Cover Reveal + Excerpt + Giveaway: Superfan by Sarina Bowen

Posted on 05/29/2019 by shellbellereads

Superfan FOR WEB

Superfan

Brooklyn #3

By Sarina Bowen

Release Date: June 25, 2019

Pre Order: Amazon | Apple | Kobo | Nook

Blurb:

Sometimes lady luck shakes your hand, and sometimes she smacks your face. Sometimes she does both on the same day.
Three years ago I met the most amazing woman. We were both down on our luck. Then I got that call—the one that tells you to get your buns on a plane to go meet your destiny.
But the girl was left behind. I didn’t have her phone number, and she didn’t know my real name.
While I became a professional hockey player, she became a superstar, with platinum records and legions of fans. And a slick, music producer boyfriend who treated her badly.
But fate wasn’t done with us yet. When Delilah turns up at a hockey game, I can’t resist making contact. The internet swoons when I ask her out on a date.
She might not remember me. But her jerkface ex does. He’ll do anything to keep us apart.
Good thing athletes never give up. This time I’m playing for keeps.

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Excerpt

“Would you like a beer?” the cute bartender asks me.

I glance at the pile of mint leaves on his cutting board and hesitate. “Sure,” I say. But the mint looks so fresh and pretty.

“I could make you something different.”

“Beer is great. A cold…”

“—lager,” he finishes. “No glass, no opener.”

When I look up to flash him a smile, my heart does a little somersault. Those kind eyes are smiling at me, too. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“It’s really no problem.” He turns toward the beer cooler. “You’re an easy customer, trust me.”

But I really meant—thank you for remembering. As he leans down to grab a bottle for me, I find myself admiring the strong muscles in his back. Stop it, I admonish myself. It only gets worse when he turns around and places the bottle in front of me. I’ve never seen hands like his. I didn’t even know wrists could look muscular.

Even so. Ogling him is not why I came here. I pull out my keychain opener and remove the cap from my beer.

He discards it, gives me another pleasant smile and then picks up his paring knife again.

I take a sip, wondering when he’s going to mention my show at the Coconut Club. He was there. I saw him.

He separates some mint leaves from their stems and says nothing.

I last about seventeen seconds. “Well?”

“Well?” He looks up. “Sorry?”

“Jesus lord.” I close my eyes and then open them again. This is not going how I’d hoped it would. “What did you think?”

“Of…?” His amazing eyes are studying me.

“Forget I asked.” I take a swig of beer.

“Think about what?” He pushes the cutting board aside, and his smile turns knowing.

“My set at the Coconut Club! I saw you holding up that wall in the back. Don’t lie.”

He tips his head back and lets out a sudden laugh. “I’m so busted. I loved your show, but I didn’t expect you to spot me.”

“You loved it so much you weren’t going to say anything?” The sentence sounds crazy to my own ears. I put down the beer. “You know what? Never mind. I’m just being psycho right now. This town is getting into my head.”

“Listen, girly.” He braces both (muscular!) hands on the bar and looks me right in the eye. “I loved it so much that I don’t even know what to say about it. From that moment at the beginning—when you shut that asshole’s maw? To the part where you made a lady cry.” He shakes his head. “I couldn’t look away. And I never wanted it to end.”

I give him a slow blink, just trying to take that in. It’s so much more than I was even hoping to hear.

“Shit, Delilah. If that set doesn’t win you whatever contract you’re looking for, they don’t even deserve you.”

Something warm and unfamiliar settles into the center of my belly. “That might be the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. Which only means you’re still trying to get my phone number.”

He laughs immediately. “Can’t both things be true? Both my musical assessment and my interest in your evening plans?”

“Because you know so much about music.” I flip my hair and take another sip of beer.

“Look. I don’t know shit about music. But I know plenty about talent.” He leans down on a set of forearms I shouldn’t be noticing. “I know that talent sometimes takes a nap at just the wrong moment, but it never stays asleep for long. I also know that luck matters, too. If they don’t give you what you want, it won’t be your fucking fault.”

“Thank you,” I say quietly.

But he’s not done. “I saw something else valuable the other night. You’re good in the clinch. And that counts for double, I swear to God.”

“The clinch?”

“Yeah. You’re not just good at practice.” He pauses, wrinkling up his interesting nose. “What word would a musician use? Okay—you’re not a rehearsal musician. That stage was like your home. Either that or you fake it really well. That’s going to pay your rent someday, I promise.”

“Wow.” It’s like he looked right into my terrified little soul and found the very thing I needed to hear. Those beautiful eyes of his are practically burning me right now, so I have to look away. “Thank you. Really. I really needed that pep talk.”

I make the mistake of looking up at him again, and, for a split second, I see pure yearning. It’s like our souls vibrate at exactly the same frequency. And I have no idea what to do with that.

goodreadsgiveaway

Giveaway

Be the first to read! Three winners (US or Canada) will win early signed paperback copies of Superfan!

Enter here: https://geni.us/SuperfanGiveaway

_____________________________________

Author Bio:

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

The Year We Fell Down, Book #1 in The Ivy Years series, began breaking hearts in March 2014. Book #2, The Year We Hid Away, is brand new.

For Harlequin-E, Sarina writes the Gravity series. Coming in From the Cold features an angsty downhill ski racer and one of the most unique plot conflicts in contemporary romance today.

Sarina enjoys skiing, coffee products and a nice glass of wine. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

She would be honored to connect with you at http://www.sarinabowen.com.

Sign up for Sarina’s Mailing List

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter~ Goodreads ~Amazon Author Page

Superfan FOR WEB

New Release and 5 Star Review: Written In Regret by Aly Martinez – Book One of the Regret Duet

Posted on 05/28/2019 by shellbellereads

Written With Regret, the first in an all-new emotional duet from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez, is available now!

Written In Regret

Regret Duet – Book One

By Aly Martinez

Blurb:

Every little girl dreams of the fairytale. The one where the white knight rushes in to save her from the clutches of evil. They fall in love, have babies, and live happily ever after.

By that definition, my life should have been a fairytale too.

When I was eight years old, Caven Hunt saved me from the worst kind of evil to walk the Earth. It didn’t matter that I was a kid. I fell in love with him all the same.

But that was where my fairytale ended.

Years later, a one-night stand during the darkest time imaginable gave us a little girl. It was nothing compared to the pitch black that consumed me when I was forced to leave her with Caven for good.

At the end of every fairytale, the happily-ever-after is the one thing that remains consistent. It wasn’t going to be mine, but there hadn’t been a night that passed where I hadn’t prayed that it would be hers.

I owed Caven my life.

However, I owed that innocent child more.

And that included ripping the heart from my chest and facing her father again.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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Excerpt:

Life had never been easy for me. Chaos had been following me like a dark cloud, looming and hovering, casting its shadow far and wide despite how bright the path in front of me should have appeared. After growing up the way I had, where happiness had been more of a privilege than a choice, I knew better than to believe that that moment would be anything other than fleeting.

And one second later, the universe proved me right.

I opened the door to see who had rung the bell—a cursory check revealed an empty hallway.

And that’s when I heard it: the sound that changed not only my entire life in the present, but my life for all future days to come.

At first, it was just a grunt, but as if that baby could feel my gaze, the minute my eyes made contact, it let out a sharp cry.

Confusion hit me like a lightning bolt, sending me back a step. I used the door frame for balance as I took in the yellow blanket with a hole only big enough to reveal a pale-pink face.

“What the fuck?” I breathed. Glancing around the hall, I waited for someone to jump out and start laughing. When no one spoke up to issue a punchline, I took a step closer and repeated, “What the fuck?”

I was utterly unable to process the absurdity in front of me.

Of course, I knew the facts.

It was a baby.

On my doorstep.

Alone.

But the why in that equation was glaringly absent.

“Uhhh,” Ian drawled, peering over my shoulder. “Why is there a kid at your door?”

“I have no idea,” I replied, staring down at the squirming and now-screaming bundle. “It was just there when I opened the door.”

Ian shoved me to the side so he could stand beside me. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“Does it look like I’m shitting you?”

He looked from me to the baby, then back again. “How did it get there?”

We were two incredibly smart men who had created a technology empire out of nothing. But, clearly, a baby was too big for either of us to wrap our minds around.

I swept an arm out and pointed to the kid. “I have no clue, but I’m assuming it didn’t catch a cab.”

A light of understanding hit his eyes. He moved first, stepping over the crying baby and hurrying down the hall, searching around the corner near the elevator before returning alone.

The party continued behind me, but even with the door open, the loud chatter was no match for the ear-piecing cries happening in that hallway.

Veronica suddenly appeared beside me, her body going solid as she stammered out. “Is that…a baby?”

“Back up,” I urged, throwing my arm out to block her path as though the infant were going to suddenly morph into a rabid animal. And let’s be honest, I knew nothing about babies. Anything was possible.

Ian dropped to his knees, scooping up the wailing child. Meanwhile, I stood there like a gawking idiot, paralyzed by a weight I didn’t yet understand.

“Call the pol—” He stopped abruptly and reached into the top of the child’s blanket. “Oh shit,” he whispered, his wide, panic-filled eyes flashing to mine.

“What?” I asked, stepping toward him to get a better look at the kid. Only it wasn’t that tiny baby cradled in his arms that made my heart stop and bile rise in my throat.

There, in my best friend’s hand, was a folded piece of notebook paper that had been tucked into the child’s blanket. From the looks of it, the paper was unremarkable in every sense of the word. Blue lines, white spaces, hanging remnants from where it had been haphazardly ripped from a spiral bound notebook. Even the crease was crooked. But it was my name scrawled on the outside in messy, black ink that made it the most remarkable paper in existence.

I snatched it from his hand and, with blood roaring in my ears, opened it.

Caven,

I’m sorry. I never meant for this to happen. This is our daughter Keira. I’ll love her forever. Take care of her the way I can’t.

Written with regret,

Hadley

The hall began to spin, my head feeling like every ounce of blood had been drained from my body. The thundering in my ears faded and the loud chatter of my guests, who were suddenly aware that something was happening at the door, roared to life.

And then the chaos finally found me all over again—the past playing out in my head like my life flashing before my eyes.

I sucked in a deep breath and looked at the baby in his arms. The blanket had fallen off its head just enough to reveal a patch of fine hairs, more orange than its mother’s red.

“Call the police,” I declared, turning on a toe and walking back into my apartment, leaving Ian standing in the hall with Hadley’s child.

Shoving through the crowd of concerned onlookers, I headed straight to the bottles of liquor lining the counter. I didn’t bother with ice or even a glass. I threw back that bottle of vodka, hoping like hell the burn of the alcohol could numb the panic coursing through my veins.

Through it all, that baby never stopped crying.

Pre-order the stunning conclusion, Written With You, today!

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Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/WrittenWithYou

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2DzFmBx

__________________________________________

Michel’s Review

Aly Martinez is the queen of cliffhangers. In her latest release Written In Regret, book one of the Regret Duet, she has once again floored her readers with a mind blowing cliffhanger. The cliffhanger leaves her readers wanting the final book yesterday! Readers won’t have to wait long for the final book, Written With You.

Hadley and Caven share more than a horrific past from their youth, they also share a precious child from a disastrous one night stand. Hadley not only left with Caven’s wallet and laptop, she also left with his DNA. Nine months later she is returning Caven’s precious DNA on his doorstep. Rather than celebrating his six hundred million fortune he is gifted with a new born baby girl. His baby. He is forced become a father rather than a playboy millionaire conquering the world. Who knew fatherhood would become his most successful and rewarding endeavor?

Four years later Hadley’s back and she wants her baby. Caven is not going to let Hadley steal the most precious thing in his life, his daughter. He’s not even willing to share her for a few moments. The only problem is the DNA test proves she is her mother and she has a very good lawyer. Caven is willing to sacrifice his millions to keep his daughter. The law says he must compromise, his heart says he needs to hold her tight, his head says to be patient and diligent. He has no choice, Hadley is back in their lives and it looks like it is permanent.

The one thing Caven has learned is people are not always what they appear to be on the surface. Hadley is not the same woman from four years ago. He also knows he is responsible for the demons that caused Hadley to run in the first place. It’s his fault that she was so broken. Where has she been for the past four years? What else is she hiding?

Hadley is having to earn Caven’s trust and respect. She wants more than a shared past and limited moments with her daughter. She wants both their love. She still has secrets that could destroy everything and Caven’s older brother ,who is a cop. is figuring it out.

CLIFFHANGER!

Aly Martinez is the queen of delivering emotional cliffhangers. The Regret duet is going to be a page turner that keeps the readers captivated.

Written In Regret by Aly Martinez is pure gold!

___________________________________________

About Aly

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children.

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and olives. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.

Connect with Aly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlyMartinez/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyMartinezAuth

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Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2DEpPAh

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Website: https://alymartinez.com/

Stay up to date with Aly by signing up for her mailing list today:

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New Release + Release Blitz + Excerpt: Take the Bride by Carly Phillips

Posted on 05/28/2019 by cafemamanc7

We are beyond excited to be sharing this release from Carly Phillips with you today! TAKE THE BRIDE is part of the Knight Brothers series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. It just went live today! Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now.

Purchase your copy of TAKE THE BRIDE today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

About TAKE THE BRIDE:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carly Phillips comes a new story in her Knight Brothers series…

She used to be his. Now she’s about to marry another man.
Will he let her go … or will he stand up and take the bride?

Ryder Hammond and Sierra Knight were high school sweethearts. Despite him being her brother’s best friend, their relationship burned hot and fast…and ended with heartbreak and regrets.

Years later, she’s at the altar, about to marry another man.

He’s only there for closure, to finally put the past behind him.

But when the preacher asks if anyone has a reason the couple shouldn’t wed, she turns around and her gaze locks on his.

Suddenly he’s out of his seat.

Objecting.

Claiming.

And ultimately stealing the very pissed off bride and taking her to a secluded cabin.

He wants one week to convince her they’re meant to be, to remind her of the fiery passion still burning between them.

When their time together is up, will she walk away and break his heart this time, or will he finally have the woman he’s wanted all along?

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Add TAKE THE BRIDE to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of TAKE THE BRIDE today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Excerpt:

A cellist played Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” as Sierra Knight’s bridesmaids, her maid of honor, and the flower girl made their way down the aisle in a large church located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Sierra couldn’t see the procession but she’d been at the rehearsal, and she knew what was happening in the sanctuary of the church. From behind closed doors, where she stood with her oldest brother, Ethan, the deep strains of the string instrument reverberated around her, her heart beating hard and fast in her chest.

She smoothed a hand down her fit-and-flair style wedding gown with lace and beading that she’d loved the moment she’d slid it on. The cathedral-length veil in tulle was matched by the long train flowing behind her. She’d never felt more beautiful… or more nervous.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Ethan asked, obviously reading her nerves as he put a hand on her trembling arm. “The car’s out front, the engine’s running,” he said, half joking, but she heard the serious note in his voice.

As her oldest brother, he was the father figure she’d always needed since their own parent never lived up to the role. Although Alexander Knight was sitting in one of the pews up front with wife number four, he wasn’t the man Sierra wanted walking her down the aisle. He hadn’t earned that honor nor had he seemed insulted that he hadn’t been asked to play the traditional role.

She thought about Ethan’s question, swallowed hard, and nodded. “Jason is a great guy,” she said, meaning every word.

She’d been with Jason Armstrong, a lawyer, for over a year and she knew him well. They’d met through friends and begun dating soon after. He had a calming presence and he catered to her every desire. He was a kind, decent man.

“I know I’ll have a good life with him,” she reassured her brother, glancing at his strong jaw, which he’d set as he narrowed his gaze.

“I married a woman I thought I knew,” Ethan said, digging into his own pain to make sure Sierra was okay. “Mandy wasn’t who I believed she was. I just want you to be sure you want to marry him.”

Ethan had recently lost his wife to an accidental drug overdose, then gone on to find out she’d been having an affair and stealing from the family company to subsidize her drug addiction. He was not only grieving, he was coming to terms with the betrayal.

But his words now were coming from an honest and good place, one of love. “Don’t get me wrong,” he continued. “I like Jason. We all do,” he said, referring to her two other brothers, Parker and Sebastian. “But are you passionately in love with him?”

BOOK TRAILER

“Carly Phillips is one of my favorite authors for steamy, contemporary romance!” — Jennifer Probst, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Curling up with a heart-pounding, sexy, wonderfully crafted Carly Phillips novel is always a treat!” – Kristen Proby, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Read Carly Phillips for a guaranteed hot, sexy, sizzling chemistry, a book full of emotional impact and characters you’ll love.” — Jill Shalvis, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Carly Phillips is synonymous with red-hot romance and passionate love.” Lauren Blakely, #1 NY Times Bestselling Author

“Carly Phillips can take you to romantic places you haven’t yet dreamed of!” Robyn Carr, # 1 NY TimesBestselling Author

“Hot heroes, serious passion and characters with emotional depth.” Bella Andre, NY Times Bestselling Author

“An incredibly sexy contemporary romance that’s impossible to put down!” Rachel Van Dyken #1 NYT Bestselling Author

————————–

About CARLY PHILLIPS:

Carly Phillips is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels, including the Indie published, Dare to Love Series. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers.

Connect With Her:

New Release + Release Blitz + Excerpt: Just One Of the Groomsmen by Cindi Madsen

Posted on 05/28/2019 by cafemamanc7

Addison Murphy is the funny friend, the girl you grab a beer
with—the girl voted most likely to start her own sweatshirt line. And now that
one of her best guy friends is getting married, she’ll add “groomsman” to that
list, too. She’ll get through this wedding if it’s the last thing she does.
Just don’t ask her to dive for any bouquet.

When Tucker Crawford returns to his small hometown, he
expects to see the same old people, feel comfort in the same old things. He
certainly doesn’t expect to see the nice pair of bare legs sticking out from
under the hood of a broken-down car. Certainly doesn’t expect to feel his heart
beat faster when he realizes they belong to one of his best friends.

If he convinces Addie to give him a chance, they could be
electric…or their break-up could split their tight-knit group in two.

Hiding the way he feels from the guys through bachelor
parties, cake tastings, and rehearsals is one thing. But just asTucker realizes
that Addie truly could be the perfect woman for him—he was just too stupid to
realize it—now she’s leaving to follow her own dreams. He’s going to need to do
a lot of compromising if he’s going to convince her to take a shot at forever with him—on her terms this time.

AVAILABLE NOW

Amazon | Amazon Paperback | B&N | Apple

He took hold of her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles, and corresponding zips fired up her arm and twisted through her core. “But you’re a softie, Addison Murphy.”

“Say somethin’ like that again, and I’m gonna push you in for reals.” It came out too breathy to effectively scare him. Not that she thought many of her threats scared him anyway.

His low laugh danced across her nerve endings. “Wouldn’t you miss me too much?”

Obviously he was kidding, but her eyes met his and her thoughts turned literal. She’d already missed him for two years, and if she ruined their friendship by pushing for more, it’d almost be
worse than missing him, because she’d have to do it while living in the same town. “I really would.”

Using his grip on her hand, he drew her in for a hug and she let herself relax into it. As much as she could, anyway, considering her whirring thoughts and racing heart.

The quiet crept in again, neither of them moving. As if both of them were scared of what might happen if they said or did the wrong thing. Or maybe she was alone in that. The more she thought about the complications that would come about if she told him her feelings for
him were growing stronger—and in a totally not platonic way—the tighter the
band around her chest became. Fear took over, whispering how crossing lines
could ruin everything between them, and then she’d lose him all over again, but
for good this time.

It probably makes me a coward, but I can’t risk it. Too much could go so very
wrong.

Addie broke the hug, glanced at the water, and steered the conversation down a side
street. “A few years ago, we went to visit some of my mom’s Yankee cousins, and
one morning while we were there, I woke up to a scream that made me shoot right
out of bed. I seriously thought I was rushin’ toward a crime scene. My cousin
had gone to take a shower, but there was a spider in one corner. I grabbed a
tissue and killed it. Then I told her at least you could smash a spider; if you
stepped on an alligator all he got was mad. She seriously looked at me like I
was from the backwoods.”

“You are from the backwoods.” Tucker swung his arm, encompassing the lake and the shadowy trees along the shore. “Exhibit A.”

“Well, counselor, I prefer to think of it as the front woods.” She shivered as the breeze kicked up a notch, and Tucker rubbed his hands up and down her arms. He noticed so much, and she
couldn’t help wondering if he could see right through her. If he already knew
she’d been warring with her feelings for him.

Cindi Madsen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance
and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets,
plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes
her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many
shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a pretty new pair, especially if
they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music and dancing and
wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most
definitely NOT all year long) with her husband, three children, an
overly-dramatic tomcat, & an adorable one-eyed kitty named Agent Fury..

You can visit Cindi at: http://www.cindimadsen.com,
where you can sign up for her newsletter to get all the up-to-date information
on her books.
Follow her on Twitter @cindimadsen

New Release + Blog Tour + Excerpt: Undeniable by Melanie Harlow

Posted on 05/23/2019 by cafemamanc7

“Whoa. Undeniable is one of my top reads! Sizzling chemistry, off the charts sexual tension and all the feels I’ve come to expect with a Melanie Harlow romance!”- Ilsa Madden-Mills, Wall Street Journal bestselling author

Undeniable, an all-new sexy standalone second chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow, is available now!

When we were eleven, Oliver Ford Pemberton dared me to jump off a barn roof. He said you couldn’t break a leg from a 12-foot-jump.

He lied.

(You can also break a collarbone, which served him right as far as I was concerned.)

I wish I could say it was the last dare I ever took from him, the last bet I ever made with him, the last time I ever trusted Oliver Ford Pemberton.

But it wasn’t.

Because he had the nerve to grow up gorgeous, charming, and sexy. And as we got older, the dares only got dirtier—and the betting stakes higher—until finally, he left me in pieces. I swore I’d never talk to him again.

But twenty years after I took that flying leap, he’s back in my life, daring me to risk everything for him: my job, my self-worth, and my heart.

How many chances does true love deserve?

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VXn8F7

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/UndeniableMH

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Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2DEajVf

Excerpt:

Fueled by pent-up lust and scotch, we stumbled into Oliver’s room and tore at each other’s clothes. It was hot and rough and a little bit violent, as if we were furious we hadn’t been able to keep our hands to ourselves and wanted to take it out on one another’s bodies. We pushed and pulled and growled and grasped. We called each other names and cursed viciously. We knocked over a lamp and ripped Oliver’s shirt.

When we finally exploded together, Oliver had me up against the door, and if our yelling didn’t wake the entire floor, then the pounding must have. I’d have bruises for days.

Afterward, we collapsed on the bed, naked and sweaty and exhausted.

“Oh my God,” I said. “I can’t believe we did that.”

“I know. Me either.”

“I think I pulled a muscle.”

“I think you bit me. Am I bleeding?”

I laughed. “No, but I hope you’re not seeing anyone. If you are, she’s going to wonder about all those scratches on your back.”

“I’m not seeing anyone.” He paused. “Are you?”

“No.”

Neither of us moved for several minutes. When I caught myself falling asleep, I sat up. “I should go.”

“Why? Just stay here.”

I looked down at him. “You want me to stay?”

“Yeah.” He opened his eyes. In the low light, they almost looked black instead of blue. “Spend the night with me.”

I waited for it—the dirty joke, the excuse, the subtle dig—the reason he’d toss out for asking me to stay. It couldn’t just be that he wanted me here.

But he didn’t say anything more. He just reached out and covered my hand with his.

I looked at our hands for a moment, and a thousand memories came rushing back. Some good, some bad, but all us. I felt close to him, and I didn’t want to leave. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

“Good.” He took off his watch and put it on the nightstand.

About Melanie

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, Succession, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the ONE & ONLY series, the AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

Connect with Melanie

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New Release + Blog Tour + Excerpt + 4 Star Review: Dangerous Magic by Evie Hart

Posted on 05/20/2019 by cafemamanc7

Dangerous Magic, an all-new cozy mystery from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart writing as Evie Hart, is available now!

It’s not every day you have to return to your hometown to bind your borderline-poltergeist grandmother to the family property.

Unfortunately, today is that day for Avery Thorn.

All Avery wants is to report the binding to the Witch Council so she can fulfill her obligation, but finding a dead body and the Head of the Council on the brink of death isn’t in her plan.

Especially when she’s pegged as the number one suspect.

Now, it’s down to Avery and her cousins—and her sassy feline familiar—to figure out who tried to murder the Head of the Council. Magically bound to find the culprit, the last thing she needs is the new detective getting under her toes.

Unfortunately for her, she finds herself colliding with the hot cop more than she wants. And since her familiar hates him, it’s not always pleasant.

New magic and a devastating tragedy threaten to derail their investigations—but not quite as much as the person who isn’t happy they’re involved…

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Excerpt:

Grandma opened her mouth, but a red and gold flash darted through the window. It circled the kitchen before it came to settle on top of the fridge and showed the room its true form.

Aunt Rose’s familiar, Honey, a red and gold macaw with more attitude in one sharp toe than most Haven Lake residents had in their entire family.

She surveyed the room with her beady eyes before they came to rest on me. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

I’d always hated that bird. “My cat will eat you, you little—”

TJ coughed.

Silence fell over the room.

“The dirty creature would have to catch me first.” Honey followed that up with a bird noise and a flap of her wings.

Is that vile bird here? Snow sounded way too excited in my head, and I was feeling way too petty to lie to her.

On top of the fridge, I replied, digging into my pasta.

Mee-row!

The next thing I knew, the sound of paws on the steps reverberated through the kitchen. I smirked as a flash of white launched itself at the fridge. Honey cawed and took flight, but I shrugged a shoulder in the direction of the open window, and it slammed shut seconds before she could make her escape.

Rose side-eyed me, while TJ grinned into his pasta.

Honey circled the room, flapping frantically, while Snow jumped onto any available surface in her pursuit of the bird.

Grandma surveyed the scene with barely disguised annoyance. “This place has gone downhill since my death,” she announced, straightening.

“You’ve gone downhill since your death,” Rose snapped.

“I heard that.”

“Good,” I added. “You were supposed to. She said it loud enough.”

Tracey’s Review

In DANGEROUS MAGIC, author Emma Hart has brought together three of my favorite things…cozy mysteries, paranormal reads, and, well, Emma Hart! This first book in the new Haven Lake Cozy Mystery Series is a great combination of mystery, my love of the realm of magic, and a touch of romance. Reminding me of the Holly Woods Files, but with a twist, this book was an enjoyable page turner that I did not want to put down.

Avery Thorn is everything that I’ve come to expect in any of Emma’s heroines. Strong, sassy, take no prisoner attitude with strong ties to her family, Avery is back in Haven Lake to take care of her errant and irascible grandma. While there, Avery is drawn into solving a crime that has rocked Haven Lake to its very roots, and pits witch against shifter against elf.

I have long loved the cozy mystery genre, and Emma, writing as Evie Hart, has done such a fun and engaging job of creating this new world for her readers. This book is the perfect blend of laugh-out-loud hijinks and repartee, and a whodunnit that kept me guessing, with plenty of the strong family bond that makes Emma’s books so great. I was hooked from the first page, and completely invested in the story. My only regret is that I have to wait a couple of months to see what shenanigans Avery and crew get up to in the future, but, when the time comes, I will be ready to happily visit Haven Lake again.

About Evie

Evie Hart is the cozy mystery writing alter-ego of New York Times bestselling author, Emma Hart.

Evie was born when her love of paranormal cozy mysteries jumped from her Kindle to the page. The Haven Lake Mystery series is her first foray into the paranormal cozy world and begins with DANGEROUS MAGIC.

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New Release + Blog Tour + Excerpt: Dance With Me by Kristen Proby

Posted on 05/10/2019 by cafemamanc7

Dance With Me by Kristen Proby

Release Date: May 7, 2019

Dance With Me, an all-new novel in her beloved With Me In Seattle Series by New York Times Bestselling Author Kristen Proby

Starla. Just Starla.

She doesn’t have a last name, and she doesn’t need one. Not with that many Grammys on her mantel. Everyone knows her kick-ass, no-holds-barred style of singing, dancing, and living.

No one knows that America’s Sweetheart is still living with the wreckage of four years ago, when her world was torn apart. Losing her fiancé was devastating, but she’s channeled all of that into her music. Closing off her heart opened a hundred new doors.

Officer Levi Crawford, Seattle PD.

For almost twenty years, Levi has been consumed by the law. He eats, sleeps, and breathes work. Not just because he’s a workaholic, but because he loves it. Sure, he doesn’t have time for a woman and barely sees the rest of his family, but it’s a trade he’s always been happy to make.

Until Starla.

Two lonely hearts could learn to beat again, if they’re willing to dance together.

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Excerpt:

“Hello, Starla.”

“Well, shit.”

My eyes soak her in from head to toe. How did she get more beautiful than before? Her auburn hair is pulled up in a knot on top of her head, and she’s in a cropped T-shirt with a pair of skin-tight shorts.

My dick is immediately at full attention.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I was over at Wyatt’s house.” I point across the street. “And he said you were staying here.”

She leans on the doorframe, crosses her arms over her chest, and bites her full bottom lip.

She’s sex personified, standing right in front of me.

“Am I under arrest?”

“No.” I reach out to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and the slight contact of skin against skin sends a shock wave through my already energized body. “No, you basically fell in my lap, and I decided to take advantage of it.”

“If you think I’m going to lead you straight up to bed, you have another thing coming.”

I narrow my eyes. “You just insulted both of us.”

She sighs and shakes her head, pinches the bridge of her nose between her eyes, and then laughs. “I apologize. You surprised me. Come on in.”

She stands back, and I follow her in, looking around the open living space.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“I need a water. Follow me.”

She walks ahead of me to the kitchen, and my eyes are pinned to her round ass. I remember how the globes of those cheeks feel in my hands as she rides me. I remember everything.

“Sure you don’t want some?”

I try to swallow around my dry tongue and just nod. “Turns out, I do.”

She passes me a bottle and then takes a sip of her own.

“So, is the tour over?” I ask.

“Yes, and I’m on vacation.” She frowns slightly, staring down at her water. “Forced vacation.”

“Why?”

She blinks up at me. “Because I was exhausted, and the doctor insisted.”

I narrow my eyes again, pissed that she worked herself into exhaustion. “Starla—”

“I’m fine,” she insists. “And I’m already feeling better. Also, I owe you an apology.”

That stops me short. “No, you don’t.”

“Oh, I do.” She takes another sip, then sets the bottle aside and leans on the island. I get a great view of her cleavage.

She’s too sexy for her own damn good.

“I’m sorry I didn’t reply to your messages, Levi.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She blows out a breath. “Because I was a little overwhelmed. The sex was—”

“Damn incredible.”

“Yeah. It was. Intense is also a good word for it, and I get the feeling that you’re an intense man.”

I nod once. “If I hurt you or scared you—”

“No, it’s not that at all,” she hurries to assure me. “I didn’t do anything that I didn’t want or enjoy. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I hadn’t been with a man in a long time, and we have some powerful chemistry.”

That’s the understatement of the year. I can feel the electricity flowing between us like a rushing river.

“That’s really all I’m comfortable saying right now,” she admits and swallows.

“That’s enough.”

For now.

About Kristen:

Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years.

During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops, and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike, but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list.

Not only did she publish one book, she’s since published close to thirty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion Series.

Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats.

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New Release and 5 Star Review: Eli’s Triumph by Joanna Wylde – A Reapers MC Novella

Posted on 05/08/2019 by shellbellereads

**From New York Times Bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes ELI’S TRIUMPH, a new novella in her Reapers MC series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!**

About ELI’S TRIUMPH:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes a new story in her Reapers MC series…

Peaches Taylor spent the last seven years slinging drinks and dodging drunks at the Starkwood Saloon. Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place.

Life would’ve been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home.

Eli King is ready to settle down. He stood by his brothers when they needed him, paying the price for their freedom with his own. Now it’s time to claim his reward—the Starkwood Saloon. He’s got the cash to buy the bar, the skills to run it, and just one person standing between him and his dream: Peaches Taylor.

She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly…

They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy.

Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war.

Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.

Grab your copy of ELI’S TRIUMPH today!

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EXCERPT:

“Eli?” she asked, sounding confused. “Why are we talking about Eli?”

“He’s been watching me.”

“Um, I think he’s just drinking a beer,”Megan said. “Maybe checking out your boobs a little, but that’s nothing new.”

Hmm… It couldn’t possibly be that simple, but it did give me an idea. Maybe it was time to create a diversion. I shifted my shoulders, expanding my chest.

Disappointingly, his eyes stayed on mine.

“Someday I’m gonna own this bar, and firing his ass is the first thing I’ll do.”

Megan giggled. “That sounded sort of super-villain-ish. Do you have a lair? I wish I had a lair…”

I blinked, caught off guard. I hadn’t realized that I’d said the words out loud. Eli smirked at me, gloating because he’d just won our little pissing contest. Dammit!

“I can’t believe I wrote to him in prison,” I told her, turning my back on the bikers. “Never should’ve been nice to him. He probably thinks that, deep down inside, we’re friends or something. We’re never going to be friends.”

“Didn’t he give you a ride home after work last night?” she asked, her voice light.

“Gus made him,” I snapped.

“And did Gus make him hug you the other day?”

“He caught me and gave me a noogie. And it hurt, too. It’s not a hug if it leaves bruises.”

“He left bruises?”Megan asked, startled. Shit. I might be able to justify a rumor about him not being able to get it up, but telling her that he’d hurt me for real…yeah, that probably crossed a line.

“No,” I admitted. “That was an exaggeration. But he’s still pure evil, so don’t fall for his shit. Or sleep with him. Every time a waitress sleeps with him, she ends up quitting without notice. Then I have to cover their shifts.”

Megan nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. “Okay, then… Um, I think I’ll go check the bathrooms. Make sure there’s no ugly surprises before things start getting busy.”

“Great idea,” I told her, and she scuttled off. Then I reached for a washcloth because I had lemon juice to clean up. Then I’d have to go back over there and check on them. See if they wanted more… Eli would, I could already tell. Not because he was big on drinking, though.

He just wouldn’t be able to resist an opportunity to order me around.

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Michel’s Review

Wow! I was so excited when I saw the Eli’s Triumph by Joanna Wylde was releasing. I have been reading the Reapers MC series since the first book released back in 2013. I have stood in several long lines at book signings just to meet this author. Eli’s Triumph brings part of the Reapers world full circle. Readers are finally getting an in depth explanation of some of the events that happened in Reapers Fire. At the time those events just seemed like a moment in time that would propel that story to another level. What the readers didn’t realize was that Eli King not only help save Gage and Tinker’s realities but also saved the club. Now readers will get the full story and Eli King will finally get his happily ever after. He’s earned his patch, he’s earned his place in the club, he’s earned their respect, and he’s earned the right to own the Starkwood Saloon. Now he has to earn the love, the respect, and trust of the woman who has meant everything to him his entire life. If he takes his rightful ownership of the Starkwood Saloon he could be throwing away his chance of winning Peaches Taylor’s heart.

Peaches has been saving to buy the Starkwood Saloon. She’s worked there her entire adult life. She has worked hard for the bar and now Eli King is out of prison and buying the place out under her. She is not going to let that happen. Eli has taken too much from her all her life. The only problem is her heart. Her heart is telling her one thing and her mind is telling her something else. Nothing is ever easy with the Reapers MC. Learning to love with your entire heart and learning to sacrifice is what the club is all about.

Eli and Peaches have earned their place in the Reapers MC. They have earned the right to claim their happily ever afters.

Eli’s Triumph by Joanna Wylde is just another perfect layer of goodness in the Reapers MC series.

About Joanna Wylde:

Joanna Wylde started her writing career in journalism, working in two daily newspapers as both a reporter and editor. Her career has included many different jobs, from managing a homeless shelter to running her own freelance writing business, where she took on projects ranging from fundraising to ghostwriting for academics. During 2012 she got her first Kindle reader as a gift and discovered the indie writing revolution taking place online. Not long afterward she started cutting back her client list to work on Reaper’s Property, her breakout book. It was published in January 2013, marking the beginning of a new career writing fiction.

Joanna lives in the mountains of northern Idaho with her family.

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Release Blitz + Excerpt and 5 Star Review: Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy – A MM Romance

Posted on 05/07/2019 by shellbellereads

Top Secet

By Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Genre: LGBT- MM Romance

Release Date: May 7th, 2019

****

Goodreads: https://geni.us/TopSecretGoodreads

Apple: https://geni.us/TopSecretApple

Kobo: https://geni.us/TopSecretKobo

Nook: https://geni.us/TopSecretNook

***

Blurb:

Bestselling authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy return with their first Male / Male romance in 3 years.

LobsterShorts, 21

Jock. Secretly a science geek. Hot AF.

LobsterShorts: So. Here goes. For her birthday, my girlfriend wants…a threesome.

SinnerThree: Then you’ve come to the right hookup app.

LobsterShorts: Have you done this sort of thing before? With another guy?

SinnerThree: All the time. I’m an equal opportunity player. You?

LobsterShorts: [crickets!]

SinnerThree, 21

Finance major. Secretly a male dancer. Hot AF.

SinnerThree: Well, I’m down if you are. My life is kind of a mess right now. School, work, family stress. Oh, and I live next door to the most annoying dude in the world. I need the distraction. Are you sure you want this?

LobsterShorts: I might want it a little more than I’m willing to admit.

SinnerThree: Hey, nothing wrong with pushing your boundaries…

LobsterShorts: Tell that to my control-freak father. Anyway. What if this threesome is awkward?

SinnerThree: Then it’s awkward. It’s not like we’ll ever have to see each other again. Right? Just promise you won’t fall in love with me.

LobsterShorts: Now wouldn’t that be life-changing…

Chapter One

Keaton

“Look,” Annika whispers in my ear. Under the table, her small hand squeezes my thigh, while her cheek gently nudges my chin toward the doorway. “He’s cute.”

“Subtle,” I tease before giving the object of her attention a cursory glance. He’s just a tall guy with brown hair, nothing special as far as I can tell. “How about we save this conversation for later?”

She rolls her eyes. “We both know there won’t be a conversation, Keaton. You like playing along, but you won’t actually go through with it.” This time she forgets to lower her voice.

“Go through with what?” one of my frat brothers asks from across the table. Tanner, Judd, and I had popped into the campus Starbucks for a caffeine fix after practice. Annika’s next class is directly across the street, so she’d come to say hi before class.

“Nothing,” I tell Tanner.

If you can call your girlfriend wanting a threesome with another dude “nothing.”

Yup, my girlfriend wants a threesome. And here I’d thought that, after six years together, Annika couldn’t surprise me anymore.

She and I have been inseparable since junior year of high school. I know every last detail about her, from her food preferences to her pet peeves. I know she gets anxiety in long lines, that she sneezes any time she gets a whiff of cinnamon, that she loves the beach but hates skiing.

What I didn’t know was that my girlfriend fantasizes about threesomes. The first time she brought it up, I thought she was kidding around. Annika Schiffer, heiress to a home-furnishings fortune, wants to bang two guys at the same time? Yeah right.

My girl is the president of her sorority, wears a pearl necklace (and not the fun kind) on a daily basis, and made me wait until we were eighteen to lose our virginities to each other. Don’t get me wrong—she’s not some uptight rich bitch with a stick up her butt. She’s fun and warm and fierce when someone tries to mess with her or her loved ones.

But she’s also… I’ll just say it: vanilla.

I didn’t think she was serious about the threesome thing until last week, when I’d asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she brought up the idea again.

I move my lips to her ear so Tanner and Judd can’t overhear. “Don’t you worry, babe, there’ll be more than just a conversation,” I rasp.

She shivers, and then flashes me a dazzling smile. Her face is flawless. Classic features, pouty lips, and smooth skin that’s just the right amount of dewy. She works hard and spends a lot of money for that skin. I’ve been in her bathroom at the sorority house, so I’ve seen all the products she puts on her face to keep it looking so perfect. Not to mention the monthly facials, which require her to fly to New York every month because this little college town we live in doesn’t have a “competent aesthetician”—her words, not mine.

It helps that her father owns a helicopter that can accommodate her monthly treks. I’m not one to judge, though. My dad has his own jet.

“I can’t wait,” she says before hopping off my lap. “Come over tonight after practice, okay, baby? I have to go to class now.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, boys.” Annika’s hand flutters in a wave on her way to the door.

“Later!” Tanner calls after her. And if I’m not mistaken, he takes a longing look at her ass.

“Dude,” I say. “If you’re going to eye-fuck my girlfriend, you could at least be subtle about it.”

“Why?” Tanner argues. “She’d be flattered. And you should know how good you’ve got it. Besides, I’m harmless.” He flashes me a big smile. “What are we doing this weekend, anyway?” Tanner asks. “The Presidential Dance-off, right?”

I shake my head. “That’s, like, in two weeks, man.”

“Really? Why did I think it was sooner?”

“Because you’re stupid,” Judd offers helpfully.

Tanner gives him the finger, before turning back to me. “Do you know what you’re doing for yours yet?”

I have no clue. And no, dancing isn’t an actual requirement for our fraternity’s presidential race. But it used to be. A few decades ago, the candidates running for frat president decided a dance-off was the only way to decide who was more fit to lead. Hence, the Presidential Dance-off was born. On our living room walls, there are old photos of well-dressed men with slicked-back hair and girls in poodle skirts on their arms.

My fraternity has long-held traditions that began well before the invention of the red Solo cup. But these days, Alpha Delta has evolved. Or devolved, depending who you ask. Instead of perfecting his twist and his mashed potato, the presidential candidate is expected to dazzle the other members by planning a kickass event. I’m talking epic. Monumental. The kind of party that will be remembered for years to come.

Although, like dance moves, I’m not entirely sure that party planning is a solid indicator of what makes a good president. Sure, frats throw a lot of parties, but there’s a social committee for that.

The role of president is actually pretty lame, according to Reedsy, our current prez. He pulled me aside after I threw my name in the race and admitted that it’s a boring gig and that I should reconsider. “So much fucking responsibility on your shoulders, dude,” he’d bemoaned.

For a moment, I’d almost bailed. To be honest, I’m only running because my dad was president of Alpha Delt in his heyday, and my granddad before him. But that’s also the reason I couldn’t bail. My father would lose his shit if the Hayworth legacy ended with me.

So I have ten days to plan a legendary party.

“Maybe I can just hire an event planner?” I suggest.

“No way.” Judd’s response is immediate. “If that fuckhead Bailey finds out, he’ll have you impeached.”

“You can’t impeach someone until he’s elected,” Tanner points out.

Still, I don’t want to be accused of cheating. What a pain in the ass this whole thing is. “We can brainstorm about this on Sunday night. We have a game to win on Saturday.”

“Oh, we’re going to win,” Tanner promises.

But I’m not so sure. Not only am I worried about the Northern Mass offense, I think my father is driving up for the game. So winning isn’t even enough. If the Northern Mass players aren’t crying into their helmets after the fourth quarter, my father will still give me hell at brunch the next day.

And here I thought weekends were meant to be relaxing.

“Fine,” Judd says. “We’ll talk about your campaign after the other meeting on Sunday night.”

“What other meeting?” I search my brain and come up empty.

“Pledge Committee,” he says, gulping the last of his coffee.

Oh, phew. “I don’t have to go to that one. I’m not on PC this year.”

“But I sent you that email?” Judd whines. “I told you I need you there. Initiation night is coming up and my committee is lame.”

“Who’s on it, anyway? What do you have planned?” Note to self: be conveniently unavailable on Sunday night. There is no way I’m sitting on the Pledge Committee again. Dealing with last year’s pledge class was a total pain in the ass.

“There’s Ahmad, who’s smart but boring. Paul, who’s just boring. Owen, who’s fun but not exactly creative. And Paxton, who’s just a tool.” He sighs. “Whatever. At least Bailey isn’t on it this time. Remember what a buzz kill he was last year? I fucking hate that guy.”

No big secret there. Judd’s had it in for Luke Bailey ever since the guy rushed Alpha Delt sophomore year. And say what you will about Judd, but he’s not an asshole unless he feels you’ve given him a reason. He’s a bro to the core—he believes in male bonding, high fives, and, in his mind, a friendship isn’t official unless you’ve bled together, partied together, and nursed your twin hangovers the morning after.

Luke Bailey doesn’t subscribe to this philosophy. The moment he scoffed at Judd’s attempt at a fist bump, he earned himself an enemy in Judd Keller.

Since then, their tumultuous acquaintanceship has only gotten worse. Luke is a cocky ass when he wants to be, and Judd hates feeling like he’s being mocked or judged.

Oh, and then Bailey banged Judd’s ex. So there’s that.

“You exert too much mental energy on that guy,” Tanner informs Judd. Tanner’s a psych major, so he’s constantly dishing out (pretty good) advice that everyone mostly ignores. “Holding onto anger isn’t conducive to robust mental health.”

“First of all, say the word robust one more time and I’ll clock you. You know how I feel about that, bro.” Indignation flashes in Judd eyes. “And second of all, Luke Bailey screwed my girlfriend! I’m never not gonna be angry at that prick.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” I hedge, but it earns me a deep scowl from Judd. The two of us are teammates, and I do feel loyalty to him, but I’m also not afraid to call it like it is. “You and Therese were broken up for months.”

“Me and Therese are never broken up. Sure, we take short breaks, a hiatus or two. But she’s my girl,” Judd says tightly. “Everybody knows that.”

“Bailey says he didn’t,” Tanner says.

“That’s bullshit. He’s a liar. And now he’s trying to screw K over!” Judd growls. “He joined the presidential race to get back at me. I just know it.”

“You think?” Tanner looks skeptical. “Because that would be sociopathic lengths to go to just to spite you.”

“Yeah,” I agree with a chuckle. “Bailey’s a prick, but I can’t see him taking on the huge responsibility of running a fraternity just to flip you the metaphorical bird.” Although if I’m being honest, I don’t know why Luke Bailey is running for prez. The guy hasn’t shown much interest in frat activities since he joined us.

“He totally would,” Judd argues.

“Hey, we got class now,” Tanner reminds our sulking buddy. “We should book it over there.”

“Fine.” Judd scrapes his chair back and gets to his feet. His cloudy gaze meets mine again. “I’m serious, man. Bailey is bad news, and we need to kick his ass in this campaign. There’s no way I’m letting him be our president.”

“Don’t worry. He won’t be.”

Once my friends are gone, I let out a tired sigh. I don’t particularly care about Judd’s beef with Bailey at the moment. I have a football game to win, a campaign to plan, and a father to impress.

And a girlfriend to please.

I go up to the counter to get a refill, then settle in my cozy corner of the coffeehouse and open the app I downloaded last night. I hadn’t lied to Annika earlier—her birthday request is in the forefront of my mind. I just need to do some investigating first.

Welcome to Kink!

Add a profile pic.

Add bio.

I’d wanted to fill all this out last night, but my frat brothers suckered me into an epic session of Red Dead Redemption that lasted till three a.m. Now I quickly scroll through the camera roll on my phone until I find a suitable one. It’s of Annika and me, taken in Easthampton last summer. She looks smokin’ hot in a teeny string bikini, and my abs are looking tight, if I do say so myself. I crop out our faces and load the photo.

I skip the bio for now, because I’m feeling impatient. I want to see what this app has to offer more than I want to break my brain thinking of one hundred and forty-five characters to describe how my girlfriend wants to bang two men at the same time.

Actually, that’s pretty much the gist of it.

Still, I’m curious to check out the goods. Kink is more hookup app than dating app, and I’m pleased to discover it lets you search for users who’ve expressed interest in certain arrangements.

I click on the threesome box in the search section. There are an eye-opening number of options, combinations that hadn’t even occurred to me. Annika wants another guy, though, so I ponder the easiest combos.

m/f/m

m/m/f

My finger hovers over the m/f/m button. The other option means the men are allowed to touch, I think. It’s the moment of truth. Some guys would hate this idea. I don’t, though. I’m a scientist. Experimenting is what I do.

I even dreamt about sex with men once. Or twice. I never mentioned that to Annika. But why would I? I’ve also dreamt of meeting a dragon who smoked clove cigarettes. The things my brain invents while I’m sleeping aren’t newsworthy.

But I’d be lying if I said that Annika’s shocking birthday request turns me off. I’ll try anything once. And the app lets you click as many boxes as you want. So after looking over my shoulder once more just to make sure nobody I know is watching, I tap both options and usher in the possibility of taking a walk on the wild side.

The threesome has to be with a stranger, though. I’m certain that any one of my frat brothers would be down to help me give my girl a night to remember. Well, except Dan, who’s only down for dudes. And, well, Bailey, who thinks I’m an ass. I think he’s an ass, too, so I guess we’re even.

But I can’t do this with someone I know. What if the whole night is awkward as fuck? If it’s a brother, I’ll still have to live with him. If it’s a teammate, I’ll still have to see him in the locker room.

And then there’s the opposite scenario. What if it’s not awkward as fuck? What if I like it a whole lot?

Yeah, I don’t want my buddies judging me. A stranger for the win, then.

I lean back in my chair and start swiping.

____________________________________

Michel’s Review

Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy is a SCORCHER! It is a steamy MM new adult romance that takes place within a fraternity. It’s more than two young men finding each other but also about them finding themselves along the way. Sexuality is not the defining factor of who they are. It’s learning to take that final step away from family and truly become an independent individual. Life is all about choices.

I don’t usually read MM romances but occasionally will if it’s from authors I like or part of a series I am involved in. Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy are a magical writing team and deliver a good story no matter what the sexual inclinations are. They create characters that the readers can connect to and instantly love. The chemistry these authors create for their characters burns up the pages. I honestly can say this is one of the sexiest books I have ever read and not because of the sex scenes but rather the words which ignite the imagination. My glasses were fogged and I was fanning myself due to their words. Add the swoony romance between these two and I was gone! I absolutely fell in love with these guys and wanted them to have their happily ever after!

I highly recommend reading Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. It is a true love story.

____________________________________

About The Authors

Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

The Year We Fell Down, Book #1 in The Ivy Years series, began breaking hearts in March 2014. Book #2, The Year We Hid Away, is brand new.

For Harlequin-E, Sarina writes the Gravity series. Coming in From the Cold features an angsty downhill ski racer and one of the most unique plot conflicts in contemporary romance today.

Sarina enjoys skiing, coffee products and a nice glass of wine. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

She would be honored to connect with you at http://www.sarinabowen.com.

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Elle Kennedy

A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

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New Release + Release Blitz + Excerpt + Giveaway: The Dating Proposal by Lauren Blakely

Posted on 05/06/2019 by cafemamanc7

LIVE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED!

The first rule of dating? Don’t fall for your business partner! Find out what happens when McKenna breaks that rule in THE DATING PROPOSAL, a witty, clever new standalone romantic comedy from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely now available in KINDLE UNLIMITED! Grab it at the amazing price of 99 cents NOW because the price will be going up to $3.99 at the stroke of midnight tonight!

The Dating 101 lesson rule book…

✔ Get back out there!

✔ Have some fun!

✔ Don’t fall for your new business partner!

Dive into this fun, fresh romance about the pitfalls and perils of the dating circuit! Especially when they involve falling for the one person you shouldn’t!

And the audiobook is now available too! It’s narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt with a special treat at the end – a bonus novella read duet style by Andi Arndt and Jason Clarke. Pick up your copy today!

✮✮✮ THE DATING PROPOSAL is here & free in KINDLE UNLIMITED! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮

Watch out world — I’m ready to date again.

The seven years I invested in my ex left me with nothing but scorch marks from the way he peeled out and left me at the altar. I’m not looking to put my heart into a relationship any time soon. But getting back out there? That sounds like a helluva good idea to get my groove back.

Then I bump into Chris….Clever and funny, with a sexy surfer’s bod and a brilliant nerd brain, he has just the right screwdriver to fix my hard drive. (Yes, the one for my computer.) I wouldn’t mind dating him. The trouble is he just proposed to me—to be the new dating guru on his TV show. Now he’s my new business partner.
What happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time?

ORDER YOUR COPIES HERE!

✦ Kindle ➜ https://amzn.to/2Jhcth7 (FREE in KU!)

✦ Paperback ➜ https://amzn.to/2VP4f6v

✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/DatingAudible (Andi Arndt & Sebastian York)

✦ THE DATING PROPOSAL is narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York!
Lose yourself in this fantastic story, and then, treat yourself to the bonus novella, DELAYED SATISFACTION! Get your copy today! ✦
✦ Audio ➜ https://blkly.pub/DatingAudible

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS TODAY!

EXCERPT:

~Chris~

I’m not checking out her body.

I’m not staring at her face. I’m focused on the task at hand. Thank God I have one, because otherwise, I’d be staring at those eyes. They’re blue with gold flecks, making them look almost hazel at times. She has all sorts of colors working in her irises, and the net effect is totally captivating.

So is her lush mouth.

She’s running it while I carefully screw the case back together. It’s painstaking work since it’s tiny and the screwdrivers are the size of nails.

“I tried to fix my shower once,” McKenna says, wrapping her slender hands around a cup of coffee. Yes, even her hands are hot. Lord help me.

“Yeah?” I glance at her hands then back at the hard drive. “How’d it go?”

“Well, if you consider scars a good thing, it went well.”

I look up. “Scars can be cool. I trust it went exceedingly well?”

She lifts her chin and shows me a thin white scar on the right side of her jaw. “Then I did a fabulous job of ‘fixing’ the shower.” She sketches air quotes.

“Looks like it to me. But how exactly did the shower hit you in the face?”

“When the door fell.” She says it so matter-of-factly.

I blink, trying to process the enormity of everything that could have gone wrong. “I don’t know if I should be impressed you tried to fix a shower door without any fix-it skills, or impressed with your good luck in surviving the incident. Because those things are heavy.”

“Hey! How do you know I don’t have any fix-it skills?”

I grin. “Lucky guess?”

“Fine. You’re right. But what else was I to do?” She shrugs, her tone light and breezy. “It wouldn’t close all the way. And that was getting me down because I like to take really hot showers. We’re talking sauna temperature. You know the type? Imagine you walk into the bathroom, and steam is everywhere, and you can barely even see the other person in the shower. Just the silhouette? Can you picture that?”

Can I picture it? Hell, I can feel that. In my pants. “Yep,” I answer, and it comes out a little dry, a little gravelly. Because painting crazy-hot images is playing below the belt, and I bet she doesn’t even realize it. Hot women shouldn’t use the word “shower” in casual conversation. It’s wholly unnecessary, along with “yoga pants” and “strawberries.”

“So you tried to fix it?” I ask, forcing myself to focus on the project in front of me, rather than on images of steam rising, which lead to other things rising.

“Yup. And then that shower door showed me who was boss.” She holds up her forearm vertically then lets it fall as she makes a kaboom sound.

I can’t help but laugh. “And whacked you on its way down?”

“Completely whacked. It’s kind of a miracle I’m alive, come to think of it.”

“I’m glad you survived the shower whacking. What happened with the door thought?”

“I called my friend Andy. He fixed it for me. It works like a steamy, dreamy charm now.” She takes a sip of her coffee, smiling happily.

I stop and take a drink of espresso.

“Andy? So he’s Handy Andy?” I kind of hate him already. Wait. That’s dumb. I don’t feel a thing for Handy Andy who was in McKenna’s shower, that lucky bastard.

“That’s a good one. Can you rhyme my name?”

“Henna McKenna?” I toss out.

“And you’ll be Chris who brings me bliss by fixing the hard drive,” she says, and I just smile at her.

“You’re a bundle of energy,” I say as I return to my project, moving to the right side of the case.

“And you’re a bundle of skills. What do you do when you’re not rescuing hard drives from evil cats?”

“Admittedly, that does occupy a large portion of my day. But in the few hours I can eke out, I host a show.”

“Like radio show or a podcast?”

I twist the screwdriver a notch. “It’s a TV show. On WebFlix. It’s called Geeking Out.”

She narrows her eyes and points at me, circling her finger. “You’re a geek?”

“You say that like it doesn’t compute, and yet here I am, fixing your tech in a coffee shop. I’d say that makes me a geek.”

“You definitely don’t look like a geek.”

I meet her eyes. They’re sparking with a glint of playfulness. “And what does a geek look like?”

“Not like a surfer. You look like you’re going to go hang ten.”

“I do that too. For fun.”

She pumps a fist. “Nailed it. You totally have that vibe about you. Not that I’m pigeonholing you based on your looks. But with the Nor Cal T-shirt, it wasn’t the hardest round of Jeopardy! to play.” She imitates Alex Trebek. “What is the most likely profession of a guy with floppy hair, a not-from-the-salon tan, and casual charm?”

I quirk up the corner of my lips. “You think I’m charming?”

She blushes, but it disappears quickly. “You charmed my hard drive out of my hands.”

I screw the final piece of the case back together, set down the tiny tool, drag a hand through my hair, and gesture to the repaired device. “Good as new.”

“Wow,” she says appreciatively, picking up the drive and gazing at it in admiration. “Thank you so much. You are Mr. Fix It.”

I puff out my chest playfully. “Why, thank you very much. I’m having T-shirts made with that saying. Want one?”

“I do. I want one to sleep in at night.”

And there she goes again.

✮✮✮ ANOTHER FABULOUS LAUREN BLAKELY GIVEAWAY! ✮✮✮

Who doesn’t enjoy a night out! This amazing giveaway includes a $100 gift card to your favorite restaurant and a $100 gift card to your favorite clothing retailer to purchase just the right outfit for the occasion.

https://laurenblakely.com/another-fabulous-lauren-blakely-giveaway/

About Lauren Blakely:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sweet, sexy and witty. Her heroines are strong and smart and her heroes have hearts of gold and fantastic funny bones. She lives in California with her family, including her smoking hot and hilarious husband and her two brilliant and kind children. She has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs — she might have four dogs, or maybe five. If she’s lucky, she’ll soon have six dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, and she’s sold more than 3 million books. In May she’ll release THE DATING PROPOSAL, in June SATISFACTION GUARANTEED and in September INSTANT GRATIFICATION. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter

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Written With Regret, the first in an all-new emotional duet from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez, is available now!

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Purchase your copy of TAKE THE BRIDE today!

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Purchase your copy of TAKE THE BRIDE today!

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“Whoa. Undeniable is one of my top reads! Sizzling chemistry, off the charts sexual tension and all the feels I’ve come to expect with a Melanie Harlow romance!”- Ilsa Madden-Mills, Wall Street Journal bestselling author

Undeniable, an all-new sexy standalone second chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow, is available now!

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt:

About Melanie

Connect with Melanie

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Dangerous Magic, an all-new cozy mystery from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart writing as Evie Hart, is available now!

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From New York Times Bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes ELI’S TRIUMPH, a new novella in her Reapers MC series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!

About ELI’S TRIUMPH:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes a new story in her Reapers MC series…

Peaches Taylor spent the last seven years slinging drinks and dodging drunks at the Starkwood Saloon. Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place.

Life would’ve been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home.

She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly…

They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy.

Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Grab your copy of ELI’S TRIUMPH today!

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LIVE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED!

The Dating 101 lesson rule book…

✔ Get back out there!

✔ Have some fun!

✔ Don’t fall for your new business partner!

Dive into this fun, fresh romance about the pitfalls and perils of the dating circuit! Especially when they involve falling for the one person you shouldn’t!

And the audiobook is now available too! It’s narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt with a special treat at the end – a bonus novella read duet style by Andi Arndt and Jason Clarke. Pick up your copy today!

✮✮✮ THE DATING PROPOSAL is here & free in KINDLE UNLIMITED! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮

Watch out world — I’m ready to date again.

The seven years I invested in my ex left me with nothing but scorch marks from the way he peeled out and left me at the altar. I’m not looking to put my heart into a relationship any time soon. But getting back out there? That sounds like a helluva good idea to get my groove back.

ORDER YOUR COPIES HERE!

✦ Kindle ➜ https://amzn.to/2Jhcth7 (FREE in KU!)

✦ Paperback ➜ https://amzn.to/2VP4f6v

✦ Audible ➜ https://blkly.pub/DatingAudible (Andi Arndt & Sebastian York)

✦ THE DATING PROPOSAL is narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York! Lose yourself in this fantastic story, and then, treat yourself to the bonus novella, DELAYED SATISFACTION! Get your copy today! ✦ ✦ Audio ➜ https://blkly.pub/DatingAudible

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads

Share this:

**From New York Times Bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes ELI’S TRIUMPH, a new novella in her Reapers MC series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!**

Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.

✦ THE DATING PROPOSAL is narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York!
Lose yourself in this fantastic story, and then, treat yourself to the bonus novella, DELAYED SATISFACTION! Get your copy today! ✦
✦ Audio ➜ https://blkly.pub/DatingAudible

Website Facebook Twitter Newsletter Goodreads