Twinkle (Sugandha) Varshney's Blog, page 322

Texas Lullaby by Cynthia D'Alba

Texas Lullaby by Cynthia D'Alba Series: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, #7Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: April 12, 2016



When Fate tosses you in the deep end, it’s time to sink or swim.

Lydia Henson’s four-year-long engagement to Jason Montgomery is about to end in a Texas wedding everyone is anticipating. She’s come to accept Jason doesn’t want children. She can live without children. She can’t live without the man she loves.

Jason has never wanted a family. At least, that’s his story and he’s sticking to it. The falsehood is less emasculating than the truth. Yet when tragedy on the eve of their wedding lands Lydia with her sister’s children to raise, Jason finds himself surprisingly calm in the midst of the chaos.

Everything he swore he didn’t want seems as natural as breathing. But just as he gathers the courage to grab for the golden ring, another unexpected twist threatens to tarnish what could have been a shining future.

Warning: Sticky fingers and dirty diapers can change a couple forever.








New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cynthia D'Alba started writing on a challenge from her husband in 2006 and discovered having imaginary sex with lots of hunky men was fun. She was born and raised in a small Arkansas town. After being gone for a number of years, she's thrilled to be making her home back in Arkansas living in a vine-covered cottage on the banks of an eight-thousand acre lake. When she's not reading or writing or plotting, she's doorman for her two dogs, cook, housekeeper and chief bottle washer for her husband and slave to a noisy, messy parrot. She loves to chat online with friends and fans.



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The Redemption of Julian Price

Title: The Redemption of Julian Price Author: Victoria Vane Genre: Historical Romance Release Date: April 11, 2016

Burdened by the past… Orphaned at a young age and left to run wild, at eighteen Julian Price joins the fight against Napoleon in the hope of attaining honor. Devastated when his best friend, Thomas, is killed in battle, Julian returns home burdened with guilt, only to find his wastrel uncle has squandered his inheritance. 

Desperate to live her own life… Facing a future of drudgery caring for her aging mother and raising her brother's children, Henrietta Houghton believes her chance at a real life died with Thomas, the only man who ever wanted her. But Henrietta is still full of dreams. When her wealthy aunt, offers her a gift of ten thousand pounds, Henrietta finally has the chance to choose her own destiny. 

Everything has a price...With a fortune at her command, Henrietta offers Julian a marriage of convenience, unaware that she really offers Julian a means of salvation—not just his fortune, but his very soul.
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Excerpt “What is it like?” she suddenly asked.“What is what like?” he replied carefully, wondering how the devil to extricate himself from this damnable line of conversation. “Coupling with another,” she said.“It’s impossible to describe,” he replied. “There is no other comparable experience.”“Then I don’t understand why so many women regard it as an unpleasant duty.” “Perhaps some are soured by a clumsy first experience or by a selfish or insensitive lover.”   “I know the first time can be painful, but what do you mean by selfish and insensitive?”“Must we continue this conversation, Hen?” he pleaded. “It’s damnably awkward.”“Why?” she asked. “I have questions, and you have answers. There is no one else I can ask about these things. Do you honestly think Harry or my mother would tell me anything?”“What about your married sisters?” he suggested.She bent to pick another flower. His gaze lingered on the outline of her arse. To his chagrin, he was once more feeling stirrings below. Why was he having such lustful fancies about Henrietta when he had a willing mistress to warm his bed? Maybe that was the trouble? He’d been too long away from Muriel. But Muriel wasn’t the one currently inspiring his sexual fantasies. “They would only blush and titter and speak in euphemisms,” she continued. “All I want is to understand what I would be giving up if I do not wed.” She lowered herself to the grassy bank and cast her gaze out over the shimmering water with a sigh. “They say one does not miss what ones does not know, but I don’t think that’s really true, do you?”“From a man’s perspective, you would be right,” he agreed. “The sexual drive is very strong in men. We instinctively know what we are missing.”“But women don’t?” she asked.He tied the horses and sat down beside her. “Perhaps some do,” he agreed. “But those are generally women who make themselves available to satisfy men’s lust.” “You speak of prostitutes? But I thought you said any woman could enjoy . . . coupling.”“It depends on both the man and the woman,” he said. “If a man only seeks to satisfy himself, she is unlikely to experience any pleasure.”“So a man must desire to please a woman?”“Yes, Hen.”“Oh. That’s interesting. I didn’t know that. Does it also hurt a man the first time?” she asked. “No,” he answered tersely.“So it’s always pleasurable?”He hesitated and then shook his head, recalling the utter humiliation of his first sexual experience. “No. Not always.”“You mean it wasn’t for you?” she softly prompted. “It was at first, and then it wasn’t,” he replied.“I don’t understand you,” she said. “Would you please explain?” Julian hesitated to speak of what he had never shared with a soul, not even Thomas. “Please, Julian,” she persisted.Suddenly restless, he stood and scanned the bank for a skimming stone. “Do you recall the week before my sixteenth birthday when Winston arrived with four carriages full of guests?” “Yes,” she laughed. “Who could forget? He supplied the village with a year’s worth of salacious scandal. Is it true what the servants said?”“That he hosted a week-long orgy? Yes, Hen. And once he realized it was my birthday, he took it upon himself to initiate me to manhood.” It was only then that Winston even remembered his existence. In retrospect, Julian wished he hadn’t. In that single week, Winston introduced Julian to all manner of vice—gaming, drinking, and whores. Eager for acceptance, Julian had embraced it all. He might have pitched completely into the moral abyss were it not for Thomas, who’d brought him back from the brink. “My first experience was at the hands of one of Winston’s whores.” He sent a stone bouncing over the water.“But you didn’t enjoy it?” she asked.“I did until she recounted the experience in minute detail to the entire party. I was utterly humiliated while they all had an enormous laugh at my expense.”“How cruel! I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Me too,” he said. “Sometimes I try to imagine what it must be like to be with someone that way.”That remarked snagged his attention. “You fantasize, Hen?”“I don’t know. Sometimes I have kissing dreams.” “Kissing dreams?” he repeated. “And who exactly do you kiss in these dreams?” Was it Thomas or someone else? Did he really wish to know?“I don’t know,” she replied. “You know how vague dreams can be.”Her pink tongue darted out to wet her lips.  Was it a subtle invitation? Did Henrietta desire to be kissed? Julian tamped down the powerful urge to do just that. For once begun, he could never end it with just a kiss. He’d grown uncomfortably aware of her physically and feared he would soon be fully aroused. Kissing her could only end in ruin, shame, and disgrace.We should return now,” he said abruptly. “But it’s still early,” Henrietta protested. “Can’t we stay here for a while? Harry won’t return for hours yet.”
 “That is notwhat I needed to hear, Hen.” He’d resisted the urge to kiss her, but any more time alone with Henrietta would only be tempting the devil. “Let’s go. Now.” Before I do something I shall surely regret.
About The Author Victoria Vane is a bestselling author of smart and sexy contemporary romance and an award-winning author of historical romance. Her books have received many accolades to include the 2016 Red Carpet Award for Jewel of the East, 2014 RONE Award for Treacherous Temptations as well as Library Journal Best E-Book romance of 2012 for The Devil DeVere series.
 







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Alas, She Drowned By Monica Knightley

Cozy MysteryDate Published: April 12, 2016

Murder. Betrayal. Duplicity.
When ex-novice nun, turned steamy romance writer, Maggie O’Flynn moves to the charming village of Stratford Upon Avondale to open a tea room she expects plenty of murder, betrayal, and duplicity. On the stages of the town’s renowned Shakespeare Festival. But when a theater critic is found murdered on the town’s riverbank and the prime suspect turns out to be the sexy bookshop owner Maggie has had her eye on, she takes matters into her own hands. Will she be able to dig through the layers of betrayal and duplicity to find the true murderer before that handsome bookseller, Nate Larimer, finds himself behind bars? With the help of her loud, brash, spitfire of a friend, Gina Mattucci, Maggie plans to do just that.
With a bit of Shakespeare, copious amounts of tea, and a faux-English setting to rival anything the real England has to offer, ALAS, SHE DROWNED is the first book in THE STRATFORD UPON AVONDALE mystery series. Lovers of cozy mysteries will find a cozy home in Stratford Upon Avondale.

EXCERPT
As I placed the sandwich board advertising, “Authentic English Cream Teas, $7.99”, outside my twee tea room I came to a realization. In the past two weeks alone, I’d had all the murder, mayhem, scandal, and treachery I could handle.
When I’d moved from my home in Philadelphia to this small town four months earlier I had no idea it was such a hotbed of scandal. Murders were commonplace; duplicity abounded; treachery was to be expected.
And yet the place is bucolic beyond words. Nestled in a rural corner of a western state, it is surrounded by orchards and vineyards. But much of its claim to fame is the center of town which resembles a quaint English village, with every building seeming to have been lifted from Tudor or Victorian England. Mullioned windows, exposed timbers, bay windows, gables, and jettied top floors appear to be building code requirements.
But still, all that murder and duplicity.
Murder and duplicity that could be found on Stratford Upon Avondale’s two renowned stages. The five-month long Shakespeare festival is the town’s raison d’être. 
In my short time in the village I had already attended three plays—two Shakespeare and one production of Arsenic and Old Lace.
Yes, that was indeed plenty of murder and scandal, and the festival had just begun.
“Morning, Maggie,” called out Mrs. Vachon from the souvenir shop three doors down the street, where she was meticulously sweeping the sidewalk. After a few days of clouds and rain, the morning sun felt warm and welcome, and I noticed Mrs. Vachon wasn’t the only merchant outside tidying up.
“Good morning.” I waved at the energetic, gray-haired woman who’d been running her shop for over forty years.
 Maggie O’Flynn—I was the newbie in town. Most of the business owners in the town dedicated to all things Shakespeare and England,— despite being five thousand miles from English soil—had been here for years. Yet they all welcomed me with open arms when I purchased the Merry Wives Tea Room and settled into their town. 


About the Author

Monica Knightley began creating compelling characters and stories at the age of three, when she had a plethora of imaginary friends, all with complete backstories. Today any characters that come knocking on the door of her imagination find themselves in one of her mysteries, young adult novels, or paranormal romances.When not fueling her reading addiction or writing her next book, Monica loves to travel with her husband, with England being her favorite frequently visited destination, and perhaps France coming in a close second. She can’t live without perfectly steeped tea, a good bold red wine, and dark chocolate. Monica loves her time with family and friends and can never get enough of either.
Monica lives in Portland, Oregon where the frequent rainy weather is perfect for curling up with a good book and a cup of tea.
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Withering Hope By Layla Hagen

Contemporary RomanceDate Published: January 18, 2015



USA TODAY BESTSELLER
This is a full-length, STANDALONE romance.
Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect.
But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts.
As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest.
Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.
Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.
"Just stay with for a little while, please. I need you so much, Aimee." The sound of my name from his mouth awakens something in me that has me writhing in a blazing torture. It’s doing things to me it shouldn't do. "Shh, okay. I'll stay. I know it helps having someone.""Not someone. You. You make the memories bearable, the present better. You have an unbelievably strong will to keep going, even if you don't know where you're heading, hoping you'll find something worthy at the end of the road. You have an inherent ability to pick up the good on the way—those that give you strength, the happy things, like your poems—and you go on. You pass that strength onto others, even if it costs you sleep and peace.“I used to hate waking up every morning. Now I look forward to every day, even though we're stuck in this place. Because it means one more day with you." He caresses my lips with his thumb. I open my mouth, but he shakes his head. "Don't say anything, please."For a long moment, we are silent, our gazes locked. I breathe in his hot breaths, tension crackling in the short distance between our lips. Then he pulls me into a kiss. The touch of his lips on mine electrifies me, shimmer after shimmer coursing through my nerve endings. His tongue takes mine in a primal claim. Icy shivers splinter my skin, and at the same time, fire awakens deep within me. I've never been kissed like this. Ferociously, with absolute, desperate need. I try to temper the heated emotions building inside me. I try to remember it's wrong. But that fleeting thought is drowned by the heat igniting his lips and hands, and I surrender. Tristan deepens the kiss until I'm out of breath. I become aware of his hard chest muscles, of every line and every ridge, as my hands roam wildly with a greed I don't recognize. His hands graze my body, traveling from my back to my thighs, spreading the fire in my center; I'm convinced it will consume me. With a jolt, he pulls me even closer to him, so I'm all but straddling him. His fingers fumble with my hair, as his blessed mouth cradles mine, coaxing a whimper from me.
About the Author

Welcome! My name is Layla Hagen and I am a Contemporary Romance author.
I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can't wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it :-D
Contact LinksWebsiteFacebookTwitter: @laylahagen
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Perception By Kaithlin Shepherd

Alpha Heat Is Your Perfect Treat - 50% OffTitle:  PerceptionAuthor:  Kaithlin ShepherdRelease Date:  March 25, 2016Genre: Romantic SuspenseSeries:  Brass Series, Book 2
Cover Designer:  Claire Smith Publisher:  Hot Tree Publishing

One look at Annabelle Stevens and no one would ever know she’s a top Assistant US Attorney. When a new boss assigns her to an elite DEA-led task force, she’s put in close proximity to the one man she can’t shake: Connor Evans. For years, she’s been in love with him, and for years, he’s played yo-yo with her heart.

Abandoned by his parents, tossed around from one foster home to the next until his best friend’s family took him in, Connor Evans is the proverbial bad boy with a badge. For more than ten years, he’s kept Annabelle at a distance, convinced that his kind of screwed-up doesn’t belong anywhere near her.

When one case muddles the line between personal and professional, mistakes are made. Connor has no choice but to step up if he wants to win her trust and her heart back.
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Amazon: US I UK I AU I CAKobo I iBooks I Nook Facebook I Twitter I WebsiteKaithlin Shepherd is the author of The Callaway Series, The Brass Series and The Saints and Sinners series. 
Born and raised in Canada by a working single mom and a loving grandmother, Kaithlin surrounded herself with novels by Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts provided by her grandmother. Kaithlin quickly fell in love with reading. It was in high school, thanks to an English teacher, that Kaithlin wrote her first story (although if you ask for it, she will deny ever writing it) about a popular boy band. Inspired by constructive criticism, Kaithlin spent some time developing her love affair with words through more reading than someone would think possible.
After pursuing a higher education, Kaithlin, sat down with a pen and paper and decided to give writing a shot. With no false hope in mind, her first novel, Make Me Whole, slowly came to life. Putting fear and doubt aside, Kaithlin has published five books to date, and has eleven more set to be published in the next two years. a Rafflecopter giveaway www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ea80a6ed156

Journey Man by Victoria Danann

JOURNEY MANKnights of Black Swan series Book 9
by
Victoria Danann
Release Date: April 7, 2016
Official genre of book Paranormal RomanceContent warning 17+




For five years, Glendennon Catch had knocked around the globe as a floater, filling in wherever a team of vampire hunters was down a member. He’d buried six good knights and watched the life take its toll on countless others. He’d drunk his share of whiskey and bedded so many women he would hate to hear the count, but he’d never gotten over his first love. And, if he had a chance for a do-over, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have chosen Rosie Storm over The Order.

Elora Rose Storm had spent five years nursing a heavy heart, while on a cross-dimensional mission to make the world a better place, especially wherever she found human/animal hybrids being mistreated. She’d seen horrors, righted wrongs where she could, and matured into a powerful witch/demon with altruistic leanings.

After all that time, unbeknownst to each other, both were headed home. To Jefferson Unit.



“You’re acting like a perfect stranger. The Glen I know would never be ungracious.”

“The Glen you know is gone,” he said, his tone completely void of emotion. “Thought you would have figured that out by now.”

“Are we leaving?” Rosie asks with an unmistakable sadness over the way the evening had turned out. She hadn’t realized that she was enjoying herself until Mr. and Mrs. Baka departed. Then the reality of the fuming thunderstorm that used to be Glendennon Catch settled around her like a shroud made of thick hemp dyed black.

Glen got up, walked around to the other side of the table and slid into the booth seat facing Rosie. “Might as well stay. We have to eat. And it’s free. Supposedly.”

The waiter punctuated the end of that thought by arriving to reset the table for two according to instructions from the maître d’. Glen watched every movement as if he was training for the job. Rosie wasn’t fooled by his feigned interest. She knew he was trying to find something to look at that wasn’t her.

“So,” she said, “tell me what you’ve been doing since I saw you last.”

Glen’s first impulse was to snarl and tell her to fuck off and that, if she’d wanted to know, she damn well could have called.



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USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Victoria Danann, is making her debut into Contemporary Romance with releases in May and June 2015, after taking the world of PNR by storm.

Her Knights of Black Swan series won BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES TWO YEARS IN A ROW (2013, 2014). Reviewers Choice Awards, The Paranormal Romance Guild.

Victoria's paranormal romances come with uniquely fresh perspectives on "imaginary" creatures, characters, and themes. She adds a dash of scifi, a flourish of fantasy, enough humor to make you laugh out loud, and enough steam to make you squirm in your chair. Her heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, psychics, past life therapists, or financial analysts from Dallas. Her heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character, and good manners - usually - whether they be elves, demons, berserkers, werewolves, or vampires.

The first book of the Knights of Black Swan Paranormal Romance Series, My Familiar Stranger, was nominated for Best Paranormal Romance of 2012 by both Reviewers' Choice and Readers' Choice Awards. All of her books have opened on the Amazon Best Sellers list and earned Night Owl Reviews TOP PICK awards. Many have appeared on Listopia BOOK OF THE MONTH as #1 across all genres.

For books published in 2013, Black Swan won three awards. 1. Best Paranormal Romance Series 2. Best Paranormal Romance Novel - A SUMMONER'S TALE 3. Best Vampire~Shifter Novel - MOONLIGHT. In 2014, Solomon's Sieve won Best Vampire Novel.

If you're interested in Victoria personally, she is also a classically trained musician who defected to Classic Rock music. Until 2013 she was the utility player for Houston's Roadhouse band, which means she played rhythm guitar, keyboards, sang back ups and female leads. Her band covered everything (note for note) from Styx to Led Zepellin to Rush.

She lives in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband and a very smart, mostly black German Shepherd dog.

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Two Hearts In Winter by Donna Fasano

Two Hearts In Winter by Donna Fasano Series: Ocean City Boardwalk, #2Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: April 15, 2016


Loss and betrayal have caused Heather Phillips to give up on love. She’s thrown herself into running The Lonely Loon, her Bed and Breakfast located on the boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland. The “off season” in this tourist town is usually a time of rest and reflection for her; however, DB Atwell, a famous author, arrives at The Loon for the winter to finish his long-overdue novel. Daniel, too, has faced grief, and tragedy continues to haunt him. Once Heather and Daniel meet, their lives will never be the same.

Reminiscent of Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks and culminating in a happily-ever-after similar to the great Nora Roberts, Two Hearts in Winter is a story about learning to let go of the past, about realizing that, though hardship affects us, it need not define us, and about coming to understand and truly believe that beauty is sometimes covered in scars. The human heart has an amazing ability to forgive, to heal, and to hope, especially when touched by love.



It wasn’t Heather’s aim to embarrass the girl; she just wanted to cut through the lies to get to the truth as quickly as possible.“Listen, hon.” Heather leaned forward. “Why don’t you tell me what this is all about?”She smiled, but she had to admit, after speaking with the woman at Atlantic Coastal this morning, she’d felt completely stumped. Why in the world would this girl approach her like she had? Why would she lie?“I’m tired of proofing,” Sandra finally said. “And I don’t want to be an editor. I want to be a writer. And paying writing gigs are few and far between in this business. Newspapers are shutting down. Everyone is going digital. It’s… it’s hard.”Heather gently pried the plastic lid off her tea. She lifted the rim to her mouth and took a sip. The heady tastes hit her tongue: cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and the richly scented steam wafted around her face.The answer Sandra gave was completely plausible. It seemed like a perfectly natural thing for a journalist wannabe to do… write an interesting story about The Lonely Loon and present it to the magazine’s publisher as proof of her writing skills.Heather nodded. “I see.” She set the cup down again, pleased by the calm demeanor that she’d been able to present. As she’d driven over to the west side of town, she’d fretted about the confrontation. But it had been simple, really. Just asking for the simple truth had been the best solution.There were still a couple of questions niggling at her, though. “But why lie?” she asked. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were going after a writing job at your magazine?”Sandra's chin tipped up, and she unwittingly slid her palm over the silver laptop that sat on the table, her gaze zeroing in on Heather’s face. “You would have helped me get a story?”“Of course, I would help you.” Heather smiled. “I like to see people succeed. If I can help you, I will.” You silly twit, whispered through her mind, but luckily she was able to keep the offensive moniker from slipping off her tongue. “Who wouldn’t like to help someone advance in their career?”“Oh, wow,” Sandra gushed. “I don’t know what to say. I just… this is so nice of you.”Heather’s smile widened. Now that the truth was sitting like an open book in front of them, they could get down to work. She could tell Sandra that her mother had been the one who had established The Lonely Loon, and she could explain where the name had come from. And how she’d taken over the business after her mother had died of breast cancer. She’d be sure to name a few of the neighboring boardwalk businesses and their owners to offer as much promotion to her friends as she could. The owners of the shops, restaurants, and hotels on the boardwalk were a tight-knit group.Sandra reached into her satchel and pulled out an eight by ten piece of paper and slid it across the table.“What’s this?” Heather asked.As her eyes scanned the short, full-caps header—WRITER DB ATWELL’S DAUGHTER MISSING. Heather’s blood froze and she felt like she were sitting in a vacuum.“This is the story I want.” The words burst from Sandra like blustery wind during a nor’easter. “I have a friend who works at the Associated Press. He sent this to me just before Christmas. It’s taken me weeks to track him down. DB Atwell, I mean. The teachers at his daughter’s school aren’t talking. His publisher isn’t talking. Even his agent blew me off.”Heather watched Sandra’s mouth moving, she even heard the words, but the situation had taken such a bizarre turn, that she felt truly dumbfounded.“I’ve tracked him to Ocean City, I believe,” Sandra continued. “And although I haven’t seen him, I’m pretty sure he’s hiding out at your B&B. He's the one you mentioned yesterday, isn't he? The guest who needs quiet. I want you to tell me about him. I need you to tell me everything you know. About him. And his missing daughter.”



Reviews of Book 1: Following His Heart

“The pleasure of Fasano’s style lies in the scrumptious descriptions… and her characters’ sincere, mature desire to make things work.” ~ Publishers Weekly

“Following His Heart made me go “wow”. . . I found it thought-provoking in ways I’d have never anticipated.” ~ BooksAndPals.com, 5-Stars

USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano has written 35 romance and women’s fiction titles. Her books have won awards, have been translated into two dozen languages, and have sold 4 million copies worldwide.




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Yellow Silk Dreams series by Pablo Michaels

YELLOW SILK DREAMS seriesby Pablo MichaelsJack and the Magical Beanstalk
  Official genre of book: Adult fairy tale, gay erotica

In this adult fairy tale young, awkward, young Jack sells their prize cow Pearly White for magical beans to a strange man in a red bikini. Little does Jack’s mother, Lorene, know that the beans grow into a giant, magical beanstalk, high above the clouds? 

Jack ascends the beanstalk to a land where a Giant Slave serves his larger Master, Jack begs Slave for food to satisfy his hunger from his long journey. But Jack finds Master hoarding treasures. 

Attempting to escape the wrath of Master and Slave with the treasures, Jack encounters a handsome, engaging normal sized human man. Sam lives with others that live naturally without clothing deep in the forest. As Jack ages he becomes a handsome man, just like his father, attracting many men, including the two farmhands, Zeke and Adam. 

Even though Jack has enabled the farm to prosper with the treasures he stole from Master and is met with increasing danger, he climbs the magical beanstalk again and again to find more treasures and pursue Sam.



“Good morning, Jack. You’re a young, handsome lad,” the strange man greeted him.

“Good morning, sir.” Jack wondered how the man knew his name.

“And where might you be going with that fine cow?”

“I’m off to market to sell her,” Jack answered.

“Ah, but you must be a smart and cunning young man,” the strange man offered. “You look like the intelligent sort to sell cows. Can you tell me how many beans make five?”

“Oh, sir, that is too easy. It is five. You have one bean in each hand, one in your mouth, one in the crack of your butt, and one in your crotch.”

“Oh, you are right. You are truly gifted and have smarts. You will go far, my handsome young man. The beans are magical. I dare say I would trade you my five magic beans for your cow.” There was a twitch in the strange man’s crotch.

“But I would be a fool to trade Pearly White for your beans.” Jack laughed lightly. He was amused by the twitching under the man’s bikini. He liked the man, especially the way he was entertaining him, but knew better than to trade his cow for just the beans.



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Blood, Sweat and Black Leather

Official genre of book: Gay paranormal romance



Damien Liebermann has failed at love continuously, even after attempting to resurrect his latest relationship with David Wilder. He despises his aging appearance, gray hair on his chest, sideburns and mustache. Despite the spread of a new incurable disease, AIDS, he tries to move on, searching for a new man to love. He has moved back to his parent’s house after they were killed in an automobile accident. But Gabriel Tivoli, a man he pursued several years before, appears magically, walking on the top of the fence and jumping to the deck next to Damien. Gabriel’s appears young compared to Damien’s, despite their same age. During a powerful storm, Gabriel promises to restore Damien’s youthful appearance and give him eternal love. Infatuated with Gabriel again and the magic surrounding him, Damien fails to recognize Gabriel’s paranormal powers, when he comes through his window and bites him on his neck, indulging in a taste of his blood. Can he trust a man who rejected him before? And why does Gabriel disappear before dawn every day? Why does he have to meet Gabriel in the nearby cemetery at midnight on Halloween, especially at the peak of the dangerous storm raging outside?


A bolt of fire struck a nearby headstone, the pounding roar echoing through the canyon. Jumping in fright, he looked above, viewing a perfect, orange, full moon illuminating his surroundings. He glanced at the flowers on the graves, all wilting, except those on the Tivoli family plot.

Damien called out, “Gabriel, are you part of this family tree lying in these graves?”The clouds covered the glow of the moon, the winds picked up velocity, and the rain became heavy again. He inhaled the scent of hormones he recognized from sexual encounters with men from his past. Another gust of wind almost blew him off the bench, even though he held tightly to the marble seat. The rain poured down; he sensed something spectacular ready to boil the blood in his veins. Feeling weak, he closed his eyes momentarily.

Awakening, he saw Gabriel standing nearly naked, clothed only in a scant leather thong, his dick bulging big and hard beneath the pouch. Towering over him, those brilliant green eyes radiated intense fire. Gabriel dripped with rain, illuminated by an aura of desire. His black hair lay over his shoulders, glistening wet and shiny.

“I want you here… tonight.” Gabriel commanded.

“I want you too, but I’m weak. I can’t move to touch you.”

“That frequently happens once you’ve become one of us. I’ll restore your strength.”



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Affairs of Men's Hearts

  Official genre of book: Gay romance



Short stories of wishful thinking male to male romances of sexual infatuation with male buddies, to testing the lustful waters with other men to find the right man to love, to gay marriage, of men attempting to build on their love in a longtime relationship.

Growing Up in My Hometown is a story about a man’s feelings of spontaneity with expressing his sexual freedom. Three high school senior boys are on a fishing trip. Billie has a crush on Lewis. Jay is the buffer to keep Billie’s fantasies in check. Billie struggles to express his true feelings towards Lewis, in the process of admitting his true sexual feelings for other men. What happens when they go skinny dipping?

In Then and Now, a man compares his two true loves, his high school infatuation, Barry, and Timothy, his longtime companion. On a ski trip, Billie and Barry, drinking Rainer Ale by the wood burning stove in their underwear, express their male bondage. Will Barry allow Billie to express all his feelings?

In the Slumber Party, Benjie Fallon finds himself at a high school senior slumber party with kids younger than he, while serving as a chaperone for his neighbor. Benjie, recovering from his first relationship with another man, is seeking the chance to love again. He never thought that two younger men would find him as a good sponsor to act out on their sexual fantasies.

In Pagan Knights of Cambria Nights, Glenn and Billie are on their honeymoon with their dog Bradley in a seaside resort that has all the makings of romance until another gay couple, Gilbert and Jorge, accuse them of stealing Bradley. Making love on the beach at night under a near full moon, strolls along the beach, fine dining and shopping, Glenn relaxes, always attempting to seduce Billie while Billie seeks for peace in his life, all complicated by Gilbert and Jorge and their accusations. What happens when Glenn and Billie discover a body on the beach?

Jay’s skill exceeded mine, having the talent my father would treasure if Jay were his son. Jay led the way down a dirt road shaded by pines, firs, and oaks. A small spring, feeding a roadside culvert, resembled a brook. The water lay still, quite shallow, and was inhabited with tadpoles and a few water skippers.

Looking at each other, Lewis and I had the same scheming idea simultaneously. While Jay stomped ahead Lewis pointed at the water and shouted, “Did you see the size of that fish?”

“He’s huge,” I yelled.

“Don’t let this one get away!”

Jay, naive, for an eighteen-year-old boy, could always be counted upon to be the victim of a prank, accepting the others teases. He ran, his hand clinging to his fishing pole. He cast his fly, quickly, to land the big one.

After a few minutes repeated casting, he asked, “Which way did he go?”

Lewis and I relented. We confessed our prank, busting out laughing to the point of crying. Jay soon caught on to our escapade.



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Pablo Michaels disguised himself as a shy, friendly heterosexual during his adolescence, fantasizing other males. Falling in love with another man his first year in college, he followed this man to another university to maintain their platonic love, while he continued in his in studies. When he had his first sexual encounter with another man, just before turning twenty-one, he exploded into gay life with lust and rage. He attempted to live his new life naturally, seeking love, ignoring the statistics of the books he read on homosexuality in high school, and proving what he had read was wrong.

Pablo Michaels is a gay man who writes gay romantic genre fiction from a gay man’s perspective. He is driven to educate and enlighten readers with the true beauty of love between men. He has published several books over the span of the last five years. He has found a new home to publish his stories with Yellow Silk Dreams, a publisher composed of a coop of authors. He grew up in a working class family that taught him the values of hard work, regardless of the profession, and helped him acquire a diverse education. The family motto is “People can take everything away from you. But they never can take away your education.” He is legally married to his soulmate, a man he has lived with for twenty years.

Pablo Michaels was born in the story, “Raging Silence”, which is included in the book, “This Beautiful Escape”. The silence raging in Pablo Michaels was his inherit sexual orientation, suppressed in his adolescent years. Through years of struggles he finds peace in his current life with his legal husband, a partnership of 20 years.

He wrote poetry and stories since third grade. When he turned twenty-one, he moved to San Francisco to work and write, experiencing more of gay life. In the 1980's he wrote every chance he had, trying and failing miserably at publishing mainstream fiction. He published his first story, Reunion on the Trail, in 1986 in a literary magazine When the Mockingbird Sings.

After writing plays, short stories, poetry, and two novels, he began writing gay genre stories, feeling he had more knowledge and experience with gay lifestyle. Trying to publish, he went to a library seminar hosted by two published authors. Inspired by the gay writer, Scott Kemble he connected with him on the internet site for The San Francisco Bay Area Literary Arts Newsletter and Review, which published four of Pablo's short stories.

Constantly, writing since 2004, he published his first e-book, Pagan Knights of Cambria, with Life of Riley Productions in London. Soon a mainstream story, When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again Hooray, published also. In 2012 Pablo self-published his first novel, Catnip, Rosemary, Rage and Time, combining mystery and humor in a gay, erotic romance. He continues to write more episodes in his next novel, The Deer in the Forest The plot spreads over several decades, about a man's attempts to adapt to the world he lives, all with love, heartache, history and survival at no cost.

His latest article, Why Gay Men Retire to Palm Springs, was just published in the very popular SimplySxy.com online magazine. You can read the insightful article here. http://simplysxy.com/articles/2015/06... Pablo retired from gardening and landscaping to devote his energy to write fiction. As a gay man he wishes to promote his writing gay genre fiction to help others understand the necessity for equal rights for LGBT people and comprehend that love between a man and a man, people of the same sex, is as natural as love between a man and a woman. Throughout his lifetime he has experienced the long battle of achieving acceptance. He has searched for a committed relationship with another man. He has loved his partner for twenty years. They were legally married in front of Harvey Milk's bust in the rotunda of San Francisco City Hall by a judge, in 2008. Although their marriage remained legal after the passage of Proposition 8, they continued to work to repeal DOMA and Prop. 8. Throughout his life he has attempted to live and practice peace as a process for living.

His published books include the book, Blood, Sweat and Black Leather, a gay paranormal romance, published by Yellow Silk Dreams in January 2015. Affairs of Men’s Hearts, published in May 2015 by Yellow Silk Dreams is an anthology of four stories connected by the themes of gay men seeking love with another man, from wishful thinking male to male romance to gay marriage. His latest book, Jack and the Magical Beanstalk is an adult version with a gay twist of the fairytale classic, Jack and the Beanstalk, published in December 2015 by Yellow Silk Dreams. He has rewritten his first novel, Catnip. Rosemary, Rage and Time, and its prequel, Learning to Love Again, both soon to be published. He is currently working on the sequel to Jack and the Magical Beanstalk. The working title is Climbing Another Magical Beanstalk.

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Special Agent Kandice by Mimi Barbour

Special Agent Kandice by Mimi Barbour Series: Undercover FBI, #4Genre: Romantic SuspenseRelease Date: March 31, 2016

Powerful, thrilling and character-driven, this romantic suspense is a real page-turner.

Special Agent indeed, Kandice Warner is everyone’s best friend. Talk about a Barbie doll! This female might have the same pretty-girl looks but even though she has a tender heart, she also has the resilience needed for a very successful FBI Hostage Negotiator. Feelings of inadequacy constantly force her to prove that she’s tough, and she demonstrates her courage when dealing with a murderous bank robber and a desperate jumper. But her tender heart can get her in trouble and she needs to grow a thicker skin. Almost impossible when her obstinate new boss, for reasons of his own, interferes in everything she does.

Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division in Washington, Dan Black is as hard as they come. With the grit of a street youth stiffening his resolve, he’s worked his way up through the ranks, his personal space shields as strong as ever. Until he sees the sweetest things on two legs! A girl from his past. The one he’s never been able to forget. Working undercover in the Seattle bureau, he tries to protect his childhood fantasy but she refuses to stay put or take orders. Faced with a woman like that, what’s a mere man to do?


Chapter One
“Smile at me one more time with those gleaming pearly-whites, and I’m liable to smash them down your throat. You got it?” Special Agent Kandice Warner had just arrived at the FBI office and greeted her co-worker.Some of the other staffers who’d been watching laughed. One clapped, and the agent Kandice had been directing her threat to gloomily shook his head. “Kandi, what’s with the compliment? And your eyes are friggin’ twinkling. You gotta look like you mean it. God-almighty, sweets, it wasn’t at all believable.”Hands on her hips, posing, Kandi grouched, “I practised that for half an hour. What was wrong with it this time?”“Well, first of all, your eyes were soft, you got too damn close, and when you’re sarcastic to a perp ya just don’t pat his arm.”Laughter rang out in the main room where a dozen or so others worked. Catcalls and whistles followed. One voice was louder and could be heard over the rest. “Kandi just doesn’t have the personality of a pit-bull, Wesley. She’s our sweetheart.”“Ya, man, leave her alone. It’s bad enough we’re a bunch of hardened agents. We like her just the way she is.”Wesley Snow, chubby with longish hair, glasses that never stayed up and a friendly disposition, snarled to the others, “Hell, this isn’t my idea. Kandi insists she needs to learn how to be scary, like the rest of us.”Horrified, Kandi jumped in. “I never said that, you goofball. I said I wanted the criminals to take me more seriously. Not to decide they can run when I have a gun pointed at them.”This brought more laughter and Kandi, not having the heart to continue with her snit, giggled with them.“Give it up, sweetheart. We’ll look after you, same as we bin doin’ since forever. You’re like our mascot.” Bobbi, her best friend, came over and wrapped her in a hug, her brown eyes softening and her darkish-coffee skin glowing with health and vitality. The warmth, the smell of her vanilla body lotion, even the ruffling she gave Kandi’s curls, should have given Kandi a soft feeling. And it did… But dissatisfaction still hovered and wouldn’t fade.“I can’t let it go, Bobbi. They have to start believing I’m competent, or my credibility goes right out the window.”Bobbi nodded, her hand now holding one of Kandi’s. “Look, the reason that asshole ran away from you yesterday wasn’t because you didn’t scare him enough to follow orders. You were cool and said most of the words I would have used.” The rest of her co-workers nodded.“I did?” Kandi knew they all considered Bobbi a level-headed agent who came off as being one not to mess with. Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.“Hell, yeah.” A male voice added.“S’truth.” Wesley nodded and joined in.“Then why did he wink at me and run away?”“Cause you were smiling beseechingly, and you made one small mistake… I never say, please stop.”Kandi lowered her head in disgust. “I did say that, didn’t I? He knew I’d never shoot him.”“Honey, no matter how good you were in training, or how thorough you are when it comes to talking these assholes down in a crisis negotiation, you don’t have the killer instinct.”“I guess you’re right.” Kandi pushed her hands through her headful of blonde curls that bounced every which way, and grinned sadly. “I’m nothing but a wuss.”“Oh, no, honey. That’s not what I said. Why, we’ve watched you stand up to some of the meanest sons-a-bitches ever and you never back down. By the time you’re finished with the pricks, you have them following you like puppy-dogs, willing to do whatever you say. It’s uncanny. I wish I had your talent.”The rest of the room muttered various agreements, until their new boss entered and ended everyone’s fun.Kandi watched the room settle down, busy agents now avidly working, typing and making phone calls. She caught Wesley’s wink before his head went down also.This guy scared the stuffing out of all of them. He had the coldest disposition of anyone Kandi had ever met. His reputation preceded him, and the fact that he’d been demoted from his hoity-toity position in Washington as the Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division to the lowly Seattle branch as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge must have been very demoralizing for the man whose gritty personality terrified them.










Mimi Barbour is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who's sold over 500,000 copies of her books world-wide. Her five romance series: The Vicarage Bench/ time travel at it's best, Angels with Attitudes / angels love romance, Vegas / fast-paced plotting, Elvis / make a song a book and her newest, Undercover FBI / with sizzling conflicts and lots of humor.

Mimi's been heard to say: "I'm an author who loves to read uplifting stories about romance. Add in some time travel, or maybe an angel, or even a little romantic suspense and it makes the story more fascinating because of the incredible possibilities."




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A BELTANE GIFT by Holly Barbo

​A BELTANE GIFT
by
Holly Barbo
GENRE: Contemporary fiction/Quick Reads/Cultural HeritageCOVER DESIGNER: JC Clarke @ The Graphics Shed


Summer in Scotland, and Mari is working on an archeological dig of a Viking burial ship during Beltane, a time of the year when the veil shrouding the spirit world thins. What could possibly go wrong?

~1291 A.D.~

The day was high summer with an onshore breeze ruffling the waters of Loch Sunart. Leda watched as several strong men hauled a small boat out of the water. Muscles strained as the ship resisted the pull of the ropes as if it didn’t want to leave its buoyant home. She knew it was time, and turned her head to scan the progress on the moor. A boat-sized hole had been dug to rest the vessel in. Teams of men from the village maneuvered the dragon boat onto skids and fought the graceful craft up to where the low moors began. With every available hand on the ropes, the ship was lowered into the ground until only the short, carved dragon on the prow looked over the grassland to the shore.
Once the small ship was nestled into the ground, more of their friends came, placing Leda’s husband’s body on a prepared berth. Items meaningful to his life were set around him in easy reach, should he need them in the afterlife. This burial was a supreme honor but still the tears trickled down her lined face and dropped onto the funerary objects. As the gathered crowd paid their last respects, several foxes were heard yipping in the low hills. As one, everyone turned in the direction of the sound. There, on a cairn farther up the slope, was a family of the rust-colored creatures raising their voices to the wind. Leda smiled and made a small bow to the animals. Laughter was heard around the boat as comments were made about the tribute. In this lighter atmosphere, everyone pitched in and began to fill the craft with dirt and stones.

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Holly's world is shaped by her love of family, the beauty of the natural world and an irrepressible creative drive. She has always been curious and sees life through questions. These four characteristics color her writing voice and her stories frequently evolve from her asking "What if....?" Her tales tend to have non-urban settings with nature contributing to the plot, building discordant themes inside a seemingly peaceful refrain. My motto: Weaving Alternative Worlds with Threads From Today.

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