Release Blitz + Excerpt + Giveaway: Fire Me Up by Rachael Johns – Deacons of Bourbon Street MC Series – Book 2

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FIRE ME UP
Deacons of Bourbon Street #2
Rachael Johns
Releasing Sept 1st, 2015

 

Can a scorching affair with a
bohemian beauty tame a motorcycle man with a dark side? Rachael Johns takes the
wheel in the sexy series co-written with Megan Crane, Jackie Ashenden, and
Maisey Yates.


Travis “Cash” Sinclair values only two things from his days with the Deacons of
Bourbon Street: his prized Harley Davidson and the man
who gave it to him. But now Priest Lombard is gone, and Cash has inherited the
Deacons’ clubhouse—not to mentions its unexpected tenant. She’s exactly the
type of woman he tries to avoid: all incense and art, with a sharp tongue that
promises trouble. So why does Cash want to push aside those flowing skirts and
lose himself between her legs?
Billie Taylor fled a bad marriage to start a new life among the grit and
glamour of the French Quarter. She refuses to let another man distract her from
her dreams, especially an outlaw biker with nothing to offer except hot sex and
an eviction notice. Cash is dangerous, with an untamed streak he tries
desperately to conceal. He drives Billie wild, sending her too close to the
edge for her own good. And she won’t fall under his spell—or into his
bed—without a fight.

 
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Excerpt

“This room is mine,” she said, folding her arms and glaring at him with more bravado than she felt as he turned to look at her with his dark, smoldering eyes. She shivered despite herself and almost forgot to add, “If you insist on staying, you’ll have to choose from one of the others.”

 

He took his time replying, his gaze sliding downward, scalding her body as if he’d actually touched her. For a moment she thought he was going to object—tell her that not only would he share her house but also her bed—but eventually he shut her wardrobe and nodded. “I always preferred the one next to this anyway.”

 

She swallowed. Of all the rooms in the house, he wanted to choose the one right next to hers? How would she sleep knowing he was mere yards away? Still, she was hardly in a position to argue, and if it would get him out of her personal space, well, that was a start.

 

“Fine.” She stepped back and gestured for him to leave. The only good thing about having Travis right next door was that she could keep an eye on him. Or was that a bad thing? Argh.

 

Surprisingly, he obeyed, stalking past her and smirking again as he did. She hated that she caught a waft of some raw, masculine cologne, which sent ripples of need through her body, rousing places she’d given little thought to over the last year. How ironic that the first sign of life down there had sparked because of a man who seemed intent on messing up her life. Why were the sexiest guys, the best-looking ones, always the biggest jerks?

 

He didn’t head straight for his room, instead going into the kitchen, and she found herself following. Her hackles rose as he opened the refrigerator and leaned inside, giving her a perfect view of his perfect butt. Oh help me, God! Had any guy she’d ever known looked so damn fine in faded jeans? Her thighs involuntarily clenched.

 

“No beer,” he said as he straightened.

 

Despite the traitorous hormones rushing through her body, she shook her head. It went against the grain of every single cell in her body not to be hospitable, but then again she hadn’t invited him to stay here with her. “Nope. Sorry. But there’s a bar next door.”

 

She wished he’d go back to it. He had to be one of the Deacons that had been hanging around The Priory the last few days. Sophie had given her a brief history of the motorcycle club—apparently it had disbanded around the time of Katrina—and informed her that it would be unlikely any of its members would hang around after her father’s funeral. But, dammit, it looked like she’d been wrong on that account. Billie needed to go see Sophie, make sure this guy was for real. For all she knew he could be anybody. He hadn’t shown her any proof that he owned the building, but something—maybe the way he’d leaned into her face when he told her no one tells him what the fuck to do—made her cautious. He was like a wild animal, and she didn’t want to make any sudden moves.

 

He smiled wickedly and leaned back against the counter, looking her over again, making her feel aroused and insulted all at once. “I know it. The bar and this place used to be my home.”

 

“Is that right?” She wondered about Travis Sinclair. He had the leather jacket, the swagger in his step and the don’t-mess-with-me attitude of a biker, but there was something about him that didn’t fit the image. He wore no patches like a couple of other guys she’d seen hanging around next door, but that wasn’t it. There was something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “And where is your home now?”

 

She waited for him to tell her it was none of her fucking business, but he shrugged off his jacket, hung it over one of the odd chairs that sat around her kitchen table and then pulled back the seat and straddled it. “Tallahassee,” he said as he leaned down and yanked a laptop out of his pack. It was a flashy MacBook Air—not at all the type of computer she’d expect of a biker. He didn’t even glance her way as he put it on the table in front of him, lifted the lid and tapped his boots against the tiled floor as he waited for the computer to spring to life.

 

No idea where Tallahassee was—geography had never been her thing—she vowed to google it later. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, she wiped her palm across her brow, feeling hot and more than a little bothered. Being warm in itself wasn’t unusual in New Orleans or in Western Australia where she came from, but the weather had nothing to do with the rise in her body temperature. And that disturbed her.

 

Her eyes zoned in on the bad-boy ink that traveled the length of his sculpted and tanned forearms, and the heat that had been simmering inside her boiled over.

 

Until this moment she’d have said she wasn’t a fan of body art—personally, she preferred her art on walls or in gardens—but Travis’s tattoos changed her opinion. And that was bad, because with her divorce only recently official, the last thing she wanted in her life was another man who thought he could walk all over her.

 

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Rachael Johns is an English teacher by
trade, a mum 24/7, a supermarket owner, a chronic arachnophobic, and a writer
the rest of the time. She rarely sleeps and never irons. She writes
contemporary romance for HQN and Carina Press and lives in rural Western
Australia with her hyperactive husband and three mostly-gorgeous
heroes-in-training. Rachael loves to hear from readers and can be contacted
through her website at www.rachaeljohns.com
 

Release Blitz: Sweet by Skye Warren – Chicago Underground Series

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Sweet

Chicago Underground Series – Book 7 – Novella

By Skye Warren

Synopsis

My brother is both powerful and cruel, which means I have a lot of enemies I’ve never met. He swears he’ll keep me safe, but what I want most is to break free. I especially want to break free with Drew, my brother’s lawyer.

I’ve spent my life under glass.

We shouldn’t be together, but everything about him draws me. His intensity, his kindness.

And the way he looks in those custom tailored suits.

One night when he’s outside my bedroom, I give him a sexy show. And in doing so, unlock pandora’s box. Drew shows me everything I’ve been missing. He touches my body and my heart, but when the truth comes to light, we’re both in danger.

The cost of my freedom may be the man I’ve come to love.

Buy Amazon / Amazon UK

Excerpt

Drew stepped into the spotlight, casting a long shadow over the silver-white side of his car. He opened his door and tossed his briefcase on the passenger seat. But instead of getting in and driving away, he paused. He turned back, looking directly at my window—at me. I froze, my throat going dry.

He must have known it was my room, though he’d never been upstairs. I didn’t think he could see me. At least not clearly. We were twenty feet away, separated by double-paned glass, and the glare from the floodlights would overwhelm the thin light from my lamp. Impulsively, I pressed my palm to the cool glass. Could he make that out, the shape of my hand, the color of my flesh?

I leaned forward, painting my own reflection in the window. Wide, dark eyes set in the pale moon of my face, all framed with thick curtains of black hair. I looked like a ghost, something ephemeral and weightless.

That was how I felt sometimes too—not really there. I wanted to feel something, to see what it was like to participate, even if it was only a glimpse. He was waiting for me, leaning against his car.

Maybe he’d always been waiting for me.

Since that first meeting and the sudden heat that had sparked between us, he had been waiting for me to initiate something so he could be sure I was ready. Waiting and wanting, because he had some idea of my background, if not the specifics. The consideration in that gesture, the sheer expanse of it, took my breath away.

He remained still until the floodlights flicked off, blanketing him in night. My eyes adjusted, and he came back into focus again, somehow clearer in the dark. His arms were crossed as he leaned back against the car. The driver’s side door hung open, an ignored invitation in favor of this.

I could see the glint of his eyes, his intensity unmasked. My imagination could fill in the rest—the short, stubby growth on his jaw after a long day of work, the shadows beneath his eyes.

How could I show him; what did he want? Silly questions. Of course I knew. It was primal, the urge to bare myself, to offer myself, and only my fears kept me in check. It wasn’t the glass of the window or the bricks stacked beneath it. Only my fears kept us apart.

I toyed with the hem of my soft tank top, teasing him with a strip of flesh, blowing cool air across my belly. It wouldn’t be like this with him. His breath was hot, his body a furnace. That much I knew from the study earlier when he’d murmured in my ear. The window pane was emanating cold, holding out the chilly night air but failing just a little.

He must be freezing, but he didn’t look it, not even as a breeze ruffled a lock of hair over his forehead. He looked like he could wait forever, but why should he have to? I wouldn’t be a coward, not tonight.

I had dressed for sleep after my shower, so there was nothing underneath the thin fabric of my tank top. I tugged the shirt off and let it slip from my fingers. My skin pebbled with goose bumps at the chill. My nipples tightened almost painfully. He might have been a statue, he was so still. I felt the opposite, tingling and aware. It was too much—too embarrassing, too revealing—but exactly what I had been waiting for.

What next? If there was a script to forbidden exhibitionism, I had never read it. I moved with pent-up desire, acted on ideas unformed. I trailed my palms up my stomach and lifted my small breasts like an offering.

I wanted his hands on me, wanted him to touch and caress and pinch me, so I did it myself, grasping my nipples between my thumb and forefinger. I squeezed slightly, and as if he were connected to me, as if he had done it, his body jerked infinitesimally.

Was he excited? I knew enough to look for a bulge at his crotch, but it was too dark to see. I wished he could tell me what he wanted me to do, but maybe that would ruin the illusion of safety. From fifteen feet away, I watched him lick his lips and heard the tacit message.

I put a finger to my lips and licked, slightly exaggerated so that he could see. He leaned forward slightly—yes, more. I sucked the finger into my mouth and could have sworn his hips moved slightly where they rested against the car. Trailing my wetted finger over my chest, I circled my nipple and pinched again, savoring the bite of cold air and hard pressure.

I let down my hair from my tower in the form of secret glimpses, and like Rapunzel, I needed exposure like I needed air. He joined me with his arousal, in the commands conveyed with his body. We communed in a language of our own. Climb to me. I don’t want to be alone.

An ache built in my sex under the weight of his stare and my own touch. My hips moved in answer to his, finding an instinctive rhythm.

I reached for the band of my sweatpants, then paused. Panties too? Too much. I pushed down the pants but left the matching pink bikini panties on.

There was no way I could have heard, but I could have sworn he groaned. I imagined tiny molecules of air vibrating at the sound, traveling all this way and whispering against my lips.

I tucked my fingertips beneath the soft, stretchy hem of my panties, but then he wouldn’t be able to see. Instead I slid my palm over my covered sex and slipped beneath the strip of fabric between my legs. Wet heat met my questing fingers, more slippery than I had ever felt it when alone in my bed. I teased myself along the slick outer lips before sliding upward in search of a particular place—there.

My knees threatened to buckle from the pleasure that coursed through me, from the hard training of the day. I braced myself against the window, one hand on the glass and the other on my clit. It did more than sustain me, it connected me to him, an arc from the outside in, and the result was electric.

He leaned forward, gripping the top of the open door. I watched his other hand ball into a fist before letting my eyes fall shut, imagining that hand on me, holding me just as tightly, bruising me so I would never forget.

Finish it.

I didn’t know whether the words came from him or me, but I let the currents pull me along, let the arousal swirl faster and deeper until I couldn’t find the surface, couldn’t breathe—could only buck and moan and spill all over my furiously rubbing fingers. My stuttered moan was loud in my ears, filling my room before it dropped off into a sigh.

I let my hand fall away and opened my eyes.

He stood exactly as I’d left him, bristling with an almost palpable tension. After a moment, he detached from the car, moving slowly, like a man in pain, as if he’d been injured.

He turned away and rested his palms on the top of the car. With an unreadable glance back at me, he gingerly got inside and drove away.

I watched him go, sated but far from satisfied. Always wanting, always needing something above my reach. Dreaming of ballerinas when I came from the slums. Lusting after the smart, successful man in a well-tailored suit. One of these days, I’d reach too far. I’d fly too close to the sun, but even knowing so, I couldn’t stop myself from spreading my wings.

___________________________________________

About Skye Warren

Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of dark romance. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely tender. For those new to her work, consider the bestseller Wanderlust, Prisoner or the Dark Nights series starting with Trust in Me.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway : Say You’re Mine by Diane Alberts

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Today we are revealing the cover for SAY YOU’RE MINE by Diane Alberts. This book is being released by Entangled Publishing’s Brazen line this December, and it is part of the Shillings Agency series. Check out the blurb and giveaway below!

 

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BOOK BLURB:

She’s a challenge he can’t afford to lose…

Navy SEAL Steven Thomas has only ever been able to count on three things: waking up in the morning, going to sleep sometime during the night, and Lauren Brixton. She’s been his best friend since grade school, and what they have is the only relationship he’s managed not to ruin.

Until one drunken night puts that all in jeopardy.

Lauren’s watched Steven flit from one-night stand to one-night stand, seemingly not interested in something more. So when the long-ignored attraction between the two of them blows up in their faces, she does the only thing she can—she pretends she doesn’t want him. But all’s fair in love and war, and Steven’s not about to lose the only person in his life who matters…

 

CLICK HERE TO ADD SAY YOU’RE MINE TO GOODREADS.

 

 

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//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Diane 1 smallDiane Alberts is a USA TODAY bestselling Contemporary Romance author with Entangled Publishing. Under the name Jen McLaughlin, she also writes New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling books with Penguin Random House. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. Diane is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Diane has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author. Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and four cats. Her goal is to write so many fantastic stories that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Release Blitz: Seductive Nights – The Stand Alone Novels- Box Set by Lauren Blakely

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We are thrilled to bring you the release day launch for Lauren Blakely’s SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS: The Standalone Novels. This box set features both standalone novels from the New York Times Seductive Nights Series, NIGHTS WITH HIM and FORBIDDEN NIGHTS in one place!

 

A Message from Lauren:

Surprise! I’ve packaged the two standalone novels in the Seductive Nights series in a box set for the first time! This limited time, three-day sale is a savings of 80% off the cost of the two books if purchased individually and the first time to get these books on sale! So if you’ve been wanting to read one or both of these titles, now is your chance! The price of this box set goes up in just a few days! Don’t miss your chance to grab both of these sexy, passionate books for just $.99 each while you can!

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The Seductive Nights: The Standalone Novels Box Set will be at its lowest price ever as an introductory rate at just $1.99 for a limited time only, but this price will go up following its release!

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Amazon Paperback

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ABOUT SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS: The Standalone Novels Box Set:

Seductive Nights: The Standalone Novels is a box set of the two New York Times Bestselling standalone novels in the wildly popular SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS series by bestselling romance author Lauren Blakely.

NIGHTS WITH HIM

Jack Sullivan is a Sex Toy Mogul. An extremely eligible bachelor in New York, he’s the full package, right down to his full package. Hell, this man could be the model for one of the toys his company, Joy Delivered, peddles. Instead, he’s the powerful and successful CEO and he’s got commitment issues a mile-long after the tragic way his relationship with his fiancée ended. He’s looking for a way to erase the pain and that arrives in the form of Michelle Milo. From her pencil skirts to her high heels, she’s his perfect fantasy, especially since she has no idea who he is the night they meet at a hotel bar. He doesn’t have a clue either that she’s the brilliant psychologist his sister has arranged for him to see to help him get over his past. His touch helps her forget that other man. When he shows up at her office door the next day, there’s no way in hell she’s going to treat him after they’ve slept together. Jack isn’t willing to let go of the first woman he’s felt anything for in years so he proposes a deal – share her nights with him for thirty days. At the end of one month of exquisite pleasure, they walk away, having helped each other move on from their haunted pasts. But soon, all those nights threaten to turn into days as the lines between lust and matters of the heart start to blur. Can two people so terribly afraid of love truly fall head over heels?

FORBIDDEN NIGHTS

She has been the star of his dirty dreams for years. Sexy hotel CEO Nate Harper has lusted after his good friend Casey Sullivan for a long time, and she’s cried out his name in pleasure countless times in his fabulously filthy fantasies. But even though he’s quite skilled at pleasing a woman, he won’t act on his intense desire because he knows he’s no good for her. After the kind of hurt his ex inflicted on him, he’s a committed playboy for life, and Casey only wants true love. All that changes one hot night when she comes to him with a proposition he can’t resist — she wants him to teach her to be submissive in the bedroom. Casey soon learns how very much she likes letting go of control to him. She’s never been more turned on in her life than she is in Nate’s arms. And he’s never been more taken by a woman. The only trouble is as she experiences what it means to let go, he starts to experience what it means to feel again…And the lessons in seduction threaten to turn into so much more than either one bargained for… What happens when years of desire and lust ignite a passion that can’t be denied?

 

 

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Amazon Paperback

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Finished the Seductive Nights Series and need more of Lauren Blakely’s smoldering men? Check out her Sinful Nights Series for more steamy nights! The second book, SINFUL DESIRE, is headed your way on September 22nd and you won’t believe what Lauren has cooked up for you! Check out this amazing SINFUL DESIRE contest!

Feeling the Desire to have a Sinful night of your own? Then you’ll want to take the Sinful Nights quiz and answer fun trivia questions about the Sinful Nights series! To celebrate the release of SINFUL DESIRE on September 22nd, Lauren is giving away a $500 gift card for a stay at the Ritz Carlton nearest you!*

Everything you need to turn your fantasy into reality and enter the Sinful Nights contest during release week can be found in the back of the SINFUL DESIRE eBook, including the short quiz on the book that you have to complete to enter the contest. The SINFUL DESIRE eBook is the ONLY location with the link to the quiz. The release week contest runs through Saturday, September 26, ONLY, so you’ll have to make this read a quickie to enter to win this awesome prize! In addition to the grand prize, there are several other great prizes in the giveaway!

So preorder your copy of SINFUL DESIRE today and mark your calendars for September 22nd! Get ready to ignite your passion and dive into SINFUL DESIRE on release day!

*Please note: If you are the winner and there is no Ritz Carlton near you, you may opt to receive a $500 gift card to any Marriott property, or Marriott-owned hotel.

** If you purchase the paperback and would like to participate in the contest, please contact me at lauren@laurenblakely.com for instructions.

lauren-blakely-authorAbout Lauren Blakely:

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she has had eight books on the New York Times Bestseller list and fourteen on the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire. She recently released SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS, the first novel in her new sexy romance series Sinful Nights that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Her new adult forbidden romance, 21 Stolen Kisses, hit e-readers in May and landed on the USA Today Bestseller list. In September, she’ll release SINFUL DESIRE, her next title in the bestselling SINFUL NIGHTS series. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375 (please use the actual + sign).

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Lauren Blakely Goodreads

 

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Taken By The Trillionaire…by Melody Anne, Ruth Cardello, and J.S. Scott

 

Synopsis

Three New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.
One wild project.Taken
by a Trillionaire is an escapism fantasy that was born at a party at
RWA. Over cocktails, J.S. Scott, Melody Anne, and Ruth Cardello laughed
as they plotted this book with the help of two industry friends, Chris
and Brian.If you are looking for a historically
accurate representation of a monarchy or a serious depiction of how
royals maintain their bloodlines, this may not be the book for you. If
you love larger than life characters and fun storylines that take you to
exotic places with sexy alpha men, then welcome to our imaginary
kingdom: Rubare Collina. The men are insanely rich, the traditions are
potentially deadly, and the sex will leave you craving a night on this
dark isle.If you’ve ever fantasized about what it
would be like to be swept off your feet—or tossed over a prince’s
shoulder and taken—then you’ll enjoy our trilogy.Novella One: Xander by Ruth Cardello 

Royal
Prince Xander Demande needs to choose a wife before his thirtieth
birthday, or he will lose his crown. His list of potential candidates is
long but shortens to one woman after a brief encounter with the
socially inept, but beautiful and brilliant, Dr. Reanna Fielding. She
never thought Prince Charming would come for her. He never thought any
woman would melt his heart. Love makes its own rules, but will it save
her when she defies not only him but the laws of his kingdom? In Rubare
Collina, a marriage proposal can be a dream come true—or a death
sentence.

Novella Two: Bryan by J.S. Scott 

Get
married . . . or die. Prince Bryan Demande was left with only two
unpalatable choices. When he decides to take his chances rather than
marry, his father and the busybody royal adviser take matters into their
own hands.

Like it or not, Bryan is delivered a
kidnapped bride, and it isn’t a woman who’s a total stranger. She’s an
American female who has haunted his dreams for the last five years, the
only woman who has ever wanted him without his trillions of dollars or
his royal title. Suddenly, marriage doesn’t look like such a bad option
to Bryan, but he’ll have to convince his angry, kidnapped, bride-to-be
that she belongs with him.

 

Novella Three: Chris by Melody Anne

Christopher
Demande wants nothing to do with marriage and is willing to renounce
his title to the throne to prove it. That is until he meets independent
Adara Burnadette and decides he must have her. Unfortunately, Adara is
opposed to marriages of convenience. So what does a young prince do when
his chosen bride refuses his proposal? He kidnaps her of course.

 

Purchase Links

2015 Favorite + 6 Star Review: Hawthorne & Heathcliff by R.K. Ryals

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Hawthorne & Heathcliff

By R.K. Ryals

Genre: Mature YA / New Adult / Coming of Age

Synopsis

Two names that didn’t belong to us. Two shoes that did.

Intense and introspective, seventeen-year-old Hawthorne Macy knows all about being abandoned. She’s felt the stark pain of being left behind by the people who are supposed to love her the most; her parents. Raised by her caring uncle on an old plantation, Hawthorne lives her life on the fringes of her small Southern town.

Until she meets his shoe.

Senior year, last period English class, and a pair of silent tennis shoes resting next to hers in the back of the room throws Hawthorne into a world she’d learned to stay outside of.

His name is Max Vincent, but in her mind, he’s Heathcliff. The handsome eighteen-year-old boy behind the shoes will pull Hawthorne into a passionate and unforgettable adventure of self-discovery during a time when love seems impossible.

Shoes can tell a lot about a person. The journey they take you on can tell a lot about how they’ll hold up.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

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Michel’s Review

Hawthorne & Heathcliff by R.K. Royals was recommended to me when it first released. I read the synopsis and thought this book sounded good.  I purposely stayed away from Goodreads and Amazon reviews because I did not want to open this book with expectations or pre-formed opinions.  I wanted to experience this book for myself.

I opened this book with an open mind and clear head.  The very first page drew me in and I could not put the book down until the very last word was read.  I read the book almost two weeks ago and could not think of how to write a review for this book.  There are no words that can describe the beauty of this book.  On the surface it is a coming of age romance that is beautiful within itself.  But between the lines is where this book shines and makes an impact that will not be forgotten long after the last page has been read. It touches the very core of the human spirit. It shows how resilient the human spirit can be once we open our hearts & minds and allow life to happen. Life is messy.  Life is chaotic. Life is unpredictable.  It can also be beautiful and exalting.  It’s how we process it all and allow it into our souls.  We need to open our hearts and let life in with all it’s messy glory.  To accept it and make it our own.  Allow it to shape us to become a stronger and better person.  To become the person we were meant to be rather than being the person we thought we should be.

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This book was an emotional journey.  I laughed, cried, ached,and rejoiced.  My heart was engaged with every single word.

The writing in this book was brilliant.  R.K. Ryals based part of the book on the poem Mirror by Sylvia Plath. It made the leading characters reflect about how they saw themselves and their lives.  But that is only the beginning, she used shoes as a prop on how they saw other people and how those people fit into their lives.  She also used classic literature by Jane Austin to showcase the leading characters.  She added all of these elements to bring Max and Claire to life without letting them overshadow their own unique personalities.  The subtle messages and examples the secondary characters delivered in this book is astounding.  Their characters became just as important as the leading characters in a very different way.  All of these elements make the characters and their romance shine.  It is one of the most beautiful romances that I have read because it was honest and realistic.

Hawthorne & Heathcliff is a book for all ages.  Whether you are a teenager experiencing first love or a senior citizen experiencing your last days, this book will touch your soul.  It’s a celebration of the human spirit in all it’s glory.

Read Hawthorne & Heathcliff by R.K. Royals.

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Author Bio:

r.k. ryalsR.K. Ryals is the author of emotional and gripping young adult and new adult paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and fantasy. With a strong passion for charity and literacy, she works as a full time writer encouraging people to “share the love of reading one book at a time.” An avid animal lover and self-proclaimed coffee-holic, R.K. Ryals was born in Jackson, Mississippi and makes her home in the Southern U.S. with her husband, her three daughters, a rescue dog named Oscar the Grouch, A Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, an OCD cat, and a coffee pot she honestly couldn’t live without. Should she ever become the owner of a fire-breathing dragon (tame of course), her life would be complete.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Release Blitz: Twin Sequences and Twin Sequences 2 by Jennifer Foor – The Twisted Twin Series

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Twin Sequences – Willow

The Twisted Twin Series – Book 1

By Jennifer Foor

I’d shared everything with Ivy since we were born. She was my exact double. We were only two minutes apart. I never thought that my own twin sister would steal away my one chance at happiness, but that is exactly what she’d done. She didn’t even know that I was in love with him. How could she? Ivy was too busy being Miss Popular to notice what I wanted. After having my heart broken, I’d decided to leave my town, and my sister, to go to college out of state. For the past four years, I’d done nothing but work to make a life for myself. We were still the best of friends, but going home was too hard for me to face and I hadn’t been back since they’d gotten married. I wanted my sister to be happy, even if it meant I never would be. She didn’t have the brains, or the successful future that I knew was coming to me. But, she’d always have the one thing I wanted. The one thing, I could never have. Stoshua Wheeler. A late night phone call brought me back to town. I should have never considered her request. It wasn’t right to pretend to be her, but she said she was in trouble. I had to help her. I’d dreamed of being her for five years. I envied their relationship. I wanted her life. What was I willing to risk to take it for myself? I’m Willow Green and this is my story.

Buy: Amazon / B & N

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Twin Sequences – Ivy

The Twisted Twin Series – Book 2

By Jennifer Foor

Amazon

Three years ago I killed a man and did inconceivable things to anyone that stood in the way of my plan to ruin my twin sister’s life. Things backfired, and I’ve been locked up in this nuthouse ever since.

Willow and Stoshua think I’m out of their lives for good. They’ve moved away and changed their identities to make it harder for me to find them. They assume their little family is safe from my reckoning.

But they’re wrong…

This time I’ll get it right.

This time her life will become mine.

I was born Ivy, but when I’m done you’ll call me Willow.

 

Buy: Amazon / B & N 

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jennfoor1Jennifer Foor is an award winning Contemporary Romance Author.

She is married with She’s best known for the Mitchell Family Series, which includes ten books.two children and spends most of her time behind a keyboard, writing stories that come from her heart.

 

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page

Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Final Debt by Pepper Winters…Indebted Series…Book 6

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Final Debt

Indebted Series – Book 6

By Pepper Winters

Release Date: November 2015

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Pre Order: ITunes

Synopsis

The Last Book in the New York TImes Bestselling Dark Romance Series. Where love tries to triumph and darkness continues to reign….

“I’m in love with her, but it might not be enough to stop her from becoming the latest victim of the Debt Inheritance. I know who I am now. I know what I must do. We will be together—I just hope it’s on Earth rather than in heaven.”

It all comes down to this.

Love versus life.

Debts versus death.

Who will win?

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NILA WEAVER

 

“NO!”

I pushed back, gripping the handrails of the private jet, throwing my weight against Daniel’s incessant pushing. “Stop!”

“Get up the fucking stairs, Weaver.” Daniel jabbed his elbow into my spine.

I stumbled, bashing my knee against the high tread. “You can’t do this!”

Daniel cackled. “I think you’ll find we can.” He shoved me higher.

My heart hurt—as if every mile between us and Hawksridge was a blade slicing me further from Jethro’s protection.

Time once again stole my life.

One moment, I’d been love-bruised and adored, tiptoeing back into the Hall; the next I was trapped, forced to dress in jeans and a hoody, and obey Daniel as he lurked in my doorway, barking orders to pack a few meagre belongings.

My pussy ached from having Jethro inside me. The dampness of his release still decorated my inner thighs. My mind raced, doing my best to see a loophole, figure out a way to stay.

I hadn’t had time to shoot him with the gun Jasmine gave me. I couldn’t scream and shout and hope to God Jasmine heard me so at least she could warn Jethro.

I couldn’t even text Kite with Daniel lurking over my every move.

The only hope I’d had was packing the altered clothing where I’d sewn knitting needles and scalpels into the hem and cuffs, hiding weapons in case I was taken by surprise.

I wanted to cry for my forward thinking.

The few hopeless weapons would be my only ally.

Two days.

I would’ve been free in two days.

Now…I was a true Debt Inheritance Victim, walking her final steps…

to the guillotine.

Indebted Series

 

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Indebted

Indebted Series

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By Pepper Winters

Synopsis

“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.

She is no longer free.

Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.

There are no rules. Only payments.

A modern day Dark Erotic Romance

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

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First Debt

Indebted #2

Series: Indebted

By Pepper Winters

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Synopsis

“You say I’ll never own you. If I win—you willingly give me that right. You sign not only the debt agreement, but another—one that makes me your master until your last breath is taken. You do that, and I’ll give you this.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Stolen, taken, and bound not by monsters but by an agreement written over six hundred years ago, she has no way out.

She belongs to Jethro as much as she denies it.

Jethro Hawk’s patience is running out. His inheritance gift tests, challenges, and surprises him—and not in good ways. He hasn’t leashed her but he thinks he might’ve found a way to bind her forever.

Debts are mounting. Payment waiting.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

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Second Debt

Indebted Series – Book 3

By Pepper Winters

Release Date: January 26, 2015

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Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks / Kobo

Synopsis

“I tried to play a game. I tried to wield deceit as perfectly as the Hawks. But when I thought I was winning, I wasn’t. Jethro isn’t what he seems—he’s the master of duplicity. However, I refuse to let him annihilate me further.”

Nila Weaver has grown from naïve seamstress to full-blown fighter. Every humdrum object is her arsenal, and sex…sex is her greatest weapon of all.

She’s paid the First Debt. She’ll probably pay more.

But she has no intention of letting the Hawks win.

Jethro Hawk has found more than a worthy adversary in Nila—he’s found the woman who could destroy him. There’s a fine line between hatred and love, and an even finer path between fear and respect.

The fate of his house rests on his shoulders, but no matter how much ice lives inside his heart, Nila flames too bright to be extinguished.

 

third debt coverThird Debt – Indebted # 4

Indebted Series – Book 4

By Pepper Winters

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Synopsis

Fourth Book in the New York Times Bestselling Indebted Series.

“She healed me. She broke me. I set her free. But we are in this together. We will end this together. The rules of this ancient game can’t be broken.”

Nila Weaver no longer recognises herself. She’s left her lover, her courage, and her promise. Two debts down. Too many to go.

Jethro Hawk no longer recognises himself. He’s embraced what he always ran from, and now faces punishment far greater than he feared.

It’s almost time. It’s demanding to be paid.

The Third Debt will be the ultimate test…

 

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Fourth Debt – Indebted # 5

Indebted Series – Book 5

Release Date- August 11, 2015

By Pepper Winters

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Synopsis

“We’d won. We’d cut through the lies and treachery and promised an alliance that would free us both. But even as we won, we lost. We didn’t see what was coming. We didn’t know we had to plan a resurrection.” 

 

Nila Weaver fell in love. She gifted her entire soul to a man she believed was worthy. And in the process, she destroyed herself. Three debts paid, the fourth only days away. The Debt Inheritance has almost claimed another victim.

 

Jethro Hawk fell in love. He let down his walls to a woman he believed was his cure. For a moment, he was free. But then he paid the ultimate price.

 

There is no more love. Only war. Hope is dead. Now, there is only death all around them.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

—–

 

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pepperPepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

STALK Pepper: Website | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

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Excerpt : The Shadow by Slyvain Reynard

The Shadow

The Shadow

The Florentine Series- Book 2

By Sylvain Reynard

Release Date: February 2, 2015

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Pre Order: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel trilogy comes the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Raven, a sensual novel set in Florence featuring the dangerously intoxicating coupling of Raven and William…

Raven Wood’s vampyre prince has returned, pledging his love and promising justice for every wrong done to her. In the wake of their reunion, Raven is faced with a terrible decision—allow the Prince to wreak vengeance against the demons of her past, or persuade him to stay his hand. But there is far more at stake than Raven’s heart…

A shadow has fallen over the city of Florence. Ispettor Batelli will not rest until he uncovers Raven’s connection to the theft of the priceless art from the Uffizi Gallery. And while the Prince hunts a traitor who sabotages him at every turn, he finds himself the target of the vampyres’ mortal enemy.

As he wages a war on two fronts, he will need to keep his love for Raven secret, or risk exposing his greatest weakness…

Pre Order: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

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Excerpt

Raven watched as William efficiently disrobed, neatly folding every article of black clothing (with the exception of underwear, which he never wore), and placing it on the vanity.

She brushed imaginary lint from her dress as he stood in front of her, naked.

He was under six feet in height, his body lean and strong. Raven took a moment to appreciate the definition of his muscled chest and abdomen, and the strong cast to his thighs. Not even a statue carved by the most talented sculptor could create a being with so much perfection.

His face put her in mind of an angel with intense, gray eyes that now looked at her expectantly.

She hid her face. “You said you loved me.”

“I did. What’s more, I meant it.”

“Love is a peculiar thing. I’ve seen it. I’ve even cheered for it. But I never believed it was for me.”

“Why shouldn’t a beautiful, fierce young woman hope for love?”

“Because, as you put it, human beings are shallow.”

“Love is deep.” His rich voice echoed in the bathroom.

“Love is having the power to destroy another person.”

William stepped closer. “Are you afraid of being destroyed?”

“Destroyed, consumed, betrayed.” She fidgeted with the neckline of her gown.

William placed his hand over hers, stilling it. “Love creates; it doesn’t destroy.”

His lips found the place where her neck met her shoulder. He kissed her leisurely, tracing the path of her bared collarbone with his mouth.

His fingers brushed her zipper. “Let me.”

He undid her dress, dropping it to the marble tiles.

Her bra followed. She was as naked as he.

His eyes roved her body appraisingly. His pale fingers caressed her cheek, her mouth, and her neck. His strong hands cupped her breasts, her abdomen, and her hips.

His gray eyes met hers.

“The power you describe is the power you have here.” He touched her forehead before moving his hand to cover her heart. “And here. It’s the power you have over me. Power I haven’t yielded to another since I was human.”

He brought his lips to her ear. “Your fears are shared.”

With a slow kiss on her neck, he led her into the shower, standing behind her underneath a tropical rainfall showerhead.

Raven closed her eyes and lifted her face, like a flower following the sun. The warm water soaked her hair and streamed down the generous curves of her body.

“I’ve never showered with another person. What happens next?” William rested his hands on her shoulders.

She wiped the water from her face.

“Whatever you want. Just don’t let me fall.”

William’s gaze dropped to her right leg, which she was favoring.

“Is the pain terrible?”

“It’s worse after I’ve been lying down. Sometimes I topple over.”

William spread his arm around her waist, drawing her back to his chest. “Then I must be sure to catch you.”

She kissed him, reaching up to run her fingers through his wet hair as the water poured down their shoulders.

Her motions were fraught with an eagerness born of love and affection and the relief of remembering she hadn’t lost him.

He was hers.

Even now, naked, with a myriad of flaws few men overlooked, he embraced her. He embraced her imperfections.

He loved her.

His cool hands scorched her skin, splaying fingers wide over her abdomen and bringing her backside into contact with what rose between his hips.

She gave him her weight and he held firm, nipping and licking at her lips before enticing her to enter his mouth.

He entertained the intrusion for a moment or two then, with a growl, he spun her around, pressing their chests together.

Raven looked up into blazing gray eyes.

“Are you certain?”

She nodded.

“I need the words, Raven. I need to know you want this.”

“I want you.”

He took her mouth, his tongue alternately penetrating and retreating in a sensual rhythm.

She tilted her head, welcoming him, as the water continued to rain down.

Hands roamed over slick skin as their lower bodies came into alignment. She touched his neck, his shoulders, his biceps, holding them tightly in an effort to remain upright.

William was not a tame lover.

In his arms, she sensed his control, his desire, and the war that waged between the two. But he’d never harmed her and had always focused his attention on giving pleasure before taking it. Usually more than once.

“You’re a dream,” she sighed. “A dream of love I never thought I’d have.”

His eyes burned into hers.

Without warning, he lifted her, tugging her thighs around his hips.

He lowered his mouth to her breasts, tasting and teasing before sucking droplets of water from her eager flesh.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him eager between her legs.

He lifted her higher, hands beneath her backside, making sure he was correctly aligned.

“Breathe,” he commanded, his eyes boring in to hers.

Here was the vampyre, proud and powerful, teetering on the edge of control. He bared his teeth as if on instinct and his chest rumbled.

“Just don’t break me,” she whispered, pushing a lock of blond hair from his forehead.

William’s expression grew even more fierce.

“I won’t break you. Whatever harm I bring to you I vow to heal.”

He swallowed her reply with his kiss. Then with a single thrust, he entered her.

His kisses were as fierce as his movements as he pushed inside and withdrew, over and over. His grip on her backside tightened as he lifted and moved her in concert with his own motion.

Raven clung to him, her hand trailing to his lower back so she could urge him deeper.

Not that he needed the encouragement.

Her breasts brushed against his chest, the friction teasing and arousing.

She ignored the warm spray of the water, the scent of soap and William, and the nagging discomfort in her leg and ankle. Her focus was on feeling as he brought her swiftly to the brink of orgasm.

Before she could signal how close she was, she climaxed, her hand clutching his neck as she threw her head back.

William continued his pace until she’d finished, his mouth dropping to her breasts, drawing one of them into his mouth.

When she opened her eyes, she found him staring at her hungrily.

“I have only begun,” he rasped. “Breathe.”

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The Florentine Series

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The Prince

A Gabriel’s Inferno/ Florentine Series Novella

By Sylvain Reynard

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Synopsis

The unveiling of a set of priceless illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence exposes Professor Gabriel Emerson and his beloved wife, Julianne, to a mysterious enemy.
Gabriel may have acquired the illustrations only a few years ago, but unbeknownst to him, they were stolen a century earlier from the ruler of Florence’s underworld.
Now one of the most dangerous beings in the city is determined to reclaim his prize and exact his revenge on the Emersons–but not before he uncovers something disturbing about Julianne…

Don’t miss the first novel in the Florentine series, The Raven, available February 3, 2015.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Amazon Canada / Amazon UK

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The Raven

The Florentine -Book 1

By Sylvain Reynard

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Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel series comes a dark, sensual tale of romance in a city shrouded in mystery . . .

Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi gallery restoring Renaissance art. But an innocent walk home after an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley. Raven is only semiconscious when their assault is interrupted by a cacophony of growls followed by her attackers’ screams. Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her . . .

Cassita vulneratus.

When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed. Upon returning to the Uffizi, no one recognizes her. More disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an entire week. With no recollection of her disappearance, Raven learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest robberies in Uffizi history–the theft of a set of priceless Botticelli illustrations. When the police identify her as their prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name. She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and most elusive men in an attempt to uncover the truth. Their encounter leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to keep their secrets . . .

 

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About Sylvain Reynard

I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USAToday Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. “Gabriel’s Inferno” was a Semifinalist for Best Romance in 2011 and “Gabriel’s Rapture” was a Finalist for Best Romance in 2012, in the Goodreads Choice Awards, as well. The final novel in The Gabriel Series, “Gabriel’s Redemption,” debuted at #6 on the New York Times Bestseller list. It was a Finalist for a 2014 Goodreads Choice Award as Best Romance.

My next book is “The Raven,” which releases February 3rd. It’s already available for preorder. I’m also publishing a prequel novella entitled “The Prince,” which releases January 20th. “The Prince” is available for preorder now.

I’m interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition – particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself.

I’m also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, food, drink, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.

I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

The Shadow

Cover Reveal: The Speed Series by Kelly Elliott … Ignite – Book 1 and Adrenaline – Book 2

 

 

RELEASING NOVEMBER 17

 

There were two things Emmit Lewis loved.

Racing cars and Adaline Morgan.

Time was stolen from the two young lovers and Emmit vowed never again would he allow anything to come between the two of them.

Blurred lines both on and off the track have Emmit being tested beyond his limits. Will he reach the checkered flag and ignite Adaline’s heart, or will he be black-flagged and lose everything he has ever dreamed of?

 

 

RELEASING MARCH 2016

Malcolm Wallace lived for the adrenaline rush. If he wasn’t living life on the edge, he wasn’t living. He had no time for relationships, let alone love.

When one event changes Malcolm’s entire future, he must turn to the one person who makes him doubt his entire philosophy on life.

Paislie Pruitt.

She’s beautiful.

She’s strong.

She’s the one rush Malcolm never saw coming.

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Kelly Elliott is married to a wonderful Texas cowboy who has
a knack for making her laugh almost daily and supports her crazy ideas and
dreams for some unknown reason…he claims it’s because he loves her!
She’s also a mom to an amazing daughter who is constantly
asking for something to eat while her fingers move like mad on her cell phone
sending out what is sure to be another very important text message.
In her spare time she loves to sit in her small corner
overlooking the Texas hill country and write.

 

One of her favorite things to do is go for hikes around her
property with Gus….her chocolate lab and the other man in her life, and Rose,
her golden retriever. When Kelly is not outside helping the hubby haul brush,
move rocks or whatever fun chore he has in store for her that day, you’ll find
her inside reading, writing or watching HGTV.

 

 

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