R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 189

BOOK BLITZ: Unintentional Obsession by Layla Stone #GIVEAWAY

Unintentional Obsession
Layla Stone
(Lotus Adaamas Series #2)
Publication date: September 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Every year Shine visits his mother’s grave. No one has ever dared to interrupt his day of sorrow.Except today. An old enemy stops by, not to pay his respects but to demand Shine take in a snobby female that works in his lab. To keep her from leaving the planet he’s bound both Shine and the female with a bracelet that will electrocute them if they stray too far apart.If Shine doesn’t do what he’s told, he dies.If the female doesn’t do what she’s told, they both die.Shine’s patience, loyalty and love have never been tested like this before.
—Note to reader: This is a slow burn Sci-Fi Romance that can be read as a standalone.

Goodreads / Amazon—Q&A with author Layla Stone
1. Are there any secrets from the book, you can share with your readers?Yes, each heroine is related to someone in the Unexpected Series.


2. Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or excerpt?Nara silently stewed as she sat in the Hampton Dwarf next to the Night Demon who’d dared to make this situation sound like it was all her fault. He also breathed from his nose in a strange way. If he didn’t stop, she was going to poison him.
Shine inhaled slowly and then snorted out. Nara’s insides curled. She couldn’t take this. “Hey, knock that off.”Shine turned. “Knock what off?”“Your breathing.” How did he not realize how annoying he was?“You want me to stop breathing?”“I want you to stop breathing the way you breathe.” After she’d said that, she saw his face and knew he wasn’t getting it. Clarifying, she said, “You inhale slowly and then snort. Seriously, did you not know you do that?”Shine narrowed his eyes. “I don’t do that.”“Oh, yes, you do.”Nara had never felt so victorious in her life because, instantly, his breathing changed. She could tell that he was trying to control it.Reveling in her moment, she leaned back in her seat and touched the window screens, activating them to show the outside. It was interactive, so it showed what each building was and offered an option for more information.The planet was ugly, and so were the buildings. All of them were made of dark-colored metal, rusted or decayed from all the acidic rain. The only vibrant colors came from the shop signs and advertising pods that blinked in the air.The planet badly needed a makeover, which was why she hadn’t hesitated to come all the way to do it herself. She should have known better.Shine did that annoying breathing thing again. She cringed. “You’re doing it again.”

3. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?I’ve always liked the grumpy smart guy, but I felt like that type of guy didn’t need a spunky sweetheart – he needed a heroine just as smart…or smarter.


4. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?I hope they are like it. That’s my main thought whenever I publish a new book.


5. Can you give us some insight into what makes the hero tick?He’s made a huge mistake in his past and has been living with the guilt for a long time.


6. What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?The heroine is a bit much, but I hope you can give her a chance.


7. What was the highlight of writing this book?My favorite part of writing is getting feedback from my beta reader via marco-polo app.

Author Bio:
Layla Stone is a Sci-Fi Romance author who is passionate about writing and reading romances. Her books are a blend of science fiction, romance and action adventure. A business coordinator by training and a bookworm at heart, Layla makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a trio of fur babies. You can find more information about her characters and their races at www.authorLaylaStone.comTo learn more about Layla, her life and writing process, copy and paste this link into your browser and join her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/daY1qjWebsite / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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B@@K REVEAL: The Mercenary's Daughter by Jessica Therrien & Joe Gazzam #GIVEAWAY

The Mercenary’s Daughter
Jessica Therrien & Joe Gazzam
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: March 31st 2020
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

When Special Ops recruit, Tara Kafee is dishonorably discharged, there’s only one place to go—Home.But there’s more waiting for her there than she’s ready for.It’s been four years since she’s been back and ten since her mother walked out on the family never to be heard of again.She’s determined to rekindle things with her father and keep him close. That is, until he goes missing.Soon after stumbling upon a safe room full of weapons, fake passports, and a mission’s dossier marking a target in Cuba, she reluctantly accepts the help of her angsty teenage brother. He’s the only one she can trust, so together, the two set out for Havana.Tara is determined to get her father back, whatever it takes, but things are never easy when you’re the mercenary’s daughter.

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Author Bios:Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression, became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. Her trilogy has been translated and sold through major publishers around the world, such as Editions AdA (Canada), EditionsMilan (France), and SharpPoint Press (China).Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica is the author of a kid's picture book called, The Loneliest Whale. Her award-winning stories can also be found in a published anthology of flash fiction.Jessica spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no streetlights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language.In 2003, Jessica attended California State University Long Beach where her passion for language found her studying Chinese, and in 2005 she moved to Taiwan to study abroad. From 2005 to 2006 Jessica was fully immersed in the Chinese language as she attended National Taiwan University, and in 2008 she graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude.Jessica currently lives in Irvine with her husband and two young sons. She is working on a new YA thriller/suspense series and a middle grade fantasy series.Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram—Screenwriter/Novelist Joe Gazzam has been a working screenwriter for 8 years, working on such films as:
Shadow RunCliffhanger21 Jump StreetBarbarellaStep Up: RevolutionDisney's Hawaiian AdventureIt Takes a ThiefAnubis Tapestry(and many more)
His debut novel, UNCAGED, out now!Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

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BOOK BLITZ: Past This Point by Nicole Mabry #GIVEAWAY

Past This Point
Nicole Mabry
Publication date: September 3rd 2019
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Thriller, Women’s Fiction

Karis Hylen has been through the New York City dating wringer. After years of failed relationships, she abandons her social life and whittles her days down to work and spending time with her dog, Zeke. Her self-imposed exile ends up saving her life when an untreatable virus sweeps the east coast, killing millions.Alone in her apartment building, Karis survives with only Zeke, phone calls to her mom, and conversations with two young girls living across the courtyard. With the city in a state of martial law, violence and the smell of rotting corpses surround her every day. But her biggest enemy is her own mind. As cabin fever sets in, vivid hallucinations make her question her sanity.In addition to her dwindling food and water stash, Karis must now struggle to keep her mind in check. When a mysterious man enters the scene, she hopes she can convince him to help her make it to the quarantine border. With the world crumbling around her, Karis discovers her inner strength but may find that she needs people after all.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play—EXCERPT:I started at Kirk’s apartment since it was across the hall from mine. In spite of the proximity of our apartments, I rarely saw Kirk. He was a quiet man who usually just nodded to me and only became garrulous when talking about renovations to his apartment. I pulled the collar of my sweatshirt up over my face and knocked softly. After a few seconds, I knocked again, louder. I pressed my ear to the door, but all I heard was a vehicle racing down our street.I walked down one flight and knocked on the door of apartment four, which was directly beneath mine. I often speculated about the resident, middle-aged Tom, who had an impressive handlebar mustache, and his mysterious movements. I only saw him once every other month or so, and a few times, he had been with younger women. He always wore a suit, so I imagined he was a traveling salesman. But I also thought he could be married and using the small apartment as his love nest. I knocked and listened. No answer. I wondered if he was away on a sales trip and had managed to avoid the whole debacle.I walked the few feet to apartment five, where a gay couple lived. Out of everyone, I’d chatted with Terrence and Eric the most over the years, but I hadn’t seen either of them in at least a month because they had a condo in Florida where they spent most of the winter months. I knocked four separate times, waiting for an answer and hoping I wasn’t completely alone. But my knocks went unanswered.I ran down to the second floor and knocked at apartment two, where a single woman named Barb lived. When there was no answer, I put my ear against the door. The low sounds of a TV resonated through the door. Barb coughed, and I jumped back quickly, my back hitting the door of apartment three. My heart was beating as quickly as a bird caged in my chest. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Turning around, I knocked loudly on Kelly’s door, not expecting an answer. After my expectations proved correct, I went down to the solitary first-floor apartment, which belonged to Mr. Tablock. He was over eighty years old and had lived in the building for forty years. I’d seen his live-in Haitian nurse, Regine, in the hallway from time to time, taking out the trash. I used to ask her how he was doing, but her response was always the same: “He’s getting old, but he’s got spunk.” I stopped asking and just said hello. I pounded on the door, praying Regine and Mr. Tablock were still there and not sick. But all was quiet. Besides infected Barb, I was alone.

Author Bio:
Nicole Mabry spends her days at NBCUniversal as the Senior Manager of Photography Post Production. Her nights are reserved for writing novels. At the age of seven, she read The Boxcar Children, sparking a passion for reading and writing early on. Nicole grew up in the Bay Area in Northern California and went to college at UCLA for Art History. During a vacation, she fell in love with New York City and has lived in Queens for the past sixteen years. On weekends you can find her with a camera in hand and her dog, Jackson, by her side. Nicole is an animal lover and horror movie junkie.Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram

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BOOK BLITZ: To Kill a Fae by Jamie A. Waters #GIVEAWAY

To Kill a Fae
Jamie A. Waters
(The Dragon Portal Series, #1)
Publication date: September 26th 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

The darkness holds more than just secrets…
Marked for death, Sabine escaped from her home and fled to a human city.
But the Wild Hunt will never give up.For more than a decade, she’s kept her head down and avoided talking about her past.
Even the best-laid plans eventually fall apart…
When a charismatic stranger arrives, Sabine is unwittingly drawn to him and his power. Keeping her distance is nearly impossible, especially after a life debt is called due and she’s tasked with helping him steal a rare artifact.
In order to break the magical barriers protecting the item and save her companions, Sabine will be forced to drop her glamour and reveal her true identity.The Fae aren’t the only ones hunting her.And the most dangerous monsters aren’t always confined to the dark.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo—EXCERPT:Sabine tensed, scanning the dead-end alleyway for a place to hide. If they climbed the trellis again, they’d be spotted. It was too risky to try to use her magic to shroud them from view, but if the guards turned around, they’d be in clear view. It was unlikely the guards would trouble her too much, but Dax would kill Malek if he found out he’d accompanied her. Not even her mark on Malek’s wrist would stop him.Yanking off her heavy cloak, she tied it around her waist to cover her weapons and give the appearance she wore a dress. With her hair unbraided and covering her ears, it might be enough for the guards to overlook them. At the very least, they might not recognize her right away and would assume they were two lovers engaging in a quick tryst in the alley. Malek’s expression became quizzical, but she ignored him and gripped his shirt tightly.“Kiss me,” she whispered urgently, aware they only had seconds to pull off this ruse.“What?”She pulled him toward her just as footsteps rapidly approached. Awareness filled his eyes, and he lowered his head, pressing his lips against hers. She put her arms around his neck, listening for the guards.Malek wrapped his arms around her, drawing her even closer. Focus was critical, but his nearness affected all of her senses. Oh, this was a very bad idea. The taste of his lips and the scent of his skin were heady, threatening to overwhelm her from pure sensation. Despite the danger of the approaching guards, he took his time, tasting and exploring her mouth. Malek did have magic, but she couldn’t tell how much because it was tightly controlled and suppressed.She whimpered and softened against his body, unable to resist him. Part of her was tempted to claim she was merely playing a part, but she wanted this. She wanted him. Unlocking his magic wouldn’t be difficult, but she wasn’t willing to force him into revealing his secrets before he was ready. This kiss was only a hint of what could be between them, and she suspected this brief taste of him was never going to be enough.

Author Bio:
Jamie A. Waters is an award-winning, fantasy and science-fiction writer. Her first novel was a winner of the Readers' Favorite Award in Science-Fiction/Fantasy Romance and the CIPA EVVY Award in Science-Fiction. Jamie currently resides in Florida with two neurotic dogs who enjoy stealing socks. When she's not pursuing her passion of writing, she's usually trying to learn new and interesting random things (like how to pick locks or use the self-cleaning feature of the oven without setting off the fire alarm). In her downtime, she enjoys reading on her Kindle, playing computer games, painting, or acting as a referee between the dragons and fairies currently at war inside her closet.

You can learn more by visiting: www.jamieawaters.comWebsite / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

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BOOK BLITZ: Out of Bounds by Eden Rayna #GIVEAWAY

Out of Bounds
Eden Rayna
(Driven by Fire, #2)
Publication date: October 1st 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

LucaWhen I wanted her, I couldn’t have her. Now I want to get rid of her and I can’t do that either.Bobby was the love of my life and I thought she felt the same way. When she left me nearly ten years ago and burned all traces of herself, I learned how she really felt. I finally gave up looking, moved, made some new friends. Now she’s moved to my town and I want to spend time with her like I want to hang out on a ship with plague-infested rats. But I’ll be damned if I let her leave again without telling me why she left me in the first place.BobbyI wish I could look at him and see that things are different. That he isn’t the same person anymore. I wish I could introduce myself to him and start from the beginning; pretend like we don’t have a shared history.Of all the places in the world, my first steady job in over a year has to be in the same town as Luca. I spent the last eight years lonely and living in the most remote locations, spinning tales about my past to put distance between us only to land right in his lap again. He’s going to want the truth from me and I can’t give it to him. Honesty will only hurt him more than I already have.Out of Bounds is the second full-length steamy contemporary romance novel in the Driven by Fire series. It contains sexual content and is intended for mature readers.

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT:Please tell me I’m having one of those lucid dreams I swear are real. The kind that has me waking in a sweat. The kind where I only remember the vague details around the edges of the plot. Any second now the air over his shoulder will shimmer indicating this flashback is ending.Any second now.Any. Second. Now.The silence stretches out while Luca and I embrace. The air is still. There is no shimmering. No wavering. There is no movement at all.This isn’t a dream, is it?The smell of his clean sweat invades my nostrils and it hurls me back into another life when his scent was a part of my every day. I shiver at the sensation of a bygone era filling the space between my arms again. I stand on my tippy toes, looking over his shoulder though focussing on nothing. My arms curl around his neck while his wrap around my back. While it would be far more comfortable to encircle his waist and press my cheek into his chest given our height difference, that would be way too intimate for strangers of our ilk.“Do you really live here now?” His tone has the same friendly vibe as if he was asking me why I put the empty milk carton back in the fridge. Even so, the shift in the air as his words pass over my ear makes my body react. Like a bolt of lightning, they streak down my spine and ground themselves out the soles of my feet making my legs wobble again.“Good to see you, too, Luca.”“Is it?” I expected a less confrontational response along the lines of Nice to see you too, Bobby, if only for public perception’s sake. Apparently, we aren’t looking to impress anyone here today.While I would have preferred to be in control of our first encounter, I don’t think it’s terrible to see him. It’s simply unexpected like I dumped an entire packet of Pop Rocks into my mouth all at once. Painful and exhilarating all at once.“You okay?” His hot voice whispers in my ear when I don’t answer his question.“Not by a long shot.”“Good. That makes two of us.” His throat bobs with a hard, angry swallow. I deserve his anger even if I’m surprised at the speed at which it makes its way into our conversation. “Did you plan this?”“Yes.” I bite back. “I waited this long to insert myself back into your life while on very public display. Surprise!” I call out sarcastically. There is another long pause where I wait for him to say something snarky to me but he leaves it up to me to fill the dead air. “You go by Luke now?”“Did the name change make me hard to find?” I set myself up for that one. With each word that either of us says, another brick is laid in the wall between us, as if it wasn’t already bigger than the Great Wall of China. Brick, mortar, brick, mortar. At this pace, we won’t have to worry about the awkward hug because, soon enough, I won’t be able to see him over the top of the wall.

Author Bio:
Eden Rayna was born in Calgary, Alberta. After several attempts to leave through travels and school in far off places, she realized there was no place better to call home than the sprawling city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. A lover of her family, Chinook winds and romance novels, Eden is excited to announce that the third book in the Driven by Fire series, Out of Bounds, will be available Fall 2019!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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BOOK BLITZ: Tallowwood by N.R. Walker #GIVEAWAY

Tallowwood
N.R. Walker
Publication date: September 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance

Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another, even when more remains are found, they still can’t seem to gain ground.But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT:(August and Jacob have just been given the identity of a man who was found deceased. They’re about to inform the family)Two hours later, they sat in the car in a quiet suburban street in Cronulla. They had a name, the case file, and the address of the parents and were about to drop a bombshell on the guy’s family.Tristan Kurtz was twenty-six years old when he was reported missing by his mother, when he never arrived home in Sydney from an LGBTQIA+ music festival in Byron Bay. He’d reportedly hitchhiked from Byron Bay to Coffs Harbour, having travelled with local residents who he’d met at the festival, and had given him a lift. The missing person’s report had said Kurtz was dropped off in the main street, and had waved them off. He was later seen on CCTV footage walking toward the highway, at 8:11pm.He never arrived at his parents’ house, he never contacted them to say his plans had changed, which was out of character for him. His parents had called everyone he knew—friends, workmates, old boyfriends—to no avail, and twenty-four hours later he was reported as a missing person.Well, he wasn’t missing anymore.He was only twenty-six. A kid, August thought, with his whole life in front of him. A life stolen, stripped away, and thrown away like garbage.August stared at the house and sighed. He was spread too thin, he was stretched as far as his skin would allow. Another murder, another gay man slaughtered for no other reason than pure bigotry and disregard for human life. “I hate this. I hate everything about it.”Jacob was quiet for so long, August looked over at him. “Yeah, me too,” he said flatly. He was reading through Tristan’s file. He finally closed the folder and met August’s gaze. “We need to find this bastard.”“We do.”“We need to see his parents and tell them.” Jacob looked over at the house and frowned. “Fuck, I hate this part.”“Yeah. Me too.”Neither of them made a move to get out of the car. “Is it better to know?” Jacob asked quietly. “Is it better to find out what happened, for closure? Or is it worse, because when you don’t know you still have hope?”August was pretty sure it was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but it was one he knew the answer to. “It’s better to know. In the long run.” He cleared his throat. “Hope can break your heart every day for years, and living with false hope is hell on earth.”Jacob stared at him, and August wondered if he’d said too much. But Jacob nodded and unclipped his seatbelt. “Then we shouldn’t wait another minute.”August got out of the car and together they walked up to the front door and rang the bell. They’d called ahead, so they were expected, but when a tall, middle-aged man opened the door to greet them, Jacob took off his hat and with that single gesture, the man nodded and began to cry.Hope was a cruel and brutal thing.

Author Bio:
N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.She’s been writing ever since…Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub

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BOOK BLITZ: Cabin 1 by Amanda McKinney #GIVEAWAY

Cabin 1
Amanda McKinney
(Steele Shadows Security)
Publication date: September 26th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

From multi-award-winning romantic suspense author Amanda McKinney comes the first book in the steamy, edge-of-your-seat, three-part series, Steele Shadows Security…Hidden deep in the remote mountains of Berry Springs is a private security firm where some go to escape, and others find exactly what they’ve been looking for.Welcome to Cabin 1, Cabin 2, Cabin 3…Cocky, reckless, and die-hard playboy were just a few of the names Gage Steele had been called since he and his brothers left the Marines and moved back to the small, southern town of Berry Springs to take over their father’s personal security firm. On the one-year anniversary of his father’s death, Gage had only two things in mind—endless whiskey and endless women, but what he got was a battered, bruised spitfire stumbling through woods in the middle of the night.Newly-appointed prosecutor and unapologetic workaholic, Niki Avery had spent her life working toward one goal—never to have to depend on anyone but herself… until the day she was brutally attacked on the side of the road. Stripped of her Louis Vuitton and her dignity, the fiercely independent ADA must submit to being under the watchful eye of a former Marine, a loose cannon with a temper as scorching as his ruggedly handsome good looks.As cracks begin to show in the Steele family, including newly discovered evidence that their father’s death was no accident, Gage wrestles with his growing feelings for his client, knowing not only that Niki is off-limits, but together, they were like gasoline and fire—an explosion he wanted nothing more than to ignite in the bedroom. But when a pair of bloody body parts show up at the compound, it becomes clear that Niki’s attacker hasn’t given up and Gage realizes he’ll do anything to keep her safe… even as his own family is spiraling out of control.Cabin 1 is the first book in the 3-part Berry Springs spinoff series, STEELE SHADOWS SECURITY—Think of it as Berry Springs’ darker, grittier, steamier, BAD BOY brother. Please note: You do not need to read the Berry Springs Series first.

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT:Darkness swallowed me as a cloud drifted over the full moon, taking my sight along with it. I didn’t stop.I couldn’t stop.Rocks, sticks, and God knew what else cut into the bottom of my feet as they flew over the rocky terrain. Thump, thump, thump against the dead leaves and pine needles scattered on the forest floor. I couldn’t see a thing, so I focused on the sounds around me, but even that was drowned out by my hammering heartbeat and gasping breaths.The woods at night. Magical, alluring, still. No, not that night, that night it was a thinly veiled evil, a muted witness to my death if I were to get caught. That night, the woods were my escape, my refuge, my only chance for survival.The clouds shifted, a silver glow washing over the mountains, casting shadows along the ground like ghosts swaying back and forth. I blinked, adjusting, and heaved myself over the boulder I would have slammed into full force. My body tumbled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, the breath knocking out of my lungs when I hit the cold, wet dirt.I froze, my eyes shooting open.Did he see me? Hear me?Holding my breath, I flattened against the ground, my heart a thundering staccato. I focused on the moon above me, like a spotlight hellbent on pinpointing my location. A breeze whistled through the trees, the almost-bare branches like slashes through the moon.Dead leaves, dead trees. Autumn in the mountains had never looked so haunting. Or been so cold.Snick.My eyes widened in terror. I willed myself to fade into the night, into the ground—fitting, considering that’s where he wanted to put me.I didn’t blink, didn’t breathe as seconds tick by.Had I lost him?A rustle of leaves had my pulse kickstarting into panic mode again.I knew I couldn’t stay there.I stayed, I died.

Author Bio:
Amanda McKinney is the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than ten romantic suspense and mystery novels. She wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, in 2017 after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Set in small, southern towns, Amanda's books are page-turning murder mysteries packed with steamy romance.Her books include the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES and the BLACK ROSE MYSTERY SERIES, with a surprise new series being released later this year.THE CAVE, the seventh book in the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES, is scheduled to be released August 2019. Text AMANDABOOKS to 66866 to receive Amanda's newsletter and get the latest on new releases, promos, and freebies!Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter

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BOOK BLITZ: Wrecking Christmas by Liza Jonathan #QandA #GIVEAWAY

Wrecking Christmas
Liza Jonathan
Publication date: September 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

In a town that magically grants Christmas wishes, love was the one gift they didn’t see coming.The perfect Christmas. After the tragic loss of her mother, it’s all psychologist Kathryn Winslow wants for herself, her young son, and her grieving father. She never expects their drive to a luxury resort to end with her car dangling off the side of a mountaintop cliff. And she certainly doesn’t expect her family to be rescued by a sexy, rugged puzzle of a man like Hunter Holliday.As owner of a collision repair and hot rod shop in the West Virginia hills, Hunter hauls motorists out of snow banks every day. But after years of sleepwalking through his life as a widower, saving a brave, beautiful woman like Kathryn wakes him up, in every possible way.But before they can make it out of a freak snowstorm, they’re stranded in Christmas Pass, a funny little sugar-frosted mountain town that can’t be found on any map. Now somehow, they’re trapped in an enchanted village that grants Christmas wishes, and tangled in a red-hot attraction they can’t resist. Yet, even in a place that’s populating itself around their craziest whims and deepest desires, they can’t run from the crippling regrets in their past—or the shocking new revelations to come. But the love they need so badly is there for the taking…if only they have the courage to wish…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play—Q&A with Liza Jonathan
Q. What inspired you to write a holiday romance like Wrecking Christmas?A. “It all started when I was going through my RSS feed one day, and I came across a piece on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Blog called The Painful Fantasy of Holiday Romances. Written by Amanda, one of the bloggers there, it was a very heartfelt missive about how people with difficult family lives read holiday romances differently. For them, stories where no one has any real problems and everything can be worked out by winning the cookie bake off can be hard to take. ‘Some of us,’ she said, ‘will never have a good Christmas.’I found I couldn’t leave the ideas she brought up alone. What would happen, I wondered, if I wrote a book for someone like her? So that was how I came up with Hunter Holliday and Kathryn Winslow. They are two people with very tragic pasts, for whom Christmas has been ruined, permanently. They have deep regrets and things they can’t forgive themselves for. And they both get thrown together, completely by chance, in a magical mountain town that grants all their Christmas wishes. Yet, even here, in this perfect place, their baggage has hitched a ride with them. And against this improbable, Hallmark- movie-on-steroids backdrop, they have to work through all their problems and come out whole on the other side, together.This book is steamy—not sweet—with a hard won happily ever after. I hope it inspires others the way it inspired me.”
Q. Tell us about the real locations you used in this book.A.. “I was very fortunate to get permission from the Greenbrier Resort to use them as a setting in this book. The Greenbrier, if you’re not familiar with it, is one of the finest resorts in the nation, built in the 1700s in grand Georgian style in the cradle of the Greenbrier Valley. It has hundreds of rooms and is truly breathtaking. For Kathryn, it serves as a kind of El Dorado or Graceland. If she can just get her family there, they just might have the perfect Christmas after all, she thinks. But nothing goes according to plan.I’ve also placed this Christmas series in Lewisburg, West Virginia, which is a small town neighboring The Greenbrier which is every bit as vibrant as I describe it. There’s people who have been there for generations, and wealthyretirees who have moved there and bought rolling hilltop estates so they can be nearby to the resort. The Holliday family farm is exactly like dozens of farms in the area, situated on the prettiest rolling landscape you’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of jewel people don’t realize they can find in West Virginia, and I wanted to tell that story, too.”
Q. Any other tidbits we should know?A. “I make mention in the book that Hunter Holliday is a winner of the Golden Horseshoe when he was in school. People who grew up in the state will laugh with recognition at that. Every kid in eighth grade has to take West Virginia history, and the Golden Horseshoe test I part of that. l. I studied and studied for weeks, but I didn’t crack the code at the state level, though. So, I’ll never be a “knight” of the “golden horseshoe.” Alas. That ship has sailed.”
Q. So we’re going to see more Christmas stories coming out of Lewisburg?A. “Absolutely! I have the sequel to it already written and in development. It’s the story of Hopper Vance, who works at Holliday Hot Rods with Hunter, and Cookie, who’s Kathryn’s receptionist at her practice. Turns out, Hopper and Cookie are long lost loves separated by tragedy. And this will be a magically fueled second chance romance you won’t soon forget. It’s all about the persistence of the heart, and the journey to forgiveness. I can’t wait to introduce readers to it next year! After that, I’ve got another one sketched out from the Holliday garage. But after that, who knows? I’m sure readers will inform me what they want to see next. And I’m all ears.”

Author Bio:
Write what you know. Isn’t that what they always say? Though I currently live in the flat, flat lands of Indiana, I’ve spent most of my life in West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. As I have found out, you can take the girl out of Appalachia, but you can’t take the Appalachia out of the girl.So now, I write sexy, angsty paranormal romances dedicated to the locations, legends and lore from the thirteen Appalachian states. I find the enchantment of home inspires me to tell tales.When I’m not haunting the house at all hours writing, I have another life as a PR/marketing writer, wife to my long-time husband, and a mother to my two sons, who are rapidly fleeing the nest. Come sit with me for a spell. I've got some stories to tell you...Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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B@@K REVEAL: Rescuing Lord Roxwaithe by Cassandra Dean

Rescuing Lord Roxwaithe
Cassandra Dean
(Lost Lords #2)
Publication date: November 26th 2019
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance

From Award-Winning Australian author Cassandra Dean comes the second book in her delicious new Regency romance series, Lost Lords.
The girl he’s always lovedOliver, Earl of Roxwaithe, has always regarded Lady Lydia Torrence as a sibling even as she’d declared one day they would wed. Fourteen years her elder, Oliver was convinced Lydia felt only a crush and when she inevitably declared her love, he had to refuse. After she left for the Continent, he told himself he didn’t miss her, that she had always been too young, and if perhaps he’d noticed she had become a woman, that was best left unsaid.

The man she’s always adoredLydia had always known she loved Oliver and he loved her. Furious he would claim she was too young, she determined to take the Continent by storm, to hone her skills and become an expert in flirtation. Upon her return to London, she’d show him she was a fully-grown woman who knew what she wanted—and she wanted him.
Oliver is stubborn in his resolve until a new suitor for Lydia puts Oliver’s resolve to the test. Will he discover the girl he’s always loved has become the woman he will forever adore?

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Author Bio:
Cassandra Dean is an award-winning author of historical and fantasy romance. She is proud to call South Australia her home, where she regularly cheers on her AFL football team and creates her next tale.Goodreads / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

BOOK BLITZ: Conjuring Wrath by Michelle Gross #GIVEAWAY

Conjuring Wrath
Michelle Gross
(Seven Deadly #3)
Publication date: September 24th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Reapers are the peacekeepers—the balancers of life and death, good and evil. They’re the police of the Underworld in a way. They keep both worlds balanced just enough so that the King of the Underworld can never escape his prison.For the day his reign stretches into the human world, all things good will come to an end.This is the story of a dark king who cursed seven siblings with sins, and how far those seven went to protect both worlds from the end of days when an old entity challenged the Dark One’s very reign.
—Conjuring WrathThe age of the Reapers has ended.With the new threat of the Harvesters and the approaching end of the world, the troubles are here to stay.Barron Reaper, the bearer of wrath, knows that more than anyone. With the sin of rage in his veins, his life is a chaotic mess of gloom. The vicious immortal has never stopped or relaxed a moment in all his years to feel hope. Especially not when another problem arises on top of everything else—an old demon tradition is being brought back on the Blood Moon.The worlds are crumbling around his feet, but that doesn’t stop fate from forcing Barron and Gwendolyn Dolson together.Gwendolyn is stuck in a hospital waiting on a chance at life that she will never get when she witnesses a cloaked figure slip through a patient’s door. Seconds later, a man perishes in that room.This dying girl is about to find out how drastically life can change.Author’s note: Even though each book in the series focuses on a different sibling and romance, I HIGHLY recommend starting from the beginning. This is an ongoing plot.Warning: Dark themes, language, and content in series. This book is an age-gap romance that might be considered taboo for some.

Goodreads / Amazon—EXCERPT:“Wait,” she mumbled. “How does this work?”“Scared?” My lips tipped upward.“Do you really just disappear? Is that what we’re going to do?” She pushed a palm against me. “Jesus, why are you so big?”She barely came up to my pecs, and now she was patting her hand along the hard ridges of my abs not having a clue that she was petting wrath. Delicate fingers traced over my shirt. Her small curious touch seeped through the fabric, tingling and heating every inch of skin she outlined. There I went again, being oddly overwhelmed by her. I pushed her hand away, distancing myself from the sensations she stirred. She was so small next to me. How could something so tiny affect me?“Is that an eight pack?” Her nails dug into my abdomen as she started counting, not bothered that I had already pushed her fingers away once.Fucking Hades! She was the little engine that never shut up.

Author Bio:

Michelle is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky where opossums try to blend in with the cats on the porch and bears are likely to chase your pets—this is very true, it happened with her sister’s dog. Despite the extra needed protection for your pets, she loves the mountains she calls home. She has a man and twin girls who are the light of her life and the reason she’s slightly crazy.As a kid, she was that cousin, that friend, that sister and daughter, the talker who could spin a tale and make-believe into any little thing so it was no surprise when she found love in reading, and figured all these characters inside her head needed an outlet. They wanted to be heard, so she wrote.The voices keep growing faster than she gets the time to write.The stories are never going to end. That’s perfectly okay, though. We never want to stop an adventure.She writes and loves many different genres so sign up to her mailing list to keep updated on her releases!
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