Books, Photos & a little bit of everything else: Aug 20

• Always Conall by Sybylla Matilde: Blog Tour, Cover Model Spotlight & Giveaway

• A Voice in the Dark by Isla Grey: Blitz Tour
  

• Fate’s Love by L.A. Cotton: Cover Reveal
  

• No In Between by Lisa Renee Jones: Review
  

 

***** Mature Content, Sexual Situations, Adult Situations, Strong Language *****

To him, I was only just Sage, Matt Nichols’ little sister. But I’ve worshiped Conall my whole life. My brother’s best friend. My secret crush. My first and only love. Always hoping he’d really see… me.

And then, a torrent of circumstances ripped through my life. One by one, my family began to crumble. My dad’s heart attack. My brother’s tragic death. My mother’s slipping sanity. And then Conall’s abandonment. He took my heart when he left, but he gave me a reason to grow up fast, to be strong, and to live.

Now, just when things finally start looking up, he’s back in Bitterroot. Standing before me, not the boy he once was, but a man. Just when I’m on the cusp of living again. Just when I’m starting to feel like I could let go of the past and be happy without him, the feelings I set aside for all those years are raging once again through my veins. My tight control is slipping. The future I’ve so carefully mapped out now seems so uncertain.

He’s changed, but he hasn’t. I hate him for leaving, but I love him for coming home.

But will he stay? And do I really, truly want him to after he shattered me before?

 

“I love you.”

“Sage,” he whispered, “don’t do this. Don’t say that. I’m not worth it.”

“But I do,” I shook my head defiantly. “I love you, Conall.” A drop of rain fell from the tip of his nose to his full lips, and I pulled myself up to capture it with a clumsy, tremulous kiss. My fingers framed his taut jaw. “I love you,” I hoarsely begged. “Please don’t go.”

“Sage,” he warned. His hands settled at my hips, as though to steady me… maybe even to steady himself. He didn’t pull me closer, but he didn’t push me away either. His raging uncertainty fueled my desperation, and I moved with him, guiding my fingers around his neck and pulling myself closer. Molding myself against his body, I lifted my trembling lips to kiss him again.

For a moment, he stood frozen, shocked by my brazen actions. I pulled my body against him hard, turning my head, increasing the pressure of my lips, pushing my tongue into his mouth. Kissing him like I’d always dreamed of doing.

He couldn’t leave me. He just couldn’t.

He was all I had left.

I had to make him stay. So I beseeched him with my kiss, my touch, my sheer overwhelming need. I pleaded with the tears that streamed from my eyes and mixed with the frigid raindrops. Please, Con,” I whispered.

“Please… I need you. I love you.”

And then, as though he was coming alive, his strong hand caught the base of my head, tangling in my hair as he began to kiss me back.

 

Because of Kian (Bitterroot #1)

US – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JJ532WA

UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JJ532WA

Always Conall (Bitterroot #2)

US – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQECXVC

UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MQECXVC

 

Cover Model Spotlight

Brian Laferrier is a 24 year old fitness/muscle model, who resides in Boston but travels often. He started modeling when he was 18 years of age. His favorite kind of music is oldies, he hates video games, as a hobby he writes. What he writes is a mystery, which may be something you will have to ask him yourself. He spends his mornings reading fit magazine, eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, naked. No, that’s a lie. He doesn’t do that, nice image though right? He actually prefers a bowl before bed, if he’s naked or not isn’t something he divulged.

While watching his news-feed on Facebook, it has become known that he has a low tolerance to negativity and often expresses ways to banish those thoughts. He loves being outdoors and doing Yoga as a way of stress relief. He takes comfort in the way the Buddhists thinks, which explains why his personality is good natured and humbling.

You can find Brian on Facebook, if you’re bold enough, send him a friend request. Or you can like the CJC Photography’s page to see more of Brian. Just do both, you know you want to….

Link to view more of Brian:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.e.laferriere?fref=ts

CJC Photography: https://www.facebook.com/CJCPhotography

Link to Instagram: http://instagram.com/blaferriere7

Giveaway

Always Conall Prize Pack: includes Signed copy of Always Conall, Signed photograph of Brian Laferierre, Always Conall personalized Dog tags.

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Sibylla Matilde grew up in the mountain valleys of Southwest Montana exploring the dusty Old West gold country on the back of a horse. She attended a two-room schoolhouse beginning in 1st grade & had the same teacher until she changed schools after 7th. Beginning at about age 12, Sibylla discovered historical romance, feeding off of work of Jude Deveraux & Lisa Kleypas. She loves a book that can make the reader run the gamut of emotions, from the sweet glow of new love to gut-wrenching heartache. She is a true romantic & always has stories floating around in her head, living in a fantasyland until she writes them down to free them.

Music is her emotional trigger. Growing up with a Wagnarian-loving mother, Sibylla was raised to treasure music that digs deep into the psyche, drawing out elation, sorrow, grief, desire. The soundtrack to her life includes many genres spanning centuries. She looooooooves Thirty Seconds to Mars (rather obsessively, actually… but, really, how can you NOT be crazy about this guy!? Jared Leto. Shhh. ) & pimps them out to all her friends through Spotify. She also delights in Met Opera HD broadcasts at her local movie theater & hopes (listening Met?) to someday see Diana Damrau reprise her role as Mozart’s Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte. Sibylla lives with her husband and hero who saved her from her own calamitous, young-adult self. He makes her laugh daily, even when things are tough. He’s proved to her that love really can heal a shattered soul. In 18 years, they have never had a fight, although argue regularly with their two teenage kids who have, unfortunately, inherited their father’s quick wit (unfortunate as it is a quick wit that Sibylla, herself, definitely does not possess – there is a reason she is a writer & not a stand-up comedian). They live a quiet life with their two weird little rescued Chiweenies. Wait… teenagers & little yap-dogs? OK, maybe not so quiet.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

A VOICE IN THE DARK

Series:  The Dark Plots, #1

Author:  Isla Grey

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

~ SYNOPSIS ~

Death Never Takes A Holiday…

Abigail Farmer knows one thing, the funeral home business…

By day, she works at her family’s funeral home. By night, she lives alone on its upper floor. With her stepfather, Sam, about to retire, Abigail is convinced there is only one person who can run the business effectively, her.

However, her life at the funeral home changes when Hasten Holmes arrives.

Ready for his first day on the job Hasten is met by a reluctant Abigail who hopes Sam sends him packing after they exchange unpleasantries.

Reluctant to get too close to anyone, especially someone who’s associated with Stu—Sam’s lowlife friend and wannabe business partner—Abigail deliberately keeps things strictly professional between them.

Then something unexpected happens…

Abigail’s plans to take charge of the family business take a drastic turn when she finds the mutilated body of one of their clients, and it becomes apparent that there’s more going on in the funeral home as a sinister plot begins to reveal itself.

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~ PURCHASE LINKS ~

Amazon | Paperback | B&N | Kobo

 

 

 

~ EXCERPT ~

Abigail puckered her lips and applied a light coating of peach flavored lip gloss. She cringed at the sight of her tired reflection staring back at her in the mirror. Picking up a tortoiseshell compact, she dabbed a bit of concealer on the circles under here steel-gray eyes. There was nothing worse than visitations and the constant barrage of people who came out for them.

Just as she reached the bottom step, a swift tug at her arm threw her off balance. Her left knee buckled, but the firmness of the grip refused to let her fall.

“Make sure no one goes on a sight-seeing tour tonight,” Stu growled in her ear.

“Why on earth would you care what people do?” Abigail sneered through gritted teeth while trying to pry her arm away.

“They come in the door, down the hall, look at the dead guy, tell the old crone they’re sorry, then leave. We don’t want anyone staying longer than they need to.”

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

Isla Grey

Isla Grey grew up in a small town in central Virginia. From the time that she won an elementary school writing competition, Isla has always seemed to have a pen and paper handy and a story in her head. She likes to write a variety of stories especially those that bring out the darker side of things.

When she’s not being called Mom, Mama, Mommy (you get the picture) by her daughter who constantly keeps her on her toes, she’s the pet human to a plethora of cats that have taken up residence at her home that is in the same small town that she grew up in.

Isla likes traveling but for her there’s “no place like home”. She enjoys good music played loud, walking and reading. She also inherited her grandmother’ love of movies and writes movie mistakes articles for one of the top women’s sites on the web.

Social Media links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Tour Host:

HEA Book Tours, PR & More: http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Book Title: Fate’s Love
Author: L.A. Cotton
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

When you meet that one person in the world meant for you… you should hold onto them.

Olivia Bannon walked away.

Twice.

When 17-year-old Livy meets Ethan, she can’t deny their inexplicable connection. Lost in his dark, intense eyes and smile-to-die-for, Livy never thought she would feel like this. It almost makes her want to break her childhood vow, but Livy knows happily ever after is just an illusion, and despite her heart wanting Ethan, her head is telling her to stick with the plan. The one that doesn’t include falling in love. Period.

Eight years later, Livy finds herself back in her hometown. After the way she left things, the last time they were together, Livy is anxious about seeing Ethan again. It shouldn’t come as shock to discover he has finally moved on—but it hurts. A lot. Accepting that she will never get the chance to put things right isn’t easy, but it’s not until life comes crashing down around her that Livy realizes what she could’ve had. Left broken, alone, and depressed, only one person can pull her out—the guy she thought she’d pushed away one too many times.

Livy has finally realized that you can’t fight fate… Some things are just meant to be. Is this finally her time to get it right, or has Livy missed her last chance with Ethan?

“Liv, what’s going on? Is she okay? Keefer told me what went down.”

I moved away from the door and met Ethan halfway. “No, she isn’t okay.” It came out bitter.

“Can I do anything? I could come-”

I shook my head. “We’re fine, thanks.” Without realizing I stepped back and Ethan’s face paled.

“And us?”

My eyes dropped to the floor.

“Liv, look at me. What. About. Us?”

I forced myself to look at him. My head and heart were at war. My heart wanted him to wrap me in his arms and tell me everything was going to be okay. That Amber would heal. That Sharn would meet her Prince Charming. That we really did have something. But my head knew better. My head would always know better.

“There is no us. I’m sorry, Ethan. Goodbye.” I turned from him and fled back to the limo.

“You’re running from me, Liv. Don’t use this as an excuse to run,” he called out.

Once in the safety of the limo, I slammed the door behind me, ignoring Sharn’s questioning glare.

“How is she?”

“A mess. This will leave scars.” Sharn answered.

I leaned my head onto the backrest and pressed a finger to my lips, trying to remember what kissing Ethan felt like. Was it even real? It didn’t feel real. Not now. It felt like a dream—the really good kind, until you wake up and realize it was just that.

A dream.

Because in the harsh light of day, life wasn’t like that. It was hard—full of hurt and people who let you down.

No, life wasn’t like a dream at all.

L. A. Cotton has a busy mind in need of constant stimulation. A youth worker from the Midlands, UK, if L. A isn’t immersed in a book, she’s figuring out what course to study next. With an imagination that refuses to stay quiet, early this year, L. A finally decided to put finger to keyboard and start typing. Her first novel, Fate’s Love is due for release September 30th.

When she’s not busy reading, writing, and plotting future books, L. A. is mum to two gorgeous children, and their hyper terrier, Rocky.

Book: No In Between

Series: Inside Out

Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Publication Date: August 19, 2014

The fourth in the Inside Out erotic romance series by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones, this steamy novel resolves Chris and Sarah’s relationship and leads into Mark’s story.”Chris and I have faced our demons and bared our souls to one another in Paris. Now that we are back home in San Francisco, I want to believe that nothing can tear us apart. Not Ava’s accusations against me to the police, or Chris’s fear that he will destroy me as he feels he did Amber. And not Mark, who was once too intimately a part of our lives, and who I can see crumbling inside out. He believes he is invincible, just as I want to believe Chris and I are invincible. We have to be invincible. We need each other too much for any other ending.”

Thanks to the author, I was allowed to read an ARC of this book for an honest review. This may be my favorite in the Inside Out Series! Loved the intensity of this book. Loved having more of Chris & Sara. The uncertainties of what might happen with the characters and the legal issues facing them kept me wanting to read until the end. Mark tried to make me not like him again with his conversations with Sara, however, after knowing that he is falling apart an losing his control that is so important to him let me not give up on him. Seeing Chris doing every thing in his power to make sure Sara knows that he loves her completely and will not leave her was wonderful. Very exciting book and leaves me wanting more…especially after reading the epilogue!!! LOVE this series!  #TeamChris

Books, Photos & a little bit of everything else: Aug 8

• Waiting for Prince Harry by Aven Ellis: Blitz Tour

• An Unexpected Encounter by Robin Shaw: Release Day Event & Giveaway
  

• Happiness in Jersey by Jacinta Howard: Cover Reveal
  

• Lily and the Duke by Helen Hardt: Cover Reveal & Giveaway
  

• Inside Out Series by Lisa Renee Jones: Sale
  

WAITING FOR PRINCE HARRY

Author: Aven Ellis

Genre: Humorous Contemporary Romance Standalone Novel

Publisher: Soul Mate

~ SYNOPSIS ~

Twenty-four-year-old Kylie Reed has always been a rule follower. Organized and cautious to a fault, her dreams for life are often filed away for future use—when she has a house, when she meets her future husband, when she has been at her visual display job at a chic Dallas boutique longer…Kylie always has a reason for living her life in the future, not in the present, and not living her life to the fullest and reaching her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

The only exception to rules, of course, would be running away with Prince Harry—Kylie’s ideal man. A hot, fun ginger boy would be worth breaking all the rules for, of course. And Kylie is sure Harry just needs the right, centering woman to settle him down. But living in Dallas and not knowing Prince Harry make this a non-option.

Or does it?

Because when Kylie accidentally falls into the lap of a gorgeous ginger boy—yes, even more gorgeous than the real Prince Harry—all bets are off. Could this stranger be the one to show Kylie how to take a chance, to face her fears, and live in the present? And could this stranger be the Prince Harry she has been waiting for? Kylie’s life takes some unexpected twists and turns thanks to this chance encounter, and she knows her life will never be the same because of it…

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~ PURCHASE LINK ~

Amazon  

~ EXCERPT ~

 

 After we finish dessert, Harrison extends his hand to me. A
million butterflies take off in my stomach as I know we’re approaching a
different point in the evening now. I give him my hand and he wraps his large
hand around mine, squeezing it tightly in his.

 

I don’t even trust myself to remember to breathe the second he
touches me. He leads me to the living room. Harrison sits down on the couch and
pulls me down into his lap.

 

“This,” Harrison says quietly, “is what I’ve wanted to do all
night.”

 

Now his fingertips are trailing up and down my arm, just barely
touching it, in a feather-like graze.

 

“Is that so?” I whisper back, barely functioning now that I feel
his skin against mine.

 

“Kylie, do you remember how I said I didn’t want our first kiss
to be what it was?” Harrison whispers.

 

“I do, but I didn’t mind that.”

 

Harrison laughs softly. “I know you didn’t. But it’s not how I
wanted that moment to be.”

 

I swallow hard. “How did you want the moment to be?”

 

Harrison stares at me. He lightly runs his fingers up my arm,
across my shoulder, and gliding them up my neck to my cheek, stroking my face
again and making every nerve I have jump with desire.

 

“Gentle,” he whispers. “Like you.”

 

Harrison slides his hand to the back of my head, cradling it as
he moves my face closer to his.

 

“You have the most beautiful eyes,” Harrison whispers, staring
deeply at me. “I see everything I want to see when I look into them.”

 

I’m melting from the way he’s looking at me, the way he’s
talking to me, the way he’s touching me. Harrison’s caressing the nape of my
neck now. I lift my hands and wind them around the back of his neck, and I
finally touch his ginger curls. They feel like silk against my fingertips, and
my nerves jump again in response.

 

“What do you see right now?” I whisper to him.

 

“I see,” Harrison whispers back, his fingertips dancing up and
down the nape of my neck, “a gorgeous woman who wishes I would kiss her.”

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

Aven Ellis

 

Aven Ellis has been writing fiction since she was sixteen. She studied communications at a large Midwestern university, and after graduation, Aven worked as a reporter for a community newspaper, followed by a stint at a public relations agency.

But writing about city council meetings and restaurant franchises was not as much fun as writing for young women trying to figure out their careers and potential boyfriends. So Aven got herself a job in television that allowed her to write at night. Connectivity is Aven’s debut novel; Waiting For Prince Harry and Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista (New Adult romantic comedy) will be published next year.

Aven lives in Dallas with her family. When she is not writing, Aven enjoys shopping, cooking, connecting with friends on social media, and watching any show that features Gordon Ramsay.

 

 

Social media links:

Facebook | Website | Twitter | Goodreads 

 

 

Tour Host:

 

HEA Book Tours, PR & More:

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Book Title: An Unexpected Encounter
Author: Robin Shaw
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 8, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Entrepreneur Zachary Wilkins doesn’t see himself as a brother to his younger cousins, like they have considered him to be. He feels indebted to his aunt and uncle for adopting him and officially making him a member of their family. When he encounters Shaina Hayes, he wants her just as much as she wants him. Seeing her, for a second time, at his cousin, Aaron’s wedding, stirs emotions in him that he can’t shake and further fuels his desire for her.

Shaina Hayes has had two rules since moving into Bloomfield Township, Ohio; work hard and keep to herself. One night, however, she goes out to celebrate her new job. A tall, handsome man catches her eye and the attraction between them unravels into an explosive night of passion. A night that she relives in her mind and vows to herself to never repeat again.

I am Robin Shaw, a hopeless romantic who loves to read and write about romance. Life is filled with enough unhappy endings, so I enjoy penning tales with a HFN or HEA.

Eyes scanning the interior of the bar, Shaina couldn’t find a corner or a table she could occupy. As she pivoted around, she saw a very handsome man with facial hair that looked like it’d taken a week or two to grow in. As the older waitress picked up all of the bottles and empty baskets, the man told her something and slipped what looked like a stack of bills into the tiny pocket of her apron. The waitress looked stunned and he gave her a smile that made the women look like she was going to melt.

Five minutes later, the man Shaina had her eyes on hadn’t moved from the table. Was he waiting for someone? His girlfriend? Based on the man’s manners and seemingly agreeable demeanor, Shaina could easily picture him having the company of a woman tonight. Or a man.

Looking directing at her target, Shaina marched over to him. The man’s eyes settled on her before she stood across from him. He had a beautiful shade of azure eyes. Usually, she didn’t feel like she needed to take a cold shower when she saw a good-looking man. Not even a drop dead gorgeous one. Perhaps it was because his eyes seemed familiar to her, as odd as that sounded. It became apparent that he was here by himself. She wouldn’t leave him sitting at a table in a bar by himself for more than five minutes if she was out with him tonight.

“Is this seat taken?” Shaina’s tone was blasé. He shook his head “no” and she sinuously slid down on the hard wooden chair. “What can I get you to drink?” she asked.

He flashed a grin that conjured up an image in her mind of his head disappearing between her legs, the texture of his stubble on her hot core. How could this man be so devastatingly seductive without having spoken? He held up his finger and the waitress was at their table immediately.

“Get this lady here anything she wants. I’ll have a Stout and salty soft pretzels.”

The waitress jerked her eyes to Shaina, a barely perceptible grin on her face. The power that this man held in his deep voice was at odds with his laid-back appearance. She’d noted that he was wearing sandals.

“A Stout for me too,” Shaina replied.

They were alone a split second later.

“I am Shaina.” She dipped her head a little, the same boldness floating in her tone was reflected in her hazel eyes.

“I am Zachary.”

“Zachary, for a couple of minutes it looked like you were here with someone.”

His lips curved into a smile. “You were watching me?”

Shaina nodded.

“Would you not have asked to get me a drink if someone else was with me?”

“If I thought you were with a random person like me who was talking to you, then I would’ve came over here regardless.” She slightly lifted her shoulders. “I wanted to know if you’re as handsome as you looked four feet away up close.”

Shaina couldn’t tell what Zachary was thinking. He studied her as the waitress brought their food and drinks to the table. He knew that he was more than just pleasant to look at. Zachary told the waitress “thank you” and he resumed his appraisal of Shaina. As Shaina swigged her ice-cold Stout, she felt warm all over; her body flushed.

“You’re easy on the eyes, as you well know.” He lifted his glass of Stout to his lips and she peered at the slow movements along the column of his lean neck and the breadth of his shoulders. Heat began to build between her legs. “I’ve seen you in town but never here.”

“I haven’t been in Joey’s in a while but I’ve passed by you once or twice that I can remember. I think you were clean shaven, though and bundled up.”

Zachary bobbed his head and Shaina bit into the salted pretzel. “You had to be all covered up yourself. I favor you in what you have on—exposing just enough of your skin.” He raked his gaze over her face and down to her cleavage. “I like what you’ve put to the imagination.”

A flash of desire swept over Shaina and her mouth went dry. She reached to take another sip of the beer when she heard him ask, “Why’d you end your hiatus from here tonight?”

Shaina’s cheeks lifted into a slow, wistful smile. “I have a new job.”

Zachary’s eyebrows furrowed. “There’s something more to it. Kind of like you’d go back to the position you previously had if you could.”

Shaina didn’t think she’d given any hint that her new position was bittersweet for her. “Sort of, but my boss knew that I wanted the job I now have when I’d applied. What do you do for a living?” She gulped her drink down and ate some more of her salty pretzel.

“I work with relatives of mine.”

“We don’t have to discuss our professions. That’s not why we’re doing this little dance around what my purpose in conversing with you is,” Shaina said as her expression changed, the ferocity of her gaze betrayed that she wouldn’t continue to pursue him under any circumstance.

“Are you married?”

“No,” Zachary said, “and I am not dating other women at the moment.”

Shaina turned the knob on her tiny purse, tore a sheet of paper from her note pad and took a pen. She wrote something down and then slid the small piece of paper over to him. With an indecipherable expression, Zachary glanced at it and then peered at her once more, his eyes more penetrating and intense than hers had been when she’d asked about his marital status.

“You wouldn’t even need to drive to my apartment. I live six blocks down from this place. The building after Lou’s diner,” Shaina told him, not sounding the least bit discouraged. He gave her an “I know my way around Bloomfield Township” look as she surged to her feet, and grabbed another salty pretzel, chewing on it as she strutted away from him.

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Book Title: Happiness in Jersey
Author: Jacinta Howard
Genre: Romance
Release Date: August 29, 2014
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

The only thing in Jersey Kinkaid’s world that she has time for are keeping her grades up so that she doesn’t lose her scholarship to South Texas University, playing the bass in her band, The Prototype, and satisfying her coffee addiction. Oh, and the occasional random hook-up she indulges in to pass the time.

Love? Eh, not so much. Save that crap for a Katherine Heigl or Natalie Portman movie.

Jersey’s seen enough in life (courtesy of her Pops) to realize that undying romance is nothing more than a myth used to sell books and movie tickets. As she knows too well, the only thing inevitable in life is death— love is definitely not promised.

That’s why when Jersey meets Isaiah “Zay” Broussard with his soulful gray eyes, quick wit and easy charm, she’s determined to remain aloof. She doesn’t have time to get sidetracked by fleeting fantasies, even if she does feel an unexplainable connection to Zay she’s never experienced before.

But when his interest in her only seems to intensify, despite her attempts to brush him off, she gets to see a side of him and herself she didn’t expect…

I’d never seen any of the Harry Potter movies or read one Harry Potter book and sometimes that made me feel a little weird, like I missed out on a vital part of my childhood or something.

There was this girl that I sometimes used to hang out with back in middle school, Chloe, who used to keep at least one of the books with her at all times, like the bible. She always complained that her mom thought it was sorcery and believed that her love for the books would somehow cause her to grow up and eventually become a weirdo magician like David Blaine—either that or one of those tarot card readers that are always at arts festivals. I didn’t exactly agree with her mom because she was a super religious and condemned everything outside of the Fourth Street Baptist New Beacon of the Everlasting Tabernacle of Life Church as unholy, but I sort of get where she was coming from. Chloe thought the meaning of life was in the Harry Potter series.

I leaned against the counter at work, bored stiff, watching one of the neighborhood high school kids engrossed in one of the Harry Potter books. I think the kid’s name was Jeremy but I couldn’t be sure because my memory was crap. I just knew the kid is a little strange. What fourteen year-old is purposely awake at eight-thirty every Saturday morning, sitting in a coffee shop reading Harry Potter? You’d think it had just been released the way this kid’s eyes were getting bigger and bigger with each sentence he read. How he managed to not know the ending was beyond me. Even I knew how the thing ended. Clearly he wasn’t a Wikipedia user.

I frowned because then again, little weird ass, non-Wikipedia-using Jeremy will probably end up being the next Mark Zuckerberg or something since in this world, that’s kind of how shit happens.

I sighed and picked at my now purple nail polish as I flipped through my Macro notes while I still had some downtime. It was Saturday so in a couple of hours when the campus kids finally woke up from their hangover slumbers I’d have the overwhelming joy of pouring coffee for them. In the year that I’d been working at Aroma, I’d found that there’s nothing more stimulating than serving college kids who ideally should have better things to do with their Saturdays than sip lattes and discuss meaningless pop culture happenings disguised as socio-political awareness (“What is it with Kanye West and his outbursts? I actually think he’s making a statement about post-Obama race relations and corporate dominance.”). College kids believe themselves to be very deep.

“Kitten.”

I jerked my head up, my eyes colliding directly with gray pupils. Dammit. How he managed to sneak up on me every time was beyond me.

“Must you always sneak up on me?” I asked aloud, furrowing my brow, although it was difficult because he was so damn handsome, it was nearly impossible to frown and look at him at the same time. He had on another white form-fitting v-neck with a pair of worn black jeans today.

He grinned disarmingly and shook his head.

“If you call walking up to a counter in a relatively busy coffee shop that’s located around the corner from a popular campus in broad daylight ‘sneaking up on you’ then yes, I guess I must.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I feel like you really are stalking me now,” I said when he just stood there, looking at me.

“I’m actually waiting for you to take my order.”

I stared at him for a second longer then grabbed a mug and poured him a cup of plain coffee.

“You remembered,” he said, sounding a combination of happy and impressed.

I rolled my eyes again. “Yes, that was so very difficult.”

“You said you had a bad memory yesterday… or wait, did you forget?”

He laughed like he’d actually said something funny.

“Aw, come on, Kitten,” he joked in his raspy baritone, his smirk back in place. “That was a little funny.”

He studied me as he leaned his hip against the counter, making himself totally at home.

“I think your button is lying,” he said after a few seconds of silence.

“Huh?”

“Your button,” he said again in his slow drawl, nodding toward my right breast. “It’s lying.”

I glanced down at the button that said “COFFEE MAKES ME HAPPY” and rolled my eyes again, unable to stop myself from grinning.

“So, how’d you learn to play the bass?” he asked casually, interest lighting his smoky eyes.

I shrugged, caught a little off-guard by his sudden change of subject. “I just… could play.”

“So, you taught yourself?” he asked. Again, he looked impressed. I found myself kind of liking his impressed look.

“Yeah. I was having a bad day, found my Pop’s bass in the closet and started messing around with it. I sucked at first, obviously. But it didn’t take too long for me to get the hang of it.”

He nodded and smiled. I was happy to see his impressed look again so quickly. He glanced over his shoulder at the table we’d sat at the day before.

“I feel kind of weird talking to you with a counter between us.”

I shrugged again. “You know it’s against company policy for me to fraternize with customers while I’m on the clock.”

He leaned forward a little, his eyes on mine. “But I’m really enjoying fraternizing with you.” His eyes skipped down my face to my breasts, causing heat to spread everywhere his eyes touched. “Besides, you’re already breaking company policy with all the eye rolling you’ve done this morning.” He nodded toward my HAPPY button. “Eye rolling is pretty much the exact opposite of ‘happy’.”

I stared at him blankly.

“Please?” he said, tilting his head a little when I didn’t move, flashing the half-dimple in his right cheek. Damn he was cute.

“Okay,” I huffed dramatically. I grabbed my own coffee, nodding for him to lead the way.

Jacinta Howard is a writer and avid music lover who resides in the Atlanta area with her daughter and husband. Currently the entertainment editor at Upscale Magazine, she finds her happy place deep in the pages of a great novel, on the beach listening to good music and hanging with her family.

Book: Lily and the Duke

Author: Helen Hardt

Genre: Erotic Victorian Romance

Lily and the Duke

Sex and the Season One

Wiltshire, England 1845

Lady Lily Jameson is thrilled to attend a house party given by Daniel Farnsworth, the Duke of  Lybrook, but not because he’s the most eligible bachelor in the peerage. Her only interest is his famous art collection, which reputedly includes a painting by her favorite artist, Jan Vermeer.

Daniel, duke only by virtue of the untimely deaths of his father and older brother, wants nothing to do with his new duties. He’d rather continue his rakish ways. When he finds the lovely Lily sneaking  around the property in search of his art collection, sparks fly.

Despite her father’s wishes, Lily has no intention of marrying. She wants to travel the world to gain real life inspiration for her painting and writing. And what could be better worldly experience than a passionate affair with the notorious Duke of Lybrook?

But circumstances may change the game and the players…and danger lurks, as well.

Helen Hardt is an attorney and stay-at-home mom turned award-winning author. She’s been writing stories since the first grade, when her aspiring writer father encouraged her and gave her a small metal file cabinet with “Helen’s Story Box” written on it in permanent marker. She began her first novel, a young adult romance, in the eighth grade. Although it will never see the light of day, she still has the manuscript that she typed on the old IBM Selectric.

She stopped writing to attend college and law school. She met her real-life hero in law school, and they live in Colorado with her two teenage sons. Helen writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and erotic romance. Her non-writing interest include Harley rides with her husband, attending her sons’ sports and music performances, traveling, and Taekwondo (she’s a blackbelt.)

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Southern Seduction Release Week Blitz Tour – Day 6

Eleven authors come together

To give you ELEVEN, all new, sizzling southern stories of seduction. 
There’s so much heat packed into one set that you’ll be fanning yourself from page one until the very end! 
Be ready…we’re going south, where it’s hot and steamy…and we’re not talking about the weather!

I lost my virginity at age thirteen. I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no. I wasn’t raped or molested. Nothing horrible happened to me. I didn’t have a daddy complex or a shit life I needed to be rescued from. I just happened to like boys…a lot. I like them all. Tall, short, skinny, buff, light hair, or dark—I don’t discriminate. My favorite kind, though, are the ones who like other boys too.

I realized early on that one man isn’t enough for me. It’s a simple mathematical fact. Why have one man when you can have two? Any more than two gets complicated. But it’s worth it. Sometimes every woman has to make an exception though—two crappy losers or one smoking hot man.

The night I laid eyes on Hunter Coy, I made my choice. 

At least until he introduced me to his best friend, Mason Wynn.

Meet Aly Martinez over at her Facebook page

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Covert missions. A cow fetish. An unlikely connection.

He was the All-American boy with an edge.

She was a snarky version of Pessimistic Penny.

Both raised by single fathers and burdened with a set of expectations not their own, they were fighting to cut their paths through life.

When One Last Night of pranks takes them on a journey of discovery, will they find the answers in themselves…or each other?

Meet Laurel Ulen Curtis over at her Facebook page

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You know what sucks?

Gettin’ a Dear John letter from the love of your life five days before your wedding. 

Know what sucks more?

That she’s back, and in order to keep my ranch, I’ve got to marry her.

Meet Ella Fox over on her Facebook page

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When Daniella Pruitt was eighteen years old, one night with Penn Wilder seared her, claimed her, and engraved his name on her traitorous heart.

But their love affair ended quicker than it started.

It took nearly three years for her to eventually find the strength to move on, but then life stepped in and threw her for a loop…a desperate kind of loop.

And as the saying goes…

Sometimes desperate times really do call for desperate measures.

Penn Wilder is in store for the shock of a lifetime when Daniella Pruitt seeks out a job at his club…

His strip club.  

How can one woman go from college student to stripper to falling madly in love to getting fired in the span of a month?

Daniella Pruitt is about to find out. 

Meet NA Alcorn over at her Facebook page

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Kip Taylor is everyone’s dream. His one downfall is that he’s a player. He can have any woman he wants in town—state even, and he knows it. There’s only one woman Kip wants. Trouble is, he hasn’t met her yet. Until then, he’s going to fill his dance card with the Johnson girls; Maggie, May, and Missy.

            Shelby never thought she’d see Rison, Arkansas again. She’s been estranged from her extended family for over a decade. Things happen and sometimes the only place you can find solitude, is the very place that has raised so many questions in your life.

She was looking to start her life over.

He was looking for his to truly begin.

            Neither one of them understood the power of kismet until the day their eyes locked. From that moment—in their heart of hearts—they knew that the other was The One.

Meet Jacquelyn Ayres over at her Facebook page 

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Bobby and June were the best of friends as kids. For two years they spent every waking moment together. And just as they started realizing they had potential to be more, Bobby was unexpectedly uprooted to Las Vegas.Fast forward fifteen years.

Bobby is now a guitar hero of a very successful rock band. June is wasting away, working at a local diner, and married to an abusive man. Devastating events send Bobby back to Texas to deal with some unsettled issues. When he runs into June, she’s all grown up. No longer that blonde haired, pig-tailed little girl—now she’s the Queen of the South with tanned legs, sexy curves, and more beauty than all the groupies combined. Problem is, June is a shell of her former self—that is, until Bobby brings the spark back into her life.

What happens when a typical bad boy rocker comes across a sad country song? Why, you get the sweet sound of Rock Country.

 Meet K Webster over on her Facebook page

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Seven years ago, Savannah Stone walked away from Louisiana, vowing never to return. With a suitcase in her hand and a scar on her heart she set out on a new path.

Seven years later, the death of her best friend has her returning back to the place she promised herself she would never go––home.

Savannah is determined to bury her friend without letting the emotion of being home overwhelm her. 

That plan goes out the window the second she sees Jackson.

His presence causes a storm to brew inside of her that she can’t contain. He was the one thing she could count on– until the incident that changed everything.

Jackson arrives in Leesville with just one mission. He wants Savannah back, and he’s willing to do anything to make it happen.

They are there to bury a friend, but can they bury the past as well?

Sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind.

Meet Kelly Collins over on her Facebook page

                                                      

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One summer forever changed the lives of Sawyer Callahan and Cheyenne Hamilton. Two very lonely people found solace in one another and in the end, fell in love. Unfortunately their plans for the fall took them in entirely different directions. Despite their best efforts, family issues and life’s circumstances got in the way, breaking both of their hearts in the process. Almost six years later they find themselves face-to-face, and old feelings resurface. When the past collides with the present, will they be able resist the temptation, or will they finally realize that they’re where they’re meant to be?

Meet Tessa Teevan over at her Facebook page

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Maddie knew it was going to be an awful trip. Not only did going to Dallas, Texas mean to much time with her father, who thought everything she did was wrong, there was also Brayden. Her brother, the golden child she’d have to compete with. And of course, there was the reason she was being dragged to this doom in the first place. Her mother’s dying wish. 

Give some secret box to an uncle who’d written them off more than a year ago.

All in all it was going to be the worse summer on record.

Then she met JR.

JR is handsome, sweet, and looks downright mouthwatering in his underwear. There’s only one problem, every time she gets close to finding out what’s hiding beneath those boxers, he goes cold fish and books it. She doesn’t think she’s reading his signals wrong. Then again she failed all her linguistics and sociology classes.

Maddie soon finds out what’s bugging JR when he asks her the one question she dreads. The question most people aren’t prepared for her answer to, “Can you really talk to the dead?”

If she’s honest with him it’s certain he’ll turn cold-fish permanently.

Meet Elle Jefferson over at her Facebook page

 

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Peyton Williams is spoiled, entitled and a little too stuck up. The daughter of an influential Mayor and a socialite mother, she’s trying to get through college and make her own path. She’s perfectly happy being a loner until Spring semester when she gets not only a roommate, but a math tutor.

Wyatt Parker is the boy from the wrong side of town. Known as the son of the town tramp, he jumps at the scholarship to play basketball in Nashville where no one knows his roots. Spending this semester tutoring a friends snobby roommate wasn’t what he envisioned, but Peyton quickly gets under his skin.

Peyton never wanted more until she met Wyatt, but is she willing to be what he needs?

Meet Stacey Mosteller over on her Facebook page

 

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Charlotte thought she was doing the right thing when she decided to go away to college. When graduation comes and she needs to decide if it’s time to go back home and settle down, she worries that she’s not ready yet.

Shane has waited four long years for Charlotte, after agreeing to a long-distance relationship because it was the only way to keep her in his life. He can hardly wait for her to come home so they can finally start their life together.

What happens when the girl who is nervous about settling down to small-town life comes home to the guy who is ready to pop the question? Will Shane be able to convince Charlotte that their wait is over and now’s the time for them to move forward? Or will Charlotte decide to end their relationship so she can move on to greener pastures?

Meet Rochelle Paige over on her Facebook page

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