Life As We Know It by J.D. Hollyfield

Life As We Know It by J.D. Hollyfield releases Fall 2016!

Add to your TBR here: http://bit.ly/2ald2nF

Life as we know it [4450]

Life has not been easy for Penelope Summers. Specifically, the last month, when her high-profile boyfriend dumped her, her indecent exposure record surfaced, and her favorite thing in the world, tequila, failed her.

Good thing for Penelope, she has her best friend to pick her up, and take her on the vacation of a lifetime. A seven-day cruise that will change the direction of her downward spiral. But will that spiral shift in the direction Penelope needs? Or will it throw her into a bigger whirlwind of trouble?

With Reckless Abandon as her motto, tequila as her wingman, and a hot one-night stand as her much needed reward, will the tables finally turn for Penelope, or will life as she knows it continue to fail her?

Sometimes you just have to ride the wave of crazy to find out.

life as we know it. [4451]

About the Author

j.d. hollyfield [4452]

Creative designer, mother, wife, writer, part time supehero…

J.D. Hollyfield is a creative designer by day and superhero by night. When she is not trying to save the world one happy ending at a time, she enjoys the snuggles of her husband, son and three doxies. With her love for romance, and head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own story to life.

Life in a Rut, Love not Included is her Debut Novel. J.D. Hollyfield lives in the Midwest, and is currently at work on blowing the minds of readers, with the additions to the Love not Included series, along with her charm, humor and HEA’s.

STALK J.D.: Website | Facebook | Twitter | PinterestGoodreads

THANK YOU!

Whiskey & Honey by Andrea Johnston…Review

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Guys have rules. Rule #1: You don’t date your sister’s best friend.
Bentley Sullivan hasn’t found the one. He’s always been the good guy – the gentleman. With one quick, and possibly irrational, decision everything changes. After a case of mistaken identity and a drunken kiss, Ben is convinced that the one is finally right in front of him. Only, she’s untouchable.
Girls have rules. Rule #1: You don’t date your best friend’s brother.
Piper Lawrence has not been successful in love. Almost as quickly as she swears off men, he comes into her life. Her childhood crush and the man who has set the standards for every man she’s ever dated, he is also the one man she can’t have.
A single kiss changes it all.
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review

Sometimes it’s the cover and title of a book that makes you gravitate towards a story. There was something about the title, Whiskey & Honey, that gave me the warm book fuzzies right away. Then the cover that hinted at a farm or small town, which is right in my wheelhouse right now. And when I read the blurb and find out it’s one of my favorite tropes—best friend’s brother? I’m all in.

Whiskey & Honey is the perfect anti-dote if you’ve read too many dark, angsty romances. It’s sweet. It’s cute. It’s relatable. The characters are all good, decent people. The only “bad” guys are human beings who make mistakes we all might make.

It’s the story you want to read if you’ve ever had a crush on a friend’s older brother. Boy leaves town for bigger and better things. Boy returns home a few years later and realizes that he belongs in his hometown. Boy sees sister’s best friend in a new light now that they’re adults. Girl falls hard for best friend’s brother who she’s had a secret crush on forever. Insert a great group of friends, the local bar, a lake, the best tacos in town, and one Princess Leia golden bikini costume and you’ve got a lighthearted, sweet romance worth your time.

4LovesRLB

Four Loves

Stacey Sig

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Andrea Johnston spent her childhood with her nose in a book and a pen to paper. An avid people watcher, her mind is full of stories that yearn to be told.  A fan of angsty romance with a happy ending, super sexy erotica and a good mystery, Andrea can always be found with her Kindle nearby fully charged.
Andrea lives in Idaho with her family and two dogs.  When she isn’t spending time with her partner in crime aka her husband, she can be found binge watching all things Bravo and enjoying a cocktail. Nothing makes her happier than the laughter of her children, a good book, her feet in the water, and cocktail in hand all at the same time.

 

Entrapment by Aleatha Romig…..Cover Reveal

 

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“The snare is setleaving, friendships, lives, and futures dangling in the balance”

ENTRAPMENT continues the epic new romantic suspense series INFIDELITY, featuring Lennox “Nox” Demetri, Alexandria “Charli” Collins, the Montagues, and the Demetris.

The thrills, heat, and suspense continue to add up…

One chance meeting

plus…

One sexy, possessive alpha and one spunky, determined heroine

plus…

One week of uncontainable, unbridled passion

plus…

One impulsive decision

times…

Two declarations of love

divided by…

The sum of intertwining pasts, lies, and broken rules

equals…

ENTRAPMENT

“Infidelity – it isn’t what you think”

Don’t miss this latest novel in the Infidelity series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig. The classic twists, turns, deceptions, and devotions will have readers on the edge of their seats, discovering answers that continue to pose questions. Be ready to swoon one minute and scream the next.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

ENTRAPMENT is the fourth of five full-length novels in the INFIDELITY series: Betrayal, Cunning, Deception, Entrapment, and Fidelity.

*This series does not advocate nor does it condone cheating.

 

iBooks | Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

 

 

 

BETRAYAL 1One week. No future. No past. No more.

Alexandria Collins has one week to live carefree—no ghosts of her past or pressures of her future haunting her. Reinventing herself as “Charli,” she is knocked off her feet by a sexy, mysterious man who brings her pleasure like she never imagined. With her heart at stake, she forgets that decisions made in the dark of night reappear in the bright light of day.

 

“Some of my tastes are unique. They aren’t for everyone. I understand that.”

 

Lennox “Nox” Demetri is wealthy, confident, and decisive—he knows what he wants. From the first time he sees Charli at an exclusive resort, he knows he wants her. Although he is usually the one to make the rules, together they agree on one:

 

One week. No more.

 

When betrayal comes from those closest to Alexandria, she must decide how far she is willing to go to survive. Choices are not always easy, especially when they involve the heart, body, and soul. After all, Infidelity is a business, and some rules are meant to be broken.

 

“Is it really cheating if you’re doing it to yourself?”

 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants, and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists, turns, deceptions, and devotions, this new epic dark romance will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next. Have you been Aleatha’d?

 

BETRAYAL is a full-length novel and the first of five in the INFIDELITY series.

 

Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | iBooks |Kobo

 

 

 

CUNNING 1“He owns you. Whatever he tells you to do you do”.

 

One year. No future. A past that won’t go away.

Lennox “Nox” Demetri broke his own rule by making a deal. It may not have been directly with the devil, but that doesn’t mean Satan himself isn’t watching. Was it fate that brought Charli into his life and his bed? What will happen when rules are broken and secrets are revealed?

“New rules…my rules.”

Alex “Charli” Collins found pleasure with Nox like she’d never known. That was before she knew his last name. Now that Infidelity is involved and the rules have changed, what will result when real life and fantasy collide?

Is it really cheating if you’re doing it to yourself?

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists, turns, deceptions, and devotions, the depth of this new, epic dark romance reaches new levels and will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

CUNNING is a full-length novel, 360 pages, and the second of five books in the INFIDELITY series.

Infidelity – it isn’t what you think.

 

iBooks | Amazon | B & N | Kobo

 

 

BK3 Deception E-Book Cover (2)DECEPTION, book THREE of FIVE in Aleatha Romig’s INFIDELITY series.

“Infidelity – it isn’t what you think”

It all began in Del Mar, a chance meeting with a single rule–one week only.

Or did it?

 

Lennox ‘Nox’ Demetri and Alexandria ‘Charli’ Collins had every intention of following it but rules are made to be broken. In CUNNING they are reunited with Nox setting down new rules for the game and Charli having no choice but to follow them.

Now, once again, the game has changed. Nox and Charli’s hot sensual encounter has grown into something more but it is threatened with secrets and regrets. Is it their love and intense sexual chemistry that’s pushing them together or something darker, a puppetmaster behind the scenes pulling the strings on their love affair?

Shadowy villains lurk around each corner and everyone is suspect as Nox’s and Charli’s pasts collide with the present and threaten to compel them back to their predestined fates.

Can deals brokered in the past be negated by something as pure as love and as steamy as the attraction shared by Nox and Charli? Or was it all a deception—starting with that very first meeting?

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists and turns, the depth of this epic romantic suspense continues to reach new levels as past and present intertwine. The Infidelity series will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

 

DECEPTION is a full-length novel, over 300 pages, and the third of five books in the INFIDELITY series – It isn’t what you think!

(This series is not about nor does it advocate or condone cheating)

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks

 

aleatharomig1Aleatha Romig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These standalone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted style with an increase in heat. In the fall of 2015, Aleatha will move head first into the world of dark romance with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and represented by Danielle Egan-Miller of Browne & Miller Literary Associates.

NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK| AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST

 

Midnight Soul by Kristen Ashley…Excerpt Reveal

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MIDNIGHT SOUL is coming! Being released on August 15th, this amazing fantasy takes place in our world and a parallel universe where fantasies are true…but perhaps not all you would expect. MIDNIGHT SOUL is the highly anticipated finale to Kristen Ashley’s bestselling Fantasyland Series. As a special treat the first books in the series are on sale for a limited time only, including the first book in the series, WILDEST DREAMS, for just $.99! Pre-order this amazing novel today, and be sure to check out the exclusive excerpt below!

 

 

Franka

“You need to leave,” I declared.

His brows drew together a moment before his expression showed clearly that comprehension had dawned.

Sadly, comprehension might have dawned but he didn’t leave.

He crouched by the bed and offered in a soft voice, “You need me to carry you to the other room so you can have a bit of privacy?”

Dear goddess.

He thought I needed a chamber pot.

But…

What was happening to my face?

Dear goddess!

The heat I felt in my cheeks could be nothing other than me blushing.

I didn’t blush. I’d never blushed. Not even when I’d set about seducing my first lover at age sixteen.

I needed to be quit of this man as soon as possible.

“No…I…do…not,” I bit out.

“Sure?” he asked kindly.

“I need you to leave, Noctorno,” I used his full name in an effort to irritate, something that worked if the flare in his eyes was any indication, “so Josette can prepare me. We’re away to Kristian’s this morning.”

Another drawing of his brows before he asked, “What?”

“After my toilette, Josette and I are to my sleigh so we can begin our journey to my brother’s home.”

His eyes got bigger as his mouth inquired peculiarly, “Are you high?”

“No,” I answered his ridiculous question unnecessarily, “Indeed, I’m low. As you can see since I’m lying abed.”

For a second he just stared at me.

Then he threw his head back and burst into loud, deep, beautiful laughter.

I wanted to throw something at him.

Unfortunately, in my current position, this was not an option open to me.

“I fail to see what’s amusing,” I noted.

He controlled his mirth only to mutter, “I’ll explain it later.” He went on more distinctly, “Frannie, you’re not goin’ to your brother’s today. Or tomorrow. Or until you’re fit. Then, maybe Valentine will spirit you there, or whatever the fuck that’s called. But for the foreseeable future, your ass is in that bed and you’re resting so you can heal.”

Well!

Who did he think he was, telling me what I would or would not do?

“As you’ve determined,” I began, “this is not the first time I’ve been in this condition so I do believe that I know best what I’m capable of and…”

I stopped speaking because he came slightly out of his crouch so he could put his face into my face and he was no longer looking mirthful.

He was looking angry.

Very angry.

“That was when you had no one lookin’ out for you but that’s not the case anymore. So this is how it’s gonna be,” he announced.

He then, to my shock, irritation and outrage, announced how it was going to be.

Like he had the right to tell me how it was going to be!

 

 

Midnight Soul - cover

Against his will, Noctorno Hawthorne, an undercover vice cop, finds himself embroiled in magic, mayhem and parallel universes. Too late, he meets an amazing woman only to find she’s destined for his identical twin in another world.

And things aren’t going real great there.

Noc is recruited to help save that world.

What he doesn’t know is his destined love resides there.

FrankaDrakkar wears a mask. A mask she never takes off to protect herself in a world of malice, intrigue and danger.

When Franka meets Noc and he discovers her secrets, convinced she carries a midnight soul, having shielded herself from forming bonds with anyone, she struggles with accepting his tenderness and care.

When Noc meets Franka, over wine and whiskey, her mask slips and Noc knows it’s her—only her—and he has to find a way to get her to come home with him.

And then make her want to stay.

 

Preorder MIDNIGHT SOUL here!

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * GooglePlay * iBooks* Kobo

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

 

 

Fantasyland Series Sale

And Don’t Miss the First Books in the Fantasyland Series-On Sale Now!

WILDEST DREAMS

THE GOLDEN DYNASTY

FANTASTICAL

BROKEN DOVE

 

Kristin Ashley - headshotAbout Kristen Ashley:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.

 

WEBSITE * FACEBOOK * TWITTER * NEWSLETTER * GOODREADS * PINTEREST * INSTAGRAM

 

 

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Long Shot by Kayti McGee…Cover Reveal

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Coming on August 24, 2016! Check out the cover of Long Shot by Kayti McGee!

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Blurb:

Meredith definitely drank too much last night. Why on earth else would she have woken up without her purse, and the distinct memory of giving her number to a stripper? So gross.

The good news is, she never has to see him again. Except to get her purse. And to discover she did another terrible, horrible, very bad thing while drunk- she accidentally became a professional penis photographer.

Rob wishes more people would believe him when he says he truly is stripping his way through journalism school. It’s the only way Millennials can afford school with no student loans. When Meredith quite literally stumbles across his path, he’s super smitten. Sadly, she is less so once she sobers up.

Can he trick her into dating him?

Can she trick her mother into thinking she has a respectable job?

And can anyone recover once the internet picks up their story? It’s a long shot for both of them.

ADD TO GOODREADS

The entire Under Covers series has received a scorchingly hot makeover! Check them out and pick them up today!

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FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2ab7GNE
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2aiWn4d

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FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2aEdrjX
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/ToppedAmazonUK

About the Author:

Kayti McGee is a former Kansas Citian who now follows the Royals from Colorado. Besides writing, her hobbies include travel, cooking, and all thing Whovian. She also writes as the latter half of Laurelin McGee. Like her co-author Laurelin Paige, she joined Mensa for no other reason than to make her bio more interesting.

Author Links:

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Floor 21 by Jason Luther….Blog Tour & Review

We’re happy to be hosting Jason Luthor’s FLOOR 21 blog tour today!  Please leave a comment to let him know you stopped by!

About the Book:
The last of humanity
is trapped at the top of an isolated apartment tower with no memory of how they got there or why. All travel beneath Floor 21 is forbidden, and nobody can ever recall seeing the ground floor. Beneath Floor 21, a sickness known as the Creep infests that halls of the Tower. A biological mass that grows stronger in reaction to people’s fear and anger, the Creep prey’s on people by causing them to hallucinate until they’re in a state of panicking, before finally growing strong enough to lash out and consume them. Only a small team known as Scavengers are allowed to go beneath Floor 21 to pillage the lower levels in
search of food and supplies.
Jackie is a brilliant young girl that lives far above the infection and who rarely has to worry about facing any harm. However, her intense curiosity drives her to investigate the bottom floors and the Creep. To deal with her own anxiety and insecurities, she documents her experiences on a personal recorder as she explores the secrets of the Tower. During the course of her investigation,
Jackie will find herself at odds with Tower Authority, which safeguards what
remains of humanity, as she attempts to determine what created the Creep, how
humanity became trapped at the top of the Tower, and whether anyone knows if
escape is even possible.

For More
Information

  • Floor 21 is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB
    Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

review

 

My love for books has always been in the thriller/horror genre and my love of reading has over time pushed me into many other categories such as this one, YA and Dystopia.  I read the blurb for Floor 21 and was quite intrigued by it and had to see what Jason does with this story.
Floor 21 is written in a first narrative and I don’t think this story could have been told in any other way.  We get to see things in recordings from Jackie and Vic.  If this story was told any other way, it wouldn’t have that same urgency or unique mystery to it.  Reading about the Tower and the Creep from their view points keeps this story strong moving at a great pace.
While I had some issues with Jackie and her personality,  she’s young yet extremely intelligent, her mannerisms and the way she talked at times, didn’t always mesh with her suppose intelligence.  I felt that Jason wrote some very interesting characters with different attributes.  Although we don’t get to know these other characters very well, through the eyes of Jackie and Vic, we have a good understanding these characters. 
Jason did a great job of keeping me on the edge of my seat.  I enjoyed the mysteries of the Tower and the Creep and how things came to be.  There are still quite a few outstanding questions and mysteries, which I am hoping in the next book we get answers to.
Overall, a great YA dystopia read.  I highly recommend to others who enjoy this genre.

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Book Excerpt

When you stop and think about it, I mean, our lives don’t make sense. We couldn’t have always lived up here, right? It gets me pretty antsy thinking about it because, I mean, this is a tower, so we had to have come up the stairs at some point.
Didn’t we?
I don’t know, and thinking about it gets me frustrated. When I’m in this kind of mood, I go to the rooftop and look out. You can actually see other towers rising up in the distance. Some aren’t even that far from ours. I stare at them, and I’m just like . . . is anybody over there? Is anybody looking back at me? Does anybody know or remember we’re trapped in this place?
Or are we all that’s left?
After I’ve gotten myself sufficiently depressed, I’ll stare over the edge of the roof, trying to see how far below I can look. Thing is, it’s impossible to see much. This tower just vanishes into the Darkness. Nobody, and I mean nobody, even knows why.
It’s just blackness down there.
Oh, about Floor 12. Yeah, that’s where the Creep really starts. The Creep? It’s
this . . . gunk. Super-disgusting stuff that you shouldn’t touch because it makes you feel weird, and the lower down the Tower you go, the more you see it. It starts to cover the walls, and it’s kinda gross. It’s really slick, like saliva, and it looks all muscle-y. Almost alive. Good thing you don’t have to worry about it when you’re higher than Floor 11. Still, I
wonder what it is. We all do. I know that when you touch it, you can start hallucinating.
I did once. Well, okay, I’m lying. I’ve touched it a few times when I’ve been
on the lower levels, which is why my parents made the rule that I couldn’t head down there in the first place. I mean, I don’t pay attention to them, but I get why they don’t want me going that far below into the Tower. The Creep makes you see . . . things. Shadowy things. Sometimes they’re right
in front of you, but most of the time, they’re in the corner of your eye. They
say that by Floor 21, you don’t even have to touch the Creep to hallucinate,
which is a total trip. Must suck to live down there.

 

About the Author

 

Jason Luthor has spent a long life writing for sports outlets, media companies and universities.
His earliest writing years came during his coverage of the San Antonio Spurs as
an affiliate with the Spurs Report and its media partner, WOAI Radio. He would
later enjoy a moderate relationship with Blizzard Entertainment, writing lore
and stories for potential use in future games. At the academic level he has
spent several years pursuing a PhD in American History at the
University of Houston, with a special emphasis on Native American history.His inspirations include some of the obvious; The Lord of the Rings and
Chronciles of Narnia are some of the most cited fantasy series in history.
However, his favorite reads include the Earthsea Cycle, the Chronicles of
Prydain, as well as science fiction hits such as Starship Troopers and Do
Androids dream of Electric Sheep?
For More Information

NACHO FIGURERAS PRESENTS: RIDE FREE by Jessica Whitman…Release Day Event

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NACHO FIGURERAS PRESENTS: RIDE FREE by Jessica Whitman (July 26, 2016; Forever Trade Paperback, Mass Market, eBook; The Polo Season Series #3)

World-renowned polo player and global face of Ralph Lauren, Nacho Figueras dives into the world of scandal and seduction with a new fiction series set in the glamorous, treacherous world of high-stakes polo competition.

Antonia Black has always known her place with the Del Campo family-a bastard daughter. And it will take a lot more than her skill with horses to truly belong within the wealthy polo dynasty. In fact, she’s been shuttled around so much in her life, she doesn’t even know what “home” means. Until one man shows her exactly how it feels to be safe, to be free, to be loved.

Enzo Rivas knows Noni is way out of his league. After all, he’s the stablemaster, and she’s the boss’s sister. But he can’t see the hurt in her eyes and not want to protect her. And he can no longer deny the electric tension jumping between them. Yet just when he’s ready to risk it all and change their relationship forever, a secret from her past makes him question everything he thought he knew about her…

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WEZLK3

B&N: http://bit.ly/25M6d7d

iBooks: http://apple.co/297Iete

Google: http://bit.ly/1WF0tHb

Kobo: http://bit.ly/28kCYHb

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1rdbzoV

Excerpt:

When Sunny started crow-hopping, Enzo Rivas didn’t worry. The big mare had always been hot, and it wasn’t out of character for her to occasionally get a little bored and try to test her rider.

But when Sunny started to buck, Enzo knew something was seriously wrong.

The pony threw her head down, kicked out her legs, and whinnied fearfully, almost sending Enzo out of the saddle. He pressed his knees against the saddle, grabbed the reins, and battled to pull her head back up. She fought him, flinging her head down again and heaving her back legs into the air.

For a moment, he thought he was going to be thrown, and his body automatically tensed, preparing to hit the ground, hard.

It wouldn’t have been the first time Enzo lost his seat to an unruly horse. It was part of his job, after all. Nobody trained horses and didn’t occasionally get thrown. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight it.

Sunny came back down onto all four legs again, and Enzo, sensing a split second of opportunity, yanked the reins sharply to the right, forcing the pony’s head so far over that her nose touched his knee. She screamed in outrage and spun in a circle, but she was powerless to kick her hind legs from this position.

Enzo kept her in that stance, letting her spin as many times as she wanted, speaking to her softly in Spanish, until he could feel her temper start to ebb and her muscles soften, one by one, under him.

He relaxed the reins and let the pony’s head back up. As they cantered forward, he noticed a large, bald-faced hornet floating away from them.

“Ah. Poor girl,” he said, “you got stung.”

Sunny snorted complacently as if in agreement, then reared up, threw Enzo backward into the grass, and bolted, riderless, down the pitch.

Enzo lay there for a moment, the breath knocked out of him, staring at the cloudless Florida sky. It had not been a bad fall, as falls went, and he knew that once he could breathe again, he’d be fine. But he was also pissed, and he knew it would be better to get his temper under control before he chased down the errant horse. It never helped to be mad when dealing with ponies.

“Rivas?” came a distant voice that made him close his eyes and smile ruefully. Of course she would find him like this.

“Enzo, are you okay?”

She was closer.

He struggled to a sitting position, still a little winded but determined not to be on his back when she reached him.

“I’m fine,” he said, and then almost fell over again, he was so dizzy. Damn that horse. He bent his head to his knees and closed his eyes.

“You don’t look fine. You look like you got knocked on your ass.”

He slowly turned his gaze up toward Antonia Black and felt his heart speed up in a way that had nothing to do with his fall.

It was getting worse. He could hardly look at her anymore without being filled with an almost paralyzing ache of attraction.

She reached out her hand, her dark eyes twinkling with amusement, and after a beat of hesitation, he took it and let her help him to his feet.

For a moment after he stood, he let his hand linger in hers, allowing himself the luxury of feeling the tingling heat that seemed to generate from her skin into his. But then he dropped it, remembering the runaway horse.

“Did you see where Sunny went?” he asked.

She laughed. “She pranced right into the barn. I’m sure one of the grooms has her by now.”

He nodded and winced, already sore from the fall. “She got stung,” he said.

“Oh,” said Noni, “I know. I saw the whole thing.”

He smiled and rubbed his neck. “Hot horse,” he said ruefully.

She smiled back. He felt his chest squeeze in response. “Hot horse,” she agreed. She looked him over. “You sure you’re all right?”

He nodded. “I’ll probably be sore, but nothing is broken.”

“Good,” she said.

They gazed at each other for a moment.

“Are you going to Hendy’s party tonight?” he finally said, needing to break the tension.

Her mood suddenly changed. She frowned, and a red flush touched the creamy skin of her cheeks and chest. “Yeah, I guess,” she said in an abrupt tone. “Anyway, if you’re really okay, I’m going to head on home.” She quickly turned to go. “I’ll see you at the party.”

He watched Antonia walk away, heading for her truck. He had the impulse to call out, stop her, ask her what was wrong. But before he could act, Noni swung up into her truck, her platinum blond hair streaming behind her, slammed the door with a bang, and was gone in a cloud of dust.

He clenched and unclenched his fist, reminding himself that every time she slipped away, it was better for both of them. Less complicated, safer.

Nothing good, he reminded himself sternly for the ten millionth time as he started back toward the barn, could come from anything happening between us.

She is my boss’s sister. She is a Del Campo. I would only end up hurting her.

The words were his litany, but lately they were starting to lose their power.

He shook his head. Being stern with himself wasn’t working anymore. He could feel that he was starting to weaken. Being around her at work, being her friend and confidant, without ever hinting at his real feelings, had begun to exhaust him.

It was a part he knew he could not play much longer. All his good reasons for keeping his distance, all the rules of the barn and vows to himself that he had clung to over the years had started to feel weightless compared to his growing feelings for this woman. The many times he had repeated to himself that it was unprofessional, that he wasn’t fit to be in a relationship, that he didn’t deserve her, that she was too fragile… it was all beginning to feel as insubstantial as a fairy story. A cautionary tale he’d heard as a child, meant to keep him away from gingerbread houses and wolves in the woods.

Because she was different these days. She was stronger and happier and more stable. And her happiness made her all the more irresistible.

And maybe, he thought, I’m different, too…

He turned back around at the barn door, watching the lingering trail of dust that her old blue truck had left behind. He thought of a moment in the barn earlier that day, when he had held the head of a pony for her while she bent over its hind leg, hammering in a new shoe. For just the quickest second, she had looked up and met his eyes, and a devilish smile had danced over her mouth. It had been the kind of carefree grin he would never have imagined on her face when he had first come to know her. It seemed to prove that she was finally mended. Certainly, she was a changed woman from the one he’d met all those years ago.

 

 

FigurerasNacho2_byClaudioMarinesco_RGB72About Nacho Figueras:

Argentine polo player Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras has become one of the most recognizable and talented polo players in the world.  He is currently the captain and co-owner of the Black Watch polo team.  In addition to playing polo, Nacho has been featured as a face of Ralph Lauren and its Black Watch clothing and watch collection since 2000. In June 2009, he was voted the second most handsome man in the world by the readers of Vanity Fair and has appeared on numerous television shows, such as Oprah and Chelsea Handler. Nacho currently splits his time between Miami and Argentina with his wife, Delfina and their four children, Hilario, Aurora, Artemio, and Alba.

Social Media Links:

Twitter @nachofigueras

Instagram @nachofigueras

Facebook.com/NachoFigueras

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Heart Strike by M.L. Buchman…Author Guest Post & Excerpt

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Title: Heart Strike

Series: Delta Force, #2

Author: M.L. Buchman

Pubdate: August 2nd 2016

ISBN: 9781492619253

 Synopsis:

SERGEANT RICHIE “Q” GOLDMAN: The smartest soldier on any team

SERGEANT MELISSA “THE CAT” MOORE: Newest on the team, determined to be the best

Rescued from an icy mountaintop by a Delta operative, Melissa Moore has never met a challenge she can’t conquer. Not only she will make Delta Force, she will be the best female warrior in The Unit, and woe to anyone who says otherwise. Technical wizard Richie Goldman is Bond’s “Q” turned warrior. A genius about everything except women, he takes point on the team’s most dangerous mission yet. When the Delta Force team goes undercover in the depths of the Colombian jungle, surviving attacks from every side requires that Richie and Melissa strike right at the heart of the matter…and come out with their own hearts intact.

 

Author Guest Post:

The first book in my new Delta Force #1, Target Engaged was called “His best yet” by Booklist and was also named a finalist for RWA’s prestigious RITA award.

Well, my answer to that is Heart Strike, releasing August 3rd, 2016. But it got me thinking. What are my favorite sequels? For a change-up, I focused on the action side rather than the romance, and here’s what I came up with.

 

  1. The Color of Money

Paul Newman and a very young Tom Cruise in The Color of Money. The original Jackie Gleason and a very young Paul Newman The Hustler was a master work of a tight psychological drama. They upped the stakes and made it utterly captivating in the highly energetic sequel.

 

  1. Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne #2 & #3 didn’t disappoint…for a single second. They sustained the tension, remained true to the character (an essential), and found ways to ratchet the tension higher in each successive one. Number 4? Not so much.

 

  1. The Wrath of Khan

The Wrath of Khan notoriously took one of the most disappointing movie launches ever, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and created a massive and incredible franchise that has continued ever since. Khan is still one of the great, over-the-top, out-of-control villains.

 

  1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Sometimes a great sequel comes third rather than second. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade pitted Harrison Ford against Sean Connery in gloriously foolish father-son mayhem that completely honored the first film.

 

  1. The Dark Knight Rises

This choice surprises me. I like the Dark Knight reboot, but I’m not a big fan of the comic book heroes in general and frequently skip them. It took me a couple of years to catch up with this one and what I love about it isn’t the acting (which was wonderful), or the action (which was dramatic). It was the story. The writer and director completely set us up to thinking this story was going one direction…then in the last half hour it went another way entirely. AND that twist was perfectly in character, just wholly unexpected.

 

Now, I write romantic suspense, so the ending is fairly predictable, but I certainly hope that you enjoy the journey of my latest Delta Force novel, number 2, Heart Strike!

 

Excerpt:

 

Action sequels, even romantic suspense ones, only have a short moment of introduction before it’s time to get everyone moving…and moving fast! Delta Force #2, Heart Strike, opens with the team from Delta #1, Target Engaged, mapping coca fields in Boliva. They’re targeting them for massive defoliant drops from the CIA’s 747 tanker plane.

Trouble comes when command issues an order for the team to pull out ahead of schedule to pick up a new team member and a new assignment.

Thankfully, no one anywhere adapts faster to a changing situation than a team of Delta Force operators.

 

Sunrise was less than an hour off when Chad jostled his shoulder.

Richie hadn’t been asleep and barely managed to suppress an oath as Chad shook him hard enough to wake the dead—his idea of humor. Richie noticed that he was a little more cautious with Duane who often woke with his knife half-drawn. Kyle and Carla were already at the hut’s entrance.

Kyle had taken one look at the order and, in minutes, outlined a plan of how they were going to exit the farm with hopefully minimal exposure and risk. The guards they were anticipating would be off duty and the patrol timing would be wrong, but Kyle’s plan was as solid as they could get with what they knew.

No way would Richie be missing this place. Dirt floor, woven grass mat, and a thatched roof that could really use some thatch before the next rainstorm but wasn’t going to get it.

He felt sorry for the laborers. Some of the farmers were about to have an even worse season than the last one. At a big site like this, they were little better than slaves. Once the coca was gone, they’d be free, but with no assets and no working farm crop. In the coca business, locals just weren’t part of the profit equation.

Rolando and the drug lord’s other armed guards Richie liked well enough, but had less sympathy for.

The Delta team slipped out into the darkness, just a hint of the blue in the sky that was already washing out the fainter stars. They passed the farmers’ huts and were almost to the road leading out of the camp.

“Where are you going, amigos?” Rolando, his AK-47 no longer over his shoulder but now in his hands.

“Hey, buddy.” Chad started forward, but stopped and tried to look stupid when Rolando flicked off the safety.

Carla stepped forward with an easy sway of her hips. Her dirty blue work shirt unbuttoned far enough to reveal that her assets weren’t all that much less impressive than the fabled Mayra’s.

Rolando’s eyes dropped to her cleavage.

She moved a hand up to his chest. With a little flick of her wrist, she revealed the long KA-BAR military knife she was holding and rammed it up under his chin and into his brain.

Rolando twitched once.

“That’s for trying to ram it up my backside without asking.”

“He what?” Kyle snarled, but Carla didn’t waste any time answering. If there was ever a woman able to defend herself, Richie knew it was Carla Anderson.

Then Rolando collapsed to the ground and his finger must have snagged on the trigger. A single 7.62mm round gave a loud crack and zinged off into the trees.

“Shit!” the whole team said pretty much in unison.

With their clandestine departure blown, Chad swept up the AK-47 and fired a security round into Rolando’s forehead.

In seconds, they were fifty meters away and moving fast. Kyle had Rolando’s sidearm and Carla had a subcompact Glock 27 that she’d produced from somewhere—where was one of the questions Richie suspected he’d be better off not asking. Still, it was an interesting problem because they’d all been checked on arrival as being unarmed. Richie had pre-buried his GPS and satellite gear in the jungle, carefully crossing then recrossing the mined perimeter before they’d come into the camp so that he could retrieve them once the team had been accepted.

The two guards at the main gate were half-awake when they stumbled to their feet. They went back down fast and Richie and Duane now had AK-47s as well. Chad stripped them of a pair of Makarov handguns, tossing one to Richie that he caught midair.

There was an old Jeep parked by the gate, but neither of the guards had a key. It was probably back in the open, on Rolando’s body. Chad started hot-wiring it while the rest of them stood watch.

Then Richie heard it. Distant at first, but building fast. The four-engine gut-thumping roar of a loaded 747.

“Come on, Chad,” Carla pleaded. “Get us out of here.”

The Jeep’s engine roared to life and they piled in.

Duane tossed his AK-47 to Chad and dove into the driver’s seat—he was the best driver they had. He’d been working up the sprint-car circuit toward NASCAR when he’d taken his detour into the military.

Kyle and Richie dropped two more armed guards who came rushing from the huts, half-dressed and scared awake.

Duane raced the Jeep out of camp along the road, praying for no booby traps.

Then the largest tanker plane in the world descended and began its run.

The 747, converted for firefighting, had been put into deep storage in the Tucson desert when its owners went out of business. The CIA had found another use for the massive plane, which now began its dump of twenty thousand gallons—over eighty tons—of defoliant across the exact coordinates that Richie had sent to them just six hours ago.

His Delta team had been to twelve coca farms in the last six months. And the 747 tanker had visited each in turn. Twelve farms that wouldn’t produce a single leaf of coca anytime soon.

“Down,” Chad shouted.

They all ducked and hung on as Duane rammed the heavy wooden outer barrier at thirty miles an hour. It blew apart. A four-by-four shattered the windshield and Carla knocked the remains of the glass clear with the butt of a Chinese QBB machine gun she’d acquired somewhere along the way before turning it around to shoot a guard who’d been standing well clear of the gate.

Richie kept an eye out to the rear, but no one was following. If they were, they’d have a long way to go. The team had been pulled out of Bolivia. They were being tasked to a new assignment.

That was fine.

After six months training together and another six in the field, it was the last line of the message that had worried them all.

Proceed to Maracaibo, Venezuela. Acquire new team member.

 

About the author:

M.L. Buchman has over 35 novels and an ever-expanding flock of short stories in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year,” Booklist “Top 10 of the Year,” and RT “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of the Year.” In addition to romantic suspense, he also writes contemporaries, thrillers, and fantasy and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.

He is now a full-time writer, living on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing at www.mlbuchman.com.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon

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Barnes & Noble

Chapters

iBooks

Indiebound


Seaside Lovers by Melissa Foster…Release Week Event

Today we have SEASIDE LOVERS by Melissa Foster!! Check out this fantastic new contemporary romance and the exclusive excerpt Melissa is sharing, and be sure to grab your copy today!

 

Teaser 3

About Seaside Lovers:

Seaside Lovers Cover

Seaside Summers is a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series.

“You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that’s fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won’t want to stop reading. Every book’s a winner!” New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak

“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely

In SEASIDE LOVERS…

After months of long-distance communication, actress Parker Collins and artist Grayson Lacroux finally plan to reconnect in the seaside town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. But Parker never shows, and weeks pass without a word, leaving Grayson to believe he’s misinterpreted their budding relationship.

Parker has been running on autopilot ever since she lost her friend, mentor, and the only family she’s ever known, Bert Stein. Armed with junk food, tequila, and her big, lovable dog, she’s prepared to hole up and mourn–and determined to mend a fence Bert had never been able to with his estranged and bitter brother. But Parker didn’t count on the sinfully hot artist she’s been fantasizing about for nearly a year walking in on her grief-induced drunken night.

When Grayson stumbles across Parker, he has no idea what to make of the gorgeous blonde who blew him off despite the heat sizzling between them. But that doesn’t stop him from feeling protective of the woman who’s consumed his thoughts for months, and when he learns of Parker’s plans to confront an angry old man, he refuses to leave her side. As Parker’s past unfolds, they’re led on an unexpected journey of discovery. Their connection deepens, and late-night fantasies become passionate realities, until good intentions spark painful secrets, threatening the love they’ve found.

***

Seaside Summers is part of Melissa Foster’s bestselling Love in Bloom series. All Love in Bloom books may be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, or as part of the series.

SEASIDE SUMMERS

Seaside Dreams (Bella)

Seaside Hearts (Jenna)

Seaside Sunsets (Jamie)

Seaside Secrets (Amy)

Seaside Nights (Sky)

Seaside Embrace (Hunter)

Seaside Lovers (Grayson)

Seaside Whispers (Matt)

***

Read the complete LOVE IN BLOOM series:

SNOW SISTERS

THE BRADENS (at Weston, CO)

THE REMINGTONS

THE BRADENS (at Trusty, CO)

THE BRADENS (at Peaceful Harbor)

SEASIDE SUMMERS

WILD BOYS AFTER DARK

Teaser 1

Buy Links:

Kindle US | NOOK | KOBO | GPLAY | IBOOKS | SMASHWORDS | Paperback Amazon US

Exclusive Excerpt:

“Trust me?” Grayson asked.

 

“Trust a guy who hauled me over his shoulder and kidnapped me?” She looked toward the bar.

 

“Yeah, trust that guy.”

 

“I do trust you.” She poked him in his chest. “But if I end up on the front of some rag magazine, I’m hiding out in your basement. With Christmas, chocolate, and a boatload of horror movies that you have to watch with me.”

 

“Sweetheart, if you move into my house, you won’t be watching movies or hiding out in the basement. You’ll be lucky if you make it out of the bedroom. In fact”—he slid his hand to the nape of her neck, causing her eyes to glaze over with desire—“maybe I should take a few of those pictures and make that happen.” He’d taken a chance, saying something so brazen and holding her like this in the cab of his truck, but he couldn’t hold back.

Teaser 2

 

 

 

Melissa Foster Bio:

Melissa Foster

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Links:

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NEWSLETTER:

http://www.melissafoster.com/newsletter

CONNECT WITH MELISSA

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor

TWITTER:

https://twitter.com/Melissa_Foster

WEBSITE:

http://www.MelissaFoster.com

STREET TEAM:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/melissafosterfans

 

Dragon Fever by Donna Grant…Release Day Event

Dragon Fever - RDL banner

DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant, a novella in her Dark Kings Series brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights, is finally here! Be sure you check out the trailer and excerpt below, and grab your copy today!

 

 

Dragon Fever - RDL teaser 1

 

 

Excerpt:

Someone was in her hotel room.

Her gaze swung to the bathroom door she’d left cracked open. Her heart hammered against her ribs as her stomach clenched in fear. No one should’ve been able to get into her room. She’d bolted the door.

In an attempt to slow her racing heart, she took a deep breath. Then, slowly pushed open the door. She peered around the edge to find a man sitting casually in the overstuffed chair. Long black hair was pulled away and clasped at the base of his neck. Gold eyes watched her with a wealth of humor. And a smidgen of mockery.

She blew out a breath and leaned against the door of the bathroom as indifferently as she could while wrapped in a towel.

One side of his mouth lifted in a grin. “You don’t seem surprised.”

She took in his British accent that was a bit too perfect. Sam MacDonald was anything but what he said he was. It was a fact she accepted in order to get what she wanted.

His arms rested carelessly along the arms of the chair. One long leg was bent with an ankle resting atop his other knee. His white shirt was unbuttoned at his neck with no tie in sight. But that was usually the case.

There was something undeniably dangerous about Sam MacDonald. He frightened her, but it was men like him that gave her the information she needed to expose the truth to the world. So he was a necessary evil.

But that didn’t mean she had to like him.

“How did you get in?” she demanded.

His smile widened, stretching his full lips but never reaching his gold eyes. “That’s a secret I’ll keep.” Then he blinked, his chest expanding as he took in a breath, and his entire demeanor changed. “Get dressed. We need to talk.”

She stepped back into the bathroom and closed the door with a sigh. She looked down at her hands to find them shaking.

“Stop it,” she whispered to herself.

She had to get her nerves under control and quickly.  Without delay, she dressed in a pair of black lounge pants and a loose-fitting, long-sleeved gray shirt. When she exited, Sam was in the same position. Except now there were two glasses of Scotch sitting on the coffee table.

Their gazes met. Rachel had learned to listen to her instincts, and as she looked into Sam’s eyes, she saw determination, anticipation, and…a slow burning anger. He blinked, and the anger was gone, hidden once more.

It would show again. It always did. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hide it for long. She found it difficult to trust him because she knew he was keeping something from her.

“I don’t like whisky,” she replied as she walked from the bathroom. She tucked her leg beneath her and sat on the sofa opposite him.

He gave an indifferent shrug. “I’d advise you change your mind.”

 

DRAGON FEVER Trailer:

Link: http://video214.com/play/0fBcqpOVPsSg0UK6vwh42w/s/dark

 

 

Dragon Fever - cover

A yearning that won’t be denied

Rachel Marek is a journalist with a plan. She intends to expose the truth about dragons to the world – and her target is within sight. Nothing matters but getting the truth, especially not the ruggedly handsome, roguishly thrilling Highlander who oozes danger and charm. And when she finds the truth that shatters her faith, she’ll have to trust her heart to the very man who can crush it…

A legend in the flesh

Suave, dashing Asher is more than just a man. He’s a Dragon King – a being who has roamed this planet since the beginning of time. With everything on the line, Asher must choose to trust an enemy in the form of an all too alluring woman whose tenacity and passion captivate him. Together, Asher and Rachel must fight for their lives – and their love – before an old enemy destroys them both…

 

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon AU

Download the Free Kindle App

 

 

 

Dragon Fever - RDL teaser 2

 

 

Donna Grant - headshotAbout Donna Grant:

Donna Grant is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the sizzling Dark King series featuring dragons, immortal Highlanders, and the Fae.

She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.

Despite deadlines and voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two children, four cats, and one long haired Chihuahua.

 

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp| DRAGON FEVER on Goodreads

 

 

Dragon Fever - Available Now

 

 

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The Angel’s Share by J.R. Ward….Book Excerpt and ARC reviews by Jilly & Courtney

The Angels’s Share releases TODAY!

TASC

Synopsis:

#1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward delivers the second novel in her Bourbon Kings series—a sweeping saga of a Southern dynasty struggling to maintain a façade of privilege and prosperity, while secrets and indiscretions threaten its very foundation…

In Charlemont, Kentucky, the Bradford family is the crème de la crème of high society—just like their exclusive brand of bourbon. And their complicated lives and vast estate are run by a discrete staff who inevitably become embroiled in their affairs. This is especially true now, when the apparent suicide of the family patriarch is starting to look more and more like murder…

No one is above suspicion—especially the eldest Bradford son, Edward. The bad blood between him and his father is known far and wide, and he is aware that he could be named a suspect. As the investigation into the death intensifies, he keeps himself busy at the bottom of a bottle—as well as with his former horse trainer’s daughter. Meanwhile, the family’s financial future lies in the perfectly manicured hands of a business rival, a woman who wants Edward all to herself.

Everything has consequences; everybody has secrets. And few can be trusted. Then, at the very brink of the family’s demise, someone thought lost to them forever returns to the fold. Maxwell Bradford has come home. But is he a savior…or the worst of all the sinners?

Jilly’s review:

The Angel’s Share is the second book in author J.R. Ward’s Bourbon Kings series and after becoming addicted to all the dysfunction and duplicity there is within this wealthy family’s walls with the first book, I was dying to get my hands on this next installment.  Boy oh boy, it was just as juicy as I dreamed it would be.

Things have reached a bit of a fevered pitch for the Bradford family and big decisions are going to have to be made in this book.  Life or death, love or loss, live in the past or move forward with the future kind of decisions.  My heart was breaking for more than a few members of the bourbon royalty and I was hoping at least two of them got some sort of resolution and a bit of happiness in their otherwise bleak existence. Of course, when it comes to millions of dollars being at stake, family secrets perilously close to being thrown into the public spotlight, and the possibility of even more loss than some have already suffered, you can bet that there will be no lengths people are willing to go to to keep all of it quiet.

Of course, all of this juicy drama is written by an author I have loved for years.  Ms. Ward’s writing is enchanting with rich description, multifaceted characters, and a complex and riveting plot that just gets better and better with each chapter.  I love each and every character and love that I have no idea what is coming next while reading.  The twists and turns within these pages are simply divine!

I also have to say, that the difference in writing between this series and Ms. Ward’s paranormal work is just so awesome.  Both have a very different feel and style to them and both are just as addictive.  Really, really well done.

Thank you, Ms. Ward, for another wonderful trip to Kentucky…I cannot wait to see what’s in store for this group next!

5LovesRLB

Five Loves

Courtney’s Review:

 

JR Ward does not let us down in the next installment of The Bourbon Kings.  And wow, I don’t even know where to begin or how to process all that I just read.  I am loving this series and just soaking it all up!!

Everyone expected this to be Edward’s book.  However, every character is given their own time in this book.  Bombs are dropped.  Unexpected people show up and well, lots of shit hits the fan.  Their are some growth in the characters and lots of maturing in this book.

And the unexpected plot twists everywhere just shake things up even more.  My jaw dropped open a few times and had me going, “Ok, didn’t see that coming.”  Ward’s writing draws you in and keeps you vested in the drama going on everywhere.

I love how Ward paints everything with her words.  Not just in the details of her descriptions of her characters and the atmosphere – but how quickly she can take you from thinking one thing, to thinking something completely opposite or on a new level altogether. 

I can’t wait to see where she takes the next book.  I have no idea where this story is going and I’m itching to see what happens to who next and what else Ward throws at us to throw us off our chartered path.

 5LovesRLB

FIVE LOVES

Excerpt:

Toyota trucks were not supposed to go seventy-five miles an hour. Especially when they were ten years old.

At least the driver was wide awake, even though it was four a.m.

Lizzie King had a death grip on the steering wheel, and her foot on the accelerator was actually catching floor as she headed for a rise in the highway.

She had woken up in her bed at her farmhouse alone. Ordinarily, that would have been the status quo, but not anymore, not now that Lane was back in her life. The wealthy playboy and the estate’s gardener had finally gotten their act together, love bonding two unlikelies closer and stronger than the molecules of a diamond.

And she was going to stand by him, no matter what the future held.

After all, it was so much easier to give up extraordinary wealth when you had never known it, never aspired to it—and especially when you had seen behind its glittering curtain to the sad, desolate desert on the far side of the glamour and prestige.

God, the stress Lane was under.

And so out of bed she had gotten. Down the creaking stairs she had gone. And all around her little house’s first floor she had wandered.

When Lizzie had looked outside, she’d discovered his car was missing, the Porsche he drove and parked beside the maple by her front porch nowhere to be seen. And as she had wondered why he had left without telling her, she had begun to worry.

Just a matter of nights since his father had killed himself, only a matter of days since William Baldwine’s body had been found on the far side of the Falls of the Ohio. And ever since then Lane’s face had had a faraway look, his mind churning always with the missing money, the divorce papers he had served on the rapacious Chantal, the status of the household bills, the precarious situation at the Bradford Bourbon Company, his brother Edward’s terrible physical condition, Miss Aurora’s illness.

But he hadn’t said a thing about any of it. His insomnia had been the only sign of the pressure, and that was what scared her. Lane always made an effort to be composed around her, asking her about her work in Easterly’s gardens, rubbing her bad shoulder, making her dinner, usually badly, but who cared. Ever since they had gotten the air cleared between them and had fully recommitted to their relationship, he had all but moved into her farmhouse—and as much as she loved having him with her, she had been waiting for the implosion to occur.

It would almost have been easier if he had been ranting and raving.

And now she feared that time had come—and some sixth sense made her terrified about where he had gone. Easterly, the Bradford Family Estate, was the first place she thought of. Or maybe the Old Site, where his family’s bourbon was still made and stored. Or perhaps Miss Aurora’s Baptist church?

Yes, Lizzie had tried him on his phone. And when the thing had rung on the table on his side of the bed, she hadn’t waited any longer after that. Clothes on. Keys in hand. Out to the truck.

No one else was on I-64 as she headed for the bridge to get across the river, and she kept the gas on even as she crested the hill and hit the decline to the river’s edge on the Indiana side. In response, her old truck picked up even more speed along with a death rattle that shook the wheel and the seat, but the damn Toyota was going to hold it together because she needed it to.

“Lane . . . where are you?”

God, all the times she had asked him how he was and he’d said, “Fine.” All those opportunities to talk that he hadn’t taken her up on. All the glances she’d shot him when he hadn’t been looking her way, all the time her monitoring for signs of cracking or strain. And yet there had been little to no emotion after that one moment they’d had together in the garden, that private, sacred moment when she had sought him out under the blooms of the fruit trees and told him that she’d gotten it wrong about him, that she had misjudged him, that she was prepared to make a pledge to him with the only thing she had: the deed to her farmhouse—which was exactly the kind of asset that could be sold to help pay for the lawyers’ fees as he fought to save his family.

Lane had held her, and told her he loved her—and refused her gift, explaining he was going to fix everything himself, that he was going to somehow find the stolen money, pay back the enormous debt, right the company, resurrect his family’s fortunes.

And she had believed him.

She still did.

But ever since then? He had been both as warm and closed off as a space heater, physically present and completely disengaged at the same time.

Lizzie did not blame him in the slightest.

It was strangely terrifying, however.

Off in the distance, across the river, Charlemont’s business district glowed and twinkled, a false, earthbound galaxy that was a lovely lie, and the bridge that connected the two shores was still lit up in spring green and bright pink for Derby, a preppy rainbow to that promised land. The good news was that there was no traffic, so as soon as Lizzie was on the other side, she could take the River Road exit off the highway, shoot north to Easterly’s hill, and see if his car was parked in front of the mansion.

Then she didn’t know what she was going to do.

The newly constructed bridge had three lanes going in both directions, the concrete median separating east from west tall and broad for safety purposes. There were rows of white lights down the middle, and everything was shiny, not just from the illumination, but a lack of exposure to the elements. Construction had only finished in March, and the first lines of traffic had made the crossing in early April, cutting rush-hour delays down—

Up ahead, parked in what was actually the “slow” lane, was a vehicle that her brain recognized before her eyes properly focused on it.

Lane’s Porsche. It was Lane’s—

Lizzie nailed the brake pedal harder than she’d been pounding the accelerator, and the truck made the transition from full-force forward to full-on stop with the grace of a sofa falling out a second-story window: Everything shuddered and shook, on the verge of structural disintegration, and worse, there was barely any change in velocity, as if her Toyota had worked too hard to gain the speed and wasn’t going to let the momentum go without a fight—

There was a figure on the edge of the bridge. On the very farthest edge of the bridge. On the lip of the bridge over the deadly drop.

“Lane,” she screamed. “Lane!”

Her truck went into a spin, pirouetting such that she had to wrench her head around to keep him in her sights. And she jumped out before the Toyota came to a full stop, leaving the gearshift in neutral, the engine running, the door open in her wake.

“Lane! No! Lane!”

Lizzie pounded across the pavement and surmounted barriers that seemed flimsy, too flimsy, given the distance down to the river.

Lane jerked his head around—

And lost one hold of the rail behind him.

As his grip slipped, shock registered on his face, a flash of surprise . . . that was immediately replaced by horror.

When he fell off into nothing but air.

Lizzie’s mouth could not open wide enough to release her scream.

 

 

Posted by arrangement with New American Library, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © J.R. Ward, 2016.

 

About the author:

JR Ward (dog) - Photo by Andrew HyslopJ.R. Ward is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with more than 15 million novels in print published in 25 different countries around the world. The books in her popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series have held the #1 spot on the New York Times hardcover, mass market, eBook, and combined print/eBook fiction bestseller lists and have debuted in the top 5 on the USA Today bestseller list. Prior to her writing career, Ward worked as a lawyer in Boston and spent many years as the Chief of Staff of one of Harvard’s world-renowned academic medical centers. Ward currently lives with her family in Kentucky where she has learned to enjoy and appreciate all things Southern. Connect with her online at www.jrward.com, Facebook.com/JRWardBooks, and Twitter.com/JRWard1.