Release Boost

Title: Why It’s Real

Author: S. Moose & C.A. Harms

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 9, 2020
Cover Design: Designs by Dana
Photography: Sara Eirew Photographer

 

 

 

No matter how hard you try to put your past behind you, it always manages to catch up with you and make you question your decisions. Those unexpected events that leave you feeling as though there’s nowhere to turn, nothing can change the outcome.

 

Aimee’s life hasn’t always been easy. She made a choice a long time ago to make a difference. She wanted to prove to those who doubted her that she was strong and could survive anything. The youngest in her firm, she was made partner, and her life was exactly as she wanted it to be.

Or was it?

Remy was strong and confident. He lived a life most men would die for. Dominating the corporate world during the day and partying with socialites at night, he had everything he needed.

Or so he thought.

One changing moment.

One drastic decision.

Together, would they truly be able to discover why it’s real?

 

Bestselling Author C.A. Harms is an avid romance and mystery reader. She’s always had a love for books, getting lost in writing and storytelling even as a young girl. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories.

 

When she is not writing or reading she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author S. Moose writes emotional stories about second chances and finding love again. She’s a lover of anything and everything romantic, from music to quotes.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially her sweet little boy.

To keep up with the latest from S. Moose be sure to visit her social media sites:

 

 

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Release Boost

Collection: Escaping the Mafia 

Authors: Evelyn Kiss, Cam Johns, Nikki Belaire, Sophia Peony, SG Zertuche, and Sonya Jesus 

Genre: Romance Suspense/Mafia Romance

Release Date: April 2, 2020

She’s willing to start a war for love.

 

Escaping the Mafia is not simple, especially when Isabella’s father is known to chase enemies across state lines and obliterate them, so she has to be careful—and smart.

 

This Mafia princess comes up with a deadly plan. One million dollars to any organized crime syndicate who will help her with her six steps to freedom. The smell of easy money brings different crime syndicates to her side, and with their help, she destroys her own family. Nothing like a little revenge on the open road to happiness.

 

Each book is written by a different author and revolves around one of the deadly steps.

 

One, distract.

Two, liberate.

Three, eliminate.

Four, escort.

Five, war.

Six, love.

One Reason to Kill by Evelyn Kiss

 

Two to the Back by Cam Johns

Three More Shots by Nikki Belaire

Four In One by Sophia Peony

 

Five Wrong Moves by SG Zertuche

 

Six Deadly Steps by Sonya Jesus

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Release Boost/Giveaway

Title: The Right Wish

Series: Once Upon a Rock Star #2

Author: Michelle Mankin

Genre: Rockstar Romance

Published: March 26, 2020

A modern-day retelling of Snow White by New York Times bestselling author Michelle Mankin.

Once upon a time with a beautiful hooker who used to be a princess, and a handsome manager for rock stars who is more than he seems.

 

She’s kind and fanciful. He’s bossy and straightforward. She has nothing and feels like her life has no value. He has a reliable well-paying job that keeps his bank account full, yet his yearning heart is empty.

Both have hidden their true selves away.

But if your secret self is hidden, how can the right person ever find and fall in love with the real you?

Two lost and lonely souls arrange to meet at a pay-by-the-hour motel.

Is it happenstance, fate, or a wish come true when his carefully crafted reality and her make-believe one collide?

The Right Wish by New York Times bestselling author Michelle Mankin is a modern-day retelling of Snow White.

Dress up.

What once was lost is found.

Hope in the most unlikely of places.

Kindness over evil.

Do you believe? In fairytales? In happily ever after? In love?

 

($100.00 GIFT CARD)

 

(AUTHOR PAGE GIVEAWAY)

 

Michelle Mankin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels. 

Fall in love with a rock star.Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a BRUTAL STRENGTH centered trilogy, combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock ‘n roll industry.

Things take a bit of an edgier, once upon a time turn with the TEMPEST series. These pierced, tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there.

Rock stars, myths, and legends collide with paranormal romance in a totally mesmerizing way in the MAGIC series.

Romance and self-discovery, the FINDING ME series is a Tempest spin off with a more experienced but familiar cast of characters.

The ROCK F*CK CLUB series is a girl-power fueled reality show with the girls ranking the rock stars.

The Once Upon A Rock Star series is sexy modern fairytale retellings.

When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock or NOLA funk music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend.

BRUTAL STRENGTH series:
Love Evolution
Love Revolution
Love Resolution
Love Rock’ollectionTEMPEST series (also available in audio):
Irresistible Refrain
Enticing Interlude
Captivating Bridge
Relentless Rhythm
Tempest Raging
Tempting Tempo
Scandalous Beat

The MAGIC series (also available in audio):
Strange Magic
Dream Magic
Twisted Magic

ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES series (also available in audio):
Outside
Riptide
Oceanside
High Tide
Island Side
The Complete Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances Series, Books 1-5

FINDING ME series (also available in audio):
Find Me
Remember Me
Keep Me

Girls Ranking the Rock Stars series (also available in audio):
ROCK F*CK CLUB (Girls Ranking the Rock Stars, Book 1)
ROCK F*CK CLUB (Girls Ranking the Rock Stars, Book 2)
ROCK F*CK CLUB (Girls Ranking the Rock Stars, Book 3)
ROCK F*CK CLUB (Girls Ranking the Rock Stars, Book 4)
ROCK F*CK CLUB (Girls Ranking the Rock Stars, Book 5)

ONCE UPON A ROCK STAR series
The Right Man
The Right Wish
The Right Wrong

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Release Boost/Giveaway

Title: Shattered Skull

Series: Sons of Sinister #1

Author: Tabatha Vargo

Genre: New Adult MC Romance

Release Date: March 17, 2020

The first time I saw Aiken Cross aka Skull, he was standing atop a speeding motorcycle.

 

The second time, he was putting his fist through my brother’s face.

 

Now he’s everywhere I look.

 

He’s making my life hell with his vulgar remarks and seductive lure, but it’s not my fault my brother joined The Border Lords, his rival crew. I keep my nose out of their business and my head in the books, yet he’s always there provoking me. Dragging me into their conflict.

Everyone in town knows you don’t mess with the Sons of Sinister, but no one ever told me what to do when a Son of Sinister messes with me.

Tabatha Vargo – Author

NEW RELEASE GOODNESS! Get your copy of Shattered Skull today! “Thi… s book y’all!! One of my favorite authors had posted this book as a recommendation and I can see why! I couldn’t put this one down. Aiken and Everly stole my heart from the start!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tabatha is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for her sexy adult romance Little Black Book.

 

Tabatha writes in all genres, including adult and new adult, and isn’t afraid to venture into the dark side on occasion, as she proved with her dark, prison romance, Slammer. 

 

She’s an avid reader of all things smutty and the writer of sexy stories featuring redeemable alpha bad boys and sweet, strong women.

 

Her other loves include her children, her loving, supportive husband, anything historical, and wind chimes.

 

When she isn’t writing, she’s texting book ideas to herself.

 

Tabatha is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

 

Subscribe to Tabatha’s newsletter and get a FREE BOOK!

http://bit.ly/TabathaVargoNewsletter

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Release Boost

Title: Kill Sleep Repeat

Author: Britney King

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Release Date: January 16, 2020

𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤, 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙗, 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙨.

 

 

Several times a week, Charlotte Jones leaves suburbia behind and boards a chartered flight to parts unknown, where she wraps her hands around the necks of marks for just as long as she has to.

 

Then she goes back to domestic life with a paycheck, defense wounds, and the sense that she can handle anything.

 

Which is good, because being a wife, mother, and sociopath, with an insatiable taste for murder, gives the term work-life balance new meaning. When one life unexpectedly bleeds into the other, leading to a secret admirer and borderline insta-fame, Charlotte is forced to ask herself if she really can have it all.

 

Slick and unnerving, Kill, Sleep, Repeat is a cunning tale of deception and desire that begs the question: Do we ever really know people the way we think we do?

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

 

Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone novels.

 

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

 

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

 

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. 

 

Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 

Web• http://BritneyKing.com

Instagram • https://instagram.com/britneyking_ 

Facebook • https://www.facebook.com/BritneyKingAuthor

Twitter• http://twitter.com/BritneyKing_

Goodreads • http://bit.ly/BritneyKingGoodreads

 

To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb into your browser. 

Happy reading.

 

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Series Boost/Giveaway

Title: The Complete Rock Stars, Surf & Second Chances Series Books 1-5

Author: Michelle Mankin

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 2, 2020

From New York Times bestselling author Michelle Mankin, The Complete Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances Series is available for the first time ever in a box set. Five full-length novels. Your all access backstage pass to Southern California’s most famous rock band. 

 

OUTSIDE

When handsome California surf god Lincoln Savage suddenly rolls into Ocean Beach like a rogue wave, shy beauty Simone Bianchi’s foundation is shaken. No longer under the thumb of her domineering father, she’s made a simple quiet life for herself and her fluffy Havanese pup running a surf shop in her hometown. Long ago she gave up her dreams for a future with Linc.

But now the notorious lead singer of the Dirt Dogs has returned, and Simone is reluctant to admit that she’s still vulnerable to his killer dimpled smile and easy charm. She finds that although she’s stowed away the mementos, it hasn’t been as easy to erase the memories of their epic summer love.

It seems he hasn’t forgotten, either.

Is the recording contract he’s offering merely a pretense?

Or does he have something more in mind?

 

 

RIPTIDE

Rock star Ramon Martinez can have any woman he wants, and he frequently does because he can’t have her. His bandmate’s wife. The one woman he could give his heart to, but he can never let her know.

Karen Grayson wanted Ramon way back at the beginning, but she thought he didn’t want her. So she made the safe choice. The wrong one.

Ramon and Karen were once friends.

Now they’re not even that.

And they’re both back in Ocean Beach and that dangerous attraction remains.

 

 

OCEANSIDE

Oscar night.

Rock star legend, Ashland Keys should be on top of the world, but the blond blue-eyed SoCal surfer is disillusioned with fame, done with drugs, bored with the groupies and sick of all the fake f*ckery.

A rising star, Fanny Bay is nominated for best original song in the same category as the Dirt Dogs band, but the novel redhead with the corkscrew curls and the slight Canadian accent would prefer to chart a course with a different destination.

Hollywood is not for her.

He’s full of regrets, darkness and secrets.

She’s full of hope and light and has mysteries of her own.

Together, they don’t make sense.

But he’s what she’s always wanted, and she just might be everything he needs.

 

 

HIGH TIDE & ISLAND SIDE

Hollie Lesowski is a beautiful young actress locked in a legal battle with one of the most powerful and feared directors in Hollywood, a man who betrayed and hurt her, a man she mistakenly believed was her father.

Maximillian Cash is her bodyguard, a blond, blue-eyed giant sworn to protect her. Gentle despite his imposing presence, he seems to be just right for her. But can she trust him with her deepest secrets?

Diesel Le is a rock star in her sister’s band. Devastatingly sexy and annoyingly arrogant, the former pro surfer from Hawaii delights in driving her and everyone else crazy. So, why does she have to continually remind herself to stay away from him?

Two uniquely handsome men tempt her. Both want to make her their own. But one is her employee, and the other is a confirmed player.

Will she be swept away by temptation?

High Tide and Island Side is a heart-twisting, gut-churning, page-turning, coming-of-age duet. It is a triangular second-chance love story with two compelling alpha males but no cheating. Romantic and suspenseful, it sparkles with the glitz of Hollywood, sizzles with the tropical heat of Hawaii, and steals your breath at times, but it will also make your spirit soar.

 

The Complete Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances Series, Books 1-5 $100 

 

 

Michelle Mankin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels. 

Fall in love with a rock star. 

Love Evolution, Love Revolution, and Love Resolution are a BRUTAL STRENGTH centered trilogy,combining the plot underpinnings of Shakespeare with the drama, excitement, and indisputable sexiness of the rock ‘n roll industry. 

Things take a bit of an edgier, once upon a time turn with the TEMPEST series. These pierced,tatted, and troubled Seattle rockers are young and on the cusp of making it big, but with serious obstacles to overcome that may prevent them from ever getting there. 

Rock stars, myths, and legends collide with paranormal romance in a totally mesmerizing way in the MAGIC series. 

Get swept away by temptation in the ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES series. 

Romance and self-discovery, the FINDING ME series is a Tempest spin off with a more experienced but familiar cast of characters. 

The ROCK F*CK CLUB series is a girl-power fueled reality show with the groupies choosing the rock stars. 

When Michelle is not prowling the streets of her Texas town listening to her rock or NOLA funk music much too loud, she is putting her daydreams down on paper or traveling the world with her family and friends, sometimes for real, and sometimes just for pretend.

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Submit

Release Boost

Title: HER 

Author: Britney King

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Release Date: February 28, 2019

“After four, I quit counting. What’s the point if you know it isn’t going to stop?”

 

Sadie is jealous. Why wouldn’t she be? Her life is falling apart. Meanwhile, her new neighbor is everything she is not.

 

Ann is perfect—the kind of woman everyone loves to hate—and a best friend to die for. She hosts over-the-top dinner parties, takes parenting to an entirely different level, and makes ambition look sexy as hell. 

 

Sadie learns quick: the best way to cure jealousy is to befriend it. She also learns there’s more to her new friend than meets the eye. She’s patient, she’s kind, and possibly a serial killer.

 

It isn’t until Ann’s proclivities hit a little too close to home that Sadie has to ask herself how much she’s willing to overlook in the name of getting what she wants.

 

Exquisitely paced, Her is an unnerving and electrifying psychological thriller about jealousy, passion, and the dangerous places desire can take you. Full of enough tension and twists to make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat, it keeps you guessing until the very last page.

 

“A perfect dark, pleasure.”

“Raw. Visceral. Twisted. This may well be King’s best work yet.”

“Her starts with a bang and never lets up. It’s the kind of story that makes you think long after you turn the final page.”

“Masterfully suspenseful. Slickly poetic.”

“Fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins meet your next obsession.”

“Provocative and scary.”

“A dark and edgy page-turner. What every good thriller is made of.”

“Fresh and breathtaking insight into the darkest corners of the human psyche.”

https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/1222856329/playlist/2KO4AeVaP8g1YpgMKwgKlv

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

 

Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone novels.

 

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

 

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

 

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. 

 

Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 

Web• http://BritneyKing.com

Instagram • https://instagram.com/britneyking_ 

Facebook • https://www.facebook.com/BritneyKingAuthor

Twitter• http://twitter.com/BritneyKing_

Goodreads • http://bit.ly/BritneyKingGoodreads

 

To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb into your browser. 

Happy reading.

 

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Release Boost

Title: The Professor

Series: The Cauley Files #1

Author: Rachel Renee

Genre: Crime/Mystery/Suspense

Release Date: October 16, 2018

CIA Agent Liam Cauley takes on a new identity. Sent to Italy to assist a team tasked to infiltrate and take down a rogue operative working against the United States government.

 

Establishing trust with his target is nothing short of daunting. With each new challenge forcing him into conflicting decisions, secrets that were thought to be long-since buried might teach Cauley something about himself and those he thought he could rely on.

 

Through a tangled web of treachery, Cauley’s discoveries will bring dark truths to light. 

 

The stakes are high, but this agent will stop at nothing to complete his mission. 

 

Even if that means going back to the place it all started.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rachel Renee, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, finds herself residing with her family in the suburbs. After completing a degree in psychology and racking up thousands of dollars in debt, she decided to become a stay at home mom and homeschool her children, all the while working on her writing career. While she is not using her degree in the secular world she uses it on a daily basis, psychoanalyzing her husband of almost 15 years and two children (10 & 8), her two dogs, three cats and her life as a writer and teacher. While Rachel enjoys reading books from many different genres, she also enjoys writing different genres as well. Her first release is a contemporary romance and her second two are in the murder mystery/crime series genre entitled Instincts and Human Nature. The third in the series is coming out later in March!

Stay tuned as Rachel continues her journey!

 

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Release Boost

Title: ab·so·lu·tion: a novel

Author: Ava Harrison

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 6, 2018

I was done with love.

When I opened my heart, it was for the men I couldn’t have. 

The unattainable ones. 

The ones who would hurt me. 

A vicious cycle I couldn’t seem to stop.

But I had a new resolve. 

Focus on my career.

Stay single.

And then I met him. 

Jace Montgomery. 

A wounded widower with two young kids. 

He was exactly everything I was avoiding.

So I did my best to stay away. 

But then he kissed me. 

And I fell.

Hard.

Hard for a man who would never be mine…

A man who was broken beyond repair. 

A man who would break me.

Ava Harrison is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author. 

 

When she’s not journaling her life, you can find her window shopping, cooking dinner for her family, or curled up on her couch reading a book. 

 

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Release Boost

Title: A Change of Pace

Series: Northern Lights Collection

Stand alone

Author: Freya Barker

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 16, 2018

Once a man who lived by the letter of the law.

 

Newt Tobias will do anything for his little girl. Even take early retirement, sell his city home, and move to cottage country, hoping that the simpler life will provide a better balance for his troubled teenage daughter. 

 

Yet, not long after they’ve settled, he finds himself toe-to-toe with a stubborn, fiery tempered woman with pretty brown eyes.

 

Once a recluse preferring to live alone. 

 

Working with troubled adolescents, Frederique Marchand doesn’t suffer fools and won’t put up with bullies. Especially handsome strangers like Newt who think they can run roughshod over her. She loves her work, but on her own time she much prefers the company of her menagerie of animals.

 

But with the welfare of a teenager at stake, she must put aside rocky first impressions and work with a man who needs her as much as she’ll come to need him.

Millie is sitting on the floor again, her backpack on one side of her, and Boulder on the other, his head resting once again on her lap. He’s not sleeping though, but is closely eyeing the sandwich Millie is munching on.

“I haven’t given him anything,” she says defensively, looking up.

 

“I know. He wouldn’t have accepted anything,” I inform her. She looks a little dubious, which makes me smile. “Go on, give it a shot. Try to feed him a piece.” 

 

She takes a minute, waiting for me to urge her on with a nod, before she breaks a corner off her sandwich and holds it in front of Boulder’s face. As I knew he would, Boulder turns his head away, looking to me for a signal. 

 

“He was trained to wait for approval before he eats. Watch.” I lift my hand, palm out, indicating to Boulder he should wait, and then I drop my hand as I tell him clearly, “Okay.”

 

Faster than I can blink my eyes, he snatches the treat from Millie’s hand. 

 

“Try again,” I urge her. 

 

Once again she tears off a piece of bread and holds it out for him to eat, but his eyes are not on the bread, they are on me. I give him the go ahead, and this time Millie smiles.

 

“That’s awesome. How did you teach him that?”

 

“Lots of patience and consistent practice, every time he eats.”

 

 

 

“But why?”

 

“He’s a therapy dog, and he comes in contact with a lot of people. If he just accepted every treat that was offered, he’d be as wide as he is tall. Not healthy for a dog.”

 

She falls silent and seems pensive as she absentmindedly strokes his fur.

 

“So how was your first week in school?” 

 

“Not too bad,” she mutters, shrugging her shoulders. “No different from my old school.”

 

“Is that a good thing?”

 

Her response comes in the form of another shrug and then she adds, “It’s familiar.”

 

I’m not sure what to think of that rather detached answer, it seems a bit off, but something tells me not to push. Not yet. 

 

“Do you have a dog? Or any other pet?”

 

She snorts. “I wish. My mom was allergic to animals, and Dad keeps saying only when I’m responsible enough to take care of one.”

 

“Are you?” I jump right in, and she shows the first spark of fire in the quick look she throws me, before fixing her eyes on Boulder again. “Your dad does have a point, taking care of, and training a dog, is quite a bit of work. Especially in the beginning. You can’t skip a day because you don’t feel like walking him or getting up to feed him. You get a dog, and it’s the same with a cat or any other kind of animal, it becomes dependent on you for everything. It’s not a toy you can just play with when you feel like it.”

 

“I know that,” she snaps, suddenly pushing Boulder’s head off her legs, grabbing her bag, and scrambling to her feet. 

 

“Wait,” I call out as she moves to the door. She stops, but keeps her back turned. I smile at the show of defiance. “Millie, I’m not suggesting you can’t handle a pet—I’m asking you if you can.” 

 

Slowly she turns around and when she speaks, her voice is soft. 

 

“I think so. I’d like to try. I’d love a friend like Boulder.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. She is the author of the Cedar Tree Series and the Portland, ME, novels.

 

Freya is the recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” and is a finalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Awards for “From Dust”. She currently has two complete series and three anthologies published, and is working on two new series; La Plata County FBI—ROCK POINT, and Northern Lights. She continues to spin story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

 

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