Book Tour, Dark Romance, Suspense

Book Tour/Giveaway

Title: The Devious King
Series: The Hale Mafia Book One
Author: BL Mute
Genre: Dark Suspenseful Romance
Release Date: June 26, 2020

“Be ready to have a new book boyfriend in Teddy. That man is hot! The suspense in this book is a killer!” ~Cassie’s Book Addicts

 

“IT WAS WONDERFUL! Over the top great mafia story with lots of intrigue and a murder mystery and a secret cartel. I couldn’t get enough.” ~Beyond the Covers Blog

 

“Devious King is a dark, suspenseful mafia romance that keeps you thoroughly engrossed from start to finish.” ~Kerri’s Reading Corner

“My kingdom isn’t one you find in fairy tales. Instead, it’s built on corruption, lies, and murder.”
Charlie 
Raised by the chief of police, I knew tangling with the mafia leader of Northridge Heights was a bad idea. Yet as I gazed into his dark eyes, I couldn’t resist Teddy’s offer. We made a deal. He helps me find my fathers murderer, and I’ll stand by his side as paid protection. But nothing could protect my heart—from him. I saw a side of him few ever do, and it left me aching for him. Now, there’s a new deal. Stand by his side and reign as his queen. Am I ready to join the seedy underbelly of mafia life, knowing one among them murdered my father? 
Teddy 
When I made the chief of police a deal, I never knew he had a daughter. After his death, I felt compelled to watch over her and keep her safe. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love. But helping her fit into my world wouldn’t be easy. She had to be trained. Groomed. Educated. To my great relief, my beautiful Charlie exceeded my wildest expectations. Still, I live in fear that if the secrets I’ve kept come to light, my queen will become my enemy.
 
 
 
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Excerpt, MM Romance, Release Tour

🏳️‍🌈Release Tour/Excerpt

Title: A Sweet Man

Series: The Men of Halfway House
Author: Jaime Reese
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance (stand alone)
Release Date: June 16, 2020

 

 

 

Two men. One sweet dream of family and forever.

 

Gabriel “Bull” del Toro loves his fast-paced globe-trotting job, but aches for an honest relationship and the trust that comes with it. After a few too many heartbreaks, he’s nearly given up hope of finding that special someone.
Until Ben.
Born deaf, Ben is used to working twice as hard for what he wants, but risking a newfound friendship on an impossible dream is scary. After all, there’s one lesson he’s learned: everything is temporary—freedom, friends, even family.
Neither man expects the undeniable spark between them or for every moment together to fuel that connection. For the first time, a happily ever after is within reach, but they must trust that the dream of acceptance, family, and a place to call home is more than a sweet fantasy.
It can be forever.
————
A Sweet Man is an interconnected standalone within The Men of Halfway House series. It is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and never giving up on a dream. It includes wounded hearts, an age-gap romance, and enough cake and sweetness to give you a toothache.

 

 

Chapter 1

 

Mid-January

 

Ben ran into the bedroom and swung the door shut. He leaned back against the door, gasping each breath while clutching the cell phone to his chest. Seconds. It was all he had before that bastard came barging in to take what he wanted.
Pushing off the door, he leapt over his still packed duffle bag sitting on the floor and wedged his body in the narrow space behind the bed. He grabbed the edge of the bed frame and pushed.
Damn bed wasn’t moving.
He gritted his teeth and pushed harder, finally shoving the bed on its rusty wheels across the carpeted floor. With the bed bumped up against the door, he had a moment of reprieve to take a deep breath.
His eyes burned as he stared at the door and a memory flashed in his mind.
Once his parole had been granted, Sam had asked him to make a simple decision: Halfway House or this place.
Another stupid decision made.
He glanced around the room—at the peeling paint, dirty carpet, and iron bars on the windows. This place wasn’t Halfway House. Both houses were in Miami-Dade County and about an hour apart, but there was a world of distance between them.
Climbing onto the mattress, he knee-walked toward the foot of the bed. Carefully, he inched closer and flattened his hand against the worn faux wood. One pounding thump against the door vibrated against his palm.
Then another and another, each harder than the one before.
He gasped when the mattress shook beneath his knees.
A punch from Jake would cause some damage—he had a pulsing black eye to prove that.
He pulled his hand away. Even though he couldn’t hear it, he imagined each strike came with an accompanying yell. Maybe even a curse. Or two. He crab-walked backward, away from the door now visibly moving with each strike.
He retreated to the wall, keeping his eyes trained on the single point of entry in front of him. First day at the new halfway house and he already had to deal with bullies.
If he were at HH, things would be so different. The house owners would never allow violence under their roof. Julian would have swooped in like some super ninja and caught Jake’s fist midair.
Ben leaned back against the wall and slid down until his ass hit the dirty carpeted floor. He tightened his grip on the cell phone in his hand. The punch to the face had been a small price to pay if he still had his phone.
Correction… His lifeline.
Now he realized why Sam had to gain special permission for him to have one. Every place had different rules and having a cell phone was a violation of this house’s rules. That detail hadn’t clicked until two other residents had practically salivated at the sight of his phone when he had pulled it out from his back pocket to view the incoming text message. Like a pack of wolves, another resident had joined in. In true alpha form, Jake had pushed the three of them aside and taken the lead, delivering a punch to the side of Ben’s face that had shoved him to the ground.
They had expected him to quiver, give in, huddle into a ball or surrender his phone. They hadn’t counted on him tightening the grip on his lifeline or his speedy escape.
He banged his head back against the wall.
Bump, bump, bump.
He was tired of life kicking him in the nuts.
Tired of second-guessing every damn thing he did.
Tired of how he kept making the wrong decisions.
Five years ago, he had trusted the wrong people. Friends had used him as a scapegoat and that had resulted in a grand theft charge. The judge had shown him mercy during sentencing, splitting his time—twelve months in jail and four years on probation.
With the jail time completed, he had ended up at Halfway House while transitioning into his probation term. He had been on the right path afterward for almost two years. He had reconnected with his sister and had moved in with her. He had secured a steady job, working with Shaw. 
Until the day he had gotten into a friend’s car during his lunch break.
He hadn’t known the car was stolen. He couldn’t have guessed that one choice would have resulted in a probation violation that would send him to a state prison to complete the remaining two years of his sentence.  
He screwed his eyes shut, instantly wincing at the pain of his swelling eye.
He missed Julian and his partner, Matt. He missed Ryan and Shaw, the friends he had made during his stay at Halfway House. But he was too embarrassed to see any of them. Regardless of how many times he had analyzed the situation in his mind, it was his bad decision that had landed him in prison.
He wrapped his arms around his midsection. Times like these, he sought the comfort of his plush bunny. He wasn’t a kid anymore, but the worn plush rabbit was stuffed with family memories. Frayed and patched together like the sole survivor of a zombie experiment, the plush toy was likely lost, just like he felt. Or maybe someone had found it and discarded it with a cringe at its horror-movie-like appearance. It wouldn’t surprise him.
Everything was temporary.
His parents, the few people he thought were friends while growing up. The revolving door of families over the years.
His relationship with his sister.
He leaned his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling, fighting back the tears. She had warned him to stay out of trouble. He hadn’t even had a chance to apologize to her before getting hauled away. He had burned that bridge. More like annihilated it with C4 for good measure.
After that, nothing had mattered. He didn’t care to see anyone else, even though Shaw had tried to visit him several times.
The sting in his eyes reappeared. He needed to look ahead and deal with this current situation. He shouldn’t have resisted Sam’s insistence on returning to Halfway House. But the thought of seeing the disappointment in Julian’s pale green eyes, or his partner’s sad smile, tore through Ben’s heart. He couldn’t risk disillusioning every person who might care. Matt would take Ben’s failure personally. And Julian would console his partner and share that pain.
He couldn’t do that to them.
The phone in his hand vibrated, pulling him from his thoughts. He swiped at the screen, blinking a few times. His heartbeat quickened as panic set in. His vision was a little fuzzy. Dammit. The black eye was going to be a problem. He needed the clarity. Otherwise, he’d have trouble reading text messages and other people’s lips. He pulled the phone closer and farther away, hoping to pinpoint a spot in his line of sight that would make the display clearer to read the new text message.
You didn’t respond. You ALWAYS respond. I’m on my way.
The knot in his chest lessened reading Sam’s words. His reintegration officer hadn’t given up on him after dropping him off at this nightmare of a house a few hours ago. He glanced up at the door when the bed shifted. Jake was pissed—pissed enough to hit the door hard enough to move the bed on the carpet.
He had to get out of here. Now.
He quickly texted a reply. I can’t stay here. His attention snapped up when the bed shifted again. He kicked out his feet and pushed them against the bed frame, hoping to add some additional resistance until Jake tired himself out. Please hurry, he wrote in another text before Sam had a chance to respond.
Life hadn’t been kind, but he managed the best he could, always trying to find the good in others.
But the people outside that door, in this place…there was no good here to find.
Ben closed his eyes and held his phone close to his chest, willing Sam to respond. He gasped when the phone vibrated moments later. He blinked a few times, focusing his vision, and releasing a shaky breath at Sam’s reply.
I’ll be there soon. I called Aidan. He’s on his way.
Ben’s shoulders slumped. Relief or embarrassment, he wasn’t sure. He battled with the nagging tug in the back of his mind, worried about seeing the detective again, the one who had taken the time to help Ben reconnect with his sister after so many years.
But he’d take the embarrassment. Aidan was the only man who could likely stop Jake with a simple glare, and make a few phone calls to push Sam’s request through the system to move Ben elsewhere. Right now, he’d take the rescue any way he could get it. Welcomed it with open arms, even if he needed to beg or subject himself to a reprimanding lecture.
He wouldn’t survive here.
They would eventually take his phone and wouldn’t care about the damage they left in their wake. A black eye could easily lead to a broken arm or hand if he continued to resist. Without his phone or use of his hands, he wouldn’t be able to communicate in the hearing world. 
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. 
After leaving his childhood home, there had only been one place where he had felt safe.
Right now, that was exactly where he needed to be.
He just hoped Sam arrived in time to take him there.

 

Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

 

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Excerpt, Free Love, New Release, Romance

New Release/Excerpt


Title: Lotus Empowered
Author: Clairissa Sinclair
Genre: Romance
Release Date: June 20, 2020

The lights went out.

 

 
It wasn’t your run of the mill blackout. It was the final step in a series of carefully orchestrated occurrences that crashed communication satellites, GPS, internet connections and anything containing a computer chip. In just a few days all of the conveniences that modern society relied upon to get through life were gone and the world was thrust backward in time inciting a power struggle of epic proportions.
 
Lotus McClean found herself stranded in the mountains of Virginia when the world went black. When everyone around her panicked, Lotus knew what needed to be done. After all, she grew up completely off the grid, on the family farm where free-love was the norm and marajuana was the cash crop.
 
Standing strong on her own, loneliness and vulnerability keep her away from people and in the safety of the old Mountain Inn that she calls home. Three very different men from different walks of life seek refuge in the motel and in her bed.
 
Can they survive and thrive in a harsh new world?
 
Warning: This book is intended for mature readers over the age of 18. It includes intense sexual situations, including MMFM and MM relations, adult language and violence.
 

I was truly alone. 

 

 

 

Day after day, I worked my ass from sun up until sundown, at almost a frantic pace, making sure I had the supplies in that I would need to survive another winter. Slowing down wasn’t an option. In the rare moments that I did sit down to relax and just breathe, it was too quiet. I found my thoughts wandering back to the farm and the flutter of activity, especially when we were preparing for winter. I had a tribe then. I had friends and family that I could rely on when I needed them. Now I just have me.
 
Night after night, I curled up, alone, under Shirlee’s patchwork quilt. Alone. All alone. It was eating me alive. I’ve read every book in the house and played hundreds of games of solitaire with the dog-eared Bicycle playing cards. I have given every animal on the property a name and a cartoon character-ish voice, and I talk to them while I’m feeding and cleaning up their pens. I spend my nights twisting cord and weaving baskets by candlelight, but the silence is deafening. I long for human contact. Some nights my skin aches for the touch of a man.
 

 

Four weeks into my solo life on the mountain, the need for human contact got the best of me. Despite the dangers, I found myself going into town for Swap Meet Sunday out of pure loneliness more than the need for anything in particular. I swapped one of Ozzy and Harriet’s kids for six more chickens and some heirloom tomato seeds and half a jar of instant coffee. I traded water filtration drops for a big bunch of sweet red beets and a pair of night-vision goggles for a bushel of peaches. The woman who made delicious goat cheese was always willing to swap for wine.

 

 
The atmosphere in town has changed somewhat for the better. The Sheriff and his men have things under control, at least by the light of day. The laws are upheld with an iron fist now, and violators are subject to pay the ultimate price for their crimes. Thieves and looters are shot on sight, and their names posted on the old community bulletin board at the entrance to the park, along with “missing person” notices. The board has also become a place for drifters to pin notes and letters that they’ve carried from other towns since there is no other organized mail system. I find nothing there with my name on it, which plunges me just a wee bit deeper into depression. I was hoping to at least hear that Pete and Shirlee had made it safely to Pasco.
 
There’s a curfew now. No one is allowed on the streets after dark except for Sunday nights, where the church hosts bible study and a barn dance. Violators are shot, Monday through Saturday, but the law in these parts are a religious crew, I suppose, and they make the one-night a week exception in the Lord’s name.
 
Pete and Shirlee had been gone for another six weeks or so when I broke down and made the long walk towards town again. I swore I wouldn’t, I told myself that I was safer on my own, but the loneliness was overwhelming. I was hoping for news of my friends and desperate for companionship. Again, there was no news on the community bulletin board. I checked and rechecked three times. The only new information was the names of eight more citizens that killed in the process of committing crimes on the shame wall.
 
Today, I finally let the nice church ladies talk me into sticking around for the sundown barn dance. “You need to meet a nice young man, Miss Lotus.” The sweet grey-haired granny declared. 
 
“It’s not safe to be up there on the mountain by yourself.” Her equally ancient friend insisted. I smile and nod, but I doubt it will measure up to dancing naked around a blazing fire like in my youth, but at least I won’t be alone tonight.
 
I cleaned myself up in the powder room of the church hall. Removing my plaid flannel shirt and stuffing it into my backpack, I left on a black wife beater with my jeans and combat boots. I washed the dust and sweat from my face in the basin and combed out my hair. Braiding it tightly, I pulled a few strands loose and let them fall on the sides of my face. A quick whore bath and fresh deodorant completed my dance look. 
 
The celebratory atmosphere reminded me just a bit of the ranch, minus the constant presence of marijuana smoke and, of course, the nudity. It didn’t take long for me to relax and enjoy the night. A classic country band was composed of half a dozen guys from age eighteen to about eighty that played a variety of string instruments, drums, spoons, and a washboard. They took turns singing lead and were off-key more than on, but the music was still a welcome relief from silence. It was wonderful to be around other people. I struck up a few conversations with the cheese lady and some of the locals. Mostly we talked about canning recipes, gardening, and edible plants.
 
There were more men than women present, perhaps as many as three to one. The ladies got quite a heavy work out on the dance floor. It was probably about eight o’clock, and I’d already received two marriage proposals and more cheesy pickup lines than I could handle. The preacher had a flask of rum in his jacket and offered me a swig after a rollicking two-step to a Garth Brooks song. It didn’t escape my attention that he was looking down my shirt when he gave me a few more. I’m not much of a drinker. Just a few little sips and I was feeling no pain.
 
Even the sheriff was starting to look good. He looked dignified and sexy in his khaki uniform, hat, and gold six point star pinned to his muscular chest, while pacing the room, on the prowl for trouble makers. Unfortunately, he’s married. She’s very pregnant and hovers next to him the entire night, scowling at any ladies that get too close to her man. That and the fact that he’s an enormous douchebag took him off of my list of possible partners.
 
My current dance partner is a twenty-something-year-old farmer with a dimple in his chin. He’s young and handsome and virile and has enormous calloused working man’s hands, and he’s wearing skin-tight faded Levis that make me want to sink my teeth into his tight little ass. It’s such a shame when he opens his mouth because he was perfect until he spoke, “I’ve seen you at the swap meet, you know.” 
 
“Oh, really?” I respond, curious to see where this conversation is going. 
 
“Yup. I told my friend Bobby over there.” He pointed to his similarly dressed friend who smiled and winked at us before he continued, “That I’d eat you good. You seem like a woman that knows how to take care of her pussy. Nothing worse than dirty pussy. I bet you still shave.” He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Most women stopped shaving their poontang when the lights went out.” Fuck. Ew. Revolting! Not happening. Hottie McFarmer has successfully obliterated any sexual fantasy from my dirty mind. I need a good man and not a horny boy. 
 
“I need to use the ladies’ room.” I excuse myself leaving the good looking redneck in the middle of the dance floor, all alone.
 
I don’t even know how to respond to that comment. On the bright side, I suppose that it’s a good thing that I present myself in a manner that clearly says, “I wash my crotch.” The entire conversation cracks me up, and I’m still giggling to myself when I slam the door of the wooden outhouse behind the hall and head back inside towards the music. 
 
“Hey, pretty lady. How about a dance.” 
 
There were three of them. All older men, maybe in their forties and up with greasy hair and tobacco-stained teeth. They could have been younger and just aged by hard-living and homemade crystal meth. It’s tough to say for sure. Regardless, they were all wearing jackets with rebel flags on them like some kind of semi-geriatric street gang. I have no idea where they came from because I completely let my guard down. Fear, I found out, sobered me up faster than a pot of Maxwell House.
 
“Maybe later.” I said calmly, trying my best to sound braver than I was feeling, “I left my friend on the dance floor. I need to get back inside.” I tried to slip between them, but they blocked me in between their sweaty bodies and the outhouse. 
 
“Nah baby, you don’t need to go back in there with the Jesus crew. We can have our own little party out here. You can be the guest of honor.” He ran his fingers up my arm and grabbed my braid, bringing the tip of it to his nose and inhaling deeply. 
 
The one that I assumed to be the senior member by his grey hair and deep wrinkles grabbed a handful of my ass and squeezed hard enough to take my breath away. Bile rose in my throat. “Be nice to us, and we’ll be nice to you, lady.” He hissed in my ear. He planted a wet, slurpy kiss to my neck that made my skin crawl. The smell of tooth rot and tobacco filled my nose, and his fingers dug into my arms, leaving hand-shaped bruises. 
 
Panicking, I twisted and fought with everything inside of me. My black hiking boot made contact with the older man’s kneecap, which only succeeded in pissing him off even more. He wrapped one arm around my neck, capturing my throat in the crook of his arm. “Keep fighting, girl. It makes it all the sweeter.” He growled. Gasping for air, I wasn’t able to push enough from my lungs to form a scream. My nails clawed at his forearms, drawing blood and leaving long red lines. Another pair of hands grabbed a handful of my breasts and twisted them painfully, while yet more hands gripped my ankles and tried to subdue me from any further counter-attack. 
 
I sank my teeth into the hand closest to my mouth and clamped down, which earned me a sharp backhand and a dirty bandana stuffed in my mouth, “This one has a little too much sass. Get her pants down, boys. I’m gonna teach this little cunt some manners.” Slightly dazed from the bitch smack, and completely under their control, I felt a cold rush of air on my thighs and the scrape of denim over my bottom. I heard the jingle of his belt buckle, and I knew what was coming next. My blood ran ice cold through my veins.
 
A fresh wave of adrenaline surged through my body and twisted my wrists free. I wasn’t going to lie there and let it happen. I was going down fighting. Growling with pure hatred, I swung my fist with every ounce of strength I had, but the younger man quickly caught my hand before my knuckles made contact with his grinning face. The leader of the pack laughed at my feeble attempt to fight them off and dropped his pants to the ground. Standing over me, he hocks up a loogie into his mouth and spits into the palm of his hand. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he rubbed his semi flaccid penis, “Hold her open for me, Clint. Gotta make sure the pussy isn’t diseased.” 
 
His friend cackled, “You’d fuck it if you had to chip off the scabs.” I closed my eyes and squeezed them tight, like it would keep out the horror that was coming my way, and swallowed down the bile that was rising in my esophagus.
 
My attacker dropped to his knees, which pressed into my thighs, holding them open for his assault. The brown juice from the gob of chew in his mouth dribbled down his beard and landed on my face. I wanted to shut my brain off from everything that was happening to my body. I tried to block out my rape by visualizing the ranch and pretending I was there.
 
The heavy metallic click of a bullet being chambered in a very large caliber handgun brought me back into the here and now, “I don’t think the lady is interested. Hands off boys.” 
 
It wasn’t the sheriff, but one of his sworn deputies that had instantly become my hero. All three men put their hands up, and I darted out of their grip and hid behind the officer’s legs, spitting out the dirty bandana and struggling to fill my lungs with clean fresh air. “Are you ok?” He asked me, looking down on me. I nodded quickly because I was still shaking uncontrollably and too stunned to use my words. My heart was threatening to hammer it’s way out of my chest, and I struggled for control.
 
“Run along now, boys. And stay away from the lady, or I’ll shoot you myself.” They grumbled and bitched under their breath while they walked away in the direction of Main Street. I know I heard, “asshole cop” and, “motherfucker ruined our fun”. 
 
When words finally formed, I was outraged. “Aren’t you going to arrest them?” I panted, “They were about to rape me.” I realized that I still had a death grip on the pantleg of his neatly pressed uniform and forced myself to let go. My jeans were tangled and twisted. Brushing the grass and twigs out of them, I pulled them up over my ass with shaking hands. Deep breaths. I kept telling myself. Just take deep breaths and get a grip. I struggled to calm myself as the adrenaline wore off. 
 
“Can’t. I’m Emory, by the way. Deputy Emory Lang.” 
 
“Lotus McClean. You’re not going to arrest them?” Anger, shock and disbelief, or some lethal combination of all three surged through my system. 
 
Even more annoying is Deputy Lang’s blase attitude, “Ha, well, I would, but there’s no room at the jail right now. Can’t arrest anyone on an, “attempted” anything anymore. Sheriff’s rule. Has to be an actual crime. You don’t live in town, do you?” I still can’t stop my hands from trembling enough to button and zip my fucking jeans but at least my ass is covered. I take a few more deep breaths and try to pull myself together. 
 
Emory offers me a hand, which I take and he pulls me to my feet. Eye to eye, I get a good look at him. He’s not a bad looking man. A little skinny for my taste but not hard on the eyes. He has a weak chin. I never really knew what that meant before, but now I understand completely. I’m still pissed off. Maybe even more pissed off that those assholes are just going to walk away. “Un-fucking-believeable. So if you were a minute later, and one of them stuck their dick inside of me, then they would be arrested? And no, I don’t live in town!”,I intentionally answer vaguely. 
 
He picked a dried up leaf out of my hair, “I know it sounds bad, but we only have three cells and they are full. If it makes you feel any better, I probably would have just shot him if he stuck his dick in you.” He winked at me, like it was our little secret joke or something. He fucking winked! I’m sure he would have shot the guy. Law Enforcement has certainly changed since the lights went out. “We do a damn fine job of keeping the peace, under the circumstances. We’ve got the looting under control at least and we do what we can to protect the law abiding citizens. What brought you into town today, Miss McClean? It is Miss, isn’t it?” He hadn’t yet released my hand from where he helped me stand, so I pulled it away from his grasp under the pretense of brushing dust and gravel off my backside.
 
I know what he means when he explains that the Sheriff got the looting under control. The “Looting or stealing equals a bullet to the head” policy is posted all over town and strictly enforced. 
 
I’m too stunned that a law enforcement officer would minimize the fact that I was physically assaulted and almost raped for it to register in my mind that he’s flirting with me. Awkwardly, but still flirting with a victim. “Um, yes. I came to town for the swap meet and the church ladies talked me into staying for the dance.” My heartbeat is slowly returning to a normal rhythm and my knees aren’t knocking together anymore.
 
The deputy grins, “Probably Gilda and Ida. There’s an over abundance of single men in town now and not enough beautiful women to go around.” 
 
“I noticed.” He led me back towards the lantern light of the church recreation center but my feet won’t move any further than the door. I can’t go back in there. Not now. I can’t listen to bad pick up lines and half-hearted marriage proposals from men who are just as lonely as I am. The truth is that I’m too fucking scared to walk home in the dark, all alone right now. I’m simply in need of comfort in the form of strong masculine arms wrapped around my shaking body. “So, Deputy Lang.” I stop in my tracks and turn towards him, close enough so that I can smell his powerfully strong aftershave. Blinking back the tears that are threatening to fall, I force a tight smile to my bruised lips, “I’m finished with dancing for tonight. How about we go over there behind the church rectory, and I’ll show you just how much I appreciate your intervention during my bad situation with the boys from Deliverance?” 
 
Emory wasn’t hard to convince. “Well Miss McClean, I do believe you’re trying to seduce me.” He leaned into me and brushed the hair that escaped my braid in the tussle securely behind my ear. 
 
“Is it working?” I ask him, already knowing the answer to my question by the growing tent in the front of his chinos. 
 
“Definitely.”
 
I wish I could say that the encounter was gratifying. It might have been, had it lasted more than two minutes and I didn’t have tears rolling down my face. Emory was a soft kisser, with a tongue that seemed to explore every tooth in my mouth. Still reeling from the assault, I wanted to be held and cuddled more than I wanted the sex, but that wasn’t to be. I wanted more and settled for much less.
 
Bending me over the cement steps to the back door of the minister’s residence, I let him take me. Sadly, Deputy Lang finished the race and I was barely out of the starting gate. I’ll give him credit where credit is due, he did provide nearly five minutes of spectacular post-coital cuddling, before he pulled up his pants and buckled his tactical belt. “I’ve gotta get back to my patrol. I hope we can get together again Miss McClean. Sometime soon.” 
 
I let him kiss me goodbye, before he tipped his hat and disappeared into the dark streets. I walked home in the darkness crying silent tears and with my loaded pistol cocked in my hand. My heart skipped a beat at every little sound in the night for the entire three hour walk up the mountain. The lonely Inn was my safe haven. I curled up on the sofa and hid underneath the patchwork quilt that Shirlee made and sobbed until the morning light illuminated the great room. In the safety of the light of day, I slept.
 
That’s the first and last barn dance I’ll be attending.
 
I’d made my peace with being lonely and turned my focus back towards winter prep. I was doing my best to keep Pete’s traps and lines set, but with hunting, caring for the livestock, canning, gardening and foraging, there was barely enough daylight to get all of the work done. I kept hoping and praying to whatever deity would listen for Pete and Shirlee to make it home, but as the summer wore on with no word from them, my hopes diminished. 
 
Resolved. That’s what I was. I resolved to survive the winter on my own.

 

Clairissa Sinclair was born in upstate New York but calls sunny Tampa Florida home. She lives with her boyfriend and two very spoiled teacup Chihuahuas. By day she works at the local police department as a Code Enforcement Officer, at night she writes “Sin-fully Delicious” stories filled with imperfect people who find their own strength in the end. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, swimming, fishing or snorkeling, or at the closest thrift store, hunting for treasure.
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Contemporary Romance, Giveaways, NA (New Adult)

New Release/Giveaway


Title: Kate
Author: Charyse Allan
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 20, 2020
After escaping her past, Kate builds her life around a single purpose: staying hidden. But when the unexpected threatens to unravel her tightly kept secrets, her will to remain alone falters.


Kate ran, planning to leave behind a shell of a life, giving herself strict rules to live by in order to keep the past hidden. But these rules have her trading one prison for another.

Then Kai sneaks into her life, shoving through her shields, getting her to break every one of her rules. An unexpected surprise threatens to unravel her secrets and strip away the control she fought so hard for. But she embraces it, diving into the unknown with Kai.

When her past catches up with her, she battles to keep those she has come to love protected, refusing to relent the strength she found within. But when stuck in a place she never wants to return to and with no chance of escape, she fears losing everything she’s allowed herself to cherish.

 

 

Charyse published her first novel in 2014 and has published four others since. She is working toward her BA in Professional Writing through GCU. Now married to her best friend/high school sweetheart, they live in the sweltering heat of Arizona raising their four kiddos and three Goldens. She’s a bookaholic and chocoholic; her vices keep her sane, but Father keeps her patient.

 

 

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MC Romance, Multi-Author, New Release, Uncategorized

Book Review/SLY: Kings of Carnage MC Multi-Author Series

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SLY Kings of Carnage MC Book Six 
Nicole James
June 13, 2020
MC Romance

SYNOPSIS:

Kitten, you’re in way over your head—

SLY—

As treasurer of the Kings of Carnage MC, I collect protection payments from local businesses in our small Georgia town, and one business is behind on payments. When I show up at Mooney’s Pub to collect, I find her—the gorgeous new manager with hair the color of pale fire and a body made for sin. I’m instantly attracted, and when she turns that sassy Irish mouth on me, I’m damn near obsessed. She’s not what I expected, to say the least, but when it comes to club business, I’ll deal with her same as any man. She will bend to my will, one way or another.
Because one thing is law in our town; anyone who wants to do business here is either owned by the club, partners with the club or protected by the club—for a price. In this town, no one rides for free.

Michaela—

At twenty-two, the last place I expect to find myself is back home running my father’s bar, Mooney’s Pub. But when he dies suddenly and suspiciously, I’m determined to find out why more than the accounting books don’t add up. I swear I’ll find his killer.
Seems my father has secrets he’s been hiding; the mortgage is in arrears and now the bank is breathing down my neck, ready to foreclose. All that’s holding my family together is my sheer determination and stubborn Irish grit.
Then he walks in—a badass biker, demanding payments my father owes the club. I’m beginning to realize where all the money’s been going.
Oh hell no!
Determined to hang on to my family’s business, I wonder just how far I’ll go when I’m beyond desperate.

Series blurb:

Six sizzling authors.
Six stand-alone romances.
One brand new, action packed motorcycle club.
Brothers before all others. No exceptions.
These men have no f*cks to give about anyone or anything outside of the Kings of Carnage MC.
Welcome to rural Georgia where the laws to live by here are set by the Kings.
Get in line or get out of the way, this is their world.
Six steamy stories sure to push you over the edge.

Gear up for an explosive new series from 6 bestselling Authors you love!
Hilary Storm – President; Sapphire Knight – Vice President; Chelsea Camaron – Road Captain; M.N. Forgy – Enforcer; Kim Jones – Nomad; Nicole James – Treasurer

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Best Book EVER!!

Sly is the sixth book and the last installment in the Kings of Carnage MC series. The first five consist of contributions from other amazingly talented MC authors: Chaos by Hilary Storm; Bash by Sapphire Knight; Jinx by Chelsea Cameron; North by M.N. Forgy; and Bouncer by Kim Jones.

It’s no secret that Nicole James is and has always been my favorite author. It’s impossible not to get sucked into the world of her characters when she all but pulls out a barstool in one of her clubhouses, smacks the back of a leather tattoo chair, or hits the throttle of a big ol’ Harley and invites her readers to hop on, relax, and enjoy the ride. And what a ride it is.

Simply put, SLY is one of the BEST books I have ever read. Nicole knocked this one out of the ballpark ten times over. The main reason? Michaela and Sly.

Michaela is one of the most likable female characters that I’ve read in such a long time. She’s young and has reluctantly been handed Mooney’s Pub, a longtime fixture in the small town of Uprising, Georgia, and expected to take over her family’s legacy. Michaela is smart enough to know she’s in over her head but even smarter in her determination and drive—along with some Irish stubbornness and sass—to make a successful go of it. She’s down to earth, doesn’t let anyone walk all over her, and has a huge, beautiful heart.

Sly is just one-hundred percent of hot alpha biker badassness. He’s loyal, extremely smart, bossy as f#%k, never says something he doesn’t mean, and I gotta say, full of stamina! How could Michaela not fall for him, right? The things that come out of this man’s mouth are not mushy, and because of that, he’s actually funny as hell. Nicole made him a man’s man, and he couldn’t be more mouthwateringly perfect! The banter that ping pongs back and forth between Sly and his club brothers is entertaining yet shows the depth of their loyalty and respect for one another.

Let me just say this—there is so much more to this storyline that captivates and engages. Nicole adds in well-thought-out original subplots and flashbacks that, of course, create more wonderful side characters, and it all blends into one big, worldbuilding story. Each chapter flows effortlessly into the next, and I couldn’t put it down.

I’m enthusiastically giving Sly ten shiny chrome stars. A MUST READ from the one-and-only Nicole James, the queen of all things MC.

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Reviewed by Lisa Cullinan ~ Bourbon, Bikes, and Books Book Blog

Bourbon, Bikes, and Books website:

https://bourbonbikesandbooks.wordpress.com

Bourbon, Bikes, and Books FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/bourbonbikesandbooks/

Bourbon, Bikes, and Books Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bourbonbikesandbooks/

Bourbon, Bikes, and Books Twitter:

https://mobile.twitter.com/LisaLovemyjets

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Check out Nicole’s web page, where you’ll be able to find her Evil Dead merchandise and sign up for her mailing list! This way, you’ll never miss out on the latest news on her Evil Dead MC and Devil Kings MC as well as her Brothers Ink Tattoo series. http://www.nicolejames.net/

Click on the logos below for SLY: Kings of Carnage buy links!

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MC Romance, Release Tour, Uncategorized

Release Tour

Title: Die For Her
Series: Steele Raiders MC
Author: RB Hilliard
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: June 11, 2020
 
As president of Steele Raiders MC, Steele has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. He doesn’t have the time nor the desire to get tangled up in a relationship. But then a beautiful woman—one that has no idea who he really is—steps into his life and makes him want more.
 
Luciana Ferina is not a risk taker. She’s steady and dependable, a woman who knows what she wants out of life. With a job she loves and a good head on her shoulders, she has everything she could ever need. But then she meets a man who makes her want to risk it all. 
 
She’s the woman of his dreams.
 
He’s not who she thinks he is.
 
When secrets unfold, it will be up to Steele to not only protect her but to prove he’s the man worthy of her heart.

Sometimes you have to fight for love, but sometimes you have to die for it.


RB Hilliard lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, two teenagers, and crazy dog, Oscar. She loves music, a good book, red wine, chocolate, and to write twistedly suspenseful stories. Alpha men, rock stars, and sexy bikers are among her favorites, but don’t worry, if suspense isn’t your bag, she also writes funny tales about exceptionally hot men who are in desperate need of taming. In 2014, Hilliard published her first novel. She has since published multiple novels across several genres.


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Erotic Romance, Excerpt, Romantic Comedy

New Release/Excerpt

Title: Falling for the Single Dad
Series: The Single Dads of Seattle
Author: Whitley Cox
Genre: Rom/Com, Single Dad, Erotic Romance
Release Date: June 13, 2020

When a blast from the past could blow up the future. 
Welcome to Seattle, the Emerald City and home to The Single Dads of Seattle. Ten sexy single fathers who play poker every Saturday night, have each other’s backs, love their children without quarter, and hope to one day find love again. 
This is Liam’s story … 
Single Dad of Seattle, Liam Dixon has a kick-*ss life. He’s a successful divorce attorney with a great kid, and an ongoing Wednesday night no-strings booty call. But seeing his fellow single dads fall in love and happier than ever, he begins to question his own life. He wants more with Richelle. A future. Finally ready to sweep Richelle off her feet, a woman who broke his heart over twenty years ago unexpectedly knocks on his door desperate for his help.
Single mom, Richelle LaRue might not be five-feet-tall, but her personality and strength are that of an Amazon. She takes no prisoners and gives zero f*cks. A damn good divorce attorney, she won’t let any man push her around, including Liam and his ridiculous idea of a “relationship.” If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. With her past behind her, life is finally good and she’s determined to give her daughter a bright and shiny future.
But when Liam’s ex shows up, her story rocks Richelle to her core, and she and Liam take the woman’s case. What should be a simple divorce suddenly turns dangerous. Richelle finds herself–and those she loves–caught in the crossfire while Liam is torn between the past and the present, with their future dangling precariously in the balance.
 
Can Richelle let down her walls and trust when everything she holds dear is threatened, or will finally falling for the single dad be more than her heart can bear?
 
**Note: This book can be read as a standalone. It includes lots of steamy scenes, cursing, and of course as with all my books, this has an HEA and no cliffhanger or cheating. If you like single dads who take charge, this book is for you.
“Have you seen my underwear?” she asked, her hawklike amber eyes scanning the bedroom floor. “Hot pink G-string.” Her lips spread, revealing perfect teeth and a salacious feline smile. “One of your faves, I believe.”
“You mean these?” he asked, his teeth now clenched around one of the strings.
She glanced up at him, her socks and shirt in her hand. “Those would be them, yes.”
He plucked the G-string from his teeth and held them on one finger. “Come get them.”
His eyebrows bobbed in a way that easily conveyed the payment required for retrieving her underwear.
That mouth he knew like the back of his own hand continued to smile. “No time, stud. I have a deposition at nine this morning. Can’t be late if I intend to kill it. Then I’m off to Mallory’s school for career day.” She grumbled, “How fun is that going to be? Going to a school and telling five-hundred-plus kids how rewarding it is being a divorce attorney …”
She wandered around to the side of the bed and bent down, giving him the ultimate view of her cleavage. He slipped his free hand into one of her cups until he found a nipple and tugged. The moan that rumbled in her chest told him she might not have the time, but she’d certainly make it.
Her lips hovered above his. “I can’t.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?” He lunged forward and took her bottom lip between his teeth.
She groaned, and her eyes squeezed shut. He could see her resistance crumbling. Feel the heat of her body and the way it radiated off her in a new way, a way he’d come to recognize and respond to primitively. The woman was a sexually charged animal. She also took control in the bedroom most of the time—which Liam had no qualms with—and by the time they parted ways Thursday morning, he was exhausted, achy, drained and happy as fuck.
But he also knew how to make his lioness purr. He knew how to make her roll over to her back, show her belly and become a playful kitten.

 

To look at her, you’d never expect the four-foot-eleven woman with short blonde hair, hawklike eyes, and the arms of a professional MMA fighter to be as fierce as she was. She reminded him of Tinker Bell—with an ax to grind. Hence, the nickname Tink or Tinker Bell that he’d given her ages ago. He’d even gone so far as to buy her a Tinker Bell costume one time (a sexy one, of course), and he wore a generic pirate’s costume for a little bit of role-playing.

 

A Canadian West Coast baby born and raised, Whitley is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have two beautiful daughters and a fluffy dog. She spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn’t end up in the air conditioner. But when nap time comes, and it’s not quite wine o’clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes.
 
A lover of all things decadent; wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of everyday life into her stories. With single dads, firefighters, Navy SEALs, mommy wars, body issues, threesomes, bondage and role-playing, Whitley’s books have all the funny and fabulously filthy words you could hope for.

 

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Contemporary Romance, Giveaways, New Release, Release Tour

Release Tour/Giveaway

Title: Simmering Love
Series: Slow Burn Book 3
Author: Jacie Lennon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 11, 2020
Cover Design: Alora Kate at Cover Kraze

A couch, a lie, and a Mafia problem. What could go wrong?
The day Ben Johnson decides to sell his couch is the day he gets a new roommate. Pepper is chatty, spunky, and nothing he is looking for but everything he might need. After all, his last roommate tried to drain him dry and is now involving him with possible Mafia characters. While spending time with Pepper, he realizes that not only has she moved into his apartment, but she seems to be moving into his heart as well.
Always predictable and now dishonest, Pepper Stratten is following her own dreams, not the dreams her parents have for her. After moving halfway across the country, she finds out her newly leased apartment is mold-infested, and she ends up rooming with a stranger—of the male variety. As her lie continues to grow, so do her feelings for Ben—until a lie of his own threatens to send their relationship up in flames. But Pepper might be the one person Ben needs to put his fire out.

Jacie Lennon is a dental hygienist whose guilty pleasure is writing romance. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and kids. Her home is fiercely protected by a basset hound, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and a tabby cat. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, playing with her kids, or devouring an entire container of Oreo Thins in one day.

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Cover Reveal, NA (New Adult), Romance, Suspense

Cover Reveal/Pre-Order

Title: Corrupt
Series: Beautiful Sinners Series Spin-Off
Author: Elena M. Reyes
Genre: Romantic Suspense/New Adult
Release Date: June 24, 2020
Cover Design: T.E. Black Designs

 

Corruption is the key to success and I’m the collector of all debts.
 
The first time I laid eyes on my little flower, she was dressed up—a beautiful temptation wrapped in perfection that I wanted to own. Possess. To take away from the pseudo perfect life that reeks with the narcissistic chains—the demands—holding her down.
 
She’s a pawn.
 
The daughter of my enemy.
 
Solimar Quintero is the future Mrs. Alejandro Lucas and doesn’t even know it. She isn’t aware that the man she smiles at—taunts to come closer—is a criminal. A wanted man. A nightmare for his enemies and her future.
 
I always get what I want.

Elena M. Reyes is the epitome of a Floridian and if she could live in her beloved flip-flops, she would.


As a small child, she was always intrigued by all forms of art: whether it was dancing to island rhythms, or painting with any medium she could get her hands on. Her passion for reading over the years has amassed her with hours of pleasure, but it wasn’t until she stumbled upon fanfiction that her thirst to write overtook her world.

She’s a short and sassy Latina with an adorable pup, a kiddo that keeps her on her toes, and a husband who claims she’ll cause him to go bald prematurely. Lol

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Contemporary Romance, Cover Reveal, Pre-Order, Security Romance

ᑕᗝᐯᗴᖇ ᖇᗴᐯᗴᗩᒪ/ᑭᖇᗴ-ᗝᖇᗪᗴᖇ

Title: Nightingale
Series: Reed Security Series #24
Author: Giulia Lagomarsino
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 15, 2020

 

Florrie

 

I don’t do well with emotions and yucky love stuff. I do the best I can, but at the end of the day, I’m better at showing someone I love them by fighting for them. That’s the way I’ve always been and how I’ll always be. And I have one helluva fight ahead of me. I’ll do anything for the people I love, but what I didn’t expect was to be fighting the one person I thought would always be on my side. I don’t know if I can ever forgive him for this or if we can ever move forward. Some betrayals are just unforgivable.
Alec
Life is going great. I have the woman I love by my side and a kid that is quickly becoming a huge part of my life. What can go wrong? Then it happens. One phone call changes my world in such a profound way that I’m not sure anything will ever be the same again. I risk losing it all with my decisions, but I have to stand up for what I believe is right. I just hope that when the dust settles, I still have someone on my side.

 


Sinner (Reed Security Series #1)
Cap (Reed Security Series #2)
Cazzo (Reed Security Series #3)
Knight (Reed Security Series #4)
Irish (Reed Security Series #5)
Hunter (Reed Security Series #6)
Whiskey (Reed Security Series #7)
Lola (Reed Security Series #8)
Ice (Reed Security Series #9)
Burg (Reed Security Series #10)
Gabe (Reed Security Series #11)
Jules (Reed Security Series #12)
Sniper (Reed Security Series – Book 1 of a 3 Book ARC)
Jackson (Reed Security Series – Book 2 of a 3 Book ARC)
Chance (Reed Security Series – Book 3 of a 3 Book ARC)
Phoenix Rising (Reed Security Series #16)
Alec (Reed Security Series #17)

Storm (Reed Security Series #18)
Wolf (Reed Security Series #19)
A Mad Reed Security Christmas (Reed Security Series #20)
Rocco (Reed Security Series #21)
Coop (Reed Security Series #22)
TNT (Reed Security Series #23)

 
 

I’m a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, “No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book.” I didn’t think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn’t already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven’t been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.

 

 

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