L. Duarte's Blog, page 2

To Catch a Falling Star by L. Duarte @LDuarte77 #GIVEAWAY

It’s been five years, but Melody still mourns the death of Tim, her soul mate and beloved husband who never had a chance to hold their daughter. Mel and her daughter have the love and support of Mel’s brother Will and sister-in-law Portia, the famous Oscar-winning actress-turned-mother. Mel works three jobs and mothers Ella, but she spends her mornings facing the demons of her grief. Her faith and her father, the pastor, helps Mel grapple with her grief.

Portia opens her home to her childhood friend Tarry Francis, a successful, womanizing rock star. He’s trying to beat his addictions. Again. He’s going through the motions, but needs his drugs and rowdy lifestyle to keep his childhood pain in check. Tarry’s privileged upbringing contrasted with his cruel parents, who starved him of affection. Who can fix that?

Mel is forced to counsel Tarry, but he’s so damaged and unwilling to try that she’s not sure anyone can help fix him. She gives him a special coin. Could this open their hearts to each other and fuel their love? Is this a step forward that will free them to catch the falling stars? Or will Mel remain faithful to her first love?

Rich in meaning, To Catch a Falling Star is about two lovers whose hearts struggle to open to find the magic of the journey of love. It’s a joyful and passionate story about overcoming challenges to lead us to love and the fulfillment of our dreams.

To Catch a Falling Star is the stunning follow-up novel to L. Duarte’s debut Chasing Stars about Portia and Will’s romance. A spiritual and playful read, L. Duarte has provided readers the chance to believe in healing a broken heart.


Book 1 Amazon           Facebook          Goodreads       Goodreads author     Twitter @LDuarte77

I have found that there is only one thing better than reading, and that is writing. I am always torn between the two. I am also frequently torn between chocolate and coffee. However, I emphatically do not like the month of February, lies, and flies. For me, bravery is defined by the courage to do what we fear the most. This conviction is reflected in my debut work of romantic fiction, Chasing Stars. I live in Connecticut with my husband and two children. Drop a few lines. I would love to hear from you.a Rafflecopter giveaway

To Catch a Falling Star by L. Duarte @LDuarte77 #spotlight

It’s been five years, but Melody still mourns the death of Tim, her soul mate and beloved husband who never had a chance to hold their daughter. Mel and her daughter have the love and support of Mel’s brother Will and sister-in-law Portia, the famous Oscar-winning actress-turned-mother. Mel works three jobs and mothers Ella, but she spends her mornings facing the demons of her grief. Her faith and her father, the pastor, helps Mel grapple with her grief.

Portia opens her home to her childhood friend Tarry Francis, a successful, womanizing rock star. He’s trying to beat his addictions. Again. He’s going through the motions, but needs his drugs and rowdy lifestyle to keep his childhood pain in check. Tarry’s privileged upbringing contrasted with his cruel parents, who starved him of affection. Who can fix that?

Mel is forced to counsel Tarry, but he’s so damaged and unwilling to try that she’s not sure anyone can help fix him. She gives him a special coin. Could this open their hearts to each other and fuel their love? Is this a step forward that will free them to catch the falling stars? Or will Mel remain faithful to her first love?

Rich in meaning, To Catch a Falling Star is about two lovers whose hearts struggle to open to find the magic of the journey of love. It’s a joyful and passionate story about overcoming challenges to lead us to love and the fulfillment of our dreams.

To Catch a Falling Star is the stunning follow-up novel to L. Duarte’s debut Chasing Stars about Portia and Will’s romance. A spiritual and playful read, L. Duarte has provided readers the chance to believe in healing a broken heart.


Book 1 Amazon           Facebook          Goodreads       Goodreads author     Twitter @LDuarte77

I have found that there is only one thing better than reading, and that is writing. I am always torn between the two. I am also frequently torn between chocolate and coffee. However, I emphatically do not like the month of February, lies, and flies. For me, bravery is defined by the courage to do what we fear the most. This conviction is reflected in my debut work of romantic fiction, Chasing Stars. I live in Connecticut with my husband and two children. Drop a few lines. I would love to hear from you.

Crystal Donahue Writes: Add "ABOVE PAR" to your Goodreads List...

Crystal Donahue Writes: Add "ABOVE PAR" to your Goodreads List...: My new book, "ABOVE PAR" releases December 20th! You can now add it to your Goodreads To-Read list! https://www.goodreads.com/bo...

R. MATTHEWS DISCLAIMER! This story is about two-thirds of...

R. MATTHEWS DISCLAIMER! This story is about two-thirds of the way written at this very moment.  What that means is that even though this first chapter is fairly solid, there’s a very good chance that it may see some changes by the time it officially publishes.  This has also not gone through any professional editing either, so please do allow me some grace if you come across any errors. Now that that’s out of the way, let me say a huge THANK YOU for your interest in the Masquerade series!  I can’t tell you how great it is to know that my work has resonated with readers.  I honestly never thought that would happen. When I finished Her Soundtrack in the beginning of Spring, I was fully prepared to comfortably close the door on Ella and Jonathan and let them live their lives.  Of course, I was always day dreaming about what they were up to, but nothing more.  Since clicking ‘publish’ at the end of June, all of your wonderful, endearing and encouraging comments have poured in and I couldn’t help but start writing about them again.  So it’s thanks to you that this sequel is on the way! Thank you again for all of your amazing support.  In exchange for this chapter, I only ask two things of you… first, tell me what you think of it!  And second, please, please, please help me spread the word about the series. Happy reading! Renee

HIS SOUNDTRACK

I’ve Got the World on a String      – Frank Sinatra
I am a king.
I woke up in my favorite way to wake up.  I had a girl under each arm, both brunettes; one with long, dark curly hair and the other with light brown curly hair.  They were both devastatingly gorgeous with thick, long lashes and they were both breathing deeply as they slept, snuggled tightly against my chest.  My grin had gotten wider these days and it was definitely because of them.  
The morning sunlight crept in through the gauzy cream colored curtains of the French doors.  Valentina’s eye lids began to twitch a little and I started the countdown to when she’d actually wake up.  Even though she had an olive complexion, the skin of her eyelids was pretty pale and thin.  Enough so that I could see all of the fine little lines of red networking under the thin skin of her eyelids.  I found that intricate network ridiculously pretty and interesting.  Who knew I’d ever spend this much time thinking about eyelid skin?  And who knew I’d ever call it pretty?  Not me.
Claudia probably would have seen it coming, but she’s clever like that.  She can read a person pretty well now and she probably would have laughed at me and my stupid eyelid skin thoughts and lovingly told me I was a goner.
It was all thanks to the girl on the other side of me though.  
Ella.
Ella breathed life into me and then gave me one better; our daughter, Valentina.  The fact that they were both tucked into my sides was not a treasure I took for granted either.  It was a miracle they were both there beside me.  They should have died.  They would have died.    Every doctor in the hospital said so.  Just the thought makes me shudder.  But my beautiful girls had strength.  As a proud man, I always liked to think I had strength, but it wasn’t like theirs.  Theirs ran so deep.
Naturally, the best and worst day of my life had to be one and the same.  
Both of the curly, brown heads that lay on my bare chest started to stir, but Ella beat Valentina by opening her eyes first.  She squinted a few times and then smiled.  That smile just killed me every time.  I was helpless against it.  And believe me, I had to work to get a smile out of her.  
The first time I’d seen Ella was at that fated masquerade party in Italy and she definitely wasn’t smiling that night.  That doesn’t mean she wasn’t still the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen, with her perfection of a bowed mouth and big, beautiful eyes.  She was just nervous that night.  I had suspected as much, but she confirmed to me later that going to the masquerade that night was definitely stepping outside of the box for her.  She’d gone against her parents, something she never did, and took a chance; also something she never did.  I was stepping outside of the box too, for that matter.  I wasn’t even supposed to be there.
I’d only planned on being in Italy for two days, max.  I was going to swoop in, snatch the property from Pat Kelly, and swoop back out.  But something happened between the swoop and the snatch.  
The concierge for the hotel I was staying at caught my eye.  She was an unnaturally blond Italian woman with very long legs and a great accent.  She was just my type.  I don’t even remember her name, but when I attempted my charms on her earlier that day, she easily succumbed like they always did.  She encouraged me to go to the hotel’s masquerade party that night, saying she’d be there herself.  That night, I threw on my tux, which my personal assistant, Nina, knew was a staple when packing for an international flight, and went down to the terrace to find the tall blonde.  Day in, day out, this had been my life.  Business warfare during the day, nameless blonde to ride at night.  It was all pretty standard for me, procedure wise.  What I found instead was anything but procedure. Gabriella Marie Kelly.  
She stunned me.  And I don’t get stunned.  I swear, she was glowing that night.  When I think back on it, everyone and everything else at the masquerade but her seems dull and dark; all the men in their black tuxes and the women in their sleek, colorful dresses with these wild masks, but not my Ella.  She wore an ivory dress that was all puffy on the bottom, like Cinderella, but fitted at the top like a vixen. 
She was hotter than hell. She doesn’t believe me when I tell her that every man was
staring at her that night, but it’s true.  There are far too many beautiful women in the world out there who don’t get how attractive they are simply because stupid men are too busy being too intimidated to talk to them.  Lucky for my girl, I’m a cocky son of a bitch.  
It was a miracle I got that dirty old perv off her when I did.  As soon as I saw her, I forgot all about the blonde and went to make a beeline for Ella.  I took my eyes off of her for a second, hoping to grab a couple of glasses of champagne to help my charms on my way across the terrace.  When I looked back a second later, some trash bag with a gnarled face mask was trying to mark my territory.  I immediately abandoned my champagne mission and took back what I knew was already mine.  
If I thought she was gorgeous from across the terrace, she was indescribable up close.  The first thing I noticed was her eyes.  They were big and bright with life and the same dark chocolate color as her hair.  When she stared at me that first time, I swear I could see her soul.  And it was even more beautiful than her perfect heart-shaped face.  I know it sounds crazy, but I think I knew I loved her from the moment I saw her.
When I had thought that she was mine from across the terrace, I had no idea how deep that sentiment would end up being, and how, in all reality, it’s the other way around.  I’m hers.  I like to walk around like I’m the man of the house, and by default, that term is true, but like the British guy says in that movie she loves, she has bewitched me, body and soul.  She could ask anything of me, anything, and as long as it wouldn’t harm her, I’d do whatever I could to make it happen.  
And even though she can’t talk yet, I know it’ll be the same when it comes to my Valentina too.  Never in a million years did I think I would end up being a sappy family man.  I saw my father and mother and the products of that marriage didn’t seem so great.  I generally enjoyed the game of the business world and chasing women, but I was under no illusions that I was some awesome human being. 
And, at the time, my sister Claudia was such a shell of a person… it was a thought I feel terrible about now, but I didn’t exactly see us as some amazing offspring.  Like I said, I was busy being amused with the game that was my life.  I thought that wife and kids stuff was for other guys, but definitely not me.  
But something changed when I met Ella.  She changed the way my heart beats.  After meeting this sweet, beautiful, funny person, suddenly the idea of being locked down wasn’t so bad.  At first, when I assumed she’d be a fling, long-time fling, but still fling, I actually felt myself missing her.  And I didn’t even know her.  When she’d shut me out after we first met, she left a gaping hole in my chest and the only remedy was her essence.  Before I knew it, I was looking to lock her down, not the other way around.  I’m eternally grateful to my baby girl for helping me make serious headway with that mission.
“Hi baby,” my sleepy wife mumbled. Wife and daughter were my new favorite words in the entireEnglish language.  It’s just that mine were the best.
I kissed her forehead and inhaled deeply.  I could smell Ella’s shampoo, which I’d discovered was some kind of light honey scent, and I could smell Valentina’s baby scent.  When the two mixed together, I felt euphoric.
“This is becoming a really bad habit, Jonathan.  You know we’re not supposed to have her in the bed with us.  They say people roll over when they’re sleeping and don’t even realize they’ve hurt the baby.”  
“Come on, Ella, it’s fine.  Besides, she was crying and she sleeps longer with us anyway.” She only frowned back.  Like any good new mom, Ella was always trying to follow the rules and I couldn’t blame her. Valentina’s face scrunched up to match her mother’s just then and I knew what was coming. Right on cue, she wailed herself awake.  Ella sat up and Ishifted my body so I could cradle my little baby in my big arms.  “Shh shh shh, it’s okay, pretty girl, shh shh shh.”  I gave her a little rock in my arms, but she kept crying.  That’s when momma came to the rescue. Ella gently scooped Valentina up from my arms and the crying ceased, but I didn’t take offense.  I simply didn’t have what Valentina wanted.  And thank God for that.  
Ella slid one shoulder of her silky pink nightgown down, revealing half of her perfect chest while I wordlessly put a bunch of pillows behind her.  Leaning back onto the new mound of pillows behind her, she let out an exhausted sigh and closed her eyes while Valentina latched on eagerly.  We had a nice rhythm and developed a groove as parents.  We were a good team and words were often not necessary. 
“I feel like a cow,” Ella said with her tired eyes still closed.
I laughed, “Well, you are being drained of milk…”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.  You love me.  A lot,” I replied after kissing her cheek while Valentina sucked on.
“I want a guy to know what this feels like; whipping your giant, engorged boob out and having a little mouth suck away for milk…”
‘Giant’ and ‘engorged’ were actually pretty good descriptors.  They were both those things these days.  And I loved them.  Ella was pushing past a double-D cup size and I was a happy husband.


















R. MATTHEWS DISCLAIMER! This story i...

  R. MATTHEWS DISCLAIMER!   This story is about two-thirds of the way written at this very moment.  What that means is that even though this first chapter is fairly solid, there’s a very good chance that it may see some changes by the time it officially publishes.  This has also not gone through any professional editing either, so please do allow me some grace if you come across any errors.  Now that that’s out of the way, let me say a huge THANK YOU for your interest in the Masquerade series!  I can’t tell you how great it is to know that my work has resonated with readers.  I honestly never thought that would happen.  When I finished Her Soundtrack in the beginning of Spring, I was fully prepared to comfortably close the door on Ella and Jonathan and let them live their lives.  Of course, I was always day dreaming about what they were up to, but nothing more.  Since clicking ‘publish’ at the end of June, all of your wonderful, endearing and encouraging comments have poured in and I couldn’t help but start writing about them again.  So it’s thanks to you that this sequel is on the way!  Thank you again for all of your amazing support.  In exchange for this chapter, I only ask two things of you… first, tell me what you think of it!  And second, please, please, please help me spread the word about the series.  Happy reading!  Renee  iv HIS SOUNDTRACK                                   v

 

I  
 
I’ve Got the World on a String                    
                                              – Frank Sinatra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I am a king.
I woke up in my favorite way to wake up.  I had a girl under each arm, both brunettes; one with long, dark curly hair and the other with light brown curly hair.  They were both devastatingly gorgeous with thick, long lashes and they were both breathing deeply as they slept, snuggled tightly against my chest.  My grin had gotten wider these days and it was definitely because of them.  
The morning sunlight crept in through the gauzy cream colored curtains of the French doors.  Valentina’s eye lids began to twitch a little and I started the countdown to when she’d actually wake up.  Even though she had an olive complexion, the skin of her eyelids was pretty pale and thin.  Enough so that I could see all of the fine little lines of red networking under the thin skin of her eyelids.  I found that intricate network ridiculously pretty and interesting.  Who knew I’d ever spend this much time thinking about eyelid skin?  And who knew I’d ever call it pretty?  Not me.
Claudia probably would have seen it coming, but she’s clever like that.  She can read a person pretty well now and she probably would have laughed at me and my stupid eyelid skin thoughts and lovingly told me I was a goner.
It was all thanks to the girl on the other side of me though.  
Ella.
Ella breathed life into me and then gave me one better; our daughter, Valentina.  The fact that they were both tucked into my sides was not a treasure I took for granted either.  It was a miracle they were both there beside me.  They should have died.  They would have died.    Every doctor in the hospital said so.  Just the thought makes me shudder.  But my beautiful girls had strength.  As a proud man, I always liked to think I had strength, but it wasn’t like theirs.  Theirs ran so deep.
Naturally, the best and worst day of my life had to be one and the same.  
Both of the curly, brown heads that lay on my bare chest started to stir, but Ella beat Valentina by opening her eyes first.  She squinted a few times and then smiled.  That smile just killed me every time.  I was helpless against it.  And believe me, I had to work to get a smile out of her.  
The first time I’d seen Ella was at that fated masquerade party
in Italy and she definitely wasn’t smiling that night.  That doesn’t mean she wasn’t still the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen, with her perfection of a bowed mouth and big, beautiful eyes.  She was just nervous that night.  I had suspected as much, but she confirmed to me later that going to the masquerade that night was definitely stepping outside of the box for her.  She’d gone against her parents, something she never did, and took a chance; also something she never did.  I was stepping outside of the box too, for that matter.  I wasn’t even supposed to be there.
I’d only planned on being in Italy for two days, max.  I was going to swoop in, snatch the property from Pat Kelly, and swoop back out.  But something happened between the swoop and the snatch.  
The concierge for the hotel I was staying at caught my eye.  She was an unnaturally blond Italian woman with very long legs and a great accent.  She was just my type.  I don’t even remember her name, but when I attempted my charms on her earlier that day, she easily succumbed like they always did.  She encouraged me to go to the hotel’s masquerade party that night, saying she’d be there herself.  That night, I threw on my tux, which my personal assistant, Nina, knew was a staple when packing for an international flight, and went down to the terrace to find the tall blonde.  Day in, day out, this had been my life.  Business warfare during the day, nameless blonde to ride at night.  It was all pretty standard for me, procedure wise.  What I found instead was anything but procedure.
Gabriella Marie Kelly.  
She stunned me.  And I don’t get stunned.  I swear, she was glowing that night.  When I think back on it, everyone and everything else at the masquerade but her seems dull and dark; all the men in their black tuxes and the women in their sleek, colorful dresses with these wild masks, but not my Ella.  She wore an ivory dress that was all puffy on the bottom, like Cinderella, but fitted at the top like a vixen. 
She was hotter than hell.
She doesn’t believe me when I tell her that every man was
staring at her that night, but it’s true.  There are far too many beautiful women in the world out there who don’t get how attractive they are simply because stupid men are too busy being too intimidated to talk to them.  Lucky for my girl, I’m a cocky son of a bitch.  
It was a miracle I got that dirty old perv off her when I did.  As soon as I saw her, I forgot all about the blonde and went to make a beeline for Ella.  I took my eyes off of her for a second, hoping to grab a couple of glasses of champagne to help my charms on my way across the terrace.  When I looked back a second later, some trash bag with a gnarled face mask was trying to mark my territory.  I immediately abandoned my champagne mission and took back what I knew was already mine.  
If I thought she was gorgeous from across the terrace, she was indescribable up close.  The first thing I noticed was her eyes.  They were big and bright with life and the same dark chocolate color as her hair.  When she stared at me that first time, I swear I could see her soul.  And it was even more beautiful than her perfect heart-shaped face.  I know it sounds crazy, but I think I knew I loved her from the moment I saw her.
When I had thought that she was mine from across the terrace, I had no idea how deep that sentiment would end up being, and how, in all reality, it’s the other way around.  I’m hers.  I like to walk around like I’m the man of the house, and by default, that term is true, but like the British guy says in that movie she loves, she has bewitched me, body and soul.  She could ask anything of me, anything, and as long as it wouldn’t harm her, I’d do whatever I could to make it happen.  
And even though she can’t talk yet, I know it’ll be the same when it comes to my Valentina too.  Never in a million years did I think I would end up being a sappy family man.  I saw my father and mother and the products of that marriage didn’t seem so great.  I generally enjoyed the game of the business world and chasing women, but I was under no illusions that I was some awesome human being. 
And, at the time, my sister Claudia was such a shell of a person… it was a thought I feel terrible about now, but I didn’t exactly see us as some amazing offspring.  Like I said, I was busy being amused with the game that was my life.  I thought that wife and kids stuff was for other guys, but definitely not me.  
But something changed when I met Ella.  She changed the way my heart beats.  After meeting this sweet, beautiful, funny person, suddenly the idea of being locked down wasn’t so bad.  At first, when I assumed she’d be a fling, long-time fling, but still fling, I actually felt myself missing her.  And I didn’t even know her.  When she’d shut me out after we first met, she left a gaping hole in my chest and the only remedy was her essence.  Before I knew it, I was looking to lock her down, not the other way around.  I’m eternally grateful to my baby girl for helping me make serious headway with that mission.
“Hi baby,” my sleepy wife mumbled.
Wife and daughter were my new favorite words in the entire
English language.  It’s just that mine were the best.
I kissed her forehead and inhaled deeply.  I could smell Ella’s shampoo, which I’d discovered was some kind of light honey scent, and I could smell Valentina’s baby scent.  When the two mixed together, I felt euphoric.
“This is becoming a really bad habit, Jonathan.  You know we’re not supposed to have her in the bed with us.  They say people roll over when they’re sleeping and don’t even realize they’ve hurt the baby.”  
“Come on, Ella, it’s fine.  Besides, she was crying and she sleeps longer with us anyway.”
She only frowned back.  Like any good new mom, Ella was
always trying to follow the rules and I couldn’t blame her.
Valentina’s face scrunched up to match her mother’s just then and I knew what was coming.
Right on cue, she wailed herself awake.  Ella sat up and I
shifted my body so I could cradle my little baby in my big arms.  “Shh shh shh, it’s okay, pretty girl, shh shh shh.”  I gave her a little rock in my arms, but she kept crying.  That’s when momma came to the rescue.
Ella gently scooped Valentina up from my arms and the crying
ceased, but I didn’t take offense.  I simply didn’t have what Valentina wanted.  And thank God for that.  
Ella slid one shoulder of her silky pink nightgown down, revealing half of her perfect chest while I wordlessly put a bunch of pillows behind her.  Leaning back onto the new mound of pillows behind her, she let out an exhausted sigh and closed her eyes while Valentina latched on eagerly.  We had a nice rhythm and developed a groove as parents.  We were a good team and words were often not necessary. 
“I feel like a cow,” Ella said with her tired eyes still closed.
I laughed, “Well, you are being drained of milk…”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.  You love me.  A lot,” I replied after kissing her cheek while Valentina sucked on.
“I want a guy to know what this feels like; whipping your giant, engorged boob out and having a little mouth suck away for milk…”
‘Giant’ and ‘engorged’ were actually pretty good descriptors.  They were both those things these days.  And I loved them.  Ella was pushing past a double-D cup size and I was a happy husband.
“I thought you said you like nursing?”
Ella sighed and opened her eyes, “I do, I love knowing I can
nourish my baby and it’s very natural and all that, it’s just getting a little old after six months… Does that make me a horrible mother?”
“Ella, you’re the best mother I’ve ever seen,” I said, staring her straight in the eyes.  I still got a little mesmerized by the depth her eyes had, like she was hypnotizing me.
“Really?” she questioned as she propped the baby over her shoulder for a burp.
“Look at you, love, you’re a natural.  And if it’s any help, Valentina was telling me last night that she thinks you’re pretty awesome.”
Ella finally gave me smile with a little chuckle and I literally
felt my heart get warmer.  “Oh really?  She said that?”
“Scout’s honor,” I said, holding up two fingers to swear to it. 
“Frankly, she wouldn’t shut up about it.  I finally had to put the binky in her mouth to make her be quiet.”  
That really got a laugh out of her and she leaned forward toward me, still cradling the baby, and I met her halfway with the kiss I knew she was looking for.  “Thank you, Jonathan.”
“I’ll never get why you’re ever insecure about anything.  You rock pretty much anything I’ve ever seen you do.”  
Ella sighed, I hoped out of contentment, and held the baby out to face her.  “Okay Teenie, what do you want to wear to church today? 
How about that lacey white dress Nonna gave you?”
Ella and I had a boy and girl name picked out before Valentina was born and neither of them was Valentina.  She came into the waking world on Valentine’s Day, so it was fitting.  And she looks like a Valentina.  With her violet eyes, head full of curly brown hair, and perfect face, just like her mother’s, it’s a fact that she was the prettiest baby ever born and has only gotten prettier since.  When you look at her, you can see that when she’s older, she’s going to be a stunner just like her mom.  That’s when I’m going to have to lock her away in a tower and some chump is going to have to fight me to the death for the key.
When Ella finally regained full consciousness two days after Valentina was born, she was looking down into our baby’s face, who was yet unnamed, cooing and saying, “Are you mommy’s beautiful little valentine?”  Valentina naturally came spilling from her lips a minute later and we both loved it.
Valentina Anna di Luca.
Anna was my mother’s name.  Valentina would never meet the woman who gave her, her middle name, but I hoped she’d have a little of her warmth tucked inside her heart anyway.  
It wasn’t long after she was born that we started calling her
‘Teenie’ for short.  It’s cute and sweet and I discovered if you say, “Teenie, Teenie, Teenie!” really quickly while pretending to eat her feet, she giggles like a little loon.  I love it.
Life wasn’t getting much better than this.  
I started to caress the outside of Ella’s thigh, just little strokes, at first with the back of my hand and then with the pads of my fingers, developing a lazy rhythm.  Valentina’s eyes started to look a little heavy and I went in for a long, slow kiss of Ella’s neck.  “How about when Valentina takes her post-breakfast snooze, you and I have a prebreakfast naughty fest?”
Ella feigned being appalled, “Jonathan, it’s Sunday morning!”
“So?  We’re married.  It’s what we’re supposed to do.  God wants us to have sex.”
I got a swift smack in the arm.  Ella meant it to hurt, but it definitely didn’t.  “I can’t believe you just said that!  And I think it’s meant more for pro-creation purposes when it comes to God.”
“Fine, let’s have a pre-breakfast procreation fest.”  I was
trying, but failing at hiding my grin.  “I’ll procreate with you all day long.  We can make a kid every year, like that family down south. 
Look at this one,” I said, nodding my head out toward our prefect little baby who was resting peacefully against Ella’s chest, “We make really great kids.  Look how pretty this one is.”
Ella responded with a sideways glance and a smile and I knew I had my window.  I gently scooped Valentina off her chest, trying to be careful not to jostle her from her dozed state, and brought her into her room next to ours, laying her carefully in her crib.  I paused for a second, looking down to see her soft little face scrunch up.  For a quick beat, I was worried she’d start crying, but then her pretty little nose and eyes relaxed and I knew the coast was clear.  I lightly traced a little heart on her belly and made a dash for it.
I sprinted back into our bedroom and pounced hard on the bed like a tiger.  Ella squealed as she bounced up a little from the force of my attack.   
Hell yeah, this is going to be fun.
Without a word, I started to crawl on all fours from the end of the bed, closer and closer to where she waited for me in all her perfection.  Her long, dark hair was spilling all around her, against the pillows and the top of her nightgown was still down from when she was nursing, leaving her large, round breast on display for me.  I licked my lips as I stalked toward her.  I was like an animal and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into her.  Literally.
“Jonathan…” she started to whine a little.  And not the good kind of whining.
“No,” I replied firmly and paused mid-stalk.  “I’m not hearing that now or ever again.  You’re perfect.”  
After we got the ‘all- clear’ for sex after Valentina was born, I was dying to resume our addictive routine of having sex at least once a day.  We did at first, but lately we were down to just a few times a week and there was a big reason why.  Ella, my perfect, gorgeous, sexy Ella, was so insecure about her post-baby body that when the mood struck her, or didn’t strike her, she would avoid ever being naked with me.  “Do you need another reminder of how sexy I think you are?”
“But I still have a pooch,” she whined.  “I gained fifty-fivepounds with Valentina and I’ve only lost thirty.  My hips are permanently wide now, they’re never going back.  I swear, I’m going to have a hard time getting through doorways.  And you can say you like big boobs all you want, but they’re just huge and gross and they’re starting to sag now…” I saw tears start to pool at the edges of her eyes and it broke my heart.  I leaned up, kissing her lashes and tasting the salty tears that tried to escape.  “There’s no way you could want me like this, Jonathan.”
She was legitimately upset.  Not like other girls I’d known who would down themselves just so you’d compliment them.  Somehow, my perfect angel thought she was lesser and I felt like I failed her as a husband.  I should have told her every second of the day how beautiful and sexy she was.
“Ella, I’ve heard enough of this.  You’re a beautiful woman. 
When we go places, men stare.  I know you don’t notice it, but they do.  And frankly, you needed the extra weight, you were too skinny before. 
And I love your hips and your tits.  Yeah, they’re bigger than before, but that’s a good thing.  Honestly, I think you’re hotter now than before you were pregnant.”
 “No you don’t.  You’re just saying that so you can get lucky.”
There she is.  I could see the tiny glint of humor in her eyes,
telling me my girl was in there; the pretty, sassy love of my life.  “Fine, I’ll just have to keep showing you how hot you are,” I said as I playfully sucked on her neck and pulled the other strap of her nightie down to reveal the rest of her.  “I hope you don’t have any plans because I’ll go all day if I have to.”
Crawling back down to the edge of the bed, I grabbed Ella’s ankles and yanked her roughly toward me, spreading her legs wide. 
They’d have to be wide for what I was planning.  Still with a firm grip on her ankles, I kissed my way up one leg, from toes to ankle, ankle to calf then knee.  From her knee, I licked a slow, wet line up to her center where another wet pool waited for me.  
Let it be known, I never liked going down on a woman before I met Ella.  It was a means to an end.  When I was with women during my bachelor days, I’d show off my oral talents and make them lose their minds in the hopes of reciprocity.  After a while, the older I got, the more experience I had under my belt.  But more importantly, the higher I rose in the business world, the more I realized, I didn’t need to do any of that, so I simply didn’t.  With Ella, it was different.  I was practically feral with her.  As soon as I met her, there was something about her that made me want to dive in, tongue first.  
I never realized how much pleasure would be gotten from giving.  It was the ‘thank you’ that made it worth it—not what Ella would do in return, but her uninhibited reaction to receiving pleasure was almost pleasure enough for me.  Almost.  
Little whimpers echoed from the back of her throat and I knew I’d won the battle, at least for then.  In the back of my mind, I thought that perhaps if she talked with a therapist about the trauma she suffered, it’d help her non-existent self-esteem too.
Swiping my tongue along her seam, she moaned deeply and opened her legs further, giving me better access.  I brought my eyes up as she brought hers down to meet mine and the desire I saw there was immeasurable.  Her lids were half closed and her eyebrows were slightly raised, as if in anticipation of the pleasure I was guaranteeing she was about to experience.  She parted her lips and ran her tongue along her plump bottom lip and I went wild.  
My heart rate accelerated as I continued working my tongue in and out of her and she fisted my hair while she caressed her full breasts with her delicate fingers.  
“Baby…” she moaned.  
“Yes…” she hissed.
                                      “More…” she whined.
                                               “Jonathan!” she screamed.
Her thighs began quivering on either side of my face and I couldn’t take it anymore.  Getting up on my knees, I took her mouth with my own for a long solid, tongue and soul searching moment, then flipped her onto her stomach in one quick motion and pulled her hips back and up.  Her round ass looked like a damn work of art as it was propped up into the air, practically begging me to take her.  So I did.  
Using her own moisture, I stroked my cock so it wouldn’t hurt her when I drove inside.  Her tight little opening wanted to stay tight, so as I probed for entry, I reached a hand around to the front of her and began stroking little circles around her bud.  This relaxed her muscles all over and I gained the access I was looking for.
“Oh, God!” I growled when I was fully inside.  It felt amazing. 
It didn’t take more than a few slow, deliberate pumps inside her tight body before my own pressure built and built until it spilled over and I exploded inside her.  My body shook and I circled my arms around her, holding her soft body as close to mine as possible.
“Mmm…” she moaned in satisfaction before collapsing into the bed.
Ditto.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


YA Book Addict: BLOG TOUR - PROMO & EXCERPT: Chasing Stars by L. D...

YA Book Addict: BLOG TOUR - PROMO & EXCERPT: Chasing Stars by L. D...: Title: Chasing Stars Author: L. Duarte Release date: July 13 th , 2013 Genre: New Adult, Romance Tour: Irresistible Reads Boo...

Incredible Dreams by S.E Felida

Leona, a woman in her late twenties who has been dreaming about a guy that she doesn't know finally sees him in real life one day, but she doesn't approach him out of bizarreness of the whole situation and that leaves her with an feeling of missed opportunity, so when life gives her a second chance she grabs it with both hands. Nathaniel, a police officer who's been on a hunt to find his brother's killer for over a year now turns out to be a dreamguy in real life too, and while things are going great between the two of them, Leona's long life friendship with her dear friend Naomi isn't. Resenting the thought of having to choose between the two of them she and her two friends Alyssa and Alexandra come up with an idea to whisk Naomi away for a little holiday in the hopes that after they'd spend some quality time together things would finally go back to the way it used to be, but it doesn't and when Marcus, Naomi's current boyfriend who followed them out there confesses something to Leona that she really wished he hadn't, she keeps finding it harder and harder to even look her best friend in the eyes without feeling like the worst friend ever...

About S.E Felida: I was born in Curacao, a small Island in the Caribbean. But I’m currently living in Holland with my husband and our three boys, I’m still in school and I’m studying to become a kindergarten teacher, I go to school two times a week and the remaining of the week I am a teacher’s aide at a kindergarten. I've always loved to read books and to write short stories and poetry, I began writing at the age of eleven. In my spare time you can find me in the kitchen, on the soccer fields to watch my sons play, reading, writing or having a girls night out with my lovely ladies.

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Katie Ashley #author #spotlight @thebookavenue @KatieAshleyLuv

SYNOPSIS:
For Abby Renard, the plan was supposed to be simple—join her brothers’ band on the last leg of their summer tour and decide if she’s finally ready for the limelight by becoming its fourth member. Of course, she never imagined stumbling onto the wrong tour bus at Rock Nation would accidentally land her in the bed of Jake Slater, the notorious womanizing lead singer of Runaway Train. When he mistakes her for one of his groupie’s, Abby quickly lets him know she sure as hell isn't in his bed on purpose.
Jake Slater never imagined the angel who fell into his bed would resist his charms by promptly kneeing him in the balls. Of course, the fact she seems like a prissy choir girl makes her anything but his type. So he is more than surprised when after betting Abby she wouldn’t last a week on their tour bus, she is more than willing to prove him wrong. But as Jake’s personal life begins to implode around him, he finds an unlikely ally in Abby. He’s never met a woman he can talk to, joke with, or most importantly make music with.
As the week starts comes to a close, neither Abby nor Jake is ready to let go. Can a sweetheart Country songstress and a bad boy of Rock N Roll actually have a future together?
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BOOK TRAILER


EXCERPT

I fluffed my pillow for what felt like the millionth time and tried ignoring the sounds coming from Jake’s bunk. Heat flooded my face when the whimpers and groans escalated. Jeez, it sounds like something off a porno! With my brothers, I had a pretty good mind what he was doing, and it infuriated me, especially after what had happened earlier with Billie Jean. 
They all swore to me they’d be perfect gentlemen if I stayed on the bus with them! I silently fumed. What kind of sex-fiend maniac is Jake that he needs to do that again after just getting off at the diner? I don’t care if he needs to relieve some stress after the phone call earlier. This is bullshit! 
Flopping back down on the mattress, I crossed my arms over my chest before a frustrated grunt escaped my lips. 
“No puedes dormir, Angel?” AJ’s deep voice questioned from behind my curtain. 
I flipped back the heavy fabric. He reclined on his bunk, flipping through a sports magazine. “No, I can’t sleep with all the racket going on next to me.” 
He met my gaze and grinned. “Don’t get the sexy, lacy panties I dream about you wearing in a twist. He isn’t jerking off.” 
“That’s not what I was thinking.” 
“Yeah right,” he snorted with a wink. 
As if on cue, Jake let out a long moan. I shook my head. “Um well, if he’s not doing that, then is he okay?” 
“He’s been having a lot of nightmares lately. I try to ignore it—let him save face and not look like a pussy.” 
I rolled my eyes. “Did you ever stop to think maybe you should ask him if something is going on with him?” 
AJ quirked his brows at me. “If I started getting sappy and shit like that, Jake would ask me when I grew a vagina.” 
“Well, I think someone should check on him. I mean, he sounds like he’s in both physical and emotional pain.” 
When AJ didn’t move, I heaved an exasperated sigh before hopping out of my bunk. I could not believe after everything I had been through with Jake so far in the last twelve hours that I even had one shred of care left for him. But I had seen something within him—some flicker of decency—that made me worry and care about him, even when I shouldn’t. 
I shot AJ a murderous look to which he held up his hands. “Look, mi amor, guys just don’t do the touchy-feely shit, okay? If I woke up Jake right now to cuddle him, he would get super pissed.” 
I ignored him and tip-toed over to Jake. With trembling fingers, I opened the heavy curtain to his roost. Jake had the sheet twisted around his waist. A coat of sweat covered his heavily tattooed chest. His brow creased, and his mouth curved up in a grimace. My hand hesitated above his shoulder. Finally, I shook him gently. “Jake, wake up,” I urged softly. 
His body jerked before his wild eyes popped open and swept across the top of the bunk. 
“Shh, it’s okay,” I murmured. 
Jake’s frantic gaze swept over to mine while he opened his mouth and gasped for breath. 
I gave him a reassuring smile while rubbing his shoulder. “You were having a nightmare.” 
Jake continued wheezing in air. I eased back as he swung his legs out of the bunk and onto the carpet. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry I woke you,” he replied. 
With my protective side shooting into overdrive, I scooted closer to him, bringing my hand to his hair. Gently, I ran my fingers through the dark, sweat-stained strands, pushing them out of his eyes. “You didn’t wake me. I was worried about you.” 
His head jerked up as surprise flooded his face. “You were?” 
I nodded. “You seemed a little down after your phone call with your aunt. Then with the nightmare.” I glanced up at AJ who was curiously watching us. “I know most of the guys aren’t men enough to handle emotions and issues—” 
AJ snorted. “Those are your words, not mine.” 
“Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you. If you need to talk about something or if you just need someone to sit with you until you can go back to sleep, then I’m here.” 
With wide eyes and his mouth gaping open, Jake stared at me for a moment like I had grown horns. Realizing I wasn’t getting anywhere with him, I held up my hands. “Or I can just leave you alone and go back to sleep. Either is fine.” 
When I turned to leave, Jake grabbed my hand. “Wait,” he instructed in a hoarse voice.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs and one outnumbered cat. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.

She spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012.

She also writes Young Adult fiction under the name Krista Ashe.

Author Website | FB Page | Goodreads

Skipping Stones by J.B. McGee @j_b_mcgee #SundaySnippet #teaser #newrelease

I thought I had contained my tears, my emotions, but my body shakes and shudders. Whimpers escape, and the tears increase in frequency and volume. I rush through the door and collapse into the arms of the people who know exactly how much we’ve all just lost.


 
They say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
Not everyone will grieve in this order, nor will everyone go through every stage. It’s during the stage of denial when Alex Hart meets Andrew Foster. He takes her one-step closer to acceptance: the stage when new, meaningful relationships are formed. The stage when the realization occurs that this is now the new state of normal.
Just when Alex thinks she is on her way to healing, she enters the bargaining phase. That’s the phase where you wonder what you could have done differently. You wonder “what if?” Specifically, what if the ones you loved hadn’t left you?
Leaving…this is what makes heading off to war so difficult and frightening for Alex. She knows all too well what it’s like to be the one on the losing end of life, which is why she’s made it her personal mission in life to save as many lives as possible. The extreme high she gets from treating trauma victims turns into Alex’s own form of therapy, or so she thinks.
When faced with her world being turned upside down, Alex may just find that her true therapy is in the one who has always saved her
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6544571.J_B_McGeewebsite http://www.jbmcgee.comtwitter usernamej_b_mcgee

Yearning Devotion by Rachael Orman @RachaelOrman #coverreveal #spotlight

  Book Title: Yearning DevotionAuthor: Rachael OrmanRelease Date: July 28,2013About Yearning Devotion:Gwen has lived a hard life. She has endured many situations that would have broken a weaker person. But she has found love in her life and it keeps her from completely losing it when things get rough. That is, until one day a man enters her life that changes everything.Will this man help Gwen become a stronger woman or will he completely destroy her? Rachael is a stay at home mom with 2 young daughters and a husband that keep her constantly on her toes. She lives in the extremely hot state of Arizona, where she reads and writes away the blistering heat outside.She is a cancer survivor with a quirky personality. She’s been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and been writing since she was in high school. Her hopes of being a writer were crushed when she was young but one day she decided she was going to do what makes her happy and that was to write.Buy It Here:Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Yearning-Devotion-ebook/dp/B00E6ITXW8/ref=la_B00DSY2Y4U_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380988737&sr=1-1Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yearning-devotion-rachael-orman/1116231858?ean=2940148513131Stalk Rachael.. Follow Along:Follow Rachael Orman on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/WriterRachaelOrmanFollow Rachael Orman on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Orman/e/B00DSY2Y4U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1Follow Rachael Orman on Good Reads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7145471.Rachael_OrmanYearning Devotion on Good Reads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18112657-yearning-devotion She quickly slipped into a skintight strapless dress with no bra, no panties. Might as well be easy since that’s exactly what she was going over for. As she walked out the door, she slipped on a pair of 4 inch black heels that were sitting next to the door. She hailed a cab and gave herself a pep talk the whole way. When the cab arrived she paid and headed up the elevator. She stopped and listened in front of his door. She could hear music softly playing but didn’t hear any voices. She knocked softly on the door.  She waited a minute. But she didn’t hear anything. Taking a deep breath, she knocked once more, a little harder this time. Still nothing. She turned and walked the few steps back to the elevator.She pushed the down button berating herself the whole time. Why had she come here? What was wrong with her? This was not something she would have ever done in the past. Did she seriously think that sleeping with him in a strip club would change who she was? He probably just felt bad for her earlier when he had kissed her in his apartment. Men always wanted to have the upper hand, right? She put her forehead on the wall and told herself how stupid she was to have come back to his place.