Aimee Duffy's Blog, page 16

Release Day Giveaway! Forsaken Norse Wind by Ciara Lake

Happy release day to fellow Beachwalk Babe Ciara! Check out this fab excerpt and enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom for your chance to win!


Forsaken Norse Wind by Ciara LakeBook 4 in the Forsaken Series


A troll, a mortal, and a love hot enough to melt ice.

Trapped in a vicious life, Breanna Devion survives only by the strength of her heart. Determined to have more than what her abusive stepfather has planned for her, she's willing to risk everything to be free.

Axel Venrick is a troll who has spent centuries alone, isolated in his castle in Iceland. At the insistence of others, Axel crafts the ultimate tool to find his soul mate. He creates a beautiful ring which is bespelled, blessed by a god, and sent forth to locate Axel's other half.

The ring finds Breanna just in time to prevent her stepfather's disastrous plan from taking place. But angry gods, vengeful parents, and an evil lurking in the immortal world all conspire to destroy the love of the jaded troll and his innocent mortal. Can their love free them or will the evil spreading from the bowels of the earth destroy them first?

Content Warning: graphic sex, some violence


Excerpt:

"How can you be a troll? They don't really exist." Breanna shook her head. "You're too handsome. At least now you're handsome. You're like a warrior and very clever. That's not a troll."

"So you've heard stories of trolls, and you believe these stories are true? Yet you think trolls are fiction?" He chuckled. "That's not consistent logic."

"Yes." She nodded. "I mean, no." She shook her head, confused. "I don't know. Sometimes, it's hard to know what's real."

"Well, there are trolls. I'm testament to that. I am a master craftsman, an artisan among the troll peoples. Axel Venrick at your service." He bowed, then took her hand. She did not resist. He kissed the back of it, and heat rushed to her face. From where his lips touched her hand, a powerful sensation traveled through her, much like the ring's effect.

"Good day, Axel Venrick." She curtsied, her heart pounding in her chest. She was not afraid. Instead, she felt enamored. "It's been an experience meeting you." She'd never been close to a handsome man. Not only was he handsome, he was powerful. She liked his power. She knew she should be fearful of him, but she yearned for the excitement he brought. Waves of reassurance seemed to vibrate from her ring, relaxing her, helping her trust him.

"I'm not always as you just witnessed, it's only when I allow myself to transform to frighten others or to serve whatever purpose I need. But most think trolls to be ugly and monstrous. It's what they remember. Plus, I'm hardly dim-witted." He grinned. "I like to think I'm rather clever. Those tales you've heard are only tales. All tales have bits of truth mixed with fiction. They've been made and spread by humans. Humans are often inaccurate."

"Trolls are mean," she challenged. "Right?"

"Yes, at times. Humans are as well. All beings can be mean. Look at Hugh. He's a monster, just not a very powerful one."

"Yes, he is." She played with the rose Axel had given her. It smelled wonderful on this winter's day.

"I don't deny trolls are selfish, territorial, predatory, and scheming, or at least we can be. Doesn't it sound like Hugh?"

"Yes." She nodded. "You admit those things about trolls?"

"Would you wish me to lie? I'm not a saint or even close. As I said, the tales are mixed with truth and fiction. Trolls do have a reputation for being unpleasant at times. I can be unpleasant if need be."

"You can be unpleasant? I don’t believe it," she teased him, grinning.

"What's your name, lass? I like your quick wit." He smiled down at her.

"Breanna Devion."

"Lovely name. It's a great pleasure to have found you, Breanna Devion." Again, he bowed at the waist. "You're lovely beyond words. I can tell you have a tender heart. May I come in to visit more with you? Will you serve me a drink at your table? I wish to know you, and I want to answer all questions you may have."

She studied him for several moments. "I don't know." She backed further into the house, the door still open, just looking at him.

"Breanna, if I intended to harm you, I would have done it by now. This door cannot stop me. You've seen my power. I intend you no harm. I wish only to bring you pleasure, to keep you safe. I've looked for you especially. My heart as well as my body has been lonely." At his words, her heart raced more.

"Go wait out there." She pointed out into the yard a distance from the house. "I need to think. You make me…nervous."

"Out there?" He nodded to where she'd pointed.

"Yes, I'll think about it. Your closeness confuses me." She stepped forward and closed the door.

"Breanna. Breanna Devion, open your door to me."

"I said I want to think about it," she yelled through the door. "If you are as you say, you will wait."

Beachwalk Press Buy Link

About the Author:
Reading and writing is a wonderful diversion from an often-difficult world. I love to create my own stories and have control over how things will end. It's exciting to create brand new worlds and characters. My imagination can come alive.In sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal stories, I can invent wonderful places and people. Anything is possible in these genres, it's limitless. I'm able to create an escape into a special world filled with unique and fantastic things and there is always a happy ending.A high school teacher inspired me to write. However, instead of initially pursuing my writing career I became a lawyer. I work in divorce court, so erotic romance is a great escape. There can be true love and happy-endings, at least on my pages.My two children and I have two good-humored dogs that share our home and ease our stress. I have traveled and lived all over the world, and these experiences have given me great creative ideas. I look forward to creating many more adventures in romance. Site    Twitter    Facebook

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Hot Picks, part 2

It’s that time of the month again, though I admit I’ve struggled to find something to top the vampy nail polish. 

I do have a craft book I’d like to share. Now please note I’m not one for reading craft books, in fact I’ve only read Stephen King’s “On Writing” until now. I prefer to learn from example. But THIS, I have to share.  
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi  I haven’t read it all yet, but I’m finding it very handy during edits. Basically, the idea is to help find ways to express character emotion through actions and feelings, rather than telling the reader the character ‘felt’ a certain emotion. 
It also goes into clichéd emotions and melodrama. There are lots of examples to help these things make sense and show you exactly what they are.  
Plus there’s a dictionary of emotions there with the meaning of the emotion, a list of examples of the reactions one might have when feeling the emotion and examples. All in all, I’d say this book is definitely a keeper. I only wish I’d picked the paperback instead of the Kindle edition. Would make flicking back and forth so much easier.  
The Only Way is EssexWhere to start? I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this show. It’s supposed to be a show following the ‘real’ lives of a group of people who live in Essex, yet there’s more drama than a soap opera. It can be addictive, it can get on my nerves, but when it’s on I watch it. Why, you ask? Well, because I’m stunned and fascinated that there are people in the world who actually live like this. I know a lot of what they do is more than likely scripted to an extent, but all the fake tan/lashes/nails/boobs/noses, the barely there skirts and outrageous outfits intrigue me.  
Up here in freeze-your-tits-off Scotland, when we dress for a night out it’s far too cold to leave it all hanging out although there are still a few who are begging for hypothermia, but I’ve never seen dressing up to this extent. Which is probably why I watch TOWIE, though whether it’s ‘hot’ is a different matter.And I’ve not had much surfing/shopping time to come up with something else. I’m knee deep in revisions for Flirting With Trouble. Once I’m done, I’ll more than likely be back to my usual procrastinating self. *Scurries back to the revisions cave*Have a great Sunday! XOXO

What I’ve learned so far, Part Two #edits

It seems to take me forever these days to get anything done, although I have been pretty swamped. As promised, I’m going to share a little I’ve learned from doing edits. (I’m doing this back to front since the next post on this I plan to do is revisions, but I do like to do things the hard way).  
Myth. Edits are terrifying, a nightmare to do and take forever. This may be true in some cases and I’m sure if my wonderful editor sent me them all in one ‘round’ the track changes and comments would seem a bit daunting, but really, edits are only suggestions to make your writing cleaner. Or in my case make what I’m trying to say make sense LOL.Both books I sold to Beachwalk (The Monster of Fame and Isle of Sensuality) were around the same time, so of course I was making the same mistakes twice, and this probably made things tedious for my editor (I know it did for me, fixing the same mistakes over and over). Now I know most of it, I’m hoping book two in The Price of Fame Series won’t have as many blunders. So, I’m going to give a few examples of the things I had to change for The Monster of Fame. Please remember this is subjective to one publisher’s styles. If, for example, you were published by a UK house, then I don’t think you’d need to take out the ‘u’ in words like favourite, behaviour, etc.Me: If you couldn’t sing, he’d tell you… Editor: Have to get rid of the “you” Something like “If a contestant couldn’t sing, he’d say so” 
Me: granny MenziesEditor: Granny Menzies
Okay, this one confused me a bit because it wasn’t changed all the way through. So I asked and my editor explained that when you are calling someone mum, or gran or grandfather as you would call someone by their name, then you use a capital letter. But if you’re referring to them (e.g. my gran loves those biscuits) then there’s no capital. 
Me: Anna felt her nose wrinkle *Yeah, I know*Editor: You can make this less passive by saying ‘Anna wrinkled her nose’And there were a LOT of comments like this. :)Me: Blonde hairEditor: Blonde for females, blond for malesMe: weary gazeEditor: Wary perhaps? This has more to do with the way I speak than anything. Us Scots seem to love making up words, or using other ones for different meanings, at least I do anyway! “This dreich weather’s making me weary” Although I would mean here tired/depressed.Also, words like ‘had’ and ‘that’ were almost all deleted. Same with most of the exclamation marks.See, not so bad really? I know this seems obvious to some, but I honestly didn’t have a clue about most of the stuff. We all have to learn somewhere.Still, the comments weren’t all full of things to change. My editor leaves comments on things she particularly liked, things that made her laugh or parts that touched her so at first glance it does seem a bit daunting, but I’m usually smiling by the end of the book. The only thing with not doing it all in the one ‘round’ is that by the time line edits have come and gone and I’m reading over the galley, I’ve read my story about five times (and I’m not including all the times I re-read self-editing and revising!) I bet I could recite most of The Monster of Fame from memory!Any questions, feel free to ask!And as I’ve just received revisions from my editor on my full with RIVA/KISS I’ll do a post on that soon. Oh, and before I forget, I’m giving away a copy of Isle of Sensuality and a critique. There's four days left to enter. You can find out more here.  XOXO

Believe in Me, Part 4 #freeread

As promised, here’s the fourth instalment of my story for the Holiday Kisses anthology. Warning. Things are about to get steamy.  
BlurbLeona Sharp and Ryan Lee have been friends forever, it seems. Although there’s an attraction between them, they've never acted on it. On New Year’s Eve, Leona finally allows herself to give into the temptation, but she vows that it will only be for one night and as soon as the clock strikes midnight they will put it in the past and go on as if it never happened. Ryan, however, has other plans…
* * * *Rye hovered by the door, intent on letting Leo get used to the idea of his seduction before he made his next move. Until she refused to kiss him, he didn’t think it would be a problem, but now…“Rye…” She turned to him, the bottle green dress highlighting her pale skin and big, sexy eyes. “I don’t understand.”The expression that crossed her face was raw, vulnerable. Shit. He crossed the room and tilted her chin. “I want this to be a proper date. I want to give us a chance.”She stepped back, banging into the chair, her eyes full of mistrust. “Why now? Why are you doing this?”Opening his mouth, the words stuck in his throat. He’d already made a big confession. How could he take the next step? Fear of rejection froze his tongue.Deciding he could use some faux courage, he popped the cork on the champagne and poured two glasses. Leo knocked hers back in time with him. The bubbles brought bravery.“I want you, Leo. I’ve always wanted you.”* * * *Leo had the urge to smack herself on the head to check she wasn’t dreaming. Her blood ran warm with the champagne, but her tummy ran hot with his words. She swallowed against the excitement bubbling up her throat. His expression—patient, expecting, with an undertone of terror—made her realize what she did next mattered.Rye wasn’t a stayer. But he wanted her and she’d wanted him for as long as she could remember. It was an hour to midnight. This year had been awful. Burying her brother, leaving her home, and spending Christmas alone added to her misery. Why couldn’t she have a little while to enjoy what was left of a cruddy year? Why couldn’t they both have what they wanted, now? The minute the clock struck twelve, she’d put it behind her. New Year, new start. They could still be friends. Dammit, she’d make sure they were. She wasn’t a number, she was his for the next hour and she was determined to make it memorable.“I want you too.”Rye sucked in a breath as his eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Leo, I—”Terrified that he’d say something to ruin it, to change her mind, she pounced on him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and gripped his wide shoulders. Before she lost her courage, she pressed her mouth against his.The instant their lips met, all the terror vanished as her body exploded like a firework. The zing was immediate and clouded her senses. She threaded her fingers through his inky hair and sighed into his mouth. Rye groaned, then changed the tempo of the kiss.What started off as a peck on the lips ended up wild, feral, and necessary. He staggered back into the room, slid his hands under her dress, and pushed the material up to her waist. Falling back onto the sofa, he broke away, gasping. She sucked in a shaky breath.“Leo.” His hands froze on her stomach. She bit her tongue. The uncertainty creasing his brow was palpable. “Are you sure? This isn’t how I wanted to do this.”“I want this.” And because she wasn’t certain he did, she had to ask, “Don’t you?”He studied her. Leo’s heart lodged in her throat. His expression softened, and something bright and new shined from his eyes. He trailed a finger down her jaw and circled her lips. “I’ve always wanted this.”Her breath caught. Before she could recover, his lips were on hers. The contact sent a jolt of lust through her and muddied all rational thought. She wanted him naked, wanted to feast her eyes on his chest. Wanted to lick, nibble, and bite it.Tugging at the corners, she ripped the popper buttons of his shirt apart, then her hands were on his sculpted abs. Rye broke the kiss and lay back against the sofa, studying her from hooded eyes. She took the chance to devour his body with her gaze. Masterpiece. The fire inside her flared. She needed more. Now. If there was a round two, she’d get to the tasting.With impatient fingers, she undid his slacks and freed him from his trousers. His erection stood proud. She grabbed it.“Leo, fuck.” Rye’s breath hissed out between his teeth as she slid her hand up and down his velvet skin.Her panties soaked through and her core throbbed. She wanted him inside her, but the way his hands gripped her thighs gave her a sense of power. He was at her mercy and lost in what she was doing to him. The feeling emboldened her.Rising on her knees, she positioned herself over his erection. Using her free hand, she pushed her thong to the side.“Wait.” Rye grabbed her hips and held her firm. “Leo, you need—”“I need you inside me, Rye. I’ve needed this for so long.”* * * *
Make sure you pop over to Kaylie Newell’s Blog tomorrow for the fourth installment of her story, Winter Break. You can find Kaylie’s Blog here.And Lacey Wolfe's also posting part four of her story, The Gift Beneath The Tree, tomorrow. You can find her Blog here. I'll be back Wednesday 21st November for the final, hotter than hot installment of Believe in Me!xoxo

One Night of Need

Huge welcome to Ella Jade. This book sounds steamy. Can’t wait to get stuck into it.
One Night of Need by Ella Jade 1Night Stand
 
Sexy Professor Dominick Alvarez has an infatuation with pretty college girls, but he adheres to his strict policy of never getting involved with his students. The years of tempting women throwing themselves at him have taken a toll on the handsome teacher. He wants to give in, so he requests an evening with a younger woman. Alexandria Petron has always had a thing for older men, but she has never indulged. After being left at the altar by her high school sweetheart, she decides men her own age aren't for her. She seeks Madame Evangeline's help in making her fantasy come true. She wants the experience and attention a more mature man can show her. One night of explosive passion ignites a burn that neither one saw coming. Will one encounter be enough to satisfy their secret cravings?  Excerpt
“I’ve been jittery all day, but my aunt helped me overcome those nerves.”
“Your aunt?”
“She referred me to Madame Eve. She said I needed tonight.”
“Well, I’m glad she hooked you up, but why would such a beautiful girl need to use a service?” He didn’t mean to be nosy, but a woman who looked like her shouldn’t have a problem finding a date.
“Oh, well I….” She twisted her finger around the ends of her pigtail. Now he wished he’d put a condom in his pocket. If she kept that up, they’d never make it to the bedroom. “I’ve had a rough time.”
“I didn’t mean to pry. I’m curious.”
“That’s okay. Can I ask you a question?” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“Sure.” He fought the urge to bite her lip.
“How old are you?”
“Does it matter?” He closed the space between them on the small sofa. “You wanted an older man, didn’t you?”
She nodded.
“I’ll be forty-one in two weeks. You’re my birthday present to myself.”
“Oh.” She swallowed hard.
“Am I too old for you?” Please say no.
“No.” She stared into his eyes.
“Are you thirsty?”
“Huh?”
“Would you like some champagne?” As much as he wanted to kiss her, he needed to slow this show down. “You are old enough to drink, I hope.” He brushed her soft cheek, wondering what the rest of her felt like.
“Is that your way of asking me how old I am?”
Buy Links: Decadent PublishingAmazon Barnes & Noble
 
About the Author
Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can't be stopped. Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two young boys. When she's not chasing after her kids, she's busy writing, attending PTO meetings, kickboxing, and scrapbooking. She hopes you'll get lost in her words. Site     Facebook Author Page      Twitter
 

Free Book & Critique up for grabs

I’m sorry I’ve been a bit hush of late. The day job’s taking up a lot of my time, as is writing book two in The Price of Fame Series. For all you who have read The Monster of Fame and can’t wait for the second, I’m on the final stretch and plan to fire it off to my critique partner very soon, and my editor shortly after.
But I do feel bad about being MIA, and as a way of repaying all my friends and readers, I’ve decided to do a small competition for aspiring romance writers. Basically, all you have to do is answer the following question:-What is the name of the club Annabelle and her friend, Jess ,visit the night she gets through to the semi-finals of Do You Have What It Takes? Email your answers to aimeeduffy11@gmail.com. The completion is open until November 20th and the winner will not only get a copy of my January release, The Isle of Sensuality, when it is available but I will also critique your first chapter and one page synopsis of your current manuscript (up to 5,000 words). I’ll announce the winner on November 21st, here on my blog. Please don’t send attachments with your answer. If you win, I’ll contact you by email and let you know which format to send your chapter and synopsis in. Plus, I think most emails with attachments go straight to my spam folder as I use Outlook more than Google for emails. Good luck to everyone! XOXO

Believe in Me, Part 3 #freeread

As promised, here’s part three of my story for the Holiday Kisses anthology. 

BlurbLeona Sharp and Ryan Lee have been friends forever, it seems. Although there’s an attraction between them, they've never acted on it. On New Year’s Eve, Leona finally allows herself to give into the temptation, but she vows that it will only be for one night and as soon as the clock strikes midnight they will put it in the past and go on as if it never happened. Ryan, however, has other plans…* * * *Leo gasped. The Med wasn’t anything like she expected. Not one bit.An elegant Christmas tree sat in the center of the room and an array of fairy lights and sparkly ornaments decorated the club. Rye kept a firm grip on her waist. Her body was hyper alert. He looked hot in his dark trousers and Ralph Lauren shirt—the shirt she gave him last week.She frowned and wondered if the dress and shoes were her presents. She’d had to dump his in his office for him to find, since she’d been snowed over with work, but he hadn’t left her anything. Every year for as long as she could remember they had exchanged gifts.“They’ve outdone themselves this year,” Rye said.A pang of pure envy hit her in the solar plexus so hard she almost gasped again. Rye had brought Marissa here last year. Leo gritted her teeth. She was just another number in a long line of dates that he’d taken to a place as posh as this.“Look.”His voice sliced through her pity party. She looked up to see him pointing to the ceiling. Mistletoe. Leo’s heart kicked off in a Mamba. Was he going to kiss her?She turned to him with wide eyes, hoping and dreading he was kidding. Her gaze dropped to his lips and she fought the urge to lick hers. Goodness, what would it be like to kiss him? Her tummy sizzled thinking about it.His grin stretched wide. “You up for it, Leo?”Her gaze flicked up to his raised eyebrows. Eyes she could get lost in glinted with challenge and something else—something she’d never seen there before. Her stomach sank to the soles of her feet, and she shook her head frantically. No, she couldn’t go there with him. She’d just end up another number.His face fell. Leo nabbed a glass of sparkly stuff from a passing waiter and downed it.“Is the idea of kissing me so horrific you’ve turned to alcohol?”Her cheeks burned and she almost chocked on the last of the fizzy wine. “Have you already made your way around the single girls in the city and kissing me is your only option left?” she countered.His eyes blazed, and she immediately regretted the blow. It was low and stemmed from the green-eyed monster that she was.Turning to look around at the crowd, he took hold of her arm. “This way.”Rye pulled her through the club, stopping next to a door. Removing a key from his slacks, he opened it, tugged her into the room, and then locked the door behind them.Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Why do you have a key?”Uncertainty creased his forehead and fear shone from his eyes. “I hired this room for us.”Leo took in her surroundings. It was a private sitting room filled with the same fairy lights as outside. A small bar ran across the left wall, a large leather sofa sat on the right, and directly ahead of the door was a balcony looking over the Thames. As she neared the glass doors, she saw a table framed by a patio heater. A bottle of champagne was on ice, two empty glasses on either side.What on earth is all this for?* * * * 
Make sure you pop over to Kaylie Newell’s Blog tomorrow for the third installment of her story, Winter Break. You can find Kaylie’s Blog here.And Lacey Wolfe's also posting part three of her story, The Gift Beneath The Tree, tomorrow. You can find her Blog here. I'll be back Wednesday 21st November for the fourth installment of Believe in Me! xoxo

Author spotlight

Another fab release from the very talented Mrs Wolfe! Check it out.
 Bare Necessities (Brookfield Series Book Two) by Lacey Wolfe
 
After years of bad relationships, Ava Miller is finally living life for herself and isn’t going to let anyone get in the way. Her dream is to open a lingerie shop, and she has chosen Brookfield, Wyoming as her new home, where her dreams might just come true. Once she meets the town sheriff, though, she’s suddenly involved in a flirtatious battle for the right to open her store.

Seth Hampton is the town’s sheriff, and when Ava shows up, he’s not sure what hits him. He craves her, yet he can’t stand to allow that type of shop to open in his small town. However, he isn’t alone. Someone else wants Ava to leave town. Things take a turn when her shop is vandalized, and all evidence points to Seth.

Ava isn’t sure what to think. While Seth seems to be the only one with motives, something inside her believes he would never do it. Can Ava and Seth figure it out before one of them gets hurt?
 
Excerpt:
The sun was starting to go down, and even though it was late summer in Brookfield, it still got a bit chilly in the evenings. Once in her car, she made the short drive over to the local diner, Swift Water Café. It was brightly lit, and the place appeared to be hopping. She couldn’t wait to start meeting people. She loved to socialize. Talking was just second nature to her—along with flirting.

Seth greeted her at her door, and as she stepped out, he placed his hand on her lower back. It was possessive, and at first she wanted to step away, but his hand soon dropped and she realized he was just being friendly.

In the diner, they made their way to a corner booth. Many of the customers quieted and watched as she and Seth took their seats. Just like a normal small town. She was new, and now they were curious. She smiled at everyone. First impressions were important.

A perky waitress made her way over and took their drink order. The blonde made flirty eyes at Seth, and Ava couldn’t help but be amused. He was most likely Brookfield’s number one bachelor. Every woman here probably wanted to tie him down and have six of his children. Thank God that was the last thing on her mind.

“So, Ava, tell me a little about yourself,” Seth said.

“Not much to tell, officer.”

Seth’s face lit up again. She enjoyed making him smile.

“Everyone around here loves Julie,” he said. “It’s nice having her home again. Have you been by to see her and Lila yet?”

“It’s the first thing on my agenda in the morning. I can’t believe how big Lila’s getting.”

The waitress returned with their drinks and then took their order. Diner food, what could be better? A nice, greasy sandwich and fries. She was thankful she wasn’t one of those women who watched her weight.

“So tell me, Ava, what brought you to our lovely town?”

“I’m opening my own business.” Ava took a sip of her soda.

“That’s great. We need some more shops. Let me guess, you’re opening up a boutique of some kind.”

“Something like that.”

“Rumor has it we have an adult store opening.” He laughed.

Ava froze. What was so funny?

Seth continued. “Whoever that nut job is, I hope they know this town isn’t having it. We plan on running them out. We have a reputation to keep up.”

The waitress came back, still batting her eyelashes at Seth. Looking at the food in front of her, Ava was no longer hungry. She dug through her purse for a ten-dollar bill, set it on the table, and then stood up. Seth gazed up, confused.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Yes, you called me a nut job, and I’ve lost my appetite. I thought Brookfield would be different, but you’ve just shown me how wrong I was.” Ava turned and started to make her way to the entrance. Once she was outside, Seth came running out after her.

“You’re the one opening up a sex toy shop,” he said.

Rolling her eyes, she said, “It’s a lingerie shop, and in the back, there just so happens to be a small adult area. Why I’m explaining this to you, I don’t know.”

“Well, I hate to tell you, but that shop isn’t opening here.”

Crossing her arms, she glared at him. “Just try and stop me.”
 
 
Buy Links:  Smashwords    Amazon    Barns and Noble    All Romance ebooks
  Finding Home (Brookfield Series Book One)   Julie Miller has returned to her home in Brookfield, Wyoming after discovering she is pregnant. All she wants is her mother to comfort her after her boyfriend told her to either have an abortion or leave. The only problem is, when she gets to her mother’s house, she doesn’t find her mom—she finds a half-naked man cooking breakfast.

Mark Thomas has moved to Brookfield to escape his past. He needs a fresh start to try and forget the things that haunt him, and Brookfield seems like the perfect place.

As if it isn’t bad enough that Julie doesn’t find her mother, a blizzard buries the town, and she is snowed in with Mark. Leaving them no choice, they begin a friendship while trying to resist the attraction they feel for one another.

Once the snow melts, Julie is free to leave. Will she choose to start a life in Brookfield or run back to New York? Meanwhile, Mark struggles to let go of his past and, if he does, is Julie his future?
 
 
About the Author:
Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true. Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house.
 
You can find Lacey at the following places:  Her Site     Twitter    Facebook

Believe in Me, Part 2 #freeread

As promised, here’s part two of my story for the Holiday Kisses anthology! 

BlurbLeona Sharp and Ryan Lee have been friends forever, it seems. Although there’s an attraction between them, they've never acted on it. On New Year’s Eve, Leona finally allows herself to give into the temptation, but she vows that it will only be for one night and as soon as the clock strikes midnight they will put it in the past and go on as if it never happened. Ryan, however, has other plans…



* * * *“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”Leo dropped the folder onto the desk and gaped at Rye. He slouched back in the executive chair, arms folded and legs crossed with that damn eyebrow quirked. He got her all hot and bothered, and it was the middle of winter!“You know how I like to make sure Hair and Other is a cut above the rest.” Leo smirked and Rye grinned, flashing white, straight teeth.“No one touches you, Leo.”His words made her blood heat and her heart quicken. He’s on about the store, you plonker, not you! Leo mentally slapped herself and plastered a polite smile on her face.“Thank you for saving me from The Jed Meister.” She shivered and Rye chuckled. “I dread to think what kind of party he had in mind.”Rye bent down to a bag by his chair and she raised off hers a little, curiosity getting the better of her. He pulled a large box from House of Fraser out, followed by an unmarked shoebox. Leo’s heartbeat spiked. Goodness, how she loved shoes.He slid both boxes across his mahogany desk. “For tonight.”Leo frowned, but tore into the House of Fraser box first. An Emerald designer dress—sans price tag—was folded neatly in the box. The color took her breath away. She pulled it out and inspected the floor length, silk number with awe. Oh. My. Goodness. It was to die for!“What do you mean?” she asked breathlessly.Rye chuckled again. “For the party at the Med.”Leo let the silk creation slip from her fingers and ripple onto the box. “I thought you were just giving me an excuse to say no to Jed.”“I was, but I want you to come with me. I’ve missed you, Leona.” His shy grin melted her resistance and made her heart all gooey, like caramel sauce.“Oh.”“Here.” Rye lifted the lid from the shoe box, exposing the sexiest pair of black stilettos she’d ever seen.The silver spiked heel made her mouth water, in a way that Rye’s chest often did. Like now, when it was covered in nothing but a crisp white shirt, a dark smattering of hair visible through the thin material. Leo shook away the thought and focused her attention on the glorious contents of the box. Where did he learn to shop like this?“I took Eileen to the sales, she helped pick these out. Do you like them?” Rye asked.Oh. His sister helped. Leo couldn’t stop the huge grin spreading across her face. “Love them,” she whispered. What’s not to love?Rye rose, made his way around the desk, then scooped her up in a hug. She froze in his arms. He never hugged her, not even at Will’s funeral. What was going on?“You should have come home for Christmas, Leo. Your parents missed you,” he whispered into her ear, but it sounded like he wanted to say something else. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part.The tingles making their way through her body at his touch subsided as guilt hit her like a sucker punch to the stomach. Tears burned her eyes and her limbs unfroze. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose against his spicy scented chest. She would not cry. She wouldn’t.“I missed them too.” Her voice, barely a whisper, broke, and Rye hugged her tighter.Oh, why couldn’t he be the man she needed, the man who wanted to marry her, stand by her side, and give her lots of babies? This question alone was enough to make the tears pour from her eyes, soiling his crisp white shirt.* * * *Ryan felt her tears dampen his shirt. His heart squeezed. “Leo, don’t cry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He ran his hand up and down her spine.She tightened her vise-like grip. Christ, his body reacted to hers in a way that one’s body shouldn’t react to a friend. But when said friend was stuck to him like a limpet, he couldn’t deny his attraction.He cupped her head to his chest and thought of football, his gran, the accounts on his desk. Anything to get his mind off the petite redhead stuck to him like she’d been glued. If the desire heating his blood darted to his groin, he’d embarrass them both.“Leo,” he whispered and slid his arms down to her hips. “They missed you, but they knew you were booked up with appointments here.”She removed her hands from his neck and backed away, swiping at her eyes. “I know. Sorry. I’m a mess this year. Spending Christmas alone sucked.”His heart melted to mush.Leaning back against his desk, he folded his arms in fear that he might pull her close again. “I know. I’ll make it up to you tonight.”She blinked. “I’m not your responsibility, Rye. I’m not having this conversation again.”As her eyes burned green fire, he guessed this wasn’t the right time to tell her she was—or at least that he wanted her to be. But it wasn’t just that. They spent Christmas together every year, and he’d noticed her absence this week more than he cared to admit. For years he’d treated her like his little sister, and it wasn’t because she felt like that to him. In fact, it was because he had thoughts about doing things to her that one didn’t do with a friend’s sister.He sighed. “I don’t want to argue, Leo. How about I pick you up around eight?”That would give them both time to finish up and get changed. Not to mention time to pull his sissy-self together in case he blew his ploy for the evening straight out of the water. He’d purposely waited to give Leo her Christmas present until he got home, and planned to give it to her tonight.* * * * 
Make sure you pop over to Kaylie Newell’s Blog tomorrow for the second installment of her story, Winter Break. You can find Kaylie’s Blog here.And Lacey Wolfe's also posting part two of her story, The Gift Beneath The Tree, tomorrow. You can find her Blog here. I'll be back Wednesday 14thNovember for the third installment of Believe in Me! xoxo

Believe in Me, Part 1 #freeread

As promised, here’s part one of my story for the Holiday Kisses anthology! 

BlurbLeona Sharp and Ryan Lee have been friends forever, it seems. Although there’s an attraction between them, they've never acted on it. On New Year’s Eve, Leona finally allows herself to give into the temptation, but she vows that it will only be for one night and as soon as the clock strikes midnight they will put it in the past and go on as if it never happened. Ryan, however, has other plans…   * * * *“Who’s the lucky guy getting to kiss you at the bells?”The pumice stone slipped from Leona Sharp’s fingers. She released Jed’s hand and picked up the instrument, frowning at the heat burning in her cheeks. Damn her pale complexion, and double damn his insistent flirting.Leo would never date a guy who came by the salon for a manicure once a month. Usually in preparation for a hot date he’d picked up from somewhere or other. She reached for his outstretched hand.“I don’t have a date,” she admitted, because she was a horrible liar. She continued to work on the rough skin around the nail of his index finger.“Really?” Jed’s brow quirked, and his sleazy gaze turned her stomach.Ugh, no. Please, please, no.Jed removed his hand from hers, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the table. His dark eyes bored into hers.On the pretty scale of one to ten, Jed was an eleven. His dark hair and tanned, lean body ticked all the right boxes. But gorgeous or not, the guy screamed “hump ’em and dump ’em.” She needed a stayer.“Come to the New Year’s Eve party at my buddy’s place tonight. I’ll make sure you get your kiss.” He grinned, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he made her skin crawl, she would have appreciated the beauty of the smile.“Um…”“Hey, Leo.”Relief washed through her at the familiar voice. She turned toward the sound, a smile splitting her cheeks. Ryan Lee, her boss, stood a few feet away. Now hisrugged sex appeal she could get behind.“Rye! You’re back.” It had been a week since he’d left London to visit his parents at the border.Jed straightened in his chair. Frick, she was supposed to be giving him a manicure. Leo picked up his hand and gave Rye a quick, apologetic smile. Jed looked miffed.“So tonight?” he pressed.Leo suppressed a shiver.“We have plans,” Ryan said. She darted a look at him. A frown creased his brow and his blue eyes glinted like steel. “Leo and I are going to a party at the Med. Remember?” Rye looked at her, one black eyebrow cocked.Gratitude swelled in her heart and she grinned at Rye. “I forgot.” Shallow excuse, but Rye was digging her out of a hole and she appreciated it. “Can’t wait.”The smile he threw her way was dazzling. Leo’s heart raced and her skin tingled.Jed cleared his throat. Leo returned her attention to him with a murmured apology. She focused on buffing instead of the Adonis sparking her inner fire. Dammit, she thought she’d gotten over all those mushy feelings for Rye. He was her friend.“Are you staying long?” she asked Rye while keeping her attention focused on Jed’s hand. She fought back a sigh. The sleazeball even had pretty hands.“I’m going over the books. I’ll be here all day,” Rye told her, then left.“Thought you weren’t dating anyone,” Jed grumbled.Leo’s cheeks heated. She and Rye weren’t dating, but that didn’t stop her from wanting him. Or rather, wishing he was a stayer, not a player. Instead of trying to lie, she just gave him a polite mind-your-own-bloody-business smile.The morning flew by. Everyone booked something or other. The period between Christmas Eve and Hogmanay were the salon’s busiest days. After what felt like an eternity, Leo bid farewell to her last customer of the morning and headed for Rye’s office.She paused and eyed her pale complexion in the mirror. Leo grabbed the nearest brush and tried to smooth out the frizzy auburn mess that had become her hair. Why hadn’t she put heels on this morning? Rye made her feel so tiny. At her height, she came face to melt-your-knickers-off chest with the man—and that didn’t help her get over his hotness.She rapped on the door to his office then pushed it open. Rye was on the phone so she made her way to the chair opposite and picked up one of the leather folders on his desk marked Sales Figures. Leo plonked down, opened the book, and flipped through the pages.Hair and Other was only one of his salons in London. He’d asked Leo to come down and manage the shop after Will, her brother and Rye’s best friend, had passed away in February. Leo leaped at the chance to leave Newcastle and move on. She had to keep busy, it helped with the grief. Though there were still times when she remembered, especially on her days off. Then again, she couldn’t not remember Will. He was a good guy. Rye and Will had been friends since she was a little girl, and as far as she could remember, she’d always had a silly crush on him.Thank God, at twenty-six, she was well and truly over that now. But damn if he didn’t still make her tummy flip.“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”* * * * 
Make sure you pop over to Kaylie Newell’s Blog tomorrow for the first installment of her story, Winter Break. You can find Kaylie’s Blog here.And Lacey Wolfe's also posting part one of her story, The Gift Beneath The Tree, tomorrow. You can find her Blog here. I'll be back Wednesday 31st for the second installment of Believe in Me! xoxo