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From his leather Stetson to his long coat and choice of weapons, Shaw Sullivan is just a space cowboy who lives by his own code. A loner by choice, he accepted the contract to conduct a stellar census under duress…it was the only way to save his family’s ranch.

Sullivan has four years to complete the mission, and he has zero intentions of letting anything get in his way least of all a desperate woman who wants to hire him to be a hero.

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Read an excerpt from SPACE COWBOY SURVIVAL GUIDE:

Chapter 1

Rule #5 One good sob story deserves another.

They say every story starts somewhere. Shaw Sullivan’s could have begun when he was born. Wasn’t that when everyone’s story technically began? Or did his story start elsewhere? Does a person’s story begin with them or does it begin with their parents? If it begins with their parents does it begin with all of their forefathers? And if that’s the case, maybe all stories were rooted on Earth.

It didn’t really matter. For Shaw Sullivan, his story definitely started on Earth—the one place he wished he could return to, where his family’s ranch remained, and all of his life’s work awaited him. When mounting debt drove him to accept an indentured servitude offer, he’d left. The only hope for saving his family’s ranch rested on his shoulders. A ranch his father and his father’s father and his father’s father’s father going back more than 500 years survived from worked. It didn’t matter if humans were in the stars, and it didn’t matter that colony worlds enumerating into the hundreds existed. No, what mattered to Shaw Sullivan was his ranch. A ranch he only had four years to save.

Of course, as he studied the Earth Analog he currently stood on through a field glass, a part of him had to really wonder what was the point ? The place was a shithole. Farms barely eking out an existence stretched around the perimeter. Their main spaceport was an empty field next to a ramshackle building, which seemed cobbled together from the remnants of the landing pods the colonists had used when they first arrived. As far as he could tell, EA-114 had settled during the Corbin Space Rush. By that reckoning, the original settlers arrived sometime between 2045 and 2095, give or take. Since it was in 2225, these people had spent nearly 200 years building nothing.

Easing his Stetson back from his face, Shaw let the sun—or what passed for sunlight—warm his skin. The air seemed almost too clammy. Maybe he’d come at the wrong time of year to appreciate this so-called untouched beauty? Then again, maybe the land was exactly what he’d come to expect—the poor remnants of the poor settlers’ fatal mistake. They traveled to the stars to find a planet to call their own and established a colony without backup support or industry then had to survive literally on their crops or starve.

He pulled out a small recorder and began to make some notations on the census reports he needed to file. Each planet required notes on population density, on production values, on geography and natural resources, and, on their current governing structures. As far as he could tell, this planet didn’t have much worth an entry. His initial scans from space only showed a population numbering below 10,000—not a very high number in the immediate region, though the overall planetary population was closer to 40,000. The spaceport was their most populous area.

He glanced back at the ramshackle container pod office, or whatever they wanted to call it. It was the most modern of the structures he could see. Everything else had been constructed from local materials.

“Captain Sullivan, sir,” a male voice called out to him.

Shaw pivoted to face the man. It took a minute to place his name—as far as he could recall, the man had actually introduced himself when he had arrived to take Shaw’s order for fuel. That brought up another question for Shaw—where the hell did these people get their fuel?

“It was Winston, right?” Shaw walked toward him, sliding the recorder into the pocket of his duster.

The red, jowl-faced man nodded. “Yes sir. I was just checking the requisition for your fuel. Really sorry to say we only have maybe third of what you’re requesting.”

Unsurprised, Shaw nodded. Didn’t actually need the fuel, but putting in an order usually got him some results as far as on the local resources. He learned that on the last three planets he visited. He also made it a point not to tell them why he was there or what he was doing for a living. On the first planet, honesty damn near got him shot. Twice.

“Any other dealers? We can reach out to Eden.” The neighboring settlement might be located a few thousand klicks away, but at least EA-114 had other settlements.

The man sopped at his face with a handkerchief, trying to clean up the sweat. The humidity didn’t make it that hot, just uncomfortable. “They aren’t big allies, but I can call and see what they’ve got. Supplies have been pretty scarce these days. Fuel is coming in at a far more expensive price. So, be happy I’m willing to part with the fuel I have. It’s going to cost.”

Liars, shysters and con men. Every planet had them. Shaw nodded and went for an understanding expression—at least he hoped it came across as understanding. Part of him just wanted to punch the man in his jowly face and get the hell out of there. That, however, would not be getting his job done. Sure, Earth Prime might not know what he’d done, but he would. Shaw never welched on a deal.

“I’d be happy to pay it,” Shaw said. “I really do need the fuel. If you can check with the other towns, that would be great.”

Winston scowled. Okay, wrong answer. Apparently, Winston did not want to reach out to the other towns. “Well, I reckon if you’re prepared to pay that price for the third, I could see if I could scrape together the rest.”

Shock of shockers. Shaw gave the man a thin smile. “That would be great.”

His answer seemed to add another layer to Winston’s distress and rising temper. The man’s already flushed face, reddened further and his fists clenched, knuckles whitening. So, offering the man a small fortune for fuel just increased his anger. Interesting.

“It could take a while.” Winston practically spat the words out.

“I got all the time in the world.” Shaw spread his arms. “Think I’ll take a stroll, stretch my legs, look around.”

Winston’s face tightened and his nostrils flared. Yeah, he liked the idea someone walking around even less than he liked the idea of accepting so much money for fuel.

EA-114 just became a lot more interesting.

“That won’t be a problem, will it?” Shaw inquired, resting his hand on the butt of his pistol. Hell, if they wanted him to wander the stars to check out all these different worlds and see what they had to offer, he might as well be armed. Since they didn’t sell bullets anymore, at least not on home world, he’d gone for the closest thing he could find—Colt .45 pearl-handled laser pistol. It packed a hell of a punch.

Winston glanced from him to the weapon, then back again and shook his head. “Not at all.” The lie fell from his lips as easily as the rain from the sky in a Texas spring storm. Not only did he have to figure out what they were hiding, he had to watch his back.

He’d already set the security features on the Gilly. No one was getting on his ship. Whether he was dead or alive, the Gilly wouldn’t open for anyone that wasn’t him without with his code, his DNA, and a little something special that he provided after the security specialists had finished programming the ship for him.

“I’ll check back in with you later then, Winston.” Shaw raised his hand in half-salute. He set off at an angle that allowed him to keep his eye on the fuel dealer while also scanning his surroundings. The main section town stretched out and away from the spaceport. Mostly farms, as far as he could tell, however he had seen some shops, or at least what he thought were shops. It didn’t appear industrial, more retail.

If the community was that poor and fuel that expensive, what were they doing with retail shops?

Never hurt to stir up some trouble and figure out what their sob story was.

Shaw’s boots clicked with every step he took on the wooden boardwalks lining their tiny town. In some ways, it amused him, this attempt at 1800s Americana on a world so far from where they all originated. At the same time, the very familiarity of it all aggravated him. Not far from his MorningStar ranch, the tiny New Texas town of Quanto looked exactly the same, right down to the wooden boardwalks and classic storefronts.

As nostalgia wasn’t something he could afford, he continued strolling and inspecting his surroundings. The street was dirt, still churned to mud from an earlier rain. No real sign of pack or herd animals. The only vehicles present were back at the makeshift port.

Despite his earlier supposition about living crop to mouth, the planet had been settled long enough to develop at least some wealth. The first building, a mission of some kind—Paradise Interfaith Meditation—boasted a closed sign in the window and a locked door. The dress shop next door also appeared closed, as was the feed and supply shop.

Odd. All the shops on the lonely street appeared closed. Closed or abandoned? Even the churned mud had no footprints.

Shaw scratched his jaw, crossing the muddy road to the boardwalk on other side of the road, verifying his boots left prints. Sure enough, he did—and the solo boot heels amplified the lonely feeling of the not-so-abandoned town. One shop closed, maybe even two, didn’t seem a cause for suspicion. However, all of them closed? That was worth investigating. After making a full circuit of the town center, Shaw checked his datalink, verified his bearings based on the longitude and latitude, angle of the sun, and the planet’s current rotation pattern around the system’s star.

It was around midday on a weekday, based on their solar calendar. His stroll revealed more questions than answers.

At the Interfaith center, he paused to stare at the locked doors. It seemed almost universal for faith centers to be open to its congregants, and an interfaith one would have to be open nearly all the time to cater to so many different religions. So, why was it closed? Why were the doors locked?

Sparing a glance over his shoulder toward the port, Shaw debated going back the Gilly and using the ship’s scanners to take a deeper look, only that would be cheating.

Abandoning the boardwalk, he circled the end of the ‘block’ to take a wander beyond the main strip. Tenements bordered right up against the side of the town. What few people he’d seen moving while talking to Winston had vanished except for one small girl. She stared at him with a questioning expression on her face until her mother swept her inside swiftly then bolted the door. It was definitely bolted, he heard the slide lock snick closed. Lifting one arm, he sniffed himself. No, he didn’t stink. Whatever happened in the sleepy little shithole definitely did. Stripping off his Stetson, he ran his fingers through his hair while he tapped his hat against his thigh.

Playing dilettante wasn’t getting him anywhere. The task at hand was a census. The charge of documenting populations and resources on colony worlds had him traveling to this armpit of the galaxy. He didn’t want to tell the locals what he was up to, as they usually rebelled at the idea of anyone reporting on them back to Earth Prime, whether they had anything to hide or not. One thing hadn’t changed in centuries—government inspections and investigations were a universal cause for concern. He needed a good idea of how many people actually lived in this town. In the debate over whether to knock on the door hiding the mother and her child, his conscience got the better of him.

Harassing a mom, especially a scared one, went against the grain.

One hand on his holstered sidearm, Shaw continued his circuit around the tenements. He didn’t think he looked like someone out to get anyone. Then again, criminals didn’t always look like criminals. Whatever issues these people had to hide… better to find out now rather than later.

Thirty minutes of wandering left Shaw in a foul mood. The people here lived almost too poor, despite verdant fields beyond their little hellhole of a town. The populated area seemed only remarkable for the plethora of debris and human refuse alongside the occasional scrub garden with their pitifully sad vegetables straining toward the gray light of the sun above—a scar left on the face of an idyllic colony world.

Whoever ran things around here did a shit job. Having had enough, Shaw strode back toward the scant town center. Sure enough, all the buildings remain locked with their signs on closed, no lights showing inside. Checking his datalink again, he accessed the Gilly’s computer and initiated the scan.

Cheating be damned. His ship reported in short order with the population number he’d read from space and heat signatures fanning around him. After studying the readout on his watch, he returned to the Interfaith Center.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a hostile voice warned him when he raised his hand to knock on the door.

Pivoting, Shaw faced the newcomer. A tall, broad shouldered man, he had a handlebar mustache and a body odor that struck as soon as the breeze shifted. The only thing that prevented Shaw from noticing him to begin with was the fact that the wind had been in his favor. The change in the breeze’s direction damn near gagged Shaw with the stench.

“What’s the problem?” Shaw asked, dropping his gaze to the dull, flat edged tin star on the man’s chest. “Sheriff?”

“Marshal.” The man corrected him, and his chest puffed out as he did so. “Locked doors generally mean people don’t want company, son.”

“Fair enough,” Shaw acknowledged. “However, it’s an interfaith center, Sheriff.” Yes, he used the wrong title on purpose. When the man’s cheeks reddened and his eyes bulged as his nostrils flared, Shaw enjoyed the fact his targeted barb hitting its mark.

“You’re not from around here, son,” was the man’s only response.

“Very true, and obviously so.” Shaw kept his arms loose and didn’t approach the ‘marshal.’ The man was off, and he came armed with a sawed off double-barreled shotgun, one Shaw was willing to bet didn’t come loaded with bird pellets. Hunting laws at home outlawed the weapons—this far out, though? They could probably use bullets without any fear of reprisal. The marshal’s boots were filthy and mud spattered his jeans. The smell on him though—damn—Shaw had gotten a lungful of dead week-old corpses that didn’t smell this bad.

“You should ahead on back over the port. We don’t much like strangers around here.”

Not an unusual response to a stranger in someone’s territory. “Didn’t mean any harm, Sheriff.” He tugged on the string once more. The animosity combined with the marshal’s stench to roll over him in choking waves.

“I said I was a marshal, boy.” He swung the shotgun into a targeted position, aiming it directly at Shaw. “You’ll move along. Now.”

“That’s downright unfriendly for a sheriff, considering I am not your boy, and I’m spending my good, hard earned credits at your port.” Didn’t matter how far apart the colony worlds were, the first accords made credit chits universal currency and preferred for financing interstellar purchases.

“Your ship can earn us more for scrap, too.” Apparently, they were all done playing nice.

Worked for Shaw. The sheriff closed the distance between them and used the shotgun to gesture for him to backup. The problem with using a weapon to point meant it wasn’t always directed at the target. In fact, when the sheriff gave it a jerk again to motion him away, the barrel aimed at the sky. Shaw caught the barrel, and kept it pointed upward as he gave it a hard tug and withdrew his pistol in the same breath.

Startled, the wannabe lawman released his weapon then gulped when he saw the laser pistol barrel right between his eyes.

“I’d tell you what you were doing wrong, but I like to keep my interactions polite.” Not to mention more words required more breathing in the man’s too smelly presence. “So, let me be clear. This gun won’t make a bang so much as a sizzle as it fries through your skull and incinerates what brain matter you might be possessing. You catch my drift?”

With fumbling fingers, the man stripped off his abused star and tossed it on the ground. “Ain’t no job worth this,” the man sputtered. “I quit.”

“Well, I’m sure these townsfolk will be real interested to hear that you don’t want the job of protecting them no more. Not seeing it as their loss.” Shaw studied him. Sweat beaded along the man’s forehead and ran down his face in rivulets. His gaze kept darting to the interfaith center. Without removing his weapon from the man’s forehead, Shaw used his chin to gesture the man to walk. Circling with the man, he flipped the shotgun so it landed with his finger over the trigger and pointed at the door of the center just as it opened.

“Come on out and join us, Winston.”

It shouldn’t have surprised Shaw to learn that the seedy fuel dealer had something going on in the town considering the unkempt condition of both the so-called port and the town itself.

Winston stomped out onto the boardwalk. “You’re going to regret this.”

“I kind of already do,” Shaw replied and kept his tone even. His datalink vibrated three times. The scanners on his ship detected three more weapons. “And for that you have my apology.” He gave Marshal Stinky a shove, sending him right into Winston even as Shaw threw himself sideways.

The bullets kicked up the mud and sent it spattering. A meaty thunk, and a less than manly yowl warned him that the rapid fire projectiles found their mark in one or both of the two men. A woman’s scream, soon joined by another, filled the building behind him.

Rolling, Shaw brought his pistol up just as another bullet slammed into the boardwalk next to him, splintering the wood. Ignoring the sharp pain of a scrape across his cheek, he targeted where the gunfire came from and returned fire of his own.

The laser had no kick, but it did make a decent sized hole in the second story of the shop. A man let out a shout, then tumbled through the glass along with his weapon and hit the mud with a splat. Rising, Shaw checked his datalink as he caught sight of Winston trying to crawl away. A blast to his right leg, just above the knee had the man screaming and aborted his escape effort.

The last two weapons were coming in at speed from the opposite side of town. Spinning, Shaw had his pistol and shotgun ready even as the roar of a motor warned him of their approach. He gave them a split second but, at the sight of their weapons pointed at him, he opened fire on the bike itself. The fuel tank went up like a jetpack at launch and flung metal and men into a fiery ball. The rain of debris left a hell of a mess in the middle of the muddy row.

Another glance at his datalink screen showed no red signatures for weapons, only orange for people. The buildings around him were stocked with them, especially the interfaith center. Moseying down to where Winston left a bloody trail on the path, Shaw stepped on his wounded leg, making the man let out a whimpering cry.

“It would seem, Winston, that we’ve come to a parting of ways. The only question I have is do I finish the task or do I just ask the good people of this town?”

“Go to hell, you bastard.”

“I hope you don’t kiss your momma with that mouth.” After grinding his foot into the wound once more for good measure, Shaw leaned over and knocked on the door. “It’s all clear folks. Y’all can come out now.”

A woman appeared in the open doorway, her dirty face bruised and tear streaked, but a fiery anger simmered in her brown eyes. “Who are you?”

Hoping she wasn’t on the side of the men he’d just dealt with, Shaw nodded to her as politely as he could manage while still carrying a weapon in each hand. “Shaw Sullivan, ma’am. Hope I haven’t done more harm than good, but these men didn’t appear to have your town’s honest interests at heart.”

The woman looked from him to the downed wannabe lawman who’d taken a bullet to the heart and dropped dead where he’d fallen then to Winston, who lay in a moaning heap. Pulling the door open wider, she stepped outside and glanced at the dead man across the street, then to the still burning wreckage of the bike with what was left of its pair of extremely dead riders.

Miss Brown Eyes gave Shaw another look and he backed away a pace respectfully, but he didn’t lower the weapons. The town had already had five very unpleasant surprises. He didn’t fancy meeting another unarmed.

She walked over to where Winston lay muttering pitifully, and lifted her skirt lightly as though taking care not to get any blood on it before she delivered a swift kick to the man’s head.

“He’s right,” she called in a strong voice. “We’re safe! Y’all come on out! We have our town back.”

Shaw nodded to himself, satisfied with the result until the people spilled out in a chattering flow and surrounded him. Miss Brown Eyes rushed over to him and threw her arms around him.

“Our hero!”

Oh, hell no.

Other Books by Heather Long:

THE JUDAS CONTACT

judascontactboomers

Doctor Ilsa Blaine

Codename: Doc

Abilities: Designs programmable bioware, enhanced understanding of brain chemistry

Mission: Research, analyze and troubleshoot the team’s active microchips

On the cutting edge of neuroscience, Ilsa is developing microchips that can be inserted into the brain and deliver information. The applications are endless, but her current goal is just to get dogs to return to their owners should they ‘become lost.’ When her college roommate turns up asking for lunch, she’s hardly prepared for the chaos that ensues or the revelation her chip changed the world and the lives of five heroes from the future. And now they need her help…

Garrett Fox

Codename: The Viper

Abilities: toxins, poisons and assassination, he can kill with a touch

Mission: Protect Ilsa Blaine

One of five desperate men sent back in time to save the future, Garrett volunteers to be the doctor’s guinea pig as she studies their neuro-chips. It’s not his first time being a lab rat. In close quarters, the unthinkable happens, an attraction that could kill Ilsa. Drawn together by science, and on the fast track to destiny, Ilsa must prove to Garrett he isn’t toxic to everything and save his team from their chips before they can end them…

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. An alliance with Halo has given their leader a taste of hope. For these five lonely soldiers, the single emotion may prove their most dangerous threat.

Find out more at: Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | ARe

HUNT ME

One Thief…

Wealthy, titled, and very privileged, Lady Katherine Hardwicke successfully eluded some of the best thieves in the world in a quest to obtain the Fortunate Buddha. Her time is running out and her enemies are closing in, and one deliciously enigmatic man seems determined to get in her way. Will he save her or end her quest forever?

One Hunt…

Jarod Parker wears many faces and lies for a living, but when the same thief steals the Buddha out from beneath his agents not once but twice, this handler returns to the field. His target? The last woman anyone would suspect of being the thief. But is he really after the Buddha or has this brilliant woman stolen his heart?

One Choice…

Their sensuous game of cat and mouse turns deadly when a third player turns up the heat, but can these two liars come clean with each other or will they lose it all?

Find out more at: Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | ARe

About Heather Long:

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.

Connect with Heather: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

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BLOG TOUR ~ Trophy Wife by Noelle Adams

Dec 9

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Celebrate the release of Trophy Wife by Noelle Adams!

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Giveaway:

1 grand prize winners will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
5 runner-ups will receive an eBook of choice from Noelle’s backlist!

Rafflecopter Link

Title: Trophy Wife

Author: Noelle Adams

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Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 6, 2016

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Fooling Around comes a steamy novel about a pampered princess who’s starting over—and the hot guy next door who knows exactly how to melt that tiara right off.

Alison Davies used to just be a trophy wife. Now she’s just flat broke. Thanks to an ironclad prenup, she’s worse off than she was before the day she rushed down the aisle with a wealthy jerk eight years ago. After her steep fall from riches to rags, Alison refuses to shackle herself to any man who treats her like a possession—no matter how good he looks in a pair of well-worn jeans, or how his muscles ripple while he’s carrying her couch.

Underneath his rugged exterior, Rob West is a gentleman. So when he sees his beautiful new neighbor moving in, he’s going to help her out no matter how loudly she protests. In fact, Alison’s determination to go it alone just strengthens his resolve—and his desire to find out what makes her tick. But after one spur-of-the-moment tumble in the sheets, it’s clear that their connection goes way deeper. And that Rob won’t be happy until Alison surrenders to the passion they share.

Find out more at: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo

BLP REVIEW ~ Tracy

A nice enough read but it really didn’t do it for me….. I couldn’t connect to either of the characters and didn’t really feel any kind of real interest as to how things should work out for them.

Rob’s character felt a little weak to me. He had been divorced twice and following that had so many issues and had built up his walls that I think he had forgotten who he was. Allison had led her life being someone else to her ex-husband that she wasn’t sure how to be herself and was so determined not to be another ‘trophy wife’ that she ended up being someone else again when it came to how she interacted with Rob.

Sadly, Trophy Wife didn’t work for me but if you’re a fan of Noelle Adams other books I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too!

Excerpt from Trophy Wife:

She was leaning over into the trunk to gather up as many bags as she could carry when a voice behind her surprised her. “You need some help?”

She straightened up with a jerk, turning to see a man beside her wearing faded jeans and a white T-shirt. He looked to be in his thirties. He needed to shave and his brown hair was too long, and he had the rough look of a man who worked with his hands. He’d startled her so much she just stared at him. “What?”

“Do you need some help?” he asked again, gesturing toward her trunk. “Carrying all that in?”

She frowned. Who the hell was this guy? And did she really look so helpless that she couldn’t unload her own trunk by herself. “Oh. No. I’ll be okay. Thank you.” Several bags were already hooked over her arms, so she gave him an absent smile and turned to walk up the steps to the front door.

She had some trouble getting her key into the door with the bags on her hand, but she’d almost gotten the door unlocked when she suddenly felt someone behind her, swinging open the storm door that had been propped against her back.

She gave a little squeal of surprise as she turned to see the man she’d thought she’d dismissed. He had twice as many bags hooked over his arms as she was able to carry.

“I’m Rob West,” he said with a slight mountain drawl in his deep voice. “I’m your neighbor across the street.”

She felt flustered now and annoyed that a strange man was walking into her house as if she’d invited him. “Okay, but I said I could get the bags by myself.”

“I was already over here. Why shouldn’t I help?”

Because she’d said she didn’t need his help. Any basically civil person would have respected her wishes. She really hoped everyone wasn’t as rude and pushy as this man was.

“Where’s all your furniture?” Rob asked, looking around the empty house after he’d dumped his load of bags on her kitchen counter.

“It’s in the basement. I just got here today.”

He focused his gaze on her, looking her up and down. His eyes were actually quite nice—a really deep, melting brown. “Are you Chris and Sharon’s girl?”

She was startled by the question, but then realized that, if he lived across the street, he’d probably known her parents. “Yes.”

“I thought you lived in the city.” He glanced down at her left hand, and she realized he was looking for a wedding ring.

She’d taken off her rings six months ago. “I’m moving here now.”

He nodded slowly, as if trying to piece together her situation, something he had no business knowing. “Well, welcome to town. I’ll get the rest of your stuff.”

“I don’t need any—” she began.

He just ignored her, striding back outside as if she hadn’t spoken. Arthur had done that all the time—completely disregard what she was trying to say. She hated it.

Rob might be a small-town, blue-collared guy, but he obviously wasn’t all that different from Arthur at heart.

He came back into the house a minute later with another huge load of bags. She couldn’t help but notice he had really good shoulders, and his biceps were very impressive, clearly visible beneath his shirt sleeves as he held the bags. He set them on the opposite counter and then turned to look at her. “That’s it from the car. Do you want me to haul some stuff up from the basement for you? You at least need a chair or two and a bed.”

“I’m fine,” she said, managing to smile although she really wanted to scowl at him. “Thank you.”

He frowned. “You can’t get it all up yourself. Do you have some guys who are coming to help?”

Now she frowned too. “I said I was fine. Thank you.”

“What are you all snippy about?” he asked, looking at her curiously.

She gave a gasp of indignation at his clueless rudeness. “I’m snippy,” she bit out, “because I’ve said several times that I’m fine, and yet you refuse to listen to me.”

His expression relaxed into almost a smile, as if he’d finally figured out her mood. “Oh, I get it. I’m not some creepy asshole, so no need to worry about that. I live across the street. I knew your folks. I just figured you could use some help, especially since you’re all dressed up and everything.”

She looked down at herself in surprise. “I’m not dressed up!” She wore a sleeveless pale blue top, black capris, and sandals. The sandals had heels on them, but almost all of her shoes had heels. In terms of her wardrobe, the clothes were very casual.

He chuckled—a surprisingly pleasant sound. “Okay. If you say so.”

Allison heard a familiar sound just then—that damned toilet was running again, after she’d spent five minutes jiggling the handle before she left.

Rob must have heard the sound and seen her expression. “Sounds like it just needs a new flapper. I can look at it for you.” He actually turned around and took a step toward the bathroom.

“That’s okay,” Allison said quickly, relieved when he stopped at her words. “I’m sure I can take care of it.”

He turned to face her again, not looking like he believed her, but fortunately he didn’t argue. “There’s a hardware store in town—just a block down from Dora’s. You can get a new flapper, and they can talk you through replacing the old one.”

There was he was, assuming she’d need help again, based on nothing but her appearance. He could have no idea whether she was capable of fixing a toilet, and he shouldn’t make assumptions.

She didn’t like this guy at all. She really wanted him to leave.

She took a deep breath, making sure her voice was polite as she said, “I appreciate your help, and it was nice to meet you.”

“You really don’t mean that, do you?” he drawled, an irresistible half-smile on his face.

She narrowed her eyes. “I’d like to unpack my bags now.”

“Got it,” he said, still smiling as if privately amused. “I’ll see you around.”

Finally, he turned to leave. Allison was very glad to see him go, and it wasn’t because her eyes drifted down to his very nice ass as he walked away.

About Noelle Adams:

Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she reads any book she can get her hands on and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

If you’d like to contact Noelle, please contact her at noelle.s.adams@gmail.com. Or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

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BLOG TOUR ~ Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major

Dec 8

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Celebrate the release of Christmas on Crimson Mountain by Michelle Major

Synopsis:

LOVE ON THE MOUNTAIN

Peace and quiet—that’s all Connor Pierce wanted from the rented cabin on Crimson Mountain. Yet the caretaker turned out to be lovely April Sanders—a total distraction. As were the two little girls she was caring for. Connor’s plan to forget his painful past soon detoured into giving the ladies a Christmas to remember.

Being named guardian of two motherless girls has upended April’s world. Add to the mix a mysterious, brooding writer claiming he wanted to be left alone while going out of his way to bring a little joy to the girls, and she has quite the quandary. April had counted herself out of a happy ending. But maybe Santa still had a few surprises up his merry old sleeve…

Find out more at: Amazon / B&N

Giveaway

Rafflecopter link:

Excerpt from Christmas on Crimson Mountain:

“Thank you for taking care of me these past couple of days.”

She sniffed. “It’s my job.”

He acknowledged her words with a small nod, or maybe it was the bitterness creeping into her tone that he recognized. “How are Ranie and Shay?”

“Do you really care?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “Even though I don’t want to care. The other night…on the highway…it affected me. Hearing that scream when the car slid on the road and the headlights moving closer.” He paused and a shudder ran through him. “I’m sorry I disappeared, but I wasn’t fit company for anyone after that.”

“It’s fine.” She tried to hold on to her anger even as it slipped through her body like grains of sand through her fingers. She needed that anger. It was safer with this man. Safer for her heart. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“I want to give you one anyway.” His hold on her gentled and he rubbed his thumb over the sensitive flesh on the inside of her wrist. “I’ve missed you, April. I’ve spent the past three years alone, and suddenly I’m lonely without you. I stopped caring. I didn’t think I had it in me to care, and I’m still so turned around. Every little thing sets me off and I can’t stop it. But I also can’t stop wanting to be near you. It doesn’t make sense.”

She closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions that poured through her at his words and the gentle pressure to her skin.

“Do you know,” he asked, shifting so close now that she could feel his breath against her hair, “that I listen for the door to close after you leave and rush down to the kitchen because your scent lingers after you’re gone?”

She huffed out a laugh that sounded breathless to her own ears. “Are you saying I smell?”

“Like lavender and vanilla. I’ve made an idiot of myself the past two days following traces of you around the house.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to know what you do to me, even if I should stay away. It’s better for both of us if I turn around and walk back to my bedroom until you’re gone.”

She waited a moment, but he didn’t move. “You’re not walking.”

“Hell if I can make myself go.”

“Don’t go,” she whispered. Slowly, as if she were gentling a stray animal, she lifted her hand. Her finger brushed the prickly strands of his dark beard, and his lips parted.

“I forgot to shave,” he muttered.

“Too busy?”

He took a breath, released it and then nodded. “Writing.”

“Connor,” April whispered. “That’s wonderful.”

He shrugged and looked away. “Who knows how long it will last. But the words are coming. So damn many, drowning me with their force. It’s like…”

She pressed her palm to his cheek, gratified when he leaned into it. “Like what?”

“Like it used to be.” He said the words softly, as if they were an apology. April could feel the tension in his body and wished, just for a moment, she could transfer his pain to herself. Give him a few seconds of remembering what it was like to live without the weight of guilt and sorrow bearing down on him.

“Look at me,” she said, moving closer to him, pressing into his warmth. His arms came around her waist, his hands splayed open against her back. She could feel their heat and strength through the thin cotton of her pajama shirt. So much talent flowed out of those hands. The worlds he created within his imagination and put on paper for readers to discover. “You have a gift, Connor Pierce.”

“It’s not—”

“Don’t say it. Whatever you’re thinking.” She brushed her lips over his. “Those words are in you. The stories you write are part of you.”

“How can they still be there when I’m dead inside, April? They were part of my life before, but now I’m—”

“You’re here,” she told him, and held her hand to his chest. His heartbeat was strong and sure under her palm. “With me. Now.”

“You make me feel things I’d thought I lost the capacity to feel. You make me want things—” His voice broke off as he drew in another deep breath. He leaned down until their foreheads touched. They stood that way for several long moments, her lips just grazing his. She breathed him in and it felt like she was pulling his essence into her lungs. Like he was part of her. A part she thought she’d lost after the illness and heartbreak that had changed who she was inside.

“I’m sorry I can’t be the man you deserve,” he whispered. “I’ll hurt you and girls. I hurt everyone—”

“Not now.” She pressed her mouth to the base of his neck, tasted the salt on his skin and wanted more. “This moment is ours.”

He claimed her mouth then, kissed her until the feel and taste of him was all she knew. Everything else burned away in the flame that was her need for him. He pulled her closer, if that was possible. Their tongues tangled and his hands skimmed under the shirt and up her spine, sending tingles as they moved. His kiss was demanding and consuming, and every inch of her body burned for him. For more.

His lips trailed over her jaw and he nipped at the sensitive flesh of her earlobe. “Will you stay?”

The simple question rocked her. How was it that such a longing could have been buried inside her and she’d never guessed? Even at her most in-love-and-alive, she’d never felt anything quite like the force of her desire for Connor. Still, she shook her head. “I have to go back in case the girls need me. If Shay wakes up…”

“I understand,” he said, pulling his hands from underneath her shirt.

No, her body screamed. Don’t let him go.

“Come with me,” she told him, lacing her fingers with his.

He stared at her, his eyes unreadable once more. She hated that he could slip behind his mask so easily. She wanted to break through until she saw every bit of him, good and bad. She wanted to know him and, in return, allow him access to all the secret places she kept hidden from the rest of the world.

About Michelle Major:

Michelle Major grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in Journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at http://www.michellemajor.com.

Connect with Michelle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

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SNEAK PEEK ~ The Devil’s Daughter (Hidden Sins #1) by Katee Robert

Dec 7

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER

Series: Hidden Sins #1

by Katee Robert

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FBI agent, Eden Collins is going home… to catch a killer.

Fans of Audey Harte’s It Takes One and Kendra Elliott’s Bone Secrets series, will devour The Devil’s Daughter, the
fast-paced and suspenseful first book, in the Hidden Sins series by NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Katee Robert.

Title: The Devil’s Daughter
Series: Hidden Sins #1
Author: Katee Robert

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Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 24, 2017
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Format: Digital and Paperback

Synopsis:

Growing up in a small town isn’t easy, especially when you’re the daughter of a local cult leader. Ten years ago, Eden Collins left Clear Springs, Montana, and never once looked back. But when the bodies of murdered young women surface, their corpses violated and marked with tattoos worn by her mother’s followers, Eden, now an FBI agent, can’t turn a blind eye. To catch the killer, she’s going to have to return to the fold.

Sheriff Zach Owens isn’t comfortable putting Eden in danger, even if she is an elite agent. And he certainly wasn’t expecting to be so attracted to her. As calm and cool as she appears, he knows this can’t be a happy homecoming. Zach wants to protect her—from her mother, the cult, and the evil that lurks behind its locked gates. But Eden is his only key to the tight-lipped group, and she may just be closer to the killer than either one of them suspects…

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt:

“Martha.”

Her mother’s eyes lit up and she half pushed to her feet. “Eden. I admit, when Abram told me you were back in town, I could hardly believe it.”

“I’m not back.”

Her smile dimmed, and Eden called herself an idiot ten times over for wanting to do something to bring it back. Manipulation, that’s all it is. Martha motioned to the cups in front of her. “I got your favorite.”

There was nothing else to do but take the empty seat and get this over with. She took a sip—sweet with lots of cream—and didn’t bother to tell Martha she’d switched over to drinking her coffee black a few years back. It would serve no purpose, and her entire goal was to get out of here with the least conversation possible.

“It’s been a long time.”

She shifted, not sure how to take the searching look her mother was giving her, as if she was trying to memorize Eden’s features—or, possibly, was comparing them to the ones she’d had ten years ago. What was there to say? I hated the life you created and forced me into, so I left. You won’t change, and neither will I. This will never be what you want it to be. She couldn’t force the words past her closed throat, so she took another drink of coffee.

Martha hesitated, and then mirrored the motion. “A lot is different from when you were last home.”

Not nearly enough, she’d wager. But if her mother was offering information, she’d be a fool not to get everything she could from Martha. “Oh?”

“Our community has grown. It’s flourishing.” She gave a small self-deprecating smile. “But, then, you didn’t come back to talk about Elysia. How have you been?”

Over the years, she received phone calls from Abram, demanding information at odd times in that quiet terrifying way of his. He never asked more than a few questions, and she never offered more than strictly necessary for those forced check-ins—whatever it took to get him off her back. She didn’t want to now, either. “I’m still working for the government.” Safe enough to admit, since her mother already knew about it.

Sure enough, Martha’s lips thinned. “The FBI.”

“Using the skills I learned from you.” She knew better, but she couldn’t help the dig.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Of course she didn’t. Because Elysia most certainly wasn’t a cult. Right. She didn’t roll her eyes, but it was a near thing. “You might like to pretend otherwise, but I know for a fact that Elysia has been on the FBI watch lists for years, so you’re not fooling everyone.”

“Eden Magdalene, you might be a woman grown, but that doesn’t mean you can take that tone of voice with me.”

Or speak too many truths, apparently. Eden stared at her coffee cup, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t suppose you know anything about a photograph showing up in my email yesterday?” It had all the hallmarks of one taken for an official police investigation, but that didn’t explain how it had found her. She’d had a friend in the tech department try to trace it, but it had been routed through several IP addresses before disappearing into the Internet-ether. Call her paranoid, but her first instinct was that her mother had something to do with it. How was the question, though.

Martha cocked her head to the side, frowning. “I’m not sure what you’re speaking of.”

Of course she wasn’t, though Eden was at a loss to decide if that was truth or because she didn’t want to admit to somehow being the leak in a murder investigation. She sighed. “What am I doing here, Martha? You know very well we couldn’t sit in the same room without going for each other’s throats when I was eighteen, and it would seem nothing’s changed since then.”

“I want what I’ve always wanted, baby. I want you to come home.”

There’s no home for me to come to, not now. Not ever. No matter how much I wish that wasn’t true. She cleared her throat. “I—” Think. Think fast. A hard no would just have Martha digging in her heels, and she wasn’t sure yet if Zach would change his mind. “I’ll think about it.” The lie rolled off her tongue with the ease of long practice. She wasn’t going back. She’d set herself on fire before she willingly walked through the gates of Elysia and put herself under her mother’s control again. The only reason she was here was to make sure no other girls turned up dead.

“It would mean so much.” Martha’s smile brightened, and a traitorous part of Eden brightened in response. It was how it always was with her mother. She rarely had to take the stern role when she could manipulate much more effectively with a soft word and a particular look. And when that wouldn’t work? Well, she wasn’t above getting her hands dirty, either.

Did you do it? Did you see that girl killed?

Eden couldn’t ask. The sheriff had already refused her help, and she’d have to be a special kind of stupid to go investigating on her own. There was nothing she could do without the power of the law on her side. If she tried…

Well, if she tried, there were plenty of unmarked graves in Elysia. What was one more?

About the Author

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Instagram

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RELEASE BLITZ ~ Pursuing the Bear (Shifter Wars #2) by Kerry Adrienne

Dec 1

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

PURSUING THE BEAR

by Kerry Adrienne

The Shifter Wars heat up when a woman investigates the mysteries surrounding a
fierce breed of man and exposes more than just secrets

Follow the tour November 28th – December 2^nd and enter for a chance to win
a Park Ranger Plush Bear and Compass!
(US Residents Only)

Giveaway link:

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Follow the blitz!

November 28^th

The Avid Reader Author Guest Post

The Book Quarry Review

Carol Kittie Reviews Review

Lovey Dovey Books Review

Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm Spotlight + Excerpt

Nikki’s Book Nook Review

Reviews by Room with Books Review

November 29^th

Angel’s Guilty Pleasures Guest Post

Happily Ever Chapter Spotlight + Excerpt

I Love Books Spotlight + Excerpt

Joyfully Reviewed Spotlight + Excerpt

Loving Books Review

Never Too Many to Read Review

Romance Playlist Guest Post

November 30^th

The Book Disciple Review

Literary Escapism Guest Post

Live, Laugh & Love Books Spotlight + Excerpt

Nicole’s Book Musings Spotlight + Excerpt

RoloPolo Book Blog Spotlight + Excerpt

The Silver Dagger Scriptorium Spotlight + Excerpt

Straight Shootin’ Book Reviews Review

December 1^st

Books, Dreams, Life Spotlight + Excerpt

Book Loving Pixies Review

T&L Book Reviews Review

Twinsie Talk Reviews Spotlight + Excerpt

December 2^nd

Evermore Books Spotlight + Excerpt

Got Fiction? Spotlight + Excerpt

Just Books Spotlight + Excerpt

Read Between the Lines Spotlight + Excerpt

Urban Fantasy Investigations Spotlight + Excerpt

Yearwood La Novela Review

Title: Pursuing the Bear

Series: Shifter Wars

Author: Kerry Adrienne

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: November 28, 2016*
Publisher: Carina Press

Synopsis:

Bear shifters exist.

Professor Bria Lane has known this since she was a child. Now she’s returned to he forests of Deep Creek to prove it to the worlds. She has no idea how close she is to that proof in ruggedly sexy park ranger Derek Poole. Intimately close. But uncovering Derek’s wild side comes with a shattering price.

Like a magnet meeting metal, Derek is drawn to Bria. His destiny. His mate. So beautiful and so vulnerable. So dangerous, too: an encroachment of lions, vengeful and vicious, is closing in and they’re ready for war. Now is not the time to be distracted like a lovesick cub.

If Bria reveals the truth of the Deep Creek shifters to the world, she’ll bring out the worst of both sides. But Derek can’t hide his secrets from the love of his life forever. He knows they’re playing with fire – and that when passion runs this hot, this reckless, someone’s bound to get burned.

*Previously published, newly revised and expanded by author

Read and Excerpt from PURSUING THE BEAR:

“What an ursus…umm…whatever you said? I’ve always worked with my hands—I never was a college guy. Didn’t have the patience to sit still in the classroom.” Derek kicked at the ground then looked up.

“No worries.” She snapped her attention back to what he was saying. “Most people don’t know what an ursinologist is—it’s someone who studies bears.”

“Bears, huh?” He shook his head and laughed. “You study bears?”

“What’s so funny?” She crossed her arms. “It’s a valid profession. And I’m doing what I love.”

“Nothing wrong with it, Bria.” He stepped so close to her she had to look up to meet his gaze, and held his hands up in mock surrender. “I think it’s a fine profession, I’ve just never heard of it. It’s a totally new job that I’ve never heard of. Yet here you are in the woods with me, so I guess we aren’t that far apart, career-wise.”

Derek was in her space and even though they weren’t touching, she felt his presence touching hers, like a low-level energy buzzing in the evening air, crackling when hers met his. One step closer and she could pull that hair band out and hop into his arms, straddling him as she kissed him. She shook her head to clear her naughty thoughts. Ugh. Stop. The thoughts about what she’d like to do to the hot park ranger needed to stop. Maybe she’d been out in the sun too long. Normally she didn’t ogle guys. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had. She cleared her throat and took a step back. “I thought you were laughing at me.”

“No. I didn’t know there was a name for someone who studies bears. Plus, the word sounds kinda funny.” He scanned the forest, thumbs in his belt loops. “I guess you’re in the right place to look for bears, though. Especially this deep in the forest. Lots of them live in Deep Creek. They’re everywhere. Probably closer than you think.”

“I hope so.” Her shoulders lowered and she blew out a breath. “Have you seen any this season? I know they are more active in summer. After they’ve woken from hibernation.”

“I see them every day. I’m out in the woods a lot.” He chewed his lip. “They really only partially hibernate, though. But yeah, I guess you could say I’ve seen a lot of bears here in Deep Creek.”

He’d seen bears. Recently. Her pulse thumped in her neck and she leaned forward, as if being near him would make the bears closer. Excitement rang in her ears. “Where? Can you show me, or at least give me some pointers where to look? I can’t wait to see them.”

“My best advice is to keep your eyes open. You never know when a bear will appear right in front of you.”

***Excerpt provided courtesy of Kerry Adrienne and Carina Press. This excerpt is from an unedited ARC and subject to change.

BLP REVIEW ~ Tracy

Sorry, I’m still reading and will update with my review ASAP!! ~ T xx

Other Books By Kerry Adrienne:

Waking the Bear

Sexy shifter passion is awakened when two unlikely lovers are challenged by secrets, danger and an unstoppable need to claim one’s mate…

For human Amy Francis, the secluded cabin in Deep Creek is the haven she needs to map out a fresh new start. She never expected her heart to be reawakened by a distraction like Griff Martin, commanding yet gentle, too ferociously sensual to ignore. It’s clear that patrolling the forest is more than a job to Griff—it’s a means of survival. But what Amy doesn’t realize is she’s reawakened the beast within him.

Griff’s dormant hunger is stirred by this intoxicating woman…and threatened by the secret she must never learn. Duty-bound to defend his bear clan against an avenging pride of lion shifters, Griff’s entire world is upended when he meets Amy. His animal need to claim his mate has taken hold, but that very desire could seal her fate as an unwitting pawn in battle.

Now, as a shifter war looms, Griff must decide between letting Amy go or following his most carnal instincts. To have her would change his life…but risk everything he knows and was born to protect.

Pre-Order Now: Amazon | Carina Press | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | ARe

Storm Damaged

In a world where humans don’t know mermaids exist, Mari leaves her home in the ocean to escape her mother, her betrothed, and her tribe’s expectations in order to make a go of independence on land. Chase, former Navy diver and self-appointed curmudgeon-who-isn’t-worthy-of-love, lost his brother in a freak diving accident and now fears the ocean he once loved.

Mari’s a mermaid with a plan. She has to get the sexy bartender, Chase, to remain on the island so she can get him into her bed. Trouble is, he’s afraid of the water and there’s a hurricane coming. But with Mari’s betrothed on the rampage over a centuries-old vendetta, the storm isn’t the worst thing they’ll have to face.

Storm Damaged is available now: Amazon | Kobo | ARe

About Kerry Adrienne:

Repped by the fabulous Marisa Corvisiero with the Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Kerry loves history and spends large amounts of time wondering about people who lived and walked on Earth in the past. She’s a mom to three daughters, six cats, and various small animals. Her husband says she’s a marketer’s dream, as she often believes everything she hears—at least initially. Her shoe horde will attest to her fine shopping skills.

In addition to writing, Kerry loves to sew (costumes and cosplay, especially), draw, paint, make chainmail, and play guitar.

Her new love is her Mini Cooper Convertible, Sheldon, and they have already gone on many adventures. They travel to as many concerts as they can–especially Green Day and Marilyn Manson.

You can visit her much-neglected costuming blog. Maybe she’ll have time to update it soon.

Connect with Kerry: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

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EXCERPT BLITZ ~ A Promise Made by Anissa Garcia

Nov 30

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

A PROMISE MADE

by Anissa Garcia

A feisty redhead and an alpha male makes for a steamy pairing you can’t resist. Fans of The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken and Violet Duke’s Resisting the Bad Boy, will love this super sweet and sexy romance from Anissa Garcia.

Title: A Promise Made

Author: Anissa Garcia

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Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 3, 2016
Publisher: AG Romance Reads LLC

Synopsis:

Josh McKenzie may come off as intimidating with his solid build and cold stare, but when trouble calls, Marla quickly learns there is more to the sexy tatted man with the British accent. And if she’s not careful, she can easily lose herself in his gentle touch and soft voice.

A feisty redhead with a mouth that won’t quit, Marla Sullivan knows how to push all of Josh’s buttons, making him want her in the worst way. His biggest hurdle is breaking through her stubborn walls and proving he’s here to stay.

When Marla’s faced with an unknown danger, Josh is forced to reveal his buried past. Promises made and surfaced truths may be the catalyst that brings them together…or pushes them further apart.

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon

Learn more about her debut novel, A Promise Kept: Goodreads | Amazon

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Excerpt

Marla’s form strutted out the door, her long hair flowing down her creamy white shoulders and hourglass frame. That black dress hugged her petite body, and I observed the way her ass moved as she hooked her coat and purse over her arm. Her femininity was alluring. The way she held herself and her delicate skin smelling like cinnamon made me hard. It matched her sizzling mouth that I wanted to suck on and kiss raw.

I lifted myself out of the seat and crossed the room to her as she fumbled to put on her coat. One side hung down and I grabbed it with ease. She jerked away, attempted to escape me as I held it up. Mahogany eyes glared at me. She was on defense, no doubt from Ryan and whatever other idiots had disillusioned her about chivalry and romance. I would prove to her it wasn’t dead.

“Is the date set with Dumbledore?”

Her ruby red colored lips pressed down a smile as she shook her head. “His name’s Gandalf, and he asked me to an early bird dinner at Denny’s.”

Cute. At least she was open to joking with me, if only a bit. But she was also nervous. I could see it reflected in the way she moved, even the way she breathed. “Let me walk you to your car.”

“No, I’m fine.”

She moved at a faster pace and I kept up easily. I wasn’t letting her walk alone at night, especially with the type of men I saw in there. “I’m walking you out.”

“My car’s in the parking garage, they have security cameras.”

She was one tough cookie. Independent, used to doing things on her own, she probably attracted the men who were complete opposite of her. She liked to be in control and so did I. You’d think this would pose some type of problem, but I was attracted to it. I moved closer to her, my mouth near her ear. “You like pushing me away, don’t you?”

She turned her head toward me and rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, you’re one of those alphas who likes to see his woman submit. You want the type of woman who will adore you every night, follow you around all day, and tell others how amazing you are at everything you do.”

“You certainly like pretending you know who I am. Since we met you’ve been nothing but judgmental toward me and only me. Why is that?”

We were riding in the lift, but she didn’t dare give me a glance. Instead she pressed the button to the ground floor, even though it had already been lit up. She pressed at it again, as if it would make it go faster.

“I don’t like guys like you.”

“Guys like me?”

“Yeah. I’ve dated guys like you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I rested in the corner against the wall. What to say to a woman who thought she already knew everything about you? I’d give it a go. “So, some idiot who lived in the gym dated and hurt you, and now you think all men who work out are the same?”

“Whether they live in the gym or not, they all end up being the same. They all want a certain type of woman.”

“Which is what?”

The doors finally opened and she scurried out, searching for her keys in her bag. “The easy woman to comply with whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want.”

“That type of woman is boring.”

She turned to her red Toyota Prius and opened the door, throwing her purse in the passenger side and starting her car. “Exactly. Yet they all want it.”

Before she could shut the door, I stepped in front of it and leaned down as she strapped on her seatbelt. “Darling, I’m not afraid of hard work. I know you’re an independent woman, and though most men find that threatening, I find it extremely sexy.”

“You know what I find extremely not sexy? The fact that you find a woman like me to be hard work. Strike one, pal.”

She threw her hand up holding two fingers, and either she was warning me that I had two chances left, or she shot me the peace sign. I believe it was the latter. Either way, she was not happy. If I wanted to make headway with Red, I was going to have to get some inside help to thaw the icy heart within that fiery woman.

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About the Author:

Anissa Garcia resides in Austin, Texas and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications and English. She held an array of jobs including Public Relations Manager for Barnes and Noble. Wanting a change of pace, she moved to Los Angeles where she attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and trained full-time in theatre. After working in Hollywood, she returned to Texas where she has written articles for Cosmopolitan and Lady Couture. When not writing stories, watching movies, or drinking a latte, she loves to daydream about romantic fictional men.

Connect with Anissa at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads | Instagram

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RELEASE BLITZ ~ Cowboy Rising (Cowboy Cocktail #5) by Mia Hopkins

Nov 25

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Feisty reporter vs. gruff cowboy—buckle up for a hard ride…

Come back to the rodeo with Mia Hopkins and the newest release
in the Cowboy Cocktail series, COWBOY RISING!

About COWBOY RISING

Journalist Georgia Meyers is writing an article about MacKinnon Ranch in a last-ditch effort to save her job at a failing newspaper. At first, the hot-as-hell rancher wants nothing to do with her. But butting heads leads to knocking boots, and soon she’s getting the real story—in bed and off the record.

Cattleman’s son and petroleum engineer Daniel MacKinnon turned down a lucrative oil career to take over the family farm. Frustrated about giving up his dreams and worried about money, Daniel buries himself in ranch work—that is, until gorgeous Georgia shows up and rocks him to the core. A blazing one-night stand leads to something deeper. Despite their feelings for each other, he’s tied to the land and she’s a rolling stone. When the time comes to part ways, will the lovers choose duty over desire? Or will they face their fears and rise to the challenge of love?

Warning: Get ready for sassy banter, sizzling sex, orgasms galore, and a nerdy dirty-talkin’ cowboy who can go all night long.

On Sale in Digital: November 22, 2016: Amazon

Add COWBOY RISING to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

CELEBRATE THE RELEASE WITH A GIVEAWAY!

Grand Prize: Digital copies of Books 1-4 in the Cowboy Cocktail series plus a delicate
gold and quartz crystal necklace from FeminaHandmade.

5 Runner-Ups: Digital copies of Cowboy Resurrection (Book #2 in the series)

Giveaway Link:

Excerpt:

His cheeks red from working outside, the new brother removed his gloves and tucked them under his arm. He took off his hat and shook her hand. His rough fingers were warm.

“Daniel MacKinnon.” He didn’t smile.

Georgia couldn’t explain it. With a heavy jaw and dirty blond hair styled high and tight, he was as clean cut as a cadet—she usually preferred tattooed, bearded types. He looked to be in his mid-twenties—she usually liked seasoned men who were older than her, not younger. But this guy’s hotness seared her eyeballs, nailing her feet where she stood.

“Georgia Meyers, L.A. Chronicle,” she said automatically, all other words escaping her. She was too old, too experienced, and far too smart to react this way—and yet, here she was. Staring slack-jawed at a pretty-faced cowboy like some blue-stockinged virgin at a rodeo dance.

“I know you’re here to see my father,” he said, the low rumble in his voice stroking a sweet spot inside her chest, “but he isn’t available today. You need to reschedule, Miss Meyers.”

His bright green eyes were so distracting, she almost didn’t register his words. “Reschedule?”

“Yeah. You need to come back. Do the interview another day.”

“What?” Snap out of it, Gigi. The story. She yanked her professional persona back in place. “Mr. MacKinnon, I’ve just driven an hour and a half from Fresno to be here. Two days ago, your father said he’d give me a tour of the ranch and walk me through the organic certification process. Isn’t there anyone else I can talk to?”

Daniel’s stoic expression was both infuriating and unspeakably hot. “No.”

Hot or not, who does this guy think he is? She stood up straight. “Okay, let me lay it all out for you. If there’s no one here who will speak with me today, just to make sure my time isn’t wasted, I’ll be more than happy to find another rancher. There are plenty of spreads in your neck of the woods, aren’t there? I’m sure my readers wouldn’t mind learning about conventional ranching operations. Maybe someone at the Hughes Ranch will make time for me. What do you think?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and took a deep but silent breath. His broad chest rose and fell as he looked her over. At last he said, “Can you ride?”

“A little.” Which was completely true, depending on one’s definition of “a little.”

Fresh impatience lit up Daniel MacKinnon’s eyes. “All right. Let’s go.”

See what people are saying about the Cowboy Cocktail series:

“Mia Hopkins knows how to put characters on a page.” – HEROES AND HEARTBREAKERS

“Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book.”
– USA TODAY

“Sweet and filthy at the same time, just the way I like it. This book made me so happy.”

– READ ALL THE ROMANCE

“The writing is excellent, the emotions leap off the page, and the sex is downright earthy.”
– JILL SORENSON, AUTHOR

“Beautifully descriptive…hot, sexy and full of yearning!” – DELILAH DEVLIN, AUTHOR

“Off the charts hot.” – THE ROMANCE STUDIO

“A tantalizing slow seduction of the senses.” – STRANGE CANDY REVIEWS

“Hopkins packs a lot of heat and romance on the pages…Caution: hot, sexy times ahead!”

– READER GIRLS BLOG

“Filled with sizzling chemistry, hot sex, and just enough sweetness to leave me wanting more…And those sex scenes…Holy hotness!” – CRYSTAL BLOGS BOOKS

BLP REVIEW ~ Tracy

I loved Cowboy Rising. Daniel wasn’t anything like I expected and Georgia was a great female lead!
The spark and connection between them was hot and obvious from their first time together.
He was such a loyal person. He gave up a lot to help his family, regardless of the loss and disappointment inflicted.

Daniel was younger than Georgia but much more mature than some guys older than him, given his responsibility and commitments at home, and that made him more attractive I think! He was thoughtful, interesting to get to know and attentive when it came to Georgia.
Gigi didn’t have much of a family to speak of. She was a bit of a drifter, moving where work was but it did seem like she was missing out on something by never putting down roots. She was interesting, fun and adventurous, had a big heart and I loved how she managed to bring out the best in Danny!

I’m actually kinda glad I didn’t get round to reading the others in the series yet as this is a prequel to the other books. I loved catching glimpses of Daniel’s brothers and parents and seeing the bond and love they shared.

Low on angst, hot, sexy, sweet, heartwarming and well written – as you’d expect from Mia!! – this was a really great read (I especially FLOVED the ending!) and I’m gonna go now and read the others in the series that I haven’t yet checked out – even though I’ve got an ARC list like no-one’s business to deal with!!

A solid 5* read for me and one I’d definitely recommend!

Check out the other books in The Cowboy Cocktail series!

valent
Forget chocolate and flowers. This homegrown honey is all the sweetness he craves.

Small-town life is nothing but a waiting room for eighteen-year-old honor student Corazón Gomez. Work and school leave little time for love, but with a full-ride Ivy League scholarship and a one-way ticket out of the boondocks, who needs it?

The answer appears on Valentine’s Day when her old cowboy crush ambles into the ice cream parlor where she works, inviting her to go on a late-night ride in his truck. For the first time she wavers between staying on the straight and narrow, and going off-road with the handsome heartbreaker.

After four years working on ranches all over the country, Caleb MacKinnon is back on the family farm helping out his mom and brothers while his father fights cancer. The one bright spot: smart, funny, and wickedly sexy Cora.

From the start, they both know this blazing-hot love affair can’t last. But when autumn comes and Cora has to leave for the East Coast, Caleb must find a solution to keep himself—and his heart—from falling apart.

Warning: Contains hard, cherry-poppin’ sex in a pickup truck and a cowboy charmer who talks dirty in two languages.

Ball-busting business woman meets no-holds-barred cowboy. He’s gonna need a longer rope…

Marketing hotshot Monica Kaur has put her big-city life on hold to help bail out her brother’s failing business. Now she’s got three months to plan and promote a rodeo, the first her tiny hometown has ever seen.

To ensure the rodeo’s success, Monica enlists a local hero, a rancher’s son who’s made a name for himself on the bull-riding circuit. Problem? She can’t stop daydreaming about the cocky bastard—and all the things she longs to do to him out behind the chutes.

Professional bullfighter Dean MacKinnon is home helping his family while his father fights cancer. Haunted by bad memories, jaded by love, Dean finds escape in a no-strings-attached go-round with brainy, sexy Monica, whose close-knit Sikh-American family would sooner run him out of town than see her with a notorious rodeo Romeo.

In private, Monica and Dean play as hard as they work. But as the rodeo draws near, that clean break they promised each other is getting more and more hung up in the rigging.

Book 2 Available at: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

player
For eight years, Melody Santos played the game of love and lost—big time. Now she’s back in her tiny hometown looking after her younger sister, making ends meet with an assortment of odd jobs. When her childhood best friend hires her to help him sell his family’s grass-fed beef, the last thing she anticipates is falling in lust with the legendary, brown-eyed player.

To put his family’s cattle ranch back in the black, Clark MacKinnon has his sights set on big contracts—gourmet chefs and restaurateurs. If that means long hours traveling from farmer’s market to farmer’s market, Clark doesn’t mind. Particularly since his new assistant is his childhood crush, all grown up and sexy as hell.

One night in bed leaves them breathless and hungry for more. But when his love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation collides with her trust issues, Clark and Melody must face the truth about what they’ve become: not friends, not lovers, but players in a game that’s impossible to win.

Warning: Contains filthy banter, raunchy sex, excessive Johnny Cash references, and hundreds of pounds of raw beef.

karma
When Harmony Santos’s boyfriend dumps her on her birthday, she doesn’t get mad. She gets lucky…with a mysterious cowboy whose bedroom eyes and rough edges bring out her inner bad girl. But when their one-night rodeo turns into more than a rebound, Harmony worries her heart hasn’t healed enough to take on someone new—even if that someone is as sweet as he is sexy.

Tie-down roper Lucky Garcia can’t believe his good fortune. A shot at national finals and now this—his longtime crush, in his arms at last. The more time he spends with Harmony, the harder he falls for her. But financial demands and family responsibilities take him further and further away from her—as does his secret fear she hasn’t quite gotten over her dickhead ex.

Behind closed doors, Lucky and Harmony are filthy perfection. But when reality comes knocking, the star-crossed lovers must decide: walk away intact, or risk it all for a chance at happiness.

Warning: Get ready for rope tricks, spanking, self-pleasure, and a smoking-hot cowboy who puts the big D in Dominant.

Book 4 Available at: Amazon | Goodreads

Author Bio:

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends.

When she’s not lost in a story, Mia spends her time cooking, gardening, traveling, volunteering and looking for her keys. In a past life, she was a classroom teacher and still has a pretty good “teacher voice” and “teacher stare.”

She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.
You can also visit her online at the following places:

Posted in Authors & Books, Blitz, Blurb, Endorsements, Excerpt, Favourites, Giveaway, New Releases, Recommended, Reviews

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Tags: @Barclay_PR, @MiaHopkinsxoxo

FIRST LOOK ~ Trophy Wife by Noelle Adams

Nov 17

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Celebrate the release of Trophy Wife by Noelle Adams with an exclusive First Look!

trophy-wife

Giveaway:

1 grand prize winners will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

5 runner-ups will receive an eBook of choice from Noelle’s backlist!

Rafflecopter link:

Title: Trophy Wife

Author: Noelle Adams

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 6, 2016

Synopsis:

Find out more at: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo

Excerpt from Trophy Wife:

“But you seem so strong and…and in control.”

Rob relaxed, feeling a lot better at her words. “Uh, thanks, but I haven’t always felt this way.”

“What did you do to feel in control again?” She seemed to really want to know, really want him to help her.

There was nothing he could tell her but the truth. “You just make a decision to stay the person you’ve always been, the person you really are.”

She dropped her eyes and let out a long breath. “I’m not sure I even know how to do that.” She sounded defeated.

He couldn’t stand for her to feel that way—not when she was obviously so brave and so resilient. He reached out to tilt her face up so she was meeting his eyes again. “Yes, you do. Look at what you’ve already done—in just one week. I don’t think you have any idea how much you can do.”

Her face melted. It was the only way to describe it. She looked grateful and warm and tender, and Rob couldn’t resist it.

He leaned forward, tilting his head down until he could meet her lips with his.

He wasn’t sure how she would respond, so he was prepared to pull back immediately. But she gave a little hitch of breath and one of her hands moved up to his shoulder. His body starting to throb with excitement, he deepened the kiss, leaning into it, letting his tongue tease the line of her lips.

She was soft and warm and responsive, and her mouth parted for his as she adjusted to get closer to him. Her other hand moved to tangle in his hair.

Both of them were dirty and sweaty, but it just didn’t matter. Rob was completely into the kiss, lost in the feeling and sensations and the hot sweetness she was so eagerly offering him.

It went on long enough for his body to respond, and the pulsing of his groin was a painful sort of pleasure. She was making little whimpering noises and fisting her hand in his hair, and he suddenly realized he’d better pull back or he was going to take her right there on the dirt of her backyard.

With effort, he released her and leaned back, willing his arousal to back down a little. Allison was coming off of a difficult divorce. She wasn’t likely to want to jump into bed with a guy she’d known for just a week.

Allison’s cheeks were deeply flushed, and she was panting as she stared at him.

They just looked at each other for a long time, during which Rob continued to fight a battle with his body not to pull her back into his arms.

“I…” Allison began at last. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I know.” His voice sounded too thick, so he cleared his throat. “I…” He wasn’t going to apologize. He wasn’t the least bit sorry. He had no idea what else to say, though.

Allison evidently did know. She rubbed her face and took a few deep breaths. “It was…it was a good kiss, but I’m not…I’m not looking for a relationship.”

The excitement in his chest dropped in an instant with a painful thud.

About Noelle Adams:

She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

If you’d like to contact Noelle, please contact her at noelle.s.adams@gmail.com. Or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

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Posted in Authors & Books, Blurb, Coming Soon, Cover Reveal, Excerpt, Giveaway, Pre-order links

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Tags: @Barclay_PR, @NoelleAdams3

FIRST LOOK CELEBRATION ~ Cowboy Rising by Mia Hopkins

Oct 27

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Feisty reporter vs. gruff cowboy—buckle up for a hard ride…

Come back to the rodeo with Mia Hopkins and the newest release in
the Cowboy Cocktail series, COWBOY RISING!

About COWBOY RISING

Warning: Get ready for sassy banter, sizzling sex, orgasms galore, and a nerdy dirty-talkin’ cowboy who can go all night long.

On Sale in Digital: November 22, 2016

Pre-Order Your Copy Today on Amazon!
Amazon | Goodreads

miahopkins_cowboyrising

Add COWBOY RISING to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

Excerpt:

Instead of saying anything, Georgia slid her hands free and ran them through his hair like she’d wanted to do all night. Short and soft. Her fingertips tingled. She did it again. “For a cowboy, you’re awfully fatalistic.”

“You must not know a lot of cowboys if you think that.”

His fingers curved around the back of her neck. When he leaned down and kissed her throat, the first hot wave of arousal rushed down her spine, and she jerked backwards, shocked at the intensity of the sensation. Gently, he pulled her close and kissed her again, dropping open-mouthed kisses down the side of her neck and along her collarbone.

“Scoop,” he whispered.

“What?”

“I want to love you up. Will you let me?”

Had anyone ever strung those words together and made them sound sexier than Daniel MacKinnon just did? Georgia didn’t think so. She rubbed his back, packed tight with solid muscle. Under the covers, their bodies grew hotter and hotter until Georgia kicked off the bedspread. Cool air sizzled on her face and arms. Daniel lay her on her back and put both hands on her hips, pinning her to the mattress. When he kissed the tops of her breasts just at the neckline of her camisole, his hot, smooth lips made her gasp.

“Georgia.” His voice was rough in the dark. “Tell me this is okay.”

Was she awake? Was she dreaming this? If she was, her subconscious had outdone itself—this was the hottest man she’d ever fantasized about, even in the pitch-black darkness.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Daniel.”

See what people are saying about the Cowboy Cocktail series:

“Mia Hopkins knows how to put characters on a page.” – HEROES AND HEARTBREAKERS

“Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book.”– USA TODAY

“Sweet and filthy at the same time, just the way I like it. This book made me so happy.”– READ ALL THE ROMANCE

“The writing is excellent, the emotions leap off the page, and the sex is downright earthy.”– JILL SORENSON, AUTHOR

“Beautifully descriptive…hot, sexy and full of yearning!” – DELILAH DEVLIN, AUTHOR

“Off the charts hot.” – THE ROMANCE STUDIO

“A tantalizing slow seduction of the senses.” – STRANGE CANDY REVIEWS

“Hopkins packs a lot of heat and romance on the pages…Caution: hot, sexy times ahead!”– READER GIRLS BLOG

“Filled with sizzling chemistry, hot sex, and just enough sweetness to leave me wanting more…And those sex scenes…Holy hotness!” – CRYSTAL BLOGS BOOKS

Check out the other books in The Cowboy Cocktail series!

Forget chocolate and flowers. This homegrown honey is all the sweetness he craves.

Warning: Contains hard, cherry-poppin’ sex in a pickup truck and a cowboy charmer who talks dirty in two languages.

Ball-busting business woman meets no-holds-barred cowboy. He’s gonna need a longer rope…

In private, Monica and Dean play as hard as they work. But as the rodeo draws near, that clean break they promised each other is getting more and more hung up in the rigging.

Book 2 Available at: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

cowboyplayer300
For eight years, Melody Santos played the game of love and lost—big time. Now she’s back in her tiny hometown looking after her younger sister, making ends meet with an assortment of odd jobs. When her childhood best friend hires her to help him sell his family’s grass-fed beef, the last thing she anticipates is falling in lust with the legendary, brown-eyed player.

Warning: Contains filthy banter, raunchy sex, excessive Johnny Cash references, and hundreds of pounds of raw beef.

cowboy-karma-cover
When Harmony Santos’s boyfriend dumps her on her birthday, she doesn’t get mad. She gets lucky…with a mysterious cowboy whose bedroom eyes and rough edges bring out her inner bad girl. But when their one-night rodeo turns into more than a rebound, Harmony worries her heart hasn’t healed enough to take on someone new—even if that someone is as sweet as he is sexy.

Behind closed doors, Lucky and Harmony are filthy perfection. But when reality comes knocking, the star-crossed lovers must decide: walk away intact, or risk it all for a chance at happiness.

Warning: Get ready for rope tricks, spanking, self-pleasure, and a smoking-hot cowboy who puts the big D in Dominant.

Book 4 Available at: Amazon | Goodreads

Author Bio:

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends.

She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.

You can also visit her online at the following places:

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Posted in Authors & Books, Blurb, Coming Soon, Cover Reveal, Endorsements, Favourites, Pre-order links

Leave a comment

Tags: @Barclay_PR, @MiaHopkinsxoxo

NEW RELEASE ~ Cowboy Karma by Mia Hopkins

Oct 22

Posted by Book Loving Pixies

Who Needs Luck When You Can Get Lucky?

Come back to the rodeo with Mia Hopkins and the newest release in the Cowboy Cocktail series, COWBOY KARMA!

About COWBOY KARMA

When Harmony Santos’s boyfriend dumps her on her birthday, she doesn’t get mad. She gets lucky…with a mysterious cowboy whose bedroom eyes and rough edges bring out her inner bad girl. But when their one-night rodeo turns into more than a rebound, Harmony worries her heart hasn’t healed enough to take on someone new—even if that someone is as sweet as he is sexy.

Behind closed doors, Lucky and Harmony are filthy perfection. But when reality comes knocking, the star-crossed lovers must decide: walk away intact, or risk it all for a chance at happiness.

Warning: Get ready for rope tricks, spanking, self-pleasure, and a smoking-hot cowboy who puts the big D in Dominant.

On Sale in Digital: October 4, 2016

Amazon

Add COWBOY KARMA to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

Excerpt:

The room was steamy with dancing and pheromones. Harmony ordered a Bud Light and ran the icy bottle over her forehead.

A new song started up. Shaking off her melancholy, she strode right into the heart of the crowded dance floor. Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road”—an easy line dance. She counted her way in and soon was stomping across the dance floor. The loud music pounded in her chest. Even though it had been years since she’d line danced, her body knew the steps without her thinking about them. The heartache receded a little.

More dancing. Maybe some shots. Maybe making out with a stranger. That’ll keep me from feeling…this. Whatever this ugly feeling is.

She danced solo for three more songs. Then an old-timer led her in a waltz. The country gentleman was followed by a baby-faced cowboy in a camo baseball cap. She danced three more songs with him and bid him goodbye with a hug and a kiss on the cheek—too young.

The DJ took the mike. “Next up, the cowboy cha-cha.”

A slower dance. Harmony fanned herself with her hand and thought this might be a good time to grab a shot of Fireball chased with another beer.

She turned to leave the dance floor when a big warm hand rested on her shoulder.

“Wait. Don’t go yet.”

She turned. In the dark, the new cowboy’s face was obscured in the shadow of his hat. The DJ cued up an old Bellamy Brothers song Harmony remembered her father loved. It began, “If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?” She knew the words as surely as she knew her own name.

The dancers around them paired off in a hurry and got into the sweetheart position. Everyone counted off together and started around the massive dance floor in a counter-clockwise direction, all in time.

Before Harmony could say anything, the stranger took her hands and spun her. His movements were sure and strong. He was an experienced dancer, not someone who had to be babysat around the floor.

“Been a long time, hasn’t it?” he said.

She stole sideways glances at him. Tall and muscular, he wore a black hat and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His forearms were thick and smooth. She could see that he had a strong jaw, a dark, short beard, and dark skin. He spoke crystal-clear English with a lilting Mexican accent.

“You don’t remember me, do you, Harmony?”

She stared.

A half-smile. “Guess I’m just another cowboy to you.”

For strangers, they moved in perfect rhythm. Harmony felt grateful that he was a strong lead since her brain was otherwise occupied with trying to figure out who he was. When he brought their bodies together, chest to chest, she looked up at him. His body gave off controlled strength and a smooth, unnerving calm. At last, she peeked under the shadow of his cowboy hat.

Dark brows. Bedroom eyes the color of whiskey.

No way. “Lucky?”

See what people are saying about the Cowboy Cocktail series:

“Mia Hopkins knows how to put characters on a page.” – HEROES AND HEARTBREAKERS

“Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book.” – USA TODAY

“Sweet and filthy at the same time, just the way I like it. This book made me so happy.” – READ ALL THE ROMANCE

“The writing is excellent, the emotions leap off the page, and the sex is downright earthy.” – JILL SORENSON, AUTHOR

“Beautifully descriptive…hot, sexy and full of yearning!” – DELILAH DEVLIN, AUTHOR

“Off the charts hot.” – THE ROMANCE STUDIO

“A tantalizing slow seduction of the senses.” – STRANGE CANDY REVIEWS

“Hopkins packs a lot of heat and romance on the pages…Caution: hot, sexy times ahead!” – READER GIRLS BLOG

“Filled with sizzling chemistry, hot sex, and just enough sweetness to leave me wanting more…And those sex scenes…Holy hotness!” – CRYSTAL BLOGS BOOKS

Check out the other books in The Cowboy Cocktail series!

51kaslqag0l

Forget chocolate and flowers. This homegrown honey is all the sweetness he craves.

Warning: Contains hard, cherry-poppin’ sex in a pickup truck and a cowboy charmer who talks dirty in two languages.

Ball-busting business woman meets no-holds-barred cowboy. He’s gonna need a longer rope…

In private, Monica and Dean play as hard as they work. But as the rodeo draws near, that clean break they promised each other is getting more and more hung up in the rigging.

Book 2 Available at: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

51uy81f49kl-_sy346_
For eight years, Melody Santos played the game of love and lost—big time. Now she’s back in her tiny hometown looking after her younger sister, making ends meet with an assortment of odd jobs. When her childhood best friend hires her to help him sell his family’s grass-fed beef, the last thing she anticipates is falling in lust with the legendary, brown-eyed player.

Warning: Contains filthy banter, raunchy sex, excessive Johnny Cash references, and hundreds of pounds of raw beef.

Author Bio:

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends.

She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.

You can also visit her online at the following places:

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Posted in Authors & Books, Blurb, Endorsements, Excerpt, Favourites, New Releases

Leave a comment

Tags: @Barclay_PR, @MaryHopkinsxoxo

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