Twinkle (Sugandha) Varshney's Blog, page 94
March 20, 2018
Reflection by Jessica Roberts
Title: Reflection Author: Jessica Roberts Genre: YA Romance Release Date: March 20, 2018 Cover Designer: Abe Day Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.
Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college. Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten. Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past and find the answers buried deep in her mind. What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance.And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with?
He bent down by the fireplace—catching his body with his arms—and did a half push-up to rest beside me. Lying down side by side, our shoulders touching, his face close to mine, I could feel the temperature of our bodies rising, fusing together as one. Did he feel the heat? “Let’s see here,” he huffed, teasing me with his mechanical savvy. “Funny,” I whispered back, watching him examine the guts of the fireplace. “But once you realize it’s unfixable—” “Hand me the matches?” His voice turned businesslike as he studied the wires. I responded with a groan. As I reached across his body for the small box on the floor, the smell of him suddenly caught my senses—musky and male, and much too close. I hesitated, hovering over his back, fascinated that my body was responding in a similar way to when my temper peaked. My eyelids shut, and I drank in the hot adrenalin rush, emotions that were strange, feelings I didn’t understand. I forced myself back, careful not to touch him or move any closer. “I’ll tell you what,” I said, shaking the haze away. I brought the matches forward, lying on my stomach again but with ample space between us. “You fix it, you get a wish. If not, the wish is mine.” He readjusted himself. “Watch and learn, sweetheart,” he said absently, keeping his attention on the project, his head bent low. “Light that for me?” I removed a match, struck it against the strip, and carefully handed him the flame. With a push of a button, a small spark erupted into a bright-blue flare. A muted explosion sounded, and the two-faced fire rushed across the imitation log. “How did you do that?” I hollered. I stared at the mesmerizing flames of blue, deep yellow, and crimson endowing our faces with a warm glow, the heat already radiating through the glass. However, a different sort of heat ignited within me. It was my competitive edge, I reasoned. A few failed attempts from him would have been nice before it burst into a bright, blazing banner of victory. “Ahhh, the sweet smell of methane,” he heckled. Show-off. Even through my poor attitude, I allowed my shoulder to nudge his. I went to my knees and crawled toward the small cabinet to put away the matchbox. I breathed out heavily, releasing all my confusing responses to him. “Next time you want to light it, just—” “I know, I know,” I told him. “I watched you.” I reached up, tugging on the cabinet drawer and telling myself he could explain when I wasn’t so wound up. Like a sudden shift in the weather, a solid wall of warmth pressed into my back as his body covered mine from behind. I stiffened instantly. He reached around my rigid body and gently took the matchbox from my hand, his entire frame as calm as a warm summer breeze, encasing mine. As he leaned forward, putting the matchbox in the bag and placing it in the cabinet, his words teased softly in my ear, “I’m going to have to teach you some manners.” His whispers drifted deep inside me. Every thought left instantly, replaced with a keen awareness of the warm areas where we touched. A soft energy from his body merged with a surge from my own, and with each passing second the energy increased. “Lesson one,” his even voice rolled off my shoulder, terrifyingly close. “What do you say to someone who fixes your fireplace?” I was lost in the emotion, my throat nervously parched, an arid swallow catching at the base of it. “Thanks?” “You’re welcome.” The embrace from behind felt too heavenly to withdraw from, like little angel wings caressing my entire back. My breathing picked up as his fingers softly enveloped my shoulders. My eyes locked shut, but that only amplified the sensation as his fingers glided across the edges of my collarbone, the tips sending little bolts of lightning through my body. I stayed unmoving, gratified and petrified at the same time. He had never touched me so intimately, as if he were getting to know me. To most it was a simple shoulder massage, but to me it was dangerous. And even though I knew this, I longed for the way his hands touched me in such a personal and protective way.
Jessica grew up in the San Francisco, California Bay Area where she spent most of her time playing sports alongside her six siblings. She was crowned Miss Teen California her senior year of high school and went on to Brigham Young University where she graduated in Human Development. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and three children.
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March 19, 2018
Enthrall Climax By Vanessa Fewings
Title: Enthrall Climax Author: Vanessa Fewings Genre: Erotic Romance Release Date: February 12, 2018 Cover Designer: Drue Hoffman at Buoni Amici PressHosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.
The strikingly dominant Cameron Cole and his beloved Mia Lauren return for the eagerly anticipated finale of the erotic romance series by USA TODAY bestselling author Vanessa Fewings. The romance has never been hotter. The danger has never been higher. Mia Lauren is set to become the wife of powerful billionaire Cameron Cole. A lifetime of realized dreams and fulfilled desires lay ahead...but their entire world is about to come crashing down.An intimate betrayal fractures Cameron’s empire, springing forth new threats from every direction. Everything is at risk. Everyone is in danger. Before Mia and Cameron can relish the rewards of the journey, they must survive its climax.Some passions live forever.This isn't the end. This is the climax.ENTHRALL CLIMAX is the final novel of the ENTHRALL SESSIONS, the bestselling erotic romance series by Vanessa Fewings.**Mature Audiences only **Contains dark themes and explicit content.**▾Audio Links▾Audible | iTunes▾Buy The Book Here▾
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Vanessa Fewings is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the ENTHRALL SESSIONS. THE CHASE is the first in her sizzling new romantic trilogy from HQN Books followed by THE GAME. The third book in the series THE PRIZE will be released in June 2018. Prior to publishing, Vanessa worked as a registered nurse and midwife. She holds a Masters Degree in Psychology. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and has lived in Great Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, Cyprus and the USA. Born and raised in England, Vanessa now proudly calls herself an American and resides in California with her husband.For more info on Vanessa: VanessaFewings.com
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More Than Words By Gen Ryan
Author: Gen RyanTitle: More Than WordsSeries: Hopelessly Devoted #3Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 17, 2018Publisher: Hot Tree PublishingCover Designer: Claire Smith
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Losing everything can set you free.
Recently divorced Parker Matthews is broken-hearted and alone. Damaged in more ways than one, he knows he has to make a change and face his new reality. Finally deciding to get help for his PTSD and get his life together, he seeks support in a writing for healing class.
Forming a friendship with Arya Danvers, Parker begins to heal and seems determined to fight for his life and find his forever happiness. But when Parker’s fears threaten to strangle him for good, there’s just no telling how he will survive this next battle.
Disclosure: Cliff-hanger ending. The conclusion to Parker’s story continues in She’s Everything .
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~~~
When We Were Young Book 1
books2read.com/devoted1Out of Goodbyes Book 2Releases January 20, 2018
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Website I Facebook I Twitter I GoodreadsYou can find Gen curled up reading paranormal romance and romantic thrillers or frantically typing her stories on her laptop.
Forensic psychology is her trade by day, teaching and molding the minds of college students. Her interest in psychology can be seen in her books, each including many psychological undertones. Although she loves teaching, her passion, her true love, lies in the stories that roam around in her head. Yes, they all come from her mind--the good, the bad, and the totally insane.
Gen Ryan is an international best-selling author in multiple sub genres within romance. She lives in Massachusetts--no, not Boston--with her husband, daughter, and American Eskimo dog named Chewbacca. With each story she shares, she hopes her love for writing and storytelling seeps through, encompassing the reader and leaving them wanting more.
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March 18, 2018
INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE by Reily Garrett
INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCEThe McAllister Justice Series, Book 3by Reily GarrettPublication Date: March 26, 2018
Genre: Romantic suspense/technothriller
Content Warning: 18+ due to explicit sexual content
Braiding nanotechnology and medicine equals magic to the psychopathic mind.
Megan Chauner has achieved her dream of opening a veterinary practice when she receives a mysterious package with a dire warning from a college roommate turned investigative reporter. Entering a world of advanced surgical techniques, polymer microchips, and nanotechnology, she discovers twisted minds merging the latest science with progressive surgical procedures in a bid for power and wealth.
Lucas McAllister faces the biggest upheaval of his life. From chick magnet to wounded cop wasn’t a fall he’d foreseen. Now facing a forced retirement, he returns home to find a gun-toting enigma with multiple IDs deciphering reams of technical, medical jargon and embroiled in a plot destined to alter mankind’s path.
Stalkers and assassins draft reality checks that test Luc’s skill and endurance in keeping Megan and her furball alive while the McAllister brothers unite to thwart a bi-coastal conspiracy.
Prologue
Death in degrees
Jackie Milburn didn’t do fear.
The late-night walk to her car had never provoked an accelerated heart rate. Tonight, however, a bone-deep foreboding arose from vestiges of instinctual awareness, all merging to question her mission’s strategy. If she failed, millions would suffer and life as anyone knew it, would end.
Indistinct shadows granted a cozy ambience where she often lurked, but dingy light filtering through overhead branches mocked her bravado. Shadow limbs shook with laughter as Fate’s sense of humor conspired with nature to saturate creation’s mindset with malice.
Regardless of destiny’s intentions, she squared her shoulders while scanning the deserted parking lot, alert to any threat. A sense of relief had washed through her after depositing the damning evidence in the USPS blue box. The evil shits would never expect an investigative reporter to mail the sophisticated mechanisms across country. Precautions taken with the dispatch ensured no one could trace the recipient. Always have a backup plan.
This was the biggest scoop of her career and would spotlight one of Delaware’s billion-dollar companies as a collection of hi-tech, sociopathic thugs.
It wouldn’t take CSV Pharmaceuticals long to discover crucial evidence missing and ferret out their traitor. As corporations went, they were as paranoid as any. She prayed Dr. Sorenson made it out of the country alive, and not as shark chum. Paranoia had compelled her to refuse him the number to her newest burner phone. Intuition saw the last one tossed in the Willamette River after tapping out a quick message to her old college roommate. Jackie survived by instincts and prayed they would serve her well—one more time.
Making the last stop to pick up her go-bag would supply the necessary items to disappear until her story broke. The finishing touches included copies of lab reports and communication between the Delaware scientists and a company on the West Coast, ClickChip.
Various colored and styled wigs, plain lens glasses, makeup, and diverse fashion ensembles would allow her to blend with any crowd, but wouldn’t prevent CCTVs and facial recognition programs from pinpointing her location. Planning ahead, she had a well-stocked safe house outside city limits.
Trembling fingers failed to punch the unlock button on her key fob. Instead, her headlights cut a swath through the misty ground cover, a beacon to any waiting goon. Shit. The subsequent knocking of heart against ribs rivaled the best hammer drill while sweat coated her palms and face despite her warmed exhalations sending puffed smoke signals in the frosty air.
A slow, deep breath reclaimed her sense of calm and allowed the subtle scent from emerging camellia blossoms drifting on the night’s currents to settle her spirit. There. This is who I am. For visual affirmation of her feelings, she glanced at her reflection in the driver’s side window.
The sudden thrust of a phantom arm emerging from the dark pinned her against a hard chest. The steely limb angled and applied pressure to tilt her head back as if she were a rag doll.
“Oomph.” Collision forced air from her lungs while shock produced a gasp that inhaled a sickly sweet odor from the cloth rammed over her mouth and nose.
“Wanna play?” Malice drew out each syllable in a parody of innocent sport.
Momentary panic barred all reason. Instinctive reaction initiated clawing at the viselike grip. Subsequent kicking and twisting of her body yielded no compromise in her position.
In her periphery, she caught sight of a malevolent smile and glinting dark eyes under a black fedora. The boogeyman does exist.
Lethargy and disorientation. Another breath or pass out from hypoxia. No more pain. All her muscles relaxed against her will. The invading blackness closed in from the margins.
NO! An enraged cry died in her throat.
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TENDER ECHOESA Dark Prequel to Digital VelocityTheft of spirit is no one’s birthright.
A quirk of her X chromosome furnished Alexis with an edge few others enjoyed. After fate plunged her into orphan status and an intolerable foster home forced her to the streets, a group of prostitutes sheltered her from their vicious pimp. Seeing something special within, they nurtured and shielded her from their harsh reality until she could forge her own path in life.
Destiny frequently takes us back to our roots. Lexi’s return journey begins when a serial killer attacks one of her adopted sisters. Relying on courage and wit, she must stay a step ahead and secure evidence to free her family from a psychopathic murderer.
DIGITAL VELOCITYBook 1The deadliest weapons are the ones we never see.
Keyboard prodigy, Lexi Donovan has risen from teenage orphan of the streets to complete independence with little help along the way. When a pervert threatens her friend, she sends an anonymous message to police, leading to a firefight that leaves a cop wounded.
Detective Ethan McAllister’s well-ordered life turned upside down the day an obscure text message led to a sexual predator’s identity and arrest. Since then, Callouston PD’s finest can’t trace the elusive hacker. The latest tip leads him to a brutal mutilation and a riddle indicating the identity of the next murder victim.
The dark net houses a playground for the morally depleted and criminally insane. When Lexi discovers the killer’s digital betting arena, she finds herself centered in a cyber stalker’s crosshairs, a psychopath bearing equal talent.
Street life strengthened Lexi while toughening her protective shell, but nothing could shield her from the shrewd detective forging a path to her heart.
BOUND BY SHADOWSBook 2The architect of fear employs many forms.
Kidnapping and murder never crossed Kaylee’s mind when seeking a fresh start in Portland, a new beginning to shed the remnants of tragedy dogging her steps. After escaping from an underground cage, she fights to stay one step ahead of the killer bent on silencing his only witness. Kaylee.
Two months after dodging a sociopathic murderer’s best efforts, Caden McAllister flounders within a social sink hole, unable to move forward, too stubborn to step back. Guarded and wary, the private investigator’s stagnant lifestyle detonates into chaos when a battered and bloody young waif stumbles into his care.
Framed for a murdering a past lover, Caden must clear his name and overcome his charge’s doubts while keeping her out of the sex-slave trade. When betrayal ends with Kaylee’s re-capture, Caden must conquer his past and risk all or lose the one he has come to love.
Murder, mystery, underground tunnels, and romance are intertwined in this standalone romantic thriller, the second installment of the McAllister Justice Series.
Reily’s employment as an ICU nurse, private investigator, and work in the military police has given her countless experiences in a host of different environments to add a real world feel to her fiction.Though her kids are her life, writing is Reily’s life after. The one enjoyed…after the kids are in bed or after they’re in school and the house is quiet. This is the time she kicks back with laptop and lapdog to give her imagination free rein.
In life, hobbies can come and go according to our physical abilities, but you can always enjoy a good book. Life isn’t perfect, but our imaginations can be. Relax, whether it’s in front of a fire or in your own personal dungeon. Take pleasure in a mental pause as you root for your favorite hero/heroine and bask in their accomplishments, then share your opinions of them over a coffee with your best friend (even if he’s four legged). Life is short. Cherish your time.
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March 17, 2018
A Whole New Life By Sheri Velarde
Author: Sheri VelardeTitle: A Whole New LifeGenre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: February 24, 2018Publisher: Hot Tree PublishingCover Designer: Soxsational Cover Art
Available now! Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2DK8nbo All other links: books2read.com/whole
A handsome deputy who’s not looking to settle down.
A mysterious woman who’s on the run.
When Deputy Henri Gunther realizes there’s so much more to waitress Jenna Trippleton, his simple small-town life explodes right open. With her safety and freedom at stake, Jenna must decide whether she can put her trust in the one man who’s promised to protect her.
“You have a great day as well. And watch out for those ghosts up at the bed-and-breakfast.” He winked at her.“What ghosts?” she asked, confused.“Didn’t anyone tell you? The Bakker place is supposed to be haunted. Stories have been circulating about that for over a hundred years.” Henri smiled at her.“You don’t really believe such things, do you?” Jenna scoffed. She’d lived through real hell; ghost stories weren’t going to scare her.Deputy Hotty kept smiling and handed her his card. “My cell number is on there. You never know when you might want a deputy to come save you from the big bad ghosts. Of course, you can feel free to call me for anything else you might need as well.”Oh my God, he really is flirting with me, Jenna thought to herself. Outwardly she tried to remain cool as she took his card. “Thank you, Deputy, but I stopped believing in ghosts a long time ago.”“Why is that?” he asked.“The living people around me turned out to be scarier,” Jenna answered before thinking. Damn her too-honest mouth sometimes, it always had gotten her into trouble.Henri’s eyes seemed to focus a little more after her response. “I’m sorry. Still, keep my card and give me a call sometime. I’m good at all sorts of things, not just protecting people from ghosts.” With one final smile and wink, he walked out to join his fellow officers.Anna came up behind her as she still held his card in her hand. “Looks like you have a new admirer. Mind you, he might be the biggest flirt in the town, but I don’t know if I’ve seen Henri Gunther go full out like that for attention since he was in high school, and even then he didn’t have to work hard. Girls practically threw themselves at him then—well, until Stacey landed him.”“And now? No Stacey or women throwing themselves at him?” Jenna couldn’t help but ask. She was going to remain single—she didn’t need the hassle of a relationship, let alone one with a cop and apparently the town lothario—but she still couldn’t help wanting to know. Something about that man got to her. Maybe it was the sadness behind the flirting baby blues, the hint of depths unknown she could see in his eyes.“Seems like he may have a little interest being returned? Well, I’ll give you a brief run-through on Henri Gunther. Gorgeous, as anyone with eyes can see, and so can he. Back in high school, he was a big shot football player who dated the head cheerleader. Then in the last game, he broke his leg and ended any hope of a college career. Stacey had been banking on him leaving town and taking her with him. When he decided to stay and try out for the police force, well, she took off with one of his friends from the team who was headed to Iowa State. Broke poor Henri’s heart,” Anna explained.
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Website | Facebook | Twitter | NewsletterSheri Velarde lives in New Mexico with her husband and their two dogs.
Being an avid reader since an early age, Sheri wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. She has been writing all her life, but only recently started to pursue her dream of writing for a living. Sheri specializes in all things paranormal and that go bump in the night. Her heart truly lies in exploring unknown worlds or adding the supernatural to our world. If it goes bump in the night or has magical connotations, Sheri writes about it. She writes everything from sweet romances to horror stories sure to scare you.
In her spare time Sheri is an artist, jewelry designer, independent comic writer/artist and freelance non-fiction writer. Hiking in the mountains, going to live concerts, art openings, museums, watching movies, playing games, and hosting intimate dinner parties.
Sheri is constantly putting out new material with various publishers, so it is best to keep up with her on her website www.authorsherivelarde.weebly.com.
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FALLING FOR JORDAN by Liz Durano
FALLING FOR JORDANA Different Kind of Love, Book 2by Liz DuranoGenre: Steamy Romance
No names. No numbers.
Just one wild night with a gorgeous stranger and then, they’d go their separate ways.
But what happens when her one-night stand turns into something more?
Some one-night stands are just that: one-night stands. But for transplant physician Addison Rowe, it means a baby and a story she’ll stick to about being a single mother – via a sperm donor. After all, she's got a professional reputation to protect.
But when building contractor Jordan O’Halloran returns to New York after a year spent building schools in Southeast Asia, Addison will need to decide whether maintaining appearances is more important than reuniting a father with the daughter he never knew.
But even if the answer comes easily, Addison will need to navigate through a maze of intercultural family expectations and an ex-girlfriend who hasn't yet let go of her first love.
*A light-hearted follow-up to the bestselling novel Everything She Ever Wanted, Falling for Jordan is the second book in A Different Kind of Love series that readers have called "moving," "riveting," and "emotional." While the book can be read separately, it's best appreciated when read after Everything She Ever Wanted, book 1 of A Different Kind of Love series.
“I texted you a few hours ago but didn’t get a reply so I thought I’d come by to leave a note. But the women at the front said they’d check to see if you were available,” he adds. “So what’s so important that you couldn’t just say in a text message?”
I take a deep breath. It’s now or never, Addy. Tell him. “That night we spent together? I got pregnant.”
He stares at me for a few seconds and I can’t help but notice how the room seems so quiet. “Excuse me?”
“I got pregnant,” I repeat.
“But we used protection that night.”
All three times we did it, I know. “Well, somehow it failed.”
“What happened to the baby?” he asks. “Did you keep it?”
“She’s ten weeks old.”
He looks at me in shock, blowing air between his lips. He’s quiet for a few moments and I don’t push it. It’s not every day some woman you barely know tells you that you got her pregnant. But then, looking like he does, I may not be the first either. I wonder if I should have had Kathy in here to act as a mediator in case things get testy or if he hyperventilates and passes out. But Kathy doesn’t know the circumstances of my pregnancy. No one does except me. And now Jordan.
“What’s her name?”
His question throws me off. For so long, I've had a different scenario replaying in my head, of a man who gets angry and then refuses to have any involvement with the child, not even caring to know if it's a girl or a boy. In my head, he simply tells me it's my problem and walks away. It's never been anything else.
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Everything She Ever Wanted
She's smart, independent, and heartbroken. He's cocky, a bit rough around the edges, and too young.
But when a scheduling mistake lands a heartbroken doctor and a cocky woodworker in the same place at the same time, can their fling turn into the real thing?
When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, 40-year-old surgeon Harlow James finds herself without family, friends, and barely a career. So she trades the bright lights of New York for the open road and ends up at the Pearl, a sustainable Earthship outside of Taos, New Mexico where she hopes to find out where she went wrong.
For woodworker Dax Drexel, the Pearl is where he retreats from the world to design his award-winning furniture. Unfortunately, the Pearl’s already got an occupant and she’s currently passed out on his bed, naked. He really should mind his own business but he can’t, not when there’s a gun in the living room, next to a tear-stained note that begins with, “I’m sorry I failed you…”
Join Dax and Harlow in a journey that readers have called “heartfelt,” “riveting,” and “amazingly emotional.”
Liz's first foray into writing was back in eighth-grade when her steamy taboo serial was passed around during Homeroom and almost got her suspended. In return for not informing her parents about her over-active and dirty imagination, she agreed to be assigned to the Poetry club for the rest of high school.
It took some time after that sudden burst of dirty inspiration in eighth grade, but Liz has since published ten books and countless short stories. She's the author of the bestselling novel, Everything She Ever Wanted and Loving Ashe, and is currently working on more stories about Dax, Ashe, and company.
Liz lives in Southern California with her family, a Chihuahua mix, and way too many books.
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March 16, 2018
LESSONS FROM WABBASEKA by Liza O'Connor
LESSONS FROM WABBASEKAby Liza O'ConnorGenre: Wacky Romantic Suspense 
When Anna Baker is fired from her New York job, she accepts her aunt and uncle’s offer to come live with them in the little town of Wabbaseka, Arkansas. She discovers a house in dire need of repairs and her relatives in need of proper care. Under the misconception that being unemployed means she has no money, the local sheriff gets involved in her life, trying to determine how she can afford the building materials to fix up the house. Her cousin, Dewayne, appears and wants her evicted, and the FBI thinks she’s involved in a money-laundering scheme. While Anna doesn’t find the peace and quiet she seeks, she may find love…
Jeremy laughed. “You don’t want to send me home yet, I’ve got gossip to tell you.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Gossip in a small town, who would ever think.”
“Last Friday when I was doing some work at the church, Sam Johnson asked me to step into his office. He tells me he’s heard of my commendable charity in doing all the work on this house for nothing. Then he hands me a check for two thousand dollars. Says the parishioners pulled the money together to help cover my costs.”
Anna leaned back and covered her face with her hands. “Oh shit,” she muttered.
“Of course, I tried to refuse the check, but Sam wouldn’t hear of it. The parishioners wanted me to have it for my selfless act of charity.” He eyed her for a moment, then continued. “I hope you see I had no choice—”
Anna glared at him. “You didn’t tell him the truth. He’s the worst gossip in town.”
“No. I knew the truth was an unacceptable option, so keep that in mind when I tell you what I did tell him.”
“What?” This didn’t sound good at all.
“I told him, in good conscience I couldn’t take the check, because it was not out of charity but out of lust for your body that I worked so long and hard on the Larringtons’ house.”
“You told him what?”
“I told him I lusted after your body.”
“Which explains the sermon this Sunday! Couldn’t you think of anything else?” She slapped him across the arm.
“I’m sorry. It was a spur of the moment lie. Besides, it was at least marginally believable.”
“Marginally?”
“Well, you’re not my type. However, I have to admit, in this dress….”
“I can’t believe you told him that.”
Jeremy shrugged. “I thought it was pretty clever. I’ve seen the way Johnson looks at you. He knew exactly what I was talking about.”
Anna scrunched her face up in disgust. “Sam Johnson has the hots for me?”
“Yep,” Jeremy smiled.
“I’m going to be sick.”
“Don’t worry I told him that you and I were an item. You’re too tainted now for his taste.”
Anna pondered this. “I’m trying to decide whether I should kill you or kiss you.”
“Do I get a vote?”
“No.”
“Because if I did get a vote—”
“You don’t.”
“I’d point out kissing me has multiple benefits over killing me.”
“Name two.”
“One, it would be more fun.”
“Not necessarily.”
Jeremy laughed. “Well, it would definitely be more fun for me.”
“You don’t count.”
“I object to your limited perspective. However, another good reason is kissing me would support my claim we are dating. Whereas killing me, well, that’s not very supportive.”
“Try this for supportive. Get off the counter and set the table.”
He stopped at the door and looked back at her. “You know you want me…” he teased.
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Liza O’Connor lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels.Amazon ✯ Website ✯ Facebook ✯ Goodreads ✯ Twitter
Label Me Proud by Stephie Walls
Title: Label Me ProudAuthor: Stephie WallsGenre: Coming of Age/Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: March 15, 2018
Blurb
We’ve been best friends since we were five: Beau, Masyn, and me. But nothing’s as simple as it seems. Relationships change and so do people.Especially now.With Beau getting married, and a new girl in town, it’s time to confess. I’m in love with my best friend. …And I think I’m too late.
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Author Bio
Stephie Walls is a lover of words—the more poetic the better. She lives on the outskirts of Greenville, South Carolina in her own veritable zoo with two dogs, three cats, the Mister, and Magoo (in no preferential order).
She would live on coffee, books, and Charlie Hunnam if it were possible, but since it’s not, add in some Chinese food or sushi and she’s one happy girl.
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Advanced Physical Chemistry by Susannah Nix
Title: Advanced Physical Chemistry:
A Romantic Comedy
Series: Chemistry Lessons #3Author: Susannah NixGenre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: March 16, 2018
Blurb
After four lousy boyfriends in a row, chemical engineer Penny Popplestone swears off men until she can figure out why they keep cheating on her. But her no-men resolution hits a snag when the mysterious and superhumanly hot barista at her favorite coffee shop strikes up a friendship with her.
Penny strives to keep things platonic, but when Caleb gives her the kiss of her life, she realizes he wants to be more than just friends. Tired of always being “good little Penny,” she throws caution to the wind and pursues a no-strings fling with the hottie barista. It’s not like they have anything in common beyond scorching physical chemistry, so what does she have to lose?
Only her heart.
Now, this fanfic-reading, plus-size heroine faces an unsolvable problem. What do you do when being apart is unbearable…but being together is impossible?
Advanced Physical Chemistry is the third in a series of standalone rom-coms featuring geeky heroines who work in STEM fields.
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Excerpt
“Can we talk?” Penny tilted her head toward the back. “Privately.” Was it her imagination, or did Caleb’s eyes widen momentarily in fear?
He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and nodded. “Sure.”
She trailed after him down the back hallway, past the restrooms. He halted in front of the office door and turned around to face her. It was quieter back here. The voices of the businessmen had faded to a dull murmur, blending with the white noise hum of the refrigerator case at the end of the hall.
Neither of them spoke. They were standing close enough that she could see the gold in his eyes. As they stared at one another, the memory of the kiss floated in the air between them. Their fevered breaths. The way he’d moaned into her mouth. Penny licked her lips.
“I owe you an apology,” Caleb said.
The words punctured her thin bubble of hope. “I see.”
“I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”
“Why not?” she heard herself say a little too loudly.
He flinched at the challenge in her tone. “What?”
“Why shouldn’t you have kissed me?”
The bell on the front door jangled, and there was a murmur of voices as more customers came in. Malik was out front. He could handle them.
Caleb shuffled his feet like he was itching to escape. “Um…”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Penny asked.
He shook his head at the floor. “No, nothing like that.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “Did you not mean to do it? Am I supposed to believe it was some sort of accident? That you tripped and fell onto my face?”
“No, of course not, I—”
“Because I’m trying to understand why you’d do something like that and then run off and leave me standing there. And why you’re apologizing now for kissing me instead of for running off.”
“I’m sorry for that part too,” he said quietly.
“It wasn’t very nice.”
“You’re right, it wasn’t. I’m sorry.” God, he was beautiful when he was being contrite. It made it impossible to think straight.
Penny stared at his collarbone, which was also stupidly attractive, but not quite as distracting as his face. “So why did you do it?”
“Run off? Or kiss you?”
“Both. Either. Why are you being so weird about all of it?”
“Um.” He shifted his weight, lowering his eyes to the floor. If she hadn’t been standing between him and escape, he might have actually bolted like a horse.
She crossed her arms. “Did you not want to kiss me?”
“No, I…” He trailed off, rubbing his palms on his thighs.
Penny waited. She was prepared to wait all day if that was what it took.
He looked up. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “W—what?”
His eyes looked into hers. “You heard me.”
Something burned in her chest, constricting her voice to a whisper. “But you don’t even like me.”
“That’s not true.” He looked pained.
How long was a long time? Since last summer when he’d started working here? Did that mean—could she have been dating Caleb instead of Kenneth? She tried to picture it. Caleb asking her on a date, taking her out to dinner. Smiling across the table as he tried to charm her, hoping for a goodnight kiss at the end of the evening. She couldn’t even picture the smiling part, much less the rest of it.
She tried to clear her throat and made a choking sound instead. “You acted like you didn’t like me.”
“I was trying to keep my distance.” His expression turned reproachful. “You had a boyfriend.”
“Who was a cheating jerk. Which you could have told me at any time.” If Caleb had ever given her even the slightest hint he was actually interested in her, she would have dropped Kenneth like the flaming bag of dog poop he’d turned out to be.
“I was afraid you’d hate me if I was the one to tell you.”
Unbelievable. Literally, it was impossible to believe this man who’d barely acknowledged her existence had actually been attracted to her all this time. It was inconceivable, and not in the Princess Bride sense of the word.
And yet…he hadkissed her. It hadn’t been a half-hearted kiss either. That was a serious kiss he’d given her. Deadly serious.
Penny swallowed. “I don’t have a boyfriend anymore.”
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Author Bio
Susannah Nix lives in Texas with her husband, two ornery cats, and a flatulent pit bull. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, knitting, watching stupid amounts of television, and getting distracted by Tumblr. She is also a powerlifter who can deadlift as much as Captain America weighs.
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Lucknow By Annie Hall
Women’s FictionDate Published: February 2018Publisher: Threekookaburras
When Rosie's marriage suddenly ends one night in Sydney, nothing makes sense any more. She doesn't know what to do next. Her sister, Juliette, suggests she come and live where she is — in Lucknow, a town in Central Victoria, that they knew in their childhood. It doesn't seem to offer much at first. But her life changes in ways she had not thought possible. Lucknow isn't just a romance, it's about life in a small country Australian town.
Praise for Lucknow:
"Heartbreak, comedy, tragedy, farce, romance, secrets, even love. Annie Hall lifts the lid on the way things are in this Australian country town with the beguiling name of Lucknow." — Carmel Bird
Excerpt
While Hamish was being minded by Mrs Pickett for a couple of hours, Juliette and Rosie grabbed their bathers and headed out to the old reservoir. It was the perfect time for a swim, the sun had real warmth, the wind held its breath, there was a clarity of light in the air and the fragrance of eucalyptus and spice. The old reservoir shimmered and sang with bird calls that afternoon. Save for two fishermen sitting on the levee wall mute and still as statues, Juliette and Rosie had the place to themselves. Near the water’s edge they baked on bare rock like lizards, their towels rolled under their heads for pillows. Juliette lay on her back staring at the sky while Rosie lay on her front gazing at the water.
‘I heard about your quiet night at the pub,’ Juliette said. ‘Jade said you were announced on stage as single. Really putting it out there, aren’t you Rosie? Next it will be an ad in the local paper.’
‘I had no idea Eloise would do that,’ Rosie said. ‘It was so embarrassing.’
‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Juliette said. ‘If you heard what they were saying about you.’
‘Like what?’
Juliette looked at her sister, and didn’t want to hurt her feelings. ‘It’s a wonder you weren’t raffled off like a tray of meat.’
There was a pause.
‘Eloise grew up here. People know her, they don’t know you. You’ve just arrived.’
She looked at her sister, always slight, like a teenager in her blue bikini with yellow buttercups. She didn’t look strong enough to have had Hamish or gone through a torrid marriage breakdown. She is tougher than she looks, Juliette thought. If she didn’t physically show signs of suffering she must have felt it somewhere. But where did Rosie feel it? wondered Juliette.
‘I know I’ve just arrived, Juliette,’ Rosie said, yawning. ‘To another age, it seems, as well as another place.’
‘In Lucknow, you must take care,’ Juliette said earnestly. ‘Gossip spreads faster than a virus, it’s more invisible than hepatitis. It just floats around and somewhere decisions are made about you, your reputation is decided. It might not be the truth but it is what will pass as the truth.
‘You will be stuck with it. And, and,’ Juliette said, warming to her point, ‘it will be very hard once your reputation is fixed to change it. It will stick with you no matter what you do. If people find that you vary from your reputation then they will find it curious, but they won’t disbelieve the gossip.’
Rosie thought about what Juliette was saying. ‘If people can’t distinguish the truth from gossip then why is their opinion of any value?’
‘They only know what they hear,’ Juliette said. ‘You need to take care.’
The smooth grey rocks were hot beneath their bodies. Rosie felt sweat beginning to trickle and the water looked invitingly cool.
‘I’m going in,’ she told Juliette. ‘Race you.’
As warm and brown as a bottle of beer in the shallows, the water was chilly and fizzy as champagne at waist height. Rosie dived under and came up tingling with shock at how cold it was. Juliette was already ahead, arms and legs slicing cleanly through the water. Rosie set off like a threshing machine, churning the water white as she overtook Juliette and raced the one kilometre to the other side. She stood in the shallows, her ribs heaving and subsiding as she gasped for air, her body bent, head down near her knees, eyes swimming with red, brain nearly blacking out from a lack of oxygen. Juliette came up behind her, the water draining off her body in silvery rivulets and watched her sister.
‘You always push things,’ she said, casually. ‘You always go too far.’
About the Author
Annie Hall has worked as a journalist in country towns as well as Sydney and Melbourne. She lived for a number of years in the Goldfields area of Victoria.
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