Sunday, February 15, 2015

ELITE METAL: Eight-Novel Cohesive Military Romance Boxed Set

ELITE METAL: Eight-Novel Cohesive Military Romance Boxed Set

(Elite Warriors Book 1)

For decades the US Marines funded a top-secret unit known as Elite Recon. A deadly group of men and women sent to infiltrate dozens of countries completely undetected. Mission objectives so extreme casualties were not only probable, but expected.

The current batch of operatives had returned from hundreds of assignments unscathed…until one mission went horribly wrong. Several men lost their lives and the group disbanded. The remaining leathernecks were scattered in the wind with new identities.They were told to blend in. Be normal.Or face being forever silenced just like their fallen brothers.

Now, two years later, each living member of the group is kidnapped and given a chance to make things right. But this time they’re no longer under the thumb of Uncle Sam. A mysterious private backer who knows about their past has brought them back together. No longer are they forced to turn a blind eye to the lost and forsaken.
Duty is their salvation.

A new life. A new future…Elite Metal.

Bound by Steele - Jennifer Kacey and Anna Alexander
Chrome's Salvation - Jennifer Kacey
Adamantium's Roar - Anna Alexander
Pure Copper - Heather Long
Sterling's Seduction - Sabrina York
Platinum's Choice - Rebecca Royce
Mercury's Poison - Saranna DeWylde
Forged in Silver - Roxie Rivera

BUY THE BOX SET AT AMAZON   ***   BUY THE BOX SET AT ARe

Excerpt:

He was single.

She seemed single.

It wasn’t too long ago when he used to know how to actually talk to a woman to get her out of her panties, and he was pretty sure he could remember how to do that for the right person.

The chick slowly moving away from him, digging in her purse surely for her keys could definitely be the right person.

He wouldn’t know unless he actually cut the silent and deadly act and went and talked to her.

He turned on his heel, moving back toward her, and he picked up the pace to try to get to her before she got to her vehicle. The lights on an SUV blinked when she hit a button on her remote control.

The tiny prick on the back of his neck shot so much adrenaline into his system, all of his training came out in an explosion of instinct.

He swept his leg out behind him, dropping one of his attackers. But that was it. His brain kept telling his muscles to move but as if in slow motion he hit the ground.

Whatever drug pumping through his system was effective if not lethal.

Another masked man dressed all in black stepped next to him just as a van pulled up beside him.
No squealing tires. No sound at all. Pure silence surrounded him.

The door opened and two more men, dressed similarly piled out, lifting him into the confines of the unmarked vehicle. The first man grabbed his bag, which had fallen to the ground and flung it in next to him. He climbed in, shutting the door behind himself.

Chrome wanted to ask questions, he willed his mouth to move but he couldn’t get his lips, much less his vocal cords, to cooperate.

He’d had this drug before. His responses—he’d experienced them before.

His team had been chemically trained to resist the effects of most muscular paralyzers. In their line of work the government had spared no expense.

Most anyone else would have already been unconscious. But he fought just as he was trained to do.
The van moved but he couldn’t see anything but sky after they pulled out of the parking garage.
Another prick in his arm registered and he huffed out a breath. It was the only displeasure he could register before darkness sucked him under.

His eyes flicked open and closed as he tried to retain consciousness.

The crackle of a radio made its way past the fog trying to overtake him.

“Chrome secure. ETA thirteen hours.”

They found me.

Whatever torture was coming, whoever thought they could break him to get what they wanted… They were shit outta luck. He’d go to his grave before he talked. Resignation filled his mind.
He always knew his enemies would find him eventually. Or the government found someone fast enough to dispose of him.

They were quicker than he expected.

The sleeping face of the little girl, and the tear-stained eyes of the woman he’d wanted flashed in front of his eyelids.

He was glad they were the last people he’d ever see.

And no matter what was coming he’d be dead within a matter of days.

Thank God it’s finally over.

Relief settled deep inside.

Blackness seeped into his mind and for the first time, and hopefully the last …he didn’t fight it.

Friday, February 13, 2015

LOVE, LIES AND A BLOKE by April Fifer, Danielle Hylton-Outland

LOVE, LIES AND A BLOKE by April FiferDanielle Hylton-Outland

What do you do when you don’t know who you are…and the one you love doesn’t either?

Katherine Thomas is a lackluster kind of girl who refuses to bend the rules. Until one day she loses her job and is forced to re-evaluate her life. One trip to Australia changes her world forever. 

She meets Brody, a hot and steamy man—in uniform. What she thinks is a night of fun and little lies turns out to be much more. One thing leads to another and Katherine realizes she’s in love. 

When an unexpected turn of events reveals Katherine’s true story, she must fight to make Brody understand that her love is real. Will she find a way?

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   BUY IN KINDLE   ***   READ AN EXCERPT


Excerpt:

Copyright © April Fifer, Danielle Hylton-Outland 2015. All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Totally Bound Publishing.

“Next!” Katherine shouted from behind the outdated photo booth counter. “Please sit up straight and place your shoulders back.” Her voice carried through the building, and every time she spat out that same boring sentence it would be followed by a blinding flash from the camera bulb.

“Umm, can I at least smile?” the young girl asked, irritated and apparently over-confident just having earned her new license.

“No,” Katherine quickly said, then snapped the picture. The young girl stomped off speedily to what Katherine could only assume was the girl’s mother.

It’s a license, not a photo shoot, Katherine thought to herself. Katherine’s own license immediately popped into her head. Her chocolate-colored hair looked oily black and her deer-in-headlights look taunted her every time she had to display it.

Katherine Thomas was the photo taker, and she spent her entire day standing in the same spot and shouting out the same sentence over and over. She liked to call herself a ‘photo taker’ because ‘DMV photographer’ seemed a little overkill. There was nothing glorious about snapping people’s pictures on a camera that was older than her and having them come out looking like the customers were sunburned because the machine had too much red ink in it.

“Kathy… Kathy…” a man’s voice sang behind her.

Katherine rolled her eyes and finally turned to face her boss, Chuck. “My name is not Kathy,” she said through clenched teeth. He was a scumbag, and sleaze saturated every ounce of his aura. She could always feel him staring at her while she stood behind the photo booth.

When Chuck wasn’t treating her like she was an idiot, he was making sexual remarks to her. On two occasions, Katherine could have sworn he had brushed up against her ass on purpose. If she could have proven it, she probably would have nailed him square in the jaw.

“What do you want, Chuck?”

“I need to see you in my office,” he sputtered.

“What an asshole,” Katherine said under her breath. She motioned for Janice, her co-worker, to come take her place. Katherine and Janice had worked together for a couple of years. Janice was very beautiful and sweet in nature. Katherine wasn’t really friends with her per se, but she did like Janice. Katherine had always thought that she had the cutest shape and gorgeous red hair.

The line for the photos wrapped around the waiting room, and it was twenty minutes before closing. That’s how it always was. No one ever showed up in the middle of the day. It was invariably after four o’clock before the building would become overrun with human bodies everywhere.

Katherine made it to Chuck’s office, and he was sitting behind his twenty-year-old desk made of solid oak. A vision of her leaping over his desk and strangling him flashed through her mind. She quickly shook off the image.

“Yes, Chuck?” Katherine asked as she stood there.

“We are getting some complaints about your behavior,” Chuck said.

“By whom?” Katherine demanded then thought of the teenager earlier that had been one pout away from throwing a tantrum.

“By some of the customers. You never smile, and you seem irritated all the time,” Chuck went on.

That’s because I am, Katherine thought to herself, but remained silent.

“This is a customer service job. You need to be more welcoming.”

Chuck’s voice made Katherine cringe.

“Chuck… I stand behind a camera all day taking driver’s license photos. It’s an assembly line. There is no customer service! If I stopped every person and asked them their life story, we wouldn’t close before nine.”

“Sorry, Kathy. This is going to have to go in your review. I think you should take some time off and really think about what your future holds here at the DMV. I have scheduled for Janice to take your place for the rest of this week. You can go ahead and leave now, and we will see you back next week.”

A smile hinted across Chuck’s face, and the vision Katherine had earlier of strangling him popped back up in her mind. Katherine stared at him for a moment, knowing what was to come next.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

WHO CANNOT SEE by BA Tortuga




Blaze is on the run for being caught with another man, and the posse on his trail will never give up. Not that Blaze cares, half dead as he is from thirst and a near hanging.

Vampire Edmund is long past being interested in human affairs, but when he finds Blaze in his barn, he feels a deep connection that goes beyond sight. Can he save this young man and teach Blaze that their love is nothing to be ashamed of?

This story is also included in Eternally Dark Anthology.

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   BUY IN KINDLE   ***   READ THE EXCERPT


Excerpt:

Please, God. 

He’d done walked for days, hiding when he saw folks, knowing his mark of shame would be enough to send folks running for their rifles, and God knew he weren’t in no shape to outrun a bullet.
He’d done used up every ounce of luck he’d ever earned himself. 

Blaze Vernon swallowed, the fire in his throat bigger than the hunger that gnawed at him. Wasn’t going to be the hunger that killed him, though. No sir.

That was going to be the thirst. He’d managed a few drinks, the first days after the hanging rope broke on him, but not since. His throat was closed tighter than a nun’s business and the bubbling creek laughed at him, all that clean mountain water a taunt he couldn’t take in.

He leaned against a good-sized aspen, sucking air.

Three days he’d been up among the gray-barked trunks, the leaves shaking in the breeze and making him watch his back trail. He had a feeling he was going in circles. 

Maybe tonight would be the night he froze. He prayed it would be painless. 

The trees moaned, a heavy gust of wind signaling the coming night. The mountains got downright mean at dusk.

Please God. He just needed somewhere safe to sleep, pray that he could heal enough to drink, to have a bite of food. Then he could head for California. A man could begin again there, he heard.

Blaze staggered, then righted himself, hand on a tree trunk. He couldn’t stay right where he was, so he turned in a full circle, squinting into the gathering dark.

Whoa, now. Was that a light?

Okay. 

Okay. That was a tiny sliver of flickering fire. A lamp, perhaps.

He forced himself to follow it, to stumble forward, shamble along. His feet dragged through the fallen leaves, his toes cold from the holes in his boots.

There was a light. A house, even, although his eyes couldn’t believe the size of it. How had he not seen this before now? The place looked like a storybook castle, one his momma might have talked about from the old country, her Irish lilt dearly missed. 

Anything this size would have barns, outbuildings, yes? He stayed to the heaviest shelter of the trees, the snow beginning to fall as he searched. Yes. Hidden away behind the huge stone edifice were smaller, neatly kept outbuildings. A place to sleep. 

He crept across the clearing, staying low, nearly crawling as he wheezed and grunted each painful step out. His hands started to bleed, his skin so dry it began to crack. If he didn’t freeze, he’d blow away.

Please God, he prayed again. I just need to sleep.

The barn door opened when he tugged, the rollers well-oiled so no sound came from it. Hallelujah.
He closed the snow and the wind out, finding an empty stall, clean straw. He collapsed into it with a soft sob. The sound tore his throat, choking him a bit. 

Thank you, he thought. Better to die here than frozen in woods to not be found ‘til spring. He didn’t have the energy to dig into the straw or to try and find a blanket.

He wasn’t sure it would make a difference, anyhow. Death was a’comin’. It was just a matter of time.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

ENEMY LOVERS by Shelley Munro​

ENEMY LOVERS by Shelley Munro​ 

Love might be waiting in enemy territory…

Clare Chronicles, Book 2

When Dallas O’Grady’s attention is hooked by a sexy rear end bent over a flat tire, he naturally pulls over to help. Then he gets a look at her face and realizes she’s one of those Drummonds.

The Drummonds and the O’Gradys might both live in the town of Clare, but they’ve never played nice, not since a generations-old feud started over a cache of stolen gold nuggets.

Laura Drummond has fought long and hard to grip independence by the throat and avoid her mother’s bulldozing attempts to control her life. She’s always admired Dallas from afar, and she’s pleased to discover that up close, he’s gorgeous, sexy, and nothing like the monster her family has painted.

When the road home is blocked, she’s forced to accept his offer of a bed for the night. One thing leads to another, and soon burning hot-desire melts into thoughts of forging a permanent relationship—damn their families’ disapproval.

But the feud isn’t the only thing conspiring to keep the lovers apart. And the clock is ticking…

Warning: Contains lovers determined to challenge the status quo, lots of sexy times, and a feud that just might destroy all their hopes for a happy future.

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   READ THE EXCERPT

Excerpt:

Copyright © 2015 Shelley Munro
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

Whoa. Dallas O’Grady caught a glimpse of blonde hair seconds before the woman kicked her flat tire. She owned the sexiest arse he’d seen in months. Without another thought, he pulled his truck onto the shoulder and climbed out to offer assistance.

“Problem?”

“My brother is an idiot.” Her lyrical voice held the same crisp chill of the wind whistling across the Napier road. She turned, and he caught a friendly smile belying her words. “Thanks for stop— You!”

The smile skidded away.

Hard drops of rain fell on Dallas’s face, the sleeves of his brown leather jacket, as he eyeballed a very sexy, very grown-up Laura Drummond. His gaze shifted to the gray, washed out clouds, the sky building to dense black on the horizon, then to the rear tire on her late model sedan. “Fine, if you don’t want my help, I’ll be leaving.”

“No, please.” Her hand shot out to halt his retreat. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry you’re hobnobbing with the enemy?” He spelled out what they were both thinking. Their parents would issue horrendous battle cries if they witnessed this scene, saw the pair inhaling the same air, let alone engaging in something civil like a conversation.

She swept a strand of blonde hair away from her pink lips. “You’re not my enemy. I don’t know you.” She stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets, hunched her shoulders against the rain and stamped her feet. “Look, I’m grouchy. I have a flat. My brother borrowed my spare last week and told me he put it back. My phone is dead, and I’m not going to make Clare in time for my cousin’s hen party. My mother will make dolls in my image and stick pins in them.”

“My brother said there’s a slip partially blocking the road leading into the town, near the Shannon Pass. If it keeps raining, they might close the roads, if they haven’t already. You wouldn’t make it even if your car was drivable.”

“Yep, I’m screwed,” she said.

No, she wasn’t—not yet, but he’d love to take that thought to its logical conclusion. While their families might harbor long-standing grudges, his dick wasn’t sticking with the program. The skinny Laura Drummond from his vague school-day memories had grown into a classy woman. Her brown eyes glinted with intelligence while her mouth…

Dallas tore his gaze off her because his inappropriate thoughts bore repercussions. For one—a painful hard-on. And two, no way could he cozy up with the enemy.

He cleared his throat. “What do you want to do? I can give you a lift to Clare and hope we’ll make it past the slip, or I can ring for a breakdown truck.”

The rain was coming down harder now, icy crystal pellets pummeling his cheeks. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, worried it then nodded a decisive agreement.

“Let me grab my purse and overnight bag,” she said. “I’ll grab a ride and chance my luck. The slip might have been cleared already.”

Dallas told himself not to look, but when she bent over to retrieve her bag, his eyes zeroed in on her arse.

Down boy.

God, he hadn’t experienced this sort of reaction to a woman for a long time.

Shaking the lust away, he accepted her bag and stowed it behind the driver’s seat. He straightened, his mind leaping straight to her and sexual desire. Man, he was weak. Giving in to his libido, he watched her lock her sedan and splash through puddles to join him.

“You don’t resemble your sisters and brother.” They were dark-haired, her sisters both shorter than Laura.

“Nope, everyone says I’m the cuckoo in the nest.” She peeled off her wet raincoat and slid her long legs into his vehicle. “Ugh, it’s bucketing down out there. I’m lucky you came along.”

She was still talking when Dallas climbed behind the wheel. Nervous? He grunted, started his truck and pulled on to the road, trying to ignore the unpleasant sensation of water dripping down his neck.

“I take after my great-grandmother on my mother’s side. They say I’m her twin.”

Dallas nodded while his mind trotted back to the more pleasant occupation of imagining this woman naked and engaged with him in things carnal. A whoosh of heat replaced the chill of wet clothes.

“What are you going to do if the road is closed?” she asked.

“My cabin is on this side.”

“Oh.”

“Are you wondering what I’m going to do with you if the road is closed?”

“Please.” A strangled laugh emerged from her, tinged with a healthy dose of uncertainty. “I doubt you’d do away with me.”

“But you’re not too sure?” He set the window wipers to a faster speed and eased up on the accelerator, not taking his attention off the road. “I am one of those O’Gradys.”

“Positive.” She slanted him an ice-princess look, lifted that elegant nose just so. “I’m pretty sure you’re not hiding horns under your hair, although you might be concealing a tail. Even so, I’m confident I’ll get through this ordeal unscathed. I’ll grab a ride back to Napier. There’s bound to be someone heading to the city.”

Dallas barked out a laugh, amused at her sly humor lurking beneath the hauteur. She didn’t act like any Drummond he’d come into contact with in the past. He’d thought he might have consigned himself to an hour of chilly silence—more than an hour in these driving conditions. But she’d tossed his assumptions on their butt, and he found himself wanting to explore her mentally. Ditto the physical.

“What do you do for a job?” He shot her a quick glance, caught the wrinkling of her nose.

“My mother organized a place for me at a charity. I’m working for them at present, but I’d prefer a position with more challenge.”

“What sort of employment are you looking for?” Hearsay said Laura’s older sisters had never worked in their lives. They’d done the socialite thing, found rich husbands and married. They were now popping out a new generation of Drummonds to heap down hate on the O’Grady family.

“I enjoy organizing things, which makes me a natural in the administration field.”

“Are you good with computers?”

“Not bad. Any program I don’t know, I can learn. I’m a quick study.” Her chin lifted a fraction as if she expected him to challenge her statement.

Again, he found a smile pushing his lips for escape. He enjoyed a woman who surprised him. “If you weren’t a Drummond, I’d offer you a job.”

“What sort? What do you do?”

Again, not the reaction he’d expected. “My brothers and I own a couple of Irish bars in Napier, and I have several rental properties. It’s getting too much for me to handle the paperwork along with the day-to-day things.” The pub where he had his office wasn’t in the best part of town. Nah, he couldn’t see Laura slumming it at O’Grady’s. “We’re thinking of buying the old pub in Clare.”

“The one that closed down due to fire damage?”

“Yeah.” Dallas peered through the windshield, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Can I interview for the job?”

Dallas slowed even further until his truck crawled. Closer to the Shannon Pass, the rain slapped the windows, obliterated the scenery. What he could see of the sky was a sullen gray and lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a rumble of thunder. “You want to work in a pub? Maybe I should check you for horns and a tail. You have an impish sense of humor.”

“I’m not joking,” she said, and he felt the weight of her gaze. “But if you want to check me for devilish signs you go right ahead. I might enjoy it.”

Dallas opened his mouth, shut it again, risked a swift glance in her direction. A tiny grin played around her luscious lips. Oh yeah. She was pleased with herself. “I’m an O’Grady, sweetheart. I don’t possess the right bloodlines for you.”

“My parents want me to marry James Summerville.”

Another glance away from the road. Her big brown eyes held silent messages, and it took him an extended second to grasp the stray snippets of gossip and knit them together. His lips pursed in a silent whistle. “Isn’t he gay?”

“Yup, but James wants marriage. A… Sorry, you don’t want to hear about me.” Laura wiped a round circle on the passenger side window. A polite dismissal of the subject. “I don’t like the look of this rain. If anything it’s getting worse.”

“It’s not looking promising,” he agreed, deciding to let her get away with the change of topic. “Not wedding weather.”

“My cousin was set on an early spring wedding. Heck, I picture her stamping her foot and having a full-blown tantrum about the weather. She should’ve listened to the wedding planner. This time of year is always unpredictable.” Wily amusement colored her voice, and Dallas found his lips quirking. He fought the need to fall into a full-out smile of delight. If she’d been anyone else, he’d proposition her, offer her a cozy weekend of hot sex at his cabin.

But that wasn’t gonna happen.

She was a Drummond.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

ALL THAT MATTERS by Erin Nicholas

ALL THAT MATTERS by Erin Nicholas

The Billionaire Bargains, Book 3

Will Weston knows Emily Steele is too good for him. She's too good for any of the guys he knows-even if he does know an astonishing number of suave, handsome millionaires. But Emily's special. And he thought so even before he realized he had a little crush on his boss's niece.

Emily Steele would definitely consider herself intelligent and worldly. Born into privilege, she's been exposed to travel, culture and the best education. A billionaire's daughter, Emily is used to having everything she could ever need or want-cars, clothes, trips. But she isn't used to being single. When she decides she needs a break from her eight year relationship with the only boy she's ever even dated, Emily realizes she has a lot to learn. About the world and herself. And men. Definitely about men.

A friend's bachelorette party in New Orleans is the perfect place to get in touch with her inner vixen. Some drinking, dancing, flirting and fun seems like a great plan. Too bad she knows nothing about flirting. And has never actually met her inner vixen.

When Emily's uncle insists that his assistant, Will, accompany Emily to New Orleans, he knows it's not a good idea. The minute she was single, he suddenly became all too aware of how beautiful, charming and interesting she is. And that can only mean trouble. But when Emily offers Will's best friend a million dollars to be her date for the weekend instead, there is no way Will is staying behind.

Warning: Contains a woman with enough money to buy a date for a weekend in New Orleans, a guy who's never going to let that happen, a bachelorette party on Bourbon Street, hot sex to slow jazz and beignets... because there has to be beignets.

BUY THE eBOOK   ***   READ THE EXCERPT

Excerpt:

Copyright © 2015 Erin Nicholas
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ve been eating strawberry ice cream for eight years, and now I want to try something new, but I don’t think I should go straight for the double-fudge-brownie sundae with whipped cream and nuts. I need to start smaller—maybe a double scoop of white chocolate with some colored sprinkles or something.”

Will leaned on the counter top with one elbow and tried to be cool. He wanted to be patient, make her feel comfortable opening up to him, but there was a tension coiling in his gut, pushing him to figure this out. “Sorry, you’re going to have to spell it out more for me here.”

She looked annoyed. “Chad is the life preserver,” she said. “Now I’m swimming without him there to make me feel safe. I need to start swimming on my own, take some lessons, figure out what I can do and what I’m comfortable with, but I need to start in the shallow end. That’s Gus.”

Will studied her face, thinking back over her analogy. “Who are the big waves?”

She blushed.

“Me?” he asked, hoping it was him.

She nodded and the tension let go slightly.

Will felt his mouth stretch into a grin. “I’m the big waves, huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

He really liked that. Except… “Wait, you’re scared of the big waves?”

She focused on the water bottle again, pressing her lips together.

He reached out and picked the bottle up, bringing it up next to his face so she had to look at him.

“You’re scared of me, Emily?” He tried to say it gently, but he had to resist the urge to growl the question. He hated that idea. And he didn’t understand it. He’d never done anything to make her feel she couldn’t trust him.

Her blush deepened. She shook her head. “Not scared.”

He breathed.

“Intimidated maybe,” she said. “I’m just not sure I’m quite…ready for you.”

Ready for him. His imagination took that in all kinds of directions. Directions that, yeah, would probably intimidate her.

Okay, intimidation. He didn’t like that any better though. What had he done to make her feel anything less than comfortable around him?

But then he recalled something she’d said. “And who’s the double-fudge-brownie sundae?”

Double-fudge brownies weren’t scary. They were tempting. Maybe bad for you in some ways, but also very good in many ways. His heart started thumping. He was really hoping there wasn’t someone else that she was tempted by but not ready for. But it was him. He knew it was him.

She sighed, not looking intimidated at all. “You know it’s you. And Gus is the double scoop with colored sprinkles.”

Will started to reply, thought better of what he was going to say but then said it anyway. “Are we talking about sex here?”

Her gaze dropped to the counter top. “Kind of.”

Damn, they were talking about sex. And her being tempted but not ready for him. And her wanting Gus instead.

Will’s eyebrows slammed together. “So you’re asking Gus to be your date in New Orleans because you’re trying to start slow on the sex thing?”

There was no way in hell that Gus was having sex with Emily. No. Way.

She shook her head quickly. “Not sex. That’s why Gus is a good choice. I can relax with him, we can dance and flirt and stuff, but it won’t be more than that.” Suddenly, she straightened and frowned at Will. “You think I would pay Gus to have sex with me?”

He held his hands up. “I’m just trying to get on the same page here.”

“Not sex,” she said firmly. “That’s just it. I’m not ready for that.”

And a huge, tempting, horrible realization hit Will directly in the gut. She wasn’t ready for him.That meant she’d been thinking of him sexually. She wasn’t ready but that meant she’d considered it. That meant she’d been tempted by it. She was turning down the brownie sundae but that didn’t mean she didn’t want it.

Will pulled in a slow breath, trying to cool off.

“This will be the first guy I dance with or flirt with or even spend a lot of time with since Chad.”

“But you and I couldn’t dance and flirt and spend time together?” And in that moment, Will wanted all of that.

Her cheeks were still pink when she nodded.

“Because…” he prompted.

“I don’t think it would be just that.”

Heat hit him hard. She was attracted to him, tempted, had given it enough thought to decide that he was too much for her. Just the idea that Emily had contemplated what it would be like to be with him made him hot and bothered.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

SENSUAL DELIGHTS by Kate Richards



Hannah Prynne, proprietor of Sensual Delights, small-town purveyor of fine bath and body products has just about everything she needs to be happy. Her business is growing, as is her daughter, Pansy, and she’s achieving some success at regaining her family’s ancestral magic. Her single foray into romance ended with the guy bailing the second she learned she was pregnant. So she’s a little lonely. She’ll just avoid her sexy new neighbor and rely on her childhood friends. They may be far away but they always have her back.

Jerrin Stryder’s lineage reaches all the way back to Merlin, jet-setting wizards who have more money and magic than they know what to do with. And an attitude to match. In an effort to find real happiness, Jerrin takes on a “normal” magic-free life in a ramshackle fixer-upper…next door to Hannah, who isn’t quite the “normal” woman he thinks she is.

Can a witch with a desire for power and a wizard attempting to flee it find happiness in one another’s arms? The sparks are there, if they only let them burst into flame.



Excerpt:All her cookie club girlfriends had waxed enthusiastic at her description of the neighbor with his dark hair, dark eyes, and enticing body. And when she whispered the news that he was standing in the window, looking over at her house—while she sat in her nightgown, chatting with them—they encouraged her to stop chatting and wave him over.

The house had been vacant so long, she hadn’t even thought of anyone being able to see her from there—but she hadn’t moved or pulled the curtains.

Then he closed the blinds, and she breathed a sigh of relief and disappointment. Headed for the kitchen to make some jasmine tea.

I guess he went to bed. Flannel isn’t his thing.

She returned with her mug and froze. Half a dozen flimsy nighties and a thong lay scattered around the room. She broke into laughter, unable to stay pouty with such good friends.

Hannah lifted the tablet and tried to glower. “Who did this?”

As the girls chorused denial—at least one lying through her teeth—the thud of boots on the porch froze her mid-giggle. She tiptoed to peek through the peephole.

“He’s here, what should I do?”

One by one, her friends blinked out. They’d come back on and talk about her behind her back once she went offline. Bitches.

But they loved her, and they were right. A woman didn’t just ignore a handsome hunk who came to call—especially a woman five years out from her last sexual experience. Who ever said witches were sluts?

She opened the door.

“Jerrin?” Halfway down the steps, he spun to face her. “Hi, did you need something?” A quickie maybe? With her mind made up, her only concern was keeping things quiet enough to not wake Pansy.

“I saw your light on and thought maybe you couldn’t sleep either.”

Not quite ten o’clock. Sure, insomnia is rampant when only farmers are in bed.

“I was just chatting online with some friends.” She stepped back, clearing the doorway. “Would you like to come in? Have a cup of jasmine tea?”

“Sure, if it’s not too much trouble.” Whiskey scented his breath. But he didn’t stumble or slur his words. Maybe he’d just had a drink since he couldn’t sleep. Old man’s hours indeed.

“No trouble at all. I made a whole pot. Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll get you a cup.” She scooted into the kitchen, her heart beating fast. Easy to be brave, when the man in question was outside, but now that he stood in her living room, could she go through with it?

Not that he’d asked.

What if he did?

What if he didn’t?

Returning with the cup and a plate of non-spelled oatmeal bars—she’d need to get that chocolate milk when she drove Pansy to school—she found him in the middle of the room, facing away from her. “Don’t you want to sit down?” Hannah set the cookies on the coffee table and straightened.

Jerrin turned toward her and waved a hand toward the couch. “Where?”

In horror, she took in the furniture littered with skimpy lingerie. “Give me a minute.” She gathered the offending garments and took them into her bedroom, tossing them in a corner and pausing a moment to let the heat in her cheeks die down from a raging furnace. She considered changing clothes, not to one of the nighties—because her humiliation had killed any plans of seduction she’d held—but maybe to sweats. Deciding to brave it out, she smoothed her many-times-washed, comforting flannel and glided back into the living room.

Jerrin sat on the couch, arms stretched over the back. “Lingerie party?”

Her cheeks flooded with heat again. “Gag gifts from friends, I, uh…needed to put them away.”

Saturday, February 7, 2015

TIGERS LIKE IT HOT by Tianna Xander

TIGERS LIKE IT HOT by Tianna Xander

Caspian Cascade # 1

Who knew shape shifters exist and they adore curvy, full-figured women?
 
When Jessi decides to leave her home town for the second time, she and her best friend Kelly devise a plan. They’ve researched six different towns, they’ve drawn the orders of their visits from a hat and they’re determined to stick to the new path they’ve set out for themselves.
 
When Gareth and Mac set out in search of a mate, they didn’t expect company in the form of two unwanted tag-along friends, and they certainly didn’t expect their sort of well-laid plans to grind to a screeching halt in a town they had never even heard of before.

How did they all end up in the town dubbed Halloween town for the week when none of them had even planned to stop there for anything more than lunch?

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Excerpt:

“That’s it! I’ve had it.” Jessi snarled as she stalked into the apartment she shared with her best friend, Kelly. “I’ve had it. I am so out of here. Just watch how fast I’m outta here. Your head will spin.”

Throwing her purse on the couch, she stomped to the coat closet and pulled her suitcases out. One by one, she dragged them into her room and hefted them up onto the bed. After hoisting the last one up, she unzipped them and started pulling her dresser drawers out, which she unceremoniously dumped into the open bags.

“What’s the matter?” Kelly leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed, a little crease between her brows. “What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving. That’s what I’m doing.” Jessi waved her hand above her head. “I’ve had it up to here with Billy’s innuendo and Bobby’s pawing. Let them find some other girl to torment. I’m not taking it anymore.”

Tears burned her eyes as she thought about leaving home again. It wasn’t the town she would miss. It was Kelly who would fill her thoughts as she drove away, leaving this town in the dust for the last time. At least she wouldn’t leave Kelly penniless. She’d managed to invest her way into a sizable bank account over the years. While she had a larger bank account than Kelly’s, it wasn’t much larger. The money she’d saved and invested for them both over the time she’d lived and worked in the city, if they continued to invest it wisely, would last the rest of their lives.

“I should have known that I could never come home.” She dashed the tears away with the back of her hand. “Why can’t those jerks just leave me alone?”

For whatever reason, the people in town, mainly the guys she grew up with, wouldn’t forget her wild youth. They reminded Kelly of it constantly. What had made her think that she would be any different?

Every person in town was guilty of doing something they weren’t proud of doing when they were younger. Yet, they constantly reminded her that she wasn’t perfect, and she wasn’t wife material. She and Kelly were good enough to screw any man in town—not that they would do that anymore—but they drew the line at a one-night-stand. Apparently, the men in town had never made it into the modern world. They still held their women to different standards. Jessi hated that.

So what that she’d had low self-esteem when she was younger? What difference did it make that she had done the very thing that every man in town had done at one time or another in their adolescence.

“I just can’t take it anymore.” Jessi shook her head and sighed. A year was already too long to put up with that crap. “This time when I leave, I’m never coming back here.”

Jessi stared at the clothes haphazardly piled in her bags. Her shoulders drooped at the thought of losing her best friend, yet again. She turned to Kelly. “I’ll miss you.” Her voice cracked as she barely kept herself from bawling. She felt like she did fifteen years ago, all over again.

“No you won’t.”

“What do you mean, I won’t miss you? Of course, I will! You’re my best friend.” Did Kelly think she didn’t really care?

“You won’t miss me because…” Kelly paused, then grinned. “I’m going with you this time. If you think I’m going to let you leave me here again, you’re out of your cotton pickin’ mind.”

“B-but why would you leave your home, too?”

Kelly tilted her head and stared at her with a frown. “Do you think those asshats treat me any differently than they treat you?” She shook her head. “I’m sick to death of it, too.” She sat up, clapped her hands together and grinned. “I say we get the hell out of this little Podunk town and find a place where we can really live!” She headed for the doorway, presumably to go pack. “When does our adventure begin?”

Friday, February 6, 2015

RIDING SHOTGUN by Anne Kane

RIDING SHOTGUN by Anne Kane

Mercenaries 3

She was a genetic experiment that was never supposed to get out of the lab. If the government finds her, they will kill her without hesitation. She's a crack shot, though, and she's used to looking out for herself. Her affinity for all things mechanical helps her make a living on the underground street racing circuit, but it's a dangerous game, and lately things haven't been going so well.

Shotgun falls hard from the first time he meets her, and is determined to make her his own. When accidents keep plaguing Kalie's car, he gets suspicious and with the help of his mercenary buddies he is determined to find the source of the problem and keep his woman safe.

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Excerpt:Riding Shotgun (Mercenaries 3)
Anne Kane
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2014 Anne Kane

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

A subtle movement on the far ridge caught Shotgun's attention. It could be a deer on the far ridge, but he doubted it. Moving the scope of his rifle in a slow sweep, he searched for the cause. There. On the west slope. A faint flash as the late afternoon sun reflected off a metal surface.

He kept the rifle trained on the spot, his trigger finger itching, and sure enough, there she was. A sharpshooter. Her rifle looked suspiciously similar to his own, and she handled it like a pro. Her mistake had been not making sure all the shiny metal was covered up.

Her outfit blended well with the surrounding rocks and he had to give her credit for finding a good vantage point. She'd managed to position herself in a wide crack in between two large outcrops of rock. Her back was protected by a sheer wall of granite. An irregular jumble of boulders in front of her gave her numerous places to rest the barrel of her rifle.

He recognized her from the portfolio Brice had shown them of the Lost Children. Kalie. Her riotous mop of long dark curls was held back behind a wide hairband, and the camo outfit she wore covered her deliciously ripe curves. He was too far away to see if her eyes really were as dark and sensual as they looked in her picture, but he was sure it was Kalie.

Her undivided attention was on the gathering in the clearing below. That would be her second mistake. Just because you're hunting, doesn't mean you aren't also being hunted. As he glanced around, gauging the distance between them and the amount of cover available, he felt the corner of his mouth lift in a slow grin.

Nothing like a bit of a challenge to liven up the evening.

* * *

The man came out of nowhere. Jerking her rifle out of her hands, he flipped her over and slammed her body into the ground. The breath whooshed out of her in one long exhale as he pinned her to the ground with his superior weight. Instinctively, she tried to bring her knee up to fend him off.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, little girl." His voice was low, a thread of humor running through it as he blocked the move with a casual flick of his leg. He could afford to be amused. He was planted firmly on top of her, and her rifle was no longer snugged comfortingly against her chin. She eyed up the distance to the weapon. Too far.

A fierce anger enveloped her, fueled by an unfamiliar feeling of helplessness. No one snuck up on her like that. No one. Taking a deep breath, she forced her body to relax. She could get out of this. If he thought she'd given up, he'd let his guard down.

"Who are you?" She spat the words out between clenched teeth, betraying her fury. So much for letting him think she'd given up.

"Name's Shotgun, Kalie. I'm with Saralyn down there, and her new beau. Just kind of keeping an eye on the situation when I noticed you over here. I don't like people watching my friends through the scope of a rifle."

"Really?" He knew her name. Shit. He probably knew about the other girls as well. Her sisters. That couldn't be good. She needed to neutralize him quickly and let them know they'd been found out. She shifted her weight, as if trying to get more comfortable. "Well, I don't like people skulking around watching my friends either, so I guess we're even. Would you mind getting off me? You're heavy."

"Not quite yet." He somehow managed to transfer both of her wrists to one hand. Raising his other arm, he spoke into the comm unit strapped around his wrist. "I got some action up here, Sarge. Little girl, with a big gun. Name of Kalie. Says she's watching point for the others. You want to verify that?"

"Should have expected something like this." Sarge's voice crackled over the unit. "I'll have Jackson check with the girls. Bring her on down, and we'll see if her story checks out."

"Roger that. Be down in a few."

Shotgun looked down at her. He was a big man. Big and hard. His face was all hard angles and planes, with a faint scar running down one side of his temple. She could feel hard muscles pressing into every inch of her. There wasn't a single soft spot on his entire body. Was he enhanced? One of the soldiers they'd fed those experimental drugs to during the provincial wars? That would explain how he'd managed to sneak up on her without her hearing him.

As she watched, a mischievous light danced in the depths of his eyes. He certainly didn't seem to think she was much of a threat. Maybe she could use that to her advantage "Looks like we're going to join the party. Up you get." He surged to his feet with an innate grace that told her he'd kept up his training after the wars. Holding out a hand to help her up, he still managed to keep that rifle pointed directly at her.

"Fine. Let's get moving." She ignored the outstretched hand and stood. "Can I have my rifle back now, please?"

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