Junkie and Jagger by are Heather C. Leigh’s latest creation. The Broken Doll Series is a dark romance duet about a heroin addict who falls in love with the drug lord holding her captive and drops on September 13th!
I’m a heroin addict. A junkie. A whore. I’ll do anything to get my next fix.
Anything.
Including walking right onto the property of Austin’s most ruthless and feared drug lord to beg for some H. I don’t know his name, only that people call him Boss. Oh, and that he won’t think twice to put a bullet in my head.
But like I said, I’ll do anything to get my next fix. Even if it costs me my life.
I sell drugs. Heroin to be specific. And I’m fucking good at my job. Enough to fight my way to the top position, controlling all of Austin’s supply.
So what if I had to kill the previous boss to do it. I do what has to be done. Never cared about consequences because I never had anything to lose.
Until I met Miri. My doll. She’s my weakness and somehow, my enemies found out about her.
If they hurt her, they will regret the day they ever heard my name. Boss. They call me Boss for a reason. What I say goes, including the price on the heads of anyone who dares to fuck with what belongs to me.
My Miri.
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About Heather C. Leigh
I’m the author of the Amazon best selling Famous series. I like to write about the ‘dark’ side of fame. The part that the public doesn’t get to see, how difficult it is to live in a fishbowl and how that affects relationships.
I was born and raised in New England and currently live outside Atlanta, GA.
I love the Red Sox, the Patriots, and anything made of chocolate (but not white chocolate, that doesn’t count).
My favorite authors are Dan Wells, Tina Reber, Ken Follett, and Stephen King. Happy reading!
“Beck?” I managed to get his name out just before he opened the front door.
“Yeah?” He spun back to face me, his dark eyes unreadable.
I turned my face to the side so I could see him fully. “You don’t have to go,” I said softly. “You can stay. Only if you want to though.”
He rubbed his hand down his face, his eyes never leaving mine, then walked back into the kitchen toward me. I stood up away from the fridge as he stopped right next to me.
Slowly, he touched his hand to my face, his fingertips teasing my hairline. His dark gaze searched mine, and my heart jumped into my throat as the usual tingles his touch sparked danced down my neck. Then, he slid his hand into my hair, allowing the blonde strands to fall away from his fingertips.
“Do I want to go home to my big-ass house with its cold emptiness?” he asked in a low voice. “Or go to the club where half the girls there still see me as a mountain to be conquered? Not particularly, Blondie. I’d rather stay here. Even if there will be a demand for movies and water and foot rubs from a tiny, sick person.”
“You can.” My voice was quiet, like his. Even if my internal screams from self-preservation and vulnerability were deafeningly loud as they told me I was a fool, that he had
to go, that this would never be enough for him.
“Do you want me to?” His question was… honest.
Raw.
Hesitant.
Like he didn’t want me to answer.
“Do I want you to stay here in my tiny house so my daughter can fall more in love with you than she already is? Not really. But…” Don’t be a fool, Cassie. Don’t admit you want him to stay. He’s just going to hurt you. “I don’t exactly want you to go either.”
“For her, or for you?”
“I don’t want to answer that question.”
“If I kissed you right now, would you ram your knee into my cock?”
“I’d briefly consider it, but I probably wouldn’t do it.”
His lips twitched to the side. “You just answered the question.”
Then, of course, he cupped the back of my head, and he kissed me. It was slow, sweet, gentle. And I didn’t consider kneeing him in the balls for a single second.
Beck pulled back and trailed his hand down my arm before he finally let me go. “I’m going home to get changed and then come back. Do you need anything while I’m gone? For CiCi? You?”
“I don’t…” I sighed and chewed back my pride. “I meant to go to the store today after work to get some stuff like bread, milk… important stuff. But now I can’t.”
“I can get it. Just tell me what you need.”
I bit the inside of my lip, then nodded. “Okay. Let me write it down.” I walked through into the front room with him hot on my heels and grabbed the notebook and pen from under the coffee table. A few things were already scrawled down, so I added a couple more things, including more medicine. I tore the sheet off the notebook, stood, then gave it to Beck. “Let me get my wallet.”
He grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “I’m not taking your money.”
I lifted my gaze to his. “You can’t pay for my groceries.”
“I can and I will.”
“You can’t and you won’t.”
“I can and I will.”
“You can’t and you won’t.”
“I can do this all day, baby. I’m stubborn as fuck.” His eyes told me he wasn’t lying. “And we all know I’m a brat about the word no. So, I can, I will, and I’m going to. If I can’t help you by buying a measly eight items, I’m an asshole who shouldn’t be allowed around other people.”
“You can’t buy my groceries,” I repeated. It was a lame argument. I was going to lose, but I’d fight until I went down.
Beck’s eyes twinkled as he leaned in. “Don’t worry. If you really want to pay me back, I’ll take a blow job. I imagine your lips around my cock will be a pretty good thank you.”
My jaw dropped as he backed off with a wink.
“Mouth open already, Cassie? Enthusiasm. I like that.”
I snapped my jaw shut and glared at him. “You’re a dirty pig.”
“I know. But I’ve got fifty bucks that says you’ll be sucking my dick by bedtime. If you don’t agree…” He shrugged one shoulder, his lips curved in that dangerous smirk.
“If you’re lucky, I’ll bite it.”
“I’ll take that as I’m in for a good time.”
One more wink, complete with expanding grin, and he was gone.
Motherfucking asshole.
Tracey’s Review
Life is a funny thing. One minute, Cassie Gallagher is doing what she does, working her gig at The Landing Strip, trying to make enough to take her and her daughter away from the craziness of Vegas. The next thing she knows, after an unexpected night that she barely remembers, she’s someone’s wife. And that someone is none other than Beckett Cruz, hotter than sin alpha of the love ’em and leave ’em variety, and, well, Cassie’s boss. Yep. Both Cassie and Beck are eager to clean up their little problem, so getting a quick fix should take care of everything. Except for that one little hitch…
Oh, my gosh, Beckett Cruz. I knew that I was in trouble when he made his first appearance in STRIPPED BARE, the first book in the Stripped series by author Emma Hart. Sexy, smart, snarky, and an avowed ladies’ man, Beck is pretty much the whole package. It only stands to reason that Cassie can’t but help being pulled into his web. This man takes alpha to a whole new level, and, against her better judgement, Cassie’s along for the very satisfying ride.
Cassie’s life is made up of curveballs, but she’s doing the best that she can to stay in control. Raising her precocious and adorable daughter, CiCi, and dealing with her parents’ problems, all while trying to make enough to get them the heck out of Las Vegas, is too much sometimes. In that one weak moment, she takes solace in Beck, neither one of them expecting things to go the way that they do. But Cassie refuses to go all helpless female, and rebounds like nobody’s business. I love Emma’s style of writing. Her female characters are always smart and self-confident, trying to stand on their own even when working through the crap that life throws at them, and her male leads have awesome hearts underneath all their, well, manness. Cassie and Beckett are great examples of Emma couples, and I absolutely adore them.
This series is easily some of my favorite reading lately, and I happily recommend it to both long-time readers of Emma’s books as well as new fans. Another resounding 5+ ‘über-hot, laugh-out-loud, I love these characters and their lives’ stars for STRIPPED DOWN. These are books that you don’t want to miss, so grab them now, and enjoy the ride.
***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***
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By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books.
Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.
She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.
The New York Times bestselling author of Defending Hearts returns to small-town New Hampshire where a substitute football coach and a guidance counselor tackle love.
They were the golden boys of fall: Stewart Mills High School’s legendary championship football team. Fourteen years later, they’re back to relive their glory, save the team—and find themselves again . . .
Sam Leavitt has returned home to Stewart Mills with one goal: to fill in for Coach McDonnell and lead the high school football team to the championship. He doesn’t have time for distractions or commitments—but he’s unable to resist falling for the sexy guidance counselor he shared a hot night with months ago.
Jen Cooper knows what she’s looking for long-term, and it’s not Sam—even though the night they shared was explosive. Now, with Sam back in town and working by her side, picking up where they left off is too great a temptation to resist. But before long their fun fling is looking like a future together. And as the championship approaches, Sam is faced with a big decision that will either break them apart—or help them find their way home.
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I love this series by Shannon Stacey. It reminds of me Friday Night Lights combined with Pay It Forward. There are so many positive messages about life, friendship, family, and love teamed up with a sizzling romance in this sports romance category. It showcases the positive influences from the past leaving an impression. The will to pay it forward is unquestionable.
Sam Leavitt is summoned back to Stewart Mills to fill in for Coach McDonnell. For the life of him he can’t figure out why the coach wants him to fill this position. Coach McDonnell remembers the troubled kid with more black marks against him turning himself around through high school football. This kid turned his bleak future around and made something of his life. Coach McDonnell believes he has the right stuff to mentor these impressionable young men. Coach McDonnell also recognizes that Sam needs to make peace with his past.
Sam’s journey towards forgiveness from the past will guarantee a healthy, happy future that includes love and family. His journey will make your heart swell with joy. His influence on the teenage football players is compassionate, positive, and insightful. He understands their teenage mentality along with the quirks that hide the impressionable young man beneath the surface. He understands peer pressure, family pressure, and community pressure. He understands low self esteem and sense of rejection. He’s been there, he was that boy fourteen years ago.
Over the summer he met Jen Cooper, the school guidance counselor. Jen not only understood his background but also saw what a fine, honorable man he had become. It was too bad that they only had a short encounter. With Sam being back in town, it is the opportunity for something more.
Shannon scored big with Homecoming. It had the perfect blend of small town romance and sports romance. I loved every word, every play, and every character. I highly recommend this book.
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Shannon Stacey married her Prince Charming in 1993 and is the proud mother of two incredible sons. She lives in New England, where her two favorite activities are trying to stay warm and writing stories of happily ever after. Her two cats refuse to curl up on her lap and keep it warm while she writes, but her Shih Tzu is never far away.
When she’s not writing, she’s indulging in her other passion—four wheeling! From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she’s not at her computer.
The favor seemed simple: Keep my new stepsister out of trouble for one summer.
I’ve never met Grace Lee, but Mom tells me she’s a quiet and artsy college student with a troubled past. When I agreed to let her stay with me, I thought it was no big deal. I expected to share my apartment with a sullen girl who’d spend hours locked in her room.
I didn’t expect a walking fantasy determined to make me lose my cool.
I didn’t expect a woman with secrets so dark, so deep, I’d throw away everything if it would save her from the past.
Rushing in to do this favor is turning my life upside down—and not just because Grace needs her ass spanked. Keep her out of trouble? Grace is the trouble. And I want in.
Chris arches a brow and skims his gaze over my body—correction, my dress and Chucks. “You’re gonna go hiking in that?”
I shrug. “It’s not like it’s full-length and gonna get tangled around my legs or anything.”
His gaze drifts down my body again, this time landing on the thigh visible beneath the hem of my dress. “It’s certainly not,” he mumbles, and the way he says it has my cheeks burning and me reaching for my water.
So damn thirsty.
We finish packing up our lunch together, and after we put the cooler back in the car, I grab the park pamphlet out of the front seat. “Come on,” I say, nodding in the direction of the outlook. “It’s my turn to be in charge.”
The park is beautiful, but as soon as we enter the woods and I see the overlook, my breath catches. From here, we have a view of the ravine below and the creek rushing through the bottom. Mossy rock faces make up the ravine walls, and trees protrude from them. It’s possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
I head past the overlook and take the stairs down into the ravine. It’s shady back here and feels ten degrees cooler than our picnic table in the sun.
At the bottom of the stairs, the trail splits in three directions, and when I follow the sign with the three, Chris puts his hand on my arm. “Hey, this one has ladders.”
I arch a brow and drop my gaze to my shoes. “I can handle it.”
Something passes over his face I don’t understand, and then he sighs and nods. “Okay, but I’m climbing the ladders behind you. If any creep is going to be looking up your dress today, it’s gonna be me.”
My cheeks heat, and my brain instantly diagrams his words and starts analyzing the nuance of each. Just comedy or more? Stupid brain. “Fair enough.”
He mutters something that sounds like “Dreams really do come true,” but I can’t be sure.
The trail leads down into the ravine and along the creek bed. It’s so much cooler down here, and I love the sound of the creek rock crunching under my feet as we walk along.
By the time we come upon the first ladder, there’s no one else around.
“Ladies first,” he says, gesturing toward the ladder.
“Pervert,” I mutter, but I move forward and begin my climb. The rungs are coated in mud, and when I’m halfway up, one foot slips and suddenly Chris’s hands are there, holding me steady, his hands strong and warm against the backs of my legs.
My breath catches, and I force myself to breathe and find my footing. The feel of his hands against my skin causes something to swirl hot and tight low in my belly.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice as thick as the forest beyond the trail.
I’m not okay. I’m afraid to move. Afraid not to move. Trapped by a fear that has nothing to do with a slippery ladder and everything to do with falling.
Then, slowly, his thumbs begin to slide over my skin. His hands inch up my thighs until his fingertips skim the bottom edge of my underwear and slip under to trace the bottom curve of my ass.
I cannot breathe.
I force myself to turn my head and look down at him. His jaw is set tight, a picture of self-control, but when his eyes meet mine, his face relaxes and he shoots me a boyish grin. I attempt my best poker face. “Are you copping a feel, Christopher Montgomery?”
His grin goes wide, putting his dimples on full display. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, his Southern accent drawing out his words. “I’m just trying to perform a necessary rescue mission.”
“Do I look like I need rescuing?” I ask. Under the lace edge of my panties, his thumb strokes again, a long, slow motion that makes me want to close my eyes and moan. I resist and hold his gaze.
“Who said you’re the one I’m rescuing? Maybe I’m trying to save myself.” He drops his hands and grabs a hold of the sides of the ladder, then he climbs up behind me so his body is pressed against mine, my back to his front. His mouth hovers above my ear, his breath hot and uneven. “Because I swear if I have to go much longer without touching you, I’m going to implode.”
His lips skim my earlobe, and my eyes float closed. My brain has no room for sight when it’s overloaded with sensations. His lips on my ear. His hard chest against my back. His breath against my neck. “I need to know, Grace.”
I open my eyes and swallow hard. I don’t want to talk. Not right now. I’m too afraid I’ll ruin this moment with my choppy stutter. “What?”
“I need to know . . .” He leans his forehead against my shoulder, and I watch his knuckles turn white as he tightens his grip on the side of the ladder.
On the ground beneath us, someone clears his throat. “You two heading up or down?”
Chris mutters a curse and takes a step down so I have the freedom to move. I scramble up the ladder with him behind me. When we reach the top, I can’t look at him.
“Sorry about that,” he calls to the people below, then he grabs my wrist and pulls me off to the right toward a rocky alcove just off the trail. A wooden sign tells me this is “The Devil’s Ice Box,” and beyond the sign, a thin waterfall drizzles into a pool of crystal-clear water. Chris leads the way, following the rocky edge around to the backside of this semi-secluded space and stopping by the waterfall. I pass him, feigning interest in the rocks and water so I don’t have to meet his eyes. There’s a cavern behind the waterfall, a haven from the falling water.
“I have to know,” Chris says, his words nearly drowned out by the falling water. “Is it just me? Everything I feel when you’re close to me? Tell me you feel it too.”
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Michel’s Review
Grace Lee never wanted to return to Champagne, Texas. It may have been her hometown but it was never her home. Five years ago she was run out of town with a tarnished reputation. The kind of reputation a girl can never recover from in a small town. Her knight in shining armor may have saved her but he didn’t really want anything to do with her either. She left Champagne with a broken heart and her own personal scarlet letter to bear.
***
Grace made the mistake of retuning back to Champagne the previous summer and made a bad decision that added to her illustrious reputation. That mistake led to persecution and social bullying. She vowed never to return again. Unfortunately her father is getting remarried and she has to attend the wedding. She also has to meet her stepbrother Dash Dupree. She is going to be staying with him in Blackhawk Valley while their parents are away in Europe. Her new step brother is non other than her night in shining armor that broke her heart five years ago. Apparently Dash Dupree is really Chris Montgomery, all-star quarterback and legendary good guy. The guy who saved her from the wolves but also shattered her young heart.
***
Chris Montgomery has always been the perfect guy. Nothing can break his composure, he’s unflappable. Or he was until his new stepsister entered his life. Grace Lee is everything he wants in a woman. She’s honest, edgy, and a little bit dirty. Trying not to break the brother / sister code is impossible. It’s time to do the wrong thing rather than continue being the good guy. Just as he makes this monumental decision, his life implodes on him. His ex girlfriend is determined to get him back. There’s dissension with some of his teammates. His MIA father has shown up in his life without an invitation. His father may become his coach in his final year at Blackhawk. A year that could make or break his chances for the draft in the NFL.
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Grace and Chris are going to experience more than a sibling relationship. They can’t fight their attraction for one another. Grace knows for certain that once Chris finds out who she really is and remembers that disastrous night, her heart is going to be shattered once again. What she didn’t count on was a group of good friends supporting her rather than beating her down. She didn’t count on the opportunities Blackhawk has to offer her. She didn’t count on Chris a better man than the golden boy she once crushed on. Her life is about to change and Blackhawk Valley is the place to find her heart.
***
Once again Lexi Ryan tackled some very difficult subjects such as bullying, social media harassment, dysfunctional family issues, and the courage to change oneself. She added a remarkable love story for these two dynamic characters. I absolutely loved this book! I can’t wait to see what comes next for the Blackhawk Boys.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles, Lexi enjoys reading, sunshine, a good glass of wine, and rare trips to the beach.
Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and neurotic dog. You can find her at her website: lexiryan.com
In order to prove his loyalty, Knights Corruption prospect, Jagger Blakeslee, readily agreed to immerse himself in situations that weren’t meant for the faint of heart.
Every time, he stepped up.
Every time, he did what was asked.
Never questioning… until he met her.
Kena Prescott wasn’t like everyone else. Leading a simple yet lonely life, she preferred to live in the background, avoiding potential heartache by never bringing attention to herself or the challenge she faced on a daily basis.
Until a fated encounter with a stranger thrust her into a world she had never known existed.
He’d come to her rescue, but in the end, would she be the one to save him?
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S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until 2013.. Her passion to create was overwhelming and within a few months she’d written her first novel, Stolen Fate. When she isn’t engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can. She lives in the Northeast with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.
Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the “values” Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family-and the values she must leave behind for the sake of her daughter. When she meets Cillian O’Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can’t stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man. To save her family, Olivia sets out to discover Cillian’s own secrets, but the real revelation is how fast-and how hard-she’s falling for him.
Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at “hello,” even if she’s more inclined to say good-bye to an O’Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn’t, especially after he learns that she belongs to a rival crime family. Cillian knows that there is no escape from the life, but Olivia may be worth trying-and dying-for . . .
Tracey’s Review
Cillian O’Malley has always been known as the hell-raiser, the skirt chaser, the O’Malley most likely to find himself in the middle of trouble. But that was before, before the night his beloved brother died, and everything changed. Olivia Rashidi is running. Determined to escape the long and powerful arm of her half-brother Dimitri, she’s made Boston home for her and her young daughter, hiding in plain sight, and trying to stay out of trouble.
Any book that Katee Robert writes is guaranteed to land at the very top of my TBR list. Her characters, the stories, the dialogue, Katee is the mistress of bringing all things together for a read that is sure to engage. I have read and enjoyed the first two books in her series about the O’Malley family of Boston, and AN INDECENT PROPOSAL is my favorite so far.
As the middle sibling in the powerful O’Malley clan, Cillian O’Malley has had it fairly easy. He doesn’t have the burden of taking over the reins of the family business from his father, and marrying him off to help ally them with one the other powerful crime families isn’t in the cards. Since the tragic death of his brother, Devlin, Cillian has been keeping his nose clean and learning more of his part as the numbers man for the far-reaching and varied O’Malley interests. The one woman that he can’t forget, though, is Olivia Rashidi. As the illegitimate daughter of one of the most powerful Russian syndicates, she knows all too well the reality of being part of a mob family, and wants no part of it for her daughter. Cillian, with his charm, his dark sex appeal, and his refusal to leave her alone, has all of her alarms going off, but darned if she can’t stay away.
I’m going to tell you that Katee can write a steamy scene like nobody’s dang business. The chemistry between Cillian and Olivia is off-the-charts hot, and Cillian can bring it. I mean, seriously, smoke might have been coming out of my e-reader at some points while I was reading this book. And, besides the intense physical attraction, these two just click in every way, smoothing out each others’ rough edges and creating a safe place for each other.
AN INDECENT PROPOSAL continues the complex and intense O’Malley saga, and does it very well. I was so invested in seeing how things played out for everyone that I literally could not put this one down. I love that Katee has created this intricate tapestry of the inter-mingling of the three big families that rule Boston, and bringing the Romanovs more fully into the thick of things really amped things up. Everyone is so very different, even coming from the same backgrounds, and I am really enjoying seeing each character’s story as it plays out. Sloan O’Malley has been a bit of a mystery throughout the series, and I am looking very forward to FORBIDDEN PROMISES, her story. AN INDECENT PROPOSAL is 4.5 hot, suspenseful, powerful stars of a thrill ride, and, as are all of Katee’s books, one that I happily recommend.
***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***
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The O’ Malley’s Series
The Marriage Contract – Book 1
Teague O’Malley hates pretty much everything associated with his family’s name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a “business” alliance, Teague’s ready to tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and vows he will do everything in his power to protect her.
Everyone knows the O’Malleys have a dangerous reputation. But Callie wasn’t aware just what that meant until she saw Teague, the embodiment of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch sizzles through her. But the closer they get, the more trouble they’re in. Because Callie’s keeping a dark secret-and what Teague doesn’t know could get him killed.
Carrigan O’Malley has always known her arranged marriage would be more about power and prestige than passion. But after one taste of the hard-bodied, whiskey-voiced James Halloran, she’s ruined for anyone else. Too bad James and his family are enemy number 1.
Hallorans vs. O’Malleys—that’s how it’s always been. James should be thinking more about how to expand his family’s empire instead of how silky Carrigan’s skin is against his and how he can next get her into his bed. Those are dangerous thoughts. But not nearly as dangerous as he’ll be if he can’t get what he wants: Carrigan by his side for the rest of their lives.
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Connect with Katee at:
When Robin Finch is abducted and tortured by an evil cybercriminal, her salvation comes in an unlikely hero, Dr. Ramsey Gunn. Gunn, a medical doctor and a computer genius, carried a long-festering secret love for Robin from afar, which placed her dead center on the enemy’s radar. Developing amnesia after enduring her captor’s sadistic torture and a blow to her head, Robin has no memory of her previous life. Dr. Gunn rescues Robin away from their captor and goes off the grid to keep her safe for years. But Dr. Ramsey Gunn may not be the savior he claims to be.
Upon his return from deployment, Navy SEAL Cooper Baron discovers his fiancé missing and presumed dead. Not believing she’s dead and hell-bent on discovering the truth about Robin’s disappearance, he will stop at nothing until she is back in his arms. Through the long years, searching for her in every woman’s face, he’s determined to locate the woman he lost. But finding Robin may put her in more danger than she’s ever faced before. Can Cooper’s love help her restore her memories without forcing her to confront the horrific reality of her abduction?
Once the reality is known, can their love survive the truth?
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Char Sharp writes contemporary romantic suspense novels with a touch of mystery. Her main objective is to entertain and enthrall her readers by writing emotionally romantic suspense stories with protective alpha heroes and strong feisty heroines.
An avid reader, writing started in college with poems and short stories and has morphed into her true passion—novels. She loves to listen to her characters and tell their stories. Char studied music and business at Troy University, and with her love of music, she enjoys weaving a little music into her writing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America.
Char and her husband are the proud parents and grandparents of three grown children and five grandsons. She lives in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia USA with her husband, and a Ragdoll cat named Purrcy. Retired from the computer software industry, Char enjoys more time to write and also play with her grandsons.
From NYT & USA Today bestselling author comes a new Bleeding Stars stand-alone novel…
She is his strength and he is her weakness. And this time he won’t let her go.
Edie Evans is gorgeous.
Sexy.
Kind.
She’s also the definition of off-limits.
But that didn’t stop me from sneaking into her room to comfort her at night.
But guys like me? We destroy everything, so it should have been no surprise when I destroyed us, too.
The night I sent her running, I thought I’d never see her again.
Until I saw her standing like a vision in the crowd.
Austin Stone is dangerous.
Alluring.
Tempting.
He broke my heart and I refused to give him the chance to do it again.
It’s been years since I’ve seen him, and now I can’t do anything but stare at the gorgeous, tattooed man playing onstage. I should run. I know I should. But like a fool, I run straight back to him.
Our desire is overpowering.
Our need unrelenting.
She is my hope.
He is my weakness.
We should have known a passion this intense would burn us right into the ground.
“Meaningful. Mesmerizing. Magnificent…5 but should be 10 beautiful, broken, brilliant, and imperfectly perfect stars .” Karen, Bookalicious Babes Blog
“A beautifully written story about broken hearts and unshakable longing, about second chances and third chances and a whispered hope for a happily ever after. Intensely felt on every level, Edie and Austin’s story will own you.” Vilma, Vilma’s Book Blog
“Beautiful. Sexy. Dripping with tenderness. I felt the emotion in this story all the way to my toes.” Mia Sheridan, NYT Bestselling Author
“6 Stars – Wait is equally devastating and beautiful! A.L. Jackson has a way of pouring words onto a page that makes you crave every piece of a story.” Molly McAdams, NYT Bestselling Author
“Shit,” I hissed, bracing myself against the spray of the icy shards pelting from the shower head.
I sucked in a breath, released it between clenched teeth, and forced myself fully under it.
Head dropped and chest heaving as rivers of ice-cold water slicked down my shoulders and back.
But it did nothing to lessen the need. Gave me no sanity or pacification.
Because all I could think about was the girl on the other side of the door.
My girl.
In my bed.
Wearing just her panties and my shirt.
An angel I wanted to dirty.
I always had.
Love was messy like that.
All of my restraint scattered. I gripped my cock. Squeezed the base. My mouth dropped open at the pressure of my hand against my rigid length.
A fool thinking it might be enough.
Shit.
God, I was a bastard, but there was nothing I could do before I was giving in, leaning forward and bracketing my forearm above my head to hold my weight.
Water pounded down on my head and back while I pounded my fist against my dick.
Trying to keep silent when all I wanted was to moan, teeth digging into my bottom lip as I pictured the girl spread out for me.
My breaths were coming short.
Panted and hard.
I gave into imagining the sounds she would make when I finally got to bury myself in her body.
A soft, soft gasp.
I slowed, trying to convince myself that throaty sound was all in my mind.
Just another part of this fantasy.
Until I heard the small thump against the wall.
Shit.
I mashed my eyes closed, like it might hide me.
Conceal the depravity of my actions after I’d just been comforting her hours before.
Heart thrashing, I turned and moved far enough to peek out the small section where the fabric shower curtain hadn’t been drawn fully closed.
It was just a little sliver that left me exposed.
But it was enough. When I peered out, I was looking right at my girl pressed up against the wall.
She stared right back at me.
And I wanted to be horrified, my mind scrambling to conjure every weak apology I could summon. Ready to fucking grovel to keep her from turning and running once again.
Because that’s exactly what I expected her to do.
But her expression…her expression clutched me in the center of the chest and sent what little brain function I had left stampeding south.
Red, lush lips were parted, her hand pressed to her hollow of her throat, pupils dilated so big that her hooded, cerulean eyes appeared black. Needy breaths were coming at me from that sweet mouth like a goddamned freight train.
Desire swelled in the confines of the too-tight room.
Alive.
She pressed deeper into the wall as if it might support her weakened knees. Head rocked back. Thighs squeezing together.
Motherfuck.
My hand shot to the shower wall to steady myself. “Warning you, Edie, you need to get out of here. Right now.”
_____________________________________
Tracey’s Review
I wasn’t such a fool that I didn’t realize the two of us were messed up. Nothing but a mess of shattered, broken pieces that had been scattered and mixed together.
I could only pray together, somehow, this time, we could make them fit.
There are authors that write feel-good books, light-hearted reads that are guaranteed to lift you up and make you smile. Then, there are the other ones, the ones that take you to the depths, tossing you right into the eye of the storm where the characters dwell. In my experience, there aren’t many authors that can write an ‘angsty-as-heck, tear you all up, then piece you back together’ book any better than A.L. Jackson. Every time I open one and begin it, I think, surely this time people won’t be so broken. Surely there are some people that haven’t suffered so much that you can feel it come right off the page. But no. Amy is nothing if not an expert at crafting these stories so beautifully, so artfully, that you can’t wait to trek through the anguish right along with her characters, knowing that the trip will be so worthwhile and rewarding in the end.
WAIT is the fourth book in the Bleeding Stars series, and we finally, finally get Austin Stone’s story. Austin has made an appearance in the prior books of the series, but here, in this book, is the heart of what has defined Austin. He’s suffered for most of his life, carrying a burden of guilt that no one person should have to shoulder. He’s beautifully broken, enduring his demons alone, until her. Until Edie. Carrying a shameful secret that will stay with her for years, she’s a beacon to Austin, the other half of himself. Together they build a shelter against their painful pasts, protecting each other from the things that haunt them, until a devastating betrayal sends Edie running from everything they’ve created.
WAIT is beautifully written, full of the raw emotion that I’ve come to expect and love from Amy. My heart broke and was healed with Austin and Edie, sharing the loss and celebrating the love and healing right along with them. There really aren’t enough stars for this book, and it is absolutely one of my favorite reads of 2016. I can’t recommend this whole series enough, and I cannot wait for STAY, the next book to come. Please, add these to your TBR, because they are not to be missed.
***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***
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, as well as the newest BLEEDING STARS novels. Watch for the next installments, WAIT and STAY, coming in 2016.
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://bit.ly/NewsFromALJackson or text “jackson” to 96000 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.
Warning: This is one dark, dangerous, dirty-talking, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride. Are you ready?
I’ve got a big c*ck, a bigger bank account, and zero interest in Happily Ever After. I just want to feel alive, to look into a woman’s eyes and see something that’s going to keep my mind off all the shit I refuse to think about for an hour or two.
And then I meet her, a good girl with a body made for sin and ugly problems only a bad man can fix.
A bad man like me…
Gabe Alexander is the devil. Or an angel.
He’s a criminal hiding behind a millionaire dollar pedigree, but he also saved my life and my family. He’s the worst kind of bad news, but every time he touches me, and whispers filthy, beautiful things in my ear, all I want is more.
More of his kiss, his touch, and the dangerous, seductive things he makes me feel.
I don’t want to go bad, but the man makes it feel so damned good…
Warning Part the Second: A Love So Dangerous is the first in a three part series. It is a full-length novel that ends in a cliffhanger. It was formerly published as One Wild Night and This Wicked Rush by Jessie Evans.
Excerpt:
“What is tonight about?” I ask, a shockwave of desire rocketing through me at the thought of Gabe and I naked together, though I know I’m not ready, not really, no matter what the lustful voices in my head are trying to tell me.
“It’s about convincing you I’m the best way to spend your summer.” His palms mold to my ribs as he kisses down my neck to the hollow of my throat, soft, hot kisses that make me gasp for breath and my nipples pucker in the cool, conditioned air.
He keeps trailing kisses down the center of my chest while his hands come to cup my breasts, holding one gently in each hand, carefully avoiding the places where I’m dying for him to kiss me, touch me. He continues to kiss me everywhere but there, his soft lips feathering back and forth across my ribs until my nipples are pulled so tight the sensation is almost painful.
Only then—when I’m squirming and moaning and there can be no doubt in his mind how much I crave his attention—does he take me in his mouth.
I cry out, driving my fingers into his hair and fisting tight, urging him closer as he licks and sucks and bites. Bites.
But even the biting is perfect, a flash of pain that adds to my pleasure until my breath comes fast and the world goes soft and red at the edges and there is nothing but his mouth and his tongue and the way I ache for him, burn for him, need him to spread me wide and do whatever he wants to do to me as long as he takes the ache away.
“Please, Gabe,” I breathe, clawing at his shoulders. “Please.”
“Please what?” he says, flicking his tongue across my nipple, making me flinch and cry out again. “You know what I like, Caitlin. You know I like you to beg for it.”
“Please fuck me with your mouth,” I say, the words spilling out without hesitation or anger. I’m too far gone to care what he wants me to do, so long as he gives me what I need. “Please make me come, Gabe, please. Please!”
“Lift your hips,” he says, his voice tight as his fingers fist in the sides of my panties.
I obey and Gabe makes my underwear vanish and then he is between my legs, spreading my thighs with his warm hands, mumbling something I can’t make out, but that sounds pained and reverent and sweet all at the same time.
As sweet as the first kiss he places to the center of me, one sweet, warm, tender kiss that threatens to unravel me completely.
And then the kiss becomes a swirl of his tongue and sparks shoot from my core, sizzling across my skin, and my head feels like it’s going to float right off my body and there is no more “me” to unravel, only a quivering mass of heat and need that arches closer to Gabe’s mouth, shamelessly begging for what I crave.
I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut, not knowing what to do with all the things he’s making me feel, all the sensation and emotion and the fear that I’m spiraling so far out of control I may never be the same again.
___________________
Tracey’s Review
Caitlin Cooney’s life has changed dramatically. Gabe Alexander has opened her eyes to a completely different world the night that they spent together at the beginning of the summer. Making her his accomplice in his quest to right wrongs in their South Carolina town, and drawing her into the explosive chemistry between them, he has awakened her and left her dissatisfied with the life that she has been living up to this point.
Caitlin just wants to get back to her normal life, working and taking care of her family. She is determined that there not be a repeat of what happened between them, but finds herself more and more deeply drawn to Gabe. And when Gabe sweetens the deal, making it impossible for her to say no to him, she agrees to be with him just for the summer.
Gabe knows just how to get Caitlin to agree to spend time with him, but is hiding a big secret from her. He didn’t count on coming to care for her as deeply as he does, and, as the summer progresses, he faces some hard choices where she is concerned.
Lili Valente is great at character development. Caitlin is sassy and independent, having had to handle some very tough things in her young life, and Gabe is just delicious. He is smart and hot, and goes from simply wanting Caitlin to wanting to give her everything. The chemistry between Caitlin and Gabe is super-hot; they start out being very attracted to each other, but the attraction quickly deepens to much more as the story progresses. A LOVE SO DANGEROUS made me think of a sort of take on ‘Robin Hood,’ with a whole lot of hot and sexy scenes. The story does end on a cliff-hanger, but not in an abrupt way. Lili has done a good job of bringing everything together and setting us up for the continuation of Caitlin’s and Gabe’s journey in A LOVE SO DEADLY, the next book in the series, and I can’t wait to see where they go.
Lili Valente has slept under the stars in Greece, eaten dinner at midnight with French men who couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths on their food, and walked alone through Munich’s red light district after dark and lived to tell the tale.
These days you can find her writing in a tent beside the sea, drinking coconut water and thinking delightfully dirty thoughts.
And he’s the only one who could have prevented it.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Pact and The Lie comes a new standalone contemporary romance about those McGregor men.
Jessica Charles shouldn’t have even been in London when the unthinkable happened.
She should have been back at home in Edinburgh, perhaps hanging with her boyfriend, having drinks with her sister or doing yoga with her group of friends. She should have been going on in her normal, dependable life as always.
But on that fateful day in August, when a mentally-ill ex-soldier opened fire in public, Jessica’s world changed forever.
Now single and crippled from the gunshot wounds, Jessica finds herself scared and alone, losing faith in herself and humanity with each agonizing moment that passes.
That is until a stranger enters her life. A stranger who makes her live again.
Keir McGregor has always been the strong, silent type. Throw in tall, dark, and handsome and you’ve got pretty much the perfect Scotsman.
Except Keir is anything but perfect. He’s got a past he’s running away from and a guilty conscience he can’t seem to shed. But the more time he spends with Jessica, the more he falls in love with her.
And the more his secret threatens to tear them apart.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he says. “Sit. I’ll get you another drink.”
“It’s getting late,” I say feebly but I sit down anyway, my leg giving a protest of pain.
“You need something for that?” he says, noticing my wince.
“The scotch will do fine,” I tell him quickly, not wanting him to make a fuss. “But really, I should go.”
“Why?” he asks from the kitchen. I hear the top pop off the bottle, the slosh of liquid in the glass. “Where do you have to be?”
I have to think about that for a moment. He comes over and holds out the glass. “I won’t keep you here if you don’t want to be here. But if you do want to be here, you don’t need to make any excuses.”
I take the glass from him, holding it delicately in my fingers. He stands over me, a massive wall, waiting for some kind of response.
“I just…” I begin. “I…” I take a sip for bravery. Swallow. “I’m not very good at this.”
“Good at what?”
“At…this. Being with a man.”
When he doesn’t say anything to that, I look up at him. He’s got a peculiar smile on his face, his brows raised. “You call this being with a man?”
I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks grow hot. “I mean. I’ve told you before –”
“Yes, how you don’t do relationships, how you don’t do sex.”
“I never said I don’t do sex,” I remind him quickly.
His eyes never stop searching my face. “Then what is it? What are you afraid to say?”
I have the sudden urge to flee and I know it must show because he suddenly points at me and says, “Don’t you dare say you have to go again. I want you to go back to what you said, that you’re not good at this. What is this? Us? You and me? There’s nothing mystifying about you and me, Jessica. You know quite well how I feel.”
I stare at him in shock. I do? “How?”
He looks off with an air of impatience. “I invited you to dinner, you turned me down.”
“But then you said just as friends.”
“And I meant it. But there are different types of friends. It’s up to you to decide what kind we are.”
I put my drink down with a clunk. “Holy pressure.” And now it’s not just my face going hot but my entire body, flushed from head to toe.
“You’re on fire, little red,” he says, his gaze skirting over my limbs in such a hungry way I can almost feel them on my skin. “I have to say, I like this look on you. Hot and bothered.”
“Back with the innuendos again,” I comment but my voice is weak.
“No, no innuendos this time. You came looking for me tonight not because you wanted to confess but because you want something from me. What is it? What do you want from me? What do you think I can give you?”
Jesus. This is so utterly unnerving. His words slice right through me, his eyes still peeling under the layers, trying to get at something I’m not even sure of myself.
If I lie, he’ll know. I can only be honest with him.
“I want…” I take in a deep breath, my eyes breaking away. “I want…company.”
“Company?” He sounds surprised.
I nod. “That’s the truth. I’m lonely. And I’m afraid. And I’m tired of being both those things. I want to be with someone who makes me forget who I am. You make me feel fearless in a way I didn’t think possible.”
There. That’s the truth. Most of it. It hangs in the air, thickening the tension like flour to stock.
He sits down next to me, has a mouthful of Scotch. “Wow,” he says, running his hand over the beard on his jaw. “And here I was thinking you wanted my cock.”
I burst out laughing. So does he, a big wonderful bellow. The tension in the room eases up a notch.
“Sorry,” I tell him when I catch my breath. “I guess they can both mean the same thing.”
He sucks in his lip briefly, his eyes taking a lustful turn. “If you want it to.” We stare at each other for a few heavy beats. Then his focus trails back to my gaze and he says, “Why don’t you stay over?”
And there I have it. The chance to know what those full lips would feel like on mine, what his skin would taste like. I swallow hard.
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit http://www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
I’m the author of the Amazon best selling Famous series. I like to write about the ‘dark’ side of fame. The part that the public doesn’t get to see, how difficult it is to live in a fishbowl and how that affects relationships.
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What do you get when you mix a bottle of tequila, a single mom moonlighting as a stripper, and her sinfully sexy boss with an impulsive side?
Tracey’s Review
w York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books.
The Marriage Contract – Book 1
The Wedding Pact – Book 2
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Connect with Katee at: 
She can’t remember him.
From NYT & USA Today bestselling author comes a new Bleeding Stars stand-alone novel…
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.
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Saucy Southern Readers 