Category Archives: Book Review

New Release + Release Blitz + Excerpt + 4.5-Star Review: One More Time by Laurelin Paige

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

 

One More Time by Laurelin Paige is LIVE!!

Release Date: May 2nd

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Designer: Letitia Hasser from RBA Designs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read TODAY! FREE in KU!

Amazon US ➙ https://amzn.to/2I8X0zl

Amazon CA ➙ https://amzn.to/2I3rkeN

Amazon UK ➙ https://amzn.to/2HA7uIC

Amazon AU ➙ https://amzn.to/2rfUEob

 

 

AUDIO AVAILABLE NOW!

AUDIBLE: https://amzn.to/2KvBR0A

Narrated by Erin Mallon & Rupert Channing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37884896-one-more-time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLURB

I would have been stupid to turn the opportunity down.

A feature film starring the hottest man in Hollywood—and me.

It wasn’t just the chance of a lifetime; it was the first time I’d landed the leading role.

But Tanner James isn’t just any actor, aka “Sex God”.

He’s the man who took my virginity then shattered my dreams.

If I can use this part to launch a new career, it will be worth it.

If I can stop myself from falling back into bed with Tanner, it will be a miracle.

And my heart?

There’s no way he’s taking that from me.

He’s always been the one who owned it.

 

 

 

EXCERPT

“Today meant nothing,” I say. “Our past is in the past.”

“Totally in the past. But when I’m working with you…”

I feel myself inch closer to him. “… what?”

“Sometimes I can’t tell where we leave off and our characters begin.” Is he sitting nearer than he was a few seconds ago?

“I know. I feel the same way,” I confess, and then I’m definitely moving closer to him. Definitely staring at his lips. We’re like two magnets. Simply telling them to stay apart never stops the pull.

“But that’s the job, right?” he says, and his eyes are on my mouth now.

I nod. “We have to put everything aside and just focus on the work.”

“Right. Yes. I can do that.” He’s so close we’re almost touching. Then he reaches his hand out and places it on my thigh. I feel a chill run up my body, and I close my eyes. The warm, heavy feeling of his hand is so familiar and so exciting at once. “Can you do that?”

The honest answer is that I don’t know. I open my eyes and find him staring at me. I get lost in his stare. For a moment, we hesitate.

Then the next thing I know, my lips are pressed against his and his tongue is finding its way inside my mouth. I don’t know who started it, but neither of us can deny this is what we both want in this moment. Have wanted since this afternoon. Maybe since we first saw each other outside craft services two weeks ago.

He cradles my face between his hands and shifts me closer, as though afraid I’ll break our connection.

But I’m not going anywhere. I want more. I swing my leg over to straddle him, so I can press my hips into his pelvis. I groan when I feel how hard he is, groan with the need that’s already built up unbearably between my thighs. I rock back and forth, desperate. Only a few scraps of cloth stand between us, but they’re enough to frustrate me.

He stands up, me still astride him, then he tosses me onto my back in front of him. He kneels on the ground, and I’m lying on the couch of my trailer looking up at the ceiling, and a part of me is wondering how the hell this happened again. But a much louder part of me doesn’t want it to end before we’re both naked and screaming out all our unresolved anger in orgasm.

Before I have time to register what’s happening, I feel Tanner’s fingers creep up my thighs and under my panties. He plays with me, teasing before he plunges two fingers inside my body.

I gasp in surprise and delight.

This. This is what I need.

I let my thighs fall farther apart, giving him all the access he wants. Tanner dances and swirls his fingers around, first deep inside me and then up to brush my clit. I grip the couch, nearly paralyzed in anticipation. My legs begin to shake, and I can’t remember my own name anymore. All I can think about is how incredible this feels, and how, improbably, he’s become even more talented at touching a woman over the years. Holy shit.

I’ve never been fingered like this before.

He leaves one hand to work every centimeter of my clit then takes the other and dances it up and down the inside of my thighs until I’m crying out. His free hand covers my mouth, but that doesn’t help. It isn’t until he stills that I quiet, although my hips are still rocking greedily, trying to get what I want from his fingers.

“Sshh,” he says, “Someone might still be around.”

“I don’t care,” I moan, and, in the moment, I swear I don’t. Let everyone hear how glorious this is. Tanner grins as he presses his fingers back inside me, bending them and twisting them, showing off more moves that get my body pulsing and my pussy soaking wet.

I’m going to come. I’m so close. “Fuck, Tanner, yes…”

“Yes,” he growls, and that’s all it takes to send me flying over the edge into ecstasy.

… just as someone knocks on the trailer door.

 

 

4.5 Star

 

Tracey’s Review

 

Jenna Stahl’s spent years waiting for her big break. The former ‘It’ girl of the modeling world would give almost anything to make it as an actress. When that break comes in the form of a leading role alongside Hollywood star Tanner James, though, Jenna has to decide just how big a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Because Jenna knows Tanner all too well, and some things just aren’t worth a second try.

Jenna and Tanner were the couple back in the day. Heck, they even had the combo name to show for it. But youth, gossip, and the machinations of Hollywood sent them their separate ways, very publicly and very unhappily. Fast forward ten years, and they’re together again. And, action!

I adore author Laurelin Paige. Her books are sexy, smart, steamy, and romantic, and I can’t get enough of them. ONE MORE TIME is probably one of my favorite of hers to date, with its second-chance love, strong sassy heroine, and a leading man with a heart of gold. The chemistry between Jenna and Tanner still burns white-hot, and, in typical Laurelin fashion, these two are dynamite. I loved not only the steamy parts, but the banter, the humor, the genuine affection that couldn’t be denied.

While I don’t always love coming of age stories, ONE MORE TIME is an exception, and one that I happily recommend for fans of contemporary romance. 4.5 heartwarmingly sexy second-chance stars for this one. And, while you’re clicking, the audiobook of this story is fantastic, with top-notch performances that make the story even more enjoyable. Whether you’re reading or listening (or both!), don’t miss ONE MORE TIME.

 

 

 

 

About Laurelin

With over 1 million books sold, Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

 

 

 

 

 

CONNECT WITH LAURELIN PAIGE

Facebook

Amazon

Twitter: @LaurelinPaige

Facebook Fan Group

Website: http://www.laurelinpaige.com

Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin’s mailing list:

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LaurelinNews

Audio Newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/LaurelinPaigeAuralReport

 

 

 

New Release + Blog Tour + 4-Star Review: Bro Code by Kendall Ryan

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

 

 

From New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan comes a flirty new standalone about falling for your older brother’s best friend.

There’s pretty much only one rule when you’re a guy.

Don’t be a douche.

Turns out, the fastest way to break that rule is to fall for your best friend’s sister.

Ava’s brilliant, sharp-tongued, gorgeous, and five years younger than me.

She’s the sexual equivalent of running with scissors. In a word, she’s dangerous. And completely off-limits.

Falling for her could ruin everything.

Yet I can’t seem to stop, even when her company is threatened by a lawsuit, and my promotion hinges on representing the opposing client—and winning.

I can’t see a way out of this mess that doesn’t end in a broken friendship, a broken heart, or a ruined career.

I may have broken the bro code when I fell for Ava. But do I have the balls to handle what comes next?

Kindle US | AMAZON UK | iBooks | B&N | Paperback

 

 

4 Star

 

Tracey’s Review

 

Bro code is pretty clear about these things. Those unwritten rules are genetically coded into every male before birth. You don’t hit on your best friend’s sister. You definitely don’t let your mind wander to what she looks like naked…

For as long as Barrett Wilson can remember, the Saunders clan has been more like a family than his own. Best friends since they were young, Barrett and Nick Saunders have been joined at the hip and told each other everything. Until now. Because, back in town for a family gathering, Barrett is noticing something. Little Ava Saunders isn’t so little anymore, and it’s everything he can do to keep the rules of Bro Code intact.

Barrett is doing his absolute best to keep his hands to himself as far as Ava is concerned, but she’s not making it easy. Because Ava isn’t the only one that’s grown up. Barrett is Ava’s youthful crush times gazillion, and she’s ready to take it to the next level, bro code or not.

I like a heroine with some sass and backbone, and Ava certainly has both in spades, but it makes her more likable, in my opinion. Interested in more than settling down and living happily ever after, she’s got goals, and Barrett is just a part of them. And, Barrett, oh, my goodness, smart, sexy, and with eyes only for Ava, he’s totally the stuff that good book boyfriends are made of.

I really enjoy Kendall Ryan’s contemporary romances, and BRO CODE is no exception. There’s something extremely satisfying about a story that is both sweetly sexy and a little bit taboo at the same time. And, while I was ready for Ava and Barrett to forget the stupid rules and get to the good part already, the slow build made for some super-steamy moments, and made the end result totally worth the wait. BRO CODE hits all the marks, and will leave you smiling. Grab it and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras.

 

Subscribe to Newletter

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

New Release + Excerpt + Review: I Dare You by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Posted on by
Reply

Bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills brings you a brand-new heartfelt, sexy contemporary romance with I DARE YOU is LIVE!

I-Dare-You-Final-Goodreads

Bad Ass Athlete: I dare you to…
Delaney Shaw: Who is this?

The late night text is random, but “Bad Ass Athlete” sure seems to know who she is…

Delaney Shaw.
Good girl.
Lover of fluffy kitties and Star Wars.
Curious.

His dare? Spend one night in his bed—a night he promises will be unforgettable—and she can solve the mystery of who he is.

She knows she shouldn’t, but what else is she going to do with her boring Valentine’s Day?

One sexy hook-up later, her mind is blown and the secret’s out.

Maverick Monroe.
Bad boy.
The most talented football player in the country.
Just ask him.

Too bad for him Delaney’s sworn off dating athletes forever after her last heartbreak.

But Maverick wants more than one night and refuses to give up on winning Delaney’s heart. She isn’t one to be fazed by a set of broad shoulders.

After the semester ends, will the bad boy land the nerd girl or will the secrets they keep from each other separate them forever?

Download Today or Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US I Amazon Universal

Add to Goodreads

 

Excerpt

 

Prologue

Freshman year

Delaney

Welcome to Magnolia, Mississippi, where locusts are as big as your hand and iced tea comes with a double helping of sugar.

It’s also home to the best damn annual bonfire party at prestigious Waylon University, which is currently happening right now in the middle of a cotton field.

But…

I shouldn’t even be at this party.

It’s mostly for Greeks and jocks and popular people, yet here I am, a mere freshman, hanging out with my bubbly redheaded roommate, Skye.

“See?” she says as we take in the bonfire. “Isn’t this better than watching cat videos on a Saturday night? What do you want to do first?”

I sigh, feeling nervous. Ever since I moved here from North Carolina, I’ve been pushing myself to try new things. Might as well put a crazy college party on that list. “Let’s get a drink.”

She claps and excitedly replies, “Done. Alcohol at two o’clock.” We weave through the crowd, headed in that direction, and eventually we reach the bar, which is really just a long collapsible table someone set up. On top are various bottles of alcohol, and I grab the Fireball to pour shots. I’ve just tossed mine back and set down my cup when a prickling sensation washes over me, giving me goose bumps.

My gaze moves across the crowd, stopping on a tall guy with dark blond hair, broad shoulders, and a cocky smile. Aha. He’s been staring at me, and now that he’s caught, he raises his glass as a half-grin crosses his face.

I blush wildly as I adjust my black cat-eye glasses. I’m not used to such blatant male attention.

Skye—who’s followed the trajectory of my gaze—spits out part of her drink. “Oh my God, do you know who that is?”

“Obviously I should,” I say dryly.

Her mouth flops open. “You really need to get out more.”

My eyes drift back to him but keep moving as if I’m not staring. “So who is Mr. Hottie McParty Pants?”

“If you don’t know him, you don’t deserve to know. But, he’s H-O-T—like Chris Hemsworth hot. I dare you to flirt with him.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me, knowing full well that for some reason, I can’t resist a dare. Normally rather reserved, a dare gives me permission to be someone I’m not.

So does Fireball. I sling back another shot.

“I’ll bring you a donut every day for a week if you flirt with him,” she adds, watching me.

My ears perk up. “The ones with edible glitter?”

She nods, and I toss a quick glance back to him. Our eyes collide again, and a zing of connection fires between us. He has a strong, handsome face and a stance that has masculine written all over it. A smile tips up his full sensuous lips, and—

Two brunettes—twins, no less—approach him, one on either side, and wrap their arms around his waist. He smiles down at them. Oh. Well then.

I turn back to Skye and frown. “Player. Not interested.”

She waves her hands in my face. “He likes you—I saw it on his face.”

I snort. “Probably gas pains. Your dare is not accepted.”

We hear our names being called from the other side of the party and turn to take in the helmet-haired Martha approaching us, which is taking some time due to the fact that she’s wearing stilettos and a slinky halter dress. She carefully picks her way through the crowd, nudging people out of her way—sometimes rudely—as she focuses on us. Great.

“Incoming mean girl,” I mutter under my breath.

Like us, Martha Burrows is a freshman and lives on our floor. Rather full of herself, she announced within a week of meeting us that she’d no longer answer to anything but Muffin, a nickname she’d given herself.

She eyes us both, a look of superiority on her pretty face. “I didn’t know you two were invited to this little shindig. Obviously, I know all the right people, so I’m always invited.” Her gaze zeroes in on my outfit and she rears back. “What on earth are you wearing, Nerd Girl?”

“Clothes.” I stiffen at her name for me as I tug on my fitted Star Wars shirt and the pleated red miniskirt I made from a man’s shirt. My long pale blonde hair is up in curled pigtails, and I went a bit heavy-handed with the shimmery eye shadow and red lipstick. It’s not your typical look for WU—which is anything monogrammed—but I’m learning to ignore the raised eyebrows.

Skye, the peacemaker among us three, clears her throat and nods her head at the guy who’s been staring. “Delaney has an admirer, but she doesn’t know who he is.”

Martha-Muffin follows Skye’s gaze, eyeballing the mystery man over my shoulder. She gives me an exasperated look. “That’s Maverick Monroe, you idiot. He’s the biggest football star in Mississippi and the freshman recruit of the year. Word is, though, girls like you aren’t his type—not at all.” Her hand flicks a stiff honey-colored curl over her shoulder.

My teeth grind together. “Martha, if you think I care what you think about me and whether or not a quasi-famous football player is interested in me, then you are confused.”

Her lips tighten. “It’s Muffin now, and why do you have to use such big words? What does quasi even mean?” is her cutting reply.

Skye’s eyes get as big as saucers, and I assume it’s because Martha-Muffin and I are about to finally have it out. I can’t stand her, and she can’t stand me. We just…clash.

But that isn’t what has Skye in such a titter.

She points over my shoulder, and I get it.

It’s the person standing behind me, the one I can’t see. I feel a nervous sneeze coming on and—thank God—I somehow push it down.

A husky voice reaches my ears. “Quasi means seemingly or supposedly. What she means is I’m probably not a famous football player but rather one that’s been highly touted but is without merit.”

Oh, shit. The voice is rich and smooth with just enough southern drawl to make a girl swoon. He also sounds halfway intelligent.

I turn around slowly. Mr. Tall, Blond, and Football is right in front of me wearing a cocky smile.

How in the hell did he get over here so fast?

You know that moment when everything stops and the next breath you take is the first one of the rest of your life? That’s what it feels like as Maverick Monroe stares at me with his piercing blue eyes.

I glance down and take in the sculpted chest and hard biceps.

I look back up and see a chiseled jawline that’s defined and lined with a slight scruff. I see the thin pink scar that slices through his left eyebrow, and it does nothing to detract from his appeal.

He’s perfection.

He’s air.

Which I desperately need right now, because I can’t breathe.

He smirks, as if reading my mind, and I scramble to pull myself together. Someone calls his name—it’s a girl’s voice, probably one of those twins—but he doesn’t budge.

His eyes rove over my skirt, glasses, and lips. “The question is…do you even know what makes a good football player?”

“Nice hands?”

His lips twitch. “Hardly.”

“A tight end?” I smirk, feeling sassy…which is weird. I don’t know who I am right now, but it’s like my mouth has a life of its own, saying things I normally wouldn’t.

Martha-Muffin chokes on her drink at my remark and Skye watches me with glee, clearly excited that I have the attention of someone who is apparently very important at Waylon.

I put my hand on my hip. “The question is…why do I need to know?”

“You don’t. All you need to know is I’m the best.”

I suck in a little breath at his arrogance.

A guy walks past us and claps him on the shoulder. “Badass game last week, Mav. Rock on.”

“Thanks, man.” Maverick acknowledges the compliment and lifts his chin, his eyes never straying from mine.

“What position do you play?” I ask. “Quarterback?”

He smirks. “Middle linebacker—defense.”

“Sounds fancy.”

He laughs.

Skye, who’s been eavesdropping unabashedly, sighs with a dreamy expression on her face. “His stats are the best in the country.” She clears her throat. “I-I only know that because my brother is a huge fan, I swear.”

“Hi, Maverick,” Martha-Muffin says as she edges closer to him, nudging me out of the way with her sharp shoulders. “Remember me?”

He focuses on her. “No.”

She glowers. “I was in your dorm room with your roommate last week. You said hello to me.”

He shrugs. “A lot of girls come through. I can’t remember them all.”

Oh. My. God. He is arrogant, but I like how he just shut her down.

Martha-Muffin’s face reddens and she mutters something under her breath, flips around, and flounces off. Good riddance.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Skye is drifting away too, giving me a thumbs-up.

Whatever. I am not going to flirt with this guy…am I?

He’s definitely got something about him, something that makes my body buzz. I tilt my chin up, taking in how tall he is. He has to be at least six-four.

His gaze drifts over my face. “You know there’s a legend here at Waylon about our famous bonfire party?”

“Oh?”

He smiles, a flash of white on his handsome face. “Legend says the first person you kiss at the party is the one you’ll never forget. It might be years later, and still their face is the one you dream about.”

“Sounds like hocus-pocus.”

He lifts that mesmerizing left eyebrow. “I like to believe in legends—after all, I am one.”

I smirk. “Probably a game made up by some frat-boy-slash-jock wanting to kiss all the girls.”

He pauses for a moment as if thinking, and then he steps in closer, so close that I can see the varying shades of blue around his pupils. “May I?”

My heart does somersaults.

“May you what?” I ask, my voice low, but I know what he wants. My body is already leaning toward him, wanting it too.

“This.” He kisses me, an almost imperceptible touch as he brushes his full lips against mine. The contact of our mouths is electric, sparks of fire skating along my skin.

As if from a distance, I hear someone calling his name. It’s a female, and she’s pissed.

It’s one of the twins probably.

And I’m jealous.

But, I don’t look. We pull away, and I stare at him as he stares right back. A stillness settles over the party, although I don’t think anything’s actually changed. The music is still playing. People are still talking. Beers are being passed around.

Yet…

We’re connected.

Two stars in the black velvet sky.

Two ships passing in the night.

Oh, fuck, stop the nonsense, I tell myself.

“What was that?” I ask, my voice breathless.

“That’s your first kiss of the bonfire. Now you’ll never forget me.”

And then, before I can think of a reply, he’s gone.

I watch him go back to the twins, frustration coiling inside of me as I exhale.

It would be two years before I kissed him again.

 

 

Download Today or Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Fn15ur

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/IDareYou

 

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/IDareYouHookUp

Michel’s Review

I Dare You by Ilsa Madden-Mills was just the kind of book I needed. I love the new adult romance genre and love a good sports romance. I Dare You was the perfect combination of fun loving coed romance but at the same time very emotional journey.

Ilsa Madden- Mills has a gift of creating characters that come to life. The creative dialogue and sassy passages are just as exciting as the sizzling hot sex scenes. What I liked best about this book is that it had meat to it. This book was not only featured a romance but also highlighted some heavy financial issues many college athletes endure. Trying to survive the expenses of life while trying to maintain the athletic scholarship guidelines is almost impossible when real life comes collecting. Trying to find the right solution led to some other questionable circumstances. The solutions were not ideal but they also opened other doors.

Ilsa Madden-Mills always delivers and exceptional reading experience. I double dare you to read I Dare You by Ilsa Madden-Mills and not walk away feeling good!

 

 

 

______________________________________

About Ilsa


Ilsa LogoWall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap. She’s best known for her angsty, heartfelt new adult college romances.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice; Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s also addicted to frothy coffee beverages, Vampire Dairies, and any kind of book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females.

Join her Unicorn Girls FB group for special excerpts, prizes, and snarky fun!

Connect with Ilsa

Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads I Amazon I Website

New Release + Blog Tour + 5-Star Review: Iron Princess by Meghan March

Posted on by
Reply

 

 

 

 

He’s a mystery. An enigma.

His very identity is a secret buried beneath layers of deception.

He’s also an addiction I can’t shake. An attraction I can’t fight.

And then I found out exactly who he is—a man more dangerous than the devil himself.

Now I need him in order to save everything that matters to me.

I have to pull back. Protect myself from the danger that haunts his every step.

Which would be easy . . . if I could stop myself from falling in love with him.

 

iBooks | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | BN | Kobo | Audible

 

 

5 Star Read

 

Tracey’s Review

 

“Sometimes the universe has different plans that you do, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”

She’s baaack…Temperance Ransom is back, and she is on fire, y’all. Temperance is just as strong, just as sassy, just as unabashedly herself as ever, and she is really coming into her own in IRON PRINCESS.

Author Meghan March is doing everything right in this second book of her Savage trilogy, and I loved it. After one heck of a cliffhanger at the end of SAVAGE PRINCE, I didn’t know what to expect, but Meghan brings it, and I was sucked right back into the action. If you’re looking for answers, you’ll get a couple, but, let me tell you, the fun’s not over with this story yet. Nope, not even a little, because by the end of this book, I was left staring at my e-reader and wondering what the ever-loving heck I’d just read. You guessed it, even more mystery, more intrigue, more, ‘oh, no, she didn’t! But, wait, there’s more, and all things will become clear when ROGUE ROYALTY releases next month. Until then, strap yourself in and enjoy this 5-star hot as heck ride.

 

 

 

 

 

Who knew things could get even darker and dirtier in New Orleans? New York Times bestselling author Meghan March introduces the Savage Prince of the city, the man you never want to meet.

I do what I want and who I want. I don’t follow anyone’s rules—even my own.
I knew I shouldn’t touch her, but it didn’t stop me.
Didn’t stop me the second time either. Only made me want a third.
My lifestyle suits the savage I am, and she doesn’t.
But Temperance Ransom is my newest addiction, and I’m nowhere near ready to quit her yet.
I’ll have her my way, even if it means dragging her into the darkness.
Hopefully it doesn’t kill us both.

Savage Prince is book one of the Savage Trilogy, set in the same world as Ruthless King, however you do not need to read the Mount Trilogy to devour this scandalously hot new story.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | iBooks | BN | Kobo

 

 

Unthinkable. Unbelievable. Inconceivable.

I don’t recognize what my life has become. I can’t tell where the lies end and the truth begins anymore.

He came into my world and urged me out of my safe little corner.

All my dreams are coming true except the one thing I want most— my own happy ending.

But I’ll fight for it.

For now.

For always.

 

iBooks | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | BN | Kobo | Audible

 

 

 

 

A New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels, Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had.

Sign up for Meghan’s newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: http://meghanmarch.com/subscribe

To get the inside scoop on a daily basis, search Meghan March’s Runaway Readers on Facebook and join the fun.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | TWITTER | PINTEREST

 

 

Release Blitz + Review: Rome’s Chance by Joanna Wylde – A Reapers MC Novella …Brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights

Posted on by
Reply

 

From New York Times Bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes ROME’S CHANCE, a new novella in her Reapers MC series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!

 

About ROME’S CHANCE:
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes a new story in her Reapers MC series…

Rome McGuire knew he was in trouble the first time he saw her.

She was sweet and pretty and just about perfect in every way. She was also too young and innocent for the Reapers Motorcycle Club. He did the right thing, and walked away.

The second time, he couldn’t resist tasting her.

Gorgeous and smart, fun and full of wonder, she jumped on his bike and would’ve followed him anywhere. Still, she deserved a shot at happiness somewhere bigger and better than a town like Hallies Falls. Walking away wasn’t so easy that time, but her family needed her and he had a job to do.

When she came around a third time, he’d had enough. Randi Whittaker had been given two chances to escape, and now it was time for Rome to take his.

This time, the only way Randi would be leaving Hallies Falls was on the back of Rome’s bike.

 

 

Grab your copy of ROME’S CHANCE today!

Amazon | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Download the Free Kindle App

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about the Reapers MC Series

Add to Your Goodreads TBR

 

 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1524168803&f=j4ZSZPCtAFucKXE2CwIXfA&d=0&m=p&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=0p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=autostart

 

____________________________________

4 Star

Michel’s Review

The Reaper’s MC are back and riding strong. Joanna Wylde has just released the eighth story/ novella, Rome’s Chance, in the Reaper’s MC series.

Randi Whitaker is back in town for her high school reunion and to see her family. She knows things have been tough for her younger siblings and mother but didn’t realize just how bad they had gotten. She left town eight years ago because the wild fires forced her to evacuate and start life over in a new town. She wasn’t expecting to run into Rome McGuire, a guy she had only dated once before she was forced to  leave town. He was the one guy who inspired her to try the wild side of life on the back of his bike. Rome isn’t the kind of guy she needs in her life now. He’s a member of the Reaper’s MC. It doesn’t matter that he has a good job, owns his home, and has a stable life. She’s in town to help her family and that should be all that matters.

Rome is thrilled when he runs into Randi Whitaker. The sweet girl he remembers has grown into a beautiful woman. He is determined to get to know her once again. His life has changed and he’s ready to look for something more permanent. His brothers are all settling down, getting married, and starting families. He’s ready for the same thing and now that Randi is back in town, he’s taking his chance.

How can a girl resist a Reaper? Rome is determined to get his girl… maybe this book should of been titled Randi’s Chance.

Joanna Wylde once again made me fall head over heels for another member of the Reaper’s MC. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride!

 

____________________________________________________

About Joanna Wylde:

Joanna Wylde started her writing career in journalism, working in two daily newspapers as both a reporter and editor. Her career has included many different jobs, from managing a homeless shelter to running her own freelance writing business, where she took on projects ranging from fundraising to ghostwriting for academics. During 2012 she got her first Kindle reader as a gift and discovered the indie writing revolution taking place online. Not long afterward she started cutting back her client list to work on Reaper’s Property, her breakout book. It was published in January 2013, marking the beginning of a new career writing fiction.

Joanna lives in the mountains of northern Idaho with her family.

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up

 

 

New Release + Release Blitz + Giveaway: Misadventures With the Boss by Kendall Ryan

Posted on by
Reply



MISADVENTURES WITH THE BOSS

by Kendall Ryan

Releases 24th  April

#KendallRyan  #MisadventureswiththeBossReleaseBlitzTour


Goodreads



Synopsis

 

At age twenty-nine, Piper Daniels is having the longest dry spell of her life. When she agrees to be set up on a blind date, she never expects it to end with the hottest sex of her life.
But when she discovers that her very well-endowed secret lover is also her new boss, heartless womanizer and cutthroat CEO Jackson Dane, she chalks it up to a one-time mistake and puts up her best professional front. But Jackson isn’t used to rejection, and if Piper thinks it’s going to be easy to move on from their tryst, she’s underestimated his determination.

 

***MISADVENTURES ARE STANDALONE ROMANCES THAT CAN BE READ IN ANY ORDER***

 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HXLdl5

Nook: http://bit.ly/2tnAD3d

 Kobo: http://bit.ly/2u3EFKf

iBooks: http://apple.co/2tr2HkD

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2srBeez

 

4.5 Star

 

Tracey’s Review

 

Piper Daniels is starting over. Looking for a change of scenery to heal her heart and her pride, she’s the new girl in the Big City. When her sister sets her up on a blind date, Piper goes with an open, if skeptical, attitude. Jackson Dane, self-made man, and one heck of an alpha, is a one and done kind of guy, and definitely not looking for anything too deep. Casual is the name of his game, and his night with Piper is just what the doctor ordered. Or, is it…?

Piper is everything I like in a female romantic lead. Equally sweet and sassy, she’s smart, capable, and able to hold her own. All of these things come in really handy, because she’s never met anyone quite like Jackson. But, then, he’s never met anyone quite like her, and when Fate brings the two together again, it isn’t long before Piper is showing this bossman just what’s what.

Kendall Ryan is a favorite of mine, and her stories always leave me smiling. When I saw that she was to be part of the Misadventures series, I knew I was in for a fun, sexy, and satisfying read. Piper and Jackson might be one of my favorite of her couples (shh, don’t tell the others!), and I loved everything about their story.

Plenty sweet, plenty steamy, MISADVENTURES WITH THE BOSS is 4.5 happy stars, and a read that I happily recommend for fans of contemporary romance. If it’s not on your TBR, add it now!

 

 

 


Meet the Author

 
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 2 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.

 

Facebook                                Website
Twitter                                                                              Instagram

 

Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: One Good Man by Emma Scott -A Novella

Posted on by
Reply

 

OneGoodMan availnowbanner

 

 

It’s spring, 1970. The Vietnam War has been raging for years with no end in sight. Janey Martin, a California college student and aspiring journalist is tired of writing puff pieces about her university men’s sports teams. She wants to be taken seriously as a journalist and as a woman. With riots at their doorstep, her wealthy father sends Janey to the Sorbonne in Paris to finish her college education away from the chaos.

Janey is reluctant to leave the Big Story that is Vietnam, but vows to prove herself. Much to her dismay, her first assignment is to interview the hotshot star forward of a local soccer team. Janey is sure Adrien Rousseau is going to be like every other playboy jock she’s ever dealt with, but quickly learns there is much more to Adrien than meets the eye.

The mysterious, sexy footballer just might be the biggest story of Janey’s life.

 

 

ADD TO GOODREADS

SIGN UP FOR LIVE RELEASE ALERT

30728985_10156935934992908_6515694623321489408_n

Except

I reached over and pushed ‘stop’ on Janey’s tape recorder and turned to her. “Saturday then?”

She coughed in surprise.  “What happens Saturday?”

“We conclude the interview. You need to see a football match firsthand or your article is going to sound like a bunch of amateurish gibberish. You want to be taken seriously?”

She pressed her lips together for a moment. “Yes.”

“So do I. Saturday at noon at Stade Jean-Marc. We’ll finish the interview after.”

“Antoine wants the article in two days,” she said.

“Tell Antoine I said to wait.”

She took another long pull from the lemonade, her pride not letting her say yes to me so quickly.

“Saturday then,” she said. “For the article.”

“Right,” I said, holding her gaze. “For the article.”

She finished off the lemonade and set the glass down. “Thank you very much, Sophie. It was just what I needed.” She gathered her belongings and turned to me. “See you.”

“You have a drop of lemonade on your chin,” I said.

“Where?” Her hand flew to her mouth. “No, I don’t…”

I held out the cocktail napkin with my sketch of her, my brow raised.

Janey dropped her hand from her dry chin, fuming. I expected her to flounce away. But she snatched the napkin out of my hand, dropped it into her bag, and coolly walked away.

I wasn’t in love with her, but in that moment, I knew someday I would be.

 

_________________________________________________

Michel’s Review

One Good Man by Emma Scott was more than the typical romantic novella. In fact, this novella seemed more like a novel which contained a complex, rich story with compelling characters. The one thing that stood out in this story was the era in which the story takes place, a very controversial time in history.

The year is 1970 and the United States is deeply involved in Vietnam. The younger generation is protesting the United States involvement as well as many other social issues. Some would say that it was a time of social awareness but it was also a time of conflict, violence, and social unrest.

The main portion of this novella takes place in France. France had been in Vietnam a decade before the United States entered the arena. France is experiencing the same social issues the United States encountered after Vietnam. The veteran’s are forgotten. Their issues are ignored. Families have suffered the loss of loved ones even though those loved ones actually returned home.

One Good Man features a French family suffering the after effects of the Vietnam War. As a young man and college student, Adrien Rousseau has his own hopes and dreams but the after math of the Vietnam War has ruined his family. Rather than pursuing his dreams of greatness he has to pursue becoming a great athlete, a star Footballer.

Janey Martin is a journalism student who was sent to France to avoid prosecution. She’s resentful because she feels she is missing the the “real” story. What she doesn’t realize is the greatest story is hidden in the layers of the fluff story she is trying to avoid. She only has to open her eyes. Her heart will see the rest.

Emma Scott was again floored me with her profound insight into a conflict that happened many years before she was born. She captured the conflict and turmoil as well as all the youthful hopes in a very turbulent time. Her research made everything within this story authentic. I loved it!

_________________________________________

 

Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy thoughtful, realistic stories with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy my novels.

NEWSLETTER | FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK READER GROUP | AMAZON PAGE

5 Star Review and Excerpt: Such Dark Things by Courtney Evan Tate ( aka Courtney Cole)… A Psychological Thriller

Posted on by
1

 

From New York Times bestseller Courtney Cole, writing as Courtney Evan Tate, comes the psychological thriller that will keep readers up turning pages long into the night, SUCH DARK THINGS! “Written in breathless style, this page-turner relies on quick thrills, surprise twists…[for] readers seeking a fast entertaining tale…”(Publishers Weekly). Grab your copy of SUCH DARK THINGS today!

 

A HORRIFIC RECURRING NIGHTMARE IS THREATENING TO STEAL HER SANITY…

Dr. Corinne Cabot is living the American dream. She’s a successful ER physician in Chicago who’s married to a handsome husband. Together they live in a charming house in the suburbs. But appearances can be deceiving—and what no one can see is Corinne’s dark past. Troubling gaps in her memory mean she recalls little about a haunting event in her life years ago that changed everything.

She remembers only being in the house the night two people were found murdered. Her father was there, too. Now her father is in prison; she hasn’t been in contact in years. Repressing that terrifying memory has caused Corinne moments of paranoia and panic. Sometimes she thinks she sees things that aren’t there, hears words that haven’t been spoken. Or have they? She fears she may be losing her mind, unable to determine what’s real and what’s not.

So when she senses her husband’s growing distance, she thinks she’s imagining things. She writes her suspicions off to fatigue, overwork, anything to explain what she can’t accept—that her life really isn’t what it seems.

 

Grab your copy of SUCH DARK THINGS here!

Amazon | B&N | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

 

 

 

“Fans of domestic thrillers with an unreliable narrator will gobble this one up…Recommended for all thriller/suspense collections.”
–Booklist

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

 

 

 

Excerpt

Prologue-

My skin is sticky with blood.

My waistband is wet with it, and I can taste it on my lips. It’s splattered on my face, and it tastes like metal that has been rotting in the sun and rain for a hundred years. The night makes me shiver, the cool breeze rustling my hair, and for a split second, I’m back there in that house, standing in that blood. My bare toes feel the warmth of the liquid turn cool as the minutes tick past.

Goose bumps raise on my neck, and a knot that I can’t swallow is lodged in my throat. My feet are frozen frozen frozen on the ground, and I can’t move.

Their eyes are open and lifeless, although they stare at me.

They see me.

Yet they see nothing.

I can’t breathe.

My lips are ice, just like theirs.

My heart is pounding and racing and stuttering, and I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe.

“Corinne. You’re safe here. Corinne.”

And just like that, I’m not there.

I’m here.

“There was blood all over me.” My words are stilted and fragile, like glass.

I stare at my hand, and even though it’s clean now, I see it as it was seventeen years ago, covered in the blood of two souls…souls that were living and that aren’t anymore. It’s hard to wrap my mind around. First they were breathing, and then they weren’t. It happened in a split second. I inhale shakily.

“Think about that moment,” the doctor instructs. “Who can you see?”

I think on that. “Melanie is next to me on the floor. Her head is bleeding into a pool. There is so much blood that it looks black.” I close my eyes, because it had been the first time I’d seen blood like that, and it terrified me. “Joe is on the bed. His blood is splattered all over the wall. Both of them have their eyes open.”

Staring at me.

The emotions welling up in me are like a wave, swelling, swelling, swelling…until I can’t handle it anymore. The horror and the guilt and the pain are just too much.

“I can’t do this,” I blurt out. “I’m done for the day.”

Dr. Phillips looks at me, and he’s calm and detached.

“Corinne, why are you here?”

I pause. What a stupid question. “You know why I’m here.”

I hate it when they treat me with such condescension.

“Humor me,” he tells me. “Why are you here?”

I grit my teeth and look away.

He waits.

“You’re saying that I tried to hurt myself. But I wouldn’t do that.”

I look at him now, and he’s so fucking emotionless. I look down at my left wrist, at the bandage covering up the stiches.

“I wouldn’t,” I insist again. “I’m a fucking physician. I wouldn’t have cut my wrist horizontally. If I really wanted to hurt myself, I would’ve known to cut vertically along the vein.”

I finger the gauze. Beneath it, the cut throbs, evidence of something I don’t remember doing.

“I’m not crazy,” I add. And I don’t know if I’m trying to convince Dr. Phillips, or myself.

“You’re not crazy.” He nods. “But you’ve experienced a mental break. You’re here because you need to deal with the causal underlying issue so that it won’t happen again. Right?”

He’s a fucking asshole.

I stare at the wall. At the whiteness, at the sterility.

“You need some plants in here,” I tell him, avoiding the question. “Greenery puts patients at ease. All this blankness…it’s maddening.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says wryly. “Corinne…”

I interrupt. “Dr. Cabot,” I tell him. “I’ve earned it.”

“Dr. Cabot,” he corrects himself. “You’re right. You’ve earned it. You worked a long time to finish medical school and your residency. You’re a top ER physician. You have a life envied by everyone around you. You’ve got to take care of yourself, so you can protect this life you’ve built.”

I close my eyes. Behind my eyelids, it’s dark and safe. It’s black and warm.

“Protect it from what?” I whisper.

“You tell me,” he answers. “You’ve got something inside of you that is triggered now, something that creates panic and a fight-or-flight response. We know what your father did so long ago. What we don’t know is why…or what damage it has caused in you, damage that seems to be affecting you now.”

“I don’t know either,” I say helplessly, my eyes opening to the white walls again. “I can’t remember. I never could. You know that.”

“I know.” Dr. Phillips nods again, and he tries to be so fucking comforting. “You have a history of dissociative behavior. You blocked out what your father did so long ago, and it stands to reason that your brain has developed that as a defense mechanism. It’s doing it again now. If we don’t get to the bottom of why your memories are being triggered now, after all of these years…you’ll never have peace. Do we agree on that?”

Reluctantly, I nod.

“So we have to start at the beginning. You have to stay here and focus.”

Anger flares in me, red and hot, and I stare him down. He doesn’t blink and neither do I.

“Focus?” I ask him, and my words are sharp and I wish they would cut him. “You think it’s as simple as sitting down and focusing? How dare you sit there and tell me what to do, when you have no idea what it’s like?”

I stand up to leave, but the psychiatrist’s next sentence holds me in my place, freezing me.

“Corinne, you promised Jude you’d try.”

Jude.

My beautiful, understanding Jude.

I swallow hard. I did promise. And I have to follow through, even though the pain it causes me is immeasurable. I owe it to him. I’ll do it for him. Not for this psychiatrist, but for Jude.

My body folds back into the seat, and I finger the medical bracelet circling my right wrist. Corinne Elizabeth Cabot, Female. It’s me, condensed into one stark sentence, yet I’m a stranger to myself right now. That’s why I’m here. I don’t know myself or my thoughts. My memories are foreign, blocked, nightmarish, out of control.

“Fine.” There’s nothing else I can say.

Dr. Phillips is quietly triumphant. “Let’s begin again. Take a deep breath and close your eyes.”

I do, drawing the cool air in a rush over my teeth, expanding my lungs and holding it, before I let it slowly exhale. I do it again, then again.

“Think back to that night, Dr. Cabot. Stand in that room. Tell me where your father is.”

I envision it, I see it in my mind like it was yesterday. My father in his bloody steel-toed boots. “He’s on the porch, waiting for the police to come.”

“He left you alone in the house with two dead bodies?”

“Yes.”

“He didn’t try to run?”

“No.”

“Okay. What did you do then?” my doctor asks me calmly, unfazed by the ugliness of my story.

“I was stunned. I think I was in shock. My hand was bleeding.”

Dr. Phillips looks at my hand, because I’m stroking the scar now, an unconscious nervous tic that I often do when I’m anxious. “What happened to your hand?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Is there a lot that you don’t remember from that night?”

“Yes. You know that.”

“Yes, I do,” he acknowledges. “So you’re standing in the middle of a bloody crime scene because your father left you alone. What did you do then, Corinne?”

“I looked out the window,” I tell him. “I was frozen. I couldn’t move. My feet felt like concrete and I was afraid if I moved, my heart would explode. So I took deep breaths. I watched the trick-or-treaters walking by. I looked at the blood on my shoe. I looked at the jack-o’-lanterns that were lit on porches, and the ghosts hanging in the trees. There was a full moon. There was light on my shoulders.”

“Anything else?”

“I stared at the street sign on the corner. All Hallows Lane.”

“That’s ironic,” the doctor points out needlessly.

“Yes.”

“How long did you stand there?” His question is quiet.

“Until they came and took me away.”

_____________________________________________

5Star+

It’s been quite awhile since I have had the pleasure of not only reading an intense psychological thriller but also a novel written by Courtney Cole. Courtney Cole is writing under the pseudo name of Courtney Evan Tate to explore the darker nature of her imaginations. No matter what name she is writing under she delivers an outstanding reading experience.

On the surface it looks like Dr. Corrine Cabot has an enchanted life.  She is a successful and overworked ER Physician but highly respected in her field.  She has the perfect husband, who not only respects her career but loves her deeply. Together they have built the perfect life and perfect dream home.  All of that is just a camouflage covering up the real truth of Corrine’s dark past.

Corrine has blocked the violent, dark past from her memories but now they are starting to surface. As the memories start to surface, ghosts start appearing.  Her perfectly structured life begins to fall to pieces.  Her wonderful husband is beginning to show his true colors. As her life begins to unravel and the bloody truths begin to surface, Corinne is breaking into pieces.  She has to face the truth of her dark past before it’s too late.

Such Dark Things held me captive. I read this book in one sitting. Courtney did a wonderful job slowly building a hair raising thriller that would make a fantastic movie. I hope she continues to write this genre of fiction. She has a true talent.

I highly recommend reading Such Dark Things by Courtney Evan Tate!

___________________________________________________

 

About Courtney Evan Tate:

Courtney Evan Tate is the nom de plume for New York Times bestselling author, Courtney Cole. Courtney Evan Tate is her darker side… the side that explores shadowy places.

Courtney lives in Florida with her husband and kids. She has a passion for raising drug addiction awareness, the Marine Corp (her middle son is a Marine) and being introspective on the human condition.

To learn more about her, you can visit www.courtneycolewrites.com.

 

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Such Dark Things by Courtney Evan Tate Release + Review

Posted on by
Reply

 

From New York Times bestseller Courtney Cole, writing as Courtney Evan Tate, comes the psychological thriller that will keep readers up turning pages long into the night, SUCH DARK THINGS! “Written in breathless style, this page-turner relies on quick thrills, surprise twists…[for] readers seeking a fast entertaining tale…”(Publishers Weekly). Grab your copy of SUCH DARK THINGS today!

 

A HORRIFIC RECURRING NIGHTMARE IS THREATENING TO STEAL HER SANITY…

Dr. Corinne Cabot is living the American dream. She’s a successful ER physician in Chicago who’s married to a handsome husband. Together they live in a charming house in the suburbs. But appearances can be deceiving—and what no one can see is Corinne’s dark past. Troubling gaps in her memory mean she recalls little about a haunting event in her life years ago that changed everything.

She remembers only being in the house the night two people were found murdered. Her father was there, too. Now her father is in prison; she hasn’t been in contact in years. Repressing that terrifying memory has caused Corinne moments of paranoia and panic. Sometimes she thinks she sees things that aren’t there, hears words that haven’t been spoken. Or have they? She fears she may be losing her mind, unable to determine what’s real and what’s not.

So when she senses her husband’s growing distance, she thinks she’s imagining things. She writes her suspicions off to fatigue, overwork, anything to explain what she can’t accept—that her life really isn’t what it seems.

 

Grab your copy of SUCH DARK THINGS here!

Amazon | B&N | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

 

 

 

“Fans of domestic thrillers with an unreliable narrator will gobble this one up…Recommended for all thriller/suspense collections.”
–Booklist

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

 

 

 

Excerpt

Prologue-

My skin is sticky with blood.

My waistband is wet with it, and I can taste it on my lips. It’s splattered on my face, and it tastes like metal that has been rotting in the sun and rain for a hundred years. The night makes me shiver, the cool breeze rustling my hair, and for a split second, I’m back there in that house, standing in that blood. My bare toes feel the warmth of the liquid turn cool as the minutes tick past.

Goose bumps raise on my neck, and a knot that I can’t swallow is lodged in my throat. My feet are frozen frozen frozen on the ground, and I can’t move.

Their eyes are open and lifeless, although they stare at me.

They see me.

Yet they see nothing.

I can’t breathe.

My lips are ice, just like theirs.

My heart is pounding and racing and stuttering, and I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t breathe.

“Corinne. You’re safe here. Corinne.”

And just like that, I’m not there.

I’m here.

“There was blood all over me.” My words are stilted and fragile, like glass.

I stare at my hand, and even though it’s clean now, I see it as it was seventeen years ago, covered in the blood of two souls…souls that were living and that aren’t anymore. It’s hard to wrap my mind around. First they were breathing, and then they weren’t. It happened in a split second. I inhale shakily.

“Think about that moment,” the doctor instructs. “Who can you see?”

I think on that. “Melanie is next to me on the floor. Her head is bleeding into a pool. There is so much blood that it looks black.” I close my eyes, because it had been the first time I’d seen blood like that, and it terrified me. “Joe is on the bed. His blood is splattered all over the wall. Both of them have their eyes open.”

Staring at me.

The emotions welling up in me are like a wave, swelling, swelling, swelling…until I can’t handle it anymore. The horror and the guilt and the pain are just too much.

“I can’t do this,” I blurt out. “I’m done for the day.”

Dr. Phillips looks at me, and he’s calm and detached.

“Corinne, why are you here?”

I pause. What a stupid question. “You know why I’m here.”

I hate it when they treat me with such condescension.

“Humor me,” he tells me. “Why are you here?”

I grit my teeth and look away.

He waits.

“You’re saying that I tried to hurt myself. But I wouldn’t do that.”

I look at him now, and he’s so fucking emotionless. I look down at my left wrist, at the bandage covering up the stiches.

“I wouldn’t,” I insist again. “I’m a fucking physician. I wouldn’t have cut my wrist horizontally. If I really wanted to hurt myself, I would’ve known to cut vertically along the vein.”

I finger the gauze. Beneath it, the cut throbs, evidence of something I don’t remember doing.

“I’m not crazy,” I add. And I don’t know if I’m trying to convince Dr. Phillips, or myself.

“You’re not crazy.” He nods. “But you’ve experienced a mental break. You’re here because you need to deal with the causal underlying issue so that it won’t happen again. Right?”

He’s a fucking asshole.

I stare at the wall. At the whiteness, at the sterility.

“You need some plants in here,” I tell him, avoiding the question. “Greenery puts patients at ease. All this blankness…it’s maddening.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says wryly. “Corinne…”

I interrupt. “Dr. Cabot,” I tell him. “I’ve earned it.”

“Dr. Cabot,” he corrects himself. “You’re right. You’ve earned it. You worked a long time to finish medical school and your residency. You’re a top ER physician. You have a life envied by everyone around you. You’ve got to take care of yourself, so you can protect this life you’ve built.”

I close my eyes. Behind my eyelids, it’s dark and safe. It’s black and warm.

“Protect it from what?” I whisper.

“You tell me,” he answers. “You’ve got something inside of you that is triggered now, something that creates panic and a fight-or-flight response. We know what your father did so long ago. What we don’t know is why…or what damage it has caused in you, damage that seems to be affecting you now.”

“I don’t know either,” I say helplessly, my eyes opening to the white walls again. “I can’t remember. I never could. You know that.”

“I know.” Dr. Phillips nods again, and he tries to be so fucking comforting. “You have a history of dissociative behavior. You blocked out what your father did so long ago, and it stands to reason that your brain has developed that as a defense mechanism. It’s doing it again now. If we don’t get to the bottom of why your memories are being triggered now, after all of these years…you’ll never have peace. Do we agree on that?”

Reluctantly, I nod.

“So we have to start at the beginning. You have to stay here and focus.”

Anger flares in me, red and hot, and I stare him down. He doesn’t blink and neither do I.

“Focus?” I ask him, and my words are sharp and I wish they would cut him. “You think it’s as simple as sitting down and focusing? How dare you sit there and tell me what to do, when you have no idea what it’s like?”

I stand up to leave, but the psychiatrist’s next sentence holds me in my place, freezing me.

“Corinne, you promised Jude you’d try.”

Jude.

My beautiful, understanding Jude.

I swallow hard. I did promise. And I have to follow through, even though the pain it causes me is immeasurable. I owe it to him. I’ll do it for him. Not for this psychiatrist, but for Jude.

My body folds back into the seat, and I finger the medical bracelet circling my right wrist. Corinne Elizabeth Cabot, Female. It’s me, condensed into one stark sentence, yet I’m a stranger to myself right now. That’s why I’m here. I don’t know myself or my thoughts. My memories are foreign, blocked, nightmarish, out of control.

“Fine.” There’s nothing else I can say.

Dr. Phillips is quietly triumphant. “Let’s begin again. Take a deep breath and close your eyes.”

I do, drawing the cool air in a rush over my teeth, expanding my lungs and holding it, before I let it slowly exhale. I do it again, then again.

“Think back to that night, Dr. Cabot. Stand in that room. Tell me where your father is.”

I envision it, I see it in my mind like it was yesterday. My father in his bloody steel-toed boots. “He’s on the porch, waiting for the police to come.”

“He left you alone in the house with two dead bodies?”

“Yes.”

“He didn’t try to run?”

“No.”

“Okay. What did you do then?” my doctor asks me calmly, unfazed by the ugliness of my story.

“I was stunned. I think I was in shock. My hand was bleeding.”

Dr. Phillips looks at my hand, because I’m stroking the scar now, an unconscious nervous tic that I often do when I’m anxious. “What happened to your hand?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Is there a lot that you don’t remember from that night?”

“Yes. You know that.”

“Yes, I do,” he acknowledges. “So you’re standing in the middle of a bloody crime scene because your father left you alone. What did you do then, Corinne?”

“I looked out the window,” I tell him. “I was frozen. I couldn’t move. My feet felt like concrete and I was afraid if I moved, my heart would explode. So I took deep breaths. I watched the trick-or-treaters walking by. I looked at the blood on my shoe. I looked at the jack-o’-lanterns that were lit on porches, and the ghosts hanging in the trees. There was a full moon. There was light on my shoulders.”

“Anything else?”

“I stared at the street sign on the corner. All Hallows Lane.”

“That’s ironic,” the doctor points out needlessly.

“Yes.”

“How long did you stand there?” His question is quiet.

“Until they came and took me away.”

_____________________________________________

5Star+

It’s been quite awhile since I have had the pleasure of not only reading an intense psychological thriller but also a novel written by Courtney Cole. Courtney Cole is writing under the pseudo name of Courtney Evan Tate to explore the darker nature of her imaginations. No matter what name she is writing under she delivers an outstanding reading experience.

On the surface it looks like Dr. Corrine Cabot has an enchanted life.  She is a successful and overworked ER Physician but highly respected in her field.  She has the perfect husband, who not only respects her career but loves her deeply. Together they have built the perfect life and perfect dream home.  All of that is just a camouflage covering up the real truth of Corrine’s dark past.

Corrine has blocked the violent, dark past from her memories but now they are starting to surface. As the memories start to surface, ghosts start appearing.  Her perfectly structured life begins to fall to pieces.  Her wonderful husband is beginning to show his true colors. As her life begins to unravel and the bloody truths begin to surface, Corinne is breaking into pieces.  She has to face the truth of her dark past before it’s too late.

Such Dark Things held me captive. I read this book in one sitting. Courtney did a wonderful job slowly building a hair raising thriller that would make a fantastic movie. I hope she continues to write this genre of fiction. She has a true talent.

I highly recommend reading Such Dark Things by Courtney Evan Tate!

___________________________________________________

 

About Courtney Evan Tate:

Courtney Evan Tate is the nom de plume for New York Times bestselling author, Courtney Cole. Courtney Evan Tate is her darker side… the side that explores shadowy places.

Courtney lives in Florida with her husband and kids. She has a passion for raising drug addiction awareness, the Marine Corp (her middle son is a Marine) and being introspective on the human condition.

To learn more about her, you can visit www.courtneycolewrites.com.

 

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Cover Reveal: Disgrace by Brittany C. Cherry

Posted on by
Reply

DISGRACE COVER REVEAL2.jpg

Disgrace, an all-new emotional standalone from Brittainy C. Cherry is coming April 26th and we have the gorgeous new cover!

bcherry-disgrace-amazon.jpg

Disgrace by Brittainy C. Cherry

Release Date: April 26th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer: QuirkyBird Designs

Photographer: Rafa Garcia

Model: Christian Balic

Synopsis:

Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again.

After seventeen years together, he walked away from me, and into the arms of another.

I didn’t know how to cope. I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t know how to exist without him by my side.

All I wanted was for him to come back to me.

Then, Jackson Emery appeared.

He was supposed to be a distraction for my mind. A summer fling. A confidence boost to my bruised heart.

We were perfect for one another, because we both knew we wouldn’t last. Jackson didn’t believe in commitment, and I no longer believed in love. He was too young for me, and I was too damaged for him.

Everything was fine, until one night my heart skipped a beat.

I didn’t expect him to make me laugh. To make me think. To make my sadness somewhat disappear.

When our time was up, my heart didn’t know how to walk away.

Each day I prayed for my husband to love me again, yet slowly my prayers began to shift toward the man who wasn’t right for me.

I prayed for one more smile, one more kiss, one more laugh, one more touch…

I prayed for him to be mine.

Even though I knew his heart wasn’t destined to love.

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2o8Xslh

About the Author:

Hi! I’m Brittainy! Join me as we travel through my mind as a Romance Author. This includes such things as my random thoughts, tricks, tips, things I’m learning, things I’m re-learning, things I’m forgetting, and my weird ways of crafting stories.

Connect with Brittainy:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrittainyCherryAuthor/

Twitter: @BrittainyCherry

Stay up to date with Brittainy by signing up for her newsletter:

https://goo.gl/VOg4l8

https://brittainycherry.wordpress.com