Category Archives: Excerpt

EXCERPT REVEAL ~ Sacked in Seattle by Jami Davenport

Aug 12

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

SACKED_ExcerptBANNER

Are you ready to be SACKED?

Sacked in Seattle is an emotional romance that is about more than just sports!

Keep reading for an excerpt

Release Date: August 24th

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Sacked_PROMO2

He’s loved Tiff since high school–but tragedy has blockaded her heart.

Tyee University football player Riley Black has adored Tiff since high school, but she’s never felt the same way. As Riley enters his senior year of college, he’s finally moving on and enjoying the perks of being a star athlete. Until one glimpse of Tiff unearths all those old feelings of longing and desire, not to mention the trauma of their shared past.

Tiffani Vernon has been running from her demons for seven years. When she’s forced to return to Seattle for financial reasons and attend the same college as Riley, she’s confronted with the traumatic event which has shaped her future and scarred her memories of Riley. Tiff struggles to avoid her secret high school crush, but he’s not having any of it. He’s pursuing her with a relentless determination to prove once and for all, they were meant to be together.

Can love finally heal their wounds or will they succumb to the pain and forever wonder what could have been?

SACKED_TEASER2

EXCERPT:

Chapter 1—Running

* Riley *

Life-changing moments can be as obvious as a guy holding a gun to your forehead or as subtle as glimpsing a face in a crowd.

That gun and that face haunted my nights and often my days.

I hadn’t laid eyes on Tiffani Vernon since the night of our high school graduation over three years ago. She couldn’t leave Seattle fast enough, while I’d never considered going anywhere else. Seattle was the only real home I’d ever known, and I wanted to stay here and make things better. Face my fears head on. You know, crap like that.

Tiff ran from her fears, and our last night together had been epic, unforgettable, and scary as shit. She sped out of town and never looked back—especially not at me.

I knew why. It wasn’t personal, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

I reminded her of that horrible, awful day when our lives hung in the balance, the world shifted in a matter of minutes, and nothing would ever be the same again.

And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

Except move on.

And I had.

Or I thought I had, until I saw her standing across that proverbial crowded room. Our eyes met. Her brown ones to my blue ones. Recognition flashed in her eyes, then panic. Her mouth opened as if she were going to say something. Her expression went soft with regret. Shaking her head, she turned and ran, weaving through the crowd faster than a running back angling for the end zone. Her little pink skirt swished back and forth, calling attention to her fine ass and shapely legs. She was so smoking hot, heads swiveled as she passed.

Pain stabbed deep in my gut. Memories flooded back and slammed me to the turf, leaving me stuck to the beer-soaked floor. Graduation night. Her skin glowed in the moonlight as she gave herself to me, body and soul. I lost myself inside her, certain we’d be together forever. She left town the next morning, and I never saw her again.

Squelching that memory, I stood alone in a crowd of people, hearing nothing, sensing nothing, seeing nothing but the place where she’d stood a second ago. People elbowed me in their haste to get to the keg of beer I was blocking.

I shook my head, attempting to clear it.

She couldn’t be here.

She should be at USC starting her senior year, just as I was starting mine at the Ty, what us locals call Tyee University on Lake Union in Seattle.

She’d traded the rain and mud for sun and sand, and she’d traded me for surfer dudes and Hollywood wannabes.

But now she was back.

My feet refused to follow my orders. All I could do was gape open-mouthed like some creep with a stalker crush. There’d been other times I’d sworn I’d seen her, only to race after her and embarrass the hell out of myself when I found out the poor girl I’d dogged wasn’t Tiffani.

But we’d locked gazes this time, and there wasn’t any doubt in my mind. She was here. I tried to swallow, clear my throat, gulp in some oxygen. I swear my organs were either shutting down or going into overload. My heart slammed in my chest as if building to detonation, and my head pounded to the beat of the music in the room.

Oblivious to my disinterest, the blonde who’d been hustling me all night leaned in closer and gripped my arm. She slipped her tongue in my ear while her hand migrated to my crotch. I gave her a gentle shove, not giving one shit how rude my behavior was, even though I usually prided myself on being a nice guy.

“Later,” I told her and pushed through the throng of frat-house party-goers.

Almost frantic, I shoved my way to where I’d last seen her and caught a flash of blonde hair as she slipped out the door. I dashed after her down the sidewalk into the street and glanced left and right. She was gone, vanished into thin air as if she’d never existed. I waited five, then ten minutes, she never reappeared.

With a sigh, I trudged back to the party, ignoring the curious stares of the guys. I sank onto the couch in the living room, next to a couple of teammates, and faked interest in a football game on TV. My heart thudded wildly, and my hand shook as I lifted a pizza slice to my lips.

My eyes met the concerned blue gaze of my best friend, Gage Harmon, the team quarterback, campus man slut, and proud of both titles. He was chewing slowly and staring at me as if he expected me to strip naked and dance on the table while stone-cold sober.

“You okay, Ry man?”

“Yeah, fine. Thought I saw someone. I was wrong.”

One brow crept upward, disappearing under his messy blond hair. “Female?”

I nodded, refusing to meet his gaze on the off-chance he’d see the pathetic truth and peg me for the idiot I was. What kind of loser pines after a girl this long when he has the world at his feet?

This loser.

Tiff was the only girl I’d ever truly loved.

And I’d never stopped loving her, as fucked up as that was.

* Tiff *

Running into Riley Black was inevitable. The Tyee campus was big, but obviously not big enough. Even so, I hadn’t expected to see him during my first week of classes. I’d carefully avoided the areas where he might be hanging out, such as Greek Row, and opted for an off-campus apartment. I planned my classes to avoid being near the football field and gym in the afternoons when he’d most likely be practicing. I timed everything with careful attention to detail and avoidance. Lot of good that did me.

Coming to this party had been a lapse in judgment. I should’ve known he’d be here. Maybe I secretly hoped to run into him, just to torture myself. Maybe I was all kinds of screwed up.

Okay, well, that’s stating the obvious. Ask my family. Ask my counselor. Ask my horse. They’d all agree. I, Tiffani Grace Vernon, was one fucked-up girl, and years of therapy had barely put a dent in my tormented past. Through no fault of his own, Riley brought back every traumatic memory of that fateful day when my charmed life became a living nightmare. He was a victim as much as I was.

Now, here we were. At the same frat party. I shouldn’t have come.

Our eyes met, and recognition instantly lit up his gaze. Those same cobalt blue eyes had studied me intently from across the room in our high school biology class. They’d watched me ride my horse in endless circles at the arena near his aunt’s house. Those same eyes had opened wide in horror as my ex-boyfriend, also his teammate, pointed a gun at each of us, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The loud bang had deafened me, and the smell of iron had filled my nostrils, followed by the wrenching pain of being slammed to the ground.

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

Seeing him brought it all back as if it had happened six minutes ago instead of almost seven years.

Maybe seeing me did the same for him, too? He’d gaped at me like he’d seen a ghost. Momentarily frozen in shock, his mouth opened and closed as if he were trying to say something but couldn’t. Not that I would have heard him over the sea of drunken partygoers and the roar in my ears.

My brain clawed at the last shred of sanity as wave after wave of dizziness sucked me deeper into a swirling abyss of darkness. My lungs begged for oxygen until I had to be blue in the face. My legs wobbled, and I stuck out a hand to steady myself. Swaying like a drunken sailor, I accidentally buried my fingers in some sorority girl’s cleavage. She raised her hand to take a swing at me but was too wasted to come close.

“You stupid, perverted bitch.”

Whatever. She was the least of my worries.

The music was so loud, no one paid attention to us. I wasn’t a fighter, and the time had come to get my ass out of here, not so much to run from her—I could handle her—but to get away from him and the demons nipping at my heels

I abandoned my beer on a windowsill and shoved my way through the crowd, desperate to exit as quickly as possible. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Riley dodging people in the crowd with deft footwork that would do any running back proud. Only he wasn’t a running back. He was a tight end. The starting tight end for Tyee University. A big man on campus with an NHL star uncle.

And I was—

Nobody.

And I planned on keeping it that way. I didn’t have any interest in being in the spotlight or even in a flashlight.

It’d been a mistake to enroll here, but I hadn’t had a choice. My parents’ divorce had been costly, leaving no money for out-of-state tuition. So here was I was. Back in the area I both loved and despised among the best of memories drowned out by the worst of tragedies with the one person who played a part in both.

I ran out the door and down the front steps, knowing he was only seconds behind. Glancing around desperately, I dived into some bushes in front of the apartment building next to the frat house and huddled in the darkness.

I waited what seemed like hours.

Finally, I peeked through the branches of the bush. Riley stood there, several feet away, gazing down the street with such profound sadness, you’d think he’d lost his best friend. His big hands hung loosely at his sides. He still had that one lock of dark hard that refused to stay in place. He looked the same, but different. A familiar face, yet a stranger.

Shaking his head, Riley trudged back inside, his shoulders slumped and his feet dragging.

I almost ran after him—almost—but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t invite the one person back into my life who could destroy every bit of progress I’d made since high school. Even worse, I couldn’t drag him down with me.

I waited long after he’d gone inside before creeping along the side of the building, and around the corner. I ran the several blocks home and collapsed on my bed. Only then did the wrenching sobs shake my body and wring every bit of emotion from my soul until nothing was left but bone-deep weariness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary, sports, and new adult romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle series and the Men of Tyee series. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland dog with a tennis-ball fetish, and a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat. She works in computer support in her day job and juggles too many balls, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Connect with Jami!

Subscribe to my newsletter to receive a free novel and be notified of new releases, special sales, and contests: http://eepurl.com/LpfaL

Website Address: http://www.jamidavenport.com

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BLOG TOUR ~ Well Built by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde

Aug 8

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Well Built a sexy new second chance standalone from
Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde is available NOW!

CPEWWellBuiltCover5x8_BW_300

Well Built
by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

Publication Date: July 25th
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

When it comes to women, sexy, well-built Kyle Coleman has always been a lover, not a fighter. His one exception? The tempting, beautiful Ella Fisher. Her family and his share a tempestuous past, which make the two of them as a couple off-limits—despite the fact that she inspires some of his dirtiest fantasies. He’s kept his hands off of her for years . . . until the lines between family loyalty and lust become irrevocably blurred one fateful evening and changes everything between them.

Excerpt:

Dan Briggs, the auctioneer in charge of today’s sale, arrived and took his place in front of the small crowd. Less than a minute later, Kyle caught sight of Ella walking out of the connecting market, a bright, self-assured smile on her face and a sassy pep to her step, as if this piece of property was already hers and this auction was just a formality. His gut clenched at what he was about to do to her, but he couldn’t let himself be deterred by an emotion such as guilt.

Without looking at who was gathered to watch the sale, she walked up to Dan and spoke to him for a few moments, even laughing at something he said, though Kyle couldn’t hear their conversation. But he did have a clear view of Ella, and he took advantage of the opportunity to really study her without her guard being up, as he knew it would be as soon as he topped her first bid.

It had been years since the last time he’d seen her. In high school, she’d been a pretty girl, with a lithe body that had tempted him to indulge in all sorts of sin. She’d had a sweet innocence about her that had effortlessly drawn him in. She was still slender with graceful long legs, but her curves were more pronounced and womanly. Her fitted jeans emphasized the alluring dip of her waist along with the tight shape of her spectacular ass. She was wearing a light blue T-shirt with Fisher’s Grocery printed across her chest, and it didn’t escape Kyle’s notice that the breasts that had once been small swells of flesh were now firm and full and would overflow in his big hands in the best possible way.

Her delicate features had matured, but she still possessed that natural beauty that didn’t require any cosmetics or enhancements. Judging by the loose braid hanging halfway down her back, she’d let her once-shoulder-length style grow quite a few inches, and he found himself wondering how those chestnut strands would look completely unconfined, and if her hair was still as soft and silky as he remembered.

Something in his belly tightened, and he recognized it as attraction and desire, even after all this time. If Ella were anyone else, or a woman he’d seen at a bar in the city, he would have already been working his way toward her to introduce himself and to see if the chemistry was reciprocated. And from there, he’d buy her a drink, they’d talk a bit, and he’d get a feel for if she was up for a mutual night of pleasure.

Kyle killed that line of thinking. As much as Ella still tempted him, he was pretty certain that she’d knee him in the balls before she’d ever date him again. Especially after she learned he was going to be her new business neighbor.

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BLP REVIEW ~ Tracy

*
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WELL BUILT TEASER 9

Meet Carly Phillips:

Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels, including the Indie published, Dare to Love Series. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers.

Connect with Carly:

Sign up for Carly’s Newsletter at: http://www.carlyphillips.com/newsletter-sign-up/
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Meet Erika Wilde:

Erika Wilde (aka Janelle Denison) is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances
for multiple print publishers.

Connect with Erika:

Sign up for Erika’s Newsletter at: http://smarturl.it/ErikaWildeNewsletter
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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com@erikawilde1
Erika’s Website: www.erikawilde.com

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EXCERPT REVEAL ~ Hold Me Close by Vanessa Vale

Aug 7

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

One cowboy is never enough…

Hold Me Close by Vanessa Vale is coming soon on August 10th!

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Rachel wants one thing in life, a family of her own. But she’s not going to get it without a man. Or can she?

They may have ruined their chances in the past, but Matt and Ethan know Rachel’s the woman for them. When they discover her plans, they tell her they’ll give her exactly what she wants. The old fashioned way. Because once they get their hands on her, they’ll hold her close and never let go.

Warning: Panty melting! Hold Me Close is book 4 in the wildly dirty series where two obsessed alpha cowboys give the woman of their dreams exactly what she desires. This standalone HEA is all about her – no M/M.

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EXCERPT:

With my hand raised, I stopped her. “Hold it right there, missy. Turn around and close the door.”

I tried for my sternest tone, loving the way her cheeks turned pink the moment she realized I was in boss mode. That was what she called it when I got all commanding and bossy in the office. Or in the bedroom. Yeah, she liked to be dominated by her two men. And she liked playing up the sexy secretary role to the hilt. She did as I commanded, then turned back around.

I happened to know she got turned on instantly when we went into boss mode. A wet pussy never lied. Hell, I’d guess she was already wet for me right now and I’d barely even begun. I nodded toward the cute skirt she wore. It came to just above her knee. Nothing immodest or inappropriate.

“Lift it up.”

She bit her lip but didn’t protest. Her fingers gripped the hem and she hitched it up slowly, offering me a teasing glimpse of her creamy thighs. Shit, she’d learned how to be quite the tease in just a matter of weeks. Give her another month and Ethan and I would be royally screwed—so totally crazy in lust, we’d be too hard to walk.

When she hitched it up over her hips, I caught sight of her lacy white panties and I shifted in my desk chair. The sight of her, skirt hoisted, panties visible, was so sexy. Thankfully the bulge in my pants was hidden behind my desk. I cleared my throat and looked up at her with raised brows.

Her blush deepened, but a small smile played at her lips. “Sorry, I forgot.”

I shook my head in feigned disappointment. No panties was another rule we’d instituted when even tugging off those silly lace numbers became too much of a hindrance. We’d ripped more off of her than we could count. When she got upset at us for ruining so many, we told her she shouldn’t wear them any more.

“What did we say about panties? They only get in the way. If you want us to keep that pussy filled up with our seed, you can’t be wearing them.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.” She didn’t look sorry at all and I tried not to grin. Panties would not be keeping us from filling her pussy.

I nodded toward her panties. “Lose them.”

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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Tags: @iamvanessavale, @LWoodsPR

RELEASE BLITZ ~ AIM (Series: Circle of Justice) by LP Dover

Aug 7

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Title: Aim

Series: Circle of Justice

Author: LP Dover

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: August 7, 2017

Blurb

When someone asks what I do for a living, I answer it plain and simple . . . I’m a hunter. I hunt the dregs of society and I’m very damn good at it.

I’m Ian Chandler, FBI agent and a member of the Circle of Justice, an organization of justice seeking vigilantes. My mission is to solve a string of ‘accidental’ hiking deaths occurring around my Wyoming town. When Grace Myers – a woman who’s been missing for days – shows up on my land, it turns out she’s the key to it all.
Someone is hunting her, and I make it my duty to keep her safe.

However, the deeper I get into the case, the more dangerous it becomes; especially, now that I’ve fallen for the woman I have to protect. If hunting is the game, I won’t fail. I always hit my mark.

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Excerpt

My phone rang and I thought it’d be Bryce, but it wasn’t.
“What can I do for you, Chief?”

Colton Myers was the chief of police back in Wyoming. His call wasn’t unusual, because they often called me and my brothers when there were cases the local PD couldn’t solve. “I need your help,” he replied, his voice shaking.

The cab driver pulled up to the airport entrance and I passed him a wad of bills before getting out. “What’s going on? I’m about to get on a flight to head home.”

“Good. I’ll drop these files off with Reed, so you can see them when you get back.”

The din of the bustling city made it hard to hear him, but I could tell he was distraught. “Files for what?”

He sighed heavily. “You know how there’ve been missing hikers in Montana?”

“Yeah, I saw something about it before I left for New York.”
It wasn’t uncommon for tourists to sway from the hiking trails or test their limits by doing stupid shit. Most of those people found themselves dead. I liked to climb the cliffs, but I was good at it.

“We’re missing people here too,” Colton confessed.

“It happens every year. Why does this case shock you?” I’d been gone for three weeks, so I hadn’t even paid attention to what was going on in Wyoming.

He huffed angrily. “About three weeks ago, eight men supposedly went missing in our mountains. Just this morning, I couldn’t get a hold of Grace. Her boss also called me and said she never showed up at their meeting last night. Her car is still at the hotel. It’s like she disappeared.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I growled low.

Grace was his daughter and a good friend of mine. Hell, I’d wanted to be more than that for quite some time. I only held back from pursuing her out of respect for her father. She was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever known.

“Please, Ian. I have to find her.”

Hurrying through the doors, impatience flooded through my veins. “We’ll find her, if it’s the last thing I do . . . I swear.”

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Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.

Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.

L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency and Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management for dramatic rights.

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BLOG TOUR ~ Tamed by a Tiger (Eternal Mates #13) by Felicity Heaton

Aug 7

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Tamed by a Tiger
(Eternal Mates Paranormal Romance Series Book 13)
by Felicity Heaton

Tamed by a Tiger (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 13)
Felicity Heaton

A snow leopard shifter in the prime of his life, the last thing on August’s mind is tying himself to one female. He welcomes a different one to his bed each night, or at least he had until five months ago when he became alpha. The duties and pressures of running his pride have his libido dead on arrival—until a trip to London to discuss business with the former alpha lands him in the path of a beautiful, bewitching tigress who awakens a passion in him that flares white hot and a need of her that consumes his every moment.

Promised at birth to a male she has never met, Maya has left her pride behind to go to the tiger alpha who is to be her mate, but she can’t leave without saying goodbye to her older brother, Talon. A stop in London at Underworld to see him one last time turns out far different, and far more dangerous, than how she had imagined it when she sets eyes on an alluring crimson-haired stranger who stirs new, unbidden feelings in her, desires that rouse her fiercest and most frightening instincts and demand she stake a claim on him—her fated mate.

Will Maya be strong enough to place her pride and her family’s safety before the desires of her own heart? And will August unravel his feelings for the black-haired beauty before it’s too late and he loses her forever?

Enter the grand tour-wide giveaway to win a $25, $50 or $75 Amazon Gift Card at the Turned by a Tiger book page.
This giveaway is international and open to everyone, and ends at midnight on August 20th.

Enter now:

August was finding it impossible to concentrate on anything Cavanaugh was saying about prides and appropriate greetings that should happen at the start of a meeting with one.

He had been doing just fine, scribbling notes like a damn school kid in the pad opened on the round white plastic table in front of him, until forty-three minutes ago, when he had been talking to Cavanaugh about his failing sex life and waxing lyrical about all the females he had bedded in those halcyon days before he had become alpha.

He had caught the most bewitching scent he had ever smelled, an intoxicating blend of cinnamon and snow, spicy but soothing, and had turned his head in time to see the black-haired female from last night standing in the entrance of the kitchen.

Her striking amber eyes had been as round as twin suns as she had stared at him.

The big male who had been with her last night, a wall of muscle and menace with silver hair and icy eyes, had been swift to usher her away, and August had heard him mutter about finding somewhere else.

Ever since then, he had been wondering where this somewhere else was that he had taken her.

“Earth calling August.”

He blinked himself back to Cavanaugh, who sighed as he stood, the legs of his chair scraping on the tiles as he pushed it back.

“You need some coffee?” His cousin crossed the small distance between the table and the basic kitchen to August’s right, plucked the jug from the machine and frowned as he lifted it. It was almost empty. His dark grey eyes shifted back to August. “I can make a fresh pot.”

August didn’t think coffee was going to save him.

He had tried concentrating. Really tried. He looked down at the pad and grimaced at the doodles all over it. His fingers had obviously wandered as much as his mind. He hadn’t taken in anything Cavanaugh had told him.

“I think I need some air.” What he really needed to do was clear his head and evict the dark beauty from it, but that probably wasn’t going to happen.

Something about her had him fired up.

Which was a monumental fucking achievement given the recent death of his libido.

He pushed his chair back, stood, and scrubbed a hand across his tired eyes.

“Give me fifteen?” He looked to Cavanaugh, hoping his cousin would be alright with the break, because he wasn’t going to be much use to him if he couldn’t find his focus again.

Cavanaugh shrugged. “Go for it. I’ll check on Eloise.”

August wanted to pick him up on his choice of words. Check on Eloise? It was pretty crap code for fooling around with his mate. He couldn’t hold it against Cavanaugh though. His cousin should have been in bed, enjoying sleeping with his mate, but here he was teaching August the ABCs of running a pride. If Cavanaugh wanted to use the break to make out with Eloise, that was fine with him.

He nodded and walked out of the room, his feet heavy as he tried to figure out where to go and tried not to think about where Cavanaugh was going.

Five months without sex.

Hadn’t even thought about it.

Not a single urge.

He turned right and followed the corridor, intending to head up the smaller staircase to the roof.

The scent of cinnamon and snow teased his senses.

August followed it through the building, unable to stop himself from tracking her. It led him to the stairs and then downwards, towards the ground floor of the nightclub. Heat bloomed in his blood and his pulse quickened, his senses sharpening as he focused on her scent, homed in on it and ignored everything else.

Hunted her.

Five months, and now he couldn’t think of anything else.

Gods, he wanted her.

He had wanted her the moment he had set eyes on her.

It was just the sudden release from the pressure of being an alpha. That was all. Cavanaugh was right and being away from the pride was doing him good. He felt free again, energised, and back to his old self.

A player again at last.

That was the only reason he wanted the beautiful female who smelled of cinnamon and snow, who set his blood on fire and had his heart beating faster whenever he saw her, and a deep urge to seize her blazing through him.

Hell, if he headed into the club tonight, he would probably want any number of the females who lined the bar, could scratch this itch with his choice of them and be done with it.

Maybe he would scratch the itch a few times.

Make the most out of being away from the pride.

His libido was bound to take a hit again the moment he returned.

He might as well enjoy it.

His feet carried him downwards.

Towards her.

Did she belong to the male he had seen her with? The two were close, and the silver-haired male guarded her as if she was precious to him. It would be just his luck if she was. The first female he had wanted in months, and she belonged to someone else.

A door opened and closed off to his left as the large white room came into view and he glanced there.

The male.

He slowed his pace as the male approached, and nodded as he jogged up the stairs towards him.

The male suddenly stopped. “Have you seen Talon? We were looking for him but we can’t find him or Sherry.”

August had met Talon once, shortly after he had arrived. “The only time I’ve seen Talon, he was on the roof, sunbathing with the pretty bartender.”

The male snarled at him. “That bartender is my brother’s mate.”

Brother. Interesting.

He looked the male up and down, seeing the family resemblance. The male shared Talon’s features, smelled similar in a way, but the scent of the female lingered on him. He wanted to growl at that.

He held himself together, clamped down on that need, and said, “Did you bring your mate to meet your brother?”

The male’s silvery eyebrows rose high on his forehead and then dropped, a crinkle forming between them and a flicker of confusion crossing his pale blue eyes. “Mate?”

“The black-haired female I saw you with.” August tried to say that as casually as he could while the need to rip the male apart warred with a sudden bout of nerves that the male might see right through him and rip him apart instead.

His eyes turned a shade darker blue but shone a little brighter around his pupils. “My sister. We’re just stopping by to see Talon on our way through London.”

Through London?

“Where are you going?” August regretted that question the second it left his lips.

The tiger’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing as he frowned at August, and his voice became a low growl. “That’s none of your business.”

August stood his ground, unwilling to let the tiger intimidate him. The male stepped up to him, his eyes on August’s the whole time, and then huffed and moved on, heading up the stairs.

Moody son of a bitch.

It didn’t stop August from wanting to know where they were going.

He wasn’t sure why he needed to know.

Maybe it was just that itch to fuck she had ignited in him.

He wanted to know her schedule so he knew whether he had time to win her over and bed her.

He looked down to his left.

At a door in the white wall.

A door that would lead to her.

He kept his eyes locked on it as he took the last few steps, as he turned, and as he walked towards it, drawn to it, and to her.

He needed to see her again.

Needed her.

He reached out and gripped the steel handle, and paused, breathed through a sudden rush of feelings, a collision of fear and desire that was foreign and unsettling. Five months without sex wasn’t long enough to dampen his charm, and definitely wasn’t long enough to make him forget all the right moves to make, the ones that would ensure she fell into his arms and into his bed for one wild night with no strings attached.

So why the hell was he on the verge of having a panic attack?

It was just sex. That was all he wanted from her. All he wanted from anyone.

He shoved the door open.

Froze.

Gods.

She was beautiful.

The tiger standing opposite him in the makeshift gym lifted her head and stared at him through bright amber eyes, her pupils dilating as she spotted him.

That feeling ignited again, fiercer than before, sending a hot shiver over his skin.

She dropped the barrel she had been attacking in the middle of the large space and growled at him.

Fired every damn instinct he had and triggered a need to dominate her, to drive her into submission.

August bared his emerging fangs and growled right back at her.

He wasn’t sure whether she would understand the message—that he wasn’t going to submit to her.

She was going to submit to him.

She went deathly still, not a single muscle twitching, her eyes locked on him.

His heart accelerated, his breath coming quicker as he waited.

Waited.

Maybe this was going to be easier than he had thought and she was just going to roll over for him.

Two hundred pounds of tiger suddenly leaped at him.

Maybe not.

Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince (Only 99c at all retailers!)
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 4: Hunted by a Jaguar
Book 5: Craved by an Alpha
Book 6: Bitten by a Hellcat
Book 7: Taken by a Dragon
Book 8: Marked by an Assassin
Book 9: Possessed by a Dark Warrior
Book 10: Awakened by a Demoness
Book 11: Haunted by the King of Death
Book 12: Turned by a Tiger
Book 13: Tamed by a Tiger
Book 14: Treasured by a Tiger – Pre-order Now!

BLP REVIEW ~ Tracy

LOVED IT!!!

I have to admit that when it comes to book series I generally prefer those that keep to low numbers of instalments but I have a few authors that this doesn’t apply to and Felicity Heaton is without doubt among that small group.

Tamed by a Tiger is the thirteenth book in the Eternal Mates series (and it’s lucky 13 for us, that’s for sure!) Following on from ‘Turned by a Tiger’ which was Talon’s story, we once again meet Maya – his younger sister. Maya is heading out of the pride preparing to travel overseas to marry an alpha she was promised to a long time ago but, while stopping off at Underworld to visit Talon for a final time, she comes across August.

August is a snow leopard shifter with so many trouble on his plate that the last thing on his mind is finding a mate. He has taken over from his cousin as pride alpha and in his role he’s expected to take a partner from the same species so what the hell is he gonna do when he realises that his fated one is a tiger shifter and worse still, she’s hell bent on leaving to mate with some guy she’s never met…

Tamed by a Tiger was a fabulous read. Focused a lot around the idea of loyalty to family and pride the story of Maya and August found both characters dealing with expectations, traditions and the overriding need to ‘do the right thing’ even when it is to the detriment of their own happiness and desires.

The couple had a lot to face and the decisions were not easy. There was confusion, uncertainty and conflict – why did they feel this tie, did it mean what they both thought, was there any way they could be together….. and ultimately, when it came down to loyalty and pride status could they grab the chance to make themselves happy or would they bow to the pressure of ‘doing the right thing’ for everyone else.

I adore the characters that Felicity creates, the worlds that she builds and the pictures she paints with her words. At times you can so clearly ‘see’ what’s going on in the book that you could easily be there watching events unfold! Her drop in visits/meetings with character from previous books in the series keep us up to date with them too which I love.

Full of emotion, heat, downright down & dirty sexy times, a touch of angst, some humour and a little heart bashing, this is another wonderful instalment in the Eternal Mates series and I can’t wait for book 14!!!! 🙂

A definite 5* read in my humble opinion!

Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

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Tags: #August&Maya, #EternalMatesSeries, #TamedByATiger, @FelicityHeaton

SPOTLIGHT ~ Never Dare a Dragon (Boston Dragons #3) by Ashlyn Chase

Aug 5

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Blurb

Third in Ashlyn Chase’s light paranormal romance series featuring hot dragon shifters. No one would believe that lovely Lt. Kristine Scott of the NY Fire Department is an actual dragon, but there’s no denying the flames that ignite when she meets firefighting phoenix shifter Jayce Fierro.

One Boston Phoenix + One New York Dragon = Scorching Heat
You think it’s tough being a dragon? It’s a piece of cake compared to being a phoenix shifter. Dragon shifters just have to worry about accidentally setting their stuff (or a loved one) on fire. A phoenix can rise from the ashes, but then they have to start over…as if growing up once wasn’t tough enough..

Meet Lt. Jayce Fierro of the Boston Fire Department, and Kristine Scott of the FDNY. A long distance relationship could never work—especially not with the secrets they’re keeping. But when Kristine lands herself in a blaze of trouble, she’s in no position to turn down Jayce’s help. Even if it means letting down their guards…and giving in to their sizzling attraction.

Boston Dragons Series:
I Dream of Dragons (Book 1)
My Wild Irish Dragon (Book 2)
Never Dare a Dragon (Book 3)

What People Are Saying About My Wild Irish Dragon:

“This is a great addition to Chase’s stellar library.” — RT Book Reviews, 4 stars
“Fantastic.” — Night Owl Reviews, 5 Stars, Top Pick!
“A sexy and fun paranormal romance.” — Booklist

Excerpt

The rest of the dinner went well. In fact, Kristine was surprised by how well it was going. She hadn’t dated a guy like Jayce in a long time. Their connection seemed to be almost instantaneous. It was just too bad he was a firefighter—and lived three hours away as the Acela train flies. Actually, a quick plane ride would reduce the commute to only an hour and a half, but the hassle and time it took to go through security would make the trip even longer.
Walking down the wide sidewalks of Times Square, hand in hand, sure made her feel as if the trip might be worth the hassle. His hand was warm and rough. For once she wasn’t concerned that hers were the same way. No hand cream could stand up to a firefighters’ routine. Wet gloves, rough weather, unbearable heat… All of that detracted from the soft, supple skin she longed for.
They had decided over dinner to visit the top of the Empire State Building. Jayce had never been there before, and Kristine had only visited with friends—never a date. It was supposed to be romantic. She’d never understood why. Probably because her cynical ex-boyfriend thought it was hokey. As she glanced over at Jayce, he glanced back, and they smiled. One thing she wasn’t seeing in him was a city dweller’s pessimism. Its absence was a refreshing change.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination, and as luck—or the stars aligning at the right moment—would have it, they stepped into an elevator with no one right behind them. The doors whooshed closed while they were still alone.
She spun toward Jayce with a hand over her mouth. “I guess that wasn’t very nice of me. I probably should have waited.”
He stepped right into her space. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
As the elevator began to ascend, he leaned in and captured her mouth with his firm lips. She looped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her close. She immediately opened her mouth, and their tongues found each other and swirled together. Kristine wasn’t at all sure her light-headed feeling was due to the elevator traveling so fast. Unfortunately, she felt as if she were falling instead.
Don’t think about it. Whatever happens happens… She seemed to have found a new mantra. She heard the ding of the elevator doors opening, and they were greeted by chuckles and a wolf whistle.
“Yeah, yeah…” Jayce said, but he was grinning and holding Kristine’s hand as they made their way off the elevator.
When they spotted a space at the building’s edge that was fairly deserted, they walked over to it with no hesitation.
“You’re not afraid of heights, I guess…” Jayce said to her.
She laughed. “I’d be in deep trouble if I were.” Not only was she a firefighter in a company that specialized in high-rises, but she was a full-fledged, fire-breathing, wing-soaring dragon. She could hover at this height and enjoy the view.
Speaking of enjoying the view…
Jayce turned his back on the dazzling city lights and kissed her knuckles as he stared into her eyes. She felt as if her insides were melting. A deep shimmer in his eyes must have been reflecting the lights. Or not. His eyes seemed to glow for a moment, and then he quickly turned back toward the city.
She took her first good look at the city lights as well. Dear Lord. At last she realized why people thought this place was romantic. At night, so many lights against the velvet black sky were more beautiful than Christmas. Some even seemed to twinkle like stars. Below, white headlights and red taillights trailed through the landscape, but the sounds of the city were far away.
A chilly breeze ruffled her hair. Jayce enveloped her in a side hug. If she felt a chill, it was forgotten in favor of his warm, strong body alongside hers. Everywhere they touched, merging heat radiated through her. Wow. How she’d missed this! Or had she ever had this feeling?
Good Lord, Kristine… Get ahold of yourself!
“So, Jayce… What do you think of the view from up here?”
He turned her toward him and said, “I think the view right in front of me is as beautiful as it gets.” Leaning in, he delivered another toe-curling kiss, and she realized she was a goner.

About the Author

Ashlyn Chase has been a registered nurse for 20 years. During those years, she wrote articles for professional journals and a thesis, but eventually, thank goodness, discovered the joy and freedom of writing fiction.

Ashlyn considers herself lucky. Her degree in behavioral sciences is a combination of psychology and sociology, so she has worked with and studied people most of her life. She never has to write out exhaustive character sketches to understand her characters or predict how they will behave. That doesn’t mean they don’t surprise her. Sometimes they take her on grand unexpected journeys. For her, it gives “character driven novels” a whole new meaning.

Ashlyn has learned to go with the flow. To enjoy the journey is not only one of her writing goals, but also a challenge in life so she tries to follow where the story takes her. As such, she has lived in 17 different places over the years. At last, she’s all settled down and comfy in New England.

Is there a grand design or do we decide our own fates? Perhaps if the powers-that-be have a plot, then they also give us the right to revise it. Ashlyn has certainly made detours on her path, but she thinks she’s better for it. She’s having fun at any rate and hopes that if she enjoys the journey, so will those around her—including her readers.

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Tags: @GoddessAsh

CHAPTER REVEAL ~ Absinthe by Winter Renshaw.

Aug 4

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

The name on the screen was “Absinthe.”

I knew her as the sultry voice blowing up my phone for late night chats about Proust and Hemingway interspersed between the best phone sex I never knew I could have.

We’d never met.

Until the day she walked into my office, her cherry lips wrapped around a candy apple sucker and an all too familiar voice that said, “They said you wanted to see me, Principal Hawthorne?”

Coming August 8th

Prologue

Ford

“You wanted to see me, Principal Hawthorne?”
I know that voice. I’d know it anywhere.
Glancing up from my desk, I find a girl in skintight athletic leggings and a low-cut tank top standing in my office doorway, her full lips wrapped around a shiny sucker and a familiar electric jade gaze trained on me.
It’s her.
The woman I spent most of all summer chatting with under the anonymous veil of a dating app—one in specifically meant for adults seeking connections but not commitment. I purchased a stock photo for seven dollars, chose a pseudonym, Kerouac, and messaged a woman by the name of Absinthe who quoted Hemingway in her bio when everyone else quoted Nickelback and John Legend.
Fuck.
Me.
“You must be Halston.” My skin is on fire. I stand, smooth my tie, and point to the seat across from me. I never knew her name, but I’d know that voice anywhere. I can’t even count how many times I came to the sound of her breathy rasp describing all the wicked things she’d do to me if we ever met, reading me excerpts from Rebecca. “Take a seat.”
She takes her time pulling the sucker from her mouth before strutting to my guest chair, lowering herself, cleavage first, and crossing her long legs. The tiniest hint of a smirk claims her mouth, but if she knows it’s me, she’s sure as hell not acting like it.
“You want to tell me what happened with Mrs. Rossi?” I ask, returning to my seat and folding my hands on my desk.
I may be a lot of things; overconfident prick, allergic to commitment, red-blooded American man …
But I’m a professional first.
“Mrs. Rossi and I had an argument,” Halston says. “We were discussing the theme of The Great Gatsby, and she was trying to say that it was about chasing the elusive American dream. I told her she missed the entire fucking point of one of the greatest pieces of literature in existence.” She takes another suck of her candy before continuing, then points it in my direction. “The real theme has to do with manipulation and dishonesty, Principal Hawthorne. Everyone in that book was a fucking liar, most of all Jay, and in the end, he got what he deserved. They all did.”
My cock strains against the fabric of my pants. It’s her voice. It’s her goddamned sex-on-fire voice that’s doing this to me. That and her on point dissection of classic American literature. Sexy, intelligent, outspoken. Three elusive qualities I’ve yet to find in another human being. Until her. And knowing that now, I couldn’t even have her if I wanted her, isn’t doing me any favors. If I don’t compose myself, I’m going to be hard as a fucking rock.
“Language,” I say. The room is growing hotter now, but I keep a stern, undeterred presence.
She rolls her eyes. “I’m an adult, Principal Hawthorne. I can say words like fuck.”
“Not in my office, you can’t.” I exhale. “And not in class either. That’s why Mrs. Rossi sent you here.”
“The jackass behind me was drawing swastikas on his notebook, but I get sent down here for saying ‘fuck.’” Her head shakes.
“I’ll discuss that with Mrs. Rossi privately.” I scribble a note to myself and shove it aside.
“You’re really young for a principal.” Her charged gaze drags the length of me. “Did you just graduate from college or something?”
Six years of school and two years of teaching place me in the budding stages of a career shaping and educating the minds of tomorrow’s leaders, but I refuse to dignify her question with a response.
“My age is irrelevant,” I say.
“Age is everything.” She twirls a strand of pale hair around her finger, her lips curling up in the corners. The cute-and-coy shtick must work on everyone else, but it’s not going to work on me. Not here anyway. And not anymore.
“I said my age is irrelevant.”
“Am I the first student you’ve ever had to discipline?” She sits up, crossing and uncrossing her legs with the provocative charm of a 1940s pin up. “Wait, are you going to discipline me?”
I take mental notes for her file.
–       Challenges authority
–       Difficulty conducting herself appropriately
–       Possible boundary issues
“I’m not going to punish you, Halston. Consider this a verbal warning.” I release a hard breath through my nose as I study her, refusing to allow my eyes to drift to the soft swell of her breasts casually peeking out of her top. Knowing her so intimately over the phone, and being in her presence knowing she’s completely off limits, makes it difficult to maintain my unshaken demeanor. “From now on, I’d like you to refrain from using curse words while on school grounds. It’s disruptive to the other students who are here to actually glean something from their high school education.”
“I don’t know.” Her lips bunch at the corner, and she fights a devilish grin. “I mean, I can try, but ‘fuck’ is one of my favorite words in the English language. What if I can’t stop saying it? Then what?”
“Then we’ll worry about that when the time comes,” I say.
“You could always bend me over your knee and spank me.” She rises, wrapping her lips around the sucker before plucking it out of her mouth with a wet pop. “Or maybe you could fuck my brains out and break my heart.”
“Excuse me?” My skin heats, but I refuse to let her see that she’s having any kind of effect on me.
“You’re him,” she says, as if it’s some ace she’s been keeping up her sleeve this entire time. “You’re Kerouac.”
I’m at an extraordinary loss for words, trying to wrap my head around all the ways this could go very fucking wrong for me.

Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw is a bona fide daydream believer. She lives somewhere in the middle of the USA and can rarely be seen without her trusty Mead notebook and ultra portable laptop. When she’s not writing, she’s living the American dream with her husband, three kids, and the laziest puggle this side of the Mississippi.

And if you’d like to be the first to know when a new book is coming out, please sign up for her private mailing list here

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Tags: #winterrenshaw, @ArdentPRose

BLOG TOUR ~ A LITTLE BIT LIKE LOVE by Brooke Blaine

Aug 4

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

A Little Bit Like Love, an all-new sexy STANDALONE MM
romance from Brooke Blaine is available NOW!

ALBLL-PRINT-FOR-WEB

A Little Bit Like Love
by Brooke Blaine

Publication Date: July 27th, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance/MM Romance

What if you had everything in the world you wanted…except the man you’d left behind?

Jackson Davenport, the charismatic, strait-laced heir to the Davenport fortune, has a secret. One he’s been hiding since he graduated from South Haven all-boys academy—and that secret’s name is Lucas.

When a work trip takes Jackson back to his old stomping grounds, memories of the year he shared with Lucas come crashing to the surface. With growing pressure from his father to settle down and take over the family business, Jackson knows he’s on borrowed time, and sets out to find the free-spirited daredevil he once knew.

But Lucas isn’t the same man he was eight years ago.

One night. A shattered heart. And an endless parade of nameless faces. Lucas Sullivan is South Haven’s ultimate playboy, a reputation he’s honed since the only boy he ever loved left without a trace. To the world, he’s brash and confident, an in-demand artist who spends his days designing one-of-a-kind pieces and his nights as king of the downtown scene.

Many have tried and failed to get past the barrier he’s carefully constructed, but it’s the shy, studious boy he once coaxed out of his shell who still haunts him.

Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe it was lust. Or maybe…it was a little bit like love.

Excerpt:

WITH THE NOTE from Principal Stewart crumpled in my fist, I stalked away from his office, away from the words I knew would haunt me forever.

“I’m sorry, Jackson. Your father is quite…insistent you return to Connecticut immediately.”

Immediately…immediately… With every echo of that word through my mind, my heart battered my chest, the ache to rip itself free of my body a plea I was helpless to honor.

There was only one reason he would’ve demanded I leave South Haven before the end of classes next week. My father had been adamant I receive the best education his money afforded, choosing to ship me down to south Georgia to attend the most prestigious all-boys academy in the country. I’d done him proud, rising to the top of my class, and I’d been practicing my salutatorian speech for days. Skipping out on graduation and the pomp and circumstance and recognition that came with it? Out of the question. Which could only mean one thing.

He knew. Somehow he knew.

That was the only explanation for the letter in my hand, for the abrupt dismissal this late in the evening and this close to the end of the school year. My father hadn’t gotten to where he was by being stupid or blind, and I’d seriously underestimated how many eyes and ears had been watching me during my four years. Although it would’ve only been the whispers over the last few months that piqued his interest, only the last eight that he would’ve had any reason to give me a second thought.

And that reason wasn’t a what—it was a who.

The halls of the St. John’s dormitory were silent when I entered, all the students down at the mess hall for dinner, followed by the final bonfire of the year. So there wouldn’t be anyone around to see me sneak down the hall to where I knew I shouldn’t be going but couldn’t help myself. My feet seemed to move of their own accord, the countdown to my utter devastation causing me to pick up the pace. The private plane would arrive in a handful of hours, giving me just enough time to pack my things, but there was no way I could leave without a goodbye. Not going to happen.

I wasn’t ready. I was supposed to have more time. As a cold sweat of panic seized me, I balled the letter tighter in my fist and chucked it into one of the trash bins as I passed.

Screw my father. Screw the life he’d set out for me, the one I was destined to live and hate with every fiber of my being. I wanted to bottle up every one of his expectations and throw the blasted thing out at an angry sea to swallow up and tear apart instead.

I wished it could be as easy as that. I’d been able to fool myself into a sense of freedom, but the cell door was about to smash shut on every dream I’d let myself have these past few months.

His private dorm was at the end of the long hall, last one on the right, and I rapped on it twice fast, waited a moment, and then repeated the pattern that we used for each other. A few seconds later, the door swung open, and seeing the sole object of my daily and nightly thoughts standing there in front of me with a mixture of surprise and delight in his eyes made me think that coming here had been a mistake. It was only going to sink the dagger in farther.

“Hey…I thought we were meeting la—” Lucas’s words cut off and the smile curling his lips fell as he got a good look at my face. “What’s wrong?”

You should tell him. Tell him what’s going on and that it isn’t your fault. Look him in the eye when you tell him you can never see him again.

A shooting pain tore through my chest as I realized what this goodbye actually meant. I wasn’t saying I wouldn’t be seeing him for the next couple of days or weeks. When I left South Haven’s campus in the early hours of the morning, I wouldn’t be seeing him again…ever.

God, can I do this? Break his heart as well as mine?

No…no, I couldn’t tell him. He’d look for me, find me, and there was no telling what my father would do if that happened. The letter had been my old man’s warning. Disobeying his orders would mean consequences neither of us were prepared for.

“Jackson?” Lucas’s voice dropped low, and then he looked past me out into the deserted hall. When he didn’t see anyone to blame on my current state, he frowned and waited for an answer.

The words didn’t come, though, so I stood there staring at him, taking a mental snapshot that I’d store away in a place no one could find and destroy. His black hair was casually tousled, and I knew him well enough to know he’d worried his hands through it, maybe wondering if I wouldn’t follow through on our plans tonight. He wore a simple grey t-shirt and low-slung jeans on his long and lean frame, and the swirl of black tattoos he’d recently inked on his tanned skin could be seen peeking around his right bicep before disappearing from view behind the thin material of his shirt. He was striking, both in looks and personality, and to say I hadn’t been expecting the force that was Lucas Sullivan when he’d transferred to the academy eight months ago was an understatement.

Quite simply, I’d been lost to him the first time I laid eyes on him.

Forcing myself to shake off my dread, I said, “I’m okay,” and tried to believe it for his sake.

“Well, you look like hell.” He leaned against the doorway, one of those charming half-grins cocking up one side of his lips. “Hell on wheels, anyway. What’d you do, run all the way here?”

Not too far off there. I didn’t even remember crossing campus to get to his dorm until I was in front of the building.

When I didn’t laugh at his teasing, Lucas’s expression fell again and his brows pulled down, a crease forming between them as his eyes, the color of a stormy sky, gave me a thorough once-over, looking for the source of my pain. He was silent for a long moment, but he must’ve seen something he didn’t like, because he stiffened and his jaw clenched. Then he took a deep breath and let it out in a rush.

“Tell me.”

“Tell you what?” I asked.

Lucas shook his head, his arms going over his chest. “I’m not helping you out here. If you came here for a reason, get out with it.”

Did he know? He couldn’t. I’d only just found out myself, and… No. There was no way. “It’s…complicated.”

“Complicated?”

“Yes.”

Lucas gave a humorless chuckle. “Jackson Davenport, I knew you were scared, but I never took you for a coward. If you don’t want to do this, you can man the hell up and tell me to my face.”

“What are you… I’m not…” I ran my hand over my face, struggling to understand the conclusion he’d come to for why I was standing at his door. My lack of a poker face had put him on the defensive. He thought I was here to reject him. An idea so completely unfathomable to me that it made my stomach turn thinking about it. “Lucas…you’ve got this all wrong.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. I’m not here to—“ I almost said “end things with you,” but I didn’t want to lie to him. I never had and I never would. Instead, I said, “Fight with you. I don’t want to fight.”

“Then why are you here, Jackson?” he asked, and my gaze fell to his lips. I’d tasted those lips only a few times, not nearly enough to quench a starving man’s hunger. All these months I’d wasted, warring with myself in my head, never letting myself have the thing I wanted most. And now I was down to a matter of hours. It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. But it was all I had, and I wasn’t wasting another second.

If I couldn’t tell Lucas how I felt about him, then I’d show him.

Finally.

Irrevocably.

And starting now.

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Read Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)

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Amazon International:

Add to GoodReads:

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About Brooke Blaine:

You could say Brooke Blaine was a book-a-holic from the time she knew how to read; she used to tell her mother that curling up with one at 4 a.m. before elementary school was her ‘quiet time.’ Not much has changed except for the espresso I.V. pump she now carries around and the size of her onesie pajamas.

She is the author of Flash Point, a romantic suspense standalone, as well as the co-author of the erotic series, A Desperate Man, with Ella Frank. The latter has scarred her conservative southern family for life, bless their hearts. Licked, a romantic comedy, will be released November 11th, 2015 and is the first in the L.A. Liaisons series.

If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find – just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for ten years.

Connect with Brooke:

Posted in Authors & Books, Blurb, Excerpt, Favourites, New Releases, Spotlight / Blog Tour, Teaser, Want to read

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Tags: @BrookeBlaine1, @jennw23

BLOG TOUR ~ Alex in Wonderland by Max Monroe

Aug 4

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

BLURB:

I’m Matt Hadder.
I’ve been called ruthless, savage—even brutal—by the men and women who work for me. And I’ve earned my reputation.

Wonderland Inc., a party planning organization for every major player in the world, is Oz, and I’m its Wizard. I can make anything—drugs, prostitutes, deals—appear for a night and disappear just as quickly.

This doesn’t make me good or bad—it makes me essential.

Wonderland Inc. was my life, until a beautiful contradiction of innocence and impurity, obedience and rebelliousness named Alex Little stepped in and turned both of our worlds upside down.

Welcome to Wonderland, Alex.
A place where everything appears normal.
But we’re all mad.

DISCLAIMER:

Please keep your arms crossed over your chest and feet crossed at the ankle as you fall down the rabbit hole. The urge to open your mouth in shock will be strong, but we encourage you to keep it closed. There’s no telling what could end up inside.

*Authors not responsible for personal injury on your ride through Wonderland.

BUY LINKS:

iBooks: https://goo.gl/LzhaXL
AMAZON: https://goo.gl/ptgvCx
AMAZON UK: https://goo.gl/JS1rqH
AMAZON AU: https://goo.gl/fyN787
AMAZON CA: https://goo.gl/PWeogP
Kobo: https://goo.gl/UwJg5f
Nook: https://goo.gl/ACjMsX
Google Play: goo.gl/zywr1C

Alex in Wonderland Playlist:

Tour Giveaway LINK:

TINY TEASE:

“It is. It’s just…jarring.”

“You don’t find it natural?” I asked, putting a hand to her back and making her step closer. The pleasure girl moaned and writhed, her skin a flushed rose of arousal as Spade continued to play with her. Lou Diamond had joined them now too, feasting on her breasts and stroking his cock while kneeling on the plush red couch behind her opened leg.

Alex shook her head and nodded at the same time, her every nerve ending buzzing with confusion over what she’d been taught was appropriate, and the very opposite way she felt.

“That could be you,” I whispered, leaning into her back and grazing the shell of her ear with my breath.

She shivered—for about a millisecond—before bounding away and turning to meet my eyes, panic stark in hers. “Me? Do that? Like…right here? In front of people?” she stuttered. “No. No. Um, no.”

Excitement shot down my spine at her anxiousness. “No?” I questioned, careful to keep my tone reproachful. I wanted her to feel pressured—just to see if she could withstand it.

After a brief pause, she confirmed with a curt, determined shake of her head. “No.”

At six foot six and two hundred and seventy pounds, I was nothing short of physically intimidating. I was impressed by her backbone.

“Okay,” I agreed easily. Her eyes widened, and her plump lips parted. I took pleasure in her surprise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A secret duo of romance authors team up under the pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you a sexy, laugh-out-loud new series…& more.

New writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half.

Stay tuned for the future—this is where the fun begins.

Max Monroe is represented by Amy Tannenbaum of Jane Rotrosen Agency.

AUTHOR LINKS

Email
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Posted in Authors & Books, Blurb, Excerpt, Giveaway, Playlist, Spotlight / Blog Tour, Teaser

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Tags: @authormaxmonroe

BLOG TOUR ~ Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken

Aug 4

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

SBPRBanner-Enrage-BT

Enrage, an all-new sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller
Rachel Van Dyken is available NOW!!

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Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken
Release Date: July 31st

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Enrage is the next standalone in the international best selling mafia series, Eagle Elite.

Part of a world I loathe.

Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.

Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.

I’m. In. Hell.

Also known as the Cosa Nostra.

My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.

Son to a murdered mob boss.

Heir to a throne of murder and lies.

My name is Dante Nicolasi.

And there will be blood.

Excerpt:

Dante slammed his hand into the tree, his jaw popped as he gritted his teeth together and then calm washed over him as he whispered near my ear, “Want me to kill him?”

A few people walked by and stared at us, it looked like he was kissing my neck, like we were normal college students sharing a moment.

Nope. Wrong story, kiddos.

He just offered to kill someone for offending me, run along, nothing to see here.

“After,” I said. “Kill him after he stops being useful to you, to the bosses.” I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth, what I was agreeing to. “Yes.”

Dante pulled back, his face broke out into a smile. “How messed up is it that I’m actually looking forward to that moment?”

I gulped. “It’s in your blood.”

“I wish it wasn’t,” he said gruffly. “I wish I didn’t crave it — dream about it — almost as much as I wish I didn’t feel guilt every day because of it.”

I sighed and put my hands on his chest, then ran them up around his neck, he didn’t move, or flinch, so maybe we were having a moment as our mouths almost touched. “The only shame in life, is not being who you were truly born to be. If that means you kill the bad guys — kill the bad guys Dante. Just don’t lose your soul in the process.”

“And if it’s already gone?” He croaked his eyes darkening as he slowly leaned in until his forehead touched mine.

Days ago I would have been terrified that his body was this close.

Days ago, I would have shoved him away and run.

Days ago, I would have shuddered that his bloodstained hands were running up and down my skin.

But today.

Today was different.

Today I closed my eyes and drank in the wicked scent of Dante Nicolasi, the cologne mixed with soap. I inhaled.

And opened my eyes again.

Yesterday I was angry. I was afraid.

Today. Against the tree.

Pinned by Dante’s arms.

I was safe.

“I’ll help you find it,” I whispered.

“Just don’t damn yourself in the process, El.” He cupped my face with his right hand, his eyes fell to my mouth, his half-lidded seductive look could stop a girl dead in her tracks.

The wives always talked about how attractive his father was, even at an older age.

Almost like he’d aged backward.

Dante was no different.

If it was possible for a human to get more attractive by the day — he’d be the one to prove you right.

“Are you going to kiss me again?” I asked hopefully.

“No.” He pulled away.

My heart sank into my stomach.

“Because I don’t want to start something I have no intention of stopping.”

My head jerked, our eyes locked, and I saw it. The honesty.

“Told you I’d never lie to you, El.” His voice had a warning edge to it, like I shouldn’t push him, push whatever invisible boundaries he’d mentally set up between us. His eyes never left mine.

And I knew, this was what he looked like when he was telling the truth.

His eyes pierced through my defenses in an unapologetic search for my heart, my soul.

And I let them.

“We should get to class.” I finally found my voice and started walking, he fell into step beside me.

And I spent the rest of the day thinking about the non-kiss.

And the promise that came with it.

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Read Today!

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

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/TukJN6

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Blog tour

Blood in.. No Out…

Catch up with the rest of the Eagle Elite Series Here:

Meet the Author:

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!

Connect with the Author:

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

Website: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/RVDNewsletter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachvd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachVD

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2cNVwL9

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RVDGR

Rachel’s Rockin’ Readers: http://bit.ly/RachelsRockinReaders