R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 59
November 23, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Shopping for a CEO's Honeymoon by Julia Kent #GIVEAWAY
Shopping for a CEO’s Honeymoon
Julia Kent
(Shopping for a Billionaire, #14)
Publication date: July 15th 2018
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance
He says we never had a proper honeymoon.
So, instead, he’s giving me… a prepper honeymoon?
Who knew billionaire preppers were a thing?
I guess I’m about to find out.
—
Julia Kent’s New York Times bestselling romantic comedy series continues in Shopping for a CEO’s Honeymoon as Andrew and Amanda settle in to married life… and so much more.
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—
EXCERPT:
Amanda
It’s Monday.
Our home looks like the set for Extreme Home Makeover, except there’s no bus to move and all of the workmen act like I’m invisible as I wander downstairs after waking up naked in an empty bed.
I throw on clothes and am down the stairs when I spot my husband.
“What is going on?” I ask Andrew, who is huddled over blueprints with some guy who looks like he runs a union hall in South Boston. Tight eyes, distrustful look, goatee, and an intensity that makes it clear you want him on your side.
Andrew breaks away, kisses my cheek, and gives me a saucy half grin. “Just like you wanted. Here we go.”
“Here we go what? We barely talked about what we wanted!”
“We did,” he says, suddenly defensive. “In bed,” he whispers.
“What I want in bed has nothing to do with tile colors and three-season sunrooms!” I say.
Loudly.
“The guys aren’t working on anything like that,” he hisses as a few workmen suppress smiles. “We’re putting in new backup systems.”
“Backups for what?”
“Power outages. Acts of God. Hurricanes. Bomb cyclones that leave six feet of snow.”
I snort. “What, no alien contingency plan? Got a blueprint for a universal extraterrestrial language translator in there?”
Andrew reddens and avoids eye contact.
I frown. “Andrew?” I grab his arm and pull him aside, his muscles tense. “What are you doing? This isn’t how I envisioned remodeling and spending our honeymoon. For one, we didn’t have sex that second time this morning.”
He looks at the clock. “It’s only 7:53. Plenty of time for that.” He grabs me at the waist and pulls me close, trying to divert me with a kiss.
It works.
“We’ve got the geothermal heat unit figured out, and when we redo the gutter system and the roof, in addition to the solar panels, we’ve got an evaporation system set up for clean water collection. Storage is next,” he says to me.
“All that in the first hour of work?” I’m stunned.
“I’m efficient. Two weeks of my focused attention is like five years of a normal humanbeing’s time.”“Efficient and humble. I love that in a man.”
“You’d better, because you’re stuck with me forever.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
I get a pat on the ass in response.
Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 1.5 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 16 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French and German, with more titles releasing soon. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three children in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.
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November 22, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Tor by Jennie Lynn Roberts #GIVEAWAY
Tor
Jennie Lynn Roberts
(The Hawks, #4)
Publication date: November 23rd 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
What is it about her that makes him lose his mind? Every. Damn. Time.
Tor’s world is falling apart. The king he’d sworn to guard? Dead. The family he worked so hard for? They certainly wasted no time disowning him. All he has left is the Hawks… and an intense desire to win Keely’s heart. It won’t be easy—especially after the mistake he made—but he has to try, because the alternative, living without her, is unthinkable.
Losing someone you love leads to nothing but pain; Keely learned that the hard way. But there is something about Tor that makes her wonder if loving him is worth the risk… if only he felt the same way. Now her best option is to create a new future on her own—no matter how much she might wish her relationship with Tor could be different.
But all is not well in Brythoria. The treaty still isn’t ratified, and the mountain border is filled with enemies poised to destroy them. Can Tor and Keely find their way back to each other? Or will their second chance at happily ever after burn in the fires of impending war?
Tor, book 4 in The Hawks series, is a sexy, steamy, adult fantasy romance full of swords, shifters (kind of), and tons of action. But fair warning: This book is intended only for readers who love fast-paced adventure, soul mates and found family—and characters who curse when they fight for survival. If that’s you, happy reading.
—
EXCERPT:
First, Keely had to get rid of her breeches so she could sit down without destroying the chair with muddy water. Then they could focus on her jerkin and the arrow.
“I need you to pull my breeches down,” she prompted. “I can’t do it with one hand. The leather is soaked, and they were already too tight. They’re Alanna’s.”
Tor glanced down at her breeches and then immediately looked away and took a small step back. Damn. He really was honorable. Keely lifted a heavy woolen blanket off the bed and wrapped it over her shoulders to hang down to her knees. She never asked for help. Not unless there was absolutely no other choice, and right now there was no other choice. “I need your help, Tor. I don’t ask often, so make the most of it.”
“Are you sure I’m the best person?” he asked slowly.
No. She was not at all sure. The last man she’d been even partially naked in front of was Niall. And that was ten years ago. But she was too exhausted and too cold to stay as she was, and her shoulder was on fire, her fingers tingling with waves of burning pins and needles. She couldn’t do it alone. “Yes. I’m sure.”
He nodded, once, and then knelt in front of her and helped her out of her boots. She balanced herself on his shoulder with her good hand, and he tucked his thumbs into the waistband of her breeches and tugged.
It was hard work, the tight, wet leather clinging to her cold skin, and she had to shimmy her body to help him pull the breeches down. They stuck, and he grunted as he shifted his thumbs and tried again.
Bard. She wasn’t at all sleepy now. Even with the relentless ache in her shoulder, she was acutely aware of his big hands, the heat of his fingers where they ran down her legs, how close he was to her body.
The breeches suddenly came away, and she stepped out of them, one foot at a time. He stood and lifted the sodden leather away to dry beside the fire, returning as she sank into the comfortable armchair.
“What about your jerkin?” he asked slowly.
There was only one solution. “Cut it off.”
Tor watched her for a moment but then nodded. “Okay.” He pulled out a lethal-looking dagger and began slicing through the laces while she held the blanket swathed around her body and over her chest.
It was a strange kind of dance. Trying to hold the blanket out of the way but at the same time cover herself. All while keeping her injured shoulder still. She was deeply, intensely aware of the closeness between them. Of how big he was, and yet how carefully—tenderly almost—he was helping her.
If he hadn’t been so close, she might have thought he was unaffected. His face was stoic, completely shuttered, and he hadn’t said a word since he’d taken out his knife. But she could see his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. Could feel the way his breath picked up. And she knew that he was as aware of her as she was of him.
Author Bio:
Jennie Lynn Roberts believes that every strong, kickass heroine should have control of her own story, a swoony hero to support her at every turn, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Because that doesn’t always happen in real life, she began creating her own worlds that work just the way they should. And she hasn’t looked back since.
Jennie would rather be writing than doing anything else—except for spending time with her gorgeous family, of course. But when she isn’t building vibrant new worlds, she can be found nattering with friends, baking up a storm, or strolling in the woods around her home in England.
If you want to talk books, romance, movies, reluctant heroes, or just about anything else with Jennie, feel free to contact her atwww.jennielynnroberts.com. But be prepared to settle in for a long chat if you bring up shifters, vampires, Star Wars, or The Princess Bride…
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November 21, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Scandalous by SinCyr Publishing #GIVEAWAY
Scandalous
Published by: SinCyr Publishing
Publication date: November 20th 2021
Genres: Erotica, Romance
Prepare to be scandalized… in the best possible way.
Religion gets re-interpreted, rock stars find new ways to make music backstage, politicians thrive on punishment, and a young teacher gets an unexpected legacy from the father he never met. There are startling consequences to a scientific experiment, exhibitionism indoors and outdoors, and a high-profile dominatrix remembering her notorious past during a lockdown.
Stories by Kristan X, Elizabeth Coldwell, Sprocket J. Rydyr, Jordan Monroe, Eve Ray, Louise Kane, Elliot Sawyer, Dilo Keith, Colton Aalto, Zak Jane Keir, Allison Armstrong, and Ralph Greco, Jr.
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—
SNEAK PEEK:
A FEW MINOR SIDE EFFECTSBy Kristan XThe Xenadocin Trials were carried out over the course of two years in the early 1990s. Back then, Broad River University had a strong reputation for experimental drug development, with a number of high-profile successes. Records of the Xenadocin Trials are, however, extremely difficult to come by, even in the university’s own archives. Urban legend has it that the researchers involved shredded much of their work when the story hit the newspapers.
The facts of the case as they are generally known are quite simple. Xenadocin was intended as a preventative therapeutic for a range of conditions, primarily heart failure. However, the drug had a number of unintended side effects – side effects which are aptly described by one participant in this personal account from a post-trial interview:
***
I didn’t notice anything at all until about an hour after the first dose, at which point the effects came on rather strongly. The most overwhelming impression I had was of… well… arousal. One minute everything was normal, and the next I felt this incredible rush of desire. Suddenly it felt as though if I wasn’t able to get off in the next few minutes I might just die from frustration. It really was that immediate and that urgent.
It did shock me, somewhat. I remember sitting there, sweating profusely. There was a nurse who was taking my observations – a very pretty nurse with a button nose and a streak of pink in her hair. I could smell her, and having her body that close to me, all warm and soft and feminine… it was almost too much to bear.
I did whatever I could to distract myself. I counted to a hundred, and then backwards down to zero. I imagined the most unappealing things I could to try and switch off that arousal… but it just wouldn’t go. I was rock hard, and even shifting in my seat was enough to kind of… well… stimulate me.
Pretty soon it was almost out of control. I had to excuse myself and go to the men’s room and… well… deal with the situation there. It didn’t take long, I can tell you. As a matter of fact, I barely had to touch myself before I was done – that’s how turned-on I was.
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BOOK BLITZ: Merry Ex-Mas by Elizabeth Janette #GIVEAWAY
Merry Ex-Mas
Elizabeth Janette
Publication date: November 10th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
It’s been ten years since Delaney Silverman last stepped foot on the Silver Bells Christmas Tree farm her family owns and operates, but when her father dies, she has no choice. Even if it means mending fences with her estranged mother. The last thing this reformed wild-child-turned-Manhattan-marketing-pro has in mind, though, is a second chance at first love. But after life brings her face to face with the sexy, ex-fiancé neighbor boy, she realizes he’s everything she never knew she needed.
Travis Harper knows two things to be true: 1. It’s time to adopt his foster daughter and build a custom home life for themselves, and 2. Laney Silverman is the last woman he’d ever trust with their hearts, even if she is everything he’s ever wanted. Especially since she has a bad habit of walking away from him.
Will twelve days be enough to give two former lovers a Merry Ex-Mas?
—
EXCERPT:
Releasing her grip on the luggage, Laney wrapped her arms around her mom, pulling her into an awkward embrace.
Ruth stiffened. “What . . . are you doing?”
“Hugging you. Apparently it’s what people do when they’ve lost someone they love.”
“Yeah, well, stop it. I don’t need your sympathy.”
Whatever emotion Travis thought he saw when looking at Laney’s mother, it wasn’t there now. When she drew back and studied Ruth’s face, no tears clouded her eyes. No grief etched her expression. Only annoyance, pure and simple. Like always. Laney dropped her arms. Same old Mama. Lovable as a freaking porcupine.
Deep breath, girl. You can do this. For Dad. She peered up at the house. Despite the generous square footage of the single-story bungalow-style house, from the outside, the home appeared smaller, darker without her father’s presence. She swallowed hard to dislodge the lump of grief wedged in her throat and forced herself to enter the house.
Crossing the threshold tugged at the threads of memories she’d kept squirreled away. Not all of them welcome. It took only one whiff of the familiar cinnamon coffee scent before the years magically melted away, and she was eighteen again, chafing at the bit, dying for just one ounce of the freedom her friends possessed.
Laney shook off the ghosts that held her hostage and tried to only focus on the positive memories. The ones with her dad.
As she made her way through the living and dining room toward her old bedroom, a smile pulled at her lips as fond memories bubbled up. She’d been closest to her father and everywhere her gaze landed brought forth an image of him to warm her heart. Fingers drifted over the couch, threadbare now but still located in the same place against the wall. Her father’s most-coveted possession, a black leather recliner, nestled in the corner of the living room. The mantle above the stone fireplace where Christmas stockings once hung. The oil paintings of snow-covered barns in the middle of a forest.
An image of her father wafted through the recesses of her mind. Happy and smiling. The world could be falling apart around him, and he’d still be as jolly as good old St. Nick. Hard to believe he was gone. The urge to cry swelled, but she tamped it down like a good girl and turned away, plastering a smile on her face.
“Where on Earth are you going?”
“To my bedroom.”
“Your bedroom?” Her mama tsked. “Good heavens, child, it stopped being your bedroom ages ago when you moved out.”
Laney used a foot to push open the bedroom door and stopped dead. “Good Lord Almighty, Mama, what have you done?”
It was like Santa’s workshop had materialized right in the middle of the room. Her mouth hung open as she gawked at the atrocity. Where once stood a vanity filled with cheap cosmetics only a teenager would buy, now a fake Christmas tree loomed, wilting under the weight of too many ornaments. Garland hung from the high shelf spanning the top of all four walls. A toy train chugged its way around the room. A workbench sat along one wall with a dozen or so holiday crafts waiting to be finished. The walls had been stripped of the soft turquoise blue hue her sixteen-year-old self had painstakingly selected, and replaced with a dreadful shade of gold that mirrored the tree ornaments.
And her daybed? Nowhere to be found. The half dozen or so NSYNC and Jonas Brothers rock band posters were conspicuously missing too. Gone were her hot-pink curtains, fuzzy beanbag, and black shag rug as well as anything remotely resembling her teenage years. All signs of her life there had been erased.
She’d been erased.
Author Bio:
Born to parents who loved to read, it’s no surprise Elizabeth Janette’s lifelong love of literacy led her to become both a teacher and a writer. In fact, writing about getting RIF’d from her teaching job in the 2008 recession is what led her to publish an essay about the experience. From then on, she was hooked. Now days, when she’s not teaching sassy 5th graders, Elizabeth Janette writes romance that both sizzles and thrills. And when she’s not teaching or writing, she works for her local chapter of the National Writing Project teaching teachers how to teach writing. Visit www.elizabethjanette.com to connect and sign up for her newsletter.
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November 20, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Unshackled by Cara Dee #GIVEAWAY
Unshackled
Cara Dee
Publication date: November 19th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mafia, Romance, Suspense
In the wake of the bloodiest war the Sons of Munster had seen in a long time, we were supposed to celebrate our victory and move on with our lives. I wanted to see my brothers-in-arms dance and drink way too much. I wanted to hear laughter and Irish music. Instead, we were a syndicate crushed by grief.
Shannon O’Shea had lost more than most, and every fiber of my being screamed for me to pull him from the depths of his despair. As the father of my best friend, he’d been there for me when my parents kicked me out for being gay. Now it was my turn. I had to find the answers. I had to rescue him.
The day he asked for a favor and demanded discretion, the plan unfolded before my eyes, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. No names, no faces. He wouldn’t know it was me in the darkness. At the same time, the shackles around my wrists tightened as old enemies reemerged from the gutters of my city, and my brothers and I were once again on the warpath.
—
EXCERPT:
Seventeen minutes later, I returned to my own place a changed man. A deaf man.
I rubbed my ear and tossed my keys on the hallway table.
Shan was sitting on the couch, sipping a drink. Vodka, judging by the bottle on the coffee table.
“What’s the occasion?” I asked.
He glanced over at me, and the languidness of his movements told me everything I needed to know. He’d been at it for a while.
I removed the bottle and returned it to the cabinet.
“I need a favor,” he muttered. “I…I can’t ask sober.”
I frowned and sat down next to him. How bad could it be? Our guys in the syndicate turned to me for favors all the time. With my position, I was more connected than the boss himself, ’cause Finn had to stay clean. He couldn’t get his hands dirty for nothing.
“Whatever you need, sir. You know that.”
He nodded with a dip of his chin, then finished his drink and set the glass on the table. “You’ve set men up with mistresses and girlfriends before.”
Shite.
I’d been waiting for this, yet I hadn’t expected it so soon.
“Aye.” I eyed him carefully. His pain was as evident as usual.
But maybe it wasn’t so soon after all. It’d been over a year since Grace had died.
“Do you want me to arrange something for you?” I asked. “I can get it done in a couple of hours.”
He swallowed hard. “I miss human touch, but I don’t wanna see anyone.”
I felt my forehead crease. I could relate to the yearning, but I wasn’t sure if he was talking literally about the last part. “You mean you don’t want a relationship, or you want it anonymous?”
“Both,” he rasped. Then he cleared his throat. “I’m not looking for intimacy. Just physical. No faces, no names, no talking, no off-the-books apartment, nothing social.”
I nodded slowly, the alternatives appearing in my head—or disappearing, one by one. I wanted to say intimacy was exactly what he needed, but it was his choice. There were still options.
“That leaves you with massage parlors and fetish clubs,” I answered.
“It has to be dark,” he insisted. “Pitch black.”
Okay. He really didn’t wanna risk seeing a face. Fine, I could work with that. A certain underground club came to mind, and it was run by a friend of Colm’s. Aside from the main club being an essential location for our drug trade, it had an upstairs area with a VIP section, a hallway full of private booths, and a couple rooms with viewing windows for live porn.
“Any other preferences?” I asked. “I reckon you don’t care if she’s a blonde or a redhead in the dark, but body type? Age? You want her screened and on birth control so you can go without rubbers? You care about safewords? You want a subservient little thing or a bossy—”
“Jesus,” he muttered and rubbed his temples. “It suddenly feels too complicated. And at the risk of making it worse, I’d prefer a man.”
Fuck my life. Fuck my life hard.
Author Bio:
—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.
There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.
Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.
I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.
Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.
I'm a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.
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BOOK BLITZ: B Free by Cynthia Sax #GIVEAWAY
B Free
Cynthia Sax
(Rebel Cyborgs, #4)
Publication date: November 16th 2021
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction
B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.
Or so he believes.
When he intercepts a communication mentioning the existence of one of his kind, he has to investigate its source. The message could be a trap set by his enemies. He’ll take that risk if it secures him the companionship he requires to be fully functional.
What he finds is a daring brown-eyed female who activates all his systems. She proudly proclaims she’s a researcher, brandishing that information like a weapon before her. He wants to kiss the sass off her beautiful face, protect her from the dangers around them, claim her forever.
Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.
When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.
She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.
Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.***B Free is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.It features the sole surviving B Model cyborg warrior, a courageous researcher seeking to uncover the past, and an unplanned visit to a settlement ruled by an extremely scary all-knowing, all-powerful being.
B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.Book 1: Containing MaliceBook 2: Under StrainBook 3: Baring GrudgeBook 4: B FreeBook 5: Seizing Power
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—
EXCERPT:
Unable to process he was the last of his kind, B had searched for beings like him. There had been mentions of his model type in messages. He’d investigated every occurrence.
100.0000 percent of them had been futile chases, ghosts of brethren long dead.
He projected an investigation into this planet rotation’s message would be a waste of resources also. Heze 478 was a sparsely populated Humanoid Alliance-controlled planet, a leisure site for high-credit and influential humans in their organization, a place where they could get away from the horrors they’d inflicted. It wasn’t rational that they would situate a secret laboratory there.
It would be true to their devious natures to set a trap in that location for someone they correctly perceived as an enemy. He blew out his breath. They could be seeking to capture him, wanting to continue his torment.
A fully operational warrior would ignore the communication.
He wasn’t that being. B straightened to his full height and moved forward. His mechanics creaked. His body throbbed with an ache that matched the one in his soul. The rays of Mercury Minor’s single sun warmed his shoulders.
One of the humanoid females looked up, up, up at him. Her head tilted back. Her eyes widened.
She screamed, the sound piercing the chatter around her.
The other females turned. Their eyes widened also.
The crescendo of screams grew louder.
Fraggin’ hole. B stepped backward, seeking to disappear once more into the shadows. He wouldn’t hurt the females. They were under his protection, as was everyone on the cyborg-claimed planet.
But the females didn’t process that. All they saw was his huge form, his primitive B Model design. They had never viewed another being like him. He was different, and, to their gazes, scary.
That damaged him. He navigated a maze of less-utilized pathways, staying to himself, sticking to the darkness. The screams faded.
His emotional damage remained.
He lumbered past a training ring positioned at the edge of the settlement. One set of warriors, all E Models, faced another set of warriors, all C Models.
If there was a B Model force, he’d be the only one on it.
“Join us, B.” Odium, the leader of the E Model faction, gestured at him. “The C Models need your skills.”
The C Models objected to that. Loudly.
They didn’t need him, and he didn’t belong on either side. He was a relic. His model type had been completely replaced. He was redundant.
B shook his head and continued walking.
Author Bio:
For updates on characters and for very bad jokes, sign up for Cynthia's monthly newsletter at http://cynthiasax.com
USA Today Bestselling author Cynthia Sax is currently writing cyborg and alien romances with high heat levels. These stories are set in a shared dark, gritty, sometimes violent world. There is always a romantic happy ending between the main characters and this happy ending is FOREVER. But everyone else is in danger.
Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of... top ten lists.
She loves writing fated to mate or instalove romances as this is her personal experience with love. She fell in love with her Dear Wonderful Hubby at first sight and 25 plus years later, they're still very much in love. This is what she wishes for her characters and for her readers.
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November 19, 2021
B@@K REVEAL: Killer Runway by Daria White #PreORDER #GIVEAWAY
Killer Runway
Daria White
(Bianca Wallace Mysteries, #2)
Publication date: January 25th 2022
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery
Bianca’s determined to live a normal life in Edenville with her family, and she has no intention of getting involved in another case. While attending a fashion show, a model, also a childhood friend of her sister, collapses off the runway. Dead. Not the show Bianca planned on attending.
Detective Sims shows up to solve the case, but Bianca can’t keep silent. Too many clues are surfacing, and with a long-term photo shoot in town, the suspects remain in Edenville. There’s no harm in Bianca investigating one more time, though Detective Sims wants her to stay away.
Can she discover the motive behind this unexpected death? Bianca’s life at risk with another killer isn’t wise. Not to mention the lives of her loved ones.
Author Bio:
Daria has lived in Texas for most of her life. She never liked reading as a kid. In fact, she almost hated it. However, as she grew up that all changed. Though she received her degree in healthcare management, Daria kept her writing as a hobby. She meant it to be private and her own way of expressing herself. It never crossed her mind to publish until she was in college. She took a chance and published. It worked!
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BOOK BLITZ: Moxie by Michelle Cornish #GIVEAWAY
Moxie: A Salvation Society Novel
Michelle Cornish
Publication date: November 7th 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance
A WWII love at first sight romance with dual timelines, codebreaking war heroines, and prisoners of war.
People always asked Faye why Will called her Moxie.
It started with a dare at a dance in 1942 that ended in a kiss. Will loved that story.
But there’s more to the story than that. Much more . . .
Gretchen knows this story well. Her grandfather told it over and over while he was alive. But when Gretchen goes home to Jersey to be by her grandmother’s side one last time, Grandma Faye tells a different version of the story.
She knew the moment she saw him, they were meant to be together. Her girlfriends may have dared her to kiss him, but she would have anyway. Then the war got in the way. Faye thought she’d never see Will again. Until that night he took her breath away.
Will may have given Faye the name, but he’s the one with all the moxie.
—
EXCERPT:
“I’m fine. I just feel so free, you know. Look at everybody.” She held her hand out to the dance floor. “You’d hardly know there was a war on if it wasn’t for the . . .”
“Uniforms?” Liz attempted to finish Faye’s sentence.
Staring at a group of soldiers, Faye nodded slowly. A group of five men in khaki uniforms and garrison caps, which she couldn’t help wondering if they would fall off as they danced, caught her attention. She admired the broad back of one of the men. He seemed to be holding a drink in one hand and the short, buzzed hair that stuck out from under his cap appeared to be blonde.
Out of Faye’s periphery, Darla elbowed Liz. “I think she sees something she likes.” She raised a brow just as Faye turned toward her.
“Maybe I do.”
“Dare you to plant a big wet one on him,” Darla challenged.
“Ha!” Faye was already thinking something similar.
“Darla,” Liz started, but whatever she said, Faye didn’t hear the rest of it. She was already marching toward the group, keeping pace with the song. Her hips swinging to the rhythm of the drums, the brass section filling her with confidence.
She stepped up to the soldier, his friends peering at her over his shoulder. When he turned around, she stood there for a second, their eyes locked.
“Hello, soldier.” Her eyes didn’t wander from his. His face was even more stunning than his backside. A chiseled jawline, bright blue eyes, and a plump, kissable mouth. She touched her lips with her tongue and bit the bottom one.
He reached up to remove his hat, but before he could say anything, Faye pressed her lips to his, catching the soldier by surprise and throwing him off balance.
She wasn’t sure if it was because he was off balance and he had to grab her to stay upright, but he squeezed his arm around her—the one that held his hat—and deepened the kiss.
Hoots and hollers sounded around them. “All right, Will,” someone cheered.
When they pulled apart, all Faye could do was stare at the man who’d just given her the best kiss of her life.
“Well, hello to you too.”
Faye blinked and a smirk broke out across her face.
“Well . . .” The group of soldiers parted as a haughty woman in a WAVES uniform stepped up to Faye.
“Rita?”
“You sure got a lotta nerve, missy.” She stood, hands on hips, her face inches from Faye’s.
“Oh, I’m . . .” Faye took in a breath, considering an apology. She hadn’t realized the soldiers already had women with them. If she had, that kiss would never have happened. The distinctive smell of hard liquor filled Faye’s nose. Rita had clearly been enjoying a few stiff ones. Was that a good idea while wearing a uniform?
“Moxie,” said the soldier. Had someone called him Will? “It’s called moxie, Rita.” He refused to take his eyes off Faye as he spoke, stepping between the two women.
“It’s Ensign Johnson,” she barked then spun on her heel and stomped off.
Faye suppressed another smirk at the sight of her bright red lipstick smeared haphazardly round the soldier’s lips.
He shoved his hat in his pocket then took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, eyeing her intently all the while. The music faded into the background. “Will Burke,” he said, handing his drink to the soldier next to him, still holding her hand.
“Faye Brownlee.” She pulled a tissue from her purse and fixed the soldier’s face. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.” He still stared so intently at her, but she wasn’t uncomfortable. She turned to introduce Darla and Liz, sensing they were behind her. Their mouths gaped back at her. Darla would know better than to challenge her again. Unless she was prepared to lose. Faye never lost a bet. Her brother had taunted her enough growing up that losing was never an option.
Author Bio:
Michelle Cornish is a recovering CPA with a passion for stories. Writing mostly romance and women's fiction with strong female heroines, Michelle's books often include nods to her former life as a CPA. When Michelle’s not writing, she’s hanging out with her two boys and husband in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada.
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BOOK BLITZ: A Christmas to Fight For by Jessica Frances #GIVEAWAY
A Christmas to Fight For
Jessica Frances
Publication date: November 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Holiday, LGBTQ+, Romance
As the last of my kind, I’ve long lived in the shadows. But, with the death of my father, I have a dying wish to fulfill, and I can no longer keep quiet. I can no longer stand back and watch as the Santa Claus Organization takes everything from us. So, I launch an attack that was doomed from the start. I am but one krampus up against the cruelest organization in the world. I knew it was a long shot. I knew I would likely die.
Then something surprising happens. The most recent Santa Claus comes into my life, and I don’t know what to make of him. He wasn’t what I was expecting. He’s supposed to be a puppet. A heartless, despicable Santa. But he’s not. He’s … a good person?
Do I have things wrong? Have I had them wrong all along? Or am I falling for the biggest con in the world?
Either way, change is coming for North Pole, and this is sure to be the deadliest Christmas on record and a time that no one will ever forget.
—
EXCERPT:
Standing over me, the demon is almost in shadow. However, past the strange features of his skin, tail, and horns, I clearly read his anger and hate. He hates me.
Why?
“For my father! For my people! For all that is still good in this world!” he shouts.
The impact of his words are almost the same as a jolt from a bullet. He sounds righteous and like he is on the right side, not us. He must be delusional. He must be crazy.
He holds up his gun, his aim pointed at my chest.
I close my eyes, wondering what death will be like. I heard people say that their ancestors are there to greet them, that they are welcomed by them and live out their afterlife in the cradle of family. But my family disowned me, and I somehow don’t expect anyone further up my family line to understand me. If anything, they will probably hate me worse.
Is it my destiny to be murdered then spend the rest of my afterlife alone, too?
Instead of the blast of the weapon expunging the bullet from the nozzle, I hear a click, which tells me that he’s out of bullets.
I open one eye first, and then the other, watching him glare down at his gun.
Could it be? Am I saved?
He throws the gun to the ground then fists his hands into my suit, picking me up then headbutting me.
I cry out, certain I have been stabbed by his horns, but it’s my nose that feels the most pain.
Blood gushes down my face, and all I taste and smell is blood.
“Release him!” someone shouts from behind him. He’s so damn big that I can’t see who it is.
“Just kill it!” someone else yells, this voice commanding. I think it might have come from Chancellor Gibson.
I begin to feel better knowing he’s here. He will know what to do.
“They’re so close that we could hit Santa Claus!”
“Then we’ll get another Santa Claus! Just kill it! It cannot be allowed to live!”
I glance at the demon still holding me, one hand releasing me so he can grab something out of his pocket. He then swings me around just as a gunshot blasts from behind him, but this demon isn’t quick enough to use me as a shield.
His body jolts as he’s hit, and then his hand smacks into me. The item he’s holding is a space-eater.
“Shi—”
The last syllable is lost as we jump through space and land somewhere I have never been before.
What the hell just happened?
Author Bio:
Jessica lives in Adelaide, South Australia. When she is not writing, you can find her reading, napping or watching excessive amounts of TV. Connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads.
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November 18, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Warming My Winter Heart by Michelle Cornish #GIVEAWAY
Warming My Winter Heart
Michelle Cornish
Publication date: November 22nd 2020
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
You can’t run from love forever . . .
When Lexi Blair comes home to Little City from LA for Christmas, she gets the surprise of her life—the ex-fiancé she thought was dead is very much alive and wants her back!
It’s Christmas Eve and Lexi’s seen a ghost. Or . . . she thought he was a ghost until her mom admits to faking his death so Lexi would come home for Christmas.
After a humiliating run-in with her ex—which results in Lexi disowning her mother—she hides out at her best friend’s tree farm, babysitting a nameless puppy while her friend and hubby tend to a family emergency.
But farm life comes with a few perks Lexi isn’t expecting—mainly a hunky farmhand who’s helping Lexi run the place until her friends return.
While Lexi ran from Little City, John ran to it, and she quickly learns he’s healing from past hurts of his own.
Can Lexi and John stop running before it’s too late?
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—
EXCERPT:
Before long, Mom has dinner on the table, and when we’re seated, she says grace. Mom’s always loved going to church on Christmas Eve, but after her big fight with Aunt Flora, she started going every Sunday and doing things like saying grace.
Dad gives me a fully loaded, sideways look that says, “Yeah, your mother still hasn’t talked to your aunt and we still do these things to make it okay in her eyes.” I give him a nod. Does he know what they fought about that Christmas? He took a misdirected punch while he and Ian pulled Mom and her sister apart. That was before Ian became the biggest boob on the planet. Ugh.
“Oh, Lexi, I almost forgot.” Mom draws my attention back to the present. She grabs a box from the kitchen. “I got Christmas crackers.” Ooh. Seems hardly worth it for the three of us, but I do love Christmas crackers. Their gold and silver foil shines as Mom hands one to Dad and me then places one next to her own plate.
I look inside the cracker for the pull tab and grip it firmly then cross my arms, offering the Christmas cracker to Mom on my right and reaching for Dad’s cracker with my right hand.
“Ready?” Mom says. I’m transported back in time as I nod then Mom issues her standard Christmas cracker instructions. “On three. One . . . two . . . three!”
We all pull hard on our crackers against each other and our three little crackers pop and snap while bits of ripped paper scatter across the table. If Mom and Dad had a cat, it would have run for cover.
“Ooh, look,” Mom says. “I got a magnifying glass.” An urge to make a snarky comment about Mom’s eyesight and “how did the Christmas elves know?” pops into my head, but I let it go. I just got here, no need to start a fight just yet.
I check the table for my prize while Dad holds up a giant sparkly paperclip. “Not sure what this is about,” he says.
“It’s a bookmark, dear.” Mom touches Dad’s hand as she says it. She must have splurged on the premium crackers that encourage you to spend more money by showing you on the back of the package what you’ll get.
Something shiny catches my eye on the floor. “Ooh,” I say, leaning over in my chair to pick up my prize. “I got a pen.” I hold it up like it’s some kind of trophy. At least it’s something useful. I place it on the table right next to the fuschia paper crown that also spewed forth from the Christmas cracker.
“Put on your crown.” Mom flutters her hand in my direction. She’s already wearing hers. Dad somehow “accidentally” ripped his, so it won’t stay on his head. Lucky guy. I put on the crown. My cheeks burn a bit, and I feel like I’m ten again—the last year I remember actually liking these silly crowns. I scan the table hoping a bottle of wine has materialized in the last few minutes. Nope.
Author Bio:
Michelle Cornish is a recovering CPA with a passion for stories. Writing mostly romance and women's fiction with strong female heroines, Michelle's books often include nods to her former life as a CPA. When Michelle’s not writing, she’s hanging out with her two boys and husband in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada.
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