Tag Archives: Contemporary Romance

Release Blitz + Excerpt + Review: Somehow, Some Way by Jennifer Probst

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Today we are celebrating the release of SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst. This is a 1001 Dark Nights novella in the Billionaire Builders series. Check out the teasers, excerpt, and buy link below!

 

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AMAZON

————————–

SOMEHOW, SOME WAY by Jennifer Probst

Billionaire Builders, #2.5

BLURB:

Bolivar Randy Heart (aka Brady) knows exactly what he wants next in life: the perfect wife. Raised in a strict traditional family household, he seeks a woman who is sweet, conservative, and eager to settle down. With his well-known protective and dominant streak, he needs a woman to offer him balance in a world where he relishes control.
Too bad the newly hired, gorgeous, rehab addict is blasting through all his preconceptions and wrecking his ideals…one nail at a time…

Charlotte Grayson knows who she is and refuses to apologize. Growing up poor made her appreciate the simple things in life, and her new job at Pierce Brothers Construction is perfect to help her carve out a career in renovating houses. When an opportunity to transform a dilapidated house in a dangerous neighborhood pops up, she goes in full throttle. Unfortunately, she’s forced to work with the firm’s sexy architect who’s driving her crazy with his archaic views on women.
Too bad he’s beginning to tempt her to take a chance on more than just work…one stroke at a time…

Somehow, some way, they need to work together to renovate a house without killing each other…or surrendering to the white-hot chemistry knocking at the front door.

 

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EXCERPT:

“I’m already working my ass off for you.”

“No, your list. For what you want in a woman. Have you graduated to date four yet?”

Irritation skittered across his features. She tried to tamp down her delight. “Not yet.” She waited him out, learning he liked to space out his responses. “I’m seeing her again this Friday,” he added grudgingly.

“Ooh, exciting. Okay, so tell me what floats your boat, Casanova.”

He shuddered. “God, please don’t call me that. Or talk like that.”

“Sorry, I forget you’re a bit high class.”

“No, I just speak proper English.”

“Stop stalling.”

He looked away but she caught the edge of a grin. He’d be loath to admit it, but she made him laugh. And from what she’d seen, this man desperately needed someone to balance all that seriousness. It must be exhausting.

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

She practically clapped her hands with glee. “The same question I answered. Tell me the traits in your perfect woman.”

His arms flexed as he worked the hammer, and her gaze snagged on the lean, sinewy muscles under gorgeous brown skin. Wood chips and dust clung to his figure but it only added to his attractiveness, giving a sense of ruggedness to his normal poised elegance. Yes, women would definitely seek him out for his appearance alone, but she wondered how many stayed after they got a dose of his attitude. He must be on his best behavior to trick them.

“I don’t know why you’re interested in this,” he muttered.

“Tit for tat.”

“It’s simple, really. I know exactly what I’m looking for. I’m ready to get married and have a family.”

“Right away?”

“Yes. My future wife will have a few core qualities that I won’t compromise on. Loyalty, honesty, and dual respect are at the top.”

She cocked her head, studying him. He’d managed to surprise her. “Very thoughtful. Excellent choices.”

“So glad you approve. I need a certain amount of intellectual stimulation, as I’m sure she will, so she cannot be just a pretty face.”

Huh. Maybe she’d been wrong about him. So far, she wholeheartedly agreed with his choices.
“Can’t argue with those.”

“I don’t need laugh-out-loud funny, but a sense of humor helps get you through hard times.”

“Agreed.”

“And then she needs to obey, of course.”

Tracey’s Review

Brady Heart knows what he likes. Tradition, rules, order, these are the things that make for a satisfying life. From work to love, Brady is confident that these rules of order are the perfect framework for making him a happy man. Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Flowers likes to mix things up. With a flair for the dramatic and a can-do attitude, she’s taking what she wants from life. Letting a man tell her what to do and giving up her dream? No, thank you.

Author Jennifer Probst works her love magic yet again in SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, a Billionaire Builders novella, and part of the 1,001 Dark Nights series. I fell in love with Charlie right away, her lust for life and positive mental attitude endearing her to me from the very start of this book. There isn’t a problem that arises that Charlie can’t overcome, and I’m pretty sure that the word “can’t” isn’t in her vocabulary. These very things that make Charlie undeniably who she is are also the things that make for lots of locked horns and sparks flying with Brady.

Oh, Brady. Brady, Brady, Brady, with his hot Latin looks, expensive tastes, and über-traditional views on women and relationships. He has no idea of the changes he’s in for when he and Charlie find themselves working closely together. It’s about a week before things get so hot that I’m pretty sure that there was steam coming out of my e-reader.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Charlie and Brady shake each other up, change their preconceived notions about each other, and grow as people. As ever, Jennifer has done a lovely job of writing about people in such a way that they feel like friends that I’d want to hang around with. And sharing what’s going on with the other friends from the Billionaire Builders made it feel even more personal. SOMEHOW, SOME WAY is a nice addition to the 1,001 Dark Nights line, and a must-read for Jennifer’s fans.

 

 

PURCHASE THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Everywhere and Every Way

PURCHASE EVERYWHERE AND EVERY WAY (Billionaire Builders, #1) NOW

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PURCHASE ANY TIME, ANY PLACE (Billionaire Builders, #2) NOW

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PRE-ORDER ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL (Billionaire Builders, #3) NOW

Coming July 25th

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———————-

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Jennifer Probst

Jennifer Probst – Bio:
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at http://www.jenniferprobst.com.

AUTHOR LINKS:

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Release Day Launch + Excerpt + Giveaway: Easy Fortune by Kristen Proby

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From New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby, comes a passionate new romance—EASY FORTUNE! A Boudreaux Series novella, this standalone second chance romance features Mallory’s best friend Lena! Don’t miss the amazing excerpt below and grab your copy of EASY FORTUNE today!

 

About EASY FORTUNE (A Boudreaux Series Novella):

The Boudreaux Series—Sexy. Intriguing. Easy.

Sometimes the past is better left behind you…

Lena Turner has spent her life as the outsider. Thanks to her extraordinary gifts, she’s learned to be independent—especially when it comes to men. She’s content to live her life in New Orleans as a schoolteacher, dating casually and dedicated to her small family. Long term is not part of her plan.

Sometimes the past catches up with you…

Leaving Lena behind to pursue his career was the most difficult thing Mason Coulter ever did. He told himself that it was for the best, had even convinced himself that he had only Lena’s best interests in mind. But now, after six long years, he’s back in New Orleans to settle his late eccentric aunt’s estate. All he has to do is get in and out of the city without submitting to the need to see Lena. But to Mason’s dismay, his aunt made other plans.

And sometimes the future and the past collide…

Having Mason walk back into her life is something Lena never saw coming. She could refuse to help him, but she’s never been good at telling Mason no. So she’ll do what she can to get the estate settled and Mason out of her life for good.

At least, that’s the plan. But Mason has plans of his own…

 

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EXCERPT:

I wipe the back of my hand over my forehead and glance at my notes when suddenly, the air in the room shifts.

It’s subtle, but I feel it. The hair stands up on my neck. I haven’t felt this in six years.

“You can get back in your Ferrari and go away,” I say casually without looking over at the doorway and do my best to ignore the damn zoo that’s come awake in my stomach.

“I don’t have a Ferrari,” he replies. His voice hasn’t changed at all. It’s thick like melted milk chocolate, and he still has his southern accent. I don’t know why that surprises me.

“Well, whatever horse you rode in on? Ride back out on it.”

I hear him sigh, but I refuse to look at him. Because just one look will suck me in, and I’ve vowed never to be sucked in by Mason Coulter ever again.

“It’s good to see you, Lena.”

“Mm hmm.” I pretend to study my notes, but I don’t actually see the words anymore. “Good to see you, too.”

“You haven’t even looked over here.”

I can hear the smile in his voice. It makes me cringe.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to look at me,” he replies.

“Well, we don’t always get what we want.” Yes, I’m being a bitch, and no, I’m not sorry. Mason was the one. The one that I fell head over heels for, the one that charmed the pants off of me, literally, and then he just left. He disappeared, and I was left here, wondering what in the hell happened. Wondering what I did wrong because I was twenty-two and naïve and so heartsick for him I thought I wouldn’t survive it.

But I did.

“So, you’re still mad?”

I blink rapidly for a second, and then I can’t help it. I turn and take him in, from the top of his gorgeous, dark head to the tip of his designer shoes, and my body immediately comes to life. Panties are singed. And if I thought it was hot in here ten minutes ago, it’s an inferno now.

Damn him. He just had to stay hot, didn’t he? I mean, couldn’t he have lost all of his hair? Gained a whole bunch of weight? Something?

“You could say I’m still mad,” I reply, proud of myself for sounding calm and indifferent to him, when I’m anything but indifferent. “So unless you came in here to tell me you have a terminal illness, you can just turn around and go. I’m not interested in chit chat.”

“You were always good at chit chat,” he says and flashes that perfect smile at me. But there’s something there, in his smile that tells me something isn’t quite right.

And I’m just a sucker because I’m about to ask him what it is. I should stay firm and ask him to go.

But first, I need to settle an old score.

“You know,” I begin and put the cap on the blue marker. I set it down and turn to fully face him. “The last time I saw you, you said you’d be right back.”

“I said I’d see you soon,” he says, the smile fully leaving his face now.

“And then you just bailed.”

He sighs and leans against the doorjamb. He crosses his arms over his chest and glances down at his shoes, then back up at me. “I owe you an apology for that.”

“Yeah. You do.”

“I’m sorry.” His grey eyes are holding my own, and I can see the sincerity there, hear it in his voice. “I am truly sorry, Lena.”

I nod and turn away. “Thanks.”

“And I need your help.”

Of course he does.

This couldn’t be a quick, I want to stop in to see how you are, apologize, and go on my merry way.

No, it has to be complicated.

“My Aunt Claudia passed away last week.”

“Oh, Mason.” I turn quickly, blinking rapidly. I’m so sorry. I liked her very much.”

He nods. “Thank you.”

Mason and his Aunt Claudia were very close. I believe that we all have that one special family member that we bond with, who is important in our lives, and for him, it was his aunt. He spent summers with her here in New Orleans when he was young.

“I hadn’t heard that she’d passed.” That must be what I see behind his eyes. I don’t have the psychic abilities that my best friend, Mallory, has. But I can sense things. I want to hug him, to comfort him, but I stay planted where I am because I know what his touch will do to me.

“I’d planned to come to town and quickly take care of her estate, but it seems Aunt Claudia had other plans.” He laughs humorlessly and shakes his head, looking at the ceiling. “The attorney informed me that she was very clear that you were to come with me to the reading of the will.”

“Me?” I frown. “Why? I only met her a couple of times.”

He shrugs and pushes his hand through his hair, in the say way he did six years ago. But now the muscles under his black T-shirt are more defined, tanner from all of the hours he spends outside digging around for old things.

Mason is a well-known and important archeologist.

“You know that she was a bit… eccentric.” He smiles. “It’s one of the reasons I loved her so much. She did what she wanted, and she wanted this.”

“I see.” I swallow and stare out of the windows at the trees. There’s a slight breeze today. I walk over and open the window, wiggle my fingers and feel the breeze blow in my room. “And if I refuse?”

“If you refuse, her estate will be donated to the city of New Orleans.” My head whips around to stare at him again. “I know, it’s a lot of pressure. I don’t need her money, Lena. Archeology has been good to me. But I loved her, and I’d like to do right by her.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. So, he’s not here because he wanted to see me. He’s here because his aunt didn’t give him a choice. He’s right, it is a lot of pressure.

“You can think about it,” he says. He pulls a business card from his pocket and sets it on the desk closest to him. “That’s my cell number. I need to be at the attorney’s office on Friday at 2:00 in the afternoon. If you decide you’re willing to go with me, I wrote the address on the back.”

I nod, staring at the small square of white paper.

“Lena?”

“Yeah?” My gaze finds his again and he smiles, as if remembering something especially sweet.

“You look fantastic. You’ve hardly changed at all.”

“Oh, I’ve changed.”
 

 

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And don’t forget to grab the first standalone books in

The Boudreaux Series!

EASY LOVE-FREE for a limited time only
EASY CHARM-$.99 for a limited time only
EASY MELODY-$1.99 for a limited time only
EASY KISSES
EASY FOR KEEPS: A Boudreaux Novella
EASY MAGIC
EASY NIGHTS-Coming June 27th! Preorder Now!

ABOUT KRISTEN PROBY:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby is the author of the bestselling With Me In Seattle and Love Under the Big Sky series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong, humorous characters with a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves.
 
Kristen lives in Montana, where she enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.
 

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New Release + Giveaway + 5+-Star Review: Stand by A. L. Jackson

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 STAND is now live!

A Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel

Don’t miss out on the unforgettable romance readers are raving about!

DOWNLOAD NOW

“6 Devastatingly Beautiful and Brilliant Bleeding Stars but Worth the Whole Constellation.

I felt every burn…every blaze…every beautiful and brilliant word…I FELT IT ALL. ”

~Karen, Bookalicious Babes Blog

From NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson comes the next seductive, unforgettable Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel…
Zachary Kennedy has never been known as a fighter, but he’ll never regret fighting for her…
I’m Zee Kennedy.
Quiet. Reserved. Predictable.
When my brother died, everyone thought I was just the good guy who stepped up to take his place in the band.
No one knew what I was hiding. The one thing I’ve been fighting for.
For seven years, I’ve never lost focus.
Not until one chance encounter with Alexis Kensington.
Now she’s become my greatest temptation.
I knew better than to touch her, but now that I’ve had a taste, I can’t get enough.
Her kiss becomes my air. Her body my salvation.
She needed a savior and somehow she became mine.
Taking her was a betrayal. But keeping her means risking everything.
One look at Alexis Kensington, and I know she’s worth the fight.
Will my past continue to keep me down or will I finally find the strength to pull myself up and Stand

GIVEAWAY

Grand Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card + First 5 Bleeding Stars Novels Signed

 Tracey’s Review

No fear. Just life.

Beautiful, intense, soul-grabbing. Every time that I pick up a book by A.L. Jackson, I know that it is going to be an emotionally charged experience, that her words are going to paint a story so vivid, so engrossing, so consuming, that it will leave me wrung out and overwhelmed. Because Amy’s words are poetry. Every character, every scene, words crafted together in such a way that the stories become part of me, in the deepest and most wonderful way.

Zachary ‘Zee’ Kennedy has always been a bit of a mystery. Each of the Sunder boys is beautiful and broken, so I just assumed that there was much more to Zee’s story, and that we would get the whole view in time. And in STAND, Amy delivers beautifully, peeling back the layers of Zee’s life and background to reveal the true man.

Alexis Kensington, like Zee, is bound by her past. Committed to saving her sister from a life that she doesn’t want to leave, Alexis is willing to do anything to ensure that Avril is free from the things that are destroying her. Zee finds her at a dire time, and, while they truly need each other, I don’t think that Zee was ready for her at all. He’s consigned himself to a life in the shadows, making atonement for choices that were made a long time ago. But Alexis is the light to his perceived dark, and he cannot stay away.

“Sometimes it gets old, living in the shadows. Somehow they’re not quite so dark when you’re around.”
“Is that what you feel? Like you’re invisible?…Because you’re the only thing I see.”

I have fallen so in love with the Bleeding Stars series, and the whole Sunder family, and it was a very bittersweet feeling, reading STAND and knowing that it’s the last book for this bunch. These books remain some of my favorites, both because Amy writes angst and beauty like not many others, and because each of these stories touched me in a very deep way. I can’t say enough good about STAND, and the rest of the series, and I really think that they are some of the best that I’ve read. 5+ stars for Zee and Alexis, and another A.L. Jackson story that broke my heart, then pieced it together, that showed light in despair and hope in hopelessness. If you haven’t met the boys of Sunder, you’re missing out. This is a series that is completely binge-worthy, so don’t just add them to your TBR. Make a date, find a comfy reading corner, and fall in love.

 

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Stand Read-Along ► http://bit.ly/2pHRkiK

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 installment STAND, coming Spring 2017.
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 24587 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.
Connect with A.L.

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Excerpt Reveal: Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis

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From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women’s fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood—perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Susan Mallery, and Kristan Higgins. Don’t miss the amazing excerpt below and pre-order your copy today!

 

They say life can change in an instant…

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.’s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she’s looking for a missing piece she can’t find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn’t quite fit in right away, she can’t help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there’s another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn’t a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she’s searched so long for.

 

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ADD LOST AND FOUND SISTERS TO YOUR GOODREADS

 

 

EXCERPT:

“Mick?” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Are you feeling something?”

“You could say that,” he murmured. “You?”

She licked her lips and he nearly groaned. “I think so,” she whispered.

“That’s good.”

“Are you going to kiss me?”

He cupped her face, let his thumbs trace her jawbone, his fingers sinking into her silky waves. “No,” he said quietly. “And not because I don’t want to, but because when I do, I want to know you’re ready. That you’ll feel it.”

She sighed. “Guys do whatever they want all the time, no emotions necessary. I want that skill.” Another shaky breath escaped her, and since they were literally an inch apart, they shared air for a single heartbeat during which neither of them moved.

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “Okay, so I’m definitely feeling things.” She hesitated and then her hands came up to his chest. “Maybe we should test it out to be sure.”

God, she was the sweetest temptation he’d ever met, and he wanted nothing more than to cover her mouth with his. Instead, he brushed his mouth to her cheek.

“Please, Mick,” she whispered, her exhale warming his throat.

He loved the “please,” and he wanted to do just that more than anything. But when she tried to turn her head into his, to line up their mouths, he gently tightened his grip, dragging his mouth along her smooth skin instead, making his way to her ear.

“Not yet,” he whispered, letting his lips brush over her earlobe and the sensitive skin beneath it.

She moaned and clutched him. “Why not?”

It took every ounce of control he had to lift his head and meet her gaze. “Because I want to make sure you’re really with me, that you’re feeling everything I’m feeling. That there’ll be no doubt, no regrets.”

“You sure have a lot of requirements.”

He laughed. And she was right, it was all big talk for a guy who didn’t do relationships anymore. Still, he forced himself to step back and shut the passenger door.

As he rounded the hood to the driver’s side, he tried to remind himself of all the reasons she was a bad idea. He lived two hundred miles away and he was hoping to move his mom up by him and never come back here. Not to mention that Quinn lived an equal two hundred miles in the opposite direction and she was in a deeply vulnerable place. No way would he even think about taking advantage of that.

But when he slid behind the wheel and their eyes locked, he realized that while his mind could stand firm, the rest of his body wasn’t on board with the in-control program.

 

 

They say life can change in an instant …

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes her first women’s fiction novel—an unforgettable story of friendship, love, family, and sisterhood.

Pre-order your copy in any format and receive an exclusive crossover Heartbreaker Bay meets Wildstone bonus scene, featuring Archer and Elle going to Wildstone, CA, the town in which Lost and Found Sisters takes place – read about their night in a haunted B&B!

Simply enter your order number OR upload a screenshot of your proof of purchase. Entries must be received by June 25th and you will receive content via email on June 27th!

Preorder and fill out the form here!

 

About Jill Shalvis:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

 

 

 

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Book Tour + Excerpt + Giveaway: Perfect Storm by Cheryl Douglas

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Blurb

Mace

Dark. Dangerous. Messed up. Yeah, I may be all of those things, but with her I’m not. She taught me how to love, how to be a one woman man. Except now my woman wants to leave me, ‘cause I can’t promise her forever. I know I’d never want anyone else but she wants the ring to prove it. Not to mention the baby. But if she knew about my past she’d run far and fast. Then I’d have no choice but to chase her, ‘cause I can’t let her get away.

Cory

I hate him. I love him. I want him. I need him. I hate myself for being weak and caving every every time he touches me. But I can’t help myself. He’s just that good. I can’t get over him if I’m always under him, but he’s not letting me go without a fight and you’d have to have an iron will to resist this man.

 

Excerpt

Mace

She was killing me and she knew it. My ex-girlfriend and business partner made it her daily mission to torture me. She flirted with the customers, agreed to dates with a few regulars, I’d even caught her kissing one in the dark hallway leading to our office. My reaction? I put my fist through the wall, scaring the shit out of her boy-toy and earning a stern lecture from her.

Cory claimed I had no right to tell her what to do or who to do it with. She’d given me an ultimatum. Marriage. Babies. Or she was done with me. When push came to shove I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t put that ring on her finger. I watched what my old man went through when my mom left us. I couldn’t let Cory put me through that shit. So I let her go.

Only we had to work together. Every. Goddamn. Day. And I was slowly losing my mind.

“Cory get a new tat, boss?” our bartender asked, looking at the perfect swell of my lady’s ass as she bent over to take a customer’s order.

Not your lady anymore, a little voice reminded me. Bullshit. She’ll always be mine.

“Yeah, I think so.” I wiped down the bar, trying not to notice the way she filled out those tight black jeans.

Memories came flooding back. My lips on her. Hers on me. Her riding me. Taking her up against the wall. Going hard all night… into the morning.

“Gimme a Jack, man.” I’d been drinking too much since she dumped me, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. My mom left my old man because of the bottle. Now it seemed like I was destined to follow in his footsteps.

Johnnie raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question me. He just did as he was told, poured, and sild it across the slick surface.

“Why don’t you just buy her out?” he asked, obviously reading my thoughts.

I tipped my glass back, my back to her. “She won’t let me.” I’d offered half a dozen times. Just like she’d offered to buy me out. But we both loved this bar. And we were stubborn. We wanted to make the other one suffer.

“You two are gonna wind up killing each other.” He gestured to the glass in my hand. “I’ve been working here five years and ain’t never seen you drink like this.”

Johnnie was my right hand man and I loved him like a brother, but I didn’t need to hear him telling me shit I already knew. I was self-destructing and I didn’t know how the hell to put the brakes on.

“Shit,” Johnnie whispered, his dark eyes travelling to the door.

I curled my hand into a fist when I spotted the punk who’d had his tongue down my woman’s throat last week. The reason I’d had to patch the drywall to repair the damage I’d caused. “What’s he doing here?” I asked, standing. “I told him not to show his face in here again.”

Before I could kick his scrawny ass out Cory approached him, slaying me with her dimples, just like she did every time I saw her smile.

She was a tiny little thing with a huge rack. That was the first thing most guys noticed about her, but four years of being mine meant it had been a long time since another man had been stupid enough to put his hands on her. Seeing that same dumbass who hadn’t heeded my last warning wrap his arms around her had me seeing red.

“That’s it. I’m gonna mess him up.”

“Mace, don’t man,” Johnnie said, trying to grab my shoulder. “It’s not worth it.”

I shook him off and stalked across the bar, going toe-to-toe with my least favorite customer. “What’re doin’ back here, asshole? Didn’t I make it clear I don’t wanna see your face in my bar again?”

“Excuse me,” Cory said, grabbing my arm. “It’s my bar too. And I told him he could come in anytime he wanted.”

I knew I’d regret the day I let her invest in my dream. She’d been a real estate agent at the time and she was making big bucks. I was a bartender who used to serve her at a club she and her girlfriends frequented. She convinced me I was wasting my time working behind someone else’s bar when I should be lining my own pockets. She was the first person to ever believe in me and since my old man had left me a little coin when he died, I had some cash to burn. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Why are you doing this?” I narrowed my eyes at her. “You wanna watch me bleed?” I said, only loud enough for her to hear. I turned my forearm over to reveal the colorful tattoo snaking over my wrist and up my arm. The one bearing her name. “You want to destroy me? ‘Cause you’re doin’ a hell of a job of it.”

“Excuse me, Eddy,” she said to the guitar playing asshat watching our exchange. “I need to have a word with my partner.”

She grabbed my hand and hauled me through the crowd and down the narrow hallway to our shared office and just that brief physical exchange tore me up. I wanted her hands on me again. Up my shirt. Unbuckling my pants. Wrapped around my shaft.

“Why do you keep doing this?” she asked, slamming the door and throwing her hands up in the air. “It’s like you’re trying to prevent me from getting on with my life.”

I sat on the edge of the desk sulking. Because I knew she was right. I couldn’t give her what she needed but I was trying to prevent her from finding a man who could. It was messed up. I knew that. I just couldn’t help it. I loved her. I loved her so goddamn much that living without her was destroying me.

“I just don’t want to see you with a jackass like that.” I curled my hands around the edge of the desk as I watched her. Her long, blond, wavy hair was sweeping down her back as her high heels clicked across the worn wood floor as she paced the small, cluttered room. “He probably wouldn’t even know how to please you.”

And if that visual didn’t make my blood boil. The thought of another man pleasing her hit me like a wrecking ball, knocking the wind out of me. My girl loved oral. And before too long it was going to be some other’s dude’s shoulders spreading her legs, taking what was mine.

“How do you know that?” she demanded, planting her hands on her curvy hips. “You don’t know what he’s like in bed. Unless you and he have-”

“Don’t even.” She liked messing with me and after so many years together she knew exactly how to rattle my chain.

Her full lips turned up in a half-smile. “You don’t get to tell me who to sleep with, Mace. Just like I don’t get to tell you.”

What a joke that was. I didn’t even think I could get it up for another woman. Her ass wouldn’t be as round as Cory’s. Her tits wouldn’t be as big. Her lips wouldn’t be as lush. Her eyes wouldn’t be as blue. I’d find something wrong with her. ‘Cause she wasn’t Cory. It was as simple and as screwed up as that.

“I don’t see why you’d want anyone else.” I rubbed the bulge in my pants, the one I got every time I looked at her. “You’ve had me. You know what it feels like to have the best.” Was I arrogant? Yeah, sure. But I knew she hadn’t even gotten off with a man in the room until she met me. I made it a point to give her so many orgasms in a night she was literally pleading with me to stop ‘cause she couldn’t take anymore.

“Is that all you ever think about?” she asked, rolling her baby blues at me. “Sex?”

“With you?” I grinned. “Pretty much.”

But that was a lie. I missed everything about her, from the way she smelled to the way she felt curled against my chest when she fell asleep. I even missed those gay-ass antique marts she used to drag me to and the girly movies she’d force me to watch. I missed the massages she’d give me after a hard workout or the way she’d model new lingerie for me. I missed it all.

“I need you to just back off,” she said, gently. “Please, Mace. I want us to keep working together. I think we’re a really good team. But I need some space.”

I didn’t want to give her space. I wanted to crowd her against the wall and kiss her until she remembered how much she loved me. How much she needed me.

“You can’t date customers,” I said, biting the inside of my lip. “It’s not fair, Cor. I can’t deal with that shit.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “Where do you expect me to meet guys? I’m here all the time or at the gym.” She glared at me. “And you’ve scared off all the guys there too. You know my personal trainer told me last week that he wanted to ask me out but he was afraid you’d kick the shit out of him.”

I got into mixed martial arts when I was twelve. I would kick the shit out of him. “That’s not my problem,” I said, shrugging. “Guess you’ll have to find somewhere else to pick up.”

“Don’t you want me to be happy?” Her tone was soft, almost pleading. “I want you to be happy. Why can’t you want the same for me?”

“Sorry if my idea of a good time isn’t watching some asshole stick his tongue down your throat.”

“He could be a great guy,” she said, stepping into my personal space. “The best thing that ever happened to me. He could be madly in love with me, treat me like a queen, want to marry me and have half a dozen babies with me and you still couldn’t be happy for me, could you?”

I knew those were all the things she wanted and deserved, but she was right. I couldn’t be happy for her if she found them and that made me a grade-A asshole, because even though I claimed to love her I was too selfish to put her first.

No one had ever taught me to love selflessly. My old man was a selfish drunk who made it impossible for my mom to stick it out. She didn’t love me enough to take me and my brother with her. Women had only ever used me for the pleasure I could give them. Cory was the only one who’d ever given a shit about me. And I didn’t want to lose that. I couldn’t lost that. Not to some other guy.

“No, I couldn’t.”

She shook her head, looking sad. “You used to be my best friend. The one person I could count on. I miss that guy so much.”

I missed him too. I hated the bitter, resentful asshole I was becoming, but I didn’t know what to do about it.

 

Author Bio

Cheryl Douglas is a USA Today bestselling author who lives and breathes her writing: when she’s sleeping, watching TV, driving, reading, it’s always in the periphery of her mind. Her imagination rarely takes a holiday, even when she escapes to a sandy beach with her husband and son, she’s planning, plotting, outlining, and daydreaming.

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@CherylDouglasNN

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Release Blitz: Sexy Stranger by Kendall Ryan

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From New York Times Bestselling Author Kendall Ryan comes a sexy and sizzling, enemies-to-lovers romp with bite.

He’s rude. Arrogant. And too hot to handle.

And she’s stranded with him for an entire week.

He knows the sexy stranger doesn’t belong in his small town, but he’s determined to keep her there. The second she opens her smart mouth, he wants to swap a whole lot more than insults with her.

She’s got a secret. But he’s got his own agenda.

Buckle up.
 
“A steamy and red-hot enemies-to-lovers romance like I’ve never read before!” – Beneath the Covers Book Blog

“It was FREAKING FANTASTIC! Sexy, charming, and full of witty banter, I couldn’t get enough of Luke and Charlotte!” – Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads
 

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Kendall Ryan author picA New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 2 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras

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Release Boost + Excerpt + Giveaway: Swear by Adriana Locke

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Title: Swear
Series: Landry Family #4
Author: Adriana Locke
Genre: Second Chance/Military Romance
Release Date: May 15, 2017

Blurb

Ellie Pagan has a list of reasons to stay away from Ford
Landry.
It’s a mile long and was so much easier to stick to when he
was a world away. Now that he’s standing in front of her—body hard and chiseled
from a stint in the military, suit cut to perfection, and a smirk she could
never resist—remembering all the reasons why just got a whole lot harder. 
Ford gets Ellie isn’t his biggest fan. He just doesn’t care.
Standing in front of him, giving him hell, she’s even
prettier than he remembered. All he can think about is how she felt in his
arms, the taste of her kiss, the sound of her giggle in the middle of the
night. He may not know how to win her back, but he does know this: he may have
let her go once, but that’s one mistake he won’t make again.


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Excerpt
It’s impossible
not to smile that he remembered my drink of choice. It’s also hopeless to
pretend that the boyish grin he’s flipping me doesn’t melt away some of the ice
around my heart.
Still, I
don’t want to play nice.
“I already
had coffee today. But thank you,” I say politely.
“No
offense, but you are kind of irritable this morning. Maybe you could use
another shot of caffeine.”
“You think
I’m irritable now? Keep it up.”
“You never
were a morning person,” he laughs. “Some things never change.”
“And some
things do,” I point out, giving him a look. “Seriously, why are you here?”
“I have
business with Violet. Remember?”
“That’s
bullshit anyway, but she’s not here. You’ll have to come back later.”
“Is that an
invitation?” he laughs.
“Did it
sound like one?” My arms cross over my chest and I’m aware it makes my boobs
look bigger. As his eyes drop and catch the top of my cleavage, his gaze burns
a trail on the ascent back up to my eyes.
Satisfaction
paints a smug look on my face and desire burns in the apex of my thighs. As
discreetly as possible, I clench my legs together to quell a bit of the ache
that’s beginning to throb under his observation.
When our
gazes meet, his is crackling. He lifts a single brow. “I damn sure hope that’s
an offer to come. If it’s not, we have a problem on our hands.”
“No, you have a problem on your hands,” I
say, shrugging. “It has nothing to do with me.”
“It could.”

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Author Bio

USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket.

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Release Blitz: All For You by Melody Grace

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Title: All for You
Series: Sweetbriar Cove #2
Author: Melody Grace
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 21, 2017
Blurb

Millions of readers around the world have fallen in love
with Melody Grace’s bestselling contemporary romances. Now discover the
romance, laughter, and happily-ever-afters waiting for you in her new series,
Sweetbriar Cove!
Summer Bloom lives for adventure—and buttercream bourbon
frosting. As a high-end pastry chef, she spends her days (and nights, and
weekends) whipping up sweet treats, but when an unexpected detour leads her to
the dilapidated bakery on Blackberry Lane, she decides to take a chance on her
dreams and leave it all behind for a new life in Sweetbriar Cove. She has
everything she needs for baking bliss—she just isn’t expecting her new landlord
to melt her heart, as well as her chocolate truffles…
Grayson Reid knows better than to fall for his impulsive new
tenant. He keeps his life quiet and drama-free, but there’s something about
Summer he just can’t resist. He’s learned the hard way that a woman can turn
your whole world upside down, but her kisses—and those croissants—are too
tempting to ignore. He’s determined to keep the lid on their romance, but soon,
their chemistry is heating up the kitchen—and he doesn’t want to play it safe
any more.
Can this headstrong pair mix the right ingredients for love?
Or will their passion burn out before they can find their happily-ever-after?
Find out in the new novel from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace!

The Sweetbriar Cove Series:

#1 Meant to Be
#2 All for You
#3 The Only One – August 2017
#4 I’m Yours – November 2017
#5 Holiday Kisses – December 2017
#6 No Ordinary Love – February 2018

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Author Bio

NYT bestselling author, a SoCal transplant, and sexy romance junkie 😉 I never say no to ice-cream…
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Release Blitz: Twenty-Two by Toni Aleo

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When Lucas Brooks was traded to the Nashville Assassins over a decade ago, he was a brash, brawling hothead without an anchor.

Well, four kids and a smokin’ hot wife will weigh you down real fast, but Lucas wouldn’t change a minute of his happily ever after.

During an epic, end-of-season quest for the Cup, changes appear on the horizon, and suddenly, there’s a plot twist in Lucas’s fairy tale.

 

 

My name is Toni Aleo and I’m a total dork.
I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.
I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.
… and did I mention I love hockey?
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Release Blitz + Excerpt + Trailer: The Rebellion by S.L. Scott

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Title: The Rebellion
Series: Hard to Resist #5
Author: S.L. Scott
Genre: STANDALONE Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2017

 

Blurb

 

I met my muse at fifteen. I’d just gotten busted
for smoking behind the school gymnasium. She inspired me with her laugh and
nonjudgmental attitude and, before I knew it, we were inseparable. Then I left
to pursue my rock star dreams—dreams she encouraged.
I got over Jaymes Grenier no problem. I never
think about that little bow at the top of her pink lips, or the way her green
eyes admired mine. Nope, I barely recall the way she fit so perfectly in my
arms when I held her at night. The sweet way she would whisper she loved me has
long faded from memory.
These are the lies I regularly tell myself
in hopes of believing them one day. Yeah, I was told I’d get over my first
love.
I didn’t. 
Derrick Masters marked me the moment we met back
in ninth grade. He called me over—all bravado and bad boy mystery wrapped in a
James Dean-esque package. Dark hair and blue eyes with a rebel without a cause
charisma. He was everything I was warned about, but I couldn’t resist. I
was his from that moment on.
His career took off almost as soon as he
did. I knew it would. I just thought I would be beside him as his partner in
crime, best friend, and lover. That’s what we had always been … before he left
me behind to fend for myself.

Fend? Fight is more like it.
I’ve been fighting ever since. 
Fighting for survival.
Fighting for a better life in a world determined
to keep me down.
I don’t have the luxury of letting my head live
in the lure of La La Land. His dreams may have come true, but mine were
extinguished. These days I fight for something bigger than me, bigger than we
were ever meant to be.
When his dreams come crashing back into my
reality, is this a second chance at that fairy tale ending or another
heartbreak in the making?

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Excerpt

On the front porch, leaning against the wood column in all
his newfound glory, stands the most breathtaking man I’ve ever seen. As a
teenager, I thought he was the best-looking boy I’d ever seen,
and based on how I’m struggling to breathe just from looking at him now, I
think he still holds the title. But now he’s a man.
Ace is talking about what some kid named Shiloh got in
trouble for today at school, but I’m still staring at Derrick Masters.
Derrick Masters.
My very own Perseus, though right now I’m thinking he was
more my Achilles heel in the grand scheme of things.
Derrick Masters is standing on my mother’s front porch like
he belongs there. A smile that shines like the star he’s become appears and he
waves. Not sure if it was the grin on his face or the wave that sends me
tripping flat on my face into the grassy lawn, but I’m cursing the curb when I
lift up and look right into the dark blue eyes I’ve tried to despise.
“Are you okay?” he asks, trying to help me up. His voice is
deep, the timbre the same one that always made my heart beat a little faster.
It’s not that thought that runs through my mind. It’s his hands on me,
grappling to help me to my feet.
He’s touching me.
Derrick Masters is touching me and I consider lying there
longer just to savor the feel of his calloused fingers again. Ace tugs at my
ankle like that will help me up. “Mommy, you fell.”
Mommy.
Mommy.
Derrick knows I’m a mommy.
Oh my God. What does he think?
Does he hate me? Disappointed in me? Happy for me? Or not
care at all?
I would care if I found out he has kids.
Maybe he already knew . . .
Maybe I’ll just lie here as long as I can until he goes
away.
Ace lies down next to me and rests his face on my hand.
Looking at me with wide eyes, he asks, “Are we playing a game? This is fun.”
“Yes, I quite like it here.”
I hear Derrick chuckling just above me, enough to feel his
warmth covering my body like sunshine as I lie in the cool grass. I might be
mistaken but it sounds like he’s behind me now. On the ground with me.
Ace’s eyes look over my head. “My friend is here too.” He
giggles. “See? Right there.”
Lying like a dead fish, I smile at my cute son not quite
ready to face Derrick Masters. “What’s your new friend’s name?”
“Derrick. He plays a guitar like you, Mommy.”
After a tap on the back, Ace’s new friend speaks, “Hi.”
I miss Derrick’s hands on me, even if it was just helping me
up. Ace is a ball of laughter and gets up. I watch until he runs behind me.
“I’m here now. We’re all here. This is fun. Oh look, the moon.”
I can’t avoid him forever and the grass is grounding,
literally, and settles my anxiety over just this kind of thing happening. I’ve
embarrassed myself and he’s found out I’m a mother in the course of one sexy
smile and a wave. I shake my head and close my eyes annoyed with myself for
acting so foolishly in front of him. He was once my everything. When
I roll onto my back, the top of our hands meet in an innocent touch that
neither of us bothers to retreat. Finally building enough nerve, I turn my head
and look straight into his eyes again. “Hi,” I whisper.
That devastatingly charming smile reappears, and he says,
“It’s good to see you, Jaymes.”

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Author Bio

 

 

Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She’s obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she’s a pro.
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