Suchet, not Frankie, her face a mask of innocence in distress, a gendarme holding each elbow. It was a face Frankie still saw in the mirror each day, streaked with soot her blond hair glowed copper in the red light of the flames licking out the windows above her. Frankie knew intellectually she hadn’t changed with all the years, but to know this face was not a mirror image but one that lived two hundred years ago shook her sanity. Françoise strained toward Henri in supplication. Foolish girl. The last thing she needed was Henri Foucault. That way lay vampirism.Then the young Françoise stilled. Her head turned slowly. Her eyes locked with Frankie’s and widened. Frankie couldn’t get her breath. Françoise seemed to grow nearer, even as the crowd behind her receded. Frankie dropped her bag, gasping, and bent over, grabbing her belly against the pain there. This was bad. Really bad. She should never have met herself. She felt like she was breaking up. A shriek escaped her. All thoes time travel books were right, she thought.And then she was hurtling toward Françoise. She felt herself disintegrating into a mist. Then nothing.

AUTHOR BIOSusan Squires is a New York Times bestselling author known for breaking the rules of romance writing. Whatever her time period, or subject, some element of the paranormal always creeps in. She has won multiple contests for published novels and reviewer's choice awards. Publisher's Weekly named Body Electric one of the year’s most influential mass market books and One with the Shadows a Best book of the Year. Time for Eternity, the first in the DaVinci time travel series, received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly.Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach in Southern California with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and two very active Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboarddddddddddddddddddddddd.AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKSWEBSITEFACEBOOKTWITTERGOODREADSAMAZON AUTHOR PAGEMAILING LISTThis Event Was Organized & Hosted By:

 

Guest Post by Miranda Liasson: When you write the stories do you include much of your own experiences in it?

I DO APOLOGIES FOR THE LATE POST; ALTHOUGH THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER DO VISIT THE AUTHOR AND LEARN MORE ABOUT HER BOOK.

This Love of Mine by Miranda Liasson Series: Mirror Lake, #2Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: October 6, 2015

When you write the stories do you include much of your own experiences in it?

That is an interesting question. I mean, I basically make things up all the time, but in that making up, traces of my real experiences can’t help but sometimes get thrown in. I know I’ve taken some experiences and blown them up and made them even more disastrous, and I’ve also been guilty of taking a horrendously bad experience and recreating it so it turns out better.

I know the truth of making wanting something to turn out better on paper than it has in real life, and the thrill of creating a character who has traces of someone who’s treated you not-so-well in the past and this time around, having them get what’s coming to them! (Of course, all in good fun.)

All this speaks, I think, to a spirit of optimism—that through stories, we can learn to be braver, stronger, better, find more courage, be bold. It’s our wish to be our best selves. It’s part of the reason I love to write stories!

Thanks for having me today!


Bridal shop owner Meg Halloran spends her days making other women’s wedding dreams come true—and her nights dreaming of her childhood crush, hometown heartthrob Dr. Benjamin Rushford. After a lifetime of wearing her heart on her sleeve, she’s done waiting. Meg’s ready to find love, with or without him. Moving on feels right—until Ben pops an unexpected question.

To win the open ER position in Mirror Lake, Ben has to convince the board that he’s settled and ready to put down roots. His latest stroke of genius? Asking Meg, the local good girl, to be his pretend girlfriend. With her by his side, he’s a shoo-in for the job. But he’s in over his head because, as much as he tries to deny it, Meg tempts him. And if she learns the truth about a secret that has shadowed and shaped his life, will she ever be able to forgive him?



Ben leads Meg out onto the dance floor at a business dinner, and she’s very uncomfortable...

“Okay, baby, here we go. Hold on tight!” Ben’s face lit up with clear glee as he spun and twirled, tipped and swayed, keeping a hard and fast grip on her at all times.He put his hands on her hips and had her mimic his own movements.Terror threatened to freeze her limbs but she couldn’t not do . . . something. Maybe it was the fact that she felt responsible for doing whatever she could to help him get this job. But maybe it was the look of pure joy on Ben’s face that mesmerized her, made her feel giddy and . . . happy. Yes, happy in a way that made her throw herself into the dancing with reckless abandon for the first time in her life. She shook, she shimmied, she did wild and crazy things like swung and swayed and twisted. The disastrous evening seemed far away, and she was enveloped in Ben’s smile, his confident touch, and his cocky swagger as he clearly loved every move.He drew her near and said into her ear, “Hang on for the finale, sweetheart.” Before she could respond, he pushed her until she flew away from him, then when their arms were fully outstretched and they were holding on only by their fingertips, he reeled her slowly back in until their bodies were touching, hips swaying together in a rhythm fueled by the erotic beat of the music.As he flung her out one final time, she lost balance a little and cast out an arm to compensate. She stumbled, clutching at him to avoid falling. That was when she heard the rip.The first sensation was relief—she could finally breathe. But that was followed quickly by terror as she realized the entire seam along the backside of her dress had ripped wide open, and the entire restaurant was about to catch a full and unobstructed view of her ass.She spun and backed up against Ben’s body, plastering herself flat against him.“Wow, Meggie,” Ben said as she ground into his crotch. “I never realized dancing got you so hot.”She twisted her neck around far enough to send him the stink eye. Then she clutched at him for dear life.“Do not move away from me,” she managed.“Sure, no problem. Are you . . . flirting with me? Because if you are, I’m all in.” As she pushed against him, he wrapped his hands around her upper arms, a move which normally would have caused goose bumps to course up and down their lengths.She scootched up against his chest and put her mouth near his ear. “Listen to me carefully. I’m only going to say this once. I am not flirting with you. My dress tore and . . .”He stilled suddenly. “And what?” he asked.“And I always wear undies. I never go anywhere without them. Except maybe for today.”He tried pushing her away, no doubt to see the spectacle for himself, but she clung to him with the suction of an octopus.“I didn’t think you were that kind of gal, Meggie.” His voice sounded choked.“Panty lines are embarrassing. I had no choice.”“Nice.”“Just help me!”“How do you propose I do that?”“You’re used to dealing with crises, aren’t you? Think of something!”“Keep smiling,” he said calmly. “And wave to all the nice people who are staring at us.”Somehow, she managed to hold it together while he slowly backed them both off the dance floor, steering them to an opening to the kitchen.“Hey, can we have a napkin?” he asked one of the kitchen staff. “My girlfriend just split her dress. Ouch!” He glared at Meg while holding his ribs, which she’d just elbowed. “What’d you do that for?”“I’m flattered if you think a napkin is going to cover my ass but I need something bigger!”“Can I change that to a tablecloth, please?” he asked as he fended off another poke. Then he turned to her. “Your ass isn’t that big, honey,” he said, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. A move which accentuated his damn dimples. Then he shrugged off his suit coat and handed it to her. “Try this.”Eyes narrowed in her most practiced Darth Vader glare, she took the coat and tied it around her waist. “Thanks,” she managed.


eBook and Print:
Print:


Miranda Liasson loves to write stories about courageous but flawed characters who find love despite themselves, because there’s nothing like a great love story. And if there are a few laughs along the way, even better! She’s a former Golden Heart winner who writes lighthearted contemporary romance for Montlake Publishing and also writes series romance for Entangled Publishing. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, three kids, and Posey, a rescue cat with attitude.

Miranda loves to hear from readers! Find her at mirandalisson.com, Facebook.com/MirandaLiassonAuthor or on Twitter @mirandaliasson.




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#BlogTour My Life as I Knew It by Brenda Thornlow. Do enter the giveaway...

Title: My Life as I Knew ItAuthor: Brenda ThornlowGenre: Contemporary RomancePublished: June 23rd, 2014

SYNOPSIS
What would you do if you were sent back in time for some unknown reason? When Brianna wakes up this morning she will be faced with that very question. Brianna lives in New York with her husband, the love of her life, Greg. She's happily married, has a great job, travels around the world and this year will be celebrating her birthday in style. Until the morning she wakes up in an apartment 3,000 miles from where she and Greg live, and seventeen years in the past! Returning to a life she hoped she would never have to think about ever again, much less relive!
TRAILER

PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords
AUTHOR BIO
I started writing at a very young age, mostly as an escape from the real world. It is something I have done on and off throughout my life, but never went so far as to actually try and get published. 
I started my latest story, My Life As I Knew It, around 3 years ago. I was on a roll with it until I allowed life to get in the way. I am now officially picking up where I left off. It is the first book of a series on which I'm working.
I came up with the premise for this story while undergoing some pretty harsh challenges in my personal life. As mentioned before, I always liked writing as a means of escape. While going through these particularly tough times, I had a moment when I thought about what it would be like to go back in time and do certain things differently...which I'm sure almost everyone has thought about from time to time. I sat in front of my keyboard one morning, thought about what I would do if I had that chance and went from there.
FIND HER ON
Website Facebook Twitter [@thornlow_brenda] YouTube Linkd In Goodreads
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For the first time in…hell, it must be years, Emigh’s life felt bright and vibrant. Meeting Anise was the dawning of a new day. Everything Anise by Natalie-Nicole Bates. #LGBT #Paranormal #Giveaway

BOOK INFORMATIONTITLE – Everything Anise AUTHOR – Natalie-Nicole Bates GENRE – LGBT Paranormal Romance PUBLICATION DATE – October 7 2015 LENGTH – 16,200 words PUBLISHER – Torquere Press
BOOK SYNOPSISA Victorian-era vampire living in the modern world, Emigh Bennett’s favorite activity is watching people from the window of her little bookshop. When she spots a woman nearly killed on the street outside her shop, she rushes to her rescue, and she meets Anise.The proprietress of a little home business called “Everything Anise”, Anise crafts one of a kind perfumes all with a touch of her namesake spice, all with the power to intoxicate and delight the senses. She is smart, sexy, beautiful, and happens to be a little bit different.Although Anise is everything Emigh could ever ask for and more, she can’t quite figure her out. Anise possesses the duality of an innocent angel and a vivacious vixen. Even if Emigh can ever peel away the multi layers of Anise to uncover the truth beneath, what will happen when she finally reveals the truth about herself?

BUY & TBR LINKSAMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE CA AMAZON KINDLE UKSMASHWORDSGOODREADS EXCERPTFor the first time in…hell, it must be years, Emigh’s life felt bright and vibrant. Meeting Anise was the dawning of a new day. The lift she needed for so long. She dared to pick up the phone that first night and call Anise. To hear that special kind of something in her voice as they spoke. To talk about everything and anything…well, not everything. She didn’t broach the subject of her sexuality – well, maybe not hers, she knew that, but Anise’s. As a matter of fact, Anise spoke of neither male nor female friends. Anise spoke of her passion for crafting corsets and perfume. She loved to bake. She was estranged from her family. They didn’t understand she didn’t want to work a boring nine-to-five job, train into the city, train home again at night, exhausted. They thought she was wasting her life away, and because she wouldn’t come around to their strict way of thinking and living, she walked away from them. Emigh admired her spunk and dedication. Smart, sweet, articulate, and she made her laugh, which was a tough thing to do. Anise was definitely a rare breed of woman. But how long could it last? She couldn’t tell Anise she was a vampire, let alone that she would never die. Vampire. How she hated the word! But until someone came up with something new, she was stuck with it. Of course, Anise would never believe her. No one did. Every once in a while, some beautiful woman would come along, and their connection would be instantaneous…sizzling. Emigh would find herself whispering the truth to her beloved. Inevitably, the not-so-twin-flame would beat a hasty retreat, believing Emigh was crazy, or a liar…or both. Crazy and liar are never good things in a relationship. AUTHOR BIONatalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author. Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia. She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKSGOODREADSTSUFACEBOOK FAN GROUPTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGSTREET TEAM SIGN UPAMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL PAGEGIVEAWAY PRIZE $10 Amazon gift carda Rafflecopter giveawayThis Event Was Organized & Hosted By:

  Special Thank You To Carly's Book Reviews For The HTML Creation

Wild in Paradise by Leslie Pike.

SYNOPSIS:

A movie set is a great place to test one’s endurance for temptations.  They’re all there for the taking. A person can get away with their indulgences. For Finn Kennedy, Father Paul Cruz and Esme Scott, things are about to get very tempting.

Finn Kennedy is flying high, after his hit comeback film. He’s slayed his personal dragons, and with his Irish good looks and penchant for play, he’s catnip to women. For Finn, there’s no reason to settle on one, when there are so many to be sampled.
Father Paul Cruz is burned out from his years as the Catholic chaplain at San Quentin. He’s been a priest for all of his adult life, and he’s questioning that choice. Father Paul has never enjoyed the less cerebral pleasures of life. A sabbatical is what he needs. When best friend Finn is cast in a film about a Jesuit priest, he gets Father Paul hired on as a consultant. His world is about to be rocked.

Esme Scott’s a young woman running from an abusive husband. She’s on her own for the first time, and trying to make her way. When she gets a job as the Wardrobe assistant on the film, she discovers just what she’s been missing, personally, professionally and sexually. And she finds out just how much it takes, to correct past mistakes.

Beautiful Park City, Utah is the setting for Wild In Paradise, the second book in the Paradise Series.












SYNOPSIS:

BLISS NOVAK has a great life. She's happy, beautiful and financially secure. What more could she want?

Fortune has smiled on STEVEN FRENCH too. Handsome, talented and sexy, the stuntman has it all. At least that's what he believes until he meets Bliss.
When a movie production comes to Pacific Grove, these two are drawn together in a passionate romance. Their love creates their personal Garden of Eden.
But there's only one thing wrong with the Garden of Eden....there's always a snake.








AUT HOR BIO:

Leslie Pike lives in Laguna Niguel, California, with her husband Don, and Pom-Poo Mr. Big. Before writing her novel, Leslie worked as a screenwriter on episodic television. She has traveled the world with her Stuntman/Stunt Coordinator/Director husband, on movie sets from Africa to Israel, from New York to Los Angeles. Some of her favorite things include calligraphy, long walks with her friends, and enjoying delicious food that other people have cooked!

The Trouble With Eden is Leslie's debut novel.
MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Leslie-Pike/500697990073026?ref=aymt_homepage_panelTSU: https://www.tsu.co/AuthorLesliePikeWebsite: www.lesliepike.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorLPikeInstagram: https://instagram.com/authorlpike/

Book Blitz: Men of Mercy by Lindsay Cross. Redemption River, Book 1 in the Series can be pre-ordered now.

Title: Redemption River, Men of Mercy (book 1)Author Name: Lindsay CrossSeries Name (or Stand Alone): Men of Mercy book 1Genre: Romantic SuspenseRelease Date: October 21stPublisher (or Self): Cypress Bend PublishingWord Count: approx. 74,000Heat Level: HotBlurb:
Hunter James didn’t want or need redemption.
Until one mission turns his world upside down.
He left Mercy to fight for his country and escape a broken heart. Years later, he is hard. Cold. A man without mercy.  Part of an elite Task Force, he tracks a brutal terrorist to his home town. And runs into the woman who betrayed him…
 Evangeline Videl was destroyed when Hunter left. Determined to move on, she finds another man, but discovers too late the monster hidden beneath his smooth smile. Struggling to find the conviction to live, Evie finds her life spinning out of control.
Then Hunter returns…
Forced to band together to find the terrorist before its too late, Hunter and Evie must learn to forgive or risk losing the promise of redemption and their lives…
        Pre-Buy/Buy Links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26101055-redemption-river?from_search=true&search_version=service


Excerpt:"Hey." His Southern drawl put Matthew McConaughey to shame. Slow. Sexy. And familiar.Her gaze traveled up the muscled torso to a pair of dark chocolate-brown eyes. Holy crap."Hunter James." His name breathed past her lips on a whisper. For the second time that night her heart stuttered and her stomach clenched tight. Hunter blocked her path, his towering six-foot-four frame packaged in a tight-fitting black T-shirt and jeans that showcased his muscles. His arms had to be twice the size they were the last time he’d been here. His gaze twice as intense. Her reaction twenty times that.According to the town gossips, he’d been back in Mercy for a couple of weeks, but so far he’d avoided her. And she’d prayed daily he would stay away. Every time he came home on leave, he seemed to make it a point to show up here. At her bar. With another woman on his arm. Making sure she saw he’d moved on. And each time her heart broke a little more."Need some help?" he asked.Her brain took a full minute to kick into gear, then another minute to reconnect to her mouth. "What?" "You look like you could use some help. Can I do anything?" His serious voice passed through lips that were way too tempting. She couldn't think. The man standing before her had gone AWOL with her heart over five years ago, like the tail end of a twister after a storm. Part of her had been happy he'd left. The other part had been devastated. Their love had been wild and crazy, but ultimately destructive. She noticed the knotted wood cane leaning against the table beside him. "What's with the cane?" Hunter grinned and shifted his weight to the side. "What's with the wet clothes?" He extinguished his cigarette and stepped away from the doorway leading to the upstairs apartment, his limp noticeable. Evie crossed her arms over her chest, the action squeezing more beer out of her bra. Her lips pressed into a tight line and she forced herself to answer, "Wet T-shirt contest. It's a new thing we’re trying."Evie straightened her arms, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides in time with the ticking in his jaw. A couple day’s stubble graced the hard planes of his face, only a little shorter than the black hair buzzed close to his scalp. He looked as if he’d been chiseled from steel.Hunter leaned in close and Evie's stomach knotted. Lust built inside her, pushing against her dam of resistance. "I bet you won."He wasn't staring at her chest, she had to give him that. No, his target appeared to be her mouth. His head lowered to hers and her mind went blank. If she had been thinking like a full-grown woman, she would have jerked back before his lips made contact. But tonight her brain had pointed and aimed but failed to fire.

Title: Resurrection River, Men of Mercy (book 2)Author Name: Lindsay CrossSeries Name (or Stand Alone): Men of Mercy book 2Genre: Romantic SuspenseRelease Date: October 21stPublisher (or Self): Cypress Bend PublishingWord Count: approx. 85,000Heat Level: Hot
Blurb: Ranger James accepted his best friend’s death like a good soldier. With guilt. Regret. Vengeance. But a forbidden desire keeps pulling him from his mission…
Desire for his best friend’s widow.
Killed in Action. That’s why Rachel Carter’s husband wasn’t coming home.
A war widow, alone and broke, Rachel struggles to revive her family’s crop dusting service to survive. Now she takes to the skies to find escape. Escape from the pain. From the guilt. From the earth-shattering desire for her husband’s best friend.
Rachel and Ranger can’t fight the attraction between them any longer. But one fateful night cleaves their new found love in two...
Can they find the will to fight for true love? Or will an evil so shocking destroy their lives for good?
Pre-Buy/Buy Links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26101086-resurrection-river?from_search=true&search_version=service
Excerpt:                  Rachel spun around, the yellow airplane a perfect backdrop to her beautiful face. “What are you doing here?”         Ranger let his gaze travel from her scruffy boots, torn jeans and gloriously figure hugging tank, to the top of her dark red head. Her pink cheeks flushed.          “Like what you see?”          Ranger approached, her green gaze turned wary. Good. She should be worried. She’d doused him in chemicals. His skin still itched. He reached forward, plucked an oil stick from her ponytail and sent her hair spilling to her shoulders. He caught the brief scent of flowers and oil.          Rachel grabbed her hair, lips parted. Angry. Stubborn. Sexy.He held up the stick right in front of her face. “Oil stick.” Rachel snatched it from his fingers and tossed it across the room. “I told you to stay away from me.”         Ranger shrugged, his brain still caught on the image of her jean-clad ass hanging out of that airplane. Forget Sports Illustrated. He had farm fucking fantastic right here.          "Don't you think dropping that all-natural excuse for chemicals on me is a bit dramatic? If you want to get me naked all you had to do is ask." Ranger gestured to himself, sweeping his hand from his head down to his torso, Rachel's eyes followed.          That definitely wasn't desperation or anger in her gaze.         The desire he’d been trying to hold in check for months reared up inside him.         "You think I want to see you naked?” Rachel snorted, lifted her chin. “Besides, I figured anything would be an improvement to your normal smell.” So much for her vulnerability.         The wind picked up, blew into the hangar. Ranger shifted, praying the wind wouldn’t open the fly on his boxers, and almost covered himself. Almost. Until he remembered she was the reason for his stench. Instead, he stood tall. “You’ve never had a problem with the way I smelled before.”          “My manners were just too good to say anything.” She strode past him, punishing him with the sexy sway of her hips.          Dammit, he was so hard up for her, even her walk had his mind blanking. He stood there, nearly naked, and drenched in herbicide, and she walked past him like a stranger on a sidewalk.Running from him. Again.          “Rachel Ann.” He didn’t yell, but she stopped mid-stride. Turned. Lips parted.          “You did that on purpose,” Ranger said. She’d been hard headed even in high-school, when he tried to break up with her, explaining that he needed a little space to see if life in Mercy was what he really wanted. Jumping on the marriage and kids bandwagon at eighteen years old had scared the shit out of him. But he’d obliterated any chance for reconnecting with Rachel when she’d seen him making out with Tonya at the football game senior year.          He hadn’t thought that leaving her to sow the wild oats of his youth would be a self-fulfilling prophecy of regret. Or that his best friend would move in on Rachel so fast and fill the void that Ranger had left in her heart.          “You bet your ass I did.”         “What the hell for?” He couldn’t get her smell, her taste, her touch out of his head. But she’d dumped shit on him for the last time.         Her eyes narrowed and her lips flattened. “I warned you.”         Yeah, she’d warned him to stay away from her. He’d stayed with her for weeks, helping her after the funeral. She’d healed physically, but remained an emotional tomb.          “I promised Shane, if anything ever happened to him, I’d look out for you.” He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss that angry expression right off her face. He’d wanted her since high-school, but when she’d married Shane, he’d vowed to put those feelings away. Forever. But the attraction hadn’t disappeared. And he knew it never would. “I know the chemistry between us is weird. Scary. But dammit it’s real and it’s here and now. You’re just flying through the clouds because you don’t want to see what’s on the ground right in front of you.”         If he hadn’t been studying every minute expression on her face he would have missed the brief flash of vulnerability in her gaze. Then her anger slid back in place. “The only thing I feel is annoyance. Are you so desperate that you have to chase after what you can’t have? You dumped me first, remember?”         Him? Desperate? No. He’d never had a problem getting women. Until Rachel.          If he hadn’t been so young and stupid he would have been the one she’d married. Not Shane.         Now all he could think, all he could see, was the small sprinkle of freckles across her pert nose. He could be on a mission in a third world country or down the road. It didn’t matter. She affected him.          He had an all-consuming need for his best friend’s wife. He hadn’t counted on lust eating him alive.              But he had honor. He had loyalty. Ranger had vowed over Shane’s grave to take care of Rachel.


Title: Reckless River, Men of Mercy (book 3)Author Name: Lindsay CrossSeries Name (or Stand Alone): Men of Mercy book 3Genre: Romantic SuspenseRelease Date: October 21stPublisher (or Self): Cypress Bend PublishingWord Count: approx. 78,000Heat Level: Hot
Blurb: They say you can’t go home again. Jared Crowe never wanted to. Home meant facing memories of abuse and neglect. Of dark closets and evil nightmares. Of his own relatives intent on killing him. But now his brother’s kidnapping forces him to face those demons. Only this time, Jared isn’t a scared little boy. He’s a full-grown Special Forces operative bent on revenge.As a little girl, Sparrow Pickney risked her life to free two abused boys. As a grown woman Sparrow needs to earn a place in her adopted family’s business or be forced into a life of degradation. The chance to prove her family loyalty comes when she catches Jared spying on the compound and captures him.When Jared sees his captor, he realizes she’s the girl of his dreams and vows to rescue her from a life of poverty. What Jared doesn’t know is Sparrow may not be the savior he remembers…but the one responsible for abducting and torturing his brother.Jared is determined to find the truth. But that truth may be more than his heart can take.

Pre-Buy/Buy Links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26872928-reckless-river-men-of-mercy-book-3
Excerpt:It had been nearly twenty years since he’d seen her, but Jared could never forget those golden eyes. Eyes that had haunted his dreams ever since. Had she joined up with Kay? Or was she simply one of those poor souls struggling to survive? The thought of Sparrow slowly starving filled him with a sense of guilt. He should have made her leave with them. Even though they’d been children when she’d freed them, Jared had been big enough to drag her out, whether she’d wanted to go or not.She leaned over him, reaching for his hands. Her floppy hat fell down, blinding her, and she ripped it off and tossed it across the room. Long caramel-colored hair, full of sun-kissed highlights, waterfalled down the sides of her face and tickled his nose. Her scent surrounded him now, flooding his senses. Honeysuckle and wildflowers. His cock swelled in an instant. Jared gnashed his teeth together, trying to quell his intense reaction to her nearness.Sparrow leaned down further and her loose tank top gaped open, treating him to a glorious view of surprisingly plump breasts cupped in a plain sports bra. His gaze locked onto her beaded nipples through the cotton. Fuck he wanted to rip that bra down and reveal what was hidden beneath. The loose manly clothes she wore made her look stick thin, but womanly curves were concealed beneath them. Sparrow sighed and sat up straight, leaving rope dangling uselessly on his wrists. Jared gripped the metal headboard with his hands, waiting for her next move. She stood there for a moment and studied him, trying to decide what to do. Well, he wasn't going to help her out one little bit."Keep your hands right there, got it?" Her voice was stern."Yes ma'am.” He had no intention of acting up. Yet.She placed a knee on the mattress, and in one swift movement straddled him, settling on his belly. Jared groaned and closed his eyes thankful she hadn’t sat down lower on his body; otherwise, she would have gotten her own surprise. She leaned over him spreading her knees wider up his chest. His eyes popped open, unable to resist another view of her bare skin. "You can stop with the theatrics right now, I know I’m not big enough to crush you."If only that were his problem. Her shirt dipped down even more and he fixated on the pale mounds of her breasts straining against the material of her sports bra. It was a crime to lock those beauties up in serviceable cotton. She should wear nothing but pure silk and lace, perfect for him to rip off her body.Her hair curtained around him again, and her soft lips parted in concentration as she worked. He was aware of every inch of exposed skin—from the graceful hollow of her neck to her supple forearms peeking out from the rolled up sleeves of her checkered work shirt. Even more aware of the intense heat radiating from her core, pressed so intimately to his chest."There. All done." She sat back, a satisfied smile on her lips.Jared tugged on the rope. He’d completely zoned out on anything other than her straddling him. It didn't give an inch—the knot she’d tied was worthy of a professional. A small ounce of foreboding seeped into him. “Where did you learn to tie knots?" "Trapping. Working snares. Been doing it since I was a kid." Her words were so matter-of-fact, he had no doubt she spoke the truth. Holy shit. He yanked on the ropes, but they didn’t move. “Impressive.” Jared wriggled his fingers and wrists, testing for any weakness. He found none.“Might as well stop struggling. Nobody’s ever been able to get out of one of my knots. And I used my new rope too, so it wouldn’t snap easy.” She made a snapping motion with her fingers, the emphasis driving in just how stupid his plan had been. He should have used that easy opening she’d given him with the gun.His foreboding turned to real worry. He had to get out of here to rescue his brother. Hoyt’s life depended on him. If he couldn’t get free… “Nice, now what?”“Now you tell me who you are and why you’re here.” Sparrow sat back on her heels, the curve of her ass grazing the tip of his cock. He clenched his muscles, fighting to free himself from the pull of lust.Remember, you’re the soldier trained in interrogation techniques. Now he just had to stop thinking with his dick for long enough to find out where Hoyt was being held. "My name is Jake." She tapped her chin, staring down at him.  Once again he was enthralled by the intense color of her eyes. They were golden, almost like a cat’s, with a darker brown ring around the edges. “Jake. You don't look like a Jake." He enjoyed hearing the name on her lips. Would enjoy hearing his real name even better. Her soft accent and long vowels stretched it out slow. Sensual. "And what do I look like?""I don't know. Killer? Tiger?""That's what people name their cats.” "True. Why are you here?"
"Why did you take me hostage?" he countered.“You were spying on my family. Only our enemies do that.” She shifted, brushing against his tip again. Fuck he wanted to rip free of these bonds and throw her down beneath him. Where was his detached logic now? Something about her was making him lose control.“I have no interest in you. I was looking for a family member who went missing, know anything about that?” He studied her reaction intently, watching for any flash of awareness, but she didn’t give away anything. “Haven’t seen anybody new around here in a long time, and I would know. Sorry, but you plopped down on the wrong piece of land.” “He told me he was coming here.” Not really, but Jared knew without the slightest shred of doubt that Hoyt had been taken by the Crowes. Miss Kay wanted to finish what she had started all those years ago, even if Jared didn’t know why. It was bad enough his parents had died when Jared was only nine, Hoyt six, but to have his aunt try to murder them.... Jared yanked on the bonds again, testing the bed frame. It screeched but held firm. Shit. “What does he look like?” Every time Sparrow moved or shifted he felt her. Desire was holding him hostage as much as the damn ropes. Got to get free. Got to find Hoyt.“What do I get if I tell you?” “What do you get? You get to live.” Her brows shot down as if confused. “You won’t kill me.”“Try me.” “How about we make a little trade—you give me something, I give you something.” "Give? What do you want?" She laid her palms on her thighs, kneeling over his body, the position incredibly erotic. Blushing aside, maybe she wasn’t so innocent after all. He had a plan and she was part of it. He knew he could get more information out of Sparrow than her giant ass brother. And he’d find it a hell of a lot more enjoyable too. "Kiss me." She stopped moving all together and her eyes narrowed in on his mouth. "Give me a kiss and I'll sing like a bird."           


Author Bio: Lindsay Cross is the award-winning author of the Men of Mercy series. She is the fun loving mom of two beautiful daughters and one precocious Great Dane. Lindsay is happily married to the man of her dreams – a soldier and veteran. During one of her husband’s deployments from home, writing became her escape and motivation. An avid reader since childhood, reading and writing is in her blood. After years of reading, she discovered her true passion – writing. Her alpha military men are damaged, drop-dead gorgeous and determined to win the heart of the woman of their dreams.

Author Social Links:FACEBOOK LINK AUTHOR PROFILE:https://www.facebook.com/lindsay.cross.authorTWITTER LINK:https://twitter.com/lindsaycross101GOODREADS LINK:https://www.goodreads.com/lindsaycrossauthorAMAZON LINK:https://www.amazon.com/author/lindsaycross

Grass and Blue Skies by Cherime MacFarlane. Contemporary Romance with a hint of Thriller.

AUTHOR: Cherime MacFarlaneGENRE: Contemporary Romance with a hint of Thriller

SERIES: Book 6 of the Copper River Romances (stand alone book)


On crutches and no longer able to fly jets, Brett is grateful to have come home alive instead of in a box. Though he’s still got his leg, there’s a lot of pain, too so a relative sends him to see the pretty herbalist who helps people with pain and nerve problems. One look at her and Brett wants more than pain relief.
Nikee has a secret room beneath her greenhouse full of pot plants. The woman began growing medical marijuana several years ago to help her father after a bad accident, and she has no plans to quit. Hopefully telling Brett about the grow operation won’t cost her a relationship with the man.
If the tender balance of her relationship with Brett isn’t enough, someone else has discovered her secret. He wants her crop and will do anything to cash in on her work, but Nikee can't go to the Troopers for help.
Can a woman, an old man, and an ex-jet jock keep the nefarious character out of her medicinal pot?


The memory of the fear slammed into her as fresh as it had been all those years ago. She and Tore only had one parent left and didn't want to lose their father. Watching him deal with the pain daily turned her into a terrified, withdrawn wreck. 
All thoughts of normal teenage things had gone out of her head. She and Tore dashed home from school as soon as dismissed. At least Tore had a driver's license. He drove over to her middle school as soon as possible. Nikee waited bouncing from foot to foot, ready to run home.
The necessity to get home as quickly as possible wasn't just to reassure themselves of their father's health, they had chores to do on the farm. It was up to them to keep the place afloat. The summer she turned fifteen they began discussing the mechanics necessary to change the farm over to a u-pick operation. That was the summer Einar discovered pot had its uses. 
That winter she and Tore dug out the old root cellar. They used the earth they excavated to smooth out the holes and level the area where the greenhouse now stood. 
"Nikee?" Brett's voice cut into the memories. 
"Okay. Well, friends of Tore's kept us supplied through the winter with pot for Dad. Tore, and I excavated the root cellar out on our own. Come spring we got seeds from his friend and I began the grow operation. Tore, and I built the greenhouse with help from his buddies. I learned how to grow pot and we turned the farm into a u-pick place."
"This set up was designed to help your father then?"
With a deep sigh, Nikee shook her head. "You're asking if that's all we ever did, and the answer is no. Tore never wanted to be a farmer. It's not what he was meant to do for the rest of his life. I, we grew enough to get the down payment for the boat for him. Then we shut down that part of the operation. Yes, I grew weed for people who only wanted to smoke to get high."
Afraid to see his expression, she slouched down against the wall behind her. Tears distorted her vision and pooled in her eyes. Nikee brushed them away with her right hand. 
"Are you angry with me?" she finally got the courage to ask.
His thumb still caressed her hand. For a long space of time Brett remained silent. Finally, his whisper slid across the top of her head. 
"I have no right to judge what you did. You kept your father alive, kept the farm and got your brother a boat. You did what you had to. For two kids, you did good. I've got one question for you, are you growing pot for stoners now?"


AMAZON US ~ GOODREADS ~ SMASHWORDS

OTHER BOOKS IN THE COPPER ROMANCE SERIES

Snagged ~ Stalking Red ~ Heart of the Hunter ~ Cougar Hunt ~ Baubles and Beads


Although born in New Orleans, I am proud to call myself an Alaskan. I have lived here since 1977. I have seen -40 degrees, hauled water, made bear bacon and I live in a cabin. I have used a fishwheel to catch salmon coming up the Copper River. I was my second husband's chief mechanic's helper and roadie. I have cut firewood on shares. I worked as a cocktail waitress during pipeline days in a small lodge on the Richardson Highway.
My second husband, a Scot from Glasgow, was the love of my life. When I write Scots dialect, I personally experienced hearing it from my in laws. When my husband got on the phone to Scotland, after 5 seconds I could barely understand a word.
We moved to Wasilla to get warm. It barely drops past -25 degrees here in the winter. I became a paralegal and worked for over 26 years for the same firm.
Alaska is my home. I never thought I would love it so much, I never want to leave. The beauty of Alaska is a draw I cannot resist. I love the people and the history. I have been captured by a place I came to under duress. Life does play some interesting tricks on one. My love and I were not apart more than 24 hours for 20 plus years. I never wanted to be anywhere but with him. He was a man to run the river with and was my biggest fan.
          

MoB Promosmagicofbookspromo@gmail.com

The nine month plan by Wendy Markham. Any day now, I’ll be outta here, too, Nina consoles herself as Joey’s tears soak her taffeta-covered shoulder. Any day now. . .

BLURB:
Nina Chickalini has been waiting all her life to get out of Queens, but something always holds her back. If it isn’t the four siblings she raised almost single-handedly, it’s the neighborhood pizzeria she’s running so Pop can take it easy. At last, she’s counting down mere months, instead of years, until she’ll be free to embark on her grand adventure.
Leave it to her best friend, good old reliable Joe Materi, to wait until now to make an incredible request.
Have his baby? The last thing Nina needs is another reason to feel tied down. But how can she refuse the man who’s always been there for her? Getting in the family way turns out to be easy, and suddenly she’s seeing her old pal in a whole new light.
The clock is ticking, her bags are packed, and Joe—muscular arms cradling a baby, sexy voice crooning a lullaby—isn’t part of the plan. So why does Nina feel as though she’s already embarked on the adventure of a lifetime?
An Avon Romance


Purchase Links:
AMAZON  **  B&N  **  GOOGLE PLAY

Prologue:
Nina Chickalini is no stranger to the tiny, windowless room just off the rectory of Most Precious Mother church on Ditmars Boulevard in Queens.It was here that she made her first—and last—confession to Father Hugh. Make that, the late Father Hugh. But that part—the late part—wasn’t her fault, no matter what Joey Materi said then . . . and continues to say.Until that May weekday afternoon a decade ago, the parishioners of Most Precious Mother made their confessions in the blessed anonymity of the closest-like confessionals in the main church. But apparently, face-to-face confessions in a casual setting had become all the diocesan rage, and Nina’s pre-confirmation class was to be initiated into confessing their sins in the new-fangled way.Ordinarily, Danny Andonelli would have gone first. But he had caught a nasty throwing-up kind of flu from his little brother—or so he said. Nina suspected he was loathe to confess his failure to Keep Holy the Sabbath Day—he’d been caught throwing water balloons at passing subway trains the previous Sunday afternoon.Anyway, Danny was absent that day, leaving Nina alphabetically next in line to make her first confession.She sat on the folding wooden chair opposite the kindly old priest, took a deep breath and forced herself to look him in the eye.“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” she began, as Sister Mary Agnes had taught them to do in CCD.He nodded encouragingly.But Nina noticed that he seemed a bit pale and distracted as she launched into a detailed account of her sins: cheating on a social studies test (but not really, because she had glimpsed Andy O’Hara’s paper merely by accident); taking the name of the Lord in vain (which she couldn’t really help doing because she had dropped Grandma Valerio’s massive hardcover bible on her fragile pinky toe); covering her friend Minnie Scaturro’s brand-new canopy bed—Suddenly, the priest keeled over, clutching his chest.“Father Hugh?”He writhed on the floor, gasping.For a moment, Nina thought he was kidding. After all, he had a pretty decent sense of humor for someone who wore somber black from head to toe every day of his life.It turned out Father Hugh wasn’t kidding.Nina ran shrieking out into the rectory, where her pre-confirmation classmates were waiting to make their first confessions.As Sister Agnes rushed to call 911, Joey Materi said,“Holy shit, Nina, you must’ve confessed one hell of a sin!”That remark was miraculously overheard by the distracted and nearly-deaf Sister Agnes, resulting in an unpleasant penance for Joey, who had his mouth washed out with soap.Nina never did receive any penance for her curtailed first confession.And Most Precious Mother promptly went back to using the confessionals—which is why Nina hasn’t set foot in this tiny room since.Now, on a rainy Saturday June afternoon, the first thing she notices is that it looks exactly the same—pea-green indoor-outdoor carpeting, beige-painted cinderblock walls, a couple of wooden folding chairs, and a giant wooden crucifix as the only decor.It smells the same, too—of incense and mildew, mothballs and musty hymnals.The next thing she notices is that unlike the room, Joey Materi—whom she has seen practically every day of her life—looks startlingly different.It isn’t just that his dark hair is slicked back from his handsome face, or that he’s wearing a black tuxedo instead of his usual jeans and flannel shirt.The thing is, he suddenly looks like . . . well, like a man. The tux makes his shoulders appear broader than usual, his lean frame taller than usual. His dark eyes bear an uncharacteristically solemn expression as he stares off into space, and his full lower lip is pensively caught beneath a top row of even white teeth. The devilish, jocular Joey Nina has known all her life is gone, replaced by this—this man. This . . . Joe.Nina takes a step closer to him, her periwinkle taffeta skirt rustling around her dyed-to-match satin pumps. She can hear faint organ music coming from the adjacent church, which is packed with expectant friends and family. You’d think someone would have instructed Millicent Milagros to stop playing “The Wedding March,” but she’s just launched into yet another round.Nina closes the door behind her, shutting out the music and instantly becoming aware that Joey doesn’t just look different—he smells different, too.Not that she is prone to sniffing Joey Materi. But she senses that if she were, he wouldn’t normally smell so . . . yummy. She can smell the white carnation that’s pinned to his lapel, a scent that reminds her of the Easter Sunday corsages her father used to buy for her. She can also smell a tantalizingly musky, citrus scent.“Are you wearing aftershave or something?” she asks incredulously.Joey looks up, startled, as if he’s just noticed her. “What the heck are you doing back here, Nina?”Oh. That.She takes a deep breath, forgetting all about the cologne.“I have something to tell you,” she says, trying not to sound overly ominous.“Who’s dead?”Okay, so she needs to work on the ominous thing. Then again, why beat around the bush? “Nobody’s dead, Joey . . .”“Thank God.”“It’s worse.”“Worse than dead? What can be worse than dead? And why are you telling me this now? I’m getting married any second.” He checks the gold wristwatch he borrowed from his older brother, Phil.Phil, who is currently shirking his best manly duties, the lousy coward. In Nina’s opinion, Phil’s the one who should be doing this. Not her. The maid of honor is supposed to tend to the bride, not the groom.Then again, the bride must be halfway to the Port Authority right about now.Meanwhile, Phil is suddenly nowhere to be found, the other groomsmen are useless in the wake of last night’s rousing bachelor party, and the stricken bridesmaids are dabbing mascara-tinted tears from their cheeks in the ladies’ room.Which leaves only Nina to break the bad news to Minnie’s would-be groom.She puts a hand on his arm.“Joey . . . you’d better sit down.”“Nina, what the he—” He glances at the crucifix—“heck is going on?”“Shit!” She gives him a little shove toward the folding chair.He sits.“Nina, why are you—” He breaks off, and then an uh-oh expression dawns. “Where’s Minnie?”“She’s . . . gone.”Joe gasps—a sound not unlike Father Hugh’s last tortured breath.“I’m sorry, Joey,” Nina says, swallowing hard over a lump in her throat.“What do you mean, ‘gone’?”“She’s left town.”The look on his face tells her he doesn’t get it. She’d better be more specific.“She’s left . . . um, you.”“She’s left me? But—”“I’m so sorry.”“This can’t be happening. She can’t leave me.”“I’m sorry, Joey,” she says again, patting his muscular arm.She can’t leave me. . .The same haunting words were spoken by Nina’s father just last summer, about her mother Rosemarie.She can’t leave me. . .But Mommy is gone, too. Just like Minnie Scaturro. And Nina is left behind once again to pick up the pieces.“Where did she go?” Joey asks miserably. Nina sighs, forcing away the image of her mother lying eerily still in that hospital bed. “Minnie said she wants to find—”“Wait, let me guess. To find herself? Isn’t that why people get jilted? Because the other person wants to find herself?”“I don’t think it’s herself that Minnie’s going to find, Joey.” “Then who is she going to find?”“God,” Nina says flatly. “She said she’s going to find God.”Joey looks at her in disbelief. “God’s right here,” he says, gesturing at the crucifix. “I mean, this is a church, for Christ’s sake. Where does she think—”“She said she got the calling, Joey,” Nina blurts.“The calling?”“The calling.”“She got the calling now?”“No. Last night.”“Last night,” he repeated. “Last night, while I was out turning down lap dances and watching Danny puke all over the limo because he drank too many Jell-O shots, Minnie was getting the calling? Is that what you’re telling me?” Nina nods sympathetically. “I’m so—”“Sorry?” he cuts in. “You said that, Neens. A few times.”“I don’t know what else to say.”“I don’t, either.” He shakes his head, tears in his eyes. “I love her, Nina. You know that? I’ve loved her since eighth grade. Every plan I’ve ever made was built around marrying her.”“I know, Joey. I know.”She holds him close while his heart shatters into a million pieces, wishing she were anywhere but here. Wishing she were the one on the number seven train heading for a whole new life.For the first time since the canopy bed, Nina finds herself envying Minnie Scaturro, who, instead of settling for a boring life as boring Joey’s boring wife, gets to leave Queens behind at last.
Any day now, I’ll be outta here, too, Nina consoles herself as Joey’s tears soak her taffeta-covered shoulder. Any day now. . .

Author Bio: New York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub (aka Wendy Markham) is the award-winning author of more than eighty novels. Wendy now lives in the New York City suburbs with her husband and their two sons. Learn more about Wendy at www.wendycorsistaub.com
Media Links:Website: http://www.wendycorsistaub.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corsistaubTwitter: https://twitter.com/WendyCorsiStaub






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