R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 112

BOOK BLITZ: A Flood of Posies by Tiffany Meuret #GIVEAWAY

A Flood of Posies
Tiffany Meuret
Publication date: February 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

*2020 Cygnus Book Award for Science Fiction Long List*

It’s 2025.

Sisters, Doris and Thea, exist worlds apart, despite living within a few miles of one another. Doris with her regular home and regular husband and regular job, and Thea slinking along the edges of society, solitary and invisible. When a storm of biblical proportions strikes, the wayward sisters are begrudgingly forced together as the rain waters rise, each attempting to survive both the flood and each other.

One year later, Thea—now calling herself Sestra—floats throughout a ravaged, flood soaked world. Her former life drowned beneath metric tons of water, she and her only companion, Robert, battle starvation, heatstroke, and the monstrous creatures called Posies that appeared alongside the flood. When they run across what they assume to be an abandoned tugboat, their journey takes a new turn, and the truth about the flood and the monsters seems more intricately linked to Thea’s past then she may realize.

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EXCERPT:

Nobody tells you about the boredom. There isn’t much to do after the terror and shock subsides. Just floating and sitting and getting dizzy from the hamster-wheel laps of the brain thinking about an entire lifetime of floating and sitting. It’d been a year of sitting around waiting to die. Rob swore it was only nine months, as if he fucking knew the difference. He spent all his time lost somewhere in his head, and Sestra couldn’t be sure of his grip on reality, let alone his basic math skills. She wasn’t so sure about herself either. It’s not like it mattered much.

Rob, however despondent, was never short of criticisms of her performance. “Get your hands out of the water if you ain’t even gonna try.”

Sestra draped her right arm over the boat platform. She said she was catching fish, but her arm had fallen asleep ages ago. All she’d done to pass the time was flip-flop between numbness and a painful pins-and-needles sensation. Since she passed most of her days in similar fashion, her arms from the elbows down were the only parts of her not turned to jerky from the sun and an overabundance of sea salt.

“That water’s not safe,” Rob said.

“Jesus, is it noon already?”

“Ain’t nothing saving you when a shark grabs those fingers.”

“What a pity,” she said, keeping her arm exactly where it was.

Her stomach lurched. By now she thought she’d have gotten used to being starved all the time, but it never got easier. Rob seemed to handle it better than her. He’d close his eyes and lean back as if to nap, looking so damn peaceful while Sestra’s organs tore her apart from the inside out. Before the flood, she’d heard stories of people who’d slipped into euphoric comas, their brains leaching sedating hormones as their bodies ate themselves alive. Sestra counted the hours until that moment came, but it hadn’t yet. She was miserable every second that passed, angry at everything, feeling herself ripped apart as her cells died bit by bit.

She couldn’t understand how Rob just closed his eyes. The times she tried to copy him, the agony of her insides just roared louder, as if silencing one of her senses just made the rest of them more aggressive. She’d chuck water at Rob’s face sometimes, just to shock him out of it, afraid he might never open his eyes again. Sometimes she’d just start talking and talking so that she had something to do, forming coherent sentences being its own sort of chore nowadays.

Author Bio:

Tiffany Meuret is a writer of monsters and twisted fairy tales. Her publications include Shoreline of Infinity, Luna Station Quarterly, Ellipsis Zine, and others. When not reading or writing, she is usually binge watching comfortable sitcoms from her childhood or telling her kids to put on their shoes for the tenth time. She lives in sunny Arizona with her husband, two kids, two chihuahuas, gecko, and tortoise.

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BOOK BLITZ: Protecting Prince #GIVEAWAY

Protecting Prince
Jessica Frances
(In Midsummer, #6)
Publication date: February 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Romance

One movie star. One bodyguard. One seductive attraction. One deadly obsession. One chance to have it all. One shot to lose it all.

Henry:Falling for your bodyguard is so cliché. I cringe at myself sometimes, but then I just have to look at him to understand. How can you not fall for a man like that? Heroic, smart, stubborn, funny, sexy … how could I ever have resisted?

Bryan:Falling for your movie star client is incredibly cliché. I have heard of people in my position doing just that and used to scoff at them … but then I got placed as Henry Prince’s bodyguard. Unfortunately, his irresistible charm and undeniably sexy self has claimed me, heart and soul. I have no chance of getting out of this unscathed.

Then just as things begin to get red hot, a stalker from the past escapes with the intent to destroy us both. I won’t let anything bad happen to Henry, but what am I supposed to do when potential danger lurks behind every corner, behind every stranger?

Will our cliché beginning blossom into something more? Or are we destined for the typical Hollywood crash and burn?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“So, you expect me to run away scared? You expect me to live my life dictated by the crazy people who are obsessed and want to hurt me?

“You get that this guy is just the latest in a line that has gone on for a while and won’t ever stop. If I give in now, then I might as well forfeit whatever life I want outside the four walls I call home.”

Bryan’s eyes soften, and his hand twitches at his side. Is he going to touch me? Maybe offer me comfort? Maybe he will run his fingers through my hair and promise to make this go away. That would be totally hot, right?

Instead, he glances back out at the crowd, his keen eyes taking in everyone but me. “Your next group of fans is here.”

I inwardly groan but force myself to my feet with my plastered, fake smile fixed on properly.

Half an hour later, with Bryan speaking hurriedly into his phone, making me think our jig is up and Sheriff Green has found out about what we have set up, my world crumbles as I manage to glimpse Samuel Allen as he steps around a rowdy group of adults and holds a gun up, aiming it at me.

My breath catches in my throat, I manage a silent scream and, for a moment, my life flashes before my eyes. But I don’t see the life I have lived. No, I see a life I have missed out on. The chance to experience the many years I should still have left. The future projects that give me passion to keep going. Every fantasy and hope flashes through me in the blink of an eye, and I’m angry to have this taken from me. I’m furious that one sick bastard has stolen my future. The possibility of something more with Bryan ripped from me.

Then, all I feel is the world tilting as I’m roughly shoved aside. My head cracks on the icy-cold ground, and my shoulder takes most of the brunt of my bodyweight, but all pain flies out of my mind when I hear the crack of gunfire.

I sit up, my heart punching painfully in my chest, while people around us scream, run, and sob.

It’s complete chaos, but my eyes only see Bryan, on the ground, next to me, blood soaking his white shirt. All I hear is the rattling, sharp breaths he takes. All I feel is complete dread as I watch the man who I’m completely in love with bleeding out in front of me, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.

Author Bio:

Jessica lives in Adelaide, South Australia. When she is not writing, you can find her reading, napping or watching excessive amounts of TV. Connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads.

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BOOK BLITZ: The Best Man by Alex Kelly #GIVEAWAY

The Best Man
Alex Kelly
(From Connemara With Love #1)
Publication date: November 12th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I always turn up at just the wrong moment. I never know how to make the most of a situation; I don’t know the right thing to say, or when I should come or go.Let’s just say I have really shit timing.I’m not a smart guy. I don’t have great ideas.I’m practical, a hard worker; someone who lives for his family, and for the air that she breathes.It’s just a shame that the “she” in question never knew this. It’s a shame that I waited all these years to make my move. It’s useless to tell you, readers, that it was already too late; that I’d screwed everything up, once again. And, this time, my mistakes forced her to come home.Except she didn’t want to stay.And now she hates me – or maybe she doesn’t. I still haven’t worked out what’s going on between us, but like I said, I’m not the sharpest tool in the box. And even though this could be my last chance, I’m not going to be the one to ask her to stay. Not even if she turns out to be the one I’ve always waited for.Because she doesn’t belong in this place.And she doesn’t belong in my life.My name is Alex Brennan, and this is my story: of how I realised I’d lost the most important person in my life, before I even had her.

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EXCERPT:

I walk behind her wordlessly, until we get to the door of her building. I’m a gentleman, and she knows it. I’ve always walked her to her door – something her brothers have always taken the piss out of me for – because I want to be sure that she gets home okay, and that nothing happens to her. I don’t do it now because of everything that’s just happened; I’ve always done it, and I always will. I’m not ashamed of that. If there’s one thing my mother taught me, it’s that I should never be ashamed of who I am and what I feel, and I’m not going to start feeling shameful tonight. So I walk up to the top floor with her without being asked why. Once we get to her front door, Ellie sticks her key into the lock and opens it, then stands, unmoving, with her forehead against the wood, trying to work out what should happen next.

“Don’t ask me,” I say, helping her.

Ellie turns slowly to face me.

“Now’s not the right moment,” I say, because it’s true. Even though the only thing I want right now is to push her inside, lock us into her apartment, and make love to her until we can’t walk anymore.

She smiles and nods; she knows this is for the best, too. I step closer to her and stroke her face, before gently pressing my lips to hers. Then I say it, because I can feel her fear pulsing into my chest.

“I’ll never ask you, Ellie.”

I’m an idiot, but I carry on anyway, because I love her more than I love the idea of the two of us together.

“I’ll never ask you to come back.”

I let go of her face and take a few steps back.

“Why not?”

“You know why,” I say; and from the way her eyes grow wide, I realise that she already knew my answer all along.

Author Bio:

Alex Kelly writes uplifting, emotional and heartwarming Romantic Fiction and Family Sagas.

She's a bibliophile, a Yogi, a lover of English literature and a baking enthusiast.

She was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar.

Also writes as A.S. Kelly.

 

More at: www.authoralexkelly.com

Author links:

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B@@K REVEAL: Broken Wing by Kathleen Mare'e #PreORDER

Broken Wing
Kathleen Mare’e
(Arthur Academy, #1)
Publication date: April 26th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Hendrix:It’s funny the things you notice as a child.Like the way people uneasily glance away from me whenever I catch their eye. Or the way a stranger seems to smile happily at other children, but when I say hello, their smile looks more uneasy than warm…But as I approach the steel gates to the elite Arthur Academy, I can’t help but take a long-awaited breath towards my freedom. Finally, I have the chance to build the life I want. A future. Something that gives me more to live for than the daily beatings my childhood only ever knew. The girl I used to be doesn’t exist here. But even as the confidence grows about a life I now have control over, I can’t help but feel there could be something else waiting for me here. Something I’ve never faced before. And it isn’t something I could prepare for.And preparation is what got me out. It got me here. I can’t afford to lose this opportunity, because if I lose this hand, it’s more than just a loss.It’s like not being able to breathe. Not being able to fly.

Paxton:I grip the leather ball in my hand, feeling the weight of the year pressing down on me. If it was just football, I could deal, but with my last name – it’s everything else that suffocates me. The Arthur Elite is what they call us, and we each have our roles to play. But my fathers given me the next two years to do what the hell I want without his interference, before he’ll own me and I’ll become nothing but his pawn.After that, when college is done, I dread the life I’ll have to lead. The role I’ll be forced to play.It should be simple. Just stroll through the steel gates and be the crown they all see; but I can’t help but feel there is something lurking beneath the surface. There is something different about this year that I sense inside my dark soul.And it isn’t something I am prepared for; even when staying ahead is the one thing that ensures my next breath.

Because when I lose a hand, it’s more than just a loss.It’s like losing a limb. A bird breaking its’ wing.

And without that – I can’t fly toward freedom.And my freedom right now, is all I have to hold onto.

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B@@K REVEAL: Heart Breaker by Michelle Hercules #PreORDER

Heart Breaker
Michelle Hercules
(Rebels of Rushmore #2)
Publication date: March 3rd 2021
Genres: New Adult Sports College Romance

Player.Casanova.Heartbreaker.

I’ve heard it all. But the truth is, I’m the king of wanting what I can’t have.

Jane is a beacon of light I didn’t expect to find. Her innocence and joy call to my dark soul.

But she’s off-limits, my best friend’s kid sister. And I’m a damaged jerk with enough baggage to fill a jet plane.

All it took was one taste for my resolve to stay away to crumble. Now I can’t get her out of my head, out of my mangled heart.

If her brother finds out about us, he might kill me. If Jane finds out about my past, she’ll never speak to me again.

This love is a disaster waiting to happen, and yet, I can’t help going back for more.

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Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Michelle Hercules always knew creative arts were her calling but not in a million years did she think she would write a novel. With a background in fashion design she thought she would follow that path. But one day, out of the blue, she had an idea for a book. One page turned into ten pages, ten pages turned into a hundred, and before she knew, her first book, The Prophecy of Arcadia, was born.

Michelle Hercules resides in The Netherlands with her husband and daughter. She is currently working on the Legends of Gattica series.

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BOOK BLITZ: The Hollow World by Tracy Auerbach #GIVEAWAY

The Hollow World
Tracy Auerbach
(Fragments, #3)
Publication date: February 2nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

The time has come for Kai and her friends to make a final stand, and as the war begins, everyone must choose a side. But with the lines between good and evil more blurred than ever, Kai has to stick with her convictions and follow her heart. Kai’s first priority is to free Finn from the clutches of Tessa Raven, who has become no better than the evil she once fought against.

As Kai reluctantly turns against the people she once considered her closest friends, she becomes entangled in a struggle with a mysterious new power that threatens to destroy what is left of Finn and change everything she thought she knew about the planet.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Aric remain behind and help Raven breach the underground world of the Science Council. All bets are off as they prepare to cross every line and burn every bridge in an attempt to claim the world that has abused them for too long.

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—

EXCERPT:

Too many missing coefficients.

Raven ran her ungloved hand over the smooth, cool metal of the missile. She needed it to shatter the barrier—opening the way down so that she could destroy the Science Council. She knew enough about terminal ballistics to be able to calculate its exact impact on the crystal tube that led to the Science Council’s underground lair when it struck. The only problem was that the makeup of the tube was so unique…

“It’s a thing of beauty, Raven,” Sayers commented. He stared at her hungrily from his spot amongst her people, seeking approval.

“Yes, it is,” she offered, and he smiled.

“The only problem is, because the substance we’re striking has never been studied, there’s no way to tell if it will work without testing it. Our likelihood for success is still low.” She glanced around the interior of the Dome of Artifacts, taking in the relics from the original Earth with an appreciative eye. “And I’m not willing to risk destroying all of these artifacts by blowing up the whole place when the chance of it failing to destroy the tube is unacceptably high.”

Her soldiers stood around her, silent, waiting for her suggestions. She’d been trying to puzzle this out for three weeks, and the answer was painfully obvious: a last straw plan. And yet, she hesitated, because there was a small part of her that wanted to try every other possible scenario before resorting to what she knew would work, even though she knew that wasn’t logical.

Damn my weakness.

“We’ll need something softer,” she said at last. “Something that will turn to mush on impact rather than ricocheting off the crystal and taking out this whole place. Also, we’ll need something much bigger… heavier.” She scrutinized the crystal tube housing of the elevator platform that had, thus far, been impossible to penetrate.

“Would you like us to try crafting a hollow missile that’s twice this size?” asked Larson. “We’d have to melt this down first.” He gestured toward the missile they’d taken three weeks to craft and painstakingly calibrated.

“No.”

The time to divulge her last straw plan was now. She knew a missile wouldn’t work. A rain of bullets wouldn’t work. But she happened to have a special tool—a former friend who could run at the speed of a bullet and who was close to two hundred pounds.

A human body hitting the tube at that speed would spread adequate weight over a large enough surface area to crack open the entryway to the Science Council’s underground world like an egg. Also, a body would explode upon impact, resulting in a mostly liquid byproduct, causing minimal damage to the artifacts.

Finn’s sacrifice would save the planet.

Author Bio:

Tracy Auerbach is an author of science fiction and fantasy for teens and adults. As an avid reader with a vivid imagination, she chose to study film, English, and education, and went on to teach and write STEM curriculum for the New York Department of Education. This helped to polish her writing skills and ignite her passion for science fiction and fantasy.

Her first scholarly article, published in Language Magazine, was about the value of active, creative learning in science.On the fiction side, Tracy’s work has been featured in the online literary journal Micro-horror, The Writing Disorder fiction anthology, and the “(Dis)ability” short story anthology, in addition to her novels.

When she is not teaching or writing, Tracy is usually reading or spending time with her family. She lives in New York with her husband and sons.

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B@@K REVEAL: Prince by Cambria Hebert #GIVEAWAY

Prince
Cambria Hebert
(A House of Misfits novel)
Publication date: February 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, LGBTQ+, Romance

Once upon a time…

A baby is born in privilege, blooming under the warmth of his parents’ love. Jealousy sprouts and brings with it malevolent intentions. A king and queen cursed with an empty kingdom. A child abandoned in revenge.

A misfit, the boy should turn hard and cold among the thorns he grows in. Despite lifelong attempts to destroy him, this child does not wither. Underneath his insecurity, he maintains a heart with the tenderest center.

A heart that plays the most beautiful music.

Not far from this misfit but in a whole different world, a dashing prince lives with a crown of expectations adorning his golden head.

A prince raised with honor and duty. A prince expected to marry.

Alas, during a simple walk in the forest, he is enchanted by a different song.

And so a fairy tale is woven, two worlds colliding, secrets revealed, love everlasting…

And a realization that not all fairy tales require a princess.

*Prince is a modern fairy tale forgoing heteronormativity to boldly state that fairy tales are for everyone, no matter who you love (or don’t).

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Head bowed toward the violin, his hair looked like spun golden thread as it swayed with every note he played. Familiarity rippled through me, but I didn’t think it through. I couldn’t think about anything just then. All I could do was feel.

The tune moved me. It felt as if actual pieces inside my chest were being rearranged and adjusted according to this melody. As if this boy who played this song knew exactly where pieces of me belonged and he would arrange them so I wouldn’t have to.

Emotion so stark and overwhelming punched me. I actually bent a little at the waist. Tears sprang to the corners of my eyes, but I held them at bay.

Absolutely entranced. Absolutely owned.

Absolutely besotted by the sound of this boy.

I didn’t even know a person had a sound. A song unique to only them. But now that I’d heard, it seemed to be so obvious because no one else could possibly ever sound like him.

This went far beyond the sound of a voice or even a whisper against your ear.

This was… This was the sound of someone’s heart.

In my chest, my heart pounded, thumping heavily and slow but so powerful that breath was hard to draw.

I stood there listening, not really breathing. Not really seeing. But totally alive and aware with senses I’d never used before.

When the last note was played, it hovered thick like the air after a heavy rainstorm. It caressed my nerves with small aftershocks, stroking them as if they were trying to build a memory.

As if I could ever forget.

Author Bio:

Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.

Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).

Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.

Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.

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BOOK BLITZ: The Haunting of Solomon House by Marnie Vinge #GIVEAWAY

The Haunting of Solomon House
Marnie Vinge
(Blair Graves, #1)
Publication date: January 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Blair Graves’ father went missing seven years ago.

The legal death of her paranormal radio host father tilts her world sideways on its axis. When no will can be found, Blair is forced to adapt to a quickly shifting reality. One in which she’s forced to sell her family home.

When a historical fixer-upper catches her eye, she goes all in, hoping to escape her father’s legacy and the long shadow cast by his very public disappearance.

But when the house starts presenting more problems than just the creaks and groans associated with old age, Blair starts questioning what she knows about life, death, and what comes after.

When the very arrogant and handsome Cash Kelly–a ghost-hunting expert–offers his help, Blair is sure he’s the same kind of attention-seeking, conspiracy-promoting, dollar-chasing content creator hack as her father.

As she begins to question his motivations for helping her, the haunting escalates to a dangerous point, forcing Blair to confront the reality of the world her father believed in.

And what it means to be his daughter.

The X-Files meet Supernatural in this urban fantasy series about the strength of a father-daughter bond and how, sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction.

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—

EXCERPT:

She leads us past the other living room and down the hallway. Another room is nestled off to the side.

“The conservatory, or sunroom,” Diana says, ushering us inside.

Glass walls and a glass ceiling incase the room.

“One of Mr. Solomon’s favorite rooms, I’m told,” Diana says.

“Tell me more about him,” I prod her as we make our way out of the room and upstairs.

The second floor hosts all the bedrooms and two of the bathrooms. She shows me each in turn as she chronicles the life of the former homeowner.

“Oh, there’s not much to tell,” she says. “His wife had a stroke when she was quite young. Died tragically by drowning in the pool one evening during a party. Mr. Solomon was so grief-stricken that he lost his senses, I’m told. He married one of the housekeepers.”

“That’s horrible,” I tell her.

“Oh, quite. He also lost a son that night. The boy was but a toddler. It’s thought that he jumped into the pool after his mother in an attempt to save her. Unfortunately, they both perished. I can’t imagine what that was like for Mr. Solomon.”

“Jesus,” I whisper.

And I thought my old house was marked by tragedy.

“Indeed,” Diana confirms, almost like she’s reading my mind.

She goes on.

“The Solomons sold the house and moved away in the early part of the twentieth century. It belonged to the family who made it a funeral home after that. But when none of Mr. Horn’s boys wanted to take up the mortuary arts, the Horn family sold it as well.”

There’s a mural in the master bathroom and I stop to stare at it when we arrive.

“That was painted for the original Mrs. Solomon,” Diana says. The mural features a nude man and woman standing on either side of a mountain. Above them, a heavenly being seems to be watching over them. They both cast their eyes upward. Roses line the outside edges. “It’s the sixth card of the tarot: the Lovers.”

“Did Mrs. Solomon enjoy tarot?” I ask.

“Oh, she enjoyed a number things she probably shouldn’t have,” Diana assures me. “All of that was quite popular at the time.” She begins to make her way back to the second story landing. I cast a glance back at the mural. Faded and peeling, it’s still beautiful. It could easily be restored.

“She was known for her wild parties. I imagine tarot and the like played a role at times.”

We head up to the third floor.

“This space was mainly used as storage by the Horn family,” Diana says. The giant attic-like room hosts a number of objects, all covered in yellowing white sheets. A musty smell accompanies it. I feel an itch in my nose and promptly sneeze.

“There’s also a basement,” Diana says. “I should note that it was used by the Horns for embalming,” she says hesitantly. I imagine this is the sort of information that served as a deal breaker for other prospective buyers.

There’s a bit of comfort in knowing that the saddest things to ever happen in this house had nothing to do with me, Blake, or my father.

It’s a strange perspective, but I welcome it.

We head back downstairs to the first floor.

“I imagine you have a husband with whom you might discuss the purchase,” Diana says.

“No,” I say. “It’s just me.”

“No children?” she asks with an arched eyebrow.

“None of those either.”

“No husband and no children,” she clucks. “Smart girl.”

Diana winks at me.

I take in the house one more time before we step outside.

As Diana turns to head to her car after giving me her card I call out to her.

“Diana,” I say. “Wait.”

She raises her eyebrows and looks as if she might want to ask me why I’ve stalled her in getting back to the office.

I inhale deeply, look back at the house once more, and I leap.

“I’ll take it.”

Author Bio:

Marnie Vinge is a novelist and storyteller as well as the creator of the podcast, Eerie Okie.

She first started writing at the ripe age of 7, creating a science fiction horror story about a monster that lived in seaweed off the coast of Corpus Christi. Since then, she's stretched her wings by writing urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and horror.

To check out Eerie Okie, search your favorite podcast platform. If you're an Oklahoma ghoul who loves the morbid and macabre, it's the podcast for you.

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BOOK BLITZ: A Stolen Kiss with the Midwife by Juliette Hyland #GIVEAWAY

A Stolen Kiss with the Midwife
Juliette Hyland
Published by: Harlequin Medical
Publication date: February 1st 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Dare these best friends…

…risk it all?

Midwife Quinn Davis and Dr. Milo Russell have been friends forever. So why is it now that they’re working together things have become…awkward? Quinn can’t get Milo out of her mind—and when they share an explosive kiss, she’s left questioning everything! Free-spirited Quinn never planned on settling down…and Milo has a life plan of his own. Are they ready to think about a new life—together?

From Harlequin Medical: Life and love in the world of modern medicine.

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—

EXCERPT:

A hot cup of coffee pressed against her fingers and Quinn lifted it to her lips without opening her eyes. The black coffee was bitter, and a bit burned, but the caffeine kick was what she needed. And she was grateful for any distraction.

“Seriously, Quinn. What’s going on?”

A knee connected with hers as Milo slid into the chair across from her, and Quinn ignored the tingles that slid along her leg. She was tired, worried, and her emotions were tangled. That was the only reason she was reacting to Dr. Milo Russell this morning, she told herself, ignoring the fact that she’d felt those same tingles yesterday morning…and every other day since she’d walked into his arms at the airport eight months ago. Such a simple welcome that had shifted everything in Quinn’s soul.

Almost a year later and she still couldn’t explain the feelings.

Or why those emotions hadn’t made her pack her bags and flee.

Luckily, Quinn’s brain was too full of other worries to let that one take residency in the front of her mind today. Not that it ever wandered away for long, though…

Opening her eyes, Quinn tipped her cup at Milo as he took a seat beside her on the lounge chair. His jade eyes bore through her and she barely kept herself from leaning into him. Milo was her friend. Her best friend. He was the reason she’d leaped at the opportunity to work at St. Brigit’s.

Sure, he was gorgeous. Stunning. His deep dimples were the stuff of legend. She’d heard more than one single lady talk about what it might take to get those dimples to appear outside the birthing center. But Quinn never swooned over anyone. Not over her cheating ex-fiancé and certainly not over Milo. At least, that had been true until she’d moved back to California. Now she yearned for any contact with him.

Quinn and Milo had always just been Quinn and Milo. They’d been best friends since grade school when Quinn had refused to name the person who had started the epic food fight. She’d stood in the principal’s office, refusing to out the new kid, when Milo had marched in and declared that he’d thrown the first nugget. In truth, neither had thought tossing a few hard chicken nuggets would result in pandemonium and pudding on the walls—but they’d cleaned it together. And they’d had each other’s backs ever since.

Even when wanderlust had taken her to the other side of the country or the other side of the world, she and Milo always kept in touch. Video calls, emails and social media had meant they were only ever a GIF away. He was the one constant in her rambling life. Always there to make her laugh, to bounce ideas off about her next move, to make her happy.

He’d always just been her friend Milo and working together at St. Brigit’s was a first for them. She’d enjoyed every minute of it, even if she was in a constant battle to get her body to stop substituting friendly feelings with romantic ones.

Author Bio:

Juliette Hyland believes in caffeine, hot drinks and happily ever afters! She lives in Ohio, USA, with her prince charming, who has patiently listened to many rants regarding characters failing to follow the outline. When not working on fun and flirty happily ever afters, Juliette can be found spending time with her beautiful daughters, giant dogs or sewing uneven stitches with her sewing machine.

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BOOK BLITZ: Stop Me by Michelle Jester #GIVEAWAY

Stop Me
Michelle Jester
(Rue the Day Series, #1)
Publication date: February 1st 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary

After moving to a new city with her parents, Jeselle Parsons quickly found friends and a life full of money, power, and privilege. Even though her parents weren’t wealthy like the other kids’ parents, Jeselle felt lucky to be welcomed into the circle of friends, until she learned how costly that type of life could be. A life that would cost her everything.

For fifteen years, Jeselle, with the help of her friend Dennis, worked to ensure nothing would stand in the way of her revenge on the people who played a part in ruining her life.

All the years of planning, all the years of working, have all come down to this.

Her enemies will learn that revenge has never been so cold.

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EXCERPT:

“What the hell is she wearing?” Dennis said with horror. Jeselle looked up to see Rose and Karli approaching the table. Rose had on a flouncy, overly stated, hot pink dress. The sleeves stood much taller than her shoulders in a fog of pink netting and the material jumped as she walked, which delighted Jeselle immensely.

Camilla openly choked on her gulp of wine, “That is awful.”

Dennis patted Camilla on her back, “Sister dear, if you are going to die, please go sit by someone else.”

“This is incredible,” Rose hurried the rest of the way to the table and took a seat.

“I love coming to them, too,” Karli said, leaning toward Rose as she seated herself. “I remember my first time, I thought it was a dream. But Jeselle actually has a purpose for it. They know she wouldn’t invite you if you weren’t important.”

“That’s true,” an older woman sitting next to Jeselle agreed, “but it does make me feel important too.” The woman giggled.

“I am really nervous, like what if I put my fork back in the wrong place or something?” Rose said as she lightly touched the fork on the table in front of her, and it made Jeselle smile.

“Here is a quick lesson for you,” Jeselle said, “My mother–”

“God rest her soul,” the woman sitting next to Jeselle said.

Jeselle looked at the woman and smiled again. Then she lifted a fork and shifted her attention back to Rose, “My mother told me something growing up that I have never forgotten. You won’t either.”

“Dear heavens, couldn’t you have given her this lesson at the office?” Dennis said condescendingly which, Jeselle noticed, caused Rose’s head to fall in embarrassment.

“Pick your head up, Rose,” Jeselle barked. Rose lifted her head. “Do not listen to him,” Jeselle used her calm voice, “He doesn’t know about real people, he’s been spoon fed his entire life. Don’t let people like Dennis, here,” she put a hand on his leg under the table and squeezed, “make you feel any less important than they are. Matter of fact, I’d say you are more important than those people.” Jeselle squeezed harder.

Rose’s eyes widened and she looked from Jeselle to Dennis and back again.

The lady sitting next to Jeselle laughed under her breath. Rose looked over at Karli, who wore a big smile on her face.

“Now, as I was saying, here is a basic lesson you’ll never forget. How many letters in the word left?”

“Fo- four,” Rose replied hesitantly.

“How many letters in fork?” Jeselle lifted the hand that held the fork slightly higher in the air.

“Four,” Rose replied more confidently.

“So, your fork goes to the left of the plate.” Jeselle placed the fork back to the left of her plate. “Now, how many letters in the word right?” Again, she lifted her hand, this time her right one.

“Five.”

“And how many in the word knife?” she lifted the spoon and knife together.

“Five.”

“And how many in spoon?”

“Five.”

Then your knife and spoon go to the right side of the plate. Jeselle set them back down. “In alphabetical order. Fork, knife, spoon.” Jeselle touched each one slightly as she named it. She perceived the moment that Rose grasped the information and she relaxed.

“That’s it? It’s that easy?”

“Well, for the basics, but before long I’ll have you able to set an eighteen-course dinner with ease.” Jeselle looked pointedly at Rose, “Anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, or feel like you don’t fit in, is simply information and that you can learn. The more information you learn, the more you will be tempted to be like Dennis here. Don’t, it’s a trap. If someone is deliberately trying to make you feel like you don’t fit in,” she looked over at Dennis, “Well, that is simply arrogance.” Jeselle turned to Rose again, “And arrogance can be taken down, with only one piece of information. Do you understand, Rose?”

“I do. Thank you.”

The best part of the evening, Jeselle thought, was detecting that Rose really did understand.

Author Bio:

Michelle Jester lives in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana with her husband, high school sweetheart and retired Master Sergeant. Together they have a son and daughter. She is a hopeless romantic and has been writing poems and stories for as long as she can remember.One of her prize possessions is a bracelet with only a yellow, Rubber Duckie charm on it; which she wears every day to remind her to enjoy the fun and happy things of life!

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