Release Day Blitz…The Choices I’ve Made by J.L. Berg

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The Choices I’ve Made by J.L. Berg is LIVE!

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The Choices I’ve Made by J.L. Berg

Release Date: October 1st
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Death is easy.

Surviving it? That’s the hard part.

Dr. Jake Jameson knows this all too well. Losing his mother at the age of eighteen, he walks away from his small hometown and the painful memories it holds, vowing to never return again.

Twelve years later, he finds himself driving back down the coast of North Carolina. When his father leaves him a small medical practice, he has no choice but to heed the call until he can find someone else to take it off his hands.

But coming back home means facing everything he left behind, including the one woman who might make it impossible to leave again.

Molly McIntyre has spent her entire life in one town. Taking over her parents’ small inn, she’s settled into a quiet, happy life. But all of that comes to an abrupt halt when Jake shows up at her door in need of a place to stay.

Molly loathes everything about this man, but she can’t find it in her heart to refuse his request.

After over a decade, these former lovers quickly discover what once burned brightly between them has only grown in their time apart. Soon they must decide if the choices they’ve made have led them back to each other for a second chance or one final goodbye.

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Read Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2x3FDey

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2xS34Hf

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

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About the Author:

I’m a California native, who lives in the South – Virginia to be exact. I still prefer sushi to fried chicken, avocados to okra, and I absolutely loathe humidity. I do love watching the seasons change though. My husband and I have been here for over a decade, and I still get giddy like a school girl every time it snows. It’s magical!

I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and we’ve been blessed with two beautiful daughters and two rescue pups I like to call my “coworkers”. I’m obsessed with chocolate, minions, anything Harry Potter and I love to watch re-runs of Friends and Gilmore Girls!

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Connect with the Author:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjlberg

YouTube: http://bit.ly/2xdlYsu

http://jlberg.com

Touched by Mara White…Blog Tour & Review

 

 

 

 

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Does your sister let you touch her, Gemini?
-Barely, but, yes, more than anyone else. I remember even in preschool when the teacher would grab her hand, she’d stare at the spot where their skin connected as if it were an affront to her existence. Just stand there and glare like she wanted to hurt someone.
-Junipera suffers from a rare phobia.
-Please, what does June not suffer from?
-When did she start chasing storms?
-In third grade she started obsessing about the rain. Full blown? I’d say after hurricane Katrina she never looked back. And she didn’t just chase them, June became those wild storms.

Junipera and Gemini Jones, Irish twins born during the month of June, survive a childhood of neglect and poverty by looking out for one another. Destined for a group home, the girls are rescued by a rich aunt and uncle who move them from Northern Minnesota to Fairfield, Connecticut. One sister thrives while the other spins out of control. A violent assault leaves Gemini searching for clues, but what she finds might be questions that are better left unanswered.
Praise for Touched


“Fresh, raw, relevant. TOUCHED slips under your skin with lush prose, unforgettable characters, and a story like no other.”
        -Leylah Attar, New York Times best-selling author


“Hauntingly beautiful and downright emotional, White grabs you by the soul in her latest novel, Touched, and leaves an indelible mark.”
-K. Bromberg, New York Times best-selling author

“Mara White has crafted characters so real and complex, they live and bleed. Watching their story unfold was heartbreaking, beautiful, and riveting. Touched is stunning work.”
    -Nikki Sloane, Best-selling author of the Blindfold Club Series

“Touched is a truly beautiful book. It’s raw, real, and possessing of a quiet poetry.”
        -Emma Scott, Best-Selling author of the Full Tilt Duet

“I can confidently say, without a shred of doubt, that this story and these people will stay with me for the rest of my life. I bow down, Mara White. You wrote a category 5 masterpiece.”
-BB Easton, Bestselling Author

“A phenomenal, mesmerizing and unforgettable masterpiece!
This story blew me away! I cannot put into words how beautiful this story was! Absolutely astonishing! A must read!”
    -The Book Queen

“The writing is voracious and hungry and insatiable. Touched is a story that will devour you as you stuff your face with it. I’m not only touched, I’m digested. Just read it.”
    -Suanne Laqueur, Best-Selling author of the Fish Tales Series

Touched is a story that I will soon not forget. This is my first Mara White book and most definitely will not be my last. While I had some difficulty reading this book due to how it was written, I was still able to feel every bit of Mara’s writing.

This story is completely different from what I’ve read in the past. In all honesty, I think this may be my first women’s fiction book. I had no idea what to expected when I jumped into this book. The blurb doesn’t even come close to giving you the true depths of this book. It’s about so much more.

“God makes us each how we are, June. Unique, special, different from others. You touch people with your actions, with your heart. I can see that and I just met you.” 

Gemini and Juniper are Irish twins who grew up in poverty. But they made the most of what they had. Gem was the most resourceful of the two, making sure they both had what they needed to survive. June was the more free bird of two; nothing stopped her once she had heart and mind set on something. And these two were inseparable; they were dependent upon one another in order to survive. But Gem suffered from a phobia that caused her a lot of hindrances as they grew up – she didn’t like to be touched by anyone, aside from her sister. Until they met Alaric. These three formed a bond like no other – it was very unique bond too.

“The good Lord made us the way he intended us to be. There are no mistakes in His divine hands.”

There are so many important characters in this book, not just Gem, June and Alaric. Each characters plays significant role in their own way. But June really stood out to me. She was an enigma. How largely she lived without ever touching anyone but still touched them each in different ways, speaks volumes about her as a person.

“For a girl who didn’t touch people and refused all physical affection, June had discovered a beautiful strength hidden in her imperfections. If she wanted to let go, she simply had to grab hold as hard as she could.”

I know that my review may seem as vague as the blurb as to how truly deep this goes. It’s a book that you have to experience on your own. I will state that titles of each chapter will be a huge help in reading and understanding as you go along. Mara flips between past and present within the chapters and it sometimes got confusing, but you are able to figure out where she is going with her story. As I said, this is a book that I will not be soon forgetting.

 

 

Alaric

Alaric was used to being tossed off, so it didn’t surprise him or especially hurt his feelings when his grandfather passed him on to another group home. Three months had been enough for the old coot. Buyer’s remorse. Maybe driving him to school every day put him over the edge. He took the high road and took in the kid, but then soon realized it was a crazy idea. Too much of a responsibility. Besides, he hated people, let alone a grandson. Alaric was needy and Thorn didn’t do needy.
He did miss the room he’d quickly become attached to. He missed choices for breakfast and the hum of the loud refrigerator. He even kind of missed how his grandfather grunted instead of speaking full words, how he’d catch him studying his face like he was trying to decipher a code. Alaric knew he looked like his father, that the fact both pleased and aggravated his grandfather. A second chance the man didn’t ask for and obviously didn’t want.
Alaric realized he was slipping in his game. He shouldn’t have feelings for a bed or a ceiling after only a few weeks of staying in the same place. The trick was, he’d let himself think it was permanent and allowed himself to believe his home wasn’t going anywhere. Turned out he was half right—his home wasn’t going anywhere, but apparently, he was. Alaric reminded himself that nothing was permanent, change was the only guaranteed constant in life.
The other thing he missed were his nightly summer visits with Gem and June. Even though they pretended not to know each other at school, in the few months he’d been there, June and Gem had snuck over almost every night to watch the television in the garage. They shared snacks and laughs, secrets and intimate moments of fun. Although he’d never hung out with girls before, he’d imagined it would be boring, tedious and maybe even petty. How wrong he was, because Gem and June were electric, their curiosity was infectious, their fearlessness—almost troubling. He was, admittedly, a little bit scared of them. Especially June, whom he’d seen eat a bug, let a spider crawl down her turtleneck, poke a dead cat with a stick and turn it over so they could see the maggots, try a sip of beer from a can someone discarded on the curb, ride Freddy Bullet’s dirt bike down the dirt hill at full speed with her legs held out to the sides, hold her head under water in a bucket of freezing water, touch tongues with a teenager from the middle school who dared her to, drive her mother’s car to the other side of the street for alternate side parking. Phew! He would never challenge June to something he wasn’t readily willing to do. Because June would do it and leave him crying in the dust.
***
Junipera and Gemini turned ten and eleven in June. Alaric was ten in August. Midway through the year, Albert Thorn felt guilty about abandoning his grandson and came back to get him. Alaric was most excited about seeing his neighbors, Gem and June. He felt closer to them than he did his only living relative. Their reunion was spectacular. They smiled so hard their cheeks hurt, eyes dancing with the possibility of another summer spread out before them.
Life wasn’t easy, but they lived it fully and sometimes secretly. Fun was a reality they trusted much more than adults or rules or the surreal transformation that was growing up. If something appeared fun, it carried with it a truth that spoke directly to their hearts. A joke. A puddle to be splashed, a doorbell to be rung and ditched, sidewalk chalk to spell out pastel curse words, the pink heart dotting the I on the word shit, slides to slide upside down and two by two or three if they could fit, wrestling matches to reenact the ones they’d seen on TV—June could do full body slams until purple bruises appeared on her hip bones—they’d gossip and whisper stories from warm lips to ears, candy, costumes, screaming, running, laughing until tears or until June wet her pants. The magic of summer and having friends to share it with; they didn’t take it lightly and reveled in its bewitching yet innocent power.
Alaric would make videos that starred June and Gem. They didn’t reenact stories, he just documented their interactions, the two girls giggling and telling inside jokes, yelling at the television to egg on their favorite characters, fighting over seats or sticks or candy—Alaric found everything they did to be fascinating. He liked to zoom in close on both of their faces, record the flashes of expression and subtle eye movements that informed their unique communication. Once he filmed June outside dancing in the rain. He and Gem stayed in the shelter of the garage overhang while Junipera soaked her white nightgown all the way through. She threw her arms to the sides and spun in circles, tipped her head back and opened her mouth. Thunder crashed around them like the crack of a cosmic whip; purple lightning split through the dark sky making them both jump and cower. June was oblivious.
“Junipera, come back in. It’s dangerous and you’ll get sick,” Gem screamed at her sister.
Alaric panned to her face, which was twisted up in concern, then back out to June, who was laughing openly at the sky in some kind of trance-like rapture. Her feet were covered in mud up to her ankles, her nightgown soaked transparent and advertising her blue underwear. Gem could even see her navel. Greenish lightning zapped through the rapacious clouds and moments later, another clash of thunder shattered their ears. Gem and Alaric bumped shoulders as fear moved them involuntarily. The lightning lit her up in intervals like the glitz of a macabre disco. The vibration of the storm rumbled low in their bellies and when the thunder struck it shook the earth beneath them.
“June, I’m serious. Get back in here!” Gem screamed. Alaric filmed her face, concentrating on her brown eyes filled with panic. “What if she gets hit?” Gem asked him, her palms turned upward in defeat.
“Well, then she’d stop dancing for sure and you and I could go save her.”

 

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Mara White is a contemporary romance and erotica writer who laces forbidden love stories with hard issues, such as race, gender and inequality. She holds an Ivy League degree but has also worked in more strip clubs than even she can remember. She is not a former Mexican telenovela star contrary to what the tabloids might say, but she is a former ballerina and will always remain one in her heart. She lives in NYC with her husband and two children and yes, when she’s not writing you can find her on the playground.

 

Author Links

 

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Cover Reveal….The Plan by Ella James


 

The Plan by Ella James

Release Date: November 6th

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Designer: Letitia Hasser from RBA Designs

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36046927-the-plan

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

You’ve heard this story before. Woman feels her biological clock ticking and gets someone to knock her up.

Not for love, for baby.

Crazy, right?

That’s what I thought.

Then I found out my fiancé had a vasectomy. The life I thought I had? Nope. Suddenly I’m 33, and I don’t even have a kissing buddy.

When my mom’s health takes a turn and I wind up back in my hometown of Fate, Alabama, I tell myself to leave things up to…well, you know.

Then I see Gabriel McKellan. He’s Fate’s most famous son, a bestselling author who is beautiful, complicated, and living just below me. In addition to his plus-sized brain, Gabe’s well-endowed in other ways, and great in bed to boot. I would know. He’s my ex husband.

When I suggest The Plan, I don’t imagine that he’ll take the bait. It’s been ten years, and we don’t work. But Fate has other plans for both of us.

 

 

 

CONNECT WITH ELLA

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1530940.Ella_James

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2xJeJYt

Website: https://www.ellajamesbooks.com

Subscribe to Ella’s newsletter: https://www.ellajamesbooks.com/newsletter/

 

Death Dealers MC Book 5- Renascence by Alana Sapphire…Title/Blurb/Cover Reveal

Renascence (Death Dealers MC, Book 5) by Alana Sapphire

CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE or in the series order: Forbidden (Book 1), Tempted (Book 2), Claimed (Book 3), Deception (Book 3.5), Seduction (Book 4), Renascence (Book 5)

Genre: Erotic Romance/Suspense

Cover Designer: Clarise Tan (CT Cover Creations)

Photographer: Sara Eirew

Models: Nick Bennett and Josée Lanoue

 

Synopsis

Renascence (rēˈnasns)
The revival of something that has been dormant.

***EMILY***
I’m going to make all your fantasies come true.

If anyone could fulfill that promise, it’s Venom, the hot biker who made it. He’s crude, crass, and has a filthy mouth, but I’m drawn to him. After everything I’ve been through, the arrangement he offers seems to be exactly what I need. What I didn’t expect is for him to be the answer to my prayers, healing me in ways I never thought possible. He awakens something in me I thought long dead. Will he ever want more, or am I fooling myself by thinking he could settle for someone like me?

***VENOM***
I wanted Emily the moment I saw her.
All I could imagine was what I’d do to her if I got her in my bed. The more I get to know her, the more I see how deep her wounds are. She’s fragile. As much as I crave her body, bringing her into my world could break her, and not just emotionally.
I can’t let that happen.
I won’t.
Men like me don’t get a happily ever after. Emily is better off without me, and I pray she doesn’t learn that the hard way.

 

Goodreads

 

 

Pre-Order Link

SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE (increases on release day) – 99¢

Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2fQDBEj  
Amazon CA – http://amzn.to/2xd3aXA
Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/2fvANfv
Amazon AU – http://amzn.to/2fuPqiZ
Nook – http://bit.ly/VenomNook
Kobo – http://bit.ly/VenomKobo   
iBooks – http://bit.ly/5Venom

 

Giveaway

One of Five ARCs of Renascence by Alana Sapphire

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b1257f8d174/? 

 

Playlist

Direct Link: http://bit.ly/Venom5 

 

 

About the Author

Alana Sapphire has a great love for writing and music, and always finds a way to combine the two. Her books, though in various subcategories, are all in the Erotic Romance genre. Like a little suspense with your romance? So does Alana! Pick up one of her books and you’ll get romance, suspense, drama, and lots of sexy time. With books ranging from MC to paranormal, an Alana story is out there for you. Her characters are like old friends—near and dear to her heart—and she hopes for her readers to enjoy them as much as she does.

 

Connect with Alana

Newsletter – alanasapphire.com/newsletter
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/alanasapphire
Reader Group – www.facebook.com/groups/DealersClubhouse
Instagram – http://www.Instagram.com/Alana_Sapphire
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/alanasapphire
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/author/alanasapphire
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/alanasapphire

 

Reveal Me by Jennifer Probst….Blog Tour Stop

 

BOOK INFORMATION: 

REVEAL ME by Jennifer Probst is LIVE! You can read it for FREE on KindleUnlimited.

Grab it on Amazon: http://bit.ly/RevealMeAMZ

A Special Crossover Release with Laura Kaye’s Theirs to Take.

A New Book in Blasphemy Series:

Two Hot Fantasies. One Night at Blasphemy.

Blurb: 

What’s your secret desire for one perfect night?

Welcome to the mysterious FANTA-C agency where everything, and anything goes…

 REVEAL ME:

One Masquerade Ball.

One Chance to Reveal Secret Desires. 

One Fiery Encounter.

One Shot at Love.

Are you ready to reveal all?

A Man Who Knows What He Wants…

Leonardo Sinclair never expects to fall for the fierce yet vulnerable woman he meets at his friend’s masquerade party, or for her to disappear without a trace. When his cousins sign him up with the mysterious FANTA-C agency and he finds her back in his bed, this time Leo’s not about to let her go. But can he convince her she’s safe to reveal every hidden part of her soul before he loses her again?

A Woman Ready to Explore her Desires…

Scarlett Rose has never been tempted to explore her wilder side, but after years of being humiliated and emotionally abused by her ex, she’s finally ready to embrace her true self.  Safely hidden behind a mask, she attends a ball held in the famous Blasphemy club and meets a man who not only embraces, but demands her complete surrender. Once the mask is stripped away, will she be brave enough to trust him? Or will fear of reliving the past keep her from a whole new future?

 

 

CATCH ME (Steele Brothers series, #1)

Amazon: http://bit.ly/CatchMeAMZ

PLAY ME (Steele Brothers series, #2)

Amazon:  http://bit.ly/PlayMeAMZ

DARE ME (Steele Brothers series, #3)

Amazon: http://bit.ly/DareMeAMZ

BEG ME (Steele Brothers series, #4)

Amazon: http://bit.ly/BegMeAMZ

 

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

BIO:

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

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Website:  www.jenniferprobst.com
Facebook Fan Page:  https://www.facebook.com/jenniferprobst.authorpage
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/jenniferprobst
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2965489.Jennifer_Probst

Racer by Katy Evans…Release Day Blog Tour

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Racer by Katy Evans
Publication Date: September 28th, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Racer, an all-new standalone in the Real Series from New York Times bestselling author Katy Evans is LIVE!

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A bad boy with something to prove.

A woman with a mission.

The race of their lives.

The love of a lifetime.

I don’t think his parents expected him to live up to his name—Racer Tate—but once he felt the adrenaline rush behind the wheel, he was addicted.

He’s the fastest, fiercest driver around.

Scouting new talent brings me to his doorstep…

but his smile sends me to my knees.

The sexy, mysterious Racer Tate is not the kind of man a girl like me falls for. He’s secretive, reckless, elusive. But his proximity pushes me beyond reason, and his kiss….

This is our last chance to win, and he is our only hope. I’m supposed to watch him—make sure he doesn’t get into trouble. But it’s an impossible task. And now the one in heart wrenching, toe-curling, soul-crushing trouble is me. Because when your heart belongs to someone, their truths become your own, and their secrets become your salvation…or your curse.

He says he wants me. He says I’m the One. But he also thinks he’ll break my heart, one piece at a time until it’s gone.

Excerpt:

I’m still reeling. While people approach him, he cuts a path straight to me, his gaze penetrating and target-like; making me want to bolt.

His lips do that little upward tilt they do that seems so sexy, and for a second, I feel like I’m lightheaded.

I gulp, and then feel mad at myself for acting like some idiot as fucking devil-Racer Tate reaches me, throws himself into a seat next to me, and turns to look at me expectantly with the most gorgeous grin on his face.

I don’t know what to say.

This guy has left me sort of speechless.

“So … ” I say, staring in the distance at his beat-up mustang, then at him.

“So … ” he says too, in his deep voice, his smile a little more wicked than it was two seconds ago. He glances at my mouth.

Oh god.

Why am I licking my lips?

It only made his eyes narrow and darken.

I open my mouth to speak, failing to find words. He smells like sweat and soap and shampoo, and I feel my traitorous nipples push up to my top again. Why do they do that when he’s around?

“This is illegal,” I state.

His voice is husky from exertion, and his eyes glint with laughter. “That’s why it’s fun.”

I look away from his eyes, trying to focus and clear my head. He leans over and peers into my face, his face shadowed by the moonlight and his jaw now carrying a little scruff. “Are we in agreement?” he presses.

“No.” I glare and shake my head, meeting his cocky gaze. “You’re reckless, Racer.”

“So are you, Alana.”

“It’s just … Lana.”

His brows fly up in surprise. “And a bit of a liar too.”

I purse my lips, still glaring as my gaze goes back to his car. Girls are rubbing against it as if it were him, and I find it disgusting. Why are women always acting so slutty around race car drivers and bad boys?

“You crashed your car,” I say flippantly.

“You crashed my car,” he contradicts, amused.

I laugh, then scowl in his direction. “You crashed it more. I can’t believe you were making such a fuss about me crashing into you when it was just a little kiss—”

He leans in to peck my lips—fast but firmly. “That’s a kiss.”

I lose my breath.

My eyes wide.

He eases back, lips smiling as he comes to his feet and stretches his hand out to take me by the elbow and help me to my feet.

“Let’s get out of here.” He starts walking, leading the way.

“And go where?”

“Anywhere I can get my hands on you.”

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Read Today!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2vdmnsx

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/u6Afj4

iBooks: https://goo.gl/s1EHS7

Nook: https://goo.gl/zoTe8X

Kobo: https://goo.gl/WgX9oJ

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/JFvQ6D

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About the Author:

Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world.

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Connect with the Author:

Email: katyevansauthor@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorKatyEvans

Twitter @authorkatyevans

The Next Generation by S.C. Stephens…Release Day Blitz

S.C. Stephens’s THE NEXT GENERATION is available TODAY and paranormal lovers won’t want to miss this one! Read an excerpt below and pick up your copy today!

 

About THE NEXT GENERATION

Fitting in can be hard for anyone. But for Julian and Nika Adams, it’s especially challenging. Born as partial vampires, a rare offshoot of pureblood vampires, the twins have had to deceive people their entire lives—distancing themselves from their peers.

Nika desperately wants a hero, a soulmate, someone she can trust with every fibre of her soul—someone as amazing as her father. The boys at her high school aren’t impressing, but luckily for Nika, Hunter Evans has moved into the neighborhood.

Julian desperately wishes he could sever the empathic bond he has with his sister. While it was fun to experience each other’s emotions when they were kids, now that Julian finds himself pining for a girl he can’t have, sharing his feelings is the last thing he wants to do.

Add THE NEXT GENERATION to your Goodreads shelf here!

 

Get your copy of THE NEXT GENERATION now!

Amazon / iBooks / Kobo

 

 

Read an excerpt of THE NEXT GENERATION now:

My brother was normally a calm person, not easily ruffled or riled, but Russell was his exception. Consequences aside, Julian would fight him to the death in a bathroom, and drain him dry in an alley; he hated him to the core. And all because Russell was dating the woman Julian was infatuated with: Raquel Johnson.

Raquel was the girl Julian wouldn’t shut up about. They were lab partners for a semester last year, and had developed some sort of friendship during class. But while they talked on occasion, and Raquel seemed to like Julian well enough, Russell was the moon and stars in her eyes. And he treated her like dirt. It was all very tragic, and sometimes I wondered if Julian was only attracted to Raquel because he wanted to save her. He wanted to be her knight in shining armor, wanted to be a hero, like our father. Only problem in this situation was that Raquel didn’t seem to want a knight. Some damsels preferred being in distress.

Just when I was about to yell at Russell to leave already, he and his entourage finally backed away from the shower area. Julian’s body was still tight with anger as the sounds of Russell and his gang started to dissipate. When the heavy door to the locker room banged shut, Julian opened his mouth, exposing his fangs to the boys who were no longer there.

Annoyed, I put my hands on my hips and faced him. “What the hell were you thinking, Julie?”

Julian stepped away from the shower wall; his eyes were still firmly locked on the locker room exit. “You didn’t need to rush in here, Nick. I had everything under control.”

I wiped a smear of blood from his cheek. Holding my red finger in front of his gaze, so he’d concentrate on me and stop staring at the door, I murmured, “Yeah, I see that.”

He glanced at the blood and sighed. “Damn it.” Tenderly, he touched his fingers to his face; when he pulled them away, they were red.

I momentarily considered sucking the swath of his blood from my finger—the vampire in me growled in delight at the idea—but I easily ignored the desire. Grabbing Julian’s elbow, I pulled him to the sink.

Looking at the cut near his eye in the mirror, Julian grimaced. “Great.” His face contorting around his fangs, he asked, “How am I gonna explain this to Mom and Dad?”

Turning on the water, I let the cool stream wash away the yummy goodness that a part of me yearned for. “Well, since I’m still waiting for an explanation, why don’t you try out your excuse on me?”

Sliding his fangs back in, Julian shook his head; his pitch-black hair instantly reminded me of our father. Julian was right, Dad wasn’t going to like hearing about him fighting. “It was nothing,” he murmured, his expression sheepish. “Just Russell being a dick because I was talking to Raquel.”

Sighing, I moistened a paper towel so Julian could clean himself up. “Didn’t feel like nothing, Julie. It felt like…” Remembering his fear and panic, I bit my lip and handed him the towel. That had been a lot more than Julian just reacting to Russell being a jerk. That had been…primal.

As Julian took the towel, his light eyes silently begged me to not finish my statement. Knowing his feelings when he didn’t want me to know them felt intrusive, so I decided to respect his reluctance as much as I could. “It just…felt like something,” I told him.

Julian hissed in a breath as he dabbed the towel against his cut. Unfortunately, since we were living vampires, Julian and I didn’t have the fast-healing ability that our undead family members had. Julian’s wounds would have to close the old-fashioned way. “I was just having a…moment,” he whispered, glancing at me in the mirror.

With sympathy in my heart, I nodded at his reflection. Julian’s panic attacks had subsided over the years, but they crept up now and again if he was put in the right circumstances. Dealing with Russell must have put him over the edge.

I said nothing more about it as Julian wiped away the bloody evidence from his face. I could feel the lingering bumps and bruises Julian felt, shared the ache stinging his cheek. Pain wasn’t necessarily an emotion, but our bodies processed it as such. Ever since birth, I had known when Julian was hurting, physically and emotionally. My long, lean limbs felt fine, but I was aware of his injuries, and was going to be aware of them for the next several days while he healed. Yeah, double-edged sword.

 

 

About S.C. Stephens

S.C. Stephens is a bestselling author who enjoys spending every free moment she has creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance.

Her debut novel, Thoughtless, an angst-filled love triangle charged with insurmountable passion and the unforgettable Kellan Kyle, took the literary world by storm. Amazed and surprised by the response to the release of Thoughtless in 2009, more stories were quick to follow. Stephens has been writing nonstop ever since.

In addition to writing, Stephens enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading fabulous novels, loading up her iPod with writer’s block reducing music, heading out the movies and spending quality time with her friends and family. She currently resides in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her two equally beautiful children.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads

 

Hot Stuff by Kim Karr…Release Blitz with review

 

Title: Hot Stuff
Author: Kim Karr
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 27, 2017
Blurb
Get ready to fall in love with this new standalone sports romance from New York Times bestselling
author Kim Karr. 
He’s the newly drafted
quarterback.
Hot. Arrogant. Too
sexy for words. 
Ready to score.
I’m an athletic
intern, and the coach’s daughter.
Driven. Determined.
Prepared to conquer the world.
Completely off-limits.
You get the picture.
The NFL is full of
rules. Rules I’ve never broken. Never challenged. Never even scratched—until
the day Lucas Carrington crashes into my life with his hard body and
I-don’t-give-a-f*ck attitude.
After I almost
injure my father’s star player, I volunteer to make sure he’s in top
shape. At first, it’s hell. I don’t like his cockiness, his easy smile. Don’t
like the way he oozes sex. Or how his penetrating eyes follow me
everywhere. 
That doesn’t stop me
from wanting him.
He’s meant to be a
distraction—something to occupy my mind for these precious few remaining hot
summer nights before I’m forced to leave football behind forever.
I know what we’re
doing will lead nowhere good. I know we’re crossing the line. And I know my
father will never understand.
None of that
matters.
But maybe it should.
Rules aren’t meant
to be broken.          
Or are they?

 

 

Purchase Links
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Trailer

 

Excerpt
Disappointed, she unwrapped her arms from her body, and then
pivoted on her toe in the direction of the open door. “Then it looks like we
have nothing further to discuss, Lucas.”
I reached for her and tugged her to me. “I don’t want to
want you,” I breathed, my mouth hovering just centimeters from hers.
Gillian tried to pull away, but not whole-heartedly. If she
wanted me to let her go, I would have, but I knew she didn’t. “Then stop,” she
sighed.
I took her face in my hands. “I can’t. I don’t know how to.”
“Neither do I,” she whispered.
Unable to stop myself, I crashed my lips to hers and drove
my tongue into her mouth to retrace every inch that I had explored days ago.

Kim Karr, did you just make me want to watch football? Yes, yes you did! Hot Stuff is a mix of forbidden fruit and cocky athlete behavior that works amazingly well together. Lucas is the new quarterback on the Chicago Bears and he has something to prove. He must wipe away his bad attitude and most importantly seek the approval of his coach who has banked on him to carry them to the Superbowl. The only problem is he falls for the coach’s daughter, Gillian. Gillian is equally a great character as well. She is smart, funny and can hold her own (which I loved).

As Lucas and Gillian start to fall for each other it becomes harder to keep their relationship hidden from everyone. I am telling you I never got to the point where I was like “for the love, just get it out there already”. Kim Karr not only held my attention the whole time but also made me fall in love with the story of Lucas and Gillian. I love when an author knows when to pick up the pace of a story or slow it down. I cannot wait to see if we read more about the rest of the team hint-hint Kim lol

Also Available
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
Reader * Chocolate Lover * Writer * Coffee Lover * Romantic
* Beach Lover * Yoga Beginner
Kim Karr is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of eighteen
novels. Best known for writing sexy contemporary love stories, she enjoys
bringing flawed characters to life.Her romances are raw, real, and explosive.
Her characters will make you laugh, make you cry, make you feel.
And her happily-ever-afters are always swoon worthy.From the brooding rock star to the arrogant millionaire. From the witty
damsel-in-distress to the sassy high-powered business woman. No two storylines
are ever alike.

Get ready to fall in love.

Author Links

Cover Reveals…Imperfect Love Kindle World

We have the covers for the next installment of the IMPERFECT LOVE KINDLE WORLD from Kendall Ryan & Guest!! All new novellas coming October 17!

 

 

Not Her – Julia Bright

Jason Delany Baxter-Scott…the fifth. What a terrible name to have to live up to. There is no question in his mind that he’ll never live up to his parents’ expectations. Baxter, as he is known to his friends, is trying, but when his fiancée dumps him, he has less than an hour to find someone to stand in to meet his demanding mother and father. He knew Heather in college, and she recently sent a note, saying she’d moved to New York. It was a dick move, but he invited her for drinks, only to introduce her to his parents as his fiancée.

Heather is still the same free-spirited woman who challenged him to be his own man in California. She’s nothing like the women his parents’ think he should marry, and that makes her forbidden fruit. He admires her for standing up for herself and never backing down. She’s got spunk and a whole lot more that turns him on and leaves him wanting.

Heather Burke doesn’t put up with BS. She’s worked hard to develop a clothing line that sells in her own high-end boutiques. Her style may be quirky, but she’s business savvy and worldly. When Baxter contacts her, she’s in for a drink or two, but when she arrives, and his parents think she’s the fiancée, the night is turned on its end. Baxter told her story after story about how horrible his parents were so she can’t abandon him, but going along in this ruse may just be the end of her.

Back in California, she lost her heart to Baxter, and this fake fiancée stuff may just take her mind too. When he’s not bowing to his parents’ pressure, Baxter is a decent guy, someone she could see herself with for the rest of her life. She just has to convince Baxter he doesn’t need their approval to be a good man.

When the stakes get high, they both are challenged. Can Heather walk away from Baxter, or will she stay and teach him to fight for himself?

 

 

ARRANGED by FiFi Flowers

Ireland Dumont loved her life—single with not a care in the world, running her own online concierge company. On the edge of ultimate success, her parents stepped in and arranged a proper groom for her to marry. Giving over to their request, she heads to Vegas to celebrate her last days of freedom.

Meeting a handsome stranger was not on her agenda.

Accepting his marriage proposal was the perfect addendum to her agenda.

Jensen Callum needed a wife for his new business venture with a company that prided themselves on being a family-owned operation. His old playboy status was about to be nipped in the bud by his parents when he returned home from his business trip to an arranged marriage of their doing.

What will happen when Ireland and Jensen’s families find out that they arranged their own marriage venture that wasn’t in the grand scheme of things?

 

 

HOSTILE FAKEOVER by Cary Hart

Up-and-coming artist Bianca Black has her eyes set on one thing, and one thing only: Transforming her late grandmother’s building into the gallery of her dreams. All is going according to plan until legal issues arise and a sexy-as-hell club owner gets in her way. Losing the building could leave her homeless, bringing a whole new meaning to starving artist.

Entrepreneur Ford Phillips, always gets what he wants and this time won’t be any different. He has spent years trying to buy the old, run-down building nestled between the high rises of Manhattan. Just when he thinks it’s within his reach, he finds himself in for way more than he bargained for.

Bianca and Ford must call a truce in an attempt to “fake it ’til you make it.” Can these two keep things amicable or will this Fakeover turn Hostile?

 

 

 

Liar By Stephanie St. Klaire

Fake it until you make it. That was the mantra Cori Dash chanted as she chased a big city dream. The more you tell people you’re on top of the world, the more they believe it – just like they believed the embellished image she sold them with her knock off designer facade. It wasn’t lying if the truth stood somewhere in the middle – and she didn’t get caught.

Dominic Blackthorne owned half of that big city…and a reputation. Rather than dispel rumors or show the world the real Nick, he let his own fake image run free. Until Cori Dash – the only person who told him exactly how it was, even if it stung.

When Cori is faced with her ex-fiance, now engaged to her ex-best friend, it’s game on. In her boldest move yet, she concocts her biggest lie to date by introducing the first handsome stranger that walks by as her new fiancé. Happy to play the part, Nick is already planning the fake wedding of her dreams.

You know what they say about lying – the truth always comes out – and it hurts. Especially when Cori finds out she isn’t the biggest Liar in this game, and she’s been out played.

 

 

Operation Girl Next Door by

Trevor Myers knows how to make it big in the business world: a charming smile, connections, and balls-to-the-wall fearlessness. The master of all three, a partnership with his firm is all but in the bag. That is, until his boss dangles it over him, and three coworkers, like a prize on a game show. Trevor will do whatever it takes to lock in what is rightfully his, even if it means calling in a doozy of a favor from his best friend.

Piper Bradley is on the precipice of making a career-altering decision to expand her dancewear line. Agonizing over the decision, Piper decides to take a trip to clear her head, only to have her brother hamper her plans when he calls her to return a favor for his best friend…Trevor Myers. Owing Trevor for escorting her to her senior prom years earlier, she reluctantly agrees to play his girlfriend for the weekend.

Trevor expects a grownup version of the shy girl toting a sketchpad, not this drop-dead, gorgeous woman who leaves him tongue tied.

Piper decides it’s time to exorcise her long-simmering feelings, once and for all.

Trevor fights the battle waged between his playboy lifestyle and the elemental pull of the girl next door.

 

 

Pillow Talk – Brittany Holland

They say you can’t buy love.

But he did… he just doesn’t know it yet.

Falling for him was never part of the arrangement.

Neither was sharing his bed.

But I did both.

 

 

 

SCANDAL – Molly McLain

Azalea Herron, CEO of Herron Publishing.

For ten years, I’ve worked my ass off with that title in mind. I’ve given up everything a normal twenty-something woman should have…just to make my father proud. Now he wants to hand my dream over to someone else? So I can live the life I willingly gave up? Uh, excuse me, but shouldn’t that be my decision?

Unfortunately, Daddy doesn’t see it that way, and I’ve come too far to walk away without a fight. Tavi Maragos is my Plan B. Heck, he’s my only plan, even though his international playboy ways and notorious sexcapades end up in the tabloids as often as the Kardashians. I don’t want his help, but I need it. I need him.

Or I risk losing everything all over again.

 

 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Mira Gibson

American heartthrob and notorious bad boy, Zach Canning has gone and made the error of all Hollywood errors. No, it wasn’t sticking his foot in his mouth during an interview again, banging an almost underage fan, or even disappearing on another cocaine-and-booze addled bender. It was far, far worse, and now his TV show renewal contract hinges upon his ability to convince his fan base, the Christian Network, and America at large that he’s just as wholesome as his #Blessed character.

Jesus Christ, how?

Enter Abby Gallagher. As Irish-Catholic as they come, complete with flaming auburn hair and a cross dangling from her necklace, her image is perfect. She’s guarding one hell of a secret, however—she’s a virgin and saving herself for marriage.

When Zach’s publicist approaches her with the most unbelievable proposition—to dispel rumors surrounding the famous actor one sexy date at a time—Abby is more than intrigued. She’s been a fan of his show and has watched religiously… admittedly, a guilty pleasure.

What other guilty pleasures could he give her???

But the secret contract she’s presented with not only states she must pose as his girlfriend in the public eye while the paparazzi follow their every move. She must also elope with Zach in two weeks! Non-negotiable, legally binding, with a corresponding gag-order in place and no guarantee of true love…

Can she go through with it? Will she choose a thrill ride instead of love? What if she could have both with the same man?

 

LOST IN YOU by Nicole Morgan

When Natalie’s brother comes to town with his new fiancé, Carmen in tow, all she can think about is getting to know the woman who finally got her brother to settle down. As she spends time bonding with her, Natalie finds herself increasingly distracted by her brother’s other guest, Dallas.

Dallas McQuaid hadn’t been one who cared too much about family dinners or grand gestures of love bestowed on one another. His own upbringing and dysfunctional family had tainted him of any such fairytales. That was until he’d been introduced to the Owen’s family.

As days tick by Natalie and Dallas find an attractive growing that neither of them is able to ignore. Despite their chemistry, Dallas does his best to push aside his feelings for Natalie. Being the fireball that she is though, Natalie isn’t about to give up until she has their stubborn house guest exactly where she wants him.

 

Man Down by Krista Ames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ THE BOOK WHERE THE WORLD BEGINS!

Marry the girl I’ve had a crush on my whole life? Check.

Inherit a hundred-billion-dollar company? Check.

Produce an heir… Wait, what?

I have ninety days to knock up my brand-new fake wife. There’s only one problem—she hates my guts.

And in the fine print of the contract? The requirement that we produce an heir.

She can’t stand to be in the same room with me. Says she’ll never be in my bed. But I’ve never backed down from a challenge and I’m not about to start now.

Mark my words—I’ll have her begging for me, and it won’t take ninety days.

Amazon | Amazon UK | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

 

 

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

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

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Night’s Caress by Mary Hughes…Release Tour

Night’s Caress by Mary Hughes

    Author Mary Hughes’ newest release NIGHT’S CARESS is book one in The Ancients series. Brie Lark has given up her hometown and vampires.  Too bad the FBI just teamed her with the perfect male specimen, special agent and ancient vampire, Seb Rikare.   Grab your copy of NIGHT’S CARESS and add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get an EXCLUSIVE sneak peek at NIGHT’S CARESS and to enter the giveaway for a Kindle Fire!    

Title: Night’s Caress

Author: Mary Hughes

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: September 25, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Series: The Ancients

Page Count: 288 pages

Format: Digitial

ASIN: B074DZH8YK

ISBN-13: 9781640633360

 

Synopsis:

In this small town, nothing is as it seems…   When artist Brie Lark left her vampire ex and her straitjacket of a hometown to breathe free in New York City, she promised herself two things: she’d never go back to Meiers Corner, and no more vampires. The last thing she expected—or wanted—was to be sent back home on an assignment. But her boss at the FBI needs her undercover on a murder case, working with a black-haired, black-eyed giant god of a man who’s her idea of perfection, except for one thing—he’s a vampire. FBI Special Agent Seb Rikare is an ancient vampire hardened by loss. He’s cut all emotions to protect himself and leads a deliberately steady, almost sterile life. The brash young woman forced to pose as his lover irritates him, with her jangling bracelets and colorful hair. But as much as she irritates him, he finds himself drawn to her lively spirit and he’s tempted to make fantasy a reality.

Pre-order at:  

 

Amazon → http://amzn.to/2xeLexA

B&N → http://bit.ly/2wTFtVL

iBooks → http://apple.co/2ePpZrL

Kobo → http://bit.ly/2wSXtzd

Google Play http://bit.ly/2wjslWc

 

Enter to win a Kindle Fire from Mary Hughes!

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29427/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Night’s Caress Excerpt Copyright © 2017 Mary Hughes

 Excerpt:

I was intensely aware I was alone in a bedroom with Seb Rikare. My whole body clenched. His eyes changed. Heated. Darkened. I swallowed hard. My heart started to beat faster. What would it be like to caress the silky-looking skin of his face? Nibble that honed jaw? Touch my mouth to those perfect, masculine lips? All I had to do was take a few short steps to find out. I took one without even knowing it. His nostrils flared and he drew in an excited breath. He wants me, too. At the thought, my belly thrilled and my heart thumped hard. He’d touch me in return. Hold me secure in his strong arms. Cup my face in his big hands, press his lips to mine, communicating his need in a passionate kiss. I took another step toward him. He took a single, unconscious step toward me. Oh, yeah. In that moment, I wanted to play with fire. Sure, Derek had me under his spell within weeks. Seb, as strong and handsome as he was, could no doubt do it in days. But just once wouldn’t hurt, right? I wanted to, so badly. Couldn’t I touch him once, to see if his skin was silk or cream? Nibble his jaw, to test how honed it was? Taste his mouth, to satisfy the curiosity burning in my body? Just a taste. Somehow, while I argued with myself, my curious feet had brought me to stand before him. He gazed down at me. At nearly six feet myself, I was usually the one looking down. Even with me in heels, he was over half a foot taller. The novel experience sent another thrill through me. I made a small noise, like a whimper. His black eyes lit with fire, a hunger so primal I could see it burning in his gaze. His hands rose. Slowly, so I could have stopped him, he cupped my face in both his hands. My whole face. Damn, the man had big hands. He bent closer, his intent clear. He was going to kiss me.    

Other Books by Mary Hughes 

BITE MY FIRE  http://amzn.to/2wleuUl

CIN WIKKID  http://amzn.to/2y6C2bV

 

About Mary Hughes

Mary Hughes writes steamy paranormal romances and wickedly fun romantic adventures, stories that crackle with action and love. Challenging, smart alpha men—and women not afraid of a challenge. Oh, do the sparks fly when he meets THE woman guaranteed to infuriate and inflame him most. In real life she’s an author, a spouse and mother, a flutist, a computer geek, and a binge-TV-watcher of The Flash, Elementary, NCIS, and Wynonna Earp. Connect with Mary: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter | Bookbub

Too Beautiful To Break by Tessa Bailey…Release Week Event with Giveaway & Review

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK by Tessa Bailey 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK

Author: Tessa Bailey

Series: Romancing The Clarksons, #4

On Sale: September 26, 2017

Publisher: Forever

Mass Market: $7.99 USD

eBook: $5.99 USD

Add to Goodreads

 

A love of a lifetime . . .

Leaving Belmont Clarkson is the hardest thing Sage Alexander has ever done. From the moment they met, she knew Belmont was the one, and getting up close and personal with him on his family’s epic road trip has taken her desire to a new, even hotter level. But there’s no way she can go there—not without revealing secrets that could devastate them both.

Losing Sage is not an option. Belmont’s heart is hers, has always been hers. He knows she’s hiding something from him, but nothing will stand in his way of telling her just how much she means to him. Finding her is easy—saving her from her past could cost him everything.

 

BUY THE BOOK HERE

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My Review:

Too Beautiful To Break is the fourth, and sadly last, book in author Tessa Bailey’s Meeting The Clarksons series and highlights a couple we’ve seen throughout the whole series, but knew very little about.  A couple comprised of a serious, handsome, thoughtful, broody Belmont and the beautiful, sweet, kind Sage.  The connection they shared was always in the shadows and we didn’t really know the exact dynamic between them…until now. And now that I’ve finished this story I can tell you all the build up was so worth the wait.  Oh, how I love this couple so.

If you want a little backstory on the Clarksons as  whole, I’m going to direct you here because frankly I can’t wait to gush over Belmont and Sage…

Belmont, from the very beginning, has been the stoic older brother with a protective streak a mile long and a soft heart as big as Texas.  We got to see glimpses of those traits throughout the series, but he always remained a mystery.  His childhood was shaped around one nightmarish incident that, in a way, made him the man he is today.  He was a great big teddy bear who maybe didn’t smile of laugh a lot, but a man you loved regardless.  He was also a man you just knew loved Sage Alexander, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud just yet, you knew the special kind of connection and tension between them would spill over into much more than a few stolen quiet moments together.

What’s not to love about Sage Alexander? She’s kind and beautiful and has a soft grace about her that practically jumped off the pages.  They were mismatched in so many ways, but so well matched in the most important of ways.

So, when these to are thrown into a situation where they can’t deny what they feel for each other any longer, I knew I was in for an emotional ride. And oh boy, I think I cried through the entire second half of this book.

One of the things I loved most about Belmont and Sage was they were both pretty innocent when it came to relationships and handling emotions.  So seeing them experience a lot of things that come with first love was rather refreshing and a bit unexpected.  It really brought another layer to their story that made their bond that much more special and strong.  It also made me need almost a whole box of tissues.

The road they must travel down is way more than just a rough one.  Both of the have to battle childhood demons that they’ve been pushing aside for far too long but they do it….together. Man, is it something special to read.

Now, some of you may know that when Tessa first thought of this series, I was beyond excited.  It was a series unlike anything out there, and still is.  What you may not know is that we were at dinner when she told me it was going to come to fruition; I totally started crying right there in the restaurant.  What you also may not know is on another occasion I forced her to tell me how Belmont’s story would play out.  You can imagine I cried again.  But what she managed to put down on paper, and into the words of this book, far surpassed anything I could have dreamed for.  It was the most sublime of stories and while I am so freaking sad the series has come to an end, there is no better way to have it ended with these two.  And yes, I’m crying again…

Thank you, Tessa, for giving us not only the whole Clarkson gang, but the loves they’ve found on their journey and for taking us along for the ride.

Five Loves

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK excerpt:

“You don’t have to leave right away,” Sage said when Belmont turned, watching her from beneath his eyebrows. “Can you wait here while I take a quick shower?”

Maybe that hadn’t been the right thing to say. His big back heaved and the touch of his tongue in her mouth came crashing in like a behemoth wave. They had crossed an unspoken boundary on the train platform. There was no going back to before, to when they stopped at rough, crushing embraces. As if that hadn’t been…more than sexual somehow.

“Yes, I’ll wait,” he said, his voice sounding like serrated metal. “I can light the fire for you.”

I’ll say. God, why did everything sound like an innuendo now? If her body weren’t flush and sweating beneath the jumpsuit, she would have laughed about it. But there was nothing funny about having Belmont looming mere yards away, looking like one word of encouragement would snap his chain and send him barreling toward her. “That would be perfect. I’ll just be…a few minutes.”

Sage all but dove into the itty-bitty bathroom, pressing her back up against the door and willing her racing heart to calm down. Why had she asked him to stay? Her resolve would weaken with every passing second. Biting down on her lower lip, she began the excruciating task of lowering the zipper of her jumpsuit, which kicked up a protest in her triceps and shoulder muscles. When she finally got it down, she gripped the hem of her T-shirt and attempted to lift it over her head.

Her arms wouldn’t cooperate. They flat out wouldn’t rise any higher than her ribs, leaving the T-shirt suspended in midair. Her muscles burned like someone had doused them in lighter fluid and held them above a flame. Sage’s agony must have escaped in the form of a whimper, because Belmont’s boots scraped just outside the door. And her stomach hollowed with awareness, lightning racing all over her skin.

“Sage.” His voice was deep, urgent. “Do you need help?”

No. Say no. She’d only gotten finished reminding him she didn’t need him. But in this case, it would be a lie and she’d done so much of that lately. With Belmont. The most truthful person she knew. “I can’t get my shirt off.” Her nose started to ache, the tip probably turning red. “My arms hurt.”

His growl was short and broken. A beat passed before the door opened and she felt Belmont filling the doorway behind her. She flicked a glance up to the ancient mirror and confirmed what she’d seen in her mind’s eyes. Belmont towering over her like an avenging angel, outlined by candlelight. He’d taken off his coat, leaving him in a black long-sleeved shirt, which he’d rolled up to the elbows. Every inch of visible skin was shot through with strained cords of muscle, as if his frustration were written on him like a road map.

Sage still had the shirt halfway lifted, so her lower back was visible. Not a big deal to most people. But Belmont had never seen anything below her neck. Or above her knees. With the jumpsuit peeled halfway down, the band of her underwear might even be peeking out.

Breathing grew difficult as Belmont took one step closer and took hold of the T-shirt, his knuckles grazing the small of her back. “You’re wearing”—his breath ghosted down her neck—“my shirt.”

Sage only realized she’d closed her eyes when they popped open. Oh God. In the shock of Belmont arriving, she’d forgotten. “I am?” Her mouth was parched. “L-look at that.”

“I am looking.” She jumped when Belmont reached over her shoulder with his left hand and turned on the shower, the sound of spray filling the room. Then the roughness of his knuckles returned, sliding up her spine along with the shirt. “I like knowing there was a layer of me standing between you and the earth.”

Her legs took on the consistency of Jell-O. His touch was a drug, making her languid, although it was different than the way he usually touched her. There was sex this time. So much of it. And it was that major difference that allowed Sage to accept the skimming of his fingers. Accept the part of herself that lusted. They were in a dark room and time had surely suspended anywhere outside this little plot of square footage. Words ached to leave her mouth, words that wouldn’t be suitable in the sunlight. This man, so warm and brave and large at her back, knew things about her no one else did. What was one more secret? “I stole it out of your suitcase. I broke a commandment and everything.”

“Why?” He breathed into her hair, sinking heat like an anchor in her belly. The shirt came off, her arms dropped to her sides, and she was left in nothing but a bra from the waist up. Inches from Belmont. “Why, sweetest girl?”

A light steam had begun curling in the air like beckoning fingers. Maybe this is a dream. It felt like one of the fevered fantasies she woke from on occasion, sweat slicking her breasts and neck. “Because I like the way you smell and it hadn’t been washed.”

His exhale was gravelly. “Sage.

“Yes.”

She thought he might not respond, but finally he asked a question that made her nipples turn to hard points. “Can you manage”—a long, windy inhale—“the bra?”

Sage tried. She really, truly did. Her arms felt as though they might break off and hit the floor, but she reached back until her muscles locked up, refusing to move farther. But Belmont was already there, pushing them back down, holding them at her hips.

Jesus. Please, stop. I can’t watch it.” His touch disappeared only for a second and then the cotton material of the bra tightened over her breasts. She could feel him working the back clasp with fingers she knew so well. They’d tunneled through her hair so many times, twisted in her clothing, but had never, ever, touched her with any kind of…intent. Intent to seduce. And that’s what he was doing, intentional or not. The inhibitions she’d held close forever, circled the drain, along with the shower water. “Your back is so beautiful.” A ghost of a fingertip traced down her spine. “But I need to leave before I—”

“What?”

“Before I turn you around.” They weren’t touching, but she could sense the shudder that ran through him. “Or look in that mirror.”

Right or wrong, the mine, their codependency aside, Sage knew if she let him leave just then, she would regret it for all time. Her body had been woken up. By one man. He’d kept her on the razor’s edge for thousands of miles, surrounding her with his power and taking it away. Over and over. And this fever wrapping around them in the tiny bathroom was completely different from easing his anxiety. Finally, she felt like a woman standing in front of him, instead of a calming device. This was mutual and alive and she couldn’t stand it to end. Tomorrow might be a different story, but this moment was the culmination of a thousand dreams and she could no more deny herself than she could forget his face.

“Belmont, do you think of the kiss?”

I never stop,” he groaned into her hair. “Never.”

She took a deep breath for courage. “Will you shower with me?”

 

 

THE ROMANCING THE CLARKSONS SERIES

TOO HOT TO HANDLE, #1

TOO WILD TO TAME, #2

TOO HARD TO FORGET, #3

TOO CLOSE TO CALL, #3.5

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK, #4

Series Page on Goodreads

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.  

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