R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 171

BOOK BLITZ: Hung Up on You by Marie Landry #GIVEAWAY

Hung Up on You
Marie Landry
Publication date: January 14th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Julia is single and happy, thank you very much. Try telling that to her happily-coupled bestie, though. She’s so determined to pair Julia off, she brings an extra guy friend along on a weekend getaway, in what’s clearly a set-up attempt. Julia’s interest is immediately piqued by sweet, sexy, nerdy Zack. There’s just one problem: he’s still hung up on his ex. Big time.Despite knowing that – and despite her attraction to him – it doesn’t stop her friends from throwing them together every other second, insisting they’d make the perfect couple. But Julia is determined to friend zone him. At least until he suggests they pretend to date to get their respective friends off their backs.At first, their fake “dating” is more friendship than fireworks. But as they get closer, the lines begin to blur between them, and Julia realizes she has to either shut down her developing feelings for Zack or let him in. The question is: can she fully trust him with her heart? Or does his heart still belong to his ex?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—EXCERPT:Todd frees himself from the jumble in the hall and comes forward to kiss Dee’s cheek, then mine. Kai follows suit, giving Dee a peck on the lips before stopping in front of me. He grips my shoulders lightly, the way he always does when we see each other, and bends to kiss both my cheeks. “I’m happy to see you, Jules,” he says in his deep, measured voice. “I’m glad you could come for the weekend.” He leans forward and whispers, “Don’t be too mad at her. You know her heart is always in the right place, even if she tends to overstep.”I don’t get a chance to ask what he’s talking about before he steps to the side, giving me my first look at the mystery stranger in the hall. His glasses have fogged up after coming in from the cold, but as the mist clears, I get a better look at his dark-blue eyes. The uncertainty on his face likely matches my own as he looks between the two couples. His eyes land on me next, and the crease in his forehead eases slightly, his frown morphing into a tiny, shy smile. He takes off his hat, revealing thick brown hair that stands in every direction, even after he attempts to smooth it down.My stomach does a little flip. I get it now: this is a setup. I should probably be irritated, and that’s clearly what Dee expects, but this guy is cute. Really cute. He has a bit of a nerdy vibe, which isn’t my usual type, but there’s something about his shy, almost boyish smile that piques my curiosity. I usually resist Dee’s attempts to fix me up, but maybe I’ll cut her some slack this time. I’m single, I’m young, and there’s nothing wrong with a weekend hookup every now and then, right?Dee steps forward and gives the guy a quick hug. “I’m so glad you decided to take Kai up on his offer to come. We’re going to have so much fun!” I’m vaguely aware of butterflies taking flight in my stomach as Dee turns to me. “This is Julia Coleman, my best friend. Jules, this is Zack Clayton. He and Kai work at the same insurance company.”Zack steps forward, pulling off his right glove to shake my hand. Warm skin, good grip. His smile gives me a girl-in-a-romance-novel reaction: weak knees, heart fluttering, skin buzzing with awareness. Up close, I can see the crinkles around his eyes and the shallow dimple in his right cheek. I’ve always been a sucker for a cute smile.“Nice to meet you, Julia.”Oh god, and his deep, sexy voice. It’s the perfect complement to those beautiful eyes and adorable smile. I’m a goner.

Author Bio:
Marie Landry's life revolves around books; when she's not writing them, she's reading them, taking pictures of them for bookstagram, or blogging about them. An avid reader from a young age, she loves getting lost in characters' worlds, whether they're of her own making or someone else's. She particularly loves coming-of-age stories with as much of an emphasis on self-discovery as on romance...but don't leave out the romance! When not doing bookish things, Marie can be found daydreaming (in general, but often about traveling through Europe), marathon-watching shows on Netflix, and taking photographs. She lives in a cozy apartment in Ontario, Canada with the best roommate ever, and only sometimes imagines it's actually a flat in London.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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B@@K REVEAL: Counting on Forever by Screaming Mimi

Title: Counting On Forever
Author: Screaming Mimi
Genre: Contemporary/Military Romance
Cover Designer: SM Graphics & Design
Release Date: March 15th   How did I get here? What happened to my carefully laid plans? I was destined to marry my high school sweetheart, my very own hero. I was counting on forever, not becoming a widow before I ever became a bride. Now I'm alone and pregnant by my former fiancée’s best friend. Where did it all go wrong? Or did it go right? Only time will tell...
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Photographer:  SCPhoto
    Screaming Mimi is a retired Army wife, who lives in Texas with her husband of twenty years, their two daughters, and two dogs. Although she writes a variety of genres, she has yet to publish anything other than Romance currently.     These days she works full-time at the local Community College in their online college department while working on her Bachelors degree with Texas A&M. Somehow she still finds time to write, craft, and do the occasional photo shoot. She's a believer in going after your dreams, all it takes in one leap of faith to get you started. 



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B@@K REVEAL: Keep Forever by Alexa Kingaard

Keep Forever
Alexa Kingaard
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: April 30th 2020
Genres: Historical, Romance, Women’s Fiction

“Unlike some war stories that focus on intense, harsh and graphic depictions of post-combat trauma, this tale unfolds gently, like an Edna Ferber novel, spread across many decades, detailing the impact this soldier’s illness has on an entire family, including children and grandchildren. KEEP FOREVER is a wonderful, emotionally satisfying read that I highly recommend. ”GARY SEIGEL, author of “Haskell Himself”
Paul O’Brien’s idyllic childhood in Southern California comes to a halt when his mother dies in the summer before his senior year of high school and a very different persona of his father emerges – isolating himself inside the house, turning to alcohol for comfort, and barely noticing his only child. Simultaneously, the war in Vietnam is sending shock waves around the world and young men from one coast to the other are being called upon to serve. Paul enlists in the Marines before receiving his draft notice. Elizabeth Sutton is eager to gain some independence from her father’s old fashioned notions and looking forward to her first year in high school. At fifteen years old, tragedy strikes with the loss of both parents in an auto accident, turning her childhood into one of responsibility and worry overnight. The four siblings are scattered when her nine-year-old twin sisters are sent to live with their Aunt and Uncle on Nantucket Island, and Elizabeth is left behind in Boston with their grandmother. Her older brother, Sam, enlists in the Marines, eager to join the conflict a world away as opposed to dealing with the one unfolding at home. A bond develops between Paul and Sam in Vietnam, and both are injured in a bloody battle that costs Sam his right hand and sets the stage for a lifetime of nightmares and sleepless nights for Paul. Matched by similar tragedies at a young age, Elizabeth and Paul’s first introduction by Sam upon their return from Vietnam is the beginning of friendship and love that survives five decades. After marrying, welcoming their first child, and inheriting a small beach house, the couple adapts to their new surroundings, but distant memories of Vietnam continue to haunt Paul. In an era when veterans refuse to speak of their pain and the government denies that thousands of soldiers are coming home irreparably damaged, he is left to deal with the challenge of caring for his loved ones amidst his his erratic flashback episodes and moods. As their lives unravel from the lingering effects of PTSD, Elizabeth learns to accept the burden that Paul brought home, and together they make their own memories to keep forever.
Inspired By A True Story

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Author Bio:
Alexa Kingaard was born in San Diego, CA and has lived most of her life in the area. She currently resides in Carlsbad and is the mother of an adult son and daughter who continue to be her biggest fans and cheerleaders. A realtor for fifteen years, she remains involved with her profession and praises her brokers and clients for giving her the nod to be creative.
She gives all the credit for completing her debut novel, KEEP FOREVER, to her inspiration and late ex-husband, Jeff, who battled the residual effects of the Vietnam War for decades after his return.Her second novel, MY NAME IS ROSE, will be released through Acorn Publishing March 15, 2019.
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B@@K REVEAL: Arkham by Marteeka Karland #PreORDER

Arkham
Marteeka Karland
(Bones MC, #5)
Published by: Changeling Press
Publication date: January 21st 2020
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Rain — The gangs of the underground can be brutal. I know this well and have the scars to prove it. So when a team of rough-looking men start nosing around the slums of Rockwell, I make it my business to know what they’re up to. One in particular catches my eye. He’s rough and scary looking, but his touch is gentle when it needs to be. He’s older and more experienced in every way than me, but I’m still drawn to him. I’m not sure why, but I want him. And when I let him take me, I’ll savor the experience until it’s time to go. Arkham — The little pixie warrior is a conundrum if ever there was one. She’s strong and capable but scared inside and out. I can’t fix what’s broken inside her, but I can share her burdens and make her part of my circle. I’ll take her with me, with Bones MC. She’ll be protected there.But who’s gonna protect her from me?

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Author Bio:
Romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of. Now, she breathes life into faeries, space hunters, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and a few just plane ole ordinary people. She loves to see the awkward, self-conscious band geek get the captain of the football team and make him beg for it.

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BOOK BLITZ: Inherent Truth by Alicia Anthony #GIVEAWAY

Inherent Truth
Alicia Anthony
(Blood Secrets, #1)
Publication date: January 14th 2020
Genres: Adult, Suspense

A woman with buried secrets…An agent with an impossible mission…An inheritance that will destroy them both…
When Liv Sullivan’s grandmother beckons for help from beyond the grave, the reluctant psychic returns to her small Ohio hometown. Scrambling to make sense of the clues left by the vision, Liv finds herself face to face with undercover agent, Ridge McCaffrey.Assigned to protect a woman whose gifts unnerve him, for a covert psychic intelligence operation he doesn’t understand, Ridge struggles to place duty over desire. But when a gruesome discovery is unearthed at Sullivan Farm, the truth becomes clear…Some family secrets are best left buried.Inherent Truth is the first book in the gripping new Blood Secrets psychological thriller series about the cost of truth and the price we pay for love. If you like pulse-pounding page-turners laced with a touch of romance, and shocking twists that will leave you dying for the sequel, Alicia Anthony’s thrilling debut is for you.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play—EXCERPT:I was ten when I watched my cousin die. Granted, at the time I didn’t know the kid I’d seen through a light blue haze was a member of my family. To me, he was just a stranger, like all the rest. A specter sent from the depths of my brain to wake me up in the middle of the night. I still remember like it was yesterday.The dream sent our household into a sleep deprived frenzy. Me, screaming for my parents to turn on the lights, tears running in rivers down flushed cheeks. My dad, sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbed his hand in circles across my shoulders, consoling me. It took a long distance phone call the following morning for my mom and dad to understand that the dream had been more than a figment of my overactive imagination.“How did it happen?” My mother’s voice was tight, wobbly as she spoke into the kitchen telephone receiver. It was the only one in the house that was still corded. I watched from the living room couch as she twisted the stretched curlicues of cord around her index finger.When she slid into a chair at the kitchen table with her hand planted firmly over her lips, heaviness descended on the room, blanketing the air with cold finality. To this day I remember the lead weight in my chest, the struggle for breath. Maybe that’s what he’d felt in his last moments. My mother was still holding the phone in one hand when she turned to stare at me. Eyes wide with some emotion I couldn’t yet interpret. Now, sixteen years later, I can tell you for certain it was terror.My sixteen-year-old cousin, Curt, had been killed racing home from a party to make curfew. I’d seen it all. Told my parents every detail. The skid on the damp roadway. The slam into a poorly placed telephone pole. Even the good Samaritans who’d stopped in the dead of night to try to dig him out of the twisted wreckage. Smoke filtered up from the heap of metal before I saw him, standing on the other side of the car, smiling at me.“Tell Mom, I’m sorry,” he’d said. His voice cut short by the wail of a siren.It’s funny. I can still picture that dream in lifelike detail. But now, instead of terror, there’s a peaceful comfort attached to the memory. I think that’s how it works for me. The visions can’t hold any power over me once I work them out–figure out how to help.In those early days, I’d been scared senseless. I’d wake up in a cold sweat, flailing to turn a light on, to familiarize myself with reality again. For a while I slept with the bedside lamp on, hoping the luminescence would create some kind of barrier between this world and the next. It was my grandmother who helped me realize it was useless, of course. The dreams were a part of reality–my reality, anyway.But that awareness of what my dreams were–what that made me–changed everything. The energy in our household sparked with frustration. My mother and father argued. Family outings trickled to a rare occurrence. My life consisted of school, home, homework, and bed, praying to whatever god would listen to let me sleep through the night. Every once in a while some deity would listen, most times, not. I learned to keep what I saw to myself. Wash, rinse, repeat.Within two years, my mother had run through all the psychiatrists and magic pills she could find to make me normal again. By the time I was twelve, I was spending the majority of my time at my grandparents’ farm, away from the family I’d disgraced and the marriage I’d destroyed. At least, that’s how it seemed to twelve-year-old me.“I will not allow my daughter to be a freak.” My mother’s words after a particularly heated exchange with my father regarding my condition are what drove me to become the Liv Sullivan I am today.The “f” word, as I’d taken to calling it, hummed in my skull now, just as it had when I was a girl. Hunkered down on the steps of my parents’ home, eavesdropping through tears, the people I loved arguing about an affliction I didn’t fully understand and over which I had no control.Of course, if it wasn’t for all of that, I might never have learned I had two choices in life–remain the small-town freak or reinvent myself as a big city fraud. I chose the latter, finding out pretty quick that the best place to hide was in plain sight.

Author Bio:
Alicia Anthony’s first novels were illegible scribbles on the back of her truck driver father’s logbook trip tickets. Having graduated from scribbles to laptop, she now pens novels of psychological suspense in the quiet of the wee morning hours. A full-time elementary school Literacy Specialist, Alicia hopes to pass on her passion for books and writing to the students she teaches.A two time Golden Heart® finalist and Silver Quill Award winner, Alicia finds her inspiration in exploring the dark, dusty corners of the human experience. Alicia is a graduate of Spalding University’s School of Creative & Professional Writing (MFA), Ashland University (M.Ed.) and THE Ohio State University (BA). Go Bucks! She lives in rural south-central Ohio with her amazingly patient and supportive husband, incredibly understanding teenage daughter, two dogs, three horses, a plethora of both visiting and resident barn cats, and some feral raccoons who have worn out their welcome.When she’s not writing or teaching, Alicia loves to travel and experience new places. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram @AliciaAnthonyBooks. She’d love to hear from you!Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

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BOOK BLITZ: Alonzo by J.A. Huss #GIVEAWAY

Alonzo
J.A. Huss
(Bossy Brothers, #5)
Publication date: January 13th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Read as book five in the Bossy Brothers series or as a standalone book.TARALonnie Derringer is a filthy-mouthed, dirty-talking, long-distance fling.(That’s been going on for two years.)I know, I know. That’s not a fling. This might be getting serious.I think about him all the time. I look forward to our quickie lunch dates and the way he whispers in my ear every night from two-thousand miles away.He’s the best boyfriend I never had.Until I find out his name isn’t Lonnie, it’s Alonzo.Until I find out he’s not some boring accountant with a dead-end job, he’s a six-foot-four, yoked-out, tatted-up fisherman who never wears a shirt!That’s right, girls. He’s been catfishing me online for two… freaking… years!And then he becomes more than just the best boyfriend I’ve never had.He becomes my target.ALONZOTara Tanner is the perfect long-distance girlfriend who lives in the Land of Far, Far Away.She’s a blonde, bookish bundle of sexy-overachiever. A wicked little siren with a filthy mind and an eye for pencil skirts. And every time I ask her to ‘send-me-a-pic-or-it-never-happened’ she goes above and beyond.She is, quite simply, the most perfect woman I’ve ever had the pleasure to never meet.I didn’t set out to lie to her and I didn’t expect to meet her.But one day she shows up at my house, and guess what?She wasn’t the only one being catfished for two years.Because she’s not who she said she was either.Bossy Brothers: Alonzo can be read as book five in the Bossy Brothers series or as a standalone story and features a sexy game of guess-who between a librarian obsessed with pencil skirts and a fisherman tatted up with mermaids. It’s long-distance fling filled with dirty-talking, sexy selfies, and safely-hidden secrets… until it isn’t.Until the day they meet and realize… Love in the Land of fake Far, Far Away can’t ever compare to the real thing.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—EXCERPT:ALONZO “Fort Collins Public Library , how can I help you?”“Yes. Hello. I have a question about a book.”“Yes, sir. That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to hear it.”“Well, it’s not a question about a book, per se. I’m looking for something specific. To read.”“Well, you’re talking to the right girl. I’m a book expert. I even have the pencil skirt, tight white blouse, severe ponytail, and dark-framed glasses to prove it.”“Hmmm. What’s your name? It’s just… I like to use a woman’s name when I talk books with them.”“Ohhh… Tara. I’m Tara. Do you… like women who talk books back to use your name as well?”“Hmmm. Intriguing question, Tara. I’ve never thought about it before. But yes. Yes. I’d like that. I’m Lonnie. A too-smart, button-down-shirt-wearing accountant who loves numbers and making things… balance.”“Balancing. I like that.”“You do?”“Mmm-hmmm.”“What kind of balancing are you picturing? Like… financial statements and checkbooks?”“Nnn-nooooo. More like… the kind of balance you need when a hot, sexy accountant is fucking you up against a wall.”“Oh.”“Sorry. My imagination is… well, wild. And I’m a bit bored at the moment. There’s absolutely no one else here in the library with me. I guess I’m just looking for a little fun while no one’s watching.”“Are you sure you’re a librarian?”“Positive. But I’d like to clarify one thing before we continue. I don’t mind people watching.”“Oh.”“Now tell me. What kind of specific book are you looking for? I’m excited at the prospect of pleasing you.”“This might sound a little weird, Tara.”“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve heard it all, Lonnie.”“It’s a very… odd trope I’m looking for.”“Trust me, Lonnie. I’m here to help. What trope are you looking for today?”“OK, so… it’s the one about the… well, let’s call him under-socialized—”“Got it. Our protagonist is a man who is maybe… an accountant?”“Exactly.”“Great. Keep going.”“And he meets this… other under-socialized person. Female. Maybe a…”“A librarian?”“Yes! Exactly. This accountant meets a librarian and they…”“Fuck?”“No.”“Have cam sex?”“Mmmm… not quite. But close.”“OK. I think I understand. But I need a little clarification, if you don’t mind.”“I don’t mind at all, Tara. How can I clarify?”“Well, this accountant. Can you give me a better description? Just so, you know, I can clearly envision this… book… in my head.”“Sure. He’s about six foot four.”“Oh, my.”“Yeah. He’s big.”“Big as in…?”“Tall. Yup.”“Oh.”“But he’s big in other ways too.”“Really?”“Yeah. Like… you know. Biiiig.”“Big as in… I can’t fit my hand around it?”“How big are your hands?”“Small to average.”“Then definitely not.”“I see. OK. Got it. He’s girthy.”“Exactly.”“What else?”“Well, his hair is light brown.”“Hmm. Eyes?”“Let’s go with hazel.”“Hazel green? Hazel blue? Or hazel brown?”“Hazel green-brown.”“Delicious.”“What?”“Oh. I’m eating pudding. And I just licked my spoon. It’s delicious.”“Pudding, huh?”“Mmmm. Pudding. OK. I have a better picture of our hero. But what of our heroine? This… librarian.”“Well… she’s a typical librarian. And you’re a librarian.”“That I am, Lonnie.”“Well, this librarian is on the small side.”“Small as in petite? Or small as in… not more than a mouthful?”“Petite.”“Oh. So she’s ample in all the right places. Like me.”“Like you, huh?”“Mmmm-hmm.”“And she wears… well, pencil skirts.”“Also like me.”“And a tight, white, button-down blouse that shows off her ample…”“Breasts?”“I was going to say ‘pocket protector.’”“Lonnie?”“Tara?”“You’re making this difficult.”“How so?”“I’m on my lunch break here.”“Oh, am I disturbing you?”“Not at all. I’m just waiting for you to get to the good parts.”“The part where they bond over books and numbers?”“No, the part where he talks dirty to her on the phone while she’s on her lunch break so she can come on her fingers and make him pretend to lick them.”I laugh.“It’s not funny. Come on!”“It’s roleplaying.”“I know. I’m done with it. I gave you the perfect in and all you had to do was say, ‘Yeah, the kind of balance when he fucks her against a wall’ and we’d be halfway home right now!”“Where’s the fun in that?”“You’re doing this on purpose! You know I only get thirty minutes for lunch today! It’s book club Monday and I’ve got every damn housewife in Fort Collins in here with her wine-stained book-of-the-month-club edition paperback acting like she’s all literate and shit.”I laugh again.“Lonnie. Phone-fuck me right now. Or I’m hanging up and never answering your pervy calls again.”

Author Bio:
JA Huss is the New York Times Bestselling author of 321 and has been on the USA Today Bestseller's list 21 times in the past five years. She writes characters with heart, plots with twists, and perfect endings.Her new sexy sci-fi romance and paranormal romance pen name is KC Cross and she writes novels and teleplays collaboratively with actor and screenwriter, Johnathan McClain.Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie Award in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her audiobook, Mr. Perfect, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017. Her audiobook, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Five of her books were optioned for a TV series by MGM television in 2018. And her book, Total Exposure, was nominated for a RITA Award in 2019.She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.Amazon / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

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B@@K REVEAL: Trouble with Wolves by Danielle Annett #GIVEAWAY

Trouble with Wolves
Danielle Annett
(Magic and Bone, #1)
Publication date: February 9th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Shifters and humans don’t mix … But Red isn’t like any human I’ve met before. He doesn’t fear shifters, and for some reason he wants to help me forge peace between my Pack and the town. Our relationship morphs from unlikely allies to … more. And the more I’m around Red, the more I crave him.But none of that matters when fate steps in, and I find myself leading the Pack. My Pack will never accept him. The people of Lethbridge will never accept me. And a relationship with a human is the last thing I need.
If you love snarky heroines, forbidden romance, and shapeshifters, grab Trouble with Wolves today!

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Author Bio:

I'm just a girl with an obsession for Marvel movies, a love of all things Urban Fantasy, and a cheerleader for the underdog in any given story.If you're looking for a heroine you can root for ... someone who defies the odds and gets up every time they're knocked down ... then look no further because that's what you'll find in my books.
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BOOK BLITZ: What Lies in Paradise by Leah Cupps #GIVEAWAY

What Lies in Paradise
Leah Cupps
Publication date: January 10th 2020
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

She’s got 400,000 fans. One of them could be the killer.Instagram Influencer Sydney Evans carefully curates her enviable public persona. Despite being freshly widowed, she’s eager to strike a pose at her best friend’s extravagant destination nuptials. But Sydney’s feed goes dark when she blacks out on the plane, awakening to discover another guest poisoned to death.With the FBI keen to use Sydney as an insider, she takes the arm of a rookie undercover agent hoping to capture something incriminating. But a deadly run-in exposes a shocking criminal underbelly lurking beneath her own picture-perfect marriage. And if she doesn’t solve the case before her friends tie the knot, the culprit will make sure her next selfie is her last.Can Sydney catch a murderer or will the wedding become a funeral?What Lies In Paradise is a fast-paced standalone thriller. If you like real-world issues, lavish socialite parties, and electrifying twists and turns, then you’ll love Leah Cupps’ provocative mystery.Buy What Lies In Paradise to join a deadly digital whodunit today!

Goodreads / Amazon—PROLOGUE:The circular steel barrel of a Glock nine-millimeter pushed roughly against Sydney’s left temple. The gun was searing her skin, still warm from the last bullet fired. One large, tan, muscular arm wrapped around her neck, threatening to snuff out her last few breaths.I should have seen this coming, she thought. I should have known that if I agreed to go along with this ridiculous plan, something terrible would happen and I’d end up dead.A series of images from her life began to scroll across her brain, like the snapshots from her Instagram feed. She in pigtails blowing out the candles for her sixth birthday. The fabulous pink satin dress that peeked out from her graduation gown, bright enough to match to her beaming smile. A picture of her at a café in Paris posing with a freshly baked chocolate croissant and a steaming cappuccino. She could see the images, but all she could think about were the choices she didn’t make and the people she neglected.If she survived this moment, gun pressed against her temple, maybe she would start spending more time with her head in the real world, where life was messy and not one picture-perfect square after another. That was her mistake: projecting the perfect life made her believe she had the perfect life, but she didn’t. Had she tapped the Do Not Disturb button every once in a while, maybe she would have sensed the lies that had begun to weave their way into the real world around her. She could have fallen in love with someone different, someone who led a simple, boring life, like an accountant or a mechanic. But who was she kidding? Love doesn’t work that way.Although there was shouting next to her ear, the voices sounded far away. All Sydney could hear was the blood thumping through her head and the whoosh-whoosh of her heart beating. The large tropical bushes that lined the walkway reached up toward the sky and bent down to form a canopy over the four of them, giving them respite from the burning Jamaican sun. She was not alone, but that didn’t make the situation any better.She could still hear the soft call of the ocean behind her but all she could see were palm leaves and the crushed gravel pathway beneath her. Sweat was pouring down her face, neck, and back, soaking the pale blue chiffon dress she had just posted herself wearing on social media a few hours ago.If only my followers could see me now, Sydney thought.She heard the click of the pistol’s slide, chambering a round. Sydney didn’t believe in bad luck, but this situation might surely change her mind. Why me? she thought as the world started to blur around her like a watercolor painting. She began to taste the tangy bit of blood forming at the back of her mouth. He was holding on too tightly. If only she could wake up from this nightmare and be somewhere else. Like when she woke up at the airport.That was the beginning.

Author Bio:
Leah Cupps is an entrepreneur and author. She has built and sold several businesses, and documented the process in her first book #MomLifeInc.She always has a passion for stories and spends her evenings writing novels. Her debut novel is, What Lies in Paradise, will debut in January, 2020.She writes Thriller, Mystery, Suspense and Action & Adventure.Leah's novels are fast-paced, thrillers that will keep you up at night as you can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter.Leah lives in Indiana with her husband, three young children and two small dogs. When she isn't losing sleep writing her next novel or scaling her next business, she enjoys running and spending time with her family.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

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B@@K REVEAL: One NIght with His Rival by Robyn Grady

One Night with His Rival
Robyn Grady
Published by: Harlequin Desire
Publication date: March 1st 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Selling his soul for a sizzling night of passion… “Wanting something doesn’t make it good for you.” Wealthy horse breeder Ajax Rawson can have any woman he wants. So why can’t he keep his hands off the one woman he can’t have? Beautiful, independent and passionate, Veda Darnel is the daughter of his family’s biggest competitor. Years of bad business blood makes their affair dangerous…and forbidden. But will accusations of foul play end their star-crossed romance before it even begins?

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Author Bio:
Robyn Grady's stories have been published in 29 languages with millions of copies sold worldwide. Her books have appeared at award ceremonies including the National Readers Choice, the Booksellers Best, and Australia's prestigious Romance Book of the Year. Stories in her latest Harlequin Desire series, About That Night, will hit the shelves January and March, 2020. Stay up to date with the latest news at www.robyngrady.com.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

BOOK BLITZ: The After Wife by Melanie Summers #GIVEAWAY

The After Wife
Melanie Summers
Publication date: January 10th 2020
Genres: Women’s Fiction

From bestselling author Melanie Summers, comes a heartfelt and uplifting tale of love, loss, and letting go…After losing her husband, writer Abigail Carson has all but given up on life. Having spent the last year cocooned in her Manhattan apartment, Abigail is suddenly forced to find a new home where she can stretch her dwindling savings. Intent on isolation, she moves to a tiny village in Nova Scotia where she’ll have no one to interrupt her solitude.Little does Abigail realize that small-town life offers far less privacy than the big city. With neighbors knocking on the door bearing homemade treats and invitations, Abby soon finds herself immersed in the lives of the people of South Haven. She forms an unlikely friendship with Liam Wright, the handyman renovating her dilapidated cottage, and his daughter, seven-year-old Olive.As the dark cloud engulfing Abigail lifts, she begins to believe she may have found love again. But just as Abigail is ready to leap, she discovers Liam carries with him a shocking secret that will ultimately cause everything to unravel. Abigail must decide if she will turn away from his pain or open her heart in the most hopeless of circumstances.Insightful, enchanting, and filled with hope, The After Wife reminds us of the importance of human connection and the inseparable nature of love and survival.

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT:
IN THIS SCENE, THE MAIN CHARACTER, ABBY, IS AT THE PUB FOR DINNER. IT’S HER FIRST NIGHT IN TOWN, AND SHE’S JUST BEEN TOLD THAT THE PUB OWNERS, PETER AND NETTIE, WILL INTRODUCE HER TO A LOCAL CONTRACTOR, LIAM WRIGHT, WHO CAN HELP HER FIX UP HER DILAPIDATED COTTAGE. ABBY SUSPECTS THEY’RE ALSO TRYING TO SET THEM UP ON A DATE…—
Why do I not drink more often? I’m almost through my second pint and I honestly can’t remember feeling so good. I don’t even care how out of place I am. Instead, I happily devour a slice of homemade lemon meringue pie. Dinner service has ended, and most of the guests have filed out, replaced by several locals bearing instruments. A new feeling takes over the restaurant. It’s an easy, relaxed vibe full of inside jokes and laughter as they rearrange the tables into a large horseshoe. I rush to finish my dessert, hoping to make my exit before I attract the attention of every snoopy musician in the village.Peter gives me a nod. “Liam’s just come in now.”I turn and see a man standing at the entrance. He looks to be in his early forties. Medium height, with the sturdy build of a fisherman or maybe a miner in days gone by. He has shaggy sandy-brown hair and thick stubble that’s somewhere between needing a shave and needing another couple of months to grow. His eyes, though. There’s something about them that makes me stare a moment too long. They’re the shade of ice blue usually reserved for wolves.He looks straight at Nettie and Peter, and my gaze follows his. They are standing side by side with matching hopeful grins. They look at me, then back at him, and when I glance in his direction again, I’m met with a look of dread. It doesn’t take me more than a second to figure out he thinks he’s about to be set up and he’s absolutely horrified at the thought of having any of his parts touch any of my parts.And here I am gawking at him like a moron.Blue sweater vest woman walks by and touches my arm. “You’ve got a bit of a mustache, love.”She hurries off in the direction of the ladies’ room while I dab my upper lip with a napkin, confirming that I did, in fact, have a frothy white beer mustache.Well, that’s that, then. The Millhouse boys it is.“Liam! Come over and meet Abby!” Peter calls.No. Please don’t. I swivel my stool to face the bar, and in my overly enthusiastic effort, I swing it too far and bang my left knee on the wood bracket. The force of it causes my body to jar and jerk back to my right and I plant my left hand in what’s left of my pie. I’m a regular Princess Di this evening, all elegance and grace.Check, please.Nettie gives me a concerned look. “You all right, love?”“I’m fine. I just remembered I have to make a phone call. Can you put this on my room?” I smile too brightly as I slide off the stool and start for the side door as fast as my legs can carry me.“Well, come back when you’re done so you don’t miss the music!” Nettie calls.“And you still need to meet Liam!” Peter yells.“I most certainly will!” Not.

Author Bio:
Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International. Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

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