R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 152

B@@K REVEAL: Awakened by Him by Eyta Jade

Awakened by Him
Eyta Jade
(Zinklaus Series)
Publication date: August 6th 2020
Genres: Adult, Erotica, Romance, Suspense

Falling into him was a dance with destiny; little did she know it would be her unravelling.
Zina at 24 and fresh out of the academic world, arrives in London for a new paralegal job. She is thrown for a loop when her chance at something new and uncomplicated is threatened from the moment she meets business magnate, Niklaus Clarke.
He wants more from her than she’s willing to give, because giving him more means undoing her past which she’s been running from. Unable to resist the undeniable attraction she feels, or the allure of the unyielding billionaire who didn’t get to where he is by giving up, Zina surrenders.What should have been a mere awakening turns into blurred lines and shattering of boundaries. Until their secrets, lies and half-truths threaten the gravity that pulls them toward each other. Bridges will be crossed, bridges will be burnt. But, will bridges be rebuilt?

Add to Goodreads / 99c Pre-order

Author Bio:
When Eyta Jade read Danielle Steele’s full circle, a dream was born. A dream to evoke the kind of emotions that reading Full Circle did in her. Eyta knew that no matter what or how long it took, she would always find her way to becoming an author. When Eyta isn’t penning down tastefully written steamy and erotic romance novels, you’d find her reading one instead and blogging about it. Lest we forget, she obsesses over wine, soul and RnB music. Website / Book Boyfriends Blog / Instagram / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest

BOOK BLITZ: Counts of Eight by Brynn Ford #GIVEAWAY

Counts of Eight
Brynn Ford
(The Four Families, #1)
Publication date: May 31st 2020
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance

All of my choices had been stripped from me except for one. Dance or die.Three years ago, I was taken, stolen away, far from the world I knew, far from civilization. I became a slave, forced to serve one of the four families with my talent.I’d been abused, battered, tortured in isolation. My Master brought me men, partners for performance, but they failed to live up to the high standard of dance my Master required.Until one day, he brought me a new man. A blonde-haired, green-eyed, dreamy new man who had no idea what was coming.The men before him had disappeared. I presumed they were dead. I couldn’t afford myself the luxury of hoping they’d made it out alive because that would give me hope that I might someday do the same.Hope was a dangerous thing and this new man’s spirit still thrummed with that electric spark of lightness. I would be the woman to strip that hope from him piece by tiny piece until he had none left. Only then could I control him, use him. Only then could I even consider the possibility of a predictable, complacent survival in this nightmare life.And until that time came, I would make the only choice I was given the liberty of making.Dance or die.CONTENT WARNING:

This book contains explicit sexual content, violence, and mature themes including scenes where consent is not sought or given. The author in no way condones such heinous acts, but rather seeks to immerse the reader in the true horror of the characters’ experience. This is your trigger warning – reader discretion is advised.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play—EXCERPT:This woman wishes to own me, to do me harm, for what reason, I still don’t know. But the sight of her talent in motion gives me goosebumps, makes my heart thump and my thigh muscles twitch to be in motion with her on the dance floor.A dancer always dances.The song comes to an end and so does her movement. Her eyes immediately lock onto mine and again comes the glacier from the icy blue, scraping slowly but steadily across the space between us.She strides across the floor toward me with all the poise of a dancer exiting the stage after a performance.She sighs. “I wasn’t expecting you today. You’ve interrupted my rehearsal.”“I hate to break it to you, princess, but this has interrupted my whole life. So why don’t we just cut ties now and get out of each other’s hair?”“No one leaves once they’re brought here.” Her eyes shift away, then back to pierce mine again.I let my tired head fall over onto my arm. “Please spare me the cryptic bull crap. What am I doing here?”“You’re here to dance.”“To dance?”“I require a partner for our annual performance. My last didn’t live up to my master’s expectations…” She steps closer, invading my personal space. “That partner is gone now, and you are here to replace him.”“Gone?”“Yes, that’s what I said. Why do you keep repeating me? My English is excellent, can you not understand me through my accent? I lived in New York since I was eleven. Perhaps I’ve developed another accent that you have trouble understanding.” She tilts her head as her words drip with sarcasm.The side of my mouth curls up. I might have found her interesting if it weren’t for the circumstances.

Author Bio:
Brynn Ford is an independent author of romance in all of its beautiful and sensually taboo forms. She is a lover of the dark, twisted, and playful and strives to bring the unmentionable aspects of passionate romance into her stories.Brynn resides in the Midwest with her husband and sons, whom she expects will someday be embarrassed by their mom's books. When she isn't obsessively writing, you may find her binge watching favorite shows while eating far too much junk food or fanatically reading, always seeking to lose herself in the emotional roller coaster of a damn good story.She is quite the idealist, despite her fascination with the wicked and warped aspects of humanity. Some of her stories may run out of words before a happily ever after, but she's a firm believer that her characters continue to live on outside the pages in the minds of her readers. Stories don't end just because there aren't anymore pages to turn.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

❥¸.•´ FOUR DAYS until WANTED releases!

I’m so excited! We’re down to only 4 days until WANTED releases, so here’s some 411 you need to know!
Grab your limited time reduced price copy here➙ https://books2read.com/WANTEDreh
Check out early reviews on BookBub and Goodreads
Read the prologue at Fiction Hideaway
☆★☆Be sure to follow me on Facebook for release celebrations and giveaways!
June 10 (1pm EST/12 pm CST) Whispered Thoughts Book Bog
June 11 (12pm EST/11 am CST)24 Hours of Kink Group
June 12 (12pm EST/ 11am CST)Join me in Ks Whiskey Words Cafe to help celebrate K. Evan Cole and Brigham Vaughn's new release, Straight Up .☆★☆VIRTUAL SIGNINGJune 26-28, 2020 Authors will be going live to discuss their books and give you an opportunity to order signed copies!Reading Under the Sun Book Convention☆★☆
Once you’ve read it, go VOTEfor WANTEDin ReadFREEly’s Best Book We’ve Read All Year ➙  https://www.readfree.ly/bbwray2020/

NEW RELEASE: Aftermath of Secrets by Cate Beauman #GIVEAWAY

★★★  CATE BEAUMAN'S AFTERMATH OF SECRETS RELEASE CELEBRATION! ★★★
AFTERMATH OF SECRETSThe Carter Island Trilogy, Book 2
RELEASE DATE:  June 4, 2020
BOOK DESCRIPTION: When The Secrets Of The Past Threaten To Destroy The Future…Boston’s Most Eligible Bachelor has it all: good looks, a great career, and plenty of wealth and prestige. But Bradley Sanderson’s charmed life quickly falls apart when scandal rocks his famous family. Arrests have been made; the media circus has begun, and Brad’s been tasked with the daunting chore of restoring the Sandersons’ good name. Moving back to Carter Island and picking up the pieces hasn’t been easy, especially when the one person he needs the most won’t give him the time of day.Bakery owner and island resident Molly Carter is loyal to her core, but that doesn’t mean Brad’s homecoming hasn’t left her torn. Brad’s darkest days aren’t lost on Molly, but reaching out to her lifelong friend isn’t so simple when she’s forced to guard her heart. Everything changed when she woke up alone after their sexy summer night.The complications keep coming when Brad’s long-lost brother shows up in town, bringing the remnants of his checkered past with him. Forgiveness and redemption are possible for all, until new secrets come to light that may have dire consequences. *A contemporary romance with twists of mystery and suspense
BUY LINKS:
Amazon US:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_AmazonUSAmazon UK:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_AmazonUKAmazon AU:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_AmazonAUAmazon CA:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_AmazonCAApple Books:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_AppleBooksKobo:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_KoboNook:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_NookGoogle Play:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_GooglePlayBookBub:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_BookBubGoodreads:  http://tiny.cc/AOS_Goodreads

REVIEWS & ENDORSEMENTS:5 Stars! “I'm a big sucker for a good love story, especially one that has drama. Aftermath Of Secrets by Cate Beauman provided both in a beautiful way. I was swept in by the characters, their wants, and desires.” -Shannon Winings, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
EXCERPT:“What do you think it’s been, five or six years since you’ve been home for more than a week in a row?”Brad nodded slowly. “Yeah, something like that.”“It’s like the good old days.”He shrugged, pushing off the wall, moving her way. “Sort of.”Molly winced, foolishly forgetting that life for Brad was currently unrecognizable. “I guess that was pretty dumb of me to say.”“No, I just meant Nate isn’t here hanging out in his boxers, and I haven’t done this yet.”She frowned. “What?”“Dunked you,” he said as he pressed his hand on top of her head and sent her under.She sank beneath the watery depths, slapping at his hand and arm as he kept her submerged for a good three or four seconds. She came up sputtering and glaring. “You idiot.” She coughed again. “Are you trying to drown me?”He dismissed her with a chuckle and flippant raise of his brow. “So dramatic. We had about three minutes before we needed to start worrying about brain damage.”Her eyes narrowed again. “Oh, you’re dead,” she said, gritting her teeth, charging after him.He laughed, swimming away.But they were well-matched, both of them excellent swimmers. All the Sanderson and Carter kids had had numerous lessons in their younger days due to their proximity to the Atlantic.She hooked her arm around his neck, maneuvered her way onto his back, and sent them both underwater, her legs locking around his waist to keep her leverage. But his sheer size and strength were her disadvantage.Then they both surfaced for air, Brad laughing before she brought him under again. Within seconds, he had their positions reversed, and he held her against him, one arm wrapped around the front of her waist, the other around her shoulders as they came up for another draw of air.His breath puffed against her neck in hot torrents as their legs brushed with their kicks to stay afloat, while he let her waist go and used his arm to tread water. “Molls, this is quite a predicament.He wasn’t kidding. She was pinned beneath his strong arm, and her back was pressed against his solid chest, with no choice but to grip his muscular forearm caging her in place. “Fine. You win.” She just needed him to let her go.“That’s it? Since when do you give up so easy?”Since he’d kissed her brainless and taken her to bed. “Since I realized it’s time to get home and get changed for your party at Nate and Callie’s.” She tried to move away from him.He switched arms, now holding her around the waist, and began keeping their heads above water with his opposite arm. “No problem. Just say, Brad, you’re the best Scrabble player I know. I bow to you, you genius.”She huffed out a laugh, raising her arm to the surface to help keep their chins from bobbing under. “I won. Three years in a row now.”“Just luck.” He held her tighter, whispering next to her ear, his voice full of teasing. “You’re the best, Brad. That’s all I need to hear.”“Broody Brad,” she murmured, knowing he hated it when she called him that—a slight from their childhood.“What was that?” he asked, drilling his fingers into her side, tickling her.She scream-laughed. “Damn it, Brad.” She fought him enough to turn and immediately realized her huge mistake as he held her chest to chest, and they stared into each other’s eyes.He grinned. “This is certainly a situation.”A droplet trailed down his face to land on his firm bottom lip, and his eyelashes were webbed together, making him even more irresistible than he already was. Her heart pounded, her pulse thundering in her throat, and she glared at him, needing to be free of him, well aware he was enjoying this far too much.There was an undeniable attraction between them. All she had to do was press her mouth to his, and they would have a repeat of August. But they weren’t going there again. She wasn’t risking their friendship a second time.

ABOUT CATE BEAUMANCate Beauman is the multi-award-winning, international bestselling author of The Bodyguards of L.A. County series and the Carter Island Novels. She is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense and contemporary stories.Cate's novels have been named Readers' Favorite Five Star books and have won the Booksellers' Best Award, Maggie Award for Excellence, the Holt Medallion Award, two-time Aspen Gold Medal, two-time Readers' Favorite International Gold Medal, three-time Readers' Favorite International Silver Medal, and the Readers' Crown Award.Cate makes her home in New Hampshire with her family and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack.
Website:  https://catebeauman.com/Newsletter:  http://www.catebeauman.com/getmyfreeb...  https://www.facebook.com/CateBeaumanA...  https://www.instagram.com/realcatebea... Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Cate-Beauman/e...  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cate-...  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

RELEASE CELEBRATION GIVEAWAY!Win 1 of 3 $25 Amazon Gift Cards →  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...? a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL: Corrupt by Elena M. Reyes #PreORDER

Title: CorruptSeries: Beautiful Sinners Series Spin-OffAuthor: Elena M. ReyesGenre: Romantic Suspense/New AdultRelease Date: June 24, 2020
Cover Design: T.E. Black Designs




Corruption is the key to success and I'm the collector of all debts.The first time I laid eyes on my little flower, she was dressed up—a beautiful temptation wrapped in perfection that I wanted to own. Possess. To take away from the pseudo perfect life that reeks with the narcissistic chains—the demands—holding her down.She's a pawn.The daughter of my enemy.Solimar Quintero is the future Mrs. Alejandro Lucas and doesn't even know it. She isn't aware that the man she smiles at—taunts to come closer—is a criminal. A wanted man. A nightmare for his enemies and her future.I always get what I want.











Elena M. Reyes is the epitome of a Floridian and if she could live in her beloved flip-flops, she would.
As a small child, she was always intrigued by all forms of art: whether it was dancing to island rhythms, or painting with any medium she could get her hands on. Her passion for reading over the years has amassed her with hours of pleasure, but it wasn't until she stumbled upon fanfiction that her thirst to write overtook her world. She's a short and sassy Latina with an adorable pup, a kiddo that keeps her on her toes, and a husband who claims she'll cause him to go bald prematurely. Lol HOSTED BY:

BOOK BLITZ: Bad Boys of the Kingdom by Rob Jones #GIVEAWAY

[image error]
Bad Boys of the Kingdom
Rob Jones
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: May 28th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Playing in bars for women and whiskey is not enough for Ethan Thorn. The charismatic and egotistical bad boy has big-time dreams of taking his band to superstar status.This is his singular purpose, and whoever would try to impede or threaten that goal would be eradicated from his life. A serious relationship, or worse, falling in love, are things he could never explore. Success is his only option.Music is the only thing he feels he could truly love, completely and fully. That is until an angel named Zoe Edwards makes him realize he’s been wrong this whole time.Being the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor, prudence and abstinence from carnal pleasures have been installed in her. Getting involved with a self-absorbed, womanizing rock star would be morally negligent on Zoe’s part. But sometimes the heart needs what the mind can’t perceive.After a night of extemporaneous passion, their lives are thrown into uncharted waters. Ethan can’t help but see that life is more than just living for himself and for music. He pledges his love to Zoe and vows to place her above all else.When you are rocked by love, all you can do is roll with it…but will swimming against the current be too much for them to handle?

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT:Ethan could taste that something special was cooking in the air, a life-altering aroma that filtered throughout the smoked-filled bar. He could sense the exuberance that had the crowd fully charged and pumped up, willing and ready to surrender to the tyranny of the verve of the band. The wall of sound that reverberated from the stage was infusing an electric energy throughout The Black Dive, pulsating and surging through the dancing bodies of the participants.While he looked intently at the moderate but faithful crowd in front of him, Ethan lifted up his fist slowly in the air and placed his left foot on the stage monitor. He shouted out to the crowd over the blaring instruments, “What’s up, my fellow rock-n- rollers? Are you lathered up and ready to let the bodies hit the floor?”The ardent, fiery audience responded with a loud roar to confirm their assent, and their appetite for wreckage and mayhem. He knew he had them right where he wanted them, feigning and hungering for something dangerous, something raw, something real, and he was about to give them a full load of it.He retaliated by screaming out, “Looks like we’re going to get into some trouble tonight! Who’s all down with that?”“We are!” the crowd responded in unison.“Well, let the chaos begin—let’s go!”

Author Bio:
Rob Jones is an author, musician, and poet. He enjoys going to church, reading, working out, and getting lost in a movie. If he is not writing books and performing music, you can find him spending valuable time with his wife and family.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK BLITZ: Shadow's Lyric by C.A. Worley #GIVEAWAY

Shadow’s Lyric
C.A. Worley
(Crossing Daggers, #1)
Publication date: June 1st 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

It began with a blood oath.It ended in bloodshed.
When twenty-one-year-old Lyric is told by her father, Gabrian, she will be crossing into the Otherland as payment for a favor he owes the Shadow Lord, she thinks her life is over. In truth, it is just beginning. Years of training as a soldier and an uncanny ability to learn pretty much anything give Lyric the tools she needs to survive her new reality—and it totally helps that her new lord and master is sex incarnate.Draven has long awaited Lyric’s arrival, and not just because he needs her to track a powerful weapon stolen by an unknown adversary. He believes he has everything firmly in hand, despite the subterfuge he foolishly agreed to some twenty years back. When Draven’s enemies and lies of omission both threaten the fragile bond he and Lyric are forming, he refuses to allow anything to stand in the way, not even the razor-sharp blade of Lyric’s favorite sword.WARNING: This novel contains tons of bad language, the occasional smackdown, and a good deal of inappropriate humor–sometimes all at once.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—EXCERPT:Draven was waiting for me in the hall when I exited my quarters. Something about the way he was casually leaning against the stone, with his arms and legs crossed, made him look especially yummy.His nostrils flared right as his silver eyes took on an ethereal glow. I turned into a startled rabbit, frozen in his high beams. The oxygen between us heated, increasing in weight. Suddenly I felt hot, my mouth dry.“I know how we can wet it,” he rumbled, pushing off the wall and crowding my personal space.Stupid shield!In my defense, it was hard to concentrate on anything when Draven was looking at me like he was about to eat me alive.“Do you have any idea what you did to me out there?” he accused.“I didn’t do anything to you.”Draven grabbed my hand and flattened it on his crotch. My fingers reflexively squeezed, like they had a mind of their own. A dirty, naughty, whorish little mind of their own. A thrill shot through me and my adrenaline kicked in.Well, hello there, nipples. Are you trying to tear through my shirt? Looks like.“I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch you best them again and again, but that’s exactly what you’ll do, isn’t it, Angel?”“You—you liked that? It was just me losing my temper.”Squeeze.I was somebody else at that moment. Someone whose hand had no problem fondling big packages.“No, it was so much more,” Draven contended.Squeeze.This time he released a satisfying exhale. I was affecting him. I liked—scratch that—I loved how I was affecting him. I felt powerful. Desired.Despite any misgivings over the Shadow Lord’s intentions, I wanted him with an irrational craving bordering on obsession. I wanted this male I hardly knew. Wanted him enough that I was standing in the hallway, after getting pissed on by a gargoyle, stroking him through his leathers.We were having a conversation about what I did on the archery range while I was giving him a handy. Damn if I could get my stupid fingers to let go. I knew Draven wanted me. I didn’t understand it, but he’d made it very clear. The proof was throbbing in my palm.The question was, what was I going to do about it? Probably what I always did when someone pushed me. I was going to push back.“Did you follow me up here for a quickie, Draven?”Ohmysweetjesus, I seriously just said that out loud. Another person was inhabiting my body. Probably a prostitute’s ghost.“What would you do if I said yes?”My heart sped up, thinking of the answer, picturing it vividly in my head.“Shield, Lyric. My control around you is tenuous at best, and the images you’re projecting are telling me you’d be more than okay with me locking us up in your room for a few hours while I take up residence in the cradle of your thighs.”I bit my lip, which I guess was code for go ahead and do me because Draven had me pinned to the wall with my legs around his waist faster than I could blink. So distracted by this exalted male, I hardly noticed the discomfort of my swords getting sandwiched between my back and the cool stone.“Maybe just a taste, then,” he bade, his mouth so close to mine I was breathing his exhale.I waited, then quickly realized he was waiting for me to decide. My sensitized skin felt tight. My core ached. I hungered. Gods, how I hungered.These stirrings had always been dormant in me. One second in Draven’s orbit had awoken the carnal side of my being, the demon side which should have always had an appetite for pleasures of the flesh.Mateus and the other demons in our clan had no issue finding a warm body for just a night. Getting naked with the humans whose names they’d not remember was commonplace.I’d grown into adulthood believing I was lacking in this, convinced my halfling chromosomes had dampened those instincts. I had lived in the presence of hundreds of males my entire life and not one of them made me feel any amount of sexual desire, not even Mateus. Only Draven made me feel this way and had since the second I’d stepped into his world.“Lyric,” he growled.I involuntarily tilted my pelvis, groaning at the faintest touch of sweet friction. Draven shook, holding himself in check. For me. He was holding back for me.It was heady stuff having any sort of power over the biggest and baddest Shadow in the land.My soul pushed energies out and when his magics pushed back, I was lost. I could no more stop this than I could stop a rising tide.My hands flew to his hair, grabbing two fistfuls. I yanked him the rest of the distance, holding him to me, unable to get close enough.Unlike our first kiss, this one was raw. Primal. All teeth and tongue and desperation. I loved it. Locking my legs behind his back, I ground against him.“Fuck, Lyric.”His curse added to my impulse to behave badly. I’d bet he was a dirty talker in bed. Not that I had much experience with that, but I did have satellite television in my room back home. One can learn a lot from soft porn.“Have to … make you … come,” he gritted between kisses.Oh, yes, please!Draven’s mouth drifted down the column of my throat. He kept one hand under my ass and the other slid under my shirt, then under my sports bra. I threw my head back when he reached my nipple, pinching and pulling. All the while he continuously rolled his hips into me.Shadows started moving around us. Just like in my dreams, they slithered against my limbs, humming with vibrations. I froze.“Draven?”“Shh. It’s just me,” he whispered, licking my collarbone. “I need your mouth, but I want to taste and touch you everywhere. Let me show you how I can do both.”“Uh—”His lips were on mine again, the tendrils of darkness taking over his scorching kisses below my ear and down my neck. The maelstrom of sensations obliterated any hesitation I might have had. It was like there were three Dravens making out with me against the wall.He dropped his other hand back to my rear. Magics skated under my clothing, across my breasts, feeling like electric fingers.When he started lifting me up and down against his rigid cock, I moaned. The movement was chafing, holding me in that narrow space between pleasure and pain. That foreign storm, the one I’d only ever experienced in my dreams where a shadowy figure played my body like a master, built with the force of a tsunami.Electric currents slithered down my abdomen, under my pants, and settled atop my clit. Holy fucking shit. They increased in intensity, alternating with his jerking hips. Every part of me was covered in his essence.The only place he wasn’t was the one place I knew we both wanted him to be. Conjuring the image of Draven moving inside me, imagining his weight pinning me down as he thrust between my legs, the dam finally broke.I cried out in pleasured shock, unable to hold it in. On and on it went with those electric currents prolonging my ecstasy until I was nothing more than a drooping form Draven had to hold upright.My body went limp, my head dropping to his shoulder. He was still hard and I wondered if we should do something about that, though, maybe not out here in the hall.Draven kissed my neck then straightened. Pulling gently on my hair, he tilted my head enough to see my face.“You’re exactly as I knew you’d be,” he said.“How’s that?” I puffed, still somewhat winded.“Passionate. Wild. A force to be reckoned with.”I blushed hard. Make-out session against wall? No problem. Complement from the Shadow Lord? Total embarrassment.“Yes, well, you’re nothing like I thought. None of this is, aside from the atmospheric differences.”“What did you think I’d be?”“Cold. Scary. Murdery.”He fought a smile. “I’m not sure murdery is a word, but I can be—and often am—all three. Though, not to you, Lyric. Never to you.”Emotions rolled through me, plucking a haunting tune on my heartstrings. I wasn’t sure I was ready to identify what I was feeling.He spoke to me as he might speak to a lover. He showed care for me, concern even. He’d fucking bought me a set of katanas and a personalized flask, things I’d treasure far more than any gift of flowers or jewelry.“Draven …”His lips pressed softly to mine. I knew my shield had been annihilated, so he was catching everything. It was grossly unfair.“It’s okay, Angel. This was all I needed, for now. You come beautifully, by the way.”If I flushed any further, I was going to have an aneurism.Draven lowered me to my feet, brushing back the stray hairs that had fallen out of my ponytail during our hallway tryst.“You might want to shower and change again, unless you want everyone to know what we were doing.”“They’ll still catch traces, anyway, won’t they?”“Probably.”Lamerson’s words about my worth got stuck on repeat in my mind. “I don’t want them to think I’m, that I’m …”“That you’re what?”“That that’s why I’m here, all I’m good for.”I waited for the regret to seep through my pores. When it didn’t, I chalked it up to the endorphins still pumping through me. Surely, I’d regret this by morning.Draven pushed open my door and nudged me inside. “Then go rinse off, get dressed, return to the training area, and kick someone’s ass.”Oh, gods. Draven got me. He sooo got me. How could I possibly keep my panties dry when the Shadow Lord was over there getting me?I was in over my head.

Author Bio:
C.A. Worley is the alter-ego of Romance Author Cass Alexander. Where Cass tends to focus on humor in her publications, C.A. loves to write fantasy. She chose to write under the two different monikers so as to not confuse (or tick off) her readers.C.A. currently resides in the Midwest, but was born and raised in the South. She spends her days working from home and her evenings are spent shuttling her kids to and fro. Her dinners are subpar, but she makes a mean dessert.When she's tired of living her sons' travel sports schedules, C.A. enjoys a glass (or four) of wine. She needs the liquid courage to click the publish button for her fantasy romance novels.Her motto is, "Be Brave," and she tries to live it every day. It takes a healthy dose of courage to get through this thing we call life.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK BLITZ: The Gladiator's Downfall by Kristen Banet #GIVEAWAY

The Gladiator’s Downfall
Kristen Banet
(Age of the Andinna #1)
Publication date: December 14th 2018
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Reverse Harem

Mave knows where she stands in life.She’s an Andinna. A member of the winged, horned, and tailed warrior race that the Elvasi Empire defeated in the Hundred Year War and then enslaved. She’s a slave, and has been one for a thousand years, the personal property of the Empress of the Elvasi Empire, since the end of the War. She’s a gladiator, thrown onto the sands of the Colosseum to die, though it backfired on those who wanted her dead. She’s the Champion of the Colosseum, and has been for roughly nine hundred years.All of these things have marked her as an outcast among her own people. Hated, distrusted, and despised, she knows the name of her people, but not much else.But she knows where she stands. Keeping her head down and her blades sharp has carried her this far, and she refuses to acknowledge the deepest wishes she holds in her heart. Those will only get her killed.Alone, she’s stood against everything they have ever thrown at her, refusing to give them what they want.What Mave doesn’t know is that it’s all about to change.

Goodreads / Amazon—Only 99¢ for a limited time!—

Author Bio:

Kristen Banet loves to read books that make people cry. She likes to write books that make people cry (and she wants to hear about it). She's a firm believer that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and she enjoys exploring those imperfections--trying to make the characters seem real on the page and not just in her head.She might just be crazy, though. Her characters think so, but this can't be confirmed.
You can find more of her works under K.N. Banet!Check out her social media to catch what's going on in the worlds inside her head. She drops teasers, new covers, and opens ARC reader slots through her Facebook group, The Banet Pride.Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

STREAM TO DONATE: how to help with no money or leaving your house.

This video project was created to offer people a way to donate to #blacklivesmatter without having any actual money or going out to protest themselves.
100% of the ad revenue this video makes through AdSense will be donated to the associations that offer protester bail funds, help pay for family funerals, and advocacy that are listed in the beginning of the video.
PLEASE share this video, make sure to leave the ads running, repeat the video, and let people know about this easy way to help.

BOOK BLITZ: The Right to Remain Silent by Anya Summers #GIVEAWAY

The Right to Remain Silent
Anya Summers
(Crescent City Kings #3)
Published by: Blushing Books Publications
Publication date: April 23rd 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He never expects to find her there…Officer Quinten Blackthorne is working undercover to bring the Rudnikov Mob Empire to its knees. He never expects to find his best friend’s baby sister, Becca, in the center of a powder keg situation at the infamous mobster’s home. With her life on the line, he does the only thing he can think of to save her – he pretends that she’s his fiancée, who knows nothing of his clandestine activities with the criminal enterprise, and stands as her stalwart protector.Forced into marriage…But Quinten never expects the mob boss to force them into marriage at gunpoint as a test of loyalty. Not to mention, the idea of her belonging to him isn’t unappealing, nor is he as averse to the prospect as he lets on. Becca, with her sweet curves and take no prisoners attitude, fascinates him, stirs him, and leaves him craving her submission. Yet his past is fraught with broken dreams and death, so he uses his friendship with her brother as a shield against his yearning to claim her as his own.Resistance is futile…However, circumstances soon compel Becca and Quinten to become the most unlikely allies in a deadly game of deception. Now they must depend on one another for survival. As they race to unlock the keys to breaking the case, will Quinten be able to maintain his hands-off policy with Becca? Or will he surrender to the earth-shattering passion and turn their marriage of convenience into the real deal?Publisher’s Note: This steamy friends to lovers romance contains elements of power exchange. While it’s the third in the Crescent City Kings series, it can be enjoyed independently.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
PLUS! Book 1 is only 99¢ for a limited time!
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
—EXCERPT:Becca searched for a potential exit. Guards were stationed in groups of two at doorways and stairwells, each guy more terrifying than the next, with hard faces that probably wouldn’t blink if she was shot dead where she stood. The further into the mansion she trod, the more Becca felt like she was heading to her own funeral. Bile threatened in the back of her throat. She hated that a part of her was impressed by the interior of the home because of the artwork on display. The paintings and sculptures were museum quality. If she wasn’t mistaken, they passed an original Renoir.The heels of Becca’s black leather boots clicked against the hardwood flooring. Her heart thumped in time with those clicks, like a ticking clock winding down to zero. Konrad and company ushered her up a grand staircase that made the one in Gone with the Wind look cheap and insignificant. At the top, they steered her to the right, down a wide hall with glossy hardwood floors and high ceilings.When they reached the end of the hall, the two henchmen who had joined them opened a pair of double doors that must have belonged to a Buddhist temple at one time. Becca’s clasped hands shook as she entered what amounted to a sitting room parlor with an enormous ivory marble hearth. The fire inside intended to ward off the chilly night couldn’t make the cold terror in her bones dissipate. Every piece of furniture and décor in the parlor spoke of wealth. There was a Louis XIV desk in one corner. But the room held all the warmth of a mausoleum.“Have a seat. The boss will be with you shortly,” Konrad indicated in a bullish tone and pointed toward the chocolate Chesterfield sofas while his buddies shut the doors with a resounding thud and sealed them all inside. Sealed Becca inside. She assessed the room. Floor-to-ceiling inlaid shelves held first editions behind panes of glass. There was a vase on a pedestal that looked to be from the Ming Dynasty, or was at least an excellent reproduction. She studied her surroundings for a potential avenue of escape. The only way out would be to jump from the large crenelated windows. Two stories up, she could break something—like her neck. Only three guards were present in the room, odds that weren’t great, but left her a fighting chance.Konrad shifted his hand to the butt of his gun until she finally complied with his order. Even if she escaped past Konrad and his two buddies, jumped out the window and didn’t break anything when she landed, the boatload of guards stationed over the grounds were far too numerous to outrun. The odds were not in her favor in making it to the gate and beyond for help.Becca said a silent prayer at the echoing clomp of multiple footsteps approaching. Her anxiety ratcheted up to cataclysmic levels.The double doors swung inward. Becca wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t a relatively trim man with salt and pepper hair, dressed in gray tweed slacks and a button up navy cardigan sweater over his ivory dress shirt. He looked much more like a history professor than a criminal mastermind—at least, until you looked into his eyes. They were cold, devoid of any humanity or warmth, and calculating. Rudnikov assessed her from head to toe as she rose. That stare made her feel underdressed in her jeans and Kelly-green chenille sweater. A sense of helplessness invaded her soul. The uncertainty infused by doubt that she would live through the next hour.Rudnikov didn’t travel alone. He had four of his paid thugs guarding him. Becca skimmed her gaze over them. They were all similar in manner and form to Konrad, as if they had come off an assembly line. But it was the last man her gaze landed on who brought her up short. She kept her jaw from dropping to the floor, but just barely.Quinten Blackthorne was a member of Anton Rudnikov’s mob team? What the hell?

Author Bio:
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway