Category Archives: Excerpt
BOOK TOUR & GIVEAWAY – Craved by a Wolf (Fated Mates #20) by Felicity Heaton
New York Times best-selling paranormal romance author Felicity Heaton is here today for the book tour of her new paranormal romance release, Craved by a Wolf, the latest release in her popular Eternal Mates world.
There are now twenty books in this series, but don’t worry, you can dive right on in with Craved by a Wolf, or start at the very beginning with Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is 99c at all retailers right now. Binge-read to your heart’s content!
If you love big worlds packed with detail and every paranormal species imaginable, together with hot alpha heroes and strong heroines bringing them to their knees, then this series is definitely for you. Plus, each book has a happily forever after and there are no cliff-hangers, because there’s nothing worse than a cliff-hanger!
Craved by a Wolf (Eternal Mates Paranormal Romance Series Book 20)
Felicity Heaton
Hella is one witch who is done with relationships. Having rid herself of a clingy nymph, she’s determined to stay single and savour everything her fae town in Geneva has to offer – with no strings attached. The trouble is, it turns out breaking up with a king isn’t as easy as she’d thought. Her ex just sent a legion to kidnap her and take her to the faerie realm of Lucia.
And he wants to make her his queen.
Grant MacKinnon is one wolf shifter who prefers a quiet life. His home in a glen in Scotland, his small wolf pack, and fine whisky is all he needs. The trouble is, a witch in the fae town in Fort William just cursed him to die if he doesn’t find his fated mate and bring her to her. Now he craves a female he’s never met, one he was convinced didn’t exist, and he refuses to believe she’s really his one true mate… until he sets eyes on the beautiful blue-haired lass.
And his wolf instincts howl that she was made for him.
And when he realises she’s in danger and another male wants her as his queen, MacKinnon will stop at nothing to protect her and claim her as his mate.
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Enter the grand tour-wide giveaway to win one of five signed paperbacks and swag packs at the Inflamed by an Incubus book page. This giveaway is international and open to everyone, and ends at midnight on May 2nd.
Enter now: https://www.felicityheaton.com/craved-by-a-wolf-shifter-romance-novel.php
MacKinnon twitched and whipped towards the lake to his left as the air there shifted, suddenly growing cooler. His claws punched long from his fingertips, ready in a heartbeat, and didn’t retract even when he saw the towering jet of water that rose high into the air and thundered down into the lake around one hundred feet out. A fountain. It resembled the one in the nearby mortal town of Geneva.
In fact, the whole fae town resembled Geneva, as if someone had copied it building for building. Although, this immortal town was much smaller than the one topside. It was just as bright and elegant though, with warm sunshine that beat down on the pale sandstone pavement and reflected off the balconied buildings to his right.
Several of them were hotels, and he had been tempted to call into one and secure himself a place to stay, but when he had approached the doorman, the male had looked aghast and Kin had caught his reflection in the revolving door.
Since then, he had been keeping his head down, deeply aware of the way many of the townsfolk paused to stare. He had never felt so conspicuous. He glared at a trio of black-haired females who stood by the shore, their violet eyes and pointed ears betraying their breed as much as their antiquated corseted dresses did. They all stared at him and only one of them looked curious. The other two looked disgusted.
Sure, he was a big male, and he probably had a face like a smacked arse right now because his mood was still deep in a ditch and showed no sign of improving thanks to the attention he was attracting, and his throat looked like someone had used it as a punchbag, but there was really no reason for all the finely dressed males and females to gawp at him.
He levelled a black look at the trio of elves, causing them to turn away.
He heaved a sigh as he looked ahead of him and saw only more nobles, coming and going along the promenade as if it was the fashionable thing to do. The gods only knew it probably was in a town like this one. It reeked of wealth.
Kin denied the urge to keep his head down as he walked, tipped his damned chin up and shoulders back instead, because he wasn’t going to be intimidated or cowed by these noble folk.
His gaze narrowed on a group of pointy eared males ahead of him, ones who wore green leather trousers and white shirts beneath a matching jerkin. Gold glittered around their wrists and adorned their ears, and their finely boned features settled into scowls as they caught sight of him. Kin scowled right back at them, barely leashing the urge that surged through him and had his claws itching to rip into their flesh, to wipe the haughty smirks off their fae faces.
Nymphs.
He growled through his clenched teeth, battling memories that bubbled to the surface. A darkened room. Candles bursting to life. Fae nobles forming a ring around him, seated on opulent gold and velvet chairs as servants scraped and bowed to them.
The crack of a whip.
Pain echoed down his spine, a ghost of his past that continued to taunt him whenever he let the memories come, whenever he wasn’t strong enough to deny them and they slipped free of the box he had locked them away in. It would be days before he had fully rid himself of them, freeing himself of their torment.
The sensible side of him said to move on, to ignore the nymphs because they couldn’t provide him with the information he needed and, therefore, they didn’t matter. The side of him that had been born in that dark part of his past, that refused to be tamed, rose to crush it and he pivoted towards the blond males, unable to stop himself. His claws lengthened further and his fangs bit into his gums as he strode towards them, rapidly crossing the span of flagstones that separated them. His breathing quickened, deepened, sending vital oxygen to his blood as he geared up for a fight.
One of the nymphs noticed him approaching and tapped another on the arm, and before Kin could kick off and grab at least one of them, the whole group had disappeared. Kin stopped where they had been and glared at the rippling blue water of the lake, breathing hard and struggling to rein in his anger and the urge to lash out at everyone who moved behind him. He fixed his focus on the water, staring beyond the surface to pick out the flora and fauna that called the lake home. He tracked a school of small fish, bewitched by how their silver sides made them flash whenever they changed direction and how they moved as one, in perfect symphony.
The scent of herbs and metal filled his nostrils.
MacKinnon turned and looked over his shoulder, seeking the source of it. He pivoted when he spotted two witches strolling along the street. They paused in front of the window of one of the stores.
He crossed the broad stretch of pavement to them, not failing to notice how their slight shoulders tensed beneath their plain black dresses as he closed in. He glanced at his reflection in the window they faced, locking gazes with the one on the left, and swallowed to wet his throat as he ran his hand over his wild dark hair.
“Excuse me, lasses, I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find a witch named Hella.” He made a point of stopping a good six feet from them, attempting to show them that he wasn’t a threat with his body language as well as his gentle tone of voice.
They turned to face him as one, ran an assessing gaze down him and then spoke to him.
In German.
Their tone wasn’t even close to gentle.
It was abrasive, with a dismissive note.
Before he could try again, they hurried away from him.
Kin growled at his reflection in the clothing store’s window, baring his fangs, because he must have asked at least two dozen witches about Hella now and none of them would tell him. He doubted they didn’t know her. There was always a glimmer in their eyes, a spark that betrayed them and said they knew exactly where to find the female he was seeking.
They just didn’t want to tell him.
He took in his appearance. Taller than most witches by a good foot and a half. Probably three times their slender weight in muscle. Scruff on his face. Unkempt hair that looked exactly how it should given how many times he had clawed, raked and shoved his fingers through it in frustration over the last few hours.
Eyes that were currently more gold than grey because his wolf side was at the fore, his temper way beyond his control.
And a pretty black and purple bruise across his throat.
He could hardly blame the witches for not wanting to tell him where to find one of their own.
Kin huffed. Maybe if he schooled his features a little and tried to appear more approachable and less homicidal then they would speak with him.
He doubted it.
Witches were quite protective of their own, but it was worth a shot.
He tried out a few faces, attempting to appear charming as he smiled at his reflection, and probably looking like he was losing his mind. A shiver skated down his spine and his wolf instincts growled at him that someone was watching him. He shifted his gaze to the left, catching the reflection of the three females who lingered a few feet behind him. Pretty wee lasses. All of them wore provocative leather corsets and mini-skirts in glaring colours, designed to draw the attention of males to them.
Succubi.
They sidled over to him and he turned to face them, flashing them all a warm smile that had their eyes brightening. Maybe he could get information on Hella from someone other than a witch. Witches did business with other immortals after all. Chances were high that several people in this town would have gone to Hella for a potion or spell.
The tallest of the succubi, a delicate pink-haired beauty who stood a good foot shorter than him despite her stiletto boots, offered a smile in return and stepped ahead of her sisters. She paused only inches from him and stroked a small hand down his chest as she faux-purred at him.
“You look like you need to let loose,” she murmured, her voice like honey, sweet and tempting him to dip his head and have a taste of what she was offering.
He kept his spine straight and resisted her allure, letting her feather her fingers over his chest to the open vee of his dark grey Henley. She teased the strip of flesh there, her glittering blue eyes growing hooded.
“Been a while since we had one as strong as you in this town. Visiting someone?” She grazed her fingers across the dip between his pectorals.
The shorter of the other two came up beside him and stroked her hand down his forearm and pushed the long sleeve of his top up to reveal skin.
She leaned in and licked it, and groaned. “He tastes like sunshine.”
“No tasting,” the third one barked and pulled her off him, shoving her aside. She grinned wickedly. “At least not unless I can get a lick of this pop too.”
“Lasses, there’s plenty o’ me to go around.” Kin held his hands up and smiled.
The three succubi sank into each other on a sigh.
“Did you hear that voice?” Pink-hair said with a dreamy smile at her sisters.
The shorter, brunette female swayed towards her. “Did I? When was the last time we had a Scot?”
“Makes me ache just hearing it. Do you think he knows how to put it to good use? I could probably feed off him just talking to me!” The older of the three, a pretty button-nosed blonde, edged her hand towards him.
Kin grinned down at them, aware they were saying whatever it took to lure him under their spell and make him part with his coin, but enjoying it nonetheless. “I’m here on business, but perhaps I could be enticed to take a small break from my hunt; if you would be so inclined to help me.”
“Be so inclined?” Pink-hair swayed towards him now, hunger lighting her eyes. “Darling, I’ll do whatever you want if it will get you into my bed for the night.”
“Our bed,” Brunette snapped.
“Yes, our bed.” Blonde licked her lips.
All three of them sidled closer, crowding him as they gazed adoringly at him, as if he had just fallen out of Heaven or a dream. Their scents swirled around him, fogging his head a little, and he focused his mind, on his guard against them because he had no intention of parting with his coin or indulging these succubi in any way.
Mostly because he would probably end up parting with his life.
As strong as he was, he wasn’t sure he could handle three succubi feeding on him.
He drew down a breath as he tried to decide how to ask them about Hella and the fog in his head grew thicker as an intoxicating scent filled his lungs.
Like a blend of fresh rain on heather moorland faintly spiced with cinnamon.
Kin breathed deeper, unable to get enough of the scent, and his muscles clamped down on his bones as his blood heated. His wolf side lunged to the fore and his fangs lengthened, his claws emerging as hunger rolled through him, fiercer than he had ever felt it before.
It was a trick.
A power the succubi were wielding to pull him under their spell and into their bed.
Only when he bent his head to sniff their necks and scent them, it wasn’t any of them who smelled so enticing.
He groaned as his cock stiffened in response to the scent as it grew stronger and seemed to invade every cell in his body and hijack it. His head clouded more rapidly, thoughts blurring and fading to the background as instinct stole control. He desperately scanned the crowd on the promenade, seeking the source of the scent.
And froze when his gaze landed on a stunning, blue-haired lass with emerald eyes.
A chill skated down his spine and his shaft went hard as stone.
It was her.
She was the source of the scent.
She was his fated one.
He felt it in his bones. His soul. This female had been made for him, was meant for only him, and she would be his. He shoved the succubi aside, unaware of them now, the world narrowing down to the beautiful lass fate had created for him.
Hella.
MacKinnon drifted towards her, powerless to resist her pull. The need to be close to her was strong and she hadn’t even noticed him yet. How desperate would he be to be near to her, pressed against her and holding her in his arms when she did see him? The urge to gather her to him was already overwhelming, his awareness of the world coming back as instinct growled that his female was parading down a busy street in a black dress that highlighted her figure.
Drawing the eyes of other males.
She stiffened, her body locking up tight.
Was she aware of him?
He tracked the path of her gaze as she tossed a look over her shoulder.
To a group of bare-chested nymphs.
Her panic hit him like a shockwave, rocking him back on his heels, and he growled and kicked off as the dozen blond males made their move, launching towards her. He wasn’t sure what his female had done to deserve the wrath of a witch or a pack of nymphs, and he didn’t care. Every fibre of his being howled at him to protect her and he would do just that. He charted an intercept course, shoving men and women aside, not caring where they landed as he locked his gaze on the two nymphs leading the charge.
He sensed the female move.
Felt her fear.
Instinct demanded he go to her, had him twisting on his heel and barrelling into two shifter males. The black-haired men went down hard and he leaped over them, ignoring their yells, his gaze wild as he sought the witch.
A larger nymph had her in his clutches and was holding her tightly despite her attempts to break free.
Kin snarled and gnashed his fangs when her fear cranked up a notch and he spotted the reason why.
The bastard had cuffed her.
The bright silver band of metal around her delicate wrist glinted in the sunlight as she desperately struggled.
Kin grabbed a female and pushed her out of his way, into a group of males, his heart hammering as the other nymphs reached Hella.
Her green eyes shone with terror as she looked up at the male who held her, one who towered as tall as Kin and probably weighed as much in muscle. Not that it was going to stop Kin from tearing the male a new one and teaching him the error of his ways.
No one touched his fated female.
Kin cocked his fist as he lunged towards the bastard, aiming at the back of his head, determined to knock his teeth out from behind.
He threw the punch as soon as he was close enough.
And hit nothing but air as the fiend teleported.
Taking his wee witch with him.
Rage burned up Kin’s blood and he couldn’t hold back the feral howl that rolled up his throat, tossed his head back and let loose, pouring all his fury into it as his spine bowed forwards, his claws like talons as he dragged his hands down to his sides and every muscle in his body tensed.
Black fur swept over his skin and he itched all over, his bones aching as anger had him close to shifting, the need to track his female bringing his wolf to the fore. He managed to find the strength to deny it and clung to his mortal form as he twisted towards the succubi who had been flirting with him.
They were huddled together in front of the shop still, a sea of fallen men and women between him and them, all of which looked ready to tear him a new one as he stalked through them, heading for the succubi.
“Where do the nymphs live?” he snarled as soon as he was close enough to his prey, and when none of them answered him quickly enough, he shot his hand out and gripped the throat of the pink-haired one. He dragged her against him and flashed his fangs in her face. “Tell me where the nymphs live in this town.”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head, her hands coming up to grip his arm as she choked.
“Not here.” The brunette pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away. “They don’t live here.”
“Lies,” he spat, because he had seen other nymphs during his search for Hella. They had to have a building or two here in the town somewhere, a place they called home. He snarled, unable to hold it back as he thought of his female at their mercy.
Nymphs were sexual predators, using their beauty and charms to seduce unwitting females. He had seen the breed at work with his own eyes, had watched them pull even unwilling women under their spell, convincing them to surrender to them.
The blonde sank her little claws into his hand, drawing blood and earning herself a glare. “They bore the royal seal. Hella will be in Lucia by now. Let her go!“
Hella.
The confirmation that the ethereal blue-haired female had been the one he had come to find shook him, had his grip on the succubus relaxing against his will as he struggled to keep his mind on the hunt and off how beautiful Hella was.
Was she really his mate?
He shook that thought away with a growl, unwilling to trust his instincts. The feeling she stirred in him was a fabrication, a lie meant to make him do as the witch wanted and a method of punishing Hella for whatever sin she had committed against the one who had cursed him.
He would be a fool to allow himself to believe Hella was his fated one.
Yet he couldn’t stem the need to find her and save her from the nymphs.
Kin shoved the pink-haired female at her companion. “Lucia? Where is that? Somewhere in Switzerland?“
Pink-hair laughed and he had half a mind to grab her and choke her again for mocking his ignorance. She rubbed her throat. “Lucia isn’t a town. It’s not even a country.”
He flexed his fingers, tired of dancing around the answer, because he needed to be moving. He needed to find the nymphs who had taken Hella from him and take her back.
She noticed his subtle threat and blurted, “It’s the faery realm.”
“Fuck,” MacKinnon bit out.
First another country. Now another realm. Add the fact that his wolf instincts had recognised Hella as his fated one and it was all becoming too much. He missed the uncomplicated nature of his home in the Highlands already, ached to return to the clan and rest atop his favourite spot, taking in the rolling moorland that embraced the munros and waiting for the gloaming, when a sense of magic and wonder filled the air.
His mother had held him on her lap many times as a pup to tell him the gloaming was when the faeries came out… in that brief moment between day and night.
Between light and darkness.
Now he was expected to go to a place of faeries and he was unsure what to expect when he got there. There were other stories about fae-kind. Darker stories. The ancient books in his possession, passed to him by his mother, were filled with tales of the seelie and unseelie, and their eternal war.
The thought of stepping into their realm had him hesitating, lingering in the mortal one, where he was safe.
But the vision of his female being held against her will, shackled and stripped of power, and the lingering scent of her that swirled around him had him gearing up for a battle.
He couldn’t bear the thought of her in danger, so he would place himself in the path of it by pursuing her into another world.
Kin flexed his fingers into fists.
He’d had to fight for everything he had ever wanted.
It looked as if this time would be no different.
If it was war the nymphs wanted, it was war he would give them.
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Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince (99c right now!)
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
Book 15: Unchained by a Forbidden Love
Book 16: Avenged by an Angel
Book 17: Seduced by a Demon King
Book 18: Scorched by Darkness
Book 19: Inflamed by an Incubus
Book 20: Craved by a Wolf
Book 21: Bewitched by a Vampire (Coming 14th June 2022)
I FLOVE a story involving a shifter and when it’s a centuries old wolf shifter, with a growly Scottish accent, I’m all in!!
I’ve been intrigued by Hella since we met her in Fenix’s book…. That we knew she was in some sort of trouble, as well as dealing with a big wolfy shifter who she didn’t really know what to do with had me looking forward to her story. I really liked that she was feisty, clever, cheeky, determined but helluva stubborn – that she had gotten herself into some kind of tight spot made me wonder just which one of those traits was the cause.
When we first encounter Grant MacKinnon he too has found himself in a bit of a tight spot…. An unknown witch has crushed his ego in front of an audience in the fae town he was visiting, but to boot, she’s just cursed him to die, oh yeah, she also informed him he has a fated mate who he has to find. Thus starts a journey and adventure that Kin never imagined himself on.
This pair were perfect together if only Hella could for once trust a guy to like her for herself and if Kin could stop putting his foot in his mouth..
I loved that Kin’s accent was more pronounced depending on circumstances and events…. Personally when I’m tired, annoyed or a tad tipsy, my Glaswegian accent is most definitely more noticeable….
It was fun seeing the scenes that were previously in Inflamed by an Incubus but from Hella’s/MacKinnon’s POV.
Craved by a Wolf was actioned packed, had suspense, humour and tons of heat.
I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating…. Regardless of how many books into the Eternal Mates story arc we get, Felicity has the ability to keep things interesting engaging and fresh, as well as piquing our excitement for the next book and fated couple in the series.
I cannot wait for Night and Lilian’s book ~ Bewitched by a Vampire!!
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 London Vampires series. Seven sexy and sinful Greek god brothers can be your new addiction in the Guardians of Hades series. Or how about four hot alpha shifter brothers in her Cougar Creek Mates 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 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:
WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM
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BLOG TOUR – Runaway (Empire High #5) by Ivy Smoak
Runaway, the must-read emotional fifth book in the Empire High Series from USA Today, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Ivy Smoak is available now!
To the first boy I ever loved.
I intended to keep my promises to you. I swear. I loved you, Matthew Caldwell. With my whole heart. I think a piece of me will always love you.
But it all came crashing down when I realized you didn’t keep your promises to me.
I refuse to take any of my days for granted. I learned that the hard way.
So I’m sorry. But I can’t keep my promises to someone who didn’t keep theirs.
XOXO,
–Brooklyn Sanders
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Start the Empire High Series with Untouchable!
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Excerpt
Friday – 16 years ago
Matt. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed mine back. God I loved him so much. And waking up next to him had quickly become my favorite thing. In a few months, I’d be his wife. Our wedding day couldn’t come soon enough. I couldn’t wait to be Brooklyn Caldwell. Matt squeezed my hand again. It was the most comforting feeling in the world.
Especially after the crazy nightmare I’d just had. I’d dreamt that I’d played a horrible prank on my evil half-sister Isabella. Matt had been furious with me. And I could see why. Isabella had fallen through the ceiling in my nightmare. The prank had gone way too far. Such a crazy dream.
But then I felt a sharp pain in my side. I winced. And everything suddenly felt…wrong. Like the room was spinning. I felt like I was going to be sick.
This didn’t feel like the bed I shared with Matt. The mattress was hard and the sheets were thin and itchy.
The room didn’t smell like him either. It didn’t smell like anything at all. And that was most certainly not Matt’s hand holding mine. It was all wrong.
I opened my eyes and had to blink because the room was blindingly white. My dad was sitting next to me holding my hand. His eyes were closed and he was in a wheelchair, his arm attached to an IV in the corner. For just a second I was alarmed by how sickly he looked. For just a second…I was worried about him. Which was ironic. Because he certainly wasn’t worried about me. He didn’t give a shit about me.
It felt like my heart stopped beating. None of it was a dream. No.
Never. Nunca.
Tears started welling in my eyes. The prank had happened. Matt did hate me. He’d left me. He’d called me a liar and just walked away. He didn’t answer any of my calls or texts. He just…ignored my existence. Just like he had when we’d first met. Like I meant nothing to him. My chest ached. Like my heart was ripping in two. Matthew Caldwell hates me.
And yet…none of that was the worst thing. The monster sitting next to my bed topped everything else. And I needed to get the hell away from him.
I pulled my hand out of my dad’s grip.
That startled him awake. “You’re awake, princess,” he said, his voice hoarse and groggy.
I was not his princess. That was his name for my evil half-sister. And I wanted no part in it. I wanted no part of this family. “Don’t call me that.” My voice sounded even hoarser than his. I looked down at the IV that was attached to my wrist and tried to pull it out.
“What are you doing?” He reached out to stop me.
“Don’t touch me!” My stomach rolled as I sat up. I was definitely about to be sick.
“Princess, calm down. You need to rest.”
I pulled out the IV and grabbed my wrist as the blood dribbled down my arm. I needed to get out of this room. I needed to get away from the man that called himself my father. That sick fuck.
“Brooklyn, you need to calm down,” he said more forcefully.
“You stole…you stole my…” It was like my mind was all jumbled. Everything was blurry as I tried to climb out of bed. And my side hurt so damn much. When I pushed myself off the bed, I fell to my knees. My foot hit the metal pole the IV was attached to, and it fell to the ground with a clang.
“Brooklyn, stop.” He reached out for me again.
I cringed when he put his hands on my shoulders. Ow. I grabbed my stomach. I wasn’t going to be sick. I was just in pain because my dad had tried to kill me.
“Shit,” my dad mumbled.
Something in the room started beeping like crazy.
And Dr. Wilson rushed in. “What on earth is going on in here? Did she fall out of bed?”
“She’s hysterical,” my dad said. “Do something!”
Hysterical? I’m not hysterical. He was the crazy one, not me. “Help me,” I croaked and grabbed Dr. Wilson’s pant leg.
Dr. Wilson stared down at me like I’d lost my mind. Like I was a feral animal he wanted to kick away. Why was he looking at me like that? I was asking him for help. Begging him to save me from this hell. Did he not realize what had just happened?
“I didn’t agree to this,” I said. “I didn’t. Let me go. Please let me go. Let me out of here.” It felt like air wasn’t reaching my lungs fast enough. I choked on my own breath.
Dr. Wilson glanced at my dad and then back at me.
“Please get me out of here. I don’t want to be here anymore.” Not in this room. Not near my dad. Not in this house. Not in this fucking state.
“Did you give her too many painkillers?” my dad asked.
“I…” Dr. Wilson’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know. Did you see her take more medication?”
I’m not high! But Dr. Wilson’s statement made me realize that he was not here to help me. He was part of the reason I was in pain. He’d performed the surgery. It wasn’t just my dad. Dr. Wilson was a monster too. I couldn’t be here. I needed to get away from both of them. I tried to get up but fell back down.
“Brooklyn, try to take a deep breath for me,” my dad said. “I think you’re just having a panic attack.”
Fuck him for using that against me. I trusted him. And now he was trying to make me feel insane. “I’m not,” I gasped. Maybe I was. But deep breathing wasn’t going to help. I needed to get out of this haunted apartment.
“I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” my dad said. “Where do you want to go, princess?”
Stop calling me that. I wasn’t his princess. I wanted nothing to do with him. “Please just let me go.” I tried to push myself up off the floor but the pain was blinding. The room started to spin. The door seemed like it was a million miles away. If I could just…
“We’ll get you back to your bedroom, alright?” my dad said. “Please take a deep breath.” “No. I don’t want to be here anymore. Please.” I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks.
He lowered his eyebrows. “Okay. We’ll get you out of here, if that’s what you want. Just tell me where you want to go.”
I wanted to go to Matt’s. Desperately. But he no longer wanted me there. He’d made that pretty clear after our fight. And my best friend, Kennedy, was mad at me too. I had nowhere to go. But I needed out of this room. Out of this house. Out of this life. I couldn’t do this anymore. Everything hurt.
“Just tell me where, princess.”
I wasn’t his fucking princess. “As far away as possible from you.”
His face fell. “Brooklyn, what’s going on?”
“You stole my fucking kidney, you psychopath!” I tried to stand up again but the room was spinning too fast.
About the Author
Ivy Smoak is the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Hunted Series. Her books have sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
When she’s not writing, you can find Ivy binge watching too many TV shows, taking long walks, playing outside, and generally refusing to act like an adult. She lives with her husband in Delaware.
It’s been a wild ride to chase her dreams…
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RELEASE BLITZ – Our Best Shot by A.M. Williams
Our Best Shot by A.M. Williams
My life seemed perfect until he came back to town. With his sights set on me, he’s ready to settle down and face any challenge. Fans of Briar U by Elle Kennedy will devour Our Best Shot by A.M. Williams, a small-town, forced proximity, hockey romance.
Blurb
Rory
On the outside, my life seems perfect. I have my friends, family, and quirky small town to keep me satisfied plus my secret writing career that’s done better than I ever dreamed. What’s not to love?
There’s just one thing missing. But I don’t know what it is.
At least until he comes back to town. The man I crushed on so hard in high school, I couldn’t talk in full sentences around him.
He’s back, he’s ready to settle down, and he’s set his sights on me, the wallflower.
Every time I turn around, there he is. He wants to know about me. And no matter how hard I try to ignore him…I can’t. He’s everything I wanted as a teenager.
And as an adult? I’m discovering that he’s the total package and is ready to sweep me off my feet.
Alex
Deciding to retire from my professional hockey career was easy. I miss my family, friends, and hometown. I crave a slower lifestyle so I can finally settle down.
What isn’t easy? Figuring out how to coach teenaged boys in how to play hockey and win over the woman I can’t stop thinking about.
I think about her constantly and am constantly finding ways to run into her ‘by accident’. I want to know everything about her, but she’s hesitant and I have my work cut out for me to convince her to step outside her comfort zone and date me.
But I’m up for the challenge. I’m ready to show her what being with me could be like and that she doesn’t need to be scared.
With outside forces working against us, can we get it together for our best shot at a happily ever after?
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Excerpt
Copyright 2022 @A.M. Williams
“What do you think about dinner again next weekend?”
Alex’s words brought me out of my mind and I quickly processed what he was saying.
“You want to go out again?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.
He slanted a look my way, then quickly looked back at the road before grinning. “Yeah, I want to go out again. I had a lot of fun and don’t want to stop.”
A large smile spread across my face. Oh my, God! I wanted to squeal and do a dance at him asking me out again. But considering I was sitting next to him in the front seat of his car, I’d have to wait.
We were just passing the “Welcome to Evergreen Ridge” sign when I asked, “Has your dog run away from you anymore?”
Alex chuckled, and I grinned.
“Nah, he hasn’t seen any other women he wants to accost on the ice. We’ll have to plan a day for you to go out so we can make it happen.”
I laughed. “I’m sure I can find time in my schedule.”
My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket, reminding me of the email I had sitting in my inbox that I needed to deal with.
I stiffened at the reminder.
“Here we are,” Alex said, pulling into my driveway. “You stay there.”
I grinned as I watched him lever out of the car and jog around to my side, pulling the door open.
I smiled as I accepted his hand, gasping when he threaded his fingers through mine and walked me to my door.
My face heated as we climbed the steps.
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About A.M. Williams
A.M. Williams is just a simple girl from the south that found herself living abroad. When she’s not annoying her cat or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and traveling as much as possible. She has a serious case of wanderlust and wants to go as many places as possible while she can. She loves Cheerwine, sweet tea, and North Carolina (eastern style) BBQ as well as those crystal clear waters on the North Carolina coast.
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Enticed, an all-new shifter menage romance full of suspense and heat from USA Today bestselling authors Renee Rose and Vanessa Vale is available now!
TWO MARKS PACK RULE: DON’T MIX WITH RANCHERS
In Wyoming, we’re the law.
We keep the pack’s secret–and our wolves–safe from our neighbors, the ranchers.
Then we meet her.
The one we’ve been waiting for. Our mate.
Only she’s a rancher—the nemesis of our pack. Worse, she’s the daughter of a wolf hunter.
When danger encroaches on her land, we’re sent to investigate.
We want to protect her. To prove to her we’re exactly what she needs.
But she may be part of an illegal operation. And now she knows we’re more than two rugged cowboys bent on making her ours, which means she could destroy not just us, but the entire pack.
Regardless of the truth, we must claim her. Our lives depend on it.
One way or another we’ll have her. Or die trying.
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Excerpt
HOLT
“I call bad cop,” I told Theo, my scent-match and pack mate, giving him a quick glance as I cut my patrol SUV through the valley on the two-lane road. It was great to have him visit, even if it was for work reasons.
“No way. I’m definitely bad cop. I’m the one from out of town,” he countered, drumming his fingers in the open window. The July day was warm and it wasn’t even lunchtime, a far cry from the late blizzard we’d had in May. Wyoming weather was fickle, no matter the time of year. “I’m the one who followed the fucking meth trail to our home town. Besides, you have to play nice because you’re an elected official.”
“True,” I admitted. It wasn’t common for a shifter to hold a human law enforcement position, but the alpha and I both agreed my role only benefited the pack. “But the ranchers don’t count. I can’t wait to see Jenkins’s face when he finds the DEA on his doorstep unannounced.”
“Fun life as a L.E.O, huh?” Theo asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his brow arch and his mouth turn up in a smile. Yeah, he didn’t give a shit about playing nice. In his navy vest with DEA emblazoned across the back, he also didn’t hide the fact that he worked for the agency that cracked down on meth production. He was right, though. Being the sheriff of West Springs, the only law enforcement officer between here and Granger, meant I had to play savior, asshole, and even a bit of politician in dealing with the humans. I had to live in the same small town with these people, even uphold their laws when I was raised to live beneath others.
Regardless, I still maintained that the ranchers didn’t count. Not after what they did.
“Just because you went off to the big city for your career doesn’t mean you get to be the bigshot. You’ll be back here when we find our scent match, and then what will you do? You’ll have to be my deputy.” I tossed a grin his way.
He snorted. Both of us were thirty-four, and we’d moved on with jobs and life and tried not to think about the moon madness that would hit us if we didn’t find our she-wolf soon. Just because Theo lived halfway across the state in Cheyenne, that didn’t keep us from staying current or being best friends.
“Always the optimist,” he said because the chances of us finding our mate were getting slimmer and slimmer. We’d been to every pack game across the country, year after year, but had yet to find her.
I shrugged, not letting my disappointment show. I knew he felt the same way, had the Two Marks male desire to find her, and claim her jointly. We had to be patient. We had no choice.
At this point, I would settle for any threesome, fated mate or not. There was no rule against claiming a she-wolf who wasn’t our true matched mate, but we’d held out hope we might stumble upon her. “We won’t find anyone to share with you living so far away. It’s pretty hard to fuck a female together when you’re in a different area code.”
He didn’t say anything for a while as the SUV bumped down the dirt road. Then he picked up our earlier thread. “After what happened with the ranchers last summer, especially Hollaroy and Jenkins, I hope to fate this meth deal leads back to them. I’d like to see them finally get more than a slap on the wrist for what they did.”
“Me too. They only got fines for killing those wolves,” I grumbled. “The shittiest part of my job is not seeing justice done, and that look on Jenkins’s face when he knew he got away with it. That asshole Hollaroy, too.”
“Maybe getting in front of Jenkins will have him doing something stupid. We can only hope.”
Nodding, I flicked my blinker on and turned onto Jenkins Ranch’s long drive. “I doubt it. He’s well-established. Look around.” I waved my hand in the air, taking in all the flat ranchland that spread across the valley. Most of it on this side of town was owned by Bob Jenkins, and dated back in his family to original homesteaders. “This isn’t going to go well. The ranchers hate the wolves encroaching on their land, taking their cattle, and he’s not going to be happy to see me again. Or you in that vest, all but accusing him of drug making.”
Theo nodded in agreement, but didn’t give a shit. “Yeah, I remember the whole fucking story. It’s not like this asshole knows you’re a shifter,” he countered.
I shook my head. “He doesn’t have reason to hate me personally for that mess, but I was involved as sheriff. So he does nonetheless.”
“I thought John Randolph with the Forest Service would have handled it.”
“Joint case,” I replied easily. The ranchers had been using tracking devices put on wolves for more than a university field study. They’d used them as guides to hunt and kill the animals far from private land. Killing endangered species was illegal, but the consequence was only a slap on the wrist, especially to a rich guy like Jenkins, whom we were about to confront. And killing a shifter wolf? Even more endangered, not that anyone knew about them. “Meth is different,” he replied.
The house came into view. The sprawling rancher made of log and river rock was settled perfectly on a bluff. A porch wrapped around the entire home. Rocking chairs and hanging baskets of flowers made it welcoming, although I knew the greeting we’d get would be anything but.
I turned off the SUV’s engine, and felt my usual determination for catching a bad guy build. It was as simple as that, my job: seek justice, and put the bad guys away. Bob Jenkins was one, and I’d yet to make any charges stick that put him behind bars. Meth, though, and what Theo had dug up from his office, might just be what was needed. I wanted to rub my hands together in eagerness to see that done. “Let’s do this.”
Meet Renee Rose
USA Today Bestselling Author Renee Rose loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She’s sold over a million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today’s Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA’s Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy’s Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, and Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance. She’s hit the USA Today list ten times with her Chicago Bratva, Bad Boy Alpha, Wolf Ranch books, and various anthologies.
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Website: https://reneeroseromance.com/
About Vanessa
Vanessa Vale is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy romance novels, including her popular Bridgewater historical romance series and hot contemporary romances. With over one million books sold, Vanessa writes about unapologetic bad boys who don’t just fall in love, they fall hard. Her books are available worldwide in multiple languages in e-book, print, audio and even as an online game. When she’s not writing, Vanessa savors the insanity of raising two boys and figuring out how many meals she can make with a pressure cooker. While she’s not as skilled at social media as her kids, she loves to interact with readers.
Connect with Vanessa
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Website: https://vanessavaleauthor.com
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