Abby had her world rocked when her parents announced they were separating. Unable to deal, she packed up and transferred schools, heading to Western Palm. Sharing an apartment with her best friend and a roommate makes for close quarters.
Trying to stay upbeat, Abby dons a sexy costume and parties the Halloween night away with her friends. Instant attraction draws her to Adam but she’s not looking for a relationship. Certain he’s just like all the others she’s dated, she tries to keep her distance. Adam is relentless, constantly proving he’s worth her time.
Spending the holidays with family should be fun, but a surprise waits for Abby on Christmas Eve. Family traditions are turned into a circus and Abby loses all faith in relationships. Can Adam help her gain that confidence back and get her to embrace the way she feels for him?
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
So all of you Western Palm friends know that Blake is my Lip Ringed Hottie Right? WELLLL his buddy Adam might be giving him a run for the money. I mean pierced, MMA hottie annnnd with tats. Yes Please!! Sorry Blake this Pretty Girl is all about your buddy right now.
Adam is cocky and arrogant but 110% in for pursuing Abby. He knows she is skittish and will need to go slow with her but he is invested because he knows she is different. She will keep him on his toes. This Firecracker is far from a Stage 5 Clinger like previous women.
Abby is a hot mess. Her ideal couple has split. If they can’t make it, no relationship can. This causes her to push, push, push Adam away. She knows she has feelings for him but dang if she will own up to them even when it destroys her to deny there is a “them.
I loved Adam and was happy that he pushed Abby just as hard as she fought their relationship. He wouldn’t play her or string her along but he sure let her know what the plan was. He just hoped she would get on board and agree to it!!
I am a huge fan of this series. I love how each book intersects with the others so we can see old scenes and relive old drama!! Trust me when I say my throat punching hate for Jason was there. My love for Blake was still present and now my wiggly eyes over Adam have been quenched!!
Title: Blackbird
Author: Molly McAdams
Series: A Redemption Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Releasing February 28th, 2017
“McAdams hits Blackbird out of the park with a spellbinding tale of unexpected love and unfathomable redemption. Her ability to draw you in begs you to turn the page to see what happens next while wanting to take your time and savor the words of the story.” – New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg
From New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams comes a powerhouse romantic suspense that will have you questioning your morals and second guessing your view on love.
I live in a world few know exist. I’ve trained for this. I know what to say, what to do, and how to act. I’ve perfected the lethal calm required for this life.
Now it’s time to buy my first girl. But all it takes is one look at the brave girl who starts singing mid-auction for that calm to slip.
Briar Chapman is going to be the death of me, and I don’t care. I’ll take every day with her until that death comes, and I’ll welcome it when it does.
On the outside, Lucas Holt is what nightmares are made of. A man cloaked in darkness, with sin-filled eyes and an enticing grin. A devil so devastatingly beautiful and cruel that his very presence instills fear.
But beneath his terrifying, ever-calm exterior is an affectionate man haunted by a past that refuses to stay buried. And Lucas looks at me as though he’s finally found the only person who can make it all go away.
We’re a battle of the brightest day and the darkest night—and I want to lie in the wake of our war.
My head shook absentmindedly as I tried to comprehend all that he had told me.
Knowing the man Lucas was behind the darkness, I couldn’t grasp why he had ever fought to get into this life at all.
“I’d been wondering what had happened in your life to make you into the devil I saw so often at the beginning,” I began, my voice soft . . . almost hesitant. “But now I wonder how you were able to remain you, instead of letting the devil completely consume you.”
“Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that that part of me isn’t there.”
“I couldn’t,” I said honestly and huffed a small laugh. “He’s always there . . . I see you fighting him all the time. Now, more than I have in a long time.”
He held my stare, and his dark eyes burned with something I couldn’t define. “You’re afraid of me.”
I wished in that moment for my room so I could have something to hide behind, at least for a minute, because I knew I couldn’t hide any of the emotions coursing through me, and I couldn’t lie to him. “Yes,” I whispered and hated that he seemed to not only expect my answer but accept it. Reaching out, I traced around the outer edge of his eye, thankful I wasn’t shaking. “I’m afraid of the eyes I’m looking into right now. I’ve been afraid of them for a long time. I’m afraid of what I know about you now, but I wonder if I haven’t always known. If you haven’t hinted at it before . . .”
“Briar—”
“But the things you see in your mind that force me to see these eyes? They’ve been there this whole time. They were there when I fell in love with you, and I knew when I fell that they would always be there.” I watched as he fought with whatever haunted him and lowered myself back onto the bed and curled against his side. “The darkest part of your soul can terrify me, but it won’t cause me to leave.”
He gripped my hand in his, and mumbled, “Sometimes I wish it would.” Before I could react or respond, he continued. “If you think I’m dangerous, maybe you understand what my life is like, and maybe you can grasp the danger in throwing out the rules for you. Eventually someone other than William will see what you mean to me. And with who we are and what we do, we all have so many enemies who’ve been waiting for a chance to get back at us—to hurt us.” He raised our joined hands to kiss my wrist and let his lips linger on the skin there. “We don’t have weaknesses, Briar, but you are mine. They’ve been waiting for you.”
Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband, daughter, and fur babies. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.
Miranda Hodgkins has only ever wanted one thing: to marry Robert Carlisle. And she simply can’t wait a moment longer. During the Carlisle family masquerade ball, Miranda boldly sneaks into his bedchamber with seduction on her mind. Soon she’s swept into rock-hard arms for the most breathtaking kiss of her life. But when the masks come off, she’s horrified to find herself face-to-face with Sebastian, the Duke of Trent-Robert’s formidable older brother.
Shocked to find Miranda in his bed, Sebastian quickly offers her a deal to avoid scandal: He’ll help her win his brother’s heart if she’ll find him the perfect wife. But what begins as a simple negotiation soon spirals out of control. For the longer this reformed rake tries to make a match for Miranda, the more he wants to keep her all to himself.
Anna Harrington fell in love with historical romances–and all those dashing Regency heroes–while living in London, where she studied literature and theatre. She loves to travel, fly airplanes, and hike, and when she isn’t busy writing her next novel, she loves fussing over her roses in her garden.
If you can’t attend the Facebook party, or are just interested in learning behind the scenes information about Anna’s books, be sure to visit the “extras” page on her website for deleted scenes, insider info, and bonus shorts.
Don’t Speak by Katy Regnery is now LIVE and FREE with #KindleUnlimited!
“Swoon. Sigh. Beautiful, gorgeous love story. You renew my faith in true love, Katy Regnery. And a brilliant take off on the little mermaid. People are going to love this one.” –Mia Sheridan, New York Times bestselling author of Archer’s Voice
From New York Times bestselling author Katy Regnery comes a new twist on a beloved fairytale.
In this modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, a fisherman’s daughter from an Outer Banks island untouched by time, meets the son of the North Carolina governor at a fancy party where she is working.
Laire, who wants more from life than her little island can offer, is swept away by wealthy, sophisticated Erik, who is, in turn, entranced by her naiveté and charm. The two spend a whirlwind summer together that ends on the knife-point of heartbreak and forces them to go their separate ways.
Years later, when fate finds them together once again, they will discover the terrifying depth of the secrets they kept from each other, and learn that shattered hearts can only be healed by a love that willfully refuses to die.
All novels Katy Regnery’s ~a modern fairytale~ collection are written as fundraisers. 10% of the e-book sales for in March and April 2017 will be donated.
Don’t Speak is part of the ~a modern fairytale~ collection, which includes six standalone, completely unrelated novels inspired by beloved fairy tales:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.
Twenty-five books later, Katy claims authorship of the multi-titled, New York Times and USA Today Blueberry Lane Series, which follows the English, Winslow, Rousseau, Story, and Ambler families of Philadelphia; the six-book, bestselling ~a modern fairytale~ series; and several other standalone novels and novellas.
Katy’s first modern fairytale romance, The Vixen and the Vet, was nominated for a RITA® in 2015 and won the 2015 Kindle Book Award for romance. Katy’s boxed set, The English Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1–4, hit the USA Today bestseller list in 2015, and her Christmas story, Marrying Mr. English, appeared on the list a week later. In May 2016, Katy’s Blueberry Lane collection, The Winslow Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1-4, became a New York Times E-book bestseller.
In 2016, Katy signed a print-only agreement with Spencerhill Press. As a result, her Blueberry Lane paperback books will now be distributed to brick and mortar bookstores all over the United States.
Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, two dogs, and one Blue Tonkinese kitten create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.
Rule #3: (Most importantly, and above all) Do not fall for Mr. Popular…
Liam ‘Mr. Popular’ Carter will always be the closest thing to the “walking plague” in my eyes. His cockiness seeps through his every move, and no matter how many state championships he wins with the basketball team, he will forever be a “loss” to me.
Because he’s my older brother’s best friend, I’m forced to tolerate him, and he’s forced to tolerate me. In fact, unless my brother is around, we happily ignore each other every chance we get.
It wasn’t always this way, though…
Several summers ago, we both attended the same summer camp. A place we returned to year after year. We became friends–close friends, but right when I thought he could possibly turn into my everything, he made it clear that what we had was nothing.
Now that’s he’s a senior, and I only have to deal with him for one more year, I’ve vowed to keep repeating the same set of rules to myself. Especially since he seems so hell-bent on wanting to talk to me for some reason, and especially since he seems to be staring at me every time we’re in the same room together…
Rule #4: Always follow rules #1-3…
Rule #5: (OMG what the hell are you doing?) Do not KISS Mr. Popular…
Nicole London is a hopeless dreamer, author of Resentment and the co-founder of The Indie Tea, an inspirational blog for indie romance authors. When she’s not at Starbucks chatting books with her best friend, she can be found plotting her next travel adventure with her husband.
That magic number that will get us to agree to do anything, be anything.
Don’t sit on your gold-plated high horse and say you don’t because you do. Everyone does. Each of us has something we covet enough that we’d sell ourselves to have it.
What’s my tipping point, you ask? Apparently a cool quarter mil will do the trick.
What does one do for 250 large, you wonder? Anything the infamous, gorgeous playboy of Seattle wants. For the next four months I’ll be Shaw Mercer’s arm candy, his beck and call girl, his faux girlfriend. I’ll be his to command, mold, push and pull in any direction he sees fit.
I’ll fight falling into bed with him. I’ll fight falling in love with him even harder. I’ll fail at both. And when my past and present collide in the most unexpected of ways, I’ll learn that while one man’s love for me has never died, the only man’s love I really want will never be mine.
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
Ok first up. My warning to you…if you don’t smoke you might want to buy a pack because you will need a cigarette a few times during the book scenes!! Yeah it’s that HAWT!! Ok so the Surgeon General is not going to like that but eh oh well.
If this is a first-time book from this author, I am sure you will be hooked completely and devour her library like I did when I found her. If this is not your 1st rodeo with her, then YES This book is just as amazing as you expect from her.
Shaw….I won’t even being to discuss Noah because I don’t think I can handle those two in the same review…he is a player who enjoys his life. His family and job are his priority. Period. Ladies are lovely and a lot of fun either 1 on 1 or 2 on 1 but that is it…fun!
Willow is truly broken and hiding. She has hiding behind her mask and giant walls to protect herself from getting hurt. The people she loves the most always end up leaving her. If you guard your heart you don’t get hurt. Period.
Shaw and Willow meet but its fleeting and they are both still thinking about the other and wondering. Fast forward to a few days later, Shaw needs help and Noah comes to his rescue. Noah’s plan forces the two to be face to face with each other and the chemistry explodes in every scene following!!!
The more time they spend together, the more they are both falling and freaking out over THAT ledge. You know the ledge I am talking about!!!! Just as we are finally thinking THIS IS IT…there will be a HEA, PLOT TWIST and holy hell did I not see it coming.
Shaw is not a fan of this new emotion called jealousy. Willow is torn by her heart and the final page of the book left me saying “WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I can’t believe I have to wait because I need my Shaw and Willow together. I know what is going to happen and my heart is hurting for what is going to play out for our couple. The question is : will Willow trust in her man or will she run from him too!!??? GUUUUURL, don’t run because I will be there to wipe his tears!!!
As long as Noah and I have known one another and as close as we are, he’s far from an open book. He holds some of life’s secrets so close to the vest, he’ll likely take them to his grave. So how he knows Ms. Randi Deveraux of La Dolce Vita is still a mystery he won’t divulge.
When he told me his plan and showed me the picture of the woman who’d play my love interest for the next several months, I was immediately drawn to the her, but it took me a few seconds to realize why.
It was her.
My spicy little Goldilocks.
The one I haven’t heard from.
The one I haven’t been able to get out of my fucking head for the past eight days.
The one my cock involuntarily gets hard for in the dark of night.
The glossy-colored print I stared at for long minutes was a complete contradiction to the fiery woman I’d met.
On paper her exterior was flawless. Not one sculpted eyebrow out of place. Striking blue eyes rimmed with the right amount of shadow, liner, and mascara that made them alluring but not slutty. Pouty lips painted a deep shade of maroon, lined impeccably so the stain didn’t seep, then glossed enough in the middle to draw your attention to their fullness. Hair curled into loose ribbons that fell over her shoulders and down her slim back.
But while the outside was practiced perfection, the inside screamed dead. Not damaged, not broken or bruised, but lifeless. This beautiful creature went through the motions. She moved through life without living. I don’t know how I saw it, or why, but I know it wasn’t a product of my overactive imagination. This woman’s pain was rooted deep but she put on an award-winning façade that told the outside world otherwise.
I saw the same thing when I stared into her fierce eyes under the cover of my sunglasses days ago, but I also saw something else. Smoking embers buried under piles of ash. God help me, but for some reason I want to be the man who stokes those smoldering cinders until they spark into a burning inferno, bringing her roaring back to life.
Standing before her now, I’ve no doubt I’m the igniter, the single match needed to wake her from the living dead.
“Summer, is it?” I close the door behind me and move to the couch, gesturing for her to sit.
She doesn’t. She just blinks rapidly like she’s seeing a ghost. That makes me smile for some reason.
I know the name she’s using is fake. I hate it. Not the name, per se, but the fact that I don’t know her real one. I told Ms. Deveraux my circumstances and my concern around using a fake name. The press will eventually find out and it’s best if we’re up front in the beginning rather than if they dig, thinking we’re hiding something. That would be disastrous. She agreed but told me the decision was up to Summer. If she agreed to my terms, I could plead my case. If not, then her anonymity was still protected.
“You don’t look like a Summer,” I say casually as I take a seat and cross my legs.
Although in a way she does. She’s hot and sultry and I’ve no doubt she’s nice and moist in the place I’m dying to drive my cock. Jesus, she is absolutely mouthwatering. And she has the sexiest fucking voice I have ever heard. It’s no wonder I can’t stop thinking about her.
She crosses her arms and cocks a hip in irritation. “Is that so? What do I look like then?”
Mine.
Why that disturbing word pops into my head, I haven’t a clue. She is yours temporarily, though. If she agrees.
“How is your neck by the way?”
That seems to catch her off guard because her cocky bravado falters. “Uh…fine. It’s fine.” She unconsciously reaches up to palm it. My fingers itch, wishing they were on her skin instead. I still remember the electricity that ran down my arm when I touched her before. It set my cock on fire and it hasn’t stopped burning since. “You’re lucky, you know. I could be wearing a neck brace right now and be lawyered up.”
“And you’d still be just as beautiful.” I ignore the lawyer comment. I know it’s just a dig. When she blushes and looks away, my grin gets wider and I allow myself a few seconds to absorb her, head to toe. I find myself zeroing in on that tiny diamond stud in her nose, now catching the light. I first noticed it when she pounded on the window of my Rover calling me names. I generally find them childish, yet on her, I find myself incredibly turned on by it.
“Why don’t you take a seat?” On my lap would be preferable.
Defiant eyes snap back to mine. “Hit and run anyone else lately?”
“Hit and run?” I chuckle. “I didn’t hit and run you. I took accountability.”
“Yeah. After I dumped car parts into your lap, it was pretty hard to deny it any longer.”
Hell. This woman is full of restrained passion. She just needs someone to help her unleash it in a very controlled manner.
“Why haven’t you called about your car? Change your mind on whose fault it was?” I’m goading her, but Hot. Damn. The sparks firing from her are overly addictive.
“Oh, it was your fault, all right,” she snaps. “And I’ve been…busy.”
“Yes, I can imagine you have a very full schedule.” I sound more sarcastic than I intend, but the thought of her with other men makes me feel exactly the way I felt when I thought of Noah with her.
Her lips thin. She’s madder than a hornet. I’m harder than a two by four.
“Why are you here, Drive By?”
Drive By? I laugh at her feisty spirit. God, I want to kiss her. Feel her tongue sparring eagerly with mine. See if she tastes of rage and raw energy.
“I was under the impression you were agreeable to meeting with me.”
When Noah set this up, I insisted on three things.
One: it take place in Ms. Deveraux’s private home with her alone. There’s no way in hell I will be caught on film coming and going from her “business.”
Two: I meet with Ms. Deveraux in advance and work through the contractual details to my satisfaction. Let’s just say I now feel comfortable we have a mutual interest in keeping this arrangement buried deep.
And three: I be allowed to personally meet with “Summer” before she signs the contract. Surprisingly, that was the toughest piece to negotiate. Seems Ms. Deveraux is very protective of her, or maybe she’s that way with all of her employees.
Everything I have done to secure her has deviated from Ms. Deveraux’s normal course of business, but this situation is far from normal. It’s reckless at worst. Precarious at best.
“How did you find me?”
Sheer, dumb luck.
“I’m very resourceful.”
Her forehead creases. “This is a mistake.”
She turns to leave and I panic. True blistering panic sears through me at the thought she’s about to walk through that door and I may never see her again. I don’t know her real name. I don’t know how to contact her and if this meeting goes south, I know I won’t get anything further about her from Randi Deveraux. If she walks out on me now, I highly doubt she’ll give me the time of day when she finally does call Dane about her car.
I don’t know why I care that I spend the next few months with her and only her so damn much. I just do.
“Wait,” I plead.
She stops but doesn’t turn. I have no idea what possesses me, but I close the distance between us until I’m a whisper away. Our body heat plays off each other, growing hotter by the second.
“You haven’t even listened to my proposal,” I say against her ear.
Her breath kicks up. Good. She’s not unaffected by me, and that will play into my hand nicely.
“You can get someone else,” she replies softly, without conviction.
Drawing her long hair off her shoulder, I let my finger feather across her bare flesh. It’s soft and silky. She shivers. I suppress a moan. Fuck, I want her so much. It makes no sense.
“I don’t want anyone else,” I tell her truthfully, keeping my voice low.
“Why?” she breathes.
I don’t know why. I have no idea what it is about her that draws me in. I wish I did. I need to stop it. I should end this right now—look at a dozen other pictures and pick a woman whose very presence doesn’t twist me into knots and make me have thoughts I’ve never had before. Thoughts that make me uncomfortable. It’s unnerving.
But, fuck me. I can’t. There is just something different about this woman and I won’t rest until I find out what it is.
“Have a seat. Just hear me out. Please,” I tack on sincerely.
She stands motionless and I wonder what her next move will be. My hands curl into fists as I restrain myself from throwing her over my shoulder and hauling her to my house. I think she could benefit greatly from a hard hand and a red ass. I have a feeling she might even enjoy it.
When she floats effortlessly to one of the velvet-covered chairs, I release a veiled breath. Picking up the contract from the edge of Ms. Deveraux’s desk, I make myself comfortable across from her and place the paperwork on the table separating us. Her eyes drop to it but she makes no move to pick it up.
“So what’s your proposal, Mr. Knowles?”
“Mr. Knowles?”
“That’s your name, right? Dane Knowles. Wildemer & Company?”
Amused, I rest my elbows on my knees and grin at her. “No. Dane is my assistant. I told you to call him and he’d take care of the damage to your death box.”
“Death box?” She sounds offended.
“Do you know what the safety rating is on that little tin can you drive?” When she opens her mouth to respond, I talk over her. “Five point seven out of ten. You’re basically driving around in your own steel coffin.”
I expect a hot retort or for her to leave in a huff. What I don’t expect is a genuine, breathtaking smile that lights up her face like summer and makes my cock knock uncomfortably on my zipper in a futile attempt to reach her. My God, she’s trying to kill me already.
“Are you a walking Kelly Blue Book of safety ratings, Mr.…?”
“I have a vast array of useless Trivial Pursuit knowledge up here,” I retort with a smirk, finger pointing to my temple. I’ll never admit that I looked it up after our little accident. She could be seriously hurt in that ridiculous miniature box on wheels that somehow passes for a fucking car. Hell, had I hit her any harder, she would be in the hospital. “And I’m Shaw. Shaw Mercer.”
“Shaw Mercer,” she repeats slowly like she’s tasting my name for the first time. Savoring every consonant and every vowel. Fuck. I sit back and cross one leg over the other to hide my rock-hard erection.
“Any relation to Preston Mercer?”
I nod, impressed that she tied me back to my father instead of referring to me as one of Seattle’s most eligible bachelors. She’s intelligent and up on politics. I like that. Immensely. If you ask three-fourths of the residents of Seattle, they wouldn’t be able to tell you how many branches of government there are, something that’s taught in middle school, let alone who the mayor of Seattle is.
“So why is the mayor’s son…here?”
Her eyes are locked on mine, waiting on an answer.
When she swallows I follow the delicate line of her neck down to the swell of her breasts that peek out from the light pink strapless flowing dress she’s wearing like a fucking Greek goddess. One flick of my finger and I could find out the color of her areolas and the size of her nipples before I draw one into my mouth for a sample. My mouth waters at the thought.
The conversation that Ms. Deveraux and I had earlier about expectations sits hard in the pit of my stomach. On one hand, I was relieved to get confirmation she doesn’t sell herself, only her “time,” but now that I’m sitting here in front of her, I won’t rest until she lets me explore every square inch of not only her perfect body, but her complex mind. I want to know her like no one else has.
When our gazes connect again I’m sure mine is full of unmistakable heat. Hers definitely is.
She clears her throat and straightens her back. “I think you have the wrong idea about what it is I do.”
“I don’t,” I state plainly.
“I don’t sleep with my clients, Mr. Mercer.”
Oh, but you will. We both know our ingredients are explosive.
“Women would pay to have sex with me, not the other way around.”
She huffs a laugh as a wry look crosses her face. “Then what is it you need if not a good fuck?”
I chuckle and when I lean forward she straightens her spine. I love that even the simplest of movements I make in her direction affect her, just like she does to me. “Is that what I’ll be missing with you? A good fuck?” I won’t be missing a damn thing. She will be mine in every conceivable way. I know it and so does she.
“Not just good. Life altering,” she banters smoothly.
Now it’s my turn to smile slowly. What I wouldn’t give to throw her up against the wall and show her just what a life-altering fuck really is. For what seems like forever we stare at each other in some sort of weird silent challenge where we’re waiting to see what move the other will make.
Shaking myself out of her spell, I pick up the papers and hand them to her.
“What’s this?”
“Your employment contract.”
“All the paperwork is handled through Randi.”
“I want a little extra insurance.”
She quickly flips through the five-page document before lifting her eyes. “Nondisclosure agreement? This is sounding very fifty shades-ish. And just so you know, if I find any mention of hard limits or safe words, that’s a deal breaker.”
I can’t help but laugh loudly.
“I’m not kidding,” she says, her voice stern.
“Trust me, Goldilocks, if I could have gotten that past your warrior she-devil, I would have.”
Her eyes narrow, but I see a little twitch at the corner of her mouth so I forge ahead, making a mental note to invest in handcuffs and a flogger. Or six.
“The duration is for approximately the next four months. Ten hours a week, maybe more, maybe less, depending on my schedule. You may be required to travel and you will be available at all times when I need you, day or night. You will attend social events, fundraisers, business dinners, and family functions. You will be photographed and it’s only fair to warn you, you will likely be hounded by the press but I’ll try to shield you as much as possible.”
She regards me quietly. I wish I could tell what’s spinning around in that pretty little head of hers. A corner of my mouth tips when she says, “Reelection is just around the corner.”
Not a question and I don’t answer, but score another point for her.
For not the first time I wonder if this little plan of Noah’s will backfire, taking us all down in a curl of hot flames. She figured out what I was doing within two minutes. Lianna would be a far safer, more believable choice. But there’s also an undeniable, powerfully charged connection between us that will be hard for people to refute.
“And what is my role, specifically?”
Deciding I don’t care if this entire thing blows up in my face because that means I won’t get what I want—which is her—I stand and step around the table, holding out my hand.
When she tentatively sets hers in mine, I help her up and wrap one arm around her waist.
Pulling her close, I relish in the hitch of her breath. Cupping her cheek, I savor the baby-fine skin under the pad of my thumb. I take a deep breath, drinking in her delicately floral scent. She’s intoxicating and my head is already spinning.
“What are you doing?” she whispers, her small hands going to my chest.
Dipping my head, I trail my nose along her jaw, stopping so my lips brush her ear. “Making sure we have chemistry.”
She mutters a curse under her breath I know I’m not meant to hear before stuttering, “Wh…why?”
Fuck, if she only knew the dirty things running through my head right now.
“Because, my wide-eyed little pretty, you’re going to play my new love interest. My girlfriend. My serious girlfriend.” I emphasize the word so she understands what she’s getting herself into. I won’t pay her to be in my bed but that doesn’t mean she won’t end up there anyway.
“I…I haven’t agreed to anything yet.” Her breathlessness is testing me and she’s only about half an inch away from finding out exactly how much.
Walking into this meeting, I had already agreed to what I thought was a generous offer with her boss, madam, keeper, whatever she’s called. But after the last fifteen minutes, I’ve decided I will pay whatever it takes to have her. To own her. I think I would give away my own soul.
Framing her face with both hands now, I lean in until my mouth is a hairsbreadth from hers. Her eyes fall to my lips. I feel her wariness, but I also feel her hunger. She parts her lips and I watch with a deep ache in my groin as her tongue darts out to moisten them in anticipation of my kiss.
I restrain from slamming my mouth to hers, taking what I want. What she wants me to take, regardless of how she’s trying to refute me.
“But you will. Everyone has a price, Summer. What’s yours?”
About the Author:
As a USA Today Bestselling author, I write stories that are deeply emotional with flawed characters, because humans ARE flawed and if we read about perfect characters living in their perfect world, first of all, snoozer, but secondly, we never experience the gratification of redemption.
Outside of writing, I’m just a regular ol’ Midwest girl who likes Game of Thrones and am obsessed with Modern Family and The Goldbergs. I run, I eat, I run, I eat. It’s a vicous cycle. I love carbs, but there’s love-hate relationship with my ass and thighs. Mostly hate. I like a good cocktail (oh hell…who am I kidding? I love any cocktail). I’m a huge creature of habit, but I’ll tell you I’m flexible. I read every single day and if I don’t get a chance…watch the hell out. My iPad and me: BFFs. I’m direct and I make no apologies for it. I swear too much. I love alternative music and in my next life I want to be a bad-ass female rocker. I hate, hate, hate spiders, telemarketers, liver, acne, winter and loose hairs that fall down my shirt (don’t ask, it’s a thing).
USA Today Bestselling 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.
When and Why did you start to write?
I have always had an active imagination and enjoyed writing, but I did not get serious about being a published writer until a few years ago. I was taking a creative writing class as part of my Master degree and really loved what I wrote for my final project. As it turned out, so did my professor. It was the nudge I needed to pursue writing as a career.
What authors do you always read or suggest to others?
Lisa Kleypas, Myra Platt, Julie Johnstone, Johanna Lindsey, Christina McKnight, Suzan Tisdale… There are so many fabulous authors out there!
What is the most surprising thing you have found out with the writing process?
It will sound silly, but here goes! I am always surprised at how many new ideas pop into my head. When I first started I thought I would run out of ideas. The opposite has happened-I have so many fresh ideas that I doubt I will ever be able to write them all.
What are you working on now?
Enticed by Lady Elianna. It is Regency novella for the Regency Ever After box set releasing March 7, 2017 and the third book in my Fabled Love series. It will launch in the box set for three months and then be sold individually thereafter. Enticed by Lady Elianna is a Cinderella inspired story.
When writing are you a pantser or plotter?
I am a hybrid 🙂 All of my Ladies and Scoundrels books were pantserd-is that even a word? I think not! LOL. My Fabled Love books and Lady Archer’s Creed series have all been plotted. My other books have been written with a mixture of both styles of plotting.
Several of my books are available at B&N, Kobo, and iBooks, as well as, audible. You can find them by visiting my web site www.amandamariel.com and clicking your retailer of choice.
Hi! I’m Pauline Allan and I love to write about boys kissing boys. I live in Indiana, but my heart dwells in the heart of the South. I visit New Orleans a couple times a year to recharge my creative battery and eat some amazing food! I volunteer at the Pride Community Center in Spencer, Indiana where we champion diversity and all things fabulous. I love to meet and talk to readers and other writers and have a wicked, um…demented, sense of humor. I’m a special care nursery newborn nurse and you can always find me locked in my office listening to music and clicking away on the keyboard.
When and Why did you start to write?
I started writing at nine years old when I created a newspaper to feature the comings and goings of my family. I started writing short stories in junior high school and focused on the thriller/horror genre. College brought new experiences and in my sophomore year I wrote a full length ménage fantasy romance. In a spiral bound notebook! By hand! Then hung up my writing brain for a bit. I came back full force in 2012 with a book that was contracted with Loose Id. I’ve always used writing as therapy. My brain is a little crazy and if I don’t write…I can’t breathe.
What authors do you always read or suggest to others?
Edgar Allan Poe. He’s the master of romance. I know! That’s not right. He’s a horror writer. Yeah, I know, but his prose and poetry sing of lost loves and hearts steeped in sappy love affairs. I would also recommend Megan Hart, Lissa Matthews, Cara Bristol, Eli Easton, JA Rock, Charlotte Featherstone, Lisa Kleypas, Anyta Sunday, Charlotte Stein, and Mina Carter.
What is the most surprising thing you have found out with the writing process?
If you put yourself out there they will come. The readers are so overwhelmingly supportive!
What are you working on now?
The third book in The Tattered Social Club Series. Safeword is a MM BDSM book focused on Seth and Jordan. I’ve also started the first book in the Stars Collide Series. Broken Pieces is a MM Romance New Adult.
When writing are you a pantser or plotter?
I’m a plantser. So, I do both. I have a rough outline and the story changes as I write.
The grandson of an unconventional marquis and son of a notorious woman, Elijah Watson, Marquis of Ridgefeld, has spent most of his life outside of London. His atypical upbringing has left him longing for roots and a traditional family life, and he’s determined to live his life above reproach. When he meets Miss Samantha Pengarden, he believes he’s found the woman he wants to marry—except she has other far more sensual ideas for him.
Known throughout the ton as the illegitimate rebellious daughter of London’s disreputable Craven House Madame, Samantha has never had to face the world without her shy twin by her side—until now. Her sister’s marriage and the return of her blackguard father leaves her alone and adrift. When Elijah agrees to escort her to the town’s most infamous establishments, she thinks she’s finally found a man with a taste for scandal and a knowledge of matters of the flesh.
But she never counted on Elijah being so honorable. When Samantha is listed as the mistress of the Marquis of Ridgefeld in White’s betting book, her reputation is in ruins—and only Elijah can save her. Can two total opposites come together for a love certain to last a lifetime?
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
I must admit I was a huge fan of Jude and Simon’s book. So when I saw Jude’s sister, Sam, was next I couldn’t wait to see her settle down. She was the wilder of the two twins that is for sure.
When we meet Samantha, she is lost and lonely. Her sister and confidant is getting married and her slimly father decided to come into her life after abandoning her mother and them. Sam is a mess when she meets Elijah. She decides to use him as a distraction to her life and misery. Little does she know that Eli understand everything she is talking about because he too has lived through it.
When people get in the way of the couple, Eli is forced to leave but is still thinking about Sam. She is furious because yet again someone has let her down. When Eli returns to society, Sam is bound and determined to make him pay for hurting her.
As Sam pushes Eli further and further, he openly agrees because he is so in love with her he can’t not follow her through any scheme she as planned. When Eli makes a discover about Sam of the scandalous variety he goes a bit alpha in protecting her…who doesn’t like a hot alpha right!!??
The couple have a lot to overcome with Sam mainly afraid to admit her real feelings for Eli. Her heart is so guarded a few times I wanted to hit her over the head with a lady’s fan to get her to SEE Eli for the amazing and understand guy he was. The couple must overcome Sam’s new “reputation” and that of her mother Madam Sasha to try and see if a match is possible.
Follow the tour and #enter to #win one of 5 paperback copies of The Thief Steals Her Earl (Craven House Book One)
Christina McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her mother encouraged her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since.
Christina enjoys a quiet life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots of coffee. Oh, and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found writing, reading, or traveling the great state of California.
**Mature Content Warning** Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual content.
After the sudden death of his wife two years ago, Darren Griffin has finally found peace. He has a good life, good job, two daughters he’d do anything for, and a beautiful home on the beach.
Greer Monroe is grieving the loss of her father. It’s the final rung on the broken ladder that’s become her life—crappy job, no friends, and a cheating ex-boyfriend. At the insistence of her aunt, Greer decides to spend some time at her family’s beach house.
When the glee-filled sound of children’s laughter dances through the breeze, Greer finds herself smiling again. The neighbor girls are carefree, depicting a life Greer has only dreamed about. Husband, children, happiness—a family. And their father, Darren, he’s everything a woman could ever want.
But it is, of course, only a dream.
She can’t stay at Carolina Beach, no matter how much she adores Darren and his daughters. She has responsibilities at home, a mother who needs her. Where there’s love, there’s heartbreak, and she can’t go through that again. And she sure as hell won’t do that to those little girls.
But Darren isn’t letting her go that easily. It’s been so long since he’s felt this way for anyone. Greer is his missing piece, a piece he never thought he’d find.
Saying goodbye is hard, but sometimes starting over is even harder.
Only when they dare to dream again, will they ever dare to love.
So I have had the privileged to meet this amazing author and I have only read one book when she first published. Being a blogger it’s tough to start reading books one they are in the middle of a series so I have let a lot of her books go. When I saw she started a new series, I jumped. But seriously CA, hit me over the head girl for letting you slip so many books past me….
So our girl Greer….worst day EVER!! Her father dies unexpectant and she goes to seek comfort from her boyfriend to find him with one of his many ex conquests. After a few weeks of just walking numbly through life, her mom and aunt tell her to go. Go far far away to the family vacation home to regroup and re-center her life. Figure out what she wants/needs from life. The first day in her new reality she sees her dream…..a loving man with his 2 daughters. She can remember her life with her father and then remembers the hurt that she thought she might have that with her ex.
Darren sees the stranger and is curious about her as are his daughters. They want to know about the pretty princess that lives behind their house. The couple play some stalkery type stuff trying to learn about the other when Darren just kinda calls her out on it and they go out on a date.
Once the couple begin to date, the chemistry and connection is clear as day. They are both drawn to each other and his daughters love love love Greer as she is as much in love with them. As the book goes on, they know there is a time limit and theybegin to wonder what the other is feeling and what will happen WHEN her time ends at the beach house.
I liked the story and I loved the girls. I loved the girls talking to Greer’s ex on the phone. That scene cracked me up. I know some people will think this is an insta-love story and in a way it might be but they both have been through the same situation that their quick bond is legit to me at least. Also can I say Greer and Darren’s family scenes….HILARIOUS!!!!!
So yeah Smiley, I won’t be letting your books pass me by anymore!!
A little about me. Let’s see where to start.
I love HEA stories, as long as they come packing a little heat. I need some excitement, some angst, and moments that make me fan my face are always good too. I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true, it honestly doesn’t take much to make me happy. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are my very best friends, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my husband for sixteen years, and even though at times I want to beat him with a stick, I would never change the years we have had. We have learned and fallen, only to pick each other up, dust off the ache, and help each other make it right.
I am one of those authors that adore my fans. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write. I look forward to your feedback.
Be sure to follow me to stay up-to-date on all my upcoming releases.
We are THE TWINSIES… We love to read…We love to promote the authors we read… and we love to stir up TROUBLE… It's who we are and what we do
