Friday, June 24, 2016

Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed #1) by Mary Jo Putney


While preparing to meet the hangman's noose at sunrise, a group of captured men reflect on what they would do if they were saved from their impending deaths. With the toss of an empty liquor bottle  by English officer, Will Masterson, the men have a reprieve from execution and flee to safety. Before going their own ways, they agree to keep in touch in the future by way of a book shop in London. Will Masterson goes back to his troops where he survives to see Napoleon's surrender. Just when he's about to sell out of his commission, Major Lord Masterson is given a final mission of heading to a scenic sovereignty bordering Portugal and Spain to assess the damage the French forces committed against San Gabriel.

Awkwardly tall for a woman and having nothing left for her in England but a father who wants nothing to do with her but to keep her illegitimacy secret, Athena Markham finds herself in San Gabriel as a savior of sorts, The fiercely independent woman with a tumultuous past finds herself useful as aid to San Gabriel's Princess Sofia and more importantly to the whole community after the French wrought destruction.

When Will Masterson appears in San Gabriel, both he and Athena share an immediate desire that shows promise if either one would allow. Athena dreads Will discovering about her past, but with their evolving friendship comes a trust she has never found in another, which allows her to unburden her soul. The task at hand though is to protect San Gabriel and the Princess from enemies who lurk in wait of the perfect time to attack the struggling country and while this is first and foremost, Athena's and Will's desire grows.

Will have never met a woman as magnificent as the Amazonian-like Athena, with her height and a admirable fortitude, he wants her badly. Not only in the physical sense does he desire Athena, but in the emotional and binding sense as well. But Athena can't see passed her illegitimacy and the legacy her mother left her. Convincing the proud and difficult  Athena to allow him in is quite the journey in Mary Jo Putney's ONCE A SOLDIER.

This amazing romance set against a beautiful and exotic background is perfection for me. Reading Mary Jo Putney describe the Douro River Valley and its environs brings back my memories of trips to Portugal and Spain. I could tell by the way she speaks, that she felt an affinity for the country. Meeting Will Masterson in The Lost Lords series and enjoying his rapport in that series, it's a joy that he finally gets his own story. It's as if his character was calling Ms. Putney's name. He is a wonderful hero and one who will remain with me for quite some time. Athena Markham is remarkable to say the least. This heroine asks for nothing and deserves it all. Her fears about what her life will be like back in England are real but her insistence of pushing Will away is for nought, because the Amazon has met her match, and what a great match it is!

This new and exciting book, ONCE A SOLDIER by Mary Jo Putney is a must read. I look forward to the next installment wonder which hero will have his day.


~KIMBERLY~

Monday, June 20, 2016

SILVERSWORD (DE LOHR DYNASTY) by KATHRYN LE VEQUE BLOG EVENT & GIVEAWAY





BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:
Silversword (de Lohr Dynasty Book 7) by USA Today and Amazon All-Star best-selling author Kathryn Le Veque

Publication date: June 17th, 2016

Genre: Medieval Romance

ABOUT SILVERSWORD:
266 A.D. – Chadwick “Chad” de Lohr, son of Daniel de Lohr (SHADOWMOOR) is a hero at the Battle of Evesham. Saving the hostage Henry III from Simon de Montfort, he is riding high on a wave of royal praise at the conclusion of the battle. But that favor with the king is short-lived.

Henry, once again in power after the death of de Montfort, is determined to rid his country of the de Montfort-supporting rebels once and for all. This includes a campaign of harassment against the nobles who supported de Montfort through the years, namely, the House of de Shera (THE LORDS OF THUNDER TRILOGY). The House of the de Lohr and the House of de Shera are linked by blood, and when Henry orders that a de Shera heiress be removed from Newington Priory and placed in Henry’s custody as a hostage to ensure the House of de Shera’s behavior, Chad races to Newington to remove his distant cousin from the abbey before Henry can take her hostage.

Chad’s noble act to save Alessandria de Shera is the first step in a chain of events that sees the House of de Lohr increasingly turned against the king. He is determined to take Alessandria back to Isenhall Castle where she can be protected by her warlord cousins, the LORDS OF THUNDER. It’s a race through England as Chad and Alessandria stay one step ahead of Henry’s men in their pursuit to capture her. Aided by Davyss de Winter (LESPADA) and Bose de Moray (THE GORGON), the journey of Chad and Alessandria takes them through life, death, great hardship, fear, and finally passion beyond what they could have ever imagined.

It’s an eventual showdown between Henry, the LORDS OF THUNDER, and the House of de Lohr once Chad and Alessandria are cornered. Will Henry finally claim Alessandria? Or will Chad ultimately defeat the man he once saved?

SILVERSWORD EXCERPT:
Someone had her by the hair, pulling her up into the smoky air above. As Alessandria sputtered and tried to beat away the hand that held her, she could hear Chad’s voice.
“Are you well?” he demanded. “My lady, are you injured?”
He sounded panicked. Alessandria’s eyes were closed, water rushing in her face. “I am fine!” she shouted. “Let go of my hair!”
Chad instantly let her go and rushed to help Rhun and Jorden, who were pulling the burning blanket away from the door so Liselotte and Veronica could escape. He ushered his mother and sister out of the room, quickly, pausing in the chamber beyond to grab a bucket that was usually used to piss in. It still had some urine in the bottom of it but he didn’t give it a second thought. Rushing back into the chamber where thick, black smoke was gathering near the ceiling, he went straight to the copper tub where Alessandria was trying desperately to cover herself.
“Sorry, my lady.”
He said it swiftly, apologetically, as he dunked the bucket into her bathwater. Alessandria shrieked as some of the urine backwashed into the tub, watching as he threw the bucket onto the burning blanket, creating clouds of white steam and smoke from the doused flame. Meanwhile, Jorden had grasped a second bucket and also apologized to Alessandria before dropping the bucket into the bath and tossing the water onto the burning blanket.
Horrified at the fact that her bathwater was being depleted and her nakedness would be all that more apparent, Alessandria looked around with desperation for something to cover herself with and spied the stack of garments that Veronica had brought for her to wear. The closest thing she could get her hands on was red, and silk, and she yanked it into the tub with her, trying to cover herself up from the eyes of the men in the room.
But the attempt to cover herself made the situation go from bad to worse. With the water splashing and the silk in the tub with her, the dye ran and began to turn the water pink. Holding it up against her body as she was, the dye also ran onto her skin, turning it a lovely, blotchy shade of red.
Unfortunately, Alessandria didn’t notice any of this right away; she was too involved watching the knights put out the fire on the blanket. More than half of it had burned. Jorden and Rhun were still stamping on it as Chad stood over them, watching the situation with a critical eye.
“For a blanket, that put out a hell of a lot of smoke,” he muttered. “I thought the entire building was burning down.”
Jorden stamped down the last of the embers, coughing as he did so. He tried to keep his head down, out of the fog of smoke overhead. “We are fortunate the entire room isn’t ablaze,” he said. “I have seen that before.”
“So have I,” Rhun said, pulling at the blanket to make sure all of the embers were out. “I have seen something smaller than this burn out entire keeps.”
Chad, too, coughed as the smoke swirled around his head. “Now to get the smoke out of here,” he said. Then, he turned to Alessandria. “My lady, if you….”
Startled that the attention was back on her, and struggling to cover her naked breasts, Alessandria cut him off, screaming.
“Cover your eyes!”
Startled, Chad did as he was told. Jorden and Rhun, also startled by the lady’s scream, naturally turned to see why she had shouted and she screamed at them as well.
“Cover your eyes, all of you!”
The knights immediately complied, now the three of them standing in the middle of a smoke-filled room with their hands over their eyes. Covered from her neck to her pelvic region with silk that was bleeding red dye all over her, Alessandria had never been more mortified in her entire life.
“Now,” she cried, “get out of here!”
The knights weren’t sure what to do. They couldn’t very well leave without seeing where they were going but when Rhun attempted to remove his hand so he could see, Alessandria screamed again.
“I told you to cover your eyes!” she yelled. “Get out of here, all of you!”
“My lady,” Chad said, struggling not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. “We cannot leave with our eyes shut. We have to see where we are going.”
“You do not have to see anything,” Alessandria snapped fearfully. “Turn around and walk out.”
Chad sighed heavily and did just that, turning around with his hand still over his eyes and then when his back was turned, peeping through his fingers so he could see where he was going. Rhun was doing the same thing but Jorden was too far away to do it and not be seen. Still, he tried to turn away and walk, tripping over the blanket and crashing into Chad. Chad grabbed the man to steady him, pushing him through the chamber door. But he stopped short of going through himself when he suddenly heard soft sobs behind him.
He pretended to shut the door but he couldn’t help but look and see what had Alessandria so distressed. She was looking down at herself now, still seated in the tub, which at this point was barely half-full. She was holding a red garment of some kind over her chest that had leaked red dye all over everything. He could see her hard nipples through the fabric, which was very alluring, but the water was red and so was Alessandria. He could see the dye on her skin.
As the woman sat there and looked at the mess, she was weeping. Chad felt just as bad as he possibly could. He was about to say something to her when he heard his mother and sister behind him.
“Is it safe to go back in now?” Liselotte asked. “The fire is out?”
Chad nodded. “The fire is out,” he said. “Mother, it looks as if her tub needs to be refilled and she needs more clothing. Whatever you brought her has been ruined.”
Liselotte started to move into the chamber to assess the situation but Chad stopped her. “Go and get her something else,” he said in a low voice. “Make it warm and durable. Father has instructed me to take her to Isenhall so she will need something that will travel well.”
Liselotte looked at him with some surprise. “Isenhall?” she repeated. “Why are you taking her there?”
Chad couldn’t explain the entire thing. It would only upset her. “It is a long story,” he said. “Please do as I ask, Mother. And if you would be so kind as to give her a few more things, ladies clothing and mayhap a comb, I would be grateful. She has absolutely nothing.”
The lure of packing a bag for the lady’s travel had Liselotte suitably distracted. “Of course,” she said. “Your sister, Angelica, left some things behind when she was married. I believe there is something serviceable for the lady to take with her.”
Chad grinned. “You mean that she had so many possessions her husband would not let her take them all.”
It was a dig at his mother for spoiling her girl children, and Liselotte swatted her son on the buttocks as she turned to leave. Veronica, standing behind her mother, also turned around when her mother did.
“We will see what we can find,” Liselotte said, escorting Veronica from the chamber. “I will send servants with more water for the tub. We will return shortly.”
Chad watched his mother and sister leave before returning his attention to Alessandria. She wasn’t weeping as loudly as she had been but he could hear her sniffling. He knocked on the door softly.
“My lady?” he called gently. “If I promise to cover my eyes, may I speak with you? It is important.”
He could hear more sniffling. “I need something to dry myself with,” she said. “I cannot reach it.”
“I can.”
“How will you see what it is I need with your eyes covered?”


Buy now on Amazon! http://amzn.to/1ZJf7Lp




ENTER TO WIN:



ABOUT KATHRYN:
KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY's HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD'Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She is also quintuple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2016.

Kathryn's Medieval Romance novels have been called 'detailed', 'highly romantic', and 'character-rich'. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that


Friday, June 17, 2016

A License to Wed: Rebellious Brides by Diana Quincy



Ever since she could remember, Elinor has been in love with her older brother's best friend, Will Naismith. After a singular night of passion, Will leaves for parts unknown leaving Elinor in a precarious situation. The only remedy for that situation is a hasty marriage to a kind soul who steps in when Elinor is left bereft.

Their relationship would have been impossible. She,a Lady of the Ton and he,the bastard son of an earl and an actress, Will did go back for her, but he was too late, and now six years later, when everyone in England believes her dead, Will Naismith comes face to face with Elinor and she has a lot of explaining to do.

Her marriage was a comfortable one, but after losing her baby and then her husband, Elinor is left in France during an unsettling time. At first Elinor thought her baby daughter died at birth, but when she finds that not only did her baby survive, but she is being used as a lure for Elinor to commit treason to England. Elinor will do anything to get her daughter back, but when Will Naismith appears she is thrown into a quandary/ The only man she ever loved could be a spy for England and the powers that be in France want Elinor to inform on his movements.

Will doesn't know what to make of Elinor and her sudden resurrection into the land of the living, but he knows something isn't right when she makes no mention of her family and the daughter she apparently abandoned. How could he have fallen for a woman who could show so little emotion for her own offspring? His occupation as a spy and her shady position makes A LICENSE TO WED a great story of intrigue and love lost and found.

I truly enjoyed A LICENSE TO WED and found author, Diana Quincy's writing to be wonderful. My only pet peeve with this story is the fact that Elinor never mentions her daughter to her lost love and Will never makes inquiries as to why she glosses over something so important. That being said, I did enjoy this story once I got passed that and will most definitely read more by Ms. Quincy in the future.


~KIMBERLY~ 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Accidentally Compromising the Duke (Wedded by Scandal #1) by Stacy Reid


If Adeline Hays doesn't find a groom soon, her father is set to marry her off to an odious and elderly earl. Adeline has set her sights on a certain man, but in her quest to outsmart her father, she ends up in the wrong bed and is forced to marry a man who she had previously thought was a footman but ends up being a duke.

Edmond Rochester, the Duke of Wolverton finds Adeline an intriguing young woman, but he never expected to have to do the honorable thing and save her from certain ruin. Evenwithher protestations, Adeline has no idea what she has gotten herself into and the only one with the level head seems to be the duke. He needs a wife to help him care for his two children and having Adeline literally fall into his life proves a solution in some ways but a hindrance in others.

The Duke of Wolverton wants to have a marriage without intimacy, but Adeline wants nothing else but that and the love to go along with it, hence the discord in the Rochester home. Most of the time when one is running from something, the opposite seems to happen and Edmond's plight to remain aloof is proving to be in vain as he meets his match in Adeline.

ACCIDENTALLY COMPROMISING THE DUKE by Stacy Reid is a great story with an abundance of mischief and mayhem that leads to the divine. This expertly told tale is a luminous first look into the WEDDED BY SCANDAL Series and I look forward to the next one!



~KIMBERLY~

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

#BOC BLOG BLAST ** BITTERSWEET by SARINA BOWEN **






If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.
The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago. 
At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.
Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.
They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

Also, the first chapter was posted here: FIRST CHAPTER

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

SNEAK PEEK AT JULIE ANN WALKER'S *DEVIL AND THE DEEP*

Second in NYT & USAT bestselling author Julie Ann Walker’s new romantic suspense series featuring former navy SEALs
The former SEALs of The Deep Six return in a sizzling series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker.
 A COVERT MISSION
Maddy Powers’s life revolves around cocktail parties, political fundraisers, and charity events — but she can’t forget the daring former SEAL who appropriated her father’s yacht a few months ago … or the scorching kiss they shared before he disappeared into the deep blue sea.
 SPARKS A FLAMING DESIRE
Bran Pallidino carries a dark secret behind his lady-killer eyes — one that keeps him from pursuing a serious relationship with Maddy. But when she’s taken hostage during a trip to the Dry Tortugas, the men of Deep Six Salvage drop their treasure hunt for a sunken galleon and embark on a dangerous mission to save Maddy.
 WITH EARTH-SHATTERING REPERCUSSIONS
As they fight her merciless kidnappers, they discover this isn’t a simple hostage situation, but something far more sinister. Passion boils between Bran and Maddy, but what good is putting their hearts on the line if they don’t survive the dawn?
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1Y14SU9
EXCERPT:

7:43 p.m.…
“I’m sorry,” Maddy whispered when Bran whipped off his tank top and started wrapping it around her head. “What’s happenin’ right now?”
“Your hair is gonna get us killed,” he said. His broad chest with its smattering of crinkly dark hair was an inch from her nose. She was absolutely drowning in his scent. And the silver piece of eight caught her eye where it lay between his flexing pectoral muscles, glinting in the moonlight.
H-h-holy mackerel, he was hotter than a two-dollar pistol. Literally and figuratively. He radiated heat like a blast furnace. And he was straight-up, panties-on-the-floor, legs-in-the-air, have-at-me-big-boy sssssmokin’ sexy.
Considering she was dealing with wildly celebrating hormones and fifty shades of scrambled gray matter, it was amazing she had the wherewithal to come up with the super articulate reply of “Huh?”
“I said your hair is gonna get us all killed.”
Uh-huh. So she had heard him correctly the first time. Unfortunately, the second time was not a charm. His words still didn’t make a lick of sense.
“How in God’s name is my hair goin’ to get us killed?” she whispered as he continued to fashion her a makeshift turban. “I mean, my brothers told me it was a crime against coiffures, but surely it hasn’t crossed the line into bein’ fatal.”
Bran stopped what he was doing to glance down at her. “I like your hair,” he said simply. No artifice.
He might as well have told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world the way her cheeks heated and warmth spread across her chest. “Th-thank you,” she stammered. “But I…um…I’m still not trackin’ when it comes to—”
“It’s too bright,” he told her, getting back to the business of tucking a piece of the damp fabric above her left ear. “It shines like a candle against the night. We don’t need it drawing unwanted attention.”
She was only listening with half an ear. Why, you ask? Well, because his nipple was suddenly right…frickin’…there. Staring at her. Daring her. She blew out a ragged breath and watched, fascinated, as the flat brown disk furled tight around the little bud in the center, making it poke up proudly.
Bran sucked in a startled breath. Then he pulled away, checking his handiwork and not meeting her eyes.
Aha! She felt like pointing a finger at his nose. And you think we’re just pen pals? Instead, she did the totally adult thing and refrained from calling him on his bullshit all while testing the security of her new headgear. Scenes from Lawrence of Arabia flashed through her brain.
“We’ve gotten rusty,” Mason mumbled, looking over his shoulder and giving Maddy the once-over. “We should’ve thought of that before we left the ranger’s station.”
“I know.” Bran frowned. Then he shook his head and picked up his big, deadly gun, checking something on the side before tugging the strap over his shoulder. It made a quiet clacking sound. “You ready?” he asked her, finally meeting her eyes. To her great annoyance, his face didn’t show an ounce of the excitement and hunger that had passed between them ten seconds ago. He did, however, wince and make a grab for his wounded thigh.
“Question is,” she said, “are you?”
“I’m fine.”
She flayed him with a look.
“It just twinges every once in a while,” he assured her. “Now, we’re gonna head toward that southwest corner. And we’re gonna do it double time. You gotta stay close.” Staying close to Bran had never been a problem. “This is where things could get hairy.” She liked hair, especially the smattering across Bran’s chest. “We’ll be totally exposed ’til we reach the moat.” Exposed? Have I mentioned that Bran is now shirtless?
“I understand.” She nodded, the weight of her improvised turban making the move feel awkward. As for the weight of the task ahead of them? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but it didn’t get any more real than this.
Which convinced her that doing the adult thing was for the birds. If they were about to drown in a dark tunnel or get filled full of lead once they managed to make it inside the fort, she had one final point to make.
“But before we go,” she whispered, stopping Bran with a hand on his forearm. “There’s somethin’ I need to do.”
“What’s that?”
She grabbed his big shoulders and went up on tiptoe. “This,” she said before slamming her mouth over the top of his.
She didn’t stop there. She took advantage of his slack-jawed surprise by sliding her tongue between his teeth. His breath was hot and sweet, just like she remembered. His lips masculine and firm. She remembered that, too. Her own lips tingled at the contact, every single nerve ending zinging with approval.


Tuesday, June 7, 2016

RELEASE DAY BLISS WITH DAWN RYDER AND *ROCK STEADY* (Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway)

Rock Steady by Dawn Ryder
Series: Rock Band, Book 2
ISBN: 9781492616795
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Genre: Erotic Romance


About the Book
Second in Dawn Ryder’s sizzling new Rock Band series.

HE KEPT IT CASUAL
Superstar guitarist Ramsey’s reputation as a bad-boy rocker is exceeded only by his dedication to his music. He’s worked hard for the success of his hit metal band Toxsin, and he intends to enjoy it—completely. When a jilted groupie gets back at him for a one-night stand with an intimate—and completely inappropriate—tattoo, he needs it fixed, and fast. Sparks fly between Ramsey and his new tattoo artist, and Ramsey finds himself hoping for more than new ink.

UNTIL SHE MADE HIM WANT MORE
When a high-profile tattoo job lands Jewel an invite on Toxsin’s latest tour, she can’t say no. It’ll be great exposure, after all. What she’s really worried about is ruining the gig by hooking up with the first guy to completely rock her world. She knows she should resist—Ramsey’s not the kind to stick around for a morning after. But the way he makes her feel—as an artist and a woman—could be worth any risk.


Buy the Book
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1SPQDhB
Books A Million: http://bit.ly/21kdxkf
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1VXPpVv


About the Author
AUTHOR DAWN RYDER
Dawn Ryder is the erotic romance pen name of a bestselling author of historical romances. She has been publishing her stories for over eight years to a growing and appreciative audience. She is commercially published in mass market and trade paper, and digi-first published with trade paper releases. She is hugely committed to her career as an author, as well as to other authors and to her readership. She resides in Southern California.


Connect with Dawn

Exclusive Excerpt from ROCK STEADY
Actually, she felt like a mega-fool for bringing him inside her apartment. She was practically going into heat with so much raw brawn so close to her fingertips. Getting him out of reach was a priority, or she might end up hating herself when she did something impulsive.
She got the feeling Ramsey knew exactly how to take advantage of “impulsive” moments.
“This will do the job.” The paper wrapping crinkled, seeming excessively loud, because every nerve ending she had was on high alert.
Ramsey turned toward her, the case settling onto the worn floorboards. He popped open the top button of his pants, and she fought off the urge to run a hand across her chin in case she was drooling.
Boy, was he worthy of it.
But she wasn’t going there.
Nope.
As in…No! All you have is your pride, girl.
It was a sad little truth. Jewel covered the new ink carefully.
Ramsey chuckled softly.
Warmly.
So very…male.
“Don’t be intimidated.”
She looked up, the cloth tape she’d planned to secure the gauze with still dangling from her fingers.
He cupped her chin and lowered his head until their lips were a single inch apart.
“Don’t be intimidated, babe.” He was stroking her jawline, sending ripples of delight down her body. “Touch me.”
She shook her head, recoiling as a warning bell went off somewhere in the part of her brain still functioning on a rational level. “I am going to cover this and…”
Her fingers were trembling.
Hell, she was rapidly turning into a quivering mass of overstimulated receptors.
But she got the gaze tapped in place and pushed the button back through its hole.
And realized she’d been holding her breath the entire time.
She stepped away from him and drew in a deep breath. As she blew it out, she heard the unmistakable sound of him chuckling.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” She discovered herself laughing along with him. “Like you don’t know what you do to the opposite sex.”
His eyes narrowed, his expression becoming insanely sensual. Her mouth went dry as she stared, transfixed by the glitter in his eyes. She wasn’t sure when he moved, only that he was suddenly folding her into his embrace.
“Glad to know I’m not the only one turned-on.” His voice was a husky promise, just a whisper against her temple that shouldn’t have had the power to send a shiver down her spine in the bright light of day.
“Whoa.” She flattened her hands on his chest, but pulled away when it felt like she’d grabbed a pair of live jumper cables. “We’re not doing this.”
He cupped her nape, the grip ripping through the fragile hold she had on logic. As in shredded. There was something primal about the way he handled her, taking control and tilting her head up so she got locked into his mesmerizing stare. But he held back, just enough to make her have to commit to the moment. If he’d kissed her, she could have labeled him an overbearing jerk. A spoiled celebrity. Instead, she was caught between temptation and the screaming warning from her common sense.
“We’re not doing it…yet,” he rasped.
Disappointment drew its claw across her as he spoke. There was a flash of iron-willed control in his dark eyes that frustrated her as much as it titillated.
“You’re not nearly excited enough, Jewel.”
Hell…
“What I’m not, is onto jumping clients,” she informed him with what was left of her rational mind.
She tried to shift away, but he moved his hand into her hair, threaded his fingers through the delicate threads before he massaged her scalp. The motion set off a crazy twist of awareness that went coiling through her until it set fire to her clit. Her hips jerked toward his, giving her a blunt, first-hand knowledge of just how hard his cock was.
“Better,” he said. “But still not enough.”
“I mean it, Ramsey. Back off.” She hated how desperate she sounded, but there was little help for it. She was transforming into putty, just a hair’s breath away from losing all grip on what she should do, in favor of what she craved.
All those dark cravings no one really wanted to admit they had. For the first time, she feared him, because Ramsey wasn’t afraid of those dark tidings. Oh, hell no. He danced into the center of the storm and let it consume him.
“Really—” She pushed away from him, taking a moment to touch his chest, getting a glimpse of what she was forbidding herself to experience.
Being practical sucked.
He let her go, but she didn’t think for a second he was in agreement with her. No, there was something in his eyes that warned her this was just beginning.

 

Giveaway Alert

Monday, June 6, 2016

INISDE ROMANCE WITH BOOK OBSESSED CHICKS *UNPREDICTABLE LOVE by JEAN JOACHIM*

Would unpredictable love break Jory Walker’s heart?


Uh oh. Amber signed her sister’s name on a pen pal letter to a Marine. As usual, Jory Walker was stuck fixing her sister’s little white lie.  

When letters poured in from SSGT Trent Stevens in Afghanistan, Jory had no choice but to correspond. Sure he’d be drooling over Amber’s bikini photo, thinking it was Jory. Since they’d never meet, what harm could it do if she sent him a few letters?

Would her charade boomerang replacing happiness with pain? What started off as an innocent ruse, morphed into a monstrous web of deceit. Maybe unpredictable love was destined to break her heart.  

EXCERPT:

Jory Walker plucked three letters from the mailbox in front of the house. Two bills and one envelope addressed to her that looked like it had been through a war. It had, according to what was scratched in the upper corner.

SSGT. T. Stevens

Anger bubbled up inside her. She made a beeline for the house, only to collide with her sister.
“Amber! What the hell?” She waved the envelope in the young woman’s face.
“I just sent him one letter.”
“This is the fourth you’ve gotten from him. When are you going to write back?”
“It was a mistake…”
“You can say that again. Especially the part where you signed my name!”
“Laura was so convincing. I thought she meant one time. Only one letter.”
“She asked people to sign up to write to guys in the military. Not to write only one letter and include a lewd photo.”
“It wasn’t lewd, whatever that means. Just me in a bikini. I’m not good at writing. Much better at pictures.” Her beautiful, blonde sister, with a Miss America figure, grinned.
“And the reason you signed my name?”
“I always liked yours better. Besides, if he wanted another letter, I knew you’d write it for me. So, it might as well have your name on it.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit smile. I’m on to you. And the answer is ‘no.’” Jory shoved the envelope from T. Stevens into Amber’s hand.
“Please? Pleeeaassseee, Jory. You’re the writer. Not me.”
“That’s right. You’re the pretty sister, and I’m the smart one.”
Amber nodded. “I don’t mean it like that. You’re so much better than me.”
“Than I.”
“See?”
“No.”

AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DM4EOUW


BARNES & NOBLE

GOOGLEPLAY

ITUNES/APPLE

KOBO

SMASHWORDS

AMAZON PAPERBACK

AMAZON CANADA

AMAZON U.K.

AMAZON AUSTRALIA


GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Scandalous Redemption By Amanda Mariel Blog Tour May 31 to June 4, 2016

Scandalous Redemption
By
Amanda Mariel
Blog Tour
May 31 to June 4, 2016
Title: Scandalous Redemption
Author: Amanda Mariel
Release date: May 31, 2016
Heat Rating: 3
She never wanted him…
Ruined by scandal, Claudia Akford survived years of marriage to a cruel brute. Widowed, she is determined to regain her standing in society, but Lord Shillington personifies temptation. Kind and gentle, yet masculine and sinfully handsome, he would make the perfect lover, but he wants more than she is willing to give.
He needed her…
While Henry Shillington knows a little of the beautiful but notorious Lady Claudia Akford, he is struck by her kindhearted, accomplished, and witty demeanor. The more time he spends in her company, the more he dreams of a future with her. But the lady resists his honorable overtures, and a mistress will never do for him.
Can two wary people overcome past hurts, an old scandal, and social strictures to embrace true love?
Lord Henry Shillington strode across the music room of Lord and Lady Morse’s country estate intent on locating his sister. The force of someone bumping into him sent him stumbling backward. He whirled around, auburn curls catching his gaze as he reached out to steady her. “Excuse me.” He offered a slight bow but did not release his hold on her.
The lady peered at him through narrowed, fierce green eyes the color of emeralds. “You should watch your step. Kindly unhand me.”
Henry met her icy glare. She radiated the sweet scent of champagne. It clung to the air around her filling his senses as if she had used it for perfume. “Good God, you’re foxed.”
Her earbobs danced and sparkled as she leaned in close, the fire in her eyes growing more intense. “My state is not your concern.” She jerked free of his hold and took a step back. Her blue jewel-toned gown swooshed with the sudden movement.
He grabbed her arm, halting her. His pulse pounded through his veins. “You cannot stay here in your condition. You will cause a scandal for yourself and our hosts.”
“What concern is it of yours?” She rounded on him.
He had to prevent her from causing a scene. “Allow me to escort you outside. We can stroll through the garden.” Part of him worried for their hosts, Lord and Lady Wexil were dear friends, but, if he were being honest, he would have to admit he wished to know more about this beauty. Something about her captivated him. Perhaps her unusual eyes or the misery he saw in them.
A slow smile spread across her full lips. “Very well.”
She swayed and clung to his arm as he led her out through the veranda doors and into the country air. What would compel a lady to become foxed so early in the evening? The sun had yet to give way to the moon’s glow. And who was she? Surely, they had never met before.
He turned her down a path lined with flowers and green foliage. The details of who she was and why she’d overindulged did not signify. She was clearly in distress, and he intended to help if he could. He studied the profile of her delicate face.
“Might we sit...what is your name?” Her exhilarating laughter floated through the empty space.
He had never heard a sweeter sound. “Lord Shillington. And yours?” He stopped in front of a cast iron bench. He couldn’t look away as she lowered herself onto the seat in a flutter of skirts. She was a mystery he wished to solve.
“Do sit with me, Lord Shillington.” She patted the bench next to her.
Henry positioned himself near her, but not too close. Being out here with an unchaperoned lady was scandalous enough. It was not his desire to compromise her--or himself. Given her state, he had no choice but to remove her from the gathering. However, he also had a responsibility to control the propriety of his own behavior.
A cool breeze ruffled her elegant skirts, drawing his attention to her body. Heat fanned through him as he studied her. She was tall and lithe, yet she possessed curves in all the right places. He offered a polite smile. “Your name, my lady?”
She looked at him through hooded lashes. “Lady Claudia Akford.”
His heart skipped a beat as his throat tightened. The notorious Lady Claudia Akford.
Also available in Kindle Unlimited

 Bestselling, Amazon All Star author Amanda Mariel dreams of days gone by when life moved at a slower pace. She enjoys taking pen to paper and exploring historical time periods through her imagination and the written word. When she is not writing she can be found reading, crocheting, traveling, practicing her photography skills, or spending time with her family.
Amanda lives along the Lake Huron shoreline in northern Michigan with her husband and two kids. She holds a Master of Liberal Arts Degree with a concentration in literature and has a long-standing love affair with sugary junk food.
Social Media Links
Hosted By