Designed by: Meghan Quinn
Photographer: Lauren Perry
About Reunited at Christmas: Two years after the avalanche everyone thought had claimed her life, Ruby Prescott returns to the remote Alaskan town of Love. And no one is more ecstatic than her husband, Liam, and their young son. Even if amnesia has robbed Ruby of her memories, she’s soon woven back into the fabric of their lives. As they celebrate the holiday season, Ruby is falling head over heels for the man she’s told was the love of her life. But she can’t escape the feeling that there’s something Liam is keeping a secret. Will the return of her memories tear them apart for good—or will this be a Christmas she’ll never forget?
Buche de Noel (French Christmas cake)
A recipe guest post by author Belle Calhoune
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Beautifully wrapped presents nestled under the Christmas tree. Holiday music floating through the air. The spirit of Christmas is everywhere! It is the most wonderful time of the year.
Buche de Noel—a French Christmas cake—holds a special place in my heart during the holidays.
My Aunt Josephine was a legendary baker. She grew up with my grandmother on the tiny island of Montserrat in the Caribbean before moving to Boston with the rest of her family. My four siblings and I loved visiting Aunt Jo in the heart of Boston. She loved to bake for us and there was always plenty of treats for our family to enjoy. Cakes. Cookies. Fudge. She could do it all.
When Aunt Jo discovered I was a Francophile and was going to France with my high school class for six weeks, she was thrilled. She then invited me over to her apartment to make a French Christmas cake. She called it Buche de Noel. Aunt Jo had traveled to France herself and knew how to speak French. I’ll admit it, I had no idea what French holiday cake she was talking about, and most likely I didn’t really care. After all, I loved eating her treats, not making them.
But, what I learned that day and can’t ever forget, is that baking for the people in your life is an act of love. Baking side by side with someone during the most joyful time of the year is a bonding experience. It is the art of creating memories you won’t ever forget.
Although Aunt Jo has been gone for a long time now, I make Buche de Noel almost every Christmas as a tribute to her love and generosity. It doesn’t hurt that I absolutely adore chocolate!
Buche de Noel is a Christmas favorite of mine. It reminds me of my great Aunt Jo, who instilled in me a love of baking and the spirit of giving. She loved her family unconditionally and supported all of our dreams. She wasn’t just teaching me how to bake. She was sharing with me a beloved recipe and bonding with me over our shared love of all things French. Whenever I make Buche de Noel I enlist the help of my two daughters and I try to instill in them the same feeling of wonder my Aunt Jo gave me in the days leading up to Christmas. And perhaps they too will make Buche de Noel for their children and make it a family holiday tradition.
Wishing everyone the happiest of holidays in the presence of your loved ones.
Buche de Noel recipe
Ingredients:
For pan:
Butter and small amount of flour
For sponge cake:
1/4th cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites
Additional 1 Tablespoon of sugar for egg white mixture
Filling Ingredients:
½ teaspoon vanilla
1cup heavy cream (cold)
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1tablespoon sour cream
Chocolate shavings and powdered sugar for top of cake
Heat oven to 425° F.
Butter a 17 X 12 jelly roll pan or baking pan and line with parchment paper.
Butter the parchment paper liberally so it doesn’t stick. Sprinkle with flour to avoid sticking when sponge cake cooks.
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch cocoa, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
Beat the egg yolks, and two of the eggs, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a bowl
with an electric mixer on medium for several minutes.
Beat on high until the mixture is fluffy and light in color.
Fold in half of the flour mixture, then continue to beat. Gradually fold in the remainder of the flour mixture and continue to beat the mixture.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high until whipped, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour this egg white mixture into the larger bowl of ingredients.
Once the contents of the bowl are stirred, pour the mixture into your pan, smoothing the surface so it’s even.
Place pan in oven and cook for approximately 8 to 9 minutes. Check to see if it’s done and if the cake springs back it should be ready. You can also insert a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean it’s ready.
(Filling) Whip the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl for three minutes. Then place mixture in fridge.
Once the cake has been taken out of the oven take a knife and slide it along all sides to loosen. Place a clean kitchen towel on top of the pan. Then flip the pan over and pat bottom of pan until cake comes out.
Now peel the parchment paper away from the bottom of the cake. It should easily peel away. Now sprinkle powdered sugar with a sifter over cake. Using the end of the kitchen towel, begin to roll the cake up in the towel so it is in the shape of a log.
Leave the cake in the towel for about 45 minutes until it cools.
Unroll the cake from the towel so it lies flat. Then spread out the cream filling in an even manner. Spread lightly toward the edges to prevent mixture oozes from the ends. Then roll the cake back up tightly and place on a serving dish, seam side down.Frost cake with desired chocolate icing and place chocolate shavings and powdered sugar on top if desired.
Thanks so much for stopping by with this great recipe, Belle! ~Jillian
About author Belle Calhoune: Belle Calhoune was born and raised in Massachusetts, one of five children. The daughter of a Physician and a Biologist, Belle found herself entranced by the literary world. Growing up across the street from a public library fed her hunger for books, particularly romance novels and mysteries. After graduating from Syracuse University, Belle worked as a Federal Investigator in Boston. After the birth of her youngest child, she and her college sweetheart husband moved to Connecticut, where they now reside with their two daughters, a loveable chocolate lab and a very spoiled poodle. Being an author is her dream job.
Max Marino, a wealthy businessman, wants her and he’ll pay any price.
“I don’t,” I say with an indifferent voice.
But all he does is burst into laughter.
“You can fool them, but you can’t fool me.” I suppose by them, he means the other girls.
“It’s true,” I add, trying to make it more believable.
His laughter stops, and his face turns dark. “No, it’s not.”
“I hate you,” I say.
His fingers curl around my thigh in a possessive manner. “Lie.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“The truth. Be brave.”
I shrug, trying not to let him get to me, even when he does. “I just want the money that you offered me.”
“Uh-huh …” His fingers inch up even further until they’re right below my pussy. “But you need to marry me for that. And for me to want to marry you … I have to pick you.” He leans in and whispers in my ear, “So you’d better start giving me a reason to want to marry you.”
I suck in a breath as his tongue wets my skin, drawing a line from my ear down my neck. I’m trying not to shudder; honestly, I am, but this motherfucker makes it so hard for me to ignore my body’s response to his touch.
“Admit you like being touched by me … Maybe I’ll pick you if you do,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my neck.
“Fine. I can’t deny the physical reaction my body has to your advances.” I glance at him sideways. “Happy now?”
His lopsided smile makes me shake my head. How am I supposed to keep resisting his charms when he keeps looking at me like that? Like I’m the only one of the eight girls he really wants to get to know?
“It’s a start …” he muses.
“Why are you so intent on me being attracted to you? Is it that important? I mean you have seven other girls waiting in line, dying to get that fifty million—”
Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. Her novels include the Fierce Series, the Delirious Series, Stalker Duology, Twenty-One (21), Ultimate Sin, VIKTOR, and Bad Teacher. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire’s Bet series, and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.
Date of Publication: December 9, 2016
Hot Stuff
Book 1
He’s about to find out … She’s not just one of the guys.
Annabelle Jordan and her two sisters were orphans in frilly dresses when they went to live with their sports-lawyer uncle in his world of locker rooms, bookies and gambling. Now the girls are publicists in their uncle’s firm, The Hot Zone.
Despite her upbringing, Annabelle is all woman. She’s naturally drawn to real men—like her latest client, businessman and former football legend Brandon Vaughn.
The chemistry is potent, undeniable, irresistible. Annabelle soon realizes that Brandon is much more than just another jock. And that she’d better hold on tight if she doesn’t want to lose her heart.
Hot Number
Book 2
Micki Jordan is a tomboy as much at home on the playing field as in a locker room full of naked guys.
But the star publicist is looking to prove she’s also an irresistible woman in order to get a second shot at professional baseball player and major league playboy, Damian Fuller.
Micki transforms herself into one hot number Damian can’t help but notice and together they burn up the sheets and find themselves falling hard. Until Damian’s past returns, threatening their future.
Hot Item
Book 3
Cool, collected Sophie Jordan loves her daily routine running her family’s top sports management agency, as long as she gets to stay behind the scenes. But with big sister on maternity leave and little sis on her honeymoon, she’s forced to step up to the plate. And a recent media crisis surrounding the disappearance of super-agent Spenser Atkins is not going to make the job any easier.
Enter star quarterback and notorious bad boy Riley Nash who, for reasons of his own, needs to track down Atkins. Up until now, Sophie has kept a strict no-dating-clients policy, but each day with Riley makes her rule near impossible to follow. With her job and her heart on the line, Sophie will need to make the toughest choice of her life!
Hot Property
Book 4
Just one short season ago, major league center fielder John Roper had it all: the looks—and personal life—of a sports hero and the public’s adoration. But this hot property’s lucky streak has run out. After a World Series disaster, fans diss him, shock jocks mock him and his dysfunctional family hassles him for money he really can’t spare.
Now it’s up to him, and Hot Zone publicist Amy Stone, to get his life back on track.
Amy finds it’s easier said than done. What with the constant intrusions of his nutty family, a crazed fan playing stalker, and Roper’s refusal to put his own needs first, she’s starting to think that life in the fast lane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when the two retreat to a secluded lodge, the sexy center fielder throws Amy a curveball—one she never saw coming…
After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.
Riddick by Kathy Coopmans is NOW LIVE!
Are you ready?
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fXUcIp
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2gEsBuI
iBooks: http://apple.co/2fXXOFn
Nook: http://bit.ly/2glkIar
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2gSfeHY
She told me Heaven would knock on my door one day.
That I would be swept away from the hell I lived in.
She was right about one thing and so wrong about the other.
Heaven came in the form of an angel just like she said.
Beautiful.
Perfect.
An angel.
And then.
My life became hell.
She disappeared. Vanished.
I left. Went to war. Killed. All for her.
Every face was the man who took her.
Every dream filled with her.
For twelve years I existed in hell. Breathed in the fires from down below.
Until her, the woman on the beach outside of my home.
Captivating.
Enchanting.
Mesmerizing.
It couldn’t be my Cora, my angel, my heaven on earth.
She was dead.
Wasn’t she?
Jesse’s threats should make me want to shut my mouth; they don’t. I’ll make all the noise in the world to find out why I feel like I’m being dragged to my death. Oh God, please tell me they do not know!
Without warning, Cutter grips me by my hair, yanking me out of my spot in the corner. My backside is landing on the rough gravel with a solid thud. The sharp stones are penetrating through the flesh on my back. I scream out in agony as this man bores his fingers into my cheeks, digging into my skin enough to draw blood with his fingernails penetrating through my flesh. They’re going to kill me.
“You’re finally getting a chance to get out of here. If you fuck this up, I’ll kill him. Do you get me?” What? I ignore his comment about leaving here. That rolling in my stomach starts to turn, spinning out of control until it crashes into my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. I know exactly whom he’s referring to, and the thought makes me want him to stick his dick in my mouth so I can bite the repulsive little thing off. He’s talking about Riddick. Cutter nods my head for me using his greased, stained hands, his fingernails so dirty I gag at the sight. Those hands that make me cringe every time they touch me leave my face and go right back to my hair, where he pulls me behind him across the lot while I stifle my cries of pain. Not from the gravel clawing and embedding into my skin. From the words he spits out like it’s an everyday occurrence to threaten me with the only thing that can plunder my soul. This is the first time he’s physically hurt me, which makes me realize that whatever I’m here for is the worst kind of bad.
My life is not my own anymore. It belongs to my brother, and I’m a nut job because of it. I live inside my own head, talk to myself, pretend like I’m carrying on a conversation with the one person I want with me all the time. Riddick. I stare at walls for hours upon hours of the day and night, daydreaming of a better life on the ocean, where I can roam freely. Feel the wind swaying in with the tide, my hair blowing back away from my face as I breathe in the salty air. These conscious fantasies are a young woman’s fairy tale we all wish to come true. Riddick knows how much living on the ocean means to me. He is going to kill them for thinking they can put their slimy hands on me. This will be the end to the street fighting gang war my brother seems to think he’s the king of. People stay clear of Jesse Barrick for a reason. He’s maniacal crazy. Certifiably teetering on the edge of insanity. And whatever his reasons are for mistreating me have crazed him out to the point where I’m tumbling over the edge first.
Riddick is the first book in Kathy’s next series. And she starts the series off very well.
This story is told from both Cora and Riddick’s POV. Cora was forced to leave Riddick behind because she feared her brother’s threat of death. Then 12 years later, Riddick and Cora find each other again. And all those feelings from 12 years ago come to the surface.
Kathy does a great job of playing this out. Riddick is ex-military and now works in law enforcement. Cora goes through ALOT just to stay alive. I want to say more, but to get a true sense of what they both endure, you need to read it for yourself.
And their reunion was amazing. Riddick wasn’t about to let go what he lost 12 years ago. And even though that threat remained, Cora was giving Riddick up again. These two go through a lot. Kathy gives us a perfect balance of the romance and the suspense. Neither portion was lacking and everything was weaved together very well.
Kathy has set us up for another great series from her. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
Kathy Coopmans
Amazon Best Selling Author Kathy Coopmans, lives in Michigan with her husband Tony where they have two grown sons.
After raising her children she decided to publish her first book and retiring from being a hairstylist.
She now writes full time.
She’s a huge sports fan with her favorite being Football and Tennis.
She’s a giver and will do anything she can to help another person succeed!
Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Newsletter signup
GIVEAWAY
From New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes THE ONLY ONE, a sexy new standalone novella in her One Love Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure you grab your copy today!
Lauren Blakely’s THE ONLY ONE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule
December 7th
Hart’s Romance Pulse – Review
2 Girls & Their Kindles – Review
AC BOOK BLOG – Review & Excerpt
As You Wish Reviews – Review & Excerpt
BFD Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
I Love Romance – Review & Excerpt
Little Red Reading Hood – Review & Excerpt
Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads – Review & Excerpt
December 8th
BookSmacked – Review & Excerpt
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Crazy Daisy Book Whore – Review & Excerpt
Lightning City Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
My Girlfriends Couch – Review & Excerpt
Read more sleep less – Review
Reading Frenzy Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Wicked Babes Blog Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Sofia Loves Books – Review
December 9th
Ramblings From This Chick – Review
A Fortress of Books – Review & Excerpt
Barbara’s Book Reviews – Excerpt
Beneath The Covers Blog – Review & Excerpt
Knotty Girl Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Love Drug Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Milky Way of Books – Review
Princess Reads – Review & Excerpt
Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt
Stacey is Sassy – Review
December 10th
Bad boys and Bedtime stories book blog – Review
Brittany’s Book Blog – Excerpt
Liz’s Reading Life – Review & Excerpt
Read All the Romance – Review & Excerpt
Readers Retreats – Review & Excerpt
The Book Boyfriend Addict – Review & Excerpt
The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Two Book Pushers – Review & Excerpt
WickedGoodReads – Review
December 11th
SnoopDoo’s Book Reviews – Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog – Review
Dog-Eared Daydreams – Review & Excerpt
Lucia’s Book Reviews – Review
Quesarasera Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Bookery Review – Review
Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt
Bookaholic & Kindle – Review
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog – Excerpt
December 12th
Ashley Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents – Excerpt
Go Read A Book – Review
In Between The Pages – Review & Excerpt
Krista’s Dust Jacket – Review & Excerpt
Love Affair With Fiction – Review & Excerpt
Maddy’s Reading – Review & Excerpt
Nice Ladies, Naughty Books – Review & Excerpt
She Hearts Books – Review
December 13th
Four Chicks Flipping Pages – Review & Excerpt
Musings of the Modern Belle – Review & Excerpt
Nerdy Dirty & Flirty – Review & Excerpt
Night Owl Reader – Review & Excerpt
Romance Book Nerd – Excerpt
Romanticamente Fantasy Sito – Excerpt
Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt
A crazy vermonters book reviews – Review
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
December 14th
2 girls who love books – Excerpt
Collector of book boyfriends – Review
Naughty Moms’ Story Time – Review & Excerpt
Red Cheeks Reads – Review & Excerpt
Alba and Her Secrets..♥ Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
books are love – Review & Excerpt
Friends Till The End Book BLog – Review & Excerpt
I’m A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review & Excerpt
Relentless Romance – Review & Excerpt
Stephanie’s Sexy Reads (soon to be Naughty Girls and Their Books) – Review & Excerpt
December 15th
Jackie’s Book World – Review
The Reading Belles – Review
Books Need TLC – Review & Excerpt
Evermore Books – Excerpt
JaymeBooks – Review & Excerpt
Joandisalovebooks – Review & Excerpt
Lina’s Reviews: A Book Blog – Review
Novel Addiction – Review
Queenzany – Review & Excerpt
December 16th
Bloggin’ With M.Brennan – Review
naughty and nice book blog – Review
Pardon My Blurb – Review & Excerpt
Relentless book chics ramblings and reviews – Review & Excerpt
S3OC – Review & Excerpt
Shelly’s Book Corner – Review
Straight Shootin’ Book Reviews – Review
The Whispering pages book blog – Review & Excerpt
Reese’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Direct Link:https://video214.com/play/itFttmgwXE26fxl5YdB7XA/s/dark
About THE ONLY ONE:
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE SEXY ONE comes a romance about fate and second chances.
Let’s say there was this guy. And he gave you the most mind-blowing night of sex in your life. And you never saw him again.
Until ten years later.
Now, it turns out he’s the ONLY ONE in all of Manhattan whose restaurant is available for my charity’s event.
The trouble is, he doesn’t recognize me.
***
This woman I’m working with is so damn alluring. The first time I set eyes on her, I’m captivated and I can’t get her out of my mind. Even if it’s risky to tango with someone I’m working with, she’s a risk I’m willing to take.
The trouble is, she won’t give me the time of day.
But I’m determined to change that.
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon Paperback
I was taken with her the moment I sat down at the table next to hers at the café on a street corner in Barcelona. Her warm eyes met mine, and I wasn’t able to look away, so I didn’t. When her almond cake arrived, she arched an eyebrow, and said, “You’re admiring my dessert.”
I laughed. “I don’t think it’s the dessert I’m admiring. But I have been hoping you’d want company to help devour it. May I join you?”
She nodded and I moved to her table. She picked up her fork and said, “It’s made with caramel—my favorite. And it’s divine. By all means, let’s devour.”
“I’m a big believer in the consumption of sweets.”
“We have a saying in America. Eat dessert first,” she said.
I lifted my fork and took a bite of the Tarta de Santiago. “I like this saying. Can you appoint me a temporary American?”
She tapped my shoulder, something that shouldn’t have turned me on, but somehow it did.
“There. Done. By the power vested in me, I’ve declared you able to eat dessert first.”
“I must tell you a secret. I already possessed the ability,” I said, and she laughed, a pretty sound, like bells.
And I was halfway to hooked. Maybe it was her confidence. She seemed a few years younger than me, but there wasn’t a shred of shyness or insecurity about her. Her wit was intoxicating, and so was her beauty.
When we finished the almond cake with the caramel layer on the bottom, I was certain of two things—I didn’t want to let her get away, and I needed to see her again. “May I take you to dinner?” I asked.
She said yes.
But we didn’t wait till dinner. We spent the afternoon together, wandering around the city, strolling through the side streets, ducking into the churches and buildings and seeing the sights she wanted to explore.
All the while, I learned more about her. That she’d studied European History in college, that she’d loved traveling across the continent these last few months, and that she was looking forward to her job on Wall Street at Smith and Holloway Bank when she returned to the United States.
Mostly, she added. She was mostly looking forward to it.
“This trip is my last hurrah before I enter the working world,” she told me.
Praise for Lauren Blakely and THE ONLY ONE:
“An extraordinarily dreamy love story that will melt your heart!”
~Beneath The Covers Book Blog
“This is an epic second chance romance that filled my heart with love, hope and longing.”
~5-Stars! Two Book Pushers
“Lauren has knocked this one out of the park and down the street into the kitchen of Rocco DiSpirito. This book is smart, sexy, and full of surprises with characters you can’t help but fall in love with. I want to find my very own Gabriel now. A sexy man with an accent who can cook for me. Who could ask for anything more?”
~Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews
“Insanely romantic and so genuinely charming…”
~Fresh Fiction Reviewer
About Lauren Blakely:
Since self-publishing her debut romance novel CAUGHT UP IN US over three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1.5 million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that’s full of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California with her family. With thirteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than seventy times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as standalone hit romances like BIG ROCK, MISTER O, WELL HUNG, and THE SEXY ONE which were all instant New York Times Bestsellers. In January she’ll release FULL PACKAGE, a standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter.
Is this love or just a game?
Tori Rivera thinks Jamie McCade is rude, arrogant, and worst of all . . . the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on. His reputation as a player is almost as legendary as his surfing skills. No matter how her body heats up when he’s around, she’s determined not to be another meaningless hookup.
Jamie McCade always gets what he wants. The sickest wave. The hottest women. And Tori, with her long legs and smart mouth, is definitely the hottest one. He knows Tori wants him-hell, most women do-but she won’t admit it. After months of chasing and one unforgettable kiss, it’s time for Jamie to raise the stakes.
Jamie promises that soon Tori won’t just want him in her bed, she’ll be begging for it-and he might be right. Somehow he’s found the spot in her heart that makes her open up like never before. But with all she knows about his past, can she really trust what’s happening between them? Is Jamie playing for keeps or just playing to win?
This book can be read as a stand-alone.
Book 1–Four Letter Word
Hammerjacks was dimly lit and packed with bodies, some dancing together and others crowding the bar, waiting to get served. I started scanning the room as I came up beside Tori, who was doing the same even though she had no idea who she was looking for.
I saw Quinn almost instantly. She wasn’t hard to spot.
The bright pink spiked-out hair helped with that.
“There,” I said, pointing in the direction of the bar where my sister was sitting on a stool, head turned away from the group of shitheads swarming her.
She was alone. That pissed me off.
She was here, in town visiting, and she was looking for ass. That pissed me off, too.
Not much I could do about the second thing, I understood it, but she was gonna hear my feelings toward the other whether she wanted to hear them or not.
“What’s her name again?” Tori asked as we made our way over.
“Quinn,” I said.
She nodded, face serious. Then she tucked stray pieces of hair behind her ears and smoothed out the rest of her pony, pulled the one sleeve of her shirt down so it exposed her shoulder and bra strap, straightened her spine, tipped her chin up, and put on a smile before rushing ahead.
“Hey, sweetie. Sorry I’m late,” Tori chirped, squeezing in between my sister and the shitheads as if they weren’t standing there. She grabbed Quinn’s face, bent down, and kissed her cheek. “I missed you. Did you miss me?” she asked, bringing both hands to Quinn’s neck and holding there while standing between her bent knees.
Tori was smiling and playing the part, leaning close and making it seem like they were really together, or at least really feeling each other. My sister was blinking up at Tori, looking baffled but also looking like she was wanting to buy everything Legs was selling.
I wasn’t surprised. Quinn shared my taste in women. And I definitely had a taste for Legs.
“Whoa, are you two…damn. Is this your girl?” one of the shitheads asked from behind Tori, pointing at the back of her.
“Jesus,” another one chimed in, looking his fill. “What are the chances of me watchin’ you two go at it? This is fuckin’ hot.”
I stepped up then, not liking the tone of this guy and the shit coming out of his mouth, and wanting to make my presence known.
He saw me approach and shot me a hard look, asking, “You gotta problem?”
“Jamie.”
Teeth clenched and fists forming, I looked to Quinn, not taking the bait he was throwing out.
She was watching me, eyes serious and mouth tight, subtly shaking her head in warning ’cause she knew I couldn’t be fighting or doing anything that could draw negative attention. Then she turned her attention onto Tori when she twisted and slid into Quinn’s lap.
“Fishing in the wrong pond, boys,” Tori informed them, sweeping her gaze over the three while putting her arm around Quinn’s shoulders and pressing close. “Get lost. We’re not interested.” Then she turned all of her attention onto my sister and amped up her game, giggling as she kept her face close to hers and running her fingers through her hair, smiling, whispering, really flirting and looking into it, all while blocking the view of the shitheads so they couldn’t watch.
And everything Legs was doing, my sister was eating up.
Wrapping her arms around Tori and holding on to her, smiling back, laughing, looking like she was falling in love and thinking this was real and something sustainable.
I was starting to regret incorporating Tori into this plan. She was a little too good at her game. Straight up. Maybe the best at it.
I was also starting to get mildly jealous watching my sister getting attention from the one woman who was hell-bent on ignoring my ass.
“Man, whatever,” the one guy said, grabbing his beer and looking to his friends. “Come on. I’m not wastin’ my time on lesbian pussy.”
His friends murmured their agreement, mentioned something about hitting up Roy’s, a bar down the street, then grabbed their beers and stepped away.
When they were out of earshot, I shifted my eyes to Legs, telling her, “Think you sold it. You can get off my sister now.”
Tori smiled proudly, lifting her shoulders with a little dance. Then she looked to Quinn, keeping the smile, and said, “Hey, I’m Tori. Your brother dragged me here, so I figured I’d offer my assistance instead of letting him handle it, since he can’t fight and all.”
“Can fight, just shouldn’t,” I corrected her. I jerked my chin. “Hop off.”
Quinn moved her hands up Tori’s back and licked her lips. “Wicked plan,” my sister told her. “I was totally into that.”
“I think it got the point across,” Tori replied. “I really like your hair, by the way.” She ran her fingers through it again. “The color looks great on you.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. It really makes your eyes pop.”
“I was thinking about going purple…”
“Have you tried bleaching the roots and just painting the color on the ends? I think that would look amazing with purple.”
Jesus.
“Legs,” I barked.
Both of their heads whipped around and faced my direction.
“You feelin’ like gettin’ up so we can get the fuck outta here?” I asked, thinking only about the food back at her place I was wanting to eat and not about how comfortable my sister’s hands looked gripping on to Tori’s body.
“She’s fine,” Quinn offered, keeping her hands locked around Legs. “Really. She doesn’t have to move.”
I shot a glare at Quinn, communicating how I felt about that suggestion, then shifted that glare to Tori.
“I was getting up. Relax. We were just talking,” she huffed, moving off Quinn’s lap and coming to stand beside me. “You’re welcome, by the way,” she murmured.
I was extremely excited to read about Jamie and Tori’s story after getting to know them slightly in Four Letter Word. I knew these two would be fireworks.
Jamie and Tori have had an odd relationship since they first met at Tori’s place of work. Jamie’s extremely persistent with Tori and she continually gave him her back and shooting down his attempts. How these two never killed one another before now is beyond me – sheer willpower.
Hit the Spot was much more romantic than I had anticipated. I wasn’t expecting Jamie to be sweet or so hell-bent on expressing his true feelings about Tori. I knew he would give her a hard time with everything – it’s what they do. But the gestures and hitting her soft, yea, those blew me away.
Watching these two from fighting like cats and dogs to being a really cute couple won me over. But what I didn’t like and what killed the 5 star rating was how Tori over-reacted to things. I get she had gone through a tough time with Wes but OMG. If she freaked over something that was anymore stupid than she did, I was throwing my kindle. I do love that her overreactions to things was pointed out by Jamie but c’mon. Her last freak out towards the end just about did me in. Not lying.
All in all. Loved this book. Loved Jamie and Tori’s story. Loved how it ended. I highly recommend this series to anyone.
J.Daniels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sweet Addiction series, the Alabama Summer series, and the Dirty Deeds series.
She would rather bake than cook, she listens to music entirely too loud, and loves writing stories her children will never read. Her husband and children are her greatest loves, with cupcakes coming in at a close second.
J grew up in Baltimore and resides in Maryland with her family.
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About SALVAGED
Hudson Wheeler is a nice guy. Everyone knows it, including his fiancée who left him with a canceled wedding and a baby on the way. He’s tired of finishing last and is ready to start living in the moment with nights soaked in whiskey, fast cars, and even faster girls. He’s set to start living on the edge, but when he meets Poppy Cruz, her sad eyes in the most gorgeous face he’s ever seen hook him in right away. Wheeler can see Poppy’s pain and all he wants to do is take care of her and make her smile, whatever it takes.
Poppy can’t remember a time when she didn’t see strangers as the enemy. After a lifetime of being hurt from the men who swore to protect her, Poppy’s determined to keep herself safe by keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Wheeler’s sexy grin and rough hands from hours restoring classic cars shouldn’t captivate her, but every time she’s with him, she can’t help being pulled closer to him. Though she’s terrified to trust again, Poppy soon realizes it might hurt even more to shut Wheeler out—and the intense feelings pulsing through her are making it near impossible to resist him.
The only thing Poppy is sure of is that her heart is in need of some serious repair, and the more time she spends with Wheeler, the more she’s convinced he’s the only man with the tools to fix it.
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About Jay Crownover
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, Welcome to the Point, and Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories with interesting characters and make the reader feel something.
About UNTIL IT FADES:
A sexy new romance about a small-town woman who saves the life of a mysterious man, and finds herself unexpectedly thrown into a whirlwind love affair, featuring bestselling author K. A. Tucker’s signature “well-constructed, pulse-pounding suspense” (USA TODAY).
Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population three thousand outside of tourist season.
And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.
Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.
For a time.
But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.
Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?
About K.A. Tucker:
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the USA Today bestselling author of 14 books, including Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water, and her latest Adult Suspense novel, He Will Be My Ruin. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly.
K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and a Chug.
J.Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.
Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.
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Gena Showalter is proud to share the cover for the 13th novel in her bestselling Lords of the Underworld series, THE DARKEST PROMISE! #LOTU
Order THE DARKEST PROMISE here!
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THE DARKEST PROMISE Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Lords of the Underworld story about an iron-willed sovereign and the somber beauty who melts him with a glance…
Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn’t allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.
Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him—until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile…and seduce her into his bed.
As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they’ve forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever…
About Gena Showalter:
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld series, two young-adult series—Everlife and The White Rabbit Chronicles—and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs and all her upcoming books at GenaShowalter.com or Facebook.com/GenaShowalterFans.