Get ready to fall in love with this new standalone sports romance from New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr.
He’s the newly drafted quarterback.
Hot. Arrogant. Too sexy for words.
Ready to score.
I’m an athletic intern, and the coach’s daughter.
Driven. Determined. Prepared to conquer the world.
Completely off-limits.
The NFL is full of rules. Rules I’ve never broken. Never challenged. Never even scratched—until the day Lucas Carrington crashes into my life with his hard body and I-don’t-give-a-f*ck attitude.
After I almost injure my father’s star player, I volunteer to make sure he’s in top shape. At first, it’s hell. I don’t like his attitude, his cockiness, his easy smile. Don’t like the way he oozes sex. Or how his penetrating eyes follow me everywhere.
That doesn’t stop me from wanting him.
He’s meant to be a distraction—something to occupy my mind for these precious few remaining hot summer nights before I’m forced to leave football behind forever.
I know what we’re doing will lead nowhere good. I know we’re crossing the line. And I know my father will never understand.
None of that matters.
But maybe it should.
Rules aren’t meant to be broken.
Or are they?
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To enter to win a Paperback of Hot Stuff click HERE!
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Kim Karr is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author.
She grew up in Rochester, NY and now lives in Florida with her husband and four kids. She’s always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, she wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. She went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise her family. Kim currently works part-time with her husband and recently decided to embrace one of her biggest passions–writing.
Kim wears a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of her family. However, she always finds time to read. One of her favorite family outings was taking her kids when they were little to the bookstore or the library. Today, Kim’s oldest child is seventeen and no longer goes with her on these, now rare and infrequent, outings. She finds that she doesn’t need to go on them anymore because she has the greatest device ever invented–a Kindle.
Kim likes to believe in soul mates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. She loves to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart.
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A sweet, fun, and sexy stand-alone romance from New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig.
One night to remember
Is that too much to desire?
One night for fun, passion, and a chance to remember what it’s like to be a woman.
I’m not looking for love.
There’s a man in my life who loves me with all his heart. He has beautiful blue eyes, is three feet tall, and calls me mommy.
He’s my whole world and I’m his. Fate stole his daddy way too soon.
What would happen if I allowed fate another chance, just for one night?
One night to help a friend
Why did I agree to this?
Blind dates are disasters. If I weren’t helping the friend of a friend, I wouldn’t go.
I’m not looking for romance, love, or even a one-night stand.
After all, the man my friend knew is gone. I’m no longer the hockey star known for his “pep” on the ice and in the sack. I have a new life, and a new career—a new passion. I’m not looking for more.
When the blind date is a bust, could fate change everything?
One night doesn’t end with a kiss—it begins with one.
Be ready to laugh, cry, and fall head over heels as you meet Leatha, the lighter side of Aleatha in this new sweet and sexy stand-alone romance, ONE NIGHT.
When we finally pull apart, before I can speak or even contemplate what happened, Malcolm’s blue eyes shine down on me, taking me in and reading me.
His voice rumbles through the background commotion of the bar. “You taste like sweet wine and smell like perfume and desire.”
Warmth fills my cheeks. “You taste like good beer.”
“Good? You’re a beer connoisseur?”
I shrug. “Mostly, I know cheap beer.”
He lifts my chin, bringing his indigo eyes into focus. The room disappears, making those blue orbs all I can see.
“I’m a connoisseur,” he says as his thumb gently rubs over my bruised lips. “And you, beautiful Mandy, if you were a beer, would never be a cheap one. No, you’re a rich custom craft brew. I see it in your eyes, feel it in your touch, and smell it in the air. Kissing a stranger isn’t something you do, is it?”
I try to move my eyes away, but Malcolm’s grip of my chin is unrelenting. Meeting his gaze, I reply, “No. I won’t even bore you with how long it’s been since I’ve kissed a real man.”
His eyes sparkle. “You kiss fake men?”
“Boys. Well, only one actually.”
“You kiss boys…” And then, as if the reality of his statement hits home, he asks, “You have a son?”
My heart flutters, its speed increasing by the second. “I do, but I don’t want to talk about him. Not because he isn’t important for he is—he’s my world—but because tonight isn’t about him. It’s about me.” I can’t gauge Malcolm’s reaction. I can only guess that he’s assuming that I’m some needy woman trying to get a man to take on the responsibility of a kid who isn’t his.
I reach out and splay my fingers over his chest. His heart is beating to match mine. “I don’t want to talk about him,” I continue, “because he’ll never know about you—I’ll never tell him and never introduce you. Don’t worry. I’m not after a man to rescue me. I’m perfectly content with my life as a mother. I just wanted to remember what it felt like to be a woman…for just one night.”
“I’m not anti-children—”
I shake my head. “Stop. That doesn’t matter.” It’s then that I notice the filled glasses on the table and laugh. “When did the waitress come?”
Malcolm bows his head until our noses touch. He inhales deeply, his eyes closing as his hand falls to my lap. “I’d say just after you.”
More heat floods my cheeks. “I-I didn’t…”
“Then we need to do something about that.” He looks again at the full glasses. “I think the drinks came while my tongue was busy getting to know your sweet mouth.” His hand splays over my thigh.
My breathing hitches. “Malcolm?”
“You said you want one night. One night doesn’t end with a kiss. It begins with one.”
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Michel’s Review
One Night by Aleatha Romig is a delightful contemporary romance. Unlike some of her previous novels that are loaded with angst and suspense, One Night is a light hearted romance that will make your heart tingle.
Mandy is a widow and single mother. She married her husband when she was nineteen and became a mother at twenty. Her husband died before he held his son. Now her son is five and ready to start school. Her family and friends think it’s time for Mandy to start living her own life as well. With the encouragement of her family she allows her best friend to set up a blind date. The blind date ends up being a bust but she meets Malcolm at the bar. Malcolm is the kind of man who makes her want something just for herself. She’s willing to make an exception, one night and one night only. She’s not ready for a full blown relationship but she is ready to feel like a woman once again.
Mandy insists on keeping their relationship a secret. She isn’t ready to introduce Malcolm to her son. She doesn’t know if she’s ready to commit to a real relationship. Malcolm is a good man but she’s not sure if she can handle anything more.
Fate has a way of intervening and it does on more than one occasion. Fate is going to prove that Malcolm and Mandy were meant to be together.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet romance by Aleatha Romig. It proves she can write any kind of book and keep her readers completely charmed.
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Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!
Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted style with an increase in heat.
In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.
2017 brings Aleatha’s first “Leatha, the lighter side of Aleatha” with PLUS ONE, a fun, sexy romantic comedy.
Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
A frightfully good time! Dive into these Halloween novellas from bestselling authors Tijan, J. Daniels, Helena Hunting, Bella Jewel and Tara Sivec. Featuring stories set in the worlds of their popular series.
Tijan’s Fallen Crest crew are back for a weekend of mischief that takes a sinister turn; all four couples from J. Daniels’ Alabama Summer series gear up for Halloween in their own sexy ways, with a special surprise at the end; Helena Hunting’s characters from Shacking Up plan a Halloween gala that features a few ghouls and witches; Bella Jewel brings the chills and thrills in her suspenseful take on Halloween night; and Tara Sivec gathers the Holiday family together one last time as they try to make this ghostly holiday one to remember—or one they’d rather forget…
Cozy up with a mug of hot cider on a dark night and fall under the spell of this Halloween anthology!
Fall is in the air, the leaves are starting to turn, and it’s time to get ready for one of the most celebrated holiday, Halloween. Five of the most popular authors in the romance genre have teamed up to add another treat for their fans. The characters from their celebrated series are donning their costumes and delivering a very special trick or treat to the readers.
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Tijan has brought back the crew from the Fallen Crest series to celebrate Halloween college style. What starts out as a fun girls weekend and Halloween party quickly escalates into a terrifying weekend that could completely change the entire direction of the series. Someone is terrorizing the girls and determined to see them dead. Can they save themselves before it’s too late or will this series end like a horror movie?
Tijan thoroughly embraced the Halloween Spirit in Fallencrest Nightmare. This novella is going to give the readers chills!
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So Much More by J. Daniels takes the readers back to the Alabama Summer series. All the characters are living their happily ever after and building their lives. For some it’s more than love and romance, it’s about building their own families. For others it’s figuring out what to do next now that they have found each other. The one thing that ties them all together is their friendships and family support.
It was great to revisit all these characters and see how their lives are playing out. Join the Halloween celebration at McGills Pub.
***
Getting Down by Helena Hunting is the follow up novella to Shacking Up and sets up what’s to come in the upcoming book, Hooking Up. Ruby and Amelie are putting together a charitable Halloween Ball that quickly gets out of hand. Ruby is all for the Halloween fun and can’t wait to get Bane in a sexy Batman costume. Amelie is trying to get her fiancé,Armstrong, to loosen up and have some fun. What started out as a fun event quickly takes on a life in itself. Between the costume malfunctions, interfering future in laws, a sexy gladiator up for auction, and stuffy socialites; this event is one not to miss!
Helena Hunting once again delivers a pure treat for her readers. I am looking forward to wedding of the century in Hooking Up!
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Unsafe Haven by Bella Jewel is the follow up of The Watcher. Readers thought Marlie and Kenai had put the danger and suspense behind them when they opened up the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a refuge for people who have had troubled past. It’s a place they can go and have moments of peace in their chaotic world. The Sanctuary has become a success and they are having a fund raising Halloween party to give their members more.
Odd things begin to happen when preparing for the party. The odd things are an afterthought because they are too busy preparing for the party. They should of paid attention to all the signs. Now they are trapped inside the Sanctuary and danger is at every corner. Someone wants to ruin the Sanctuary and take all it’s members down.
Bella Jewel had me on the edge of my seat. This was definitely a Halloween trick that turned into the very best reading treat.
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The Pumpkin Was Stuffed by Tara Sivec is a Halloween celebration readers will not forget. Get ready for the one of the craziest Halloween celebrations documented. A pregnant woman ready to burst has to deal with more than just planning the perfect costume. The Holidays are planning a Halloween wedding with all the bells and whistles. A crazy father determined to win the neighborhood decoration prize, a twisted bridezilla with the most unusual wedding attire, a crazy aunt who is stuffing the trick or treat bags with all the wrong kind of goodies, and clowns everywhere are just the beginning of this fun family nightmare. What’s a girl to do, disown her family or partake in the craziness? Halloween has never been crazier!
Run for your life if you see clowns in wedding dresses or embrace the Halloween spirit and sit down and read The Pumpkins Were Stuffed by Tara Sivec!
Tia Louise is the award-winning, international bestselling author of the ONE TO HOLD and DIRTY PLAYERS series and co-author of the #4 Amazon bestseller THE LAST GUY.
From “Readers’ Choice” nominations, to USA Today “Happily Ever After” nods, to winning the 2015 “Favorite Erotica Author” and the 2014 “Lady Boner Award” (LOL!), nothing makes her happier than communicating with fans and weaving new tales into the Alexander-Knight world of stories.
A former journalist, Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations…
In Wild Ride Cowboy, Alex Donnelly returns to Copper Ridge, Oregon to keep a promise, but the last thing he expects is to fall for his best friend’s sister, Clara Campbell. Fans of Maisey Yates’ Copper Ridge series will love this sweet, sexy romance releasing August 29th!
Title: Wild Ride Cowboy
Author: Maisey Yates
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Series: Copper Ridge #9
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780373803644
He’s come back to Copper Ridge, Oregon, to keep a promise—even if it means losing his heart…
Putting down roots in Copper Ridge was never Alex Donnelly’s intention. But if there’s one thing the ex-military man knows, it’s that life rarely unfolds as expected. If it did, his best friend and brother-in-arms would still be alive. And Alex wouldn’t have inherited a ranch or responsibility for his late comrade’s sister—a woman who, despite her inexperience, can bring tough-as-iron Alex to his knees.
Clara Campbell didn’t ask for a hero to ride in and fix her ranch and her life. All she wants is the one thing stubborn, honorable Alex is reluctant to give: a chance to explore their intense chemistry. But Clara has a few lessons to teach him, too…about trusting his heart and his instincts, and letting love take him on the wildest adventure of all.
Reluctantly, she covered the coffee with a white to-go lid then turned to walk out the door. She didn’t make it very far, though, because she ran right into a brick wall.
Well, it wasn’t really a brick wall. It just felt like one. Large, hard and uncompromising. But breathing. Which brick walls definitely didn’t do.
“Clara Campbell. Fancy meeting you here.”
Clara blinked and stared up into Alex Donnelly’s forest-green eyes and felt a strange response that seemed to originate in her stomach and travel upward to her chest, where it twisted, hard and sharp.
After looking at Asher, his understated physique and much softer brown gaze, the sight of Alex was jarring. Too intense. Too masculine. Too a lot of things.
His dark hair wasn’t military short anymore. It was long enough to hang into his face. He pushed it back off his forehead and again, something twisted, low and deep inside of her.
And then it wasn’t only his features that seemed too sharp. It was seeing him at all. She had been studiously avoiding him ever since he had moved back to Copper Ridge. If ever she’d caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, she’d gone the other way.
The last time she’d seen him up close had been at Jason’s funeral.
Pain washed through her, canceling out all of the good Asher feelings from only a moment before.
No wonder she’d had such a strong, immediate response to the sight of Alex. The man was dragging a bunch of her baggage in with him. Another thing she liked about Asher. He was separate from her life. From her pain.
Alex was all wound up in it.
“Hi, Alex,” she said, clutching her coffee cup tight, the warmth bleeding through to her palms. Which she was grateful for at the moment since her stomach had gone ice-cold at the sight of him.
“I’ve been meaning to stop by,” he said.
“That’s really okay,” she said, and she meant it. More than okay. Jason’s death meant that she was alone. Both of her parents were already gone. They’d had children later in life, and when her mother had gotten sick, her father had done everything he could to make his wife comfortable as her health declined. She’d died when Clara was twelve. And there had been no amount of preparation that could soften the blow. No amount of expectedness that could have made it feel less like a giant, ugly hand had reached into their life and wrenched the beauty out of it, leaving nothing but a dark abyss.
Paying a visit author Maisey Yates’ Copper Ridge, Oregon, always feels a bit like coming home. Tight-knit community, the feel of small-town living, the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, all work so beautifully when brought together in Maisey’s books. I’d been looking forward to getting Alex Donnelly’s story in WILD RIDE COWBOY, and loved every bit of this book.
Maisey does an excellent job of crafting characters with multiple layers, of people just like the rest of us that have much more going on than meets the eye. Both Alex and Clara are moving through life projecting an image that hides so much of what makes up the real them. Maybe it’s something about Copper Ridge, maybe it’s becoming part of something bigger than themselves, of having the opportunity to move beyond the exterior that people have come to expect. No matter the reason, both of these beautifully broken people bloom and flourish under the care and keeping of each other and those around them, and I just adored the unfolding of their story.
WILD RIDE COWBOY has all of the hallmarks of the other books in the Copper Ridge series. Angst, heat, scenes sexy enough to bring both a blush and an ‘oh, my,’ and humor aplenty. I figure that, if an author can make me laugh, cry, and fan myself in the course of one read, it’s a good one, and Maisey has done an excellent job of all of these.
WILD RIDE COWBOY is another win for me, and an easy 4 absolutely enjoyable stars. I can’t get enough of these characters, and am looking forward to getting the lowdown on the backstory between Clara’s friend Sabrina and Liam Donnelly in CHRISTMASTIME COWBOY. If you haven’t met good folks of Copper Ridge, you’re missing out. Do yourself a favor and read these books; they’re a trip you’ll be glad that you took.
Rafflecopter for Wild Ride Cowboy Blog Tour Giveaway:
Harlequin is offering one (1) lucky winner a $25 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
Colton Allyster is relieved to be back home. After six months of rehabilitation, losing his career as a Marine along with his fiancé, he’s had to learn quickly what’s really important. Colton grew up wanting to serve his country. Managing his parents’ biker bar was never part of his plan, but after meeting Gia Caro, he’s beginning to think that’s exactly where he’s meant to be.
Ever since Gia Caro arrived in the small, sleepy town of Ruby Falls, Tennessee, her life has spiraled out of control. Between losing her grandmother a little more each day to dementia, and her hot boss’s constant attention, her once quiet existence isn’t so quiet anymore.
After weeks of sidestepping Colton, things get out of hand, and before Gia knows what’s happening, she’s spending her nights in his bed and her mornings in his kitchen. And as he cleans out drawers and makes room in his closet, she starts to wonder if she’s falling too fast.
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About Aurora Rose Reynolds
Aurora Rose Reynolds is a navy brat who’s husband served in the United States Navy. She has lived all over the country but now resides in New York City with her Husband and pet fish. She’s married to an alpha male that loves her as much as the men in her books love their women. He gives her over the top inspiration everyday. In her free time she reads, writes and enjoys going to the movies with her husband and cookie. She also enjoys taking mini weekend vacations to nowhere, or spends time at home with friends and family. Last but not least she appreciates everyday and admires it’s beauty.
When Ellis Earnshaw and Heathan James met as children, they couldn’t have been more different. Ellis was loud and beautiful – all blond hair, bright laughs and smiles. Heathan was dark and brooding, and obsessed with watching things die.
The pair forged an unlikely friendship, unique and strange. Until they were ripped apart by the sick cruelty of others, separated for years, both locked in a perpetual hell.
Eleven years later, Heathan is back for his girl. Back from a place from which he thought there was no return. Back to seek revenge on those who wronged them.
Time has made Heathan’s soul darker, polluted with hatred and the thirst for blood.
Time has made Ellis a shell of her former self, a little girl lost in the vastness of her pain.
As Heathan pulls Ellis out of her mental prison, reviving the essence of who she once was, down the rabbit hole they will go.
With malice in their hearts and vengeance in their veins, they will seek out the ones who hurt and destroyed them.
One at a time.
Each one more deadly than the last.
Tick Tock.
Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and very mature topics. Recommended for ages 18 and over.
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Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.
After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.
Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.
Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.
When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.
SNEAK PEEK of When We Touch, an all-new sexy, second chance standalone from Tia Louise is coming September 5th!
Excerpt:
Ember
Jackson Cane tastes like red-hot cinnamon, salt water, and sin.
When he concentrates, his long fingers twist in the back of his dark hair, right at the base of his neck, and he tugs.
Tugs… tugs…
I like to weave my fingers between his and pull.
Then ocean-blue eyes blink up to mine sending electricity humming in my veins. He smiles. I smile, and it isn’t long before our lips touch. I climb onto his lap in a straddle as I open my mouth, and his delicious tongue finds mine heating every part of my body. Our kisses are languid and deep, chasing and tasting. We sizzle like fireworks on a hot summer night…
Eventually, with a heavy sigh, I pull away, but hours later my mouth is still burning. I taste him everywhere I go.
Lying in my bed in the dark room, my heart aches, heavy and painful in my chest. Every breath is a burden. I blink slowly at the ceiling and slide my tongue against the back of my teeth thinking about hot cinnamon, tangy salt, caramel and sugar, sunshine and the best summer of my life…
The instant I hear it, I’m on my feet and tiptoeing to my open window. The low growl of an engine tells me he’s there in the darkness, out on the street in the shadows just past the streetlight.
It’s late summer, and the humidity hangs heavy in the air. Bugs scree from the limbs of the mighty oak tree outside my window. Their damp wings make them too heavy to fly, and the sadness in my chest is replaced with breathless anticipation.
I’m panting. I’ve never felt this way for anyone, and I’m desperate to hold onto it. I somehow I know I’ll never feel this way for anyone ever again.
Quiet as a mouse I scamper to my bedroom door and listen. The only sound is the hum of Mama’s oscillating fan pushing the warm air around her bedroom. I can’t hear her breathing. I can’t hear anything… except the noise of Jackson’s engine on the street below, waiting.
Red-hot cinnamon.
Salt water.
Sin.
Pressure tingles around the edges of my skull, and a bead of sweat tickles down the side of my neck, dropping past my shoulder, slipping between my breasts.
I’m at my window slowly lifting the glass, and I don’t care if she hears me. I dive through the space, out onto the cedar shake roof in my bare feet. I’ll get a splinter if I’m not careful…
So many reasons to be careful—I ignore them all.
Synopsis:
From international bestselling author Tia Louise comes a new STAND-ALONE second-chance romance…
Ember Rose was spicy-sweet seduction.
My biggest temptation.
My biggest regret.
I thought she’d always be waiting for me.
I was wrong.
Now I’m back in Oceanside searching for peace, hoping to escape what my life has become.
She isn’t supposed to be here…
Dark hair blowing in the ocean breeze,
Luscious curves barely hidden by thin cotton.
I didn’t come back for her.
But when we touch, I know I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine…
★ Pre-Order WHEN WE TOUCH at the special 99 CENT price NOW:
Tia Louise is the award-winning, international bestselling author of the ONE TO HOLD and DIRTY PLAYERS series and co-author of the #4 Amazon bestseller THE LAST GUY.
From “Readers’ Choice” nominations, to USA Today “Happily Ever After” nods, to winning the 2015 “Favorite Erotica Author” and the 2014 “Lady Boner Award” (LOL!), nothing makes her happier than communicating with fans and weaving new tales into the Alexander-Knight world of stories.
A former journalist, Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations…
Bestselling author Staci Hart brings you the second installment of an addictive romantic mythology series where love is the ultimate game, and Aphrodite always wins.
Shift by Staci Hart
Publishing Date: August 24th, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
Even the gods cannot betray the will of the stars.
It’s been a hundred years since she’s warmed my bed, a hundred years spent waiting for her. Now we’ll compete again in a game that matters little to me. But my prize is far greater than a token to be paid for a favor — I want her.
And for the first time in a very long time, I have the chance to keep her.
Because now the ground has shifted, tilted in my favor, and with her footing unsteady, she will fall.
I will catch her.
This time, I won’t let go.
Excerpt:
ARES
The city stretched up like quartz against the fading sunlight, the colors of the sky deepening with every second that slipped by. Ares’s eyes were on the horizon, slashed with the darkening skyscrapers at the southern tip of Manhattan, but his mind was a thousand years behind him, and her face filled the space in between.
They were Mars and Venus. Man and woman. Ares and Aphrodite. The bond between them was unbreakable, undeniable, no matter how she had tried to reject it, tried to stay away. She’d never quite succeeded. She never would.
Even the gods could not betray the will of the stars.
It had been a hundred years since she warmed his bed, a hundred years of waiting for her. Now they would compete again in a game that mattered little to him. His prize was far greater than a token to be paid for a favor — he wanted her. And for the first time in a very long time, he had a chance to keep her.
Adonis had been in the way far too long — even murdering the human hadn’t removed him from the equation — but now the ground had shifted, tilted in Ares’s favor, and with Aphrodite’s footing unsteady, she would fall.
He would catch her.
This time, he wouldn’t let go.
Ares had already chosen his human player, and soon he would make his way down to the throng of gods who waited for the game to begin. She would be there. She would make her choice, and the fire between them would ignite as it always did — first with a spark, then a flicker. Then, she would be consumed, and so would he.
It would be the same as it ever was, and he was so starved for her, his body tensed from head to heart to heel in anticipation of what was to come.
From a hundred years down to a few days, the distance traveled worth every second of longing, and with every moment that passed, the stars moved closer to alignment and to his favor. And there was nothing she could do to fight it.
Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey.
From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.
Jensen Monroe is a unicorn. As handsome as any model, as polite as can be, a goalie of unmatched skill, and the best friend anyone could ask for. But he longs for a particular special someone to make his life complete. He’s been in love with Wren since he was a teenager, but as his best friend’s sister, she’s always been off-limits.
Wren Lemiere has prided herself on being a love ’em and leave ’em girl her whole life. She’s all about equal opportunity in the battle of the sexes. Why should guys like her brother and his best friends get to be the only ones allowed to play the dating game? One wrong move, however, and she finds herself in violation of her own rules.
In need of a fake husband and baby daddy for her unexpected bundle of joy, Wren finally accepts Jensen is the logical one to ask for help. Except he has a counteroffer…one with so many strings attached, they may just find themselves wrapped up in ties that bind. Forever.
Excerpt
Dr. Richards laughed as Wren giggled. “Everything is good. Come on up,” he said, helping Wren up before he patted her back. “But we need to discuss something.”
Her expression turned worried as she met his gaze. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine, but looking over your chart, you had quite the weight gain from last time. Fourteen pounds.”
Her face flushed as she held his gaze. “Baby weight?”
“Some, but not all. Healthy weight gain is about twenty pounds, and you’ve gained thirty.”
She shrugged. “Taco weight?”
He smiled, patting her back. “Are you exercising?”
She nodded. “I walk to the fridge?”
“I’ll take that as a no,” he said, marking his chart. Why did she feel like he was scolding her? “You need to get a little more active, and I’m sure your husband won’t mind doing that with you.”
Wren couldn’t look at Jensen, she was so embarrassed, but still, she said, “Of course.”
“And maybe instead of all the tacos, we have a taco salad?”
She glared. “You’re ruining my life, doctor guy.”
He smiled before he winked. “Just a suggestion.”
“Duly noted.”
“Good. So have a good trip,” he said with a grin before sliding out of the room with only a wave and “see ya next time.”
“Well, that sucked,” she muttered, scooting to the end of the table and getting off. Still unable to look at Jensen, she went to pull her shirt down, but she jumped in surprise when Jensen’s hands stopped her. When she looked up, he was staring at her, his eyes dark as he took her belly in his hands. Bending down, his very large body took up most of the room as he went to his knees before kissing her belly. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she watched him.
“Hey, you, we need to back off the tacos, okay?”
She laughed as he kissed her once more before standing and taking her face in his hands. “And you are fucking sexy, okay? Those numbers mean nothing, except that we’re going to go for walks in the mornings this whole trip.”
Her eyes started to cloud with tears as she nodded. “Okay.”
“Don’t let that bother you, okay?”
“Okay.”
“We’re good.”
She nodded. “We are.”
“And I like the name Liam.”
“Liam?” she asked as he slowly brought her shirt down over her belly. “I don’t know about Liam.”
“I like it, but can I tell you what I don’t like?”
Her brow rose. “What?”
“That doctor.”
She laughed. “What? He’s nice!”
“He’s too hot to be touching you, and I’m man enough to say that. We need to switch.”
She laughed hard, and he took her hand in his as she reached for her purse. “I know you’re not jealous.”
He gave her a dry look. “Beyond.”
“What! No, you’re not!”
“I am,” he admitted, shaking his head. “Does he stick his hands inside of you a lot?”
She sputtered. “Many times.”
“Bullshit. I hate him.”
“You’re silly!”
“I was boiling, sitting there as he touched you. I wanted to deck him.”
“You did not!”
“I did.”
“Like that would bother you.”
He set her with a look that swirled so much desire and the dirtiest thoughts imaginable inside of her. Pulling her against him, he looked deep into her eyes, his mouth barely away from hers as he whispered, “It bothers me just knowing that men look at you.”
“Jensen,” she gasped, her lips curving. “Stop lying to me.”
“I’m not. You’re mine, woman, and that’s that.”
My name is Toni Aleo and I’m a total dork.
I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.
I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.
… and did I mention I love hockey?