Rachael Brownell's Blog, page 7
August 2, 2019
Coming September 6th, a friends-to-lovers romance you won’t want to miss!
Worth the Fight
cover design by Cover Me Darling LLC
preorder 
www.books2read.com/WorthTheFight
*available on B&N, Apple and Amazon
Add it to your TBR on GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46138532-worth-the-fight
Synopsis
“Your best life comes from surviving your worst experiences.”
Cassidy’s a fighter, designed to survive.
After the crushing death of her parents, she persevered. When she caught her fiancé with another woman, she held her head high and moved on. Fighting always came easy, because she never had to do it alone.
She had Liam.
Her best friend. Her protector. Her rock.
But every bond has its breaking point, and they found their’s… with a kiss. One weak moment upturns the foundation of their relationship, making Cassidy look at Liam in a whole new light.
Now, she has a choice to make. Is the shift from friends to lovers even possible? Or will Cassidy lose the one person she can’t live without?
Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win a signed paperback of Worth the Fight http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2040ebc721/?
Coming September 6th, a friends-to-lovers romance you won’t want to miss!
Worth the Fight
cover design by Cover Me Darling LLC
preorder www.books2read.com/WorthTheFight
*available on B&N, Apple and Amazon
Add it to your TBR on GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46138532-worth-the-fight
Synopsis
“Your best life comes from surviving your worst experiences.”
Cassidy’s a fighter, designed to survive.
After the crushing death of her parents, she persevered. When she caught her fiancé with another woman, she held her head high and moved on. Fighting always came easy, because she never had to do it alone.
She had Liam.
Her best friend. Her protector. Her rock.
But every bond has its breaking point, and they found their’s… with a kiss. One weak moment upturns the foundation of their relationship, making Cassidy look at Liam in a whole new light.
Now, she has a choice to make. Is the shift from friends to lovers even possible? Or will Cassidy lose the one person she can’t live without?
Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win a signed paperback of Worth the Fight http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2040ebc721/?
Coming September 6th, a friends-to-lovers romance you won’t want to miss!
Worth the Fight
cover design by Cover Me Darling LLC
preorder www.books2read.com/WorthTheFight
*available on B&N, Apple and Amazon
Add it to your TBR on GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46138532-worth-the-fight
Synopsis
“Your best life comes from surviving your worst experiences.”
Cassidy’s a fighter, designed to survive.
After the crushing death of her parents, she persevered. When she caught her fiancé with another woman, she held her head high and moved on. Fighting always came easy, because she never had to do it alone.
She had Liam.
Her best friend. Her protector. Her rock.
But every bond has its breaking point, and they found their’s… with a kiss. One weak moment upturns the foundation of their relationship, making Cassidy look at Liam in a whole new light.
Now, she has a choice to make. Is the shift from friends to lovers even possible? Or will Cassidy lose the one person she can’t live without?
Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win a signed paperback of Worth the Fight http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2040ebc721/?
June 3, 2019
Title Reveal & excerpt…
With the Storm series complete, my focus has shifted to my next project. And what a dramatic shift it has been.
The Storm series is filled with suspense and sex and will make you hot under the collar. Johnathan and Amelia’s relationship was hot and heavy and happened fast. This book is sweeter, more sensual. They’ve know each other all their lives. Grown up together. Been through tough times and helped lift each other back up.
If you’re wondering if there’s still sex… I’m not sure.
As of right now, I’m about 40% of the way finished with it. There have been a few scenes that might make you blush, but nothing dirty as of yet. The voices are still screaming at me to write though, so something has to happen soon. (I mean, technically I’m writing right now. This blog post counts towards my daily word count goal, right?)
So what the name of this book? Who are these characters? When can you get your hands on it? I have the answer to all those questions and more…
Worth the Fight is a friends-to-lovers romance. The blurb and cover reveal are scheduled for August 2nd and it’ll be releasing on September 6th. If you are a blogger and want to read an advanced copy of WTF (I know, I laugh every time I abbreviate the cover), I’ll have a link to sign up for everything related to the release closer to the cover reveal date.
You can add WTF to your #tbr on GoodReads. Make sure you add me as a friend and follow me while you’re over there. GoodReads will notify you when I post the cover so you don’t miss it. Or you can always sign up for my newsletter. Subscribers get to see the cover early and I’ll be sending out snippets between now and release just for them. Also, did you know if you subscribe to my newsletter you get a free book from me? AND you get to choose which book… you should subscribe for that fact alone.
So, go add Worth the Fight to your TBR, add me as a friend on GoodReads, subscribe to my newsletter (because you don’t want out on anything) and enjoy the excerpt below!
Worth the Fight
My attraction isn’t one-sided. He wanted to kiss me.
He let it happen. Knowing full well that this would happen. That things would get weird. That it would change the dynamic.
Why?
We’re friends.
Roommates.
Partners in crime.
Our relationship was solid. On steady ground.
Nothing has ever come between us before and I never thought anything, or anyone, would. That’s how strong we are. How strong our friendship is.
Yet here I am, unable to sleep because I’m thinking about him in a different light. Trying to figure out if allowing our relationship to evolve into something more is worth the risk. Because after all, it would be a risk. We may not work as a couple.
We’ve never tried before.
And honestly, his track record with women concerns me. The fact that he can dispose of them as quickly as he has. Moving from one to the next. Using them to fulfill his needs and then once those needs are met, moving on.
It doesn’t seem to have any effect on him.
No remorse.
No connection to them.
It upset me when Kendra called him a man whore but he kind of is. The only difference between him and a traditional man whore, in my opinion, is that he doesn’t lead them on. He’s upfront and honest with them.
Will he do the same to me?
Sleep with me for a few weeks and then call it quits?
We wouldn’t be able to go back to being friends after that. I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
And if I haven’t given myself enough reason to say no, to lock myself in my room for a week and avoid him… we live together.
There would be no way to avoid him if things did go wrong except move out and I have nowhere to go right now. The plan isn’t for me to stay here forever, I get that, but what if shit went wrong before I moved out? Then what? I’d be screwed.
Nowhere to go and I’d lost my best friend.
Nothing good can come of this. I feel it in my core. A relationship with Liam has the potential to destroy so much.
So why am I still thinking about him? About how soft his lips were. About how much I enjoyed being trapped between him and the dresser. And why is my body tingling?
Because it is. Every part of me is tingling with desire. With the knowledge the only thing separating us right now is a thin wall. That if I wanted to, I could march into his room, wake him up, and ask him to kiss me and he would oblige.
(c) 2019, Author Rachael Brownell – unedited and subject to change
May 6, 2019
The end of one series and the beginning of something else…
I can’t believe that Surviving the Storm will be live in less than 12 hours. I’m so excited to share the thrilling conclusion to the Storm series with all of you. It was such an amazing adventure to write something different than my norm, something outside the box. It makes me want to do it all again. Soon.
But first… I’m back to contemporary romance.
I started a new project this morning. Probably a good thing I got started since it’s due to my editor in a little over a month. Anyway, I’m started, about 2k words in already, and loving these characters. I love the way they care for each other, hold each other up, and keep each other strong. They’re the best of friends. RIght now.
Because friendships can change over time. Some fade away. Some grow stronger. Some friends even fall in love. WIth each other. And they don’t even realize it until it’s too late.
Yep. I’m starting a friends to lovers romance. One that will be just as sexy and angsty as the Storm series. I’ve picked out a title, plotted (I know, how the hell did that happen?) the majority of the big picture, and even found a few custom images that I like for a cover. And it all happened in the span of a weekend.
That’s what happens when Casey and I get together. We go nuts. And by nuts I mean we talked books and plots and characters and ARC’s and worlds all weekend long. And we did our nails. And scoped out two creepy but amazing castles. Hit up a flee market where I picked up so many random things I don’t know what to do with them.
FYI – never buy bra’s from a flee market. I know, this should be common sense, but I couldn’t pass up the deal. 6 bras for $16. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have though twice about buying them. I bought them, the size I have worn for the last 15 years, and they don’t fit. My boobs pop out every available opening and want to slide out from beneath the underwire.
c‘est la vie
Anywho… Surviving the Storm is almost here so the question remains… who will survive?
You can snag your copy now (preorder) for $2.99 or wait until it releases and snag it for $3.99. Your choice. Don’t forget you need to read Caught in the Storm first. It’s not a suggestion, it’s required. Sorry. STS picks up right where CITS left off and you’ll be completely confused about what the hell is going on.
Caught in the Storm: http://bit.ly/CITS1
Surviving the Storm: http://bit.ly/CITS2
BOTH are available exclusively on Amazon and enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Happy Reading!
XOXO, Rachael
March 26, 2019
One, two… something pretty, something NEW!
ONE MORE WEEK and I’ll be sharing the cover for Caught in the Storm. If you’ve been hiding in a hole (or don’t follow me on social media), this is a book you’re NOT going to want to miss. Let me tell you a little bit about it…
SYNOPSIS
Love can be blinding and by the time the truth shines through, it’s too late to escape.
Fame.
Fortune.
Success.
Is that too much to ask?
All I need is to catch a break. To snag the attention of someone important. Someone who can help make my career everything I want it to be.
Joseph was that man. Until the night the lights went out and I left with someone else. Someone who stole my breath and made me want for things I’d never considered before.
I should have known better than to trust a stranger. Especially one of his stature and class. Money means power and power means control.
Over my heart.
My career.
My entire life.
My dreams died the moment I agreed to his terms and a new chapter in my life began. I was blinded by my love for him and thought nothing would ever change the way I felt.
Then I uncovered the truth about him. About the kind of man he really was and the secrets he paid good money to keep hidden from everyone.
Now I’m trapped, with no way out.
Sounds pretty damn good, right? Well, the early reviewers agree. Check out what they’re saying over on Goodreads and while you’re there, add Caught in the Storm to your #TBR list.
OR…
You can #preorder your copy NOW for only $2.99. The price goes up on release day (4/9/19) to $4.99. CITS will be available exclusively on Amazon and enrolled in Kindle Unlimited for 3 months and then I’ll release it on Apple, Kobo, B&N and Google Play.
If you want an early preview of the cover you can either join my mailing list or my reader group on Facebook.
We’ve covered the ONE, now let’s cover the TWO. If you’ve been paying attention you’ve probably already guessed what it is.
TWO MORE WEEKS until Caught in the Storm releases. Fourteen days. 336 hours. 20,160 minutes. I won’t even try and type out the number of seconds. It’s too many to think about.
For those of you that have been on this amazing journey with me from the beginning, you may have noticed that my writing has grown, both in quality and content. I started out writing young adult, clean romance. Gradually my characters and their lives and interactions have matured 
SEX people! They have sex now.
Two years ago I wrote my first sex scene. It was for Chasing Fate. It wasn’t… graphic. Not at all.
Well, this book is different. It challenged me in many ways but mostly to get over my fear of writing intimacy between my characters. And I did. I conquered my fear, pushed past it and wrote ALL THE SEX.
Why am I telling you this?
Because I’d hate for someone to go into this book, even after reading the description, thinking it’s a sweet contemporary romance. Yes, I’ll still write those, but this book DOES NOT fit into that category. It’s dark, gritty, sexy, raw, twisted. It’s for ADULTS.
I F***ING LOVE IT!
Every last word and I hope you do too. I guess we’ll find out in 14 days. Make sure you preorder your copy before the price goes up. Johnathan and Amelia’s story is electric and one you won’t want to miss.
XOXO, Rachael
#comingsoon #indieauthor #coverreveal #newrelease #preorder #romance #darkromance #romanticsuspense #series #books #ebooks #grittyromance #sexyromance #CITS #Amazon #KU #kindle #KindleUnlimited
January 12, 2019
New Year, New Look, New EVERYTHING!
Happy New Year!
I feel like last year went by in the blink of an eye. I remember setting goals in January and crushing my first one by the end of the month. That led me to set even MORE goals to smash throughout 2018 and I’m happy to report I was able to do just that.
2018 was a busy, busy year for me. I wrote nine books last year and released eight books in a short six-month period. That’s something I will never do again as it stressed me out. I also attended two extremely fun events where I was able to meet and greet with readers. Hug some of my favorite people that I have known for years but had never met in person. And hang out with my tribe. Events can recharge your soul but they suck the energy out of you as well. I compare events to vacation. That feeling you have when you get home – you need a vacation from your vacation. That how I feel when I return from events but I wouldn’t trade that feeling for the world.
On top of that, my personal life was a bit crazy. I quit my day job of 17 years in May. (If you’ve followed me for a while you already know that I stepped down in 2015 to a less stressful, less responsibility position. Turns out, once you’re the boss you can’t seem to shake that mentality and after three years with no ability to fix/change/improve things, I couldn’t take it anymore.) Picked up a ‘summer job’ working nights and then found another day job in September when school started back up. Lots of changes but all for the best.
After we settled into a new routine with school back in session for the kiddo, we started to make some major decisions about our future. We’ve been in limbo for about 4.5 years, renting a house and trying to figure out where we want to be and where my husbands job is going to take us. With only 6 years until my son graduates (Class of 2025 
November 13, 2018
Updates & Changes
Happy Tuesday!
Yes, it’s #teasertuesday.
Yes, I’ll be sharing a #teaser at the end of this post. But first… I have all sorts of news and updates for you. I’m going to jump right in…
Imperfect Love Duet
NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE!!!
The duet spent the first three months in #KindleUnlimited and it’s now available on other platforms. If you prefer to buy your ebook from Apple Books/iBooks, B&N or Kobo, you can now snag both Imperfect Love Story and Imperfect Love Story: New Beginnings on those sites as well as Amazon.
AND… if you haven’t read the duet yet and would like to snag ILS for only #99cents, wait until Monday, November 26th. It’ll be on sale for 3 days!
The Rumors Series
More books leaving #KU!
Slowly over the next 6 weeks, the books in the Rumors series will be added to other platforms. Sadly, they don’t leave KU in reading order. That would make my life too easy. If you haven’t started the series but want to, the first book, Emerson & Ryder’s story, will be live on other platforms on December 17th. I do recommend reading this series in order. Pick up your copy of book 1 for $0.99 HERE!
What else do I recommend?
Joining my mailing list.
Why?
I’m releasing a Rumors novella and the only place you can read it is in my newsletter.
Caught in the Storm
Never heard of it? It’s my current WIP and I couldn’t be more excited to share a teaser with you. These characters are different than any others I’ve written. Their story is dark and twisted and sexy and hot! I’ve published 24 books in the last 5 years and they’ve all been sweet romance – some young adult while others were a bit more mature. I’d have no problem with my mother or even grandmother reading them.
NOT THIS BOOK!
One-night stands. Trading sex for favors. Being one person in public and a completely different person behind closed (and locked) doors. There are two sides to every story and you’ll get both in this book. And let me just say… Amelia has no idea who’s she’s involved with.
So, if you’re willing to take a chance on a sexier book from me, you’ll want to mark your calendars. Caught in the Storm is releasing…
APRIL 9, 2019!!!
That’s all I have for you today.
October 18, 2018
Free books!
There’s no shame in liking to read as many books as you can for free, as long as you’re getting those free books through legitimate channels. (AKA not pirate sites) Because I’ll always be a reader first, I try to make sure I can offer books free or at a discount as often as possible. ATM I have THREE books you can download for #free.
Holding On
This is the first book in the Holding On series. It’s also the first book I ever publish. The series is young-adult with characters that are in high school in book 1, college in book 2 and living their adult lives in books 3 and 4. The characters grew and mature throughout the series and I think my favorite book is the last book as you get to see how life turns out for everyone. You can snag Holding On from the following platforms
Amazon US ・Amazon CA・Amazon UK・Amazon AU
Rumors: Emerson & Ryder
What? The first book in the Rumors series is free already? But it’s only been out for 7 months! Yep, you read that right. If you search for it on Amazon, you’ll see it for $2.99. However, if you have the special link for BookFunnel you can download it for free. It’s my gift to you. There are only 100 copies available so if you haven’t started the series and want to, I’d snag it now.
Rumors: Audra & Jason
Never heard of these people. Who are they?
Well, after I completed the Rumors series I felt like Audra, Justine’s roommate, had her own story to tell. She’s not part of the Dixon family so instead of adding another book to the series, I’m writing a newsletter only novella. In order to read her story, you have to be a subscriber. If you do sign up, make sure you send me a message using the Contact page here and I’ll get you caught up. Chapters 1-3 have already gone out and Chapters 4 and 5 hit inboxes on Monday.
Those are my freebies. What books have you found, free or otherwise, that I should check out? Comment below.
October 15, 2018
InstaChallenge
Are you on Instagram? Are you following me? Why am I asking…
For the remainder of this year, I want to try something new and it starts today. I’d love for you to join me, either by commenting on my posts or sharing your own.
#MotivationMonday
– share a quote or a person that motivated you
#TeaserTuesday
– share a little something about what you’re working on right now
#WinningWednesday
– what have you accomplished in the last week?
#ThrowbackThursday
– an old pic of you, one of your favorite books, anything goes as long as it’s recent
#FINALLYFriday
– weekend plans – reading, family, travel, events
#SaleSaturday
– share any sales you’ve seen so others can snag those books up and read this weekend
#SharingSunday
– share your favorites: author, blogger, book, etc
If you have a sale or new release you’d like me to share, fill out this form: http://bit.ly/CrossPromo18
#authorsofIG #authorsofinsta #authorsofinstagram #mustread#booksofig #bookstagram #literature #read #readingtime #instabook#instatag #instaread #writersofig #writersofinstagram #writerofinstagram#author #onechapteratatime
