Category Archives: Blitz

NEW RELEASE ~ Fervent by Claudia Burgoa

 
 
 
 
 
Title: Fervent
Author: Claudia Burgoa

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 27, 2017

 
 
Blurb
As a former Army Ranger who works for a high intelligence, private security company, I’ve seen my fair share of death, betrayal, and pain. 
I’ve lived them. 
I trust no one, only my brothers, and my best friend.
I wasn’t always like that. Everything changed the day my parents died and my nation was attacked. 
Since then, family comes first. Work is my mistress. 
Nothing else matters. 
That is, until she walked into my life.
Short dress, long, tanned legs, and honey eyes that make me weak. 
She’s chaos.
She’s sunshine and daffodils.
She’s loud.
She’s a fighter.
She’s a dreamer.
She’s everything I hate.
Why is it so hard to walk away from her?

 



Purchase Links

$1.99 for a limited time

AMAZON: US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS


 


Excerpt
 
Stretched t-shirt, dry blood and badass attitude looked good on him. That’s nothing compared to Harrison Everhart wearing a suit. His tall, broad, body wrapped in a dark gray is a site I want to photograph, frame and stare at it forever. He’s the type of man who behaves differently depending on the place and time. For the past five hours, we chatted pleasantly about our families. Nothing too superficial but nothing too intimate, either. If I had time to date, he’d be the kind of man I’d choose. Easy to talk to, funny, and a gentleman.
A refreshing touch from the guys who I hook up with when I have time to go out with my friends. Which lately it’s been never. Maybe I have time, but I don’t want to waste it by doing the same thing over and over again. Meeting a guy who
has little social skills, only talks about himself, and by the end of the date is the only one who is satisfied isn’t great. I have my little friendly toys that to do a better job and I don’t have to listen to nonsense.
This would be a great subject for a sociology class; the interactions between humans, and how out of touch they are with one another that dating has become a joke. What happened to love letters? The chase is so much different now than it was back when my parents dated. I should quit the Bureau and go back to school. Finish my psychology degree, go into anthropology or sociology. I would enjoy doing that more than having to jump through hoops to show that I’m capable of more things than my superiors like to acknowledge. If anything, I can write a book with Mom’s letters and notes.
A manual on how it’s done.
“Everything okay?” Harrison asks when the service car stops, and the driver opens my door. “You’ve been quiet since we left the party.”
Define okay? My skin tingles every time you touch me. Your deep voice makes me shiver, and dancing in your arms was a bit torturous because everything inside me wanted you to touch more than my bare shoulders and my waist. But yeah, I’m cool.
“Your brother and Hazel never arrived at the party,” I comment, not disclosing that I’d like to find out how my fake future boyfriend kisses. “Gia wasn’t there either.”
 “I’m sorry about that. If you want, I can try to find out her whereabouts. My people can hack her phone and track her daily activities. He smirks and winks. “We can start stalking her.”
“Stalking?”
I boom, laughing and covering my mouth when a couple walking close to us turns to glare at me.
“Yeah, that’s the word and you know what they say, ‘couples that stalk together stay together.’” He grins, his blue-crystal eyes shining with the post light.
That grin is addictive. I shouldn’t mind pretending to be with him while I’m working. A little fun on the side, some sexy times. Sex. I haven’t had that in a long time. So long that I can only remember what my toys can do for me. But I care.
He’s a distraction. Each time he smirks, touches me or talks with the low-bedroom voice I want to jump him. That’s not only unprofessional but also illogical.
“Anything for the sake of the case, right?” My voice comes out a little throaty, needy.
He clears his throat, looking around and poking the elevator. “We should do this again,” he says, leaning closer to me.
“Technically, we have to do it again.”
Have I mentioned this is the best case I’ve ever worked on in my entire life.” He leans forward, kissing my cheek. His lips lingering close to my ear for one too many seconds. His musk-wood scent making my stomach flutter.
“Thank you,” I swallow hard, turning around and stepping into the elevator. “We can discuss our next move tomorrow.”
I poke the elevator, looking at the doors that start closing his gaze locks with mine.  His eyes darken, the intensity of
that gaze makes me feel vulnerable, bare. I imagine my skin searing with the touch of his big hands. As the doors close, my phone rings. An incoming message. Unknown number reads the screen.
 

Unknown: This was the best first date I’ve had in a long time. Thank you.
 

 

 


Also Available
 
 
NEW COVER & TITLE
 
(Previously titled All of You All of Me)
 
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
 
Free in Kindle Unlimited
 

 

 


Author Bio
 
 

Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected soap opera.She lives in Colorado working for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, her geek husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact. 

 
 
Author Links
 

 


 

 

Giveaway
 

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Go to Hail (Hail Raisers #2) by Lani Lynn Vale


Title: Go To Hail
Series: Hail Raisers #2
Author: Lani Lynn Vale


Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release: October 27, 2017
 
 


Everybody has problems. But Travis? Yeah, he has so many problems that he finds it hard to breathe sometimes.

 

He spends five years catering to his ex-wife’s every want and need—all to make it possible to continue to see his child.
He isn’t supposed to fall in love with a woman, but he does.
He isn’t supposed to find someone that is willing to put up with his ex-wife’s crazy antics, but he has.
He isn’t supposed to be happy, but he is.
And all it takes is his ex-wife finding out about his new-found peace for things to change.

***

Hannah saw him and knew he was the one.

All it took was one look into that haunted man’s eyes, and she was lost, never to be found again.
She thinks she has it all. His love, a new baby made with that love, and a house to raise their blended family.

She’s wrong, and Travis’ ex-wife is out to prove it.

***

Travis doesn’t deserve Hannah. All he’s done is hurt her.
She’s done everything in her power to keep everyone happy, but the more she tries, the harder his ex-wife pushes. Until one day, there’s nothing left to push.
Hannah leaves, and Allegra wins.
But Travis isn’t willing to let her have her way any longer.
 
He fights back, and only gets a bullet to the chest to show for it.

 



 


 

iScream Book Blog – “It’s so damn #HOT you’ll enjoy every page and come back for more.”

 

Britt Red Hatter Book Blog – “I don’t think there are enough words in the English language to express how insanely incredible Go To Hail is.”

 

Smashly Bookalicious Reviewing Chicks – “For all those girls who have dealt with a crazy ex and their antics, this book is for you.”


 

 



Gods, how does she do it???? Lani Lynn Vale had me hooked yet again with Go To Hail

Travis and Hannah’s story was another hit in the Hail Raisersseries and I read it in a morning as I could not put my kindle down (suffice to say the housework and everything else suffered ‘cos nothing got done as I was glued to the sofa reading avidly!)

I read a few comments saying that the readers felt LLV was writing weak heroes but on this I have to disagree….. Travis was caught in a really crappy position due to his ex-wife. Man, I’ve never actively HATED a character before but gods, I DETESTED Allegra, what a prize feckin’ bitch that woman was!! For the sake of seeing his daughter, he put up with a lot of crap that I’m sure no-one would normally accept, except the threats and acts from his ex threatened the people he loved and cared about. I wanted him to tell her where to go way way before he decided he’d have enough but I understood why he chose to tread warily.

Hannah put up with a lot from Travis, he was a git to her for too long (in his skewed attempt to save her any grief from his ex), even though they lived in the same house – with their baby son – it took him an absolute age to actually tell her how he felt about her and what she meant to him! I could get why she stayed, though I did wish she’d have called him on his crap and let him know how it made her feel! She was such a good mum to Reggie and tried to build a relationship with Alex, even though Travis’s daughter was being a horrible wee girl to them both. Watching her continue to try to get through to Alex, and one scene in particular, was great. 

I liked the back and forth of the book, we got to see how their relationship started and how they fell for each other as well as (finally) seeing them fight for what they had together. 
The story pulled at my emotions – I was in parts mad at Travis, sad at how things were going for the pair, horrified at the lengths the ex would go to, my heart hurt for Hannah but I also admired her over-riding protectiveness of their children and her strength when push came to shove. 

We caught up with some favourites from previous books/series and found out more about the Hail brothers we’ve yet to read about. I’m looking forward to more in this series.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Tracy ~ BLP


 

 

I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 5, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I’ve been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we’ve produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas.

 






 


 
 




 

HOSTED BY:


RELEASE BLITZ ~ Craving Sugar by Elena M. Reyes

 

 

 

 
Title: Craving Sugar
Author: Elena M. Reyes

 

Genre: Contemporary/Erotic Romance

Release Date: October 27, 2017

 

Blurb

Earn extra cash by becoming a high-class companion. 
Travel, eat, and have your every expense taken care of.
 
The catch: I’ll be someone’s sugar baby for a year. Paid to be a private escort.
 
Beau Carter is young and beautiful with a bright future ahead of her. Her dreams of becoming the first woman in her family to graduate from college are just within her grasp, when the financial aid runs out. Up to her eyeballs in debt, she
works night and day to make ends meet, but even that can only last for so long.
 
Hendrix Parker lost it all four years ago. Angry at the world, he’s become an asshole—a bitter shell of the man his family once loved. A recluse, he is now forced to leave his sanctuary in the Florida Keys and become an active member of the real estate developer community he now dominates.
Problem is—he’s all alone and needs a buffer. Someone to draw attention away from him.
 
“I bought you to be my whore.”

 

 
Purchase Links
 
AMAZON: US / UK / CA / AU

 

Free in Kindle Unlimited

 

Excerpt

ONE

Hendrix 

“I’m not hiring a whore,” I all but snarled, pissed at the idiot in front of me. I was tired and stressed; lacked the basic urge to be an understanding individual, much less give the asshole in front of me the benefit of doubt.

Jax, my closest friend since college, had caught me off guard—something that never happened these days. Nothing surprised me anymore, not since that night four years ago. The night my entire world stopped. Fuck. Focus on the here and now.
“Why?” he asked, bringing me away from that dark path filled with memories—moments frozen in time that never failed to haunt me.
“Answer me.”
The jerk sounded amused—a pit bull with a bone. He wasn’t going to let it go.
Rubbing a hand down my face, I bit back a tired groan. “No.”
Of all the moronic crap he could have spewed, I had not been expecting this; for me to hire someone to play the role of my girlfriend for the next few months.
“Think about it, Hendrix. It’s legal, safe…” he ticked each reason off with his fingers “…and, she must sign an NDA to
enter into this kind of an agreement. No one will know.”
Slamming back the shot of whiskey in my glass, I leveled him with a glare. “Get the fuck out.”
“Speak up, man. Your staff went home.” Holding his now-empty tumbler out in front of him, he twirled the glass atop my desk.
“There’s no one here to judge you. That prim and proper act you put on can be turned off.”
“Is all this a joke to you?” I hissed out from between clenched teeth. “Am I your amusement for the evening?”
Come off it, Parker. I came here to see the asshole I know, my friend, not this…” he waved his hand absentmindedly in my direction. “To be honest, I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
“Then leave.”
“No. Enough with the hiding. Emptiness—”
I slammed my hand down; the cup of pens close to me tipped over from the impact. “Don’t go there, Jax. Just get up and walk out. Quit pushing.”
“Jesus, man, what the hell is holding you back? A memory? Ghost?”
“Enough.”
“Dammit, Hendrix.” He pushed his chair back and stood to pace the length of my office. Ran a hand roughly through his blonde hair in agitation. “This…” he pointed a finger between us “… is an intervention. You’re young, successful, rich—own the real estate game in South Florida. Known as an asshole, a shark in the business arena, and that’s gained
you quite a desired reputation.” Stopping by the window on the far right, Jax turned and glared. “You have that whole tall, dark, and handsome shit going on with your over six-foot-two stature and brooding charm. People respect you, but
fuck, man, that’s not enough when you’ve forgotten what it’s like to live.”
“I’m content enough.”
Jax scoffed at my response, his hands placed on the window ledge in front of him. “Content is the equivalent of blah. My friend, you need to rediscover the feel of a woman beneath you. The passion. The heat between her legs.”
Ignoring his spiel, I shut my laptop off and stored it. “Still a no on hiring someone just to appease you.”
No matter how desperate I was to pull the pressure off my persona.
No matter how long it’d been since I dipped my dick into something tight…wet.
Smirk firmly in place, he walked back over and grabbed the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label on my desk. “Prude much, Parker?” He poured himself another fifth and then sipped slowly, all the while studying me with a cocked brow. “And I never once mentioned hiring a whore.”
Pushing my glass toward him, I sat back. “What’s the difference? Both are paid to keep you company.”
“Sugar babies are where it’s at, my friend. A mutual exchange of benefits.”
“Answer me this…” Jax nodded “…is money exchanged?”
“It can be if—”
Holding a hand up, I halted his pathetic excuse. “And you don’t call that prostitution?”
“Would you say my girlfriend Crystal is a prostitute?” What would the young woman I met on his boat a few weeks back have to do with anything? “That she’s easy and out to make a quick buck?”
The hell?
“She’s…?” I asked, because Jesus. Was this man really sitting here in my office telling me he had a live-in play toy? That he bought her? “What kind of barbaric shit is this? How could you do that? What if word gets out, you idiot.”
“And if it did, so what? I’m not ashamed of her or us.” His jaw was set tight, and his blue eyes dared me to say anything negative about her. Jax, my easygoing friend, was pissed. Fuming, if the way his hands were clenched was anything to go by.
“I meant no offense to her, but couldn’t you meet someone through a more traditional route? Someone who cares about more than just the zeros that decorate your bank balance?” This entire conversation was giving me a headache, and I rubbed my temples. I was too tired to continue trying to make sense of this confession.
“And I’ll counter that question with one of my own.” My mouth opened to protest, but he shook his head before taking another sip of whiskey. His eyes were on mine, unwavering. Looking for something.
“Wouldn’t you rather meet someone and know their intentions up front? No games or playing pretend. A mutual and even exchange.”
Headache now pounding, I pushed back my seat as if I were standing to leave. “Still not interested—”
Not taking the bait, Jax leaned over the table, a mischievous look in his eye. “Then let me paint a better picture for you, Parker.” He was about to drop some knowledge on me, and I knew it. Should’ve seen it coming for miles. “You have two months to find a date for the few events honoring your pompous ass this fall. And before you say that you’ll decline and hide away on your boat in the Keys, it’s not going to happen. The mayor will not take no for an answer…he and his wife live for these events. To mingle with the rich and arrogant.”
“Would you stop worrying about my life? I’ll be fine.” Absentmindedly, I ran my fingers across my short beard. My mind still reeled from his admission.
I’d spoken to Crystal that day and was impressed. In school, and working toward her master’s in psychology, she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders.
Didn’t hurt one bit that the body attached to the head was downright sexy.
His laughter pulled my attention away from the memory of the tiny auburn-haired beauty in a bikini. “Admit it, Hendrix, you’re curious.” Tone smug, he had a gloating gleam in his eye.
“Not in the least.”
“So, if I informed you that the account was already made and you have some hits, you wouldn’t care? I should just shut everything down?”
My fists clenched in anger. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea what that could do to my reputation—”
“Let me stop you right there.” Holding out a hand toward me, Jax dug into his laptop bag on the chair beside him. From inside he pulled out a plain manila folder and pushed it across toward me. “This is all the information you’ll need: contract, company NDA that I signed for you, health screening information, and what you’ll need to submit. Read it. Sleep on it. Check out the website and the girls’ files available for possible match.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“Too late. It’s already done.” 

Author Bio

Elena M. Reyes was born and raised in Miami Florida. She is the epitome of a Floridian and if she could live in her beloved flip-flops, she would.

As a small child, she was always intrigued with all forms of art—whether it was dancing to island rhythms, or painting with any medium she could get her hands on. Her first taste of writing came to her during her fifth grade year when her class was prompted to participate in the D. A. R. E. Program and write an essay on what they’d learned. Her passion for reading over the years has amassed her with hours of pleasure. It wasn’t until she stumbled upon fanfiction that her thirst to write overtook her world. She now resides in Central Florida with her husband and son, spending all her down time letting her creativity flow and letting her characters grow. 

Author Links
 

RELEASE DAY BLITZ ~ A Real Man Complete Limited Edition Box Set by Jenika Snow

 

 

Amazon

 

 


A Real Man Limited Edition Box Set.  (includes never before published bonus content)


Books included in set:


Lumberjack

Lumberjack bonus holiday chapter (previously published Box Set Volume Two)

Virgin

Virgin holiday bonus chapter (previously published Box Set Volume Two)

Baby Fever

Baby Fever bonus holiday chapter (previously published Box Set Volume Two)

Experienced

Experienced bonus holiday chapter (previously published Box Set Volume Two)

Roommate

Roommate bonus holiday chapter (previously published Box Set Volume Two)

Arrogant

Arrogant bonus holiday chapter (previously published Box Set Volume Two)

Feral

Feral bonus chapter

Dirty

Dirty bonus chapter

Viking

Viking bonus chapter

Blacksmith

Blacksmith bonus chapter

Brutal

Brutal bonus chapter

Kilt Me

Kilt Me bonus chapter




Blacksmith (A Real Man, 10)

The side of the house stopped our retreat. He shifted so I was now facing the wall. I liked the roughness on my back, the feeling of being helpless. He groaned, this rough, almost primal sound that had my pussy becoming so wet, my nipples so hard. I opened for him, sucked his tongue into my mouth, showing him exactly where I wanted this to go. If not for the alcohol running through my veins, I wouldn’t have ever been so bold or wanton, but right now this felt like the most natural thing.

But he stepped away far too soon, and I was left feeling bereft, like a piece of me was missing. I touched my lips, the tingling and warmth that covered them reaching the very recesses of my cells.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “You don’t want me?” My cheeks heated at the idea that maybe he didn’t, despite the vibes I got from him and the fact he’d invited me out. I also blamed the alcohol for me opening my mouth and even asking.

But Deacon had his body pressed to mine a second later. I gasped from the contact, from the feeling of his very massive, apparent erection currently digging into my belly.

“Does that feel like I don’t want you?” He thrust against me, and my mouth go slack. “Does this feel like I don’t want to take you right up against the house, not giving a shit who saw?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just closed my mouth. He cupped my cheek, smoothing his finger along my skin and sending shock waves through me.

“Tell me if this doesn’t feel like I want you.” He continued to smooth that digit along my face, over my lip, down to my pulse, which beat erratically.

“It feels like you want me.”

He growled out low, a sound that was so feral, so delicious. “Yeah, I want you really fucking badly, Maddie, but you’ve been drinking, and I’m not going to cross that line.” He stepped back then, gave my pulse one last smooth over with his finger, and dropped his hand to his side. “But we aren’t going there. I’ll call you tomorrow, yeah?”

I nodded. Not only was he the manliest man I’d ever met, he was also a gentleman. I turned and unlocked the front door, stepped inside, and watched him. He’d waited until I was in the house before he left and went back to his SUV. I was still standing there long after he’d driven off, knowing that I’d fallen hard for Deacon, and that there was no getting up from it.


How about another taste?

 

Three Brutal (A Real Man, 11)

I became even more aware of Axel sitting beside me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, his chest rising and falling just a little faster, a little harder than normal. Was this having the same effect on him as it was on me?

But I kept my focus on the TV. The couple started kissing, the woman’s moans exaggerated, erotic. And then soon they were naked, but of course we just saw the woman’s breasts. The couple started moving in a very sexual way, and I felt my face heat. I was a virgin, but I’d seen porno, knew all that went down in that category. But I was watching this with Axel, and that made me very aware of my surroundings, of how my body was reacting.

I found myself looking at Axel. His body looked hard, not in the normal, powerful way but in the way that told me he was tense. And then he turned his head and stared right at me. Our eyes locked, the heat in the room seemed to increase, and I felt beads of perspiration dotting my skin.

My body was reacting in a way only Axel could make it. My lips felt too dry, my tongue swollen. The sound of the couple having sex seemed to be amplified in the room, and although it was a cheesy movie, the sex scene something on late-night cable, I was so turned on.

I was wet, my panties damp, my body ready for Axel.

I felt my chest rising and falling, the chemistry clearly moving between us, making me think maybe he felt the same way for me. Surely friends didn’t react this way just because some sex scene was on the TV.

And when I saw Axel look down at my mouth, I found myself lowering my gaze to his lap. There, pressing against his jeans, was a massive erection. My throat tightened, every part of me tingled, and I found myself opening my mouth, about to say what I had wanted to for so long.

But the words lodged in my throat.

Is this really happening? Is this a moment between us?

The longer we stared at each other, the more the blood rushed through my veins, the pressure in my body becoming almost unbearable.

Before I said anything, Axel was up and leaving the room. I sat there, staring at the fading sex scene, hearing him in the kitchen getting something to drink.

I stood, but he was back before I could even take a step. He held a beer out to me, the bottle chilled.

“Everything okay?”

He looked tense, like he wanted to say something. Maybe this had been in my head, the chemistry I felt, the moment I thought we had shared.

“I’m good,” he said, his jaw tight. He sat on the couch again, took a long swig of the beer, and stared at the movie.

I wasn’t going to wait, wasn’t going to let my fear override this. I had to start living for today, for the future.


One more taste?

 

Four Kilt Me (A Real Man, 12)


It had been a long time since I’d been with a woman—years, in fact—and never had I felt this kind of possessiveness and need for a female. I wanted Molly like a fiend. I needed her like I needed tae breathe.

And as fast as this all seemed tae be happening, I couldn’t have slowed things down if I even wanted tae.

I was so fooking hard, stiff as a lead pipe. I should have jerked off in the shower, but I kne’ it wouldn’t have helped. But even knowing that, I reached down and palmed myself. Of course I couldn’t help but picture Moly and what I wanted tae do tae her.

Her glorious naked body on my bed—or hell, bent over a desk. Yeah, I could see her ready and willing for me, primed and soaked. I went back to picturing her on my bed, her legs spread, her pussy on display. Her fire-colored hair would spill over my pillow. She’d smell like me.

She’d watch me quietly, waiting for me to tell her what to do. We’d both want it though. And that’s when I’d tell her to spread those pretty pussy lips for me.

And she’d do so instantly.

I closed my eyes and really put myself in the fantasy. I groaned as I felt pleasure shoot up my spine.

Say you’re mine, lass.”

“I’m yours, Alastair.” Her flesh, so pink and wet, glistened under the dim lighting. She was so fooking ready for me. Only me. Her back was arched, and her breasts were thrust forward, the tips pink, hard. They begged for my mouth, for me to taste them, run my teeth and tongue along the stiff peaks.

But I couldn’t move. “Touch yourself for me, Molly lass.”

She obeyed so nicely as she brought one of her hands to her mouth and rubbed her fingers along the seam of her lips. Slowly, while still watching me, she sucked on one, then two fingers, mimicking the act of giving me head. In and out she moved the digits between her full, red lips.

When she removed them, a resounding pop filled the room and caused my cock tae jerk violently. She moved her fingers down tae her pussy, and I held my breath.

I watched as she played with her clit, rubbing the bud between the digits and making these little sounds in her throat. She was beautiful, and I’d be claiming that pussy like no other had before.

A harsh groan left me when she slid her fingers down her clit, circled her pussy hole, and then shoved them deep inside. I held my breath as she pumped the digits in and out. Seconds of torturous pleasure washed through me as I watched her.

Her high moan filled the room.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I all but tore off my clothes and went to her. She pulled her fingers out of her pussy and presented them to me. I greedily sucked those glistening digits intae my mouth, tasting her, getting drunk off the flavor on my tongue.

I let out a harsh sound as I came in my hand, my seed coating my fingers, my pleasure so fooking high I’d never touch the ground again. I opened my eyes, breathing out harshly, so damn needy for her even after I spent myself, that I kne’ being with Molly would be better than anything I’d ever experienced.

And I was done waiting.


 

Jenika Snow is a USA Today Bestselling Author that lives in the northwest with her husband and their two daughters. Before she started writing full-time she worked as a nurse.

Author Links


 

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Kiss Me Crazy by Vanessa Vale

KISSME_RELEASEBANNER

Kiss Me Crazy by Vanessa Vale is NOW AVAILABLE!
because one cowboy is never enough…

Amazon US- http://amzn.to/2zMSGPq
Amazon UK- https://goo.gl/A6aFdf
iBooks: https://goo.gl/mf8eRF
Kobo- https://goo.gl/594K8x
Nook- https://goo.gl/CLbGNz
Google- https://goo.gl/oQiF3q

ADD TO YOUR TBR → http://bit.ly/2xGNxcP

kiss_me_crazy

Avery believes in flirting and flings, not relationships. But when she returns to Bridgewater for her sister’s Christmas-time wedding, two hot cowboys try to change her mind about the one “f” word she avoids: fiancés.

Warning: Panty melting! Kiss Me Crazy is the sixth book in the wildly dirty series where one cowboy is never enough. This standalone HEA is all about her – no M/M.

Not quite a reverse harem, but one cowboy is never enough.


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About the Author:

 
Vanessa Vale is the USA Today Bestselling author of over 30 books, sexy romance novels, including her popular Bridgewater historical romance series and hot contemporary romances featuring unapologetic bad boys who don’t just fall in love, they fall hard. When she’s not writing, Vanessa savors the insanity of raising two boys, is figuring out how many meals she can make with a pressure cooker, and teaches a pretty mean karate class. While she’s not as skilled at social media as her kids, she loves to interact with readers.
 
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Connect with Vanessa!
 

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Sugar Lips by Aria Cole

 

 

 

 
When Nolan Redford finds a masked beauty in his arms at the office Halloween party, he’s instantly taken. Her seductive curves are at odds with her innocent smile—she’s sexy, uninhibited, and just the woman he needs to calm the animal inside. Tangled in a web of unbridled passion, their chemistry is combustible before masks are removed and true identities finally revealed.

Reese Hamilton is the last woman Nolan should want in his bed, but little does she know, he’s already addicted to her sweet taste. He’s taking steps to make her his—to make sure she never gets away.

Warning: Sugar Lips is over-the-top alpha male goodness, sweet enough to induce a toothache, and so sizzling Halloween will never be the same. Make a chocolate martini and spice up your night with Nolan and his sweet treat, Reese—love stories this scorching should be illegal!

 


ONE

 

   Nolan “Redford!” Clive, one of the junior partners, smacked me on the back as he walked up to my side in the men’s bathroom, whipping out his junk and pissing in the urinal next to me. The murky haze in his eyes and the sway in his gait told me he’d had one too many Jack and Cokes. I groaned inwardly, tucking my cock back in my pants and zipping up. “Whaddya say we hit some balls tomorrow?”
   Nice fucking pun, asshole. “Working tomorrow.”
   “Mmkay…maybe Hamilton will be up for a game.” He referred to my partner at Hamilton & Redford.  
   Maybe I should start hitting the Jack at these fucking horrid office parties. Small talk made me want to gouge my eyes out.
   I’d been at this Halloween party for nearly two hours. Surely, I’d done my duty and could get the fuck out of this place.
   I already spent sixty-plus hours a week slaving for the firm. Hell if I wanted to spend my after-hours here too.  I glanced in the mirror, catching sight of the black mask that camouflaged most of my face. I was ready to toss this cheap thing in the garbage and get home.  
   “Doin’ the shuffle next, Redford!” Clive swayed his hips pathetically. “Better see you out there,” he called, the bathroom door slamming behind me the only reply I had for him.  
   I don’t know why I let John Hamilton talk me into promoting that guy. He did his job well enough, but something about him just grated on my last nerve. I hit the sleek, marble-tiled hallway. And instead of heading right to the rest of the party, low thumps of Bruno Mars pushing through my head, I took a quick left down the back hall that led to my oversized office.
     I sauntered at an easy pace, thoughts of the mini bottles of Grey Goose tucked in my office fridge calling my name. I’d check my messages, compulsive workaholic that I was, and have a glass on the rocks to unwind before calling the company car to drive me home. Bruno Mars bled into Taylor Swift, and just as I was thinking about finding a new DJ for the next office party, I bumped into a warm body, soft curves and a seductive scent filling my space.  
   “Oh gosh,” a tinkling voice uttered.  
   “Sorry ’bout that.” I reached out, catching her elbow to stabilize her on those spikes she called shoes. My eyes traveled down the creamy legs, thighs peeking out beneath the hem of a jet-black cocktail dress. Short. That dress was really fucking short.  
   Thank God for dresses like that.  I sucked in a breath, staggering for a second when her palm rested on my chest, one of those spiky high heels in the air as she twisted at the little strap that held it in place. “These things are killing me.”
   I huffed, clutching my fingers around her wrist to hold her steady. “Take them off. I always question the sanity of any woman I see wearing those death traps.”
   “So…” She cocked her head, smirk tilting to one side. “You’re calling me insane? Is that what you say when you’re charming all the ladies?”
   I couldn’t help the grin that shot across my lips. Been a goddamned long time since anyone had made me smile. “Forgive me. I’m known as the office asshole.”
   “That so?” She slipped off the shoe, letting it dangle on one finger. Hell, I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me, but I wanted to wrap my lips around that finger and suck. Instead, I dropped to one knee, unclasping the dainty little strap on her other ankle and easing the death heel off her foot.
   My fingertips danced across the soft skin, smooth as the finest silk. I traced a fingertip up the gentle dip of her calf, glancing over the back of her knee when a shiver rippled through her body. One hand tightened on my shoulder, her entire body swaying for a moment before she caught herself.
    “Thanks,” she said when I stood, my eyes holding hers.  Long beats passed, my heart thundering in my ears as we watched each other.  
   “Why didn’t you dress up?” she finally breathed, our gazes still locked.  
  I swallowed past the bundle of razors in my throat, licking my lips before answering, “I’m the boss. What I say goes.” I stepped closer, drawn to her as though we were connected by an invisible force field. “And I don’t do dress-up.” My fingers landed at her temple, eyes moving down to study the lush lips visible behind the white feathered mask she wore. “Not at work parties. I believe in maintaining a healthy distance in the office. Professionalism.”
   She turned, and I missed the gaze behind the mask. It did a hell of a job disguising her face, but her eyes, the brightest shade of azure blue, mesmerized me. “What brought you to the party tonight?”
   She pressed her lips together, the heartbeat at her throat fluttering like a hummingbird, steady, delicate.  
   Everything about her looked so graceful and perfect.  
   My fingers craved the feeling of her hips. I wondered if it’d be too damn forward to kiss her right now.  
   Did I even give a shit if it was too forward? No woman in my entire thirty-nine years had ever had this impact on me.  
   She finally cleared her throat, eyes fluttering closed. “I came with a friend.”
  I nodded, suddenly jealous of the fucker who’d brought her here. The thought of her going home with anyone but me made my vision bleed red.
   “Share a drink in my office with me?” I threaded my fingers with hers, backstepping across the hallway and pulling us both into my office. It was lit with only a dim lamp, and wall-to-wall windows showcased the city around us. She looked achingly beautiful in any light, but the way the shadows played with the tender lines of her face was out of this world entirely. “You won’t be missed, will you?”
   Her eyes met mine, a small shake of her head indicating she wouldn’t.  
   Christ, I couldn’t help the feeling that radiated through my balls, had me dying to find out what she’d feel like underneath me. My mouth watered at the thought of the taste of her on my tongue. “Grey Goose okay?”
   Our fingers still connected, we walked across the polished wood floor, getting closer to the windows that overlooked my world. In here, I was the master. What I said was all that mattered, always. So inviting her in here felt…intimate. Like inviting her into my life to take a look around like a voyeur.
   “I don’t really drink,” she finally answered, one palm hovering at the window as if she wanted to touch the pane, peer down the face of the thirty-story building. “Actually, I’m not really sure what I’m doing here.”
   Her profile was lit by slivers of moonlight, drawing me in, begging for my touch. “Does there need to be a reason?” I dragged one fingertip down the curve of her arm, following the soft line and watching as goose bumps formed in my wake. “So turned on,” I hummed, inching closer to her lips. “I think we both know what you’re doing here.”  
   She sucked in her thick bottom lip, and the urge to bite it nearly overwhelmed me.  
   A low growl ripped from my chest before my hands were pushing into her soft waves and my tongue was tracing the moist seam of her pink lips. One of her arms wound around my neck as my palm dug into the creamy flesh of her thigh and wrapped her leg around my waist. Moving her seamlessly against the glass, I planted one hand behind her head, cupping her gently while my mouth melded with hers.   
   Quiet moans slipped past her lips, the nails of one hand biting at the muscle of my shoulder as our tongues twisted. “Taste sweeter than candy.”
   I spun her in my arms, striding the few feet to my desk and laying her across it. My hands raced up her body, delving into her creamy curves and wishing I never had to come up for air.  
   She arched, her hips moving beneath me. My cock pressed against the edge of my desk, grinding with just enough pressure to release the pain and prevent myself from sinking into her for God and everybody to hear. Then again, guess that’d announce to all those bastards out at the party who she belonged to. My balls tugged with something primal at the thought.  
   Claiming her.  
   Planting my seed in that sweet cunt and tying her to me for life.  
  With one palm sliding up her calf, I kissed my way along the path to the promised land, taking my time and savoring every inch like a man starved. I moved over her knees, enjoying the way she squirmed and arched when I hit all her sensitive spots. The scent of her juicy pussy pushed me on, the hemline of that short little dress rising higher and higher by the second until a pair of bubblegum-pink satin panties came into view.  
   A strip of bubblegum fucking pink stood between me and the only thing I wanted.  
   “Jesus, look at you wrapped up all pretty like a piece of candy for me.” I dusted a fingertip across the damp satin, a serrated sigh burning off her lips when I did. “Can’t wait to taste your sweet come on my tongue.”
   A bowl of Halloween candy corn caught my eye, my secretary having left it on my desk earlier to “add a little cheer.”
   A grin parted my lips as I grabbed a handful, taking my time tracing a line of candy across the waistband of those little panties, down to the apex of her thighs and landing on the silky covered pussy that was about to be all mine.  
   Her chest rose up and down as she watched me with aroused eyes, small shakes wracking her body whenever my knuckle dusted a sensitive spot. I beamed when I’d finished my job, making a candy-corn bikini overtop of all that bubblegum. “I really love candy, sweetheart.”
   She stopped breathing when our eyes met and held.  
   I winked once before pushing my tongue out and licking a piece of the candy off her waist. I followed the line, working my way around her gorgeous cunt until the damp spot at the center of her crotch had grown bigger, until the scent of her pretty pussy in the air was too much for me to bear.
   I needed inside her. I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know what the repercussions might be tomorrow, but I would deal with them then. She was so sweet and soft, lying beneath me like this, looking up at me with those mesmerizing ocean eyes, a mountain of white feathers hiding the contours of her face.
   I flicked the tip of my tongue along the crease of her thigh, teasing as I moved my way along, gobbling up her candy-covered cunt, wishing to hell those panties were edible so I never had to stop. I moved to the small X of candy I’d made atop the tiny bud of her clit. I sucked in the sugary confection, nearly groaning when the scent of her cunt met my taste buds.  
  I’d pound my dick into the wooden desk in the next two minutes if I wasn’t inside her before then.  
   But I couldn’t. She was special. I wanted to please her first. I wanted her desperate for me.
   I nibbled the last of the candy off her clit then locked my lips over the outline of the bud, warming it with my breath, then pulling on the sensitive flesh with my teeth. Her hands pushed into my hair, pulling softly as a slow wave of pleasure rolled through her body.  
   “Oh God, oh my God,” she whimpered, making me want to slide a finger inside those bubblegum panties and tear them from her body. Soft moans turned to ragged gasps as I slid one thumb against the mound of her clit. Like I’d pushed a button, she shot off in a thousand shudders around me. She sounded like a goddamn angel when she came. I didn’t know that was a thing, but hell if it wasn’t true.  “Watching you come makes me want to take you home and tie you to my bed and do this on repeat all weekend long.”
   A lazy smile spread over her lips. “That sounds amazing.”
   “Mm, well, I don’t like to make a habit of inviting strangers to stay in my home, but an exception could be made…” I slid my hands up her body, cupping her full tits as I did, licking at the flesh that pushed out of the V-neck. Sucking between her succulent cleavage then over her collarbone, I tasted the hollow of her neck, making a point of leaving a small hickey. My mark on her, just like it should be.  
   Our lips connected, soft and slow, my cock nestled against her hot pussy and grinding as my head and my heart warred. I wanted to dive into her. I had a feeling if I did, I’d get lost and forget to come up for air, but I didn’t want to overstep.  
   “If I’m gonna make you come all weekend, I should at least know your name. What do I call you, beautiful?”
   Her eyes widened before averting to the ceiling. “Reese.” Then those coastal blue eyes connected with mine and held, one hand pulling the feather mask off her face. “Reese Hamilton.”
    And just like that, a fucking mortar burst inside my chest.  
   She was gorgeous. She didn’t look anything like I remembered. Hell, my head was hazy with any memories of her beyond a passing nod when she walked through the office.  
   But dammit, she was so beautiful. How the fuck had I gotten myself here?
   I groaned, suddenly feeling like her touch burned, launching off her body as though my life depended on it. Hell, it did. I’d been about to fuck my partner’s daughter. The one I’d watched grow up—from pigtails to high heels, preschool to college, I’d been there for just about all of it.
  “Fuck me.”

Aria Cole is a thirty-something housewife who once felt bad for reading dirty books late at night, until she decided to write her own. Possessive alpha men and the sassy heroines who love them are common, along with a healthy dose of irresistible insta-love and happily ever afters so sweet your teeth may ache.

For a safe, off-the-charts HOT, and always HEA story that doesn’t take a lifetime to read, get lost in an Aria Cole book!
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RELEASE BLITZ ~ A Little Too Late by Staci Hart

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A Little Too Late, an all-new romantic standalone from Staci Hart is LIVE!

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A Little Too Late
by Staci Hart

Publishing Date: October 24th, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance

I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with the nanny.

When my wife left, she took the illusion of happiness with her, and I’ve been caught in a free fall ever since. For nine long months, I’ve been fighting to figure out how to be a single dad, how to be alone.

For nine long months, I’ve been failing.

When Hannah walked through the door, I took my first breath since I’d found myself on my own. She slipped into our lives effortlessly, showing me what I’ve been missing all these years. Because Hannah made me smile when I thought I’d packed the notion of happiness away with my wedding album.

She was only supposed to be the nanny, but she’s so much more.

The day my wife left should have been the worst day of my life, but it wasn’t. It was when Hannah walked away, taking my heart with her.


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Read Today!

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

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2ilmkH9

iBooks: http://apple.co/2iPPgH0

Nook: http://bit.ly/2ewscMg

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xDG7F9

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


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About the AuthorAuthorPics

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey.

From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

 

Connect with Staci:

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

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Website: http://stacihartnovels.com

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RELEASE BLITZ ~ My Zombie Wedding (Undead Canadian Series #3) by T. Strange

 
Genre: paranormal romance, M/M, contemporary romance
Length: 71,000 words (novel) 

 

Blurb: 

Any city is bound to collect restless dead. Armed with the notebook of Icelandic magic his ex boyfriend, Bone, gave him, Edward Grey has been tasked with removing troubled spirits or finding ways for the living and the dead to coexist in harmony. Between planning his wedding with his undead Canadian fiancé, Kit Ward, and his continued studies as a medical student, Edward didn’t need another commitment, but he can’t turn away people who are frightened or in danger. 

A particularly vicious ghost gives Edward an ominous warning—they’re coming—and a few days later Edward’s notebook is stolen from him. While he’s attempting to find it, he and his mentor, Mariel, are confronted by a very powerful necromancer and barely escape with their lives. 

On the run, Edward is pursued everywhere he goes, until the necromancers following him manage to capture Kit. 

Edward’s hunt for his kidnapped fiancé will take him to the underworld and beyond.


Excerpt:

I was sweating by the time I arrived at Bone’s apartment. I pressed the buzzer for his unit and waited. 

I was terrified that I’d be grabbed at any moment, that Bone wasn’t home, that they’d already gotten to him and were holding him at gunpoint—it crossed my mind that he’d probably find that sexy, and I dismissed the thought as quickly as possible—and were waiting upstairs to capture me. I had almost convinced myself to walk away, to come up with another plan—though I had no other ideas—when the speaker crackled to life.

“’lo?” Bone’s voice sounded muffled, like his mouth was full. Was he gagged? Was he with someone?

“Who is it?” he asked, when I took too long to answer.

“It’s Ed—ward.” I’d almost called myself Ed; he’d trained me well.

I definitely heard him swallow. “Ed! Come on up, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

That couldn’t be good. Maybe he was trying to talk me into a threesome, with someone who wasn’t Kit—not that Kit could ever be convinced, for love or money, to sleep with Bone.

The door buzzed and I pulled it open automatically, no longer sure I wanted to go upstairs, but I needed to find Kit and I couldn’t do it alone.
The minute I opened the door between the stairs and Bone’s hallway, something felt…wrong. Usually my intuition isn’t very good, but my forearms and the back of my neck prickled. I tapped on Bone’s door, lightly, with one finger. The door swung open; it wasn’t even fully closed, never mind locked. 

Not like Bone, not at all. He’s paranoid about security. He usually doesn’t even let me in without physically seeing me first. The hall was strangely quiet, too. Bone usually has screaming, throbbing metal rock music playing. I have no idea why his neighbours haven’t gotten him kicked out of the building—maybe they’ve met him.


A small, triangular face appeared in the doorway, the movement—low to the ground and inhuman—startling me, but it was only one of Bone’s many ‘rescue’ ghost cats.
I clucked to her, and she very cautiously stalked over to me, most of her going through rather than out the door. I wondered, briefly, how Bone kept the ghost cats from wandering.

Petting the cat felt like I was stroking fur submerged in icy water. I was so hot from fear and walking in my unseasonably warm coat that the coolness was almost a relief.

I’d delayed long enough. I nudged the door open, wide enough for more than a cat to pass through.  The ghost cat escorted me inside, marching in front of me, kinked tail held high and proud. I couldn’t see any visible signs of how she’d died, the way I could with some of them, and I was okay with that.

The apartment was dark—not only were the windows covered, as usual, in thick blackout curtains, but the lights were all out, except for one at the end of the hall. The bathroom light. Why was Bone in the bathroom, with the door open, when he knew I’d be coming up right away?

The clowder of ghostly felines glowed softly in the darkness, the intensity gently rising and falling to the rhythm of their purrs. It was both beautiful and eerie at the same time. Kind of like Bone himself.
“Hello?” I stepped around several ghost cats, trying not to look at them too carefully so I wouldn’t have to see the gruesome injuries some of them bore. I also had to make sure I didn’t step on Bone’s one living cat, a Ukrainian Levkoy named Rasputin.

“I’m in here,” Bone replied, his voice still oddly muffled. Was he eating in the bathroom?


 
 


Learn more about the Undead Canadian Series here.

The Undead Canadian Series

My Zombie Boyfriend

My Zombie Fiancé

My Zombie Wedding

Bits & Bones (forthcoming)


 
 
 
 
 
T. Strange didn’t want to learn how to read, but literacy prevailed and she hasn’t stopped reading—or writing—since. She’s been published since 2013, and she writes M/M romance in multiple genres. T.’s other interests include cross stitching, gardening, watching terrible horror movies, playing video games, and finding injured pigeons to rescue. Originally from White Rock, BC, she lives on the Canadian prairies, where she shares her home with her wife, cats, guinea pigs, and a small dog. She’s very easy to bribe with free food and drinks—especially wine.


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RELEASE BLITZ ~ Hurricane (Heaven Hill Generations #1) by Laramie Briscoe

 

Title: Hurricane
Series: Heaven Hill Generations #1
Author: Laramie Briscoe

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 21, 2017

 

Blurb

The Prospect and the President’s daughter finally get their HEA…..
 

Remington “Remy” Sawyer

For most of my life I’ve been the person who lived with the hand he was dealt. Not much in my life have I had a say in. Birthed by parents I don’t talk to, I was raised by the only person who ever cared for me – my brother, Cash. Under his guidance, I’ve become the person I am today.Productive member of society, and patched brother in the Heaven Hill MC.I don’t want for anything, other than Tatum Walker.

We had a shot, and we both screwed it up……massively.

Tatum “Tate” Walker

Being the daughter of the President of the Heaven Hill MC is a burden, but one I’ll face every day with pride. It’s hard for me to know what people like me for. Is it my personality, my looks, or are they trying to get close to the Club? There’s one person I’ve never doubted.

Remington Sawyer.

A year ago we had one night of almost passion – that ended with me walking away in tears – and him walking away in anger.

Some time away from each other has given us perspective. Now, instead of the storm of chaos that was our one attempt at a relationship, we’re both ready for calm.

And nothing, they say, is as calm – as the eye of a Hurricane.

 


 

 

Purchase Links
 
AMAZON: US / UK / CA / AU
  


Also Available
 
 
99c for a limited time
 
AMAZON: US / UK / CA / AU
 

 


Author Bio
 

Laramie Briscoe is the best-selling author of the Heaven Hill Series & the Rockin’ Country Series.

Since self-publishing her first book in May of 2013, Laramie Briscoe has published over 10 books. She’s appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling E-books Lists on iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. She’s been called “a very young Maya Banks” (Amazon reviewer) and her books have been accused of being “sexy, family-oriented, romances with heart”.

When she’s not writing alpha males who seriously love their women, she loves spending time with friends, reading, and marathoning shows on her DVR. Married to her high school sweetheart, Laramie lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband (the Travel Coordinator) and a sometimes crazy cat named Beau.

 
Author Links
 

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Ideal Image (SNAPshot #2) by Freya Barker & KT Dove

 
 

 

Title: Ideal Image
Series: A SNAPshot Novel
Author: Freya Barker and KT Dove

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: October 18, 2017
Cover Designer: Rebel, Edit & Design
 
 

In one blinding flash, the very fiber of her existence is shredded.
For criminal lawyer and single mother, Stacie Gustafson, a dependable career, a well-organized life, and an immaculate image, had always been her armor. Without it she’s left exposed and struggling to create a new existence for her and her daughter. No matter how hard she tries, she is unable to avoid her history.

All it takes is one look at the blue-eyed woman, for Nicolas Flynn to be transported back ten years. Sure, her appearance has changed, but then so has his, since he turned his life around. His devotion to his small-town law firm is tested with the arrival of this bittersweet blast from the past, making for a persistent distraction. One that drags along more trouble than she left behind.

 
 
 

 

 

 
“Tomorrow let’s tackle the roof on the small barn. Last week when we had that rain come through, the horses stayed drier under the overhang covering the outside pen than they did inside the barn itself.”
I’m glad we’re onto more palatable dinner subjects now. As my Pops ages, his choice of casual conversation over a meal, more often than not, includes the day’s special on ailments or a detailed report on bodily functions.
Today’s topics of choice had been ingrown toenails and the effects of the latest pinto bean crop on a senior’s digestive system. Yeah, my dad can be a laugh-and-a-half at the dinner table.
“Absolutely,” I say, trying not to sound too relieved at the change in topic. “Do we still have a few of those corrugated roof panels we used on the shelter for the woodpile?”
“Probably just one or two,” Pops answers, before taking another massive bite of his hamburger.
“Maybe we’ll head into Cortez in the morning?”
“We can hit Denny’s for breakfast,” he says, slurping the dregs of his milkshake loudly.
Pops is a man of simple pleasures; a regular constitution and a hearty meal. Throw in a beer occasionally and he’s a happy man. He also likes predictability, which is why I’ve made it a point in recent years, to keep my schedule clear on Friday afternoons. We go out for an early meal—Pops like to eat at five—and catch up on our weeks, before planning out our weekend.
I don’t have much of a life outside of work. Sadly, my father is responsible for the bulk of my socializing. Friday dinners at a restaurant of his choice, and the weekends mostly putzing about our property. There are days when I feel more like sixty than the barely forty years I’m old.
“Now there’s a sight for sore eyes.”
I barely register Pop’s voice as I focus on my chicken fried steak sandwich, until the melodic cadence of a familiar voice pierces my awareness.
“First pick a booth, Mak, and then we’ll order.”
I swivel around in my seat to find Stacie’s daughter staring back at me.
“Hey,” I offer in greeting, my eyes immediately looking for, and finding, Stacie behind her. I can feel my face crack open in a big smile.
“Hi,” is the cheerful reply, along with Stacie’s more subdued; “Hello.”
“You friends of my son?” Pops pushes half out of his seat, the paper napkin he habitually tucks in his collar to catch the inevitable crumbs and stains flutters down to the floor, as he sticks out his greasy hand in greeting.
Instead of bouncing my head off the table a few times, which I’d like to do, I also stand up.
“Stacie, this is my father, Henry Flynn. And, Pops, this Stacie Gustafson and her daughter Makenna. Stacie is a colleague.” I’m not quite sure why I add the last, but the moment I see my father’s eyes narrow on Stacie’s face, a feeling of doom settles in my stomach. My pops is not exactly known for tact or subtlety.
“Why don’t you join us?” I quickly ask, hoping to avoid what I know is sure to come. Stacie opens her mouth with what I know will be an objection, but Mak easily slides in the booth beside Pops.
I feel bad for Stacie, who is left standing a little awkwardly next to the table. I grab her hand and gently pull her to sit down. I try to glare at Pops to warn him off when he leans over the table, his head slightly tilted to the side, but he’s like a dog with a bone.
“What happened to your face?”
And there it is.
I’m still contemplating my father’s imminent demise, while desperately seeking for ways to soften the shocked expression on Stacie’s face at the impact of his words, when her little girl pipes up.
“She got burned in an explosion. Gnarly, right? You should see her arm.”
I watch Stacie’s eyes pop open at her daughter’s callous description, but Pops is immediately distracted.
“The explosion up on the mountain last winter? That was your mom? Damn, I heard that was bad.”
“She almost died,” Mak says, her face somber.
“Yeah, but she didn’t, did she?” Pops counters sagely, and I throw up my hands, there’s no way to stop this train wreck. “Looks pretty alive to me.”
Stacie’s eyes, round as saucers, turn to me. Surprisingly, I see a glimmer of humor in their depths.
“Thank God,” her daughter blurts out dramatically, and the whole situation suddenly becomes comical in the most surreal way.
“Yeah—thank God,” Pops echoes, a smirk on his face as he winks across the table at Stacie, who promptly bursts out laughing, and I can’t hold back a chuckle. “Besides, they can fix that, you know?”
“Oh, I know,” Mak says wisely, tucking her paper napkin in the collar of her shirt, mimicking my dad. A move that makes all of the adults at the table smile. “Mom’s having her face done in two weeks.”
After a little confusion—during which the waitress shows up to take Stacie and Mak’s orders, and Pops takes the opportunity to order another milkshake and order of fries—I manage to glean that having her face done means Stacie apparently has another surgery scheduled. 

 

 

 


 
 
 


BLP REVIEW ~ Tracy

I think it’s fair to say that I FLOVE Ms Barker’s work. She writes truly emotional, gripping, fantastic stories with real, likable, relatable characters so it seriously pains me to say that while I liked Ideal Image I didn’t love it!! (it took me a couple of days to finish this read where normally I’m glued to a FB book and will pretty much read it in a day)

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a collaboration of two authors, I’m not really sure, but in all honesty I’ve felt that this series is a little too predictable and that’s not what I’ve come to expect from Freya. Her own books have you on the edge of your seat, not quite knowing what’s gonna happen next and often she blindsides you with on or more twists that you just didn’t see coming…. so I was kinda disappointed when I almost instantly knew how things were gonna go down when we were introduced to the ‘bad guy’ in Ideal Image.

The relationship between Nick and Stacie took time to build, understandably given the issues Stacie had following the incident she was involved in in book #1 of the series, and it was during scenes between our leads, the intimacy, conversations and emotional moments that I saw full flashes of Freya’s writing.

If I’m gonna be completely honest – and lets face it, that’s the whole point of this review – I much prefer Ms Barkers’individual works. These books are, for me, where we truly see her literary genius at work!

All in all, Ideal Image was a good read and continues the Snapshot series with appearances from characters from previous books in this series and from the Cedar Tree series(which I adore!!) and it gave us a clue as to who I’m sure are the lead characters in the next books in the series.

I rate Ideal Image 3.9*


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Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. She is the author of the Cedar Tree Series and the Portland, ME, novels.
 
Freya is the recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” and is a finalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Awards for “From Dust”. She currently has two complete series and three anthologies published, and is working on two new series; La Plata County FBI—ROCK POINT, and Northern Lights. She continues to spin story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
 
 
 
 
 
KT Dove grew up, and still lives, in the Midwest. At an early age she developed a love of reading, driving the local librarians crazy, and would plan plot lines and stories for her favorite characters. KT received degrees in English, Speech/Drama, and Education. And yet instead of becoming an English teacher as planned, she opted for an unexpected HEA. 
Now married, a mother and still an avid reader, she stumbled upon the Indie author movement and became involved on several levels. Never in her wildest imagination would she have thought she would co-author a book. With the support of her family, she took the plunge, adding writing to an already busy literary existence.  
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
 
 
 
 

 


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