Don’t miss our amazing giveaway going on to celebrate the FOLLOW ME BACK Cover Reveal!! Grand prize includes a Kindle Fire HD 8, a signed Show Me the Way paperback, plus a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!! Heck yes!
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary
romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, and
BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for A.L. Jackson’s upcoming novel, FOLLOW ME
BACK, the second stand-alone novel in her brand-new FIGHT FOR ME SERIES.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping
cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her
newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.
Beautiful, intelligent, independent, strong-willed, wealthy—Lilith Fontenot seems by all appearances, to have it all. But that’s not how the highest paid prostitute in New Orleans sees herself.
A stain on society. A scourge. A waste. Outsider. Prisoner…
Any idyllic dream of the normal life she may have once imagined, Lilith buried long ago. Her only plan now is survival.
But mob boss Nico Santelli and community center owner Soti Christos have not given up on Lilith. Each has his own very specific, very opposing, plans for her, and neither will rest until it becomes a reality.
WHORE is a singularly bracing take on an ancient tale of tireless love, betrayal, and the possibility of redemption.
I take a sudden deep breath and my breasts brush against his chest. The contact surprises us both. I do it again, intentionally this time, trying to gain control in the only way I know how. His neck flushes and he takes a step back. I enjoy the rush it gives me, knowing that I affect him too.
“Hey, would you like to come around the corner with me to—”
I swallow my surprise and shake my head, holding my hand up before he says anything else.
“Please,” he says louder.
“What’s your name?”
“I am Sotirios … Soti.”
“Soti, what makes you think you know anything about me?”
He tries to make eye contact, but I focus on a spot just past his left ear.
“I just want to help you…” His words trail off.
The wind blows my hair forward, a sheet of black coming between us until I smooth the long strands down on either side. I gaze down the street and see a blurry little girl with black hair down to her waist in middle school, standing shy and hopeful in front of a group of girls.
“We know what you are,” they said. They hurled spit and names on her and she stood there, taking it, until the teacher came and helped her.
Help only got me so far.
“You listen to me, okay?” I say so softly he leans in to hear me. “I was born for this.”
When my eyes finally land on his again, I know his face will haunt me forever. He looks as bleak as I feel.
I clear my throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”
With that, I loop my hand through the arm of my next income source, calculating how I can get the most money out of him for the least amount of time. It takes every ounce of willpower I own to not look Soti’s way one more time. Once we round the corner and I know he’s out of sight, all the adrenaline leaves my body, and I’m actually glad to have someone to hold onto.
I avoid my reflection as we walk back to the house. I don’t want to know what the rest of the world sees when they look at me.
Robin’s Review
Based on the Biblical story of Hosea and Gomer, the newest novel from author Willow Aster titled Whore is about the world’s oldest profession – prostitution. As stated in the book synopsis, love, betrayal and redemption are indeed the focus of this mysterious romantic suspense novel set in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Whore is narrated in the alternating, first-person points-of-view of Lilith Fontenot and Soti Christos. Lilith comes from a long line of prostitutes who run a brothel named Maison D’Amour. Just like her mother, and her grandmother before her, Lilith grows up knowing her future lies solely in the family business. She can dream about something different, but there can be no other choice. Not until she meets Soti, and he shows Lilith just how different life might be if she spent it with him. Could it be possible? Crime boss Nico Santelli has different plans for Lilith, and those plans have nothing to do with what Christos has to offer. Which man will win the battle for her future?
Knowing her profession, Willow Aster characterized Lilith Fontenot perfectly. This is especially important as Lilith begins to experience unfamiliar feelings. Lilith knows exactly how to act and what to expect during a hookup, but when it comes to emotions, she struggles. She’s shy and not used to being treated with kindness. I also thought Aster thoughtfully characterized Soti to be cautious with Lilith. I fell in love with both characters, separately and as a couple. They each had to grow as individuals to make their relationship work. I also enjoyed the secondary characters who work at the community center. They softened the story, giving it a lighter feel!
One of the strengths of Whore lies in the descriptive writing, especially early in the novel as the architecture and setting in the French Quarter are being established. Aster’s description of what’s required at the brothel – the dress, presentation and decorum – is nicely woven throughout the initial chapters. Lilith narrates details in a matter-of-fact manner, while also making it seem as if the women who work at Maison D’Amour are very proud of their high class establishment. I was truly impressed by the world building and just how well I was able to picture what I was reading in my mind.
Like most individuals, I tend to read the book synopsis before I begin reading the novel. With only limited knowledge about the plot, I found myself pleasantly surprised to discover more depth to Whore than I initially anticipated. An air of mystery surrounds Lilith, Soti and several of the secondary characters. I felt compelled to keep reading into the late night hours to get to the bottom of things. I had questions that needed answers! Aster did a fantastic job holding all of her cards – holding my attention – until the final pages of the novel.
Although you’ll find some dark scenes in Whore, Willow Aster incorporates light and positivity to counterbalance the darkness. I felt a connection to Lilith, so to see her experience happiness made this story very fulfilling! Up to this point, I’ve read each novel written by Willow Aster, and Whore is close to being my favorite! I’m so excited to give Whore a 4.5-star rating and name it as one of my 2017 favorite novels!
Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story, In the Fields, Maybe Maby, Fade to Red, and the upcoming release, Whore. Willow loves nothing more than writing the day away—anywhere will do. Her husband and two children graciously put up with her endless daydreaming and make fun of her for reading while cooking.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Blurb
Rocco is the third book in a full-length, standalone
series by New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Castille, set in Las Vegas and featuring deliciously sexy mafia bosses and the women who can’t help but love them.
Mafia enforcer Rocco De Lucchi is the best in the
business.
Cold, hard, and utterly ruthless, Rocco is the most dangerous of men. Feelings are a luxury he cannot afford―until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the only woman who found her way into his heart and touched his soul.
Grace Mantini has spent her whole life running
from the mob. The daughter of the boss’s right-hand man, she is both a prize and a target. When Rocco walks back into her life, she wants nothing to do with the man who betrayed her and broke her heart. But only Rocco can protect her from the dangerous forces that seek to destroy her family. Can they escape the hands of fate closing around them? Or will love be the kiss of death for them both?
Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestsellingauthor of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, and Legal Heat series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.
Today we have the chapter reveal for DIRT by Cassia Leo! Check them out and pre-order your copy today!
Title: DIRT Author: Cassia Leo Series: Evergreen Series Release: January 12, 2018
About Dirt
A hard-hitting, emotional new series from New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo.
Jack and I had everything. Then, in one brutal instant, the universe tilted on its side, discarding us into black nothingness.
Now, I have a cocky a**hole for a husband.
The only way we communicate anymore is when we’re fighting or f**king.
With nothing left to lose, I write Jack a goodbye letter and head for Portland, where I quickly meet a neighbor who helps me find a job.
My new neighbor—broody, tattooed ex-soldier Isaac Evans—is complicated. Nevertheless, we form a fast friendship, bonding over our mutual desire to create something beautiful from the wreckage of our lives.
But despite the distance between us, Jack and I are still trying to make things work—fighting and f**king dirtier than ever. And he doesn’t appreciate my new friendship with Isaac. Not one f**king bit.
I hugged Jack Jr. tightly against my breast, and he molded his soft, warm body to mine. His eyes remained closed as his tiny fingers curled around the fabric of my blouse, his rosy lips puckering as he geared up for more food.
“You sucked me dry, little fella,” I whispered, leaning in to press my nose against the downy-soft, golden hair on the top of his head. I inhaled his scent and my muscles unspooled. “But I’ll be back to feed you soon. I promise.”
Why do babies smell so damn good?
Before I got pregnant with Junior, my favorite smell was orange blossoms. As a teenager, I often got scolded by my mom for picking the flowers off the orange tree in our backyard in Portland. I’d rub the creamy petals between my fingers, bruise them with my fingernails, then sniff my hand for hours until the scent wore off.
When I was pregnant with Junior, my favorite scent became the rich aroma of the forbidden coffee I could no longer drink.
After Junior was born, and my decaf days came to a glorious end, I realized how wrong I’d been. There was absolutely no scent as sweet and soul-quieting as the smell of the top of a baby’s head. Bonus points if the baby was lying peacefully on your chest sound asleep.
“Are you ever going to put him down?”
I flicked my head sideways, startled by Jack’s clear, baritone voice.
He stood in the doorway of Junior’s nursery, the silhouette of his six-foot-three athletic body framed by the warm light in the hallway. His head was tilted to the side. He’d probably been standing there admiring us for a while. After six years together, I knew Jack’s body language and facial expressions better than I knew my own face.
I stood from the rocking chair and stole one more sniff of Junior’s head before I placed him gently on his back in the center of the crib. I adjusted the left sleeve of his pajamas, pulling it down to make sure it covered his entire chubby arm. I didn’t want to imagine him waking up cold and alone in here.
Jack appeared at my side as I switched on the video baby monitor. “He’s going to be fine,” he murmured, reaching down to stroke the soft patch of hair on Junior’s head. “In fact, he’ll probably enjoy some time alone. After all, he is just like his daddy; sometimes, we need a break from the constant attention from the ladies.”
I rolled my eyes and headed for the door. “Making jokes only makes leaving him slightly less scary, you know,” I said as we stepped into the hallway of our five-bedroom dream home in Hood River, Oregon. I couldn’t wait to fill up every one of these bedrooms with brothers and sisters for Jack Jr.
Jack chuckled as he followed closely behind me. “Less scary is an improvement,” he replied, grabbing my hand to stop me in the middle of the corridor. “You promised Junior you’d be back soon. Can you also make me a promise?”
The hallway lights made his dark hair look glaringly shiny, but I couldn’t help but notice how weary his blue eyes looked tonight. Since Junior arrived three months ago, I’d been so focused on my baby boy’s vulnerability, his scent, his beauty, I hadn’t slowed down enough to appreciate how those were the same qualities that made me fall in love with Jack.
Suddenly, my worries about leaving Junior with my mother for the evening evaporated. All I wanted to do was kiss Jack, grab hold of that dark hair and make love to him for hours. I wanted to replace the weariness in his eyes with dark hunger, or maybe a glint of mischief.
I squeezed his hand and smiled at the thought of possibly having sex with him in public tonight. We hadn’t done that in a while.
“What kind of promise?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nope, you’re not allowed to ask. Just promise me you’ll say yes.”
My stomach vaulted at the sound of those words. They were the same words Jack spoke when he asked me to marry him. I wondered what he would ask this time.
The phrase “just promise me you’ll say yes” had become like an inside joke, our own private, unspoken promise to each other that we would always do whatever it took to stay together. The last time he had uttered this phrase, he asked me to stop taking my birth control pills. With Junior here, it was easy to trust that whatever Jack asked me for this time would turn out to be exactly what I needed.
I tilted my head back so I could look up and into his crystal-blue eyes. “Yes, I can make you a promise.”
His expression became sober. “Promise me you’ll be present tonight.” He fixed me with a piercing gaze as his large hand cupped my face. “It’s just you and me for the next three hours. Promise me.”
I smiled. “I promise. Just you and me. And I’ll even put my cell phone on vibrate.” As I said the words, a sharp finger of fear prodded my subconscious, telling me it was a bad idea to risk missing a phone call tonight.
The exhaustion in Jack’s eyes melted away as he smiled. “I can deal with that, but you have to promise me one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
His smile turned almost menacing as he looped his arm around my waist and drew me close. “Promise me you’ll lemme smash that blonde bombshell booty,” he said, landing a light swat on my ass.
I shook my head as I recalled how we often had sex in public during our first year together, in our senior year at Oregon State University, Cascades. For some reason, once we graduated and moved in together, having sex in public seemed like something we couldn’t get away with so easily. We decided public sex-hibitions — or throw downs, as we more commonly referred to them — would be reserved for special occasions like anniversaries or vacations.
Truthfully, Jack and I kicked off our relationship by having sex on the first date. He was always a very difficult man to resist. When he showed up at my apartment to pick me up that night, I couldn’t resist his suggestion that we should stay in and make paper masks of ourselves, then put them on and ask each other first date questions as if we were the other person. I had never laughed so much on any date. Ever. But when he asked — while pretending to be me — if I’d ever had sex with someone on the first date, I couldn’t help but respond with, “I’m Jack-fucking-Stratton. I’ve fucked a lot of girls on the first date. But none as gorgeous as you.”
Jack always knew how to keep things fresh and alarmingly sexy. Six years in and my body still craved him almost every second of every day.
Today was our three-year wedding anniversary. We’d only had sex twice since I gave birth to Junior three months ago, and both of those times were truly awkward.
The first time was painful. My C-section incision hadn’t fully healed yet, and even trying to have sex with him behind me was uncomfortable. The second time we tried, Jack was so afraid of hurting me, he stopped midway through. There’d been a lot of oral sex happening in this house since then.
Luckily, a few weeks had passed since our last attempt, and I had repeatedly assured him I was fully healed up now. I was certain that even if the sex did hurt a little, it would still be worth it. I couldn’t understand couples that didn’t consider sex an important part of a relationship. I never felt more complete, more present, more alive than when my body and mind were entwined with Jack’s.
I smiled as I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I think I know just the place for a proper throw down.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Ooh. Tell me more.”
As he leaned in to kiss me, my mother’s voice interrupted us.
“Are you two making out again?” she said, standing at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips as she gawped at us. “Well, don’t let me stop you.”
Jack laughed and I shook my head as we moved toward her.
“We’re just trying to keep you entertained while you’re on vacation, Beth,” Jack said.
My mother cocked an eyebrow. “If I wanted to watch porn, I’d open up your laptop and have a look at your internet history.”
“Mom, don’t be gross,” I protested, trying not to laugh.
Jack smiled as he held out his elbow for my mom to grab hold as they descended the stairs in front of me. “I made a special collection of links for you. They’re in a folder labeled Tantric Geriatric. You’ll love it.”
I rolled my eyes. Jack and my mother exchanged jabs like this all day.
My mother was staying with us for a few days, so Jack and I could have some time to ourselves and get some much-needed uninterrupted sleep. She was leaving tomorrow to go back to the house where I grew up in Portland. Though she pretended as if she was desperate to get home to her Craftsman cottage in the city, and I even teased her about how she was dying to get back so she could see the handsome new neighbor she’d been going on about, I knew she was going to miss Jack’s pretend insults as much as she would miss Junior and me.
My mother practically shoved me toward the front door. “I order you to go have fun,” she said, smiling as Jack opened the door and stepped outside. “And don’t come home until you’re too drunk to walk.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, Mom. Please call if you need anything. And don’t answer the door for anyone. There’s a house that got broken into a few streets away.”
She waved off my paranoia. “Stop worrying so much. We’ll be fine. See you later, babe.”
I blew her a kiss, then I closed the door behind me.
* * *
“I have to admit, having sex on the waterfront was one of my favorite public throw downs ever,” Jack said, pulling his Tesla into the long driveway of our four-acre estate. “But do we really have to wait until our fourth anniversary to do it again?”
I tugged the silky fabric of my skirt straight as I pressed my thighs together. Though my body was still raw with the evidence of the dirty deed we’d just committed, I couldn’t wait to get Jack inside and pounce on him again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the sensation of him moving inside me, and how good he was at making me feel beautiful.
“We can do that anytime we can snag a babysitter,” I replied as he turned the car off.
He made no move to exit the Tesla. “Well, babycakes, you’d better get ready to interview a fuck-ton of babysitters.”
I laughed. “Babycakes? That’s a new one.”
Jack rarely used the same term of endearment twice in a row. He liked to keep me guessing.
He scrunched up his nose. “Yeah, that one was kind of creepy. Now that I’ve tried it out, I think I can bury that one in the nickname graveyard.”
“Try the incinerator,” I said, reaching for the door handle.
“Duly noted,” he replied, exiting the vehicle.
Jack and I glided unhurriedly along the flagstone walkway, which was lined with sparkling pathway lights. As we made our way toward the steps leading up to the covered porch, I stopped in the middle of the path and closed my eyes as I inhaled the sweet scent of the lavender and honeysuckle I’d planted with my mom’s help.
That was when I made a wish, a corny wish, but I didn’t care.
I wished that every person could find someone they loved as much as I loved Jack. I wished every child could feel as loved as Junior was. And I wished every anniversary could be as perfect as this one.
“No… No, no, no!” Jack’s voice grew louder with each no.
They say mother’s intuition is scientifically proven to exist. I knew by the tone of Jack’s voice, without even opening my eyes, that my world would never be the same. I knew in that instant, I would regret leaving Jack Jr. tonight for the rest of my life.
Though I knew something was wrong, I wasn’t prepared for what we found.
At some point, while we were lost in our blissful celebration, the front door of our home had been forced open. This discovery was what had made Jack cry out in disbelief. Father’s intuition must also be a thing, because he told me later that, even though the door was still closed, the moment he saw the gouges in the wood near the handle, he had felt that same sense of dread. That feeling that the universe had suddenly tilted on its side, discarding us into black nothingness.
The house was ransacked.
Furniture upended, paintings and flatscreen televisions torn off the walls, shards of shattered vases littered the floors. Complete and utter chaos.
The master bathroom doorknob looked as if it had been shot off. We found my mother’s lifeless form huddled against the bathtub, my baby boy’s dead body clutched tightly in her arms.
New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she’s not writing, she spends way too much time re-watching Game of Thrones and Sex and the City. When she’s not binge watching, she’s usually enjoying the Oregon rain with a hot cup of coffee and a book.
Beautiful, intelligent, independent, strong-willed, wealthy—Lilith Fontenot seems by all appearances, to have it all. But that’s not how the highest paid prostitute in New Orleans sees herself.
A stain on society. A scourge. A waste. Outsider. Prisoner…
Any idyllic dream of the normal life she may have once imagined, Lilith buried long ago. Her only plan now is survival.
But mob boss Nico Santelli and community center owner Soti Christos have not given up on Lilith. Each has his own very specific, very opposing, plans for her, and neither will rest until it becomes a reality.
WHORE is a singularly bracing take on an ancient tale of tireless love, betrayal, and the possibility of redemption.
I take a sudden deep breath and my breasts brush against his chest. The contact surprises us both. I do it again, intentionally this time, trying to gain control in the only way I know how. His neck flushes and he takes a step back. I enjoy the rush it gives me, knowing that I affect him too.
“Hey, would you like to come around the corner with me to—”
I swallow my surprise and shake my head, holding my hand up before he says anything else.
“Please,” he says louder.
“What’s your name?”
“I am Sotirios … Soti.”
“Soti, what makes you think you know anything about me?”
He tries to make eye contact, but I focus on a spot just past his left ear.
“I just want to help you…” His words trail off.
The wind blows my hair forward, a sheet of black coming between us until I smooth the long strands down on either side. I gaze down the street and see a blurry little girl with black hair down to her waist in middle school, standing shy and hopeful in front of a group of girls.
“We know what you are,” they said. They hurled spit and names on her and she stood there, taking it, until the teacher came and helped her.
Help only got me so far.
“You listen to me, okay?” I say so softly he leans in to hear me. “I was born for this.”
When my eyes finally land on his again, I know his face will haunt me forever. He looks as bleak as I feel.
I clear my throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”
With that, I loop my hand through the arm of my next income source, calculating how I can get the most money out of him for the least amount of time. It takes every ounce of willpower I own to not look Soti’s way one more time. Once we round the corner and I know he’s out of sight, all the adrenaline leaves my body, and I’m actually glad to have someone to hold onto.
I avoid my reflection as we walk back to the house. I don’t want to know what the rest of the world sees when they look at me.
Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story, In the Fields, Maybe Maby, Fade to Red, and the upcoming release, Whore. Willow loves nothing more than writing the day away—anywhere will do. Her husband and two children graciously put up with her endless daydreaming and make fun of her for reading while cooking.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jay Crownover returns with the second standalone title in her Getaway series, SHELTER. Check out the excerpt below and pick up your copy today!
And that’s not all! RETREAT, the first standalone title in the Getaway series, is on sale! You can grab your copy for just $.99 for a limited time only.
About SHELTER:
His life is chaos and confusion. It’s a storm of uncertainty and raging emotion.
Sutton Warner is a mess. Everything in his life feels like it’s unraveling.
He’s let a lot of people down lately, including his daughter. Sutton always promised his little girl he would never disappoint her and that he would always be there when she needed him. Until he wasn’t.
The truth is, he’s used to disappointing the women in his life. First was his mother who couldn’t find a reason to stick around when he was growing up. Then there’s his ex. The woman who takes unbridled delight in making his life incredibly complicated. Luckily, his daughter is still young enough to believe her old man is some kind of hero. But, he knows the day is coming when she realizes the truth, that he’s just a man with some serious flaws and a list of ever-growing weaknesses.
Finally, there’s the woman he’s desperately trying to forget with every shot tossed back and each pill popped.
He more than disappointed Emrys…he almost got her killed.
Her love is steady and sure. It’s a shelter shaped by conviction and silent assurance.
Emrys Santos is lost. Everything in her life feels pointless and futile.
She’s been busy running away from her feelings and all the people who love her the most—including her best friend, the one person who knows exactly what she’s been through. They promised to always stick together and to lean on one another. It was a promise Em had to break so she could lick her wounds and figure out her next move. For once, there is no easy way out of the tangled web of emotions she’s caught up in, and right now, she recognizes that all roads lead back to Wyoming…and back to Sutton.
The man she nearly got killed.
Shelter is a standalone novel, the second book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.
I’d been fooled once by the promise of quiet nights and serene days in the sunshine. I believed the brochure when it said I could leave my worries at home and escape to a simpler, quieter kind of life. I let myself be lured in by the picturesque landscape and stunning mountains. I foolishly fell prey to the temptation of leaving my current set of troubles behind in San Francisco while I hid away in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming.
I now knew firsthand the glossy brochure that brought me to Wyoming the first time was nothing more than a bunch of pretty, packaged lies. I knew the bar brawl erupting in front of me was hardly the worst thing that could happen here. In fact, the level of bloodshed and violence was child’s play compared to what I’d witnessed the last time I’d stepped foot in this small, quaint town. Well, I hadn’t really been in Sheridan last time I was here. I’d spent most of my time in the backwoods that surrounded the Warner brothers’ ranch, which was still a good forty-five minutes outside of this tiny town. The ranch was where I was currently trying to get to so I could see my best friend.
When I left Wyoming, I told myself I would never come back.
Ever.
I told myself there was nothing here for me but bad memories and heartache. I was a pro at lying to myself, at telling myself exactly what I needed to hear to justify my actions. I could convince myself of anything, like it was okay that my last boyfriend stole my grandmother’s silver when I kicked him out because he needed it more than I did. I had no problem believing that pulling Leo out of the city was the only way to heal her broken heart even though she didn’t want to go. It was easier to distract her than it was to watch her wallow. I persuaded myself into believing what I needed to heal was space and solitude. I held onto that until time passed and I was still a mess. I was sick of my own company and of hiding from everything I was feeling. I was the one who always went out of my way to fix everyone else around me, it wasn’t exactly a shock to learn I didn’t have the skills to repair myself. I spent my days helping others focus on their goals, on doing better and achieving more, so I didn’t have to think about the lack of any ambition of my own. I turned thirty at the end of the year and I was still trying to figure out what and who I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d been aimless for a long time; the only direction in my life come from the fact I knew all the way down to my bones that I had to go back to Wyoming and face off with Sutton Warner.
Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.
Today we have the cover reveal for DIRT and SEED by Cassia Leo! Check them out and pre-order your copy of DIRT today!
Title: Dirt & Seed Author: Cassia Leo Series: Evergreen Series Release: January 12, 2018
About Dirt
(Seed Synopsis to be revealed later)
A hard-hitting, emotional new series from New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo.
Jack and I had everything. Then, in one brutal instant, the universe tilted on its side, discarding us into black nothingness.
Now, I have a cocky a**hole for a husband.
The only way we communicate anymore is when we’re fighting or f**king.
With nothing left to lose, I write Jack a goodbye letter and head for Portland, where I quickly meet a neighbor who helps me find a job.
My new neighbor—broody, tattooed ex-soldier Isaac Evans—is complicated. Nevertheless, we form a fast friendship, bonding over our mutual desire to create something beautiful from the wreckage of our lives.
But despite the distance between us, Jack and I are still trying to make things work—fighting and f**king dirtier than ever. And he doesn’t appreciate my new friendship with Isaac. Not one f**king bit.
New York Times bestselling author Cassia Leo loves her coffee, chocolate, and margaritas with salt. When she’s not writing, she spends way too much time re-watching Game of Thrones and Sex and the City. When she’s not binge watching, she’s usually enjoying the Oregon rain with a hot cup of coffee and a book.
Today we have the teaser reveal for The Bitterroot Inn by Devney Perry! Be sure to preorder your copy now!
Title: The Bitterroot Inn
Author: Devney Perry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Day: January 16th
About The Bitterroot Inn:
Her past. His secrets. They have more in common than she knows.
Maisy is happily content with the life she’s built for herself and her young son in small-town Prescott, Montana. Her child is thriving, her business is growing, and her family is as close as they’ve ever been. But when a handsome stranger walks into the lobby of her motel, her simple life is swept up in a wave of affection for his gentle heart. None of those feelings can be trusted, though. She made that mistake before with another man. The man she murdered.
Hunter was a different man when he first saw Maisy Holt from afar. He took one look at her and ran in the opposite direction. But years later, he’s back in Montana and unable to keep his distance. He shouldn’t have tried to find her but he never was good at rejecting temptation. The promise of the good she could bring into his life is too hard to resist. Maybe if he can disguise the lies and hide the deceit, he can keep her from learning the truth. Because his only chance at a future with her is by burying his past.
Devney lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories.
Enjoy a sneak peek into WHORE by Willow Aster! This contemporary romance/suspense is releasing on December 26th! Mark your calendars!!!
“I need a reason to exist.”
Beautiful, intelligent, independent, strong-willed, wealthy—Lilith Fontenot seems by all appearances, to have it all. But that’s not how the highest paid prostitute in New Orleans sees herself.
A stain on society. A scourge. A waste. Outsider. Prisoner…
Any idyllic dream of the normal life she may have once imagined, Lilith buried long ago. Her only plan now is survival.
But mob boss Nico Santelli and community center owner Soti Christos have not given up on Lilith. Each has his own very specific, very opposing, plans for her, and neither will rest until it becomes a reality.
WHORE is a singularly bracing take on an ancient tale of tireless love, betrayal, and the possibility of redemption.
“I don’t need any money,” I tell him. “I can make enough in the next few hours to cover me for the week.”
He flinches and turns toward me. The expression on his face makes my gut cinch. His eyes are like copper in the sun. So bright I have to look away.
I swallow and my voice shakes when I speak. “Thank you for everything. I won’t forget this.”
I put the phone in my pocket and decide to go while we’re on the topic.
“Wait, take this, please.” He reaches in his pocket and gives me a crumpled up wad of cash. “It’s not as much as I’d like to give you, but it’s all I have right now.”
“Can I do anything for you?” I ask, stepping toward him.
“No. Not everyone sees you as a business transaction, Lili,” he says softly.
My face is heated as I take the money and shove it in my pocket. I turn around and rush to the door. Before I leave, I chance another look at his face, but when we make eye contact I’m even more unsettled.
I lift a hand, whisper my goodbye, and stumble out of there. My eyes burn as I walk down the stairs, and even though the community center is bustling at this time of day, I don’t notice anyone else. By the time I step outside, tears are streaming down my face. I don’t even know why. His kindness … it confuses me.
Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story, In the Fields, Maybe Maby, Fade to Red, and the upcoming release, Whore. Willow loves nothing more than writing the day away—anywhere will do. Her husband and two children graciously put up with her endless daydreaming and make fun of her for reading while cooking.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! All you have to do is visit Willow Aster’s Facebook page HERE and comment on the pinned post. One winner will be picked on Sunday, December 24th. Good luck!
When Maddie Carter comes back from the grave, will Hawk have a fresh start with the one who got away?
Deep Six pilot, former Army Nightstalker, Rhett Hawkins, knew the day would come, but he had hoped it wouldn’t be until after he was gone. Maddie Carter was destined to die young, because that is just how she lived. She flew by the seat of her pants and flying as all she cared about. He’d learned that the hard way, when he asked her to marry him and she shot him down.
But after her memorial service, Hawk just couldn’t get past the feeling that something was wrong with the recounting of the events that led to the crash and her supposed death. Neither the helo or her body had been found. It drove him insane until he decided to do some investigation of his own. After getting conflicting stories from two surviving special operators, he knew he had to go the full distance to settle his mind.
Once in Central America, Hawk realizes there is much more going on than the Army knows. Not only is the now blacked-out military helicopter back in service, Maddie is behind the stick making drug runs for a brutal cartel.
When he has to convince her she needs to be rescued, Hawk sees she is not the same. Captain Maddie Carter is scarred, hardened and has no memory of him or her former life at all.
Back home, when her memory starts to return and secrets are revealed, could it mean he’d only rescued her to lose her again? Would those secrets change his own life forever too?
Hawk’s hot lips touched down on the side of her throat as his mitted hand touched her belly. Maddie’s skin quivered and she moaned as her head dropped to one side to give him better access. The scratchy sea sponge abraded her nerve endings as he dragged his hand down her belly, over her hipbone and down her left thigh, leaving behind a slick trail of soap.
“Open your legs, Maddie,” he whispered hoarsely, when his hand reached her knee.
Maddie whimpered and let her knees fall apart. Her folds spread and her inner walls pulsed as a wave of need carried all the moisture in her body there. The bundle of nerves at the top of her thighs throbbed in anticipation of what he’d do next.
He licked a hot path up her neck to her ear as he wiped the sponge up the inside of her thigh and she groaned. When he stopped at the crease, her breath froze in her chest, her heart pounded against her ribs and her body tensed. She twisted her hips toward his hand to make him move it where she needed it, but he laughed and slid the mitt up to her hip.
***Like what you’ve seen? To enter for your chance to win an e-book copy of HARD LANDING, comment below with your favorite book genre. Winner will be chosen on release day, December 26th.***
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Becky McGraw writes happily-ever-afters with heat, heart and humor. A Jill of many trades, Becky knows just enough about a variety of subjects to make her contemporary cowboy and romantic suspense novels diverse and entertaining. She resides in Florida with her husband of thirty-plus years and is the mother of three and grandmother of one. Becky is a member of the RWA, Sisters in Crime and Novelists, Inc.
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