“What lies beneath my veiled perfection is the ugly truth—my truth, my reality, my destiny.”
Vivian Graham has an acceptance letter into Harvard, a badass tattoo, loyal friends, ties to marijuana, a penchant for Dunkin’ Donuts, and her pesky V-card.
Everyday she takes the Red Line to her job at The Green Pot in Boston while her friends enter the coveted, black iron gates to higher learning. The ramifications from a tragic accident have put her life on hold while time marches on for everyone around her.
After graduating from Harvard Law, Boston native, Oliver Konrad, moves to Portland to start his career and his life. Three years later, after a horrific discovery, he returns home to trade in his three-piece suit for leather work boots and his suburban home for a condo in Cambridge.
All he brought back to the East Coast was an aversion to pillows and secrets he keeps hidden behind a mysterious locked door. Oliver’s days are predictable and his nights are lonely until he meets Vivian on the subway. Her long raven hair, green eyes, and mile-long legs are achingly sexy, but the way she “innocently” fingers and licks her Boston Kreme doughnut can only be described in two words—complete torture.
When their paths cross at every turn, laughter is abundant, friendship is easy, and love is unintentional. However, their future seems improbable.
Author Bio:
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
It’s rule breaker Emily Foster’s birthday, and like everyone at The Jungle Room, she just wants to get some action. Unfortunately, she stumbles on the wrong kind, witnessing a mob hit. To protect her, she’s entered into the Witness Protection Program with by-the-book Special Agent Jake Ward as her chaperone.
When the location of their safe house is compromised, Jake stashes Emily deep in the Texas backwoods. The city-girl might be safe from the Mafia, but she has to contend with a psychotic rooster, a narcoleptic dog, crazy cowboys, and the danger of losing her heart to the one man she can’t have.
Jake’s as hot as he is infuriating, and she can’t help but push all his buttons to loosen him up. Their mutual, sizzling sexual attraction poses a dilemma: Jake’s determined to keep her safe and out of the wrong hands; she’s determined to get into the right ones—his.
It’s her 28th birthday and she spends it at The Jungle Room in Chicago with her two best friends. After meeting an insanely hot guy and seeing him duck into the back area, she can’t help but follow. Instead of finding Mr. Hottie, she witnesses the murder of Sergio, one of Mr. Felts’s employees, in one of the back rooms of the club.
Special Agent Jacob Ward, FBI, has been working with US Marshals to build a case against Frankie Felts for money laundering and drug trafficking. Every time they get close to a bust, their witness turns up dead. When the safe house is compromised, he sure there’s a leak in the department. Determined not to let this sarcastic, stubborn and feisty woman suffer the same fate, he will do whatever it takes to keep her alive.
Not halfway through the first chapter, I’d already figured that I’d like the book based on the wry humor, but as it progressed I wished that Jake would ease up on being a man-handling Neanderthal and wondered why she accepted it without slapping the ever-loving crap outta him for it. I wanted Emily to grow up and mature a little; she seemed to completely disregard the severity of her/their situation. There were plenty of witty narratives and dialogue comments to make you laugh but at times it was too much; there’s a time and place for the snark and this book was almost too-heavily loaded. The secondary characters were very well written and several are extremely enjoyable. Despite the first person POV, the story had good fluidity. The plot had many elements: fun and sass as well as action and intrigue. I enjoyed the numerous second chance scenario presented to several of the characters, it added more depth to the already multifaceted individuals. There was plenty of dimension in the plot, the climax was exciting and the resolve was well done. I can’t say that it was predictable, so I am pleased. We never did learn Emily’s real name, which is a bit strange in a way, but I guess in the long, unnecessary. Overall, a decent read that I’d probably recommend to others.
Author Bio:
As the youngest of five girls, Alison Bliss has never turned down a challenge…or been called by the right name. Her writing career may have started out as a dare by one of her sisters, but Alison hasn’t put her pen down since.
She grew up on a small island off the Texas Gulf Coast, where most of her childhood vacations consisted of camping or hunting trips to the deer lease. Although she’ll always be a Texan at heart, Alison currently resides in the Midwest with her Iowa farm-boy husband and their two sons. With so much testosterone in her home, it’s no wonder she writes “girl books.”
She’s an animal lover, a closet video game enthusiast, and believes the best way to know if someone is your soul mate is by canoeing with them because if you both make it back alive, it’s obviously meant to be. Alison’s an avid romance reader who enjoys penning the type of books she loves to read most: fun, steamy love stories with heart, heat, laughter, and usually a cowboy or two. As she calls it, “Romance…with a sense of humor.”
Cricket Creek, Kentucky, is no Nashville—it’s a sweet, small town outside the big-city limelight. But here, two headstrong country music stars will need to rely on their Southern roots and explosive chemistry to top the charts together.
When Cat Carson drops her record label and signs with an independent label based in Cricket Creek, it’s a huge upset in the music world. But the residents of Cricket Creek are thrilled to have a real country music star in their midst. Everyone except Jeff Greenfield, that is—a local rising star himself, who’s been asked to record a duet with the stunning beauty.
Jeff grew up on a farm, but his smooth, soulful country style is starting to get him noticed outside Cricket Creek. And while a duet with Cat Carson could send his career skyrocketing, he doesn’t want to lose touch with his roots—or lose his head. Because sparks are flying every time he and Cat hit the studio. And it’s more than a little distracting….
When Cat Carson, a country star phenomenon with a Top 40 fan base leaves her big time label to relocate to a small town in Kentucky to find herself, she has no idea of how her life is about to change. Jeff Greenfield, wants nothing but to sing, to make a name for himself as a performer of traditional country songs. While he can appreciate the talent in a singer like Cat, he thinks that she’s better suited to pop radio stations than to the Grand Ole Opry. But Fate, in the form of the owner of their mutual record label, steps in, forcing them to put aside their differences and work together.
Sweet Harmony by LuAnn McLane is more than your typical opposites attracting sort of love story. Cat and Jeff are both strong characters who know what they want, at least professionally. They are both determined to make the kind of music that they want, the type that will define them as more than just one-hit wonders or Top 40 fan favorites. And that refusal to back down, to be other than they feel called to be, is what sparks the interest between the two of them as well, and draws them to each other. Their chemistry, combined with strong supporting characters like Maria, Pete, and Snake, are what make it such a fun read, along with the sense of community that comes from a small town full of people that know and love each other.
This is the seventh book in the Cricket Creek series, and while it is the first one that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, it will not be the last. I look forward to reading the previous books and to spending more time in Cricket Creek, Kentucky.
Author Bio:
Becoming an avid reader at a young age, McLane soon knew she wanted to be a writer. Encouragement from teachers led to creative writing classes on both the high school and college level. In the mid 1980’s she became a staff reporter and wrote human-interest stories for several local newspapers and at one point had her own award-winning column in The Kenton County Recorder. Fiction, though, was what she really longed to write. She joined an eclectic literary group called Night Writers and met romance novelist Nicole Jordan who invited her to join Romance Writers of America. With a handful of women, they founded the Ohio Valley RWA chapter that is now a huge national chapter.
Four children and a traveling husband, however, curtailed McLane’s writing career until a now-or-never mid-life crisis made her overcome her fear of computers and jump back into the crazy business of romance writing and she hasn’t looked back.
Darkness is the only thing I see. Ever since the day my life changed. The day that everything and everyone I held close to me ceased to exist. The day I lost it all and the demons of my past consumed my every waking moment.
I tried to keep others at arm’s length. Tried not to let my darkness taint them. Ruin them. Harm them. And whether I want to admit it or not, as much as I wish I could keep them locked out, they refuse to leave. Refuse to let me suffer alone.
If I hadn’t been so focused on keeping those demons from flying free, I wouldn’t have missed how one perfect angel was able to sneak her way under my skin—refusing to let go. Making me want things I don’t deserve.
She consumes me. Her beauty knows no end. The love she promises tempts me every time she’s near. But that pure heart that makes her MY Emmy is the one thing I’m convinced I’ll destroy if I ever let her close.
I’m a broken man. A broken man with too much darkness in his soul to ever let her light shine upon me. But even that doesn’t stop me from craving her with every single breath in my body.
**This is the final book in the Corps Security series. This book is not suitable for younger readers. There is strong language, adult situations, and some violence.*
I think reader’s have been biting at the bits for this book in the Corps Security Series by Harper Sloan. Locke has been a complete enigma since book one. His stand offish behavior and deliberate avoidance has intrigued the readers. We have seen glimpses of his softer inner self when it comes to the women in his circle being emotionally troubled. He is a warrior where they are concerned except for one woman. Emmy touches something deep inside and that is the last thing Locke wants. He has repeatedly spurned her, hurt her feelings, egged her on, and desired her throughout this series. He gives her mixed signals and keeps her emotions tangled. After the tragedy with Cooper in the former book, Emmy is done with Corps Security and Locke. She just can’t handle the emotional roller coaster Locke brings to the office. Most of all she can’t handle the memories from Cooper. It’s time to cut her losses, move on, and start another life.
She moves back home to Florida. Home is not a pleasant place. Her parents own the local slimy strip joint and they expect her to be their headlining princess. They have also found a despicable prince charming for her. Charming he is not. He is a volatile and ruthless monster that wants her only to gain her parents club. If she won’t give in to him willingly, he will take her by force.
Once Emmy is gone, Locke realizes that he has lost the only thing that is good in his life. He is done with running from Emmy. He plans to claim her for life and love her until death. He is going to Florida to get his woman.
As the rest of the story unfolds the reader’s will find out about the deep scars Locke has carried on his soul. It will break your heart. We will also see a man hopelessly in love and trying to do his best to make the changes Emmy needs from him.
Like all the books, the plot will have some intense action and seriously screwed up villain. Locke will not only have to prove his worth, he will have to protect her with his life.
Locke is a classic Corps Security book. The Corps Security Series is loaded with dynamic alpha men, smart women, sizzling romance, thrilling action, and Sway. What’s Sway… the sparkly golden glitter that glues all these characters together.
A Portion of the proceeds from Locke Sale will be donated to the Semper Fi Fund.
Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husbands chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!
Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.
***PULL is the continuation of Claire Wallis’ sharp and shocking debut novel, PUSH. It is the second book in the series and is not intended to be a standalone.***
“It is impossible for someone like me—someone with a sin-list capable of wrapping itself around the world—to find redemption. To be repaired.”
David Calgaro has secrets, and the only woman he’s ever loved is about to pay the ultimate price to protect them. He’s spent a lifetime searching for purpose and control. And the only place he’s managed to find them is in a single, perfect moment; a moment in which he has absolute control over someone else’s life.
David is unredeemable, unfixable, unsalvageable. But Emma Searfoss has forced a tiny sliver of hope to penetrate his soul. Hope that, even though redemption is impossible, maybe life isn’t. Maybe he isn’t who he thought he was. Maybe he’s meant to be more.
This is a new adult novel with mature content for readers 17 and up.
I feel like I am wrapped in a cyclone. Everything is whirling around me, drawing the air out of my lungs and filling me with the best kind of turmoil. Every time his tongue slides against mine, a prickle in my gut tells me how right we are together. How much I need David. How much I need us.
I hope the cyclone never stops.
Emma Searfoss has spent a lifetime trying to escape her abusive stepfather. It’s why she moved far away from home. It’s why she’s kept no ties with her remaining family. And it’s why she’s got a major rage problem. When her neighbor shows up to fix the kitchen in her new apartment, his enigmatic charm calms the fire in her. David is cool and collected, and he makes Emma feel safe for the first time ever. But David has his own chilling past—his six previous girlfriends have all disappeared without a trace. Emma’s walking a dangerous line, but David’s pull is intoxicating. And impossible to resist…
Michel’s Review
*** I wrote this review in May 2014 when Push was first released. After 5 months and several books reviewed, I have not been able to forget this book. I am still blown away by the intensity and the emotional impact this book had on me. I have recommended this book to several of my seasoned reader friends and they have had the same kind of reactions. Claire Wallis delivered a unique story with a very untraditional writing style. There were two prologues and two epilogues are written from each character’s POV. The content of the book is mostly written in third person but has chapters throughout the book written in first person POV from supporting characters. It is choreographed in a very deliberate manner that stuns the readers. The writing is absolutely brilliant! ***
Push by Claire Wallis is getting a lot of attention in the reader world. There are discussion groups dedicated to this book. All the major review sites and bloggers are blowing up over this book. It has every reader reacting! How could I not read this book? I had to know what was causing this kind of hysteria.
Now that I have finished this book, I completely understand all the reactions and sensation this book is generating.
Everything about Push is completely original. The plot is intricately woven. The reader gets a look at both the characters pasts as well as their present. The book is mostly written from Emma’s point of view. We get to know David through their conversations, Emma’s point of view, past girlfriends’ point of views, the prologue and epilogue. The author brilliantly takes the reader into the complicated worlds these characters evolved from. She develops a story that will keep the reader consumed to the very last word. When all is said and done, all the reader can think is WTF! I had to peel my jaw off the ground. I felt like I needed a shot of whiskey to calm me down. I felt like I needed a whole bottle of antacid to get my stomach out of knots. I needed the next book….. like YESTERDAY!
Push is exhilarating, chilling, horrific, distressing, anguishing, tormenting and heartbreaking. At the same time, the reader experiences an unusual but beautiful relationship. A relationship that goes beyond the kind of love most relationships are based on. Everything about this couple worked. They were exactly what each other needed. But sometimes having that perfection is not enough. This is the case with David and Emma.
When I started this book I was immediately drawn in. There are two prologues, one from Emma’s point of view and the other from David’s point of view. The prologues made it very clear what was going to happen at the end of the book. I was flabbergasted! I had to know more. I had to find out how they came to this point. I was hoping that the ending would turn out differently.
Emma was a very impressive heroine. She had a horrible childhood. She was mentally and verbally abused by her stepfather. Her stepfather ruined her family. But despite her ugly past, she didn’t let it drag her down. She is feisty, independent, self sufficient, aggressive, tough, and hard. She doesn’t believe in love. She doesn’t trust easily. She never gives anyone a piece of her heart. She’s okay with who she is. When she meets David, pieces of herself that she locked away begin to surface. He accepts her for who she is. He wants to protect her and take care of her. He is tender, caring, and supportive. He is everything she never knew she needed. He is perfect for her even though he has a slew of hidden secrets. She is okay with that. She accepts him for who he is because like her he has been to hell and back.
David is one of the most complicated characters I have ever experienced. On one hand I absolutely loved him. He is compassionate, giving, tender, and loving in his own unique way. He has a mesmerizing personality that is hard not to love. On the other hand, deep down he is a monster. He is your worst nightmare. Your heart breaks when you find out how he evolved into this horrific person. You are hoping that his relationship with Emma will somehow change him. Some people are not fixable.
Somehow these two messed up souls are beautiful together. They give each other what they need. They bring out the very best and the very worst in each other. They embrace it all. They are chaotic perfection together.
When you reach the end, there are two epilogues. One epilogue is from Emma’s point of view and the other is from David’s point of view. The ending will leave you with your heart in your feet, stomach in knots, and ugly tears running down your face. It ends on a major CLIFFHANGER!
Push by Claire Wallis blew my mind! I cannot wait for the sequel. I hope the publisher does not leave us readers hanging for long. I don’t think I can get this book out of my head.
Push by Claire Wallis is clearly the book that is going to soar to the top of 2014 Book of the Year list.
Note: This review is based on my reactions and emotions. The writing was flawless. The plot was brilliant. The overall story to this point is heart wrenching.
Robin’s Review
It has been three weeks since I finished reading Push by Claire Wallis, and I still think about this novel. Or should I say obsess? This is the exception. Generally, my head shifts focus with each novel that I begin reading. Reviewing novels is hard. Sometimes it takes all of the fun out of reading when you have to focus on what you want to say when you write the review. When I read Push, I knew our blog had already covered this story. So, I read it for sheer enjoyment. And I can’t forget it. I can’t escape this story. Have you read the synopsis? Push is dark romance at its finest. Go read this thriller now because the sequel Pull is being published soon! 6 stars to Claire Wallis for her debut novel!
Author Bio:
Enamored with the process of creating messy characters filled with imperfections and wicked inclinations, Claire believes that you don’t actually have to like a character to fall in love with them – a good story, after all, is best served with a hearty side of evil (just ask Disney). Claire’s first New Adult novel, Push, was released by MIRA Books on May 1st 2014. The story speaks to her appreciation of enigmatic male characters, perfectly capable of charming themselves straight into your unwilling heart. She enjoys writing about characters that are, at any given moment, both loathed and loved. You know, the ones that refuse to be forgotten.
Claire Wallis has penned hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles over the last ten years, with science playing the lead role in almost all of them. Though non-fiction writing will forever be her first love, fiction has unexpectedly swooped in, hooked her by the soul, and become her true love. As a result of this coup d’état, Claire’s writing career has made a complete U-turn, and instead of rocks, plants, insects, and microbes, she is now putting human characters in the lead.
Claire’s previous jobs include working at a limestone quarry, hawking vegetables at a farmer’s market, clerking at the dollar store, and convincing new mothers that they need to renew their subscription to that parenting magazine in order for their child to survive. She lives in Pennsylvania with her amazingly awesome husband and son.
We are pleased as punch to bring you the Release Day Launch for STARS IN THEIR EYES by Lauren Blakely! STARS IN THEIR EYES is the first full-length novel from her New Adult Romance Series, Wrapped Up in Love, a spinnoff series from her New York Times and USA Today Bestelling Caught Up in Love Series!!! The prequel novella, A STARSTRUCK KISS, is included in STARS IN THEIR EYES so that readers can enjoy the experience of reading through the full-length standalone novel in its entirety! And for those in the know, there is no cliffhanger in this title. However, A STARSTRUCK KISS will remain free, but as a short prequel to introduce readers to these new characters starting on release day!
“You played me,” he said, but he didn’t sound mad. He sounded impressed.
“It worked,” I said, pride suffusing my tone. “But the scrapes are real.”
“Yeah, I feel terrible. Shall I go hunt down a Band-Aid for you now? Oh wait. You carry them with you. You’re always prepared.”
“You never know when you might have to take a fall to be first,” I said, and rooted around in the front pocket of my backpack for a Band-Aid. I found one, peeled off the wrapping and started to press it onto my palm.
“Let me help,” he said in a soft voice, laying the ends of the Band-Aid onto my skin. He stepped closer, his body now officially in the zone of supreme nearness–the zone that would allow for hands to explore chests, and arms to be wrapped around necks, and lips to lock again. I held my breath. My hands tingled under his touch. “This is the part in the script where the reformed bad boy touches the heroine for the second time,” he whispered.
I wanted to close my eyes and linger in the moment. But I had to be stoic. I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. That this was the moment when the heroine’s skin raced from the barest touch. So I lied. “This is the part where the heroine doesn’t even notice.”
He raised an eyebrow. He held my gaze. I didn’t look away in enough time. My breath caught, and my lips were parted. “Hi,” he whispered in a voice that was getting under my skin.
“Hi,” I said against my better judgment, against my brain.
“Are we still on for the movie tomorrow?”
“You’re just asking me out because I’m the competition, right? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
“I’m asking because I want to go out with you. Not because you’re the enemy.”
I scoffed. “At least you admitted I’m the enemy. That’s why you’re asking me.”
He raised his hand, reaching gently for a strand of my hair. My feet felt wobbly with him so near to me. The earth was suddenly operating at a bizarre angle. I pressed my palm against the brick wall behind me to steady myself as he ran a finger along my hair. So softly. “I swear,” he whispered, pinning me with his gaze. “I truly want to see the movie with you. Say you’re still going with me.”
About STARS IN THEIR EYES:
WARNING: The hero in this book is not an asshole. He is hot, charming, smart, funny, ripped, gorgeous, respectful and completely panty-melting. Please proceed.
A sexy and swoony new adult romance…
Celebrity photographer and college senior Jess Leighton desperately needs to crash the wedding of the year. Snapping just one pic of the A-list Hollywood couple tying the knot will pay her way through grad school. But with security tighter than the bride-to-be’s corset, she’ll need more than her camera and smarts, she’ll need help from her biggest rival–hot, British, motorcycle-riding William Harrigan, whose sexy accent can melt the panties off any woman. He’s the last person Jess should trust, but he’s her only ticket in.
William Harrigan wants one thing – to stay in L.A. past college graduation. With a student visa set to expire, the clock is ticking. When he lands a gig that pairs him with the beautiful blond spitfire Jess, he’s scored his best shot at living out the American dream. Winning her trust would be a whole lot easier, however, if he didn’t have ulterior motives…
But there’s no faking the intense attraction between them. Try as they might to resist each other, soon sparks are flying, as they devise a plan to sneak into the ceremony. But when Jess’ new celebrity client raises the stakes, she starts to smell blackmail, and soon she and Will are chasing down cheating directors, staking out clandestine trysts, and making fake IDs, all while sneaking scene-stealing kisses and hot nights together.
The audience loves a happy ending, but in a town where everyone’s acting and no one’s playing by the rules, can Jess and William find their own ever after in time?
**Stars in Their Eyes is the start of the sexy, swoony and scandalous new adult series Wrapped Up in Love, which is a spin-off of the NYT and USA Today Bestselling Caught Up in Love series. You don’t need to have read Caught Up in Love to follow this new series, but you’ll likely enjoy those books!**
And don’t miss the FREE Prequel Novella, A STARSTRUCK KISS!
Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in 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. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.
We are beyond excited to bring you the Cover Reveal for Kristen Proby’s FOREVER WITH ME!! FOREVER WITH ME is a Contemporary Erotic Romance novel and is the Final book in the With Me In Seattle Series and is due to be released on December 2, 2014!!
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the With Me in Seattle Series comes the end of a saga…
Dominic Salvatore seemingly has everything a man could want. He’s found a new relationship with his father and the entire Montgomery family. His vineyard, Cuppa di Vita, is a success. There’s only one thing that eludes him: a certain driven, intelligent, and sexy as hell blonde named Alecia.
Alecia works tirelessly building her event planning business. It’s the most important part of her life. Despite the beautiful, lavish weddings she organizes, Alecia is convinced that the idea of true love is a myth. While Dominic is a sexy, intriguing man, welcoming the handsome Italian into her bed, and her life, is a risk she’s not so sure she’s willing to take.
However Dominic isn’t used to taking no for an answer, and it’s not long before these two are burning up the sheets and discovering a connection that neither can deny. But will it be strong enough to last forever?
“I’m going to eventually make you understand how amazing you are, tesoro.” – Dominic Salvatore
ABOUT KRISTEN PROBY:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Kristen Proby is the author of the popular With Me in Seattle series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong characters who love humor and have a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type—fiercely protective and a bit bossy—and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen spends her days with her muse in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, and sunshine. And naps. Visit her at KristenProby.com.
HERE WITH ME by New York Times Bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin will be released in just 2 weeks (on October 23rd!)! Today we have a few teasers from the book and a bio teaser for Evan Archer.
Synopsis for HERE WITH ME:
Ryley Clarke has grown up with the military in her blood, with both parents serving their country. Ryley knows the risks of being married to the military. But when the unthinkable happens, and her future husband is killed in action, Ryley can barely survive… until Evan’s twin brother, Nate, helps her pick up the pieces.
After serving on a special mission with the military for six years, Evan Archer returns home to find the unthinkable – the love of his life, Ryley Clarke – engaged to his brother, Nate. With Nate on deployment, Evan needs to figure out what happened in his absence, and more importantly, how to win Ryley back from the man he once considered his best friend, but now thinks of as his rival.
Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.
During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she’s writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter’s basketball games.
Twenty-one years ago, Gabriella’s life was stolen from her before it even began.
Orphaned at birth and encompassed in a fortress of lies to protect her identity, she never truly understood her purpose on this earth. But now that she has ascended, embracing her destiny, the ghosts of her past have come back to haunt her.
Even with insurmountable power running through her veins, part of Gabriella is irreparably broken. And with old enemies working to destroy the tiny shred of normalcy she has left, she’ll be forced to face the ugly truth about Dorian, the man she chose to love despite his darkness.
Everything she loved is a lie, and everyone she thought she knew is a stranger. And now that Gabriella is about to be thrust into the battle of her life, she discovers that she may be fighting for the wrong side.
*This is book 3 of The Dark Light Series, the highly anticipated conclusion to Gabriella and Dorian’s beautifully tragic love story.
Excerpt
I finally turn to Dorian to find him naked and so close that my breasts press against the top of his abs. My lips part automatically, but he doesn’t kiss me. He never gives me what I want—just what I need.
“You want to explain that look earlier?” he deadpans looking down at me, his voice low and sinister.
“What look?” I slide my hands up onto his shoulders, yet he still doesn’t touch me.
“Between you and my brother. And don’t lie. I know when you lie. And it will just make it worse for you.”
Without looking him in the eye, I give him a carefree smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Suit yourself.”
He’s kissing me hungrily, angrily, painfully before I even know what’s happening. His greedy hands cup my breasts, so swollen for him, and pinch my nipples hard enough to leave a lingering sting. I yelp into his mouth and he nips my bottom lip with his teeth.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” he rasps, pulling away just enough to utter the words. He doesn’t even give me a chance to answer before he’s kissing me again, smothering my little whimper and whines with his lips and tongue.
Still devouring my resistance, he parts my thighs and cups my sex possessively, as if he’s holding a rare jewel in the palm of his hand. Then, without warning or provocation, he sinks two fingers inside of me to the knuckle.
“What are you doing, Dorian?” I manage to gasp against his demanding lips.
He looks at me—wild with lust or fury or both. I feel myself grow hotter and a bead of sweat trails its way between my breasts. Dorian doesn’t even think about it. He bends his head and licks the salty droplet, his tongue not stopping until his lips are at my jaw. His voice is gruffer than I have ever heard it and it frightens and entices me. “Reminding you.”
I blink once…twice…before good sense returns. “Of what?”
He eases his fingers out slowly, those pale blue eyes lit with passion trained on me, before pushing them back in to the hilt. “Who owns this.”
His face is buried in my neck in the next second and he inhales deeply, breathing me & fingering me all at once. Bringing us both to heaven with such deviant acts. I try to swallow my screams as his skillful fingers beckon my orgasm, commanding I come for him, but he won’t have it. His other hand fists a handful of my hair and pulls so hard that my head snaps back, ensuring that I can see him and only him.
S.L. Jennings is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance, reality TV junkie, obsessive coffee drinker and collector of crazy.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You and Be with Me comes a daring tale that pushes boundaries . . .
At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.
But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought shed left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.
Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from they moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.
As I lay there, trying to swallow a loud, obnoxious yawn, I remembered something he’d said when we first met, about life being too short. I imagined he had firsthand experience with shortened lives while he was serving. That mentality came from experience. I got that now. Could even understand it, but there was something I didn’t understand.
“Why?” I asked.
There was a beat. “Why what?”
Jax sounded tired, and I should shut up or point out that I was now tired and could sleep, so he could leave. But I didn’t. “Why are you here? You don’t know me and . . .” I trailed off, because there really wasn’t anything left to say.
A minute went by, and he hadn’t answered my question, and then I think another minute ticked on, and I was okay with him not answering because maybe he didn’t even know. Or maybe he was just bored and that was why he was here.
But then he moved.
Jax pressed against my back, and the next breath I took got stuck in my throat. My eyes shot open. The sheet and blanket were between us, but they felt like nothing.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Getting comfortable.” He dropped an arm over my waist, and my entire body jerked against his. “It’s time to sleep I think.”
“But—”
“You can’t sleep when you talk,” he remarked.
“You don’t need to be all up on me,” I pointed out.
His answering chuckle stirred the hair along the back of my neck. “Honey, I’m not all up on you.”
I freaking begged to differ on that point. I started to wiggle away, but the arm around my waist tightened, holding me in place.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he announced casually, as if he wasn’t holding me prisoner in the bed.
Okay. The whole prisoner thing might be melodramatic, but he wasn’t letting me up. Not when he was getting all kinds of comfy behind me.
Oh my God, this was spooning. Total spooning. I was spooning with an honorary member of the Hot Guy Brigade. Did I wake up in a parallel universe?
“Sleep,” he demanded, as if the one word carried that much power. “Go to sleep, Calla.” This time his voice was softer, quieter.
“Yeah, it doesn’t work that way, Jax. You have a nice voice, but it doesn’t hold the power to make me sleep on your command.”
He chuckled.
I rolled my eyes, but the most ridiculous thing ever was the fact that after a couple of minutes, my eyes stayed shut. I . . . I actually settled in against him. With his front pressed to my back, his long legs cradling mine, and his arm snug around my waist, I actually did feel safe. More than that, I felt something else—something I hadn’t felt in years.
I felt cared for . . . cherished.
Which was the epitome of dumb, because I barely knew him, but feeling that, recognizing what the warm, buzzing feeling was, I fell right asleep.
Michel’s Review
Stay With Me by J. Lynn is another fine addition to the Wait For You series. It delivered an emotional romance that brought me to tears. This story showed readers the true meaning of unconditional love. It redefined the term “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. It also showed how building ones self esteem and confidence can heal more than the wounded soul.
Stay With Me is quite different from the other books in Wait For You series. Unlike the other books, this book takes place off campus. It also has an edgier plot that has some violence. The background and undertones of this book are bit darker than campus life. It depicts the ugly underside of a failing small town. But in all it’s darkness the characters make this book shine brightly.
Calla has endured many ugly things in her young life. Her mother is a junkie and has brought the dregs of society into her home too many times. Calla finally thought she escaped her mother for good when she left for college. Her mother has managed to pull her back when she takes all of her college money and runs up her credit cards. Calla is forced to return home to get her money back.
When she arrives home, not only has her money gone missing, her mother has gone missing as well. Left destitute, she cannot return to college. She is forced to take a job as a waitress in the family bar. She is dreading going back to that hole in the wall where she spent many of her childhood years. But like most things in life, the bar has changed since she has been gone. It no longer seems as seedy as it once was. There is a better crew running the place in her mother’s absence. One of these people is the sexy bartender Jax.
Jax sends her world spinning with his sexy flirting, genuine concern, protectiveness, and fun personality. He gives her a chance to let her guard down and be the person she really is. He gives her the hope that she can finally find a real boyfriend, experience a real kiss, and maybe find a love loyal to her.
Jax fell for Calla the moment she walked through the door. She is the kind of girl he has been waiting for to share his life. He wants to see Calla healthy, happy, and at peace. He knows her history, he knows how her mother is, he knows the demons she fights, and he loves her all the more for it.
Calla’s mother has severely scarred Calla emotionally and physically. She has ruined their lives. She has brought trouble to Calla’s doorstep when she skipped town with Calla’s money. Her mother has buried herself deep with the dregs of society. She has burned the wrong people. She has stole drugs from the wrong people. They want their money back. They don’t care how they get it, who they hurt, or what consequences will be paid. They want retribution. That retribution is Calla. Jax will do everything in his power to protect Calla from her mother’s enemies. It looks like the only thing that is going to save them both is the reappearance of her mother. No one is holding their breaths.
Through all the threats and violence, Calla and Jax will find a love filled with beauty.
Stay With Me was loaded with suspense and mystery. It also had all the elements we love in a new adult romance. The wonder of new love, the recognition of self worth, and finding the inner strength to build a better life. Some of the old characters from the series put in their appearances and we met quite a few new intriguing characters.
I highly recommend Stay With Me. It can be read as a stand alone novel or in series order.
Jennifer L. Armentrout/J.Lynn Bio:
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY 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, working out, 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.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
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