Excerpt Reveal: Hit The Spot by J. Daniels – Dirty Deeds Series – Book 2

Posted on 11/16/2016 by shellbellereads

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Is this love or just a game?

Tori Rivera thinks Jamie McCade is rude, arrogant, and worst of all . . . the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on. His reputation as a player is almost as legendary as his surfing skills. No matter how her body heats up when he’s around, she’s determined not to be another meaningless hookup.

Jamie McCade always gets what he wants. The sickest wave. The hottest women. And Tori, with her long legs and smart mouth, is definitely the hottest one. He knows Tori wants him-hell, most women do-but she won’t admit it. After months of chasing and one unforgettable kiss, it’s time for Jamie to raise the stakes.

Jamie promises that soon Tori won’t just want him in her bed, she’ll be begging for it-and he might be right. Somehow he’s found the spot in her heart that makes her open up like never before. But with all she knows about his past, can she really trust what’s happening between them? Is Jamie playing for keeps or just playing to win?

This book can be read as a stand-alone.

Book 1–Four Letter Word

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU | B&N | KOBO | KOBO UK | iBOOKS

iBOOKS UK | iBOOKS AU | Audio

EXCERPT

Tori froze a foot away, blinking at me. She didn’t speak. If she had a reason for coming in here, it looked like that reason just left her. She seemed lost.
“Legs,” I probed, when she kept with the staring and not speaking routine.
“Mm?”
“What are you doin’ in here, babe?”
I had no fucking idea what was going on, but unless Tori wanted to watch some chick grind all over me, she needed to get what she came for and step out.
She wet her lips. I watched her neck work with a swallow.
“You showed me your dick,” she stated.
I felt my mouth twitch. Fuck yeah. Breathing a laugh, I relaxed back onto the bench, arms spread behind me and hands gripping the black leather cushion. I tipped my head to the side. “See that impression is stickin’,” I said. “What’s that got to do with this?”
“You showed me your dick after I flashed you. That was your move.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. What the fuck was she getting at?
Tori smiled. Her sin-colored lips stretching slow. “This is mine,” she said, lifting her shoulders as if this shit she was declaring wasn’t a big deal, which it sure as fuck was.
This is hers…Oh, fuck me.
Fuck. Me.
Tori moved closer. Whatever smirk I was wearing pulled from my mouth. That pressure built again, in my chest and lower. I shifted on the bench.
“Legs,” I warned, my voice vibrating in my throat as I watched her walk toward me. “What’d I say about takin’ this shit places you can handle? Did you think this through?”
I was willing to bet she didn’t. If she had and knew how this could play out, with her bent over and me buried deep, she wouldn’t be back here.
“Shh.” Tori stopped in front of my knees. “If we talk, I won’t go through with this,” she admitted, sounding anxious. “And I doubt you’d be chattin’ up the girl who was supposed to be in here, so quit it. Just sit there. Shut up. And keep your hands to yourself.”
“You know what you’re doin’?” I asked, looking up at her. “’Cause in this room I’m allowed to touch, babe. Rules are out there.” I tipped my chin at the door, keeping her gaze. “Not in here. In here, I’m participatin’. You don’t like that deal, you better quit now and think of another move, ’cause the second you start takin’ shit off, Legs, I’m on you.”
“Then I guess I don’t need to worry,” Tori shot back, speaking with confidence and smiling again. The fuck did that mean? My brow tightened. “Say again?”
“I don’t need to worry ’cause I’m not taking anything off, meaning you won’t be on me. I’m just dancing.”
I stared at her for a beat. Then a laugh rumbled in my chest as I thought about how fucked she was.
“What?” she asked, tilting her head all cute. “This is a really good move.”
“Know it is. Not laughing ’cause of that.”
“Then why are you laughing?” She brought her hands to her hips and studied me, looking on the verge of an attitude. Her eyes narrowed. “If you think I need to take my clothes off to win this bet, then you are mistaken, Jamie McCade. I know how you feel about me in this uniform. This is gonna kill you.”
“Legs, hate to tell you this, but you’re wrong, babe. You gotta worry.”
“And why’s that?”
I dropped my arms and sat forward, elbows resting on my thighs. “You start dancin’ on me and I’m touching you,” I promised, watching her blink. “You start dancin’ anywhere in this room and I’m touching you. You don’t gotta strip, babe. I just threw that out there ’cause that’s where I thought this was headed. Telling me you’re makin’ a move and you’re makin’ it in a strip club, figured you’d be taking shit off, but honest to God, it don’t matter. Like I said before, rules are out there. Not in here. Only way I’m keeping my hands to myself is if I’m fuckin’ dead.”
“These are my rules,” Tori countered, bending down to get closer. “And unless you want me to holler out for my new friend with the gold tooth who looks like he eats narcissistic assholes for breakfast, I suggest you follow them, Jamie.”
I chuckled, knowing who she was talking about. Dude made sure I was clear on a few things before letting me back in here.
Something I wasn’t sharing with Legs. “And what are these rules, babe?” I asked.
She straightened and snapped, “I already told you. Sit there and shut up.” Tori put her hand on my shoulder and shoved, pushing me back until I was pressing against the bench again. Then keeping her grip there, she swung her knee up, braced it on the leather, and lowered herself onto my lap, lifting her other knee and boxing me in with it.
I pulled in breath through my nose and curled my hands into fists on the cushion. “And the touching?” I asked, voice strained as I stared at the shape of her tits.
They grew closer as she leaned forward, her hands shifting to hold on behind me, and my gaze snapped up to meet hers when her face got an inch away.
“Beg for it,” she whispered.
My eyes flickered wider. Hers brightened with impending victory.
No shit. Tori was gonna let me touch, but I had to call it. I had to let her win.
I had to fucking beg.
Jesus.
Why’d she have to be so good at this shit?
I steadied my gaze, telling her as my head tilted back, “Think I’ll just enjoy the ride.”

hts-teaser-5

J.Daniels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sweet Addiction series, the Alabama Summer series, and the Dirty Deeds series.

She would rather bake than cook, she listens to music entirely too loud, and loves writing stories her children will never read. Her husband and children are her greatest loves, with cupcakes coming in at a close second.

J grew up in Baltimore and resides in Maryland with her family.

Sign up to receive her newsletter and get special offers and exclusive release info: http://authorjdaniels.com/newsletter/

Excerpt Reveal: Someone Like You by Lauren Layne

Posted on 11/16/2016 by shellbellereads

A man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

Oxford #3

Lauren Layne

Releasing Dec 6th, 2016

Loveswept

Lauren Layne’s bestselling Oxford Series
continues with the poignant, heartwarming story of New York’s most eligible
bachelor, Lincoln Mathis, a man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes
away the pain.

Lincoln Mathis doesn’t hide his reputation as
Manhattan’s ultimate playboy. In fact, he cultivates it. But behind every
flirtatious smile, each provocative quip, there’s a secret that Lincoln’s
hiding from even his closest friends—a tragedy from his past that holds his
heart quietly captive. Lincoln knows what he wants: someone like Daisy
Sinclair, the sassy, off-limits bridesmaid he can’t take his eyes off at his
best friend’s wedding. He also knows that she’s everything he can never have.

After a devastating divorce, Daisy doesn’t need
anyone to warn her off the charming best man at her sister’s wedding. One look
at the breathtakingly hot Lincoln Mathis and she knows that he’s exactly the
type of man she should avoid. But when Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret,
she realizes there’s more to the charming playboy than meets the eye. And
suddenly Daisy and Lincoln find their lives helplessly entwined in a journey
that will either heal their damaged souls . . . or destroy them forever.

Advance praise for Someone Like You

“Fun and flirty, sassy and steamy, with a deep
emotional pull that will keep you turning the pages.”—Kelly Jamieson, author
of Top Shelf

“An unsung hero with a story that touched my heart. Emotional and
gripping. A top favorite of 2016 for me.”—New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland

Daisy took another sip of her wine, watching as wedding guests took their places on the dance floor, warding off her boredom by trying to guess how long each couple had been together based on body language.

She was a little amused to see that Emma and all of her Stiletto friends still seemed to be in the handsy honeymoon stage with their significant others, even though she knew they’d mostly been with their respective spouses for years.

Daisy felt a little twist of her heart. Once upon a time, she’d thought that’d be her and Gary. As much in love on someone else’s wedding day as they had been on their own. At least she’d been in love on that day. She wasn’t sure someone like Gary knew what love was.

Still, she was glad to be here. Glad to be surrounded by all of this happiness, even if it was bittersweet. Daisy wished her father could be here to see this. He’d died of a heart attack a year ago, and though their dad had wreaked plenty of havoc on Emma and Cassidy’s relationship all those years ago, Daisy wished he could have walked Emma down the aisle and had a chance at the father-daughter dance.

The way it had worked out was rather lovely, though. Cole Sharpe, yet another Oxford writer, had walked Emma down the aisle, and a whole slew of the Oxford guys had twirled a laughing Emma around the dance floor in place of the father-daughter dance.

It struck Daisy that this was Emma’s family. Sure, the twins were close, but they were orphans now, and they’d never been particularly close to the rest of their extended family. So Emma had built a family here in New York, with a network of tight-knit friendships.

And though Daisy was happy for Emma she was also . . . jealous.

“I hate to break it to you, pet, but you’re pulling off the wallflower routine a little too convincingly over here.”

Daisy turned, somehow unsurprised to see Lincoln Mathis standing beside her, blue eyes twinkling above the pink bow tie that he pulled off with impressive masculinity.

“You cheated,” she said, by way of greeting.

He smiled, slow and flirty, as he rested one shoulder against the wall she was leaning on, looking down at her. “How’s that?”

“You made them laugh and cry in your speech. I thought we agreed that you were just going to be the funny guy.”

He smiled wider. “What can I say, I’m alluring in a multitude of ways.”

“Speaking of,” she said, nodding her chin slightly to the sultry brunette making her way towards them, “I believe your previous dance partner is wanting an encore.”

He let out the subtlest of groans, so quiet she thought she might have imagined it.

“Dance with me,” he said suddenly to Daisy, straightening and looking down at her.

She jolted in surprise, then in panic. “I can’t.”

He smiled and held out a hand. “Come on now, Wallflower. I’m very good at dancing.”

Wallflower. Daisy had never been a wallflower in her life. Although he had a point. She did seem to be lurking in the corner a bit. She silently scolded herself. This was everything she’d been coaching herself not to do. Not to let Gary win . . .

“I don’t doubt your dancing prowess,” she replied saucily, “but—”

She broke off. What could she possibly say? I don’t like being touched?

It’s not that she couldn’t be touched. She wasn’t that broken. She didn’t freak out. She’d endured Cassidy’s hug when she’d greeted him last night; she’d danced earlier with her uncle. But those men were family.

Lincoln Mathis was . . . not family.

Dance with him, she commanded herself. Don’t be that broken woman Gary tried to make you.

She didn’t move, and slowly Lincoln’s hand dropped to his side, just as the brunette reached them.

“I love this song,” the woman said, running a possessive hand up Lincoln’s arm. “Dance?”

Lincoln held Daisy’s gaze and she shrugged before blowing him a teasing good-bye kiss. “Bye bye.”

His eyes narrowed. “Actually,” Lincoln said, turning and giving the other woman a regretful smile, “I need to step out for a moment.”

The woman’s perfectly shaped brows folded into a frown. “Step out? For what?”

“I need to show Daisy something,” he said, bending and kissing the other woman’s cheek. “Next time, love.”

Before Daisy could register that she’d been commandeered as part of Lincoln Mathis’s escape, he’d plucked the champagne flute out of her hand, setting it aside before clasping her fingers in his and pulling her toward the door.

“Wait, we’re really leaving?” she asked with a laugh as he tugged her through the throng of wedding guests.

“Yep.”

“I can’t,” she said. “It’s my sister’s wedding, I have family here, and . . .”

“But you want to leave,” he said, turning and facing her.

She narrowed her gaze. “Why would I want that?”

He met her eyes. “Because you don’t like weddings any more than I do.”

Lauren
Layne is the USA Today bestselling
author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with
her husband (who was her high school sweetheart–cute, right?!) and plus-sized
Pomeranian.In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time
writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would
carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review : Split by JB Salsbury

Posted on 11/15/2016 by shellbellereads

Split

By JB Salsbury

Buy: Amazon / B & N / IBooks / Kobo

Synopsis

JB Salsbury is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has captivated readers around the world. Her unforgettable new novel is a story of romance and suspense, with a twist no one will see coming . . .

What do you do when you wake up with no memory of what you did last night?

Lucas spent the first half of his life protecting himself from others, but now his own mind is his biggest enemy. He doesn’t know what happens when the blackouts overtake him, but he can recall the feelings—the rage, the confusion, the fear. Thankfully the quiet life he’s found in Payson, Arizona has kept the darkness at bay. Until his boss’s estranged daughter shows up in town, asking questions she shouldn’t and sparking a desire Lucas can’t control. Getting close to Shyann is the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but when his blackouts return, unleashing the truth he’s battled so long to hide, he may just lose her forever . . .

Excerpt

“You can’t jump.”

She narrows her eyes on me. “Of course I can.”

“Is it safe?”

My grip on her grows tighter and she steps close enough that I can feel the heat of her breasts brush against my ribs. “Lucas, do you trust me?”

“No.” The word comes out on a shaky whisper.

A gentle grin softens her face and with both her hands she works to relax my hold enough for her to slip free. Seconds later she turns, takes four long strides, and disappears off the rock cliff.

A holler that can only be described as guttural exhilaration echoes off the canyon walls and slices through the trees.

I race to the edge and there’s nothing but a circle of white bubbles marring the once shimmering pond.

I wait for her to surface, and just when I’m about to jump in and rescue her, her head pops up out of the water with a feral howl.

“That was amazing!” She waves at me. “The water is perfect!”

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I allow myself a moment to wonder what it would be like to be as free as Shyann. Everything I do is weighed against the danger of doing it. The threat of blacking out always pulling me back to walk the safer, less risky side of any situation. But something about her makes me want to try harder, makes me want to take a risk like other twenty-five-year-old guys. The sound of her squealing lights a fire in my chest that has me wanting to jump.

Risking a blackout might be worth the few seconds of euphoria I haven’t felt since…I can’t remember.

I think of backing away and yelling for her to meet me at the truck, but something pulls me toward her. Part of me wonders if it’s nothing more than wanting to be close, to keep her safe, because she belongs to Mr. Jennings and I owe him. But even as the thought enters my mind, so does another.

I want her to like me.

I want her to see me as brave.

I want to know what it’s like to be normal.

Michel’s Review

Wow… Split by JB Salsbury was fantastic. It was different from the run of the mill cookie cutter romances. The broken hero suffers from multiple personality disorder. The heroine is accepting of both personalities. She looks beyond the surface to see the man that is surviving the only possible way that he can after the life he has led.

A beautiful love story that is filled with compassion and sensitivity. A thought provoking novel that gives the reader more than a romance. To complete the package the author adds a mystery and explosive conclusion.

JB Salsbury delivered a compelling novel that kept me glued to the pages. I highly recommend this book!

_______________________________________________

New York Times bestselling author JB Salsbury spends her days lost in a world of budding romance and impossible obstacles. Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. Since 2013 she has published six bestselling novels in The Fighting Series and won a RONE Award. JB Salsbury lives with her husband and two kids in Phoenix, Arizona.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

Release Blitz + Review + Giveaway: Life As We Know It by J. D. Holyfield

Posted on 11/14/2016 by shellbellereads

Life As We Know It

By J. D. Hollyfield

Buy: Amazon / Amazon UK / B & N / ITunes

Synopsis

Life has not been easy for Penelope Summers. Specifically, the last month, when her high-profile boyfriend dumped her, her indecent exposure record surfaced, and her favorite thing in the world, tequila, failed her.

Good thing for Penelope, she has her best friend to pick her up, and take her on the vacation of a lifetime. A seven-day cruise that will change the direction of her downward spiral. But will that spiral shift in the direction Penelope needs? Or will it throw her into a bigger whirlwind of trouble?

With Reckless Abandon as her motto, tequila as her wingman, and a hot one-night stand as her much needed reward, will the tables finally turn for Penelope, or will life as she knows it continue to fail her?

Sometimes you just have to ride the wave of crazy to find out.

Excerpt

He’s staring at me with those eyes. Those scorching eyes screaming want in all sorts of languages.

“I am going to ask you this once, and if you say no, I will not ask again. But I think you and I may be on the same page here. So here it goes. Would you like to get out of here and continue this in my room?”

Wait, what was that? Sorry, I couldn’t hear the question over the sounds of Jackpot baby!

Right now, I am going to admit that I’m about to make some impromptu decisions. I only live once. And I deserve this. I deserve to get banged beyond belief by this totally hot guy. If he wants a ride, I swear to all that’s mighty I am going to give it to him. I may wake up and realize this was a huge error in my judgment, but right now I couldn’t care less. I will never see him again so who cares. My vagina has already started walking to his room, so I might as well just catch up with her.

“Yeah. Let’s get outta here.”

Tracey’s Review

Penelope Summers is not having the time of her life. In a job she hates and recently dumped by her jerk of an ex, Penny decides to get back to being the live-in-the-moment, seize the day kind of girl that she used to be. Taking her best friend and going on the vacation that she had originally planned for her and Mr. Wrong seems like just the ticket, and, sure enough, this is one trip that will change everything. Life as Penny knows it is about to get turbo-charged, and in only the best ways.

Although this is the fourth book in the Love Not Included series by author J.D. Hollyfield, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT is my first time reading this author. This is a sexy, funny, romantic romp of a book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are larger than life, and, if half the things that happened to them happened to me, man, life surely would be interesting!

Penny just cannot seem to catch a break. Only semi-devastated by the end of her relationship, it doesn’t take much for Penny’s best friend and partner in crime to encourage her to live a little, and a Caribbean cruise beckons like a siren call. A night of drinking and dancing leads to a morning after of epic proportions, but putting it in her past would be too easy, and Penny doesn’t have that sort of luck. Imagine her surprise at finding that her cruise trip fling (and, oh, my, what a fling he is!) is her new customer. Awkard, much?

Ah, Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam. Sam Dresden is the book boyfriend that makes other book boyfriends look bad. Smart, self-made, philanthropic, he is all of these things. Also completely and utterly into our girl Penny, yes, indeed. The air between these two is pretty stinking charged all of the time, and, phew, the sexy times, oh, y’all. You’ll need to have a fan on standby, because they are H.O.T.

Besides the over-the-top chemistry between Sam and Penny, I really enjoyed the subplot in this book. Sort of cloak and daggery, and complete with the evil Dragon Lady, it helped make LIFE AS WE KNOW IT more than your typical love story. This is an easy 4-stars for me, and I look forward to reading more of J.D.’s books. If you’re a fan of hijinks, antics, and over-the-top sexy, add this one to your TBR and enjoy.

***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***

_____________________________________

Creative designer, mother, wife, writer, part time superhero…

J.D. Hollyfield is a creative designer by day and superhero by night. When she is not trying to save the world one happy ending at a time, she enjoys the snuggles of her husband, son and three doxies. With her love for romance, and head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own story to life.

Life in a Rut, Love not Included is her Debut Novel. J.D. Hollyfield lives in the Midwest, and is currently at work on blowing the minds of readers, with the additions to the Love not Included series, along with her charm, humor and HEA’s.

STALK J.D.: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

*****

GIVEWAY

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Excerpt Reveal: Fire In You by Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn – Wait For You Series – Book 6

Posted on 11/14/2016 by shellbellereads

Some are born with fire in them.

✮✮✮READERS OF THE #1 NYT BESTSELLING WAIT FOR YOU SAGA REJOICE! FIRE IN YOU is coming! SECOND CHANCES, HOPE, & RED-HOT CHEMISTRY… Don’t Miss Brock and Jillian’s passionate and richly moving story in this standalone contemporary romance releasing November 28, 2016! ✮✮✮

Check out the excerpt below and preorder your copy today!

fire-in-you-cover

About FIRE IN YOU (Standalone Contemporary Romance Releasing November 28, 2016):

From the # 1 New York Times and International bestselling author comes a richly moving story about heartbreak and guilt, second chances and hope. Full of familiar, fan-favorite characters and no two people more deserving of a happy ending, Fire In You will burn bright beyond the last page…

Jillian Lima’s whole world was destroyed in a span of a few hours. The same night her childhood love, Brock ‘the Beast’ Mitchell, broke her heart, her life was irrevocably altered by the hand of a stranger with a gun. It takes six years to slowly glue together the shattered pieces of her life, but Jillian is finally ready to stop existing in a past full of pain and regret. She takes a job at her father’s martial arts Academy and she’s going out on her first date since a failed relationship that was more yuck than yum. Jillian is determined to start living.

She just never expected Brock to be a part of her life again. But he’s firmly back in her life before she knows it, and not only is he older, he’s impossibly more handsome, more teasing and more everything. And when he sees Jillian, he’s no longer capable of thinking of her as the little girl who was his shadow growing up or the daughter of the man who gave him a second chance at life. He sees the woman who’d always been there for him, the one person who believed in him no matter what.

Brock knows she’s the one he should’ve made his, and what begins as a tentative friendship quickly turns to red-hot chemistry that sparks a flame that burns brighter than lust. Falling for Brock again risks more than her heart, because when the sorrow-filled and guilt-ridden past resurfaces, and a web of lies threatens to rip them apart, the fallout could lay waste to everything they’ve fought to build together, and destroy the dreams of those they care most about.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Pre-Order a digital or paperback copy of FIRE IN YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout, writing as J.Lynn, AND fill out THIS FORM, and get an exclusive bonus scene-an Epilogue featuring POVs from all the major couples throughout the Wait For You World!

FIRE IN YOU will be available in paperback and eBook November 28th, 2016!

Just enter your name, age, email address, and the order number from your digial or paperback pre-order receipt at https://a.pgtb.me/M7KhMCto receive your exclusive FIRE IN YOU bonus scene! All entrants will receive the bonus scene on December 5th, 2016 through email using the email given when the entrant filled out THIS FORM.

fire-in-you-excerpt-reveal-teaser

EXCERPT:

Brock’s gaze flickered over my face and the line of his jaw softened. “It’s been a really long time since you and I have sat and talked to one another. I know you have every reason to hate me. I don’t blame you.”

“I don’t hate you.” That twisting motion in my chest picked up. What I had said was true. Maybe at one point I did. Okay. I’m sure I had, but I’d never been one to hate anyone. It just wasn’t in me. Well, I hated plenty of fictional characters, but some people would claim they didn’t count. I drew in a shallow breath and repeated, “I don’t hate you.”

Brock was still as he stared at me, a flicker of surprise and relief mingling across his chiseled features. “I’m…I’m glad to hear that.”

I pushed all that mess aside and focused. “Why are you even the GM? You’ve probably made enough money to live a very, very long time without having to worry about a paycheck.”

“I have. When I retired from professional fighting two years ago, I could’ve lived quite comfortably for the rest of my life.”

I wanted to ask why he’d retired so young. At his age, he still had a couple of more years left, but I resisted the urge. “So why take this job?”

A frown started to appear. “Do you really need to ask me that?” Before I could respond, he lifted a hand, thrusting his fingers through his hair as he said, “Your father saved my life. That’s not an exaggeration. You know that. If it hadn’t been for him, I would’ve died on those streets. The Academy became my life and it is a part of me. This company is important to me, and even if I’m not fighting, representing the Academy, I still need to be a part of it.”

Lowering my gaze, I squirmed in my chair. Of course I knew that. No matter what had happened, that would’ve never changed for him.

“I love scouting, looking for fresh talent,” he continued. “As the GM, I can still do that. I can give back to your father for everything he did for me. I need to do that. Especially considering how badly I let him down.”

“How in the world did you let my father down?” I asked, genuinely curious. “You’ve won championships for him. Brought so much attention to the—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Tone serious, he held my gaze. “You never told him why you were at Mona’s that night.”

I stilled.

“If you had, he would’ve—”

My eyes snapped to his. “Brock.”

“And I would’ve deserved everything I had coming to me,” he continued, leaning forward. “And the only reason why I never told him you were there because of me was because you made me promise not to.”

Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips together. I had made him promise not to say a word. I’d begged him, because I knew what would happen if he’d been honest. Brock would’ve lost everything.

The knot was back, expanding in my throat. I couldn’t sit here and think and talk about these kinds of things if I was going to be able to make this job work. Curling my hands together, I opened my eyes. “What happened back then has nothing to do with now. It can’t.”

Brock leaned back and straightened.

“And I don’t want to talk about it,” I continued, struggling to keep my voice steady. “We don’t need to talk about any of that for us to work together.”

He was silent for a moment, his body deviously relaxed, but he was like a coiled cobra, and could strike at any moment. “I don’t agree with that, but I’ll let it go.”

Some of the tension seeped out of my shoulders even though I had a feeling there was an unspoken “for now” at the end of what he said. “That’s all, then? I would like to get my office set up and get to work.”

Brock nodded and pushed off the desk. Walking around it, he scanned the paperwork on his desk. “I do believe we have a meeting today with the sales team. Two o’clock.”

“Sounds good.” I rose on oddly shaky legs and turned to the door. Everything felt surreal.

“Jillian.”

Stopping, I faced him. “Yes?”

His shoulders rose with a deep breath as his gaze drifted over my face once more, and I wondered what he thought about how I looked now. “I really want this to work for us, Jillian,” he said, and I felt the very sharp twisting motion in my chest give one powerful stab. “It’s a second chance for us.”

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: Managed by Kristen Callihan – VIP Series – Book 2

Posted on 11/14/2016 by shellbellereads

Managed

VIP Series – Book 2

By Kristen Callihan

It started off as a battle of wits. Me: the ordinary girl with a big mouth against Him: the sexy bastard with a big…ego.

I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I was upgraded to first class on my flight to London.

That is until HE sat down next to me. Gabriel Scott: handsome as sin, cold as ice. Nothing and no one gets to him. Ever. He’s a legend in his own right, the manager of the biggest rock band in the world, and an arrogant ass who looks down his nose at me.

I thought I’d give him hell for one, long flight. I didn’t expect to like him. I didn’t expect to want him. But the biggest surprise? He wants me too. Only in a way I didn’t see coming.

If I accept his proposal, I leave myself open to falling for the one man I can’t manage. But I’m tempted to say yes. Because the real man beneath those perfect suits and that cool façade just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I just might be the only one who can melt the ice around his heart.

Let the battle begin…

AMAZON | iBooks | B&N | KOBO | Paperback

I stroll toward the bedroom but come to an abrupt halt at the threshold. For a second, I can only gape at the sight that greets me. It’s so shocking, I turn around to check whether there are cameras rolling and I’m being punked.

“Why are you looking about like that?” Gabriel drawls, not taking his eyes from the TV.

“Just checking to make sure I hadn’t wandered into an alternate reality.”

“Amusing as always, Darling.”

Who could blame me for being suspicious? Gabriel Scott is out of his suit and wearing a soft, gray long-sleeve thermal and black sweats. This is shocking enough—but at least I’ve seen it before. The fact that he’s lounging in his bed, while eating some sort of dessert out of a bowl, is what has me flabbergasted.

“You’re staring,” he says dryly as he…

“Are you watching Buffy?” My voice has a tinge of a squeal.

He rolls his eyes. “Deal with it.”

“I’m just so…” My hand flutters to my chest. “Are you sure I’m not being punked?”

A snort escapes him. “You’re not famous, so no. I, on the other hand, have my moments of doubt that you aren’t here to punk me.”

I’m so happy, I have to fight grinning like a loon as I kick off my shoes and crawl onto the end of the bed. “If I were to punk you, I’d change out all your suits for polyester.”

At that, his eyes finally slide to mine, and his skin actually pales. “That’s just cruel, Darling.”

“Stop calling me that.” I steal his spoon.

“It’s your name.”

“Are you sure that’s what you’re calling me by?” I ask suspiciously, as he moves his bowl out of reach.

“What else would I be doing?” There’s a glint in his eye that leads me to answer in a sing-song voice.

“A term of endearment? Declaring your undying lurve for me.”

His nose wrinkles. “You’re going to put me off my pudding.”

“Pudding? Is that what you’re eating?” I lunge for the bowl, but he’s too quick, and I end up sprawled across his chest.

We both go still, me clutching the spoon in one hand, my other palm pressed against the firm swell of his pec, him with one arm still outstretched, his other one pinned beneath me.

His breathing goes deep and strong as he peers down at me. My attention drifts to his lips, beautifully sculpted and softly parted. How would he kiss? Would he start off slow, taking little nibbles, testing the waters? Or would he be the type to go all in, possess my mouth with his?

Heat floods my body, fluttering through my belly.

Gabriel’s lids lower, and his breath catches.

In the background, someone is shouting Buffy’s name. It’s enough to snap me out of whatever fog that touching Gabriel has pulled me into.

“You smell like apple pie,” I whisper inanely.

His gaze darts from my mouth to my eyes. “It’s crumble. Apple crumble.”

“Why did you call it pudding?”

“It’s what we Brits call dessert.” He’s still staring at my mouth. Dessert indeed.

My lips part, sheer lust making them plump. “Give me a bite.”

With an audible swallow, he slowly takes the spoon from my hand. I don’t look away from his eyes as he scoops up a bit of the crumble.

The spoon shakes just a little. Cool metal slides over my lower lip, and hot crumble fills my mouth. I barely suppress a moan, my lips closing around the spoon as he slowly draws it back out. He grunts in response, a short, helpless sort of sound that he quickly smothers.

Michel’s Review

I have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for Managed by Kristen Callihan to release. After reading Idol, I became very intrigued with Gabriel Scott. The man was a complete mystery. On the surface he is a suave, debonair gentleman. He is an extremely organized manager for the mega rock band Kill John. He handles their professional and personal lives with complete ease and extreme competence. On the surface he seems to be unapproachable and distant. He very rarely shows his emotions. But once in a while the exterior shell slips and lets some of his emotions bleed out. Those moments prove that he is very human. He is deeply dedicated to those he cares about. He will do anything for them. The guys from Kill John take this to heart. Scotty has been their devoted friend longer than their professional manager.

A long international flight with a zany woman sitting beside him is not how the unflappable Gabriel Scott intended to travel. He despises flying. He loathes being out of control. He booked two first class seats for a reason and now this zany woman is occupying one of them.

Sophie Darling is flying to London for a job interview. She’s elated that she was bumped up to first class until the sexiest, stuffiest man sits beside her. She’s not going to let this man deter her from enjoying all the perks that come from first class. Thus begins the downfall of the unflappable Gabriel Scott.

Sophie is being interviewed by Kill John to cover their social media. She has a bad history with Kill John. Her former job working for the paps has tarnished her relations with the band. Brenna James think she’s capable of the job but it’s up to the guys and Gabriel Scott.

Sophie lands the job with Kill John. What she thought was the greatest opportunity in her life pales in comparison to the new opportunity presenting itself. She is falling in love with Gabriel Scott. He needs her brand of crazy just as she needs his brand self control.

I am not going to say much else because of spoilers. I will say these characters were perfect for each other. The yin and yang. The dialogue was fun, sassy, snarky, and thought provoking. This book had a very emotional story that was delivered with a light hearted ease that made me enjoy every aspect of the book.

It was a pure DELIGHT! It was everything and more that I was hoping for! I am head over heels in love with Gabriel Scott. I want to be Sophie Darling.

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Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

New Release + 5 Star Review: What Might Kill Us by M. N. Forgy

Posted on 11/11/2016 by shellbellereads

She’s angry, determined, and looking for a way out.

What Might Kill Us by M.N. Forgy releases November 7th!

*****

What Might Kill Us

Devil’s Dust MC Series – Book 5

By M. N. Forgy

Buy: Amazon / Amazon UK / B & N / IBooks / Kobo

Synopsis

Brotherhood is what Bull bleeds and all that he knows.

Being the king of The Devil’s Dust and surrounded by easy women was his everyday… until having his heart broke rooted him to the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

Heartbroken, and drowning in lost memories he’s unsure of the direction of his life, when the answer – consisting of a terrified Mexican girl- nearly knocks him off his feet.

Determined to get his act together and rectify his club, he rides to Texas for answers, only to be confronted with the emotional ghosts he isn’t ready to deal with.

He sees Anahi, and he wants her.

But she may come with more baggage than Bull is ready for.

Anahi used to be prim and proper. She used to wear dresses and keep up appearances to impress people she didn’t know. I guess you could say she was a fucking lady.

But that was when she lived in Mexico with her parents.

Before her uncle turned on her.

Before, the only man she ever loved, her step-brother, betrayed her.

Before she was forced to be a drug mule for the Cartel.

Evening gowns a lost memory, expensive heels traded for boots, and a nine millimeter in her hand instead of a limited edition purse. Anahi sets aside everything she’s ever known including the fairytale stories her mother told her about America.

She’s angry, determined, and looking for a way out.

Excerpt

“Bull?” my voice breathy.

“Yeah?”

“The last time I let someone close to me… it didn’t go well.”

He pecks a kiss on my erect nipple that was in his mouth seconds before.

“Anahi, Alvaro is a boy pretending to be a man, and I’m about to show you the difference between pretending and actually being,” he states matter of fact, his tone smug.

I smirk. “You’re so arrogant.”

He lifts his chin, his eyes finding mine. “Only one way to find out, darlin’,” he states wolfishly. “I’m going to fuck you to the point you’ll have to take your time sitting down afterwards, baby.”

With that, the head of his length presses into me. My back arches off the bed, an audible gasp leaving my lips. Bull pushes in another couple inches, filling me to the point I swear I can’t take anymore. The sensation of burning and bliss battling with one another I can’t help but fidget beneath him. I don’t know whether to cry or moan.

He slips in more, filling me to the brink and a cry rips up my throat. Bull presses his lips against mine, silencing my pain.

Fucking me like he hates me, but kissing me like he cares.

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Michel’s Review

What Might Kill Us by M. N. Forgy brings the Devil’s Dust MC series full circle. The war that began in What Doesn’t Destroy Us has reached it’s final battle. The Devil’s MC will finally get retribution for the loved ones they lost. They are finally going to destroy the cartel. They have paid a high price. It’s time to destroy their enemies and put the dead to rest.

Bull, the Devil’s Dust MC President, has been buried in the bottle since Babs died. He’s losing his edge and self respect. He is an alcoholic on the path to self destruction. His brothers are trying to find a way to bring Bull back to the man he once was. They still respect their fearless leader and feel his pain. Although Bull is lost in the bottle, he is still a formible opponent. He’s deadly, ruthless, and one hundred percent dedicated to his brothers.

When he’s accidentally knocked off his feet by a terrified Mexican girl and witnesses her capture, something awakens within his soul. For the first time in years he isn’t numb. What he doesn’t realize is this is the turning point in his life. This is an open door for retribution and new beginnings.

Anhi was raised to be a princess. After her parents death she was locked away with her step brother in her uncle’s compound. Her uncle is the leader of one Mexico’s most powerful cartels. She would rather stay locked away than to become a part of this evil network. Her uncle has other plans for her. Her choice is to become a mule or be sold into slavery. Her uncle uses force to get what he wants.

Once Anhi is in the states, she’s waiting for the opportunity to escape her fate. Her fate was sealed the moment her uncle forced her to transport his drugs. The one opportunity she did have failed. She was captured on the streets after she ran into a biker and lost her momentum. She has lost all hope until a biker shows up in Texas looking for drugs and answers.

Bull and Anhi are worlds apart but also tied together by one moment in time. The more information Bull uncovers in Texas seals their fate. He has finally found something more important than the bottle. This time he is going to save the girl.

M. N. Forgy gave Bull the justice he needed. She handled his addiction, his despair, and healing with great care. She showed the darkest moments as well as the elating moments. She allowed Bull to heal and become a stronger man. She also gave him a second chance at love and happiness. Well done!

________________________________________

The Devil’s Dust MC

Haven’t read this series yet?

The Devil’s MC Boxed Set

Now is your chance, grab books 1-4 for ONLY $0.99!

Buy: Amazon / Amazon UK

Synopsis

All four of the Best selling Devil’s Dust Novels, including two Novellas that were once in anthologies.

“The author easily manipulated my emotions and I enjoyed every minute.” – Amazon Reviewer

What Doesn’t Destroy Us
Shadow has grown up among drug addicts, whores and murderers. The only family he’s ever trusted has been the Devil’s Dust motorcycle club. He will do anything for a brother; even kill. In fact, killing is so easy, he’s made a career of it. His one regret is not being able to kill his own worthless mother. When Dani shows up with her provocative temper and innocent charm, Shadow begins to question his violent lifestyle. But can he trust her with his demons?

The Scars That Define Us
After a breathtaking turn of events, Shadow is looking at life in a different perspective. Not knowing who he can trust or who he can forgive has left him feeling desolate and alone. As Shadow is laying behind his rifle, he wonders if he can pull the trigger to eliminate the threat. He takes a deep breath and squeezes the trigger, the rifles recoil ignites the fuel that drives him.

The Broken Pieces Of Us
The president of the Devil’s Dust MC, Bull, is good at running women off and is even better at pissing off his brothers. When he sees the way his vice-president is treating his ol’ lady, he tries to keep his thoughts to himself. The one thing Bull insists on in his club is respect and loyalty: respect for the patch, respect for your brother, and loyalty to the club. However, after finding Babs in a harsh predicament after a run in with Locks, he can’t help but step in.
Love That Defies Us
With violent murders unfolding around the club, it has thrown town locals into a panic. What they didn’t expect was for them to get caught up in the carnage.

The Fear That Divides Us
Road Captain of the Devil’s Dust Motorcycle Club, Bobby has the scars to prove just how dangerous his life is. He gives the world he knows hell and loves every moment of it. Wearing a panty-dropping grin along the way, his fierce life has never been a problem for him, until her. Jessica is the only female who has him distracted in his game. After taking him to bed, she’s the only woman to tell him to take a hike. Waking with her gone, he can’t resist her pull. He’s seen the marks on her body, ones which tell the horrors she’s lived through. He’s also seen the fear in her eyes when she lets herself become weak to his advances. Bobby has a decision to make. Can he help Jessica, or will it mean giving up his carefree life?

The Lies Between Us
Lip is no stranger to the criminal life. Growing up among convicts, he wanted nothing more than to show his worth. He’ll do anything for the club without question, including serving six years in prison. But nobody could have predicted life’s plan. Rugged, tattooed, and wanting nothing more than to have Cherry, Lip is no longer the man whom Cherry remembers. After his release, he came out a beast with more secrets and lies than his cage could hold.

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About M. N. Forgy

M.N. Forgy was raised in Missouri where she still lives with her family. She’s a soccer mom by day and a saucy writer by night. M.N. Forgy started writing at a young age but never took it seriously until years later, as a stay-at-home mom, she opened her laptop and started writing again. As a role model for her children, she felt she couldn’t live with the “what if” anymore and finally took a chance on her character’s story. So, with her glass of wine in hand and a stray Barbie sharing her seat, she continues to create and please her fans.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Release Blitz + Excerpt : Endurance by Georgia Cates – A Sin Series Stand Alone Novel

Posted on 11/11/2016 by shellbellereads

endurance-cover

Endurance

A Sin Series Stand Alone Novel

By Georgia Cates

Buy: Amazon

endurance-cover I’m a doctor. Mobster. Killer.

My hands are covered in filth. I don’t have the right to touch anything as clean and pure as Ellison MacAllister.

I distance myself … always remaining obscure, composed, restrained.

Careful to never allow my eyes to linger too long.

Careful to hide my interest.

Careful to keep my burning desire buried beneath the surface.

I do it for her—suffer in silence—because it’s what is best for the woman I love.

And she has no idea.

She’ll be initiated as a Fellowship member soon. One of my mafia brothers will go through endurance so he’ll earn the right to claim her.

Make her his wife.

Kill. Me. Slowly.

I’m running out of time. Only a month remains before she’s beyond my reach forever.

I want to taste her. Share sleepless nights. Ride out her storm.

I want to give her the kind of nights she will still feel between her legs the next morning.

I want us to share the kind of passion that forms on our skin and drips down to saturate the sheets.

Between the sweat and the moans and the messy hair, I want her to know how hard she’s been loved.

To have her is to taint her.

I should stay away. But I won’t. I can’t.

I’m a selfish bastard.

A selfish bastard in love.

AMAZON

Prologue: Ellison’s POV

I left everything behind. Every. Thing. My possessions. My career. My friends. My past. My present.

My future.

I’ve traded my nursing clogs for rain boots. Shorts and tank tops for jackets and scarves. Sunscreen for an umbrella.

I’ve been calling bonny Scotland home for the last nine months. I spent the first five weeks living in a bubble within my sister’s domain where the criminal world known as The Fellowship didn’t exist. I believed Bleu and Sin were a normal husband and wife expecting not one, but two babies, to go along with the precious baby girl they’d adopted. They were a beautiful family. A living and breathing fairy tale in my mind. He was her rich and handsome Scottish knight in a shining black luxury sedan. She was his beautiful, badass princess who carried a Beretta . . . but still needed saving.

I envied the fuck out of them.

And then the bubble burst.

That was almost eight months ago. Everything changed. I know about the brotherhood’s world of organized crime. Or at least as much as any outsider can know without being clipped. Burned. Marbh. I don’t know what that word means but I’ve heard Sin use it with an angry tone more than once when talking to a brother. I haven’t asked but I’m pretty sure it means somebody fucked up big time and they’re about to get whacked.

Fellowship 101. Lying. Cheating. Stealing. Killing. That’s just the shortlist. I got the CliffsNotes version but it didn’t change my mind about staying in Edinburgh. Nothing will ever separate me from my sister or those precious babies.

Sin’s finally resigned to my choice to become part of the brotherhood. He agreed to let me attend an official Fellowship function tonight for the first time. The babies’ consecration—their official dedication to the brotherhood where Bleu and Sin vow to raise the children in the way of The Fellowship.

Oddly, I didn’t feel surrounded by liars, cheaters, thieves, and murderers when I was at the consecration ceremony earlier tonight. I felt the deep love The Fellowship has for Sin, Bleu, and their three babies. Their affection radiated like a fire emitting both light and warmth. It was a beautiful thing, yet one lone, uncontained spark has the power to burn down everything within its path.

My sister calls those dangerous people family.

And I will as well. Soon.

The normal procedure for someone who isn’t born into The Fellowship, but wishes to become a member, is to participate in endurance. The man wishing to join must prove he is strong enough to endure a beating that will send him so close to the gates of hell, he’ll return with singed eyebrows.

Barbaric.

The case is different for a woman. No female has ever undergone endurance. Not even my tough-as-a-muthafucking-former-FBI-agent sister. Sin voluntarily stood in her place so she wouldn’t be hurt. He was beaten to a bloody pulp so his people would accept the woman he loved as one of their own. She was the first of her kind to be adopted into the brotherhood by this method. And that’s what a man, a Fellowship brother, will have to do for me.

Bleu says it’s an act of love in its purest form. Sounds more like an act of stupidity. But apparently, a necessary idiocy if I’m to stay.

It isn’t right that some innocent man—the word innocent being used loosely—should endure that kind of suffering so I can be with my own family. But I don’t think these people really get the gist of what’s right anyway. They aren’t exactly sitting around polishing their halos.

I agree with one thing Bleu says: No man will volunteer to go through something so barbaric unless he loves me madly. Men are horny bastards, but I don’t know a one who would sign on for endurance just to get between my legs. That means he will truly love me. And no one in The Fellowship will ever question it.

I haven’t been allowed to mingle with the brothers with the exception of Jamie, Leith, and Mitch. Sin says I need to be properly introduced before that can happen. He wants the brothers to know and understand exactly who I am and how he expects them to behave toward me. He acts like the big brother I never had. I like it; it’s sweet. But I almost feel inclined to tell him it’s unnecessary. I know how to manage men even when they have no clue how to handle me. Just call me the man whisperer.

Thane and Isobel plan to throw some kind of bash at their house to introduce me to the brotherhood. Sounds very much like a matchmaking party to hook me up with a bro. But it can’t happen until this takeover thing with their enemy, The Order, is finished. That means I’m a good two months from being introduced into the fold and matched with the man who will take responsibility for me. My future husband.

All of this worry and uncertainty would be unnecessary if the beautiful man driving me home from the consecration would open his eyes and see what’s right in front of him: me, standing before him with my heart in my hands. Silent but wanting so, so, so badly to give him everything I have to offer.

Jamie Breckenridge. The blind bastard just won’t see me. But how can he when he rarely even looks my way? I’m as unnoticed as the air around him. I exist. I’m right next to him. And I’m invisible.

I’m standing on the corner of Screw This and Keep Pursuing and it’s time to choose which route I’ll take. I’m leaning toward giving up but it’s killing me. I’m Ellison MacAllister. A white flag isn’t part of my repertoire. Normally.

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gaauthor Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her iPod and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire it.

Representation: All questions regarding subsidiary rights for any of my books, inquiries regarding foreign translation and film rights should be directed to Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich.

FACEBOOK | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | WEBSITE | GOODREADS

Excerpt Reveal: Jaded Hearts by Harper Sloan

Posted on 11/10/2016 by shellbellereads

jadedhearts_frontcover_lores Signing with Brighthouse Records was supposed to be everything we ever wanted—our better life. Our chance at everything we never had but always wanted. All our dreams would finally come true and we were on top of the world. It was our chance at the happiness we never had in life.

Our every desire was at our fingertips and the power of that feeling was all consuming. But then it took every dream we thought would come true and it slapped us in the face with the cold hard reality.

Dreams were just that…something that floated on the cusp of untouchable, taunting you with every graze of your fingertips before slipping even further away.

Happiness…that feeling is a joke.

In the end it became painfully obvious that each of us would always have each other, but we would forever be alone.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Prologue

Signing with the record company of our dreams should have been the best thing that ever happened to us.

And it was…for a short while anyway.

While the glitz and glamour of the fame’s promise was shining as bright as our stage lights we could forget where we came from and live in the glory. The money bought us every happiness we ever craved. Those false securities that you think will make your life better. The instant friends, lovers—you name it—would do whatever we asked just to spend a second in our presence.

We had it all.

The only problem was when we had those quiet moments in between the insanity. When we were slapped in the face with the reality that all we really had—all we could count on—was each other.

My brother, Weston, is the only constant I’ve ever had in my life. He’s the person that I know will never let me down and will always be my biggest support. We grew up with parents that hated us. Really…it sounds ridiculous, the notion that parents could hate their children, but ours did … no, do. They made no secret of it when we were younger. And they continue to attempt to pick at our very souls like the vultures that they are.

My earliest memory of them is somewhere around third or fourth grade. That was the year that they seemed hell-bent on reminding us that we had ruined it all for them. Constant screams and verbal lashings.

According to them, they were on the edge of fame and then we came along and it all went down hill. Even now, I still can’t understand how they came up with that logic. How we were to blame for their reckless behavior. The same reckless behavior that, in reality had ruined whatever path they might have traveled. It has nothing to do with us, but to them, we were essentially their bad luck.

When we hit middle school it got worse, but only because they knew that they could leave us for long periods and we wouldn’t die.

Our parents, like us, were born to be stars…or at least they assumed they were and they had no qualms about reminding us that fact daily. Unfortunately for them, they lacked the drive and ambition to never back down until they had everything they ever wanted. The first challenge that was thrown in their path they decided to take the low road full of scavengers and sinners.

Like I said, vultures through and through.

Our dad knocked up mom in the early eighties, when big hair rock bands were all the rage and theirs was seconds away from signing the record deal that would make their careers.

Then they found out about us.

The twins that ruined it all.

And all those long nights performing in whatever local hole they could find, bouncing from town to town just waiting for their big break was washed away.

Mom was no longer the singer that men would lust over. Not when we ruined her body. And our dad was so deep in the bottle I’m not sure he realized he was swimming in it. Again, something that was blamed on us.

When their band fell apart, they decided hating us was almost easier than hating each other. They had a common goal in their blame and right or wrong, to them we would never be anything other than a reminder of why they aren’t living their dream.

Their band mates obviously didn’t share the same bond that Weston and I have with Jamison and Luke. God forbid I ever found myself in a position like my parents had been in, I know my boys would band together and the show would go on.

Because for us, this is it.

This is our future’s promise of a better life and even if for me it’s starting to look like more of a curse than a promise, it’s something that we would die before we gave up.

Unfortunately for me, I’m pretty sure that there are a few people that would love to make that happen.

I’m getting ahead of myself. You’re probably wondering who am I.

I’m no stranger to you. I’m on every magazine cover. You open social media and I guarentee you there is a spondered post about my group. Turn on the radio, boom – there we are.

I’m everywhere.

I’m Wrenlee Davenport, lead singer of Loaded Replay, and I’ve learned the hard way that there is plenty of people in the world that would love to have a piece of me, but they don’t give one shit about the person behind the voice.

They see the persona. The fake me that the record label loves to market as the sexy singer with the body of a sinner and the voice of a saint, but for me—I’m probably always going to be that stupid little girl that believes that my prince charming will come riding in on his black horse—because really, black horses are so much more badass than white ones—and prove to me that every little jaded piece of my heart is worth loving.

And he will love me for me.

For Wren.

Not the Wrenlee that, for more times than I care to admit, has to drink herself stupid just to face this fucking life I’m living.

Yeah… fame and fortune is far from everything I ever dreamed it was.

It’s my own personal hell and I pray that there’s something or someone out there that can prove to me that the world isn’t screwed because the majority of humanity is too busy licking the windows on the outside to see the beauty behind it. All they care about is what’s at face value when what matters is skin deep.

I should feel bad for prince charming. My knight in tarnished armor. Because he’ll have one giant battle on his hands to make me believe that there might be someone left out there that doesn’t just want a piece of me.

harper1 Harper is a NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL and USA TODAY bestselling author residing in Georgia with her husband and three daughters. She has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books, hibachi, tattoos and Game of Thrones. When she isn’t writing you can almost always find her with a book in hand.

Excerpt Reveal: Love Addicts Anonymous by J. C. Reed & Jackie Steele – Book 1

Posted on 11/04/2016 by shellbellereads

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love_addicts_coming_soon

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Can Vicky stay away from the one man who seems so easy to get and so hard to keep?

Love Addicts Anonymous Releases November 7th!

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Love Addicts Anonymous

Book 1

By J. C. Reed & Jackie Steele

Synopsis

Kade Wright is an expert in rocking any woman’s world.

Sexy, rich, and the type you don’t bring home to meet your mother, he has broken more hearts than he can remember, and there is no end in sight. Until one mistake lands him in boiling hot waters. When his company orders him to the LOVE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS Rehab Center, he better get his affairs in order or else he loses his seat on the company board.

Love isn’t supposed to be addictive. But for Vicky Sullivan it is.

A true romantic at heart, she comes with a bit of a stalking tendency, and is completely not adverse to commitment. But who’s Kade to judge? As someone who’s seeking commitment and afraid of never finding love, she’s the type of woman he wouldn’t usually hit on. Except, she’s hot and keeps avoiding him…yes, even after seeing his private parts naked in all their glory.

Kade isn’t known as the tall, dark and ruthless businessman for no reason. Romance isn’t in the air, more like wild between the sheets action with no expectations. Vicky’s convinced she can resist, but Kade has other plans for her.

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Excerpt

“What do you want?” I slump down on the couch, still eyeing her.

“A chat.”

“About what?”

“About ground rules.” She shrugs her shoulders. “It won’t take long,” she adds as she catches my alarmed glance. “Now that it’s clear we’re expected to share this apartment, we need to

discuss how—”

“The answer is no.” I jump to my feet again. “I didn’t come here to be told by a woman what I can or can’t do.”

“But—” She leans forward and her frown deepens. “—you haven’t heard me out yet.”

“True. But you see, I know what women want from me, and the answer is no. Are you done?” I make a point to take a step toward the door.

To be honest, I’m enjoying myself. I enjoy winding her up.

Her face distorts into anger, just as I expected. “That’s so sexist of you. You have no idea what I’ll ask of you.”

“Believe it or not, I do. You’ll want what all other women want.”

“Again, so sexist. But you’re wrong.”

No woman has ever called me a sexist. “What are you saying?”

“You got it all wrong,” she repeats.

I take a step toward her, my gaze buried in her blazing eyes. “Let me prove that I’m right. If I make a correct guess, I want you to go out with me.”

Shock crosses her features. I can see it in the way her eye widen the moment her mind processes the meaning of my words. At last, she leans back, the shock replaced with surprise. “You want to go out with me?”

Surprise and complete disbelief.

What’s so hard to believe that yes, I’d take her out to dinner and then I’d rock both the bed and her world?

“Yes,” I say slowly.

She frowns. “Why?”

“To get to know you better.” Among many things.

“We barely met half a hour ago.”

“That’s correct.” I’ve taken out women I knew for less than ten minutes, so half an hour is pretty long for me.

She frowns again, and her confusion deepens. “I don’t get it. Why would you ask me?”

“Because you’d like it.” Not just dinner, but everything else I have to offer.

“You don’t know me well enough to say that I’d like it or you.” She bites down on her lip. “I honestly don’t know why you’d ask me. Besides, there’s nowhere to go really. If you’re familiar with the renovation plans, you surely know that everything within a mile is closed.”

My smile turns into a grin. She hasn’t said no yet.

To be more precise, she’s absolutely not adverse to the idea, and she doesn’t seem to know about the “don’t fuck other patients” rule either.

“Is that the only thing you’re concerned about? That I won’t find a suitable place to take you out?”

“No.” She leans back and flips a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I’ve got another one for you. How about: my boyfriend’s waiting for me at home.”

She’s playing the boyfriend card. Haven’t heard this one in a while.

“A boyfriend I really love and never want to hurt,” she adds, her eyes challenging me. “I appreciate the offer, though. I’m sure you mean well, but really, no, thanks, I can’t.”

My lips twitch. She eyes me with mistrust. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m just playing with you,” I say. “Even if I wanted to, we couldn’t date. There are way too many rules here. Dating a fellow addict breaks a couple of them.”

She frowns as she processes my words. “Rules?”

“You didn’t know?” My smile widens at her alarmed expression.

teaser

________________________________

Meet J.C. Reed

1038781 J.C. Reed is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She writes steamy contemporary romance with a touch of mystery and suspense. When she’s not typing away on her keyboard, forgetting the world around her, you can find her chatting with her readers on Facebook.

CONTACT J.C.:

GOODREADS / FACEBOOK / WEBSITE / PRIVATE FAN GROUP

***

Meet Jackie Steele

jackie-steele Jackie Steele is a USA Today Bestselling author and a true romantic at heart. By day she works a boring job as a scientist, at night she lets her creative side roam free. Whether reading or writing, Jackie loves dark, emotional stories that twist with your head and take you on a journey. As an ever romantic, she believes in happy endings and true love in all forms, which is reflected in all of her books.

FACEBOOK / WEBSITE

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Some are born with fire in them.

✮✮✮READERS OF THE #1 NYT BESTSELLING WAIT FOR YOU SAGA REJOICE! FIRE IN YOU is coming! SECOND CHANCES, HOPE, & RED-HOT CHEMISTRY… Don’t Miss Brock and Jillian’s passionate and richly moving story in this standalone contemporary romance releasing November 28, 2016! ✮✮✮

Check out the excerpt below and preorder your copy today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Pre-Order a digital or paperback copy of FIRE IN YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout, writing as J.Lynn, AND fill out THIS FORM, and get an exclusive bonus scene-an Epilogue featuring POVs from all the major couples throughout the Wait For You World!

FIRE IN YOU will be available in paperback and eBook November 28th, 2016!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Share this:

AMAZON | iBooks | B&N | KOBO | Paperback

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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Prologue: Ellison’s POV

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Prologue

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