R.E. Hargrave's Blog, page 60
November 18, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Dead Shift by Annie Anderson #GIVEAWAY
Dead Shift
Annie Anderson
(Grave Talker, #4)
Publication date: November 16th 2021
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Detective Darby Adler is about to hand in her badge.
After inadvertently taking the mantle of Warden of Knoxville, Darby has painted a huge target on her back. With bridges burned and the ABI on her tail, she’ll have to decide between staying a small-town detective or leaning into her new role.
It’s not only her job on the line—it’s her life.
Who says small towns are boring?
—
EXCERPT:
There should be a rule in the universe somewhere that said if someone—namely, me—had already dealt with enough shit, then no one could bother said someone for at least twenty-four hours.
Or maybe forty-eight.
A case could be made for seventy-two as well.
But since such a rule did not exist—at least in this universe—I was stuck with my ass on the grass, staring at a bullshit note and wishing I could explode the sender’s brain with my mind. Exploding a brain couldn’t be too far outside my new scope of abilities. I’d twisted the heads off a group of ghouls’ shoulders a few days ago with no more than a flick of my fingers. Making one measly brain go poof should be child’s play, right?
If only.
Though, with my teeth rattling around in my head from the ground shaking beneath my feet, I figured maybe, just maybe, my new abilities may not be a good thing. I mean, the wind whipping through the church could possibly have been a fluke, but the ground shaking like a goddamn maraca?
Probably not.
Still, I couldn’t peel my eyes from that note to save my life, and more? I didn’t want to.
Azrael lied to you. Killian isn’t where you think he is.
Come find me when you’re ready for the truth.
—Essex
The man who I’d called “Father” my whole life was in the ground right now, his body moldering in his casket, and the man who’d set it all into motion had the nerve to pick at the bloody scab that was my wounded heart.
I reached for that stupid note, ready to set it on fire or crumble it up, or something, anything but let it lie in the grass where my dad had been put to rest. A hard hand knocked my fingers away before they could make contact, startling me right out of my ill-conceived plan. My sister stared at me like I’d grown a whole new head—and for good reason. A few months ago, she’d gotten a similar note from our brother, one that would have killed her had she not been utterly and totally dead already.
“Are you okay?” Sloane asked, rolling her eyes at herself as she did so. She’d asked me that same question quite a lot over the last few days, and each time she seemed to curse herself.
I cradled the hand she’d smacked against my chest as I inspected her features—ones that seemed to flicker every couple of seconds from regular Sloane to one so fucking frightening it was a wonder I wasn’t running away screaming.
Poker face, don’t fail me now.
Author Bio:
Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she'll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life... interesting.
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November 17, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: The Worst Best Friend by Nicole Snow #GIVEAWAY
The Worst Best Friend: A Small Town Romance
Nicole Snow
Publication date: November 10th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Thriller
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow returns with a hilariously uplifting standalone romance where two jaded friends next door bring their lost hearts home.
It’s all sunshine and butterflies until your brother’s best friend dropkicks your heart.I knew I had it coming with Weston McKnight.The Adonis next door. The fever crush. The always protector.The man who walked away after pulverizing my soul.
Seven years ago, he left our little town with a promise he couldn’t keep.I waited. I worried. I suffered.I stopped chasing dreams built on that boy’s mile-wide shoulders.Then I found the pig—and sweet chaos found me.
I had to rescue that poor squealing baby before he was roadkill.I didn’t know he belonged to Captain McGrumpy.I never guessed I’d collide with a scowling, moody, scary-hot West again.Same man. New secrets. Oh, but that all too familiar tension…
We’re stuck as frenemy neighbors for the next two months.Facing a dilemma with bittersweet memories and flaming glances.What’s the harm in seeking a little closure?Massive.Can we even use words without risking an all out kissing war?Well…Am I in trouble with my worst best friend again?Definitely.Full-length romance thriller with a sticky sweet Happily Ever After forged from friends-to-lovers madness. Witness one broken man’s redemption quest to claim the girl he shouldn’t with so many small-town hijinks, countless dad jokes, and a little help from a bad-tempered pig.
—
EXCERPT:
Weston
“Look at me,” I rumble.
“W-why?” she stammers with a sniff.
For this.
The moment our lips meet, it’s like a generator blown to pieces. A hundred thousand watts of raw electricity, hot and fast and furious, so wild with sparks it welds our lips together.
Fuck.
No.
Fuck!
She gasps into my mouth and I groan back a curse. Her lips firm with surprise, then soften, giving way to the sudden attack of my tongue.
I’m no longer in control of my own body.
This kiss has its own rules, its own gravity, its own soul.
I’d be a complete fool to try to stop its energy.
Her lips are too soft. Too warm. Too perfect in every way, shape, form, and whimper.
When my tongue claims hers, soft and wet as a summer strawberry, she molds to my chest, dragging her body against mine.
I can’t separate my hot mouth from hers, even though I know full well I should.
Stumbling back a step is the only thing that saves us.
That’s what she does to me, her and her thieving, glorious lips. She knocks me upside the head and renders me fucking boneless.
I tear myself away violently, just a few inches, both of us staring in wild-eyed shock at each other, fighting to remember how to breathe.
Goddamn. My eyes slide to those ruby-red lips again with a need to bite her.
I can’t. I won’t.
But hell…one more time, maybe.
Just one more taste and then I’ll stop. I’ll pull back from the brink before we face annihilation.
It takes nearly all my willpower to crush my lips against hers, to roam her mouth every way I’ve wanted for years—fucking years—only to shove myself away.
Dammit all. My bright ideas especially.
I’m panting like a wild animal—breathing like I’m in disbelief—and for her, I want to be.
Author Bio:
Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.
Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.
Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.
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BOOK BLITZ: Fates Fulfilled by Jules Barnard #GIVEAWAY
Fates Fulfilled
Jules Barnard
(Halven Rising, #3)
Publication date: November 15th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
The Dark Prince has arrived.
The Dark Prince will stop at nothing to save his people—even if it means kidnapping the one woman with the power to destroy them all…
Garrin Branimir, Prince of Dark Kingdom, has been trapped in endless winter for centuries, along with his people. His only hope of saving them is to find the woman with the power to destroy the magical barriers imprisoning Dark Fae. With her by his side, he and his kinsmen will finally be free.
But Lex Meinrad isn’t full Fae, and she wasn’t raised in his land, content to obey her prince’s every order. She refuses to do his bidding—no matter how intense the sparks between them fire.
With time running out, Garrin must convince this impossibly stubborn woman to cooperate before his enemies bend her to their will. And, unlike him, they’ll choose force over seduction…
—Each Halven Rising book is a standalone romance with an overarching story that connects the series. The books can be read out of order.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
—
EXCERPT:
Garrin Branimir, Prince of Dark Kingdom, strode down the dingy hallway where the Fae kept their half-human, half-Fae Halven, and paused near a dark-haired female on his right. The woman grinned as she passed.
She was attractive. For a human. Or Halven, given the building.
Hundreds of years ago, Fae from other kingdoms in the Faery realm of Tirnan built Dawson University to monitor their half-blood offspring, known as Halven. Particularly those Halven who developed magical powers. As far as anyone knew, no Halven born of Dark Fae blood existed due to the Land of Ice that blocked Dark Kingdom from any other living being, including in the Earth realm. But Garrin suspected the one he searched for could be hidden here.
The prophecy stated a female with Dark blood would save his people. Garrin had run out of options in Dark Kingdom. No one possessed the power needed to create safe passage to other lands. The Earth realm was his last hope for finding the one.
He fanned his hand in front of the female’s face before she passed. He’d been testing all females in the building for weeks. So far, none had deflected his magic.
The brunette blinked, then stumbled. Then her lips turned blue, and she began to choke, her dark eyes watering as ice formed across her face. Sounds of suffocation came from her throat.
She was indeed Halven. He wasn’t as good at sensing magic levels as those with the ability, but he could tell she was more than human now that he was close. Only she wasn’t the one for whom he searched. She was simply a half-blood, like all the rest.
Garrin sighed and waved forward the two soldiers behind him. “Heal her and blur her memory.”
This girl might not be the one, but Garrin would search for the female who was until his dying breath, which should give him a millennium, give or take.
“Your Highness,” Amund said, a portal creator and one such Fae with the ability to sense energy levels. “The earthbound Fae soldiers have discovered our presence.”
Garrin let out a long-suffering sigh. He’d spent the last hundred years attempting to cross the barrier separating his kingdom from the others of Tirnan. It had been nigh impossible to make it across the Land of Ice weakened, only to be attacked by deadly Fae soldiers from other lands. Until an uprising left said lands vulnerable. He’d finally breached the borders of the other kingdoms and made it to the Earth realm, and he wasn’t about to turn back now. “The Fae living on Earth are a nuisance. How am I to find the girl with them nipping at my heels?”
Amund stared off in the distance. “We have two minutes before they discover us.”
His men had returned the brunette to the dwelling from whence she came, and Garrin looked down the hallway one last time. “Very well. We will return another—”
Someone exited a door halfway down. A female. Tall.
Garrin didn’t get a good look at her face because she’d pulled a hood over her head that dipped below her eyes, but he held up his hand in a staying motion. There was something about this one… He was drawn to her.
“I sense no power,” Amund said.
Fae were taller than humans, and many Halven took on the trait. “I will test her anyway.” The closer she got, his urge to be near her grew.
“Your Highness, please hurry.” Amund glanced back. “We have a minute at most.”
The female kept her head down as she moved closer. She didn’t appear to see Garrin standing there.
Odd, that. At over seven feet, Garrin wasn’t easily missed in the Earth realm. The girl was so preoccupied, in fact, that she nearly ran into him.
She stopped abruptly a couple of feet away, and her chin tilted up. Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze. But not before Garrin caught sight of her beautiful golden eyes, the mysterious energy behind them hitting him like a bolt of lightning.
There was no time. Garrin needed to test her quickly and be gone. He pursed his lips and exhaled, giving her more of his powers than he’d given other females they’d encountered.
She blinked, and ice crystallized around her nose and lips…and melted as quickly as it had formed.
Her gaze collided with his, her expression one of surprise.
Garrin’s entire body lit up with desire so powerful it took his breath away.
He stepped back, astonished at his reaction to the woman, and at what he’d discovered. For so long he’d fought death and starvation and battled enemies to reach the one. No Dark Fae were thought to live in the Earth realm, but Garrin suspected she was hiding here, and now he’d found her in the form of a Halven.
Elation coursed through him. After all this time, he’d succeeded where no other Fae had for hundreds of years.
He would save his people from isolation. He would make his father proud…and he would have the female.
A smile slowly pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Take her.”
Author Bio:
Jules Barnard is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic fantasy. Her contemporary series include the Never Date and Cade Brothers series. She also writes romantic fantasy under the same pen name in the Halven Rising series Library Journal calls ''...an exciting new fantasy adventure.'' Whether she’s writing about sexy men in Lake Tahoe or a Fae world embedded in a college campus, Jules spins addictive stories filled with heart and humor.
When Jules isn’t in her sweatpants writing and rewarding herself with chocolate, she spends her time with her husband and two children in their small hometown on the Pacific Coast. She credits herself with the ability to read while running on the treadmill or burning dinner.
**Please click the orange "+Follow" button to follow Jules on Amazon and be notified about her new releases**
To learn more about Jules, visit her website at: julesbarnard.com
Sign up to Jules's Newsletter for writing updates and to gain access to FREE content, including extra scenes -- http://www.julesbarnard.com/newsletter/
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BOOK BLITZ: Ruby Island by Stephanie Ruth #GIVEAWAY
Ruby Island
Stephanie Ruth
Publication date: November 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
First impressions are hard to shake…Big-headed ex-rugby star, Daniel Dante, refuses to believe a word celebrated ceramicist Kanako Janssen says, though why her new landlord’s opinion bothers her so much is anyones’s guess. She has enough to worry about, with her soon to be ex-husband refusing to sign divorce papers, Daniel’s dog appearing regularly to freak her out, and an exhibition date looming.Kanako is everything Daniel isn’t, and nothing he’s used to. Trust doesn’t come easily to a player who’s been burnt so publicly before, but if he can’t learn to lean on this fresh-faced, quirky artist, he could well lose her altogether.
Like the swallows, Kanako’s only in Otago for the season. But willing or not, the self-proclaimed introvert is being slowly absorbed into small town life on the lake, and she’s in grave danger of falling in love with it.
RUBY ISLAND is the second story in Stephanie Ruth’s Otago Waters series, set in the beautiful South Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Each book stands alone, but reading them in order provides a deeper experience. Intended for readers who enjoy their feel-good romance on the steamy side, and promising a happily ever after.
Sign on to Stephanie Ruth’s newsletter to receive bonus short stories, prologues, epilogues, and cut scenes set in the same world, with the characters you love.
—
EXCERPT:
“Imagine I hold in my hand a small, but very potent syringe of truth serum…” Holding his thumb and forefinger a little apart, Rugby twisted his hand from side to side as if shaking up invisible contents. “There’s just enough for two doses.” Flicking the veins of his inner elbow, he looked directly at Kana as he mimed the injection sliding into his vein. “Ahhh…” The grimace of mock pain made her smirk.
When he loosened up, he was almost likeable.
Almost.
Rugby put down his half-biscuit on the paper bag and held out his hand.
“Your turn.”
“What? No.”
“Don’t you want to play?” he spoke with deceptive softness, eyes challenging.
Kana blinked at him, unsure where this was going, or why Rugby was putting in the effort to hook her into his silly game. She slowly extended her arm towards him anyway.
Expecting him to mime the injection sliding into her inner elbow, like he’d done to himself, she faltered when he took her wrist again, trailing one large thumb across the faint blue of the sensitive skin. She had just enough time to wonder if he could feel her pulse skitter in reaction to the intimate touch, before he plunged the imaginary truth serum into her vein.
“It takes a moment for it to kick in.” Rugby continued with the pretence, releasing her arm as he leant back on his hands, out of her personal space but still holding her gaze. “Okay, here comes my truth. I find you very attractive. In fact, you’re stunning. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Not since that first time at the lake, when you took your sunglasses off and scowled down your nose at me.”
Seriously?
Kana stared at him.
Yup. Rugby appeared to be dead serious.
He’d been so much easier to deal with when he was wishing her off his property. This close-contact charm-offensive was much more focussed in its assault, and a lot more confusing.
“Ah, thank you, Mr Dante. Mr… ah, Daniel… D. Flattering, but—”
“Your serum should be taking effect about now,” Rugby interrupted, somewhat grim.
“Right.” Kana hugged her knees to herself again. No point in hanging back. If she were upfront and honest, it’d clear the air and perhaps get their landlord-tenant relationship back on an even playing field.
She looked sideways at him. “I don’t want to be attracted to you.”
The statement had the opposite effect to what she’d been expecting. Rugby broke into a slow and beatific grin.
“But… you are?”
“That’s not what I said,” Kana negated; realising belatedly it was exactly what she’d implied. And, to be honest, exactly how she felt.
“I’m just out of a long-term relationship, and not looking for any complications.”
“Who said I was aiming for complicated?”
“Just telling you where I stand.” She rose with purpose, grabbing her empty cup with her free hand. She hadn’t made it two steps when Rugby blocked her path. “What are you doing?” she snapped, agitation mounting.
“Did you know who I was when we first met?”
“No.” she shook her head to confirm. “There wasn’t any mention of a landlord on the application information.”
“On the application…?” Rugby shadowed her speech with a frown. “The artist in residence form?”
She nodded.
The confusion on Rugby’s forehead began to clear. “No, I meant did you know… You know what? It doesn’t matter. I think you just answered that. Why did you pretend to be a tourist?”
Kana drew a big, dramatic sigh. “I tried to explain this already. You made out like I was a tourist.”
“I did not. I asked you if you were lost. Polite-local-guy helps woman-with-open-map. Woman thinks, who is this hot guy?” Rugby grinned. “It was a very simple plan.”
“Well, I wasn’t lost,” Kana muttered, a little incensed he was finding this funny.
“But you did think I was hot?”
There he went with his big ego again. She moved to step around him.
“One more question. Did you take my Saturday newspaper?” The words were softer this time, like they meant more.
Kana hesitated only for a moment. “Yes. Sorry. I used it for clay without thinking.”
“You read it first, though.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No. I don’t read the paper. It’s too depressing. I needed it as stuffing for a hand-built piece.” Kana frowned, thinking back. “There is one bit I remember though. A headline. ‘Doctors Fail To…’ I don’t know what they failed to do, because I’d already ripped that piece out and used it. It’s been bugging me ever since.”
“Has it now?” Rugby considered her with an intent gleam.
“It has. Yes.”
“There’s something I’ve failed to do.” The corner of Rugby’s mouth tugged back up into a smile, and Kana was conscious of a faint warning bell in her head. There was something very unpredictable about this man. “One more minute of your time. I’ve been wanting to try something out…”
His hands moved to her shoulders and rested lightly, and Kana could’ve pulled away from him when she realised what he intended to do. Those hazel eyes told her exactly what he was up to. Instead she stood stock-still as Rugby’s head lowered, and his lips slid softly atop hers.
Author Bio:
Award winning New Zealand contemporary romance novelist and short story writer, Stephanie Ruth lives in the South Island, Te Waipounamu, with her husband, three children, and an ever expanding array of animals. If it doesn't have a happy ending in some form or other, Stephanie's not writing it.
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November 16, 2021
B@@K REVEAL: Glory Unbound by Deborah L. King #PreORDER
Glory Unbound
Deborah L. King
(Glory Bishop, #2)
Publication date: December 14th 2021
Genres: Women’s Fiction
IN THIS SECOND BOOK of the series, Glory Bishop has finally broken free of her mother’s oppressive grasp and is offered a new life by a seemingly altruistic Chicago socialite, but there may be more than good intentions at play. Against the advice of trusted friends and family, Glory chooses the protection of Malcom Porter, her adoring, much older, bad-boy-turned-minister fiancé.
Thrust into a gilded world of wealth, society and privilege, Glory struggles to overcome the guilt of loving her new life. The whirlwind of 1980s designer clothing, penthouse views, and first-class travel is a far cry from her former existence.
With this new reality, comes unexpected complications and temptations. As she struggles to remain true to herself and her fiancé, Glory wonders if she will ever truly feel at home in this new world. Follow Glory Bishop in her continuing search for freedom and independence, as she once again strives to be her own savior.
Author Bio:
Deborah King has been a writer and storyteller her whole life. She published her first short story when she was seven years old. When she’s not writing, Deborah enjoys cartoons, cooking, photography, and Star Trek. Born and raised in Chicago, Deborah has managed to achieve all of her childhood dreams and still lives in the area with her husband and two youngest children. According to her daughter, she has “literally aced her life!”
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BOOK BLITZ: Rook's Palace by Alexa Piper
Rook’s Palace
Alexa Piper
(Her Five Monsters, #1)
Published by: Changeling Press
Publication date: November 12th 2021
Genres: Reverse Harem, Urban Fantasy
Emilia is excited to start a house-sitting job, even if the house is creepy and more than a little on the odd side — as odd as the owner’s requests. When she finds an unusual gaming console, she is drawn into a lusty video game in which she crosses paths with five inhuman creatures. She is drawn to them all, but when the five men keep telling her that the game is very much not what it seems, Emilia realizes she can no longer play along.
As the path she follows offers not just desire and intense experiences but also sadness, cruelty, and hurt around every bend, Emilia’s resolve firms: she will free the five men, who tell her they are already a family, already lovers. Whatever she has grown to feel for them, she cannot let them suffer if saving them is within her power.
With the rules of a game she doesn’t understand forcing her to play along, Emilia must find a way to get to the end of the game and get everyone out — whatever the cost. The freedom of her five monsters depends on her.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
—
EXCERPT:
The console that had caught Emilia’s attention was an oval design, smooth silver. She touched the casing, and found that it was warm, polished metal rather than plastic, with a smaller oval display set in the middle. As soon as her fingers brushed against the console, the display lit up with words.
“Play me? Huh,” Emilia said. “You’re strange. How do I play you?” she asked. There was no controller anywhere that she could see. The other wireless ones were neatly lined up beneath their respective console, but this oddity…
The screen brightened, and the words play me blinked at Emilia.
“Right. I want to.” She turned to look around. On the table behind her, on the chairs, there was no controller in sight either, nor did her search reveal one behind the cushions. Shrugging, Emilia hit the screen on the console. She felt the slight give of a button. “Ah.”
The television set flickered to life, and a suitably eerie voice echoed to Emilia from hidden speakers.
“Welcome to the Rook’s Palace,” said a male narrator. On the screen, the camera was following a path through a thicket of trees. It wound toward a castle that rose like a waking dragon in the distance.
“Wow, this looks super HD,” Emilia said. She pulled one of the floor cushions stacked to the right of the TV toward her and sat down cross-legged.
“Brave traveler, you have chosen to walk the paths to the palace, but beware,” said the narrator. “These paths are full of the pleasures of the flesh, and none that walk them may escape the lust and desire of those who call the palace their home.
“Traveler, should you choose to continue, there is a mission you must carry out.” The screen washed out, the scene shifting from the outdoors to a room. It could have been a room right here in Blakely’s castle. As the camera did a slow turn, Emilia gasped a little as a tall, dark-haired figure came into view. At that exact moment, the man turned and looked at the camera, almost as if he’d heard Emilia’s gasp. His dark hair ran down his back, and he wore what was probably supposed to be some sort of stylized Victorian garb. The pants were tight enough to show off muscular legs, and the pressed white shirt with the silver buttons — half of which were undone — showed a broad chest and a narrow waist. The man, whose hair trailed down to the small of his back and half hid his face, looked straight at the camera. His eyes were the color of amethyst, and a wild emotion stirred in their depth for a second before the man shut it down.
“Lord Radovan, the vampire prince, has been hidden away in the palace’s highest tower. Traveler, if you dare, it is your mission to free Lord Radovan from his captivity.”
Emilia wanted to look at this strange vampire prince more. The video quality was good, uncannily so, everything looked real. It was almost like all she had to do was reach out her hand, and she’d be able to touch the amethyst-eyed vampire prince.
Emilia lifted her right hand, but before she could actually try reaching for the vampire, the camera moved. It went for a window and flew straight out, down toward a hedge maze.
“The palace grounds are full of riddles and challenges. Those who guard the path and the palace will not be assuaged by anything less than taking pleasure in your body, Traveler,” the narrator said. “They will demand you give yourself to them, and if they have no mouth or know not how to use it, they will take pleasure on you regardless, split you open and fill you with their need.”
Emilia felt like she should be taking notes for her chat room work. This was good enough to make warmth run down her spine, to make her shift a little on her floor cushion.
“Traveler, if you wish to proceed to the Rook’s Palace, you must consent now to have your body used. On the path to the Palace, your body will be your token. If you dare not, you may turn back, though you will never know what pleasures hide behind these walls. If you consent, your pleasure will end only once Lord Radovan is set free from his tower.”
The maze opened up to the path again, and the camera rushed back to the spot it had first been in, the one with trees to either side of it. Words wrote themselves across the screen.
“Traveler, do you consent?” it read. “Say yes, and proceed. Say no, and never return.”
Once more, Emilia looked for a controller. The button she’d pushed on the console had gone dark now. She looked back up at the screen…
Author Bio:
Alexa Piper writes steamy romance that ranges from light to dark, from straight to queer. She’s also a coffee addict. Alexa loves writing stories that make her readers laugh and fall in love with the characters in them.
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November 15, 2021
BLEEDING SOULS SAVED BY LOVE! A Family Affair (Long Live the King) by Nicole Banks #NowLive
Long live the King...until a Queen takes the reign.
In a Cuban crime family run by men, nothing was more disappointing than Claudia's birth. Outcast by her father and shunned by her brother, she spent a life time plotting, never forgetting what should have been hers by birth-right.
Despite bidding her time, waiting for her unworthy brother to screw up his leadership, he did one thing right––produced an heir. But nothing saves him from tragedy. One so great, it causes the De La Cova heir to skip town... and puts Claudia right where she belongs––in position as the Queen.
Finally under her leadership, she takes the family business in her direction, shaping the organization to her satisfaction... until her nephew returns wanting the throne he believes is his.
Claudia has a shock for him, though. She isn't giving up her empire without one hell of a fight, and if that means spilling family blood to keep it, then so be it. After all, it wouldn't be the first time.
A Fabled retelling of THE LION KING
November 14, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Audrey by Sean-Paul Thomas #GIVEAWAY
Audrey
Sean-Paul Thomas
Publication date: May 21st 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
From the author of My Sister and I and The Old Man and The Princess (recently optioned to be a motion picture) – comes a new, suspenseful romantic tale that will knock you off your feet. A story that has a reminiscence of ‘500 days of Summer’ and ‘Midnight in Paris’ with a fair dollop of ‘The Graduate’ thrown in. And of course Audrey, a delightful, older female protagonist who takes the young and wayward ex-con Joe under her wing.
Just out of prison Joe, a young builder from Edinburgh who writes movie scripts in his spare time, randomly meets Audrey, a washed-up, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, middle-aged French film actress at his local film festival. After hitting it off and spending one crazy, magical night together, Audrey sees some potential in Joe and his writing and tries to help him win back his estranged daughter by getting his first screenplay made into a movie in Paris. And so, the adventure of a lifetime begins…
—
EXCERPT:
“Julie?”
Julie froze on the footpath only a few dozen yards ahead of him, although she did not turn around right away to face the familiar voice.
“Julie, please!” Joe cried, continuing to approach her but slowing down his pace just enough to appear as non-threatening as he possibly could. Surprisingly it was Sarah who turned around to face him first.
“Who is it, mummy?” were the first words out of her mouth. “Who is that man?”
Julie took a deep breath and finally turned her stiff body fully around to confront the man that she truly hoped she would never have to see again. There was a long, deep silence as the two just stared at each other for what felt like aeons. Joe looked deeply remorseful stuck inside his own emotional turmoil.
“I heard you were getting out.” Julie finally spoke up.
“I just wanted to say hello.”
“You shouldn’t be here, Joe. You’re not allowed to be here. There are rules and regulations that you need to follow.”
“I know, I know, but I just wanted to see my…”
Joe glanced down at Sarah. He tried to smile, even with tears in his eyes. Sarah hugged a little closer into her mother, unsure of the strange man standing on the street in front of them.
“Don’t you dare say what you’re about to bloody well say, Joe? Don’t you bloody well dare!”
Julie turned to face Sarah again. She crouched down fast so they were both at the same height.
“Who is that man, mummy?” Sarah asked again.
“Just an old, old friend of your mum’s, that’s all. Nothing to worry about. But can you do me a wee favour, my angel?”
Sarah nodded gently.
“See that lamppost behind you, my wee darling? Can you go and wait for mummy over there, please? I won’t be long.”
Sarah simply nodded again and did what she was told. She took one last short curious glance at Joe before walking away. Julie then turned her focus back on Joe. With an angry glare and a determined steely walk, she made her way towards him with a face of thunder.
“Look. I knew this day was coming and I have been… mentally preparing for it to say the least…”
Julie hesitated. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips into her forehead, debating what to say next. Desperately trying to choose her words carefully in her emotional state of mind.
“Look. She doesn’t know who you are, okay? She doesn’t remember you. And I still haven’t gotten around to telling her about…” Julie hesitated again. Clearly choking up with the painful memories of it all. “…About what you fucking did.” She finally got her words out.
“It’s okay. I completely understand.” Joe swiftly replied, keen to comfort her. But Julie looked furious as hell at Joe’s casual answer. “No, Joe. No, you don’t understand. How could you ever understand?” Julie took a few moments to calm herself down.
“Look, if you want to see Sarah again then I guess I can’t stop you from trying. But you will have to go through all the proper channels to make it happen. I will not make this easy for you Joe, okay? So, this is your first and only warning. If you surprise us like this again in the middle of the bloody street, or if I see you anywhere near us without a social worker or a bloody lawyer then I will call the police and have you sent back to prison without even batting an eyelash. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Joe replied as sincerely as he possibly could. “I understand.”
Julie turned around to leave, but Joe still had more to say.
“Do you think we could talk sometime, Julie? Please?”
Julie stopped dead in her tracks and whipped around to face him again. She looked utterly flabbergasted that he was still talking.
“Talk?”
“I mean, just the two of us.”
“Didn’t you just listen to a bloody word I said?”
Joe suddenly began digging around in his pockets. By the desperate expression on his face, it was as if the thing he was searching for held the key to getting back on Julie’s good side again. Finally, he pulled out a pair of cinema tickets which only baffled her more.
“Look. I know it might sound stupid and dumb as hell, but I bought us some tickets for a movie at the film festival next week… I thought we could perhaps grab a bite to eat, talk, watch a movie. Like we used to do?”
Julie looked utterly confounded, but she restrained herself from raising her voice into an angry screech in the middle of the quiet neighbourhood where she could already feel the presence of hidden eyes from behind the twitching blinds and curtains of the surrounding houses.
“You want to go and watch a fucking movie? After all this time? After what you did?”
“I know it sounds dumb. I just don’t know what to do or where else to start here, Julie, please?”
“You could start by moving to the other side of the fucking planet and staying far, far away from us.”
Author Bio:
Scottish Author/Screenwriter.
Sean is an author from Edinburgh in Scotland. He is the best selling Kindle Author of 'The Old Man and The Princess' which was recently optioned to be a major motion picture.
Sean spent most of his childhood and teenage years on the move with his Scottish and Irish army Parents growing up in the likes of Cyprus, Germany, Wales, and England, as an army brat.
With a keen interest in both reading and writing, he was diagnosed with travel and writing bugs very early in life. Now, writing, travelling, reading, cinema, and Scottish football (Supporting the mighty Edinburgh City for his sins) are his main passions in life.
His main inspiration for writing today comes from living in such a beautiful, charming and hauntingly, Gothic city, such as Edinburgh. An awe-inspiring wee city that has given him so much amazing inspiration to write the more time he spends there.
Recently, Sean has been working on a couple of screenplay adaptations of his books. One of which 'The Old Man and The Princess' made the final of the Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition 2018 and has since been optioned by an award-winning Director /Producer team. Scheduled to go into production in Ireland in the summer of 2021 filming has been postponed until 2022 due to the recent covid pandemic.
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November 13, 2021
BOOK BLITZ: Night Prince by Felice Stevens #GIVEAWAY
Night Prince
Felice Stevens
Publication date: October 31st 2021
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
From Lambda Literary Award winning author Felice Stevens comes a sexy paranormal stand-alone romance.
A vampire who’s lost everything meets a man who has nothing to lose.
For centuries, Massimo D’Alba, banished prince of the Fold, has wandered through life frozen in darkness and pain. Betrayed by his younger, power-hungry brother, he’s existed for centuries but not lived. A rain-soaked night brings smart-mouthed New Yorker, Damion Avery, to his doorstep and suddenly he’s riding spin bikes, shopping for yoga pants, eating ice cream…and falling in love.
Damion Avery can’t figure out why Prince Tall, Dark, and Incredibly Sexy wants him as his personal assistant, but he’s not going to second-guess his good luck. Even though he has to work all night and sleep during the day, the job is too good to be true. But where does Massimo sneak off to in the dead of night? Is he a spy, an assassin, or something else? And what’s with those glowing purple eyes? Damion knows he shouldn’t fall for his boss. But Damion was never one to follow the rules.
When duty calls him home, Massimo must return to save his kingdom, forcing a life-changing decision: leave Damion behind forever, or reveal his deepest, darkest secret to the man who has become his everything, who owns a part of Massimo he’d thought gone forever…his heart.
—
EXCERPT:
For the past century, Massimo had occasionally allowed humans into his home if he found it necessary for his business. He’d hired several—pale, thin creatures who were good with numbers, something Massimo had trouble with even as a child. They assisted him with the Internet when the need arose and kept his books and finances in order because he simply couldn’t. If DaVinci and Galileo, who remained his favorites, had been unable to help him, he would’ve admitted defeat.
This human, however, was proving to be a danger to his physical needs, something he’d kept locked up tight for centuries. He hadn’t lain with a man since the last time with Riice, but Massimo recognized lust. It bubbled inside him the longer he stared at this man.
And he was even prettier awake than in sleep, sweet and innocent-looking. But Massimo had been duped once—his brother had played him well for years, lulling him into a false sense of security before turning on him and stealing his birthright and his life.
He wouldn’t be fooled again. Was he sent as a spy? Had someone from the Fold discovered where he was and sent this morsel to test him? Massimo eyed the man, distrust warring with unexpected desire.
“Excuse me.”
The poor thing jumped and stared at him with wide blue eyes. Thick waves of honey-colored hair fell over his brow, and he carded his fingers through the mess.
“Um. Hello.”
Massimo advanced upon the man. He possessed a lovely rich scent, but Massimo wasn’t interested in his blood. His shocking hunger was of a different kind.
“May I ask who you are and what you are doing in my home?”
“Are you the prince?”
“I believe I asked you a question first. Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Before the human could answer, Claudio skidded into the room. “Your Highness, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to greet you. I was washing Damion’s shoelaces.”
“Damien?”
“Damion. With an o. I know it’s usually with an e, but I guess someone made a mistake on my birth certificate, and…well, yeah. Damion.”
The human’s face had turned a rather adorable shade of pink. “Damion with an o. Understood.”
“And you’re Massimo? The prince?”
He arched a brow at Claudio, who shrugged. “He asked.”
“He…asked.” Massimo shook his head. “Indeed. What else did you tell him that he asked?” He folded his arms and trained his hard gaze upon Claudio, who shifted uneasily under the intense scrutiny. “How did you end up bringing this…stranger here?”
“Don’t be a hard-ass to Claudio. I literally ran into him during the rainstorm earlier. My phone cracked, and he felt guilty as all hell and said he could fix it and brought me here. I must’ve fallen asleep waiting for him. You have a really comfortable couch, by the way.”
“Is that so?” Massimo glided closer to Damion, smiling to himself when Damion’s breath hitched.
“Uh, yeah. Well, I’d better get going. It’s getting late, and you probably want to have dinner.”
“Your sneakers are in the dryer, Damion,” Claudio said. “They shouldn’t take too long.”
“What a help you’ve been to our guest, Claudio.” Massimo leaned against the arched doorway. “As for you, Damion with an o, I insist you stay.” He bared his teeth in a grin.
“I don’t think—”
“You have somewhere else to be?” Massimo put a hand on Damion’s arm and felt him flinch.
A curious electric current shot up his arm.
Author Bio:
Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner. Her characters have to work for it, because just like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love.
Felice is the 2020 Lambda Literary Award winning author in best Gay Romance. She lives in New York City and has way too much black in her wardrobe. If she's not writing, you'll probably find her watching reality TV or procrastinating on FB in her reader group, Felice's Breakfast Club.
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November 12, 2021
NEW RELEASE BL!TZ: Beast by Cambria Hebert #GIVEAWAY
Beast
Cambria Hebert
(House of Misfits, #4)
Publication date: November 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Romance
A tale as old as time…
A charismatic man cannot see beyond his ownbrilliant reflection, never learning that true beauty lies within.His selfish behavior draws the ire of a witch with enchantment on her wicked tongue.A fiery curse is unleashed, engulfing the self-centered man’s entire existence.When at last the flames are extinguished,he gazes upon his reflection to discover he is no longer breathtakingly handsomebut condemned with scorched flesh and twisted scars.He is no longer a man at all… but a beast.While the ferocious beast rages, alienating everyone far and wide,a woman whose beauty is far more than skin-deepdwells in a world much simpler than his.
The beauty’s quiet life is disrupted when she is ambushed, threatened,and boldly steps in the path of her father’s debt.However, it’s not the thugs on her tail or the roaring beasttesting her patience that threatens to be this sassy beauty’s downfall.It’s the way her heart flutters whenever he is near.
But some curses just can’t be broken, and really…How can she truly ever love a beast?
—
EXCERPT:
“How long has it been since you’ve had a shower?”
“Are you saying I stink?” I yelled.
“Yes,” she deadpanned.
I drew back, shock rendering me silent.
“Damn. Is that all I had to do to get you to shut up all this time? Just tell you, you stink?”
I low growl vibrated my throat. It hurt, but I didn’t stop.
Her eyes rolled. Their color was beautiful, reminding me of roasted chestnuts from street vendors around the holidays.
I wondered if I’d even be able to walk the street this year. My face would probably scare everyone.
“I’m asking because now that your bandages and stitches are removed, it would be a good time to shower off before I re-cover it all.”
“I haven’t had a shower since before. Only a couple sponge baths.” Then a piece of the old me slipped out, a piece I’d thought had been gone for good. Leaning in with a slight smirk and naughty whisper, I asked, “You offering to give me a sponge bath?”
Without missing a beat, she also leaned in. “I guess I am.”
The messy room fell away, and for a moment, I forgot I was a hideous, exposed beast overwhelmed with discomfort and cast aside by the people I’d trusted. All that remained was a pair of hickory eyes regarding me with sassy mirth. Her crimson-stained lips pursed, and my eyes lingered upon them, suddenly so incredibly hungry. Unlike mine, her skin was flawless, smooth, and richly pigmented.
She’s beautiful.
The long column of her neck was graceful and always exposed because the curls on her head were short and wild. My fingers itched to wrap around it, gripping with just enough force to possess her while my mouth devoured hers.
“What’s the matter, Ander? Not used to someone calling your bluff?” Her voice was amused but hushed, and something deep inside me howled in delight that she might not be as composed as she portrayed.
I leaned closer, noting the way her nostrils flared. We were so close now we shared the same breath. Hers smelled faintly of mint and was more rapid than before. “Who said I was bluffing?” I whispered.
Her cheeks turned slightly reflective, taking on a glossy sheen, and she pulled back, eyes flaring just a bit. She was flustered.
Author Bio:
Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.
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