Quiet Lies by R.L. Griffin…Release Blitz & Review

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QL-Cover-GoodreadsI was broken before I met Sebastian Pryor, but he decimated me. I swept the ashes of myself into a pile that I kept safe for thirteen years. Believe me it wasn’t pretty, oh but people thought we were perfect. I hate myself most days. I hate that I feel for him as much as I loathe who I’ve become with him. This story is hard to hear. You know what the worst part is? You’ll see part of you in me. You’ll hate that. You won’t tell anyone.

My story is about cracks. A description or telling of how cracks in a marriage, a life, a personality, a heart and a mind begin and continue for years without anyone knowing. You don’t always see what causes the fissure, but you feel it. Can you remember who you were before all of this started, before your life became a jumble of deceit, longing and regret?

This book isn’t for anyone who needs a happily ever after.

This book isn’t for anyone who needs a fun time out from their life.

This book isn’t for anyone, but me.

This is my story. I won’t apologize for it.

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review

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book – thank you R.L. And I really enjoyed this story.

Rebecca’s story is one that will make you think and look at things in a different light once you finish it. You will find yourself analyzing things a bit more and questioning people’s actions more. Because her story is real, raw and gripping.

“The funny thing about eating things your body can’t process is it eventually comes out, ripping you apart in the process.”

Rebecca and Sebastian had the perfect life – at least on the outside they did. Rebecca was the perfect puppet but the kicker was she knew it! This story will make you see what she went through and why she endured it. It’s not pretty. It’s effed up in so many ways, you can’t fathom any of it.

I won’t give any details or specifics because one piece will take away from the whole book. Everything part of this book falls into the next part – everything is pieced together perfectly. I have mixed feelings on Rebecca – she is strong yet at the same time she is weak. Sebastian – I absolutely loathe this man – I have not ounce of any compassion towards him.

“My body is not my own. My mind belongs to someone else. I don’t know hot to get them both back.”

R.L. wrote a magnificent story that will touch everyone. It will open your eyes. It will move you in some way. My only teeny, tiny gripe is parts of the middle dragged on a bit for me but overall, I loved the flow of the book. I loved how we are given the present and then flipped to the past to things she remembers – not just pivotal points in her life but gives you a better understanding of her life.

This book will captivate you. It’s a story about love, betrayal, deceit. Just when you think you know everything, another bomb is dropped adding a whole new twist to the story. Everything is not what it seems.

A hauntingly beautiful story.

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November 3 Teaser

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Author PhotoR.L. Griffin published her first book in 2004. After that she focused on practicing law. A few years ago she began writing the By A Thread series, which is out now. Her goal is to keep readers on their toes, whether it’s the plot twist or the book itself, her books are outside any box. There is a little bit of grit in most of her books and a ton of cussing. Most books are enjoyed better with a glass of wine, or whiskey, whatever your poison may be.
She lives in Atlanta with her husband, kid and dogs. She loves to travel and meet readers.

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Deep by Skye Warren….Cover Reveal

 

 

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Photographer: FuriousFotog

Model: Shane Williams

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Dark. Powerful. Dangerous.

Philip Mason has all of Chicago under his thumb. Except me.

We met in a perfect storm of violence and lust. He saved me and then disappeared from my life. Now I pretend I never knew that kind of darkness. I focus on midterms and campus parties, as if they can wipe the slate clean.

Then he turns up outside my dorm room—wounded and barely conscious. He’s the head of a crime syndicate, a powerful man, but he needs me now. There are traitors in his midst.

I can help him, but I can’t fall for him.

Not again.

 

 

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Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dark romance such as Wanderlust and Prisoner. Praised as a “true mistress of dark erotica”, her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Houston, Texas, with her loving family, three dogs, and one evil cat.

Author links

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If You Dare by A.R. Torre…Release Day Blitz

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Synopsis:
Equal parts Dexter and 50 Shades, this is the eagerly awaited new novel from A. R. Torre, author of the award winning erotic thriller, The Girl in 6E.

The rules are the same. I can’t open the door. I can’t leave. I can’t kill anyone.
The only difference is, I don’t set the rules anymore. Guards in grey uniforms do. It is everything I never wanted and everything I always deserved. I write to you now, from a prison cell. My home for the next twenty to thirty years.
That’s the going term for murder.

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AT headshot - red dressAlessandra Torre is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of ten novels. Her books focus on romance and suspense, all with a strong undercurrent of sexuality. Torre has been featured in such publications as Elle and Elle UK, co-hosted Dirty Sexy Funny with Jenny McCarthy, as well as guest blogged for the Huffington Post and RT Book Reviews. She is also the Bedroom Blogger for Cosmopolitan.com.

You can learn more about Alessandra on her website at www.alessandratorre.com, or you can find her on Twitter (@ReadAlessandra) or Facebook.

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Depraved Heat by Patricia Cornwell….Blog Tour Stop & Review

Depraved Heart (397x600)About Depraved Heart

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (October 27, 2015)

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. A video link lands in her text messages and seems to be from her computer genius niece Lucy. But how can it be? It’s clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago.

As Scarpetta watches she begins to learn frightening secrets about her niece, whom she has loved and raised like a daughter. That film clip and then others sent soon after raise dangerous legal implications that increasingly isolate Scarpetta and leave her confused, worried, and not knowing where to turn. She doesn’t know whom she can tell ñ not her FBI husband Benton Wesley or her investigative partner Pete Marino. Not even Lucy.

In this new novel, Cornwell launches these unforgettable characters on an intensely psychological odyssey that includes the mysterious death of a Hollywood mogul’s daughter, aircraft wreckage on the bottom of the sea in the Bermuda Triangle, a grisly gift left in the back of a crime scene truck, and videos from the past that threaten to destroy Scarpetta’s entire world and everyone she loves. The diabolical presence behind what unfolds seems obvious – but strangely, not to the FBI. Certainly that’s the message they send when they raid Lucy’s estate and begin building a case that could send her to prison for the rest of her life.

In the latest novel in her bestselling series featuring chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell will captivate readers with the shocking twists, high-wire tension, and cutting-edge forensic detail that she is famous for, proving yet again why she’s the world’s #1 bestselling crime writer.

 

My Review:

Depraved Heart is book number 23 in author Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series and admittedly the first in the series I have read.  I’m a huge fan of forensic, psychological, and mystery TV so I figured I would give this series a try.  Well, I wasn’t disappointed.  This book with filled with suspense and I loved it.

Someone is trying to frame Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s niece and it seems to be at the hands of someone they had been dealing with, and fearing, for the last twenty years.  Someone they had counted out but never really forgotten about.  Someone wha was beyond mentally unstable and completely diabolical.  Now, they are all on a mission to figure out just what’s going on, who is sending these bizarre videos from twenty years ago to Dr. Scarpetta’s phone, and how to get out of this alive.

From start to finish I was kept on the edge of my seat.  The pieces of this puzzle are given to the reader on a slow and steady pace which only added to the overall suspense.  There were more than a few times I actually said “wow, this woman is completely psychotic” out loud.  I also enjoyed the heavy forensic details in the book.  At times it was a lot to digest while trying to keep up with what was going on with Lucy but it really did add an authentic layer that I appreciated.  Now, I can’t give anything away as to who ends up being responsible for orchestrating this entire scheme but I will tell you to buckle up for a crazy ride! My mother has been a huge fan of Ms. Cornwell for years and I was really happy I gave this series a try.  I will certainly be reading more!

Thank you, Ms. Cornwell, for one hell of a book!  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a well written and well thought out psychological thriller.

4LovesRLB Four Loves

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About Patricia CornwellPatricia Cornwell

Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world’s top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, the Creasey, the Anthony, the Macavity, and the Prix du Roman díAventure. Beyond the Scarpetta series, she has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper, a biography, and two more fiction series. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.

Find out more about Patricia at her website, and follow her on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

All Hallows Eve by Heather Graham…ARC Review

All Hallows Eve releases tomorrow, 10/27

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Synopsis:

Salem was a place near and dear to Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall — it was where they’d met on a strange and sinister case.

They never dreamed that they’d be called back. That history could repeat itself in a most macabre and terrifying fashion.

But, then again, it was Salem at Halloween. Seasoned Krewe members, they still find themselves facing the unspeakable horrors in a desperate race to save each other-and perhaps even their very souls.

 

My Review:

All Hallows Eve is the part of author Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters Series as well as novella number 16 in the 2015 1,001 Dark Nights line-up. I adore the Krewe of Hunters and am a huge Halloween junkie, so this novella was a total win for me! I loved every spooky minute!

Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall find themselves back in Salem, investigating a murder that happened in a haunted house attraction. What was thought to be a hanging dummy was, in fact, a very real, very dead person. What goes on after that is a true who-dun-it mystery led by the dead man’s ghost and I was kept on the edge of my seat until the very end.

One of the many things I love about Ms. Graham’s writing is the description she puts into her stories. I can very much feel like I am there, walking alongside of the characters, through graveyards and Salem city streets. She writes with just the right amount of creepy and scary mixed with the perfect amount of suspense. I have yet to be let down by one of her books. Adding to this novella is a dash of romance with the relationship between Jenna and Sam, which really rounded out the entire package. Just perfect!

This is the perfect Halloween tale and one I highly recommend. Thank you, Ms. Graham, for another wonderful addition to The Krewe!

5LovesRLB

Five Loves

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Book links:

Amazon  |  1,001 Dark Nights 

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About the author:

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards from Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Gnomon by Luchia Dertien…Blog Tour Stop & Review


Title: Gnomon
Author: Luchia Dertien
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: DSP Publications
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Format: Ebook/Paperback

Synopsis:

Emile Delaurier is a beautiful militant revolutionary, a living beacon of righteous justice for the world. For Renaire, an artist in a constant battle against the demons in the bottle, it was obsession at first sight. His devotion led to two years of homicidal partnership as Renaire followed Delaurier in his ruthless quest for equality through the death of the corrupt, like a murderous Robin Hood.

Then Delaurier breaks his pattern, leading Renaire into Russia to kill a reporter with no immoral background, and gives no explanation for his actions.

When Interpol contacts Renaire, he already has enough problems―keeping Delaurier alive, dealing with the shift in their relationship, and surviving the broken past that still haunts him. But when he learns what Interpol wants from him, Renaire must face the truth about Delaurier: that a noble man isn’t always a good one. He’s left with a choice no man should ever have to make―to follow his heart or his morals.

 

Review:

The blurb for Gnomon led to high expectations on my part, some were that met and some that weren’t. If you want a traditional romantic suspense with characters that are good people, this is not the book for you.

If you like complicated people with their morality anchored somewhere in the gray area, an interesting political thriller plot, and hot sex scenes then read on!

I found myself having to dig deep to like the main characters. Their story felt like, well, like a perpetually rainy day. Then the author would sprinkle in some heartwarming affection and make me examine Delaurier and Renaire with a more critical eye. I can’t say that I liked them, but I was rooting for them. Delaurier was the alpha and he’s an assassin trying to make the world a better place, but the main conflict revealed in the latter part of the book really made me question his ethics. Renaire, well, he’s even more complicated. The relationship feels obsessive and one-sided and unhealthy one minute and then they both show their vulnerability and I just want them to sail off into the sunset of a happily ever after. As mentioned earlier, the sex scenes were hot!

The plot involving Interpol, murder, a reporter who knows too much, a mysterious past for Renaire, and a potential catastrophic bombing was interesting but I wished it was more developed. This is where the length of the book (223 pages) may have hampered the story. I would have loved more of the suspense part of this romantic suspense. But I did find myself turning pages to see what happens.

Overall a good read for fans of romantic suspense and male/male romance.

3LovesRLB

Three loves

Stacey Sig

About the Author:

Luchia Dertien is a 27-year-old white cis female living in the United States. She desperately wants to be petting a dog right now. Writing genuinely is her passion, which she has been doing since the age of 3. Her first written work is titled “Castle Castle” and is generally considered to be the greatest piece of literature she’s ever produced. In middle school, she wrote a story called “Death By Mud,” which is her second best piece of literature. “Gnomon” is usually ranked somewhere near 13th.

ORDER INFORMATION
Gnomon is available for order at  
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For More Information

Visit Luchian’s website.

 

 October 5
Book featured at 3 Partners in Shopping
October 6
Book featured at Chosen By You Book Club
October 7
Book featured at Fallen Over Book Reviews
October 9
Interviewed at I’m Shelf-ish
October 12
October 14
Interviewed at Deal Sharing Aunt
October 15
Book featured at Celticlady’s Reviews
October 19
Book featured at Harmonious Publicity
October 21
Guest blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
October 22
Book featured at Booklover Sue
October 23
Book reviewed at Read-Love-Blog
October 26
Book featured at Abibliophobia Anonymous
October 27
Book featured at The Dark Phantom
October 29
Guest blogging at Around the World in Books
October 30
Interviewed at Author C.A. Milson

 

Transparent by Erin Noelle…. Blog Tour & Review

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RELEASE DAY  – October 15

AVAILABLE

BLURB:

Her elusive past didn’t worry me,

Her heartbreaking scars never made me cringe,

And her haunting demons only made me a stronger man.

But the day Blake Martin was stolen from me,

I was scared to death.

Prepared to do anything necessary to get her back,

Little did I know it just might cost me my life.

My name is Madden Decker, and this is my story.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25821938-transparent

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Luminous-Duet-Book-2-ebook/dp/B015VNYOQ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1443394566&sr=1-1&keywords=transparent+erin+noelle

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REVIEW

Another smashing hit by Erin Noelle!

Transparent is the follow-up to Translucent. You must read Translucent in order to understand Transparent. Even though alot of this is book is about Madden, it’s a continuation of his story with Blake.

Erin doesn’t hold anything back with the suspense, action and drama in this book. This is probably the first book with the least amount of sex scenes but the intensity is just awesome!

I won’t go into any of the plot except to say it’s one hell of a ride. I mean we’re talking mafia here. However, Raze will make you want to become a part of the mafia – he’s one alpha I won’t have a problem with.

Erin definitely showed off her writing skills and proves why she’s just not a romance writer. This book flowed beautifully – not just in the pace but also with the structure. She blended the romantic parts perfectly with all the suspense. Nothing felt out of place and everything just fell into place.

If you’re looking for a romance that digs deeper and gives you substance – this is one series you must read.

Bravo Erin!!

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EXCERPT

His turbulent blue gaze cuts around the room until they land on where I’m curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, and when I don’t jump up right away, he begins to stalk in my direction.

“Did you hear me, girl? I said we have to leave. Right no—” He stops in his tracks once he takes notice of the spaghetti dinner the housekeeper, or at least that’s who I assume she was, delivered a short time ago, now splattered against the wall above where the plate it was served on lies in fragmented pieces on the floor. I tighten my grip on one of the porcelain shards entangled in my trembling fingers. The sharpest one I could find.

“What in the fuck did you do? Are you fucking crazy?” Boring a hole in me with an incredulous stare, he closes the distance between us and squats down to my level.

I keep my eyes trained on him, but say nothing. I’ve got a split-second to make the decision on whether to attempt an escape now with my makeshift weapon, or to wait until a better opportunity presents itself. All day, I’ve been trying to listen to the different muffled voices through the walls as I watched the cars come and go out the window, compiling as much information as possible about my whereabouts and the people in the house. I haven’t learned much except that Raze has been here with me the whole time.

After Anatoli informed me last night of my purpose here with the Russians, Raze escorted me back to the room—this room—where I was permitted to shower and given a bowl of chicken and rice to eat. The rest of the night I lay awake in the darkness, the sound of crickets in the trees, and my conflicting thoughts. Thoughts that ranged from planning my getaway, to wondering how sweet the revenge would be if I actually killed Vincent Ricci.

TRANSLUCENT Book 1

 Sometimes you reach a point where you just can’t take any more — a breaking point, some call it.

The day I watched my husband murder the woman who was pregnant with his child, my point didn’t just break, it exploded like a full magazine’s worth of hollow points firing through the barrel of a fully-automatic AK-47.

Literally.

I am no longer his American Princess, nor am I his slave.

Now, I’m a murderer in hiding. My name was Bryleigh Carter Oliveira, and that was my story.

Translucent is one woman’s story of breaking free, starting over, and learning to trust again through willful submission.

AMAZON http://amzn.to/1SHPMlQ

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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Erin Noelle is a Texas native, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. While earning her degree in History at the University of Houston, she rediscovered her love for reading that was first instilled by her grandmother when she was a young child.

A lover of happily-ever-afters, both historical and current, Erin is an avid reader of all romance novels. Her titles published include the Book Boyfriend Series, the Dusk ‘Til Dawn Series, Translucent, Conspire — co-authored with SE Hall, Surviving Us, MILF: Wrong Kind of Love and Spark.

Her books have been a part of the USA Today Bestselling list and the Amazon and Barnes & Noble overall Top 100.

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/7f_9X

Fan Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ErinsEverAfters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erin.noelle.98

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorenoelle

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6653786.Erin_Noelle

Blog: http://www.erinnoelleauthor.com/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Noelle/e/B00BYCKAFS

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Rip by Rachel Van Dyken…Release Day Blitz

Rachel Van Dyken brings you Rip a complete stand alone novel that fans of the Eagle Elite series will devour! With twists and turns you won’t see coming, this dark romantic suspense will keep you on your toes and leave you screaming for more.



 

Pretty things aren’t meant to be broken.

But I broke her, and now we both have to pay the price.

I’m her nightmare.

I’m her savior.

And now that I have her signature on an ironclad contract, I
own her body and soul.

She doesn’t remember me.

She will.

It’s inevitable.

Because as much as I know I need to stay away, for fear of
unlocking the memories I helped her father bury–I can’t.

She was the apple in the Garden, dangled in front of me, her
core so tempting and sweet. A voice whispered. Just. One. Bite.

I bit.

I tasted.

I fell.

Welcome to the world of the Russian mafia, where death, is your only future.

 

 

 
 
EXCERPT



“So.” She plopped into the seat next to me and crossed her long legs. I fought hard to pull my eyes away. “Catch me up, what exactly are we doing in Chicago.”
I opened a folder and slid it across the table. “We are doing nothing. I, however, am making a speech at…a church.”
I didn’t miss her snort, or the way she tried to hide her amusement.
“Something funny?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “In church.”
“Where did this attitude come from?”
“You kissed me.” Her eyes narrowed as she leaned back into her seat, not missing a beat as she let her gaze wander across my body like a caress. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good, to be desired, wanted, and it was a welcome distraction from the pit in my stomach. I really, really didn’t want to go to Chicago.
“You kissed me back,” I retorted.
“Doesn’t matter, you still kissed me. The line between beast and his little toy has been crossed, therefore I kind of own you like you own me, just in a more…irritating way. I have your balls in a vise.”
“Let’s leave my balls out of the speech if you don’t mind,” I said ignoring her little ploy to get under my skin again.
“Hey.” Her grin spread smugly across her pretty face. “It may just inspire the crap out of them, you never know.”
This was a conversation that Andi would have loved, in fact, the more Maya talked the more I saw Andi in her, which just made it that much worse. Here Maya thought I was going to Chicago to slap hands with rich doctors and make speeches, when really, I was going because I made a promise, to a dying girl.
Just one more girl, I’d failed to save.
“Let’s leave all references to body parts out of my speech, hmm?”
“I’ll try.”
“I am the boss.”
“So you are.”
“I’ve created a monster. Had I known feeding you would gain this response I would have tied you up in the basement with a protein bar and some Gatorade.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s Netflix. Orange is the New Black combined with the nightmares…” She yawned and it was then that I noticed how tired she looked.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat wanting to press things further, what kind of nightmares had she been having?
“I haven’t been sleeping much. Then again I blame you for keeping me from technology for so long.”
“Which brings us back full circle. I should have never given you such privileges.” My voice came out in a bark.
“It’s a right, not a privilege,” she snapped.
“So this…” What the hell was it? A eulogy? Not really, that was Sergio, but he’d asked me to say a few words. Shit. I struggled with how to ask, I didn’t know the first thing about being at a funeral, I put people in the casket, I didn’t visit them after they took their last breath. My eyes stung with exhaustion. “I need you to help me write it.”
“Wait…” She visibly paled. “What did you say?”
“Write.” I nodded encouragingly, my anger surging, breaking through all of my carefully constructed walls. Anger had no place in my business, in my life, and anger toward her, did nothing but put her in danger. “You know, words on a paper, you put them down, I say them.”
“Don’t be an ass.”
“Maya…” I tsked. “I am what I am.”
“Put that in your speech.”
“Maya.” I grit my teeth together to keep myself from snapping at her. “I need a speech, something…encouraging, inspirational, happy.”
Maya pulled out her laptop and opened it up. “Inspirational…I can do inspirational. When was the last time I was inspired…?” Her cheeks bloomed red.
“What was that?” I breathed, my eyes lowering to the expanse of cleavage, it was a welcome distraction from my morose and jumbled thoughts. “Didn’t catch what you just said.”
“I, uh, didn’t say anything.” She nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, her cheeks pinkening even further.
“Your mouth didn’t…your face did.”
“Let’s not talk about my mouth…”
“Why?” I leaned in. “Does it inspire you too much?”
“Ass!” she hissed.
“I think you’re on to something…” I chuckled, bracing my hands on the armrests. Six inches, and our mouths would touch. I wasn’t just toying with breaking the contract, I was ripping it up, burning it. Just as our mouths were about to touch, I paused, lingering where our breaths mingled, hers warm on my lips, mine ragged and needy. I was right about one thing; she would be a welcome distraction, one that wouldn’t allow me to feel sad, or bothered by the fact that I was flying to a friend’s funeral.
And that history, if I wasn’t careful could repeat itself.
She moved, dislodging her water bottle. It landed with a soft thump on the floor.
I reared back and stared at it.
What the hell was I doing?
And as luck would have it, the water droplets had cascaded against my left hand, my tattoo—the mark of the sickle, the mark that would tell anyone who knew anything about the darker side of life.
What I did.
Who I worked for.
What I was capable of.
What I would do—to protect not just my own identity but those closest to me.
My phone rang.
I reached down to silence it—ready to silence it, when I noted the number. Cringing, I answered it with a smooth hello.
“You know I have eyes everywhere.”
“Good afternoon to you, too.”
Maya pretended not to eavesdrop.
The last thing she needed to know was that I was talking to her father—correction, receiving another threat.
This one not so baseless as the rest.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I said, waiting for his response.
“She’s been touched.”
I rolled my eyes. “You sure about that?”
The line crackled.
“She flushes when you’re near.”
“Most women do.”
“Cocky son of a bitch.” He chuckled. “Remember the terms of our agreement, Nikolai, I scratch your back, you scratch mine. She means nothing to me. You are the one who has everything to lose. You’ve developed a god complex, but I know all your secrets. It would take nothing for me to destroy you. You signed in blood. And it will be your blood that is spilled if you go back on your promise.”
My nostrils flared, heat surged through my body as I watched Maya happily pull out a magazine and cross her legs. Damn it, he was right. What the hell was I doing?
My lack of self control would end up getting her killed.
I knew that just as much as he did.
I was stuck.
And he knew it. Part of me wondered if he was aware that I’d developed a conscience—then again, I’d stopped working directly with him long ago, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t still owned.
“We’ll be in touch.” The phone went dead.
Damn Russian mafia.
And damn me for being one of the best. I didn’t get the nickname The Doctor because I had a good bedside manner.
And I wondered, as I tried not to stare too hard at Maya while she read through her magazine, would she still be alive if I hadn’t have taken the job that changed everything?
Had I damn her, then?
Had I truly saved her?
I let out a low growl of frustration; clenching my phone in my hand, ready to break it in half. I wanted so desperately to protect her from Andi’s fate, but would it be better that she died?
My body tensed.
Would I be extending her mercy, by snuffing out her life?
Maya frowned down at the magazine, her eyebrows furrowed as the plane rose to altitude.
I didn’t shake, didn’t so much as tremble. I was a doctor, after all, and whenever I made a decision of life and death, I was calm. Humanity didn’t slip through. I didn’t have a come –to-Jesus moment, where I wondered if what I was doing would sentence me to the darkest depths of hell.
It was…clarity.
The only way I could explain it.
“Something else to drink?” I asked Maya while she popped her knuckles again. Shit, twice in a few minutes? Was there something about the plane? Or my conversation?
“Wine.” She said quickly. “If you have it.”
I nodded, already walking to the bar. I glanced to my left to make sure she wasn’t watching me, then reached into the cupboard and pulled out a syringe of sodium pentothal. It wouldn’t harm her. If anything, it would relax her more, make it so that I would be able to hold a conversation with her…without her remembering a damn thing, though the dosage needed to be precise. The last thing I needed was for her to end up unconscious.
“What time is it?” I asked while I poured the wine, keeping the small syringe in my right hand.
“Oh.” Maya yawned then glanced at her watch. “It’s nearing four in the afternoon, why?”
“Just thinking about our dinner plans,” I lied. Two and a half hours since she’d last eaten. I mentally went over her stats, weight one-forty, height five seven. She’d need a half dose at the most.
Clearing my throat, I turned, sliding the syringe into the top of my sleeve and bringing over the two glasses of wine; hers was more full.
“Wow, generous in all areas aren’t you, Nikolai?” Maya eyed the wine glass and took a long sip.
“Drink it all,” I instructed with a half smile. “Doctor’s orders.”
“All of it?” She laughed lifting the glass into the air. “This is at least two glasses.”
“At least half,” I said in a more gentle tone. “You seem stressed, and I know…I’m not the easiest to travel with.”
Maya blinked then took another sip of wine. “No, you think?”
“It’s a…” I coughed into my hand letting the syringe slip out to the tips of my fingers. “It’s not you. It’s me.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, setting her wine down on the arm rest.
“Nope.” I offered a encouraging smile. “A few more sips, trust me, you’ll feel so much better.”
Maya rolled her eyes but drank deeply.
The alcohol would work beautifully with the sodium pentothal. Truth serums, didn’t necessarily work by themselves, they were used in conjunction with other tools and drugs, allowing the human mind to be open to suggestion.
But no human mind or body was the same, meaning, the outcome was always different.
If Maya had any sort of…secret she was keeping close, something she wanted to tell me, but couldn’t or refused to, it would most likely come out at some point in the next half hour.
If she were harboring memories, dark ones, ones that scared her, and I offered her a caring ear, she’d jump at it.
And I’d know.
If she was getting triggered and how.
It sounded sick.
But it was of the utmost importance that she be kept in the dark, especially since her father clearly was still keeping eyes on her.
I told myself that as she drank more wine.




Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency
and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking
coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from
readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken
or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com 


Transparent by Erin Noelle….Prologue Reveal

 

Her elusive past didn’t worry me,

Her heartbreaking scars never made me cringe,
And her haunting demons only made me a stronger man.
But the day Blake Martin was stolen from me,
I was scared to death.
Prepared to do anything necessary to get her back,
Little did I know it just might cost me my life.
My name is Madden Decker, and this is my story.

 

PROLOGUE
 
(“Something I Can Never Have” ~ Nine Inch Nails)
 

UNKNOWN

The day I turned fourteen, I tortured a man for the first time. Strung him up naked in one of my dad’s warehouses. Gagged him so I didn’t have to listen to him scream like the traitorous cunt he was as I cut off a different body part every ten minutes. Just as I’d watched it be done numerous times over the past couple of years.

First were his hands and feet, each removed with a single swing of the new sword my father had given me that morning at breakfast for my birthday. I remembered how proud he and my uncles were of my clean, precise form, insisting we all toast with a shot of Baikal vodka after each strike. The alcohol boosted my confidence and conviction, and by the fifth time I walked into the seedy back interrogation room, illuminated only by a flickering fluorescent light hanging in the middle of the cracked ceiling, I felt like The Man himself—invincible, immortal, and on top of the mafia world.

Another swift swipe of my gold-plated sword, and the man was no longer a man, anatomically speaking. And when I brought his pretty bride in to see him one last time, I demonstrated all the ways he would never enjoy her again, brutally fucking every hole her body had to offer, all less than a couple feet from him. His eyelids were stapled open, forcing him to watch as she abandoned their vows and trembled with release on top of my teenaged cock while I viciously pounded in and out of her.

Then, as my family members—both blood and sworn by oath—had their way with her in the next room, I brought my blade to the cockless bastard’s throat and whispered the words “Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned” in my native tongue as I sliced him from ear to ear.

The entire warehouse erupted in cheers and applause as the lowest associates in my father’s brigade rushed in to clean up the bloody mess before our women and my school friends arrived for the actual birthday party.

I may have been born into this powerful family by chance, but I would die in the Brotherhood by choice.

That was over eighteen years ago, and though I’m now third in line to rule one of the most powerful organized crime rings in the world, a lot changes when a boy becomes a man. No longer am I interested in spending time filleting the scum of the earth or fucking tainted whore pussy. No. I don’t waste my time on that shit any more. I’m saving my wrath for the day the man responsible for the murder of my wife and my brother, as well as a handful of others in my family, stands before me to answer for what he’s done.

And with the Lord above and the Demon below as my witnesses, I swear once I get my hands on him, Vincent Ricci is going to wish with every fiber of his being that I was still that fourteen-year-old boy who didn’t know what it was like to have the most precious thing in the world taken from him. A boy who didn’t know the fierce agony and mind-controlling rage that comes along with losing the person you love most.

The boss of the powerful Ricci Family of Chicago may have been able to evade me and my men for the last two years, but finally, I have the one thing he desires most of all. The one thing that will make him vulnerable and careless and irresponsible.

And she is currently bound to my bed.

Staring down at her as she sleeps soundly, knocked out from whatever drugs they gave her, I can’t help but notice the resemblance of her to my Darya.

Porcelain skin. Thick, dark lashes resting peacefully on her high, prominent cheekbones. Rosy lips so full and lush they beg to be kissed. I’m almost scared to see her with her eyes open. Will she have those same blue sapphires that can…

I stand up abruptly from the bedside chair and step toward the window, peering out at the waves as they lap relentlessly along the rocky Pacific Coast, laughing at myself for the absurd thoughts. Now is not the time to think about lashes or lips or eye color. Now is not the time to adulate over my prisoner—this American Princess, as they call her.

She is only the means to an end.

Because now is the time for revenge.

 

 Sometimes you reach a
point where you just can’t take any more — a breaking point, some call it.
The day I watched my husband murder the woman who was
pregnant with his child, my point didn’t just break, it exploded like a full
magazine’s worth of hollow points firing through the barrel of a
fully-automatic AK-47.
Literally.
I am no longer his American Princess, nor am I his slave.
Now, I’m a murderer in hiding. My name was Bryleigh Carter
Oliveira, and that was my story.
Translucent is one woman’s story of breaking free, starting
over, and learning to trust again through willful submission.

AMAZON

 

 

Erin Noelle is a Texas native, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. While earning her degree in History at the University of Houston, she rediscovered her love for reading that was first instilled by her grandmother when she was a young child.

A lover of happily-ever-afters, both historical and current, Erin is an avid reader of all romance novels.

Her titles published include the Book Boyfriend Series, the Dusk ‘Til Dawn Series, Translucent, Conspire — co-authored with SE Hall, Surviving Us, MILF: Wrong Kind of Love and Spark.

Her books have been a part of the USA Today Bestselling list and the Amazon and Barnes & Noble overall Top 100.

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Relinquished by K.A. Hunter….Blog Tour & Review

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Jules Donovan has been in and out of unsavory foster homes and repulsive motels her entire life. She’s known nothing but loss, abandonment, crime, and pain. Now that she’s aged out of the system, she can’t remember ever having dreams for her future because she’s constantly fighting for daily survival.

When she meets the Riley brothers, there’s something about them that draws her in. She’s never let her guard down, but Dante and Holden make her feel valuable, like she actually matters. And for the first time in her life, she senses something she’s never experienced before—protection.

But can these mysterious brothers keep her safe from the dark monsters that lie in wait, ready for their final revenge? And how in the hell does older brother Dante know so much about her anyway?

Unbeknownst to her, things have been set in motion ever since she was ripped from her mother’s womb and, as each jagged piece of her life unfolds, she will begin to wonder, who’s really in charge of her fate?

**TRIGGER WARNING…this novel contains non-explicit scenes of abuse. There is strong language throughout. Relinquished is intended for mature readers**

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Relinquished completely took me by surprise and blew me away.  Kimi (K.A.) has come barrelling out of the doors with an explosive novel!

I don’t even know how to start this review.  I have so many thoughts rushing through my head.  I have to say that this book gripped me from the beginning and never let go.

Jules is a foster child and was in and out of homes til she aged out.  Her life since then hasn’t been a peach either.  Barely scraping by, Jules does what she can to survive.  Jules is very strong woman for going through what she has and not allowing herself to just give up.

“I was tired of just existing.  It was time for me to finally fight and claim the life and future I wanted for myself.”

Dante and Holden come across Jules when they visit the bar she works in.  She keeps her guard up around anyone and everyone.  But with them, for some odd reason she can’t explain, their is some sort of guardianship coming from them.

However, once they get closer to her, things start to spiral out of control.  And just when we think we are going to get some answers, more twists and turns are thrown our way.

Kimi does a phenomenal job of keeping things move along at a great pace and slowly leaking tidbits of information.  It’s just enough to give you pieces of the puzzle, but it’s not enough to put them together correctly.  She weaves this dark and edgy love story so perfect.

“Everyone has scars that tell a story. Even though they don’t define who you are, yours tell me that you’re not a victim, you’re a survivor.  They validate your past, but you’re a stronger woman because of them.”

The dynamics between all the characters felt so real.  You can feel the protection that both brothers felt for Jules, but in two completely different ways.  The hatred I felt towards the evil men in this book had me putting my kindle in a death grip, wishing it was their necks.   I love when an author is able to get such strong reactions from me.

Relinquished is like a puzzle crafted to make you second guess every piece you are given.  You will not see the ending coming.  I loved every single bit of this book!  Bravo Kimi!!!

 

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button About the authorKimi Flores/K.A. Hunter lives in Southern California with her husband, who happened to be her high school sweetheart and prom date and their two hilarious boys.

When she’s not reading, writing, or hanging out with family and friends, Kimi spends her time in the kitchen trying to come up with vegan meals that don’t taste like cardboard.

Volunteering is extremely important to her, and she and her family work with several local non-profit organizations. A portion of her sales will always go to charity.

Currently, she writes contemporary romance stories under her real name Kimi Flores and grittier romantic suspense novels under her pen name K.A. Hunter.

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Ryder: Bird Of Prey by Nick Pengelley….Blog Tour Stop & Review

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Synopsis:

The Maltese Falcon was no mere legend—this fabulously jewelled golden bird really existed. Still exists, according to the last words of a dying man. Ayesha Ryder is on its trail, but not just to find the Falcon itself. It is said to contain a clue to the lost burial place of King Harold of England, a potent symbol for ruthless politicians determined to break up the UK and create a new, independent English Kingdom. The Falcon may also contain a second clue, one that few would believe.

Labelled an assassin, hunted by Scotland Yard and Dame Imogen Worsely of MI5—as well as those who want the Falcon and its secrets for themselves—Ayesha joins forces with Joram Tate, the mysterious librarian known to her friend Lady Madrigal, a one-time lover of Lawrence of Arabia. As Ayesha’s attraction to Tate grows, they follow clues left by long-dead knights to the tomb of a Saxon king and to the ruined Battle Abbey. When the trail leads them to a stunning secret hidden for a thousand years beneath an English castle, Ayesha must battle modern killers with medieval weapons before confronting the evil that would destroy her nation.

 

My Review:

Ryder: Bird of Prey is the third book in author Nick Pengelley’s Ryder series and after loving the preceding two stories, I was so excited to read this newest installment. Well, Mr. Pengelley didn’t disappoint. This was another exciting adventure in the life of a kick ass heroine!

Ryder’s latest adventure takes her on the hunt for the Maltese Falcon…and will put her on the path not only for treasure and clues, but for the culprit in the attempted assassination of the UK Prime Minister, and Ryder’s friend, Susanna Armstrong.

I loved everything about this story and felt it may be Mr. Pengelley’s best so far. This story was not only suspenseful and thrilling, but it was also sexier and grittier than the others and I loved that. There was the hunt for a legendary treasure and unearthing clues, dark political agendas, and a possible love interest for Ryder that all had me dying to see what was coming next and turning pages to read more. I already knew Ryder was totally kick ass in a Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones kind of way, but for some reason she really shined in this book.

I also loved seeing my fave martini drinking dame, Lady Madrigal, again.

But, hands down, my favorite part of this story was the twist at the end that in a million years I never saw coming. It was shocking and beyond emotional and I really felt for Ryder.  I can’t imagine all of the turmoil she was going through at the moment of this reveal. My lips are sealed, of course, but I know you will be just as shocked as I was!

Thank you, Mr. Pengelley, for once again giving us a truly fantastic adventure with Ryder!

 

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Four Loves

 

Book links:

Amazon  |  B&N 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the author:

unnamed-9Nick Pengelley cites many influences on his writing. Readers of “Ryder” will not be surprised that authors like H. Rider Haggard, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, John Buchan and Peter O’Donnell figure prominently. He is a fan of the ripping yarns of the inter-war years – by writers such as Sapper, Dornford Yates, Edgar Wallace and Leslie Charteris. His more modern favourites include Umberto Eco (particularly “The Name of the Rose”), Alan Furst, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Elizabeth Kostova (“The Historian”). Nicholas reads a “book or so” a week (and is horrified to think that, if he lives to be 200, he may only get to read 10,000). These days, although he still reads fiction, he is mainly interested in modern European and Middle Eastern history, and biography, having discovered some years ago that truth really is stranger than fiction. He lists his heroes, literary adventurers all, as Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell and Teddy Roosevelt

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