R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 15

NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Second Stanza by Mag Napler #GIVEAWAY

Second Stanza
Meg Napier
Publication date: October 4th 2022
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

How can someone who’s dead save your life during a night of terror?

Jackie’s heart broke when her beloved college boyfriend died in an off-campus gas explosion—a pointless, horrible death. Nine years later and thousands of miles away, her own life is saved when a random stranger calls her name and covers her body with his during a mass shooting. She wakes in a hospital only to learn that the stranger is among the dead.

But was he a stranger? For those terrifying seconds, Jackie was sure he was her beloved Leo. Needing to hide such crazy ideas from friends and family, Jackie begins a search for the only man she has ever loved—now seemingly twice dead.

Goodreads / Purchase

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EXCERPT:

“You said your name was Jackie? Life is full of crazy coincidences, I guess. Jake had the strangest tattoo, and I’m remembering now that I’m almost certain it said Jackie.”

All the air was suddenly gone from the room. Jackie couldn’t breathe.

“A tattoo?”

“Yeah. So unusual. I would never have seen it except that I got this thingamajig to attach to my toilet that was supposed to help with . . . well, not important. It was supposed to be easy to install, and I thought I could do it, but it absolutely did not work the way the instructions said it would. Every time I turned the water valve back on, water sprayed everywhere. I thought I’d need to call a plumber, but Jake stopped by and said he’d be happy to look at it.”

Mr. Riga chuckled softly, shaking his head and briefly closing his eyes. “He worked on it for about 45 minutes and made it work in the end, but he was completely drenched.”

His smile broadened in memory. “This was last February, when it was still cold, so I told him he wasn’t going outside in wet clothes. I made him take everything off and gave him sweatpants and a shirt to put on and told him the least I could do was wash his clothes. He said it wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t want him getting sick on my account, and he eventually gave in. So he stripped right there in the hall” —Mr. Riga pointed to the small hallway off the kitchen where a door, presumably to a bedroom or bathroom was partly ajar— “and I saw it low on his belly. I was afraid it was a bruise and that he had hurt himself with the wrench or something, so I asked about it.”

Mr. Riga sighed again, and a look of complete exhaustion passed over his face. “He was such a sweet but serious young man. Not the type you’d expect to have a tattoo, especially there.” He looked slightly embarrassed but went on to finish his story.

“Anyway, he said it was the name of the girl he’d loved and lost, and he’d put it in a spot where only he would ever see it.”

For a man sunken in grief, he’d been able to tell an animated story. Through her mesmerized attention, Jackie could see a resemblance to the gregarious and effervescent Danny she had never really known but heard so much about. It was his words, however, that had her biting her lip hard enough that she only stopped in surprise when she tasted blood.

She and Leo had joked frequently about getting tattoos. Several of their friends had them, and Jackie had teased Leo about going together one day and getting them in places only the two of them would ever see. But like so many other plans, that one had vanished when Leo had died.

“What kind of tattoo was it?” She had to know, despite the odd look shot her by Nadine.

“I didn’t get up close to see, since I’d only meant to make sure he wasn’t hurt.” Mr. Riga reddened slightly, the spots oddly sweet on his otherwise pale face. “But he was a nice guy and saw I was curious. He drew a picture of it on a piece of paper. He knew I understood music because I’d told him I played the violin. He said it was something he’d doodled long ago and only had made into a tattoo one night after he got stupid drunk.”

He smiled at Jackie and Nadine. “Whoever that Jackie was, she must have been pretty special. When he talked about the tattoo, he was almost like a different person. But after that night, neither one of us ever mentioned it again.”

“What was special about it?” Nadine asked, and Jackie was grateful for her friend’s curiosity. There was no way she could have forced her voice to work.

“Well, he’d drawn a small musical staff.” He looked at them. “Do you ladies know what that is?” When they nodded, he continued. “And you know what a G clef sign is?”

Jackie nodded, not breathing, while Nadine just shrugged. “He made the core of the clef sign stand out as the letter J and then had the rest of the letters of the name Jackie going up the staff like small notes. It was quite beautiful and unlike anything I’d ever seen.”

But Jackie had seen it. Years ago. Years ago, miles away, and in an entirely different life, the young man she had been in love with had sketched just such a design when they had joked about getting tattoos. They had never gotten them because Leo had died.

Except apparently, he hadn’t.

Author Bio:

Meg Napier knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that love stories form the basis for everything that matters in life. Her hope is to bring joy, excitement, and a sigh of satisfaction to readers everywhere through stories that tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.

Email her at MegNapierAuthor@gmail.com or find her on her website

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Running Out of Time by Angie Stanton #GIVEAWAY

Running Out of Time
Angie Stanton
(Carillon Time Travel Series, #2)
Publication date: October 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Romance, Time-Travel

Time shapes those who travel through it.

Running Out of Time is a love story—spanning across decades—of a young man lost in time who risks everything to save a modern-day girl who is trapped in the past. The wrinkle is that he only travels forward and she back, and their sole means of communication is a buried time capsule.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

I glance at the infuriating girl out in the middle of the lake, and am incredulous to see her standing up in the boat trying to paddle with one oar. What in God’s name is she doing? I mutter a curse. She will be the death of me yet.

I lower my head and row with all my strength hoping to reach her before she topples into the lake. Then the sky opens up and rain pours down in cold, heavy sheets and the air temperature plummets. Within a minute I’m drenched to the bone.

Finally, I’ve caught up to her and glide my boat up towards hers. She’s entirely soaked, her hair flattened to her scalp, and she’s huddled up, her arms wrapped around herself, her legs bunched close, shivering. She could have died out here.

I am so angry, I yell. “Have you gone daft!”

And she has the audacity to grin.

“Clearly, you have.” I clench my jaw ready to wring her neck but first secure her boat to mine. Then I return my attention to the foolish young woman whose cheeks are chafed and red from the cold. “You think you can climb into my boat?”

“Of course. I’m not helpless,” she yells over the downpour.

I raise an arched brow. Rainwater runs down my face and into my mouth. I spew it out. “I believe you’ve just proven otherwise.”

With one hand I grip the sides of the two rowboats and extend my other. “Take my hand.”

Her expression is a combination of relief and something else. Perhaps it’s determination as this girl is no shrinking violet. She reaches out. I grasp her hand firmly. Despite the rain, wind and rocking of the boats, I notice the delicate hold of her long fingers as she stumbles across the boats in a most unladylike fashion.

I guide her to the bench seat across from me. She’s shivering and pale, and gripping her arms for warmth.

“Are you alright?”

“Never better,” she manages, her teeth chattering.

I strain against the oars, pulling stroke after stroke, my muscles aching from the long trek. The girl, whose name I still have not learned, hasn’t stopped watching me. It’s as if she’s studying a lab specimen. She appears tiny and defenseless in her pretty little dress and shoes that are likely now ruined. With my hands gripping the oars, rain runs freely down my face and into my eyes and mouth.

Suddenly, she smiles, and her face lights up despite the rain and the leaden gray of the sky.

“What is so funny?” I snap between pulls.

“I knew you’d have to talk with me eventually, but I never imagined this is how it happens.”

Author Bio:

Angie Stanton is the award winning, best selling author of Don't Call Me Greta, If Ever, Waking in Time, Rock and a Hard Place, Snapshot, Royally Lost, Dream Chaser, Under the Spotlight, Snowed Over, and Love ‘em or Leave ‘em.

A few of her awards include:

If Ever

★ National Readers' Choice Award Winner

★ HOLT Medallion Award Winner

★ Write Touch Readers' Award Winner

Waking in Time:

★ Midwest Book Award Winner

★ National Readers' Choice Award Finalist

Angie has a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin. Her books have been translated in German, French, Spanish, and Bulgarian.

A life-long daydreamer, she’s put her talent to use writing contemporary fiction about life, love, and the adventures that follow. In her spare time, Angie loves to sneaks off to enjoy the best live entertainment on earth, Broadway. She is currently working on her next book and is a contributing writer to BroadwayWorld.com.

For more information on Angie and her books, please visit:

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B@@K REVEAL: Bratva Beauty by Sabine Barclay #PreORDER

Bratva Beauty
Sabine Barclay
(The Ivankov Brotherhood, #4)
Published by: Oliver Heber Books
Publication date: November 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mafia, Romance

She can pretend not to notice…

They say I’m the best looking in my family. I couldn’t care less.

But her…She takes my breath away.

Not everyone sees her the way I do. That’s fine by me because she’s mine.

I pity those who think they can come between us.

I won’t stop until she’s at my side. Mine to touch. Mine to love. Mine to push to her limits then bring her back.

She’s my everything. She’s my soulmate.

Bratva Beauty is an interconnecting, standalone Dark Mafia Romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger. It contains extra-steamy scenes that will make your toes curl and your granny blush. This is book four in The Ivankov Brotherhood, a six-book series that’ll keep you warm at night.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

Sabine Barclay, a nom de plume also writing Historical Romance as Celeste Barclay, lives near the Southern California coast with her husband and sons. Growing up in the Midwest, Sabine enjoyed spending as much time in and on the water as she could. Now she lives near the beach. She's an avid swimmer, a hopeful future surfer, and a former rower. Before becoming a full-time author, Sabine was a Social Studies and English teacher. She holds degrees in International Affairs (BA), Secondary Social Science (MAT), and Political Management (MPS). She channels that knowledge into creating engrossing contemporary romances that will make your toes curl and your granny blush.

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Perfect Wrong by Nicole Snow #GIVEAWAY

The Perfect Wrong
Nicole Snow
Publication date: October 5th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow returns with a blazing forbidden romance where every wrong feels perfectly right for two star-crossed lovers…

Everything that could go wrong did.The evil smile on my bestie’s face should’ve screamed bad idea. But I took her “easy” bet:Find a man before summer ends. Renounce my V-card. Enjoy life.I thought I was entitled to the same sweet ritual every girl deserves—until a force of nature blew in.

His name is Chris Triton.Tattooed god. Moody ex SEAL. Zero filter. Born to drive me bonkers.We barely spoke for ten minutes before he kissed my soul out.Too fast. Too intense. Too flipping good.

Then I found out we’d be sharing the same roof the very next day.Dad marrying his mom squashed our little chemistry experiment instantly.You know, the normal reaction. But Chris doesn’t do normal.Or predictable.Or sane.

Still, I’m sure he’s playing some twisted game when he keeps teasing the unthinkable.I think he won’t scorch my heart black until the Vegas trip—another hilariously bad idea.It’s just us and a tension so thick you can chew it.Just an unexpected hero charging to my rescue.Just one freaking bed.What the hell do you do when the perfect wrong feels undeniably right?

A full-length forbidden romance with sizzle, jaw-dropping sass, and all the heart-stompy butterflies impossible Happily Ever Afters are made of. Witness one growly protector battle the worst luck in the known universe to throw his princess over his shoulder and bring her home forever.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Delia, Chapter 1

I frown.

I’m not crazy overprotective of Dad’s property, but this guy shouldn’t be messing around out here, especially after sunset. He could easily get hurt.

Also, I’m guessing he missed the bright-red PRIVATE PROPERTY signs lining the cliffs every twenty or thirty feet at the edge of our property.

Finishing my drink with a huff, I set my glass down on a rock and start to approach him.

I still can’t make out much in the dull light. He’s too far from the party’s bright lights to be more than a massive shadow.

And his back is turned, his head bowed and focused on his diving gear like it’s the most important thing in the world. His mask and oxygen tank are off by the time I’m standing a few feet away, and he’s working on that wet suit.

He sheds it quickly like a second skin, revealing a statue cut from pure granite underneath.

Oh my hotness.

…is he completely naked under there?

I suck in a breath so sharply I’m surprised it doesn’t startle him.

I’m a little relieved when I see navy-blue trunks as he kicks off the rest of the suit—but only a little.

This man is a sea god heaved up by the deep.

His back alone looks powerful, refined, like a rock-hard swimmer who’s been mastering his craft for years.

Muscular creases collide with long, dark stripes inked on his flesh.

His tattoos are one with the night, a warning of sharp, vicious, dangerous things.

Oh, and he’s big—he must be pressing seven feet in all his giant glory—but he’s so smooth, so sculpted, so graceful.

His skin looks natural, healthy, and real in a way Marnie’s Tangerine Man never will be.

My breath catches.

I know, I know.

I’m living out every awkward smut heroine’s moment where she catches the hot guy half-naked and you can bet he’s about to spin around and chew her out in T-minus one second.

And I know it’s silly to prefer a body cased in ink rather than too much tanned leather, but I can’t help myself.

I cough, deciding we’d better speed this up.

When he starts turning, my eyes almost bug out.

His broad chest could slay a whole gaggle of underwear models—even if they laid their perfect bodies under the world’s best tattoo artists.

More dark stripes slither up his arms, pitch-black flames licking his biceps, and something dark and beastly and menacing covers his broad chest.

A dragon?

The monster sprawls across his skin, guarding what looks like a pitchfork. It kind of reminds me of my gramps’ old Navy patches that Dad keeps hanging in his office. He’s always been proud of them.

Oh, and he’s an older man, but not too old.

He’s mature.

Probably somewhere in his mid-twenties, fresh out of college with a dark glint in his eyes that only a heavy life can bring.

Our eyes lock.

His are bright green, set in his chiseled face like sinful emerald framed with just the right amount of cropped sandy dark hair and stubble that could scratch so sweetly on a woman’s skin.

His tight jaw holds the most capable mouth in the world, lips made for kissing and cursing and giving the whole world hell.

Maybe even one especially lucky lady.

“Didn’t know I had an audience. How long you been there gawking while I strip?” he growls, giving his rubber suit a swift kick behind him and marching toward me. “Where’d you come from, princess?”

Oh.

In my little stare down, I forgot I walked out here to remind him he’s trespassing.

Author Bio:

Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.

Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.

Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Hades by Felicity Heaton #GIVEAWAY

Hades
Felicity Heaton
Publication date: October 4th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

The fate of our world rests in their hands.

Hades, god-king of the Underworld, has uncovered the mastermind behind the uprising destined to set his realm and the mortal world on a collision course. But his enemy has gone to ground and finding them is proving impossible, and the longer they elude his grasp, the stronger the darkness within him grows, slowly stealing control.

Persephone, god-queen of the Underworld, can only watch as a storm gathers on the horizon—a deadly war that threatens to strip her beloved family from her. As Hades fights his own battles against their enemy, she fights to keep the darkness within him at bay, never more aware of the danger he would be if she failed to keep it tamed.

But when their enemy strikes out at them from the shadows, dealing a blow that changes the course of the war and incites Hades’s wrath, the leash on the monster within him snaps and he is plunged into the darkness.

And saving this world might no longer be an option.

Add to Goodreads / Purchase

—

EXCERPT:

Persephone pushed away from and turned her back on her grim thoughts, refusing to allow the poisonous fears and doubts to cloud her mind and make her believe they were destined to lose this war. To rid herself of them, she focused on her family, shutting out the world around them to give herself a moment’s respite.

The new additions to their family had only made it more wonderful to her. Her sons were all madly in love with incredible women, and her daughter had fallen for one of the most powerful gods in the Underworld. She couldn’t have asked for a better match for Calindria, or for any of her sons either.

If Ares made Megan look small, then Thanatos dwarfed Calindria. The seven-two god loomed a good fifteen inches over her, and even stood four inches taller than Hades. Her lips curled as she remembered how irritated Hades had been when Thanatos had grown taller than he was, and how he had levelled a dark look on Persephone when she had mentioned that it wasn’t only Thanatos who was taller—his twin Hypnos was too.

Her smile became a full-blown grin and her cheeks flushed as she recalled how fiercely Hades had taken her that night, staking a claim on her that had seen them still making love when dawn had come.

“Mother.” Ares’s disgruntled voice broke into her thoughts, scattering them. He looked appalled. Possibly disgusted.

She flushed all over again when she noticed the way vines had sprung from the black earth to snake up her legs towards the apex of her thighs, slipping between the layers of her green dress, and pretended she hadn’t seen them.

“Have you seen your father?” she said, her voice even, with not a trace of the embarrassment she was feeling in it.

Ares grunted, “Clearly you need to see him.”

Thanatos shook his head, the picture of a gentleman as he too pretended he hadn’t seen what had happened. “I have not seen my god-king this day. Is he not at Tartarus?”

She silently thanked him for his diplomacy as her cheeks cooled. “No. I cannot feel him there.”

Ares slid her a look, one she caught the meaning behind. She almost scowled at him. She hated that she felt compelled to constantly ‘keep tabs’ on Hades, as Ares put it in his mortal vernacular, but she was worried about him and feared he was vulnerable when alone.

The enemy wanted to open a gate between this realm and the mortal world and then force it to remain open, allowing the two realms to bleed together and form a new one. The easiest way to do that now their sons had closed all but one of the permanent gates was to use Hades’s blood.

His blood had the power to create a gate.

The enemy had gotten hold of it and come dangerously close to opening a gate with it in the past.

They had also come dangerously close to killing him.

Which meant it was perfectly reasonable for her to be concerned when she couldn’t sense him. She hadn’t been able to sense Calindria in all the centuries she had been a captive of their enemy after all. What if Hades was now their captive too?

Her hand drifted to her stomach as the coldness inside her began to spread again, the warmth she had felt from being around her family giving way to it as fear and doubt began to creep into her mind. She hated that feeling. They had faced danger before. This wasn’t the first attempt to destroy their family.

But everything felt so much more uncertain this time, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that they wouldn’t make it through.

That the unthinkable would happen.

Persephone looked at her children and thought about the members of her family who weren’t there with her. Her heart clenched and she struggled to get air into her lungs. The thought that they might be taken from her—she just couldn’t.

It hit her that was what was different this time. She had such a large, wonderful family now and she feared she would lose them all.

That she would lose Hades.

Author Bio:

I'm a NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY and International Best-Selling Author writing passionate paranormal romance books and series for adults.

I love to create detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! All of them alpha as you would expect in paranormal romance, and every book with a guaranteed HAPPILY FOREVER AFTER!

Sign up to my newsletter for exclusive sneak previews, freebies, special offers and more! (copy / paste link into your browser):

http://bit.ly/FH-VIPS

Fans of paranormal romance books by authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter, Larissa Ione, Kresley Cole and Christine Feehan will love my books too.

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B@@K REVEAL: Sass by Jay Hogan #PreORDER

Sass
Jay Hogan
(Style Series, #3)
Publication date: October 27th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

For two years I’ve kept Leon Steadman at a safe distance, ever since the night he turned me down flatter than a pancake with a side order of syrupy disapproval. His loss. The world is full of sexy men. One and done is simply good math and efficient use of my time. Or it would be if I hadn’t been lusting after the irritating, judgemental, gorgeous, mountain of a man, ever since.

The less I see of Leon, the better. Bad enough that his tattoo business sits next to Flare, the fashion store I manage, and that he’s friendly with my boss. But now he’s apartment-sitting above the shop, as well. Every time I turn around, Leon is there. In my store. In my space. Messing with my head. Being all nice and charming and acting like maybe he’s not the biggest jerk to walk the earth, after all.

Well, I don’t want or need Leon’s apologies, but maybe if I can have him, just once, it might put an end to this ridiculous hunger that sparks every time I lay eyes on him.

Yeah, I’ll get back to you on that.

Note: This book contains limited discussion of off-page past trauma.

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Author Bio:

Heart, humour, and keeping it real.

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.

She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She's travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel.

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis by Melanie Munton #GIVEAWAY

Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis
Melanie Munton
(Shell Grove, #2)
Publication date: October 4th 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

There’s a new sheriff in town… And he’s her worst nightmare.

Reason #1: Ben Crawford is Olivia Knight’s long-time arch rival. They’ve been sworn enemies ever since she wore overalls to school one day, and he asked her in homeroom where she parked her cow. Now that he’s back, it doesn’t appear much has changed. He’s still arrogant. He’s still trouble. And this time, he’s got a badge and handcuffs. Which will make murdering him and disposing of his body much more challenging for her.

Reason #2: Sheriff Ben has done a lot of growing up during his time away from Shell Grove. He went and got himself some muscles and tattoos, and has the nerve to wear that sheriff’s uniform absurdly well. For some reason, that’s all she can seem to focus on whenever they cross paths. All the nice changes he’s made, instead of how vehemently she’s vowed to hate his guts for all eternity.

Reason #3: The complicated connection that has forever entwined their lives doesn’t have a pleasant backstory. As adults, they should be able to forget what happened when they were teenagers and move on. But in a small town where everyone has long memories, there are reminders everywhere of the nasty events that destroyed both of their families years ago. And she’s not sure their growing feelings for each other are enough to forgive the sins of the past and carve out a future…together.

Ben has a secret. A big one. The longer he’s in Shell Grove and surrounded by people who know his sordid history, the more likely that secret is going to come out. But if it does, Olivia will never speak to him again. Which will not do. Because he’s finally realized that Olivia is the reason why he came back to town in the first place. And if he doesn’t want to lose her forever, he needs to correct the mistakes he made a long time ago and prove he’s not the NEMESIS she’s always thought him to be.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

Ben was barely listening to the conversation around him since a familiar tingling sensation had started crawling up the back of his neck. It was the anticipation of getting eyes on Olivia, needing eyes on her. Making sure that no one was heckling her, that she was having a good time.

Oh, who are you bullshitting? You don’t want her having a good time with another guy.

It made him a bastard, but yeah. He honestly didn’t know what he would do if he saw her flirting with another man. Probably break something. Maybe whip out his cuffs and threaten to arrest some motherfuckers. Which was completely insane. He needed to bottle that shit up immediately before the crazy started to show on his face.

Something over Finn’s shoulder caught his attention, and Ben saw red.

He took it all back. There was a motherfucker that definitely needed arresting.

The one currently chatting up his girl.

Your girl? Since when, Benny?

Some douchebag wearing a blue button-up shirt with whales all over it was smiling at Olivia from ear-to-ear as they stood next to the food truck-turned-mobile tiki bar, Freaky Tiki. He didn’t recognize the guy, but he was openly flirting with the wrong woman.

“Be right back,” he bit out to his friends and took off storming across the sand.

He’d tried to control it. It wasn’t like they had agreed to be exclusive. They weren’t even dating, for Christ’s sake. But Ben acting on his jealousy toward Olivia had become a compulsion in a remarkably short period of time. Any man that showed the slightest interest in her, he wanted to pummel into the fucking ground. He knew it was selfish and irrational and completely unfair of him. But controlling that impulse—the impulse to do something and mark his territory—was as impossible as telling his dick to chill the fuck out every time it was in her presence.

He was closing in on them before he took stock of himself.

And oh, he really should have.

The county sheriff was barreling down on The Freaky Tiki like he was about to put somebody on their ass. People on the beach got out of his way and watched him with wide eyes, probably hoping they were about to catch something on their phones they could post on their socials. But he wasn’t going to get physical with the guy. Probably not. He was just going to intimidate the hell out of him until he put at least a good twenty feet between his body and Olivia’s.

Olivia caught sight of him approaching over Moby Dick’s shoulder, her face betraying her shock.

“Evening, Liv.”

Her companion jolted because yeah, Ben had snuck up right behind him and the guy hadn’t even noticed. Military training strikes again. It wasn’t like Moby Dick was a shrimp by any means, but Ben still had inches and pounds on him. In the physical sense, Ben didn’t feel threatened at all. But when another male started sniffing around Olivia…he saw everything as a fucking threat. A simple nod, an innocent smile. Any behavior that was targeted at her for the express purpose of showing sexual or romantic interest risked the possibility of Olivia nodding back at someone else. Of her smiling back at someone that wasn’t him. And oftentimes, smiling was a gateway to so much more.

“Hello, Sheriff.”

As casual a greeting as that was, her voice was anything but. The husky quality to her words belied an intimacy between them. A personal history.

He fucking loved hearing that.

She cleared her throat and yanked her gaze away. “Um. Colin, this is Sheriff Crawford.”

Moby Dick shrewdly inspected him for a few seconds before rising to his full height that was still an inch or two shorter than Ben’s. “Nice to meet you.”

When he stuck out his hand, Ben didn’t move to shake it. In fact, he didn’t address Dick at all.

To Olivia, he gritted out, “Could I have a word?”

Author Bio:

Melanie grew up in the Midwest, but she loves living in the Southeast (where the beaches are!) now with her husband and daughter.Melanie's other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible.She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together...ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty.At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love.Go visit Melanie's website and sign up for her newsletter to stay updated on release dates, teasers, and other details for all of her projects!

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Screwdriver by Kiru Taye #GIVEAWAY

Screwdriver
Kiru Taye
(A Royal House of Saene Spinoff)
Publication date: September 30th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

For most of her adult life, boss-lady Oumou has wanted to leave her hometown in pursuit of big-city fame. All her closest friends are doing bigger and brighter things elsewhere; one is even dating a prince. However, her plans to leave small-town Bali are put on hold when the pandemic hits. At least there are some positives. She’s enduring lockdown with her friend, Yahya, who is her exact opposite in personality. But he’s sexy, easy on the eyes, and cleans up his messes. Opposites attract, right?

Mechanic Yahya has two obsessions—fixing damaged cars and his hometown of Bali. He has no desire for fame or fortune. Nevertheless, since flamboyant Oumou set up shop right across the road from his auto garage, he’s developed a new obsession with her. Each day at work, he glimpses her glorious smile and the temptation for her spirals. But why bother? She won’t even consider him—someone she labels as dull—and they are just too different to work.

Then Yahya and Oumou are stuck together as quarantine buddies, and their attraction combusts in the confines of the apartment. Soon the man so skilled at unscrewing her wheel-nut becomes the sexy hunk satisfying her every fantasy. But what happens when reality kicks in the door and their differences threaten to tear them apart?

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EXCERPT:

A hulking shadow appeared at her window, and a tapping sound made her jerk. “Oumou, are you okay?”

How did they know her name?

Silly question. Anyone who knew her would recognise the bright yellow truck. Uncle Ngarta had helped to secure a good deal with one of his car-dealer clients. They’d even resprayed the vehicle a yellow colour over the original dull white. The contrast of the black radiator grille, front and back bumpers and door handles against the yellow made the vehicle catch the eye and stand out. This was great, considering there were Mou Supermarket logo decals over the side panels and tailgate, which helped to build brand awareness for the store she owned.

However, the deep baritone from the person outside her vehicle sounded familiar.

The pattern of her beating heart changed again, and it had nothing to do with fear. Lifting her phone, she tapped the flashlight app, illuminating the face peering through the window. “Yahya?”

It was him—the close-cut hair on his head, the dark stubble on his chin, the taupe-toned skin, and the full lips she’d shamelessly dreamt about kissing once too often. His penetrating black eyes held hers, and she forgot everything else.

Relief and unexpected excitement flushed through her. Her breath caught, and she gulped, rubbing her thighs together, heat flaring over her skin. Her panties dampened along with her palms and behind her knees. Her mouth dried, and she licked her lips.

“Are you okay?” Something in his deep voice sounded as if he knew his effect on her body, which snapped her out of the spell of lust.

Ridiculous. Her cheeks heated, and she nodded. She turned off the engine, tugging the door handle to open it. He stepped away as she climbed out.

“I have a puncture and was trying to call your garage for someone to come out and help me change it.” She held up the phone in her hand.

He pulled a small pen torch out of his button-down shirt pocket and flashed it at the wheels on this side. “O m wè. Adama, pran yon gade nan sa a.” Oh, I see. Adama, take a look at this.

His colleague, who wore a t-shirt with the garage logo over a pair of jeans, came around from the other side.

“Bon sware,” he greeted before turning his attention to the damaged rubber wheel.

The men conversed briefly in rapid-fire Pidgin French. Oumou could understand it, but she wasn’t as fluent. She’d been forced to learn it as a teenager because she’d only spoken English and Hausa in Nigeria. Meanwhile, people in Bali chatted using a combination of broken French and regional dialects.

“Adama will handle it.” Yahya turned, heading towards his car. “Come with me.”

For a moment, his physique snagged her attention—the expanse of the blue long-sleeved cotton shirt across his back tucked in at the hips, the snug dark denim around his tight bubble butt, the stretch of his muscular legs with each lithe stride and the tan Timbs on his feet.

Damn. Yahya was eye candy. She wouldn’t mind doing more than looking. Her mouth watered, and she swallowed. Shame he would never consider her as a friend with benefits.

Author Bio:

Kiru is the award winning author of His Treasure. She writes sensual and passionate multicultural romance stories set mostly in Africa. When she's not writing you can find her either immersed in a good book or catching up with friends and family. She currently lives in the South of England with her husband and three children.

Subscribe to her newsletter for book news and giveaways: http://www.kirutaye.com

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Pets in Space 7 (A Science Fiction Romance Anthology) #GIVEAWAY

Pets in Space 7: A Science Fiction Romance Anthology
Publication date: October 4th 2022
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Pets in Space® is back for a new year of adventures!

Pets in Space is back and better than ever! Featuring 13 original, never-before-released stories from some of today’s bestselling science fiction romance authors, starring your favorite sci-fi pets. These furry, feathered, and slightly alien friends are always ready for a new adventure with their two-legged human and alien companions. From dogs to cats to sea creatures and unicorns, these romantic tales show that pets are more than just animals – they’re family.

This limited-edition anthology includes novellas by some of the biggest names in science fiction romance. New York Times Bestseller S.E. Smith and USA Today Bestsellers R.J. Blain, Grace Goodwin, Skye MacKinnon, Carol Van Natta, Honey Phillips, Carysa Locke, S.J. Pajonas, JC Hay, and Kyndra Hatch, plus Leslie Chase, Winnie Winkle, and Candace Colt.

The Pets in Space 7 authors continue their vital support of Hero-Dogs.org, the non-profit charity that improves quality of life for veterans of the U.S. military and first-responders with disabilities.

Don’t miss out — grab this limited-edition anthology before it’s too late!

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SNEAK PEEKS:

Marked Mate by Grace Goodwin

Elite Hunter Stark, Earth

What was the human doing here? No sane female would seek out these bastards.

Until she appeared, everything had been going to plan. Humans in a black vehicle had arrived to pick up some Quell at the odd window on the side of the building. I’d marked their vehicle so I could track them once I was done here.

Then? Chaos. Human weapons firing. The female was injured, severely.

The Siren operatives didn’t know I was here. Not yet. But I would take pleasure in ending their lives. Males of worth did not harm females of any species.

“Let her bleed out. Kill the animal. We can dump the bodies later.”

I moved closer without making a sound.

“No!” The female’s voice rang out.

I watched the Rogue 5 hybrid lift his ion blaster and point it toward the animal. I could not afford to intervene. Rokor, their leader, was dangerous. Deadly. I could not lose foc—

I felt the blast to my hip as if I were the one shot. The barrier in my mind shattered like broken glass and suddenly I was seeing through two sets of eyes.

She held up her small, blood-stained hand and begged for her pet’s life. “Don’t hurt her. Don’t. Please.”

I saw myself through her eyes, a shadow moving closer, Death himself. She was not afraid of dying, nor of me. She wanted—me. My cock twitched. Hard. Hot. My hand burned. She wanted to be in my arms. She ached for me.

She was mine.

The connection faded yet I clung to the fleeting warmth in my mind, desperate to feel it again. It had only been a few seconds, but I was out of time.

Her beast must have sensed the danger as well. The golden animal charged the male who held the ion blaster.

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PreORDER BLITZ: Moon Tamed by Audrey Greene #GIVEAWAY

Moon Tamed
Audrey Greene
Publication date: December 6th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Coraline Patten enjoys nothing more than facing new challenges, but when she’s asked to evaluate Moonriver’s ruling faction, she worries she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

Allasandro Stephans has reigned since she’d been a child, unwavering in his dedication to Moonriver. His heir, Calden, has supported him every step of the way. Together, the shapeshifting widower and his son appear to be the perfect men for the job of preserving and protecting their home.

When Moonriver’s heir asks her to free his father from the burden of leadership, Coraline is determined to do what is best for her people, even if it costs her the love of her life.

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EXCERPT:

I should have called in sick. Had I pretended to suffer from some ailment, my name wouldn’t have been added to the list of potential sacrificial lambs doomed to work for the Hunters of Moonriver for the next week, possibly for longer.

I enjoyed change, and I preferred it on a daily basis.

The Hunters of Moonriver would give me change for a few days, but after the first week, the monotony would drive me insane. All factions were alike. Once someone settled into their role, that was that. They stared down an endless tunnel of the same old, climbing the social ladder for higher pay, slight modifications to their duty, and more responsibility.

After a month of that, I would surely go mad.

As one of Moonriver’s unaffiliated, I flitted from faction to faction, filling in for those who couldn’t work for whatever reason. I preferred when I covered for one of the craft factions, but after a week of doing the same job, I craved new waters, new experiences, and new people.

I loved the thrill of discovery, and none of the factions had offered me the variety I needed to be satisfied with my lot in life. As such, I remained one of the oldest unaffiliated in the city, working at a temp firm.

My boss understood how I ticked and made sure I could test new waters often.

Had I done something to irritate my boss? A job with a minimum duration of a week would drive me insane, although I would do it with a smile fixed into place on my face if it was asked of me.

“I knew I should have selected a faction last quarter.” Of my co-workers, Sila tended to be the first to voice a complaint but the last to do anything about her situation. Had anyone else tried that garbage with me, I would have moved on, but Sila somehow managed to make me smile even in the most dire of situations. While she complained and rarely acted, if she could help someone else, she would.

My friend was the queen of contradictions.

She cleared her throat to make certain she held my attention. As she rarely put up such a fuss, I did as she wanted and met her gaze.

“I told you we should have made our selections last quarter, Coraline,” Sila whined.

Any other day, I would have told her to mind her own business or muttered about her attitude. Today, I wanted to join her, abandoning my professionalism to indulge in a childish temper tantrum over the situation. If I had picked a faction last quarter, I would have avoided the entire situation, but I doubted I would have been happy with my choice. Still, she made a good point. “You might be right. How many qualified for the job?” With a little luck, all six hundred or so employees could be picked, significantly limiting my chance of being the unlucky one.

The last thing I needed was a long-term contract with the any faction, let alone the undisputed rulers of Moonriver.

“Twenty,” Sila informed me in a solemn tone. “Of which we are two of the twenty. I peeked at the list. More accurately, the boss asked me to warn you that you are on the list, and that he will not believe any excuse you might concoct to dodge this. As such, you can’t dodge your dance with doom, and I fear it’s probable you’re the unlucky soul stuck with the Hunters contract. Why else would he make me make you show up?”

Until it was confirmed I was stuck with the contract, I would hold hope someone else would win the assignment. As there were more than twenty people in the room, I assumed our boss had another reason for calling most of our floor together for handing out our daily duties. Usually, he either dropped the contracts off or sent us an email telling us we had feet and should use them.

I longed to voice a curse, but professionalism demanded I remain silent.

“There’s a rumor that the odds aren’t equal. By request.”

I relaxed, as my general skill set meant I spent most of my time working with craft or artisan factions. “The boss asked you toy with me, didn’t he?”

“Maybe a little. He didn’t tell me who was picked, just that somebody has already been assigned the contract, and that you have to deal with the same stress just like everyone else. But you’re no Hunter, and everybody knows it. But maybe the boss wants to add a little extra versatility to your resume? It’s only for a week or two, as far as I know.”

The wolf-dominated Hunters needed athletic, strong people with a fondness for difficult challenges.

I preferred difficult mental challenges, especially when numbers were involved. While anyone could discover their animal and begin shifting at any age, those who wanted to shift actively pursued their magic—or partnered with a shapeshifter.

I had opted against putting in the effort; I struggled enough with life without the additional complications of shapeshifting. I also dodged dating shapeshifters, as most who married a shifter developed their magic through frequent exposure.

As such, I did my best to avoid anyone associated with the Hunters of Moonriver, who ran the city and the nearby towns with iron paws but common sense and tolerable ethics.

“Well, that should eliminate me, then,” I said, allowing myself a relieved sigh. “Me, working with the Hunters? You said it yourself. I’m no Hunter.”

Fur would fly, and not in a good way.

Author Bio:

Audrey Greene writes sweet paranormal and urban fantasy splashed with some romance and hints of science fiction. She lives in California, loves going to the beach, and appreciates taking the time to smell the roses.

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